Apple Vision Pro needs something bigger than a software update
Macworld I have been using Apple Vision Pro on and off for the last nine months. When it was released in February, I described it as a device with a ton of potential but with huge challenges to overcome. Now, with its first major operating system update available and plenty of time for developers to get on board, I’m left with a more pessimistic view. For spatial computing to be a hit, it’s going to need more than the Vision Pro can deliver. The first major update fixed some issues and added welcome features, but too many problems remain—and some simply can’t be fixed in a software update. If Apple is going to make spatial computing (i.e. mixed reality) its next major software platform, it will need to drastically accelerate its rate of progress. What visionOS 2 brings to the table The Vision Pro launched with a host of annoyances and visionOS 2 goes a long way to addressing them. You can more easily get to the Home View with a new gesture—look at your palm and when a circle appears, tap your thumb and finger together. Flip your hand around to look at the back of it to see a little widget that displays time, volume, and battery life. Tap your fingers while this is showing to bring up Control Center. Speaking of the Home View, you can finally freely rearrange your icons and take iPad and iPhone apps out of the dedicated folder. It also remembers the visual setup of the last Guest user, so your partner doesn’t have to run through setup every time you want them to check out something cool. It’s all a lot easier and more natural than fiddling around with the buttons or looking up at a little dot at the top of your view. If you’re in a spatial environment, your Magic Keyboard or MacBook keyboard will “punch through” and remain visible (all the time, or only when you bring your hands near it, your choice) which makes it easier to type. And there are a bunch of really good updates to developer tools that will make it easier for them to make good spatial experiences, too. visionOS 2 brings some good features, but it still has a lonf way to go.Apple The software is still awkward and limiting Despite the improvements, there are still so many places where visionOS feels unfinished. How is the Clock app not an actual selection of real 3D clocks you can virtually hang on your wall? How does the Calendar not look at behave like a traditional paper calendar, with live data and the ability to zoom in on dates? This stuff is so obvious, it should have been some of the first apps Apple built. Instead, apps like Clock, Calendar, and Home are just iPad apps, hanging in the air in a virtual window. Speaking of hanging in the air, the spatial tracking has improved (and so has object and hand occlusion) but most Vision Pro apps are still just big windows with simplistic controls that stay anchored in place in your environment. This makes window management a real chore. You have the entire virtual world, and you still have to literally move everything around in physical space to manage your windows. It should be possible to set an app to remain anchored to the device, so it follows the user as you move around. You should be able to stack app windows and swap between them, so you don’t have to find a new area of physical space just to open another app. The biggest issues with Vision Pro can’t be fixed through software updates.David Price / Foundry Vision Pro should be a way to expand our space, to have as much room as we want without going anywhere. Instead, it’s the opposite—on my laptop or desktop I can swipe between desktops and layer windows on top of each other, with a dozen things taking up the space of my monitor. With Vision Pro, I have to turn my head and move all over the place to make use of more than three apps. Imagine if every app on your Mac was a whiteboard on a stand. You can easily reposition them, but you’re limited to one app per whiteboard and they take up a LOT of space. That’s what it feels like to multi-task on Vision Pro. The new ultrawide virtual monitor for Mac will greatly improve the ability of users to get work done on Vision Pro (it’s coming in visionOS 2.2), but that’s really just your Mac being productive. There’s no doubt that visionOS 2 made the software experience better, but it’s still far too limited, and limiting, for mainstream adoption. At the current pace of improvement, it feels like it won’t come into its own until somewhere around visionOS 5 or 6. This hardware will never be mainstream Some parts of the Vision Pro experience just aren’t going to get any better without different hardware. The headset is too heavy. The field of view is too narrow. The battery and tether are cumbersome. You can’t see the eyes of the person wearing it and the EyeSight feature doesn’t get the job done well. It’s fatiguing to use for more than half an hour at a time. The battery life stinks. Oh, and it’s priced 3-4x higher than a mainstream tech product. Vision Pro is an isolating experience and the high-priced hardware means it’ll stay that way for a while.Foundry As I said back in February, Vision Pro’s success will be measured by Apple’s ability to maintain interest—among both the public and developers—to drive momentum to a more mainstream future product that will cost less and do more. Unfortunately, I don’t think visionOS 2 will do nearly enough to succeed at that. Apple’s new 17-minute immersive film Submerged is very impressive, but it’s driving at the wrong thing. Linear video content is not the future of the medium, and it shouldn’t be the present of a $3,500 headset that only lets you watch it by yourself. The Vision Pro is a spectacular isolationist video viewing device in short sessions, but should Apple really be highlighting that? Should the message be: Buy this $3,500 thing to have the best solitary video experience for up to 30 minutes? Apple needs to show people why spatial computing is the future. How it can be faster, easier, more natural, and more efficient than the phones, tablets, and laptops we use today. While visionOS 2 takes a step in that direction, it’s only a step, and the journey from here to there is long.

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Google releases Gemini AI app for iOS
If you’ve been curious about Google’s Gemini app for iOS, it’s here. The app, which offers access to the Gemini Artificial Intelligence assistant, which can help with day to day tasks like checking the weather, getting directions, summarizing information, and deep dives. The app is available with a one month free trial, and subscribers can […] Source

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For the first time ever, you don’t need to be afraid to buy a new Mac
Macworld As someone who has reviewed Macs for a long time, I’m often asked for shopping advice and whether now is a good time to buy a Mac. It’s an excellent question since Apple has been fairly sporadic with its Mac releases. Macs are expensive and people want reassurance that they’re making a timely investment. No one wants to buy something, start using it, and realize they just could’ve stuck with what they already had. Nor does anyone want to make a purchase only to have something better come along in a short time. When it comes to Macs, the decision to buy a new one is rarely a quick and easy one, but with the release of the M4 Mac lineup, there’s less hedging than ever before. As I reviewed the new iMac and MacBook Pro and got the lowdown about the Mac mini, I was struck by just how compelling these new Macs are. This recent release makes for the most compelling set of Macs that Apple has had in quite some time. And if you’re wondering whether it’s time to buy a Mac in a general sense, the answer is yes. The maturation of Apple silicon The M4 is the fourth generation of Apple silicon in the Mac, and after an explosive (figuratively) start with the M1 and some hiccups with the M2 and M3 releases, the M4 feels like the chip is finally hitting its stride. The M4 impresses with its speed and efficiency. It almost doubles the speed of the M1 in multi-core performance, but more impressively, it’s 32 percent faster than the Intel 2.7GHz Xeon W-3265M 24-core CPU, which was used in the 2019 Mac Pro. Also, the Intel chip’s Thermal Design Power is 205 watts while the M4’s TDP is 22 watts. That’s a lot of bang without using a lot of power. Geekbench 6 benchmarks

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Mythic Quest season 4 to debut on Wednesday, January 29 on Apple TV+
If you’ve been hankering for the fourth season of Mythic Quest on Apple TV+, it’s on the way. Apple has announced that season 4 of Mythic Quest will debut on Wednesday, January 29. There will be two episodes available immediately on Apple TV+, followed by weekly episode releases through March 26 for a total of […] Source

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Hit sci-fi series Silo returns for season two today
One of the biggest hits on Apple TV+ returns for season two today: the sci-fi series Silo, based on the . Rebecca Ferguson stars as Juliette, an engineer who seeks to break out of the underground silo in which everyone is living. Following the explosive season one finale, season two picks up with an expansion of the world as Juliette explores the outside. more…

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ChatGPT gains Xcode integration/functionality
If you love being able to use ChatGPT for coding, you’re going to like this. The ChatGPT app is now able to integrate with coding apps such as Xcode, VS Code, TextEdit, and Terminal, making life that much simpler on the developer end. When ChatGPT is given permission to interact with an app like Xcode […] Source

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How to share a Wi-Fi QR code in iOS 18 to help your guests
Sharing your Wi-Fi with family, friends, and guests just got easier in iOS 18 with a new QR code feature for hassle-free connections.Sharing Wi-Fi passwords in iOS 18With iOS 18, Apple introduced a streamlined way to share Wi-Fi access — no more typing in long, complex passwords. Now, you can generate a secure QR code straight from the Passwords app, making it easy to connect friends or family to your network instantly.Here's how to set it up and start sharing with a few quick taps. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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M4 MacBook Pro use quantum dot film for more vibrant color & motion performance
A display analyst shared that Apple has shifted from traditional red KSF phosphor film to quantum dot film in the latest MacBook Pro models with M4.M4 MacBook Pro. Image source: AppleQuantum dot technology isn't new, in fact, Apple has been investigating its use in displays since at least 2014. By replacing the layer of phosphor film with nanocrystals made from semiconductor material called quantum dots, displays can display brighter and more vibrant colors.According to DSCC analyst Ross Young in a post on X, Apple didn't previously use quantum dot film because of its use of the toxic material cadmium. However, that has changed with the release of the MacBook Pro with M4. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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How much lighter is the titanium iPhone 16 Pro vs steel iPhones?
Brought to you by Uniq: Uniq’s new FlexGrip™ band for iPhone offers a secure, one-handed hold for ultimate convenience while freeing up your other hand for multitasking with ease. Learn more. The iPhone 16 Pro devices offer Apple’s largest smartphone screens ever while making them lighter than their smaller steel predecessors. Here’s how much lighter the titanium iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are compared to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. more…

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Black Friday is a great time to buy AirPods, so check out these early deals
Macworld It’s nearly that time of year again—Black Friday, the yearly shopping event where everyone hunts for the biggest deals. Apple’s AirPods are famously popular gifts and travel companions, and various models are often on sale throughout the year. So keep your eyes peeled for great deals on AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max as the Black Friday sales take off. With the AirPods 4 released this year, older models are being phased out, and we’re not seeing as many deals there. Even if you find what looks like a good price on 2nd-gen AirPods or AirPods 3, it’s probably worth getting the AirPods 4 instead—they sound and fit much better. Similarly, Apple recently updated the AirPods Max with USB-C replacing the Lightning port. But they have no new features, so if you find a better deal on the Lightning version, you should probably go for that. This page will be updated frequently with the latest deals, so return here throughout the Black Friday period as we highlight the best deals leading up to and through Black Friday (November 29, 2024) and Cyber Monday (December 2, 2024). Soon Apple will announce it own Black Friday 2024 sale, but in the meantime you should also check out of our round-up of the best Black Friday deals for this year and our always up-to-date advice on the best AirPods deals. The best AirPods deals right now Deals in the U.S.: AirPods Pro (2nd-gen, USB-C case): $189 at Amazon or Best Buy ($59 off) AirPods 4: $119 at Amazon ($10 off) AirPods 4 with ANC: $149 at Amazon ($10 off) AirPods Max (Lightning): $469 at B&H Photo ($100 off) Deals in the U.K.: Amazon, AirPods (4th gen, 2024, with ANC): £169 (£10 off, RRP £179) Argos, AirPods (3rd gen, Magsafe): £139 (£40 off, RRP was £179 – Clearance) Amazon, AirPods (3rd gen, Lightning): £129 (£40 off, RRP was £169 – Clearance) Argos, AirPods 2nd gen: £109 (£10 off, RRP was £129 – Clearance) Argos, AirPod Max, Lightning, 2020: £429 (£70 off, RRP was £499 – Clearance) Black Friday: Apple’s shopping event Every year Apple holds shopping event from Black Friday (November 29, 2024) to Cyber Monday (December 2, 2024). Apple rarely discounts its products, so the event typically consists of gift card offers rather than actual savings. In 2023 you could get gift cards for the following voucher amounts with AirPods purchased on Apple’s U.S. site or Apple’s U.K. site. This year, with AirPods 4 out and Apple no longer selling AirPods 2 or 3, it’s not clear what deals will be available. AirPods (2nd generation)$25£20AirPods (3rd generation)$25£20AirPods Pro (2nd generation)$50£40AirPods Max$75£60 Best AirPods deals in the US and U >K Heading into Black Friday, these were the best AirPods deals we found in November 2024. Latest AirPods Pro 2 deals The 2nd-generation AirPods Pro look just like the first-gen model, but they sound better, have longer battery life, and offer a few other welcome improvements. You should look for the then just-updated version with a USB-C charging case, which retailed at $249 / £229 but was often on sale for at least $50 off. Retailer Price $219 View Deal $249 View Deal $297.50 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Latest AirPods 4 deals When Apple released the AirPods 4, it priced them to replace both the 2nd-gen AirPods and AirPods 3. It comes in two models, a basic AirPods 4 that retails for $129 and an upgraded version with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) that is normally priced at $169. They look at feel the same and have the same great sound quality and features, other than ANC. Apple has stopped selling AirPods 2 or 3, and even if you find a deal on them, we think you’ll be a lot happier with AirPods 4. Here are the best deals for the basic version: Retailer Price $119 View Deal $125 View Deal $129 View Deal $129.99 View Deal $129.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket And these are the deals on the AirPods 4 with ANC: Retailer Price $168.99 View Deal $174.95 View Deal $179 View Deal $179 View Deal $179 View Deal $179.99 View Deal $179.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Latest AirPods Max deals Frankly, AirPods Max are overpriced (even on sale). Compared to other consumer-oriented over-the-ear noise-cancelling headphones, you might pay hundreds more. Apple’s price is $549 / £499, and they’re easy enough to find for up to $100 less, but a good price would have been under $400. Apple recently updated the AirPods Max to include a USB-C charging port, but they are otherwise unchanged. You can probably find better deals on the older model with the Lightning charging port, and if so you should probably go for that. Retailer Price $429 View Deal $459 View Deal $477 View Deal $499.99 View Deal 549 View Deal $549 View Deal $549 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Amazon Lightning Deals Check out these time-limited tech deals before they go. (Prices subject to change.) Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Pro w/ Thunder…$134.99 ( 32% off, was $199.99 ) Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus tablet$59.99 ( 50% off, was $119.99 ) Amazon Fire 10 HD Kids tablet- 2023$109.99 ( 42% off, was $189.99 ) New Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids tablet$69.99 ( 50% off, was $139.99 ) Amazon Fire 10 Kids tablet- 2023$109.99 ( 42% off, was $189.99 ) Certified Refurbished Amazon Fire HD 10 …$74.99 ( 53% off, was $159.99 ) JBL Bar 300: 5.0-Channel Compact All-in-…$249.99 ( 37% off, was $399.95 ) Lexar 128GB Professional 2000x SDXC Memo…$98.98 ( 41% off, was $169.99 ) eufy by Anker$24.99 ( 44% off, was $44.99 ) ASUS ZenScreen 15.6” 1080P Wireless Po…$299.00 ( 33% off, was $449.00 ) Targus USB C Universal Docking Station w…$303.23 ( 37% off, was $482.99 ) Kensington Single Monitor Desk Mount$38.06 ( 33% off, was $56.99 ) Monster Boomerang Neckband Bluetooth Spe…$59.99 ( 33% off, was $89.99 ) Norton 360 Platinum 2024$39.99 ( 69% off, was $129.99 ) Beats Studio Buds – True Wireless Noise …$99.99 ( 33% off, was $149.95 ) Beats Studio Buds – True Wireless Noise …$99.95 ( 33% off, was $149.95 ) Beats Studio Buds – True Wireless Noise …$99.99 ( 33% off, was $149.95 ) Logitech G PRO X SUPERLIGHT Wireless Gam…$91.00 ( 43% off, was $159.99 ) BOSCH GPB18V-5CN 18V Jobsite Radio with …$150.54 ( 34% off, was $229.00 ) SAMSUNG 75-Inch Class QLED 4K QN90D Seri…$1797.99 ( 45% off, was $3297.99 ) Hisense 50-Inch Class U6HF Series ULED 4…$299.99 ( 40% off, was $499.99 ) Hisense 100-Inch Class U7 Series ULED 4K…$1798.00 ( 40% off, was $2997.95 ) Hisense 100-Inch Class U8 Series Mini-LE…$2997.99 ( 40% off, was $4997.99 ) SAMSUNG 85-Inch Class QLED 4K QN90D Seri…$2297.99 ( 52% off, was $4797.99 ) SAMSUNG 50-Inch Class QLED 4K QN90D Seri…$997.99 ( 37% off, was $1597.99 ) SAMSUNG 65-Inch Class OLED 4K S85D Serie…$1297.99 ( 38% off, was $2097.99 ) SAMSUNG 98-Inch Class QLED 4K Q80C Serie…$3997.99 ( 50% off, was $7997.99 ) Blink Outdoor 4 (4th Gen) + Battery Exte…$49.99 ( 58% off, was $119.99 ) Introducing Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam | S…$49.99 ( 37% off, was $79.99 ) SAMSUNG 43-Inch Class QLED 4K QN90D Seri…$897.99 ( 40% off, was $1497.99 ) All New, Made for Amazon$14.99 ( 46% off, was $27.99 ) Made for Amazon$14.99 ( 40% off, was $24.99 ) Black Friday 2024: Best deals for Apple products Check out these roundups for the best Apple deals: Apple Black Friday 2024 sale Best Black Friday 2024 Apple deals Best Black Friday 2024 MacBook deals Best Black Friday 2024 Mac Deals Best Black Friday 2024 Apple Watch deals Best Black Friday 2024 iPad deals Best Black Friday 2024 iPhone deals Best Black Friday 2024 Mac monitor deals Best Black Friday 2024 SSD and external hard drive deals Best Black Friday 2024 Apple accessory deals

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This sturdy magnetic charging cable packs all the connections you need
Get the Statik 360 Pro multi-charging cable with swappable magnetic tips (USB-C, Lightning and Micro USB connections) for just $19.99. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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ChatGPT For macOS Now Works With Third-Party Apps, Including Apple's Xcode
An update to OpenAI's ChatGPT app for macOS adds integration with third-party apps, including developer tools such as VS Code, Terminal, iTerm2 and Apple's Xcode. 9to5Mac reports: In a demo seen by 9to5Mac, ChatGPT was able to understand code from an Xcode project and then provide code suggestions without the user having to manually copy and paste content into the ChatGPT app. It can even read content from more than one app at the same time, which is very useful for working with developer tools. According to OpenAI, the idea is to expand integration to more apps in the future. For now, integration with third-party apps is coming exclusively to the Mac version of ChatGPT, but there's another catch. The feature requires a paid ChatGPT subscription, at least for now. ChatGPT Plus and Team subscribers will receive access to integration with third-party apps on macOS starting today, while access for Enterprise and Education users will be rolled out "in the next few weeks." OpenAI told 9to5Mac that it wants to make the feature available to everyone in the future, although there's no estimate of when this will happen. For privacy reasons, users can control at any time when and which apps ChatGPT can read. The app can be downloaded here. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Bigfoot emoji might be sighted next year
See if you can spot Bigfoot in the list of possible additions to the official collection of emoji for use in text messages. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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President Trump’s second term is good news for Apple, TikTok, and Tesla – Gene Munster
Gene Munster outlines what he believes to be the reasons for America's stock market reaction to the re-election of President Trump and… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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9to5Mac Daily: November 14, 2024 – iCloud lawsuit, Matter smart home upgrades
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 9to5Mac Daily Plus: Get ad-free versions of every episode by visiting 9to5mac.com/join. more…

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Google’s Gemini AI gets its own chatty iPhone app
A new Gemini application gives iPhone users direct access to Google’s AI-powered virtual assistant to chat or generate images. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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New Apple security feature reboots inactive iPhones after 3 days
Apple’s new iOS 18 operating system for iPhone comes with a novel security feature that reboots the smartphone if it’s not unlocked for… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Turning the M4 Mac mini into a modern iMac G4 [Video]
The new M4 Mac mini features an incredibly impressive design that shows the prowess of Apple Silicon. But what if you took that Mac mini and converted it into another one of Apple’s most iconic Mac designs: the iMac G4? That’s exactly what Action Retro on YouTube has done… more…

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PSA: Final Cut Pro’s new ‘Transcribe to Captions’ feature is only available in English
Apple on Thursday released a major update to Final Cut Pro that introduced multiple new features, including the ability to generate captions using AI. However, not everyone will benefit from this new feature at launch, as it is limited to a single language for now. more…

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Macworld Podcast: M4 iMac, M4 MacBook Pro, M4 Mac mini reviews
Macworld Apple’s new M4 Macs started shipping last Friday, and we have the new Mac mini, iMac, and MacBook Pro in-house. Why are these some of the more exciting Macs to hit the market? Find out on this episode of the Macworld Podcast!  This is episode 909 with Jason Cross, Michael Simon, and Roman Loyola.  Watch episode 909 on YouTube Listen to episode 909 on Apple Podcasts

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