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News - page 181

Eve beams Matter support to an array of smart home devices

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The Eve Motion sensor is one of the devices to receive the new firmware update with Matter support.
The Eve Motion sensor is one of the devices to receive the new firmware update with Matter support.
Photo: Eve Systems

A number of devices across Eve Systems’ product lineup are receiving support for the home automation networking standard Matter with a new, optional firmware update, the company said Monday.

Matter support — which lets devices from different makers work together over the same network — will come to Thread-enabled devices in the company’s Eve Door and Window, Eve Motion and Eve Energy lineups.

Formidable Mac trio drives pro streaming rig [Setups]

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This setup generates a 2-hour streaming show twice a week.
This setup generates a 2-hour streaming show twice a week.
Photo: [email protected]

Ahoy there, would-be video streamers — today’s featured computer setup comes from an airtight and seaworthy pro streaming operation you might want to emulate.

The folks behind Sailing Illustrated streams shared their rig, based on a Mac Studio, an M1 Mac mini, an M1 MacBook Pro, a Rode RodeCaster Pro production studio and a slew of related gear and software.

Apple dramatically increases iPhone assembly in India

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iPhone 14 Pro in India
Your next iPhone could be assembled in India rather than China.
Photo: Cult of Mac

After recent problems in China, Apple is ramping up iPhone assembly in India. The number of iOS handsets assembled in that country will reportedly triple in the coming years.

Previous reports have also indicated that Apple is putting a much greater emphasis on making iPhones in India.

Apple and Ericsson end iPhone patent dispute

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iPhone uses cellular-wireless tech patented by Ericsson
Apple and Ericsson buried the hatchet in their latest patent fight.
Photo: Cult of Mac

After a muti-year argument, Apple and Ericsson agreed to cross license each others patents on cellular standard-essential technologies. And they’ll drop their lawsuits, too.

What’s really happening though is that the two companies have negotiated how much money Apple will pay to license Ericsson patents for use in the iPhone.

Tiny new drone shoots 4K HDR video

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The DJI Mini 3 can transmit video from up to 10 kilometers away.
The DJI Mini 3 can transmit video from up to 10 kilometers away.
Photo: DJI

Just in time for the holidays, DJI released a tiny, more affordable version of its DJI Mini 3 Pro drone. Just subtract the world “Pro” from the name.

The new DJI Mini 3 weighs in at a svelte 249 grams (8.78 ounces) or less and shoots detail-rich, 4K HDR video, the company said.

M1 MacBook Air knows how to have fun [Setups]

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Lots of toys live in this MacBook Air and gaming PC rig.
Lots of toys live in this MacBook Air and gaming PC rig.
Photo: [email protected]

Some setups are no-nonsense, just the facts, ma’am — strictly utilitarian. Others are fanciful and full of toys. Today’s featured setup leans toward the latter, with its burgeoning population of Transformer figures crowding the shelf above the display and even related wall art.

And there’s plenty of gaming going on there, too, via a custom gaming PC and Nintendo Switch OLED in addition to an M1 MacBook Air and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Oh, and it has one of the coolest speaker systems ever made, too.

Glitter band turns your Apple Watch into a Christmas ornament

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Ready to get your bling on?
Ready to get your bling on?
Photo: Casetify

“Get your bling on with the Casetify Glitter Apple Watch Band!” says Casetify in its listing for the distinctive band. And at this time of year, the festive bands — available in four fun colors — seem especially merry.

But you can rock the sparkling band any time of year for whatever festivities you’re into. Just head to the Cult of Mac Store.

Google makes Chrome for Mac less of a RAM hog

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Websites may have issues with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox when each one hits version 100.
Google is improving Chrome so it takes up less of Mac's system memory. And it'll go easier on batteries, too.
Photo: Google/Apple

Google tweaked the desktop version of Chrome so that background tabs take up less memory. The widely used browser will also use less power when a laptop’s battery is getting low.

The changes are coming soon to the macOS version as well as other desktop OSs.

Corral accessories with new Mujjo tech organizers

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The new Mujjo Tech Kit is compact. The Tech Case is larger.
The new Mujjo Tech Kit is compact. The Tech Case is larger.
Photo: Mujjo

Are your Apple accessories and cables becoming a messy hassle, especially when you travel? Mujjo, known for its vegan leather products, unveiled a new collection of eco-friendly nylon tech organizers Thursday.

The Mujjo Tech Kit and Tech Case help keep your growing gaggle of tech accessories tidy and untangled, the company said.

Foldable power bank wirelessly charges iPhone and AirPods anywhere you go

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Foldable power bank wirelessly charges iPhone and AirPods anywhere you go
Satechi's new iPhone power bank is also a stand. And a wireless AirPods charger, too.
Photo: Satechi

Satechi’s latest power bank wirelessly juices up an iPhone while also serving as an adjustable mobile stand. The Duo Wireless Charger Power Stand can power the handset while its showing a film or just displaying incoming messages.

Plus, the 10,000 mAh battery wirelessly charges AirPods, too.

First look at Truth Be Told season 3 introduces new cast member

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Octavia Spencer, left, and new cast member Gabrielle Union star in
Octavia Spencer, left, and new cast member Gabrielle Union star in Truth Be Told season 3.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ offered a first look at season 3 of its award-winning drama Truth Be Told Thursday, introducing a new cast member in the process.

Actress Gabrielle Union joins Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer on the NAACP Image Award-winning show. Season 3 kicks off on January 20.

Apple employees have raised $880 million for charity since 2011

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Apple and its staff support organizations and communities around the world through volunteer work, donations and learning programs.
Apple and its staff support organizations and communities around the world through volunteer work, donations and learning programs.
Photo: Apple

Apple and its employees have raised more than $880 million in charitable giving for nearly 44,000 groups all over the world since the Employee Giving program started 11 years ago, the company said Thursday.

As part of that, more than 76,000 Apple workers have put in over 2.1 million volunteer hours. Apple matches employee giving and volunteer hours with donations, too, in addition to its corporate grants to organizations.

It’s official: 2025 iPhone must include USB-C in place of the Lightning port

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No more Lightning ports
Time is running out for the Lightning connector.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The European Parliament picked December 28, 2024 as date after which iPhone and all other handsets sold in the EU must have a USB-C port. That means the iPhone 17 in 2025 will definitely not include a Lightning port.

But unconfirmed reports say Apple will make the change earlier than that.

Apple drops controversial plan to scan iCloud Photos for CSAM

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Apple drops controversial plan to scan iCloud Photos for CSAM
Images in iCloud Photos will not be scanned for child sexual abuse material.
Image: Apple

Apple completely abandoned its previously announced plan to scan iCloud Photos libraries for child sexual abuse material. The company will not go through users’ pictures on its cloud-storage servers looking for CSAM images.

Instead, Apple is going the opposite direction by enabling users to encrypt pictures stored in iCloud Photos.

20-inch folding screen could change MacBooks forever

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MacBook Folio concept smoothly merges laptop and tablet
A touchscreen MacBook might be in development. And it'll have a 20-inch folding display.
Photo: Antonio De Rosa/ADR Studio

Apple could be working on a MacBook far larger than the current 16-inch model – a 20.25-inch one is supposedly in development. But don’t picture a standard laptop, as this will supposedly use a folding display.

Such a large screen would make the macOS notebook a productivity powerhouse.

iOS 16.2 with Freeform, Apple Music Sing and more is just days away

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WWDC22: Freeform, coming in iPadOS 16, works like a collaborative white board.
Freeform will soon be available in iOS 16.2, macOS Ventura 13.1 and iPadOS 16.2.
Photo: Apple

Apple seeded the iOS 16.2 release candidate to developers Wednesday, taking a huge step toward giving iPhone users access to the Freeform collaboration app, the recently announced Apple Music Sing and other exciting new features.

The iPadOS 16.2 release candidate also went out with nearly the same feature set. Plus, Apple seeded the macOS Ventura 13.1 RC, watchOS 9.2 RC and tvOS 16.2 RC to devs, too.

Apple vastly expands iCloud data encryption with 3 security updates

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Apple encryption
Apple plans to expand end-to-end encryption for more iCloud services.
Photo: Markus Spiske/Unsplash

Apple said Wednesday users are gaining three new security features to protect their data in the cloud, with some available now and some to come. The overall program is called Advanced Data Protection.

The three new functions to help keep data and communications safe are iMessage Contact Key Verification, Security Keys for Apple ID and Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, the company said.

Graphics breakthrough brings Linux on Apple silicon closer to reality

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Quake 3 running in a Linux environment on an M1 Mac
3D first-person shooter Quake 3 can run in Linux on an M1 Mac with the new graphics driver.
Screenshot: Alyssa Rosenzweig & Asahi Lina/Asahi Linux Blog

Independent developers working to get Linux running on Apple silicon have made a significant breakthrough — the release of the first graphics driver. This is an important step toward running operating systems other than macOS on Apple’s powerful new computers.

“We’ve been working hard over the past two years to bring this new driver to everyone, and we’re really proud to finally be here,” wrote developers Alyssa Rosenzweig and Asahi Lina in a Wednesday blog post announcing the GPU driver release. “This is still an alpha driver, but it’s already good enough to run a smooth desktop experience and some games.”

Apple TV+ nabs 10 Critics Choice Award nominations

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Severance nabbed nominations for Best Drama Series and for Adam Scott's acting.
Photo: Apple TV+

The Critics Choice Association showered Apple TV+ Tuesday with 10 nominations for the upcoming 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards. They include Best Drama Series nods for workplace psycho-drama Severance and dark comedy-drama Bad Sisters, plus Best Foreign Language Series noms for Pachinko and Tehran.

Nominations honored six series in total. The other two nominations covered acting in prison suspense thriller Black Bird and family drama The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey. See more specifics below.

iPad 10 drops down to its lowest price ahead of Christmas

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iPad 10 launch: The 10th-generation iPad comes in five colors and brings a top-to-bottom redesign to Apple's entry-level tablet.
Grab the iPad 10 at its discounted price in any color you like.
Photo: Apple

Amazon’s latest deal drops the iPad 10’s price to a much more reasonable $399, a sweet $50 off its retail price. This is the lowest price the tablet has been available for since its launch.

At $449, the new 10.9 iPad occupies an odd place in the iPad lineup. A $50 discount makes it easier to justify the higher price tag.

Elderly Mac mini hangs with hot new MacBook Pro in web developer’s rig [Setups]

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The Mac mini keeps on ticking but the web dev relies most heavily on a 16-inch M1 MacBook Pro.
The Mac mini keeps on ticking but the web dev relies most heavily on a 16-inch M1 MacBook Pro.
Photo: [email protected]

In today’s featured computer setup, owned by a web developer, a 2012 Mac mini shares the spotlight with a new 16-inch M1 MacBook Pro.

Before you think, “Wow, the Mac mini must be amazing, competing with that sleek new laptop,” nah, this is more like take-your-great-grandfather-to-work day for the elderly little desktop machine.

It’s around because it still works for light lifting. And it does indeed show impressive longevity.

Apple commits to buying chips from TSMC’s Arizona plant

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Apple might get cutting-edge 3nm processors in 2022
TSMC will start producing advanced 3nm processors for Apple in a factory in Arizona.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday that his company will buy processors made in Arizona by TSMC, which currently produces Apple’s most sophisticated chips primarily in Taiwan.

Plus, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company revealed that it will pour even more billions into Arizona by adding a second chip factory in the state.