This week’s top stories: Apple Car news, iPhone 13 rumors begin, Apple AR headset, more

In this week’s top stories: Even more details on Apple Car, rumors about what to expect from the iPad in 2021, WhatsApp tightens its integration Facebook, and more. Read on for all of this week’s top Apple Stories.

Apple Car

A new report from Bloomberg this week offered new details on what to expect from Apple Car. The report indicated that Apple has continued to poach more ex-Tesla executives, but that a release is at least 5-7 years away.

But perhaps more notably on Thursday evening, Hyundai Motor confirmed that it’s having early discussions with Apple about producing its new car. A spokesperson for the company told CNBC that Apple is in discussions “with a variety of global automakers, including Hyundai Motor.”

WhatsApp changes

WhatsApp will soon start sharing your data with Facebook whether you like it or not. WhatsApp began sharing data with Facebook by default in 2016, but the company provided a way to opt-out. That will change soon, however, as WhatsApp is making changes to its privacy to remove the opt-out option completely, at least outside of Europe. 

If you’re looking to ditch Facebook completely, you can find details on the best WhatsApp alternatives in our full coverage right here.

2021 16-inch MacBook Pro

A new supply chain report this week echoed claims that we can expect a 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro with a miniLED screen. It’s of course a no-brainer that the next 16-inch MacBook Pro will be powered by Apple Silicon, whether that’s an M1 chip or a later variant. It’s also a near-certainty that we can expect slimmer bezels.

Apple AR headset

Finally, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo published a new investor note this week focused on what to expect from Apple in 2021. The analyst says that Apple will release its first augmented reality device in 2021, alongside AirTag item trackers and much more.

Details on the augmented reality device are still unclear. Kuo has previously said that Apple’s first generation of AR glasses will be heavily dependent on the iPhone. Kuo has reported in the past that the AR glasses will essentially act as a display only with the actual computing, rendering, internet connectivity, and location services coming from the iPhone in the user’s pocket.

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

iPhone |

Apple Watch |

Mac and iPad |

Top Apple stories, retail |

Apps |

Apple Car |

Top Apple stories, company |

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This week’s top videos |

9to5Mac Daily |

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January 07, 2021 – iPad rumors, Apple vs Facebook continues

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9to5Mac Daily

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Stories discussed in this episode:  

Rumor: Entry-level iPad to adopt iPad Air 3 design, no design changes for 2021 iPad Pro
Record App Store spend during holidays thanks to pandemic- 9to5Mac
Facebook tells businesses it has no choice but to comply with upcoming App Tracking Transparency feature in iOS 14

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1. January 07, 2021 – iPad rumors, Apple vs Facebook continues 05:21
2. January 06, 2021 – Apple Watch ‘Time to Walk’ feature, more 05:56
3. January 05, 2021  – iPhone 13 rumors, Apple AR headset 05:40
4. January 04, 2021 – Apple Fitness+ update, end of Adobe Flash 05:09
5. January 01, 2021 – The state of the Mac in 2021 06:26

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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Apple Car shifts to reverse, 2021 product rumors, Fitness+ audio workouts

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9to5Mac Happy Hour

9to5Mac’s Zac Hall and Benjamin Mayo discuss the latest Apple news of the week, including new rumors about Apple’s car project, loads of hardware rumors across this year, and new features likely coming to Apple Fitness+.
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Read More
Tim Cook mourns ‘sad and shameful’ day, says ‘we must complete the transition’ to the Biden administration
Monica Lozano appointed to Apple’s board of directors
Belkin Boost Charge Pro is the best MagSafe combo charger
2021 16-inch MacBook Pro with miniLED screen: supply-chain
ProMotion and always-on display again suggested for iPhone
iOS 14.4 beta suggests guided audio walking workouts coming to Apple Watch
Apple rumored to adopt GaN for smaller charger designs
iPhone 13 rumored to feature LiDAR scanner in all models
Kuo: Apple to release AirTags, first AR device, new AirPods, and more in 2021

1. Apple Car shifts to reverse, 2021 product rumors, Fitness+ audio workouts 01:17:03
2. Apple’s 2020 in review 01:43:25
3. AirPods Max review, Apple TV+ anniversary 01:27:10
4. Privacy nutrition labels, Apple Fitness+ launch experience 01:14:20
5. MagSafe Duo experience, iOS 14.3, AirPods Max announced 01:24:38

Stacktrace Podcast |

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117: “The best not-kept secret”

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Stacktrace

On the final holiday special for this year (or, last year?), John and Rambo discuss their expectations for 2021, and what products and new developer tools that they hope to see from Apple during this new year.
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1. 117: “The best not-kept secret” 41:37
2. 116: “It wasn’t just a big, long nightmare”, the 2020 Stacktrace retrospective 36:24
3. 115: “Not a trace of a stack” 30:42
4. 114: “The invisible Bluetooth wire” 01:07:07
5. 113: “The hype is real!” 01:12:37

Apple @ Work Podcast |

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Apple @ Work Podcast: Deep learning with Osmo

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Apple @ Work

In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Pramod Sharma who is CEO of Osmo to talk about the founding of the company, how Osmo promotes deep learning with children, and more.
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1. Apple @ Work Podcast: Deep learning with Osmo 18:46
2. macOS Big Sur upgrades with Addigy and Ntiva 24:32
3. Apple in the courtroom with David Sparks 22:00
4. Kandji adds a new breed of automation for Apple device management 10:36
5. Are Macs more secure than PCs in the enterprise? 25:12

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