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News - page 149

All AirPods might get USB-C charging in 2024

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Apple AirPods 3 Review
An AirPods 3 charging case with USB-C might be on Apple's radar.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple could release charging cases that use USB-C for lower-priced AirPods in 2024, according to an unconfirmed report. A similar case for premium AirPods Pro 2 is expected at Apple’s September event next week.

And Apple might bring USB-C to AirPods Max next year, too, as part of a general move away from Lightning.

‘So we’re doing dual Studio Display setups?’ [Setups]

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One Studio Display in landscape orientation and one in portrait -- what could be more picture-perfect?
One Studio Display in landscape orientation and one in portrait -- what could be more picture-perfect?
Photo: [email protected]

Cult of Mac‘s coverage of user computer setups shows lots and lots of people love Studio Displays. And tons of folks love dual-display setups. But two Studio Displays in a setup? You’d think we’d see more of those.

And today’s featured setup not only boasts dual Studio Displays, it sports two Macs — an M2 Mac mini and an M1 Pro MacBook Pro — in addition to a split mechanical keyboard and some 3D-printed parts.

Go on a Godzilla hunt in first trailer for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

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Godzilla in new sci-fi drama series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” on Apple TV+.
Up from the depths, 30 stories high, breathing fire, his head in the sky: Godzilla!
Photo: Apple TV+

Those eager to see more about the upcoming Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters can finally watch a teaser trailer. It gives the best look yet at the show set in the MonsterVerse that contains Godzilla and other classic kaiju.

Apple also announced that the series will premier in November 2023.

iPhone 15 Pro might not get a price bump

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iPhone 15 Concept
iPhone 15 Pro could ship with 8GB RAM but base storage could remain unchanged.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Contrary to rumors, research firm TrendForce thinks Apple will not hike the iPhone 15 Pro’s price. Instead, only the Pro Max model will see a price bump.

The Taiwanese firm predicts the iPhone 15 Pro Max will start at $1,199, a $100 increase from the 2022 model.

New deal puts Arm tech in iPhone and Mac processors beyond 2040

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Apple M3 processor
Apple's upcoming M3 processor is based on the Arm architecture as part of a licensing agreement that will continue for many years.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple and Arm extended beyond 2040 the deal that puts Arm-based processors in iPhone, Mac and other Apple computers.

This enables the Apple’s A series and M series of chips to continue progressing for decades.

Install these updates ASAP to protect your iPhone and Mac from hackers

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iOS update blocks Pegasus spyware from iPhones
Install iOS 16.6.1 on your iPhone to protect it from the Pegasus spyware.
Photo: Андрей Сидоренко/Pixabay/Cult of Mac

Apple released iOS 16.6.1, macOS 13.5.2, iPadOS 16.6.1 and watchOS 9.6.2 on Thursday to address a potentially serious security vulnerability. All the updates fix security flaws, including one that may already have been exploited by hackers to deliver the infamous Pegasus spyware.

So don’t delay — update your devices with these patches soon.

Enter to win a carbon fiber case and band for Apple Watch [Cult of Mac giveaway]

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Lightweight carbon fiber Apple Watch Ultra band and case by Lululook.
The two prizes in this week's package are made of lightweight carbon fiber for all day, everyday comfort.
Photo: Lululook

In this week’s giveaway, one lucky winner will receive a Carbon Fiber Apple Watch Band and an Apple Watch Carbon Fiber Case, both from Lululook.

This prize package, worth $150, will protect your Apple Watch or Apple Watch Ultra to the max.

16-inch MacBook Pro drops to its lowest price again

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2023 MacBook Pro in 16-inch and 14-inch sizes
The killer $250 off deal on the 16-inch MacBook Pro is back.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro is the perfect laptop for people always on the go. With its M2 Pro chip, the machine can easily handle demanding workloads.

Its starting price tag of $2,499 makes it more expensive than the competition. But Amazon has slashed 10% off the machine’s price, making it cheaper by $250.

New ‘Apps by Apple’ guide serves up great apps on a platter

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The new Apps by Apple webpage gives you an overview and access to Apple's first-party apps.
The new Apps by Apple webpage gives you an overview and access to Apple's first-party apps.
Photo: Apple

Apple quietly added a helpful new “Apps by Apple” section to its website last week. Cupertino’s new guide breaks down the world of great Apple apps into helpful sections all in one place.

Some people wonder if it’s part of Apple’s response to the European Union’s moves to force sideloading of apps on iPhones.

Apple TV+ goes German with dark comedy Where’s Wanda?

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Apple TV+ goes German with dark comedy 'Where’s Wanda?'
Carlotta and Dedo do whatever it takes to find their daughter in Where’s Wanda?, coming soon to Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

The upcoming series Where’s Wanda? is a dark comedy that follows parents searching for their missing daughter who discover that behind closed doors, none of their neighbors are who they pretend to be.

It will be the first Apple TV+ series in German.

Report to the future with wild new Voyager split keyboard

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Emphasizing ergonomic typing and loads of customization options, it's especially useful for laptop users, the company said.
Emphasizing ergonomic typing and loads of customization options, it's especially useful for laptop users, the company said.
Photo: ZSA

The slim new Voyager mechanical keyboard that ZSA launched Wednesday, radically split into two low-profile pieces, looks mighty futuristic.

Emphasizing ergonomic typing and loads of customization options, it’s especially useful for laptop users, the company said.

Adorable classic Macintosh mini is really multiport dock

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Adorable classic Macintosh mini is really multiport dock
RayCue 128K puts the fun in functional.
Image: RayCue

The RayCue 128K looks like a tiny version of the iconic Macintosh from 1984, but it’s useful in 2023. Very useful — it packs 14 ports and Bluetooth speaker. And the display acts as a digital picture frame.

If that’s not enough, the matching “keyboard” adds seven more ports.

New GaN multiport charging station sports LED display

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Stick this thing in your computer setup and you probably won't need another device charger or power strip.
Stick this thing in your computer setup and you probably won't need another device charger or power strip.
Photo: Baseus

The new Baseus PowerCombo Tower Series Power Strip 35W, featuring an LED display and festooned with AC outlets and USB ports, is a great charging station for the desktop, the company said Wednesday.

Baseus called it “the world-first charging station with LED display.”

Apple’s custom 5G modem for iPhones to debut in 2025

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Apple 5G modem chip
Apple is hard at work on its 5G modem.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

According to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple’s 5G modem will debut in 2025. The Cupertino giant has been working on its in-house modem for a few years now.

Qualcomm currently supplies Apple with 5G basebands for its entire product lineup. But the company knows Apple is developing its own cellular modem, and it will be ready sooner than later.

Apple’s conversational AI efforts began 4 years ago

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John Giannandrea
John Giannandrea started Apple working on conversation AI long before ChatGPT came along.
Photo: Apple

Don’t accuse Apple of just waking up to benefits of conversational AI. It reportedly started developers working on voice-driven artificial intelligence systems four years ago.

And the company is now pouring money into the project.

Apple won’t be forced to pull iMessage and FaceTime out of the UK

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iMessage and FaceTime
U.K. residents, looks like you get to keep using iMessage and FaceTime.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

The U.K. government dropped a plan that would have allowed it to access the contents of any online message looking for illegal content. It had sought a way around the encryption that protects messaging services like iMessage and WhatsApp.

Apple threatened to disable iMessage and FaceTime in the UK rather than submit to the proposal on the grounds that it would completely compromise the privacy of all users. Other companies said the same about their apps.

Sonos Move 2 speaker brings stereo sound, double the battery life

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In addition to the black or white options to match other Sonos speakers, you can get Move 2 in a new olive color.
In addition to the black or white options to match other Sonos speakers, you can get Move 2 in a new olive color.
Photo: Sonos

The revamped Sonos Move 2 portable speaker sports stereo sound, up to 24 hours of battery life — twice that of its predecessor — and a slew of design changes since the water-resistant speaker’s initial release four years ago, the company said Wednesday.

Sonos Move 2 becomes available September 20 for $449.

Severance fans get ‘8 Hour Work Day Innie Mix’ of theme song

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Adam Scott stars in
Adam Scott stars in "Severance." While you wait (and wait) for season 2, treat yourself to 8 hours of the show's theme music.

Fans who miss the psychological dark dramedy Severance on Apple TV+ can now drone out to a full day of the show’s ghostly piano-based theme song with the “8 Hour Work Day Innie Mix,” which Apple released Tuesday on YouTube.

Get it, innies? You can play the eerie mix for your whole 8-hour workday. It’s like having the show’s credits roll all day in your head as you start to question your choices in life.

Chinese government workers banned from using iPhones

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A new wave of lockdowns in China could put Apple millions of units behind on iPhone production.
No iPhone for you, China government workers!
Illustration: Cult of Mac

Apple has been caught in the middle of the high tech trade war between the United States and China. Many government employees have been ordered to not use an iPhone for work. Official government disapproval could result in lowered sales in the country, which currently contributes heavily to Apple revenue.

iPhone has not been singled out, though. The workers are not allowed to use any smartphone made outside of China.

Big-time gamer’s rig doubles as dream shopping list [Setups]

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This Mac Studio and Studio Display setup is a gamer's paradise, with six gaming systems.
This Mac Studio and Studio Display setup is a gamer's paradise, with six gaming systems.
Photo: [email protected]

If you’re an avid gamer or you’re shopping for one, you could do worse than to check out today’s featured Mac Studio and Studio Display setup.

The user gets seriously greedy with a peripherals lineup that others might want to emulate, including six gaming systems, four keyboards, four mice and a stellar sound system.

Nomad upgrades fancy Base One Max to 3-in-1 charger

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The solid glass-and-metal charger lies flat to power up iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods.
The solid glass-and-metal charger lies flat to power up iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods.
Photo: Nomad

Nomad’s premium metal-and-glass Base One Max 2-in-1 charger got an upgrade this week to 3-in-1. It can charge iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch simultaneously, the company said.

The charger boasts official MagSafe tech, so it will goose your handset with a full 15 watts.

EU Digital Markets Act will open iPhone to sideloading of apps

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European Union
The European Union takes another step toward tough regulations on tech giants like Apple.
Photo: Freestocks.org

Now that iOS and the App Store have been labeled “gatekeepers” by the European Commission, the EU’s Digital Markets Act requires Apple to allow users to install applications directly onto iPhones. And sideloading is just one of the sweeping changes resulting from the DMA. Users apparently will be able to replace Siri with one of its rivals, for example. Other services, like iMessage, might require modification later.

One thing’s clear: The iPhone won’t be the same after the Digital Markets Act goes into effect in spring 2024.

You know you want to watch this trailer for The Super Models

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From left, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington became icons of fashion and culture in the 1980s.
From left, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington became icons of fashion and culture in the 1980s.
Photo: Apple

The four women who sparked the term “supermodel” in the 1980s — Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington — were a close-knit sisterhood and “the original influencers,” according to the new trailer Apple TV+ dropped Wednesday for the upcoming documentary series The Super Models.

The four-part series, which promises never-before-seen commentary from fashion and pop culture luminaries, walks the runway September 20.

Leak details iPhone 15 Pro’s camera specs

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iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max brought big-time camera-system upgrades.
iPhone 15 Pro Max's camera bump could be bigger than ever.
Photo: Leander

With less than a week to go for Apple’s “Wonderlust” event, a new report revealed key details about the iPhone 15’s camera setup. It appears Apple plans big camera upgrades this year — but probably not in the way you expect.

Corroborating previous rumors, the report confirms the periscope camera will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

iPhone and iPad apps will go automatically into Apple Vision Pro App Store

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Apple Vision Pro applications
Vision Pro won't suffer from a lack of software if Apple has anything to do with it ... and it does.
Photo: Apple

There certainly will not be a dearth of apps for the Vision Pro when it launches — Apple said Tuesday that every compatible iOS and iPadOS application will be automatically listed in an upcoming App Store for the AR headset.

That means there’ll be “hundreds of thousands” of apps for Vision Pro at its debut early next year, according to Apple.