Anyone who wants to can now install a beta of iOS 16, macOS Ventura, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9 or tvOS 16. Until now, these have been reserved for developers.
Those who are interested should take care: these are still fairly early betas. They have bugs and are not recommended for devices that will be used daily.
Apple’s struggle to get computers assembled in China during COVID lockdowns this spring had the expected result: Mac shipments dropped 22.5% in the spring quarter of 2022, according to a market-research firm.
At least company execs can take solace from the fact that this is not a demand problem. Consumers want to buy Macs but Apple can’t supply them.
The first benchmark scores for the upcoming MacBook Air with an Apple M2 processor confirm that the device offers a considerable speed boost over the M1-powered version.
However, performance comes in well behind MacBook Pros with the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
Preorders for the svelte new M2 MacBook Air began early Friday morning and Apple is mostly keeping up with demand. There’s even one standard configuration still available for delivery on the July 15 launch day. The base model can be delivered a few days after that.
Build up the specs and the wait time can stretch out to August. But no farther than that.
Apple Arcade offers many original games, but the collection also includes quite a few App Store Greats: classic titles that have joined Apple’s gaming service. Recent additions include Samorost 3+, My Bowling 3D+, Jigsaw Puzzle+ and Pro Darts 2022+.
They join dozen of other classic games that players used to have to pay to play individually but are now all available with a single Apple Arcade subscription.
The most exciting MacBook of 2022 goes up for preorder on Friday, and the M2 MacBook Air is likely to sell out quickly. You need do some early prep work if you want to get your hands on this beautifully redesigned notebook as soon as possible.
Here’s how to be completely ready to put in a preorder.
When Apple first showed off the original iPhone in early 2007, the demo included a Lock Screen image of a pair of clownfish. The pic was not on the device when it shipped, but some people say the picture is included in the just-released iOS 16 beta 3.
Bringing back the image after 15 years is apparently a sort of Easter egg to celebrate the anniversary.
Apple TV+ saw strong growth in spring 2022, according to a company that tracks viewership. It grew to 6% of the U.S. streaming market.
During the same quarter, Netflix stayed on top but dropped by two percentage points. It’s now just ahead of Amazon Prime Video.
A new hyper-secure Lockdown Mode should help protect the iPhones, iPads and Macs of journalists, politicians and activists who face “highly targeted cyberattacks from private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware,” Apple said Wednesday.
The new security measure is only for extreme cases, though, because it blocks commonly used features of messaging and web browsing.
★★★★☆
Slip the KYY 15.6-inch 1080P USB-C Portable Monitor in the same bag as your notebook and you can always count on having more screen space to work.
M1 iPad users looking forward to external display support should also think about this screen. Or attach it to your Switch for more fun on the run.
I used KYY’s monitor for a couple of weeks. Here’s why I find it surprisingly good.
The European Parliament passed the landmark Digital Markets Act on Tuesday. The legislation aims to outlaw many common practices of Big Tech companies, especially Apple, Google and Amazon.
For iPhone users, the DMA would force Apple to allow rival app stores and sideloaded applications. And these are only two of many significant changes in the act.
There are still further steps the the EU government must go through before the DMA goes into effect, but that’s expected to happen before the end of 2022.
An Apple TV can now be used to watch all of Comcast’s live, on demand and DVR programming. The cable behemoth’s subscribers just need to install the newly-released Xfinity Stream app on Apple’s streaming box.
Thursday’s release makes it simple for Apple TV users to add Xfinity access to additional rooms. No traditional cable box necessary.
The just-released MacBook Pro running Apple’s new M2 processor offers generally good performance, but its single fan can’t stop it from experiencing ‘severe’ thermal throttling under certain conditions, according to tests done on the device.
The upcoming MacBook Air also uses an M2 chip and doesn’t have a fan at all. How much thermal throttling it will experience is not yet knownn, but it could be signficant.
MacPaw’s CleanMyMac X now includes five new ways to track the health of Mac computers. They monitor the CPU, RAM, storage, battery and more. The software already blocks malware and ensures other third-party apps are always up to date.
MacPaw also announced that its raffle to raise money for Ukrainian aid brought in far more than expected.
Use an Apple Card at certain online retailers and service providers between now and the end of July to earn 4% cash back. It’s a summertime promotion, and the companies involved offer sunglasses, movie tickets, coolers, hotel rooms, etc.
Apple Pay and the Mac-maker’s credit card regularly offer at least 2% cash back for online purchases but some special deals bring larger percentages. Like this one.
Wait times for Apple’s hottest MacBooks are shorter than they were this spring. It’s now possible to get some versions of the 2021 MacBook Pro delivered in less than a month.
And the COVID outbreak in China that caused the delays is apparently over.
See is coming to an end. The epic, post-apocalyptic adventure series starring Jason Momoa will wrap up with season 3, which premieres on Apple TV+ in late August.
A just-released teaser trailer for the upcoming season reveals a new threat for Baba Voss and his family.
Apple TV+ content enjoys the highest average IMDb score of any streaming service, according to a new study. It comes in tops in a variety of areas, including dramas and child-friendly shows.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise: Apple’s streaming video service regularly wins awards, including a Best Picture Oscar in 2022.
An improved version of the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand supports fast charging Apple Watch Series 7 – up to 33% faster than Series 6.
And the stand still charges MagSafe iPhones at up to 15 watts. And it provides 5 watts to AirPods wireless charging cases.
Apple is reportedly unable to produce the 5G modem for the 2023 iPhone, as it had hoped. It will instead have the buy the critical component from Qualcomm, a company that Cupertino has quarreled with in the past.
Cupertino already sank more than a billion dollars into this so-far-unsuccessful effort.
Apple TV+ subscribers seem much more satisfied with the streaming service than they were a year ago, according to a survey of viewers. The home of Ted Lasso and Severance even made gains on Netflix – streaming’s 800-pound gorilla – in a couple of categories, including value.
And more people than ever would make Apple TV+ their one and only streaming service.
Twelve South’s latest BookBook case makes the 2021 MacBook Pro look like a leather-bound book. The unique case manages to simultaneously make your macOS laptop stand out from the crowd and blend into the background.
There are versions for both the latest 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. BookBook is also available for iPad and iPhone.
The first trailer for the psychological thriller Surface lets viewers dip their toes into the central mystery of the upcoming series: What if you woke up one day and didn’t know your own secrets?
The show premiers on Apple TV+ in late July, and stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, best known for appearing in Apple’s critically acclaimed The Morning Show.
Apple’s upcoming M2 Pro chip will be made with an improved manufacturing process that will make it even faster and more energy-efficient, according to an unconfirmed report. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s 3nm process supposedly will be used on the M2 Pro, as well as the M3.
Quite a few Macs using these chips are already in the pipeline.
After a mishap, I recently had to go on vacation without a credit card. I was ready with cash but it never mattered – to my surprise, wireless payments and Apple Pay let my iPhone make all the purchases I needed.
It’s clear we’re really not far away from physical credit cards becoming obsolete. That’ll be one less hassle in our lives.