After almost a decade of using a female voice by default, Siri users will be given a choice of voices for the virtual assistant when they set up Apple devices. The virtual assistant will also come with two new English-language voices.
These changes debuted in iOS 14.5 beta 6 and the iPads equivalent, which Apple seeded to developers Wednesday.
Apple supposedly will announce its first virtual reality/augmented reality headset “in the next several months,” according to a very reliable source. It could be as quickly as WWDC 2021. That’s well before other predictions.
While the iPhone-maker hasn’t committed to any such device, its VR headset has been the subject of many leaks. But no one can agree on when it’ll reach customers. Most recent reports have pointed to some point in 2022, though.
For much too long, the iPhone’s built-in pornographic content blocker prevented searches just because included the word “Asian.” Apple reportedly fixed the issue in the latest beta of iOS 14.5. But the problem is still in place for everyone not running the pre-release software.
Twelve South’s MagicBridge Extended takes two Apple input devices and makes them into one. It attaches the Magic Trackpad 2 to the Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad so they can both be used in your lap.
The Belkin iPhone mount with Face Tracking Magnetic Phone Mount and MagSafe uses facial recognition to keep an iPhone’s camera constantly pointed at the user, taking the place of a cameraman.
It uses MagSafe to hold the handset in place, and Belkin also unveiled a range of other MagSafe accessories on Tuesday, including clip-on batteries in two sizes.
Apple is holding its iPad wrong. The company designs its tablets as if the best way to hold one is in a portrait orientation. But landscape is actually more common, and Apple should make changes to the iPad’s design to reflect that.
Apple Maps now displays airport COVID-19 health measures data, making it easier for travelers to find airport health guidance.
With vaccinations becoming more widespread, air travel is picking up. But airports still have requirements for passengers. Finding out what they are for each airport is now as simple as opening Apple Maps.
The new Adobe Design Mobile Bundle combines professional-grade iPad apps for photo editing, graphic design and social media into a single subscription. And the subscription cost is 50% below the software collection’s previous price.
The Apple Independent Repair Provider program will soon be available in nearly every country where Apple products are sold, making it easier for users to find a reliable place to get their smartphone, laptop or other device fixed.
The program gives repair providers of all sizes access to genuine Apple parts, tools, repair manuals and diagnostics to fix iPhones, Macs and other devices.
There’s a growing consensus among tipsters that, despite what what said earlier, AirPods 3 will not debut at the Apple April event. It seems the company’s next generation of truly wireless earbuds aren’t going to reach customers until later in 2021.
HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack for iPhone 12 makes charging as easy as placing the power bank on the back of Apple’s latest handsets. The two devices will cling together while the iPhone is getting juiced up, no wires or clips necessary.
The Year Earth Changed is a fresh documentary showing how animals around the world recovered during the year COVID-19 kept humans in lockdown. The show, which will be narrated by David Attenborough, will premiere on Apple TV+ in time for Earth Day.
The streaming service is also about to air the second seasons of its documentary series Tiny World and Earth At Night In Color.
Apple tablets almost came with dual docking ports from the very beginning. New images of an early prototype iPad show it sports a charging/data port on its bottom edge and a second one on its left edge.
The final version released in 2010 only packed a single port, but this prototype shows how the initial Apple tablets could have gone in a different direction. Which is an interesting tidbit with the anniversary of the first model coming up.
There’s a trio of Apple TV shows that critics absolutely love, according to review-aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. The current seasons of each of them racked up 100% approval ratings.
The just-released Farm It! manages to set itself apart from the plethora of other farming games with one big advantage. Because it’s on Apple Arcade it won‘t nag players to pay real money to buy in-game items.
The premiere season of Home Before Dark pleased critics and audiences alike, and Apple TV+ revealed on Friday that season two will play on the streaming service in summer 2021.
The show follows Hilde Lisko, who doesn’t let being a child stand in the way of being an investigative journalist.
Apple has a fix for a serious bug in the mobile version of its Safari web browser. Hackers have reportedly already used it, which makes a high-priority of installing iOS 14.4.2, iPadOS 14.4.2 and watchOS 7.3.3. All three hit Apple servers Friday morning.
Hitchhiker asks players to travel the highways exploring the unknown while also confronting new dangers. It’s sort of a mystery novel in the form of a game. But unlike a book, choices you make when speaking to people you meet affect how it all comes out.
The game launched Friday on Apple Arcade.
Apple reportedly bought more companies developing artificial intelligence technology over the past five years than anyone else. A prime goal is to make the Siri voice assistant smarter, according to GlobalData, the market-research firm that compiled a list of AI-related acquisitions by many companies.
Consumer Reports on Thursday revealed its “Best Smartphones of 2021.” And Apple’s biggest and most expensive model beat every other iOS device. The iPhone 12 Pro Max was named the “Best iPhone”
The App Store lists Apple Arcade games that’ll debut soon. If one of these upcoming titles looks interesting, subscribers to Apple’s game service can set it to automatically install as soon as the app becomes available. No waiting… it’ll be on your iPhone or other Apple device as soon as possible.
Here’s how.
Canadian Angie Carriere dropped her iPhone into a lake while she was ice fishing. A month later, she retrieved off the bottom of the still-frozen lake. And it works.
Watch a video showing the amazing rescue.
The fascination with Steve Jobs continues on a decade after he passed away. A handwritten job application the Apple cofounder filled out in 1973 sold on Thursday for $221,747 (£162,000). That’s far more than it went for three years ago.
Wednesday is the twentieth anniversary of Mac OS X. And those who went though the many versions over the decades can download some reminders. Every major new version came with a fresh wallpaper, and they’re all available for free.
An iPhone SE Plus with an edge-to-edge screen and Touch ID in the power button is supposedly coming in the second half of 2021. A concept designer transformed the leaked specs into a beautiful video exploring features of the proposed iOS handset. Watch it now.