New iPad Air Marketing Materials Hit Retail Stores, Suggesting Imminent Launch

Last month Apple unveiled a redesigned iPad Air with slimmer bezels that it said would become available in October, but it didn't give an exact date for when it would start taking orders. With October now upon us, there are indications that the new ‌iPad‌ Air could launch imminently, rather than later on in the month.


According to a tweet late on Wednesday from well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, "Apple marketing materials for the new ‌iPad‌ Air are starting to land at retail stores, suggesting a launch sooner rather than later."

The new ‌iPad‌ Air is the first Apple device with Touch ID built into the power button. That has allowed Apple to add a fully laminated 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone, P3 wide color support, and an anti-reflective coating.

It's also the first time Apple has debuted a new AXX-series chip in an ‌iPad‌ before an iPhone. The new ‌iPad‌ Air is powered by the new 5nm-based, six-core A14 Bionic chip for up to 40 percent faster performance and up to 30 percent faster graphics than the previous-generation ‌iPad‌ Air. It's the same chip expected to be used for the iPhone 12 and ‌iPhone 12‌ Pro models, which are expected to be announced this month.

Apple marketing materials for the new ‌iPad‌ Air are starting to land at retail stores, suggesting a launch sooner rather than later. Apple said October, which is tomorrow — so not a surprise.

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 30, 2020

Apple's ‌iPad‌ Air is also the first ‌iPad‌ to offer unique color options similar to ‌iPhone‌ colors. The ‌iPad‌ Air is available in silver, space gray, rose gold, green, and sky blue.

Like the iPad Pro, the new ‌iPad‌ Air features a USB-C port instead of a Lightning connector, and similarly features a 12-megapixel rear camera for higher-resolution photos and 4K video recording.

The new ‌iPad‌ Air will be available on Apple.com and the Apple Store app in 30 countries and regions when it launches. Wi-Fi models will start at $599, while cellular models will start at $729, with 64GB and 256GB storage capacities available.

Related Roundup: iPad Air

Buyer's Guide: iPad Air (Don't Buy)

This article, "New iPad Air Marketing Materials Hit Retail Stores, Suggesting Imminent Launch" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/3l7sKoj

Irish Supreme Court Says Subway Bread Can't Legally Be Called Bread Under Tax Law

Ireland’s Supreme Court has ruled that bread from the international fast food chain Subway can’t legally be called bread under Irish tax law. The problem? Subway’s bread simply has too much sugar and must be considered a “confectionary.”

Read more...

from Gizmodo https://ift.tt/3cLWGna

Ulysses 21 Brings Advanced Grammar and Style Check to iPhone and iPad

Popular writing app Ulysses received its 21st major update today, and brings the revision mode that was introduced to Mac this summer to iPad and iPhone.


Revision mode, as the name suggests, aims to aid focused text revision by hiding unnecessary features, dimming the editor theme, and highlighting annotations and suggestions.

Revision mode also includes an advanced grammar and style check powered by the LanguageTool Plus service, which can analyze texts and provide informed suggestions in categories such as capitalization, punctuation, semantics, redundancy, typography, and style.

On top of the grammar and style suggestions, users can review annotations, comments, deletions and marked text passages in this mode.

In addition to the new mode, Ulysses' developers have reworked the app's appearance to match the look-and-feel of iOS 14.


Ulysses can be downloaded for free on the App Store and the Mac App Store, with version 21 rolling out to existing users today. After a 14-day trial period, a subscription is required to unlock the app on all devices. A monthly subscription costs $5.99, while a yearly subscription is $49.99.

Students can use Ulysses at a discounted price of $11.99 per six months. The discount is granted from within the app. Ulysses is also included in Setapp, the subscription-based service for Mac applications created by MacPaw.

Tag: Ulysses

This article, "Ulysses 21 Brings Advanced Grammar and Style Check to iPhone and iPad" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/3cKHkiE

Macs Need T2 Security Chip to Play 4K HDR Netflix in macOS Big Sur

Apple's upcoming macOS Big Sur operating system introduces HDR video support and allows Netflix users to watch content in 4K HDR for the first time. However, it turns out that only Macs with an Apple T2 Security chip are compatible with Ultra HD streaming.


Apple Terminal spotted a recently updated support document on Netflix's Help Center that now includes hardware requirements for viewing 4K HDR content in Safari on macOS Big Sur.

According to the web page, viewing Ultra HD content can only be achieved on a "select 2018 or later Mac computer with an Apple T2 Security chip." In addition to that, every monitor connected to the computer on which Ultra HD is streamed must be a 60Hz 4K capable display with a HDCP 2.2 connection.

It's not clear why Macs need a T2 security chip to play back 4K HDR content, given that Windows machines obviously don't, but it could be that this is Netflix's way of ensuring that viewers aren't trying to stream the high-definition content on older Macs, which could result in less-than-stellar performance.

The following Macs have the Apple T2 Security Chip, and can therefore stream Netflix in Ultra HD on macOS Big Sur:

• iMac introduced in 2020


• iMac Pro


• Mac Pro introduced in 2019


• Mac mini introduced in 2018


• MacBook Air introduced in 2018 or later


• MacBook Pro introduced in 2018 or later

macOS Big Sur is now up to its ninth public beta, and is likely to officially debut sometime this month.

Related Roundup: macOS 11 Big Sur

Tag: Netflix

This article, "Macs Need T2 Security Chip to Play 4K HDR Netflix in macOS Big Sur" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/3495eAE

Apple Officially Obsoletes Last iPod Nano Model

As expected, Apple has added the seventh-generation iPod nano to its list of Vintage and Obsolete products, officially designating the last iPod in the iconic nano lineup as "vintage."


The vintage products list features devices that have not been updated for more than five years and less than seven years. After products pass the seven year mark, they are considered obsolete.

Apple debuted a refreshed version of the seventh-generation iPod nano in mid-2015, and that was the final iPod nano that came out. Now that the device is five years old, it is being added to the vintage list.

Apple launched the first iPod nano in September 2005, and over the course of the nano's lifetime, it got several redesigns. The first iPod nano model was similar in design to a standard iPod but with a slimmer, easier to pocket shape.

Fast forward seven years to October 2020 and the seventh-generation iPod nano, which ended up being the final model that was introduced. It had an iPod touch-style multi-touch display and a Home button, but the nano and touch product lines were ultimately so similar that Apple did away with the iPod nano.


Apple refreshed the seventh-generation iPod nano in 2015 to add new colors, but the design remained the same. The iPod nano was discontinued along with the iPod shuffle in mid-2017, leaving the iPod touch as the only iPod Apple sells.

Devices on Apple's vintage list are able to receive hardware service from Apple and Apple service providers, but it is subject to the availability of repair components and where required by law. Obsolete products have no hardware service available with no exceptions.

In addition to the seventh-generation iPod nano, the 5th-generation ‌‌iPod touch‌‌, which was originally released on October 11, 2012, has also been added to the Vintage and Obsolete list.

Tag: vintage and obsolete

This article, "Apple Officially Obsoletes Last iPod Nano Model" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/2EOBKiV