Apple let the world know Thursday that its much-anticipated October event won’t be a traditional one. Instead, it’ll be a week of announcements of new products via press releases.
What the PR blitz will bring is supposed to be a secret, of course. But we already know much of what’s likely coming: MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac mini, all running the M4 processor, plus the iPad 11.
iOS 18.2 beta 1, which went to developers on Wednesday, includes a new section in Settings that lets users specify which applications to set as their defaults for handling email, messages, phone calls and more. In some cases, setting this simply gets easier. In others, changing the default app previously wasn’t possible at all.
We already knew this change would happen in Europe, but Apple made it clear Wednesday that it’ll be available worldwide.
While some M4 Macs may arrive in the next week, Apple also gears up for a bigger expansion of its M4 chip rollout, including the M4 MacBook Air coming in early 2025, according to a new report. However, it may push back launch plans for the next Mac Studio desktop computer a few months into next year, amid other release plans next spring. Those include a redesigned iPhone SE and a new entry-level iPad (11th generation). If you’re curious about the Mac M4 lineup and its expected features, take a look at this in-depth coverage.
If you’re wondering when will iPhone SE 4 come out, speculation suggests a release could be just around the corner.
Apple seeded the initial beta of iOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2 and iPadOS 8.2 to developers on Wednesday, giving them their first opportunity to test the Image Playground app, Genmoji and more. Also on the list is perhaps the most controversial feature of Apple Intelligence: optional ChatGPT access.
Expect testing to end and the full launch before the end of the year.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) imposed nearly $90 million in combined penalties on Apple and Goldman Sachs, the agency said Wednesday. The fines punish widespread customer service failures and misleading practices affecting Apple Card users. And the Apple Card fines for Apple and Goldman Sachs add up to some serious bank, too.
The enforcement action comes after an investigation revealed “significant breakdowns” in dispute handling and deceptive marketing of interest-free payment plans, CFPB said. Apple and Goldman Sachs didn’t much like the findings but pledged compliance.
Soccer superstar Lionel Messi will take the field in his first MLS Cup playoff match on Friday, and it’ll be available free for anyone to watch via the Apple TV app.
He’ll lead Inter Miami CF against Atlanta United FC.
Apple reportedly might end production of the Vision Pro by the end of the year. That doesn’t mean the mixed-reality headset is about to be discontinued, however.
Still, Cupertino apparently now has its focus on the cheaper Vision version that could launch in 2025.
Fans of hit Apple TV+ series Severance — call it a surreal workplace thriller — would expect nothing less than to have their heads exploded by the season two trailer. And without too much exaggeration, that’s pretty much what they get with the video Apple TV+ dropped on YouTube Wednesday.
It leaves you with nothing but tantalizing questions. Like: What the hell are they doing? Well, whatever it is, we want in. The January 17 streaming date can’t come soon enough. Watch the teaser trailer below.
Apple’s new iPad mini with Apple Intelligence support is now on sale. Announced on October 15th, the iPad mini 7 sports an A17 Pro chip.
Despite Apple Intelligence being a key highlight, the new iPad mini will launch with iPadOS 18, meaning buyers must wait a few days to get the new AI-powered features.
When the iPad mini 7 reaches customers on Wednesday morning, they should expect to update to iPadOS 18.0.1 as part of setting up the tablet.
This update removes bugs in the operating system and became available for other iPad models several weeks ago.
A new rumor suggests Apple’s redesigned Mac mini with M4 chip might launch as soon as this week.
Apple has several M4-powered Macs in the pipeline, including the M4 iMac and MacBook Pros. They are all expected to debut by the end of October.
The Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad are the only accessories in Apple’s lineup that use a Lightning connector. But that seemingly won’t be the case for long.
The latest macOS Sequoia 15.1 RC contains references to Apple updating its Magic lineup of Mac accessories, possibly with USB-C.
Disney+ no longer accepts user subscriptions through the App Store. This change also applies to Hulu. Instead, Disney and Hulu redirect users to their respective websites to sign up for a subscription.
The move is about commission fees, not technology.
Apple gave developers access to the release candidates of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 on Monday. This is the last round of testing before introducing them to the public, which means Apple Intelligence will finally launch in about a week.
Release candidates for tvOS 18.1 and visionOS 2.1 also went out. However, watchOS 11.1 RC is not yet available.
You can encapsulate Apple’s approach to innovation in four words, according to a new profile of CEO Tim Cook: “Not first, but best.” It’s not a new sentiment, but Cook doubles down on it in a long magazine article that came out over the weekend, complete with interesting tidbits about his life and his journey with Apple, past and present.
And in a colorful side note: The man apparently loves Diet Mountain Dew. And yet Apple Park doesn’t stock it, so he doesn’t get to drink it as much as he used to. (Theory: Cook banned it himself in an act of self-discipline.)
Apple gave reviewers early access to a soon-to-be-released software update that allows AirPods Pro 2 to go beyond providing entertainment to become hearing aids. They report that the wireless earbuds really do help people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
There’s also a huge cost advantage, but there are limitations that keep AirPods from being the right solution for everyone.
Apple could unveil a pair of hotly anticipated upgrades for its consumer-oriented desktops this week. The Mac mini and iMac are both likely to get enhanced with the powerful M4 processor, plus there’s supposedly a major design change coming to the mini.
Here’s what rumors reveal about these two.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iPad mini 7! But does this mean Apple canceled its October Mac event? And if so, are updated M4 Macs still coming this year?
Also on The CultCast, we discuss a “Cheaper” Vision headset, what Steve Ballmer is up to, plus Apple’s smart home strategy.
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 AI efforts are significantly behind Google, Meta, and OpenAI. Reportedly, some inside the company believe it is “more than two years behind the industry leaders.”
Apple previewed Apple Intelligence at WWDC 24. However, the public will only get a taste of its AI efforts when iOS 18.1 drops later this month.
Apple’s rumored iPhone 17 Air for 2025 could use a new A19 chip and a single rear camera. It would seemingly sport an all-new, slimmer design.
Rumors suggest Apple will shake up its iPhone 17 lineup next year, ditching the Plus model in favor of this “Air” model.
Multi-device chargers for iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch come and go, but Journey just rolled one out that really catches the eye: the Journey Nova 3-in-1 Fast Charging Station. It’s available for preorder now.
“Our designers envisaged an anti-tech aesthetic for Nova,” said a Journey spokesperson. “The exterior complements decors much like a vase, chair or pot plant might.”
A pot plant, they say! Well, that is a good aesthetic model to emulate, although it being on the “anti-tech” side seems debatable.
Two new external monitors BenQ showcased this week at Adobe MAX in Miami cater specifically to Mac and MacBook users — especially creative professionals. PD2730S and PD3226G, part of BenQ’s DesignVue PD series, promise to deliver exceptional color accuracy and performance for designers, illustrators and content creators.
“BenQ has meticulously gathered feedback from professionals to design monitors that precisely meet their requirements with always accurate and consistent colors,” said Houston Wei, senior director of BenQ North America. “The new PD2730S and PD3226G were designed with both Mac and PC users in mind to provide unparalleled color features with invaluable new software including Display ColorTalk and Palette Master Ultimate.”
Beloved Apple TV+ soccer comedy Ted Lasso begins pre-production on a long-hoped-for fourth season in January in London, according to a Thursday report. This follows recent news about the studio picking up cast members’ options, the first concrete clue that Ted Lasso season four might actually happen.
Apple TV+ ended the hit show after three seasons. But if Ted Lasso season four production starts as expected, it’s time to believe again! Fans eager to know more about the Ted Lasso platform and its future can check out Apple’s confirmation of season 4.
UPDATE: The Film & Television Industry Alliance confirmed via scheduling information that Ted Lasso shoots for season four will indeed start taking place in both London and Los Angeles in January 2025. A Mastodon post from the original leaker points to the confirmation.
These days, all sort of people need a microphone in their Mac computer setup — podcasters, streamers, gamers, videoconferencers or anyone recording pretty much anything. The list goes on. Today’s featured M1 Pro MacBook pro user, a video editor, relies on the Maono PD200X dynamic microphone, which packs both XLR and USB modes, to keep his vocal work clear.
Early benchmark tests for the recently announced iPad mini 7 show it’s around 30% faster than its predecessor, and perhaps a bit more. This is a detail that might help anyone wavering on the new tablet make up their mind.
The same tests indicate that iPad has 8GB of RAM — an expected increase.