Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
The invite to the Apple October event includes a bit of augmented reality. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Hidden in Tuesday’s invite to the October Apple event is a hint that the company is about to make a big push into augmented reality.
The graphic for the event invite is the Apple logo surrounded by bubbles. iPhone and iPad users can transfer that design to the real 3D world, and put it in motion.
The theme of the 2020 Apple October event is “Hi, Speed.” Photo: Apple
Apple just invited the world to an event on October 13. No agenda was announced, but there’s little doubt the star will be the iPhone 12, the first iOS device with 5G wireless networking. Apple hinted at the coming upgrade with the title of the event: “Hi, Speed.”
But a handful of other products might also be on the docket, including the first MacBook built around Apple Silicon rather than an Intel processor.
Bruce Springsteen Letter To You is both an album and an Apple TV+ documentary. Photo: Apple
The next Bruce Springsteen album Letter To You will debut on the same day as an Apple TV+ documentary offering a behind-the-scenes look at the live studio album’s creation.
In addition, the Letter To You documentary will include full performances from the E Street Band playing songs from the new release.
All the stars of The Morning Show are back for season two. Photo: Apple
After months on hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic — and a significant rewrite — filming for season two of The Morning Show reportedly restarts later in October. And Steve Carell is allegedly rejoining the cast.
Make an office anywhere with the HyperDrive Viper, which has 10 ports including dual 4K60Hz. Photo: Sanho Hyper
Sanho’s HyperDrive Viper can simultaneously connect a MacBook to two 4K displays at 60 Hz. And it has eight more ports, allowing a wide range of accessories to be accessed at once.
The USB-C hub launched Monday, as is available now.
Apple’s mask-wearing emoji now looks happy, not sad. Photo: Apple/Emojipedia
Apple updated the mask-wearing emoji in the latest iOS 14.2 beta so it shows the person is happy to be wearing a mask. It’s a change very much in sync with 2020, when health experts say masks are a vital part of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
The iPad Air 4 offers a big speed boost over its predecessor. Photo: Apple
The iPad Air 4 is the first computer of any kind unveiled with the Apple A14 processor. The tablet isn’t out yet, but an early Geekbench 5 benchmark score apparently shows it’s nearly 50% faster than its predecessor.
This bodes well for the iPhone 12, which is also expected to run Apple’s new chip.
No playing second fiddle to Charlie Brown. It’s all Snoopy all the time in The Snoopy Show. Screenshot: Apple
Apple is giving Snoopy his own animated comedy. As part of the 70th anniversary of Peanuts, Charlie Brown’s imaginative beagle and his pal Woodstock will be the stars of The Snoopy Show.
Watching a YouTube video in Picture in Picture is back! Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
YouTube once again allows iOS 14 users to watch video from its website in a small window while another application is open. Picture in Picture support had been removed several weeks ago for iPhone users who aren’t a YouTube Premium subscriber.
This only includes video streamed from Safari. Google’s YouTube application has never supported Picture in Picture.
Getting used to a talking sword that keeps growing and growing is part of the fun of Slash Quest. Photo: Noodlecake/Apple
Slash Quest is a hero’s journey where the sword is the hero. Shep the simple shepard is just along for the ride as Swordie the talking sword sets off on a quest to save the Queendom.
Slash Quest from Noodlecake debuted Friday on Apple Arcade.
A Canadian company that had agreed to disassemble and recycle iPhones, iPad, and Apple Watches allegedly sold over 100,000 of them instead. Geep admitted the products were sold not recycled, but blames the theft on three of its employees.
iPadOS limits Home screen widget placement. A concept artist shows there’s no reason for this limitation. Photo: A Better Computer Trailer
While Home screen widgets came to iPad first, the release of iOS 14 offered iPhone users much more flexibility in widget placement. A concept designer showed what iPadOS 15 could look like with the same flexibility.
Surface Pro X is Microsoft’s chief rival for the iPad Pro. A new version should offer improved performance. Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft unveiled a faster version of the Surface Pro X on Thursday. This updated tablet/laptop has an improved version of the Arm-based processor that debuted in the original last autumn. Performance of first-generation model didn’t impress reviewers or power users. Hence the new iteration.
The Surface Pro X competes head-to-head with Apple’s iPad Pro line. Both even use similar processors.
Of course a folding iPhone screen won‘t develop a crease. But Apple is still exploring how to make this possible. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple is working on a solution for the biggest drawback of folding displays. The first generation of foldable handsets made by rival companies develop a crease where the screen bends, but Apple engineers want to put a bendable display that includes a self-healing material in a folding iPhone.
Smart Selection makes your iPad and stylus even more useful. Graphic: Apple/Cult of Mac
Smart Selection in iPadOS 14 can be amazingly useful for anyone who takes notes with their iPad. This new feature lets you handwrite some words, then turn them into text at any point later on.
Use virtual reality to explore an opulent but very strange mansion in HoloVista. Screenshot: Aconite
The drawback to virtual reality gaming on an iPhone is it requires players to look at the world through their handset’s screen. Rather than try to escape that limitation, the new VR game HoloVista embraces it.
The player takes on the role of a character who’s also looking at the world through their iPhone. But what they’re seeing is a strange mansion they’ve been asked to photograph.
Luna Display for Windows lets an iPad be a PC’s second screen. No wires necessary. Photo: Astropad
Windows support is coming to Luna Display. This tiny accessory can already turn an iPad into a Mac’s second screen, and a new version with the ability to do the same for PCs is in development.
iOS 14.2 beta 2 includes a random collection of new emoji. Graphic: Apple/Emojipedia
Apple seeded a second beta of iOS 14.2 to everyone on Wednesday, along with the iPad equivalent. It brings plenty of fun new emoji like ninja, the transgender symbol and a certain Italian hand gesture. And beta testers get Shazam music recognition integrated into the Control Center.
But anyone hoping to get an iPhone 12 in October might want to skip this beta.
A Mini LED screen could make the 2021 iPad Pro look even better. Photo: Apple
A 12.9-inch iPads Pro is reportedly set to become Apple’s first device with a Mini LED screen. It’ll supposedly be followed by a MacBook with the improved display technology in the second half of the year.
Apple engineers are always looking to the future. Today, it’s patent for a fuel cell for an iPhone or iPad. Photo: RF._.studio/Pexels CC
Rather than traditional batteries, a future iPhone or Mac might be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. Apple on Monday received a patent for a fuel cell that might be used in future devices. The goal is a device that can go days or weeks without needing to be refueled.
Apple’s Craig Federighi says that iOS 14’s App Clips are an easy way to discover more of what the App Store has to offer. Screenshot: Apple
App Clips, a signature feature of iOS 14, lets you quickly run a lightweight version of an application without actually installing it. If that capability leaves you scratching your head about what, exactly, App Clips would be good for, a hot new game demo shows the appeal of this powerful feature.
Simply visit the webpage for Phoenix 2 using Safari on a device running iOS 14 or iPadOS 14. Then tap on the big Play button, and start gaming. The process takes less than 10 seconds, and you’re in the game. (Note: It does not work if you are running Safari in Private Browsing mode.)
If you decide you’re not interested, just close the demo and it’s gone. There’s nothing to uninstall because Phoenix 2 was never on your iPhone or iPad. It was just an App Clip.
Scribble in iPadOS 14 recognizes how you write, not only what you write. Photo: Apple
Scribble handwriting recognition in iPadOS 14 is a more complex system than many might realize. Identifying letters and words goes beyond simply examining what someone has written. The iPad uses machine learning to recognize the writer’s intent through how they write, according to Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of software engineering.
With AirPlay 2, an iPhone can easily stream video to a large TV. And it’s coming to Roku. Photo: Apple
Roku players will soon support AirPlay 2, Apple’s wireless video streaming technology. This will allow an iPhone, iPad or Mac user to share content directly to a supported Roku device.
In addition, Roku announced a new iOS app, and upcoming support for Apple’s home automation system.
Some of the new emoji in iOS 14.5. Image: Emojipedia
The new emoji set to appear in 2021 will help you express relief or confusion. Or show that your heart’s afire, or that it’s mending.
Those might seem fairly ordinary, but there is something extremely odd about the the list of upcoming emoji: It’s very short. The group responsible for coming up with new emoji picked just seven new designs to debut next year. The reason is simple: COVID-19.
macOS Catalina 10.15.7 takes care of multiple problems that might be bugging you. Photo: Apple Inc.
Mac users can update their computer on Thursday with macOS Catalina 10.15.7. It’s important for anyone who’s noticed their computer not connecting to Wi-Fi like it ought to. There are no new features.
This might be the last Catalina version before the big macOS Big Sur upgrade gets introduced.