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If you’re planning to upgrade to iPhone 13 this year, you should probably spend the extra cash on iPhone 13 Pro. This year’s refresh widens the gap between the different iPhone models on offer — and makes going Pro an even better decision than in previous generations.

It’s not just new camera tricks and a nicer design you get for your money, like with iPhone 12 Pro last year. With iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max, you’ll also enjoy a smoother-than-butter ProMotion display, and an even more powerful A15 Bionic processor.

So many devices, so many screens, so many devices with screens — how do you manage them all? Some people go to great lengths. Others … not so much.

Known for its impressive Sonos Arc soundbar for home cinema, Sonos now rolls out updates to its more compact and less expensive Sonos Beam, including the Arc’s Dolby Atmos 3D sound.

The moment we’ve been waiting for since June is almost here. Apple seeded Release Candidates for iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8 and tvOS 15 to developers on Tuesday. This means the beta testing process is almost over.

The final versions will reach users in under a week. Apple promised the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch updates will launch on Monday, September 20. And the Apple TV one could be out the same day.

Apple Watch Series 7 is not the upgrade most of us expected to see from Tuesday’s Apple event. The new model doesn’t sport the big design refresh multiple sources said was coming. It doesn’t even pack a new chip.

Is this the upgrade Apple wanted to deliver this year? Or is it a last-minute substitution that Cupertino had to settle on because the refresh it really wanted to deliver just wasn’t ready to roll out?

Based on the evidence, we’re going to say it’s the latter.

Those planning to buy an iPhone 13 Pro for its ProRes video recording feature should be aware that the new codec only works in 1080p on 128GB models. You’ll need at least 256GB of storage to use it in 4K.

The good news for buyers of the iPhone 13 series is that all four handsets promise significantly longer battery lives. The downside is that the change required putting in bulkier batteries that add to the weight and thickness.

Still, the increases are fairly marginal for an improvement that’s near the top of so many iPhone users’ wish lists.

When it comes to the iPhone 13 lineup, it’s apparently time to go Pro or go home.

An overwhelming 80% of people who responded to Cult of Mac’s flash poll after Tuesday’s Apple event say they will buy either iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max on launch day.

Of all the things Apple revealed Tuesday, to me the most impressive was the iPhone 13’s new Cinematic mode. The depth-of-field effect creates amazing focus transitions between subjects.

Apple basically built an AI cinematographer into the iPhone 13.

Apple surprised us several times Tuesday during its September product launch event. There was a lot to love on display … but not everything was awesome. We got some products we expected and some we didn’t.

Here are the high and low points of Apple’s “California Streaming” event.

If there’s one thing you can expect from a new Apple product release like its “California Streaming” event on Tuesday, it’s a lot of impressive facts and figures. After all, the older products are still impressive, yet the new ones have to be better. And they always are, at least to some degree.

It’s a little bit like the staggering numbers Apple throws around on its quarterly earnings calls. But here it’s all about the product performance indicators that will most likely lead to more record-breaking earnings in the near future. Shipping on the items below is imminent in most cases.

See below for a rundown of the newly announced products and updates by the numbers.

As expected, the new Apple Watch Series 7 features a bigger, brighter display and slimmer bezels. Fortunately, that’s about the only thing the rumors got right.

Mockups suggesting the new wearable would come with clunky, flat sides turned out to be way off the mark. The design of Series 7 is more evolution than revolution, taking the classic Apple Watch look and refining it to become more elegant than ever.

The 6.1-inch iPhone 13 and 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini are not the simple “speed bump” updates some had expected. Apple built significant enhancements into these two models, including a smaller notch, better cameras, more storage. And a faster processor, of course.

And all without increasing the price.

The wait for iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max is over. At an event in California on Tuesday, Apple unveiled its newest flagships with faster ProMotion displays that can reach 120Hz, an even faster A15 Bionic chipset, and big camera improvements for both photos and videos.

This year’s refresh also adds a 1TB storage option for iPhone 13 Pro models and finally shrinks the notch above their screen. You can preorder yours starting Friday, September 17 before the new iPhone lineup makes its official debut one week later on September 24.

Apple caught many people by surprise by launching the iPad 9 on Tuesday. The budget tablet has twice the storage capacity of its predecessor and a faster processor, too. Plus, an upgraded front-facing camera makes this a better option for video conferencing.

The 2021 iPad will hit store shelves later in September.

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Apple today surprised us with a brand-new 2021 iPad mini — its best compact tablet to date. It sports a gorgeous new design inspired by iPad Pro, an edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display, and a blazing-fast A15 Bionic chip with 5G connectivity. It’s the only compact tablet worth your hard-earned cash.

Microsoft has dashed hopes that Windows 11 might one day be available on Apple Silicon machines. The company says running its newest operating system on an M1 Mac is “not a supported scenario.”

The statement comes after Parallels Desktop 17 users ran into hardware compatibility errors when running Windows 11 on newer Apple devices.

Benjamin Franklin once wrote that nothing in this world is a certainty, “except death and taxes.” If he were alive today, he might add “and the Apple Store going down before a big keynote” to that list.

“Be right back” reads the message that greets visitors who attempt to purchase anything through Apple’s website this morning. When it returns, we expect a whole bunch of new additions, including iPhone 13.

The ninth-generation iPad could make its debut during Apple’s big iPhone 13 event later today, according to one tipster. The new device is expected to come with a slightly larger display and a faster Apple chip, as well as a revamped design that’s similar to that of the iPad Air and iPad Pro.

Epic Games on Monday confirmed it has paid the $6 million it owed to Apple in royalties just days after it was ordered by the court. The fee covers Apple’s cut for in-game revenues collected between August 2020 and October 2020 when Epic allowed Fortnite players on iPhone and iPad to make direct purchases.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney also said that the company has asked Apple to restore its developer account.

This week, Cult of Mac is giving five lucky winners one year of cloud backups from Backblaze. Your data is invaluable, and Backblaze is one of the most trusted providers of online backups for Mac. Run by ex-Apple employees, Backblaze has been around for 14 years and is reliable, easy to use and highly rated.

If you want peace of mind knowing all of your Mac files are safely backed up in the cloud, make sure to enter this week’s giveaway.

The genre-bending film Swan Song is reportedly nearing its debut on Apple TV+. It’ll star Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, and the cast includes Glenn Close, Awkwafina and Naomie Harris.

In addition to appearing on the streaming service, Apple is planning a limited theater release beginning December 17 to qualify the movie for Oscar awards.

Almost as if on cue after similar recent announcement from other companies, Sony has rolled out a feature-packed home cinema Dolby Atmos soundbar called the HT-A5o00 at a price of $899.99. That’s $400 less than the company’s flagship soundbar, the HT-A7000.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak’s next venture is a private space company. Details are still scanty about his newly formed company, Privateer Space, other than its goal is to “keep space safe and accessible.”

Additional details are expected soon.

Apple rushed out updates for iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watches on Monday to patch a pair of critical security vulnerabilities. The updates protect users from arbitrary code execution that can be triggered by maliciously crafted PDFs or web content, Apple said in its release notes.

In both cases, “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited,” the company said.

The updates include iOS 14.8, iPadOS 14.8, macOS Big Sur 11.6, watchOS 7.6.2 and security patches for Safari and macOS Catalina.