Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
You can reach out to him at mail[at]rajeshpandey.me.
Apple Intelligence could take a while to come to the Vision Pro. Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac
Apple will reportedly bring Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro. The AI-powered features will not arrive alongside iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, but will eventually come to Apple’s AR/VR headset.
Many Apple Intelligence features would greatly benefit visionOS and help speed up its existing workflows.
A new tech from Apple could make iPhone battery replacement easier. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple could use electrically induced adhesive debonding to make battery removal easier on future iPhones. The company reportedly might use this technology in at least one iPhone 16 model this year.
The move could help Apple make iPhones more repair-friendly — and help Apple comply with upcoming EU laws.
True Tone on third-party iPhone displays? Yes, please! Photo: Apple
Apple will improve support for third-party iPhone displays and batteries later this year. The company revealed this in a new whitepaper published on June 26.
Titled “Longevity, by Design,” Apple detailed approach to longevity in the whitepaper.
Are you ready for a bigger Apple Watch? Render/Graphics: 91Mobiles/Rajesh Pandey
Supposed CAD renders of the Apple Watch Series 10 leaked online Wednesday, revealing a device with a bigger display than its predecessors. The renders show Apple’s upcoming smartwatch with a 2-inch display.
Despite the bigger screen, the Apple Watch Series 10 will seemingly be smaller than the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
RCS messaging will improve the texting experience to Android users. Image: Apple
US carriers have enabled support for RCS messaging for iPhone users on their networks. This comes following the release of iOS 18 beta 2, which shipped with an RCS toggle in the Messages app.
Multiple reports from iPhone users running iOS 18 beta confirm that RCS messaging is now live for them.
After talks broke down, it looks like Meta's AI won't come to iOS 18. Photo/Graphics: Meta, Apple, Rajesh Pandey/CultofMac
In a move bound to raise eyebrows, Apple and Meta Platforms reportedly discussed integrating Meta’s generative AI model into Apple Intelligence. Besides Meta, AI startups Perplexity and Anthropic also reportedly talked with Apple about integrating their offerings into Apple Intelligence.
Update: The initial report of a possible partnership to bring Meta’s Llama large language model to Apple Intelligence made it sound like talks were ongoing. However, a new story published Monday said Apple rejected Meta’s LLM “months ago.”
Some iOS 18 features won't be ready at launch. Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
iOS 18 will bring lots of useful features, big and small. But when the new iPhone operating system launches later this fall, you won’t get to enjoy all its new additions on day one. Many headlining features won’t arrive until later in the year or early 2025. But which iOS 18 features will be delayed?
Here’s a roundup of iOS 18 features that won’t arrive on launch day. Note: Many of these delayed features also will come to iPads and Macs in iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia. For the purposes of this article, we will talk in terms of iOS 18 only.
Don't expect the Vision Pro 2 to launch anytime soon. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple reportedly wants to launch a cheaper AR/VR Vision headset, codenamed N107, as soon as late 2025. While the company set this plan even before the Vision Pro‘s launch, it might fail to meet the deadline.
The company’s engineers are struggling to reduce costs without affecting the headset’s key features.
Spotify has launched a cheaper Basic streaming tier. Photo: Cult of Mac
Following a price hike in the US earlier this month, Spotify has unveiled a cheaper streaming music plan for its users. The new “Basic” streaming tier costs $10.99/month, $1 cheaper than the Premium plan.
Spotify charged the same price for its Premium plan before increasing it in early June. That was the company’s second price hike in less than a year.
You will have to wait for a few weeks for iOS 18 public beta. Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
Apple dropped the first iOS 18 developer beta right after the opening keynote of WWDC24. While the build packs several changes, many headline features are missing, and it is also buggy. But what about the iOS 18 public beta, which should bring even more features and offer better stability? When will it arrive?
The timing should be similar for the upcoming iPadOS 18, watchOS 11 and macOS Sequoia public betas, too.
You now have another way to reclaim access to your 1Password account. Image: 1Password
1Password — a popular password manager for iPhone, Mac and other platforms — added support for recovery codes Thursday. This will make it easier to recover your account when you can’t remember your password.
Recovery codes also will help you get into your 1Password vault if you lose access to your Secret Key.
Apple's Back to School promo is live in the US. Screenshot: Apple
Apple’s annual Back to School promotion went live Thursday in the United States. As a part of the deal, eligible students and faculty members will receive up to a $150 gift card on the purchase of select Macs and iPads. Apple also offers a 20% discount on AppleCare+, its premium support and repair service.
The back-to-school promo runs through September 30, so students and parents have ample time to take advantage of Apple’s discounts.
M4 MacBook Pros could debut before the end of 2024. Photo: Apple
Apple could refresh its MacBook Pro lineup with M4 chips as soon as Q4 2024. Based on supply-chain checks, panel shipments for the 14-inch and 16-inch models will start in Q3 2024.
Typically, this indicates that Apple will start shipping new MacBook Pro models in the last quarter of the year.
The Apple Watch Series 10 might adopt a thinner design with a bigger display. Reportedly, Apple will bump the chassis size from 41mm and 45mm to 45mm and 49mm.
Disappointingly, the company apparently does not plan significant upgrades for the Apple Watch Ultra this year. It might get a new black color option, but that’s about it.
Future Apple Watch models could get slimmer. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple reportedly plans to launch a super-slim iPhone 17 model in 2025. The company is also working on slimming down MacBook Pro and Apple Watch in future revisions.
The company will seemingly focus on making its devices thinner without sacrificing performance or battery life.
Your iPhone may run iOS 18, but may not get all the latest features. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia and watchOS 11 bring exciting new features, but some of them might not arrive on older iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches, even if you can run the new software. Which features won’t older devices get? We rounded up everything we can find that won’t make it to aging gear.
WhatsApp video and voice calls get a quality boost. Photo: WhatsApp
WhatsApp is introducing key improvements to video (and voice) calling on its platform for a better experience. As part of the upgrade, you can now share audio while screen sharing.
Another notable change is having group video calls with up to 32 participants on your phone or desktop. This is the same limit as FaceTime.
There are some Easter Eggs built into iOS 18. Image: Apple
iOS 18 will enable your iPhone to show the time even when the battery has run dry. This improvement relies on the Power Reserve function of new iPhones to work.
Thanks to Power Reserve, your iPhone is findable offline, and the NFC chip also works for Express Card functionality.
Apple and OpenAI's ChatGPT integration in iOS 18 is about more than money. Photo: Apple
Apple is not paying OpenAI for ChatGPT access in iOS 18, according to a new report. Neither is OpenAI paying Apple for the privilege of integrating its chatbot into millions of iPhones later this year.
A news story sheds light on the high-profile arrangement between the two companies — and details how it is more than about money.
Sleep tracking on the Apple Watch gets a lot better with watchOS 11. Image: Apple
watchOS 11 brings automatic sleep tracking to the Apple Watch. This means the smartwatch can track your sleep even if you don’t set a sleep schedule or use the Sleep Focus mode.
While a small change, it makes sleep tracking on the Apple Watch much more useful.
Game Mode will further improve the gaming experience on Apple devices. Screenshot: Apple
Apple is introducing a new Game Mode in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. The feature minimizes background activity to deliver higher sustained performance and smoother gameplay.
Additionally, Game Mode will reduce audio latency with AirPods and game controllers for better responsiveness.
iOS 18 brings a small but key improvement to the Phone app. Image: Apple
Apple is finally adding T9 dialing support to the iPhone’s Phone app with iOS 18. The feature lets you search for contacts or phone numbers directly from the dialer.
T9, or text on 9 keys, is predictive text technology that enables you to enter a character with a single keypress for each letter.
Apple's new Passwords app will let you save all the things. Image: Apple
The new Apple Passwords app “makes it easy to access your credentials and have them securely stored all in one place,” said Craig Federighi, the company’s software chief, Monday during the WWDC24 keynote.
Apple is upgrading iCloud Keychain to become a full-fledged password manager in iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia.
iOS 18 is not dropping support for older iPhones, but they will miss out on Apple Intelligence.
Apple showcased iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11 and macOS Sequoia on Monday during the kickoff keynote that kicked off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. With so many new features and improvements, you might wonder if your iOS 18 will be among Apple’s supported devices. Same goes for other older devices and Apple’s other upcoming operating system updates.
Below is a list of all the iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs that will get the iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11 and macOS Sequoia update later this year. Note: The AI-powered Apple Intelligence features the company unveiled at WWDC24 won’t work on many older devices. So even if your computer can run the latest operating system, you still might not benefit from the AI stuff.
Control Center is getting a big upgrade in iOS 18.
Photo: Apple
iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 will introduce “new levels of customization and capability to Control Center, helping you access many of the things you do every day even faster,” said Apple software chief Craig Federighi during Monday’s WWDC24 keynote.
The revamped Control Center features multiple groups and offers easy access to media playback controls, smart home devices and more.