News - page 168

Apple TV+ made a hit with the fictional remedial British spies of the series Slow Horses, and now it’s adding a documentary about the real former British spy-turned-author who essentially defined the spy thriller genre: John le Carré.

That famous name is not his real one, of course. It’s David Cornwell. And now his two sons are teaming up with legendary documentary filmmaker Errol Morris on the story of the author’s life, The Pigeon Tunnel, a title shared with his memoir. The film debuts October 20.

iPhone and Mac users can now install iOS 16.6 and macOS Ventura 13.5. These are mostly bug-fix updates with only a few tweaks, but are still worth installing.

Apple also launched iPadOS 16.6, watchOS 9.6 and tvOS 16.6.

The iPhone 14’s ability to tell when it’s been a car crash saved the life of a California man after he drove off a cliff and fell 400 feet. The Crash Detection feature automatically called for emergency assistance.

One of the rescuers says the man probably would have died without the quick aid made possible by the iPhone.

The streaming music service Spotify just increased its prices across the board. The costs of most subscription options are now the same as the prices of its arch rival, Apple Music price increase 2024.

These increases are occurring in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and many other countries around the globe.

Mechanical keyboards are all the rage for those who love the old-school typing feel and don’t mind the clackety-clacking noise. Today’s featured MacBook Pro and Studio Display setup features an old Apple A1048, which certainly looks the part of a mechanical keeb (but it’s not).

Read on the learn more about Apple’s past keyboards that are mechanical — and some that only look like it.

The shrinking screen bezel supposedly coming to the iPhone 15 Pro models are apparently only the start. Apple asked makers of OLED panels for iPhone to develop ones that have no bezels at all, according to a report coming out of Asia.

If true, it will enable Apple to put larger displays into future iPhones models without increasing the overall size of the device.

Apple is mulling raising prices for the iPhone 15 Pro and its Pro Max sibling in the United States. The company has yet to make a final decision on the matter, though.

The Cupertino giant has also asked its suppliers to manufacture about 85 million iPhone 15 units.

A version of the inexpensive Mac mini desktop upgraded with a faster Apple M3 processor will not be on the market for over a year, according to a reliable source.

However, there are other Macs with the M3 chip expected before the end of 2023.

Apple ended its famous “Think different” ad campaign more than 20 years ago, so perhaps it’s time for a reboot. Business.com challenged a generative AI to create new ads for the classic campaign featuring more current entertainment icons. The images produced for the AI-powered “Think Different” update look surprisingly good.

See for yourself.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest rumors point to impressive iPhone upgrades on the horizon. Stacked batteries might deliver the holy grail of longer battery life as early as this year. And in 2024, the iPhone Pro Max camera might graduate to a mind-blowing 12x zoom. Excuse if we’re a little excited!

Also on The CultCast:

• A secret project dubbed “Apple GPT” might make Apple’s products better — even Siri!
• If you’re not taking advantage of Continuity features, you’re doing Apple wrong.
• Sounds like we’ll be waiting quite a while for a truly pro Mac Pro.
• How in the world did Goldman Sachs lose so much money on Apple Card?!?

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.

La Maison is a one-hour drama set within a contemporary French fashion house. It focuses on the lives of powerful families involved in the world of fashion, aspirational French elegance and luxury.

The upcoming Apple TV+ series stars a who’s who of French actors, including Lambert Wilson and Amira Casar.

TSMC reportedly can’t get enough skilled workers to build its processor factory in Arizona. The company’s CEO warns that this means the start of chip manufacture in the United States won’t begin as soon as had been earlier projected.

That’s not good news for Apple, which has committed to sourcing processors from the plant.

Soccer legend Lionel Messi recently joined Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF, and Apple TV+ hopes to score off the Argentine star’s high-profile arrival. The streaming service is offering a range of MLS Season Pass content complementing the games it will air, starting July 21 with Leagues Cup coverage.

“Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami marks a historic moment for the sport in the U.S. and reflects the incredible momentum behind Major League Soccer,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, in a press release Friday. “We couldn’t be more excited to give fans around the world the opportunity to watch the greatest footballer of all time on MLS Season Pass.”

Popular farming simulator Stardew Valley+ is now playable via Apple Arcade. The game promises many hours of entertainment, with farming, ranching, fighting monsters and even getting married.

It’s one of a number of classic titles to hit Apple’s gaming subscription service in recent weeks.

Nomad introduced ChargeKey in 2013, and at long last the popular little keychain charging cable got an update. Now it sports a fresh design and USB-C and Lightning versions to help you power up today’s devices on the go.

Our travels online among computer setups show that a great many Apple users don’t choose Magic Mouse — and many even detest it. So they select popular products from Logitech and other makers. But some people, like graphic designers, passionately defend Apple’s sleek and slippery mouse, and today’s featured MacBook Pro-and-custom-PC setup is a testament to that. Long live Magic Mouse!

Apple Watch is one of the best accessories you can get for your iPhone. The smartwatch will complement your iPhone by mirroring key notifications and tracking your key health metrics.

If you are using an old Apple Watch or have yet to try one, now is the time. Amazon’s latest deal has slashed $70 off the Apple Watch Series 8, dropping its price to as low as $329.

Savvy shoppers can score a boatload of summer savings through Apple Pay’s promotion running through July 26.

Just head to the sellers’ websites through Apple’s promo page for great savings from the likes of Ray-Ban, Sonic, Gymboree and nine others. See below.

The Vaonis Hestia gives users a closer look at the moon, sun and stars, but it’s far from a traditional telescope. It’s designed to let beginners use their iPhone to view the heavens, easily find the celestial objects they want to see, and then photograph them.

It’s also quite portable. It’s ready to go with you to escape light pollution.

Zagg just launched a line of Bluetooth desktop keyboards that range in size from 12 inches all the way up to 17 inches, with larger models adding a numberpad and function keys. And they really don’t need wires, as they also charge wirelessly

In addition, the new keyboard lineup includes one designed specifically to plug into the Lightning port of an iPad. And there’s a USB-C variant, too.

A standout feature of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max is reportedly causing assembly problems. The high-end models Apple will launch in autumn 2023 are expected to have the thinnest screen bezels of any handset, but that’s apparently making the panels harder than usual to produce.

If true, this could lower the supply of the iOS devices when they launch.

The on again/off again iPhone SE 4 is reportedly off again. For at least a couple of years, anyway. Apple reportedly no longer intends to make a new budget iOS handset in 2024.

That’s probably not surprising considering the popularity of the company’s more expensive models.

Apple’s M1 MacBook Air was available for just $749.99 on Prime Day earlier this month. In case you missed that deal, Amazon is again discounting the machine to $749, knocking a staggering $250 off its retail price.

If you need a new laptop, this is the deal you should not miss. At $749.99, the M1 MacBook Air provides one of the cheapest ways to get into Apple’s ecosystem.

The U.K. government has proposed an update to the Investigatory Powers Act that Apple and other tech companies strongly oppose because it they argue it would substantially weaken the security of their messaging applications.

The updated act would allow the government to require security features in the apps be disabled immediately and without informing users.

Apple reportedly warned that it’ll disable iMessage and FaceTime in the UK before it’ll comply with the law.

Netflix just killed its Basic plan, forcing people to pay more for an ad-free experience. And the cost of all Peacock plans went up, with or without commercials.

Apple TV+, with no ads at all, looks like a better deal than ever.