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iOS 17.5 Potentially References New Apple Pencil and ‘Squeeze’ Gesture

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The first beta of iOS 17.5 potentially references a new fourth-generation Apple Pencil, amid rumors that the accessory will be updated soon.

apple pencil
The beta includes a hidden code reference to a “V4” version of the Apple Pencil, according to MacRumors contributor Steve Moser:

NumberOfApplePencilV1ConnectionsCount
NumberOfApplePencilV2ConnectionsCount
NumberOfApplePencilV3ConnectionsCount
NumberOfApplePencilV4ConnectionsCount

A new Apple Pencil is rumored to launch alongside updated iPad Pro and iPad Air models in May. Apple refers to the USB-C version of the Apple Pencil released last year as the third-generation Apple Pencil in iOS code, so the fourth-generation model would be a new version that would likely succeed the second-generation Apple Pencil.

Additional code in the iOS 17.5 beta uncovered by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris suggests that the Apple Pencil could gain a “squeeze” gesture for certain actions, but details are slim. The gesture may provide users with a quicker way to add a sticker, text box, signature, or shape in image editing apps, the code suggests.

MacRumors exclusively reported that Apple has tested a new Apple Pencil with visionOS support, but it is unclear if this feature will be released to the public.

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VLC Media Player Potentially Coming to Apple Vision Pro

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VideoLAN is working on bringing its popular open source VLC media player to Apple Vision Pro, according to tech newsletter Lowpass.

Apple Vision Pro VLC Feature
The non-profit organization said it was currently developing a version for Apple’s spatial computing headset. “We already have a version of VLC running on the Vision Pro,” VideoLAN president Jean-Baptiste Kempf told Lowpass writer Janko Roettgers.

However, one of the reasons the app hasn’t already been released is that the potential user base is still considered too small. “I’m not sure there is any use case yet,” added Kempf.

VLC recently surpassed five billion downloads across desktop and mobile platforms, according to the organization. The cross-platform media player and framework launched 23 years ago as a student project, and continues to attract millions of new users thanks to its support for multiple codecs and its ability to play multimedia files as well as DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols.

Meanwhile, work continues on VLC 4.0. Development has taken longer than anticipated, according to Kempf, with the core of the app being completely rewritten. Recent nightly builds put the focus on content, with the default player window replaced by a view of the user’s library. However, Kempf said that some changes could be reverted before the app’s official release.

Kempf said that VLC may even add access to FAST channels and other ad-supported online media in the future, potentially allowing users to start watching something right away.

VLC 3.0.20 is a free downloaded for Mac from the VideoLAN website.

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MicroLED Apple Watch Ultra Project Potentially Loses Another Supplier

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The rumored microLED Apple Watch Ultra project may have lost another key supplier, according to Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 hero feature white
In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, manufacturing equipment company Kulicke & Soffa said that one of its “strategic customers” has canceled a project related to the “advanced display” market:

Previously referred to as Project W, the Company has been engaged with one of its strategic customers (the “Customer”) to support the Customer with the development and future mass production of certain technologies relating to advanced display (the “Project”). In connection with the Customer’s strategic review of its business, the Customer has informed the Company that it has cancelled the Project.

In a social media post on Monday, Young suggested that “Project W” was potentially related to the microLED Apple Watch. The company said it expects to incur charges of up to $130 million as a result of ceasing operations related to the project.

Kulicke & Soffa’s website advertises a “next generation LED die transfer” system for microLED and miniLED displays with “an unprecedented transfer rate at high precision.”

Earlier this month, Apple supplier AMS-Osram similarly announced it would “re-assess its microLED strategy” after a “cornerstone project” was “unexpectedly cancelled.” Young believes that project also related to the microLED Apple Watch, so there are now at least two major suppliers that have indicated they are no longer involved.

Both Display Supply Chain Consultants and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believe that Apple has outright canceled the microLED Apple Watch project for now, but other sources like Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman and DigiTimes have cast doubt and believe that Apple has or is actively seeking alternative suppliers for the project.

In any case, a microLED Apple Watch Ultra appears to remain several years away at a minimum.

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