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News - page 51

Your iPhone could soon show how long it takes to charge

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ESR Qi2 3-in-1 charging station showing iPhone and AirPods on charge
iPhones currently do not display how long they will take to charge.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

iOS 18.2 could introduce a new feature that would tell how long your iPhone will take to charge. As of now, iPhones only show the battery percentage while charging and little else.

Almost all Android phones show the remaining time for a full charge on the lock screen when topping up their battery wired or wirelessly.

Always drink clean, tasty water with the Viomi V8 filter system

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Viomi Vortex 8 water purifier
This high-capacity water filtration system ensures you always have clean, tasty H2O.
Photo: Viomi

There’s nothing more crucial to healthy living than clean water. One of the best ways to ensure you have it at home is to use a robust, high-capacity water filtration system like the Viomi Vortex 8 reverse osmosis water purifier. And not only will your water be clean with the Viomi V8 — it will be tasty and extra-healthy because it’s mineral-enhanced.

In a launch day special on Kickstarter, you can get the Viomi V8 for just $299 ($349 with extra filter). That’s 42% off an advanced water-purification system that will produce four years of clean water, so you can stop wasting money on bottled water.

Super-slim espresso Display 15 offers luxury on a budget

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espresso Display 15 with with Stand+
espresso Display 15 with with Stand+
Photo: espresso Displays

The espresso Display 15, an ultra-thin 15-inch monitor, launched Tuesday. It boasts an aerospace aluminum casing, not the usual plastic, but a lower price than previous high-end portable displays from this company. It gets power and data from a MacBook or iPad via a single USB-C connection.

It’s paired with Stand+, an ergonomic stand with a surprising trick.

Apple’s next iPad Air could get a 90Hz display

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Apple's next iPad Air might get a 90Hz display.
An iPad Air with 90Hz display? Yes, please!
Photo: Apple

Apple is allegedly working on a 90Hz display for the next-gen iPad Air, 24-inch iMac, and the Studio Display. All these devices currently sport a 60Hz panel.

The 90Hz screen will apparently debut on the M3 iPad Air before making its way to other devices. Apple’s focus on display technology aligns with its iterative improvements in the iPhone lineup, including models like the iPhone 3 SE, which aimed to balance affordability with performance.

The 90Hz screen will apparently debut on the M3 iPad Air before making its way to other devices.

New iPads bring only modest increase to Apple tablet shipments

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iPad Air M2 with Apple Pencil Pro
iPad Air helped buoy Apple tablet shipments in Q3 2024.
Image: Apple

iPad shipments grew only slightly last quarter, according to a market research firm, despite the release of new high-end and mid-range tablets in the spring. The lack of a new entry-level tablet from Apple significantly affected the shipment total.

Still, Apple itself showed a larger year-over-year bump in revenue during the third quarter of 2024 from this class of computer.

Apple’s cheaper Vision headset could be a few years away

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Tim Cook uses Vision Pro every day
Vision Pro could get an M5 upgrade in M5 next year.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

According to a reputed Apple analyst, Apple’s cheaper Vision might only arrive after 2027. This contradicts recent reports of the AR/VR headset launching in 2025.

Instead, Apple will seemingly launch an upgraded Vision Pro with an M5 chip in 2025.

M4 Macs: So much to love [The CultCast]

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The CultCast episode 671: M4 Pro and M4 Max chips from the new M4 Macs.
You can almost feel the power of the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After a whirlwind week of M4 Mac releases, we weigh up the pros (tons) and cons (very few). Mostly it’s a lovefest as we talk about the new M4 Mac mini, iMac and MacBook Pros.

Also on The CultCast:

  • What’s up with Apple putting the new Mac mini power button on the bottom? (Luckily, the internet has some “fixes.”)
  • Apple surprised us by upgrading the RAM on M2 and M3 MacBook Airs — without raising the prices!
  • We wrap up with a discussion of what new Apple gear we ordered after this week’s Mac-o-rama.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

First 5 minutes of Silo season 2 dig into horrifying past [Video]

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Silo season 2 sneak peek
That silo dweller with battle flag has seen better days ... a long time ago, it seems.
Photo: Apple TV+

Anybody care for a big taste of Silo season 2 ahead of the hit sci-fi series’ November 15 air date on Apple TV+? The streamer dropped a “sneak peak” Friday of the show’s new season — literally the first five minutes of episode one. Outside the silo in which countless generations have lived, main character Juliette not only explores the hellscape that supposedly will kill her, but sees ominous signs of what came (way) before. We get a major flashback.

“Watch the first 5 minutes of Silo Season 2,” the YouTube page says. “Juliette lives.” So yeah, she’s not dead. At least not yet.

mophie Juice Pack battery case keeps iPhone 16 going and going

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mophie Juice Pack battery case keeps iPhone 16 going and going
iPhone 16 users can now get a combination case and power bank from mophie.
Photo: mophie

The new mophie Juice Pack specifically for the iPhone 16 series merges a power bank into a form-fitting protective case. Put Apple’s latest handsets in the case to greatly extend the battery life and add 6 feet of drop protection.

External magnets allow the case to attach to other MagSafe/Qi2 accessories, like car mounts.

M4 Pro and Max benchmarks show M2 Ultra who’s boss

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M4 Pro and Max benchmark results
Benchark results suggest you don't need to spend a fortune to get blazing-fast speeds.
Photo: OpenAI/ChatGPT

Early Geekbench 6 benchmarks show Apple’s new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips deliver major performance improvements for Macs. Most surprisingly, the M4 Pro chip outperforms even the previously top-tier M2 Ultra chip in multi-core performance, despite having fewer CPU cores. And the higher-end M4 Max proves even more impressive, of course.

So if you’re on the fence about upgrading to a Mac with either of these chips, these results should encourage you.

Apple pours an additional $1.1 billion into satellite messaging

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Globalstar satellites
iPhone satellite messaging requires satellites.
Photo: Globalstar

Apple pays Globalstar to provide the satellites needed for the iPhone’s Messages via satellite service, and an updated agreement between the two companies includes a $1.1 billion payment for the infrastructure.

Clearly, this is an iPhone feature that’ll be available for years to come.

iPhone 17 could use Apple’s new Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip

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iPhone 17 leaks, specs and price
We got an early look at the specs for iPhone 17 Slim.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple might switch to in-house Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips starting with next year’s iPhone 17. The company plans to fully transition to its custom Wi-Fi chips within three years after that.

Broadcom currently supplies Apple with more than 300 million Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules yearly for its products.

iOS 18.1 is a smash hit, thanks to Apple Intelligence

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iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, macOS Sequoia 15.1 and Apple Intelligence are almost here
Apple Intelligence ... you know you want it!
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

In an indication that iPhone users are eager to try out Apple Intelligence, the iOS 18.1 install rate is twice as high as iOS 17.1 was a year ago, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

The AI features in iOS 18.1 provide a big impetus for people to update their iPhones, Cook said Thursday during a quarterly earnings call with Wall Street analysts.

Strong iPhone sales return Apple to record revenue [Updated]

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AI image of an apple logo floating on a sea of cash
Apple continues to crank out cash.
AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac

Apple on Thursday announced record total revenue for the September 2024 quarter. The Mac-maker took in $94.9 billion, a 6% increase over the same quarter a year ago. Much of the increase can be pegged to sales of the iPhone, by far Apple’s largest product. Revenue from iOS devices grew 6%.

“Our record business performance during the September quarter drove nearly $27 billion in operating cash flow, allowing us to return over $29 billion to our shareholders,” said Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO, in a statement. Apple’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $0.25 per share of Apple common stock.

Are you wasting time applying for tech industry ‘ghost jobs?’

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Ghost jobs
Boo! Try not to apply for a job that doesn't exist.
Photo: OpenAI/ChatGPT

“Ghost jobs,” or job postings for positions that aren’t actually open, have become a widespread concern in today’s job market, particularly for recently laid-off workers in industries like technology, according to a scary new report (that just happens to fall on Halloween, bwah ha ha). And, no joke, it likens the phenomenon of ghost listings to “psychological warfare.”

4 reasons why another 27-inch iMac is unlikely

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Another 27-inch iMac is unlikely
Apple isn’t likely to make another 27-inch iMac. Sorry.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Monday’s launch of a 24-inch iMac renewed calls for a 27-inch version. While this is a product Apple made before, there are multiple reasons why it hasn’t come back and almost certainly isn’t going to.

I’m not arguing that an extra-large all-in-one desktop is a bad device, but it does have at least one serious drawback. And it’s also apparently weak in a critical area. Plus there’s one more reason that’s hard to argue with.

Hacks and jokes ‘fix’ M4 Mac mini’s odd power-button placement

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A photo of the back of an M4 Mac mini, with the words,
The weird placement of the M4 Mac mini's power button is fueling "Buttongate."
Image: Cult of Mac

Right after Apple unveiled the redesigned M4 Mac mini on Tuesday, people noticed the power button’s odd placement — on the bottom of the tiny but potent machine! The design provides precious little room for a fleshy finger to reach without tipping the whole computer to get at it. Since then, a variety of “fixes” have poked fun at this perceived error, which is most likely a very intentional Apple design choice.

Check out some of the best “Buttongate” fixes below.

Wall Street thinks Apple is doing great

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Apple Financial Results predictions
Analysts predict Apple had another quarter of solid revenue growth.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Wall Street analysts think the financial results Apple will announce Thursday will include record revenue for the quarter. They also expect year-over-year growth in iPhone revenue.

Their optimism helps explain the AAPL share price, which is high enough to make the Mac-maker the world’s most valuable publicly traded company.

Apple Vision Pro to launch in South Korea and UAE this November

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Image of a white man in a black button-down shirt and a tall plume of hair wearing a Vision Pro with the ANNAPRO Comfort Strap
Vision Pro availability will soon expand to a dozen countries.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Apple is expanding Vision Pro’s availability to more countries. The company announced on Thursday that its spatial computing headset will launch in South Korea and the United Arab Emirates on November 15.

Greg Joswiak, Apple’s SVP of marketing, said in a post on X, “Apple Vision Pro is coming to South Korea and the United Arab Emirates on November 15! We’re excited that customers in a dozen countries and regions will get to immerse themselves in the world of spatial computing!”

Clever videos personify powerful new M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini

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M4 promotional videos
The video suggest the new M4 chips will wow us in many ways.
Photo: Apple

With the release this week of new M4 Mac mini and M4 MacBook Pro computers comes a return to form for Apple advertising, with delightful M4 promotional videos that give the new hardware relatable human characteristics. They’re fun to watch, and you can do so below.

Tuesday’s animated video turns Mac mini into an affable yet capable and hyper-productive guy you might want to get a beer with. Wednesday’s MacBook Pro video depicts a power lifter-turned-showman flaunting effortless feats of strength, not to mention acrobatic prowess and grace.