Apple released iOS 14.1 and iPadOS 14.1 Tuesday, bringing bug fixes and a handful of other improvements to iPhones and iPads.
Support for 10-bit HDR video playback and editing seems like the main new feature. But the updates supposedly fix plenty of little problems that might be annoying people who updated to iOS 14. If your Home screen widgets, folders and icons don’t look quite right, you should probably grab iOS 14.1.
What’s old is apparently new. With Apple Music TV, the new streaming channel that plays music videos 24 hours a day, Cupertino created a 21st-century version of MTV that looks a lot like the 1980s.
The service — which is free to everyone in the United States, not just Apple Music subscribers — launched out of the blue Monday. More than a quarter century after the original MTV’s heyday, this is going to be fascinating to watch. Can it possibly work?
The wait is over for the iPad version of the Adobe Illustrator. After many years as a Mac application, this professional drawing tool launched Tuesday in the iPadOS App Store.
In addition, Adobe introduced an iPhone version of Fresco, the company’s drawing and painting application previously out for iPad.
The first reviews of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro landed online Tuesday, and the devices’ marquee feature — 5G wireless connectivity — largely went unnoticed.
Most reviewers said they could not properly take advantage of the next-gen networking, which Apple heavily promoted during last week’s iPhone 12 launch event. This makes 5G more of a hypothetical selling point than something the reviewers could personally recommend. (That’s not surprising, considering the current state of 5G in the United States.)
That said, the first impressions focus on both phones’ impressive new designs — and pay special attention to the premium feel of the iPhone 12 Pro. The reviewers also highlight MagSafe, the new magnetic connection system for cases, chargers and other accessories that Apple added to this year’s iPhones.
Here’s a look at the first iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 reviews.
A band of Aeroflot Airlines crew members have been charged with smuggling $50 million worth of stolen electronic goods — including iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches — into Russia.
The plot was uncovered when crew members’ luggage was inspected. This resulted in the discovery of many of the devices in question. In total, 10 people have so far been charged, eight suspects arrested, and two are currently described as fugitives. A massive 113 visas of Aeroflot employees were also revoked.
Uploading videos to social media or transferring them between devices, it’s easy to wonder what went wrong. Strange compression, weird resolution issues, and other problems can make even high-quality videos suddenly look like junk.
You can avoid those kinds of totally annoying hassles with a heavily discounted lifetime subscription to this video-processing app for Mac.
Most people who preordered the new iPad Air 4 won’t receive their orders until this Friday. But somehow a YouTube user named Tech107 appears to have already gotten his hands on Apple’s latest tablet.
Check out the world first unboxing video below.
Apple’s eagerly anticipated, location-tracking AirTags will come in two different sizes, claims reliable Apple leaker l0vetodream.
In a tweet sent out Tuesday, the leaker — who has a reliability score of 87.9 percent on the website AppleTrack — claimed that Apple will release AirTags in both large and small options. It’s not clear what the precise sizes would be or what, if anything, would be the different functionality between sizes.
A new feature in the Launch Center Pro app makes iOS Home screen customization easier than ever.
Apple TV+ is the new home for all things Peanuts. That includes rights to stream the classic Christmas, Halloween and Thanksgiving specials starring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the whole gang. In addition, new specials are in development just for this streaming service.
Many of the beloved classics will be available to all, not locked behind a paywall.
Some of the advanced features of Apple AirPods are in Beats Flex, wireless earphones that come in at a much lower price. Apple’s Beats division built in 12-hour battery life, a new acoustic driver and USB-C charging. All for $49.
Beats Flex are scheduled to reach customers’ hands on Wednesday.
iPhone 12 has seen twice as many preorders as last year’s iPhone 11, while iPhone 12 Pro is proving more popular than iPhone 11 Pro, according to new estimates from reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Apple’s newest smartphone lineup — the first with 5G connectivity — is thought to have attracted between 1.7 million and 2 million orders during the first 24 hours of availability.
A concept artist dreamed up an introduction video for Apple AirTags. These item trackers could debut as early as November, and pictures have leaked out already. But this is the first video they’ve starred in.
Watch the concept video now:
Apple Music TV is now available in the United States, streaming live music videos 24 hours a day. The surprise new channel, which is free to all, promises “exclusive new music videos … live shows” and more.
Our mobile devices were supposed to make life easier. But as time goes on, it gets harder to keep all our tunes, videos and other data where we want it. Part of the challenge is using iTunes — luckily, this tool offers an intuitive alternative.
iPhone 12 users will have to cough up more cash should they need to replace the handset’s new Ceramic Shield display. The price of a new screen has risen by $80 compared to that for last year’s iPhone 11.
However, it should be more difficult to break iPhone 12’s screen, thanks to tougher glass. And you do get a lot more for your money.
Apple has begun shipping iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro preorders ahead of Friday’s launch. Many customers — though not all — can now track their shipments through UPS.
That doesn’t mean you can expect to receive your new handset early, however.
Becoming a better writer requires feedback. But not everyone has room in their life for writing workshops and deep dives into literature. If you want to improve your writing quickly and easily, you need this web-based tool that uses machine learning to polish your prose.
Just in time for election day, America’s real president makes a stump speech that’s part biography and part self-mythologizing letter to an equally mythic version of the state he calls home. Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You, like a lot of the Boss’ later albums, isn’t exactly groundbreaking or inventive. However, there’s a good reason his homespun coastal Americana never goes out of fashion. Nobody gets America like Springsteen.
Upcoming Apple TV+ documentary Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You showcases the songs on his 20th album. While it won’t tell you anything you didn’t already suspect, you will find an incalculable kind of value in the songwriter’s company.
New iPhones (both “regular” and mini, as well as Pro and Pro Max). A new, pint-size HomePod mini. And the triumphant return of MagSafe … this week’s “Hi, Speed” event delivered the goods.
Read up on all the new Apple gear, and find out why we’re totally psyched about the iPhone 12 mini (and a bit less so about 5G), in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now to read on your iOS device.
Oh, and don’t worry — we’ve got plenty of post-show analysis (and some even fresher Apple news and rumors, too) …
As more of our life moves online, security and privacy become more valuable. That’s why we’re big fans of virtual private networks, malware blockers and any other tools that make online life more secure. Luckily, you can get all that and more from one app.
“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” has long been the Sesame Workshop’s modus operandi, and the second season of Apple TV+ kids show Helpsters is living proof that the strategy works.
The educational show, created by Odd Squad and Adventure Time writer Timothy McKeon, with music by longtime collaborator Paul Buckley, is long on charm and star power and short on filler.
Season two of Helpsters, which arrived on Apple TV+ Friday, is likely exactly what your kids need while you finally get around to doing the laundry. And you’ll laugh, too, at the litany of guest stars and the occasional elegant joke.
Incoming! Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds is a documentary movie scheduled to debut on Apple TV+ in November. It’s from acclaimed directors Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer.
The Collage Atlas could be a temporary escape from 2020. It’s “a journey through an entirely hand-drawn picture-book dream-world,” according to the creator of the game, John William Evelyn.
This title launched Friday on Apple Arcade, and is available for a range of devices.
A rumored Apple TV with more of a focus on gaming allegedly won’t be out before the end of 2020. It’ll be a significant upgrade, with new features beyond a performance bump.
But it’s probably not on the list of devices to expect at an anticipated Apple November product launch event.