When supposed features of the iPhone 14 leaked out in early September, some complained that the iPhone 13 wasn’t even out at the time. But an Apple VP revealed that the company starts deciding on new iPhone features a full three years before launch.
Which means Apple is probably already at work on iPhone 18. And most features of the 2022 model are almost certainly fixed.
A MacBook Air with 13.3-inch mini-LED display is reportedly a bit farther away that previously thought. An analyst predicts it will go into production in time for a fall 2022 release, not a summer one.
But they’ll be new macOS laptops long before then. Apple is widely expected to launch a pair of redesigned MacBook Pro models with mini-LED and an updated M-series processor possibly as soon as October 2021.
Among the many new camera features in the iPhone 13 Pro is Macro mode. This allows the user to take very close-up images, putting the focus on tiny objects.
Many users of Apple’s latest top-tier handsets have been quick to try out this new capability. And some of the results are spectacular. Check them out now, and be prepared to be wowed.
Some users of older iPhones refuse to install iOS upgrades because they mistakenly think these will reduce the performance of their handset. But tests comparing iOS 15 with various previous versions found no sign of Apple’s latest turning any model into a slug. Some of the devices actually ran faster with newer software.
And the same goes for battery life, in general. Most older iPhones have a longer battery life with iOS 15, though some do see a reduction.
Apple beefed up the batteries in all four models in the new iPhone 13 series. There are significant increases in capacity in all of them, especially the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Teardowns of the iPhone 13 models are starting to appear, including ones from iFixit, revealing these battery sizes.
Those looking for an upgrade for the iPhone 11, XS or 8 need search no further than the 6.1-inch iPhone 13. Apple’s latest midsize handset offers far better performance than those older models, a noticeably longer battery life and a better camera. Plus there are some other nice additions, like a smaller notch.
The newest addition to Apple Arcade really puts the “war” in Star Wars. Look for a mix of one-on-one real-time combat and tower defense with classic characters in Lego Star Wars Battles.
The game debuted Friday, and is playable on a wide variety of Apple devices.
You won’t have to wait until Friday for the much-anticipated debut of Foundation on Apple TV+. The first episode of this adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi classic will premiere2 on Apple’s streaming service three hours early, so Americans can watch it Thursday night.
The same goes for everything debuting on Apple TV+, including the latest episode of Ted Lasso.
iPhone models that can’t install iOS 14 or iOS 15 can still get protection from the infamous Pegasus spyware thanks to iOS 12.5.5. Apple released this update Thursday for devices as old as the iPhone 5s to close a security hole in active use by hackers.
The same update can also be installed on older iPad and iPod touch models.
The European Commission put forward legislation Thursday that would make USB-C the standard port for all smartphones and tablets. The move seems aimed directly at Apple and the Lightning port used in iPhone and the budget iPad. But it also would affect super-cheap Android handsets that still use micro-USB.
The proposal also would unbundle the sale of chargers from the sale of electronic devices.
The new Plugable TBT4-HUB3C hub turns a single Thunderbolt 4 port into three of them, expanding the number of high-speed accessories that can be connected to a Mac or iPad Pro. That includes big displays and large-capacity drives.
And Plugable also launched new 1-meter and 2-meter Thunderbolt cables Thursday.
Apple TV+ is shooting for the stars with two new sci-fi series and a film this autumn. The trailers for Foundation, Invasion and Finch all look amazing. And dark. The descriptions for all of them include either “dystopian” or “apocalypse” or both.
Could we get some science fiction that’s a little more upbeat from Apple’s streaming service?
The first phase of the legal war between Apple and Epic Games is over, and a Federal court agreed with the game developer in some of the major points in their lawsuit. But Apple refuses to reinstate Fortnite and other Epic titles to its App Store during the appeals process.
The iPhone maker says this is the result of “Epic’s duplicitous conduct” leading to the lawsuit.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is fed up with employees who leak details of upcoming devices to the press. He sent out a company-wide memo that said, “people who leak confidential information do not belong here.”
The memo was quickly leaked to the press.
While the iPhone 13 has drawn some criticism for being a minor update, improvements to the cameras mean that none of the new handsets are compatible with tight-fitting cases designed for earlier models.
This is not unusual. But Apple’s 2021 models look so much like their iPhone 12 equivalents that it might be easy to think the exteriors are identical when they are not.
Apple seeded the first beta of iOS 15.1 to developers on Tuesday, just a day after the general public got access to iOS 15. The company also gave devs access to the initial betas for iPadOS 15.1, watchOS 8.1 and tvOS 15.1. These are expected to include some of the features promised earlier but removed from the versions that debuted on Monday to give additional development time.
In addition, Apple released to macOS Monterey beta 7 to developers.
iOS 15 makes the Safari web browser easier to use by moving the Address Bar to the bottom of the screen when the iPhone is held vertically. But not everyone is ready for such a change, so Apple put in the option to move it back to the top.
Here’s how to flip the location.
The OtterBox Mobile Gaming Clip for MagSafe uses magnets to connect your iPhone to your Xbox controller. It’s quick but secure. And you can easily rotate between landscape and portrait orientation.
I played a bunch of different games over the weekend using this accessory. Here’s why I like it.
If you want an iPhone 13 in the next few weeks, you’d probably better order it soon. And for some variations, it’s already too late to have it delivered before October.
And an analyst says the wait times indicate that Apple’s latest is selling better than its predecessor.
If you’ve been eagerly waiting for iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and watchOS 8 since June, then rejoice! Everyone can finally install them. iPad gets plenty of new features, while iPhone and Apple Watch get a handful of nice improvements.
Here are the cool enhancements you can look forward to, whether you jump on the updates Monday or decide to wait.
A trusted analyst has backed up a recent leak that the iPhone 14 will replace the screen notch with a hole punch camera. And there are other significant changes reportedly coming in the 2022 model.
But TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo pushed back his prediction for when some much-anticipated features will reach the iPhone.
A classic vampire hunting video game series is back from the dead, and it’s only on Apple Arcade. Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls includes beloved characters but there’s new story full of side-scrolling action.
It’s joined by the release of Temple Run: Puzzle Adventure on Apple’s gaming service.
Soon there’ll be a fresh crop of new emoji that let you show you are melting, have a low battery or are feeling ambivalent or teary-eyed. There are 37 brand-new additions.
But don‘t get too enthusiastic. The emoji probably won’t appear on iPhones and other devices until 2022.
Apple thinks the RAM in the iPhone 12 series is enough because it reportedly didn’t include any more in the just-launched iPhone 13 models.
But this is another feature that might tempt buyers to pay extra for one of the Pro models — they sport 50% more than the cheaper versions.
Apple’s newest leather iPhone MagSafe wallet has a trick: The handset can show the user the last place the wallet was attached. This should make finding the clip-on accessory easier.
But it’s short of actually building an AirTag tracker into the wallet.