There are only a few hours left until Apple’s next special event, where the company is expected to announce the 3rd generation iPhone SE, new Mac models, and also a new iPad Air. Rumors had already predicted that this new iPad will feature 5G support, but 9to5Mac has now learned from sources that the iPad Air 5 will be powered by the M1 chip.
Expand Expanding Close
As Apple gets closer to its deadline for completing the transition from Intel Macs to Apple Silicon, the company is expected to introduce even more computers with its own chips this year. 9to5Mac has learned from sources that in addition to the rumored new Mac mini and Mac Pro, Apple has been developing a brand new “Mac Studio” computer.
Update: It has been revealed and it is glorious
Expand Expanding Close
Apple has given no sign that it is working on a new version of the Pro Display XDR, which was introduced in 2019. However, rumors suggest that there are new external displays from Apple under development. 9to5Mac has now heard from sources familiar with the matter that the company has been working on a new “Apple Studio Display” with higher resolution than the Pro Display XDR.
Expand Expanding Close
A company selling password-cracking tools says that a newly-discovered T2 Mac security vulnerability allows it to crack passwords on these machines, bypassing the lockouts.
The method used is far slower than conventional password-cracking tools, but although the total time needed could run into thousands of years, that could fall to as little as 10 hours when the Mac owner has used a more typical password…
Expand Expanding Close
Apple is expected to introduce new iPad Pro models this year – previous rumors suggested that the company had been experimenting with new designs with a glass back and wireless charging. While the company still wants to bring MagSafe to the 2022 iPad Pro, 9to5Mac has learned that the rumored glass design may have been scrapped.
Expand Expanding Close
If there’s anyone who should know about how to get the most accurate Mac speech recognition, it’s someone who’s an ex-BBC producer and also quadriplegic – so he’s heavily reliant on dictation.
Colin Hughes, who has previously shared his thoughts on Apple’s accessibility features, says that using the right microphone can transform the experience of dictating on a Mac or PC. He’s been helping one manufacturer get it right and says that the result is the best mic he’s ever found for speech recognition.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple announced at WWDC 2021 in June a new version of its Swift Playgrounds development app with major improvements. Although the company never said when it would become available, Apple is now inviting some developers to try out Swift Playgrounds 4 ahead of the official release of the update.
Expand Expanding Close
It’s no secret at this point that Apple is becoming more interested in the sports segment, as the company has been investing and hiring related professionals to work in its TV division. 9to5Mac has now found evidence to support these rumors, including a new “SportsKit” framework for iOS and tvOS apps.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple has confirmed to me that it already scans iCloud Mail for CSAM, and has been doing so since 2019. It has not, however, been scanning iCloud Photos or iCloud backups.
The clarification followed me querying a rather odd statement by the company’s anti-fraud chief: that Apple was “the greatest platform for distributing child porn.” That immediately raised the question: If the company wasn’t scanning iCloud photos, how could it know this?
Expand Expanding Close
Apple’s Pro Display XDR has been available for quite some time now, but there are still no rumors about an updated version of its high-priced display in the near term. However, 9to5Mac has now learned from sources familiar with the matter that Apple is internally testing a new external display with a dedicated A13 chip and also Neural Engine.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple is widely expected to have a new iPad mini coming as soon as later this year with a design similar to the latest iPad Air. 9to5Mac has now learned from sources familiar with the matter that the new iPad mini, codenamed J310, will be powered by Apple’s latest A15 processor, feature USB-C connectivity, and include a magnetic Smart Connector.
Expand Expanding Close
There was a wild rumor making the rounds last year that Apple planned to phase out its successful Beats hardware brand and go all in with Apple-branded audio hardware. 9to5Mac reported at the time that burying Beats was “not a strategy that Apple plans to pursue” or even consider.
We’ve since learned more about was happening behind the scenes in California. Rather than discontinuing the Beats brand, Apple was hiring its first in-house designer to oversee Beats product design.
Expand Expanding Close
Following the rumors of a new iPad Pro coming next month, 9to5Mac has now found references about a new “A14X” chip in the iOS 14.5 code — which had its fifth beta version released today to developers and public beta users.
Expand Expanding Close
Venmo, a payment service owned by PayPal, is about to launch its own credit card to compete with the Apple Card. The Venmo credit card was announced a year ago, and now 9to5Mac has obtained exclusive details about this card that will offer digital services through a new app.
Expand Expanding Close
Earlier this week, our sister site 9to5Google found references to Apple One – Apple’s upcoming subscription bundle – in the Apple Music app for Android. Bloomberg previously reported that Apple One encompasses several tiers offering combinations of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and iCloud storage for a single discounted price.
Now, 9to5Mac has found references to Apple One in iOS code. These strings appear in the localization files used for the iPhone’s Manage Subscriptions screen. The text has been added recently, which may further suggest that Apple One is going to be announced at Apple’s special event on Tuesday.
Expand Expanding Close
Some iPhone and iPad models feature Face ID, which allows users to unlock the device through advanced facial recognition. While Face ID is not yet available on any Mac, 9to5Mac found references to the TrueDepth camera on macOS Big Sur, which suggests Apple is working to bring facial recognition to its computers.
Apple today released the second developer beta of iOS 14 with some small changes across the system. And now 9to5Mac was able to find a hidden feature in the Wallet app to allow users to make payments with QR Codes using Apple Pay.
9to5Mac has already covered some of Apple’s plans for iOS 14, which will be officially introduced on Monday. Now we’ve heard from sources that Apple is also working on some major changes to the Podcasts app, which is now expected to offer personally curated content just like Apple Music.
Apple is working to include a built-in translator in Safari, 9to5Mac has learned, as well as full Apple Pencil support on websites. These new features described are based on an early build of iOS 14 obtained by 9to5Mac.
9to5Mac exclusively reported some of the details and new features of the upcoming iOS 14, which will be officially announced by Apple next month. Now we have found evidence that Apple is working to completely replace the Messages app on macOS with a Catalyst version, based on iOS 14 code.
Update: NextVR has replaced its website with a landing page announcing a ‘new direction’ without its existing service.
Update 2x: Apple has confirmed the acquisition to Bloomberg.
It’s no secret that Apple has ambitious plans for augmented reality and a future AR-focused headset. Apple is practically building the platform for its future headset out in the open with ARKit. What’s new is that Apple is believed to be in the process of acquiring a California-based virtual reality company called NextVR, 9to5Mac has learned.
Apple is working on a new way to offer specific parts of third-party apps across the system without needing to have them installed, 9to5Mac has learned based on an early build of iOS 14. The feature would allow users to experience parts of an app’s functionality by scanning a QR Code.
Six years ago Apple dropped $3 billion on its largest acquisition ever to acquire Beats Electronics. Music mogul Jimmy Iovine and hip-hop legend Dr. Dre built the consumer electronics brand into a household name, and Beats-branded headphones were flying off the shelves.
Apple could tell. It sold Beats headphones and speakers in Apple Stores so the success of Beats was no secret. Beats also had a months-old streaming music service that Apple used to build Apple Music, but it’s clear in retrospect that Apple also saw continued value in Beats as a hardware brand.
That’s why it may come as a surprise to see reports that Apple plans to phase out the Beats brand in the future.
9to5Mac can report that this is not a strategy that Apple plans to pursue. The strategy is not one that should be viewed as being on the table for Apple, 9to5Mac has learned.
9to5Mac has learned new information about Apple’s long-rumored, entry-level iPhone model, including the marketing name, product colors, and storage options, based on a tip from a highly trusted reader.
Based on the new information, it’s possible Apple could be planning to open orders for the new iPhone as soon as tomorrow; the information definitely tells us that Apple is ready to start accepting orders very soon.
