Many companies just can’t resist April Fools’ Day jokes. Some people find these exasperating, but others enjoy the lighthearted humor. This year, we got a ridiculous new Apple TV accessory, what’s perhaps the most tasteless way to wear an AirTag, and more.
Read on for our favorite gags to celebrate this unusual holiday.
Just added to Apple’s refurbished offerings are the MacBook Pro models that in launched fall of 2021 with the blazing fast M1 Max and M1 Pro processors. These refubs offer welcome cost savings — especially on such recent notebooks — but they can not be reconfigured. Buyers can only choose from the configurations Apple has in stock.
But again, savings are considerable: a refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max is up to $350 off.
Media outlets are reporting that Wyze knew for three years about a security flaw that rendered its security cameras vulnerable to hackers. But in all that time, it did not tell its customers about the problem.
News of the flaw broke on Tuesday. Wyze, long know for its inexpensive but useful security cameras, has since responded to the controversy, as noted below.
If you’re looking for a clean way to charge your beloved Apple Watch, or somewhere to place your iPhone so that it’s easy to see while you’re working, check out these elegant, super-sturdy stands from Laut.
They’re made from robust, anodized aluminum and designed to look good anywhere. They’re also available in a range of color options to match your Apple devices.
Who doesn’t like to have a little fun on a Friday, especially when it’s also April Fools’ Day? Not that today’s featured setup is a joke or fake in any way. It’s real. It’s serious. Not as serious as a heart attack, maybe. But it’s a working setup that likes to have a good time, let’s say.
The seriousness stems mainly from a late-model MacBook Pro and a killer ultra-wide LG display. The good time comes from the super-cool Lego Technic racing cars on the wall — two for now, with a third to come. Each one of these things has thousands of pieces.
It would appear that large sections of the developer community are firmly behind Epic Games in its battle for a fairer, more open App Store. But not Roblox, which believes Apple’s strict controls enhance safety and security.
The online game platform, which calls itself a metaverse company and boasts almost 55 million daily active users, said in a legal filing this week that the App Store review process adds “greater legitimacy in the eyes of users.”
Apple is “actively testing” a 9-inch foldable device, but it won’t be taking on Samsung with a foldable iPhone until 2025 at the earliest, one analyst claims.
The company’s “priority order” for foldables is said to be medium, large and then small devices. Its current prototype is being used to test new technologies and may not be indicative of an upcoming product.
This Samsung Galaxy A51 is almost certainly the only Android phone in the world that uses a Lightning port. That’s thanks to engineer Ken Pillonel, who hacked the handset to use Apple’s connector instead of USB-C.
The port is fully functional, with support for charging and data transfer — despite the fact that Apple designs its cables to work only with its own devices. Why go through all that effort? Well … why not?
Apple is said to be collaborating with LG on new foldable iPad and MacBook models with flexible OLED displays. LG is already gearing up to supply similar displays to HP for a foldable laptop scheduled to launch this year.
The report corroborates earlier claims from one display analyst, who claims Apple is exploring foldable/rollable display technologies for future devices. It warned, however, that a foldable iPhone won’t come until 2025 at the earliest.
Two Avengers stars are making a movie for Apple TV+. Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans — perhaps best known as Black Widow and Captain America — are working on a mysterious Project Artemis.
The news started out as a leak, but Evans has since confirmed it.
Apple said Thursday all small businesses in the U.S. can now sign up for its new Apple Business Essentials service. Previously in beta testing, the new service brings together device management, 24/7 Apple support and iCloud storage into flexible subscription plans.
Apple also unveiled new AppleCare+ for Business Essentials insurance options. Cupertino also made a two-month free trial available to all customers, including those who used the service in beta.
Apple is showing interest in making a clip-on iPhone or iPad game controller. It filed a patent application for various permutations of exactly that sort of accessory on Thursday.
This would be a new product category for the company. But it could be a boon for Apple Arcade subscribers.
Popular microphone brand Rode, based in Australia, dropped the mic Tuesday with major news: It’s getting into the premium headphones business.
The company rolled out its first pair of high-end cans, the Rode NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones.
Anyone who works in event management — weddings, conferences, film sets — knows that fluid communications are key. But rather than run around with your iPhone glued to the side of your head while everything goes to pieces, why not invest in a wireless intercom headset system? Hollyland launched a new set Thursday that could fit the bill.
That way, you and your team can keep in constant touch and you’ll look super-important, too.
Apple introduced bug fix updates for every one of its operating systems on Thursday. These updates should improve the battery life on iPhone and iPad. And for Mac users, the new version fixes well-publicized bugs recently introduced by macOS 12.3.
However, there are no new features in macOS Monterey 12.3.1, iOS 15.4.1, iPadOS 15.4.1, watchOS 8.5.1 and tvOS 15.4.1 — Apple just fixed small problems. All five updates are available to download immediately.
It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown, the first-ever Peanuts Earth Day special, premieres April 15 on Apple TV+. It tells the story of how a single flower inspires the Peanuts gang to start caring for the environment, and features an original song by American singer-songwriter Ben Folds.
A trailer for the upcoming special debuted Thursday.
Most of us take pictures with our phones, but if you walk around with one or more actual cameras from your fancy collection, a boutique camera maker has a new strap that could change your life.
The Goodman Camera Strap with Mag-Lock takes the tensile strength of Kevlar cord and marries it to a quick-release magnetic locking harness system attached to a handmade leather camera strap.
Keychron launched its Q3 80% tenkeyless (TKL) full metal custom mechanical keyboard on Tuesday. Following sold-out initial runs of its Q1 and Q2 customizable keebs, the Q3 is a full aluminum mechanical keyboard with gasket mount design. It features hot-swappable switches, a high-grade aluminum case, QMK/VIA mapping support and more, the company said.
WhatsApp on Thursday revealed significant improvements to voice messaging across Android and iOS. The update adds the ability to change the speed of audio playback, pause and resume recording, and more.
It also allows voice message playback to continue when users back out of a conversation to catch up with another. Users can look forward to seeing the changes “in the coming weeks,” WhatsApp said.
Apple this week revealed slightly more relaxed rules for Dutch dating apps that will make it easier for them to offer third-party payment options. It comes after months of fighting with Dutch regulators over new app laws.
One thing Cupertino won’t give up, however, is its 27% commission.
Apple on Wednesday confirmed a significant change to its App Store policy that finally allows “reader” apps like Netflix and Spotify to link to their own websites for things like creating and managing accounts.
Until now, including an external link for this kind of purpose was prohibited, and would have resulted in App Store expulsion. That meant a poor user experience for a whole bunch of popular services on iPhone and iPad.
That’s finally changing, but of course, Apple plans to make it as complicated as possible for developers to enjoy it.
Rather than letting existing financial companies handle all its payment processing, Apple wants to bring some of it in-house, according to an unconfirmed report. And the Mac-maker would also like to take on a range of other related services itself.
The goal is to reduce the amount of money Apple has to pay outside companies for financial services.
YouTube TV subscribers with an iPhone or iPad can now watch shows in a small window while another app is open. The feature is rolling out now.
However, picture-in-picture support is not yet available for all mobile users of the YouTube application, as has been promised.
In the middle of last year, Apple and Facebook parent company Meta Platforms gave customer data to hackers. They enticed the companies by pretending to be law enforcement officials, three people with knowledge of the matter said.
In the latest installment of a series in which Apple showcases artists and professionals using its devices, Chicago-based lettering artist Belinda Kou explained how an iPad Air diverted her from studies in biopsychology to an art career.