The iPhone 16 isn’t the Google Pixel killer I was hoping for
Macworld AI is today’s buzzword. And if you have an iPhone, Apple Intelligence is buzzing all over. The iPhone 16 is the first phone built with Apple Intelligence in mind, and whether you’re buying one this week or not, it’s hard to escape it. Back in June, when Apple previewed its AI suite coming to compatible devices next month I was confident that the company would reserve exclusive Apple Intelligence features for the iPhone 16. After all, the ever-expanding Google Pixel line just unveiled a ton of AI features that are surely appealing to certain iOS users, so I expected Apple would surely have some exclusive AI tricks up its sleeve to keep them from jumping ship. Boy, was I wrong. Nothing new If you’re looking for a comprehensive list of exclusive iPhone 16 AI perks, there’s just one: Visual Intelligence. The tool, which won’t be available at launch like the rest of Apple Intelligence, is activated using the new Camera Control button to allow users to scan an object or place to take a relevant action or learn more about it. For example, you could point your iPhone 16’s camera at a dog to identify its breed. Similarly, you could check a restaurant’s OpenTable listing after scanning its sign, or add an event to your calendar based on a concert poster’s details. There’s also an integrated math-solving utility that relies on ChatGPT’s smarts to help students with their assignments. While Visual Intelligence is undoubtedly a welcome addition, it’s too underwhelming compared to rivaling companies’ progress in the AI department. Google Lens operates similarly and has existed on all relevant smartphones for years. In fact, iPhone 15 Pro users can already map the Action button to trigger the feature if they’ve installed the official Google app. So, Apple cloning and offering it as the sole exclusive AI feature is disappointing—to say the least. Apple Intelligence is built into the iPhone 16—but most of the features won’t be available until next year. Apple Intelligence is built into the iPhone 16—but most of the features won’t be available until next year.YouTube / Apple Apple Intelligence is built into the iPhone 16—but most of the features won’t be available until next year.YouTube / Apple YouTube / Apple A tale of two intelligences Perhaps the most significant difference between Google’s and Apple’s philosophies is, to use one of Apple’s iconic words, courage. The former company is infamous for developing and putting out all sorts of wild features, then randomly killing them—presumably based on internal metrics. Google isn’t necessarily afraid of releasing a bad product. It tries, adapts accordingly, and moves on when it needs to. Apple, on the other hand, has a reputation to maintain. The firm is known for running extensive experiments internally rather than using its user base as alpha testers. As a result, it typically comes up with reliable solutions that are either late or lacking when juxtaposed with those of other brands. They tend to be mild and stable, however, and iPhone users appreciate that. But with Apple Intelligence, it seemed like Apple was willing to take chances to catch up with Google and Samsung, starting with the iPhone 16. That didn’t happen. The Pixel phones are packed with AI features that truly enhance the phone’s best feature, the camera. You can repaint an object in a photo (Reimagine), change the background (Magic Editor), add yourself to a group photo (Add Me), minimize pixelation in zoomed shots (Zoom Enhance), stitch several shots into one (Best Take), etc. That’s not to mention the dual exposure video feature that maintains accurate colors throughout the frame. These options truly give users pretty much full control over their camera output, allowing them to come up with some creative and more enhanced results. I then look at my pitiful iPhone, which only supports removing intrusive objects with Clean Up when it comes to AI photo edits. The Pixel feels more like an AI phone than the iPhone 16. The Pixel feels more like an AI phone than the iPhone 16.Google The Pixel feels more like an AI phone than the iPhone 16.Google Google Beyond media-related features, the recent Google Pixel phones can also perform some neat tasks using AI. These include answering the phone and responding to calls on users’ behalf, having more natural conversations with Gemini, and so on. It really feels like a true AI smartphone rather than a smartphone with a sprinkle of perfuntory AI on top. Apple Intelligence isn’t AI-nough All of this isn’t to say Apple Intelligence isn’t a great start. Writing Tools in the iOS 18.1 beta has been proofreading my articles for weeks now. And AI on the iPhone also skillfully summarizes notifications, emails, messages, and articles on the web, all useful features that perfectly complement my text-based workflows, and most of them work offline. It’s also worth noting that Apple Intelligence is free, while some of Google’s AI features require a Gemini Advanced subscription (or will once the Pixel 9 grace period runs out). In Google’s defense, though, analysts suggest that Apple could start charging for new AI features as well in a few years, once its product matures. And given the complexity of Google’s current AI features, the fee is arguably justified and plenty of Gemini’s great features are free. The Pixel 9 is loaded with useful AI features. The Pixel 9 is loaded with useful AI features.Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry The Pixel 9 is loaded with useful AI features.Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Apart from Apple Intelligence being significantly less intelligent than its Google counterpart, the full feature set won’t debut until mid-2025. So, while Apple is already advertising the smarter Siri that can pull user data from apps, the feature won’t actually arrive until next year. In fact, iPhone 16 users won’t get any Apple Intelligence features before next month, with more exciting additions involving generative images to follow in 2025. Google’s Pixel features are all available now. Apple is trying to sell a promise for an iPhone that is objectively less advanced than its present rivals, and that’s not a good look. It’s all symptoms of scrambling to keep up with the fast-paced AI race. The company has been boasting about Siri’s improved smarts at events every few years, and yet it still continues to fail at executing the most basic tasks on my end. What guarantees the upcoming Siri won’t be as bad? Apple had a chance to put Google and the rest of the AI world on notice with the iPhone 16. Instead, it only showed how much Apple Intelligence still needs to learn.

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The Apple Watch blood oxygen battle hurts the company and its customers
It’s not often that upgrading to the latest model of an Apple product means sacrificing a key feature, but that is the case for anyone in the USA upgrading to the Apple Watch Series 10 from the S6 or later. The reason is that, if you bought a Series 6, 7, 8, or 9 (before January 18), then it includes a blood oxygen measurement feature; if you buy the Series 10 or Ultra 2, you’ll lose that … more…

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Apple pulls iPadOS 18 build from update servers following reports of bricked M4 iPad Pro units
It’s never great when your major software update inadvertently bricks some of your high-end tablets and a build has to be pulled. Following Apple’s release of iPadOS 18 to the public, a number of M4 iPad Pro users stated that their iPads had stopped turning on after the update. Apple, in turn, pulled the iPadOS […] Source

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Apple updates iWork suite to take advantage of iOS 18, watchOS 11, and macOS Sequoia’s features
It was another hefty day of updates, as Apple on Tuesday updated its iWork suite, complete with its component Keynet, Numbers, and Pages apps for the iPhone and iPad with some new features that require iOS 18 or watchOS 11. The latest versions of each app are rolling out on the App Store now for […] Source

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Encrypted RCS texting between iPhone and Android coming soon
RCS texting on iPhone does not currently support end-to-end encryption, but the GSM Association and Google are working to fix this. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Apple Card could get JPMorgan Chase as new banking partner
Apple is reportedly in talks with JPMorgan Chase to replace Goldman Sachs as the banking partner for Apple Card. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Grab exclusive coupon savings on Apple Watch Series 10, Ultra 2 & even AirPods 4
Apple's latest releases, including the Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Ultra 2 in black, and 2024 AirPods 4, are marked down with an exclusive promo code.Save $50 on the Apple Watch Series 10.The exclusive discounts can be unlocked with promo code APINSIDER at Apple Authorized Reseller Adorama.Use code APINSIDER Continue Reading on AppleInsider

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How to use UTM to run almost any version of macOS — even very old ones
UTM is a cross-platform emulator that allows you to run macOS, Windows, or Linux. Here's how to use it to run very old versions of Apple's Mac operating system.UTM emulatorThere are a variety of emulators and virtualization apps for macOS which allow you to run other operating systems on your Mac. The most well known of these are Oracle's VirtualBox, Parallels Desktop, and Broadcom's VMWare.But there's another great free OS emulator for macOS called UTM. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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iOS 18 top features: Home Screen improvements add an impressive level of personalization to iPhone [Video]
Yesterday’s release of iOS 18 brought many new improvements and enhancements to the iOS Home Screen. The update includes a few subtle changes but also features fundamental changes to iOS design paradigms that have been around since the iPhone’s inception. more…

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Apple Pulls iPadOS 18 For M4 iPad Pro After Bricking Complaints
Apple's iPadOS 18 update is no longer available after some iPad Pro owners found that it bricked their devices. MacRumors reports: There are reports on Reddit from iPad Pro users who had an interruption in the installation process, leading to an iPad that refused to turn on. A total replacement was required for affected users. Not all M4 iPad Pro owners have had an issue installing the update, and it could be linked to installing the new iOS 17.7 update before installing iOS 18. Apple will make the software available again when the underlying problem has been addressed. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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iOS 18.1 developer beta 4: Context-based suggestions for Siri, and more
The fourth developer beta of iOS 18.1 is now available for every device that can run iOS 18. Here's what you need to know about the update and the features it introduces.The fourth developer beta of iOS 18.1 adds context-based suggestions for SiriOn Tuesday, Apple released a new developer beta of iOS 18.1 for all devices capable of running iOS 18. Previously, beta versions of iOS 18.1 were intended for the testing of Apple Intelligence and its associated features, meaning that the software was only available for iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.The newly released, fourth developer beta of iOS 18.1 is compatible with every iPhone that can run iOS 18.0, including the iPhone XS and iPhone XR, and it introduces some new features compatible with these devices. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple @ Work Podcast: Day 1 ready
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. In this episode of Apple @ Work, Weldon Dodd joins the show to talk about Apple’s latest software releases, day 1 ready for device management, and more. more…

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Apple’s AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are ‘Goldilocks AirPods’ – WSJ
Apple's new AirPods 4 are the most advanced and comfortable headphones Apple has ever created with an open-ear design, and today… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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iOS 18.1 brings spatial photo capture to iPhone 15 Pro
Today’s release of iOS 18.1 beta 4 makes the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max camera even better, with support for capturing spatial photos. Apple announced spatial photo capture for the iPhone 16 lineup last week, but the feature is also coming to last year’s flagships. more…

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Spatial photos now available on iPhone 15 Pro with iOS 18.1 developer beta 4
The fourth developer beta of iOS 18.1 brings spatial photo capture to the iPhone 15 Pro ahead of the iPhone 16 launch, which also gets the feature.The iPhone 15 Pro can now take spatial photos with iOS 18.1 developer beta 4.On Tuesday, Apple released the fourth developer beta of iOS 18.1 for all compatible devices. While the main focus of the iOS 18.1 update is Apple Intelligence, the company's latest beta introduces support for a new camera-related feature on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.With iOS 18.1 developer beta 4, the iPhone 15 Pro gains support for spatial photos, meaning that users of this device will now be able to take immersive 3D images. Spatial photos taken with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can be viewed on Apple Vision Pro, letting users relive their favorite moments through the headset. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple software leaks new M4 Mac mini with five USB-C ports
The most intriguing announcement could be the redesigned Mac mini. This compact desktop has remained largely unchanged since 2010 and… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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9to5Mac Daily: September 17, 2024 – What’s new in watchOS 11, macOS Sequoia, and 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 Torras: your iPhone experience with the TORRAS Ostand 360° Spin Case and the new Ostand 360. Protect your device, enhance your productivity, and enjoy unmatched convenience and style. Get yours today and experience the next level of phone protection and functionality. more…

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Dark Noise adds Control Center widgets, new icons for iOS 18
Dark Noise, the powerful ambient noise app, has been updated to take advantage of iOS 18. This includes new dark and tint mode icons, as well as deep integration with the all-new Control Center experience in iOS 18. more…

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iPadOS 18 pulled for M4 iPad Pro as users complain about bricked devices
Apple on Monday released iPadOS 18 to the public. However, the update has turned into a nightmare for some owners of the . That’s because some iPads simply stopped turning on after the update, which led Apple to temporarily pull iPadOS 18 for the affected iPad models. more…

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Don’t install iPadOS 18 on your M4 iPad Pro
A bug apparently bricked some M4 iPad Pro units that installed the new iPadOS 18, causing Apple to remove the upgrade option for this model. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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