iOS 15 will bring a range of improvements to AirPods. Apple’s wireless headphones will get easier to find, and they can fill in as hearing aids in noisy environments. And Apple plans another tweak or two as well.
Apple launched the promised new Spatial Audio service for Apple Music on Monday. The feature was announced in May, and the wait is over. Spatial Audio allows songs seemingly come from all around the listener, even from above. If the track has been mixed to support it, of course.
iOS 15 just made the jump from rumor to reality. Apple is bringing major new features to FaceTime, Messages, notifications, and more. Many of the applications that come bundled with iPhone are getting updates, like Apple Maps and Weather.
However, some features people had been hoping for didn’t make the cut, like interactive widgets.
The iPad software upgrade expected to be unveiled Monday will improve the way users work with multiple on-screen applications, according to a last-minute report from a reliable source. iPadOS 15 also will include widget improvements and other changes.
Not everyone has the nerve to crack open their 2021 iPad Pro, but an iFixit teardown reveals the interesting bits inside.
It’s not just for fun — taking the tablet apart is necessary to find out the exact battery capacity because Apple doesn’t share that detail.
Plus, iFixit took a magnifying glass to the mini-LED display in the 12.9-inch version.
June 7 will be the single most important day of 2021 for Apple. It’s the start of the annual Worldwide Developers Conference where the company will ceremoniously unveil fresh operating system updates for iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and more.
Big changes are anticipated for iPadOS 15, and some nice enhancements are also predicted for iOS 15. The improvements in macOS 12, watchOS 8 and tvOS 15 are likely to be more modest.
But the show won’t stop there. While WWDC is supposed to be about software, there’s a good chance we will see new MacBooks announced Monday as well.
The popular Kingdom Rush game is getting rebooted as a medieval fantasy RPG with a storyline. Legends of Kingdom Rush is coming June 11 exclusively to Apple Arcade for iPhone, Mac and more.
Choose your heroes to fight creeps and save the world.
Apple moved to address many of the privacy concerns raised after the release of AirTags. The item trackers launched with anti-stalking features, but a new firmware update is tightening them up further.
AirTags will start more quickly warning people if they’re being used to follow someone. And an Android app that can detect these trackers is in development.
Turn your iPad Pro into a desktop computer almost anywhere with the Satechi Aluminum Stand & Hub. It folds to be easily carried, but opens to hold up the tablet and provide a USB-A port, HDMI port and more.
Apple employees are expected to return to the office this autumn. A memo sent to employees says they should plan to be on the office three days a week, if not more. That includes the company headquarters.
The change comes as COVID-19 infection rates in the U.S. have fallen dramatically in recent weeks.
The App Store ecosystem enabled $643 billion in billings and sales during 2020. That’s up 24% over the previous year, with much of the increase related to people taking more of their lives online during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study that examines how the App Store helps small businesses.
Apple touted these numbers as it waits for a federal judge to decide whether to order significant changes to the App Store.
The Fox family’s adventures will continue in The Mosquito Coast on Apple TV+. The streaming service committed to second season on Wednesday.
The series is adapted from the best-seller by Paul Theroux, and the story isn’t anywhere near its conclusion in the final episode of season 1, which will premiere June 4.
Update: Apple changed the status for Apple Card from “outage” to “resolved outage” Wednesday afternoon. The service was offline for almost exactly six hours.
Apple Card users may find that they’re unable to make a payment or see recent transactions. Apple reports that the software that handles these tasks for its credit card has been having problems for several hours.
An improved display in the iPhone 13 series reportedly will force Apple to put in a larger battery, making the upcoming handsets slightly thicker.
This could mean we finally get an iPhone screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. The faster rate makes the user interface of a phone or tablet just a bit smoother and more responsive.
Add Nvidia Shield to the lengthy list of smart TVs and streaming boxes that can play Apple TV+. A version of the free app for the Android-powered media player debuted Tuesday.
Newly released versions of the Pages and Numbers productivity apps let users make embedded objects like shapes and images into links. This is true for both the Mac and mobile versions of the iWork apps.
Plus, the iPad and iPhone versions — as well as Keynote — also get additional capabilities for teachers who use the Schoolwork app.
Two new, larger versions of the Linedock multi-port USB-C docking station make room for additional capabilities. The Linedock 16” and 15” sit under a MacBook where they take up minimal space but add ten ports, up to 2TB of storage and a 99.9Wh battery.
The new versions can be ordered now and ship later this summer.
Intel struck a blow against Apple by pointing out how weak Mac gaming is. The chip-maker held a presentation at Computex 2021, during which it said Windows laptops offer a “better gaming experience than 100% of Mac laptops.”
This will likely damage any remaining relationship the Intel has with Apple. But this was already in tatters as macOS transitions to Apple’s M-series processors and away from Intel ones.
Update: iOS 15 was unveiled at WWDC 2021 and there was no mention of interactive widgets. Maybe in 2022…
It’s high time iPhone Home screen widgets grew up. They were one of the best additions to iOS last year, but they are still too limited. Fortunately, iOS 15 will reportedly make widgets much more interactive.
There are a few other changes expected in the new iPhone system software update, but none are as important as this one.
The Belkin Soundform Connect could be just what you need to connect your speakers to Apple Music’s upcoming high-quality lossless audio. The wireless adapter allows iPhone and Mac users communicate with any speaker over AirPlay 2 using Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth.
I ran some tests, and I’m impressed with the usefulness of this tiny accessory.
A concept artist took the rumors about an Mac Pro desktop with Apple Silicon and created a design that might really be what’s on the drawing board.
The concept combines the look of the current Mac Pro tower with the Mac mini to create a unique device.
Beloved PlayStation games could make the jump to iPhone, iPad and Android. The head of Sony’s games division promised to launch “iconic PlayStation IP on mobile” in the near future.
Update: Apple changed the status on iCloud Mail from “issue” to “resolved issue” on Thursday afternoon. Problems with the service persisted for about 5.5 hours before being fixed, though.
It’s not just you having problems with an Apple email account. Apple reports that iCloud Mail has been having an ‘issue’ for several hours.
The service is not completely offline, however.
Professional photog/developer Sebastiaan de With accidentally discovered that the rear-facing camera in the 2021 iPad Pro can focus on objects very close to the lens. This allows the tablet to capture close-up images not possible with an iPhone.
Cult of Mac did a bit of experimenting and confirmed the results.
A job opening at Apple for an “Alternative Payments” business manager set off a wave of speculation that the iPhone-maker is getting into cryptocurrency.
It’s apparently a change of heart by CEO Tim Cook, who’s on the record as being opposed to privately controlled currencies.