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| Read more »Incident began at 2024-04-24 15:00 and ended at 2024-04-24 21:17 (times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)).
The issue with users creating unauthenticated support cases for account recovery help using toolbox has been resolved for all affected users as of Wednesday, 2024-04-24 14:17 US/Pacific.
From our preliminary analysis, the root cause of the issue is a recent roll out. Our engineers rolled back to last stable version hence mitigating the issue.
We thank you for your patience while we worked on resolving the issue.
Affected products: Google Workspace Support
| Read more »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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| Read more »Apple is losing another important director as a new report from Bloomberg has just revealed that Frank Casanova, currently senior director and head of product marketing for Apple Vision Pro, is retiring after working at the company for 36 years.
| Read more »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.
| Read more »We’re not far from the first official look at iOS 18 at WWDC 2024 on June 10. Whether you’d like to test out the new OS as soon as the dev beta is available or you’ll wait for the public beta or public launch, follow along for when to expect the iOS 18 release date.
| Read more »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.
| Read more »Apple is believed to be working on “the biggest overhaul yet” to the Apple Watch’s design. A new rumor today indicates that the next-generation Apple Watch could include a design change that frees up more space inside for other components – or that makes the device thinner.
| Read more »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
| Read more »WhatsApp has been internally testing passkey support in its iPhone app for some time. However, the option was still unavailable to most users. But that seems to be changing now, as Meta is slowly rolling out the passkey option to WhatsApp users on the iPhone with the latest version of the app.
| Read more »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...
| Read more »iMazing has been a go-to tool for Apple power users and IT admins for almost 20 years, now developer DigiDNA is out with iMazing 3. The major release sees a re-engineering of the whole app that brings a new UI and features, and even Vision Pro compatibility to join iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple TV support.
| Read more »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.
| Read more »If you follow tech outside the world of Apple, you may have noticed that Qualcomm has been getting a lot of attention lately. That’s because the company is promoting its upcoming Snapdragon X Plus and Elite chips, which aren’t going to be in PC laptops until this summer. As part of its marketing, Qualcomm compares its chips’ performance to Intel (of course), but it also calls out Appl’s latest M3 chip.
According to Qualcomm (via PCWorld), its Snapdragon X Elite chip is 28 percent faster and the Snapdragon X Plus chip is 10 percent faster than the Apple M3 in a MacBook Pro in Geekbench testing. Which, for chips that will ship some seven months after the M3 launched, leaves an impression–at least Qualcomm thinks so.
However, these are Qualcomm-provided numbers and one major point that is left out of...
| Read more »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.
| Read more »Apple AirTag Helps California Man Recover His Stolen BMW
Apple AirTags are indeed a nifty product, especially when you habitually miss things around. In one such instance, the AirTag and dash cam footage helped a California resident recover his stolen BMW, according to a report from NBC. The man in question is Philip Obando, who found out that his BMW was missing from the parking. Luckily, he had secretly […]
This post Apple AirTag Helps California Man Recover His Stolen BMW appeared first on The Mac Observer
| Read more »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...
| Read more »Wednesday’s best deals come headlined by a $300 discount on Apple’s 15-inch M2 MacBook Air. Those who won’t be upgrading to the new iPad Pros in May can also score an all-time low on the new Apple Pencil with USB-C at $69. Plus, save on 15W MagSafe chargers and more. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.
| Read more »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.
| Read more »President Joe Biden has officially signed off on a bill that requires TikTok parent company to divest the app within the next nine months. Should ByteDance fail to do so, TikTok would effectively be banned in the United States and removed from Apple’s App Store.
| Read more »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...
| Read more »Apple just published a new Press Release:
| Read more »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...
| Read more »Live Activities are a super useful feature of Apple’s latest iPhones, but also one that goes underused. Google Maps has been overdue to support the feature for years now and while it’s still not live yet, Google is testing Live Activities with some iPhone users.
| Read more »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.
| Read more »While it’s still yet to debut, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite is looking like a big deal for ARM-powered Windows machines and, now, it’s getting a more affordable cousin in the Snapdragon X Plus.
| Read more »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.”
| Read more »Apple @ Work is brought to you by Kolide by 1Password, the device trust solution that ensures that if a device isn’t secure, it can’t access your apps. Close the Zero Trust access gap for Okta. Learn more or watch the demo.
World Password Day is coming on May 2, 2024, and Bitwarden is releasing its 4th annual survey looking at how password management has evolved. The company surveyed 2,400 people from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, and Japan to explore contemporary password practices among users. This survey looks at password security behaviors at home and in professional settings, evaluates how phishing and AI affect online security, and gauges users’ feelings about adopting passkeys as a new authentication...
| Read more »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.
| Read more »The danger of using an unprotected identity
Venturing online can be a dangerous business. Bad actors want your personal data, and will go to almost any lengths to get hold of it for their own benefit, and at your cost. If you use an unprotected identity online, and the wrong person gets hold of your email address, for example, the very least you can expect is an avalanche of spam and phishing messages. And it can get a lot worse than that.
Let’s say you’re trying to get a discount code, and the codes site asks you to enter your email address. And then you use the discount code to buy from an ecommerce website, and this too requires the use of an email address. Maybe it’s a site you’ve not used before, or one with a sketchy reputation, or a data protection policy that’s alarmingly vague. In these scenarios, how confident are you that your email address will be kept securely and used responsibly, rather than being...
| Read more »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)...
| Read more »Sometimes demand levels off and/or there need to be easier ways to purchase an item. Per noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has reduced its orders for Apple Vision Pro parts and assemblies, with the cut in shipments said to indicate lower demand for Apple’s headset than previously thought. While the launch of the Apple Vision […]
| Read more »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 […]
| Read more »While digital has its advantages, paper isn’t going anywhere. SwiftScan VIP lets you scan, edit, fax, and edit documents in one place, anywhere you are. Now, it’s available at the best price on the web — only $59.99 (reg. $199).
SwiftScan VIP uses the camera in your iPhone or Android device to take a photograph of your document starting at a resolution of 200 dpi. The app then applies layers of correction to sharpen out blur, adjust the color for clear and neutral scans, crop out the background so only your document is in...
| Read more »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.
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EaseUS PDF Editor Makes Mac PDF Editing Easier...
| Read more »Previously Available Globally, Google To Limit Chrome for iOS Parcel Tracking to US Only
Would Google still be Google if a new feature isn’t exclusive to the US? I’ll shed more light on this later on, but first let’s focus on the main part: earlier this month, Google introduced a new way to keep track of your online orders on your iPhone, which was rolled out in Google Chrome […]
This post Previously Available Globally, Google To Limit Chrome for iOS Parcel Tracking to US Only appeared first on The Mac Observer
| Read more »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
| Read more »Whether you’re a student who needs a reliable word processor or a professional who needs to crank out numbers and organize them on a spreadsheet, you can rely on Microsoft Office to help. Fortunately, lifetime access to Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac and Windows is only $29.97 (reg. $229) through April 30.
While this isn’t the latest iteration of Microsoft Office, the 2019 version (4.4-star rated on the Macworld Shop) can set you up with Microsoft’s top-rated productivity apps for...
| Read more »How To Fix Mac Recovery Assistant With No Wi-Fi Menu
Mac Recovery Assistant is a built-in tool that appears when you set up Macs for the first time—you’ll see it on brand-new and used (but fully erased) devices alike. It lets you restore Time Machine backups, repair internal storage systems, and reinstall macOS versions. While the tool usually works seamlessly, I recently encountered a serious […]
This post How To Fix Mac Recovery Assistant With No Wi-Fi Menu appeared first on The Mac Observer
| Read more »5 Ways To Fix CarPlay When It Keeps Disconnecting
Does Apple CarPlay keep disconnecting? We'll help you learn easy troubleshooting steps to fix frequent Apple CarPlay disconnections.
This post 5 Ways To Fix CarPlay When It Keeps Disconnecting appeared first on The Mac Observer
| Read more »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
| Read more »Some YouTube Music for iOS users today are facing a bug where the app opens to a black screen on certain Google Accounts with no ability to play songs.
| Read more »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.
| Read more »Apple will announce new iPad models next month, and this includes a new generation iPad Pro powered by the M3 chip and featuring OLED displays for the first time. However, the 11-inch version may face supply problems due to OLED display shipments, which could make it more difficult to buy one at launch.
| Read more »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…
| Read more »Anticipate new iPads, possibly along with a new Apple Pencil and updated Magic Keyboards. But will the announcement make the iPad exciting again?
| Read more »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...
| Read more »Apple's iPhone sales dropped sharply in China in the first quarter of this year as the company saw strong competition from domestic brand Huawei, according to a new report from market research firm Counterpoint Research. CNBC: Apple saw sales of its iPhones fall 19.1% in the first three months of the year, Counterpoint's data showed, as Chinese telecommunications and consumer electronics giant Huawei saw a resurgence in its smartphone business. The Shenzhen, China-based firm saw sales of its smartphones surge a whopping 69.7% in the first quarter, Counterpoint said.
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| Read more »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.
...
| Read more »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?
| Read more »Apple Rolls Out visionOS 1.2 Beta 3 to Developers
Apple has rolled out the third beta update of the upcoming visionOS 1.2 to developers, following the second beta update released last week. Interestingly, the visionOS 1.2 public update may roll out in early May if everything goes according to schedule. But take this information with a grain of salt until an official confirmation comes […]
This post Apple Rolls Out visionOS 1.2 Beta 3 to Developers appeared first on The Mac Observer
| Read more »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
| Read more »Did you hear the big iPads news today? No, not that news! Sources have told MacRumors that iPadOS 18 will include the longest-awaited feature of the iPad: a Calculator app. It’s expected to be part of the iPadOS 18 unveiling at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10.
Apple’s plans with the Calculator app have been making the rounds lately. AppleInsider reported last week that the company plans...
| Read more »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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| Read more »In addition to new artificial intelligence features, Apple’s next round of OS updates will reportedly offer some big new features for the … Calculator app. Multiple rumors over the last week say that Apple is planning to make the Calculator app more powerful, add math features to Apple Notes, and bring the Calculator app to the iPad for the first time.
| Read more »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....
| Read more »iPad Could Finally Get the Much Needed Calculator App with iPadOS 18
iPads are no doubt one of the best tablets available in the market, but they do come with a catch: there’s no official calculator app on iPads. While you can always turn to the App Store for third-party alternatives, the lack of an official option seems a compromise for many. Well, it seems that the next iPadOS […]
This post iPad Could Finally Get the Much Needed Calculator App with iPadOS 18 appeared first on The Mac Observer
| Read more »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.
| Read more »There are plenty of cheap charging stations for your Apple devices, but most of them are clunky and don’t look all that great on a desk or side table. Anker’s MagGo Magnetic Charging Station is different. It’s compact, cute, and clever, and today it’s 30 percent off as well: Amazon is selling the Anker MagGo Magnetic Charging Station, Qi2 Compatible 15W Ultra-Fast MagSafe Wireless Charger for $70, a savings of $30 and the best price we’ve ever seen.
The spherical charging station has a large magnetic front to attach to an iPhone 12 or later, as well as several ports around the back, including 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A ports, and 3 120V AC outlets for charging a...
| Read more »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…
| Read more »You may have arrived at this article because you have just encountered the nightmare scenario of having your Mac fail without a backup, or perhaps you know someone who has had such a dreadful situation befall them and you want to make sure it doesn’t happen to you.
Or maybe you just messed up a document you were working on, saved over something you didn’t want to lose, or realized that you deleted a chunk of work by accident. Recovering unsaved of deleted Word documents can be a particular challenge. If only you had a backup and could recover an earlier version.
Whatever your reason for wanting to find out the best way to back up your Mac, we aim to help you come up with a Mac backup plan. We’ll look at the various kinds of Mac backups you can have, including local wired or wireless backups, live backups, remote backups, and online backups.
We’ll also examine the best Mac backup solutions, including...
| Read more »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...
| Read more »A chance to score Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 with Lightning charging case at $150 headlines Tuesday’s best deals. You can also save $60 on Apple Watch SE 2nd Gen styles or just outfit your existing Apple wearable with an official Apple Watch Link Bracelet for the all-time low of $209. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.
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| Read more »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...
| Read more »Last year Nomad launched a fun limited edition Glow in the Dark Sport Band for Apple Watch. It ended up selling out in the first day. Now the company is back with a new and improved Glow 2.0 Sport Band plus a Sport Case for iPhone 15 Pro/Max – available for a short time.
| Read more »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.
| Read more »On Tuesday, Apple sent out invitations to a special press event next month. Taglined ‘Let Loose,’ the event takes place on May 7 and begins at 7am PT. It seems to be an online-only event, with recipients invited to tune in at apple.com rather than attending in person.
This is a major surprise. The company frequently holds events in the spring, either in March or in April, and always holds an event (WWDC) in June. But there hasn’t been an Apple event in May this century. The timing is also strange, as Apple typically holds its events at 10am PT, three hours later than this event.
The most likely explanation is that Apple was planning to have a spring event this year (they’re pretty common; they happened in 2021...
| Read more »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
| Read more »We’d given up hope for a Spring event this year, but Apple has just issued invites to an event on May 7, 2024. So it turns out that big things are brewing at Apple Park after all, and we will find out what they are very soon.
In this article, we explain what you need to know about Apple’s Spring Event in 2024, how to watch it live, and what products you can expect to be unveiled.
Apple’s spring event is one of the three or four big events in Apple’s yearly cycle of announcements. We get the big software announcements at WWDC in the summer, the iPhone launch in September, sometimes we see Apple make Mac and iPad announcements in October or November, and (most years) we get some hardware reveals at a spring event in March or April. Apple executives will hit the stage–whether real or virtual–and boast about some recent successes, before revealing what new products are about to launch. For more detail on Apple’s...
| Read more »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.
| Read more »When released a few years ago, the Dream Machine Pro became a popular device for small and medium-sized businesses. I’ve deployed and managed a handful of them in various environments and found them to be a great device. It’s a really easy and affordable way to get started, especially when you want to use various UniFi apps (camera, network, etc). Today, Ubiquiti is releasing the new Dream Machine Pro Max, bringing that same all-in-one approach to larger deployments with more demanding needs.
| Read more »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.
| Read more »Apple’s FineWoven Accessories Might Continue to Live On
It has been a year since Apple launched a new lineup of FineWoven cases. The cases have taken a flak from users right from the beginning. Apple’s FineWoven case is plagued with complaints about durability. Recent rumours claimed that Apple will ditch the FineWoven cases. Now, the same source claims that the company will launch […]
This post Apple’s FineWoven Accessories Might Continue to Live On appeared first on The Mac Observer
| Read more »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.
| Read more »Sonos has revealed what it’s calling its “most extensive app redesign ever.” The new iOS and Android experience (plus web) does away with tabs and puts everything on a single Home screen that’s faster, customizable, has one search bar for all of your streaming services, features improved system control, and more.
| Read more »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...
| Read more »After Losing the Top Spot Internationally, iPhone Sales Drop by 1/5th in China, Worst Since COVID
Apple saw a huge decline in iPhone sales in China during the first quarter of 2024. According to Counterpoint Research, sales fell 19% compared to the same period in 2023, which makes the company’s weakest performance in the country since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Imagine if COVID had not been hit; I believe […]
This post After Losing the Top Spot Internationally, iPhone Sales Drop by 1/5th in China, Worst Since COVID appeared first on The Mac Observer
| Read more »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
...
| Read more »If you want to stretch your budget further, a membership to Sam’s Club could help. For a limited time, you can get a 1-year Sam’s Club membership for just $14. That’s the lowest price ever for a year-long membership, and it comes with auto-renew for the ease of uninterrupted access.
As a member, you get access to all that the Sam’s Club warehouses have to offer. You’ll be able to peruse the aisles and find savings on a variety of items, from groceries and household essentials to seasonal products and...
| Read more »After a little more than a half-year on the market, a new report claims that Apple has stopped production of its beleaguered FineWoven products, which were introduced in September as an eco-friendly alternative to leather iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands.
The accessories are made from “68 percent post-consumer recycled content” as part of Apple’s long-standing efforts to significantly reduce carbon emissions, but even customers who wanted Apple to get rid of leather were less than thrilled about the new material, which Apple says “may show wear over time as the fibers get compressed with normal use.” Pictures posted all around social media have shown...
| Read more »As is sometimes the custom, Apple may have snagged yet another company that specializes in artificial intelligence to help move it closer to its technological milestones. Apple is reported to have acquired Datakalab, a Paris, France-based startup specializing in both AI compression as well as computer vision technology. Per French business magazine Challenges, the acquisition […]
| Read more »As expected (and as Apple and any company tries to accomplish prior to releasing a new or updated product), Apple’s retail stock of the current iPad Air model has begun to dwindle ahead of the anticipated arrival of the next-gen iPad Air in May. Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who cited sources at Citing sources at […]
| Read more »Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.
Apple @ Work is brought to you by Kolide by 1Password, the device trust solution that ensures that if a device isn’t secure, it can’t access your apps. Close the Zero Trust access gap for Okta....
| Read more »If you’re finding that your device’s performance is lagging or you need to set up a refurbished device, consider investing in a powerful OS.
The top-rated OS for any PC is Windows 11 Pro, Microsoft’s most popular edition, which offers innovative security features, productivity tools, and more. Now, lifetime access is only $29.97 (reg. $199) until April 30.
With Windows 11 Pro, you’ll get a powerful and user-friendly interface. You can boost your productivity with tools like snap layouts, customizable widgets, improved voice...
| Read more »Most pet owners may agree with this statement. We love our dogs and are constantly looking to care for them as best we can. Now, you can gain insights into how to look after them more lovingly and learn about their genetic history with a simple test.
With the DNA My Dog test, you can delve into your dog’s genetic makeup to uncover valuable insights. Now, it’s only $67.99 (reg. $79).
Thankfully, running a DNA My Dog test is as straightforward as conducting a human genetic test. Just use the sterile applicator to...
| Read more »Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Finally Feature Full Apple Music Integration
Ray-Ban Meta glasses users can now play Apple Music without having to touch their phone. Popular eyewear brand Ray-Ban and Meta launched the successor to the Ray-Ban Stories in 2023. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses look very similar to that first model. The product features cameras, speakers and microphones to record video, play audio and more […]
This post Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Finally Feature Full Apple Music Integration appeared first on The Mac Observer
| Read more »5 Ways To Fix an iPhone SE That Keeps Restarting
Is your iPhone SE restarting every few minutes? Based on my experience, it’s hard to fix anything when your phone powers off repeatedly. The Apple Community suggests sending it in for repairs, but I don’t want to spend multiple days without my smartphone. Thankfully, I found some quick, effective solutions that got my device back […]
This post 5 Ways To Fix an iPhone SE That Keeps Restarting appeared first on The Mac Observer
| Read more »Emulation on iOS: What to Know About Retro Gaming on iPhone
What a time to be alive: emulation has officially arrived on iOS. This means iPad and iPhone owners can enjoy a variety of virtual game consoles directly on their device and Apple is totally cool with it. As exciting as this may be, there is a lot to know about this subject and what exactly […]
This post Emulation on iOS: What to Know About Retro Gaming on iPhone appeared first on The Mac Observer
| Read more »How To Enable Pop-Ups on Mac in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox
Knowing how to enable and disable pop-ups on a Mac can be useful for several reasons. While you might need them for interactive website functions like login forms and notification alerts, you might want to turn them off if they become intrusive. Here’s how to configure these settings in the three most popular web browsers. […]
This post How To Enable Pop-Ups on Mac in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox appeared first on The Mac Observer
| Read more »One of the best features of the Apple TV is its robust collection of Aerial screen savers. When your Apple TV sits idle for a few minutes, tvOS switches to these soothing Aerial videos while it awaits your return.
YouTube, however, thinks you’d rather see random slideshows of images and video thumbnails instead…
| Read more »Incident began at 2024-04-22 12:00 (times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)).
Summary:
Google Classroom is experiencing an increased error rate in Brazil (for State of Paraná)
Description:
We are experiencing an intermittent issue with Google Classroom.
Our engineering team continues to investigate the issue.
We will provide an update by Tuesday, 2024-04-23 09:00 US/Pacific with current details.
Customer Symptoms:
A subset of users in the state of Parana, Brazil would encounter intermittent error while accessing Google Classroom. However, the impact is only limited to the state of Parana, no impact to customers to the rest of the world.
Workaround:
None at this time.
Affected products: Classroom
| Read more »According to French business magazine Challenges, Apple has acquired Datakalab -- a Paris-based startup specializing in artificial intelligence compression and computer vision technology. 9to5Mac reports: Datakalab described itself as "experts in low power, runtime efficient, and deep learning algorithms" that work on device. On its LinkedIn page, Datakalab highlights "industry leading compression and adaptation to deploy embedded computer vision that is fast, cost-effective and precise." Prior to the Apple acquisition had between 10 and 20 employees.
From Datakalab's now-defunct website: "Datakalab is a French technology company that develops computer image analysis algorithms to measure flows in public space. The images are instantly transformed into anonymized statistical data processed locally in 100ms. Datakalab does not store any images or personal data and only keeps statistical data. Datakalab products are built according to the principle of 'Privacy by Design.'"...
| Read more »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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| Read more »Now that the iPhone 15 lineup is on shelves, and now we can officially start thinking about the iPhone 16. Naturally, any rumors or leaks you see this early are going to be fluid at best–even if they are accurate now, plans can and do change and there’s still plenty of time to do so before the iPhone 16 enters production.
With all that said, here’s what the most prolific leakers and tipsters say we can expect about the iPhones coming in the fall of 2024.
Update April 22: A new report claims that Apple will switch to solid-state capacitive buttons for the volume and power button of the iPhone 16 line.
When is the newest iPhone coming out?
The iPhone lineup is...
| Read more »It’s been a while since Meta launched its own smart glasses in partnership with Ray-Ban, and I’ve already written about them here on 9to5Mac. Now those who own Ray-Ban Meta can enjoy deeper integration with Apple Music thanks to Meta’s latest update.
| Read more »Our friends at GRID Studio are running an Earth Day sale this week with some impressive discounts on their iconic deconstructed wall art. The Grid 4, for example, showcases a deconstructed iPhone 4 and is available for just $99 (down from $170).
| Read more »MagSafe accessories continue to be where a lot of the innovation around the iPhone tames place. The ability to snap your iPhone into place unlocks a lot of fun use cases. This week, I am taking a look at the that’s designed to keep your iPhone connected to your Mac for quick phone calls, Zoom calls, and much more.
| Read more »Proton is out with the latest upgrade for its users on a paid tier. Dark web monitoring is here to help you keep your online credentials as safe as possible with alerts when you need to update passwords due to data breaches and more. Here’s how it works.
| Read more »It has been a while since we last year about Apple’s plans to ditch the physically moving buttons on the iPhone in favor of non-moving buttons with touch-sensitive capacitive sensors. That rumor was last floating around about a year ago when it was believed that the iPhone 15 Pro models would feature these “solid-state” buttons.
Of course, that never came to pass, and we haven’t heard a thing until now about the possibility of Apple making this change on any iPhone 16 model.
Now, a report from the Chinese state-owned paper Economic Daily claims that ASE Investment Holdings has secured a very large order...
| Read more »
