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News - page 190

Apple AR glasses might not launch before 2026

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Apple Glass
Don't expect 'Apple Glass' AR glasses before 2026.
Image: Jon Prosser/Front Page Tech

Apple’s wear-anywhere augmented-reality glasses that so many people are looking forward are still at least three years away, according to a reliable source.

Don’t confuse these with the bulkier VR/AR headset that leaks say will launch in June. AR glasses are expected to be much smaller… once the necessary technology is available.

6 ways to avoid ‘juice jacking’ at public iPhone charging stations

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A suitcase with an iPhone charging on top and the words
Don't take any chances when you're traveling with your iPhone.
Photo: Benjamin Rascoe/UnsplashLicense/Modified by Cult of Mac

As the old saying goes, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch — there’s usually a trick. And the same goes for phone charging sustains in airports. These can be used to hack your device, according to a recent warning from the FBI about “juice jacking.”

Here are six ways to safely charge up your iPhone when you’re on the go.

iOS 17 features revealed in sketchy leak

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iPhone 14 Pro's Dynamic Island when playing music
iOS 17 could make the Dynamic Island a lot more useful.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

A new leak reveals several new changes and features coming to iOS 17. The source claims Apple will focus on “performance, efficiency, stability, and long-term support” for older devices with the release.

Interestingly, the leaker also suggests that iPhone 15 Pro will ship with capacitive volume and power keys. This contradicts recent rumors that suggested Apple’s plans have changed.

Last call for Easter Sale savings on fantastic Apple accessories

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These elegant Milanese mesh bands from Laut are 25% off.
These elegant Milanese mesh bands from Laut are 25% off.
Photo: Laut

The Cult of Mac Store’s Easter Sale is winding down. Before it ends, don’t miss your chance to get up to 60% off a variety of accessories, including Apple Watch bands, iPhone and AirPods cases and more.

Visit the Easter Savings collection for all the deals and see some cool highlights below.

Huge OLED TV makes ‘perfect’ display (for some) [Setups]

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That's a 42-inch OLED HD TV for a monitor.
That's a 42-inch OLED HD TV for a monitor.
Photo: [email protected]

New computer displays tend to get not just better over time, but bigger — within reason. Unlike TVs, they’re designed to be viewed from just a few feet away at most. But increasingly, we see people using smart TVs as external monitors to get that extra size into their desktop setups.

Today’s featured setup sports an M2 MacBook Pro driving a 42-inch LG OLED smart TV that the user describes as “perfect.”

Pixelmator Photo gets new name and AI-powered features

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Pixelmator Photo gets new name and AI-powered features
Photomator is for both iPad and iPhone.
Photo: Pixelmator

The powerful image-editing application Pixelmator Photo is now Photomator. Beyond the name change, the app for iPad and iPhone has been redesigned, and also now lets users easily select and edit specific areas of a photo.

In addition, a public beta of Photomator for Mac is now available.

iPhone 15 Pro’s rumored solid-state buttons reportedly shelved

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Leaked CAD images show iPhone 15 Pro mute button could prove problematic
iPhone 15 Pro will have regular, physical buttons.
Image: chenwen1987

Apple may not ship the iPhone 15 Pro series with the rumored unified solid-state capacitive buttons. TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple abandoned the plan due to “unresolved technical issues.”

Previously, multiple rumors indicated Apple would replace the physical buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro with capacitive keys. The design also would have added two new Taptic Engines to simulate the feeling of pressing physical buttons.

The Afterparty murder mystery comedy returns to Apple TV+ in July

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Elizabeth Perkins, Ken Jeong, Zach Woods, Poppy Liu and Paul Walter Hauser will all star in the second season of The Afterparty.
Photo: Apple TV+

An Apple TV+ series that turns a murder mystery into a genre-mixing comedy will soon return. Season two of the The Afterparty premieres in July.

There’s a new mystery to solve with a fresh cast of suspects, though Tiffany Haddish and some of the other stars of season one will be back.

Apple doubles money going into natural carbon removal projects

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Apple doubles money going into natural carbon removal projects
Sustainably managed tree farms help the environment and investors.
Photo: Apple

With Earth Day coming up, Apple says it’s doubling its total commitment to “nature-based carbon removal projects” with an additional $200 million investment. In less technical terms, it’s backing projects to plant trees.

And it’s not just trees for trees’ sake. Part of Apple’s Restore Fund goes to agricultural projects that generate income from sustainably managed tree farms.

2023 MacBook Pro gets massive $150 discount

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2023 MacBook Pro.
Get a flat $150 discount on Apple's 2023 MacBook Pro lineup.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s 2023 MacBook Pro lineup is available with a massive $150 discount on Amazon. The deal applies to all configurations of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.

This fantastic deal is unlikely to last long, so buy the MacBook you want before stocks run out.

Get Steve Jobs’ new ‘memoir’ for free

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The new digital book comes out April 11 for free.
The new digital book comes out April 11 for free on the Steve Jobs Archive website and Apple Books.
Photo: Steve Jobs Archive

The Steve Jobs Archive released its first book Tuesday, Make Something Wonderful: Steve Jobs in his own words. It’s a memoir of sorts because almost everything in it comes directly from Jobs, from major speeches and interviews to emails he sent to himself. It covers the Apple co-founder’s life from a young age until he passed away in 2011.

The new book includes never-before-seen content, the archive said, and it’s free from multiple sources.

Apple’s next 27-inch display is not coming anytime soon

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A table of desktop Macs. Going clockwise around the table, starting at the front: the Mac Studio with Studio Display (height-adjustable stand and nano texture glass), the iMac, Mac Pro with Pro Display XDR (with Pro Stand) and Mac mini with Studio Display (tilt stand).
Apple's next Studio Display could be a lot slimmer.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Apple’s next-gen Studio Display might not ship with a 120Hz ProMotion mini-LED panel as initially rumored. It’s reportedly still in development though, and the monitor could debut in 2024 or early 2025 with all the features of a “high-end monitor.”

Apple’s current 27-inch display features a 5K 60Hz panel. With its next upgrade, it could switch to a mini-LED backplane for thinner bezels.

Slick new Soundcore hi-fi speaker sports spatial audio

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The new speaker has a stainless steel grille and an aluminum handle.
The new speaker has a stainless steel grille and an aluminum handle.
Photo: Soundcore

Soundcore unveiled its elegant new Motion X600 Portable High Fidelity Speaker Monday. The compact speaker offers hi-res, spatial audio in a handsome package with a metal grille and a choice of gray, green or blue colors.

When it becomes available in early May, it’ll go for $200. But you can get an early-bird discount. See below.

Latest iOS update doesn’t fix iPhone battery drain

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iOS update does not deliver promised iPhone battery improvement
iPhone battery life doesn't improve under iOS 16.4.1, as had been hoped.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Testing shows that the recently released iOS 16.4.1 does not fix an iPhone battery problem introduced by its predecessor.

This wasn’t the usual small change in battery life that’s usual with updates. Many iPhone models saw significant drops with iOS 16.4. And the latest version isn’t a fix.

Updated OnePlus Nord earbuds add noise cancellation at low price

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Now with ANC and improved sound quality, OnePlus Nord Buds 2 cost $59 and come in white or gray colors.
Now with ANC and improved sound quality, OnePlus Nord Buds 2 cost $59 and come in white or gray colors.
Photo: OnePlus

Another week, another set of active-noise-cancelling (ANC) wireless earbuds. The latest buds vying to take a piece of the AirPods pie are the updated OnePlus Nord Buds 2. They add ANC and improved sound quality over their super-affordable predecessor.

Nord Buds made a splash with good sound quality at a bargain-basement price of $39 when they came out. Now Nord Buds 2 piles on more features and boosts quality at a still-low $59 price point.

New HaloLock wallet is also a battery and stand for iPhone

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Charge your iPhone on the go, carry a couple of cards and set it up as a stand to watch videos.
Charge your iPhone on the go, carry a couple of cards and set it up as a stand to watch videos.
Photo: ESR

Accessories maker ESR unveiled its new HaloLock Power Bank Wallet on Wednesday. Now on Amazon, the magnetic 3-in-1 device charges your phone, keep your cards in order and lets you “enjoy hands-free viewing in a sleek, pocket-friendly package,” the company said.

Affordable iMac rig sees no need for Apple silicon [Setups]

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You won't find any M1 or M2 Macs here.
You won't find any M1 or M2 Macs here.
Photo: [email protected]

Not every computer setup flaunted and much-admired on social media is an Apple silicon powerhouse with an ultra-fast M1 or M2 chip. Today’s featured setup leans on a 6-year-old iMac and a MacBook Air almost twice as old as that.

But with the help of an impressive-yet-affordable audio gear list and a trio of gaming systems, the rig gets the work and play done. And don’t miss the beefed up iPod classic in the mix.

Slowing computer demand finally catches up to Mac

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2023 MacBook Pro in 16-inch and 14-inch versions
Even the speed-boosted 2023 MacBook Pro couldn't bring up Mac shipments.
Image: Apple

Mac shipments declined a jaw-dropping 41% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2023, according to a market-analysis firm. It seems Apple finally joined other PC makers in seeing reduced shipments of traditional computers.

Apple’s Tetris film slots easily into top 10 list

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In Tetris, Nikita Efremov (left) plays the long, straight block while Taron Egerton stars as the square block. (Kidding!)
Photo: Apple TV+

The new Apple TV+ film about sneaking Tetris out of Communist Russia is pulling in plenty of viewers. It was actually more popular than Ted Lasso last week, according to one TV ratings company — though that Apple comedy is very popular, too.

And Shinking continues its long run in the top 10 most popular streaming shows, possibly because it’s now possible to binge the entire first season.

Mac mini is a total dream machine [The CultCast]

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Apple crammed a whole lot of computing power into the Mac mini.
Apple crams a whole lot of computing power into the Mac mini.
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The M2 Pro-powered Mac mini is a dream machine for creative types, according to our reviewer D. Griffin Jones. He joins us to sing the praises of this pint-size powerhouse. (It’s quite an upgrade from the 2015 MacBook Pro he used before.)

Also on The CultCast:

  • It’s just two months until we’ll see Apple’s mixed-reality headset. We can’t help thinking this pricey “star product” is gonna flop hard, even as it points the way toward the future.
  • A free book coming next week will reveal Steve Jobs “in his own words.”
  • Will the next version of watchOS really bring big changes?
  • Erfon knows where you can find a steady supply of genuine Apple accessories at cut-rate prices.

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.

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