App Store retention messages are a new tool that lets developers try to dissuade their customers before they cancel a subscription.
These pop-ups can carry text, images and even special offers. They give app makers one last shot at keeping you… and could change how canceling feels.
Apple’s HomeView will reportedly include an anti-spoofing protection that locks a profile after three attempts to fool the display’s face recognition. After that, users will apparently need an iPhone to get back in.
That matters because HomeView will sit in a kitchen or hallway, showing personal messages and calendars. The security protection should keep siblings from spying on each other.
And a tougher lockout cooldown system is reportedly on the way, too.
/While some companies are going all in on encouraging their employees to use AI, Apple is taking the opposite route. The iPhone maker is cutting what some engineers can spend on AI tools as part of a broader effort to rein in costs.
Bloomberg reports that Apple lowered the daily AI spending cap for some engineers by $100 to $200 in October.
Apple Music is getting Selfie Sing, an upcoming feature that films you belting out a hit with lyrics scrolling on your iPhone’s screen. It builds on Apple Music Sing, the singalong feature introduced in iOS 16.2. And no extra app is needed to shoot the clip.
The feature debuts with iOS 27.3, currently in beta.
The upcoming iPhone 18 could pack a bigger battery and a faster processor, but shoppers might also face a price hike.
Apple already raised the iPhone 17’s starting price from $799 to $899 in September. And the iPhone 18 Pro models launched with higher prices, as well.
It seems likely that base-model iPhone 18 buyers will face another price jump in a few months.
The first iOS 27.3 developer beta, which Apple released Tuesday, brings lots of big changes to the iPhone.
Some of the new stuff — like the redesigned Health app and the Apple Watch’s Audio Intelligence features (which work with watchOS 27.3 beta 1, also out now) — we’ve heard about before. But other additions come out of the blue. And Siri AI takes another step toward greatness as Apple ramps up its capabilities.
Here’s everything new in the iOS 27.3 beta (and the related releases, iPadOS 27.3 and watchOS 27.3).
Beta testing for iOS 27.3, macOS 27.3 and more began on Tuesday, and a highlight is Apple allowing all developers to experiment with connecting their apps to its much more capable Siri AI. This has the potential to revolutionize the iPhone.
Beyond that, the betas bring a collection of other new features to the iPhone, Apple Watch and other devices. The update includes support for two new AI-powered features that let the latest Apple Watch models listen to nearby conversations. And Apple’s redesigned Health app returns to iPhone.
Just be aware, with the betas so new, many of the features in these upcoming OS upgrades are still being found.
iPhone Duo supply constraints aren’t going away anytime soon, and Apple currently has no timeline for when they will.
If you missed the preorder rush for Apple’s first-ever foldable device, expect a long wait. Orders placed now won’t be delivered until late January. And the problem isn’t going away.
Apple rolled out a new tvOS 27.2 build for the upcoming fourth-generation Apple TV 4K. The new hardware is getting a different version of the update than current Apple TV owners got last week. Apple hasn’t explained what changed, but it leaked out.
The new version of the streaming box is scheduled to launch in mid-November.
Peak Design already sells Qi2 charging stands and car mounts for its magnetic iPhone cases. Now, it’s completing the lineup by launching four new products.
This includes a Qi2.3 magnetic power bank with a built-in kickstand, a 65W GaN wall charger, a folding 2-in-1 charging station and braided USB-C cables.
A YouTuber turned an iconic “sunflower” iMac G4 into a DIY HomeView — and posted the necessary files on GitHub for anyone to use for free.
When creator Jesse Richards bought the iMac G4 for just $20, the computer wouldn’t even boot up. But after vibecoding a fix, Richards is now able to query his homemade HomeView about the weather, his calendar, recipes and more. It even controls some of his smart home, just like Apple’s official HomeView, hasn’t yet hit store shelves.
“It’s the most-used screen in my house,” said Richards.
After posting yet another quarterly revenue record on Monday, Apple provided more insight into the massive scope of its operatings in its quarterly earnings call.
During the live-streamed call, new Apple CEO John Ternus and CFO Kevan Parekh praised the company’s new products and dug into the nitty-gritty about financials. A Q&A session with Wall Street analysts yielded more questions than actual answers, but the numbers Ternus and Parekh tossed around speak volumes.
Apple CEO John Ternus on Monday answered a question on the mind of many after the first MacBook with a touchscreen was announced: what does this mean for the future of the iPad?
Ternus’s answer gave the very good reason why the company isn’t going to combine Mac and iPad: it would make them both worse.
Apple just reported another record-breaking quarter, despite the company being forced to increase prices on many of its products because of an ongoing global memory shortage.
“Today, Apple is proud to report a September quarter revenue record of $114.5 billion, up 12 percent from a year ago, with iPhone reaching a September quarter record and Services reaching an all-time high,” said John Ternus, Apple’s CEO, in a statement Monday.
Apple might add touchscreens to all its high-end MacBook Pros next year, leaving only the entry-level 14-inch model with a traditional display.
The rumor that Apple will make touch standard on every MacBook Pro with a Pro or Max chip comes just days after the company unveiled its first touchscreen MacBook Pro.
Apple’s upcoming smart display could double up as a HomeView security camera. The best part? It’s said to use the same built-in camera that handles FaceTime.
Text found in HomeView’s software code describes a security camera mode with features like motion detection, live streaming and recording.
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: Apple just released the first touchscreen Mac in history — and totally soft-pedaled the touchy-feely part!
Instead, the company emphasized the screen quality of the new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, including showing how great it works from mountaintops and forests.
Color us shocked! There’s plenty to discuss about this momentous Mac. That screen does look gorgeous. And a lighter laptop is always welcome. But that price … ouch!
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:
Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in your podcast app of choice. Or watch the video version, embedded below. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!)
Apple acquired AI company Ascend.io earlier this year, likely to boost its backend data handling. The now-shuttered company’s LinkedIn page says its goal was to “make data engineering delightful” by using AI and automation to build things faster, more safely and at scale.
Apple for everything from services like iCloud to tracking inventory. Plus, features like Siri AI only work if the data feeding them is clean and organized. Acquihiring a team that automates data-intensive tasks could help Apple deliver better results across the board.
Apple’s latest little smart speaker is now available to buy in person. The HomePod mini 2 reached store shelves on Friday, giving customers their first chance to pick it up since the announcement a few weeks ago.
The new model builds on the success of the original HomePod mini, which became a popular option for people who wanted Apple’s smart-speaker experience without paying for the full-size HomePod. The sequel brings a new generation of hardware while retaining the compact design that made the original so appealing.
Remember streaming TV and films with Popcorn Time? Maybe not. A forgotten Popcorn Time updater could potentially let attackers hijack up to an estimated 350,000 Macs. As it turns out, the updater kept running in the background even after people stopped using the entertainment app.
The flaw allowed anyone who controlled an expired update domain to run code on affected Macs without root access. Researchers disabled the updater on many machines since then, but the app itself remains risky. Uninstall it if you haven’t already.
Ask Apple CEO John Ternus, and he’ll tell you his company didn’t just introduce the first touchscreen MacBook Pro. No, they made a MacBook with a beautiful tandem OLED display that also has touch support. The distinction matters.
Still, there were good reasons to add limited touch support to the notebook, as company executives explained in a new interview. Also, if you strongly object to the inclusion of a touchscreen in a MacBook, you’re simply not the target market. Apple execs spelled out who was asking for the feature.
The new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is the first with a Dynamic Island. The interactive, pill-shaped module is borrowed from the iPhone, but where’s the iPhone’s Face ID? Apple left it out — and some Mac fans are mad.
On the iPhone, the Dynamic Island wraps around the TrueDepth camera that powers Face ID. But not on this pricey MacBook Pro — Touch ID still handles login authentication. Instead of the laptop unlocking magically when users look at it, they will need to give it the finger instead.
You can now configure the Mac Studio with up to 512 GB of memory from Apple. But it will cost you, with the final price reaching a whopping $22,299. And that’s before you bump the storage to 16TB, which pushes the price to almost $30,000.
The jump from 256GB to 512GB of memory alone adds a whopping $11,500 to the price.
The latest MacBook Pro comes with an incredible screen that’s bright, easy to see outdoors, and just happens to work as a touchscreen.
Apple’s promo video for the new laptop shows people typing, tapping and swiping in some very outdoorsy settings, like deep in the woods and high atop a mountain. It’s a great way to hammer home the point: The new MacBook Pro’s screen will deliver studio-quality results virtually anywhere.
It’s back! Apple’s first touchscreen MacBook Pro also brings back an iconic design feature of the past: the glowing Apple logo.
The new OLED touchscreen might grab the headlines, but the light on the lid will take longtime Mac users straight back to their first MacBook.