With Thursday’s introduction of the release candidates for iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2, we’re likely a week away from the debut of the second wave of Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji, the Image Playground and more.
Release candidates for watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2 and visionOS 2.2 also went out.
After the disappointing launch of its Ai Pin wearable device, San Francisco-based tech company Humane shifts its focus to CosmOS. It’s a new AI-powered operating system that promises to revolutionize how users rely on artificial intelligence to interact with their smart devices, including Apple’s. The Humane AI Pin struggled to deliver on its promises, prompting the company to pivot toward software-driven innovation.
That might remind folks of Steve Jobs’ long-ago move from Apple to NeXT, which ended up dropping hardware entirely and focusing on software.
Humane demonstrated CosmOS running across multiple platforms including car entertainment systems, smart speakers, TVs and smartphones in a new video Wednesday. The system aims to provide functionality similar to AI assistants like Siri, but appears more advanced, enabling complex, context-aware interactions across various devices.
The culmination of a Major League Soccer postseason filled with upsets and comebacks, the MLS Cup championship unfolds Saturday as LA Galaxy hosts the New York Red Bulls. And you can watch the MLS Cup final for free on various Apple TV platforms via MLS Season Pass, the streamer said Thursday.
Third-party accessory-maker Polysoft stepped in to make something Apple won’t: upgrade SSDs for the Mac Studio. These will allow owners of the powerful desktop to increase the storage capacity with relative ease, which is not possible now.
And the product raises the possibility that Mac mini SSD upgrades will launch at some point, too.
Another mad tinkerer surfaced this week spending a huge amount of time an effort recreating a decades-old Apple concept. Designer Kevin Noki dropped a YouTube video Wednesday showing every detail about how he remade Apple’s abandoned FlatMac concept from 1984 into a working prototype. And like an inspiration for the iPads that would come later, it’s a thing of beauty!
“This project has been a dream come true! As a designer, I’ve always been inspired by groundbreaking concepts, and this time, I challenged myself to recreate one of the most iconic and unrealized prototypes: Hartmut Esslinger’s Apple FlatMac,” Noki wrote on his YouTube video page.
Apple continued its impressive run in its next big growth market, India, shipping more than 9 million iPhones from January to September 2024. This represents 35% year-over-year growth for iPhone shipments in the country.
The company also increased its lead over Samsung, the previous leader in India’s smartphone market.
Apple is making accessing login credentials saved in iCloud Keychain in Firefox easier with a new iCloud Passwords add-on.
The extension will help autofill your saved login details and automatically save new passwords to iCloud Keychain.
The newly launched GameSir X3 Pro Mobile Gaming Controller packs Hall Effect sticks, dual rumble motors, micro switch triggers and detachable grips. And its USB-C connector and telescoping design means it fits a range of iPhone and Android models.
A stand-out feature is a cooling plate designed to prevent the handset from overheating while playing very demanding games.
Apple Wallet-compatible smart lock Alloy Deadbolt+ will make life easier for renters and landlords alike, SmartRent said Wednesday. Debuting at a Starwood Capital Group property, Alloy Deadbolt+ expands on the security, functionality and convenience of smart locks by integrating with resident keys in Apple Wallet. It easily lets you in, as well as your property manager and designated friends and service providers.
“Alloy Deadbolt+ enhances the way we think about secure access, providing a straightforward and reliable solution for both residents and property managers,” SmartRent Chief Technology Officer Isaiah DeRose-Wilson said.
Apple TV+ casts its net wide for quality programming, offering plenty of entertainment from distant lands. So why not a German hospital drama? A “gritty” new eight-episode series called Krank Berlin Berlin ER is headed your way soon. Apple offered a description of the “vibrant and dynamic” show. And since first announcing it, the stream has posted an air date, below, for the German-language medical drama — as well as a new title.
Update: Apple TV+ gave Krank Berlin a boring new title and an air date Wednesday. Now named Berlin ER, the series, which comes to us from a former emergency room doctor, streams with its first two episodes February 26, 2025.
The HomePod with a built-in 6- to 7-inch display that’s been the subject of previous rumors will launch after Apple’s developer conference in June, according to a report on Wednesday from a reliable source.
It will supposedly be part of Apple’s drive to offer more smart home products.
The next big iPad Pro refresh will arrive in the second half of 2025 at the earliest, according to a new report. The upgraded M5 iPad Pro reportedly will be the first product to use the next-gen Apple silicon chip.
Apple surprised everyone by launching this year’s iPad Pro refresh with an M4 chip.
Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed details about the company’s approach to artificial intelligence and defended its Vision Pro headset in an extensive interview Wednesday. In a now-familiar refrain, he discussed the company’s strategic entry into generative AI while addressing criticisms about Apple’s seemingly delayed response to the AI boom.
“We never talked about charging for it,” Cook said of Apple Intelligence. “We view it sort of like multitouch, which enabled the smartphone revolution and the modern tablet.”
Apple uses Amazon Web Services’ custom artificial intelligence chips to power its search services. The company is also evaluating if it can use Amazon’s latest AI chips to pretrain Apple Intelligence models.
Apple’s Benoit Dupin, senior director of machine learning and AI, made these revelations Tuesday in a surprise appearance at Amazon’s annual AWS re:Reinvent conference in Las Vegas.
Apple picked Hysterical as the winner of the Apple Podcasts Award for 2024, which honors quality and innovation in podcasting.
It’s not a comedy. The seven-part series by Dan Taberski investigates a mysterious illness that spreads among a group of high school girls in upstate New York, and looks for parallels with one that affects American diplomats.
Anya Taylor-Joy, perhaps best known for starring in The Queen’s Gambit, is coming to Apple TV+. She’ll star in an adaptation of the bestselling crime thriller Lucky by Marissa Stapley.
A rumor from early November said the iOS 18.2 launch day would be the week of December 2, but that’s now impossible. There are steps that must take place before the operating system can be introduced, and not all of them have happened yet.
The release will probably be in the second week of December. Right now, the earliest likely date is December 10, though December 11 is looking increasingly likely.
Whenever the launch finally happens, it’ll usher in some of the most-anticipated new Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji, the Image Playground and more.
Update: The much-anticipated release candidates for iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 went out December 5, which means Apple Intelligence phase 2 will likely launch December 12.
Apple’s Vision Pro will go on sale in Taiwan on December 17. Pre-orders for the spatial computing headset will start on Thursday, December 5.
Prices for the headset start from NT$119,900, with higher storage models costing extra.
Tesla is rolling out a significant holiday software update, headlined by the launch of its first Tesla Apple Watch app. The new app, long expected and finally available next week, will allow owners of Tesla electric cars and trucks to use their Apple Watch as a digital key to lock and unlock their vehicles. That eliminates the need to carry a smartphone (at least for that reason).
Users can also view battery charge levels, control climate settings, and remotely open the front trunk (“frunk”) directly from their wrist.
Turns out we won’t be able to order robot vacuum cleaners around with Siri commands and the Home application quite as soon as hoped. Apple moved the release date for this feature to early 2025.
When it launches, though, it’ll be a powerful tool for controlling these automated home-cleaning devices.
Apple’s AirPods Max are a great pair of wireless headphones. But they are too expensive for what they offer. Plus, they don’t work as well with non-Apple devices. Due to these limitations, I got the Bose QuietComfort headphones earlier this year.
For Cyber Monday, these fantastic Bose headphones are down to their lowest price ever. And you should buy them over any other option you might have in mind. Here’s why.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: With a slightly smarter Siri on the way in iOS 18.4, a new rumor indicates Apple might actually fix Siri once and for all … in 2026! We discuss the “LLM Siri” that supposedly will catch up with ChatGPT and other chatty competitors. As Apple refines its AI capabilities, companies like Buyback Boss are also innovating in tech resale and trade-in solutions. Find out more about the latest updates.
But the question remains: Can Apple really afford to wait that long to make its AI assistant less of a laughingstock?
Also on The CultCast:
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.
London’s iconic Battersea Power Station is decorated with a sort of enormous Christmas card starring the beloved characters Wallace & Gromit.
The short animation of the man, his dog, and their Christmas trees was filmed on an iPhone 16 Pro Max and then projected onto the 101-meter (330 foot) chimneys that rise above the River Thames.
November 30, 2003: Apple expands its retail chain outside the United States for the first time, opening an Apple Store in Tokyo’s trendy Ginza shopping district.
On opening day, thousands of Apple fans — possibly the biggest queue in Apple history — line up around the block in the rain to gain early access to the store, which offers five full floors of Apple product goodness.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs does not show up for the opening of the 73rd Apple Store. However, shoppers hear a welcoming speech from Eiko Harada, president of Apple Japan.
These days its seems a “national day” exists for every conceivable thing — and on Saturday, November 30, that includes unsubscribing. In other words, it’s time to unsubscribe from unwanted emails and manage paid subscriptions. For example, do you even open half the emails you get? Do you know how many subscriptions you pay for? Well, there are apps and other tools for cleaning up your subscription life so you can get on with your actual life.