Tag: iPad

Apple Challenges Qualcomm With In-house Modem In New M5 Ipad Pro

Apple’s most recent M5 iPad Pro has been unveiled, exhibiting yet another relatively insignificant, ‘chip-and-ship’ upgrade that most users are likely to bypass. However, the real point of interest is the modest addition of an in-house cellular chip, marking a critical step in Apple’s ongoing rivalry with Qualcomm.

What’s New in the M5 iPad Pro?

Similar to the latest MacBook releases, the M5 iPad Pro was launched without much fanfare, primarily featuring a processor enhancement. According to expert observations, the device only boasts ‘modest improvements’ beyond the M5. The preceding M4 iPad Pro is already a powerful tool, and as such, the day-to-day experience for M4 iPad Pro users is unlikely to differ significantly with this update.

The most notable adjustment, certainly for those within the industry, is not the M5 itself. Instead, the focus is on the newly incorporated C1X cellular modem, an in-house development replacing the third-party component previously utilized by Apple. Additional features include a new N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and faster external display support, though these are generally considered minor, specialized upgrades.

The Importance of the Modem

On the surface, the average consumer may not be particularly concerned with a modem. However, for Apple, it is of significant importance. The ‘third-party component’ that Apple has recently abandoned was supplied by Qualcomm. Those well-versed in the tech industry are likely aware of the protracted and complicated legal battles between Apple and Qualcomm over patents and licensing fees.

Beneficial for Apple, not the Consumer

This update is a quintessential ‘Apple’ move. It represents an enormous business and technical victory for the company, but it offers little to no benefit to the average consumer. Switching to in-house components is a strategic business decision for Apple, but it has yet to noticeably impact the user experience.

Moreover, it should be noted that the majority of iPad purchasers opt for the Wi-Fi only model, rendering this new chip inconsequential for most customers. The introduction of this chip does not affect the purchasing decision in any significant way. The real test will come when these in-house modems are incorporated into iPhones. That’s when performance must be flawless, and when Qualcomm will truly start to feel the pressure. For the time being, this is just a subtle, strategic move by Apple.

Questions & Answers

What is the most significant upgrade in the M5 iPad Pro?

The most significant upgrade in the M5 iPad Pro is the addition of an in-house C1X cellular modem, replacing the third-party component previously supplied by Qualcomm.

Does the new in-house C1X cellular modem affect the consumer experience?

No, the switch to in-house components, including the new modem, has not yet led to a noticeable change in the user experience.

What is the potential impact of the in-house modem on Apple’s relationship with Qualcomm?

The introduction of an in-house modem indicates a strategic move by Apple that could put pressure on Qualcomm, particularly when in-house modems begin to be incorporated into iPhones.

October 20, 2025
Apple’s Subtle Strategy: Unveiling New Ipad Pro Amidst Rising Competition And Foldable Tech Future

While there might not be any flashy Apple product launch event in the offing, it seems a new collection of Cupertino’s devices are set for a low-key announcement in the following days. This subtle approach to unveiling a new generation of iPad Pro via a simple press release, though not entirely unheard of, sparks the question: does Apple still have faith in its tablet line?

Apple’s Shift in Focus: iPad or Not?

Considering Apple’s current range of iPads, including the 11-inch iPad, two 2025 iPad Air models with M3 power, a seventh-generation iPad mini only around a year old, and the May 2024-released 11 and 13-inch iPad Pros with M4 power expected to be succeeded this month, the answer seems to be a resounding yes.

However, some might argue that iPads have been relegated to the background in Apple’s product lineup in recent years. This wasn’t always the case; recall the buzz surrounding the release of the 2020 iPad Pro (4th Generation) with its “breakthrough LiDAR” technology.

While the iPad might not have been the apple of the company’s eye as much as the iPhone family, it does seem that the gap between the two product lines is widening. For instance, when was the last time you saw an iPad advertisement on TV, on YouTube, or elsewhere? If Apple’s marketing budget is anything to go by, AirPods and Apple Watches have taken precedence, making iPads feel like third-class citizens in the product hierarchy.

The Puzzle of Market Leadership

Despite this, iPads still dominate the tablet industry. So, why is the new M5-powered iPad Pro edition not receiving the grand launch it deserves? In the second quarter of 2025, Apple sold around a third of the world’s tablets. Moreover, during the same period the previous year, when the predecessor of the iPad Pro debuted on the market, Apple’s market share stood at an even more remarkable 36.6 percent, beating out competitors Samsung and Lenovo.

Indeed, competition might be part of the problem. With competitors like Samsung, Lenovo, Amazon, Xiaomi, Huawei, and Microsoft stepping up their game in the tablet market, one would expect Apple to follow suit and increase both advertising efforts and innovation for the iPad line.

The Innovation and Marketing Conundrum

However, iPads have an apparent problem with innovation and marketing. Consider, for instance, the 60Hz refresh rate-limited iPad Air (2025) screens, the largely unchanged iPad Pro design over the years, or the outdated Apple A16 Bionic processor in the 2025 “vanilla” iPad.

Despite these issues, it’s challenging to criticize the potentially familiar-looking iPad Pro (M5) edition, especially when competitors like the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra have their own flaws and a high starting price of $1,200.

The Age of Foldables

In recent years, Apple seems to be focusing on more than just enhancing the iPad Pro. The tech giant appears to be investing in the development of foldable devices. Rumors of the first-ever foldable iPhone, likely to be launched next year, and the first foldable iPad, which may follow soon after, are making the rounds. The latter is anticipated to be a hybrid between a tablet and a full-scale Mac computer, potentially carrying a hefty price tag.

Questions & Answers

Does Apple still believe in tablets?
Given their current lineup of iPads and upcoming releases, it appears that Apple still has faith in its tablet line.

Why isn’t the new M5-powered iPad Pro receiving a grand launch?
While iPads are still market leaders, it seems that Apple has shifted its marketing focus towards other products like the iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watches.

What are the upcoming innovations expected from Apple?
Apple appears to be focusing on the development of foldable devices, with rumors suggesting the launch of the first-ever foldable iPhone and iPad in the near future.

October 15, 2025
Apple to move key iPad engineering resources to Vietnam

Apple is allocating product development resources for iPad to Vietnam, Nikkei reported on Friday, citing sources briefed on the matter.

Apple is working with China’s BYD, a key iPad assembler, to move new product introduction (NPI) resources to Vietnam, the report said, adding that this is the first time the company has shifted NPI resources to Vietnam for such a core device.

Engineering verification for test production of an iPad model will start around mid-February and the model will be available in the second half of next year, it said.

Apple and BYD did not immediately respond to Reuters’s request for comment.

Apple suppliers including Luxshare and Foxconn also invested in the Southeast Asian country earlier this year to further diversify production away from China.

December 11, 2023
Apple could be introducing three new iPad models this coming Tuesday
Many assumed that after unveiling the new iPhone 15 series, the Apple Watch Series 9, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 last month, we wouldn’t be seeing Apple release any more hardware in 2023. But there could be one last squeeze of the toothpaste tube left by the gang in Cupertino resulting in an announcement that would reveal three new iPad tablets, according to Supercharged. We could also see a new Apple Pencil with USB-C charging.

The report cites a source “familiar with Apple’s media plans” who says that this Tuesday, October 17th, Apple will introduce a new entry-level iPad, an M2-powered iPad Air, and a new iPad mini. The entry-level iPad would be the 11th generation model replacing the 10th generation iPad which was announced in October 2022. The new iPad Air should come with an upgrade in the form of a faster M2 chip. The previous iPad Air, the first to use an M-series chip, was announced in March 2022.

The new iPad Air, rumored to be announced this Tuesday, will supposedly be powered by a powerful M2 Apple Silicon chip.

Also rumored to be announced on Tuesday is the iPad mini 7 which could be powered by the A16 Bionic chipset, the same one that currently is used to run the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models. Additionally, the new iPad mini 7 will do away with the “jelly scrolling” flaw that causes the left side of the screen to lag while the right side moves at a normal pace. All three tablets are expected to receive minor boosts in specs.

Apple is not expected to put on a big show for the release of the new iPads as an announcement will be made by the company on YouTube and through its newsroom site. If you hope the announcement will include a new iPad Pro, you’re early. The OLED iPad Pro models are expected to become official during the second half of 2024.

This makes sense since Apple’s Vision Pro spatial computer will dominate the first half of the year. We expect the new iPad Pro model to be offered with an 11-inch and a 13-inch display.

Ever since the pandemic ended, tablet sales have dropped. Apple saw a surge in iPad sales when many worked from home and students attended virtual classes. Perhaps an injection of fresh new iPad models will stimulate Apple’s tablet sales.
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October 16, 2023
iPad Air with boosted specs is apparently right around the corner

The current iPad Air came out in March 2022 and Apple is already contemplating a new model for this year, per Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman.

In the latest edition of his weekly Power On newsletter, Gurman says that Apple could announce the first Mac computers with the rumored M3 chip in October. He thinks Apple could reveal a new iMac, 13-inch MacBook Air, and 13-inch MacBook Pro in October.

He also says that Apple is working on a new iPad Air model. He didn’t go into the specifics and only revealed that the model could feature boosted specs. He had previously said that the spec bump would be minor.

The iPad Air 2022 has a 10.9 inches LCD screen, the M1 chip, and single main and front-facing cameras.

If we were to speculate, we’d say that the new iPad Air will have the M2 chip that powers the iPad Pros and maybe a Thunderbolt port.

Gurman has also said that Apple is unlikely to reveal new iPad Pros this year. Instead, the next iteration will probably arrive next year. The 2024 iPad Pros are rumored to have OLED displays and will allegedly be powered by the M3 chip.

As for the M3 chip, it will be based on TSMC’s 3nm process, which would make it more powerful and power efficient than the M2, which is already insanely fast. The fabrication process allows for a higher-density chip, enabling manufacturers to fit more cores into a processor.

It’s not clear whether these October products will be announced through a press release or if Apple will hold a dedicated event for them.

Before that, in September, the company is expected to reveal the next crop of iPhones: iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max. Like the M3 chip, the Pro model’s A17 chip will also be manufactured on the 3nm node.

July 17, 2023
New M2 iPad Pro expected to launch today

Apple’s flagship tablet has been due for an update for quite some time. Last year, the iPad Pro received arguably the biggest upgrade in its entire history. The 2021 lineup saw the implementation of the M1 chipset (a full-fledged, desktop-class SoC) and the bigger 12.9” model in particular received a gorgeous mini-LED panel.

Some one and a half years have passed since then, however, and, given Apple’s consistency with regards to refresh cycles, an update was expected before the end of 2022. It seems that the announcement is just around the corner.

Mark Gurman, the final authority on all Apple-related leaks, confirmed last Saturday, in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, that the 2022 iPad Pro is only “days away” and asserted that an announcement would take place before the end of this week.

Now, it seems that Gurman is certain that the new iPad Pro will be revealed today (Tuesday, October 18th). The information was first brought forward in a tweet by Gurman himself.

It should be noted that the announcement will be taking place via an official press release, as Apple is unlikely to hold another dedicated launch event before the end of 2022. This implies that the 2022 iPad Pro will be an incremental update over its predecessor.

For reference, the biggest new addition is going to be the M2 chipset. The M2 processor will increase the performance of the new iPads by about 20%, which is unlikely to make much of a difference in day-to-day use, especially in the context of iPadOS.

There are also rumors that the new models could support new charging capabilities, and possibly reverse wireless charging. Major design tweaks are not expected, barring the possible enlargement of the Apple logo on the back (in order to facilitate MagSafe compatibility).

October 19, 2022
Google announces five new features coming to Chrome for iPhone and iPad
If you have an iPhone and don’t like Safari, chances are you’re using Google’s internet browser, Google Chrome. If that’s the case for you, you’ll be delighted to hear that Google Chrome’s latest update for iOS is now bringing some very useful features, including improved security, a redesigned main screen, and more.

Google has recently been bringing loads of updates to its Chrome browser. Now, some update love is being sent to its iOS version, and Google has announced some new features coming our way. Let’s see what these are.

First off, we have Google’s Enhanced Safe Browsing feature. This one is a security-centered feature that proactively warns you about dangerous websites you are about to visit. Enhanced Safe Browsing has been available on Android and desktop for months now, and it’s finally made its way to iPhone users.

The feature works by sending real-time data to Google Safe Browsing to check for malware, phishing, and other dangerous animals that lurk in the Internet’s dark corners. This way, you’ll get warned if you encounter a dangerous website.

Speaking about security, Chrome for iOS also gets another useful feature: alerts for compromised credentials. iOS’ own password service does warn you about those, but it’s never a bad thing to get two warnings if you have a compromised password: you know, hackers can use this to access some of your accounts, so better be vigilant about it.

To enable Enhanced Safe Browsing, update your Chrome app, and then go to Chrome > More > Settings > Enhanced Safe Browsing (you can do that from iPhone or iPad).

Moving on, another useful features coming to Chrome for iOS is called “Chrome Actions”. This is a quality-of-life feature that lets you easily perform a certain tasks without having to dive deep into the app’s settings to find it.

To use Chrome Actions, you simply need to type into the address bar of Chrome what you want to do. Examples include typing “Clear Browsing Data” or “Open Incognito Tab”, and even “Set Chrome as Default Browser”.

Additionally, Chrome can also predict when you will need a Chrome Action by the words you are typing in the address bar, so you don’t need to memorize all the commands to benefit from this feature. Since 2020, the desktop version has had it, and Android users got it in April 2022, but it’s never too late to get something useful like that.

But that’s not all. This new update lets you set Google Password Manager as your Autofill provider, if you want to do so. This comes as an alternative to Apple’s own password service, as well as third-party tools such as 1Password or Dashlane.

The app’s main screen also has a new look now with this new update. The main screen now includes more than just your recent tabs, adding access to your Discover feed. Unlike the previous features, that’s something the Android version of Chrome is yet to get, and Google has stated it will be available in the future.

The update also brings some minor changes as well. There are improvements of Google’s website translation feature. This will help you see websites in your preferred language (the feature uses on-device machine learning), and it is now getting an updated language identification model. Pretty much, this means the app will be able to more accurately recognize the language of a webpage and whether it needs to be translated for you.

Other minor tweaks include the ability to manage camera and mic permissions for specific sites, and the ability to download and add iCalendar files to your Calendar.
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June 27, 2022
Safari on iPhone and iPad might soon get much needed quality of life improvements

Who doesn’t love a well-made Dark Mode on their screen? But let’s be honest, not all websites have a decent one and what do we normally do in that case? Well, one option is to use your device’s internal Dark Mode feature.

On iPhones and iPads, as with other phones and tablets, whichever of the two modes you choose is applied to all of the systems, apps, and therefore—websites.

More specifically, the report states that new code was found inside WebKit, the browser engine powering Safari, indicating the app might soon get support for per-website Dark Mode. In other words, no matter the color scheme of a website or your device, you will be able to control in which of the modes (Light and Dark) said website appears.

What’s more, an equally, if not even more useful feature has also been found inside the new code. Apparently, Apple is also working on a way to give users the ability to block modal pop-ups for specific websites. These pop-ups are usually disguised as system alerts with the aim to trick you into tapping on them.

If it really comes to fruition, being able to block these pop-ups would serve as a welcome boost in security while browsing through Safari. In addition to that, Apple is also seemingly preparing a new API for managing “Cookie Consent.”

All of the features mentioned above, however, have not been commented on officially by Apple in any way. For now, they have a “to be announced” status in the WebKit code. That said, Apple’s Spring Event is probably nearing, with WWDC following after, so it shouldn’t be too long for us to find out. There is some probability that the tech giant is saving those for the release of iOS 16.

March 2, 2022
iOS users spend more than double on subscriptions compared to Android users

A new research report has shown that subscriptions made from the App Store are more than double in terms of payment versus Google Play Store. In other words, this means iPhone and iPad users generally tend to spend more on subscriptions and buy more subscriptions in comparison to users on Android phones.

The information comes from a Sensor Tower report that showcases subscriptions revenue for 2021. In numbers, the App Store subscriptions have generated $13.5 billion in revenue, while Google Play subscriptions — $4.8 billion, despite the fact that Google Play spending is growing at a fast rate.

Overall, the App Store sees the most money spent on apps and subscriptions, as well as in-app purchases, compared to Google. The record-high $13.5 billion spent us for the top 100 non-gaming subscriptions globally.

Subscription spending on the App Store grew 31% since last year when it was $10.3 billion. On the other hand, Google Play saw a whopping 78% growth to reach this $4.8 billion mark.

These are the global numbers. However, US numbers are not that different though. The report is also giving some information on US-only spending, and the App Store has recorded $6 billion, while the Google Play Store, $2.5 billion.

In terms of specific apps, Alphabet (Google’s parent company) is at the top of the charts with YouTube on the App Store and Google One on the Google Play Store. According to the report, YouTube generated 1.2 billion globally and $566.5 million in the U.S., while Google One achieved $1.1 billion globally and $698 million in the U.S. in 2021.

February 25, 2022
WhatsApp CEO hints at iPad app release

WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart lent some hopeful words to fans of the messaging platform during an interview this week, when he announced that the company is looking into creating a native iPad WhatsApp app.

WhatsApp users have long been nagging the Facebook-owned company to make a viable app for Apple’s iPad, but WhatsApp has been holding off—just like Instagram still lacks a native iPad app as well.

The reason for this is that until now, the way that data was encrypted on the WhatsApp platform didn’t allow for the company to safely sync it across multiple devices while maintaining the same level of encryption. However, according to Will Cathcart, the underlying technology has been evolving, and WhatsApp has been hard at work to make this possible in the future.

“We did a lot of work on the technology for supporting multiple devices,” Cathcart said in the interview.

“Our web and our desktop apps now have that. If I have a multi-device on, I can turn my phone off or lose my network connection and still get messages on my desktop. That would be really important for a tablet app, to be able to use the app even if your phone isn’t on. So the underlying technology is there.”

WhatsApp’s beta version of multi-device support, created last year, allowed users to link up to four devices at a time to their account. However, the downside was that you needed your phone to be connected to the internet the whole time for it to work—and even the beta version didn’t include any iPad support.

With the new technology allowing for data to remain encrypted while syncing, and Cathcart’s positive outlook, it seems that a native WhatsApp app may just be looming on the horizon after all.

January 31, 2022

WhatsApp to get iPad, multi-phone support

WhatsApp has been the number one messaging in the world for a while—which is no small thing—but it isn’t without its own set of drawbacks.

For one, it can only be activated on one phone at a time, despite the beta version allowing a limited pool of testers to download it to 3 other devices (not including phones or tablets). Another nuisance is that it has never been supported on iPads or other tablets—making this one less way you can communicate on your brand new iPad mini 6, unfortunately.

However, both of these things may be about to change, if a new rumor by WaBetaInfo is to be believed. The media outlet reports, based on exclusive screenshots provided by WhatsApp, that the company is actively working on integrating iPad support for the messaging app, as well as a second phone.

So far, users have only had the ability to link up to 4 devices to their WhatsApp account, but only a single phone. The new screenshot provided by WaBetaInfo shows the syncing screen of WhatsApp messages being downloaded to a second device, which is clearly a phone by its rectangular shape.

Anyone who is already a lucky beta user of the multi-device support feature that’s being developed right now may have seen this screen before on WhatsApp for desktop or WhatsApp Web, but never before on a second phone.

As is visible in the screenshot, just like any other WhatsApp chat history backup or transfer, the whole syncing process of the messages is protected with end-to-end encryption.

If you are one of the millions of people who both own a tablet and regularly use WhatsApp, the lack of this important feature has probably annoyed you at some point as well.

But another screenshot by WaBetaInfo doubtlessly points to the fact that WhatsApp is hard at work creating a compatible version of the app for iPadOS and, by the looks of it, making progress.

Although it’s an iPad in the screenshot, WaBetaInfo has tweeted that the Android tablet version is also definitely in the works.

Competing messaging app Telegram already supports the addition of as many phones, and tablets, as you own—which has been one of the reasons some WhatsApp users have turned towards that platform instead, despite it ranking lower on the popularity tier.

It’s definitely about time that WhatsApp got to work on including multi-phone and tablet support and, as it does currently sit at the top of the hill when it comes to messaging apps, it can hardly afford to lag behind in such important features for its users.

September 29, 2021

Instagram CEO says that there are no plans to create a native iPad app

If you don’t own an iPad, you might not know that there is not an Instagram app for Apple’s tablets. But that might not be surprising since stablemate WhatsApp is only now developing an app for the iPad. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri responded to the question “Where’s the Instagram iPad app?” by saying, “I spent a bit of a time on an iPad because I was on a flight, but still no iPad app for Instagram. It would be nice to do, but there’s a lot to do and only so many people, so it hasn’t made the cut.”

This response doesn’t make sense to many iPad owners. And back in June, Instagram started to allow those accessing the site from their computer to post to it from the desktop. Once iPadOS 15 is released (which could happen as soon as this coming week), a change will allow iPhone apps without an iPad counterpart to be viewed in landscape mode. The scaled-up iPhone version of Instagram will be able to switch orientation on the iPad following the release of iPadOS 15.

Back in 2010 when the iPad was brand new, Apple wanted to bring apps to the tablet that were available on the iPhone but not yet developed for the iPad. This way iPhone users could purchase an iPad with the knowledge that their favorite apps would be available.

Currently, Instagram does have a pair of camera apps for the Apple iPad. Hyperlapse creates time-lapse videos using Instagram’s in-house stabilization. This allows users to make time-lapse videos without requiring the use of a tripod or other gear. An entire sunrise can be captured in just a 10-second video and an entire video can be sped up to 12 times normal. Videos can be shared seamlessly over Instagram and Facebook or saved on the camera roll to be shared with any platform.

The other Instagram camera app available for the iPad is Boomerang. With this app, you can record looping videos. As the App Store listing says, “Find something (or someone!) that’s moving, or create a video selfie by switching to the front-facing camera. There’s just one button. Tap it once and Boomerang does the rest: shoots a burst of 10 photos and turns them into a delightful mini video. Share it on Facebook and Instagram right from the app, or save your video to your camera roll to share later.”

As delightful as this sounds, iPad users would prefer to have an Instagram app made specifically for the tablet. While Facebook and Messenger do have iPad versions of their apps, it is the rest of the Facebook app family that acts as though the iPad doesn’t exist. The WhatsApp for iPad native app is supposedly incoming but has yet to surface, and of course, there is the lack of an Instagram app for the tablets.

Facebook purchased WhatsApp in a transaction valued at over $21 billion when it closed in 2014. A couple of years earlier, Facebook purchased Instagram for $1 billion in a deal that has become one of the best investments ever made in the tech space. Bloomberg estimates that Instagram now has a current valuation of $100 billion providing Facebook with a huge paper profit.

Originally a photo filter, Instagram matured to become more of a social media/messaging app. One of the biggest moves it made was to steal away Snapchat’s stories feature which allows pictures and videos to remain posted for 24 hours before they are removed. Ironically, Instagram’s version of stories has been much more successful than Snapchat’s and other apps have joined the club by offering their own stories-like feature.

September 13, 2021

Time to update your Apple iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch

Apple today released several updates including iOS 14.4, iPadOS 14.4, and watchOS 7.3. With the iPhone and iPad updates, the “Find My” app adds a feature called “Find My Items.” This allows users to find misplaced accessories made by third-party manufacturers who build this capability into their products. The only compatible device available at the moment is Belkin’s SoundForm Freedom true wireless earbuds.

In addition, the update allows smaller QR codes to be read by the iPhone’s camera, the ability to put Bluetooth connections into categories and headphone type in order to prevent eardrums from getting blown out with audio notifications and delivers a notification when the camera on your iPhone 12 series model cannot be verified as a genuine Apple camera. It also uses the U1 chip in the iPhone 11 series and iPhone 12 series to determine the distance between your iPhone and HomePod mini to allow an improved transfer of music between devices.

The update also exterminates several bugs including one that allowed image artifacts to appear on photos snapped with an iPhone 12 Pro model using HDR. Another bug fixed by the update prevented the Fitness+ widget from including updated Activity data. One issue that the new iOS 14.4 update solves is one in which the keyboard would appear with the wrong language in the Messages app. A pair of bugs that prevented word suggestions from appearing on the keyboard and delayed the results of typing on the keyboard are both gone after the installation of iOS 14.4.

The latest iOS build also eliminates an issue that prevented phone calls from being answered on the Lock Screen when Switch Control in Accessibility was enabled. And lastly, iOS 14.4 gets rid of a bug that did not allow stories from CarPlay’s News app to resume after being placed on pause to hear spoken directions or a response from Siri. The update is available to compatible iPhone and iPad models and can be received by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It weighs in at 344.3MB.

Apple also pointed out that the iOS and iPadOS updates include security patches that eliminated three zero-day security flaws. Apple believes that these flaws might have been exploited in the wild. A Kernel flaw might have allowed attackers to give permission for the affected phone to run certain apps. A WebKit flaw could have allowed the hackers to make an iPhone do just about anything. The watchOS update rid the device of a security flaw that could have elevated privileges on a unit under attack.

Apple also released watchOS 7.3 today which includes a new Unity watch face based on the colors of the Pan-African flag (Black, Red, Green, and the Pan-African colors which includes the prior three hues and yellow). The shapes of the colors change throughout the day as you move thus creating a unique look. Apple Fitness+ subscribers will receive the “Time to Walk” feature that plays inspirational audio in the Workout app as you walk. The electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor that checks for abnormal heart rhythms on the Apple Watch Series 4 and later is good to go in Japan, Mayotte, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand following the update. Those with abnormal readings in those countries will receive a notification. And a bug that makes the Control Center and Notification Center unresponsive when Zoom is enabled will be exterminated.

To update your Apple Watch, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and tap on My Watch > General > Software Update and Install. The timepiece needs to be on the charger for the update to take place and the watch needs to be in the range of your iPhone connected to a Wi-Fi signal.

January 28, 2021

Apple releases final versions of latest iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch updates

Apple today released an update to iOS 14.0.1 that exterminates some bugs and more. This isn’t the first public update released by Apple over the last week. On September 16th, the final public build of iOS 14 was introduced bringing changes to the home screen, Android-style widgets, picture-in-picture capabilities, App Clips, and more. The latter allows a user to take advantage of an app’s feature set to take care of tasks without having to completely install the app.

So what are the issues that iOS 14.0.1 fixes? One causes the default browser or Mail app you’ve selected to reset to Safari or Mail when your iPhone or iPad is rebooted. With today’s update, this problem is erased which means that once you’ve selected your default browser or mail app, you won’t have to select it again. The update also corrects a problem with the Apple News widget that prevents images from showing up on the screen. Other bug fixes are related to Wi-Fi connectivity, and the sending of email through certain mail providers. And there is even an issue specific to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus related to camera previews that Apple repairs with iOS 14.0.1. Also being pushed out today update to iPadOS 14.0.1, and watchOS 7.0.1. The latter “fixes an issue where some payment cards in Wallet were disabled for some users.”

To update your devices, on your iPhone and iPad go to Settings > General > Software Update. To update your Apple Watch, on the device itself go to General > Software Update. If an update is ready, tap on Install and follow the directions on the device. The Apple Watch must be within the range of your iPhone’s signal and must have a Wi-Fi connection. The installation will begin once the timepiece is charged to 50% or higher. Keep the watch connected to the charger until the update is completed.

The update to iOS 14.0.1 weighs in at approximately 171.MB and the watchOS update to version 7.0.1 weigh in at 1GB. Updates to macOS Catalina 10.15.7, and tvOS 14.0.1 have also been made available by Apple today.

September 28, 2020

Tag: iPad

What’s New in the M5 iPad Pro?

The Importance of the Modem

Beneficial for Apple, not the Consumer

Questions & Answers

Apple’s Shift in Focus: iPad or Not?

The Puzzle of Market Leadership

The Innovation and Marketing Conundrum

The Age of Foldables

Questions & Answers