Along with the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR, Apple has added a variety of related accessories to its online store.

The new Mac Pro accessories include Apple’s Afterburner card, AMD’s Radeon Pro Vega II MPX and Vega II Duo MPX graphics modules, Promise’s custom Pegasus R4i and Pegasus J2i storage modules, Belkin’s lock adapter for use with a third-party lock or cable, Belkin’s AUX power cable kit, and up to 256GB DDR4 ECC memory kits.

For the Pro Display XDR, there is an optional $999 stand, a VESA mount adapter, and Logitech’s 4K Pro Magnetic Webcam for $199.95.

Designed specifically for the Pro Display XDR, the Pro Magnetic Webcam features 4K Ultra HD resolution video with advanced HDR. “RightLight 3” technology automatically adjusts the video based on both poor lighting and direct sunlight. A secure magnetic mount attaches the webcam to the display.

Many of the accessories ship within the next week, but some are not yet available.

Silver-and-Black Magic Accessories Limited to New Mac Pro

The new Mac Pro comes with a new silver-and-black Magic Keyboard with a numeric keypad and a black Magic Mouse, with an optional silver-and-black Magic Trackpad available as well. These accessories are currently limited to the new Mac Pro and have not been made available to purchase separately.

This is similar to when Space Gray versions of the Magic accessories were limited to the iMac Pro when that computer launched in December 2017, but they became available to purchase separately in March 2018.

This article, “New Mac Pro Accessories Added to Apple Store, Plus Logitech 4K Webcam for Pro Display XDR” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Alongside iOS and iPadOS 13.3, Apple has released new 13.3 software for the HomePod, with some bug fixes and performance improvements that build upon ‌HomePod‌ features introduced in earlier iOS 13 software releases.

Today’s update improves the ability of ‌HomePod‌ to recognize the voice profile of family members, it allows individual family members to enable or disable personal requests, and it fixes an issue that could prevent music playback from resuming on a stereo pair following a call.

The new ‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌ software will be installed automatically on the ‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌, but you can also manually update and check your software version by following the instructions in our HomePod software how to.

This article, “Apple Releases New 13.3 Software for HomePod” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

AppleCare+ for the new Mac Pro is available for $299, while ‌AppleCare‌+ for the new Apple Pro Display XDR is priced at $499.

Given the prices of both the ‌Mac Pro‌ and the Pro Display XDR, adding ‌AppleCare‌ coverage seems well worth it.

The $299 price point for ‌AppleCare‌+ for the ‌Mac Pro‌ is the same regardless of whether the ‌Mac Pro‌ costs $6,000 or upwards of $52,000 with upgrade options.

‌AppleCare‌+ for ‌Mac Pro‌ and for Pro Display XDR extends coverage to three years from the date of purchase, and adds coverage for two incidents of accidental damage. There’s a $99 deductible for enclosure damage or screen damage and a $299 deductible for other damage.

24/7 access to Apple’s support staff by chat or phone is also included, as are onsite repair options, mail-in repairs, carry-in repairs, and global repair coverage.

‌AppleCare‌+ for ‌Mac Pro‌ is the same as the ‌AppleCare‌+ plan that Apple offers for all of its Mac products. It covers the ‌Mac Pro‌ and its accessories.

‌AppleCare‌+ for Displays covers the Pro Display XDR, the power cord, one Apple-branded display stand, and one Apple-branded mount purchased at the same time.

The ‌AppleCare‌+ protection policies for Apple’s new hardware can be purchased when checking out. For the ‌Mac Pro‌, Apple says ‌AppleCare‌+ can be added within 60 days of a purchase, but there is no similar wording on the ‌AppleCare‌+ for Display pages.

This article, “AppleCare+ for New Mac Pro Costs $299, AppleCare+ for Pro Display XDR Costs $499” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple today released macOS Catalina 10.15.2, the second update to the ‌macOS Catalina‌ operating system that was originally released in October. ‌macOS Catalina‌ 10.15.2 comes over a month after the release of macOS Catalina 10.15.1.

‌‌macOS Catalina‌‌ can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for free using the Update feature in the System Preferences app, and it is available to anyone who has a compatible Mac.

There were no major new features found in ‌macOS Catalina‌ 10.15.2 during the beta testing period, but according to Apple’s release notes, the update includes a new layout for Apple News+ new stories, introduces Stocks improvements, includes Music bug fixes, adds support for using an iPhone to remotely control the Music and TV apps on a Mac, includes Photos and Mail bug fixes, and more.

The ‌macOS Catalina‌ 10.15.2 update improves the stability, reliability and performance of your Mac and is recommended for all users. This update adds the following features:

‌Apple News‌

– New layout for ‌Apple News‌+ stories from The Wall Street Journal and other leading newspapers

Stocks

– Get links to related stories or more stories from the same publication at the end of an article

– “Breaking” and “Developing” labels for Top Stories

– Stories from ‌Apple News‌ are now available in Canada in English and French

– This update also includes the following bug fixes and improvements:

Music

– Restores the column browser view for managing the music library

– Resolves an issue that may prevent album artwork from appearing

– Fixes an issue that may reset music equalizer settings during playback

iTunes Remote

– Adds support for using an ‌iPhone‌ or iPad to remotely control the Music and TV apps on a Mac

‌Photos‌

– Resolves an issue that may cause some .AVI and .MP4 files to appear as unsupported

– Fixes an issue that prevents newly created folders from appearing in Albums view

– Addresses an issue where manually sorted images in an album may be printed or exported out of order

– Fixes an issue that prevents the zoom-to-crop tool from working in a print preview

Mail

– Addresses an issue that may cause Mail Preferences to open with a blank window

– Resolves an issue that may prevent using undo from retrieving deleted mail

Other

– Improves the reliability of syncing books and audiobooks to your ‌iPad‌ or ‌iPhone‌ through Finder

– Fixes an issue where reminders may be out of order in the Today smart list in the Reminders app

– Resolves an issue that may cause slow typing performance in the Notes app

For more on everything that’s new in ‌macOS Catalina‌, make sure to check out our dedicated macOS Catalina roundup.

This article, “Apple Releases macOS Catalina 10.15.2 Update With Apple News Improvements, iPhone Remote Control Support for Music and TV Apps” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple today released watchOS 6.1.1, the third update to the watchOS 6 operating system that’s designed to run on modern Apple Watch models. watchOS 6.1.1 comes over a month after the launch of watchOS 6.1.

‌‌‌watchOS 6‌‌‌.1.1 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated ‌‌‌Apple Watch‌‌‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

To install the new software, the ‌‌‌Apple Watch‌‌‌ needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌. Apple has also released a watchOS 5.3.4 update for those who have ‌Apple Watch‌ models not able to be upgraded to ‌watchOS 6‌.

We didn’t find any significant changes during the watchOS 6.1.1 beta testing period, and Apple doesn’t have specific release notes available. The update “provides important security updates and is recommended for all users.”

For more detail on the features included in the overall ‌watchOS 6‌ software release, make sure to check out our watchOS 6 roundup.

This article, “Apple Releases watchOS 6.1.1 With Bug Fixes” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple’s new Mac Pro is now available to order, with the base model priced at $5,999 in the United States. If you would prefer wheels on the computer to roll it around, though, that will cost you an extra $400.

“Customize your Mac Pro to have a stainless steel frame with wheels, which is ideal for moving your Mac Pro quickly and easily without having to lift it,” says Apple. “Configuring your Mac Pro with wheels makes it about an inch taller than the frame with feet.”

Like the optional $999 stand for the Pro Display XDR, the $400 wheels are already raising some eyebrows on Twitter.

The Mac Pro’s wheels are $400. Looks like everyone guessing the price yesterday underbid. pic.twitter.com/VkgZqDZKez

— Scott Buscemi (@scottbuscemi) December 10, 2019

I get that the Mac Pro is not a consumer machine but $400 for wheels? pic.twitter.com/K0RQYAeoAr

— Still BassanoClapper (@bassanoclapper) December 10, 2019

Apple has updated the pricing for the Mac Pro to include the optional $2,000 Afterburner card and $400 wheels. Yes, the wheels are $400. Top price is now $52,599. https://t.co/XJH27segBG

— Jeremy Horwitz (@horwitz) December 10, 2019

The new Mac Pro charges $400 for wheels. Apple has no chill lmao pic.twitter.com/8HqM5C4pDq

— Fil Brej (@filbrej) December 10, 2019

The new Mac Pro is the fastest Mac ever, with up to 28-core Intel Xeon processors, up to 1.5TB of ECC RAM, up to 8TB of SSD storage, and up to AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo graphics with 64GB of HBM2 memory. The computer also has eight PCIe expansion slots for maximum performance, expansion, and configurability.

With maxed out tech specs and all available accessories selected, including the $400 wheels, the new Mac Pro costs over $52,000 in the United States.

This article, “Want Wheels on Your New Mac Pro? That’ll Cost $400” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple today released tvOS 13.3, the second major update to the tvOS 13 operating system that runs on the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models. tvOS 13.3 comes over a month after the launch of the tvOS 13.2 update.

‌tvOS 13.3‌, which is a free update, can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the ‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌ by going to System -> Software Update. ‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌ owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to ‌‌‌tvOS 13‌‌‌.3 automatically.

tvOS 13.3 adds a useful new setting that’s designed to let you change the main banner interface in the ‌Apple TV‌ app from What to Watch to Up Next, which displays content from shows that you’re already watching rather than show suggestions.

The option can be accessed by going to the Settings app, choosing Apps, and selecting the TV app. From there, select Home Screen and choose “Up Next” in the “Top Shelf” section.

We didn’t find any additional new features in tvOS 13.3 during the beta testing period, making it unclear what else might be included, but it likely focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements.

Details on the update will be provided through Apple’s tvOS support document.

This article, “Apple Releases tvOS 13.3 for Fourth and Fifth-Generation Apple TV Models” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple today asked a federal court to continue monitoring two Chinese-born former employees accused of stealing trade secrets, citing “deep concerns” that the two could attempt to flee the country before their trials.

According to Reuters, prosecutors argued that Xiaolang Zhang and Jizhong Chen should have their locations monitored because they are flight risks.

Zhang was charged with theft of trade secrets back in July 2018 after he attempted to steal data on the car project that Apple has in the works. Prior to when he was caught, Zhang worked on Apple’s compute team, designing and testing circuit boards to analyze sensor data in autonomous vehicles.

Zhang had “broad access to secure and confidential internal databases,” and after announcing his plans to leave Apple for China-based XMotors, an investigation was launched due to suspicious behavior. Just ahead of leaving, Zhang accessed sensitive content that included prototypes, power requirements, low voltage requirements, battery systems, and more. Zhang was ultimately arrested at the airport in July 2018 attempting to leave for China.

In a separate incident, Apple caught Jizhong Chen, another Apple employee, taking photographs “in a sensitive workspace.” After launching an investigation, Apple security officials found that Chen’s personal computer contained “thousands” of Apple Car-related files, including manuals, schematics, photographs, and diagrams.

Chen had recently applied for a position with a China-based autonomous vehicle company and was arrested for theft of trade secrets one day before he was set to fly to China. Recently, it was also discovered that Chen had classified files from the Patriot missile program that belonged to Raytheon, his ex-employer.

Both men have been monitored electronically after being released on bail ahead of their trials, and they are now seeking to have that monitoring end. The lawyer for the men has said that they have not shown signs of violating pre-trial conditions thus far and did not actually share Apple’s intellectual property with a third party.

The lawyer has also argued that each man was going to China to visit relatives, not to escape prosecution, and that both have strong ties to the United States. Chen and Zhang are both facing multi-year prison terms and hefty fines if convicted.

This article, “Apple Concerned Ex-Employees Accused of Theft of Trade Secrets Will Flee to China” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Google today announced that it is extending Incognito mode to Google Maps on iOS devices, allowing users to look for directions privately without that information being saved to a Google Account.

Google introduced Incognito mode for Android devices earlier this year as part of a 2019 focus on making it easier to control, manage, and delete Location History information.

When you make a search in Google Maps while logged in to your Google Account, the places that you search for are saved to power features like restaurant recommendations and are added to your Location History.

When searching for a location in Google Maps in Incognito mode, the iPhone will not update Location History so places visited will not be saved to the Timeline, nor will personalization features in Maps be available.

Google Maps is also gaining a new bulk delete option for the Timeline, which uses Location History to help users remember the places and routes they’ve visited. With the bulk delete option, it’s easier to find and delete multiple places from Timeline and Location History all at once.

This article, “Google Brings Incognito Mode to Google Maps App for iOS” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums