A new open letter signed by tech leaders urges a six-month pause on development of advanced artificial intelligence applications that may pose “profound risks to society and humanity.”
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, other tech execs and many AI academics signed the letter. It urges caution concerning “emergent” AI more powerful than GPT-4. We’re not talking Siri here (at least not yet).
Apple will include a new low-power microprocessor to power the iPhone 15 Pro’s capacitive buttons. This will enable the solid-state buttons to function even when the phone is switched off or has a dead battery.
The new microprocessor will also take over other low-power tasks like Apple Pay Express Card and Find My functionality. Apple’s A-series chip currently handles these tasks in super low power mode.
A day following iOS 16.4’s public release, Apple seeded the first beta of iOS 16.5 to developers. Unlike iOS 16.4, the upcoming point release of iOS 16 only packs some minor improvements and changes.
Below is a compilation of everything new we have found in iOS 16.4 beta 1.
The new Apple Store that opens Friday in South Korea looks a little different than your typical sparkling shrine to the empire that iPhone built.
The new Seoul store’s striking facade features a “completely new gradient frit and mirrored coating treatment that blurs the transition from top to bottom,” Apple said Tuesday in a press release previewing Apple Gangnam. The building’s unique face also “shifts in appearance during different times of day or seasons.”
Fritted glass — which is “printed with ink that contains ultra-small particles of ground-up glass – a.k.a. ‘frit,'” according Dip-Tech — proves popular with modern architects. (To me, it just looks cool.)
Here’s your chance to build an empire of rail — and even beat notorious railroad barons of yesteryear at their own game. Take that, Cornelius Vanderbilt.
The classic strategy game Sid Meier’s Railroads! arrives April 5 on mobile devices including iPhone and iPad. And you can preorder now via the App Store thanks to Feral Interactive.
Ecovacs Robotics’ newest robot vacuum, the Deebot T10 Omni, includes its own artificially intelligent voice assistant named Yiko, which features natural language processing. Sorry, Siri.
The premium vacuuming-and-mopping bot joins the new Deebot N10+ and T9+ vacuums in the lineup. And it comes at a deep launch discount through March 30.
It’s almost magical how an MagSafe iPhone sticks so firmly and easily on magnetic stands and chargers. But your devices don’t actually need to be MagSafe-enabled to enjoy that kind of mount — not if you have the MagEasy FlipMount Magnetic Hoop Stand. It’s MagSafe-compatible, sure, but it also takes older, unmagnetized iPhones, iPads and practically anything else.
That’s because the handy, flexible stand comes with adhesive magnetic hoops — also sold separately — that can make almost any device MagSafe-compatible. Both the stand and hoops are available now in the Cult of Mac Store.
A new Apple Pay Later service allows consumers to pay off purchases of under $1,000 in installments. No interest or fees are charged. And it’s not only for Apple products — the service can be used for any expensive item.
It begins rolling out on Tuesday with broad availability “in the coming months,” according to Apple.
The long-awaited Apple Music Classical application is now live in the App Store. It gives subscribers access to the world’s largest classical music catalog, and is designed to help users find specific recordings of great works almost instantly.
Apple Music Classical is a dedicated app that is great for classical experts as well as anyone who is new to classical, with the largest classical music selection in the world, the very best search and browse capabilities, the most premium sound experience with Spatial Audio, and thousands of exclusive recordings,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple VP of Apple Music and Beats. “We believe this is the very best classical music streaming experience available anywhere, and for us, this is just the beginning.” If you’re looking for classical music songs, you can explore them through Apple Music Classical listening guides.
Apple is now allowing you to delete pre-installed apps directly from the Apple Watch. The Cupertino giant has rolled out this change as a part of watchOS 9.4.
This comes a few years after the company added this capability on iPhones following iOS 14’s release.
Apple introduced iOS 15.7.4 and iPadOS 15.7.4 for older devices on Monday, closing significant security holes in a range of frequently used applications. Anyone still running iOS 15.x should install the new version.
Cupertino also released iOS 16.4 and the iPad equivalent on Monday. The updates for its older operating systems are further proof that Apple doesn’t abandon them.
The wait is over for macOS Ventura 13.3 and iPadOS 16.4, which Apple released Monday. While not major upgrades, they do bring new emoji, a better way for devs to work with betas, and other changes (including security updates).
Apple also released iOS 16.4, as well as watchOS 9.4 and tvOS 16.4, today.
Apple released iOS 16.4 on Monday, bringing significant changes and new features to its iPhone operating system.
Once you install iOS 16.4, the biggest point release of iOS 16 so far, check out these 15 features to try right away — including the new “high five emoji” combo.
Amazon bargain site Woot! is pushing M1 Macs at low prices through April 3. You can get up to 46% off some machines, which include MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iMac from 2020 and 2021, plus a handful of Intel-powered Macs.
Looking to buy a Magic Keyboard for your iPad Pro or iPad Air? Amazon has discounted the excellent iPad accessory to a tempting price of $229 after a $70 discount.
If you have the bigger 12.9-inch iPad Pro, you can save $50 on its Magic Keyboard accessory.
If you have an iPad, you should protect it with a case and put the device on a stand for perfect, hands-free use, whether you’re typing away on a keyboard, drawing with Pencil or just watching a video. And right now you get Elago’s Magnetic Folio case and the company’s magnetic stand for 15% off when you buy them both.
You can find Elago Magnetic Folio cases for all models plus the Magnetic Stand for iPads in the Cult of Mac Store.
We often see big upgrades to setups we’ve covered here in the past. But they’re not usually comprehensive, where everything from the daily-driver Mac to the input devices to the audio gear gets made over (and in some cases greatly expanded).
Let’s just say today’s featured MacBook Pro setup looked a lot different 2 years ago. It’s more evidence that a setup is never, ever “done.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook was one of the few executives from U.S. companies to attend the China Development Forum in Beijing over the weekend as tensions between the two countries continue.
In a speech, Cook spoke about the “symbiotic kind of relationship” that Apple and China have.
Ugreen’s latest multiport docking station — sporting nine ports for most workstation connectivity needs — is helpful in several ways, including if you want to extend an M1 MacBook’s external-display capacity from one to two.
The device also offers 100 watts fast charging plus fast file transfer via USB-A and USB-C ports.
BenQ recently added its 27-inch PD2706UA Design Monitor for home productivity to its lineup of screens that ship with the Ergo Arm. It follows the 27-inch PD2705UA and the 32-inch PD3205UA, both aimed more specifically at designers for their color accuracy.
All three displays offer customizable ergonomic design with plenty of options for movement on the Ergo Arm.
Apple removed the SIM card tray from the iPhone 14 units sold in the US. With the iPhone 15, the company seemingly plans to ditch the SIM slot on the iPhone in even more countries.
A new report indicates the iPhone 15 could launch with only eSIM support in France.
Apple’s upcoming iOS 17 update will be bigger than initially planned. The company reportedly changed its strategy during the development process to add some “nice to have” features to the iPhone operating system.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iPhone rumors are flying, and some of them sound fantastic! But then there’s the one about a potentially troublesome mute button…
Also on The CultCast:
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.
Fans weren’t bothered by an extra-long wait for Ted Lasso‘s third season. The season premiere brought a tidal wave of viewers, pushing Apple TV+ back to near the top of the ratings charts.
And Shrinking, another Apple TV+ comedy, is finishing its freshman season with strong viewership.
Apple TV+ served up a new trailer Thursday for Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker. It’s a two-part documentary exploring the life of the German tennis legend. He triumphed at Wimbledon at age 17 and won 49 career titles, including six Grand Slams plus an Olympic gold medal. And then he went off the rails, life-wise.
Following an ugly divorce involving infidelity, the troubled celebrity ended up in prison for concealing assets to avoid paying debts. But in the trailer, filled with other tennis stars, Becker says a new chapter in his life is coming. The documentary debuts April 7.