News - page 390

Mariah Carey is doing her bit to make this holiday season a bit more festive — courtesy of an upcoming Christmas special for Apple TV+. And she’s bringing a whole lot of friends with her.

In a sneak preview posted on Twitter with the message “One week to go,” Carey showed what we can expect from the upcoming Magical Christmas Special, arriving on Apple TV+ December 4.

Alongside Mariah, it will include appearances by (deep breath) Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland, and plenty of others.

It’s not enough that Apple Arcade’s latest racing game includes quad-rotor racers zooming around a track, players can also teleport to find shortcuts. Warp Drive – Teleport Racing launched Friday for iPhone, Mac and more.

The Apple TV app, which includes Apple TV+ and iTunes, is now available on Sony television sets from 2020, 2019, and high-end 2018 models. Sony initially introduced the Apple TV app to its XH90 (X900H) TV model in October. However, it has now greatly expanded this rollout to cover a large number of its other television models.

In addition to Sony TVs, the Apple TV app is available on certain LG and Samsung TVs, Amazon Fire, Vizio, Roku TVs, and games consoles. That’s in addition to its availability on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV set-top boxes.

Cherry, a movie starring Tom Holland and Ciara Bravo, and directed by Avengers: Endgame helmers the Russo brothers, will debut on Apple TV+ on March 12.

A break from the Russo’s typical blockbuster fare (Endgame is the highest grossing movie of all time), Cherry is described by Vanity Fair as a “smaller, more intimate” movie, based on the bestselling 2018 novel of the same name by Nico Walker. This already has the makings of one of Apple TV+’s biggest hits of 2021.

Apple is now offering new Apple News+ subscribers an extended three-month trial. The deal is available from today through Monday, November 30, in all four countries currently supported by Apple News+.

Apple chip supplier TSMC this week completed construction on a new plant that will manufacture 3-nanometer chipsets. The company hopes to start production during the second half of 2022.

Apple’s next-generation iPad Pro could bring 5G with super-fast mmWave support, according to a new report. The new slates, which are expected to launch in 2021, may use Apple’s own 5G modem.

Apple has reportedly asked Foxconn to shift some iPad and MacBook production from China to Vietnam. The move is said to be a precautionary measure designed to minimize any impact of ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China, sources say.

The iPhone 12 Pro starts at $999, but the components for this high-end smartphone cost less than half the selling price. Market researchers disassembled Apple’s latest top-tier handset to ascertain its parts cost.

And they figured out that only a tiny percentage of the device is actually made is China.

Apple on Wednesday dropped its first holiday ad of 2020, featuring HomePod mini and rapper Tierra Whack. The two-minute video, titled “The magic of mini,” focuses on the speaker’s impressive sound quality.

Google has rolled out new updates for Docs, Sheets, and Slides on iOS that add support for Microsoft Office files. A bunch of different Office formats are supported without the need for file conversion.

Life hasn’t been as sweet as it should be for some M1 Mac mini owners. A number of users are being plagued by Bluetooth connectivity issues, which can cause wireless peripherals to frequently disconnect.

The number of complaints is growing online, and it seems the only real fix is to use a third-party Bluetooth adapter.

Apple will introduce a redesigned Apple Watch and MacBook lineup in late 2021, according to one reliable analyst.

Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities expects Apple’s next-generation wearable to bring “innovative health management functions.” He also told investors iPhone 12 is off to a strong start.

The Cult of Mac Store’s Black Friday sale is now even bigger, with 20% off Monowear and Twelve South available now. You can save on iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands, MacBook stands, and more.

Get yours before the discount disappears!

A new website could become the go-to guide to which applications are compatible with Macs running on Apple Silicon chips.

IsAppleSiliconReady.com lists apps that have been ported to run on Apple’s new M1 processor. It also tells if apps are compatible with Rosetta 2, the macOS Big Sur feature that allows the M1 Macs to run software compiled for Intel chips.

A newly discovered M1 Mac trick lets you use up to six external displays simultaneously. It is simple to set up, and a YouTube video by an M1 Mac owner suggests performance is decent.

If you haven’t already ordered a HomePod mini and you live in Europe, your chances of getting one ahead of the holidays look incredibly slim. Shipping times have now slipped to early January on the Apple Store.

Apple will debut its first iPad Pro with an OLED display during the second half of 2021, according to a new report.

The screens are expected to be manufactured by Samsung, which is said to be renovating one of its production lines specifically for OLED iPad displays. LG will also be involved in production.

Companies using their iPhone app to schedule online group events so they can stay in business during the COVID-19 pandemic won‘t be required to share their revenue with Apple for many months.

It’s one of several moves Apple made recently that could soften its image a bit.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney accused Thomas Moyer, the head of global security for Apple, of bribery. Two officials at the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office were also indicted and accused of soliciting the bribe.

The county employees supposedly wanted 200 iPads donated to the Sheriff’s Office in exchange for four licenses to carry concealed firearms.

The first Macs running the M1 processor are crazy fast, making lots of MacBook and Mac mini users consider dumping their Intel-based Macs. Before you do, here’s everything you give up when buying a computer powered by Apple Silicon.

Some HomePod mini owners are encountering Wi-Fi connectivity problems that there appears to be no fix for.

Early adopters of Apple’s newest smart speaker report that Siri often says there is no internet connection, despite no issues on other devices. The only workaround is a temporary one.

Apple today unveiled its four-day shopping event that kicks off on Black Friday. The company is offering gift cards of up to $150 when you buy select products, including iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac.

The event runs through Monday, November 30, but it excludes some of Apple’s newest products — such as iPhone 12 and the new iPad Air.

With so much new Apple hardware arriving on doorsteps around the world, it’s like Christmas in November. That makes it a target-rich environment for reviews.

In this week’s free edition of Cult of Mac Magazine, we showcase a shootout between the year’s two most intriguing iPhones. It’s the iPhone 12 Pro Max versus the iPhone 12 mini in dueling reviews. And then there’s the HomePod mini …

Our fearless leader Leander Kahney went nuts reviewing everything he could get his hands on this week. Grab the free mag to read on your iPad or iPhone. Or view the stories at the links below.

P.S. Like podcasts? We discussed all three of these devices, and the amazing new M1-powered Macs, on this week’s episode of The CultCast. It’s now available as a video, too.

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, says Macs with the new M1 processor could run the version of Windows Microsoft created to run on similar chips. Apple did nothing to make that impossible. So whether Apple Silicon Macs ever run Windows depends on Microsoft.