After a month’s delay, Apple will launch the iPhone Air in China on Wednesday, October 22. Preorders for the device will begin this Friday, October 17.
Apple pushed back the iPhone Air’s September launch in China at the last minute due to regulatory hurdles around eSIM support.
F1: The Movie with Brad Pitt as a racer will make its streaming debut on Friday, December 12, following the film’s record-breaking theatrical run, Apple said Monday. And the announcement came with a surprise twist: Apple TV+ gets rebranded as simply “Apple TV” (no “+”) with what the company called a “vibrant new identity.”
It remains to be seen how vibrant the identity is, but it’s the same exact name as the Apple TV hardware and the Apple TV app. Maybe they meant “confusing new identity.”
Apple Clips, a free video-creation tool created for the Instagram era, just came to an abrupt end. Not only did Apple cease development of the software, the app can’t even be downloaded anymore.
But odds are you aren‘t too upset, given that Apple likely cancelled the app because it never found a big audience.
Apple is already working on future generations of its AirPods lineup despite only recently releasing the AirPods Pro 3, according to a new report. The company focuses development efforts on transforming its popular earbuds into AI-powered devices with enhanced health tracking capabilities.
The new Elgato Prompter XL teleprompter, a significantly larger version of the company’s popular Prompter teleprompter, is designed specifically for professional studio environments. The Corsair-owned Elgato said the new model addresses the most common complaint about the original: size.
“We heard it constantly: ‘Love Prompter, but we need something bigger for our studio,'” said Julian Fest, general manager at Elgato. “Prompter XL takes what creators loved about the original — the versatility, the simple setup, the reliability — and scales it up for studio environments.”
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After OpenAI’s Sora app races to the top of the App Store charts, it’s time to consider how fantastic and terrifying it really is.
The iPhone-only app produces startlingly photorealistic videos of wacky things like Pikachu as a World War II soldier and iJustine wrestling an elephant. Will we ever be able to believe our eyes again?
Also on The CultCast:
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Some previous rumors point to an upgraded MacBook Pro with Apple’s M5 processor launching very soon, but other reports say it won’t be out until 2026. Turns out both might be correct.
A leak on Friday indicates the MacBook Pro running the base version M5 chip will debut quite soon. However, the variants with the M5 Pro and M5 Max supposedly won‘t launch before 2026.
An Apple each day becomes your doctor someday. That’s the rumor anyway: Apple is reportedly prepping a Health+ service for launch in 2026 that will use AI to dispense advice on nutrition, exercise and more.
Whether the service will someday give out medical diagnoses remains a much murkier question.
How would you like to be the lone U.S. marshal covering a vast Alaska region when a jet loaded with dangerous convicts crashes, setting dozens of killers free? That’s the premise for Apple TV+’s new The Last Frontier series. And before long it becomes clear it may not have been an accident at all, but just the first step in a terrifying plan.
The good news is you don’t have to be the marshal. You can just watch his struggle in the tense, 10-episode series starting Friday.
Reviews so far are mixed. Collider said: “The Last Frontier is an engaging, often surprising manhunt thriller that elevates itself through a great central performance from Jason Clarke and smart, unexpected plotting that constantly evolves as the story unfolds.” But The Hollywood Reporter noted the show “goes from fun to tedious in a hurry.” AV Club called it “far more silly than chilly,” teeming with “exposition dumps” and “inane twists.”
Streaming Friday, the new Apple TV+ documentary series Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars gives an unprecedented look behind the scenes of the world’s most prestigious restaurants in their quest for coveted Michelin stars.
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and his Studio Ramsay Global production company produce the eight-part series. It promises to deliver high-stakes culinary drama and unprecedented access to the secretive Michelin ratings process. Watch the trailer below.
Reviews so far lean positive, calling the show “riveting” and praising its realistic, fly-on-the-wall look at chef’s lives and what drives them.
Apple is preparing for a major internal reorganization ahead of COO Jeff Williams’ retirement later this year. As part of the rejig, Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, will oversee the health and fitness team.
Meanwhile, leadership of the watchOS division will move to Craig Federighi, Apple’s head of software engineering.
Thinborne, a small business based in Texas, designs super-thin iPhone cases using aramid fiber — a material commonly used in the aerospace and military industries. The latest example is Thinborne’s new iPhone 17 Pro case, which lets you enjoy the functionality of Apple’s most impressive phone yet in style.
But don’t let the sleek aramid case’s minimalist style fool you. This slim iPhone case delivers on its promises. You can count on it to be long-lasting and durable — scratch-resistant and able to handle moderate impacts.
The Belkin Stage PowerGrip adds to an iPhone the grip that DSLR camera users are familiar with. Built into the grip is a battery that sends power to the handset via the MagSafe magnetic charging mat integrated into the device.
After being unveiled early this year, the product finally launched on Thursday.
Apple Watch’s new hypertension notification feature expands to Canada. It will alert users when it detects signs of high blood pressure.
Apple announced hypertension detection at its “Awe Dropping” September event.
Apple will expand Emergency SOS via satellite on the iPhone and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to Mexico later this year.
The feature will enable iPhone and Apple Watch users in Mexico to contact emergency services outside mobile network coverage.
Meta began rolling out in-app translation support Tuesday for WhatsApp on iPhone. In its initial phase, the feature supports 21 languages, making it easier for users to chat with their loved ones without worrying about language barriers.
Keeping security and privacy in mind, the translations happen on-device, ensuring the messages remain private.
The Underdogs are back in BSOD (Blue Screen of Death)! The fictitious team of nerdy Apple users once again star in a video demonstrating how Macs and iPhones get real work done. This time, the focus is on Mac security.
Watch the shortfilm now and have fun while learning about what your Apple gear can do for you.
Supplies of iPad Pros and 14-inch MacBook Pros powered by M4 chips are running low across Apple Stores. This indicates the imminent arrival of M5-powered models.
While reports of an M5 iPad Pro refresh surfaced before, this marks the first solid indication that Apple could launch an M5 MacBook Pro this year as well.
OpenAI’s efforts to create and sell an “AI companion” device reportedly have serious obstacles to overcome. These are existential, including how the company can find enough computing resources to enable the artificial intelligence devices to function.
That’s good news for Apple, as there have been predictions that products designed specifically for AI might someday take the place of the iPhone and other smartphones.
Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup has taken China by storm, with first-day sales reportedly far outpacing the iPhone 16.
In the first week alone, Apple moved an estimated 1.03 million iPhone 17 units — a massive 47% jump over its predecessor.
Apple isn’t done lunching new products this year, even though the iPhone 17 family and Apple Watch Series 11 reached customers in September. There are so many new products coming out of Cupertino this fall that rumors point to an Apple October event.
For some Apple fans, the best is yet to come: the Apple M5 processor, a new iPad Pro and (hopefully) the next MacBook Pro. And there could be more.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The Federal Communications Commission leaks secret Apple info and Russian YouTubers get their hands on unreleased iPad Pros.
What’s going on with these crazy Apple leaks? We have a theory about why at least some of them are happening.
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.
The iPhone Air already stands out with its sleek, ultra-thin design. A modder has now taken it a step further and added a custom transparent back glass to give the phone an even stunning look.
The result is a retro-mod vibe that shows off the phone’s internals in all its glory.
Thanks to a new method of financing for MacBook purchases, there’s a more affordable way to get your hands on the latest Apple laptop. Instead of dropping thousands today, Upgraded’s MacBook Upgrade Program lets you spread the cost over 36 months, with the option to upgrade to the latest device every 24 months.
Thousands of people are switching to Upgraded, thanks to the simple monthly prices, seamless experience and time saved from not dealing with reselling. You can get the latest MacBook starting at just $33.28 per month and as low as 0% APR with Upgraded.
No massive upfront bill. No time wasted on eBay or craigslist. And you can always have the newest MacBook, since you have the option to upgrade every two years.
Shop MacBooks from $33.28 per month or iPad Pros from $31.89 per month.
OpenAI introduced the Sora iPhone app Tuesday, and by Friday, it had already hit the No. 1 spot on Apple’s Top Free Apps list. The secret of the new AI video app’s appeal? It’s a lot of fun, letting users create hilarious short videos with a simple text description.
Watch some of the hilarious (and amazing) videos people have already created, there go make your own.