News - page 158

Apple’s long-awaited Vision Pro headset features all of Apple’s apps in a floating, immersive 3D space that’s designed to let wearers interact seamlessly with the real world, rather than walling them off in a virtual one.

“Vision Pro will introduce us to spatial computing,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook during the recorded WWDC23 keynote Monday as he unveiled the pricey device. “This marks the beginning of a journey that will bring a powerful new dimension to personal technology.”

The company described it as “the first Apple product you look through, not at.” Vision Pro starts at $3,499 and will be available early next year.

Apple’s transition to its own silicon is finally complete with the launch of a new Mac Pro, which combines Apple’s powerful M2 Ultra chip with PCIe expansion.

The new Mac Pro features the “most powerful chip ever created for a personal computer,” and is up to 3x faster than the previous-generation Intel-based model.

The Mac Studio just got its first update, and it’s a screamer.

The desktop machine now comes with Apple’s new M2 Ultra chip — the “most powerful chip ever created for a personal computer,” according to Apple.

The new chip, based on Apple silicon, triples the performance of the previous M1 machine.

iOS 17 will bring major improvements to the Phone app, FaceTime and Messages on your iPhone with new customization options. In the Phone app, you can now set personalized contact posters or memoji to make the call screen a lot more vibrant.

“Our next release iOS 17, delivers more expressive communication, simplified sharing, more intelligent input and all new experiences for your iPhone,” said Craig Federighi on stage during the WWDC23 keynote.

The 15.3-inch MacBook Air 2023 starts at $1,299 and is available in several stunning colors, including starlight, silver, midnight, and the ever-popular space gray MacBook Air. For a closer look at how space gray compares to silver, check out this detailed review.

The newest macOS notebook boasts a long battery life, comes with an Apple M2 processor, and the price is only $1,299.

“With its incredible performance and striking design, the new MacBook Air is the world’s best 15-inch laptop. And it’s only possible with Apple silicon,” said John Ternus, Apple’s SVP of hardware engineering, in a statement.

Apple stock price is up 2% on Monday, rising to a new record high. Each share is going for about $184.60, sailing past the previous high of around $182 set back in early 2022.

Experts credit a recent rise in AAPL on anticipation for the VR/AR headset that Apple will almost certainly unveil on Monday.

You may already have a mouse pad in your computer setup, but what about a desk mat? Similar concepts in some ways, those two. But many folks may not even think of a desk mat as a necessary item in a computer setup. Or they may consider it an afterthought rather than any sort of priority.

But the humble desk mat, reminiscent of grandpa’s desk blotter, has its benefits. And that came up with today’s featured, desk-mat-free M1 MacBook Air setup.

With Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference just a week hours away, anticipation is building for what looks like one of the company’s most momentous events in years. In addition to the next versions of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS and macOS, Apple reportedly plans to use its WWDC23 keynote on June 5 to showcase some very interesting hardware.

Here’s a roundup of what to expect from the WWDC23 keynote, which streams live at 10 a.m. Pacific today.

Apple’s online store down a few hours ahead of the WWDC23 opening keynote. The Cupertino company could announce several new hardware products at the event.

Alongside the 15-inch MacBook Air and new Mac Studio, Apple will also unveil iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and watchOS 10.

Maybe all this talk of superior AI chatbots is getting to Apple’s voice assistant. Siri interrupted a radio broadcast Saturday during a double-header matchup between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays.

The voice assistant had a pretty good reason. The announcer said Siri’s name. But he was talking about Rays outfielder Jose Siri coming up to bat.

And Siri’s response was apparently unintelligible. Typical swing and a miss.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: With WWDC23 just days away, we’re going on the record with our predictions for Apple’s most momentous developer conference in years. Will iOS 17 allow alternative app stores? Will the Apple headset cost $3,000? Will our reputations survive this public guessing game?

Also on The CultCast:

• It looks like new high-end Macs will definitely be in the mix — and the leaked specs sound absolutely blistering.
• The Apple headset’s advanced hardware might make virtual reality look stunningly real.
• Generative AI shows us what the rest of Taylor Swift’s evermore album cover might look like.

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.

The “Hey Siri” trigger phrase for Apple’s virtual assistant could go away soon, replaced with a shorter version. And the change might be announced at WWDC23 next week.

Being able to activate Siri by simply saying “Siri” near an iPhone, HomePod, etc., could make activating Apple’s virtual assistant easier.

Apple’s WWDC keynote is the biggest event of the year, kicking off the annual cycle of software updates and changes to every single platform — iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Only a few people buy a new Apple product every year, but everyone has something to look forward to after WWDC. How can you watch it all unfold this Monday?

You can watch the live stream on the web on Apple’s website or on YouTube, inside the free Apple Developer app, on your smart TV, and for a select lucky few, in person — my tips on how to make the most of that and more are all below.

The breathtaking first season of Apple TV+ drama Drops of God was deeply, compulsively consumable, just like the fine wine on the show itself. A fascinating portrait of obsessives consumed by a familial burden — and the promise of millions — the season wrapped today with a fantastic finale.

Cult of Mac spoke to lead actor Fleur Geffrier about the process of inhabiting a wine expert’s palette, the challenges and lessons she learned while making Drops of God, and how to make the internal external.

Calling WWDC23 Apple’s “most significant product launch event in nearly a decade,” a report Friday relayed new information about the event’s headlining hardware — Apple’s first AR/VR headset.

While the headset won’t go on sale for months, WWDC attendees and media can try demonstrations of it in a large new structure at Apple Park, and in future demos throughout the summer.

Apple could launch two new high-end desktop Macs at WWDC23 next week. Labeled internally as Mac 14,13 and Mac 14,14, the two machines could be Apple’s most powerful Macs yet.

Likely aimed at professionals, the new desktop Macs — likely updated versions of the Mac Studio — reportedly will feature M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips. The rumored specs point to big performance boosts.

Some computer setups blow you away with the sheer number of components they include. Today’s featured M1 Mac mini rig not only has five computing devices — not counting a whole wall full of gaming systems — its gear list at the bottom of this post includes 33 items.

And that doesn’t even count the 3D printer, smartphones and a bunch of other items the user showcased.

Want to make Siri smart again and help boost Apple’s artificial-intelligence chops across the board? A recent Apple job posting shows it seeks “machine-learning engineers with a background and/or interest in conversational and generative AI.”

“This role will play a critical part in helping Apple change the way humans learn about learning,” the listing noted.

Hard to say if the new engineers will inject more gray matter into Siri, but one source suggests they might work on device-based apps for Apple’s AR/VR headset, expected to show on Monday at WWDC23 Monday.

There’s good news for Mac gamers: a pair of top-quality games are headed for Apple desktops and laptops. No Man’s Sky is out now while Stray is coming soon.

However, both won’t be available for Intel-based Macs.

Apple plans to open at least 24 new stores worldwide through 2027, focusing on expanding its retail presence in Asia and Europe.

Additionally, Apple will revamp or relocate six stores in Asia, nine in Europe, and 13 in the United States.

Apple Card Savings accounts launched to great acclaim recently with their high yield, but some customers are complaining that withdrawing money and transferring funds through the Goldman Sachs-held accounts takes too long.

And some are leaving, according to a new report.

Apple’s 27-inch 5K Studio Display is down to one of its lowest prices of the year. You can get the high-end monitor for $1,349, a whopping 16% off its MSRP.

If you want the nano-texture glass, that’s available with a $100 discount.

That’s some interesting timing on Meta’s press release Thursday for a VR headset not expected to come out until at least late September. Mark Zuckerberg and company wedged in a tease for Meta Quest 3 just four days ahead of WWDC23, when Apple is expected to unveil its much-anticipated AR/VR headset.

The Meta press materials even appropriated “we can’t wait,” one of Apple CEO Tim Cook’s trademark phrases.

On Thursday, noted Apple enthusiast Basic Apple Guy put out colorful new versions of his iPhone 14 schematics iOS wallpaper. They show the handsets’ innards in startling detail.

The new versions’ beautiful gradient colors match Apple marketing for WWDC23, coming up on Monday, he said.

An independent study found App Store developers generated $1.1 trillion in total billings and sales last year as part of the system’s robust year-over-year growth of 29%, Apple said Wednesday.

More than 90% of the money went to developers, without any commission paid to Apple, the company said.