Apple’s relationship with gaming on the Mac has always been… interesting. While the company has spent a fortune trying to frame the Mac as a proper gaming machine, gamers have yet to embrace it like Apple had hoped. But with Metal 4, announced at WWDC25, Apple is introducing two practical moves that could help more AAA games run even better on the Mac. Here’s what they are.

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As part of its iconic "Shot on iPhone" campaign, Apple has released yet another short film, called "Big Man," featuring UK rapper Michael "Stormzy" Omari.


The short film "Big Man" was shot on an iPhone 16. Image Credit: Apple.
The short film, which debuted on Wednesday, sees Stormzy in the role of a world-weary musician who hasn't made any music in nearly eight years. Stormzy's character, Tenzman, runs into two bright and joyful kids, and the trio embarks on a life-changing journey, which ends with Tenzman making new music.

"Big Man" has a runtime of just under 20 minutes, and the short film was directed by Aneil Karia. The London-based writer and director is known for his work on Beat, Surge, and The Long Goodbye. Karia also makes an appearance in Apple's ...

The Apple One subscription provides access to Apple's premium online services for a single monthly fee. Almost five years after launch, is it still something that is worth paying for?


Apple One
Launched in late 2020, Apple One became an essential collection of services if you're highly enmeshed in the Apple ecosystem. With the fifth anniversary a short few months away, it is a collection that still offers a compelling bundle, to the right customer.

However, as an all-in-one service covering multiple areas, it's not necessarily going to cover everyone's needs. In some cases, a person may find more worth in getting separate subscriptions instead of a package.


Continue Reading on AppleInsider |...

Apple’s latest release in its long-running “Shot on iPhone” campaign is here, and this time it stars UK rapper and musician Stormzy in a cool new short film called Big Man. Watch it below, alongside an interesting behind-the-scenes video.

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Safari's update for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe brings many UI tweaks as well as changes to Web Apps and HDR photos, alongside many other smaller changes. Here's what they all look like, and how they work.


New Safari 26
The focus of WWDC is on the operating systems, but the changes that are introduced by Apple often affect the apps that run on them. This includes Safari, which has been updated to beta 26 to match the numbering system of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26 Tahoe.

All three browsers get a few obvious changes, but there are many...

iPadOS 26 is in many ways the major update that iPad power users have been asking for. And in a new interview at MacStories, software chief Craig Federighi explains why the iPad shouldn’t run macOS, how iPadOS 26 came to fruition, and more.

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Last week Apple debuted its major new software versions coming this fall, including iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and more. But it isn’t finished with the current software cycle just yet, as the first betas for iOS 18.6, macOS 15.6, and more have now arrived.

Update 6/18/25: Public beta versions are now rolling out too, a couple days after the developer releases arrived.

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Apple component supplier Texas Instruments is making the largest investment in foundational U.S. chip production to date, expanding with a $60 billion build across Texas and Utah.


Texas Instruments is expanding its US investments
Texas Instruments is putting more than $60 billion into new chip factories across Texas and Utah, a move the company says will support over 60,000 jobs and help secure the supply of key components for everything from the iPhone to cars.

The investment covers seven fabrication plants that use 300mm wafers, a mature process ideal for TI's analog and embedded chips. For Apple, these are chips that are used for power management and in touchscreen controllers.


Continue Reading on...

The AirPods Pro 3 may be debuting soon, according to GF Securities Jeff Pu. Pu said that the AirPods Pro 3 may launch at an earlier date, contradicting the popular belief that it would be later. Mark Gurman from Bloomberg claimed that the new AirPods is ‘months away’ and had a possible late 2025 target […]

The post AirPods Pro 3 May Debut in 2026 appeared first on iLounge.

Meta recently revealed a new pair of smart glasses made by Oakley. Oakley posted several teasers on social media for an upcoming smart glasses. Meta already has smart glasses with Ray-Ban but it seems the company will be sharing its technology to the Oakley brand as well. The Oakley Smart Glasses is believed to have […]

The post Oakley Smart Glasses Announced appeared first on iLounge.

Once again, Apple has launched a new Apple Card sign up bonus for a limited time. Apple Card typically doesn’t come with a sign up bonus, but from time to time – Apple will launch these special offers through social media campaigns and targeted emails.

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While we have some hangover offers on iPads and AirPods, today’s best deals are all about the Mac. The Mac mini deals roll on at up to $150 off, but today we are focused on a new all-time low hitting the 24GB 15-inch M4 MacBook Air at $200 off and a series of MacBook Pro offers. Amazon has now dropped the most affordable M4 MacBook Pro down to $1,399, or $200 off the list price, to join some ongoing offers on higher-end configurations. All of that and more awaits below in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

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Following a series of problems with its YouTube app for iPhone, Google has now issued an updated version and recommends users reinstall it.


Update the iOS YouTube app to fix its recent bugs
YouTube does still add new features to its iOS app, such as picture-in-picture, and it continues to promise a native app for Apple Vision Pro. But its main YouTube app for iPhone has being malfunctioning over the last few days.

In response to complaints, Google first issued an advisory...

When Apple finished its iPadOS 26 section of WWDC, I was in awe. It felt as if my child was all grown up. They added nearly every feature I ever wanted to the iPad and iPadOS. They made the iPad feel brand new with a simple OS update and finally made it feel like a Mac! Here are some of the best features that truly make the iPad feel more like a Mac.

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The reed pen in iPadOS 26 is not just a stylistic choice, but a tool for the Apple Pencil that opens it up to write Arabic scripts. And, it works great.


The new reed pen tool in iPadOS 26
The use of the Apple Pencil on iPad is already extremely extensive. In Apple apps that allow users to write or draw in them, there are multiple ways to get the virtual ink onto digital paper.

Felt pens, fine liners, highlighters, erasers, crayons, and even rulers are all available under the Markup tool palette, giving users the opportunity to annotate items however they want.


Continue Reading on AppleInsider |...

Sega is about to drop support for a series of nine Sega games for the iPhone, with classics including "Crazy Taxi" and "Sonic the Hedgehog 4," but for now they remain free to download and play.


The warning that Sega has now added to nine titles in the App Store
Back in 2017, Sega began issuing free but ad-supported versions of some classic games for iOS under the banner of "Sega Forever." Forever now seems to be about to end, though, as a series of titles have been made completely free — and have a...

Apple is giving Apple TV a fresh look in tvOS 26, complete with a sleek new Liquid Glass design and some smart new features. Here's what's new, what it looks like, and how it works.


Liquid Glass redesign comes to Apple TV 4K
The forthcoming update, which is available for various Apple TV models, is out now as a developer beta. We downloaded it on our Apple TV 4K to try out the new features for ourselves.

Subscribe to AppleInsider on YouTube{"@context":"https://schema.org/","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Everything New in tvOS 26! Karaoke Mode, New UI, & More!","description":" Apple just revealed all the new...

It’s turning out to be a huge year for CarPlay, surprising many of us after years of middling updates. Among the host of new CarPlay features coming in iOS 26, there’s a key fix for what’s long been the most annoying Messages issue for me: the lack of tapbacks support.

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Satechi’s latest SSD enclosure, the USB4 Slim NVMe SSD Enclosure, lets you add up to 8TB of SSD storage to any Mac – though it is specifically styled to make the perfect addition to an M4 Mac mini. You can currently save $20 to pick one up for $99.

The company says the design is inspired by a now-elderly form of storage: the Apple USB SuperDrive, a now-discontinued external CD and DVD drive …

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Newly released to developers, Apple Intelligence's transcription tools are fast, accurate, and typically double the speed of OpenAI's longstanding equivalent.


Apple Intelligence transcription tools being demonstrated by Apple — image credit: Apple
This could be another example of Apple entering a market late but doing it best. Since OpenAI released its Whisper transcription technology in September 2022, it has become the standard model in dozens of apps — but now may not stay that way.

For during WWDC 2025, Apple announced that it was opening up its Apple Intelligence tools to third-party developers. While Apple barely gave any details, and certainly did not promote its transcription tools, developers are now discovering what facilities it brings.


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At its big software event last week, Apple officially announced that support for was coming to the Apple Vision Pro headset, along with other six-degrees-of-freedom spatial controller accessories. This is in addition to the Vision Pro’s primary input methods of eye and hand tracking.

While interest in support for PSVR2 will no doubt center on gaming possibilities, Nathie on YouTube has given us a great first look at how interacting with visionOS works with PSVR2 controllers in hand …

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Big Tech companies including Amazon, Meta, Google, and Microsoft — but not Apple — are lobbying to block US states for forming any AI regulation for the next decade.


US Capitol building in Washington, DC — image credit: US government
The lobbying is being done by trade body Incompas, on behalf of its members, which include major technology firms as well as energy and law firms. Apple is not a member, but it has previously lobbied against similar AI regulation plans in Europe.

According to the Financial Times, none of the four Big Tech firms would comment on the lobbying. But Incompas CEO and former congressman Chip Pickering argues that preventing differing and conflicting AI regulation across the US is essential.


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Apple's ex-chief designer Jony Ive has joined the British Museum as it works to renovate its London buildings and better use digital technologies.


Jony Ive — image credit: LoveFrom
Since leaving Apple, Jony Ive and his LoveFrom firm have become a staple of design in Britain, from designing a royal emblem for King Charles, through a space project logo, and redesigning Comic Relief's famous red nose. Now Ive has been appointed to the board of Trustees of the British Museum.

"It is an extraordinary honour to join the Board of...

A few days ago, Apple released its Design Resources files with the official assets for macOS Tahoe 26. Among the new materials, there’s one tiny, 15×17-pixel icon that will undoubtedly leave a few long-time Mac users feeling a little heartbroken.

That cute glove hand cursor, which many called the “Mickey Mouse hand”? It’s gone.

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Apple’s refurbished store has added several new products recently, and the latest could prove popular: the Apple Watch Series 10 is now available.

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Apple's decision to make macOS Tahoe the last version to support Intel Macs is going to cause enormous problems for OpenCore and Hackintosh users. The communities are taking the news quite well.


macOS Tahoe will be the last to support Intel Macs - Image Credit: Apple
Apple's operating system announcements during WWDC 2025 included macOS 26 Tahoe among the inbound fall updates. However, while the version number change and the move to Liquid Glass for the user interface were the main talking points, its support changes were also very important.

Confirmed as part of the WWDC Platforms State of the Union address, macOS Tahoe...

Apple has again managed to avoid paying a massive fee in its long-running Optis iPhone wireless patents lawsuit, with the U.S. Court of Appeals throwing out a $300 million verdict.


4G LTE is still an expensive headache for Apple
Apple has been embroiled in a lawsuit with Optis Wireless Technology since 2019 over a handful of 4G LTE patents since 2019, and it has seen defeat twice. However, thanks to another favorable appeals court decision, it has managed to dodge the fine for a second time.

In a decision from the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals on June 16, the 2022 ruling that resulted in a demand for Apple to pay $300 million in compensation to Optis is to effectively be bounced back to the court in Texas. Reuters...

F1 The Movie is shaping up to be Apple’s biggest film gamble ever. But if critics’ reviews are any indication of success, that bet could pay off big at the box office this summer. Here’s what reviews are saying.

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Apple’s Journal app is coming to the iPad and Mac as part of iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe, and several brand new features will be included too—even on iPhone.

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Of all the very many new features in iPadOS 26, none of them make the iPad feel so different as the very many window options. Here's what we've gained — and what we've lost.


Window and document improvements in iPadOS 26 make a huge difference
If it seems ridiculous to be excited about app and document windows on an iPad, it now seems a little bit foolish to have been happy with what we had before. The new paradigm is so good that it feels as if this is the way we should always have worked on the device.

The new features are in iPadOS 26, which at present is only available in a beta test version intended for developers. There will be a public release in the next few weeks, but the safest thing is to wait for the official launch in September.


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Next week, Apple TV+ will premiere a new crime drama—Smoke—that reunites the team behind one of its best reviewed shows ever: Black Bird. Reviews for Smoke have arrived, here’s the verdict.

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Instagram might be about to cross off one of the most requested features from users’ wish lists: The company has confirmed it’s testing a native repost button for the main Feed. Here’s how it might work.

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iOS 26 introduces a lot of big changes to how the iPhone software looks and feels, but there are plenty of updates for system apps too, including Notes, Maps, Photos, and more. Apple’s Reminders app gets a variety of new features too, here’s everything coming to Reminders in iOS 26.

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Prime Day 2025 is coming soon, with a surprise being an extension of the sale. But if you're in the market for a new Apple device now, there are plenty of discounts in effect offering up to $400 off.


Prime Day 2025 deals start July 8 - Image credit: Amazon
It's official — Amazon Prime Day 2025 will kick off on July 8. But a change has been added to the mix, with the mega shopping event running for four days instead of two.

Get early Prime Day deals


Continue Reading on AppleInsider |...

While other tech companies rush to dominate artificial intelligence with bold promises and uneven results, Apple is building something slower, quieter, and more durable.


Apple Intelligence is just fine for what it is
Out of curiosity I tested Apple Intelligence using the new Shortcuts action in iOS 26. Apple mentioned this feature at WWDC 2025, but it didn't get much attention during the keynote.

The Shortcuts action gives users direct access to Apple's large language model. You can choose the smaller on-device version or the more capable cloud model running in Apple's private compute environment.


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Device management vendor Fleet has raised $27 million in Series B funding to accelerate development of its open device management platform. The round was led by Ten Eleven Ventures and brings Fleet’s total funding to $52.3 million. The company reports 6x revenue growth over the past two years and plans to use the funding to expand adoption across enterprises looking for flexible deployment options.

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The annual Apple Back to School deals are live, but while free AirPods or Magic Keyboards are nice to get with purchase, you really should consider shopping around for better offers.


Apple's Back to School promo is live - Image credit: Apple
Apple's Back to School promotion for people in higher education has launched in the United States. Building on top of the usual special pricing for education users, the promotion offers a little bit extra for education users gearing up for the academic year ahead.

However, while the 2024 Back to School offers were gift cards, Apple is instead offering a selection of accessories to go with a selection of its products. Something that may...

Adobe Firefly, the popular AI app for generating both images and video, is now available as an iPhone app. It follows the release of a Vision Pro app back in February.

The app has the same capabilities as the the web tool, but in a form optimized for mobile use. The app doesn’t limit you to using Adobe’s own image-generation models – you can also choose between a selection of third-party ones by Google, OpenAI, and others …

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Adobe's Firefly platform now includes a mobile app, support for additional generative AI models, and enhanced collaborative ideation tools.


Adobe's Firefly platform now includes a mobile app
Firefly's new app for iOS and Android allows users to generate and edit images or videos using text prompts. Features include image-to-video generation, object removal, background extension, and direct editing with AI tools like Generative Fill and Generative Expand.

Users can switch between Adobe's own models and third-party models from providers such as OpenAI and Google.


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The Apple Original Film "F1 The Movie" used the iPhone in an unusual way, by using components typically used in the smartphone to create a custom camera.


A shot from the custom iPhone-based camera in 'F1' - Image Credit: Apple
The videography that goes into major films is often filled with custom tech, all to achieve the perfect shot the director wants. While the industry is very familiar with many different types of hardware, from modular cameras to action cams, one of the cameras used in "F1" relied a lot more on Apple's technology than normal.

Hinted at by CEO Tim Cook during a June 11 interview promoting the "F1" film for...

Apple’s Back to School promotion for 2025 is now available. For a limited time, eligible customers can get AirPods or another eligible accessory for free when they buy a new iPad, MacBook, or iMac. That comes in addition to the year-round discount Apple offers on items sold through the Apple Store for Education.

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After initially dismissing a proposed class action lawsuit over Apple's allegedly forcing users to use iCloud, a judge has now accepted further evidence and ruled that the case must continue.


iCloud logo
Originally filed in March 2024, the class action complaint accused Apple of violations the Sherman Act and the Clayton act. The allegation is that Apple has established "an illegal monopoly" because of its requiring Apple device users to use its iCloud backup.

A year later in March 2025, US District Judge Eumi Lee in San Jose, California, dismissed the case. However, she allowed that the plaintiffs could file an amended case,...

Macworld

Somehow, it’s already June and that means this year’s first Prime Day event is quickly approaching on July 8-11. There may be no better time to get your hands on Apple gear, plus accessories for Macs and iPhones, as well as other tech of interest to Apple diehards. Read on for all the details.

When is Prime Day 2025?

Amazon has announced that Prime Day will run between July 8 and July 11, which is along the lines with our original guesstimate. Since there are four days between the 8th and the 11th, Amazon is doubling the event this year, which is in line with the rumors we’ve been hearing about Prime Day lasting for more than its typical two days.

This is the first time we’ll be seeing the event last for so long.

When was Prime Day in previous years?

In previous years, Amazon’s Prime Day event lasted for 48 hours, and always started on a Tuesday. Let’s check out the exact dates:

If you’ve had your eye on any tech goodies, the dates for Amazon Prime Day 2025 have been announced by the company. What started as a single day and was later extended to two has again been doubled, running for a full four days this year …

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A Today at Apple session with the makers of Apple TV+ hit "Severance" was capped by a surprise visit from Tim Cook and Brad Pitt, as Apple's "F1" promotion tour continues to ramp up.


Brad Pitt (left) and Tim Cook promoting "F1" at Apple Fifth Avenue — image credit: Apple
Despite spending a billion on films every year, Apple has been criticized for letting movies flop through a lack of marketing. There's no possibility of that criticism being repeated now, as the new Apple Original movie "F1" is practically being pushed as hard as a new iPhone.

The latest promotion was a special edition of the company's Today at Apple in-store workshops, this time at the New...

If you love your out-of-warranty M2 Mac mini, but it refuses to boot, Apple may have you covered. According to Apple, “a very small percentage” of these Mac minis have an issue where they will no longer power on. Eligible devices can have service done to fix the issue by Apple or an Apple Authorized […]

Source

iPhone Pop-up blockers are a real lifesaver as the ridiculous numbers of ads on the internet continue to grow. However, many sites are now trying to block users who have pop-up blockers enabled. That’s understandable, as advertising makes up the bulk of revenue, but that also means you have to disable pop-ups to access content. […]

The post How to Turn Off Pop-Up Blocker in Safari on iPhone [2025] appeared first on The Mac Observer.