Benjamin Mayo

Apple will continue its prosperous manufacturing relationship with TSMC for — at least — the foreseeable future.

According to a new report from Digitimes, the Apple A15 chip will begin production in May. The production schedule lines up for the iPhone 13 launch in the fall. The A15 chip will use the same 5 nanometer fabrication size as the A14. And the companies are already preparing for next year’s performance leap too …

In celebration of Earth Day 2021, Apple announced that is launching a new documentary special ‘The Year Earth Changed’ which examines how changes in human behavior, as a result of the pandemic, affected wildlife and nature.

‘The Year Earth Changed’ will be released on April 16. Apple TV+ will also be releasing new episodes of its documentary series ‘Earth At Night in Color’ and ‘Tiny World’ on the same date.

Apple today released iOS 14.4.2 for iPhone and iPad, and watchOS 7.3.3 for Apple Watch. The updates includes an important security fix for WebKit, which Apple says may have been actively exploited.

The company also released a patch update to iOS 12, version 12.5.2, so that iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, third-generation iPad mini, first-generation iPad Air and the sixth-generation iPod touch users can also benefit from the security fixes.

According to a report by Max Weinbach via EverythingApplePro’s YouTube channel, Apple is doubling down on the colorways for the iPhone 13 refresh, at least for the Pro models. The iPhone 13 is expected to mostly resemble the iPhone 12’s industrial design, albeit with a smaller display notch. In these ‘iterative’ years, it is common for Apple to switch up the colors to help make the phones look new.

For 2021, it seems Apple is launching a premium pure black finish to replace the gray ‘graphite’ color found in the iPhone 12 Pro lineup. The render mockups of this color look fantastic.

Apple is considering to expand its lineup of Apple Watch models, with a new model that would be focused on athletes and extreme climbers and hikers. As reported by Bloomberg, the casing of this watch would feature a rugged design with impact shock resistance and protective exterior, similar to a Casio G-Shock watch.

Current Apple Watch models feature aluminium, steel and titanium exteriors. The idea of the rugged watch model is it would feature a rubberized casing that is perhaps not so elegant to look at, but would be less prone to scratching and damage.

The Billie Holiday Theatre recently recorded a new version of their critically acclaimed work ’12 Angry Mend … And Women; The Weight of the Wait’ at Apple’s Steve Jobs Theater. Apple is streaming the play for free for four weeks through the Apple TV app.

Featuring stories from the critically acclaimed book 12 Angry Men: True Stories of Being a Black Man in America Today, the film explores narratives of unjust racial profiling and police action. The film will be available for free through the Apple TV app from March 26 through April 22nd.

Supply chain analysis from Daniel Ives at Wedbush indicates the iPhone 13 is on track for a usual launch in September.

Last year, supply chain disruption as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic saw Apple breaking its usual tradition with no new iPhone models launching in September. Instead, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro were released on October 23, with the Mini and Max arriving November 13.

According to Bloomberg, and backed up by analysis from iFixit, the HomePod mini includes a secret sensor that is designed to measure the current temperature and humidity of the room the HomePod mini is in. It seems like this sensor could be activated through a software update to provide new functionality to HomePod mini users.

Various third-party HomeKit products exist that can measure room temperature, but it would be convenient for HomeKit users if the HomePod mini could do it without the need for an additional accessory.

In a statement, Apple said that its upcoming App Tracking Transparency rules will be applied to all developers equally, worldwide.

This follows reports that the state-backed Chinese Advertising Association had developed workarounds and was encouraging adoption of ‘CAID’ identifiers as an alternative, if the user opts out of allowing IDFA collection.

While the sci-fi-sounding “Apple Glasses” remain many years off in the future, rumors and reports continue to swirl around the Apple virtual reality and augmented reality headset. Apple is believed to be releasing this headset next year, as a kind of precursor to the mass consumer glasses. The Apple headset will compete against high-end products like the Valve Index and HTC Vive Pro.

Today, Kuo says that specifications for the product indicate that it will feature a sophisticated eye-tracking system. The headset will be able to detect where the user is looking, if they are blinking, and possibly even include iris recognition that will be able to identify users automatically (the equivalent of Touch ID or Face ID for a headset form factor).

Although there has been a lot of noise about new AirPods recently, it doesn’t seem like they are actually due for an update anytime soon. A proven leaker has corroborated a recent Kuo report that said AirPods 3 were not scheduled to enter mass production until later in the year…

Starting next month, Apple will allow the Russian government to pre-install apps on iPhones, iPads, and possibly other devices like Macs in future.

In accordance with a new Russian law, Apple users will see a dialog box upon initial setup of new devices that features web browsers, antivirus, messenger, email clients, and more to be installed by default. The list of apps is provided by the government.

Foxconn is a key partner for Apple with the iPhone, and is believed to be one of the leading manufacturing partners for Apple’s upcoming Apple Car project. The company even confirmed today that it plans to build electric vehicles in North America by 2023, and is currently hunting locations in the US and Mexico.

Naturally, Foxconn was asked about whether its electric vehicle plans were somehow related to an Apple deal. Foxconn’s CEO simply said that the Apple Car is “still a rumor”.

Apple and Qualcomm waged war over patent royalties for many years, with Apple alleging Qualcomm was charging unfair rates for essential patents. The companies went to court with billions of dollars on the line, but ultimately reached an out-of-court settlement.

Now, it seems Apple will have another player at the negotiation table. Huawei is not just a maker of smartphones, it also owns the largest collection of 5G patents. And now it wants to start making money from them. Via Bloomberg, Huawei is beginning talks with Apple and Samsung to negotiate royalty rates.

This morning, Apple released a slew of country-specific press releases on the Apple Newsroom. In September, Apple released similar data for the US, stating that the iOS app economy supported 2.1 million American jobs.

In the UK, Apple says the App Store supports about 330,000 jobs, an increase of 10% compared to a year ago. Germany has another 250,000 jobs, as does France.

Despite a flurry of leaks surrounding next-gen AirPods in the last couple of weeks, Ming-Chi Kuo this morning said that new AirPods will not enter mass production until the third quarter of 2021, which means they won’t be launching imminently.

Many leakers have suggested that Apple will hold a product event on March 23rd. However, the date is not yet confirmed by Apple and it remains unclear what product would feature. Today’s Kuo report indicates AirPods 3 are simply not ready yet.

Apple TV+ today announced its latest partnership deal, first reported by Deadline. The company has signed a first-look deal for feature films with Imagine Entertainment, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s production company.

Before hiring Zack van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht from Sony to launch Apple’s original video content division, Apple was in talks to possibly acquire Imagine with Howard and Grazer taking the top jobs at Apple TV+. Howard and Grazer reportedly declined the role on good terms, with Apple and Imagine instead signing a first-look deal for documentary content. Today’s news expands Apple and Imagine’s partnership into all feature films.