Netflix closes down their gaming studio Team Blue
Just recently, Netflix closed down its South California “Team Blue” studio, which had industry experts who previously worked on popular game titles like God of War, Overwatch, and Halo. Mobile games have been available on Netflix since 2021, and Team Blue was allegedly working on a Triple A game title with a big budget that […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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iPad Mini 7 pre-ordered units have arrived in New Zealand and Australia
Apple’s smallest tablet, the iPad Mini 7 is now reaching customers in Australia and New Zealand who pre-ordered the device. The seventh-generation iPad Mini was presented on October 15 this year, which was the same day that Apple began taking pre-orders for the product. The iPad Mini 7 has a similar design to the iPad […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple merging Game Center, Apple Arcade & App Store games
Apple is coming up with an App Store app made for games, merging Apple Arcade, Game center and its App Store content on gaming. The app will feature a tab ‘Play Now’ with suggested games and related content, as well as a Game Center where you can see friends- what they’re playing and their progress. […] The post Apple merging Game Center, Apple Arcade & App Store games appeared first on iLounge.

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How to run Windows apps on a Mac without installing Windows
Macworld There are a number of options available that allow you to install Windows on your Mac – either using Boot Camp on older Macs with Intel processors, or using virtualization programs such as Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion, which can run on Macs with both Intel and Apple Silicon processors. Installing a full version of the Windows operating system on your Mac is a good option – provided you have a fast Mac, with plenty of memory and storage – as you should then be able to run any Windows software you want, ranging from games to professional-level business, graphics or design software. However, there’s another option that allows you to run many Windows apps and games on a Mac without even needing to install Windows at all. The most well-known program in this area is CrossOver, which is described by its developers at Codeweavers as a compatibility layer or translation layer. Instead of requiring you to install the entire Windows operating system on a virtual machine, CrossOver allows you to create a ‘bottle’ that mimics some aspects of the Windows operating system. CrossOver for Mac Read our review Price When Reviewed: $59.95 for a year, $494 for life Best Prices Today: $74 at CodeWeavers You can install individual Windows apps inside that bottle, using the app’s normal installer program, and when you launch the app CrossOver translates the Windows programming code within that app into equivalent programming code for the macOS. This makes it possible to run your Windows apps on a Mac without actually needing to install Windows at all. CrossOver works with hundreds of different Windows apps and games – many people use it specifically for gaming, but CrossOver works with a lot of Windows business software as well. Pros and cons of Crossover CrossOver tells you how well the app will run.Foundry In many ways, this is an ideal solution for people who only need to run a limited number of Windows apps or games on their Mac, as it provides better performance than using virtualization programs like Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion. It’s cheaper too, as you don’t need to pay a subscription fee for Parallels Desktop, and you don’t even need to buy a copy of Windows either. However, compatibility is more of an issue with CrossOver and similar programs, such as Whisky, so you may find that there are some Windows apps or games that may not run properly at all. In some ways, CrossOver is similar to Apple’s Rosetta software, which translates software that was written for older Macs with Intel processors so that it can run on newer Macs that use Apple Silicon processors, such as the latest M3 and M4 chips. CrossOver is based on an open-source project called WINE, which you can download for free. However, WINE is a pretty complex piece of software, so Codeweavers developed CrossOver as a commercial product that provides greater ease of use for people who aren’t experienced programmers or developers. CrossOver costs $74/£60 per year, but that price also includes 12 months of technical support in case you have any problems with particular Windows apps or games that you need to run. There is also a $494/£414 version you can own for life. A 14-day trial available for CrossOver is also available so that you can see if it works with the Windows software that you want to run. Codeweavers also maintains a compatibility database with help and information about running hundreds of Windows apps and games. It’s worth mentioning that Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit for developers shares some of the same open-source code developed by Codeweavers for CrossOver, so even Apple recognizes how well CrossOver works. Other options for running Windows apps on a Mac Using Whisky to install Windows apps on a Mac.Foundry The Game Porting Toolkit is primarily aimed at developers who want to bring their Windows games to the Mac, but there’s a program called Whisky that is based on elements of the Game Porting Toolkit, but aimed at a wider audience. Whisky is a kind of halfway-house that sits somewhere between the open-source WINE and the commercial CrossOver. Whisky is also open-source, so it’s free to download, although it lacks the more polished interface and the technical support that you get when you pay for CrossOver. Whisky Read our review Price When Reviewed: Free Best Prices Today: Free at Whisky There’s one other option that allows you to run Windows software on your Mac without actually installing Windows– and it comes from Microsoft itself. Windows 365 is an online service that gives you access to a Cloud PC that is running Windows on one of Microsoft’s online servers (not to be confused with Microsoft 365, which is now the name for the old Microsoft Office suite). As long as your Internet connection is fast enough you can connect any device to Microsoft’s servers – including Macs, iPads or Android devices – and stream Windows straight from the cloud. But where CrossOver and similar programs largely focus on gaming, Windows 365 is primarily aimed at business users. It’s quite expensive too, with prices starting at $31/£34.56 per month, although you can try it for one month free before paying for the full subscription. Windows 365 Price When Reviewed: $31 – $66 per month Best Prices Today: $31 at Microsoft How to run Windows apps in Crossover Search for the Windows application you want to install.Foundry The key to installing Windows software using Crossover Office is understanding what a bottle is, because upon installing anything you’ll be asked to create one. It’s actually very simple – a bottle is just a fake C: drive, just like you might find on an actual PC, complete with all the folders you might find there such as C:windows, or C:Users. Crucially, however, it also includes the correct system components that allow that Windows apps to run. Normally when you install a Windows app using Crossover Office you’ll install it into a fresh bottle of its own, which is isolated from the rest of the system, although existing bottles can be used more than once. Because there are many different versions of Windows – from Windows XP up to Windows 11 – there are readymade bottles to match each. CrossOver has been authorized by Microsoft to run Windows 11 on Macs with Apple Silicon. YOu therefore need to select the bottle with the version of Windows you want into which you can install the Windows app you wish to run. Start Crossover Office, and then click the large button marked Install a Windows Application. If the application is popular – such as Microsoft Office – then you can simply type its name in the dialog box that appears under the Select an Application to Install heading. Note how after a few seconds you see a report about how well the app will run. Select the entry from the dropdown list that matches what you typed, then click the Continue button. Next, you’ll have to tell Crossover Office where the installer file is. This might be a single .exe file, in which case you should click Choose Installer File and then select it.If you’re installing from a DVD-ROM, or an ISO image, then click Choose Installer Folder, and select it. Click Continue when done. Finally, click the Install button to kick-off the installation routine. Its very likely several system components will be downloaded and installed, and you might have to click through each of them just like when installing them on Windows. The screen might also flash as installers start and then instantly disappear. Don’t worry – this is normal. Finally, you’ll be prompted to install the actual product, and this might involve entering the serial number, for example. Just work your way through the wizard as you would when installing on an actual Windows computer. However, you might want to leave your Mac alone as the installation steps complete in case you accidentally interfere with anything. Once installation has finished, Crossover Office will complete a handful of familiar housekeeping tasks, such as creating file associations, before reporting that it has finished. You can then click the Done button.

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Wait for new low-cost iPad 11 could stretch into 2025
The iPad 11 release date: what we know so far. Get the inside scoop on the launch of Apple's next entry-level tablet. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Five new iPad mini 7 upgrades you might’ve missed
Apple released its new iPad mini model earlier this week, marking the first update in over three years. It was quite a small refresh, mainly focusing on A17 Pro with Apple Intelligence and Apple Pencil Pro – but there are some smaller changes under the hood you might’ve not heard about. more…

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Apple’s first smart home display might debut with an affordable price tag
Apple's first smart home display could sit on an iMac G4-like base and sport a smaller display than initially rumored. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Crime blotter: NFL player robbed, SEC hacked, and iPhone thieves being arrested around the US
An SEC hack involved spoofing an iPhone, an NFL player's iPad is stolen from his car, and "porch pirates" are being caught.A man in handcuffs (Pixabay) The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the latest in Apple-related crime. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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M4 Mac mini and more expected for Apple's week of announcements
A new report claims that Apple's week of announcements will start with a 24-inch M4 iMac and two versions of a redesigned Mac mini. M4-powered versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro will also be unveiled.The next Mac mini is said to be getting the most substantial redesign of the M4 Mac lineup.Apple has announced a week of Mac or Mac-related launches, and now Bloomberg says it will see the company standardizing its entire Mac lineup on the M4 family of chips across late 2024 and early 2025. This is the first time this has happened since the company began using its own Apple Silicon processors.The reasoning is that Apple wants all of its latest devices to be able to run its Apple Intelligence technology. This is also the reasoning behind the bump to 16GB of RAM, which could be the new base standard across all of the forthcoming models. Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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The Mac’s M4 era begins this week: Here’s what’s coming when
Macworld The next major cycle of Mac upgrades revolves around the M4 chip and it’s starting this week. Instead of an event, Apple teased “an exciting week” of releases starting Monday, with several new M4 Macs making their debut. And if the rumors are correct, this is just the start, with every Mac in Apple’s lineup getting an update within the next few months. For the first time since Apple silicon arrived, every model will soon be running the same chip. Here’s what’s coming this week—and beyond. Coming this week M4 iMac The iMac’s M4 upgrade is scheduled for the fall.Foundry Release date: Reports indicate that Apple will refresh the M4 iMac this week, just a year after Apple released the M3 iMac. The M3 iMac replaced the M1 iMac, which was released in May 2021. Given the fact that the iMac has just one chip (the base M4) and isn’t likely to get much more than a new processor, iit’s likely that this is the first release of the week Design: Apple won’t change anything about the iMac design. The current 24-inch iMac design was introduced in May 2021, and it will almost certainly remain in place for a few more years. Chip: The 24-inch iMac features base M-series chips, so the new iMac will have the base M4. Benchmarks have shown that the M4 offers a 20 percent improvement over the M3. Features: Apple is not expected to upgrade the Retina display, change the port configuration (two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports (two additional USB-3 ports, and gigabit ethernet on the mid-and high-end models), and a 3.5mm audio jack), or upgrade the camera or speakers. Wi-Fi 7 support is possible since the Wi-Fi Alliance made the standard official at the beginning of January. Rumors say Apple could release a new iMac with a display as large as 32 inches and a higher-end M4 chip. It’s unlikely that such an iMac is ready for this fall, though Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently reported that “it’s unclear if that will be an M4 product or something that comes the following year or later.” Find out the latest about the M4 iMac. M4 MacBook Pro The MacBook Pro will get its M4 upgrade this fall.Foundry Release date: Apple will release the M4 series of MacBook Pro this week with an expected ship date of November 1. It’s almost exactly a year after Apple released the M3 MacBook Pro lineup. We expect the MacBook Pro to arrive on Tuesday to launch the full line of M4. Design: Apple won’t change anything about the MacBook Pro design. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro design was introduced in 2021. This design will be in place for a few more years. Chip: Apple releases the MacBook Pro with three versions of its M-series chip: A base chip, a Pro chip, and a Max chip. The M4 Pro and M4 Max will be variants of the base M4, implementing more CPU and GPU cores and more unified memory. The M4 chips will offer a 20 percent improvement over the M3 chips they replace. Features: Apple is not expected to upgrade the Liquid Retina XDR display, change the port configuration (MagSafe 3, two or three Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, HDMI, an SDXC Card slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack), or upgrade the camera or speakers. Wi-Fi 7 support is possible since the Wi-Fi Alliance made the standard official at the beginning of January. Find out the latest about the M4 MacBook Pro. M4 Mac mini The M4 Mac mini may have a new, smaller design than the current M2 Mac mini (above).Foundry Release date: The biggest announcement of the week will be the Mac mini, replacing the M2 model, which arrived in January 2023. Before that, the M1 Mac mini was released in November 2020. Given the rumors, the Mac mini will likely be Apple’s last announcement this week. Design: The Mac mini will undergo a drastic change, according to Gurman. It will get even smaller, with a footprint about the size of the Apple TV. This would make the Mac mini more of a competitor to the Raspberry Pi, a small PC that’s often used in special setups. Chip: Apple currently offers the Mac mini with a base or Pro M-series chip, and this will continue with the new design. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the Mac mini with a base M4 chip will ship “immediately,” while the M4 Pro model won’t be available until late October. Features: The smaller design could mean that the Mac mini doesn’t offer some of the ports the current Mac mini offers. Gurman reported that Apple has tested three models that have at least three USB-C ports, a power connector, and an HDMI port. And while Gurman didn’t say so, the USB-C ports are probably also Thunderbolt ports. The current M2 Mac mini has a gigabit ethernet port, USB-A ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The latest rumors don’t say whether the alignment will change. While the ethernet and audio jack are likely to stay, It’s possible that Apple will drop the USB-A ports. Wi-Fi 7 support is also possible since the Wi-Fi Alliance made the standard official at the beginning of January. Find out the latest about the M4 Mac mini. Coming in 2025 M4 MacBook Air The MacBook Air will wait until 2025 for its M4 upgrade.Foundry Release date: The M4 upgrade for the MacBook Air looks like an opportunity for Apple to set a regular release period for the company’s most popular Mac. The M4 MacBook Air is expected to ship in the first quarter of 2025, about a year after Apple released the M3 MacBook Air. The M1 Air was released in November 2020; the M2 Air in July 2022; the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air was released in June 2023. The M4 Air release is a chance to establish a spring cycle for the MacBook Air that Apple could make a regular event. Design: Apple won’t change anything about the MacBook Air design. The current design was introduced in 2022 and it won’t change for several more years. Chip: The 2025 MacBook Air will have a base M4 chip, similar to that used in the iPad Pro. Benchmark results show that the M4 offers a 20 percent improvement over the M3 it will replace. Features: Apple is not expected to upgrade the Liquid Retina display, change the port configuration (MagSafe 3, two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack), or upgrade the camera or speakers. Wi-Fi 7 support is possible since the Wi-Fi Alliance made the standard official at the beginning of January. Find out the latest about the M4 MacBook Air. M4 Mac Studio The M4 Mac Studio is scheduled for a 2025 release.Willis Lai/Foundry Release date: The Mac Studio will not get an upgrade to the M4 until 2025, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The current Mac Studio was released in June 2023 at WWDC, while the first Mac Studio was released in March 2022. So, it appears that the M4 Mac Studio won’t arrive until spring 2025 or at WWDC 2025 in June. Design: The Mac Studio’s design will be only three years old by the time it is updated to the M4, so it won’t change and will maintain its design for several more years. Chip: Apple outfits the Mac Studio with Max and Ultra M-series chips. So, the 2025 Mac Studio will likely have M4 Max or M4 Ultra chips. The current Mac Studio features M2 Max and Ultra chips, so the jump in performance should be impressive. Features: Apple probably won’t change anything about the ports. On the back, the Mac Studio has four Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, two USB-A ports, gigabit ethernet, HDMI, and a 3.5mm audio jack. On the front of the Mac Studio is an SDXC Card slot; the Mac Studio Max has two USB 3 ports, while the Mac Studio Ultra has two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports. Wi-Fi 7 support is possible since the Wi-Fi Alliance made the standard official at the beginning of January. Find out the latest about the M4 Mac Studio. M4 Mac Pro The design of the Mac Pro hasn’t changed since 2019, and it’s not expected to do so.Foundry Release date: The Mac Pro will not get an upgrade to the M4 until 2025, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The current Mac Pro was released in June 2023 at WWDC. The M4 Mac Pro won’t arrive until late 2025 or at the earliest, WWDC 2025 in June. Design: Though the design of the Mac Pro is 11 years old, no reports of a redesign have been made. The Mac Pro is made to accommodate internal expansion cards, so if a redesign is in the work, it will keep the tower form factor, which separates it from the Mac Studio. Chip: Apple uses Ultra versions of its M-series chip for the Mac Pro. The current Mac Pro has a M2 Ultra; the upgrade in 2025 will be a M4 Ultra. Features: No reports have been made about the Mac Pro’s features, and, likely, Apple won’t change anything about the slots, ports, or chassis. Wi-Fi 7 support is possible since the Wi-Fi Alliance made the standard official at the beginning of January. Find out the latest about the M4 Mac Pro.

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Apple plans second iMac G4-like smart home device
Apple's rumored smart home display could arrive in two forms, with the robot arm version joined by another with an iMac-style base.iMac G4 - Image credit: AppleRumors throughout 2024 has put forward the idea that Apple is working on more smart home devices, to expand its ecosystem's footprint. While rumors have previously discussed a robot arm, it seems there may be another device in development.In Sunday's Bloomberg newsletter, Apple is reportedly coming up with a second version. A relatively small device, it apparently has a square display the size of two iPhones side by side. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Entry-level iPad to be updated in early 2025
Following updates to the rest of the iPad lineup during 2024, the lowest-cost model is now expected to see a refresh in spring of 2025.The 10th generation iPad came in multiple colors in 2022The regular iPad was last updated in October 2022, and this 10th generation model had its price cut to $349 in May 2024. It's now the last iPad to see an update, but according to Bloomberg, the 11th generation iPad will be released in the spring.It's claimed that the iPad will have at least approximately the same design as the 10th generation. It will, though, be faster, although it's not known what processor will be used. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Gurman: Apple smart home display will include iMac-like stand
In this weekend’s Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg outlined some additional details for Apple’s upcoming smart home products, and it seems likely that there’ll be a throwback to one of Apple’s beloved computers – the iMac G4. more…

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Nvidia Passes Apple to Become the World's Most Valuable Company – Powered by Demand for AI Chips
"Nvidia dethroned Apple as the world's most valuable company on Friday..." reports Reuters, "powered by insatiable demand for its specialized artificial intelligence chips." Nvidia's stock market value briefly touched $3.53 trillion, slightly above Apple's $3.52 trillion, LSEG data showed... In June, Nvidia briefly became the world's most valuable company before it was overtaken by Microsoft and Apple. The tech trio's market capitalizations have been neck-and-neck for several months. [Friday] Microsoft's market value stood at $3.18 trillion, with its stock up 0.8%... Nvidia's shares hit a record high on Tuesday, building on a rally from last week when TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, posted a forecast-beating 54% jump in quarterly profit driven by soaring demand for chips used in AI. The article points out that by the end of the day Friday, Nvidia's valuation had dropped to $3.47 trillion, while Apple had risen to $3.52 trillion... Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Profiles in Cowardice: Owner Jeff Bezos and Publisher William Lewis of The Washington Post
Liberal newspapers breaking tradition to not endorse anyone is *worse* than if their owners had forced them to endorse Trump instead.

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These 3 Apple products will likely be discontinued next week
Apple is going to be launching the M4 Mac lineup next week in a series of press releases, which Apple marketing exec Greg Joswiak refers to as an “exciting week of announcements.” These are some Apple products you probably won’t be able to buy from the Apple Store after that saga. more…

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Month-end iPad sale: $298 10th Gen, M4 iPad Pro $899, iPad mini 7 deals
Amazon's weekend deals see price cuts on the brand-new iPad mini 7, along with discounts on the 10th Gen, M4 iPad Pro and 2024 iPad Air.New discounts hit Apple iPads, even the new mini 7 - Image credit: AppleSelect models from Apple's entire iPad range are marked down at Apple resellers this weekend, with the new iPad mini 7 seeing its first double-digit discount at Amazon. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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YouTuber shows off hardware hack to replace soldered MacBook storage
A YouTube video shows off a newly-developed technique to replace the soldered-on storage modules on most modern MacBook Pro and other MacBook models — but the upgrade is impractical and costly to do.Video shows replacement of original soldered storage with PCB that uses the M.2 connector.YouTuber iBoff RCC, based in Malaysia, uses the video to show off a custom-made replacement PCB miniboard with an m.2 connector, which is microsoldered in place of the removed original storage modules. A snap-in component, ordered from iBoff, offers replaceable modules featuring storage in quantities of up to 2TB.The difficult part, which iBoff hopes you will let them do rather than trying it yourself, is to desolder the original storage modules and remove them, then microsolder the replacement PCB miniboard into those sockets. This is referenced, but not shown in detail. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Indie App Spotlight: ‘Access’ is the missing piece to Apple’s new Passwords app
Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact. Access is a great companion app to Apple’s new Passwords app, allowing users to securely store sensitive information such as card numbers, gift cards, license keys, and anything else you’d like to keep secure that isn’t necessarily a password. more…

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Controller for HomeKit 7.2 introduces a host of new features for iOS 18
The latest Controller for HomeKit Version 7.2 release introduces a range of new features designed to fully take advantage of iOS 18’s capabilities. The update focuses on enhancing smart home control and providing a more streamlined experience for using . more…

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