Setting up a VPN on your Apple TV 4K allows you to avoid geographic region restrictions and access services not normally available to you. With tvOS 17, VPN apps can now be installed on the Apple TV directly.

VPN apps available now for Apple TV include NordVPN, PureVPN, IPVanish, ExpressVPN, and more. Here’s all the best VPN apps for Apple TV available now …

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There may be some cool stuff en route for Apple’s special event on May 7, which was announced on Tuesday. The company may have also dropped some interesting hints into the invitation, including a pencil icon that could indicate a next-gen Apple Pencil within the works. In a post on X, Apple CEO Cook shared […]

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Macworld

Whether you’re streaming or browsing online, we can all agree that ads pose a serious annoyance to any digital experience. Fortunately, you can rid your browser of ads, protect yourself and your devices from malware, and more with AdGuard.

AdGuard is a comprehensive security solution offering data privacy tools for life. Now, the Family Plan is less than $25 through April 30.

Compatible with iOS and Android operating systems, AdGuard provides users with impressive ad-blocking support. It can ...

Macworld

If you need to move text, an image or another object from one part of a document to another, or from one app to another, you need to use copy (or cut) and paste. On a Mac or MacBook, the keyboard shortcuts for this are different from other devices, so if you are coming from Windows you might be confused.

We’ll explain the simple steps you need to take to cut, copy and paste on a Mac. Our tips will show you how to copy and paste on a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini or any other Mac.

We’ll also cover how to copy and paste using the keyboard on a Mac and copy and paste using a Mac mouse or a trackpad, how to paste without formatting, how to copy multiple items on Mac, and...

Macworld

With news that iPadOS 18 might bring a calculator to the iPad we’ll refresh our memories as to why the iPad doesn’t have a calculator right now, and what the alternatives are if you want to do some math and it’s the only device you have handy.

Ever since the iPad first arrived, there’s been a curious omission in the apps that come preinstalled by Apple. Whereas the iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch and even the iPod touch feature a calculator as standard, there’s never been one on the iPad.

Why is that? Of all the platforms, it’s probably the one most suited to the task, especially if it was one of the scientific variety with all the additional capabilities.

We’re not ones to leave a stone unturned, so we set out to find why the iPad comes calculator-free.

The Steve Jobs story

In preparing this article...

Macworld

It’s pretty universal at this point to keep a smartphone charger by your bed, usually so you can charge your phone while it rests on your nightstand. It’s also pretty standard to have a lamp on that same nightstand. Miraculously, 3PExperts put two and two together and combined these nightstand staples into one sleek package. 

Meet the 15W Nightlight Wireless Charging Pad, which offers easy ambient lighting and an easy charging solution for only $39.99 (reg. $99).

This versatile device blends well into almost any bedroom or home decor, and is compatible with all wireless chargeable devices including your iPhone, earbuds, and more. You’ll just need to ensure that whatever device you own supports wireless charging.

As for the nightlight, this gadget offers gentle illumination and promotes relaxation with its three brightness levels. With its highly practical and multi-purpose design, you can promote a clutter-...

NordVPN for Mac Review: Is It Safe To Use?

VPNs offer several benefits, like protecting your IP address for increased online privacy and bypassing geo-restrictions. But with so many options available, choosing the right one can be difficult. That’s why I’ve put together this comprehensive review on NordVPN for Mac. Let’s explore it in detail and go over the essential security features, along with […]

This post NordVPN for Mac Review: Is It Safe To Use? appeared first on The Mac Observer

iPhone Speaker Not Working After iOS 17 Update? 6 Fixes

Your iPhone speaker was working fine until recently, but after updating to iOS 17, you can’t hear media audio or ringer alerts anymore. Is this a serious hardware problem or just a confusing software glitch? Based on the Apple Support Community, it’s actually a widespread iOS update issue. So before you rush off for costly […]

This post iPhone Speaker Not Working After iOS 17 Update? 6 Fixes appeared first on The Mac Observer

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Roborock: Get a special deal on the S8 MaxV Ultra Robot Vac & S8 Max Ultra with free gifts for a limited time.

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NAB, a camera and production-focused trade show, is one of the events I look forward to annually – this year was no different. NAB 2024 was chock full of new hardware and software releases that will affect large productions with pro cameras all the way down to small at-home productions with an iPhone serving as an A-cam.

In this hands-on video, I traverse the showroom floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center in search of some of the best of NAB 2024 from an Apple user’s perspective. I cover some exciting new updates to the amazing LumaFusion mobile video editing app, an exciting newcomer in Prismatic that promises to enhance production workflows, an update to the Blackmagic Camera app, Promise’s upcoming Thunderbolt 5 RAID enclosure, the Atomos Ninja Phone, and lots of new iPhone and iPad-centric hardware as well. Watch our hands-on, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videos.

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Over the years, Apple has drastically improved its AutoFill feature for autofilling passwords, addresses, credit card information, and more. With iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma, Apple has made another significant enhancement: the ability to use AutoFill anywhere in the operating systems.

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Meta this week announced some big news when it comes to its mixed reality ecosystem. The company confirmed that it is opening up the operating system for Meta Quest devices, known as Horizon OS, to third-party hardware manufacturers. This will allow devices other than those designed by Meta to run the same system, apps, and games.

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iPhone Activation Market Share Dips To Lowest in Six Years, per Report

iPhone’s activation market share has dipped to the lowest in the last six years in the U.S., which is a concerning sign, as per a recent report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP). It also means that if the iPhone is losing, its rival Android might be enjoying its piece of the pie with nearly two-thirds […]

This post iPhone Activation Market Share Dips To Lowest in Six Years, per Report appeared first on The Mac Observer

Just as Google, Samsung and Microsoft continue to push their efforts with generative AI on PCs and mobile devices, Apple is moving to join the party with OpenELM, a new family of open source large language models (LLMs) that can run entirely on a single device rather than having to connect to cloud servers. From a report: Released a few hours ago on AI code community Hugging Face, OpenELM consists of small models designed to perform efficiently at text generation tasks. There are eight OpenELM models in total -- four pre-trained and four instruction-tuned -- covering different parameter sizes between 270 million and 3 billion parameters (referring to the connections between artificial neurons in an LLM, and more parameters typically denote greater performance and more capabilities, though not always).

[...] Apple is offering the weights of its OpenELM models under what it deems a "sample code license," along with different checkpoints from training, stats on how the models...

Apple was hit with a $2 billion fine in the European Union last month for “abusive” App Store rules for music streaming services. In addition to the fine, the European Commission also said Apple must relax its anti-steering rules.

As reported by TechCrunch, Spotify has submitted a new update to its app that includes pricing information for users in the EU. Spotify also says that it is not planning to opt into Apple’s new business terms in the European Union offered in response to the Digital Markets Act.

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CIRP is out with a report on how iPhone activations compare to Android in the US. The latest data shows a notable drop over the last year bringing Apple’s US smartphone market share of new activations back in time six years.

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Macworld

If you own a recent iPhone before the latest model, two things are true: It has a Lightning port and it doesn’t have a headphone jack. Today’s deal can fix that for very cheap: Best Buy is selling a 2-pack of Insignia Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone adapters for just $6, a savings of $11.50 and the best price you’re ever going to see.

This adapter has one job: One end connects to the Lightning port on your iPhone and the other accepts a 3.5mm jack from your headphones or some...

Last week, we got a report from Ross Young with a nice surprise that the upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Air would use mini-LED for its display. Now an updated report from Ross says that’s not happening after all, but there could be an iPad surprise at the end of the year.

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Macworld

Apple’s smallest iPad was given a substantial facelift at the end of 2021. The 6th-generation iPad mini sports a complete redesign with a bigger display, Touch ID on the power button, USB C instead of Lightning, and an upgraded front camera. This represented the first major change to the design since the iPad mini was first introduced back in 2012. The mini celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2022 without an update and no update was forthcoming in 2023 either. But a new iPad mini 7th generation is rumored to be in the works for 2024.

Update April 24: Apple announced its Let Loose iPad event for May 5, but the iPad mini is not expected to be announced.

iPad mini 7 release date: When is the new iPad mini coming out?

It’s been more than two years since the 6th generation iPad mini launched in September 2021, and, based on the dates when other iPad mini models have launched, a fall...

Macworld

Sometimes, you need to turn a piece of paper into a digital file. Maybe you need to include a receipt, registration, or other form of proof in an online form. Or, you want to keep copies of your important documents in the cloud, so they’re always accessible and safe from being lost or destroyed. Such documents are often digitized as Portable Document Format files (or PDFs).

It used to be that you needed to use either dedicated hardware or a third-party iPhone app to take a photo of a document and convert it to PDF. That is no longer the case: Apple includes a very handy document scanner in the iPhone’s Notes and Files apps, and it does a surprisingly good job of capturing most documents and converting them to PDF. Because it’s not very obvious, you’d be forgiven for not even knowing it exists.

Here’s how you scan documents using an iPhone. We also cover how to convert the scan into a PDF and how to autofill the...

Ahead of iOS 18’s debut at WWDC in June, Apple has released a family of open-source large language models. Called OpenELM, Apple describes these as: a family of Open-source Efficient Language Models.

In its testing, Apple says that OpenELM offers similar performance to other open language models, but with less training data.

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Starting in May, Apple is launching a new Today at Apple series at its retail stores focused on small business owners and entrepreneurs. Apple says that these sessions will offer “free opportunities to learn how Apple products and services can support their growth and success.”

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Another stolen car has been recovered thanks to a hidden AirTag, this time in California. Speaking to NBC News, Philip Obando said that he woke up and walked out of his house to find that his BMW was gone.

Thanks to the hidden AirTag and dashcam video, Obando was able to get a pretty clear idea of when the car was stolen, who stole it, and what the thief did with it.

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Macworld

The iPhone 16 lineup will bring in more money for Apple than anything else this year. As many other parts of the company (namely services) are growing, the overall fortunes of Apple still rise and fall on iPhone sales. You would think that would make the iPhone 16 Apple’s most important product this year, but no. That distinction belongs to iOS 18; or more specifically, the on-device AI features it is expected to bring to our pockets this fall.

For better or worse, it’s all about AI these days. Every tech company has to have a “leader in AI” story to satisfy investors, even if users are starting to get bored with AI chatbots already. And Apple, though the company has used lots of AI and ML (machine learning)...

Sometimes it’s the celebrity shots that give away nifty forthcoming products on the horizon. Prior to Saturday’s playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets, superstar LeBron James was spotted carrying what appeared to be an unreleased version of the Pill speaker from Apple’s Beats brand. The original Beats Pill was a […]

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Macworld

Often you’ll be required to fill in a PDF on your Mac. Maybe you are applying for a loan, returning an item to a shop, making a request, or applying for a job. Whatever it is, it’s likely that the document you need to fill in is a PDF. This is because PDF is a universal format for documents and it works on Windows, macOS, Android or iOS–and looks the same on whichever platform you open it on.

That’s all fine, but it can be annoying to have to print it out, fill it in with a pen (which requires actual writing!) and then either scan it so you can email, or put it in the mail. Nobody wants to be wasting their time with those shenanigans.

So, what do you do when faced with PDF forms? Luckily it is easy to fill in a PDF on your Mac, and you don’t have to buy expensive software to do it. You can edit a PDF on a Mac for free.

PROMOTION

EaseUS PDF Editor Makes Mac PDF Editing Easier...

Telegram CEO Takes Shot at Apple, Claims Download Numbers Unaffected After China Ban

Pavel Durov, CEO of messaging app Telegram, said Apple’s removal of Telegram from the Chinese App Store last week did not affect the app’s download numbers in China. Instead, Durov criticized Apple’s app store policies, calling them a “walled garden.” Honestly, this is not the first time a CEO has bashed out on Apple. He […]

This post Telegram CEO Takes Shot at Apple, Claims Download Numbers Unaffected After China Ban appeared first on The Mac Observer

6 Fixes If One AirPod is Louder Than the Other

As a music lover, nothing’s more frustrating than when one AirPod is louder than the other. It completely ruins the groove. Getting a new pair of these pricey headphones isn’t ideal; luckily, there might be a few easy solutions. Try these troubleshooting steps before heading to the Apple Store for replacements or repairs. How Do […]

This post 6 Fixes If One AirPod is Louder Than the Other appeared first on The Mac Observer

Apple on Tuesday announced that it will hold a special event on May 7. Although the company doesn’t usually discuss the topics of the event, the invitation artwork makes it clear that it will be all about iPad – as we can see an Apple Pencil in it. To add fuel to the fire, Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted that we’ll see at least a new Apple Pencil 3 next month.

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Last week, Apple was forced by the Chinese government to pull four apps from the App Store in China: Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Threads.

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has now responded to the situation, arguing that Apple was the real target of China’s request. There are more than a few problems with this spin, though…

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Enlarge (credit: Apple/Andrew Cunningham)

Last year, Apple introduced the ability to set multiple timers at once in the Clock app on its various platforms.

“We truly live in an age of wonders,” deadpanned Apple’s Craig Federighi in the company’s official presentation, tacitly acknowledging the gap between the apparent simplicity of the feature and the amount of time that Apple took to implement it.

The next version of iPadOS may contain another of these "age of wonders" features, an apparently simple thing that Apple has chosen never to do for reasons that the company can't or won't explain. According to MacRumors, iPadOS 18...

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Roborock: Get a special deal on the S8 MaxV Ultra Robot Vac & S8 Max Ultra with free gifts for a limited time.

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Our wait for new iPads is nearly over. Apple today announced a special event for May 7, with the tagline “Let loose.” The event will almost certainly focus on new iPad hardware and accessories, and we want to know: what are you most excited to see?

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Apple Releases Third Betas of iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5 and macOS Sonoma 14.5

Apple has rolled out the third beta updates for upcoming iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5 and macOS Sonoma 14.5 to developers, coming hot on the heels of the second beta updates, which Cupertino had rolled out last week. The third beta updates for iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 come with build number 21F5063f. Meanwhile, macOS Sonoma […]

This post Apple Releases Third Betas of iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5 and macOS Sonoma 14.5 appeared first on The Mac Observer

An anonymous reader shares a report: Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations."

As a result, Apple is expected to take a "conservative view" of headset demand when the Vision Pro launches in additional countries. Kuo previously said that Apple will introduce the Vision Pro in new markets before the June Worldwide Developers Conference, which suggests that we could see it available in additional areas in the next month or so.

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Macworld

The second major point release of visionOS, the operating system for Apple Vision Pro, has just entered beta testing. When visionOS 1.1 landed a month ago, it mostly polished up a few sore spots from the release version (like the inability to reset your device). There’s no telling what visionOS 1.2 will bring–Spatial Personas has already come to all Vision Pro headsets before the 1.2 release.

Updated April 23: The third beta of visionOS 1.2 is now available.

What’s new in visionOS 1.2

We don’t know yet what is new in visionOS 1.2, but we’ll update this section as new features and changes are discovered.

This release appears to be primarily concerned with fixing bugs....

The iOS 17.5 beta train continues today with the third developer release. Apple is also testing macOS Sonoma 14.5, visionOS 1.2, watchOS 10.5, tvOS 17.5, and HomePod 17.5.

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Apple has slashed its shipping estimates for Vision Pro, according to a new Ming-Chi Kuo analyst report. Kuo says that Apple is now targeting shipments between 400,000 and 450,000 units for Vision Pro this year. This is down from the initial market consensus of between 7000,000 and 800,000 units.

The changes have reportedly prompted Apple to revisit its overall strategy for the headset market…

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Apple Adds 8 Suppliers in China; Why? 50% India-Made iPhones “Not Good Enough”

Despite ongoing efforts to spread production across Asia, especially India, the tech giant recently added eight new suppliers in China.  China remains the undisputed kingpin in Apple’s manufacturing network. According to a recent analysis, over a third of Apple’s 187 disclosed suppliers have factories in mainland China. This dominance was highlighted by CEO Tim Cook’s words last month, when he publicly […]

This post Apple Adds 8 Suppliers in China; Why? 50% India-Made iPhones “Not Good Enough” appeared first on...

Enlarge (credit: Apple)

Apple is going to announce some new things on Tuesday, May 7 at 10 am Eastern, according to an invitation the company sent out to members of the press (and posted to its website) this morning.

The name Apple has given the event (“Let Loose”) doesn’t tell us much about what the company might announce, but the art does: It’s a hand holding an Apple Pencil, which almost certainly means the event will be iPad-focused.

Apple has reportedly been on the cusp of releasing new iPads since late March, and the rumor mill has already delivered most of the key details. The headliner is...

iPhone and Mac feature native access to see battery health, but interestingly, Apple hasn’t made the same available for iPad. Whether you’re curious about your battery health or you’re having issues with iPad battery life, it’s still possible to check on your own. Here’s how to see iPad battery health and charge cycles, tips on when it’s time to get a replacement, charge cycle expectations, and more.

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Apple Announces Special Event For World Athletics Day

Apple has teased a special event called “Let Loose” for May 7. It’s an online event and will begin at 7 AM PT on World Athletics Day. Besides showcasing an Apple Pencil, the teaser doesn’t go into much detail to reveal what to expect from the event. While the image suggests that a new Apple […]

This post Apple Announces Special Event For World Athletics Day appeared first on The Mac Observer

Apple has announced a special event for May 7, teasing “Let Loose.” The event will be online and take place at 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET. It’s expected to focus on new iPad hardware and accessories, with a new iPad Pro, iPad Air, Apple Pencil, and Magic Keyboard all rumored.

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T-Mobile has announced the expansion of its 5G Home Internet with a premium tier for the standard service plus a new “Away” plan for those who need a reliable connection on the go without having to rely on a traditional hotspot.

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Over the weekend, it was rumored that Apple had ended production of FineWoven cases and watch bands. As it turns out, Apple does apparently still have one more iteration of the oft-maligned FineWoven accessories coming soon in new colors, but the end is near.

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Macworld

One of the most underrated features of Apple TV is its gorgeous screensavers that show aerial views of breathtaking locations in vivid 4K. In a mildly alarming development, it’s been reported that the YouTube app for Apple TV has recently been set up to override the system screensaver and run its own lower-quality equivalent.

By default, the Apple TV begins showing a screensaver after it’s been left idle for five minutes. But if you’ve got the YouTube app open, this will instead trigger its own screensaver just before that point, according to the visual effects artist and podcaster Joe Rosensteel. This appears to be a recent development, given that an earlier version of the app that...

Macworld

At a Glance
Our Verdict

Right now we’d recommend the MacBook Pro over the iMac. The 14-inch MacBook Pro offers better value for money and the MacBook Pro boast the M3 Pro and M3 Max options that are superior to the base M3.

Price When Reviewed

Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3, 2023): $1,599

Apple 24-inch iMac (M3, 2023): $1,299 base model

Best Pricing Today for 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3)

Retailer

Price

$1,449

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