In this week’s top stories: iOS 14 home screen redesign and feature rumors, Apple designs a custom Face Shield, new iOS 13.4.1 release, and more. Read on for all of this week’s biggest news.
Apple continued its work to help those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic this week. Apple CEO Tim Cook detailed in a video this week that Apple has sourced and donated over 20 million masks to healthcare workers and has also designed a custom Face Shield that it’s shipping to those workers.
This week also brought a handful of new iPhone 12 leaks. One image claimed to reportedly show the iPhone 12 with a smaller notch, an iPhone 4-style body redesign, and home screen widgets. Another leaked image purportedly showcases the iPhone 12 Pro with a new camera array on the back featuring a LiDAR Scanner.
Elsewhere, Apple released iOS 13.4.1, iPadOS 13.4.1, watchOS 6.2.1, and a supplemental macOS 10.15.4 update to the public this week. These updates include bug fixes and performance improvements related to FaceTime, USB-C performance, and much more.
9to5Mac has learned that Apple is in the process of acquiring a California-based virtual reality company called NextVR. The acquisition is expected to be valued around $100 million, and a shell company formed this year that’s believed to be Apple is hiring most of the engineers who develop the product. Read our full coverage here.
Lastly, you may have seen reports this week that Apple is looking to “phase out” the Beats hardware brand. As it turns out, this is not actually the case. 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 the company.
These and the rest of this week’s top stories below.
- Leaked iOS 14 screenshot shows new wallpaper settings, beta code reveals Home screen widgets
- Apple releases iOS 13.4.1 and iPadOS 13.4.1 with FaceTime and Bluetooth bug fixes, more
- Concept imagines what home screen widgets could look like with iOS 14
- iOS 14: Apple developing ‘Clips’ feature for using apps without requiring full downloads
- 2020 iPhone SE: Everything we know so far and what you should expect
- Leaked image shows off apparent iPhone 12 Pro with triple lens camera and LiDAR Scanner
- Image reportedly shows iPhone 12 design with smaller notch and iOS 14 home screen widgets
- iPhone: How to improve Face ID with a mask
- iPhone 11 Pro Diary: 28 Weeks Later, photographing an empty London
- Watchsmith is a must-have app for unlocking new Apple Watch features with dynamic complications
- Smartwatches helping to monitor the coronavirus spread; Apple Watch limited
- Apple releases watchOS 6.2.1 with FaceTime Audio bug fixes
- Comment: Why I ditched the Kindle in favor of Apple Books on iPad Mini
- Poll: Are you waiting for the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard or is a standalone trackpad sufficient?
- Concept shows how Apple could implement a ‘Main Menu’ for iPadOS apps
- Apple releases macOS 10.15.4 supplemental update with FaceTime and USB-C fixes, more
- MSI unveils new 17-inch mini LED laptop ahead of expected switch for MacBook Pro and iPad
- Today at Apple (at Home) brings Apple Store creativity to your living room
- How will Today at Apple adapt to an era of social distancing?
- Skype ditches account and download requirements, offers link-based option for free video calls
- Netflix now lets you lock your profile with a PIN, here’s how to enable it
- Tim Cook: Apple shipping custom face shields to medical workers as mask donations cross 20M
- Apple to live stream ‘One World: Together At Home’ virtual concert in benefit of COVID-19
- Apple CEO Tim Cook makes surprise appearance on ‘The Tonight Show’ via FaceTime
- Google and Apple partner on building COVID-19 contact tracing into Android, iOS
- Apple TV Channels offering free EPIX access, extended free trials of Showtime and many more
- Apple discounts HomePod to $149 for employees, possibly to reduce inventory ahead of update
- HBO Now stops working for 3rd-gen Apple TV at end of the month, here are your options
- Exclusive: Apple likely buyer of NextVR, a live event streaming AR/VR company being sold for ~$100M
- Apple has no plans to phase out its successful Beats hardware brand
- Apple commits to hiring over 1,000 summer interns, with online and in-person components
- Book calls Apple’s IS&T group ‘a Game of Thrones nightmare’
- The Rewind: Mac mini (2020 release) – still as versatile as ever [Video]
- iPad Pro (2020) top features and impressions – a glimpse into the future [Video]
- MacBook Air (2020) top features and impressions – the best keyboard in any Apple laptop [Video]
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from . 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.
- 9to5Mac Daily: April 09, 2020 – Apple teams up with Stanford, more
- 9to5Mac Daily: April 08, 2020 – Apple’s plans for Beats, iOS 13.4.1
- 9to5Mac Daily: April 07, 2020 – iPhone 12 Pro leaks, NextVR acquisition
- 9to5Mac Daily: April 06, 2020 – iOS 14 Home screen widgets, more on iPhone 9
Developer David Smith joins 9to5Mac Watch Time this week to discuss his brand new Apple Watch app called Watchsmith. Read our review to see how Watchsmith works, then dive into this episode to learn so much more about David and his new app.
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9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how the Apple Watch is affecting their lives. 9to5Mac Watch Time is available on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and your favorite podcast player through RSS.
Benjamin and Zac dive into LiDAR on the new iPad Pro, Magic Keyboard weight and availability, a new ARKit app called Pocket Rocket, iPad Pro’s new hardware disconnect feature, new iOS 14 wallpaper and widget features, a new app clips feature, Watchsmith for Apple Watch, the new Quibi video app, and what’s happening with HBO on Apple TV 3.
Sponsored by:
- : Pillow is an all-in-one sleep tracking solution to help you get a better night’s sleep. Download it from the App Store today.
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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.
John and Rambo take a spontaneous deep-dive into XPC and the pros and cons of using it to modularize a Mac app. Also, what can be learned from looking at old code, comments on the latest Apple rumors, and designing a delicious dinner.
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Stacktrace by is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Joel Rennich to discuss the FIDO Alliance and the future of password management for the enterprise and consumers.
Stacktrace by is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. .
Apple @ Work is a weekly series from Bradley Chambers covering Apple in education. Bradley has been managing Apple devices in an education environment since 2009. Through his experience deploying and managing hundreds of Macs and hundreds of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple’s products work at scale, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for students.
- Making the Grade: Why ‘OS Recovery’ will be a key feature for K-12 iOS deployments
- Apple @ Work: G Suite has brought immense benefits to Apple focused organizations
- Making the Grade: How to get AirPlay 2 in the classroom without the expense of an Apple TV
- Apple @ Work: Here’s how Apple TV has quietly become a robust digital signage solution
Author: Chance Miller.
Source: 9TO5Mac
