News - page 46

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The first benchmarks for the M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pros come in amazingly good. And early reviews from the “access media” rave about the new Apple laptops, too. (What else did you expect?)

It might be time for Erfon’s long-overdue upgrade.

Also on The CultCast:

• There’s another reason you should buy an M4 laptop rather than waiting for next year’s model.
• iOS 18.2 is almost here, and Griffin runs down all the exciting new features it brings.
• The next iPhone could come with even more custom Apple hardware inside.
• And finally … Erfon actually got his hands on the camera he’s been waiting forever to receive. His first impressions are … mixed.

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.

November 9, 1994: Gil Amelio, a businessman with a reputation as a talented turnaround artist, joins Apple’s board.

Coming off his impressive revitalization of two other tech companies, National Semiconductor and Rockwell International, Amelio’s appointment at Apple sparks widespread celebration. Many Apple watchers think his arrival means the company’s dark days are over. Sadly, Amelio’s turnaround tricks won’t work in Cupertino.

Carrying out repairs on your new iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro is now easier than before. You can purchase the repair parts and tools for the latest iPhones from Apple’s Self Service Repair store.

The replacement components and tools are available to customers in the US and parts of Europe.

Attention, new iMac owners: The M4 iMac sits upside down inside the box it comes in. This can be an unwelcome surprise if you open the box the wrong way — your new computer could tumble onto the floor on its first day, just like mine did.

Don’t fall for the picture on the front of the packaging, which shows the base of the iMac on the bottom. Follow these instructions on how to open an iMac box to avoid catastrophe.

No sign yet appears of Apple’s annual gift guide. But the iPhone giant has officially extended its holiday return period for most purchases. So the holidays have officially begun! Each year Apple gives purchasers and giftees a little more time than usual to return items.

The bottom line: “Eligible products at the Apple Store Online that are received between November 8, 2024 and December 25, 2024, may be returned through January 8, 2025,” Apple said on its website.

The SSD in the newly launched M4 Mac mini can be removed, but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s upgradable. At this point, it’s unlikely there’ll be an option to drop additional storage to the Mac mini.

Here’s why.

UPDATE: Further testing of the M4 Mac mini finds that the storage SSD can be swapped, unlike Mac Studio. But that still doesn’t mean upgrades are possible at this point.

Apple’s newest M4-equipped Macs — iMac, MacBook Pro and the redesigned Mac mini — reached store shelves Friday. Customers who placed preorders for delivery should receive their new computers today, too.

Apple announced its new Macs in the last week of October through press releases.

The smart home industry’s universal technology standard, Matter, will get a significant update that could make it easier for Apple users to integrate non-Apple devices into their smart home setups, according to a new report. The new Matter 1.4 update introduces several key improvements, some long-awaited — including enhanced multi-admin capabilities and expanded device support.

Concept designer Antonio De Rosa issued a slick new set of designs Thursday for what he’s calling “17 Pro Max: Thinnovation,” despite Apple’s legal department getting in his face a while back over some of his concepts looking “too real.” For the new one, he left out the word “iPhone” and used AI to help avoid copyright infringement, he said. And his passion for the work — and for Apple — outweighed his fear of retribution.

“Call me a fanboy, but I love these products and even the illusion to ‘work’ for any of those,” De Rosa told Cult of Mac. “It makes me feel happy. Maybe I can save them some headaches looking at my works; they could say ‘Naaa, this is ugly, let’s pass on [it].’ Who knows, maybe I’m helping to have less ugly phones.”

The predictions of a MacBook Air in 2027 could turn out to be optimistic, according to sources in the screen panel industry. Prices for the OLED display are high, and there’s reason to question demand for the new type of screen.

An OLED MacBook Pro is expected sooner, however.

Despite nearing its first anniversary, the iPhone 15 was the world’s highest-selling smartphone in Q3 2024. The iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro occupied the second and third positions, respectively.

In total, four iPhones were among the best-selling smartphones in Q3 2024.

Apple reportedly will switch its servers that power Apple Intelligence to M4 chips next year. Currently, these servers use the M2 Ultra, the same chip found inside the Mac Pro and Mac Studio.

Apple is also reportedly in talks with Foxconn to manufacture AI servers to enhance the company’s AI processing capabilities.

In a market where premium displays often command premium prices, Asus just made waves with its new ProArt Display PA27JCV, launching at an eye-catching $799 price point. The 27-inch 5K monitor aims to challenge the status quo of high-end displays. But Mac users should weigh its advantages against its limitations.

“Build quality is what you’d expect; it’s plastic, it creaks and wobbles, but the panel is super bright and crisp,” said Cult of Mac writer D. Griffin Jones, who acquired the monitor and plans to review it soon. For those looking for a high-quality alternative, the studio display apple offers a premium option designed specifically for Mac users. Read more about it here.

These days, folks who use their computer setups to work on media, especially video, tend to rely on some sort of studio controller to streamline workflow. Today’s MacBook Pro user and YouTube video maker takes advantage of one of the top products out there, Elgato Stream Deck. Now the company is on its newer MK.2 edition. The device gives you 15 customizable keys to control all sort of actions in your workflow, including launching apps, posting to social media, adjusting lights and audio, and more.

iOS 18.2 could introduce a new feature that would tell how long your iPhone will take to charge. As of now, iPhones only show the battery percentage while charging and little else.

Almost all Android phones show the remaining time for a full charge on the lock screen when topping up their battery wired or wirelessly.

There’s nothing more crucial to healthy living than clean water. One of the best ways to ensure you have it at home is to use a robust, high-capacity water filtration system like the Viomi Vortex 8 reverse osmosis water purifier. And not only will your water be clean with the Viomi V8 — it will be tasty and extra-healthy because it’s mineral-enhanced.

In a launch day special on Kickstarter, you can get the Viomi V8 for just $299 ($349 with extra filter). That’s 42% off an advanced water-purification system that will produce four years of clean water, so you can stop wasting money on bottled water.

The espresso Display 15, an ultra-thin 15-inch monitor, launched Tuesday. It boasts an aerospace aluminum casing, not the usual plastic, but a lower price than previous high-end portable displays from this company. It gets power and data from a MacBook or iPad via a single USB-C connection.

It’s paired with Stand+, an ergonomic stand with a surprising trick.

Apple is allegedly working on a 90Hz display for the next-gen iPad Air, 24-inch iMac, and the Studio Display. All these devices currently sport a 60Hz panel.

The 90Hz screen will apparently debut on the M3 iPad Air before making its way to other devices. Apple’s focus on display technology aligns with its iterative improvements in the iPhone lineup, including models like the iPhone 3 SE, which aimed to balance affordability with performance.

The 90Hz screen will apparently debut on the M3 iPad Air before making its way to other devices.

iPad shipments grew only slightly last quarter, according to a market research firm, despite the release of new high-end and mid-range tablets in the spring. The lack of a new entry-level tablet from Apple significantly affected the shipment total.

Still, Apple itself showed a larger year-over-year bump in revenue during the third quarter of 2024 from this class of computer.

According to a reputed Apple analyst, Apple’s cheaper Vision might only arrive after 2027. This contradicts recent reports of the AR/VR headset launching in 2025.

Instead, Apple will seemingly launch an upgraded Vision Pro with an M5 chip in 2025.

Apple apparently plans to release iOS 18.2 in early December, introducing several new Apple Intelligence features to the iPhone.

Apple’s next major MacBook Pro design refresh reportedly will arrive in 2026. It will apparently feature a new display technology and a 2nm M6 chip.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After a whirlwind week of M4 Mac releases, we weigh up the pros (tons) and cons (very few). Mostly it’s a lovefest as we talk about the new M4 Mac mini, iMac and MacBook Pros.

Also on The CultCast:

• What’s up with Apple putting the new Mac mini power button on the bottom? (Luckily, the internet has some “fixes.”)
• Apple surprised us by upgrading the RAM on M2 and M3 MacBook Airs — without raising the prices!
• We wrap up with a discussion of what new Apple gear we ordered after this week’s Mac-o-rama.

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.

Apple will fix iPhone 14 Plus models with a camera problem for free through a service program that launched Friday. The company says the “rear camera on a very small percentage of iPhone 14 Plus devices may exhibit no preview.”

Anybody care for a big taste of Silo season 2 ahead of the hit sci-fi series’ November 15 air date on Apple TV+? The streamer dropped a “sneak peak” Friday of the show’s new season — literally the first five minutes of episode one. Outside the silo in which countless generations have lived, main character Juliette not only explores the hellscape that supposedly will kill her, but sees ominous signs of what came (way) before. We get a major flashback.

“Watch the first 5 minutes of Silo Season 2,” the YouTube page says. “Juliette lives.” So yeah, she’s not dead. At least not yet.