2021 was both a year that bring great challenges and great hope. New COVID-19 Delta variant that is both more transmissible and deadly, a new Administration in the USA, introduction of MacBook Pro and the world finally turns again as they finally find a way to live with the virus. Just like in our last article, we would chronicle all the Apple moments in 2022, so this page will grow as the year progresses.

December

  • TSMC, the company who manufactures Apple Silicon, is slated to enter mass production of 3nm chips by end of the year - MacRumors
    • TSMC production of 3nm has officially started - Bloomberg
  • Apple reportedly expand their self service repair program to include Mac desktops like the M1 iMac, M1 Mac Mini and the Mac Studio. Additionally, the Studio Display is included in the programme. Arstechnica
  • Apple will provide 3rd-party App Store (aka sideloading) on Apple devices starting in 2024 in line with EU law. However, the feature will only be in Europe. - MacRumours
  • Freeform App, a collaboration-capable white board app is available in Apple Store for iOS, iPadOS and macOS. - Apple
  • Tim Cook, on a tour of Japan, visited Sony factory and give a proper shout-out to them on building their camera sensors for the past 5-years.
  • Apple announced 3 new security initiatives that help products your data online - Apple
    • iMessage Contact Key Verification - users can verify they are communicating only with whom they intend.
    • Security Keys for Apple ID - users have the choice to require a physical security key to sign in to their Apple ID account
    • Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, which uses end-to-end encryption to provide Apple’s highest level of cloud data security - users have the choice to further protect important iCloud data, including iCloud Backup, Photos, Notes, and more
    • Below is an interview between WSJ’s Joana Stern and Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering:
  • iOS 16.2 features Sing features for Music. You can now sing-along karaoke style your music. Mac Rumours has a demo.
  • Future Apple Silicon chips will be made in a TSMC plant in Arizona according to Tim Cook. It expects the plant will product 4nm chip when it opens in 2024 and 3nm chips by 2026.
  • Apple releases optimization that allows Stable Diffusion, an AI image generator, to take advantage of Apple Silicon’s Neural network via CoreML - arstechnica
  • One of iPhone 14 newest feature, SOS via satellite, was put on the test when the feature has been used to rescue a man stranded in the Alaskan Wilderness. What’s interesting is the location is at 69° latitude, well above the disclaimed 62° the SOS suppose to work. - MacRumours

November

  • Elon Musk, owner of Twitter, seems to picking up a fight with Apple over the 30% Apple Store cut. - New York Times
    • However, there’s some conflicting reports about the matter as Apple have no intention of removing Twitter from the App Store - Apple Insider
  • Apple emergency SOS via satellite launched in USA and Canada. Apple said that the service will be available in UK, Ireland, France and Germany in December - Arstechnica
  • The COVID-19 situation in China is having an impact on the production of iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro - Apple
  • The tech slow-down effects everyone, including a juggernaut like Apple. It is reported that Apple is freezing hiring in all position except Research and Development - 9to5Mac
  • A former Apple employee plead guilty to stealing more than $17 million from Apple. He was in the Global Service Supply Chain department. - MacRumors

October

  • Apple announced yet another record quarter. Apple earned $90.1 billion in their 4th financial quarter, up 8 percent year over year and a profit of $20.7 billion. - Apple / MacRumors
  • Apple’s Chief Designer, Evans Hankey, which repalced the infamous Johnny Ive leaves Apple after 3-years on the job - Arstechnica
  • Apple updates their iPad and Apple TV lineup via press release
    • New: iPad Pro with M2; Wifi 6E and Apple Pencil Hover, $799
    • New iPad with A14 Bionic, follow the same design as iPad Air 4 but still using Apple Pencil 1 . Landscape camera (front camera put ont he long edge of the iPad) $449
    • New: Apple TV 4K with A15 Bionic chip. Includes Wifi-only or with Ethernet version. Remote charges via USB-C now instead of lighting.
    • $349 iPad is still on sale for those looking for a great deal.
    • The end if neigh for the lighting port since the original iPad is the only one with the Lighting port in the entire line up.
  • Apple Music is now in Microsoft store for the XBox platform.
  • 10 additional US states will support adding their state ID or driver’s license to Apple Wallet. - MacRumors
  • A group of YouTubers conducted tests to verify that Apple’s newest features on the Apple Watch and iPhone, Crash Detection, works. The results was mixed. Apple responded that they have conducted over a million man-hours of tests and the one that the Youtubers made might be insuffienct to trigger Crash Detection. MacRumours / Wall Street Journal

September

  • Apple has begun manufacturing the iPhone 14 in India. Apple is set to manufacture more items in India in the future - MacRumours / TechCrunch
  • Apple CEO Tim Cook unveil future plans for Apple London’s offices at the iconic Battlesea Power Station
  • Apple CEO Tim Cook, Former Chief Designer Jony Ive, Steve Jobs widow Laurene Powell discusses about the legacy of Steve Jobs at Code 2022.
  • Apple has changed their website to commemorate the passing of the Queen of England
  • Apple introduced new products in their September Event:-
    • Apple Watch Series 8: From $399. Temprature sensor for women. Crash Detection.
    • Apple Watch Ultra: From $799. 49mm. Titanium case. Dual band GPS. Bigger digital crown and button designed for glove wearers. Customizable button. Brigther screen. Dive computer. Dual speakers. Siren. 60 hour battery life.
    • AirPods Pro 2: $249. New case with lanyard holes, a louder beep and can use MagSafe. Redesigned ANC, Active Transparency and Spatial Audio. Swiping down or up the stem to adjust the volume. New cups sizes.
    • iPhone 14: From $799. A15 from the iPhone 13 Pro. Action Mode. Crash detection. Emergency SOS via satellite in US and Canada. There’s a Plus version
    • iPhone 14 Pro: From $999. A16. New camera sensor. Digital Island. Brighter screen.

August

  • Apple has send out an invite to their September event. It is scheduled for 7th September, 10am PT with the theme “Far Out”
  • Apple extends self-service repair to Mac notebooks. Parts and tools is available at the Self Service Store. The notebooks that is covered in the program is M1 MacBook Air, M1 MacBook Pro, and the 2021 MacBook Pro which has the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips - Apple
  • Apple is enforcing a ‘return to work’ for 3 days of the week policy by 5th September - MacRumors
  • Issey Miyake, world class Japanese-borned designer based in Paris which is famous for designing Steve Jobs black turtleneck presentation “uniform” has died at the age of 84. - MacRumors / New York Times
  • Beats launched a Best x Kardashian collaboration product featuring Beats Fit Pro under the new colors Moon, Dune and Earth. - MacRumors
  • Google is public-shaming Apple to join RCS and let the Messanger app be RCS-compatible. - arstechnica
  • Apple Pay has launched in Malaysia, quietly. - Apple
  • Apple first feature length animated film “Luck” has launch and as a part of their marketing exercise, the Apple main site has been taken over by the film’s character - MacRumors

July

  • Apple Reports 3rd Quarter Results:-
    • Record revenue of $83 billion
    • Services continue to grow to $19.6 billion compared to $17.5 billion last year while products remains the same at $63.5 billion
    • iPhone continues to be Apple’s biggest money maker at $40.7 billion while US remains to be Apple’s biggest market at $37.5 billion
    • Apple has now 860 million paid subscribers worldwide - MacRumors
  • Apple TV+ shows has been nomitated for the Emmys Awards:-
    • “Severance” - includes outstanding drama series, outstanding writing for drama series and 12 other nominations - Emmy
    • “Ted Lasso” - includes outstanding comedy series, outstanding writing for comedy series - Emmy
    • “Ted Lasso” so far has 40 nominations and won 7 Emmys.
  • Report suggests that Jony Ive, long time designer for Apple, is no longer have a working relationship with Apple 9to5Mac / MacRumors / New York Times
  • Apple introduced Lockdown Mode in iOS 16 beta where it will severally degrade the iPhone fucntion to prevent it from being attacked. Arstechnica / Apple

    • Lockdown Mode offers an extreme, optional level of security for the very few users who, because of who they are or what they do, may be personally targeted by some of the most sophisticated digital threats, such as those from NSO Group and other private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware

  • Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the US highest civilian award by US President Joe Biden with the following quote - White House

    Steve Jobs (d. 2011) was the co-founder, chief executive, and chair of Apple, Inc., CEO of Pixar and held a leading role at the Walt Disney Company. His vision, imagination and creativity led to inventions that have, and continue to, change the way the world communicates, as well as transforming the computer, music, film and wireless industries.

June

  • The 1st iPhone hit the store shelves 15 years ago.
  • With the US Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v Wade, Apple has made a commitment to travel out-of-state for medical care if such medical care is not available in their home state
  • In gossip news, Captain America actor Chris Evans finally upgrades his iPhone 6s - 9to5Mac
  • In an interview, Tim Cook is hinting about a new product launch, which lead to speculation on a AR headset by Apple - MacRumors
    • However, do note that Apple has working on AR libraries for years {This tweet has been deleted}
  • Apple workers at Baltimore area, Maryland is first Apple store that voted to unionize. 65 employee voted for while 33 voted against. - New York Times
  • MacBook Pro M2 is available for order on June 24 - Arstechnica
  • WWDC Keynote was held on 6th June and here are the takeaways
    • For the first time since 2019, there is a live audience at WWDC.
    • New M2 Chip: CPU is 18% faster than M1, GPU is 35% faster than M1. Media Engine that supoprt 8K H.264 and HVEC. New Image Signal Processor. Up to 24GB memory support with 50% more memory bandwidth.
    • New MacBook Air: M2 processor, 13.6" Liquid Retina Display, up to 24GB memory and 2TB storage, 20 hours battery life. Still air cooled. Available in four colors: Silver, Starlight, Space Gray and Midnight. MacBook Pro is updated with the M2 processor but still retains the same chassis.

    • New 35W dual-port compact adapter. Comes free with MacBook Air.
    • Ecosystem updates: iCloud Shared Photo Library, Messages can now edit your text or even unsend them. You can mark a conversation as unread. Mail app has been updated internally with new search function. Live Text updates. Visual Lookup allows you to take a subject out of a picture and put it somewhere (messages in the demo). Wallet allows pay later option. Shared Tab groups in Safari.
    • New Car Play which also include to update your gauges. I wonder if they going to do the rest of the car?
    • watchOS 9: More new watch faces. Updated Workout app to show that your are in the zone. Sleep tracking. AFib history. Track your medication.
    • iOS 16: New customizable lock screen. Notification rolls up from the bottom. You can change the lock screen to fit your focus mood.
    • iPadOS 16: Finally some “Pro” features: Multiple Windows on M1 iPads. Freeform: real time collaboration tool. Finally the Weather app. Display Zoom: allow you to customize the display density on M1 iPads. Full External Display support.
    • macOS Ventura: Stage Manager: better way to organize apps in a desktop. DeskView: Use your iPhone as a webcam.
    • API Updates: XCode Cloud now available. Metal 3 for 3D rendering. Xcode 14: smaller package, 30% faster to build. Swift and SwiftUI enhancements. WeatherKit: Use Apple API to get weather forcast. Widget for Lock Screen. Collabration Tools.
  • As WWDC 2022 is getting nearer, more pre-event items is happening around Apple
    • One day before WWDC 2022, Apple Developer Center opens with rooms named after macOS releases - MacRumours
    • A twitter thread about the Developer Center
    • And some treats over there
    • Apple’s WWDC 2022 event page shows Animated AR Trading Cards - MacRumors
    • Apple Launches livestream on YouTube - YouTube
    • Apple announced Design Awards Finalist - MacRumors / Apple
    • WWDC 2022 Digital Lounges are open for registration. - MacRumors

May

  • Apple retail chief Deirdre O’Brien dissuades employee from creating a union despite multiple Apple Store working towards it - MacRumors
  • Event poster for the WWDC 2022 has been revealed with the tagline “Swiftly Approaching” - suggesting major changes in the Swift language and the respective framework
  • Apple CEO Tim Cook appears in Time Magazine TIME100 List of most influential people - Patently Apple / Time
  • Apple is in talks into buying Electronic Arts - Engadget / MacRumors
  • Apple is reinstating mask-mandate on their stores in the US for employees. At the same time, Apple modifies and delays it return to office plan - MacRumors / New York Times
  • The iPod name is officially retired as Apple announced that Apple will no longer making the iPod Touch and it will basically sell whatever stock that is left in stores. - Apple
  • Apple has launched a lawsuit against Rivos and former engineers over allege trade secret theft. All of the engineers were working on Apple Silicon which eventually become the M1. Apple claims that they siphon out gigabytes of data while working in Apple - AppleInsider/The Verge
  • Apple announced tickets (free) for an in-person developers event at Apple Park on June 6, 2022. Submission are open on May 9 until May 11 and winners are selected randomly and will be announced on May 12. - Apple
  • An article in New York Times covers the reasoning behind Johny Ive, Apple’s long time chief designer, for his own design company. - New York Times

April

  • After developers complaint, Apple has revise their policy to requiring developers to update their app is the last update for the app is over 3 years old. People has pointed out that some of Apple’s own app has not been updated for over 3 years.
  • For the 2nd Financial Quarter of 2022, Apple made a record breaking $97.3 billion. Services continue to grow to $19.8 billion while iPhone still constitute more than half of Apple revenue at $50.57 billion. Mac sale has a record quarter at $10.43 billion, owing the success of Apple Silicon. - Apple
  • Apple finally launched the Self-Repair Program for the iPhone 12 and 13. According to Apple, the program is currently available only in the United States with plans to roll out worldwide beginning in Europe. To get the ball rolling, Apple launches the self service repair store where you can buy parts and tools officially from Apple. - Apple
  • For Earth Day, Apple is going for the charm offensive.
    • Tim Cook highlighted a tweet showcasing Daisy, a robot that breakdown iPhones into components that will be stripped for recycling
    • Apple is partnering with Applied Environmental Research Foundation to preserve Maharashtra Mangrove forest, located around 60 miles from Mumbai. - Apple
    • Tim Cook also highlights how Apple currently uses recycled materials in their products and plan to go carbon neutral for their production by 2030. As a company, Apple has been carbon neutral since 2020 and plan to push for carbon neutrality for the suppliers by 2030.
  • Apple CEO Tim Cook will give a commencement speech at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. - Gallaudet University
  • Wall Street Journal interviews Apple’s SVP of hardware technologies. MacRumors has a very good coverage since the WSJ page is behind a paywall - MacRumors / Wall Street Journal
  • 9to5Mac reported that NYC Apple Store employees has taken steps to unionize. And one of the first demands is a $30 / hour minimum wage. - 9to5Mac
  • Apple unveils the best photos from Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge. They are expected to be use as ads for the iPhone - Apple
    Hidden Gem by Jirasak Panpiansin of Chaiyaphum City, Thailand
  • 9to5Mac unearth an unreleased dual USB-C 35W power adapter in support document. The document was quickly removed after being discovered. - 9to5Mac
  • Apple announced that WWDC 2022 will be held from June 6 to 10. It will be an online-only event and will be available worldwide. Furthermore, a video presentation will also be held at Apple Park on June 6 - Apple
  • MacRumours has a report how a meeting around 5 years ago set the stage for the betterment of the Mac lineup. - MacRumours

March

  • Apple launched the Apple Business Essential program in USA. It allows for a business owner to easily manage their Apple devices and services. Pricing starts from $2.99 for a single device to $24.99 for 3 devices/user, 24/7 support, 2TB storage, onsite and 2 repair credits. - Apple
  • An Apple TV+ production, the film CODA won Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor in the 94th Academy Awards.
  • More stories about Apple engineers are being poached that Apple drops $200k bonus on select employee for encouragement to stay within Apple - MacRumours
  • Arizona has become the first state in the United State to integrate Digital ID in Apple Wallet. It is expected Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio and territory of Puerto Rico will join Arizona. - Apple
  • A news report by Daily Mail has said that Apple managed to save $6.5 billion by removing the charger and EarPods from new iPhones
  • There are reports that Apple internal systems are suffering an outage, which affects from services like TV+ to their retail operations
  • Apple release new minor software updates to almost every platform
    • macOS 12.3 - Universal Control, Spatial Audio Dynamic Head Tracking
    • iPadOS 15.4 and iOS 15.4 - Unlock with mask FaceID; New Emoji, Universal Control
    • watchOS 8.5 - AppleTV purchase notification; irregular Heart Rhythm notification
    • HomePod Software 15.4 - captive Wi-Fi
    • tvOS 15.4 - captive Wi-Fi
  • City of Shenzhen, China, which is a key technology hub in the country is under lockdown due to increasing COVID-19 cases. This situation forces Apple suppliers such as FOXCONN to suspend operations. - Nikkei Asia
  • Apple release a few ads that showcase the power of the Apple ecosystem and also the new M1 Ultra
    • Apple technologies for business use showcasing the ’team’ - ‘Escape from work’
    • Showcasing the M1 Ultra with developers from other companise
  • Apple unveils a few products in their ‘peek performance’ showcase. Here are the highlights
    • Green is now a color option on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro
    • iPhone SE has been updated. Basically the same chasis as the iPhone SE 3 but internals has been updated. A15 chip, 5G (no mmWave), bigger battery, and better camera
    • iPad Air has been updated. M1 chip (8 cores), faster USB-C (Thunderbolt?) but basically the same design from last year
    • New Apple Silicon: M1 Ultra. This sits above the M1 Max with up to 20 cores CPU (16 performance, 4 efficient), 32 Core Neural Engine, and Up to 64 Core Graphic processor. Both are fused together using UltraFusion with around 2.5 TB/s processor-to-processor bandwidth, so it would look like a single CPU to the OS.
    • New Mac: Mac Studio. Basically a Mac Mini Pro. Footprint like the current Mac Mini but taller, like stacking two and a half Mac Mini. M1 Max or M1 Ultra. Up to 128 GB of unified memory. 10 GB ethernet port. 4x Thunderbolt 4 ports, 2x USB-A, 1x HDMI and headphone jack at the back. 2x USB-C or Thunderbolt 4 ports in the front with SDXC Slot in front.

    • New Display: Studio Display. 5k 27-inch monitor. Six Speakers with spatial audio. Front facing camera with Center Stage feature. 600 nits max brightness. A13 chip (which is faster than a lot of android phones). Comes with a stand. Options for a better stand and nano texture glass to reduce glare.
    • 27-inch iMac is discontinued
  • Apple has set April 11 as a deadline for employees to come back to office. - Bloomberg
  • Apple has quietly launched the Apple event with the theme “Peek Performance” which will go live at 8th March (Tuesday) 1000 PST.
    • As always, there is a AR file accompanies by such announcement.
  • Apple halts device sales in Russia in response to invasion of Ukraine - Arstechnica
    • Scene of the aftermath include people getting stuck at the Moscow metro because Apple Pay and Google Pay doesn’t work and someone breaking an iPad as a protest.

February

  • Tim Cook commemorates Steve Jobs 67th birthday about how we should use time wisely and making the world a better place.
  • Hostage situation in Apple Store Amsterdam ended with suspect in custody. - Bloomberg
  • Apple Original Films has received six prestigious Academy Awards nominations from two films: “CODA” and “Tragedy of Macbeth”. “CODA” received three nominations including Best Picture while “Tragedy of Macbeth” receive three nominations including Best Actor by Denzel Washington - Apple
  • Apple release a short film which shot on the iPhone 13 Pro: Life is but a Dream
  • Washington Post reports that some Apple Store in USA are quietly working to unioinize - Washtingon Post/MacRumors
  • Apple introduced Tap to Pay on iPhone, where merchants can accept payment from Apple Pay or credit cards by just using the iPhone. No terminals, point of sales, just the iPhone. According to press release, the service will be available “later this year” - Apple
  • Apple and Boardcom manage to convice the US Court of Appeals to reject a jury verdict that require them to pay $1.1 billion in damages to Caltech for infringing Wi-Fi patents owned by Caltech. - Macrumours / Reuters
  • MKBHD tweet about iMessage bubble will show up correctly in Google Messages (in Beta). This could point to Apple and Google reaching a deal to have a communications standard like RCS

January

  • Apple Q1 results are in and it’s another record quarter for Apple. It made $123.9 billion between September 25th to December 25th or $15,588 per second. Services continue to be a main driver of growth with 23% increase year-on-year. iPhone continues to be Apple’s major money maker with $71.6 billions in sales and services in distant second. - Apple
  • For Black History Month in the United State, Apple is spotlighting Black business and amplifying Black Voice - Apple
    • Apple Music - new theme called Music is Healing
    • Apple Fitness+ - new workouts around Black History Month
    • Apple Watch - special edition Apple Watch Black Unity Solo Loop. The special edition watch includes the Unity Lights Watch Face and designed with 2D ray-tracing. Each pixel in the watch is determined by the light source that is suppose to hit it.
  • For the Chinese New Lunar Year, Apple release new short film ‘The Comeback’ with behind the scene action with director Zhang Meng
  • Apple celebrate Martin Luther King’s Day by making a tribute on its website and a quote by him
  • As Apple focus on becoming carbon neural by 2030, its suppliers are struggling to catch up as Apple is trying to enforce the goal not only on Apple itself but in the entire supply chain from resource extraction to getting things to customer’s hands - MacRumors
  • 15 years ago, Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone and it basically changed the course of human history. Apple alumni, key personnel and journalist commerate the launch that changed everything.
  • Apple become the first public company to hit $3 trillion in market capitalization. - New York Times
  • Apple introduces a Special Lunar Year of the Tiger AirPods Pro in select Asian markets.
  • On the first ads of the year, Apple would like you to imagine being in emergency situations without your Apple Watch.

Picture from freepik.