When it’s unveiled at WWDC24’s Keynote on Monday, the new iOS 18 update — codenamed “Crystal” — is expected to be one of Apple’s biggest updates of iPhone software since the handset came out in 2007. Artificial intelligence (AI) should play a big role, along with other new features, redesigned elements and plenty of app updates. See our summary below, with links to Cult of Mac coverage.
In the first quarter of 2024, iPhone sales in China slid 19.1% compared to Q1 2023. And that’s mainly due to competitor Huawei taking a bigger bite in the premium segment, according to new research. And yet analysts indicated possible signs of recovery for Apple, too.
Vision Pro demonstrated its healthcare chops recently, assisting a surgical team operating on a patient’s spine in the U.K., reports indicated. It marked the first Vision pro surgery in Europe and one of the first worldwide, undoubtedly.
Because a nurse assisting the surgeons wore the device, they could efficiently help prepare for and track the procedure.
When it comes to deploying artificial intelligence in products, companies like Google might seem quicker on the draw than Apple. But no major tech company bought more AI startups than the iPhone-maker in 2023, according to a new report.
That suggests Apple might soon become a leader in generative AI rather than playing catch-up.
Apple researchers released an open-source artificial intelligence model called MGIE that responds to a user typing natural language — simply saying what they want — to alter an image. Apple’s new AI image editing tool could wind up making it easy for iPhone or Mac owners to tweak photos.
MGIE — short for MMLM-Guided Image Editing — can handle Photoshop-style tweaks, global photo optimization and local editing. But output quality remains limited for now. And only Apple knows what it plans to do with its AI image editor.
You can ask the new AI-powered Rabbit R1 gadget to do pretty much anything you’d normally do with some combination of apps on your smartphone, according to Rabbit’s fascinating keynote at CES 2024.
You can ask it to explain something, call an Uber, order a meal delivery or even book a fairly complex vacation itinerary, to name a few examples.
And unlike a would-be iPhone replacement like the Humane Ai Pin, Rabbit R1 comes with a screen and costs just $199 with no subscription necessary.
Update: Rabbit noted it sold out its R1 units on day one of sales, moving 10,000 units. See the company’s tweet below.
As artificial intelligence and machine learning become mainstream in business, large tech firms like Amazon and Facebook look to introduce AI features that transform the way we engage online through predictive purchase models and other algorithmic means. But how does Apple use AI?
But it definitely is. Apple’s business teams are cooking up many AI and ML opportunities. Still, Apple takes on AI challenges from a different angle with a more intuitive approach. Let’s look behind the scenes at the world’s largest tech company to see how tomorrow’s ideas are shaping today’s products.
The new Aztec Mystery Magic app for iPhone and iPad released Thursday dresses up artificial intelligence (AI) chat in a cool Aztec costume.
It doesn’t do a whole lot, but it looks cool and it’s free. It answers questions, makes predictions and offers ancient Aztec riddles you can solve to get amulets. And hey, you might learn something.
After months of cryptic hints and teasing demos, startup Humane finally put its supposedly iPhone-killing Ai Pin on sale Thursday for $700, plus subscription costs.
You pin it to your clothes and interact with it through voice, touch control, gestures, and laser projections on your hand. However, despite its ambitious goals, the reality of AI pins has been met with skepticism due to performance issues and limitations.
The question is, will this thing really kill the iPhone? To those who don’t like talking to devices except when absolutely necessary, it must seem unlikely.
Former Apple design chief Jony Ive and OpenAI are trying to raise $1 billion to build the “iPhone of artificial intelligence,” according to a new report.
The article builds on previous media items about Ive brainstorming with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on the project.
The Opera browser for iOS now features an artificially intelligent assistant created in collaboration with OpenAI. Opera calls it Aria, and says it “offers you a cutting-edge generative AI service for free.”
Similarly to other such tools, Opera integrated its AI into the browser and makes it free to use once you opt in.
Apple reportedly developed its own generative AI chatbot that’s very similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. While this might never be released, the underlying tech is already going into the company’s applications and services.
If true, the chatbot’s technology could be a significant upgrade to the Siri digital assistant that’s built into so many Apple products — and that currently draws so much criticism.
Apple is apparently responding to criticism that it doesn’t offer real competition for OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, two AI-powered chatbots that have made so many headlines in recent months. Job postings show the Mac-maker is on a hiring spree for people skilled in generative AI.
Perhaps Apple’s voice-activated system Siri is in for a significant jump in capabilities.
Apple reportedly banned its employees from using artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT for work purposes. The company’s decision stems from concerns about confidential data leakage.
Apple informed its employees about this move through an internal memo.
Humane, a startup founded by Apple veterans, recently gave a demo of a device intended to kill the smartphone. The new device doesn’t have a display — instead, it projects information onto the user’s hand. But that’s just hardware — the company’s real goal is creating a personalized artificial intelligence that can go everywhere.
Initial details of the as-yet-unnamed product leaked out a few weeks ago. The full video demonstration is now ready to be watched.
Perhaps the best phrase to describe the results of Apple’s most recent financial quarter is, “It could have been worse.” Total revenue dropped 3% as the company battled inflation and other macroeconomic problems not of its making.
Still, Apple’s quarterly numbers beat the overly pessimistic Wall Street estimates. And there is more good news buried in the results Apple reported Thursday (and in the company’s earnings call with investors). Read on for five reasons to be optimistic about Apple’s future.
Apple reportedly wants to use the power of artificial intelligence to create a virtual coach integrated into Apple Watch.
In addition, Apple’s Health app allegedly will get new features for those with vision problems, and to help users track their moods.
Although Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died more than a decade ago, he’s back as an artificial intelligence. Kind of.
A programmer made a chatbot able to carry on conversations in a voice that sounds like Jobs. The result is authentic enough to be eerie.
Users have complained about the limitations of the Siri “intelligent” assistant for years, but now that OpenAI’s ChatGPT is showing the world that artificial intelligence can do amazing things, it’s never been more obvious that Apple’s version is as dumb as a bag of hammers.
Not only does this make Apple look bad, it makes HomePod less useful. Really, it makes all the company’s products less useful than they could be.
Apple needs to step up its AI game or it risks being left out of an important new wave of computing.
The capabilities of artificial intelligence are amazing and ever-expanding, but how can you best get it to work for you? Juice.ai demonstrates how with a tool that can get you started on your marketing journey. And it’s now on sale for just $39.
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s unannounced European tour has taken him to the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy so far. And on one of his latest stops, he received an honorary master’s degree Thursday from the Università Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in Naples, Italy.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by an institution with such a distinguished history, one that has nurtured Italy’s brightest young minds for nearly 800 years,” Cook said, accepting the honorary master’s degree for innovation and international management.
SpotCam recently unveiled its new SpotCam Pano 2, a smart, 5-megapixel cloud security AI camera with free, full-time, continuous cloud recording to make sure you always have your footage. The company, founded in Taiwan in 2013, said it’s the only camera brand to offer that.
Writing is hard, but there are some great writing tools out there to make it easier. Rytr is an AI writing tool that can help you write quality copy using artificial intelligence that can be programmed for any tone or format — and right now it’s on sale for $75.
Founded in 1946 and known for quality speakers, Klipsch celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Part of that blowout features the launch of two new sets of earphones offering not only active noise cancellation (ANC) but artificial intelligence (AI)-based gestures and a new sound-enhancement system.
iOS 14’s built-in pornographic content blocker stymies searches that include the word “Asian,” according to a computer science student.
This means searches for “Asian food” or “Asian countries” are blocked if the adult content filters are enabled. Similar blocks aren’t in place for search terms including “black,” “white,” “Arab,” “French” and other national or racial descriptors.