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New iPads won’t arrive until May and we can’t stop crying

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iPad 2024 release date: May
The 2024 iPad Pro and Air release date supposedly won't be in March or April.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A release date for much anticipated 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air will come in early May, according to a reliable source of Apple information. Fans of Apple tablets have been on tenterhooks as the announcements for these had been expected weeks ago.

This will reportedly be the debut of the first iPad Pro with an OLED display plus the largest iPad Air model yet.

Redesign could give Apple M3 Ultra processor wicked performance boost

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Apple M3 Ultra chip
The M3 Ultra could be the high-performance chip that so many professionals need.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple’s upcoming M3 Ultra chip won’t consist of two M3 Max processors merged together, according to information leaking out of Cupertino. The change from its predecessors would free up designers to make the next-gen Apple silicon even more powerful.

It even raises the possibility of an M3 Extreme, a workstation-level processor that would give the Mac Pro a reason to exist.

Shop big bargains on Mac, MacBook and iPad while they last

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Mac and iPad deals include M1 Ultra Mac Studio
An M1 Ultra Mac Studio is one of the great deals you can score with Woot.
Photo: Apple

You may not want to spend top dollar on a new Mac or iPad, but how about bargain-basement deals on older Apple gear? That’s what Amazon bargain site Woot! asks with its latest sale on 40 items.

As the site says: “Apple iMacs, MacBooks, and iPads: Whether you need a big-screen powerhouse, a portable productivity partner, or a tablet to rule them all, we’ve got the iDevices you crave.”

You’ve got a little over a week to shop a wide range of Apple computers, some rather old (and really cheap) and some not so long in the tooth. The sale ends at 10 p.m. Pacific on April 6. See some highlights below.

And if you’re in the market for new Apple accessories, Woot! also offers $3 off with promo code APPLEBITE (although that sale ends March 31.)

Apple TV+ content rates highest for quality

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Apple TV+ best quality and other streaming service logos
A new survey supports the idea that Apple TV+ offers the best stuff (but not the most stuff).
Image: Cult of Mac

Apple TV+ may not pack in as many movies and TV shows as other major streaming platforms, but what it showcases rates highest for quality on IMDb, according to a new report.

Apple TV+ tops quality ratings in 19 genre categories on the movie-database site, including drama, comedy, action, biography and children’s content. But its relatively small catalogue helps keep it from ranking high on value for its price.

Today in Apple history: Apple racks up staggering $700 million loss

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Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
In 1996, Apple's worst quarter yet saw the company lose $700 million.
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

March 28: Today in Apple history: Apple racks up staggering $700 million loss March 28, 1996: In a dire message to Wall Street, Apple warns that it will report a $700 million after-tax loss for its most recent quarter.

Apple’s biggest quarterly loss in history, the shocking news reveals a company in far more financial trouble than previously thought. More than half the loss comes from $1 billion of unsold products.

iPhone 12 got Qi2 wireless charging support on the down-low

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Apple’s MagSafe fuels new Qi2 wireless charging standard
Your iPhone 12 just got better -- it can use Qi2 accessories.
Photo: WPC/Cult of Mac

Add the iPhone 12 to the list of handsets that support the new Qi2 cross-platform wireless charging standard that’s based on MagSafe. Apparently, Apple gave the older phones support for the newest chargers without mentioning it.

More recent iPhone models already can use Qi2 accessories.

Apple Maps might gain customizable routes, topographic maps in iOS 18

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Apple Maps
Useful new features are reportedly coming to Apple Maps in iOS 18.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple Maps could receive a pair of big updates this year: “Custom routes” and topographic maps. A developer from Argentina spotted the two new features recently in Apple code, saying they could arrive in iOS 18 and macOS 15.

If true, the changes will make Apple’s navigation application more useful for both drivers and hikers.

Today in Apple history: Radius kicks off clone Mac era in style

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Radius was the first company to launch an official Macintosh clone, the Radius System 100.
Radius was the first company to launch an official Macintosh clone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

March 27: Today in Apple history: Radius kicks off clone Mac era in style with System 100 computer March 27, 1995: The Radius System 100, the first official Macintosh clone, launches.

A high-end computer made by a company founded by several notable Macintosh alumni, this marvelous machine kicks off the era of clone Macs in grand fashion. However, it won’t be long until things take a turn for the worse.

User’s first Mac workstation is a doozy [Setups]

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Mac mini setup with LG external display
In the user's first Mac setup, a Mac mini drives an LG external display. A Magic Keyboard also sits on the desk shelf, with an iPad Pro on a stand to the right.
Photo: KSen420@Reddit.com

Mac mini may be Apple’s smallest desktop computer, but that doesn’t make it meek. It’s anything but meek, in fact. Today’s M2 Mac mini setup is the user’s first Apple rig, and the computer, working alongside a recent 12.9-inch iPad Pro, drives an impressive 35-inch LG ultra-wide display.

Act fast to save $50 on 15-inch MacBook Air with M3 chip

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2024 MacBook Air
Save $50 on various configurations of 15-inch MacBook Air, or $100 on some 13-inch models.
Photo: Apple

Within weeks of going on sale, Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air is available with a sweet $50 discount. The deal knocks the price of the entry-level configuration down to $1,249.

You can score a similar $50 discount on the 15-inch Air with M3 chip in 512GB and 16GB configurations. And, if you don’t need that massive 15-inch screen, you can get the 13-inch MacBook Air at an even bigger discount.

New iPadOS version might finally usher in 2024 iPad Pro and Air [Updated]

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2024 OLED iPad Pro mockup
Apple expects the larger 2024 iPad Pro model to be the more popular.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple reportedly released a tiny, tiny update to iOS and iPadOS on Wednesday. It’s possible this is the new version of the operating system supposedly needed for the much rumored — and much anticipated — 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air models.

Don’t go looking for the updates on your iPhone or iPad, however.

Update: The latest leak indicates that Apple’s next tablets won’t reach customers until May. They allegedly aren’t just waiting on software; production challenges are also supposedly pushing back the launch.

Ugreen’s first networked-attached storage devices launch with big discounts

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Ugreen NAS products - NASync
Finally, deep discounts on NAS products that can up your storage game.
Photo: Ugreen

Known for compact and affordable chargers, Ugreen jumped into network-attached storage (NAS) devices in a big way Tuesday with a crowdfunding campaign for its new NASync products on Kickstarter.com.

That’s where you can pledge and save 40% on items that suit home and business users alike with high-speed, huge-capacity data storage, the company said.

New England Patriots owner ‘disappointed’ by The Dynasty

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The Dynasty documentary on Apple TV+
Not surprisingly, the warts-and-all portrayal of the Patriots has its critics.
Photo: Apple TV+

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft expressed disappointment Tuesday over how The Dynasty documentary on Apple TV+ portrayed the football franchise’s championship teams, according to a new report.

Kraft made the comments while talking with reporters at an annual NFL meeting.

China’s Tencent throws its massive weight behind Vision Pro

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China's Tencent throws its massive weight behind Vision Pro
Tencent support is a serious boost for Apple's Vision Pro AR headset in China
Photo: Apple/Tencent/Cult of Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook’s trip to China apparently scored a big win: Tencent will reportedly bring some of its biggest apps to the Vision Pro AR headset. The company developed both the hugely popular WeChat super app plus a wide array of successful games.

Vision Pro has not yet launched in China but the debut is expected soon.

Apple sets WWDC24 kickoff date for June 10

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A black screen with the term
It's official! Put June 10 to 14 in your calendar for WWDC24.
Image: Apple

WWDC24, this year’s big Apple developer conference, will start with a live-streamed event on June 10, the company said Tuesday. During the keynote, Apple undoubtedly will reveal its plans for iOS and its other computing platforms, with a rumored focus on AI.

After the keynote, set to stream for free at 10 a.m. Pacific on June 10, the rest of the week will be filled with prerecorded online sessions that will help developers implement the new features and APIs in their apps.

The conference will take the same format of the mixed online/in-person event Apple utilized the last two years.

Today in Apple history: Apple pays to use ‘iPad’ name

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The iPad delivered Apple's
Would an iPad by any other name smell as sweet?
Photo: Apple

March 26: Today in Apple history: Apple buys rights to use iPad name from Fujitsu March 26, 2010: Apple pays up to settle a trademark dispute with Japanese multinational Fujitsu over the name “iPad” in the United States.

It comes two months after Steve Jobs first showed off the iPad, and around a week before the tablet will land in stores. As it happens, it’s not the first time Apple battled over the name for one of its new products.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak calls TikTok ban ‘hypocrisy’

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Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak calls TikTok ban 'hypocrisy'
The Woz calls out U.S. politicians for a proposed TikTok ban.
Photo: Paweł Piotrowski

The U.S. move toward banning the hugely popular TikTok video service is “hypocrisy.” That’s the opinion of Steve Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple.

He sees no difference between a Chinese company tracking users and U.S. companies doing the same thing.

‘See what you’re missing’ with Apple’s new iPhone comparison tool

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‘See what you’re missing’ with Apple’s new iPhone comparison tool
Apple wants you to know all the ways iPhone 15 is better than your current handset.
Screenshot: Apple/Cult of Mac

The new “Why Upgrade” page on Apple’s website shows users of some older iOS models what features they’d get if they traded up to the latest iPhone 15 series.

The tool says “See what you’re missing“ in hopes of convincing shoppers that it’s time to move on from handsets introduced in 2019 or 2020.

Apple picks up Jennifer Garner’s The Last Thing He Told Me for season 2

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'The Last Thing He Told Me' gets a greenlight for season 2.
The Last Thing He Told Me season 2 got a greenlight from Apple TV+.
Image: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ committed to a second season of The Last Thing He Told Me, a thriller that aired in 2023. Jennifer Garner will continue in the starring role.

Season one of the drama is based on a novel of the same name by Laura Dave. Season two will be an adaptation of the forthcoming second book in the series.

macOS patch fixes vexing bugs with USB hubs and more

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macOS bug fixed
Install macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 to make your Mac less buggy.
Photo: Apple/Pixabay/Pexels

Mac users should install macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a patch to remove a bug that affected USB hubs (and made headlines). The update, released Monday, also takes care of a couple of other problems.

Currently, it’s the only OS update coming out of Cupertino on Monday, meaning Apple Watch and tvOS users are still waiting.

Today in Apple history: Apple exec bets his wine cellar on Newton

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The Newton MessagePad looks gigantic next to an iPhone.
A daring wine cellar bet means a very public deadline for the Newton MessagePad.
Photo: Blake Patterson/Wikipedia CC

March 25: Today in Apple history: Apple executive Gaston Bastiaens bets his wine cellar on Newton March 25, 1993: Apple executive Gaston Bastiaens bets a journalist that the eagerly anticipated Newton MessagePad will ship before summer ends. The prize? Bastiaens’ well-stocked personal wine cellar, worth thousands of dollars.

The bet takes place at the CeBit trade show in Hanover, Germany. Bastiaens’ outburst comes in response to a reporter’s needling. The gamble not only gives the Newton a release timetable, but also a price target: less than $1,000.

Badass Mac Studio drives dual Studio Displays [Setups]

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M2 Ultra Mac Studio setup with dual Studio Displays
A powerful M2 Ultra Mac Studio drives this pair of Studio Displays.
Photo: FaithlessnessDry387@Reddit.com

 Today’s M2 Ultra Mac Studio setup puts one of Apple’s most powerful desktop computers front and center, driving a pair of beautiful Studio Displays.

And while the user pointed out his machine packs only base specifications, that’s still a hell of a lot of computer for most people. And if you max it out, the thing is astonishing. Check out the options below.

‘Presto,’ your new iPhone comes out of box with fresh software update

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Presto iOS updates
The Presto system will update new iPhones right through the packaging in the store.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

The next time you buy a new iPhone, it could come out of the box with a fresh iOS software update, according to a new report. A new proprietary system called “Presto” will update it right in the packaging before you buy it at an Apple Store.

Normally, updating iOS is one of the first orders of business for new iPhone purchases. Now it won’t be necessary unless a new update comes out right after their purchase.