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News - page 91

Apple Watch Ultra with micro LED display seemingly canceled

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Apple Watch Ultra will stick with OLED and not move to micro LED.
Apple Watch Ultra will apparently stick with OLED and not move to micro LED.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Plans to transition Apple Watch Ultra to a micro LED display have been dropped, according to a trusted source of insider Apple information.

Beyond that, Apple seems to have lost interest in micro LED screens entirely.

The best wireless charger for your iPhone gets a big 26% off

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Apple Black Friday deals
Apple's MagSafe charger is too good to miss at this price.
Photo: Apple

You can find plenty of wireless chargers for your iPhone. But few are better than Apple’s MagSafe charger. It can magnetically attach to your iPhone and transfer power at up to 15W speeds.

At $39, the official MagSafe charger is expensive. But Amazon is taking a whopping 26% off it, bringing its price down to $29. Also, if you’re looking for more length, there’s a third-party option at the same price that might be an even better deal.

Get ready for new MacBooks and iPads at Apple March event [Updated]

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Get ready for new MacBook and iPad models at Apple March 2024 event
The Apple March 2024 event should be a busy one, with loads of new computers.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is widely expected to hold a product launch event in March 2024 with a range of new iPad Pro, iPad Air, and MacBook Air models on the agenda. If you’re wondering when Apple’s next big announcement is happening, check out the apple october event date for the latest updates.

You don’t have to wait to find out what’s on Apple’s agenda. Many details about the upcoming notebooks and tablets already leaked out.

UPDATE: It appears there won’t be an actual event. Apple has begun unveiling the expected product via press release, starting with the M3-powered MacBook Air on Monday. The iPad announcements are likely to come soon. 

William Gibson’s sci-fi classic Neuromancer comes to Apple TV+

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Apple TV+ airs adaptation of Neuromancer by Willam Gibson
Apple TV+ lines up another big-time sci-fi series -- William Gibson's Neuromancer.
Photo: Apple TV+

Neuromancer, William Gibson’s much-lauded sci-fi novel published in 1984, is coming to Apple TV+, the iPhone giant said Wednesday.

The 10-episode drama has no release date yet. But it’s sure to be — as Apple TV+ says about almost every upcoming show — “much anticipated.”

Apple adds M3 MacBooks and iMac to Self Service Repair program

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Apple's Self Service Repair Program includes M3 MacBook models as iPhone.
Apple's Self Service Repair Program now includes M3 MacBook models as iPhone and other products.
Photo: Apple

The Apple Self Service Repair program just expanded to include MacBooks and iMacs with the M3 processor released in 2023.

The program provides customers access to parts and tools they need to fix their own devices, and already includes many models of iPhone plus earlier Macs. But there are some big gaps.

New documentary trailer: Meet the men who inspired Masters of the Air

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The Bloody Hundredth documentary on Apple TV+
Here's your chance to meet some of the real people who inspired "Masters of the Air."
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ dropped a trailer Wednesday for a companion documentary film to hit World World II drama series Masters of the Air. The  documentary, The Bloody Hundredth, tells the stories of the airmen in a particularly hard-hit B17 bomber group through some of the survivors themselves as well as series filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

“Watch The Bloody Hundredth and get an in-depth look at the real stories of the brave Airmen that inspired Masters of the Air,” the streaming service said. “Streaming March 15th on Apple TV+.”

Don’t expect Vision Pro 2 or Vision Air before 2027

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Vision Pro 2 in 2027?
There may be no follow-up to Vision Pro for years.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Vision Pro may be Apple’s only AR headset until 2027. The company has yet to start work on Vision Pro 2 or Vision Air, according to a trusted analyst.

That said, Apple is allegedly working on ways to produce the current Vision Pro more cheaply, which could lead to a price cut next year.

Canceling the Apple car is a sensible move we should celebrate

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A cute two-door car with an Apple logo
An Apple car may have been a fun experiment, but nothing more.
Image: Marc Newson/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Even as a big car enthusiast (and a bigger AI pessimist), I see Apple’s cancellation of its electric car project in favor of tackling AI as nothing but good news.

Apple pulled the plug Tuesday on the doomed Project Titan, its decade-long attempt at building a self-driving electric car. The company reportedly will reassign software engineers from the autonomous vehicle project to work on generative AI.

Some of my colleagues here at Cult of Mac find the Apple car cancellation depressing and sad. And, yes, it was always fun imagining what an Apple car would be like. However, Apple’s now-abandoned car strategy is already being executed at the peak of what’s possible by every other automaker. And whereas OpenAI, Google and Facebook clearly aren’t remotely interested in waiting for an ethical solution to their many, many problems, I think Apple has the best chance of bringing about positive change in this field.

Stunning deals drop Apple Watch Ultra and other models near new lows

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Apple Watch Ultra
A smoking-hot deal on an Apple Watch Ultra refurb is just one of several bargains here.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Like clockwork, Amazon bargain site Woot! comes out with great deals on Apple gear, including refurbished Apple Watch deals. So now it’s time for what looks like the lowest price we’ve seen on Apple Watch Ultra and a bunch of other deals on older Apple Watches for those who don’t want to pay typical Apple prices.

“Well, movies taught me that I’d have a wrist communicator in the far future but they didn’t say anything about ten F&F movies, that’s cray …” the site joked, apparently name-dropping the Fast & Furious movie franchise.

Vision Pro returns aren’t as bad as we feared

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Apple Vision Pro: Side View
It seems way, way fewer people return Vision Pro than you might think.
Screenshot: Apple

Very few Vision Pro units are being returned to Apple, according to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He pegs the Vision Pro return rate at less than 1%, which flies in the face of previous reports that many of the headsets bought by early adopters would wind up in the refurbished bins.

The reason Kuo states for a large percentage of those Vision Pro returns is even more surprising!

Triple 4K displays: Too many or just right? [Setups]

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Triple 4K displays in Mac Studio setup
That is an awful lot of screen real estate.
Photo: [email protected]

How many external displays would you consider ideal in your computer setup? Surprisingly, a lot of folks who assume it’s at least two end up regretting the idea. Today’s Mac Studio rig with triple 4K displays — three 32-inchers — sparked some debate on the matter.

That’s an awful lot of screen real estate that calls for a lot of head turning.

Apple Pay Later loans now appear on your credit report

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Apple Pay Later lets shoppers buy now then pay in installments
Apple Pay Later can boost your credit score now that these small loans go on consumers' credit reports.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Experian now includes small consumer loans made through Apple Pay Later on consumers’ credit reports. That makes Apple the first “buy now pay later” provider to supply this information to the credit reporting agency.

This can improve the customer’s credit score.

Loop your current faves with Apple Music’s new Heavy Rotation playlist

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Apple Music Heavy Rotation playlist
Now you have a curated playlist of favorites updated daily on Apple Music.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

The next time you open Apple Music, you should notice a new feature called Heavy Rotation at the top. The new collection behind the fiery orange, yellow and red card is yet another way Apple surfaces the tunes you play most. But unlike the others, Apple Music Heavy Rotation playlist updates daily instead of weekly.

Personally, I’d rather have the service nudge me in new directions, as with the recently added Discovery Station. And maybe it will build out further in that direction, too.

Aqara pledges Home Key support for new Matter-enabled smart lock

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Aqara Smart Lock U200
U200's integration with smart-home platforms and compatibility with Home Key are subject to upcoming software updates.
Photo: Aqara

Aqara launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign Tuesday for its new Smart Lock U200. Built on the Thread networking protocol and native to the Matter standard, the lock will integrate with many smart home devices. But its compatibility with smart-home platforms like HomeKit — and its support for Home Key in particular — will come from future software updates.

Killing the Apple car is depressing and sad

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Front view of a glossy white luxury car with an Apple logo
Apple's now-canceled car project was one of Silicon Valley's worst-kept secrets.
AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac

Apple’s reported cancellation of its electric car project strikes me as one of the most demoralizing decisions the company has ever made. And I’m not sure which is worse, the Apple car cancellation, or the revelation of how Cupertino plans to reroute most of Project Titan’s brainpower.

The long-rumored Apple car was never a done deal, obviously. But it stood out as a moonshot project capable of transforming transportation and improving our everyday lives.

Now we find out that Apple won’t be going to the moon. Instead, Cupertino might be taking a me-too detour to Gibberish City.

Apple car crashes to a halt

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Apple car canceled
Apple pulls the plug on one of Silicon Valley's worst-kept secrets: its self-driving electric car project.
Photo: Precious Madubuike/Unsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac

In a somewhat shocking development, Apple reportedly completely canceled all development on its self-driving car program on Tuesday.

The company is shifting its emphasis to artificial intelligence, instead.

iOS 17.4 with new emoji, huge changes for EU is almost here

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iOS 17.4 logo
iOS 17.4 will bring changes, but you'll have to live in Europe to get most of them.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple just seeded the release candidate of iOS 17.4 to developers. When it goes to the general public — probably next week — it’ll bring in a collection of new emoji to iPhone, and a more secure version of iMessage. For Europeans, the update will be a major one, as it’ll usher in sideloading and other changes.

The release candidate for iPadOS 17.4 also came out Tuesday. However, macOS Sonoma 14.4 is still on beta 5.

Hot rental market for unreleased Vision Pro springs up in China

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Vision Pro on table
Huge numbers of Chinese appear eager to try out Vision Pro -- not yet released there -- and they'll pay to do it.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple hasn’t released Vision Pro in China yet, but that hasn’t stopped scads of merchants from offering the headset for rent to enthusiasts. Many of them appear to think the AR headset may go beyond typical gaming uses, a new report says. Vision Pro rentals in China have attracted tens of thousands of customers.

Some eager testers think Apple’s pricey Vision Pro bests competitors like Meta’s Quest 3, as well.

All 2025 iPhone 17 models might have ProMotion, always-on screens

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All 2025 iPhone 17 models might have ProMotion, always-on screens
Get ready for a screen upgrade in the iPhone 17.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus will have the same type of screen as the Pro versions, according to a new report. That means all four 2025 iOS handsets will offer 120Hz ProMotion, always-on displays.

If true, it means Apple will have to come up with new ways to differentiate its top-tier models.

Why iPad’s Center Stage is probably never coming to iPhone

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iPad’s Center Stage is the best thing to happen to video conferencing
iPhone is unlikely to get Center Stage, Apple’s brilliant addition to video conferencing.
Photo: Apple

Center Stage is a brilliant feature that lets an iPad’s front-facing camera follow someone on a video call. Center Stage is not available for iPhone, though. And apparently, it never will be.

Apple developed an alternative version called DockKit, but this requires an add-on accessory.

Apple Arcade’s future: Kids win, but devs fear ‘smell of death’

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Apple Arcade's future is kids games with big names
Games with an established brand aimed at children -- like SpongeBob -- are apparently the future of Apple Arcade.
Photo: Apple/Nickelodeon

Apple Arcade now focuses so heavily on family-friendly titles from well-known franchises that some indie game developers feel abandoned, according to a new report. Some even predict doom — or at least creative stagnation — lies in Apple Arcade’s future if things don’t change.

Cupertino’s shifting priorities leave the developers, who Apple once wooed for the service, with few incentives for creating new Apple Arcade games.

M3 MacBook Pro supercharges trader’s rig [Setups]

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M3 MacBook Pro setup
The 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro with 36GB of unified memory handles powerful software.
Photo: [email protected]

What kind of performance boost do you get when you go from an M1 MacBook Air to an M3 Pro MacBook Pro? A pretty big one, if today’s MacBook Pro setup from an investor is any indication. They made sure to purchase a model with plenty of unified memory — 36GB — to ensure no number of open tabs would slow them down too much.