Apple Music joined the ranks of the Swifties. Taylor Swift was picked to be Apple Music’s Artist of the Year for 2023.
“I am so honored to be Apple Music’s Artist of the Year,” said Swift. “Thank you to every single one of you for making this year the most incredible, joyful, celebratory year ever. From streaming the music nonstop to screaming it together in real life at the shows, dancing chaotically in movie theaters, none of this would have been possible without you. Thank you so much.”
Work on the operating systems Apple will release in 2024 was reportedly halted temporarily because the code had become extremely buggy.
The move affected iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15 and watchOS 11, none of which are expected to reach users for almost a year.
★★★★☆
The just-launched Apple Pencil includes USB-C charging, making it easy to use with the budget iPad. While top quality, the new model doesn’t have all the features of Apple Pencil 2 but costs $50 less.
I tested the stylus with my iPad and found reasons to like it even more than the premium version.
Apple just introduced iOS 17.1.1 to patch a nasty glitch with BMW cars. And there’s watchOS 10.1.1, a promised fix for a battery bug affecting many Apple Watch users.
Plus Mac users can now install macOS Sonoma 14.1.1 with its own bug patches. And don’t overlook iPadOS 17.1.1.
Mac gamers can soon enjoy Stray. Players become a cat wandering through a cyberpunk city in this very popular and award winning title. It’ll debut for macOS in only a few weeks.
The macOS release is well timed to fit with Apple’s new push for Mac gaming.
The upcoming Final Cut Pro version 10.7 brings in improvements to timeline navigation and organization, as well as new changes that Apple says will simplify complex edits.
And Final Cut Pro for iPad 1.3 includes new features intended to enhance using the professional-grade video-editing application on a touchscreen.
Belkin designed its new BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Dock for iPhone and Apple Watch to blend into its environment. The dual-device charging stand is intended top be both useful and esthetically pleasing.
Apple likes it enough to sell it in its online store.
Players can create a soccer club dynasty in Football Manager 2024 Touch. The newest version of the team management simulation game from Sega & Sports Interactive challenges players to be the boss of one of the world’s best clubs.
It launched Monday on Apple Arcade, where its playable on a range of devices, including iPhone and Mac.
Fans of all-in-one desktops are about to get the improved iMac they’ve been waiting for. The first reviews of the 2023 version are out and they’re full of praise for performance gains that that come with the new Apple M3 processor.
“The 2023 edition of the 24-inch Apple iMac is a real pleasure to use, and arguably the best all-in-one desktop when it comes to the amount and variety of tasks it can accomplish,” said the PCMag reviewer.
Many Apple Watch wearers suffered from shortened battery lives after upgrading to watchOS 10, but the problem will be taken care of soon with a software patch, according to an internal Apple document.
While not affecting everyone with an Apple Watch, this a clearly a significant problem, considering the number of complaints about it online.
New Apple TV+ series Lessons in Chemistry continues to be one of the top 10 most popular shows on any streaming service, according to a market analysis. The romance drama starring Brie Larson has pulled in big audiences since it debuted in October.
Season one is ongoing, with new episodes debuting every week on Apple’s streaming service.
iPad and the whole tablet market had a bad September quarter. But the slowdown in Apple’s shipments in the product category is partially self inflicted.
Nevertheless, iPad shipments are up considerably over what they were before the pandemic.
Parents should take note that Apple TV+ series or specials received over two dozen nominations for this year’s Children’s & Family Emmy Awards.
Jane, Best Foot Forward, Helpsters, Slumberkins, Ghostwriter, Snoopy Presents: Lucy’s School and Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock all landed nominations for top awards.
★★★★☆
The Zagg Pro Stylus 2 is ready to help you take handwritten notes on an iPad and sketch out your ideas, too. Or you can use it on your iPhone — don’t try that with Apple Pencil.
It wirelessly charges on the edge of an Apple tablet, and that’s just one of the tricks it can do.
I tested the Pro Stylus 2 with my iPad Pro and iPhone 15 and came away pleased.
Apple’s CEO made the clearest statement yet about his company’s plans for generative AI. Tim Cook said Thursday that “we have work going on.” And he made additional comments, too.
The executive also promised that Apple’s efforts on artificial intelligence are being carried out responsibly.
Apple stock price dropped over 3% after it announced the results of its most recent financial quarter. But there’s good news mixed with the bad, and that shouldn’t be ignored. CEO Tim Cook and other executives stayed upbeat in a call with investors on Thursday, talking up strong iPhone sales, why Tim loves Apple silicon and more.
Here are the reasons for optimism we found in Apple’s quarterly financial results and call.
The question on whether the iPhone 15 is off to a strong start has been answered. Apple just revealed that iOS handsets brought in more revenue in its most recent financial quarter than ever before.
“Today Apple is pleased to report a September quarter revenue record for iPhone and an all-time revenue record in Services,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
A crazy good deal on the new AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C case lets you save $60 off the retail price. And this despite the wireless earbuds being on the market for just over a month.
Apple’s new top-of-the-line wireless earbuds take advantage of all the latest new bells and whistles in iOS 17. Plus, they bring additional new features besides the port change, including additional dust resistance and the promise of high-res audio when paired with Apple Vision Pro.
When Apple reports the results of its most recent financial quarter later on Thursday, look for Mac and iPad to be a drag on the company’s revenue. Still, analysts are upbeat about the company’s earnings.
Investors will also be watching closely, especially considering AAPL shares are down 9% since the company last reported financial results in August.
In The Family Plan, Mark Wahlberg plays a father with a small secret: he used to be an assassin. His past comes back to haunt him — and his family — in a film that debuts on Apple TV+ in mid December.
With that premise, it could be a gripping drama, but the flick will be an action-comedy instead.
Preorder some heavily loaded configurations of the newly announced M3 MacBook Pro models and you’ll be waiting until later in November to receive them. But Apple still has plenty of other configurations ready to go on launch day.
The same is true for the new M3-powered iMac — load it up and the result is a somewhat longer wait.
Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition, Football Manager 2024 Touch, Sonic Dream Team and Puzzle & Dragons Story are among the eight games on the way to Apple Arcade in November and December. They’ll join the 200+ already on the service.
In addition, more than 50 of the already available games will get content updates.
With the latest iPhones dropping the Lightning port in favor of USB-C, there was speculation (and hope) that Apple would release new versions of the Magic Mouse, Trackpad and Keyboard that also reject the Lightning port. Nope.
So charging these wireless devices still requires a Lightning cable.
Apple broke with tradition and unveiled the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max processors all at once on Monday, rather than stringing the releases out. The performance cores in the new chips are up to 30% faster than M1, and the efficiency cores are up to 50% faster.
“Apple silicon has completely redefined the Mac experience. Every aspect of its architecture is designed for performance and power efficiency,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s SVP of Hardware Technologies. “With 3-nanometer technology, a next-generation GPU architecture, a higher-performance CPU, faster Neural Engine, and support for even more unified memory, M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max are the most advanced chips ever built for a personal computer.”
The Apple TV+ documentary The Enfield Poltergeist goes in-depth on “the most famous poltergeist haunting in history.” The events inspired The Conjuring 2 and are creepy Halloween fun, though unlikely to convince anyone that ghosts are real.
I suspended my disbelief for a few hours and enjoyed the show for what it is.