Just a day after Apple unveiled its Vision Pro AR/VR headset at WWDC23, news came along Tuesday that the company acquired Los Angeles-based AR headset startup Mira.
Mira makes headsets for other companies — notably Super Nintendo World theme parks — and holds contracts with the U.S. military.
Sharing your contact information and more with people will get easier with new AirDrop functionality in iOS 17. A new feature called NameDrop makes it about as simple as knocking iPhones together.
“Today, you either hand your phone to them, or one of you dictates your information while the other types it. Now there’s a better way,” said Apple SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi during Monday’s WWDC23 keynote. “Now you can just bring your phones close together.”
WWDC23’s keynote wasn’t just about big OS and hardware releases. It also brought some fun stuff — like new sticker functionality coming to the Messages app and beyond.
Using Messages on your iPhone (and perhaps elsewhere), you should be able to liven up your texting by turning any emoji, photo subject or even Live Photo (short video) into a sticker you can drag into any text bubble — or anywhere you use emoji.
Three years after it came out, Bluetti’s stalwart AC200P power station remains a high-value tool for all your power needs — whether you’re camping in a remote spot or living through a power outage at home. Right from the start, Bluetti’s all-in-one generator stood out because of its outstanding features and competitive price.
Along with macOS Sonoma and its new features will come Safari 17, the new iteration of Apple’s web browser. It brings an enhanced browsing experience with an even greater emphasis than before on privacy, and most changes will probably apply to iOS and iPadOS, as well.
The changes aren’t terribly glamorous, but beefed-up Private Browsing protects against prying eyes online and off, in addition to some other security enhancements.
And in terms of organization, the new Profiles feature helps you keep separate parts of your life separate and website apps keep your favorite sites at your fingertips.
Apple said Monday in the WWDC23 Keynote that tvOS 17 brings FaceTime to Apple TV 4K for the first time. So you can put your calls with family, friends and colleagues on the biggest screen you have.
“tvOS 17 transforms the biggest screen in the home with FaceTime and new video conferencing capabilities, giving Apple TV 4K users the ability to easily connect with anyone right from their living room,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.
“New features and enhancements make Apple TV simpler to use and even more enjoyable, reinforcing it as the absolute best option in the living room for Apple customers,” he added.
Apple unveiled macOS 14 — aka macOS Sonoma — at WWDC23 Monday. It brings new gaming functionality, desktop widgets, video screensavers and Safari browser upgrades. That’s in addition to cross-device compatibility reflecting some of the new iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 features.
“Introducing macOS Sonoma a big new release that will make your Mac more delightful and even more productive,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering.
“First, many of the features we talked about earlier on iOS and iPad OS are going to be great on the Mac. And macOS Sanoma brings a rich set of features that elevate the experience of macOS,” he added.
You may already have a mouse pad in your computer setup, but what about a desk mat? Similar concepts in some ways, those two. But many folks may not even think of a desk mat as a necessary item in a computer setup. Or they may consider it an afterthought rather than any sort of priority.
But the humble desk mat, reminiscent of grandpa’s desk blotter, has its benefits. And that came up with today’s featured, desk-mat-free M1 MacBook Air setup.
Maybe all this talk of superior AI chatbots is getting to Apple’s voice assistant. Siri interrupted a radio broadcast Saturday during a double-header matchup between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays.
The voice assistant had a pretty good reason. The announcer said Siri’s name. But he was talking about Rays outfielder Jose Siri coming up to bat.
And Siri’s response was apparently unintelligible. Typical swing and a miss.
Calling WWDC23 Apple’s “most significant product launch event in nearly a decade,” a report Friday relayed new information about the event’s headlining hardware — Apple’s first AR/VR headset.
While the headset won’t go on sale for months, WWDC attendees and media can try demonstrations of it in a large new structure at Apple Park, and in future demos throughout the summer.
Some computer setups blow you away with the sheer number of components they include. Today’s featured M1 Mac mini rig not only has five computing devices — not counting a whole wall full of gaming systems — its gear list at the bottom of this post includes 33 items.
And that doesn’t even count the 3D printer, smartphones and a bunch of other items the user showcased.
Want to make Siri smart again and help boost Apple’s artificial-intelligence chops across the board? A recent Apple job posting shows it seeks “machine-learning engineers with a background and/or interest in conversational and generative AI.”
“This role will play a critical part in helping Apple change the way humans learn about learning,” the listing noted.
Hard to say if the new engineers will inject more gray matter into Siri, but one source suggests they might work on device-based apps for Apple’s AR/VR headset, expected to show on Monday at WWDC23 Monday.
Apple Card Savings accounts launched to great acclaim recently with their high yield, but some customers are complaining that withdrawing money and transferring funds through the Goldman Sachs-held accounts takes too long.
And some are leaving, according to a new report.
That’s some interesting timing on Meta’s press release Thursday for a VR headset not expected to come out until at least late September. Mark Zuckerberg and company wedged in a tease for Meta Quest 3 just four days ahead of WWDC23, when Apple is expected to unveil its much-anticipated AR/VR headset.
The Meta press materials even appropriated “we can’t wait,” one of Apple CEO Tim Cook’s trademark phrases.
On Thursday, noted Apple enthusiast Basic Apple Guy put out colorful new versions of his iPhone 14 schematics iOS wallpaper. They show the handsets’ innards in startling detail.
The new versions’ beautiful gradient colors match Apple marketing for WWDC23, coming up on Monday, he said.
An independent study found App Store developers generated $1.1 trillion in total billings and sales last year as part of the system’s robust year-over-year growth of 29%, Apple said Wednesday.
More than 90% of the money went to developers, without any commission paid to Apple, the company said.
A new report Wednesday from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) revisits the group’s recent finding that Android users increasingly switched to iPhone in recent years and gets into the reasons why.
It gave four specific major reasons and a fifth vague but important one, below.
Garmin unveiled three rugged new fēnix 7 Pro Series smartwatches Wednesday, giving Apple Watch Ultra a run for its money. The new multisport GPS watches have a lot in common with Ultra, including similar pricing depending on which features you select.
But the Garmin watches also offer a built-in LED flashlight and solar charging that helps provide 37 days of battery life in “smartwatch mode” and 139 days in “expedition mode,” according to the company.
Cutting-edge computer setups are cool. Vintage computer museums are also cool. But do you know what’s super-cool? Both. Together.
Los Angeles-based sound designer Drew Dalzell sent Cult of Mac his M1 MacBook Pro setup this week. As it turns out, it sits in the middle of a vintage computer collection. It includes an Apple IIGS, an Apple II Plus, an Ortrona, a Commodore 64 and more. The space is also his business HQ.
Each year alongside WWDC, Apple runs a contest for students worldwide to create great app playgrounds using Swift code. This year 375 coders won, up from the previous 350. They’ll be among WWDC23’s virtual and in-person attendees.
“We are amazed by the talent we see from the young developers who enter our Swift Student Challenge,” said Susan Prescott, Apple vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations.
“This year’s submissions demonstrated not only the next generation’s commitment to building tools that will improve our lives, but also a willingness to embrace new technologies and tools, and deploy them in original and creative ways,” she added.
★★★★☆
If you like to mount your iPad as part of your computer setup — especially if you use Apple’s Universal Control or Sidecar — a foldable magnetic mount can be a big help. Kuxiu offers a high-quality product. It sent me one to try out.
My main impressions? Quality materials, strong magnets, good multidirectional design — and maybe I can skip going to the gym. This thing requires some muscle to move around.
Everyone knows AirPods come only in white. If you want a set of Apple earbuds in another color, you have to turn to subsidiary Beats.
But white almost wasn’t the only case, so to speak. Apple prototyped AirPods cases in five colors to match iPhone 7 colors in 2016, according to a source who displayed some images Tuesday.
The massive Memorial Day Sale is still going on in the Cult of Mac Store, running through the end of the day on Monday, May 29. You can get up to 30% off great accessories for Apple products from half a dozen leading brands: Elago, Rilee & Lo, SwitchEasy, Mifa, Laut, Bucardo and Nine Twenty Eight.
See some sale highlights below and check out the whole sale on hundreds of items before it’s too late!
Part of the fun of covering computer setups for Cult of Mac is seeing how a setup is never “done.” Blood, sweat, tears and time may go into it, but it will always need something — whether that’s missing functionality, better decoration or the next generation of a key device.
Today’s featured M2 MacBook Air setup is a good example. Since we featured an earlier version of it just weeks ago, the user made important changes. He added two components to maximize crucial iPad functionality and pump up audio.
Memorial Day, a time to remember and honor the sacrifices of service members, comes up this Monday. To express gratitude to active duty and retired military personnel, power-product provider Bluetti is introducing a Veterans and Military Purchase Program.
And in addition, the company’s Memorial Day Sale offers great discounts on power stations for everyone — in some cases, hundreds of dollars off. (Find deals at the links below.)