The Apple Store is back online!
The Store was down for 12 minutes.Apple StorePlease feel free to share this information with your friends 🙂

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iPhone 16 Pro Max sees shipping date slip just minutes after preorders start
Following the start of preorders for the iPhone 16 range, the earliest shipping date for the iPhone 16 Pro Max has already slipped back a week.Apple's iPhone 16 Pro MaxAs preorders opened around the world, the shipping dates for all iPhone 16 models plus the were listed as being on September 20. That's the date Apple announced shipping would begin, but within 18 minutes, the site was reporting dates slipping into the following week.It appears that natural titanium was only last year's fashion favorite, because both the entry level 256GB and high end 1TB configurations in that color remained available for shipping on September 20 for around ten minutes longer than the others. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Save up to $1,000 when you preorder Apple's iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max
Wireless carriers are competing for your business with incentives offering up to $1,000 off when you preorder the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.Save up to $1,000 on Apple's iPhone 16 range.Preorders opened early Friday morning for the iPhone 16 lineup and wireless carriers are already offering up to $1,000 off via incentives across the 2024 iPhone range in an effort to garner your business. Continue Reading on AppleInsider

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iPad apps can be sold through third-party app stores in the EU from September 16
Apple has today announced that It follows the introduction of alternative app store for iPhones within the bloc, and there are now five of these available … more…

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The Apple Store is back online!
The Store was down for 6 hours and 25 minutes.Apple StorePlease feel free to share this information with your friends 🙂

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Preorders for iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro have begun
After about a three-hour downtime, the Apple Store is back online and preorders have started for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.Apple's iPhone 16 Pro rangeWhile the Apple Watch Series 10 preorders began on the day of the "It's Glowtime" event, they were paused with the Apple Store online being taken down earlier on September 13, 2024. Similarly, orders for the existing "natural" color version of the Apple Watch Ultra were paused, and have now resumed alongside the new black edition. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro now available for pre-order, here’s what’s new
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are here. Pre-orders for Apple’s latest flagship iPhones have officially opened, with the first orders slated to arrive to customers in one week on September 20. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro pack many improvements, such as the all-new Camera Control button, the A18 chip, upgraded cameras, and more. more…

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iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro and Apple Watch Series 10 preorders now open
You can now place your iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, or Apple Watch Series 10 preorder ahead of their launch on September 20. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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iPhone 16 is available for preorder, here are the deals and discounts
Macworld The iPhone 16 can now be purchased, ahead of its availability on September 20. If you want to be one of the first to have Apple’s latest pocket computer – now with Camera Control! – you’ll want to preorder it. Some combinations of model, storage, and color tend to sell out and you could be waiting a while to get exactly what you want. Pre-orders begin at 5am PT on Friday, September 13. That equates to 8am ET, 1pm British Standard Time, or noon UTC. Not sure what to buy? Check out of guide to iPhone 16 for more on the new features and differences between models. Read: How to pre-order iPhone 16, Plus, Pro and Pro Max on Friday for more advice. Pre-order directly from Apple Apple is a perfectly fine place to buy your new iPhone. It’s one of the only places you can get an unlocked model, not tied to any particular carrier—this is especially useful if you get cellular service from something other than one of the big national carriers. Apple does offer some trade-in deals with up to $650 off, though you’ll need to activate through one of the major carriers. There’s always fine print you should read and Apple’s deals aren’t always as good as going directly to the carriers themselves, but at least in the U.S., Apple’s “carrier-activated” deals more or less mirror what you get right from the carrier stores. U.S. Pre-order an iPhone 16 Pro from Apple U.S. here Pre-order an iPhone 16 from Apple U.S. here U.K. Pre-order an iPhone 16 Pro from Apple U.K. here Pre-order an iPhone 16 from Apple U.K. here It will also be possible to buy the iPhone 16 from various other resellers. Read: Where to get the best iPhone 16 deals in the U.S. and Where to get the best iPhone 16 deals in the U.K. In the U.S. try: Amazon Walmart Best Buy In the U.K. try: Amazon U.K. John Lewis KRCS AO.com Argos Currys Buy from a major carrier The other place to preorder an iPhone 16 and be pretty sure you can get the model you want on September 20 is to buy direct from one of the major national carriers. Most of the deals for these carriers involve “free” phones or steep discounts offered as bill credits over several years and require you to pay off your iPhone gradually rather than all at once, and many require you to trade in a phone, open a new line, or both. In the U.S. try: AT&T: Up to $830 off iPhone 16 or $1,000 off iPhone 16 Pro, as bill credits over 36 months, you have to trade in an eligible phone, and you have to have a qualifying postpaid unlimited voice and data plan. T-Mobile: Up to $830 off iPhone 16 or $1,000 off iPhone 16 Pro, as bill credits over 24 months, with Go5G Next or Go5G Business Next plan. Must trade in phone for iPhone 16 Pro offer. Verizon: Get up to $1,000 off on if you have the Unlimited Ultimate plan, up to $830 off with the Unlimited Plus plan, and up to $415 off with the Unlimited Welcome plan. Must trade in a phone. Boost: You can get a full year of FREE Boost Mobile wireless service when purchasing the iPhone 16 at full price with the $25/mo Unlimited plan, or apply the offer to the $50/mo Unlimited+ or $60/mo Unlimited Premium plans. Available to both new and existing customers, this offer has no trade-in or line requirement. Boost is also offering $1,000 off the iPhone 16 lineup with its $65/month Infinite Access plan, which includes unlimited 5G data, global roaming AND an upgrade to the latest iPhone every year. Boost Mobile customers who combine $1,000 off the iPhone 16 lineup with the Infinite Access plan and trade in an iPhone can receive up to $1,650 in credits or even get the iPhone 16 Pro Max for free. In the U.K. try: Mobiles.co.uk O2 Vodafone Three Virgin Mobile EE Sky Mobile Carphone Warehouse

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These are the best iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max cases you can snag right now
Protect your new iPhone 16 Pro or your new iPhone 16 Pro Max with our favorite cases available for purchase now.The best cases for iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro MaxTo ensure your new iPhone is well-protected, we have compiled a comprehensive list of iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max cases. You can rest easy knowing your smartphone will be safeguarded from damage while looking great. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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The best cases you can get for your iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus
If you're buying an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Plus, you'll want to keep your new device safe — that means acquiring a case. Here are our best picks for cases you can purchase for your iPhone right now.Best cases for iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 ProAs is typical for fall, Apple updated its iPhone lineup with new models, including a new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. It also means plenty of people will seek out the best cases for their needs.With the cases offering different things, from extreme drop protection to kickstands and a wide array of designs, there's a lot of variety in the case market. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Get new Parallels Desktop 20 with or without Windows 11 Pro at a low price
Macworld In the Macworld Software Shop you can currently get the 12-month subscription of the popular virtualization software Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac in the brand new version including Microsoft Windows 11 Pro in a bundle at a special price of only $129.99 instead of $298.99. Don’t need a licence for Windows 11 Pro? Then get Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac in the standard version (1 year) for only $79.99 instead of $99.99. Parallels Desktop 20 + Win 11 Pro Parallels Desktop for Mac 20 + Windows 11 Pro [BUNDLE] Top virtualization software + the latest Microsoft Windows 11 OS in a bundle. Buy now for $129.99 (saving $169) With this bundle you get the complete and powerful virtualization software Parallels Desktop 20 including a Windows 11 Pro licence from Microsoft. Parallels Desktop 20 is a 12-month subscription. Parallels Desktop 20 Standard (1 year) for $79.99 instead of $99.99 in the Macworld Software Shop With Parallels Desktop 20, you get the only Mac virtualization tool officially supported by Microsoft and an ARM version of Windows 11 Professional for Parallels users only, designed specifically for the virtualization software. So if you are interested in running Windows programmes on your Mac, there is hardly any way around the Parallels software. The software is easy to install, convenient to use and offers some interesting functions. For example, you can set up your virtual machine (VM) in Coherence mode, in which the Windows desktop is hidden and your applications are run directly from your Mac desktop in a separate window, with important Windows tools such as the Start menu accessible via the menu bar. But the brand new Parallels version offers some other great features. These include Apple Intelligence compatibility as soon as macOS 15 Sequoia is released, shared folders and special optimisation for Windows 11 24H2 users. Thanks to Microsoft’s new Prism emulator, some older apps should even run up to 80 percent faster. Please note that Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac including Windows 11 Professional requires an ARM (M1/M2/M3) Mac. You cannot run the Home Edition on Apple’s M processors (still possible with Intel CPU). Further information on the virtualization tool Parallels Desktop can be found in our related articles: Parallels Desktop review Best virtual machine software for Mac How to install Windows on Mac Price comparison: This is how good the offer is The standard price for the 12-month subscription to Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac is normally $89.99 per year, while the original Windows 11 Pro licence is available from Microsoft itself for $199.99. This means you can save around $150 compared to the conventional price with our exclusive deal! Parallels Desktop 20 + Win 11 Pro for only $129.99 in the Macworld Store What you get: Use Windows as if it had been developed for the Mac: Use Mac files, keyboard, trackpad, camera and microphone, sound, graphics, Touch ID and more. Run thousands of Windows applications such as Microsoft Office, accounting software, trading software, SAP or Matlab. Comprehensive updates to support the new versions of macOS, Windows, Linux and the new Mac models. Full licence for Microsoft Windows 11 Professional. Alternatively also without Windows Parallels Desktop for Mac 20 Top virtualization software without Windows. Buy now for $79.99 (saving $20) Macworld Store: Further software heavily discounted In the Macworld software shop, you can find even more great offers on well-known programs and tools, including software from Adobe, AVG, Norton, Microsoft and many more. You can save up to 80 percent on the deals. These include Adobe Photoshop Elements with Premiere Elements 2024 for $109.99 instead of $149.99.

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Apple is well on its way to making iPhones theft-proof
Apple’s latest theft-prevention measure went live for beta testers yesterday: Activation Lock for iPhone components. The move is likely to generate some controversy, as it introduces another barrier to DIY repairs using parts harvested from broken devices, but the company is also working on a solution to that … more…

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iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15 compared – the iPhone for the rest of us
Apple's latest edition of the iPhone 16 has the A18 upgrade for Apple Intelligence, as well as Camera Control. Here's what else is different compared to the iPhone 15.iPhone 16 and Plus [left], iPhone 15 and Plus [right]Apple's September 9 special event saw the roll out of the latest generation of iPhone models. The iPhone 16 range includes, as usual, a few Pro editions alongside the standard-tier releases.For 2024, the focus of the iPhone 16 is on Apple Intelligence, and the chip upgrade to facilitate the features. The physical controls also got some much-needed attention too. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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How a Stash Stand makes an iPhone 16 case mean more than just protection
Macworld While the new iPhone 16 series continues Apple’s excellent upgrade cycle with hardware enhancements and new software features, new owners still need one vital accessory to keep the new phone safe from everyday knocks and drops, scratches and spills: a protective case is an essential kit for your new phone. The best iPhone cases offer more than just top-quality protection, and we’ve found a range of iPhone 16 cases that add matchless functionality in a form you won’t notice until you really need it. You shouldn’t notice the protection on the best phone cases and it mustn’t interfere with the phone’s innate abilities for fast charging and ease of use.Where many cases detract from the iPhone’s looks and interfere with Apple’s speedy 15W MagSafe wireless charging, the ESR family of Stash Stand cases offers military-grade protection, seamless charging, and handy features that improve the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max experience. The cases combine the protection of a case with the comfortable functionality of a phone stand. ESR’s Stash Stands offer cutouts and robust button covers that don’t detract from the experience perfected by Apple’s engineers. But where they really stand out from the crowd can be found in their integrated stand and perfect alignment with Apple’s MagSafe connectivity. ESR is a popular, trusted brand for Apple MagSafe accessories, and its new iPhone 16 range looks set to carry on its market dominance based on product build quality, robust protection levels and extra integrated features as well as industry-leading in-case charging speeds. ESR tests show that charging an iPhone 15 Pro Max in one of its Stash Stand cases can be wirelessly charged at least 30 minutes faster than comparable cases from other brands. The cases offer up to a 1,500g magnetic lock that is compatible with all MagSafe chargers and other accessories—that’s more than twice the strength of that offered by Apple’s own, more expensive cases. Hidden in each case’s camera bumper is an ingenious pull-out Stash Stand that no Apple iPhone case can match. A stand means you can position your phone as you desire—vertically or horizontally, and at different angles (between 15° and 85°)—enabling comfortable hands-free multitasking, browsing, streaming and video calling. ESR ESR ESR For those who want to preserve the iPhone’s original looks but add solid protection, the ESR Classic Hybrid Case with Stash Stand (pictured above) shows off the iPhone’s color and maintains the iPhone’s slim profile—the clear, scratch-resistant acrylic back of the case is only 1.6mm thick, ensuring the fastest MagSafe charging speed compared to other thicker cases that can slow down wireless charging. This combination of sleek design and yet durable back double up to bring robust protection that you can trust without sacrificing fast MagSafe charging speeds. ESR iPhone 16 Cases offer both MagSafe strength and charging speed ESR iPhone 16 Cases offer both MagSafe strength and charging speedESR ESR iPhone 16 Cases offer both MagSafe strength and charging speedESR ESR Incredibly, this ultra-thin case offers superb military-grade protection with shock-absorbing Air Guard corners and high-quality anti-yellowing Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) edges, a 1.2-mm raised screen edge, and a 0.7mm raised camera guard. Protected within the Classic Hybrid Case, the iPhone can withstand drops from heights of up to 11 feet. ESR ESR ESR While still offering at least the same protection as the Classic Hybrid Case, the Cloud Soft Case with Stash Stand (see above) is graced with a soft liquid silicone shell that is even more comfortable to hold. This iPhone 16 case—available in a wide range of colors—has a five-layer structure with an inner microfiber well that protects your iPhone from scratches when putting your phone inside the case. It’s easy to clean, too, with a pre-applied anti-static spray that prevents dust accumulation. ESR ESR ESR For ultimate protection, the ESR Cyber Tough Case with Stash Stand (pictured above) has been engineered with a super-robust three-layer design that offers reassuring 7x military-grade protection to withstand drops from as high as 23 feet—yet this tough TPE shell remains soft and flexible. The inner PORON lining brings excellent impact absorption and performance cushioning. While the raised screen edge protects the screen from accidental knock and scratches, we also recommend further protecting the iPhone screen with a screen protector. ESR ESR ESR Traditionally these have been fiddly to fit but ESR offers an easy fitting process using its UltraFit Tray, shown above, in which you place the iPhone face down and then simply pull a tab to apply the protector to the screen. ESR’s Armorite Screen Protector is crafted from triple-strength 9H glass that can withstand an incredible 110lbs of edge pressure. In addition to cases and screen protectors for the new iPhone 16 series, ESR offers a range of other protective solutions for Apple’s new AirPods 4. The The Cyber FlickLock Case (HaloLock) combines strong magnets and an internal latch to securely close the lid, allowing for effortless one-handed operation with a staggered magnet alignment, while the Orbit Hybrid Case (HaloLock) provides powerful drop protection with its 1,100g magnetic lock lid to keep AirPods safe and protected. ESR ESR ESR

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Sleek Apple hardware is stunning, but sometimes it’s hard to beat a button
Macworld Remember Gil Amelio? He was the cursed stock photo of a middle manager in a suit that ran Apple for a short while before bringing Steve Jobs back and then being eaten alive by him. In one of his many awkward appearances as Apple CEO, he once said he wanted to make the Mac like a Maglite: simple, utilitarian, useful. 28 years later, could that little bit of Amelio wisdom finally be having its day? Apple’s new hardware tends to get the big headlines. But what I’m here for right now is how the company is making its existing products easier to use with hardware features. Design is how you use it For years Apple has built a reputation for minimizing. Under Jony Ive’s baleful gaze (have you ever seen his Apple executive mugshot?), the company made laptops so thin the keyboards came with an expiration date. Thinness and beauty are great goals, they should just not be striven for at the exclusion of all else. It’s no secret that Apple has been walking back that mindset in the years since the MacBook Pro with TouchBar. Today’s MacBook Pros have more ports and better keyboards. And yesterday’s MacBook Pro users have some of their money back, thanks to a class action lawsuit against the company. Apple learned the hard way that it’s great if your products look amazing, but they also have to work right. Was the rebirth of ports on the MacBook Pro the realization by Apple that sometimes more is more? Was the rebirth of ports on the MacBook Pro the realization by Apple that sometimes more is more?Thiago Trevisan Was the rebirth of ports on the MacBook Pro the realization by Apple that sometimes more is more?Thiago Trevisan Thiago Trevisan Any port in a storm You can give people ports without keeping floppy drives, VGA ports and SCSI connectors. Give people the ports that make sense right now. Or, better yet, a year from now. Skate to where the hockey puck mouse is going. The Mac Studio proves that you can put ports on the front of a Mac and still have a device that looks great. If the current rumors are to be believed, even the upcoming diminutive redesign of the Mac mini will feature USB ports on the front. Imagine a device with ports on the front in a size that would force a smile onto even Jony Ive’s stony face, something made possibly by getting rid of the USB A connector. Just the ports you need, just where you need them. It might be considered heresy but you could even… dare I say it… put ports on the front of the iMac, too. Too much? Okay, how about the bottom? The point is, Apple can make devices that still look great but are just easier to use. In fact, it did that just this week. There was a time in Apple design philosophy where the idea of ports on the front of a Mac was blasphemous. There was a time in Apple design philosophy where the idea of ports on the front of a Mac was blasphemous.Wachiwit / shutterstock.com There was a time in Apple design philosophy where the idea of ports on the front of a Mac was blasphemous.Wachiwit / shutterstock.com Wachiwit / shutterstock.com I see you shutter with antici-pation When the iPhone was first announced, it famously had one button–okay, one button on the face. It also had a power button on top, a volume lever, and a mute switch. Want to feel old? Of course you don’t, who does? But that was 17 years ago. Apple did away with the button on the face without losing any functionality, so it can afford to add one back. On Monday, Apple unveiled the Camera Control button on the iPhone 16 line, a hardware feature that makes it easy to quickly do the one thing that people want to do with the phones the fastest. We haven’t had the chance to dive deep with the upcoming Camera Control button on the iPhone 16, but it certainly makes sense. We haven’t had the chance to dive deep with the upcoming Camera Control button on the iPhone 16, but it certainly makes sense.Apple We haven’t had the chance to dive deep with the upcoming Camera Control button on the iPhone 16, but it certainly makes sense.Apple Apple Not answering phone calls. What kind of monster wants to do that faster? No, when you’re quickly fumbling for your iPhone, you want to take a picture. For years Apple has tried to make it easier to quickly take a picture by adding software features, but a lot of us (and, yes, I mean me) get hung up in the moment. Swipe left? Tap and hold the camera icon on the lock screen? Scream and swipe up and search for the camera app? Whoops, too late. The dog has stopped being cute, your kid has grown up and gone to college. As Jason Snell opines, the Camera Control button: …is Apple realizing that people don’t, and won’t [use iOS’s software affordances for quickly taking pictures], and trying to give them a safe, dedicated place for all their photography. Add a button, add utility. There are limits, of course. A cup holder has utility, too, but you wouldn’t want one on your iPhone. A headphone jack likewise has utility, but AirPods have more. Still, while software is great, it can’t make up for everything. Sometimes you just need a button, or a port in a convenient place. More like this, please Ever since the original iMac dropped the floppy drive, Apple has had a reputation for savagely removing things. Sometimes removing things truly makes products better. No one would look back on the Bondi blue iMac now and shake their head and say “It shoulda had a floppy drive.” But when you get down to the base of a product, you can also see what it truly needs to make it easier to use. A lot of times, that’s a physical thing. As Apple does this to more products, it’s got me more excited than a sack full of Vision Pros.

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The iPhone 16 is living in the past. It needs to fold
Macworld Apple’s “Glowtime” event has come and gone, and all the iPhone 16 rumors have been either proven or put to rest. The iPhone 16 family offers some great improvements over past models, but for all intents and purposes, it’s still just an iPhone. Apple Intelligence is nice and the Camera Control button is a cool new feature, but compared to its competitors Apple is still living in the past when it comes to its vision for the iPhone. The foldable phone isn’t a rare new kid on the block any longer. Google, Honor, Motorola, OnePlus, and Samsung have foldable models of their flagship devices that sell tens of millions of devices every year. Just hours after Apple announced the iPhone 16 family, in fact, Huawei unveiled the world’s first triple foldable phone. Without any movement on folding screens, Apple seriously lags in recognizing mobile technology’s future. In short, it needs to fold. Best of both worlds Consumers and reviewers alike have praised how well the increased screen real estate of foldable phones improves their media consumption and gaming on the devices. It definitely makes sense—would you rather watch a YouTube video or play Cal of Duty on a screen the size of an iPhone 16 Pro Max or a widescreen 8-inch one? The Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design is the kind of innovation we expect from Apple. The Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design is the kind of innovation we expect from Apple.Huawei The Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design is the kind of innovation we expect from Apple.Huawei Huawei Almost certainly you’d prefer the larger display, but as iPad users know, it’s not so much fun trying to carry such a behemoth around in your back pocket. Therein lies the beauty of the foldable phone. Looking at the OnePlus Open, for example, its 7.82-inch main display folds to a tidy 6.31-inch form factor. Huawei’s pocketable Mate XT Ultimate Design opens to a whopping 10.2-inch tablet, nearly as much screen real estate as the 10th-gen iPad. Foldable phones offer the best of both worlds. They provide a large display when unfolded. This is perfect for multitasking, media consumption, and gaming, but the compact size, when folded, allows them to fit easily into pockets and bags. There are issues, of course, chief among them the visible crease in the center of the screen, but this is where Apple’s innovation can take hold and change the game. Apple has been perfecting the smartphone and leading the pack for nearly 20 years, and the iPhone 16 is the latest pinnacle of perfecting that original model. But folding screens open the door to so much more. Multitouch on steroids Foldable phones allow you to switch between different modes depending on the task at hand. You can unfold it for tablet-like productivity and fold it back up for a traditional phone interface. This flexibility enhances your experience in both productivity and entertainment. Imagine being able to use split-screen mode, one of the multitasking features available on the iPad, on your iPhone. You’d never dream of trying that even on an iPhone 16 Pro Max in landscape orientation. Sure, that 6.9-inch display is the largest any iPhone has sported to date, but it still isn’t enough screen real estate to comfortably use two apps side by side, which is why Apple still hasn’t made Split Screen available in iOS 18. A foldable iPhone could serve as a real game changer there, bringing the productivity advances of the iPad into your back pocket, just waiting for you to take advantage of them. You could run multiple apps simultaneously and never feel cramped by screen size. The same goes for the iPad’s other multitasking methods, including Slide Over and Stage Manager. With a fold-out screen, the iPhone won’t be limited by what can fit in our pockets. Folding phones open a world of opportunity for iOS and iPadOS with not just multitasking, but also app design, integration and interoperability. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is nice, but Apple can do better. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is nice, but Apple can do better.Luke Baker The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is nice, but Apple can do better.Luke Baker Luke Baker Innovation calling As candy bar cellphones reach the limits of what’s possible design-wise, Samsung, Huawei, Google, and other smartphone manufacturers are already seeing foldable phones driving innovation in the mobile industry. These devices shift away from the static design of the typical smartphone with increasingly thinner and sleeker designs. Apple used to offer innovation like this with almost every new device. That just hasn’t happened lately. Like previous generations, the iPhone 16 is marked by incremental performance upgrades, internal camera upgrades, and under-the-display enhancements. Sure, the Action button and Camera Control are neat, but a new button is hardly exciting in the way folding phones are. Instead, Huawei stole Apple’s thunder with a phone that is truly innovative. The iPhone 16 Pro is a nice phone—but it’s not very exciting. The iPhone 16 Pro is a nice phone—but it’s not very exciting.Macworld The iPhone 16 Pro is a nice phone—but it’s not very exciting.Macworld Macworld It’s clear why Apple has stayed on the sidelines thus far. Early folding phones had plenty of issues, were much thicker than other smartphones and tablets, and hadn’t solved a problem most people had. However, after years of development, the landscape is changing. As the foldable display technology has improved, the durability of these devices has increased. Innovations in flexible display materials and hinge mechanisms are helping streamline designs and address concerns about long-term wear and tear. And AI and interface advancements are giving folding phones a real purpose. Apple has the resources and talent to propel these advances even further, and rumors have speculated that it has been experimenting with folding devices for a while. But the prevailing rumor is that Apple’s first folding device will be an iPad or MacBook that opens to a larger iPad rather than something that can fit in a pocket. That’s a mistake—a folding iPhone wouldn’t just be a high-priced niche device, it would catapult the iPhone into a new era of productivity. A folding iPhone will reignite enthusiasm for Apple’s best-selling gadget with next-gen technology customers can see and feel, not just under-the-hood enhancements they may never need. Apple was once the scrappy startup that pushed the limits of what a PC can do and now it’s time to do the same with the iPhone. The iPhone 16 shows that Apple is more than capable of creating a fantastic phone packed with speed and features. But the future is calling.

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Online Apple Store is down ahead of the iPhone 16 preorders
Three hours ahead of preorders opening for the iPhone 16 range, AirPods, and black Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple has taken down its store.Apple Store noticeTypically Apple posts a notice saying something to the effect that it's making changes to the store. This time the online Apple Store says "we love that early energy," and that the store is "almost ready for you."Whatever the back end processes Apple is working on, taking down the store does always create a buzz of anticipation. It does, though, mean that preorders for the Apple Watch Series 10 have been paused. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple receives FDA approval for AirPods 2 Pro to serve as over-the-counter hearing aid system
Apple has just received FDA approval that will allow the AirPods Pro 2 to serve as an over-the-counter hearing aid. Per TechCrunch, the FDA today announced that it has authorized Apple to add OTC hearing aid functionality to the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2, and it marks the first product that the FDA has allowed to serve […] Source

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Deciphering your storage space between your Mac and iCloud
Macworld A few years ago, Apple decided to offer seamless optimization for storage on your Mac. Instead of knowing where every byte (or gigabyte) lived, you could enable optimization in Photos or iCloud Drive. With this feature turned on, your Mac would automatically perform an ongoing tradeoff of available disk storage and iCloud storage. Presuming you have enough iCloud storage, you could have up to 12TB of data stored in the cloud that is accessible on demand from your Mac, even if you only have a 256GB SSD. In practice, it’s more likely you have a 512GB or 1TB SSD and 2TB of iCloud storage, but Apple made both scenarios possible. As local storage gets tight, macOS automatically deletes local copies of files that are synced to iCloud, which uses invisible redundant storage to ensure that no one drive or Apple data center would mean the loss of your data. It’s unknown how redundant iCloud storage is, but it’s been years since the last reports of data loss of iCloud-stored-only data. If you have iCloud Photos and optimization enabled, Photos dumps images but retains thumbnails and metadata locally. With Optimize Mac Storage enabled in   > System Settings > Account Name  > iCloud, iCloud Drive deletes files but leaves stubs you can see and access. That all sounds reasonable, but if you start looking around the Finder and System Settings, you might get confused. On the desktop, you’ll see the size of your startup volume and then “X GB free.” But use File > Get Info with the volume selected, and there’s a more elaborate explanation: “Available X GB (Y GB purgeable).” The first number is as reported, but it includes files that macOS could dump in a pinch because they’re synced to iCloud. That doesn’t seem to exactly describe my available storage. That doesn’t seem to exactly describe my available storage.Foundry That doesn’t seem to exactly describe my available storage.Foundry Foundry Where this starts to get more absurd is when you go to   > System Settings > General > Storage. At the top, you see a bar that seems to represent actual data on your startup volume, including purgeable data. But scroll down to iCloud Drive, and it shows how much is currently on disk. The Storage area shows a breakdown of what’s allocated. The Storage area shows a breakdown of what’s allocated.Foundry The Storage area shows a breakdown of what’s allocated.Foundry Foundry For me, that amount is listed as 200.1MB. When I open iCloud Drive in the Finder and choose File > Get Info, macOS reports that iCloud Drive has 154,806,040,705 bytes stored—not abbreviated as 154.81GB for some reason in the General section–but only 364.7 MB on disk. That latter number doesn’t match the one in Storage. True, but not as useful as one might hope. True, but not as useful as one might hope.Foundry True, but not as useful as one might hope.Foundry Foundry This became an issue for me recently when something went awry when Apple had disruption across iCloud services, including iCloud Drive. Though it lasted briefly, it looked as if my drive suddenly had only 50GB of actual storage space available, an Adobe InDesign book project refused to load high-resolution previews from unrelated Dropbox storage (which is also set, like iCloud Drive, to purge as needed), and iCloud refused to let me select items, Control-click/right-click to show the contextual menu, and choose Remove Download to force a purge. Eventually, iCloud resumed normal service, Dropbox caught up, and my machine was back to normal. It seems like Apple should have a better way of integrating the amount of usage in macOS into one dashboard that helps avoid a full volume. So far, you have to collate across many sources. Ask Mac 911 We’ve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently, along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, we’re always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.com, including screen captures as appropriate and whether you want your full name used. Not every question will be answered; we don’t reply to emails, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice.

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