David Snow - page 43

The recent return of the iconic Beats Pill portable Bluetooth speaker wasn’t just a typical product update, but a complete overhaul to help cement Beats’ identity as a premium-products subsidiary of the iPhone giant, according to a new interview with Apple executives.

“We wanted to do something special with the Pill and completely re-architect and reimagine it,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple VP of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Sports and Beats. “It wasn’t a case [of] let’s swap out one or two things. We really wanted a complete refresh. This is a completely new product inside, and outside as well.”

A big upgrade is a special occasion for any computer setup. And today’s featured M2 Max Mac Studio rig saw major changes recently, including a boost to audio quality courtesy of a legendary audio brand. Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 speakers joined the desktop mix.

A new Apple initiative addresses California’s housing-affordability crisis in the San Francisco Bay Area, the company said Wednesday. In partnership with the San Francisco Housing Accelerator Fund, Sobrato Philanthropies and Destination: Home, Apple launched the Bay Area Housing Innovation Fund with an initial investment of $50 million.

The fund aims to accelerate affordable housing development by providing targeted, favorable loans to developers. It’s part of Apple’s larger $2.5 billion commitment to tackle housing affordability issues across the company’s home state.

Cameras that beam still images and video to iPhones and other smartphones make it easy to keep tabs on your home or business from anywhere. Security cams, video doorbells and other types of cameras can connect to your phone, letting you view live footage 24/7.

This is traditionally the best time of year to buy portable power stations and solar generators for summer camping and hurricane preparedness. And now there’s another big reason to pull the trigger on a power purchase: Amazon Prime Day. Bluetti’s Prime Day deals on power stations, backup batteries and more mean you can assemble the perfect system for your needs — and save tons of money from July 16 to July 21.

Looking for good Bluetooth headphones that won’t throttle your wallet? In this Edifier W830NB headphones review, I look at Edifier’s latest noise canceling set. They might just be your ticket to affordable listening.

Following up on its W820NB model, Edifier packs serious punch for the price in this $80 pair (or $63 for Amazon Prime Day!). Just don’t expect them to beat out top-shelf cans from the likes of Apple and Sony.

Today’s M3 MacBook Air setup features a retro-cool speaker unlike most you’ll see in workstations. When people look beyond the laptop for sound, the usual answer is bookshelf speakers. But the doctor who runs this MacBook Air and iPad Pro setup likes an unusual choice — an Edifier desktop speaker called the MP230.

For all the bargain hunters and late adopters out there, Woot just launched another iPhone and Apple Watch sale on great (but not new) gear. The big sale on Apple refurbs runs through July 31 at 10 p.m. Pacific. It’s your chance to grab refurbished models at great prices.

Woot calls it the “Big Value Little Price iPhones and Apple Watches.” The cheeky Amazon site says “now E.T. can phone home in style!”

Indeed, you can find refurbished iPhones in all shapes and sizes, including the discontinued iPhone mini. Same goes for Apple Watch. Don’t dally, though. One of the deals already sold out!

Apple CEO Tim Cook says he uses his Vision Pro headset every day and explains why he thinks the device is “very revolutionary,” in an interview published Thursday.

“I think it delivers stunning entertainment,” Cook told The Sun in an interview tied to the AR/VR headset’s U.K. launch. “It unleashes this infinite canvas for productivity. It gives you new ways to connect and collaborate. These are just huge ideas that affect all of the things that we do every day, so I’m a huge believer in it.”

Apple doesn’t have a very long list of unpopular products or features, but whatever list of shame it may keep probably includes MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar. But not everyone hates the feature. The Python developer who runs today’s MacBook Pro setup actually loves it.

Release dates for new seasons of hit Apple TV+ shows like Severance and Slow Horses are in the news, and now we can add Silo to that list — maybe. The show’s stars and producers will discuss season 2 details at San Diego Comic-Con July 27, Apple TV+ said Friday. And a release date — and maybe more, like a trailer — will probably come out of that panel discussion.

Mega retailer Amazon often offers early discounts on the run-up to Prime Day, July 16 and 17. So now’s a great time to bag great deals on Apple Watch Series 9 and SE. Several models are already $100 off the regular price. That may drop even further next week, but you never know.

If you can’t wait for Amazon Prime Day July 16 and 17, turns out you don’t even need to — every Prime Day, deals start leaking out early. Right now you can take up to $90 off the recently released M2 iPad Air, for example. And that’s just the biggest savings on a top model. Plenty of early Prime Day deals on M2 iPad Air models with lesser specs can be had, too. See the examples below.

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 lineup could see a significant boost in charging speeds, potentially doubling the current fast-charging capability to 40W when using a compatible power adapter, according to a recent rumor.

While late-model iPhones are already pretty fast chargers, twice as fast is a serious improvement.

Is there a doctor in the house? There is with today’s M3 MacBook Air setup. The good doctor finds the slender laptop covers all needs, especially with an assist from an 11-inch iPad Pro, an external monitor and an unusual choice for a desktop speaker.

Just as we thought when Apple put out a Severance teaser Tuesday in Morse code saying nothing but “tomorrow,” word of a season 2 air date arrived Wednesday, along with a spooky teaser trailer. But our wishful thinking that the air date would come in fall 2024 was just that. It’s actually slated for January 17, 2025. And in the meantime, the short trailer below is worth a watch. It brings eerie Severance vibes.

Apple Arcade is set to welcome three exciting game titles in August, further expanding its diverse catalog of over 200 ad-free games. The new titles are Temple Run: Legends, Vampire Survivors+ and, for Vision Pro, a spatial version of Castle Crumble, the iPhone giant said Tuesday.

Apple TV+ dropped an odd Severance Morse code teaser video Tuesday that simply spells out “tomorrow,” suggesting news about the workplace thriller’s second season will arrive Wednesday. We expect an air date announcement for fall 2024, and perhaps more.

Apple offered a scant first look at the upcoming season of the hit show during the WWDC24 keynote in June. But other than that, fans of the funny and disturbing workplace thriller have had little to go on — until now (or until tomorrow, that is).

Starting in September, Microsoft will require its employees in China to use iPhones for work-related activities, effectively banning Android devices from work use, according to a new report. And of course the irony of a new policy stating that Microsoft employees in China must use Apple devices isn’t lost on us.

The new OXS Storm G2 Wireless Gaming Headset comes equipped with a 50mm full-range dynamic driver and 7.1 virtual surround sound technology for wired, wireless and dongle connectivity to Macs, PCs, consoles, tablets and more, OXS said Monday.

And despite aiming high on audio quality for gaming, music and calls, the new cans go low on price. You can buy them on Amazon for $59.99 (with 25% off coupon), or just $49.99 for Prime Day, July 16 and 17. The regular price is $79.99.

Amazon bargain site Woot! celebrates summer with a big blowout sale on an unusual item — mechanical keyboards. The site offers up to 61% off an array of Keychron mechanical keebs, plus a couple of other can’t-miss mechanical keyboard deals.

A dozen keebs are on sale. Most items are discounted to at least half off regular prices. The sale runs through Friday, July 12, at 10 p.m. Pacific.

Perusing computer setups online, we love to point out great deals on great gear when they come along. In today’s M1 Mac mini setup, the 27-inch external 4K display looks like a gem, with great features at a low price.

AutoFull’s new M6 Gaming Chair is a serious gaming chair. Luxe and highly adjustable, the M6 comes with three levels of temperature control to cool you down in the heat of battle, or heat you up for a long gaming session.

Your body and your winning gaming stats will thank you. And it’s not only a special chair for gaming. Any chair this good for gaming makes a great office chair for study or work, too.

Want to kick off your July 4 holiday weekend with a bang? Bag a 14- or 16-inch M3 MacBook Pro for up to $500 off at Amazon or Best Buy. You’ll have it by the time the smoke clears from the fireworks. And compared to whatever machine you have now, your computing power will more-or-less explode.

The difference between a good webcam and a mediocre one can be revealing — you either look and sound good or you look and sound like crap. So if you’d rather take the professional road to quality videoconferencing and self-made videos, a good device like the Logitech C920 HD Pro Webcam in today’s M1 MacBook Air is a great way to get there.