HDR photos from Android and iPhone will now work better across platforms
Apple and Google have adopted the ISO 21496-1 standard for properly encoding and decoding gain map metadata of HDR photos. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Here we go again – Apple again rumored to buy Intel
Apple left Intel behind four years ago now, but a resurrected rumor says Apple is thinking about buying the long-running chipmaker. It's absolute nonsense, but if it ever happened, it would make a curious end to the Wintel story.It's not exactly likely, but there are solid reasons why Apple could now buy IntelApple did buy Intel's entire modem division back in 2019, but this rumor says it would just acquire the whole firm. The same rumor does say that perhaps Samsung would be more likely, and there are even others, but it's Apple who would be most interesting. Not to mention the most funny.For back in the day, Windows and Intel were this dominant partnership. They were so strong that the PC was regularly referred to as Wintel, and it was Wintel machines that kept the Mac struggling to even be a niche player. Rumor Score: 💩 B#$&(*it Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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The truth behind Apple’s most unpopular decisions: It’s not about you
Macworld Twelve years ago, my former Macworld colleague Lex Friedman and I were at an Apple-focused conference where we presented a talk called “Apple is Huge Now (And That Sucks For You).” The long and short of it was that the Apple of 2012 was not the same Apple of the 1980s, 1990s, or even the 2000s—now Apple was a giant company that could less afford time worrying about you as an individual. A decade-plus on, it’s hard to believe that Apple has gotten even bigger and that, fundamentally, each and every one of us matter that much less to it, but it’s unarguably true. Simply put, it’s a matter of scale—the company simply can’t afford to spend the same amount of time worrying about its customers that it could have 20 years ago because there are just that many more of them. In its role as one of the largest purveyors of technology in the world, Apple has no choice but to adopt a perspective of scale. This comes into play in all sorts of decisions the company makes, from the biggest of the big to the smallest of the small. Input-output Let’s take, for example, the matter of hardware changes—even those that may seem inconsequential. Apple this week released new versions of its input peripherals for Mac: the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad. These new revisions were virtually identical to the old models, with the exception of swapping the Lightning port on the earlier versions for a USB-C port. That was a change long anticipated by most Apple watchers, for no other reason than the Lightning port has already been phased out on most of the company’s other devices. (Those that remain are older products still on sale, such as the iPhone 14, and those likely to be replaced in the near future, like the iPhone SE.) Apple updated its Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Keyboard with USB-C, but it didn’t take the opportunity to do anything else with them.Foundry But the big question on the minds of many is: Why is that the only thing that changed? It’s not as if these products were perfect. The Magic Mouse has long been derided for its inefficient charging port on the bottom; the Magic Keyboard has retained its strange arrow key layout, in defiance of the rest of Apple’s keyboards adopting the classic “inverted T” design. Why were neither of those “problems” fixed? While John Gruber gave a strident defense of the Magic Mouse that rings largely true, I think you can’t ignore the impact of scale. These devices are among the most niche of Apple’s products. Not only are they accessories primarily (though not exclusively) used with the Mac, a product line that routinely accounts for a single-digit percent of the company’s overall revenue, but they are also (again predominantly) aimed at customers of desktops, which are themselves the minority of Macs sold. Moreover, I’d hazard a guess that a high percentage of the peripherals Apple ships are those included with a computer, such as an iMac, rather than bought separately. Making changes to any of these devices would have required redesign and re-engineering efforts; changes that, to those of us on the outside, might seem minor, but when stacked up against the number of these devices actually sold simply may not pencil out: How much does it cost to make changes to the existing manufacturing process, how much does it cost to test these products to make sure they work correctly, and how many of these peripherals does Apple have to sell to pay for that upfront cost? In addition to all of that, there’s another cost that has to be considered: the cost of what you’re not doing. Cost-portunity In the last several years, Apple has taken a few different stabs at adding additional models to its iPhone line-up. That came first in the flavor of the iPhone 12/13 mini, followed by the iPhone 14/15/16 Plus. If rumors are to be believed, the Plus model may follow the mini into the darkness next year, while a new, slimmer iPhone 17 takes up a spot at the top of the lineup. I know more than a few folks who bemoan Apple’s abandoning of the mini form factor. It’s clear that the products were not blockbuster sellers—had they been, there’s no doubt that Apple would have continued to produce more. But I’ve also heard the argument that those sales shouldn’t be the be-all, end-all. To wit: “If Apple can keep around the iPad mini and the Mac mini, despite what are surely lower sales, why not the iPhone mini?” The iPhone mini has a devoted following but that wasn’t not enough to persuade Apple to keep it.Foundry The simple answer? Opportunity cost. The iPhone is Apple’s most valuable product line by far. It accounts for half the company’s revenue. Apple sells tens of millions every quarter. Neither the Mac nor the iPad lines come even close. The problem is that the iPhone mini didn’t exist in a vacuum. The name of the game is growth, and if the mini isn’t picking up more sales for the company, then it’s costing too much money. Apple can only make so many iPhones total; it doesn’t have the luxury of spending the time and effort investing in a product that doesn’t sell as well—especially when it could be making a different type of iPhone that might sell better. There is a cost to keeping around an underperforming product, especially in your best-selling product line: components, assembly, marketing, and so on all still have to be devoted to that product, even if it’s not keeping up its end. That’s why Apple shifted gears to the Plus phone: to see if it could succeed where the mini couldn’t, in sales. And if it too fails, as those rumors suggest, it will be next on the chopping block. Scale every mountain All too often, Apple’s decisions can feel personal. Believe me: I was all set to buy a new Magic Keyboard, but the lack of that inverted-T arrow key layout made me hesitate. Why would Apple do this to me? The problem is that ultimately, with the number of customers Apple has, each and every one of us is—at some time or another—an edge case. An exception to the rule. Ultimately, everything Apple does these days has to be viewed from a position of scale. Given the size of the company, the number of products it’s building, and its global reach, small decisions can quickly become big ones. A battleship turns slowly, as the old saying goes, and that means it’s even more critical for the person steering to be confident that they’re making the right turn—and that doesn’t always mean that each and every one of us gets to go along for the ride.

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The Mac mini finally lives up to its name
Macworld Apple’s Week of Press Releases continues, with Monday’s announcement of a new M4 iMac followed by Tuesday’s new M4 Mac mini. This caught the Macworld team slightly off guard because we thought the company would go to the M4 MacBook Pro first, and leave the mini for last. Why? Because this year’s mini got a major redesign, and Apple usually likes to finish on a high note. Maybe the schedule got rearranged at the last minute after that unfortunate Amazon leak. Redesigns are important. Not just because they enable customers to show off that they’ve got the latest model–although you can be sure that Apple knows the value of that–and not just because of cosmetic niceties. (If we cared about those we’d be complaining about the lack of a Space Black color finish… which we’re totally not mad about, honest.) The 2024 Mac mini certainly looks good, but design is about much more than just aesthetics; in this case, the benefits of the redesign are functional, with the device finally cashing the check written by that brand name all those years ago. It’s actually a mini Mac in a true and pragmatic sense. The M2Mac mini was small, but the M4 Mac mini is downright tiny.Apple The Mac mini started out at 6.5-inch square, which was impressively petite by the standards of 2005. But as computers have grown smaller, the mini hasn’t. In fact its desktop footprint has actually gotten bigger, with a bump to 7.7 inches in 2010. (For visualization purposes, in case you don’t own one, the 2022 mini’s footprint is roughly the same as four Apple TV 4K units arranged in a square. Which might not be a totally fair comparison, but the point is that it’s not exactly unobtrusive.) The depth decreased, admittedly, but I’m yet to be convinced that this matters as much. And the weight has remained largely constant. It became more of a Mac skinny than a Mac mini. Why does this matter? Because the Mac mini’s entire raison d’être is to be small. Its purpose is to take up as little space as possible on a modern minimalist desktop, to be carried easily from room to room, to slip easily into a remote worker’s rucksack as they shuttle between home and office. Having a small footprint is its whole thing, baby. The tech upgrades for the M4 Mac mini are definitely nice. I like the two-generation processor bump and the increase in CPU and GPU cores; I like the switch from rear USB-A ports to front-facing USB-C ports; I like having the option to get up to 64GB of RAM and support three displays even if I don’t go for the Pro model. These are all valid and pleasing upgrades. But let’s be honest here: we don’t love the Mac mini for its specs but for its form factor. The 2024 mini is a tidy 5-inch square and has dropped in weight by more than a pound, making it a real marvel of Apple engineering. It looks like a tiny Mac Studio and in photos, it’s almost too small to believe. It’s not just significantly smaller than its predecessor—as Apple said in its announcement video, it’s 1/20th the size of the top-selling PC desktop in its price range and more than six times faster. The Mac mini has always been deceptively powerful, but it hasn’t quite lived up to its descriptive surname. Until now. With the 2024 redesign, the Mac mini’s form factor is finally delivering the goods.

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Tap to Pay on iPhone expands to five additional European countries
If you’re traveling and eager to use Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone feature for shopping, it just expanded to five new countries across Europe. As mentioned before, Tap to Pay on iPhone is a feature where businesses can use an iPhone as a contactless terminal to accept payments. The customer simply holds their contactless […] Source

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Apple announces M4, M4 Pro-based Mac mini desktop
If you were hoping for the next-gen Mac mini, it’s been announced and features rather nifty M4 chips. Apple on Tuesday announced its fully redesigned Mac mini models, the desktops offering the M4 and M4 Pro chips in a considerably smaller casing, two front-facing USB-C ports, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, and more. The refresh marks the […] Source

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Google Chrome will now shame resource-hogging tabs
Google Chrome is getting a new Performance Detection tool to alert you about closing tabs consuming excess resources for faster browsing. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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How to find 3D movies to watch on Apple Vision Pro
The introduction of the Apple Vision Pro has reintroduced 3D content after nearly a decade of absence. Here's where to find 3D movies for purchase from any Apple device that has a TV app.How to watch 3D movies on Apple Vision ProThe Apple Vision Pro is not just any other headset, it's a gateway to a whole new level of film experience. Before immersing yourself in the world of 3D content, it's crucial to set up your device correctly.Apple offers comprehensive support through its website and in-store experts, ensuring you get the most out of your Apple Vision Pro. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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GitHub Copilot for Xcode now in public preview
Bring intelligent coding assistance to Apple's Xcode with the GitHub Copilot extension, now available in a public preview for those with a Copilot license.GitHub Copilot coming to XcodeDon't confuse GitHub Copilot with Microsoft's AI — it is an AI-powered developer tool for use in an IDE. GitHub Copilot can provide code suggestions and help a developer via a chat tool that has access to GitHub's repositories.According to an announcement from GitHub, Copilot is coming to Xcode as an extension. Copilot license holders can access the public preview and get it installed by following the getting started guide. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Gentler Streak adds new sleep insights with its latest update
Apple Watch has gained a lot of sleep monitoring features in recent years, but there are still third-party apps that provide a more in-depth analysis of your sleep data. One of these apps is Gentler Streak, and its latest update adds new insights and options for sleep tracking. more…

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The new Mac mini shows that Apple still excels at building the best computers
Apple on Tuesday introduced a new generation of the Mac mini, and it’s impressively mini – much more compact than its predecessor. But the new Mac mini isn’t just about a new design, it’s also about incredible engineering. It shows how Apple still excels at building the best computers. more…

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Apple TV+ hit Presumed Innocent replaces star and story for season 2
The legal thriller became the streamer's most-watched series, but the new season won't include star Jake Gyllenhaal or Scott Turow's storytelling. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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M1 iMac vs. M4 iMac: What’s the big difference?
Apple introduced the 24-inch iMac with the M1 chip back in April 2021 with an all-new model of the venerable all-in-one desktop Mac… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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iPhone buying guide: Best iPhone to buy in 2024
Macworld Deciding which iPhone to buy has always been tricky. Which screen size is best for you, and how much storage do you need? Should you save money by selecting an older model, or should you splash out on the latest iPhone? Which iPhone is the best compromise between specs and value for money? In this article we talk you through each of the phones currently available from Apple, to help you decide which is best for you. We discuss iPhone prices, specs and features, paying particular attention to the cameras, screens and durability, so you should leave feeling much more confident about which iPhone you should get. For more help with your choice see our reviews of the latest iPhones (linked below) and our Best iPhone comparison chart where we compare all the new iPhone with the ones still on sale. iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max review iPhone 16 and 16 Plus review iPhone 15 Plus review iPhone 14 review iPhone 14 Plus review What iPhones does Apple sell? When you include both the larger and smaller sizes, there are nine iPhones in Apple’s current lineup. We’ll start of by looking at how the design of each handset differs, so you can tell which iPhone is which at a glance, before going on to discuss how the iPhones compare in other ways including screens, cameras, safety features, specs and battery life. You can also find out all about the new features in the latest iPhones in our iPhone 16 guide. You might also want to check out our best iPhone deals, and comparison of every iPhone that is available to buy today. Before we start, a quick-at-a-glance comparison of the iPhones: 1. Apple iPhone 16 Price When Reviewed: $799 Best Prices Today: $799 at Apple$829.99 at Best Buy The iPhone 16 is similar to last year’s iPhone 15, but the new processor supports Apple Intelligence, a suite of generative-AI features that Apple is rolling out through several iOS updates. It also delivers much longer battery life and includes a new Camera Control button to make it faster and easier to launch your favorite photo app and take pictures. Read our full Apple iPhone 16 review 2. Apple iPhone 16 Plus Price When Reviewed: $899 Best Prices Today: $899 at Apple$929.99 at Best Buy A larger version of the iPhone 16, with the same specs and features, outside of the obviously larger display. The only place the iPhone 16 Plus differs in performance form the iPhone 16 is in its significantly longer battery life. After all, if the phone is bigger, it can fit a larger battery inside. 3. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Price When Reviewed: $999 Best Prices Today: $999 at Apple $999.99 at Best Buy The Pro version of the iPhone 16 once again comes in a titanium shell, and offers slightly better performance and battery life than the standard iPhone 16. The photo and video capabilities are where the Pro models stand out. They include a 5x telephoto camera, a sharper 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera, and support for high-end formats like ProRAW, HLG video, and video recording at up to 4K and 120fps. And yes, it includes the new Camera Control button. Read our full Apple iPhone 16 Pro review 4. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Price When Reviewed: $1,199 Best Prices Today: $1199 at Apple$1199.99 at Best Buy Just as the iPhone 16 Plus is simply a larger version of the iPhone 16, so too is the iPhone 16 Pro Max just a larger iPhone 16 Pro. In past years, the Pro Max version would have some distinguishing feature (like better telephoto camera) but that isn’t the case this year. The iPhone 16 Pro Max does get a big boost in battery life from its larger battery, however. 5. Apple iPhone 15 Price When Reviewed: From $699 (Was $799) Best Prices Today: $729 at Apple$729.99 at Best Buy The standard iPhone 15 model doesn’t get all the bells and whistles of the Pro models, but it does offer some great new features in comparison to 2022’s iPhone 14. For example, the non-pro iPhones now have the Dynamic Island instead of the notch. The iPhone 15 camera is significantly better than the iPhone 14 camera, now up to 48MP and with Smart HDR 5. You’ll get USB-C instead of Lightning. The processor is the A16 Bionic, as seen in the iPhone 14 Pro. 6. Apple iPhone 15 Plus Price When Reviewed: $799 (was $899) Best Prices Today: $829 at Apple$829.99 at Best Buy The same phone as the iPhone 15, only larger! You get a bigger, longer-lasting battery with the larger size, but the features and performance are otherwise identical. Read our full Apple iPhone 15 Plus review 7. Apple iPhone 14 Price When Reviewed: £599 (was £699) Best Prices Today: $629 at Apple$829 at Visible Introduced in 2022, the iPhone 14 brought new camera features like the Photonic Engine, better low-light photos and the Action mode, which weren’t available on the iPhone 13. The biggest problem with the iPhone 14 is that it’s not that much different to the iPhone 13 in many other ways, with the same generation chip and practically identical appearance. Read our full Apple iPhone 14 review 8. Apple iPhone 14 Plus Price When Reviewed: £699 (was £799) Introduced in 2022, this iPhone is identical to the iPhone 14 except for one big difference: it’s bigger. If you prefer a larger iPhone, but don’t want to spend a lot of money, this is the iPhone for you. Read our full Apple iPhone 14 Plus review 9. Apple iPhone SE (2022) Price When Reviewed: $429 (64GB) | $479 (128GB) | $579 (256GB) Best Prices Today: $278.34 at Amazon$429 at Apple$429 at Apple United States Apple introduced the iPhone SE 3rd generation in spring 2022. It’s the cheapest iPhone you can buy, and, now that the iPhone 13 mini is no longer sold by Apple, this is Apple’s smallest iPhone. Plus if you want or need a Home button – perhaps because the lack of a button could cause accessibility problems, although there is a way to add a software Home button if you need to – this is the only iPhone that has one. If you are looking for an iPhone for an elderly relative, this might be the one, see: Best iPhone for seniors. Read our full Apple iPhone SE (2022) review How much do iPhones cost? Brilliant news for 2023: Apple has reduced pricing across most of the range (and across the whole range if you are based in the U.K.) Below you will find pricing for U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia (scroll across to see pricing in your region). ModelRelease dateStorage optionsU.S. Price U.K. PriceCanada PriceAustralia PriceiPhone 16 Pro MaxSeptember 2024256GB512GB1TB$1,199$1,399$1,599£1,199£1,399£1,599$1,749$2,049$2,349$2,199$2,549$2,899iPhone 16 ProSeptember 2024128GB256GB512GB1TB$999$1,099 $1,299$1,499 £999£1,099£1,299£1,499$1,449$1,599$1,899$2,199$1,849$2,049$2,399$2,749iPhone 16 PlusSeptember 2024128GB256GB512GB$899 $999$1,199£899£999£1,199$1,279$1,429$1,729$1,649$1,849$2,199iPhone 16September 2024128GB256GB512GB$799$899$1,099£799£899£1,099$1,129$1,279$1,579$1,499$1,699$2,049iPhone 15 PlusSeptember 2023128GB256GB512GB$799 $899$1,099£799£899£1,099$1,149$1,299$1,599$1,399$1,599$1,949iPhone 15September 2023128GB256GB512GB$699$799$999£699£799£999$999$1,149$1,449$1,249$1,449$1,799iPhone 14 PlusSeptember 2022128GB256GB512GB$699$799$999£699£799£999$999$1,149$1,449$1,249$1,449$1,799iPhone 14September 2022128GB256GB512GB$599$699$899£599£699£899$849$999$1,299$1,049$1,249$1,599iPhone SE (3rd gen)March 202264GB 128GB256GB$429$479$579£429£479£579$579$649$789$719$799$969iPhone prices September 2023. You don’t have to pay full price for a new iPhone though. Read our iPhone deals roundup for more advice on getting the lowest possible price from various different resellers. We have also collected the best deals for the iPhone 16-series in the U.K. and the best deals for the iPhone 16-series in the U.S. in separate articles. Design: How do the iPhones compare? Apple There are two big new features in the iPhone 16 line: the Camera Control button and support for Apple Intelligence. Camera Control is a new button, flush with the iPhone body, that resides about 2/3 of the way down the right side, so it is under your finger when held in landscape orientation to take photos or video. Press it to launch your desired camera app, press it in that app to act like a shutter button. You can lightly tap or swipe on it, too, to control various camera options within apps. Apple Intelligence is a suite of AI features that is being released in waves, starting with iOS 18.1 and continuing in updates through 2025. There are writing tools, image generation, image recognition, “Genmoji” emoji generation, and new capabilities for Siri. Apple Intelligence is also available on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, which Apple no longer sells. It is not available on the iPhone 15 or any prior model iPhone. In our testing, the iPhone 16 line offered a big boost in battery life over prior models, too. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are very similar to the iPhone 16, but with slightly slower performance, less battery life, no Camera Control button, and no support for Apple Intelligence. If you go back to the iPhone 14, you’re also going to lose out on the Dynamic Island–instead of the little pill-shaped cutout for the front camera and sensors, you’ll have a notch at the top of the screen. Apple and app developers use the Dynamic Island to display all sorts of live information. Here’s how the dimensions and colors compare: iPhoneDimensionsWeightColoursiPhone 16 Pro Max6.42 inches (163 mm) x 3.06 inches (77.6 mm) x 0.32 inch (8.25 mm)7.99 ounces (227 grams)Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium, White Titanium, Black TitaniumiPhone 16 Pro5.89 inches (149.6 mm) x 2.81 inches (71.5 mm) x 0.32 inches (8.25 mm)7.03 ounces (199 grams)Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium, White Titanium, Black TitaniumiPhone 16 Plus6.33 inches (160.9 mm) x 3.06 inches (77.8 mm) x 0.31 inch (7.80 mm)7.03 ounces (199 grams)Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, BlackiPhone 165.81 inches (147.6 mm) x 2.82 inches (71.6 mm) x 0.31 inch (7.80 mm)6.00 ounces (170 grams)Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, BlackiPhone 15 Plus6.33 inches (160.9 mm) x 3.06 inches (77.8 mm) x 0.31 inch (7.80 mm)7.09 ounces (201 grams)Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, BlackiPhone 155.81 inches (147.6mm) x 2.82 inches (71.6 mm) x 0.31 inches (7.80 mm)6.02 ounces (171 grams)Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, BlackiPhone 14 Plus6.33 inches (160.8 mm) x 3.07 inches (78.1 mm) x 0.31 inch (7.80 mm)7.16 ounces (203 grams)Blue, Purple, Midnight, Starlight, RediPhone 14 5.78 inches (146.7 mm) x 2.82 inches (71.5 mm) x 0.31 inch (7.80 mm)6.07 ounces (172 grams)Blue, Purple, Midnight, Starlight, RediPhone SE 35.45 inches (138.4 mm) x 2.65 inches (67.3 mm) x 0.29 inch (7.3 mm)5.09 ounces (144 grams)Midnight, Starlight and RedHow Apple’s 2024 iPhone lineup compares. Screen: How are the iPhone displays different? The Pro and Pro Max iPhones have the best screens available on an iPhone. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max offer ProMotion, which allows for an adaptive refresh rate. The refresh rate goes as high as 120Hz for really smooth scrolling and as low as 1Hz. ProMotion has been a staple of the “Pro” iPhones for years, but new this year to all iPhone 16 models is the ability for the screen to get very very dim (down to 1 nit) while still remaining usable. It’s great for dark rooms. Thanks to the Always-On screen you will always be able to see elements such as the time and date, notifications and Lock Screen widgets without waking the iPhone. The screen dims to minimize onscreen power usage to preserve battery life and it will turn off should you place it face down or walk away while wearing an Apple Watch. Like ProMotion, always-on displays are a feature of Pro iPhones. Both the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus also offer a few more pixels than their predecessors, matching the pixels of the Pro and Pro Max handsets this time round. The screen size may be the most important factor in your decision. If you prefer a larger screen, you’ll want the “Plus” or “Pro Max” version. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a screen size of 6.9 inches diagonally, up from 6.7 inches in prior years and with the other Plus-size iPhones. It’s a small difference, but one you can notice. The iPhone 16 Pro is larger than the iPhone 16, too: 6.3 inches compared to 6.1 inches. Camera: How do the iPhone cameras compare? Jason Snell / Foundry For many it’s the capabilities of the cameras that sell the iPhones, so it’s no wonder that every year Apple improves the camera on its iPhones, sometimes improving the tech, sometimes the software. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus still feature a dual-camera array with wide and ultra-wide lenses, while only the Pro and Pro Max offer the additional 5x telephoto lens. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have a 48 megapixel Ultra Wide camera, while the 15 and 15 Plus have a 12 megapixel Ultra Wide. However, the 15 and 15 Plus can now shoot macro photos, a feature that used to be reserved for the Pro models. There are also new video recording features for the pro models, including ProRes video recording up to 4K at 120 fps, LOG video recording and Academy Color Encoding. In 2022 the TrueDepth (FaceTime and Face ID) camera was upgraded on the front of the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus, gaining autofocus and improved low-light performance thanks to the wider aperture. It hasn’t changed since then. All models on sale currently offer Portrait Mode and the Portrait Lighting effects on the rear cameras for images with depth of field. The only camera that doesn’t offer Night Mode is the iPhone SE 3. The iPhone SE 3 also only has one camera on the rear. iPhoneCamerasVideoPhoto & video featuresiPhone 16 Pro and Pro MaxThree rear cameras: 48MP Main (ƒ/1.78 aperture), 48MP Ultra Wide (ƒ/2.2 aperture) and 12MP Telephoto (ƒ/2.8 aperture), second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 5x, 2x, 0.5x optical zoom, Adaptive True Tone flashFront camera: TrueDepth front camera, 12 MP (ƒ/1.9 aperture)Video: ProRes video recording up to 4K at up to 120 fps (with external recording), 4K video recording at up to 120 fps, 1080p HD video recording at up to 120 fps, HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 120 fps, Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video, Spatial video up to 1080p at 30 fpsLOG video recording, Academy Color Encoding System, Photonic Engine, Night mode portraits, Night mode, new Photographic Styles, Macro photos, ProRaw, Smart HDR 5Cinematic mode, Macro video recording, Action Mode, Audio zoomiPhone 16 and 16 PlusTwo rear cameras: 12MP Main (ƒ/1.6 aperture), 12MP Ultra Wide (ƒ/2.2 aperture), sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 2x, 0.5x zoom, True Tone flashFront camera: TrueDepth front camera, 12MP (ƒ/1.9 aperture)Video: 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps, Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video, Spatial video up to 1080p at 30 fpsPhotonic Engine, Action Mode, Night mode, new Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 5Cinematic mode, Audio zoomiPhone 15 and 15 PlusTwo rear cameras: 12MP Main (ƒ/1.6 aperture), 12MP Ultra Wide (ƒ/2.4 aperture), sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x, True Tone flashFront camera: TrueDepth front camera, 12MP (ƒ/1.9 aperture)Video: 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps, Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for videoPhotonic Engine, Action Mode, Night mode, Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 5Cinematic mode, Audio zoomiPhone 14 and 14 PlusTwo rear cameras: 12MP Main (ƒ/1.5 aperture), 12MP Ultra Wide (ƒ/2.4 aperture), sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x, True Tone flashFront camera: TrueDepth front camera, 12 MP (ƒ/1.9 aperture)Video: 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps, Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for videoPhotonic Engine, Action Mode, Night mode, Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 4Cinematic mode, Audio zoomiPhone SE 3One rear camera: 12MP (ƒ/1.8 aperture), optical image stabilization, digital zoom up to 5x, True Tone flash Front camera: FaceTime HD camera, 7MP (ƒ/2.2 aperture)Video: 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, Optical image stabilization for videoPhotographic Styles, Smart HDR 4The camera features of the 2022-2023 iPhone lineup. Safety features: Emergency protection Apple added some safety features to all the iPhone 14 series has carried them forward to iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models. These features include a Crash Detection feature and Satellite Connectivity for emergency phone calls. Crash detection uses the gyroscope and accelerometer in the iPhones to recognize if the vehicle you are in has crashed. If the iPhone thinks you’ve been involved in a crash, it will call emergency services and notify your preferred contacts (unless you tell it not to). All phones offer the ability to send an Emergency SOS, but the iPhone 14, 15, and 16 can do so via satellite, which would be useful if you were in an area with no signal. You just need to be able to establish a clear view of the sky, and be in a country that supports the feature (many do now). Thanks to the feature your iPhone can alert the emergency services to your location in an emergency, the iPhone will also contact your emergency contact. Durability: Which iPhone is the toughest? Another factor in the choice of which iPhone to choose is how durable the model is. How likely are you to damage the iPhone? As you can see from the section on design (above) the majority of iPhones on sale right now (except for the iPhone SE 3) offer a Ceramic Shield front, which should mean that the glass on the front is less likely to smash if you drop it. Only the Pro and Pro Max are constructed from titanium (previous generations were stainless steel), which is more durable than aluminum, which all other iPhones are encased in. All iPhones have a glass back (which is necessary for MagSafe charging). This does mean that if you drop your iPhone with no case on then you are pretty much guaranteed to break the glass on the back. So be sure to pop your new iPhone in a case. For our recommendations see our round-up of the Best iPhone cases. The other way people damage their iPhones is by dropping them in water. Most iPhones are rated as water resistant to a depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes (IP68), the iPhone SE 3 only offers water resistance to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes (IP67). We still wouldn’t recommend getting your iPhone wet though because Apple will know if it’s gotten wet and it could void your warranty should anything go wrong. Which iPhone would be worse off if you dropped it? Apple Specs: Storage and processor options The A18 in the iPhone 16 models is considerably faster than the A16 found in the iPhone 15, especially when it comes to graphics or AI tasks. The A18 Pro is distinguished primarily by the extra GPU core, though it has super video hardware to support the Pro video features, too. Each iPhone is available in between three and four capacity options. It’s important to consider how much you need before buying because iPhones don’t have a microSD card slot that will allow you to add additional storage at a later date. For the typical iPhone user, 128GB is probably sufficient. Only the iPhone SE offers less than that, with a 64GB option and we strongly recommend you pay a few dollars/pounds extra to buy the 128GB model. One reason you may not need more storage is if you choose to sync your data to the cloud. If you pay a monthly fee for iCloud storage all your data will be available on any of your devices, and crucially your photos will be stored in the cloud rather than on your device, freeing up many gigabytes of space. iCloud starts at $0.99/£0.99 for 50GB. See How much does iCloud cost for more information, including Australian and Canadian prices. Before you decide how much storage you need have a look at your current phone’s usage (go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage) and think about how much space you really need. Read How much storage do you need on an iPhone? for more advice. iPhoneProcessorStorageBattery lifeiPhone 16 Pro MaxA18 Pro chip, 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU128GB256GB512GB1TBUp to 33 hours video playback, up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with 20W adapter or higheriPhone 16 ProA18 Pro chip, 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU128GB256GB512GB1TBUp to 27 hours video playback, up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higheriPhone 16 PlusA18 chip, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU128GB256GB512GBUp to 27 hours video playback, up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with 20W adapter or higheriPhone 16A18 chip, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU128GB256GB512GBUp to 24 hours video playback, up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higheriPhone 15 PlusA16 Bionic chip, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU128GB256GB512GBUp to 26 hours video playback, up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with 20W adapter or higheriPhone 15A16 Bionic chip, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU128GB256GB512GBUp to 20 hours video playback, up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higheriPhone 14 PlusA15 Bionic chip, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU128GB256GB512GBUp to 26 hours video playback, up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with 20W adapter or higheriPhone 14 A15 Bionic chip, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU128GB256GB512GBUp to 20 hours video playback, up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higheriPhone SE 3A15 Bionic, 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU64GB 128GB256GB15 hrs video playback, up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher Battery life and charging The iPhone 16 models offer a big boost in battery life over the iPhone 15 and even further over the iPhone 14. In our testing, the difference in battery life was even more pronounced than Apple’s spec sheets indicate—we saw battery life improvements of around 20 percent for the regular models and 30 percent for the Pro models. As for how you charge the iPhone, fast charging requires a 20W adapter or higher that plugs into either the USB-C on 2023 iPhones, or the Lightning port on older iPhones. All but the iPhone SE 3 can also be charged wirelessly via MagSafe. The iPhone 16 models support faster MagSafe charging when used with a 30W power adapter. Apple’s official battery life and charging times can be seen in the table above. Which iPhone should I buy? The best iPhone you can buy right now is the iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max, depending on whether you want a larger display or not. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are probably a better value, though. They support Apple Intelligence and have the Camera Control button and have fantastic battery life and performance, so all you’re really giving up is the 5x telephoto camera (you still get a 2x optical crop-zoom mode) and some high-end video features. You could save money and opt instead for an iPhone 15 or 14, which might appeal if you are upgrading from a particularly old iPhone. Our recommendation would be that if saving money is the most important thing the iPhone 14 is a better choice. The iPhone SE is missing many of the features of the other iPhones and is really just for the most budget-conscious, though it also is the only modern iPhone with Touch ID, which some consider essential. Once you have chosen your new iPhone be sure to read our iPhone setup guide. Buying an iPhone on contract The two most common ways to buy an iPhone are SIM-free from Apple itself or a third-party reseller (which is where the pricing information throughout this information fits in, because you’ll be paying upfront for the phone, you will own it, and you will then need to pay for a SIM-only contract for minutes, texts and data), or buying an iPhone on contract. A contract usually starts with an upfront payment that will vary depending on the iPhone model you go for and also how much you’ll be paying each month. That upfront payment is followed by monthly payments, normally for a total of 24 months, after which you own the phone (in most cases). Those monthly payments also cover data, minutes and texts. The following networks are worth checking for their contract offers: AT&T Sprint T-Mobile Verizon UK readers can find iPhone contracts from the following networks: O2 EE Vodafone Three Tesco Mobile Sky Mobile Virgin Mobile And from the following third-party resellers: Carphone Warehouse Mobiles.co.uk E2save Mobile Phones Direct The iPhone Upgrade Program Apple offers a scheme called the iPhone Upgrade Program, which works with your carrier and starts at $39.50/£42.95 per month. You can then upgrade to the new iPhone each time one is announced, staying on the same or a very similar plan. You should be cautious about the value this offers, but in some circumstances, it may be the right approach for you. The scheme works slightly differently in the U.K., where this is for a SIM-free iPhone. You will also need to get a SIM-only contract for your data, minutes and texts. You do get AppleCare+ included in the Upgrade Program, though, which is a two-year insurance for your iPhone that will cover you for two incidents of accidental damage. You’ll still have to pay an excess fee should you need to use it, but it’ll be much cheaper than having to cough up the full price of a repair. Second-hand and refurbished iPhones You’ll have noticed that buying an iPhone doesn’t come cheap. However, if you’re strapped for cash you don’t have to dismiss the idea of buying an iPhone completely. You may be able to get a good deal on one of the older handsets if someone is looking to sell their current handset. Here are or recommendations of the best place to buy a used iPhone.

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How to share an iCloud Photo Library
Skip the hassle of manually sending your family all the vacation photos — enable a shared iCloud Photo library instead. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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The App Store could soon offer AI-generated summaries of user app reviews
The App Store could soon introduce AI-generated summaries of users' application reviews. Here's what we know about the feature so far.The App Store could soon feature Ai-generated summaries of application reviews.On Monday, Apple released iOS 18.1, which made Apple Intelligence available to the general public. With Apple Intelligence, it's now possible to receive summaries of emails, messages, and notifications with the help of Apple's generative AI software.Now, it appears as though the iOS App Store is set to receive a similar feature, which will allow for AI-generated summaries of user-provided app reviews. While there are no clear indications as to what these summaries will ultimately look like, we do know quite a few details about them. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple's new M4 iMac is up to $100 off, plus $20 off AppleCare
Exclusive coupon savings are in effect on Apple's 2024 iMac 24-inch, with discounts of up to $100 off the all-in-one desktop on top of 3 years of AppleCare for $149. Best of all, no membership is required.Grab exclusive coupon savings on 2024 M4 iMacs - Image credit: AppleAnnounced on Oct. 28, Apple's 2024 iMac has an upgrade to the M4 chip and the entry model comes with 16GB over last year's 8GB. Best of all, the starting price is still $1,299 — made even more affordable with promo code APINSIDER at Apple Authorized Reseller Adorama.Use code APINSIDER Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple upgrades Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse to USB-C
Apple this week finally unveiled USB-C versions of its popular accessories: the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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App Store will soon show summary of app reviews made by users
One of the new features of Apple Intelligence is the summarization of texts and notifications. Now it seems that Apple wants to bring summarization to another place: the App Store. Soon, you’ll be able to see a summary of app reviews made by users before downloading an app. more…

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