Apple seeded to developers the release candidates of macOS Monterey 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 on Tuesday. That’s the final step before introducing them to the public, which will finally give Mac and iPad users access to the long-delayed Universal Control.
The iOS 15.4 Release Candidate also went to developers, so iPhone users will soon be able to unlock their iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask. Plus, the watchOS 8.5 RC and tvOS 15.4 RC were seeded as well.
Apple and Major League Baseball announced “Friday Night Baseball,” a weekly doubleheader with live pre- and postgame shows on Apple TV+. This is the first live sports available on the streaming service. And it won‘t require a subscription. At least not at first.
Of course, at this point there is no baseball. The MLB and players union are fighting over money, and the 2022 season is in jeopardy.
The iPad Air 5 is one of the highlights of Apple’s March product event. While not a redesign, the new midrange tablet offers a faster processor, Center Stage support and other improvements.
“With the breakthrough M1 chip, Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, and ultra-fast 5G, iPad Air is now more powerful, more capable, and simply more fun than ever,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s head of marketing.
Spring 2022 will bring an array of new Apple products, if the rumor mill proves correct, and we’ll get our first look Tuesday. Numerous leaks point to an improved 5G iPhone SE and iPad Air coming soon. And a new Mac (or multiple Macs) might show up, too. Maybe even a new M2 processor as the lineup completes the transition to Apple silicon.
All of this could be unveiled on March 8, when Apple holds its “Peek Performance” event. Or that could be just the first of multiple Apple spring events.
Although the first leak of the Mac Studio came only a few days ago, it’s already been followed by an unconfirmed report that the mid-range desktop will debut at the March 8 Apple event. A second tipster later said the same.
Renders showing the Mac from several angles have also leaked. And details of a new Apple external display, too.
The days of the iPhone screen notch are numbered. Apple will supposedly begin replacing it with a pair of holes in 2022. And a very reliable source claims the the 2024 iPhone will have all its front-facing sensors behind the screen.
Apple supposedly would like too make the change more quickly, but is waiting on more companies to be able to produce the necessary components.
Google says that the latest version of the Chrome browser beats the macOS version of Apple’s Safari in benchmark tests.
The company has worked hard to improve the performance of Chrome because Google wants Mac owners to use its browser so Google can track them for advertising reasons.
Although Apple refuses to make a touchscreen Mac, the Espresso Display V2 is ready to fill in the gap. There are 15.6-inch and 13.3-inch versions of the very slim external display, and both support touch and an optional stylus.
I tested the screen with a MacBook and iPad to see how well it performs in ordinary use. And I also tried out the stylus as well as the stand for desktop use and the case for taking the display on the go.
Apple TV+ subscribers have a lot to look forward to in March. A series starring the great Samuel L. Jackson will premiere this month, plus Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway have their own series.
In addition, Snoopy is back on Apple TV+, while Dear… includes a roster of celebes, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jane Fonda, Viola Davis and more.
Apple CEO Tim Cook had a meeting today with his many bosses: Apple shareholders. He answered questions about dividends, COVID-19 and more.
And a vote at the Apple 2022 shareholders meeting requires the Board of Directors to carry out an audit of the company’s civil rights policies. But several other proposals were voted down.
Apple is reportedly working on a new class of desktop computers. The Mac Studio supposedly will slot in between the Mac mini and Mac Pro.
In addition, an Apple Studio Display is also allegedly in development. It’s an upgrade to the Pro Display XDR.
Apple shareholders voted Friday to require an audit looking into whether the company’s policies have a negative impact on the civil rights of its employees and customers.
Apple’s Board of Directors opposed the idea, claiming the company is already committed to respecting civil rights.
Shadow Blade+ launched on Apple Arcade on Friday. The platformer is the latest classic game to make its way to the subscription service. Several others classics debuted in recent weeks, and more are expected soon.
This is in addition to original games that also hit Apple Arcade in February.
Apple is dropping the requirement for most of its corporate employees to wear masks, but there are still limitations. And the company has begun allowing some of its retail employees to take off their face mask at Apple Stores.
The policy change takes place as the surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the omicron variant is essentially over.
Apple Maps now indicates that Crimea is part of Ukraine. That shouldn’t be a surprise … it is. But the app reportedly showed the peninsula as part of no country in the wake of the 2014 Russian invasion and subsequent occupation.
It appears Russia’s recent invasion of the rest of Ukraine pushed Apple to change the way it labels the region.
The 2021 MacBook Pro includes an SD slot, but cards don’t insert all the way into the notebook. But that’s not a problem with Transcend’s JetDrive Lite 330 — it is smaller than the standard SD card so it sits flush in the slot.
Once inserted, the card acts like any other drive. And data transfers are fast enough for Time Machine backups.
Concealed in Wednesday’s invite to the Apple spring event is an augmented reality Easter egg. It’s a bonus to make the invite seem cool, and perhaps get Mac fans excited about what’s coming.
The graphic for the March 8 event has an Apple floating in space. And it looks even better in AR.
An Apple VP used Twitter to reveal the date for the company’s much-anticipated product-release event. Apple soon after began issuing invitations. As had been rumored, the streamed event will take place Tuesday, March 8.
While Greg “Joz” Joswiak, global head of marketing, announced the date, he didn’t post an itinerary. Still, leaks and rumors point to an improved 5G iPhone SE and iPad Air. And a new Mac is possible, too.
Apple has stopped selling its products in Russia as the country’s war on Ukraine stretches on. The Mac-maker is taking other steps as well, like removing the state-backed news applications RT and Sputnik from the App Store.
“We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Apple said Tuesday in a statement. “We are supporting humanitarian efforts, providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis, and doing all we can to support our teams in the region.”
The Nomad Base One is an iPhone MagSafe charger that’s an elegant combination of glass and aluminum. It surely looks beautiful on an executive’s desk.
But it’s also $129.95, well above the typical cost of this type of accessory.
A Benjamin Franklin biopic is headed for Apple TV+, with legendary actor Michael Douglas taking on the title role.
Just as importantly, the limited series is being written by Kirk Ellis. He also wrote HBO’s John Adams, which was showered with awards.
Apple filed a patent application for a desktop computer that’s also a keyboard. If that seems familiar, it’s the design used by some of the first personal computers back in the 1900s.
Because even old ideas can still have merit.
Apple’s iPhone MagSafe charger is one of the best ways to juice up a handset, but it’s not really a travel accessory. That’s where the Speck Presidio Pro Folio for MagSafe comes in. It’s a slim case for Apple’s wireless charger that also acts as a viewing stand for an iPhone.
I tried it out, and I’m quite pleased with the accessory.
If Apple makes a folding Mac, it might look a lot like the MacBook Folio. A concept artist dreamed up this merger of macOS laptop and tablet.
But it’s not a mere daydream — a reliable source says Apple is interested in developing a foldable MacBook with a 20-inch screen.
Find out what it’s like to swing through the trees as a gibbon in a game that debuted Friday on Apple Arcade. Gibbon: Beyond the Trees is the story of a family trying to survive amid an encroaching human threat.
The ecological adventure is available to play on a variety of Apple devices.