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This week’s top stories: Apple Music Replay and Spotify Wrapped, 2021 Mac lineup, more

Chance Miller | Dec 6 2020 - 11:54 am PT

In this week’s top stories: Apple Music Replay and Spotify Wrapped go viral, 2021 rumors about mini LED, the App Store Small Business Program, and more. Read on for all of this week’s top stories.

Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replay

As the calendar turned to December, Apple Music and Spotify users started looking for their annual year-in-review retrospectives. Here’s everything you need to know about Spotify Wrapped 2020 and Apple Music Replay 2020:

App Store Small Business Program

Apple officially opened enrollment for its App Store Small Business Program this week. This program allows developers to qualify for a commission rate of 15% if they earn up to $1 million.

Apple says that you must submit your enrollment by December 18, 2020, at 10 a.m. PST to receive program benefits by January 1, 2021. You can sign up on the Apple developer website right here and learn more in a detailed frequently asked questions section here.

New mini LED rumors

Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported this week that Apple will have two new MacBook Pros with mini LED displays next year. The new MacBook Pros will feature an all-new form factor design as well.

Apple will also introduce a “more affordable new MacBook Air” in 2022 that features mini LED, Kuo predicted. The current MacBook Air starts at $999, so it’s unclear how Apple might get that price lower.

Finally, Kuo also reported that Apple will likely launch “2 or 3 new chargers in 2021.” It’s not clear what this could mean, but it could come in the form of more powerful wall chargers with faster charging using GaN technology. It could also relate to the continued expansion of the MagSafe line of accessories.

MagSafe Duo now available

Nearly two months after its announcement during Apple’s October event, the new MagSafe Duo charger is now available for purchase from Apple.

The new charger lets users charge both the iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time. It retails for $129 and the first orders have already started to arrive to customers, and same-day pick up is also available at Apple Stores.

Holiday buying guides

Finally, we continue to offer holiday gift guides and buying guides at 9to5Mac. So far we’ve offered detailed advice on Apple Watch gifts, AirPods vs AirPods Pro, and more.

These and the rest of this week’s top stories below.

iOS | tvOS |

iPhone |

Apple Watch |

Mac and iPad |

Apps |

This week’s top videos |

My thoughts on the M1 MacBooks – a once-in-a-generation leap [Video]

9to5Mac Daily |

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 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.

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AAPL Q2 earnings and AI promises – 9to5Mac Daily

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 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. Supported by Setapp: Get access to 240+ apps on your Mac for just $9.99. Sign up today for a free 7-day trial. New episodes of 9to5Mac Daily are recorded every weekday. Subscribe to our podcast in Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available. Stories discussed in this episode: How much Google paid Apple to be Safari's search engine in 2022 Tim Cook says DOJ antitrust lawsuit against Apple is 'misguided' Apple iPad Event 2024: New iPad Pro, Air, Magic Keyboard, Pencil Coming May 7 – Bloomberg Apple announces Q2 2024 earnings, slightly beating expectations with $90.75 billion revenue – 9to5Mac Tim Cook: Apple has advantages to develop its generative AI Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Overcast RSS Spotify TuneIn Google Podcasts Subscribe to support Chance directly with 9to5Mac Daily Plus and unlock: Ad-free versions of every episode Monthly bonus episodes Catch up on 9to5Mac Daily episodes! Don’t miss out on our other daily podcasts: Quick Charge 9to5Toys Daily Share your thoughts! Drop us a line at happyhour@9to5mac.com. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show. Also, connect with us in the official 9to5Mac Discord server with forums, chatrooms, and more!

9to5Mac Watch Time |

Jeff Benjamin joins Zac Hall to give Apple Watch Series 3 and Series 5 an exit interview before new models are announced. 9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how Apple Watch is affecting their lives.

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Week 6 – 9to5Mac Watch Time

This week on Watch Time join 9to5Mac's Zac Hall and Tempo developer Rahul Matta in the final episode of this podcast "season". 9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how Apple Watch is affecting their lives. Subscribe now to catch up with each episode and automatically hear new episodes as soon as they’re released every two weeks: 🟣 Apple Podcasts | 🟠 Overcast | 🟢 Spotify Follow Zac Instagram @apollozac Twitter @apollozac SpaceExplored.com Follow Rahul Matta Twitter @rmatta Twitter @TempoLog Blog indie.sh Follow 9to5Mac Instagram @9to5mac Twitter @9to5mac Facebook YouTube.com/9to5Mac Listen & Subscribe Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast RSS Read More Toning down the Apple Watch: Tips and feature requests to avoid being overwhelmed Apple releases watchOS 7.4.1 with security improvements Apple Watch blood sugar and blood pressure measurement could be a step closer watchOS 7.4 brings iPhone mask unlock feature for Apple Watch Enjoy the podcast? Shop Apple at Amazon to support 9to5Mac Watch Time!

9to5Mac Happy Hour Podcast |

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Beats Solo Buds, surprising iPad Pro specs, and iOS 18 rumors – 9to5Mac Happy Hour

Benjamin and Chance assess the final iPad rumors ahead of next week’s ‘Let Loose’ event. Beats launches an incredibly compelling new addition to their headphones lineup, the Beats Solo Buds. At the same time, Apple fails to acknowledge what happened with people getting locked out of their Apple IDs over the weekend, in the same week as it releases a statement promising to fix an issue with iPhone alarms. And in Happy Hour Plus, Benjamin and Chance discuss what podcast client they currently use and why, and how their listening habits reflect their app preferences. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join. Sponsored by Ladder: Go to Ladderlife.com/HappyHour today to see if you’re instantly approved. Sponsored by Incogni: Limit public access to your private information, mitigate the risks of identity theft, and keep your data from being sold. Use code “happyhour” at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: incogni.com/happyhour Sponsored by Kolide by 1Password, the device trust solution that ensures that if a device isn’t secure, it can’t access your apps. Close the Zero Trust access gap for Okta. Learn more or watch the demo. Hosts Chance Miller @ChanceHMiller on Twitter @chancehmiller@mastodon.social @ChanceHMiller on Instagram @ChanceHMiller on Threads Benjamin Mayo @bzamayo on Twitter @bzamayo@mastodon.social @bzamayo on Threads Subscribe, Rate, and Review Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus Introducing 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus! Support Benjamin and Chance directly with Happy Hour Plus! 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus includes: Ad-free versions of every episode Pre- and post-show content Monthly bonus episodes Join for $5 per month or $50 a year at 9to5mac.com/join. Feedback Submit #Ask9to5Mac questions on Twitter, Mastodon, or Threads Email us feedback and questions to happyhour@9to5mac.com Links Beats Solo 4 hands-on: the most iconic Beats headphones just got better Apple debuts new Beats Solo Buds with 18-hour battery life for $79 Apple's Beats Pill speaker could be about to make a comeback Apple users are being locked out of their Apple IDs with no explanation Apple working on fix for bug causing iPhone alarms to not play sounds iOS 18 rumor: These new AI features are coming to Safari EU will force Apple to add app sideloading, alternative browser engine support to iPad Report: iOS 18 to update many of the built-in apps, home screen updates, 'modular' design tweaks Gurman: New iPad Pro may actually be powered by the M4 chip, touting AI features M4 iPad Pro: Will Apple put a brand new chip in its next iPad? New Apple Pencil to include haptic feedback and new gestures

Stacktrace Podcast |

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Stacktrace has moved! – Stacktrace

As we've mentioned in the last episode, the Stacktrace podcast is no longer a part of the 9to5Mac network. If you're seeing this entry in your podcast player, then you probably need to unfollow Stacktrace and follow the podcast again. Start by unfollowing the show in your podcast player, then just search for "Stacktrace" and follow the show again. You'll notice that the updated show has a new artwork and that episode 179 has already been released there. To learn more about how to listen to Stacktrace, check out our new website. Thanks for listening!

Apple @ Work Podcast |

Apple @ Work by 9to5Mac is available on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, and via RSS for other podcast players.

Security and productivity in the age of AI – Apple @ Work

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