News - page 51

Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and other members of legendary British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac tell their story in their own words for the first time in an upcoming “definitive documentary,” Apple said Tuesday.

Five-time Academy Award nominee and Irving G. Thalberg winner Frank Marshall directs the Apple Original Film.

“I am fascinated by how this incredible story of enormous musical achievement came about,” said Marshall. “Fleetwood Mac somehow managed to merge their often chaotic and almost operatic personal lives into their own tale in real-time, which then became legend. This will be a film about the music and the people who created it.”

In a surprise move, the M4 Mac mini includes a removable, swappable SSD. Apple really should give customers the option to buy high-capacity versions of these as storage upgrades for the tiny desktop. It would be a win for both the Mac-maker and its customers.

The option would be welcome addition even if the SSDs only came from Apple at fairly high prices.

Apple released iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 and visionOS 2.1.1 on Tuesday. The updates deal with serious security threats that bad actors apparently already exploited on older Macs.

Apple recommends the updates for all users.

The U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly hoping to require Google to sell Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser — it’s even preferred by a majority of Mac users.

And this is just one of the possible consequences of a federal judge ruling this autumn that Google is a monopolist.

Getting a bit bored with the podcasts you subscribe to? One of the best ways to discover new ones is by finding out what other people are listening to. Apple made that easy on Tuesday by tabulating the most popular podcasts of 2024.

There are charts localized for listeners in nearly 100 countries and regions.

In what could be a breakthrough for wearables and other electronics, xMEMS Labs unveiled Sycamore on Tuesday. It’s the world’s first full-range near-field MEMS micro speaker. Measuring just over one millimeter thick, the innovation promises to make some noise with compact gear you don’t put in your ears. Those would be items like open-fit earbuds, such as AirPods and sport earphones, smartwatches like Apple Watch, AR glasses and headsets like Vision Pro, and other consumer electronics.

Like other xMEMS micro speakers that bring solid-state sound to earbuds and headphones, the new technology uses a novel “sound from ultrasound” platform. It generates full-frequency audio from ultrasonic waves within a chip-sized form factor.

“With Sycamore, mobile electronics can now achieve thinner, more stylish form factors while maintaining big, rich sound,” said Mike Housholder, xMEMS VP of marketing and business development. “With better performance at both the low and high ends, Sycamore delivers powerful, full-range audio for smartwatches, smart glasses, and any other small, mobile form factor that engineers dream up.”

The rumored iPhone 17 Air might measure just 6mm thick, making it the slimmest iPhone ever. The device reportedly will use an A19 chip fabricated on TSMC’s newer 3nm node.

The new process node should allow for higher transistor density, leading to better performance and efficiency.

In what seems like a coup for Apple TV+, Academy Award winner Javier Bardem will take on one of cinema’s most iconic villain roles in a new series adaptation of Cape Fear, according to new reports. He’ll play Max Cady, of course. That’s the character made infamous in earlier film versions by Robert Mitchum in 1962 and Robert De Niro in 1991. (And who could forget Sideshow Bob’s version of Cady from The Simpsons‘ “Cape Feare” spoof episode in 1993.)

The announcement comes as Bardem makes waves with his television debut in Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

A troubling new trend is emerging as thieves exploit tracking information to intercept iPhone deliveries as they arrive at customers’ doorsteps, according to a new report. When thieves target iPhone deliveries, it leaves Apple users particularly vulnerable, obviously. But you can take action to protect your deliveries.

Apple might soon discontinue its Lightning to 3.5mm headphone adapter. The company’s online store in the United States and several other countries already lists the item as “sold out.”

The adapter remains available for sale in some countries. However, once existing stocks run out, Apple is unlikely to replenish it.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: So … many … M4 Mac reviews! Griffin tells us why the new Mac mini and the updated iMac make him go gaga. And the faster MacBook Pros are no slouches, either.

Also on The CultCast:

• The “updated” Apple accessories — Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse — pack exactly one new feature. It’s not exactly magical.
• Apple reportedly plans to launch an inexpensive touchscreen device for managing smart home gear. But what purpose would it serve, really?
• Apple Music turns its ridiculous 100 Best Albums list into an even more ridiculous $450 coffee-table tome.

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’s first AirTag upgrade is another step closer to launch, with the tracking tags reportedly progressing to “manufacturing tests.” The company apparently plans to launch the AirTag 2 in mid-2025.

Codenamed B589, the new AirTags reportedly will look the same but provide increased range and improved privacy features.

The Apple TV+ dramedy Shrinking stayed among the top 10 most popular streaming series for another week, according to two ratings companies. And the sexy drama Disclaimer continues to pull in a large audience, too.

Both have been among the most-watched series on streaming since they debuted.

In hit Apple TV+ sci-fi series Silo, Rebecca Ferguson’s engineer character, Juliette, spent her whole life toiling in the bowels of a giant tube sunk into the soil, protected along with the last 10,000 people on Earth from a supposedly deadly outside world. But she’s willing to risk venturing outside to find the truth in the season 2 trailer of dystopian drama. Apple TV+ dropped it Monday.

Update: Silo‘s eagerly awaited 10-episode second season emerged on Apple TV+ Friday, November 15, with the first episode. Tagline: “Juliette finds sanctuary in a silo long ago destroyed by war, thinking she’s alone.” Want a quick taste? Watch the first 5 minutes here.

The latest MacBook Pro screen reportedly includes a quantum dot film. Apple previously eschewed this tech for close to a decade because it used a toxic element, but the company found an alternative.

The result is a better-looking display in the new macOS notebook.

The list of additions to the official collection of emoji we can use in text message includes an orca, a trombone an Apple core and, wait, is that Bigfoot?!

The industry group responsible for choosing new emoji proposed nine major additions and dozens of tweaks for the next update. If approved, they will come to iPhone, Mac and iPad, as well as Androids, PCs and many social media applications.

The Gemini application for iPhone that launched Thursday gives users direct access to Google’s AI-powered virtual assistant.

Have a conversation, get advice or generate images with the app.

The fourth and final season of the madcap workplace comedy Mythic Quest just got a premiere date. Ian, Poppy, David and the rest return to Apple TV+ on January 29.

But that’s not the end. The spinoff Side Quest launches in March.

Bill Atkinson, a legendary Apple programmer, let the world know Tuesday he’s in treatment for pancreatic cancer, the same disease that killed his boss, Steve Jobs, in 2011. Atkinson published a post on Facebook asking for prayers.

Recruited by Jobs and Macintosh developer and user interface guru Jef Raskin, Atkinson became employee number 51 at Apple. He’s a primary architect of the original Mac. You can see some of his considerable accomplishments and his Facebook post below.

The UK consumer-advocacy group Which? accused Apple of forcing iPhone and iPad owners to use iCloud, and then overcharging them for the service.

It’s asking for a hefty £3 billion ($3.8 billion) in compensation. That’s about £70 per consumer.

Following the launch of M4-powered Macs on November 8, Apple today rolled out Final Cut Pro 11 for Mac. It brings several new AI-powered features, like Magnetic Mask and Transcribe to Captions.

Final Cut Pro for iPad and iPhone also got an update with multiple enhancements.

Bad Sisters season two sees the Garvey women scrambling in the aftermath of the darkly funny thriller’s first season, a new trailer Apple TV+ dropped Tuesday shows. Will they get away with the “accidental death”? Or will they break ranks and trip up as the law and nosey strangers close in?

Season two of the popular and acclaimed series debuts on Apple TV+ November 13. Watch out for season one spoilers below, by the way, in case you haven’t streamed it yet (and you really should).

Update: The first pair of episodes of Bad Sisters season two premiered Wednesday.  It’s two years after J.P.’s death, and it might be time for what the Garvey women did in season one to catch up to them.

The updated version of Capcom’s classic Resident Evil 2 horror game launches on recent iPhone, iPad and Mac computers in under a month.

It’s the latest in the long-running series to hit Apple devices.

Beloved soccer comedy series Ted Lasso, considered Apple TV+’s biggest hit, is the subject of new book by no less than Jeremy Egner, a TV critic for The New York Times. He titled his new tome, released Tuesday, Believe: The Untold Story Behind Ted Lasso, the Show That Kicked Its Way into Our Hearts.

The book, published by Dutton, purports to tell the whole story of the show, from its unlikely conception based on a TV commercial to its surprising, and now ongoing, success. (Production for season four of Ted Lasso kicks off in January.)

Trying to decide which Apple tablet is right for you? Knowing which is the most popular might help. And there’s no doubt which one earns the top spot: iPad Pro.

You can probably guess the second most purchased iPadOS model.