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This week’s top stories: Apple vs Facebook, AirPods Max, iOS 14.3 features, and more

In this week’s top stories: iOS 14.3 released to everyone, Apple vs Facebook, new features for the Apple Watch, additional AirPods Max tidbits, and more. Read on for all of this week’s top stories.

AirPods Max

Apple’s new AirPods Max over-ear headphones are officially available. Over the last week, we’ve learned more about the headphones, including the controversial Smart Case. Nonetheless, AirPods Max are back-ordered until well into 2021, and availability at Apple Stores is starting to dry up.

For the Smart Case, Apple published a new support document that makes more details clear about the battery life ramifications of not using it. When you place AirPods Max in the Smart Case, they go into low power mode immediately and into ultra-low power mode after 18 hours. When not in the smart case, they go into low power mode after 5 minutes, then into ultra low power after 72 hours.

iOS 14.3 and watchOS 7.2

Apple this week released iOS 14.3 to the general public, bringing new features such as ProRAW support on iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. iOS 14.3 also makes it easier to set custom app icons thanks to the ability to run shortcuts from the Home screen without launching the Shortcuts app first.

watchOS 7.2 was also released to the public, and it includes support for new Cardio Fitness notifications. You can learn more about this new feature in our full coverage right here.

Finally, iOS 14.3 and watchOS 7.2 also bring support for Apple Fitness+, Apple’s new subscription service that offers a library of on-demand workouts across 10 different categories. Here’s how to get started with the new service .

Apple Silicon rumors

This week also brought the introduction of the first developer and public betas of iOS 14.4. The update appears to focus primarily on bug fixes and performance improvements, but it also includes new features for HomePod mini.

With iOS 14.4 and a new HomePod mini beta, the $99 smart speaker now includes a much-improved Handoff experience. Check out it in our hands-on video right here.

Holiday buying guides

Finally, we continue to offer holiday gift guides and buying guides at 9to5Mac. So far we’ve offered detailed advice on Apple Watch gifts, AirPods vs AirPods Pro, and more.

These and the rest of this week’s top stories below.

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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December 18, 2020 – Apple vs Epic update, AirPods Max tidbits




9to5Mac Daily

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
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New episodes of 9to5Mac Daily are recorded every weekday. Subscribe to our podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available.
Stories discussed in this episode:  

AirPods Max Smart Case makes little difference to battery life, says Apple
Judge rules Tim Cook and Craig Federighi must testify as part of Epic Games legal case
Apple launches TV and movie show sale: Schitt’s Creek, Seinfeld, The Office, more – 9to5Toys
Today only, Apple Watch and iPhones from $100: XS $405, 11 Pro $700, more (Refurb) – 9to5Toys
9to5Toys on Twitter

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  1. December 18, 2020 – Apple vs Epic update, AirPods Max tidbits



  2. December 17, 2020 – Apple vs Facebook, iOS 14.4 changes



  3. December 16, 2020 – AirPods Pro Lite rumors, more



  4. December 15, 2020 – iOS 14.3 features, Apple Fitness+



  5. December 14, 2020 – iPhone 13 production, Apple TV+

Jeff Benjamin joins Zac Hall to give Apple Watch Series 3 and Series 5 an exit interview before new models are announced. 9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how Apple Watch is affecting their lives.

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Arthur Ware on overcoming obstacles and becoming a Spartan athlete




9to5Mac Watch Time

Arthur Ware, or @bt_spanky on Instagram, is an Army veteran and Mississippian who discovered Spartan competitions and marathon races after climbing out of a depression with Apple Watch. Here his story and ongoing journey in this episode of 9to5Mac Watch Time.
9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how Apple Watch is affecting their lives. Subscribe now to catch up with each episode and automatically hear new episodes as soon as they’re released every two weeks: ? Apple Podcasts | ? Overcast | ? Spotify
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The Real Story Behind the Spartan in the Apple Watch Commercial

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  1. Arthur Ware on overcoming obstacles and becoming a Spartan athlete



  2. Anastasia Folorunso on Apple Watch Series 6, watchOS 7, and Fitness+



  3. Jeff Benjamin on Apple Watch Series 3 and Series 5 ahead of new models



  4. What’s new in watchOS 7? Sleep tracking, face sharing, hand washing, and more



  5. watchOS 7 preview, Watchcast crossover, #WWDCRun

9to5Mac Happy Hour is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play Music, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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Privacy nutrition labels, Apple Fitness+ launch experience




9to5Mac Happy Hour

9to5Mac’s Benjamin Mayo and Zac Hall discuss Stadia for iOS, App Store privacy labels, Facebook’s reaction to new tracking permissions, Apple TV+ in iOS 14.3, Tim Cook rejecting a series on Gawker after Apple bought it, and the launch of Apple Fitness+.
Sponsored by LinkedIn Jobs: Go to LinkedIn.com/HAPPYHOUR and get $50 OFF toward your first job post!
Sponsored by ExpressVPN: Take back your Internet privacy today and get 3 months free with a 1-year package at ExpressVPN.com/HappyHour.
Sponsored by RemoteHQ: Try the future of virtual meetings for three months free at remotehq.co/happyhour.

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Benjamin Mayo @bzamayo
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  1. Privacy nutrition labels, Apple Fitness+ launch experience



  2. MagSafe Duo experience, iOS 14.3, AirPods Max announced



  3. MagSafe Duo released, best apps of the year, Apple product mystery



  4. macOS Big Sur review, redesigned MacBooks, Apple Black Friday



  5. HomePod mini and M1 Mac hands-on

Stacktrace by 9to5Mac is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.


114: “The invisible Bluetooth wire”




Stacktrace

An accidental deep dive into how the AirPods’ transparency mode is activated over Bluetooth, the launch of Swift by Sundell 3.0, running macOS code in the cloud, multiple headphone reviews and a comparison between the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 mini.

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  1. 114: “The invisible Bluetooth wire”



  2. 113: “The hype is real!”



  3. 112: “The just is justified”



  4. 111: “Mini reviews, maximum reviews”



  5. 110: “Intel’s Blackberry moment?”

Apple @ Work by 9to5Mac is available on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, and via RSS for other podcast players.


Apple in the courtroom with David Sparks




Apple @ Work

In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by David Sparks from MacSparky to discuss using Apple products as a lawyer.

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  1. Apple in the courtroom with David Sparks



  2. Kandji adds a new breed of automation for Apple device management



  3. Are Macs more secure than PCs in the enterprise?



  4. Ubiquiti Access, Protect, and more with Reilly Chase from HostiFi



  5. iOS and macOS updates with DataJAR


Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

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Author: Chance Miller
Source: 9TO5Google

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