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- Thursday February 13
- 07:29 pmWhy you should use a VPN with public Wi-Fi hotspots
While a public Wi-Fi hotspot can be convenient, it may still be a security risk. Here's why you should use one of the best VPNs for Mac while on public Wi-Fi.Coffee shops often provide free Wi-Fi hotspots - Image Credit: Pexels/Nhi LamAccess to the Internet is crucial to modern life, to a level where it's very easy to get online wherever you are in a variety of ways. One common method is through public Wi-Fi hotspots, which are offered by businesses and municipalities as a convenience to customers and visitors.You'd be hard-pressed to find a coffee shop that doesn't offer customers free Wi-Fi while they sip their drinks. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums06:35 pmPrime Video just launched a big new Apple TV app update
Amazon is one of the most popular streaming services, and it just got a big update on the Apple TV that offers an improved tvOS experience. Here’s everything that’s new. more…06:30 pmPowerbeats Pro 2 hands-on review, Android Apple TV app launches
Benjamin and Chance talk about the long-awaited launch of the Apple TV app on Android, Apple partners with Alibaba for AI in China, and Apple adds a better-late-than-never feature for merging Apple Accounts. Also, Chance kicks off the show with a hands-on review of the brand new Powerbeats Pro, with heart rate monitoring. And in Happy Hour Plus, there’s a grab bag of topics with Benjamin’s follow-up on Announce Notifications in CarPlay, the Sports app adds NASCAR, and the UK takes a bad stance on encryption. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join. Sponsored by Roborock: Roborock takes care of the cleaning, so you can do more of what you love. This February, save $200 on the Saros10 and Saros10R vacuums during the Open Sale—12.5% OFF from February 10th to 16th. Don’t miss out! Sponsored by HelloFresh: America’s #1 meal kit! Get up to 10 FREE meals and a free high protein item for life at HelloFresh.com/happyhour10fm. Sponsored by Shopify: Grow your business no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a $1 per month trial at shopify.com/happyhour. Sponsored by 1Password: Secure every app, device, and identity – even the unmanaged ones – at 1password.com/happyhour. more…06:26 pmApple may finally be updating the Mac display that it finally released in 2022
Apple left the Mac in a bad place when it came to external displays between 2016 and 2022. After discontinuing the Thunderbolt Display, Apple relied on LG to sell a plasticky monitor with PC-maker build quality if you wanted a standalone 27-inch monitor with 5K Retina resolution. Apple eventually started selling an ultra premium (in Mac display terms) monitor with the 32-inch 6K Pro Display XDR, but it has always been priced the same as a small truck of Mac mini computers. However, just three years after releasing the Apple Studio Display, it sounds like Apple may be planning a decent revision in the near future. more…06:26 pmAmazon launches major upgrade of Prime Video app for Apple TV devices
Amazon's Prime Video is deploying a major upgrade for those who use the streaming service's app on Apple TV hardware… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.06:14 pmApple’s new TV+ app for Android has one feature I want on my iPhone
Apple TV+ just arrived on Android, more than five years after the service launched. By all appearances Apple made a solid Android app. But there’s one feature in particular that makes me wish I could have the new app on my iPhone too. more…06:12 pmApple teases launch for “the newest member of the family” on February 19
Most likely to be a new entry-level iPhone, but there are a few possibilities.05:37 pmApple to release ‘newest member of the family’ on February 19
Macworld If you’ve been waiting for Apple to kick off its 2025 hardware releases, you won’t have to wait much longer. On Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook posted a tease on X about the “newest member of the family” making its debut on February 19. While you can’t tell by the static image we’ve posted here, Cook’s post is actually an animation where the Apple logo looks like it has chrome flowing through it. Tim Cook/X Macworld’s David Price points out that the image looks like an AirTag, which has a polished aluminum cap with an Apple logo on it. A new AirTag isn’t completely out of the question; last November, we found out that Apple had been running “manufacturing tests” on a new AirTag, so it could be the product being referred to by Cook. Or perhaps the X image can be interpreted as the Apple logo on the back of an iPhone. The iPhone SE was thought to debut this week, but Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said last Tuesday that it “should be announced by next week.” It’s also entirely possible Apple could release a new iPhone SE and a new AirTag, though Cook’s reference to “newest member” is in the singular (if you get pedantic about it). Another product with a polished aluminum logo: the MacBook Air. Gurman has reported that the M4 MacBook Air will be released “relatively soon.” The new Air would arrive 11 months after the M3 MacBook Air was released. Apple is also expected to unveil the 11th-generation iPad, but there have been few reports of it in the rumor mill. The current 10th-gen iPad was released in October 2022, so its update is due. Apple’s releases in 2025 so far have been software (and Apple TV+ shows and OS updates). On Wednesday, the Apple TV Android app was made available in the Google Play store. Last week, the Invites app was released. Earlier this month, Apple released the Black Unit Collection (which includes a commemorative Apple Watch band that could be considered the first new hardware item of 2025) to celebrate Black History Month. Apple kicked off 2025 with new Fitness+ content. For more information about what we could see next week, check out the following: iPhone SE 4: Everything you need to know about Apple’s next budget phone A new AirTag is coming next year with enhanced privacy, security features (Nov. 2024) M4 MacBook Air: Everything you need to know 11th-gen iPad: Everything you need to know about the 2025 refresh05:35 pmNew Apple Health Study to Research Role of Tech in Improving Health
Apple’s ambitious new health study seeks to enroll 500,000 participants to explore the connections between technology use and various aspects of physical and mental health.05:30 pmThis iOS game just shut down over a mysterious In-App Purchase bug
Game makers Square Enix today announced that the iOS version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles has reached its sudden end. The reason is a strange one: an unfixable bug that Square Enix says is related to recent In-App Purchase “model” changes. more…05:24 pmGet a MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM for an insane $750 right now
Macworld Our favorite go-to everyday laptop is usually on sale again but rarely for this low: Amazon is selling the M2 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM for $750 at Amazon, a cool $250 off Apple’s price and $450 less than it was just a couple of months ago. Since we’ve only ever seen this laptop this cheap over Black Friday, we’re certain this is the best you’re going to get. This light and slim laptop features an M2 chip that’s perfect for tackling everyday tasks, streaming content, and having fun online, but also more demanding work projects. We reviewed this laptop and gave it a 4.5-star rating and our Editors’ Choice award for a reason: It’s fantastic with a gorgeous screen with thin bezels, a killer battery life, and enough power to impress. And even three years later, it’s still a killer laptop. Along with a great design and performance, it has excellent battery life too. Imagine just picking up your laptop and going outside to work all day. You can spend however long you want out there because the 18-hour battery life won’t fail you. And when you have to jump into meetings, you can fire up the 1080p cam with a three-mic array and a four-speaker sound system. So what are you waiting for? Now’s your chance to get the M2 MacBook Air for less than $750, the best price we’ve ever seen—and probably ever will. The M2 isdown to $750Buy now at Amazon05:20 pmTim Cook teases new Apple product, but what is it?
Join the excitement as Apple’s CEO announces a February 19 product launch. This could be any of several products. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)04:55 pmSave $130 on top Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones
AirPods Max too pricey? Right now you can get acclaimed Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones for $130 off, at $250. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)04:46 pmApple's M4 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro with nano-texture is $250 off, in stock
A loaded 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple's top-of-the-line M4 Max chip and 64GB RAM is $250 off with coupon (and units are in stock and ready to ship).Save $250 on a loaded 16-inch MacBook Pro.To pick up the high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro configuration, head over to Apple Authorized Reseller Adorama.com and enter promo code APINSIDER during Step 4 of checkout.Use code APINSIDER Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums04:46 pmDeals: Black Apple Watch Ultra 2 $169 off, gold titanium Series 10 $120 off, Trail Loop, MacBook Air from $749, more | 9 to 5 MacDeals: Black Apple Watch Ultra 2 $169 off, gold titanium Series 10 $120 off, Trail Loop, MacBook Air from $749, more
Today’s new batch of Apple deals join ongoing all-time lows on the iPad mini 7 configurations at $100 off alongside this up to $644 in savings on iPhone 15 Pro units. This morning saw some notable chances to save on Apple Watch Ultra 2 – open-box listings on the black model at Best Buy with a full Apple warranty are now $169 off, refurbished units are up to $254 off, and the OG model is now at $405. Those offers join a return low on Apple’s latest green Trail Loop as well as a new all-time low on the gold titanium Apple Watch Series 10 with Milanese Loop at $120 off. We also have some early bird discounts on the ‘world’s smallest’ portable ProRes iPhone SSD. Chargers, stands, multi-tools, iPad cases, and more await down below as well. more…04:42 pmApple CEO Cook teases new product launch on February 19th
Apple CEO Tim Cook on Thursday teased the arrival of a new product with the message, "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.04:38 pmToday in Apple history: Mac mania sweeps magazine racks
The Macintosh 128K launch fuels enormous excitement among the tech press. On February 13, 1984, "InfoWorld" declared the first Mac a hit! (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)04:22 pmTim Cook teases Feb. 19 launch of what is probably the new iPhone SE
In a post on X on Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook says that Wednesday, February 19 is the debut of "the newest member of the family" which is likely the iPhone SE.Apple logo, animated in Tim Cook's post on XCook sometimes teases events like WWDC or the like in X, but it's not often that a posting from the man is the first indication of a release date. The post is simple, and included below.Get ready to meet the newest member of the family. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums04:20 pmGerman Regulator Charges Apple With Abuse of Power Over App Tracking Tool
The German antitrust authority has charged Apple with abusing its market power through its app tracking tool and giving itself preferential treatment in a move that could result in daily fines for the iPhone maker if it fails to change its business practices. From a report: The move follows a three-year investigation by the Federal Cartel Office into Apple's App Tracking Transparency feature, which allows users to block advertisers from tracking them across different applications. The U.S. tech giant has said the feature allows users to control their privacy but has drawn criticism from Meta Platforms, app developers and startups whose business models rely on advertising tracking. "The ATTF (app tracking tool) makes it far more difficult for competing app publishers to access the user data relevant for advertising," Andreas Mundt, cartel office president, said in a statement. Read more of this story at Slashdot.04:16 pmThe new MacBook Air is coming to end Apple’s M3 nightmare once and for all
Macworld According to the latest reports, the new M4 MacBook Air is due to arrive “within weeks” and for Apple, it may not be soon enough. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the current M3 MacBook Air–it’s Apple’s best laptop. It offers a great combination of performance, portability, and price for the customer. The issue is with the M3 chip itself–again, there’s nothing wrong with it from a user standpoint. But behind the scenes, the M3 caused major issues with Apple’s Mac lineup, with the shortest lifespan of any Apple silicon chip. It’s expensive to produce The A17 Pro and M3 were Apple’s first 3nm chips. 3nm doesn’t define a chip’s physical size but rather the fabrication process used to create the chips. It’s a general term used to refer to a chip’s transistor density, speed, and power efficiency, and smaller is better. 3nm was a milestone for TSMC, which manufactures Apple’s chips, but as a first-gen chip, there were issues with the initial process. It was costly, and yields (the number of viable chips in a semiconductor production wafer) were lower than those of previous processes. That’s not ideal for Apple, a company that needs high volume and does everything to maintain steady profit margins. When it was released, the M3 MacBook Air was priced the same as the M2 MacBook Air, so the company likely took a hit on its margins. Since then, TSMC has implemented its enhanced 3nm fabrication process, which cut costs and produced higher yields. The enhanced 3nm process is used to make Apple’s M4 chips, which means the M4 MacBook Air will be cheaper to make—and Apple won’t have the same yield issues. Skipping a beat The M3’s cost and yield issues most certainly came into play when Apple decided how to implement the chip throughout its products. For example, the release of the iPad Pro in May 2024 wasn’t a surprise, but its M4 chip was. The previous iPad Pro had an M2, and the M3 MacBook Air had arrived just a couple of months earlier, so it was easy to conclude that the M3 would succeed the M2 in the iPad Pro. Apple also upgraded the M3 iMac to an M4 after just 12 months, quicker than its usual cadence. The M4 iPad Pro serves as proof that Apple wanted to move off the M3 as soon as possible and move to a chip that has a better production value. The M3 issue was so pressing that the company was willing to disrupt its pattern of introducing new M-series chips in the MacBook Pro–likely a one-time hiccup that the company was willing to accept. Making the iPad Pro the first M4 product also allows TSMC to ramp up production of the chip at a moderate pace–demand for iPads isn’t as high as for MacBooks. With the release of the first M5 Macs later this year, Apple will be back on track. The M5 is a 3nm chip but will be made using a new process that TSMC started testing last year. The M4 made its debut in the iPad Pro likely because the M3 is too costly.Brady Snyder / Foundry Apple’s remaining updates Apple still uses the base-level M2 chip in the iPad Air and the Apple Vision Pro. The iPad Air is reportedly going to be updated soon with an M4 chip–another product that skips the M3. The Vision Pro is reportedly skipping both the M3 and M4, going with an M5 upgrade that may not happen until late this year or in 2026. The Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro also all skipped the M3 entirely and we never even got an Ultra version of the chip. The M2 chip is also used in Apple’s cheapest laptop, the $999 M2 MacBook Air. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman brought up this particular laptop in his recent report on Apple’s 2025 release schedule, and it appears that Apple will still offer this model for another year rather than moving to the similar M3 model. Apple moved the $999 model from the M1 to the M2, but like everything else, the M3 is chip non grata. The M2 is an enhanced 5nm chip, and since that chip is still going to be used in the Vision Pro, Apple the M2 MacBook Air justifies the M2 chip’s production. This also means that the $999 MacBook Air won’t get upgraded until the M4 MacBook Air gets its chip upgrade to the M5 in 2026. At that time, Apple will discontinue the M2 model and move the base M4 MacBook Air to the $999 price point. What about the A17 Pro? The A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max was actually Apple’s first 3nm chip; it was released a month before the M3. The A-series and M-series chips are basically the same, with the A chips used in the iPhone and low-end iPads, and the M chips in Macs and high-end iPads. Like the M3, the A17 Pro is made using TSMC’s standard 3nm process. The current iPad mini has an A17 Pro and the upcoming 11th-gen iPad is rumored to get the same chip. If the A17 Pro is made with the same 3nm process, where are the chips for these new products coming from, if Apple is moving away from 3nm? The current iPad mini uses a binned A17 Pro.Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry That’s where chip binning comes into play. Remember those low yields during the standard 3nm process? Binning is where those “rejected” chips are taken and made useful by disabling processing cores, slowing down speeds, and other methods. Apple is likely using binned A17 Pros for these products. For example, the iPad mini’s A17 Pro has a 5-core GPU, which is a binned version of the iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro that had a 6-core GPU. Binned chips are perfectly good chips, so there’s no need to worry about performance. Also, it puts them to use instead of wasting them in the trash or figuring out a way to recycle them. These binned chips will be the last remnants of a chip cycle Apple is eager to move on from–and users benefit with better performance and power efficiency from the newer processes. So expect the iPad mini and 11th-gen iPad to get updates sooner than later as Apple puts the whole M3 nightmare behind it for good.