Apple releases in August 2021

[ad_1]

We’re stagnating between the big announcements and beta programs from WWDC and the annual iPhone and Apple Watch announcements for September. August is often not a big month for Apple releases, and this year is no exception.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be anything new from Apple in August! With so many services and big software releases in beta, Apple still has a few things coming up in August. Here’s all the things we expect Apple to release throughout the month.

Rumors of new products

We don’t expect any new device releases at all in August. But then, we didn’t expect anything in July either, and Apple released a surprise MagSafe Battery Pack in the middle of the month. So you can never be too sure.

In recent months, Apple released the new 24-inch iMac, iPad Pro, updated Apple TV 4K, and AirTag. Everyone expected Apple to announce its new high-end MacBook Pro and Mac mini with updated Apple Silicon (possibly the M1X chip) at WWDC in June. It didn’t, and now we don’t know what will happen next or when it will come.

Apple still has plenty of things to come this year – new iPhones and Apple Watches of course, but also new Macs, perhaps new AirPods, iPad mini, and more. We have a summary of everything yet to come in 2021, but based on the latest rumors, we shouldn’t expect anything until September. So while it’s possible that new AirPods or iPads will randomly appear on Apple.com in August, it should be a quiet month until major launches begin in September.

Apps and software updates

Apple released iOS 14.7 on July 19, small bug update 14.7.1 and security update a week later. There were no beta versions of iOS 14.8, nor macOS 11.6 or any other bitmap release. Unless something unusual appears, the iOS 14 branch will likely end effectively (except for critical security releases) and the next big software release will be iOS, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, tvOS 15, and watchOS 8 this fall. They are likely to be released in September.

During August, we might expect one or two major beta updates along the way. Apple is busy fixing bugs, tuning performance, and refining the user experience. If you are using any of these beta versions, be sure to use the Feedback app for bug reporting and usability feedback!

iOS 15 and iPadOS 15

We’re expecting one or two public beta updates for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 in August as development ends before the fall launch, so you’ll be able to try out Apple’s fall operating systems before the release. We do not recommend running it on an important device.

macOS 12 Monterey

Apple’s latest version of macOS entered public beta on July 1, just a day after iOS and iPadOS. It has a bunch of new features and should follow the same update pace as other operating systems.

tvOS 15

There aren’t as many new things in tvOS 15 as there are in iOS or macOS, but there are still some useful new things like using FaceID or TouchID to sign in to apps, support for Spatial Audio with AirPods, and all new SharePlay.

watchOS 8

If you’re running the iOS 15 public beta, why not run watchOS 8 beta as well? It has quite a few new features and redesigned apps, and the more you test it (and the more you report problems with the Feedback app), the more stable and reliable it will be when it launches this fall.

National Park Service Celebration Services

Over the past few years, Apple has marked the anniversary of the US National Park Service in August with a range of features across its services. There hasn’t been an announcement yet this year (it’s likely to be announced in the last week of August), but if years go by, here’s what you can expect: charitable donations to the National Park Foundation, free content on the TV app celebrating national parks and a list of Play on Apple Music, App Store collection, and Activity Challenge for Apple Watch.

+ Apple TV

There are plenty of Apple TV+ shows coming this fall, with September being the biggest month for new releases. But there are things to look forward to in August too! Check out the list of upcoming shows, series, and movies on AppleTV+ to see everything on the horizon.

Physicist: The black comedy starring Rose Byrne concludes its first season on August 6.

Ted Lasso: Season 2 continues with episodes 3 through 6.

Mr. Corman: A black comedy about a teacher whose dreams have not come true. Joseph Gordon-Levitt writes, stars, and produces. Premiere August 6th.

CODA: A coming-of-age story about a high school student who is the only hearing person in her deaf family and torn between assembling this unit or pursuing her own dreams. Premiere August 13th.

See: Season 2 of Apple’s big-budget adventure series starring Jason Momoa adds a new cast member: Dave Bautista. Premiere August 27.

Apple Arcade

Apple releases new games on Apple Arcade on Fridays, but no new game or important update is flagged every Friday. Check the Apple Arcade FAQ for a complete list of Apple Arcade games and more details about the service. Many games are released without warning, but you’ll often see a couple of projects listed in the Coming Soon section.

It looks like Apple Arcade releases are finally starting to pick up the pace a bit, thanks in part to a new change in Apple’s policy where existing App Store games can find their way into Arcade with a “+” at the end (and possibly some tweaks). Here are the titles expected to be released this month:

Super Stickman Golf 3+ (August 6): First released in 2016, this revival features all the paid content from the original game.

Super Leap Day (August 6): An original arcade title, this is one of those one-button auto-scrolling games. The hook here is a new challenge level every day.

Baldo the Guardian Owls (August 27): An RPG and adventure game with puzzles and “intricate dungeons” to solve.

Here’s what we see on the “soon” list that may arrive in August:

Monster Hunter Stories +: Not to be confused with the new Switch game Monster Hunter Stories 2, this game was first released on the App Store in 2018 as a mobile version of the Nintendo 3DS game.

wurdweb: An original arcade title, this word lover will feel familiar to Scrabble fans.

Tetris Beat: A cross between Tetris and a rhythm game, with 18 licensed tracks and new tracks added monthly.

I have written professionally about technology throughout my adult career – more than 20 years. I like to discover how complex technology works and explain it in a way that anyone can understand.

[ad_2]