| Cult of Mac

Tim Cook approves AR headset’s 2023 launch despite opposition from Apple design team

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Apple mixed reality headset
Apple engineers are under pressure to ship the AR headset this year.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly sided with COO Jeff Williams to launch the company’s AR/VR headset this year, despite the fact that Cupertino’s design team wanted to wait a few more years to launch a sleeker pair of AR glasses.

The headset’s launch time frame has been a point of contention inside Apple. Until 2019, when Jony Ive led the design deapartment, it was unimaginable to go against his team’s wishes.

Apple makes organizational changes to focus more on India

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iPhone 14 Pro in India
India's prominence inside Apple continues to grow.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple is making internal management changes to further focus on India. And for the first time ever, the company will make India its own sales region, highlighting its growing importance.

The South Asian country is already emerging as a major alternative to China for manufacturing its products.

Apple now charges more for iPhone, iPad and MacBook battery replacements

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iOS update does not deliver promised iPhone battery improvement
Battery replacement is getting expensive for iPhones, iPads, and Macs from today.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple will now charge you more to replace your iPhone or MacBook’s battery. The higher battery replacement prices are also applicable for iPads.

The company first revealed the battery replacement price increase in a support document on its website at the beginning of 2023.

Apple’s in-house display could debut on the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024

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Apple Store logo in Chengdu, China with two people standing in front of it
Apple wants to shift away from Samsung for its product displays.
Photo: Unsplash

Apple wants to reduce its reliance on sourcing displays for its products from Samsung and LG. So, the company is working on its own custom displays that it intends to use as early as 2024.

This would mark another move from Apple to develop more components it uses on its devices in-house.

Apple’s first retail store in India takes one step closer to opening

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iPhone 14 Pro in India
Apple's first retail store in India could finally open its doors soon.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s first retail store in India has moved closer to its opening. After years of delays, the company has started hiring retail store workers in the country.

The company has posted 12 job positions on its career page in India as it looks to fill various retail positions.

Don’t make the same mistake I did with new AirPods

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Why isn't that case festooned with hilarious emojis? Foolish me.
Why isn't that case festooned with hilarious emojis? Foolish me.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

As soon as AirPods Pro (2nd generation) launched, I ordered them. I got them into the shipping queue so fast, in fact, I skipped any option that looked like it might take extra time or add expense. That included “Personalize them for free,” which would have done neither.

Apple has been letting users monogram AirPods cases with letters and numbers since 2019. It added emojis the following year. Now you can even choose your own Memoji via the Apple Store app.

What I didn’t realize at the time is that whatever you have etched on the case shows up on your devices wherever your earbuds are indicated, like when you pair them. Now I wish I’d monogrammed mine because it’s so much easier to identify your own personal AirPods.

iPad 10 drops down to its lowest price ahead of Christmas

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iPad 10 launch: The 10th-generation iPad comes in five colors and brings a top-to-bottom redesign to Apple's entry-level tablet.
Grab the iPad 10 at its discounted price in any color you like.
Photo: Apple

Amazon’s latest deal drops the iPad 10’s price to a much more reasonable $399, a sweet $50 off its retail price. This is the lowest price the tablet has been available for since its launch.

At $449, the new 10.9 iPad occupies an odd place in the iPad lineup. A $50 discount makes it easier to justify the higher price tag.