Goldman Sachs Wants to End Apple Partnership, American Express Might Take Over

Goldman Sachs does not want to continue its partnership with Apple, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. Apple has teamed up with Goldman Sachs for the Apple Card credit card in the United States, Apple Pay Later, and the Apple Savings account that ‌Apple Card‌ users can opt for.


The banking company wants to cut back on its consumer business, and is now in talks with American Express (or Amex) about a potential takeover. A deal would see Goldman Sachs offloading its credit card partnerships to another company, which would include the ‌Apple Card‌ and other credit cards like one it offers for General Motors.

American Express has not yet established an agreement with Goldman Sachs, and a deal is not "imminent or assured," according to people who spoke to The Wall Street Journal.

Goldman Sachs recently extended its partnership with Apple through the end of the decade. Apple would have to agree to a transfer, and is aware of the talks that Goldman Sachs has been having with Amex.
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First Phase of Apple's New North Carolina Campus Will Total 900,000 Square Feet

More than two years after Apple announced plans to invest over $1 billion in North Carolina with over half of that investment going towards a new engineering and research center in the Research Triangle area of Raleigh and Durham, the company has finally filed development plans for the first phase with local authorities.


As shared by the Triangle Business Journal, the 41-acre initial phase at Research Triangle Park will include six buildings and a parking garage totaling 700,000 square feet of office space, 190,000 square feet of accessory space, and almost 3,000 parking spaces.

Among the structures in the first phase are three office buildings with the largest coming in at around 242,000 square feet and the other two measuring just over 230,000 square feet each. All three buildings are listed as having heights of 73 feet.

Three smaller accessory buildings will join a parking garage for the initial phase, which does not yet have a disclosed starting date for construction. A starting date does appear to be close, however, as Apple has begun some initial site preparations and is moving forward on obtaining various approvals.

While this initial phase covers 41 acres, Apple owns a total of 281 acres at the site and the company's filed plans allude to future phases. Apple had said in its announcement about the North Carolina investment that it will eventually create at least 3,000 new jobs in "machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and other cutting-edge fields" with average salaries ultimately approaching $200,000.

At full buildout, Apple's Research Triangle Park campus is likely to become one of the company's largest employment centers in the United States after its Silicon Valley headquarters area and a major existing campus in Austin, Texas, that is itself seeing significant investment and expansion. Other major Apple employment centers in the U.S. include Southern California, the Seattle area, and New York City.

As Apple prepares to construct its major new campus in Research Triangle Park, the company has already been building up its presence in the region with temporary space, headlined by a takeover of one building of a three-building complex in neighboring Cary that had been built for insurance company MetLife.

Amid the rise in remote work, MetLife was recently able to consolidate operations into two buildings of the complex, freeing up the third to be used by Apple. Apple has also been working to acquire additional temporary space in the area as it will be several more years before its own campus is ready.
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iOS 16.4.1 and macOS 13.3.1 address two security vulnerabilities

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Apple Directs Users Not to Hang Up on Operators in Accidental Crash Detection Calls

With the iPhone 14 models, Apple introduced a Crash Detection feature that is designed to contact emergency services automatically should a collision be detected. Crash Detection has already saved lives, but there have also been a number of complaints about the option accidentally triggering at ski resorts, amusement parks, and in other non-emergency high-activity situations.


Apple has introduced Crash Detection optimizations in the last several iOS 16 updates to try to cut down on false calls, and now the company has new recommendations for users that accidentally activate the crash detection feature. In an updated Crash Detection support document, Apple directs users not to hang up if an accidental call is placed, and to instead explain to the emergency responder that help is not required.

If the call has been made, but you don't need emergency services, don't hang up. Wait until a responder answers, then explain that you don't need help.

Apple also removed a line in the support document that suggested users cancel a call during the timer period. "If you don't need to contact emergency services, tap Cancel and confirm that you don't need emergency services," read the sentence that has been pulled from the document.

The Crash Detection support site continues to suggest that users should dismiss an alert if they are able to do so, but Apple appears to want to put a stop to iPhone users canceling or hanging up on an already-started emergency call and leaving emergency responders wondering what happened.

Emergency dispatchers around ski slopes have been particularly unhappy with the number of accidental calls that are being received from Crash Detection. Skiing and snowboarding tumbles are able to trigger Crash Detection, and with the heavy clothing worn with these activities, ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch users sometimes don't notice that an emergency call has been placed.

In Colorado's Summit County, for example, 185 accidental Crash Detection calls were received in a week in January, wasting time and resources needed for actual emergencies. Summit County emergency services director Trina Dummer said in February that the situation threatens to "desensitize dispatchers and divert limited resources from true emergencies."

Apple in response sent four representatives to Summit County to observe the emergency call center, and further optimizations have since been added.

Crash Detection is available on the ‌iPhone 14‌ models and the latest Apple Watch models. Using sensors like the accelerometer and gyroscope, it can detect a severe car crash and automatically call emergency services if a user does not respond to an alert within 20 seconds.
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Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer.


Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least three days per week.

Employees are required to be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with most able to work remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays. However, it appears that Apple is doubling down on this strategy as it looks for ways across the company to cut costs.

In a post on Twitter, Schiffer said that Apple is now actively tracking in-person attendance using badge records and will give employees "escalating warnings" if they don't come in the required three times per week.

According to Schiffer, some Apple offices have even warned staff that failure to comply could result in job termination, although that "doesn't appear to be a company-wide policy."

The development follows a recent report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in which he outlined several cost-cutting measures being newly enacted by Apple, including managers becoming "as strict as ever" about office attendance, with some staff believing it to be a harbinger of Apple firing employees who don't meet the requirement.

In this regard, Gurman has also reported an overlap in retail stores, with Apple taking a closer look at work attendance and hours, and the company ditching its "special sick time" for time missed due to Covid, asking staff to use their normal sick time instead.

According to the report, Apple isn't always filling positions when employees leave, suggesting the crackdown on staff who do not fulfill the in-person work requirements is at least in part one aspect of its wider strategy to cut costs while avoiding the sort of mass layoffs that have recently befallen other tech giants, including Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.
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Next Year's OLED iPad Pro Models Could Have These Eye-Watering Starting Prices

Apple's 2024 OLED iPad Pro models could be vastly more expensive than its existing iPad Pros and even more costly than some MacBook Pros currently on sale, claims a new Korean report.


According to industry sources cited by The Elec, Apple is already considering its pricing strategy for next year's two OLED iPad Pro models, with current estimates starting at $1,500 and $1,800 for the 11-inch and 13-inch models, respectively.

That would make the 11-inch device over 80 percent more expensive than the existing 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ with LED Liquid Retina display, which starts at $799, and the 13-inch model over 60% more expensive than the current 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ with mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display, which starts at $1,099.

The OLED price estimates even eclipse the price of some MacBook Pro models currently on sale. For example, the 13.6-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip starts at $1,199, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 chip starts at $1,299.

According to the Korean-language report, the industry response to the price hikes is divided: Some consider them a reasonable increase given the switch to superior OLED technology that will attract Apple's loyal customer base, while others believe the prices will make it difficult to maintain sales because iPads lack the replacement demand of iPhones.

The main reason for the increases is said to be the large proportion of material costs taken up by OLED panel procurement. Apple is currently believed to be in discussion with Samsung and LG Display about the price of supplying the panels, the specifications for which will require the use of production processes that have not been combined before for OLED panels of the required size.


According to The Elec, the supply price of OLED panels for existing 10-inch devices is around $100 to $150, whereas the outlay for the processes involved in making Apple's required 11-inch and 13-inch panels may be closer to $270 and $350, respectively.

The report notes that current OLED iPad Pro price estimates from the industry could change in the future. The OLED panels scheduled to be delivered by LG and Samsung are still in the development stage, so the panel prices have not been finalized.

Still, there are reportedly concerns among panel suppliers Samsung, LG, and BOE about how Apple's OLED iPad Pro prices and shipment forecasts could negatively affect profits and production line investment. Samsung is set to invest in eighth-generation OLED production lines, which should "theoretically" result in lower-costing panels, but they have already been earmarked for Apple's future OLED MacBooks, which are also expected to debut in 2024.
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Apple Overhauling International Sales to Focus More on India

Apple is changing the way that its international businesses are managed in order to focus more attention on India, reports Bloomberg.


India is set to be its own sales region within Apple, which will give the country "increased prominence" within the company. India has become more important at Apple over the last few years due to the growing demand for Apple products. Though most people in India use Android devices, it is the second largest smartphone market in the world and Apple has the potential to make inroads with more affordable product options.

Apple is planning to move India to its own sales region following the retirement of Hughes Asseman, the vice president in charge of India, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, East Europe, and Africa. Ashish Chowdhary will become head of India, and will report directly to Apple's head of product sales. Though India will become more of a focus within Apple, regional sales reports will continue to group India with Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Apple has started producing some iPhone models in India, including the iPhone 14, as it looks to diversify beyond China. Apple supplier Foxconn has invested $500 million in the country to boost production capabilities.

There are no physical Apple retail locations in India right now, but Apple has been working to open stores in Mumbai and New Delhi for years now. Apple stared hiring for the stores in January, which suggests they could open in the near future.

Customers in India can purchase Apple devices online, as Apple has been operating an online store in India since 2020.
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Apple Seeds Third Beta of watchOS 9.4 to Developers

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 9.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software update coming one week after launch of the second beta.


To install the watchOS 9.4 update, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center.

Once installed, ‌watchOS 9.4 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update. To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it has to be placed on the charger, and it will need to be in range of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ it is paired with.

watchOS 9.4 gains support for new emoji characters that include donkey, goose, black bird, shaking head, hyacinth, pea pod, and more, with 31 new characters available in total.

Through iOS 16.4, the update adds support for Web Push notifications that are sent to an ‌iPhone‌, with the notifications able to be set up for a website that is added to the ‌iPhone‌'s Home Screen.

watchOS 9.4 will go through several rounds of beta testing, and it is expected to see a launch in the spring alongside iOS 16.4.
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Apple Increases Trade-In Values for Select iPhones, iPads and Macs

Apple today announced increased trade-in values for a limited number of older iPhone models in an effort to encourage customers to upgrade to the iPhone 14 lineup.


Trade-in values have gone up for the iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus, with the new pricing listed below.

• ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ Max: Up to $600 (vs. $570)


• ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌: Up to $500 (vs. $470)


• iPhone 13: Up to $400 (No Change)


• ‌iPhone 13‌ mini: Up to $350 (No Change)


• iPhone SE 3rd generation: Up to $160 (Newly Added)


• ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌: Up to $420 (vs. $400)


• iPhone 12 Pro: Up to $330 (No Change)


• ‌iPhone 12‌: Up to $300 (No Change)


• iPhone 12 mini: Up to $250 (No Change)


• ‌iPhone SE‌ (2nd generation): Up to $100 (No Change)


• iPhone 11 Pro Max: Up to $280 (No Change)


• ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro: Up to $230 (No Change)


• ‌iPhone‌ 11: Up to $200 (No Change)


• ‌iPhone‌ XS Max: Up to $200 (No Change)


• ‌iPhone‌ XS: Up to $160 (No Change)


• ‌iPhone‌ XR: Up to $150 (No Change)


• ‌iPhone‌ X: Up to $130 (No Change)


• ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus: Up to $100 (No Change)


• ‌iPhone‌ 8: Up to $75 (No Change)


• ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus: Up to $60 (vs. $50)


• ‌iPhone‌ 7: Up to $40 (No Change)

There have also been some minor tweaks to iPad and Mac trade-in values.

iPad

• iPad Pro: Up to $445 (No Change)


• iPad Air: Up to $320 (vs. $230)


• ‌iPad‌: Up to $165 (vs. $160)


• iPad mini: Up to $240 (No Change)

Mac

• MacBook Pro: Up to $730 (vs. $670)


• MacBook Air: Up to $515 (vs. $460)


• MacBook: Up to $125 (vs. $110)


• iMac Pro: Up to $575 (vs. $600)


• ‌iMac‌: Up to $570 (vs. $530)


• Mac Pro: Up to $1,250 (No Change)


• Mac mini: Up to $375 (vs. $340)

Apple Watch

• Apple Watch Series 7: Up to $165 (vs. $160)


• Apple Watch Series 6: Up to $105 (No Change)


• Apple Watch SE: Up to $70 (vs. $65)


• Apple Watch Series 5: Up to $80 (vs. $75)


• Apple Watch Series 4: Up to $50 (vs. $45)

Note that while trade-in value have gone up, many of these prices are still lower than 2022 prices as Apple decreased trade-in values back in January.

A full list of trade-in values, including those for Android smartphones, cis available on Apple's trade-in website.
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App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+ and More Experiencing Outage [Update: Fixed]

Several Apple services appear to be experiencing issues at the current time, according to Apple's System Status page. Outages are impacting the App Store, Apple Books, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple TV Channels, the Mac App Store, Podcasts, TestFlight, Messages, Apple Fitness+, Find My, Game Center, iCloud Mail, ‌App Store‌ Connect, and more.


According to Apple the problem has been ongoing since 4:03 p.m. Eastern Time, and there is no word on when all of the services will be back up and running. Apple says that these impacted services may be slow or unavailable for some users.

Update: According to Apple's System Status page, all services are once again operational.
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Apple Orders OLED Panels for 2024 iPad Models From Samsung and LG Display

Apple has reportedly ordered OLED panels from LG Display and Samsung for its next generation of iPad Pro models, which are widely expected to arrive next year.


Business Korea reports that Apple placed orders for the development of 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch OLED panels from the two display companies, while rival Chinese display maker BOE lost out.

Apple reportedly placed orders for the development of 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch panels for the iPad with Samsung Display and LG Display. BOE was excluded.

Korean display makers are planning to produce OLED panels for the iPad at their current sixth-generation (1500mm x 1850mm) line.

According to a separate report from Taiwan's Economic Daily News, Apple has not yet finalized the order volume of OLED displays for iPad Pro, but it may divide the order equally between the two Korean factories mentioned above.

Apple is developing 11.1-inch and 13-inch OLED iPad Pro models that will come out in the first quarter of 2024, according to display analyst Ross Young, who has a good track record for Apple rumors.

It's not entirely clear why the display dimensions are different in the two latest Korean reports, which appear to be citing the same industry sources. Previous reports have indicated Apple plans larger 11.1-inch and 13-inch screen sizes for the OLED ‌iPad Pro‌ models with potentially slimmed-down bezels rather than an overall change in the size of the device.

At the current time, Apple sells a 12.9-inch mini-LED ‌iPad Pro‌ and an 11-inch ‌iPad Pro with a traditional LCD display, as mini-LED has continued to be reserved for the higher-end ‌iPad Pro‌ model. With the 2024 update, Apple could return to feature parity between the two ‌iPad Pro‌ models.

There is also a question mark over the launch timing of Apple's planned new MacBook models with OLED displays. Both of today's reports suggest new OLED 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will arrive in 2026. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that a new MacBook Pro with OLED display could be coming in 2025, and this could also be the first touchscreen Mac.

Separately, Young says Apple is readying a 13-inch MacBook Air with OLED display for launch as soon as next year, when the OLED iPad Pro models are expected to arrive. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also expects the first MacBook with an OLED display to launch next year.
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Mysterious New 'Compute Module' Found in Apple Beta Code

An all-new "compute module" device has been spotted in Apple beta code, hinting that new hardware may soon be on the way.


The new "ComputeModule" device class was spotted in Apple's iOS 16.4 developer disk image from the Xcode 16.4 beta by 9to5Mac, indicating that it runs iOS or a variant of it. The code suggests that Apple has at least two different compute modules in development with the identifiers "ComputeModule13,1" and "ComputeModule13,3."

The modules' purpose is unclear, but speculation argues that they are designed for the Apple silicon Mac Pro – potentially serving as a solution to enable a modular interface for swappable hardware components or add additional compute power via technologies like Swift Distributed Actors. There is also a chance that the compute modules could be designed for Apple's upcoming mixed-reality headset or something else entirely.

Yesterday, recent Apple Bluetooth 5.3 filings were uncovered, a move that often precedes the launch of new products, so the compute module finding could be the latest indication that new Apple hardware is likely on the horizon.
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Security Researchers Delve Into Major Vulnerability Patched in iOS 16.3 and macOS 13.2

With almost every iOS and macOS update, Apple includes a host of security improvements to address major vulnerabilities. iOS 16.3 and macOS Ventura 13.2, released back in January, were no exception. Both updates included fixes for a long list of issues, including two that were highlighted today in a report from Trellix.


Trellix Advanced Research Center discovered a new class of privilege execution bugs within iOS and macOS, which could be exploited to delve into an iPhone or Mac user's messages, location data, photos, call history, and more.

In a blog post highlighting how the bug was found, Trellix explains how mitigations that Apple introduced for the FORCEDENTRY zero-click exploit in September 2021 could by bypassed, allowing for a "huge range of potential vulnerabilities."

Trellix found its first vulnerability in the coreduetd process, which could be used to give an attacker access to a person's calendar, address book, and photos. Vulnerabilities in OSLogService and NSPredicate were able to be exploited to achieve code execution within Springboard, providing attackers access to the camera, microphone, call history, and more.

Data about these vulnerabilities was relayed to Apple, and the company fixed the exploits in iOS 16.3 and macOS 13.2 Ventura. Security support documents for both updates were refreshed yesterday to reflect the addition of the patches.

Trellix is credited with two vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-23530 and CVE-2023-23531) that Apple patched with improved memory handling. Trellix said that it thanks Apple for working quickly to fix the issues.
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Tile Adds Undetectable Anti-Theft Mode to Tracking Devices, With $1 Million Fine If Used for Stalking

AirTag competitor Tile today announced a new Anti-Theft Mode for Tile tracking devices, which is designed to make Tile accessories undetectable by the anti-stalking Scan and Secure feature.


Scan and Secure is a security measure that Tile implemented in order to allow iPhone and Android users to scan for and detect nearby Tile devices to keep them from being used for stalking purposes. Unfortunately, Scan and Secure undermines the anti-theft capabilities of the Tile because a stolen device's Tile can be located and removed, something also possible with similar security features added for AirTags.

Tile's Anti-Theft Mode disables Scan and Secure so a Tile tracking device will not be able to be located by a person who does not own the tracker. To prevent stalking with Anti-Theft Mode, Tile says that customers must register using multi-factor identification and agree to stringent usage terms, which include a $1 million fine if the device ends up being used to track a person without their consent.

The Anti-Theft Mode option is meant to make it easier to locate stolen items by preventing thieves from knowing an item is being tracked. Tile points out that in addition to Anti-Theft Mode, its trackers do not notify nearby smartphone users when an unknown Bluetooth tracker is traveling with them, making them more useful for tracking stolen items than ‌AirTags‌. Apple has added alerts for nearby ‌AirTags‌ to prevent ‌AirTags‌ from being used for tracking people.

Unlike other Bluetooth trackers on the market, namely AirTags, Tile does not notify nearby smartphone users when an unknown Bluetooth tracker is traveling with them. These proactive notifications can communicate to thieves that a tracker is on the stolen item, allowing them to remove it and making recovering the item less likely. Some competitor products go as far as to issue an audible beep once the tracker has been separated from its owner, making it clear that a tracker is present and enabling thieves to find it with precision. The proactive notifications found in the Bluetooth tracker industry were designed to prevent stalking; however, these anti-stalking measures have been criticized for being insufficient for victim protection. Instead, these alerts have the possibility of making Bluetooth trackers easily identifiable by thieves.

Enabling Anti-Theft mode will require users to link a government-issued ID card to their Tile account, submitting to an "advanced ID verification process" that uses a biometric scan to detect fake IDs.

The ID sync is meant to deter people from using Tile trackers for stalking or other nefarious purposes. Tile says that any individual convicted of using Tile devices to illegally track another individual without their consent will be fined $1 million, wording that is in the Tile terms of service. Tile says it is also taking a "highly collaborative stance" with law enforcement, and users who turn on Anti-Theft Mode acknowledge that their personal information "can and will" be shared with law enforcement officials in cases of suspected stalking.

Tile claims that these usage terms are "progressive safety measures" that will protect people from being stalked with Tile devices.

Anti-Theft Mode is rolling out to Tile users starting today, and will be available to all users in the coming weeks.
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Useful Apple Accessories Worth Checking Out

If you're in the Apple ecosystem with a range of devices, you're probably often looking for useful accessories to go with them. In our latest YouTube video, we've rounded up some new products for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac that are worth checking out.

• HyperPack Pro Tech Backpack ($120) - Sure, you can stick an AirTag inside any backpack for Find My tracking, but Hyper's HyperPack Pro has a built-in Location Module that facilitates tracking with the ‌Find My‌ app. The backpack is made from a durable cordura fabric and it has tons of pockets for your MacBook, water bottle, sunglasses, accessories, and more.


• Lululook Rotating Laptop Stand ($80) - Available for Apple's MacBooks, the Lululook Rotating Laptop Stand has an adjustable height and it is able to rotate, so you can get it in just the right position that you need. It has a heat dissipation surface and an aluminum build, plus it works with Mac notebooks up to 16 inches.


• Nomad Volta Case ($40) - Nomad has a range of case options that have sleek designs while still offering good protection for the ‌iPhone‌, and the latest color, High Volta, is a bright, neon shade that really stands out. There's also a matching Apple Watch band for $60.


• Momax Airbox Go With MagSafe ($215) - This 10,000mAh power bank is able to charge MagSafe-compatible iPhones at up to 15W thanks to a built-in MagSafe Charger, plus there are 5W charging spaces for the AirPods and the Apple Watch. If you need to charge another device like an ‌iPad‌, there's a 20W USB-C port, and the whole accessory is small enough that it's a useful portable charging solution when traveling.


• OtterBox 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station with MagSafe ($149.95) - This OtterBox charger has a ‌MagSafe‌ charging space that is able to charge compatible iPhones at up to 15W, plus there are spaces for charging the Apple Watch and the AirPods at 5W. It has a unique design that positions the Apple Watch charger out on an attached arm, which keeps it compact, while the AirPods charge at the bottom.

Make sure to watch the video to see all of the devices in action, and if you have a favorite accessory, let us know in the comments below.
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Apple Now Selling Refurbished iPad Mini 6 and M1 iPad Pro Models

Apple today added refurbished iPad mini 6 and 2021 iPad Pro models to its online refurbished store, offering the tablets at a discounted price for the first time.


Pricing on the iPad mini 6 starts at $419 for the 64GB model, an $80 discount off of the original $499 starting price tag. Apple is offering multiple color options, with a 256GB model also available for $549, a $100 discount.

The ‌iPad mini‌ 6 initially came out in September 2021, and it features an edge-to-edge display and iPad Air-like design with Touch ID power button. It measures in at 7.9 inches and is Apple's smallest tablet option.

Pricing on the refurbished third-generation 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $639 for 128GB of storage, while pricing on the fifth-generation 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ starts at $889, also for 128GB of storage. Space Gray and Silver color options are available, and there are higher storage tiers and cellular ‌iPad Pro‌ models at discounted prices as well.


The 11-inch and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ models that Apple added to the refurbished store today were initially introduced in 2021 and they feature prior-generation M1 chips. Apple in October 2022 refreshed the ‌iPad Pro‌ lineup, introducing M2 chips.

Supplies of the refurbished ‌iPad‌ models will shift over time as Apple adds new devices and as devices sell out, so those wanting a specific configuration or color may want to check back often.

Refurbished products from Apple are almost identical to new products, and are subject to a refurbishment process that includes full functionality testing. Refurbished products are eligible for AppleCare+ and have the same 14-day return period as new Apple devices.

(Thanks, Dave!)
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Remastered 'Myst Mobile' Game Now Available on iPhone and iPad

It has been 30 years since popular puzzle game Myst first came out, and to celebrate the anniversary, developer Cyan today announced the launch of a new remastered "Myst Mobile" game that is available for the iPhone and the iPad.


As our sister site TouchArcade notes, there was a prior version of the original Myst game available for iOS devices all the way back in 2009, but this is an updated version that is free to download and play.


Myst can be played on devices that have an A12 chip or later, or an M1 or M2 chip. Cyan says that the game has been optimized for ‌M1‌ devices and runs supercharged on ‌M2‌ chips in particular, with graphics that rival console graphics. The game supports keyboards and trackpads, as well as gamepads.

All of Myst Island is accessible for no cost, and those who want to play more can unlock the Ages beyond Myst Island add-on for a one-time purchase of $14.99. There is a launch promotion right now that drops the price down to $9.99.

Myst Mobile can be downloaded from the App Store starting today. [Direct Link]
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Apple Separates Human Resources Role From Retail, Adds New Chief People Officer

Apple is hiring Carol Surface as its new chief people officer, with Surface set to report directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook, reports Bloomberg. Apple head of retail Deirdre O'Brien had been handling the "people" role, but Apple has now made a dedicated hire and has removed the duties from O'Brien.


While O'Brien will continue to be Apple's retail chief, Surface will lead the People team, which is known as Human Resources at most companies. That team at Apple is designed to help Apple connect with and care for its employees, handling talent development, recruiting, employee relations, benefits, compensation, inclusion and diversity, Apple University, and more.

Apple is hiring Surface from Medtronic, where she currently serves as Chief Human Resources Officer. She has been with Medtronic for over nine years, and also worked at Best Buy and Pepsi. Surface is set to start at Apple in March.
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Apple Watch Owners With UnitedHealthcare Can Earn Awards for Being Active

Insurance provider UnitedHealthcare today announced the launch of UnitedHealthcare Rewards, a program that allows members to use their Apple Watches or iPhones to earn up to $1,000 per year by completing different health goals and activities.


UnitedHealthcare says that eligible members are able to earn rewards by using a smart watch, smartphone, or activity tracker, with the rewards able to be added to a prepaid debit card or deposited into a health savings account. Rewards can be earned by completing the following tasks:

• Achieve 5,000 steps or more each day.


• Complete 15 minutes or more of activity per day.


• Track sleep for 14 nights.


• Get a biometric screening.


• Complete a health survey.


• Select paperless billing.

Some of the payouts include $3.50 per week for walking 5000 steps a day, $10 for tracking 14 days of sleep, $7 a week for 30 active minutes of fitness each day, and $25 for completing a health survey.

Additional activities will be added to the rewards program throughout the year. UnitedHealthcare Rewards is available to select employers with fully insured plans at the start of their new plan year, and additional employers will gain access later in 2023. The program can be accessed through the UnitedHealthcare app or through the UnitedHealthcare website.
This article, "Apple Watch Owners With UnitedHealthcare Can Earn Awards for Being Active" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iPhone 15 Pro 'Buttonless Design' Rumors: Everything We Know

The iPhone 15 Pro models will feature a "buttonless design" thanks to additional Taptic Engines, according to multiple corroborated reports, so what do we know about the change so far?


Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was first to report that the volume and power buttons on this year's two high-end iPhone models will adopt a solid-state design, similar to the ‌iPhone‌ 7's home button, replacing a mechanical button design that physically depresses. Apple uses a similar method for its Mac trackpads, which do not physically move and simply mimic the feeling of being pressed with small vibrations.

The new iPhones will reportedly feature additional Taptic Engines on the internal left and right sides to provide physical feedback to users, making it seem as though they are pressing real buttons. The change means that the number of Taptic Engines in each ‌iPhone‌ will increase from one to three.

Barclays subsequently appeared to corroborate Kuo's report, saying that Apple supplier Cirrus Logic may have hinted at ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models getting haptic buttons in 2023 – something Kuo later noted with specific mention of Cirrus Logic benefiting from Apple orders to bring the feature about this year. Analyst Jeff Pu has similarly said that the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models will feature solid-state volume and power buttons with haptic feedback thanks to two extra Taptic Engines, meaning that there seems to be a growing consensus among analysts about the change.


Apple was rumored to be planning to transition the Apple Watch to solid-state buttons several years ago, but the switch never took place. At the time, it was said that solid-state buttons would improve water resistance and take up less internal space, but it is not clear if that would be the case for the ‌iPhone‌ since sufficient space for two more Taptic Engines will be required.

It is as yet unclear how the new haptic buttons will work through cases, especially if they require direct touch contact. Likewise, there will need to be solutions to accommodate device recovery in situations the ‌iPhone‌ may not be working as expected.

‌iPhone‌ rumors from 2021 suggested Apple could move back to round volume buttons like the ‌iPhone‌ 4, 4S, 5, and 5S models, so it seems plausible that such a change could finally occur this year hand-in-hand with the switch to solid-state buttons. Round buttons would not only have a larger surface area for the touch contact required for haptic buttons, but would also be visibly different from any ‌iPhone‌ models in recent years to overtly flag the presence of the new feature. Leaked iPhone 15 Pro schematics do not clearly show whether the device will have round or oblong volume buttons.

Last year, Apple stressed that enabling iOS 16's "keyboard haptics" feature could drain battery life when enabled, and the feature is off by default. Any hardware or software feature on an ‌‌iPhone‌‌ obviously consumes battery life, but the fact that Apple felt it was worth explicitly mentioning for keyboard haptic feedback may indicate that the additional power the Taptic Engine uses is relatively significant. As such, the battery life impact to power two extra Taptic Engines and hundreds of additional daily uses in the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro remains an open question.

The ‌iPhone 15‌ and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus are expected to retain traditional clickable volume and power buttons, so it seems likely that Apple will have to tout some kind of meaningful improvement or new functionality to successfully upsell customers to the buttonless design. The ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models are also rumored to feature a titanium frame, a USB-C port, new Sony image sensors, periscope telephoto camera technology, 8GB of memory, a 3nm "A17 Bionic" chip, and more.
This article, "iPhone 15 Pro 'Buttonless Design' Rumors: Everything We Know" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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