The wait goes on for two features that Apple promised to add to iOS 17. The iPhone-maker committed itself to collaborative music playlists and AirPlay in hotel rooms but now says these won’t be available before 2024.
These are the last significant additions expected for iOS 17.
If you own an Apple computer of any shape or size, odds are it just got an operating system upgrade. Monday brought the public launch of macOS Sonoma 14.2, iPadOS 17.2, iOS 17.2, watchOS 10.2 and tvOS 17.2.
And these aren’t simple bug fixes. There’s new features.
Nearly two months after iOS 17‘s release, Apple released the iPhone operating system’s second major point build Monday. iOS 17.2 introduces several new features and changes, with many that Apple first demoed at WWDC23 in June.
iOS 17.2’s marquee feature is Apple’s new Journal app, though it enhances several other aspects of the OS. Find out everything new in iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2 below.
Apple plans to offer financial incentives to artists and record labels who mix songs using surround-sound Spatial Audio technology Dolby Atmos, sources close to the matter said Monday.
Greater weighting placed on those audio streams starting in 2024 will likely mean higher royalties paid out.
A big upgrade to a computer setup is a major boost to any user. And today’s featured rig, though it may look unassuming, got a doozy of a makeover. A Mac mini dating all the way back to 2012 finally retired after a long career. And a powerful new M2 Max Mac Studio took over, with a late-model MacBook Air riding shotgun.
But that’s not all. Read more about other bonuses in the rejuvenated setup besides the laptop, and check out the full gear list below.
Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon picked up seven nominations for the 81st Golden Globe Awards. That puts the Apple TV+ historical drama near the top in total noms.
And several series from Apple’s streaming service also did well, including The Morning Show and Lessons in Chemistry.
Security and privacy concerns caused Apple to block messaging service Beeper Mini, the company said Sunday. But on Monday Beeper Mini got around the block and pledged to keep making its service available.
This followed Beeper Mini’s highly publicized launch on December 5. It said it had successfully reverse-engineered iMessage to turn green Android text bubbles blue on iPhones.
From that moment, many people wondered how long Apple would let it stand (just a few days, it turned out).
Update: Beeper Mini is back with improvements, according to a new blog post that puts the ball back in Apple’s court. Beeper said it’s willing to share its codebase with an independent research firm and reirterated it could add a pager emoji to enable filtering of Beeper Mini messages in iMessage. See more on the story so far below.
If you have an iPhone 14, you may want to protect it with a new case. MagEasy offers an interesting selection of options, from glamorous to rugged (but without the bulk). You’ll also find four screen protectors and a portable stand in the mix.
You can see the whole MagEasy iPhone 14 collection in the Cult of Mac Store. And they’re on sale now!
The Apple TV+ espionage-thriller series Slow Horses pulls in big audiences. It gets more viewers than almost anything else on streaming, according to a pair of market analyses.
Apple TV+ actually has two very popular series streaming now. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is also near the top of the rating charts.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest Apple rumors point to a jumbo iPad Air and even-better (and pricier) iPad Pros landing in early 2024. Plus, Apple’s powerful M3 chip reportedly will come to more Macs.
We run down what it all means. Brace yourself for performance!
Also on The CultCast:
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.
You’re running out of time to buy the Apple gifts your loved ones want for the holidays. If you need to buy an iPhone, iPad or AirPods, you need to make a well-informed decision quickly — but how do you know which model to get?
We have a helpful new video that will explain the differences between various iPhone, iPad and AirPods models. Plus, we published detailed written buying guides for your convenience.
Tang Tan, the vice president of product design for Apple’s iPhone and Apple Watch, is leaving in February 2024. He reportedly made “critical decisions about Apple’s most important products.”
Following his departure, Apple will reshuffle and split up the hardware design team to manage Tang’s responsibilities.
Tesla drivers will soon have access to the Apple Podcasts app to help keep them entertained on long drives.
It’s one of the changes coming in the 2023 Holiday Update, which the car-maker promises will roll out “next week.”
This time of year folks are getting in the holiday spirit and setting up Christmas trees, Hanukkah menorahs or Kwanzaa kinaras. But don’t forget to light up your Mac, iPad and iPhone screens with festive holiday wallpapers, too.
Today’s featured setup iMac and MacBook Air setup is so festive they could maybe skip all the other decorations!
There’s no better smartwatch for your iPhone than the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The only problem is its steep $799 price tag.
Thankfully, Amazon is taking up to $69 off Apple’s best smartwatch, dropping its price to $729.99.
This week’s Cult of Mac giveaway prize is a mophie 3-in-1 MagSafe travel charger that retails for $149.95. The compact charger is perfect for anyone with a busy schedule who’s on the go. You can charge multiple devices simultaneously at maximum speed with this great fold-up Apple accessory.
The 3-in-1 charger can juice up an iPhone, an Apple Watch and AirPods all at once. It comes with a handy travel pouch to keep everything securely together, plus a USB-C cable and a wall adapter. Enter below for your chance to win — we’re giving away three of these excellent travel chargers.
Apple is a trillion dollar company today but it started out with very humble origins. There’s no better evidence than company co-founder Steve Jobs hand writing a check to the electronics store RadioShack for $4.01.
And now that check recently up for auction, and bought in 11,500 times its original value. How ‘s that for appreciation?
iPad 11 reportedly won’t be one of the tablets Apple unveils in March 2024. Instead, the next generation of the most affordable iPad won’t be out until the second half of the year.
And part of the development will supposedly happen in Vietnam.
iOS 17.2 will introduce a new way for sharing boarding passes, tickets and other passes stored in the Wallet app.
Like NameDrop, the iOS feature that lets owners easily share contact info, the new way to share passes will require bringing your iPhone close to the top of another iPhone with the Wallet app open.
Data breaches have compromised 2.6 billion personal consumer records in the past two years, with a rapid rise since last year, according to an independent study Apple published Thursday.
Increasing threats to consumer data stored in the cloud underscore a need for end-to-end data encryption like Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, launched in 2022, Apple said.
“Bad actors continue to pour enormous amounts of time and resources into finding more creative and effective ways to steal consumer data, and we won’t rest in our efforts to stop them,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “As threats to consumer data grow, we’ll keep finding ways to fight back on behalf of our users by adding even more powerful protections.”
You can connect the USB-C port on your MacBook directly to a high-resolution monitor without a hub using Satechi’s new HDMI adapter. And there’s also a version with a built-in 2-meter cable for easier connections.
In addition, the accessory-maker also just launched a USB-C Ethernet Adapter that offers up to 2.5 Gigabit data transfers.
After a disaster in space, an astronaut returns to Earth to find pieces of her life missing in the upcoming Apple TV+ sci-fi series Constellation. Apple released a “first look” at the action-packed psychological thriller Thursday.
The “conspiracy-based space adventure,” which stars Noomi Rapace and Jonathan Banks, sets down on Apple TV+ on February 21.
iPads are light and easy to handle, but sometimes you need your hands for other tasks — like glancing at a recipe while cooking. That’s where Xvida’s Magnetic Wall Mount for tablets comes in super, well, handy.
And it’s available now in the Cult of Mac Store for just $25.
Facebook tightened security on its popular Messenger platform by adding end-to-end encryption for all users. This means Meta can not eavesdrop on conversations.
Reports that this feature was “coming soon” have been circulating since at least 2016.
Some governments are spying on push notifications sent to iPhone users, Apple confirmed Wednesday. By examining logs of push notifications sent by various apps, authorities can piece together surprisingly detailed information about smartphone users and their activities.
The previously undisclosed data gathering, which also affects Android devices, became public after Sen. Roy Wyden published an open letter to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on Wednesday requesting disclosure of the surveillance method.