Ed Hardy - page 111

Epic Games gave developers access to Unreal Engine 5, the next generation of its tool for creating 3D games. It offers “a collection of groundbreaking features for rendering real-time worlds in incredible high-fidelity detail.”

The new version of this software-development environment released Tuesday replaces Unreal Engine 4, which has been around since 2014. It’s used in many Mac, iPhone and/or iPad games, including Injustice 2 and Darkness Rises.

The 2022 iteration of Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference will start June 6. Apple promised Tuesday the event will showcase the latest innovations in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — which is code for unveiling the next major upgrades for these operating systems.

WWDC22 will be online-only for most people, but a fortunate few developers and students will be able to watch the keynote from Apple Park.

Think of the Chipolo Card Spot as a very flat AirTag. Put either device into something valuable and you’ll be able to locate it with your iPhone, whether it’s lost in your home or out in the world. But the Card Spot is slim enough to go into your wallet — don’t attempt that with an AirTag.

I tried out Chipolo’s latest item tracker with support for the Find My network to see how well it survives daily use. And it came through with flying colors.

Apple TV+ on Monday gave the first glimpse at Prehistoric Planet, its highly anticipated series of documentaries focusing on dinosaurs and other ancient animals. It’ll be narrated by Sir David Attenborough, and produced by Jon Favreau and Mike Gunton.

The eye-popping trailer shows off the series’ photorealistic visual effects from MPC (The Lion King, The Jungle Book).

A previous leak had already indicated that the iPhone 14 Pro Max will have a sizable hump, but new specs show the entire device is going to be… well, huge. But it’s all supposedly part of a significant improvement in camera specs.

These leaked specs also reveal other iPhone 14 Pro Max details, like the size and positioning of the new “hole and pill” design allegedly replacing the notch.

It’s now been three weeks since any Apple operating system was in public beta testing. It seems work has stopped on significant updates to iOS 15, macOS Monterey and the other OSs.

And that’s a good thing. Here’s why.

Apple launched the iPad in stores exactly 12 years ago today, and the device has evolved enormously since then, in both capabilities and hardware. Today’s devices can do so much more than their forbearers. Tablets have lived up to Steve Jobs’ vision … and exceeded it.

Here are a dozen reasons to love what Apple’s tablet has become.

Benchmark testing of nine different iPhone models shows that less than half of them experienced any improvement to battery life from the recent iOS 15.4.1 update, despite Apple describing that as a major feature of the new version. More of the handsets saw a decrease instead.

On the devices affected, the drop in battery life is generally small, but it’s nevertheless likely to leave some iPhone users holding off on the update. Which is unfortunate, as iOS 15.4.1 also closes a security hole that Apple says has been actively exploited.

The good news is that Apple will bring in-display Face ID to the iPhone, finally eliminating the distinctive “notch” at the top of the touchscreen. The bad news is that it’s reportedly not happening as soon as possible.

This means we’re still years away from an iPhone with a truly edge-to-edge display.

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Many companies just can’t resist April Fools’ Day jokes. Some people find these exasperating, but others enjoy the lighthearted humor. This year, we got a ridiculous new Apple TV accessory, what’s perhaps the most tasteless way to wear an AirTag, and more.

Read on for our favorite gags to celebrate this unusual holiday.

Just added to Apple’s refurbished offerings are the MacBook Pro models that in launched fall of 2021 with the blazing fast M1 Max and M1 Pro processors. These refubs offer welcome cost savings — especially on such recent notebooks — but they can not be reconfigured. Buyers can only choose from the configurations Apple has in stock.

But again, savings are considerable: a refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max is up to $350 off.

Two Avengers stars are making a movie for Apple TV+. Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans — perhaps best known as Black Widow and Captain America — are working on a mysterious Project Artemis.

The news started out as a leak, but Evans has since confirmed it.

Apple is showing interest in making a clip-on iPhone or iPad game controller. It filed a patent application for various permutations of exactly that sort of accessory on Thursday.

This would be a new product category for the company. But it could be a boon for Apple Arcade subscribers.

Apple introduced bug fix updates for every one of its operating systems on Thursday. These updates should improve the battery life on iPhone and iPad. And for Mac users, the new version fixes well-publicized bugs recently introduced by macOS 12.3.

However, there are no new features in macOS Monterey 12.3.1, iOS 15.4.1, iPadOS 15.4.1, watchOS 8.5.1 and tvOS 15.4.1 — Apple just fixed small problems. All five updates are available to download immediately.

It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown, the first-ever Peanuts Earth Day special, premieres April 15 on Apple TV+. It tells the story of how a single flower inspires the Peanuts gang to start caring for the environment, and features an original song by American singer-songwriter Ben Folds.

A trailer for the upcoming special debuted Thursday.

Rather than letting existing financial companies handle all its payment processing, Apple wants to bring some of it in-house, according to an unconfirmed report. And the Mac-maker would also like to take on a range of other related services itself.

The goal is to reduce the amount of money Apple has to pay outside companies for financial services.

YouTube TV subscribers with an iPhone or iPad can now watch shows in a small window while another app is open. The feature is rolling out now.

However, picture-in-picture support is not yet available for all mobile users of the YouTube application, as has been promised.

iFixit showed people the interior of the new Apple Studio Display next to a partially disassembled iMac and asked them to pick which is which. You can play along at home by looking at the image above.

Most people got it wrong. Apple’s latest external monitor (on the left) is packed with features, and that’s reflected in its surprisingly complex internal design.

iFixit put the device through a full teardown and found that many of the most important components of the new external monitor showed up in previous Apple devices.

An in-screen fingerprint scanner won’t be part of any iPhone for at least three years, according to a trusted analyst. That raises the strong possibility that Touch ID will never again be part of Apple’s flagship smartphones — despite occasional rumors to the contrary.

Apple may have abandoned the idea after a recent improvement to Face ID.

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The Wiplabs Lift makes it easier to type on your MacBook by tilting the keyboard up. At the same time, it raises the display closer to eye level. And it offers these benefits anywhere you go because the rugged, aluminum stand folds so you can stow it away.

I put the portable stand to the test … and it really stood up.

The first computer built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak is the Apple-1, right? Not quite. Turns out before that was the “Apple Computer A.”

Unfortunately, the actual Apple prototype with that name was not found. But pictures of it from 1976 were. And they show details of this handmade Apple prototype.

An iPhone reported missing or stolen to an industry database can not be repaired at an Apple Store, according to a new company policy.

This means that people need to be careful who they buy from. If they get a deal on a device that turns out to be stolen, they might not able to get it fixed.

Apple TV+ got lucky with timing of the April 8 debut of Friday Night Baseball. The live sports show will start with the much-anticipated New York Mets debut of three-time Cy Young winner and eight-time All-Star Max Scherzer in a matchup with All-Star Juan Soto and the Washington Nationals.

That game will be followed by the Houston Astros versus the Los Angeles Angels. These weekly doubleheaders are free to watch and available to anyone with internet access (in eight countries to start). And they’re only on Apple TV+, with no subscription required (for a limited time).

I’ve misplaced my AirPods case. It’s in my house … somewhere. Fortunately, I can use the Find My app to locate it, as though it were a lost AirPod or AirTag.

Ha, ha, ha! No, I can’t. AirPods cases don’t offer Find My support. Just as the feature is missing from far too many other Apple accessories.

This needs to change. Find My is amazing, but limited by not being on devices that need it.

Update: In autumn 2022, Apple built Find My support into AirPods Pro 2, a sign that the tracking system might be coming to more peripherals.

Anyone wondering why they’d want Apple’s much-rumored augmented-reality glasses should watch a new concept video. Rather than focusing on hardware, the concept explores daily use of realityOS, the operating system Apple is apparently creating for its AR glasses.

Watch it now to see what it might be like to wear Apple’s Next Big Thing.