macOS 12.1, the first major update to Monterey, went out Monday. The major new feature is SharePlay, but there are some other enhancements. But it does not include the much-anticipated Universal Control.
It comes on the same day as the release of iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 and watchOS 8.3.
iPhone users can now upgrade to iOS 15.2. The update adds a cheaper Apple Music option, plus there’s a new App Privacy Report, and parents will be alerted if their children send or receive nudes.
iPadOS 15.2 is also available with these same updates. And there’s overlap with the just-released watchOS 8.3 and macOS Monterey 12.1.
Apple TV+ will produce Surfside Girls, a 10-episode live-action kids and family series. It’ll tell the story of two friends who solve a mystery about pirate ghosts.
The series will be based on the the best-selling graphic novel series of the same name by author Kim Dwinell.
The STM Goods MagPod is a beefy iPhone tabletop tripod that magnetically attaches to the handset. And it can do double duty as a handle. Use it for keeping an eye on your texts or making FaceTime calls.
I put the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 accessory to the test in this review.
Apple is doubtless hard at work on iOS 16, and concept artist Kevin Kal has suggestions that many iPhone users will agree with.
He created a video to demonstrate the proposed changes, including Split View, interactive widgets and more.
The Adonit Dash 4 is an iPad stylus well suited for writing or drawing. And it offers something the Apple Pencil doesn’t: iPhone compatibility. The stylus flips between Apple’s tablet and handset with the push of a button. Or use it with Android.
I tried the Dash 4 with a variety of devices. Here’s what I found out.
Apple TV+ reportedly confirmed that it’s producing Bad Blood, a film that will have mega-star Jennifer Lawrence portray Elizabeth Holmes, who is currently on trial for fraud committed as the head of medical tech startup Theranos.
It seems appropriate that Apple TV+ should produce the film, as Holmes modeled herself after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. All the way to the black turtleneck.
Developers will have to put plans to steer App Store users to their own direct payments systems on the back burner. A court on Wednesday granted Apple’s request to put the change on hold while the iPhone-maker appeals the Epic Games v. Apple court ruling.
Any modifications to the App Store resulting from the lawsuit are now in limbo… quite possibly for years.
Anyone who ever paid to have their Mac or iPhone fixed, and then kicked themselves for not having AppleCare+, reportedly will get a second chance to buy the breakage insurance coverage.
That would help cover the cost of any future repairs.
Satechi’s just-launched Thunderbolt 4 Dock includes a whopping eleven ports, including three Thunderbolt 4 and four USB-A ports. And there’s also a range of other ports for connecting additional peripherals.
Plus, Satechi launched a pair of USB-C hubs on Wednesday.
You don’t need cables to stream video from your iPhone or iPad to a TV. Apple’s AirPlay 2 system is wireless and easy to use. That’s been true for years — what’s changed is the necessary equipment has become very affordable.
Here is what you need.
The award-winning Apple TV+ mystery anthology series Truth Be Told starring Octavia Spencer has been renewed for a third season.
Maisha Closson (Claws, How to Get Away with Murder) will take over as showrunner and will write the upcoming season.
Developers got access to the macOS 12.1 release candidate on Tuesday. This means beta testing of the new Monterey version is almost over, and Mac users will soon be able to start playing with SharePlay. But there’s still no sign of the much anticipated Universal Control feature.
Apple also seeded release candidates for iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 and watchOS 8.3 to developers.
Apple seeded the iOS 15.2 release candidate to developers on Tuesday, along with the iPad equivalent. When released to the public, iPhones will alert parents if their children send or receive nudes, there’s a new App Privacy Report, and users will be able to look for AirTags that might be tracking them.
The macOS 12.1 RC and watchOS 8.3 RC also went to devs on Tuesday.
The Razer Phone Cooler Chroma is a fan designed to cool smartphones that heat up when playing demanding games. And it has colorful LEDs to make it look even cooler.
An iPhone version uses MagSafe. There’s also one for handsets without built-in magnets.
The Accell Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station allows multiple peripheral connections to Mac through a single Thunderbolt 4 cable. It turns a single Thunderbolt port into two, while also offering DisplayPort, USB-A, Ethernet and more.
The professional-grade hub is available for purchase starting Monday.
Apple TV+ received nine nominations across six programs for the 27th Annual Critics Choice TV Awards. That includes Best Drama Series for For All Mankind, Best Comedy Series for Ted Lasso, and Best Movie Made for Television for Come From Away.
The winners will be announced in January.
HyperDrive Duo Pro is a 7-in-2 USB-C Hub that plugs into the side of a MacBook to add a variety of ports, including Gigabit Ethernet, USB-A and microSD.
It’s designed to not interfere with the new MagSafe 3 power port on the 2021 MacBooks, but the hub is also compatible with any Apple laptop going back to 2016.
Oddmar won the Apple Design Award in 2018, and the Viking-themed platformer is now available on Apple Arcade. Friday’s other addition is Dandara: Trials of Fear, also a platformer.
Both games have been in the App Store for years, but have now joined hundreds of other titles in Apple’s gaming subscription service.
iPad Pro is the best tablet on the market, but it can be more. Add a stand and you have a pretty good desktop. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better option for that than the Lululook Urban Magnetic iPad Pro Stand.
Read on to see why I freaking love this accessory.
People like to laugh. And that leads to Tears of Joy accounting for over 5% of all emoji use in 2021. We also love to love. That put the heart in second place.
The Unicode Consortium compiled a list of all the most popular emoji for the year. And also shared data on the different types of emoji that get used the most.
There is a full-featured calculator hidden in your iPad, even though Apple never ported the iPhone Calculator app to its tablets. Actually, there are two of them.
Here’s how to use the iPad calculator
Apple TV+ made a series order for an adaptation of Disclaimer, a psychological thriller that will star internationally acclaimed actors Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline.
It’s being helmed by Alfonso Cuarón, who wrote and will direct all the episodes in the series.
Apple seeded macOS 12.1 beta 4 to developers on Wednesday. It has a build number that ends in “a,” which suggests the public release is only a week or two away. This version of Monterey will bring SharePlay to the Mac. It might also be the debut of the much anticipated Universal Control.
It is not accompanied by fresh betas of iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 or watchOS 8.3.
Luna Display 5.1 adds the ability to use any Mac as a wireless second display for a PC. And that’s just one of the new features in the update, which also adds support for using a 4K or 5K computer as a second screen.
These features build on this device’s basic ability to turn an iPad into a Mac display.