Samsung is this week facing backlash from fans after it emerged that the South Korean company is throttling more than 10,000 apps on almost all its phones. It is believed a feature that cannot be disabled is to blame.
The “performance limits” have been in place for years, some reports claim. However, Samsung carefully avoids throttling popular benchmarking apps so that its devices still achieve impressive scores.
Apple today confirmed that it will resume in-person “Today at Apple” events in the United States. Beginning March 7, customers will be able to visit their local Apple Store to “explore the art of remixing with GarageBand” — and Lady Gaga.
The events were stopped two years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also forced most Apple stores to close. “We can’t wait to welcome more of our communities back to our stores,” said Apple retail chief Deirdre O’Brien.
Samsung has begun developing “tandem” OLED panels for new iPad models that are scheduled to be released in 2024, according to a new report.
Sources say that after Apple has begun transitioning to OLED displays for iPad — which was supposedly scheduled to begin this year before the move was shelved — it will follow with new OLED MacBook and iMac models.
A Face ID fail isn’t going to get you a new iPhone anymore. Apple has begun distributing the components that its own in-store technicians and authorized service providers need to fix Face ID faults without replacing an entire device.
The cost of the repair depends on the service provider, location, and iPhone model, according to one report. And it is only available for iPhone XS or later, with iPhone X — the first to ship with Face ID — left out in the cold.
The 2021 MacBook Pro includes an SD slot, but cards don’t insert all the way into the notebook. But that’s not a problem with Transcend’s JetDrive Lite 330 — it is smaller than the standard SD card so it sits flush in the slot.
Once inserted, the card acts like any other drive. And data transfers are fast enough for Time Machine backups.
In a crowded Bluetooth speaker market a few months ago, Apple and its subsidiary Beats by Dre discontinued the Beats Pill+ portable speaker. They gave no word of a replacement. But now, suddenly, it arises from the dead for what appears to be one last encore. And it’s all dressed up in skulls.
The limited-edition speaker crawls from the grave on Friday at the clothing brand Stüssy’s website. But it’s a limited-time offer.
Concealed in Wednesday’s invite to the Apple spring event is an augmented reality Easter egg. It’s a bonus to make the invite seem cool, and perhaps get Mac fans excited about what’s coming.
The graphic for the March 8 event has an Apple floating in space. And it looks even better in AR.
An Apple VP used Twitter to reveal the date for the company’s much-anticipated product-release event. Apple soon after began issuing invitations. As had been rumored, the streamed event will take place Tuesday, March 8.
While Greg “Joz” Joswiak, global head of marketing, announced the date, he didn’t post an itinerary. Still, leaks and rumors point to an improved 5G iPhone SE and iPad Air. And a new Mac is possible, too.
Not all “before and after” posts showcasing computer setups on social media are created equal. Sometimes the description and commentary leave out too much information. Sometimes the photographs are inconclusive. And sometimes the improvements just don’t have much “wow” factor.
Today’s featured setup splits the difference. The “before” photo, below, doesn’t offer much to go on. But the “after” photo, above, shows a well-planned setup with a place for everything and everything in its place. And the gear list, below, supports that.
It might not get a “wow” out of you, but it could be instructional.
Apple TV+ released its first trailer for Slow Horses, its darkly comic espionage thriller series starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas. And judging by the 2+ minute preview, the show looks like it will be both hilarious and thrilling — a rare feat — as it depicts the fates of “screw-up” MI5 agents sent to “Slough House.”
“Bringing you up to speed’s like trying to explain Norway to a dog,” section chief Jackson Lamb (Oldman) says to a group of his hapless charges at one point. The scene is intercut with the Scott Thomas character explaining, with characteristic elegance and wit, that no agent has ever returned from Slough House to respectable duty.
After Apple on Tuesday confirmed that it ceased product sales in Russia, CEO Tim Cook sent out an email to all employees that promises to match donations made to help Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion at a rate of 2:1.
“With each new image of families fleeing their homes and brave citizens fighting for their lives, we see how important it is for people around the world to come together to advance the cause of peace,” the email read.
Apple could make the Mac mini, its smallest desktop, even smaller if it really wanted to. One YouTuber proved that by taking the machine’s internals and packing them into a custom shell that’s 78% more compact than the original.
It’s just as fast as an unadulterated M1 Mac mini, but looks more like an Apple TV (in size, at least) than a powerful desktop. And it has MagSafe charging!
We’re still yet to see an official invite for Apple’s big spring event, which all but rules out the rumored March 8 date. So, when is it likely to happen? Don’t bother asking Siri. As usual, the digital assistant proves less than helpful.
“You can’t hurry news” is the response you get when asking what will be announced at the next Apple event. “No, you’ll just have to wait.”
Apple has stopped selling its products in Russia as the country’s war on Ukraine stretches on. The Mac-maker is taking other steps as well, like removing the state-backed news applications RT and Sputnik from the App Store.
“We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Apple said Tuesday in a statement. “We are supporting humanitarian efforts, providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis, and doing all we can to support our teams in the region.”
If you want a great-sounding portable speaker but don’t care about voice-activated control, Sonos just came out with the Sonos Roam SL. It’s like the highly regarded Sonos Roam smart speaker released last year, but it leaves out the far-field microphone and costs $20 less.
Going mic-less means you don’t get to use voice-activated assistants with the speaker. And you lose a couple of other mic-related functions, too.
With everyone primed for a rumored Apple event on March 8, fans are eagerly awaiting the invites that will confirm the date. As of Tuesday morning, however, Cupertino left everyone twisting in the wind.
But that didn’t stop Apple fans and tech journos from speculating about the possible spring event. On Twitter, the hashtag #AppleEvent served as a showcase for theories, jokes and concept art concerning the matter.
The Nomad Base One is an iPhone MagSafe charger that’s an elegant combination of glass and aluminum. It surely looks beautiful on an executive’s desk.
But it’s also $129.95, well above the typical cost of this type of accessory.
A group of software engineers have joined forces to form the Open Web Advocacy (OWA), which will fight Apple’s “anti-competitive” web browser restrictions on iPhone and iPad.
The OWA says that Apple’s tight controls, which prevent third-party browsers from using their own engines on iOS, has stalled innovation for the past 10 years and “prevented web apps from taking off on mobile.”
In the market for a smart door lock that works with Apple’s HomeKit automation system as well as Home Keys you can keep in the Wallet app? Look no further than the new Aqara Smart Door Lock A100 Zigbee.
It features support for leading home automation protocols and advanced authentication tech, the company said Monday. Trouble is, you can only get it in Malaysia and Singapore so far, with other countries coming soon.
But U.S. availability? As yet unknown.
Fresh off its rollout of a smartphone that can charge wirelessly at 100W, Honor said at MWC 2022 it will offer new earbuds that monitor temperature. The new buds look like AirPods Pro. And temperature sensing is a function Apple has reportedly tested in AirPods.
The former Huawei subsidiary, based in China, said its new $199 Earbuds 3 Pro combine a temperature sensor with an AI temperature algorithm. It has an 80% chance of coming within plus or minus 0.3 degrees Celsius of an accurate reading, the company said.
Feel the need for more external screens to go with your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro? On Tuesday Hyper rolled out its new HyperDrive 4K Multi-Display Docking Station. It’ll help you connect up to three 4K displays with a 60Hz refresh rate.
And what’s more, the dock works with every MacBook made since 2016, Hyper said.
Make your AirTag infinitely more useful by slipping it inside Laut’s excellent Huex case.
Made from soft yet sturdy silicone and combined with a useful keychain, the Huex allows you to attach AirTag to almost anything, keeps your tracker protected, and comes in colorful designs to suit your look.
Microsoft on Monday rolled out a major OneDrive update that adds full Apple M1 support for the first time. Version 22.022 now runs natively on Apple silicon chipsets, which should mean improved performance and efficiency.
The update also eliminates a kernel extensions issue, which broke both OneDrive and Dropbox, that macOS 12.3 beta testers recently ran into.
A Benjamin Franklin biopic is headed for Apple TV+, with legendary actor Michael Douglas taking on the title role.
Just as importantly, the limited series is being written by Kirk Ellis. He also wrote HBO’s John Adams, which was showered with awards.
Apple filed a patent application for a desktop computer that’s also a keyboard. If that seems familiar, it’s the design used by some of the first personal computers back in the 1900s.
Because even old ideas can still have merit.