News - page 9

The new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 flagship wireless headphones are the best cans the British audio company has ever produced, it said Wednesday. Available now for an eye-watering $799, the premium over-ear headphones feature significant design improvements and enhanced audio capabilities that should make would-be AirPods Max buyers look twice.

 “We are incredibly proud to launch the Px8 S2, the best headphone we have ever created. When we introduced the Px8 in 2022, it redefined what was possible in wireless headphone performance. The Px8 S2 sets the benchmark once again, recalibrating expectations for sound quality, design and craftsmanship,” said Giles Pocock, VP of Brand Marketing at B&W.

“It’s the ultimate expression of our mission: to bring listeners even closer to the artist’s performance — and of course, the beautiful design and finish only adds to that real pride of ownership,” he added.

Apple TV+ has indefinitely postponed the release of thriller series The Savant, which stars Jessica Chastain as a character who infiltrates hate groups online to head off violent acts.

“After careful consideration, we have made the decision to postpone The Savant,” an Apple TV+ rep told Deadline on Tuesday. “We appreciate your understanding and look forward to releasing the series at a future date.”

The streamer originally planned to release the eight-part limited series this Friday. The Apple TV+ app currently lists The Savant as “coming at a later date.”

Jessica Chastain reacts to Apple delaying The Savant release

Update: On Wednesday, Chastain reacted to The Savant’s delayed release on X. Citing a string of politically motivated violent acts that have occurred in recent years, she said she wasn’t happy with Apple’s decision to delay the release of The Savant.

A new screen protector company offers iPhone users something they’ve never had before — the ability to showcase personalized artwork directly on their device’s Screen Skinz screen protector while maintaining full functionality during use. Thanks to tech magic, the artwork only shows when the handset’s screen is locked.

“Screen Skinz lets users proudly highlight their favorite team or character with the confidence that a premium tempered glass screen protector has them covered,” said RaShaun Brown, co-founder of Screen Skinz. “With Screen Skinz, your phone has protection when you need it and personality when you want it.”

The Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 is powered by light, and it connects via Bluetooth, so no cables are ever needed.

It features a full keyboard layout with number keys in a slim and low-profile form. It works with Mac, iPad and iPhone.

In its iPhone 17 teardown, the iFixit team provides a detailed explanation of why the iPhone 17 Pro scratches so easily. They brought in a materials scientist to get to the heart of what’s causing Scratchgate — and explain how Apple might have avoided the problem.

A big hit for Apple TV+, the darkly comedic spy thriller Slow Horses returned Wednesday with the first episode of its fifth season. Once again it’s off to a fast start, making London look like a bloody shooting gallery. And it appears the season will echo contemporary themes of nationalistic fervor and immigration backlash.

How will Slough House section chief Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) and his beleaguered team of B-team spies react, especially when one of their number may be compromised? 

Taking a cue from the iPhone’s Messages app, Meta is adding message translations to WhatsApp. With this feature, you can directly translate chats in a conversation into a familiar language.

At launch, the translate tool will support over 19 languages on the iPhone. 

Through a major investment, Apple will protect and restore California’s coastal redwood forests, the iPhone giant said Tuesday. To do so, it partners with The Conservation Fund to ensure the long-term sustainability of the iconic trees.

“Forests are one of the most powerful technologies we have for removing carbon from the atmosphere,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “Our global investments in nature are leveraging that technology while supporting communities, stimulating local economies and enhancing biodiversity in ecosystems around the world.”

Code found in iOS 26 beta 1 reportedly reveals that Apple is prepping a new feature: Background Security Improvements. These will patch security problems and won’t need the user to be involved or even be aware that a patch is being applied to their iPhone.

This is apparently the replacement for Rapid Security Responses, an iPhone security tool that Apple introduced but then hasn’t used in years.

MacBooks make you faster, sharper and more productive. But they’ve always come with one big problem: price. Upgraded’s affordable MacBook financing program changes that.

Whether you’re buying a MacBook for yourself or outfitting an entire company, it usually means a huge upfront bill, a complicated reselling process, or headaches when managing devices for remote employees.

Upgraded solves this with simple monthly MacBook subscriptions, starting at just $33.28 per month. For businesses, Upgraded’s innovative MacBook financing also means turning big upfront capital expenses into smaller operating expenses you can write off, while handing off the hassle of device management.

Apple plans to adopt Samsung’s cutting-edge OLED display technology for its 20th anniversary iPhone in 2027, marking a significant leap forward in screen brightness, thinness and power efficiency, according to a new report Tuesday.

The move would see Apple implement Color Filter on Encapsulation (COE) technology for the first time in a traditional smartphone, following Samsung’s lead.

A week after the release of iOS 26, Apple has stopped signing iOS 18.6.2. So, you can no longer downgrade your iPhone from iOS 26 to iOS 18.

This move is standard practice for Apple. It usually stops signing older iOS builds shortly after a major update goes public.

Apple expanded its Apple Immersive Video catalog Monday with a slate of new films from major global publishers, broadcasters and brands, marking a major milestone for the Vision Pro platform.

The new content comes from partners including Audi, the BBC, CANAL+, CNN, HYBE, MotoGP and Red Bull. Releases are planned over the coming months.

Do not worry that you’ll accidentally bend your iPhone Air. Despite its super-slim shape, tests show that it takes a huge amount of pressure to get the sleek new model to break.

That should reassure those who might accidentally sit on the handset.

Apple’s new iPhone Air surprised repair experts by proving ultra-thin doesn’t have to mean harder to fix. Despite measuring just 5.6mm thick — making it Apple’s thinnest iPhone ever — the device earned a solid 7 out of 10 repairability score from iFixit in its iPhone Air teardown, matching the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro. 

And the teardown reveals how they made it so thin in the first place.

SAN FRANCISCO — The iPhone 17 Scratchgate drama is real. Demo units of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models in Apple retail stores are showing scratches on opening weekend. The scratches appeared on their aluminum frames and on the glass panels on their backs.

I examined demo iPhones at Apple Stonestown in San Francisco on Friday (the busy iPhone 17 launch day) and again on Sunday. Many of the new iPhone 17 Pros and iPhone Airs are already scratched, especially the iPhone 17 Pro in deep blue and the iPhone Air in space black. But other colors showed scratches, too, even the iPhone 17 Pro in cosmic orange — the hot color this year.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Now that we’re all running the latest software versions on our iPhones and Apple Watches, it’s time to go over the coolest new features.

Yes, Apple’s new Liquid Glass user interface takes some getting used to, but it’s pretty sweet in the end. And there are a bunch of other great additions we love. Join us for the conversation!

Also on The CultCast:

• A MacBook Pro with a touchscreen?!? It might be in the pipeline.
• The updates in iPadOS 26 finally fix the tablet’s multitasking problem.
• The Mac App Store is currently broken — but there’s a workaround.
• Cult of Mac’s buyback program buys everything from AirPods and iPhones to MacBooks and Magic Keyboards, damaged or not. Get your quote now.

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.

Enough customers are snapping up the base-model iPhone 17 that Apple reportedly asked the companies that assemble the handset to increase production.

There are also signs that the top-of-the-line iPhone 17 Pro Max is selling well.

Spike Lee’s crime drama starring Denzel Washington keeps pulling in a large audience, defying a possible second week drop off. Highest 2 Lowest earned a spot among the most popular films on streaming, according to two companies that track ratings. It’s a win for Apple TV+.

Plus, Apple TV+’s comedy The Studio had a comeback after winning lots of awards this week, and Apple’s adaptation of the sci-fi classic Foundation stayed popular even as its third season wrapped up.

An iPhone 17 Pro Max teardown confirms Apple sticking with Qualcomm’s modem for its flagship iPhones this year. The company did not specifically confirm using Qualcomm’s baseband on the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models while unveiling them.

This is unlike the iPhone Air, which uses Apple’s second-gen C1X modem.

The new cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro is undeniably orange. It’s not bronze, it’s not burnt umber, it’s not sepia or some other subdued shade that fades into the background.

No, Apple finally — after years of begging and pleading — produced a pro-level iPhone in an unapologetically bold color.

As a man in a loincloth once screamed while staring at something unfathomable: “Oh my god … [you] finally, really did it. You maniacs!”

To be fair, in that instance, the bare-chested man was ranting about something horrific. With the cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro, Apple did something previously unthinkable — and totally welcome.

In a flashback to past launch day problems, Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone 17 lineup faces an unexpected setback as users across China report iPhone 17 Pro scratches on the device’s redesigned glass-and-aluminum back, according to a new report.

Social media platforms have been flooded with images showing scuffs and scratches appearing on display models after just hours of store exposure.

Professional photographer Austin Mann dropped another edition of his annual iPhone Pro camera reviews Wednesday. He took his new iPhone 17 Pro up into northern Italy’s Dolomite Mountains during a biking, cycling and paragliding trip. Stunning photography resulted.

“At Apple’s keynote last week, I was most interested in the new 48-megapixel 4x telephoto lens, the 8x telephoto lens, Center Stage selfie mode, 4K ProRes Log at 120FPS and the new Photographic Style, Bright,” he wrote. “As always, Apple’s presentation is full of flashy new tech, but I always have one question: How will this new tech make our pictures and videos better?”

Find his in-depth video and a link to his full review with many more photos below.

Crowds thronged to Apple stores around the globe Friday to pick up the newest iPhones — the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air — on launch day. Apple CEO Tim Cook himself threw open the doors of Apple Fifth Avenue in New York City on Friday morning.

Alongside the exciting new iPhone lineup, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3 and AirPods Pro 3 also arrived at Apple retail stores and authorized outlets on Friday

Alongside the iPhone Air, Apple launched a battery pack specifically for the phone. And interestingly, the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery uses the same capacity battery as the device it supports.

The folks over at iFixit tore down the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery and discovered its unusual shape. Based on preliminary evidence, they concluded Apple might be using the exact same battery inside the iPhone Air.