A tvOS 16.3.1 update is out for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD. There’s also an equivalent update for HomePod smart speakers.
These bring general improvements, not new features, but are nevertheless recommended for users of the Apple entertainment devices.
Shrinking is finding a growing audience. The Apple TV+ comedy drew enough viewers during its debut week to become one of the top 10 most popular shows on all streaming platforms.
The ongoing series starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford is about a therapist who throws out the rule book and tells his clients what he really thinks they should do.
Apple made almost half the tablets sold in the word during the December quarter, according to market researchers.
The company itself says it took in more revenue from iPad sales in the October-through-December period than in any previous quarter.
Have fun with creative destruction in Castle Crumble, which challenges players to knock down fortresses with bombs and spells.
The puzzle game debuted Friday on Apple Arcade, and is playable on iPhone, Mac and other Apple devices.
Apple was hit with a sharp decline in iPhone shipments in the December quarter, but the news isn’t all bad — it’s once again the world’s largest maker of smartphones by a wider margin than ever before, according to market analysts.
Even better, Apple is pulling in almost half the revenue of the entire global market, and a very large share of the profit.
Although Apple’s December 2022 quarter was something of a disappointment, thanks to declines in revenue and profits, company executives accentuated the positives whenever possible during an earnings call with investors on Thursday.
Here are some upbeat developments coming out of Apple’s Q1 2023 financial results, including a significant milestone in active users and a big jump in iPad revenue.
Apple’s financial results from the December 2022 quarter include revenue and earnings per share that declined compared to the same period of the previous year. The figures did not live up to analysts’ expectations, which is dropping the share price.
Still, CEO Tim Cook stayed positive: “As we all continue to navigate a challenging environment, we are proud to have our best lineup of products and services ever, and as always, we remain focused on the long term and are leading with our values in everything we do.”
Apple reportedly stopped looking for a replacement industrial design chief. This is surprising, as it’s a high-profile position once held by Jony Ive, who led the team that created the iconic look of the iPhone, iMac and more.
The corporate rearrangement increases the power of Jeff Williams — Apple’s chief operating officer and possibly Tim Cook’s eventual replacement as CEO.
★★★★☆
Keep your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and AirPods all powered up with the Zens 4-in-1 Modular Charging Station. This one multi-device can take on all the Apple computers and accessories you carry around every day.
I put the charging station in my home office where it replaced the octopus of cables normally required by these devices. And there are built-in stands for iPhone and Apple Watch.
You can grow your collection of classic Apple gear with an original iPhone from 2007… if your pockets are deep enough. A first-generation iOS handset doesn’t usually go for that much, but this one is still sealed in the original packaging.
Typically, an iPhone 1 sells for a few hundreds dollars. This one might hit $50,000.
Analysts don’t expect to be wowed when Apple announces the results of its most recent financial quarter Thursday. They predict the company’s revenue declined slightly during the October-through-December period.
Feeding into the prediction is the struggle Apple had meeting iPhone demand during the quarter, which a top market-analysis firm says could have caused a double-digit drop in shipments. Plus, Apple broke tradition by not introducing new Macs.
Netflix greatly increased the amount of its most-popular content with support for spatial audio, which lets the tv shows and films offer a surround sound-like experience but without all the speakers.
But the enhanced sound is not for every subscriber. The streaming service is using spatial audio as a way to tempt viewers to its Premium plan.
The Samsung T7 Shield rugged SSD launched in 2022 with a maximum of 2TB of capacity and is now available with twice that.
T7 Shield is a a credit-card size external SSD intended for outdoor content creators or travelers. It works with Mac and iPad plus a wide variety of devices.
★★★★☆
Adonit Star is the stylus for iPad users who love antiques; it’s designed to look like a fountain pen, not the usual plastic pencil. Despite the traditional design, it’s a fully functional stylus that’s ready for handwritten notes or sketching out ideas.
I used it with my iPad Pro, and it works as good as it looks. Even better, it is surprisingly affordable.
iPhone 16 Pro buyers reportedly won’t get the “periscope” camera previous rumors suggested. A camera with the new type of high-end lens will be restricted to only the iPhone 16 Pro Max, according to a reliable source of Apple info.
The new hardware actually will arrive with the iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2023. But it supposedly won’t come to the regular-size iPhone Pro in 2024, despite what earlier reports indicated.
The pop-up lens should bring a noticeable jump in image quality while also shrinking the thickness of the iPhone’s notoriously large camera hump.
The Plugable USB-C Stand Dock goes beyond just holding up an iPad so the display can be seen — it’s also an 8-port hub with HDMI, two USB-A ports and many more.
The design reduces clutter on the user’s desk. And the stand/hub is also portable.
Order the recently unveiled HomePod 2 from the online Apple store today and it might not arrive until March. Preorders for the revived version of Apple’s full-size smart speaker have surpassed the launch-day supply.
There seems to be some pent up demand for the product.
You have to be creative to succeed in Squiggle Drop. The new game presents players with simple challenges that they have to draw their way out of.
It launched on Apple Arcade on Friday. There are versions for iPhone, iPad and Mac, too.
The Satechi Pro Hub Slim connects plugs directly into the side of a MacBook to greatly expand the range of ports available to the user while adding minimal bulk. It’s slim enough for Apple’s latest notebooks.
There’s nevertheless room for HDMI, two full-size USB-A ports, memory card readers and more.
Apple’s drive to make all its own processors hit a bump in the road. It’s reportedly stopped development on chips to add Wi-Fi to its devices, and will instead keep outsourcing these.
The reason is simple: Apple doesn’t have enough talented engineers to design all the chips it wants. It’s putting most of its available resources into Mac and iPhone processors.
Attach the Twelve South BackPack to an iMac and you can use it to hide accessories behind the desktop computer’s screen, saving on visible clutter.
Despite the name, the device isn’t really a backpack. It’s an aluminum shelf that attaches to the Mac’s stand.
Apple dropped its trade-in values for many older iPhone models. The decrease is as much as $80 for some.
Even so, used iPhones retain for value for a long more time, and can be worth hundreds of dollars off the price of a new model. Or just trade them in for an Apple gift card.
Apple TV+ has a trio of new children’s shows coming this spring. There’s Eva the Owlet and Frog and Toad, plus Jane, inspired by the work of primatologist Jane Goodall.
And that’s not all. Apple’s streaming service already has many shows for children, and several of these will get new seasons soon. Apple is also bringing back A Charlie Brown Valentine in February.
Those eager for their first glimpse at Apple’s VR/AR headset should check out a concept design that might well be our best look yet at a product supposedly coming later this year.
It’s heavily based on leaked info about the upcoming virtual reality/augmented reality device — possibly called the “Reality Pro” — but with style added.
HomePod 2 and (surprise!) HomePod mini both include temperature and humidity sensors. These can be used by Apple’s Home app to control HomeKit accessories. Or just tell you how hot or cold it is in your living room.
Here’s how to use the sensors in Apple’s large and small smart speakers.