This week has seen a good mix of Apple news and rumors, led by the release of iOS 14.4, a report on Apple’s box office earnings and a new report that the upcoming Apple Watch could monitor glucose levels in blood.
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We also did internships with the new Apple Watch “Time to Walk” feature, while AirPods Max owners can now purchase stand-alone ear pads to mix and match colors. Read on for all the details.
All new in iOS 14.4
Apple has publicly released iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 this week with a handful of new features and bug fixes for iPhone iPad users.
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iOS 14.4 introduces a notification to iPhone 12 models with non-original cameras, the option to classify the Bluetooth device type in Settings to properly identify headphones for audio notifications, and more.
Apple also launched watchOS 7.3, which extends the ECG application of the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer versions to Japan, Mayotte, Thailand and the Philippines and introduces a new “Unity” watch face based on the Pan-African flag. tvOS 14.4 is also out, while macOS 11.2 is still in beta.
Apple announced this week that its privacy measure of application tracking transparency will be required from the upcoming beta versions of iOS 14, iPadOS 14 and tvOS 14, meaning that applications will need to request permission to track users and collect the random identifier of their device for advertising. purposes. Apple says software updates will be released publicly in early spring.
Apple reports a record quarter with revenue of $ 111 billion
This week, Apple reported its results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2021, which corresponds to the fourth quarter of the calendar year 2020.
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The quarter was a blast for Apple, which recorded a record-breaking quarterly revenue of $ 111.4 billion, strong in all product categories, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac and more.
Apple has prospered financially during the pandemic, as many customers work, learn, and connect with other people from home. Apple launched many new products and services during the quarter, including the full range of iPhone 12, revised M1 Macs, a redesigned iPad Air, the HomePod mini, the AirPods Max, Apple Fitness + and Apple One subscription packages.
The Apple Watch Series 7 is said to have a blood glucose control
According to a report this week, the Apple Watch Series 7 will have a blood glucose control using an optical sensor ETNews.
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The report, which focuses primarily on the blood glucose capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, explains that Apple intends to bring blood glucose control to the upcoming Apple Watch Series 7 using a non-invasive optical sensor.
Apple has been gradually expanding Apple Watch’s health monitoring capabilities, most recently adding the ability to control blood oxygen levels to the Apple Watch Series 6 introduced last September.
Practice with the new Apple Fitness + “Walking Time” feature
This week, Apple officially unveiled Time to Walk, a new feature that allows Apple Watch users who subscribe to Apple Fitness + to hear audio stories from celebrities, musicians, athletes, and other influential guests as they walk, similarly to podcasts. For wheelchair users, the feature is called Time to Push.
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Time to Walk episodes are automatically downloaded to the Apple Watch with a Fitness + subscription, and users can start an episode directly from the Workout app. According to Apple, new episodes ranging from 25 to 40 minutes will appear in the Training app of a different guest every Monday until the end of April.
Early guests include musicians Dolly Parton and Shawn Mendes, NBA star Draymond Green and actress Uzo Aduba, best known for her role as Suzanne Warren in the original Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black.” .
We took a quick look at Time to Walk in one of our latest YouTube videos to see what it’s all about and if it’s a worthwhile addition to Fitness +.
Apple now sells stand-alone pads for Max AirPods
Apple now sells AirPods Max ear pads autonomously, priced at $ 69 per set, allowing customers to mix and match colors, including those in silver, black, sky blue, green and red.
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IrAirPods Max attach ear pads attach magnetically to the ear cups and can be blown away immediately, so making a change to a new color is easy.
MacRumors made fun of all possible AirPods Max color combinations, so if you’re wondering what a particular color might look like with your irAirPods Max, the article is a valuable resource. It was estimated that the spare ear pads would be shipped initially on a business day, although delivery of colors other than silver and black fell quickly in late March or early April. However, the first orders are already coming into the hands of customers.
In other news about products, Apple announced this week that it will release a limited edition “Black Unity” version of the Apple Watch Series 6. This special model will be available throughout the month of February in honor of the month of black history and comes with a “Black Unity” sports band based on the Pan-African flag.
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