A highlight of the just-released budget iPad and iPad mini is the addition of Center Stage, a feature that lets the front-facing camera follow someone on a video call. It’s brilliant. It makes FaceTime and Zoom calls so much simpler.
This is perhaps the best new feature Apple has come up with in years. If you have a recent iPad and aren’t using this videoconferencing feature, you’re missing out. And here’s hoping it gets built into the 2022 iPhone.
Siri is widely considered the dumbest of the smart assistants (although I would argue that Samsung’s Bixby easily takes that crown) and it just got a little dumber. Apple has removed a whole bunch of useful Siri features that iPhone users — particularly those with vision impairment — relied on.
Siri can no longer play your voicemail messages, check your call history, send an email, and more. “Sorry, I can’t help with that” is the response that greets iPhone users who attempt to use the features that were available before iOS 15 made its public debut almost two weeks ago.
Apple somehow created the world’s greatest and most disappointing tablet operating system. iPadOS is by far the best you’ll find for larger touchscreens, and yet, it leaves us wanting so much more.
This year’s iPadOS 15 release is an incremental upgrade over its predecessor. It improves upon the split-screen multitasking system, adds some new features like Focus mode, and finally allows us to put widgets anywhere.
But it’s still iPadOS as we know it, and it’s still holding back iPad Pro. We could be doing so much more with the hardware, especially now that the newest models pack even-speedier M1 chips. But Apple won’t let us.
Here’s our full iPadOS 15 review. It lays out what’s good about the new operating system — and explains why we think it’s time for a little more ambition.
Apple warned owners of iPhone 13 and its newest iPad models on Friday that restoring their device from an earlier backup can cause problems in Apple Music. A bug prevents some users from accessing the Apple Music catalog and settings, and from using Sync Library on their new device.
The problem affects only iPhone 13, the 2021 iPad mini and the new ninth-generation iPad. Installing a software update fixes the problem.
iPhone 13, the 2021 iPad mini and the ninth-generation iPad hit the Apple Store on Friday morning. Cupertino showed off photos of customers getting their hands on its newest devices in Beijing to celebrate the occasion.
Those who preordered online last week also started receiving their new devices today. Twitter and other online platforms have become flooded with images from excited Apple customers with new products to unpack.
Amazon is already offering $30 off the new 10.2-inch iPad that was just launched by Apple. Bag yours with a speedy A13 Bionic processor, a gorgeous Retina display, and 64GB of storage for just $299 before the discount ends.
This year’s iPad refresh also brings an upgraded front-facing camera with the same Center Stage technology found in the latest iPad Pro.
The European Commission put forward legislation Thursday that would make USB-C the standard port for all smartphones and tablets. The move seems aimed directly at Apple and the Lightning port used in iPhone and the budget iPad. But it also would affect super-cheap Android handsets that still use micro-USB.
The proposal also would unbundle the sale of chargers from the sale of electronic devices.
Getting a new iPhone on Friday? You might need a charging adapter to go with it now that Apple no longer includes one in the box. Check out the handy PowerBuddy from SwitchEasy. It delivers 20W of power, packs USB-A and USB-C ports, and sports a compact design you can take anywhere.
It’s also 20% off in the Cult of Mac Store for a limited time.
It’s no longer possible to downgrade to iOS or iPadOS 14.7.1 if you’ve already updated your iPhone or iPad to a newer version of Apple’s firmware.
Cupertino stopped signing the update, first rolled out in July, after releasing iOS and iPadOS 15 to everyone on Monday. The move prevents users from reverting to the earlier build, but it won’t affect devices still running iOS 14.7.1.
Apple today kicked off a new promotion that offers six months of free Apple Music when you buy AirPods or select Beats headphones. It’s available only to new Apple Music subscribers who claim within 90 days of their purchase.
If you’re planning to pick up the awesome new iPad mini, don’t buy it from Apple. Amazon is already offering almost $40 off the latest model, reducing its starting price from $499 to just $459.99.
Bag yours before the discount disappears.
Preordering iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 Pro tomorrow? Apple now gives you new ways to shop for its newest devices. Take advantage of additional pickup, payment, and delivery options, as well as carrier offers at Apple Retail stores.
The same options are also available for the new iPad and iPad mini, which are already up for preorder ahead of their debut on September 24.
Apple surprised us several times Tuesday during its September product launch event. There was a lot to love on display … but not everything was awesome. We got some products we expected and some we didn’t.
Here are the high and low points of Apple’s “California Streaming” event.
If there’s one thing you can expect from a new Apple product release like its “California Streaming” event on Tuesday, it’s a lot of impressive facts and figures. After all, the older products are still impressive, yet the new ones have to be better. And they always are, at least to some degree.
It’s a little bit like the staggering numbers Apple throws around on its quarterly earnings calls. But here it’s all about the product performance indicators that will most likely lead to more record-breaking earnings in the near future. Shipping on the items below is imminent in most cases.
See below for a rundown of the newly announced products and updates by the numbers.
Benjamin Franklin once wrote that nothing in this world is a certainty, “except death and taxes.” If he were alive today, he might add “and the Apple Store going down before a big keynote” to that list.
“Be right back” reads the message that greets visitors who attempt to purchase anything through Apple’s website this morning. When it returns, we expect a whole bunch of new additions, including iPhone 13.
The ninth-generation iPad could make its debut during Apple’s big iPhone 13 event later today, according to one tipster. The new device is expected to come with a slightly larger display and a faster Apple chip, as well as a revamped design that’s similar to that of the iPad Air and iPad Pro.
Microsoft is testing new firmware for Xbox Controllers that makes using them with iPhone and iPad even better. The update adds Bluetooth Low Energy support, and allows you to pair both an Xbox console and iOS device so that switching between the two is easier than ever before.
Availability of the eighth-generation iPad is becoming scarce ahead of next week’s big Apple event. The 10.2-inch device is “currently unavailable” in some markets, while others face shipping delays of three to six weeks.
Apple is expected to introduce a new ninth-generation iPad, with a slimmer chassis and more powerful processor, this fall.
Apple will ask iPhone and iPad users for their permission to show personalized ads within its own apps in iOS and iPadOS 15.
A new popup appears when opening the App Store for the first time after installing one of Apple’s latest betas. It says personalized ads “help you discover apps, products and services that are relevant to you.”
Apple’s most popular devices could get even more expensive next year, with chip-maker TSMC said to be planning its biggest price increase in more than a decade. The move could also affect companies like Nvidia and Qualcomm.
Sources are blaming the price hike on a number of factors, including higher material costs and the ongoing chip shortage, which has encouraged some device vendors to buy up more components than they actually need.
Redditor NotDeadYet7917 dragged himself out of bed on Monday and photographed his M1 MacB00k Air computer setup exactly as it appears in real life. It’s not staged like some of these fancy-schmance setups you see (we’ve seen plenty). And you can tell the workstation is keeping it real by how “lived-in” it looks.
Apple will relax App Store rules for “reader” apps that let users access previously purchased content and subscriptions for books, magazines, music and more, the company said Wednesday.
The move closes an investigation by the Japan Fair Trade Commission, and will apply to all reader apps on the App Store — in all countries. The agreement with the JFTC also paves the way for users to create and manage accounts inside iOS apps.
South Korea has become the first country to tell Apple that it must open up the App Store to third-party payment platforms. The same law also applies to Google, and other countries likely will implement similar rules.
The amendment to South Korea’s Telecommunications Business Act prevents large app market operators from forcing their own payment systems on users and developers. It also bans unreasonable delays in app approvals.
Google could pay a whopping $15 billion to remain the default search provider on iPhone and iPad, according to one analyst. The figure could rise even higher, to as much as $20 billion, in 2022.
It is believed Google is willing to pay so much to ensure Microsoft and Yahoo, which may also be interesting in striking a deal with Apple, cannot break up the partnership Google has enjoyed for more than a decade.
Apple is exploring putting titanium chassis in its iPads, according to an unconfirmed report. This would make the tablet much more rigid.