Concealed in Wednesday’s invite to the Apple spring event is an augmented reality Easter egg. It’s a bonus to make the invite seem cool, and perhaps get Mac fans excited about what’s coming.
The graphic for the March 8 event has an Apple floating in space. And it looks even better in AR.
An Apple VP used Twitter to reveal the date for the company’s much-anticipated product-release event. Apple soon after began issuing invitations. As had been rumored, the streamed event will take place Tuesday, March 8.
While Greg “Joz” Joswiak, global head of marketing, announced the date, he didn’t post an itinerary. Still, leaks and rumors point to an improved 5G iPhone SE and iPad Air. And a new Mac is possible, too.
We’re still yet to see an official invite for Apple’s big spring event, which all but rules out the rumored March 8 date. So, when is it likely to happen? Don’t bother asking Siri. As usual, the digital assistant proves less than helpful.
“You can’t hurry news” is the response you get when asking what will be announced at the next Apple event. “No, you’ll just have to wait.”
With everyone primed for a rumored Apple event on March 8, fans are eagerly awaiting the invites that will confirm the date. As of Tuesday morning, however, Cupertino left everyone twisting in the wind.
But that didn’t stop Apple fans and tech journos from speculating about the possible spring event. On Twitter, the hashtag #AppleEvent served as a showcase for theories, jokes and concept art concerning the matter.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iOS 15.4 packs a punch with some fun and useful new features. It’s still just a beta, but it will give us lots of new emoji for our critical, high-level communications when it goes live. Plus, the beta includes a convenient new way to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask — just in time for the end of the pandemic! 🤞
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 livestream, embedded below (down by the headlines and donkey links).
Apple’s “Unleashed” event on Monday is likely to bring what Mac fans have been eagerly anticipating for over a year: redesigned MacBook Pro models with upgraded displays and the return of traditional ports. But that’s just the start. We could see the debut of two more models, all powered by a new Apple M-series processor.
Here are the computers that leaks and rumors say are coming. But we could always be surprised. Again.
Concealed in Tuesday’s invite to the Apple October event is an augmented reality Easter egg. It’s a bonus to make the invite seem cool, and perhaps get Mac fans excited about what’s coming.
The graphic for the Oct. 18 event has a “zooming into hyperspace” effect. And it looks even better in AR.
Apple sent out invites Tuesday to its much-anticipated October product launch event. The tagline is “Unleashed,” and the streaming event almost certainly will bring the debut of redesigned MacBooks and perhaps an iMac running an updated Apple processor.
Cupertino could squeeze some other new products onto the agenda as well. The event is scheduled for October 18 at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Here’s what to expect.
Some people love to carefully examine Apple event invites as though each one serves as a crystal ball that can show the future. The one that went out Tuesday might have been crafted to suggest that the iPhone 13 will be better at taking pictures of stars. Or maybe it hints that Apple’s virtual-reality headset will be unveiled.
On the other hand, it could be nothing more than a pretty picture.
Hidden in Tuesday’s invite to the Apple September event is an augmented reality Easter egg. It’s part of the company’s ongoing move to draw more attention to AR — and make its event invites cooler than anyone else’s.
The graphic for the event is the Apple logo floating over a lake in the evening. iPhone users can transfer that design to the real 3D world, and pass through it into a star-lit virtual space.
Apple today confirmed it will host its next big keynote on Tuesday, September 14. The “California streaming” event will likely be focused on iPhone 13, as well as Apple Watch Series 7 and a possible third-generation AirPods upgrade.
You’ll be able to watch the whole thing live online when it kicks off at 10 a.m. PDT.
As predicted, Apple’s next special event — dedicated to the iPhone 13 and, possibly, new AirPods — will take place virtually, Mark Gurman reports in his weekend “Power On” newsletter.
Gurman also said that, in keeping with the company’s approach during COVID-19 times, Apple will focus on online sales. That’s a far cry from Apple’s classic launches, where the iPhone unveiling event was attended by hundreds of tech journalists, while fans lined up outside Apple Stores to get their new handsets.
iMac … iPad Pro … Apple TV 4K … AirTag …
So much new Apple hardware, so little time!
And that’s not to mention the purple iPhone or the upgrades and updates coming to Apple Podcasts, Apple Card and more. Jump right into all our coverage of this week’s big “Spring Loaded” Apple event in Cult of Mac Magazine. (And if you’re already caught up on that, you’ll find plenty of other Apple news, reviews and how-tos.)
Our iOS mag is free and makes reading easy and fun, but you also can find the headlines below.
Wow, that was the speediest, most jam-packed Apple event in recent memory.
It was so quick-moving, we all got whiplash. There was barely time to catch your breath between announcements: Here’s a new purple iPhone. Fuggedaboutit, here’s a new Apple TV, and new AirTags. Oh, and hers’s new iMacs — and iPads!!
In an hour, Tim Cook and Co. managed to introduce a raft of products with dozens of new features and technologies while dazzling us with some pretty jaw-dropping promo videos.
Once again, the prerecorded format worked well. The promo videos in Tuesday’s “Spring Loaded” event looked super. They hit us with a great mix of head-spinning effects and angles, humor and product placement.
Here are some thoughts and initial reactions to some of the major announcements:
It’s 4/20 and Apple’s big iMac and iPad Pro launch event was a total trip. The new Mac desktop comes in a rainbow of colors, and the M1 processor in the latest tablet will blow you away. And there’s AirTag too, at long last.
Grab some snacks and get ready to find out what the new products mean for Apple users and for the company’s future.
The 2021 iPad Pro is built around an Apple M1 processor that brings a tremendous speed boost. And the USB-C has been upgraded with Thunderbolt, leading to faster connections to external drives. Plus, there’s a version with 5G.
But the latest top-tier iPadOS tablet more than fast — it looks great too. The 12.9-inch version includes a mini-LED display that both improves the look and uses less power.
The world’s most popular all-in-one now runs on Apple Silicon. The all-new and beautifully colorful iMac, unveiled today at Apple’s Spring Loaded event, packs a blazing-fast M1 chip into an aluminum form factor that’s just 11.5mm thick.
The new 24-inch machine delivers significantly faster performance and more powerful graphics, but consumes less power than ever before. It’s also available with Touch ID — a first for a desktop Mac — and it goes on sale on April 30.
Apple announced some changes to its Apple Podcasts app at Tuesday’s Spring Loaded event. While not quite the dedicated Podcasts+ subscription service some were expecting, the update will allow individual creators to easily disseminate paid podcasts. From the sound of things, it’s a bit like an App Store for podcasts.
Apple describes Apple Podcasts Subscriptions as a “global marketplace for listeners to discover premium subscriptions offered by their favorite creators,” alongside offering millions of free shows.
Apple just took the wraps off AirTag, a small tracker that users can attach to items for easy location at a later date.
Tile and other companies already offer rivals products. But Apple’s trackers offer technology that makes finding lost items easier and more accurate.
Update: Now that Apple’s Spring Loaded event is history, you can watch (or rewatch) it at the YouTube link below.
Apple’s next big event is just hours away, and it promises to be a big one for fans of iPad, AirPods and more. It will be an online-only affair, like other recent Apple events, and you’ll be able to watch it live almost anywhere.
Find out how before the “Spring Loaded” event begins in just a few hours.
Apple could debut a premium podcast service at Tuesday’s “Spring Loaded” event, according to Recode reporter Peter Kafka.
“Pretty sure Apple is prepping its own podcast plan – a paid subscription service – on Tuesday,” Kafka tweeted Sunday.
No additional details are known about the possible podcast initiative, which presumably would join paid subscription services Apple News+, Apple Music, Apple TV+ and Apple Fitness+. The possibility of a paid podcasting service from Apple was rumored earlier this year.
Last week, Siri leaked the date and time of the upcoming Apple event. And this wasn’t the first time Apple’s own virtual assistant told the world about an upcoming event before the official announcement.
So step back Jon Prosser. Stand aside Mark Gurman. Siri is now the most accurate Apple leaker.
As you might expect, we can’t wait to see what new gear Apple unleashes next Tuesday.
If you don’t mind spoiling the surprises, take a look at our predictions about what will bounce out of Cupertino’s magic pipeline during the “Spring Loaded” event.
However, if you’d rather skip the spoilers and spend your weekend watching astonishing animals, check out our reviews of the totally binge-worthy new season of Tiny World and the other new nature shows that just arrived on Apple TV+ for your Earth Day enjoyment.
Get up to speed with our iOS publication, Cult of Mac Magazine. Download the app for free to read on your iOS device, or get the links below.
Trusted tipster Mark Gurman says the 2021 iMac all-in-one desktop might be the next to get the M1 processor. The announcement could be only a few days away.
And that’s only the beginning. There’s plenty more evidence that an upgraded iMac will launch at Apple’s April 20 event.
It’s temping to look for hints about what Apple is going to announce during its April 20 event somehow hidden in the invite sent out Tuesday. But that’s surely an utter waste of time.
Here’s why.
