When in doubt, try to simplify (or at least merge a few iOS apps together to make things somewhat easier). Microsoft has begun working to simplify its Xbox gaming apps for iOS by merging its Xbox Game Pass app into its Xbox app for iOS. The Xbox Games Pass provides subscription-based access to a variety […]

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Shazam, the popular music recognition app, now supports the new Music Haptics feature in iOS 18. Music Haptics, an accessibility tool, lets iPhones vibrate along with the rhythm of the music. This feature enhances the listening experience for Apple Music, Apple Music Classical, and Shazam users​. Shazam’s Latest Accessibility Feature in iOS 18 Music Haptics […]

Apple Music Classical has released its version 2.0 update, introducing album booklets for a richer listening experience. These booklets provide detailed information about the music and its creators. This new feature enhances the platform’s already vast classical music library. Thousands of Album Booklets Now Available The update adds thousands of album booklets to Apple Music […]

Apple’s iPhone users who upgrade their devices more frequently are exhibiting a strong commitment to the brand’s entire product ecosystem, recent data suggests. According to a study from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), individuals who replace their iPhones within two years or less are significantly more likely to own other Apple products, such as iPads […]

I’ll link first to The Verge’s “Everything Announced at Meta Connect 2024” roundup because Meta still hasn’t posted today’s keynote address on YouTube; best I’ve found is this recording of the livestream, starting around the 43m:20s mark. I watched most of the keynote live and found it engaging. Just 45 minutes long — partly because it was information dense, and partly because Mark Zuckerberg hosted the entire thing himself. He seems very comfortable, confident, and natural lately. Nothing slows an on-stage keynote down more than a parade of VPs. There was clearly no political infighting at Meta for stage time in this keynote. The keynote was Zuck’s, and because of that, it was punchy and brisk.

In terms of actual products that will actually ship, Meta announced the $...

Former Masimo CEO Joe Kiani may have won the war against Apple, but he has resigned after losing a fight with a hedge fund.


Apple Watch Series 9 and newer are sold with a deactivated blood oxygen sensor
After spending over $100 million and betting the company he founded on principle alone, Joe Kiani is out at Masimo. However, the reason he has resigned as CEO has nothing to do with Apple or a patent dispute.

Reuters has the story, stating that Kiani stepped down after being removed from Masimo's board by shareholders. The move came after a proxy battle with hedge fund Politan Capital Management.


...

Apple and Masimo have been battling it out in court after the company specializing in health technologies managed to temporarily ban Apple Watch sales in the US due to alleged patent infringement. In the midst of this dispute, Masimo CEO Joe Kiani has now announced that he’s resigning from the company.

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While Meta might be playing fast and loose describing its Orion smart glasses as having the look and feel of a regular pair of glasses, it is a clear look at the future possibilities of Apple Vision.


Meta Orion are a pair of AR glasses that hope to pass as regular specs
Words used to mean something, like "Artificial Intelligence," "hologram," and "regular pair of glasses," but we're throwing out all pretense in light of Meta's latest announcement. These definitely "regular" looking spectacles promise to bring augmented reality computing to your face — well, not your face exactly.

Orion isn't a public product. It is being revealed to show that Meta has made progress in the last five years towards, well, something.


Continue Reading on AppleInsider |...

Ubisoft is delaying Assassin's Creed Shadows' by three months, with the macOS-destined game now having its original release on February 14, 2025.


Assassin's Creed Shadows [Ubisoft]
Ubisoft made a big splash in May that it will be launching a game from the Assassin's Creed franchise on Apple Silicon Macs on the Mac App Store at the same time as other platforms. Unfortunately, that game won't be making its initial release date of November 15.

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Spotify on Wednesday announced updates for podcast creators. More specifically, the Spotify for Podcasters platform is adding new conversion metrics for both hosted and non-hosted creators. Read on as we detail what changes with this update.

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Only a few months remain in 2024. Apple has some big launches coming in October. But a variety of products won’t get updated before the year ends. Instead, they’re set for release next year. Here’s every Apple product that won’t get updated this year, but is coming in 2025.

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Juli Clover of MacRumors used a new feature of the iPhone 15 lineup to restrict her iPhone 15 Pro Max from charging over 80% for an entire year. It was an inconvenience, but it may have slightly improved her battery longevity.

A survey of lead times has led investment bank Morgan Stanley to claim that iPhone 16 orders are lower than for its predecessors.


The new larger iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus may have sold 37 million in their first weekend, and Russians are ordering more despite that country facing much higher prices on iPhones. In a message to investors that has been seen by AppleInsider, Morgan Stanley says that its surveys show iPhone 16 demand is lower than before.

Specifically, on average, those lead times (compared to 2023's ) are:


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Microsoft has announced a big shift for its mobile app strategy. The standalone Xbox Game Pass app is being discontinued, with its features being merged into the existing Xbox app for iOS. Here are the full details.

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Amazon has launched record-breaking price cuts on the Apple Watch Series 10 today. And for those interested in the rugged Apple Watch Ultra 2, steeper discounts are in effect on 2024 models with a black titanium case.


Save on Apple Watch Series 10 & Apple Watch Ultra 2.
The Apple Watch Series 10 lineup sees its first significant markdown on the aluminum case this Wednesday, with Amazon now offering the 42mm GPS version in Rose Gold Aluminum for $369, down from its usual $399.


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Frequent iPhone upgraders aren't just loyal to their smartphones — they're building entire personal device ecosystems with iPads and Macs at the core.


iPhone and MacBook Pro
According to recent data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), iPhone buyers who upgrade their phones more frequently — specifically within two years or less — are more likely to own additional Apple products, such as iPads and Mac computers.

These customers are described as the "fastest upgraders," and they show a distinct pattern of behavior that sets them apart from those who hold onto their iPhones for extended periods. For example, approximately 67% of all iPhone buyers also own an iPad, and 36% own a Mac computer.


...

Apple's Mac business was still growing in the U.S. in Q2, but not at the same scale as other PC vendors, with analysts reporting a small rise in shipments compared to its rivals.


MacBook Pro, one of Apple's main Mac lines
Apple has enjoyed growth of its Mac business when looking at the overall global market. However, when it comes to the United States, Apple's fortunes are much more muted.

According to Canalys analysis of Q2 PC and notebook shipments in Q2 2024, Apple managed approximately 2.32 million Mac shipments. This is a small improvement compared to the 2.31 million shipments of Q2 2023, representing a year-on-year growth of just 0.5%.


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A new report says that Apple's plans for a budget Apple Vision Pro are now expected to see it using lower-resolution displays than it previously planned.


Inside the Apple Vision Pro
The new report follows a previous one claiming that Japan Display Inc (JDI) had delivered a test sample of a lower-resolution display to Apple. Now Digitimes says that it's believed Apple is sampling displays at even lower resolution than that.

Specifically, Apple had requested bids for displays of 1,700ppi, and for those screens to be OLED-on-Silicon (OLEDoS) ones, which are brighter than the white OLED plus color filters in the current headset....

Logitech is expanding its line of digital creator peripherals with the MX Creative Console, a Stream Deck-like setup for Mac to help in imaging and video production workflows.


Logitech MX Creative Console
While the keyboard and mouse are the usual tools of digital creators, peripherals have been introduced over time that promise to improve workflows. Following devices like the Elgato Stream Deck and the Loupedeck series, Logitech is offering its own take, in the form of the...

Apple is researching how the use of mixed reality in the Apple Vision Pro may provide pain relief for injuries.


Apple Vision Pro
The first generation of the Apple Vision Pro is quite comfortable, but it does weigh down on you. That's one aspect that Apple will certainly be working on for future generations, and especially the potential Apple Glasses.

Alongside those engineering efforts, though, a...

Maintenance release with a number of improvements and bug fixes for the videoconferencing app. (Free, 129.1 MB, macOS 10.13+)

Introduces a new command-line tool called vmcli. ($149.99/$199.99 new, free update, macOS 13+)

Brings some handy new features to Keynote. (Free, various sizes, macOS 14+)

Enlarge / The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the first iteration of a very, very long-lived phone design. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

This past weekend, I said goodbye to Apple’s 4.7-inch iPhone 6 design after 10 long years.

It started with the iPhone 6 itself in 2014, a long-awaited screen size upgrade for the iPhone (some of the 2011-era Apple punditry insisting that 3.5 inches was the functionally perfect size for a phone screen and that Apple would never, ever change it, is an interesting time capsule). It ends with my wife’s third-...

Aqara has three Apple Home smart locks with Home Key support, but they address different needs depending on required security and protocols. Here's how they compare.


Aqara smart locks with Apple Home compatibility supporting Home Key
Smart home product manufacturers are a dime a dozen, but they are not all equal in their execution. Aqara's 13 years of experience has led to over 1,000 smart home devices in more than 30 categories, and they are a leader in Apple Home products.

Internet-connected smart locks are some of the most critical smart home products you can buy — so trust is paramount. The U50, U100, and U200 smart locks from Aqara offer a range of features at affordable prices.


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Enlarge / Control Center has a whole new customization interface. (credit: Samuel Axon)

iOS 18 launched this week, and while its flagship feature (Apple Intelligence) is still forthcoming, the new OS included two significant new buckets of customization: the home screen and Control Center.

We talked about home screen a few days ago, so for our next step in our series on iOS 18, it’s now time to turn our attention to the new ways you can adjust the Control Center to your liking. While we’re at it, we’ll assess a few other features meant to make iOS more powerful and more efficient for power users.

This is by no means the most significant...

"Apple has begun manufacturing its A16 SoC at the newly-opened TSCM Fab 21 in Arizona," writes Slashdot reader NoMoreACs. AppleInsider reports: According to sources of Tim Culpan, Phase 1 of TSMC's Fab 21 in Arizona is making the A16 SoC of the iPhone 14 Pro in "small, but significant, numbers. The production is largely a test for the facility at this stage, but more production is expected in the coming months. The volume will ramp up massively once the second stage of the Phase 1 fab actually concludes. If everything stays on schedule, the Arizona plant will hit a target for production sometime in the first half of 2025.

Sources say TSMC is achieving yields that are marginally behind those of Taiwan-based factories. Yield parity is expected to happen within months. TSMC has also raised its investment and moved to build additional plants in Arizona, with three set to be constructed in total. The U.S. Commerce Department previously claimed this will create 6,000 direct...

Audio control utility is stuffed with a plethora of additions, improvements and bug fixes. ($39 new, free update, 41.8 MB, macOS 14.5+)

Brings full support for macOS 15 Sequoia plus several bug fixes to the venerable backup utility. ($27.95 new, free update, 9.9 MB, macOS 10.13+)

As Goldman Sachs prepares to offload its responsibilities to Apple, a new suitor has appeared. JPMorgan seems interested in taking the mantle — but with conditions.


Apple Card
It's been known for some time now that Goldman Sachs has wanted to end its relationship with Apple, with whispers of unrest first appearing in June 2023. However, it wasn't much of a surprise, as a report in January 2022 showed the investment bank lost $1.2 billion, chiefly because of the Apple Card.

As a result, Apple and Goldman Sachs have begun looking for a replacement partner who would take over duties as card issuer. The newest suitor to be added to the lineup is JPMorgan.


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Apple is now on its fourth round of Apple Intelligence developer betas, providing participants with new builds of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 — and a new visionOS 2.1, tvOS 18.1, and watchOS 11.1 build.


Examples of Apple Intelligence at work.
The fourth developer betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 are on a second beta track alongside those that will arrive in the fall. That first beta track includes iOS 18, iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, macOS Sequoia,...

Following the release of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia to the public, Apple has issued updates to its iWork suite to match, with iPad getting Apple Pencil Pro additions.


Pages, Keynote, and Numbers have all received updates.
On Monday, Apple released its long-awaited updates to its operating systems, following their WWDC introduction. One day later, and it's brought out updates to Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.

The iWork updates, appearing in the App Store for iOS and the Mac App Store, aren't as extensive as their operating system counterparts. Indeed, for Pages and Numbers for macOS, the 14.2...

Macworld

Having a fun and convenient way to prop up your iPad while you’re working or cooking can be super helpful. So check out this awesome find: This Omoton tablet stand is only $10 right now, half off its usual price and an impulse buy for a cool product.

What makes this tablet stand awesome is the fact that it works with just about any model you have. Ranging from the smallest models up to 15.6-inch versions, the Omoton stand works with your favorite iPad just as well as it will with your smartphone. It even works with a portable monitor if you have one of those. The stand rotates 360 degrees, so you can turn it around as needed. And don’t worry, the swivel mechanism is secure enough that your tablet won’t end up taking a tumble. The base is made out of heavier metal, thus preventing wobbling or tipping over.

One cool thing...

The fitness tracker market seems to always be changing, and while the watch form factor has dominated the market, there’s a growing interest in more discreet health trackers, like a ring form factor. As someone who is addicted to their Apple Watch, I wanted to find a new and less distracting fitness tracker form factor. So, I decided to give the Amazfit Helio Ring a try to replace my watch. The Helio Ring stands out in this category, offering a compact form factor and impressive functionality for tracking sleep, workouts, and overall health. But, as great as the Helio Ring is, I kept thinking to myself: How would Apple improve upon this form factor?

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Despite the fact that most Apple Intelligence features are being held back for later, iOS 18 is still a pretty big update as it stands – as our full video run-through shows.

Having been using the beta for some time, I’ve highlighted below what I consider to be the top 10 iOS 18 features available today …

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Future Apple Watches may have a flashlight feature as evidenced by a newly granted Apple patent for a “Modular Light Assembly For A Wearable Device.”

The post Future Apple Watches may have a flashlight feature appeared first on Apple World Today.

Apple just released iOS 18, bringing a ton of new features to iPhone users. But some users may be hesitant about upgrading for fear of encountering bugs and performance issues. If you’re planning on waiting until iOS 18.1 comes out before updating, here’s what you should know.

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A popular 14-inch MacBook Pro configuration is $300 off at B&H exclusively for AppleInsider readers. This upgraded model has a spec bump to include 16GB RAM.


The $300 cash discount can be activated at B&H Photo by shopping through this special pricing link from a desktop or laptop computer. We're sorry, but the offer cannot be activated through the B&H mobile app at this time.

Buy for $1,499


Continue Reading on AppleInsider...

MacPaw has rolled out Setapp Mobile in the EU as an open beta, providing its users with an all-you-can-eat alternative App Store.


Setapp Mobile
Setapp has provided a buffet of apps and services on macOS and iOS for quite a few years, paid for by a subscription. Now, MacPaw is attempting to make its iOS experience smoother for subscribers with the launch of its alternative App Store experience in the EU.

Setapp Mobile is the latest move by the company to try and streamline the process for users to actually install iOS apps under the subscription. Previously, subscribers had to take multiple steps to install apps, which was complex compared to a typical App Store purchase.


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iOS 18 brings a major update to Control Center that expands both capabilities and customization. The quick access controls go from a single page to multiple ones that you can smoothly slide through, third-party integration, and more. Here’s how to customize and use Control Center in iOS 18.

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Apple's latest update to iOS 18 brings more customization and iMessage features to the iPhone. However, it lacks the heavily publicized and all-important Apple Intelligence.


iOS 18
It's the fall, and that means Apple has released a new operating system for the iPhone. For 2024, the new device range is the iPhone 16 family, while iOS 18 is the software running on it.

However, following the last few years of updates, we're now at a point where most of Apple's changes could be considered quality-of-life improvements. You wouldn't expect it to be groundbreaking, but there's usually something interesting for users to enjoy....

Macworld

Ever since Apple shocked the tech community with its announcement that it would support RCS, we’ve been waiting for the day when it would be available. Now that day has arrived, you can finally use it on your iPhone, here’s how it works.

What is RCS?

RCS stands for Rich Communications Services, and it’s meant to be a replacement for the decades-old SMS/MMS texting standard.

You can kind of think of it as iMessage lite for everyone. It’s a platform-neutral standard adopted by the GSM Association to do messaging over your internet data connection rather than strictly your carrier network. It provides many of the same benefits, including typing indicators, full-resolution images and videos, proper group chats, delivery and read...

The first Apple Watch Series 10 reviews are out, and those who got early access to the device seem generally impressed, despite seeing it as an iterative update.

Highlighted features include the slimmer design making a bigger difference than you might expect, new gloss black finish, large display, faster charging, new speaker capabilities, and a microphone with voice isolation …

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For the last week, I’ve been testing the new Apple Watch — mostly by sleeping. That’s because Apple Watch Series 10 is capable of detecting signs of sleep apnea.

I’ll need a few more weeks of sleep before possible sleep apnea can be flagged. In the meantime, there’s plenty to admire in the waking hours of the day.

Apple Watch Series 10 has a larger screen and a thinner design. It also gains new tricks like always displaying seconds and speaker media playback.

Of course, the new hardware includes all the Apple Watch features introduced in recent years. These include Crash Detection, the double tap gesture, and better performance just to name a few.

more…

Macworld

The Apple Watch is the best smartwatch on the market for many, offering a high-quality smartwatch experience, but it’s not cheap—starting at $399/£399 for the Apple Watch Series 10. However, you don’t have to pay full price for an Apple Watch. Right now resellers are offering some fantastic deals on the Apple Watch.

The deals are likely to get even better as resellers look to clear out stock of older watch models that Apple has stopped selling since introducing the latest models at its September iPhone event. If it doesn’t have to be the latest Apple Watch, you could see some good savings by plumping for the Series 9 or another discontinued model. Another way to save money is to find a deal that bundles an Apple Watch with another device...