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- 10:30 amSleek 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.10:30 amThe 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.09:28 amOnline 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 Forums09:00 amApple receives FDA approval for AirPods 2 Pro to serve as over-the-counter hearing aid system | PowerPageApple 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 […] Source09:00 amDeciphering 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.07:34 amHow to dual-boot a Mac: Run two versions of macOS together
Macworld Updating to the latest version of macOS, or running a beta version of macOS on your Mac, doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing affair. It’s possible to install two different operating systems and dual-boot your Mac. This means you’ll have both versions of macOS available and you can choose the one that suits you on a day-by-day basis. In this article, we will explain how to set up your Mac so you can dual-boot two versions of macOS, but first, you might like to know the benefits that this offers. Why dual-boot macOS There are a few reasons why you might want to run two versions of the Mac operating system, which is essentially what dual-booting means: If you want to update your Mac to the latest software, but have legacy apps that may not run on it. Creating a dual boot could be a good solution if you need to run those apps. If you’re a software developer and need to test your own apps on different versions of macOS (particularly if you need to do this regularly). If you want to safely try out a beta version of the Mac operating system without committing to it (or risking it causing problems with the apps and data on your Mac). There’s another point of confusion when it comes to dual booting. On older versions of Mac OS X and macOS, you would have needed to partition your Mac, while in more modern versions of the Mac operating system you create a volume. We will assume that you are running a more recent version of macOS so we will focus on creating a second volume, but we do cover how to create a partition separately. Before you start… Before you start, regardless of which version of macOS you are running, you should be aware of the following: Make some space: If you want to carve your Mac up so that you can run two versions of the OS you will need space. Read how to make space on a Mac. So before you start, get deleting. Remove apps you don’t use (here’s how to delete apps), delete any files and folders you don’t need, copy your huge photo library onto an external drive, consider what you can delete from Other, system, cache, and so on.) Back up: The next important step is to back up. It’s always wise to make sure you back up your Mac before you do anything like this, just in case it all goes horribly wrong. We show you how to create a backup of your Mac here. We also have this guide to using Time Machine, which is Apple’s software for backing up. Be prepared to wipe everything: If you are in an older version of macOS when you partition your Mac you will have to completely wipe it! If you want to keep your current work, you need to create a backup of your Mac and ensure it will fit on your smaller partitioned drive. Luckily you don’t have to wipe anything if you are just creating a volume. There are alternatives: If wiping your Mac sounds like too much hassle to you, you could try installing the alternate version of macOS on an external hard drive instead. We show you how here: How to run macOS from an external hard drive. Make sure you can run the macOS versions you want: You won’t be able to run a version of macOS on a Mac that doesn’t support it, find out which version of macOS your Mac is compatible with. How to add a volume to your Mac So, you want to run two versions of the macOS operating system on your Mac. Your method will depend on which version of macOS you are already running. If you are running High Sierra on an SSD, or have any version since macOS Big Sur installed, this process is much easier because your Mac will be using the Apple File System APFS. APFS replaced the old file system: HFS+. APFS has a number of advantages a key one being Space Sharing, which makes it possible to share the available space between the different volumes on your disk – so more space can be made available at any time, rather than being assigned to the volume when it is created, as is the case with a partition. So, if you are using APFS you can create an APFS volume as we will show you below, and then just install the new version of the operating system on that volume. You won’t need to reformat anything. It couldn’t be easier. If you are using an older version of macOS, or even Mac OS X, it’s a little more complicated. How to create an APFS volume Back up your Mac (because it’s always wise to do that before you go on an adventure). Open Disk Utility (you can find it in the Utilities folder in Applications, or just press Command + Space and start typing Disk Utility). Click the drop-down menu beside the View button in the toolbar and choose Show All Devices. This will make sure you can see the volumes within your disk. It’s likely you have one called Home or Macintosh HD. Select the Home volume (or Untitled) and click on the + button to create a new volume. We have a more detailed guide to this process, which we recommend you read if you have any problems here: How to partition a Mac hard drive or SSD, or create an APFS volume. You’ll need to give your volume a name, Beta would be a good idea if it’s the beta you are installing. You can set the storage limit if you want (but you don’t need to). To set a size limit click on Size Options and fill in the Reserve (minimum) and Quota (maximum) options. In the past we have set the limit at 25GB. This number can be changed, but it’s not a simple process so we advise against setting a limit. Now click on Add to add your new Volume to the Mac. Foundry Foundry Foundry Now you have your second volume up and running you are ready to install the beta of macOS, or the alternative version of macOS to the one you usually run. We’ll cover how to do that next. If you are using an older version of the Mac operating system and don’t have APFS you will have a slightly more complicated journey that will involve creating a partition. How to install two versions of macOS on a Mac Having created your second volume using the guide above, you will be ready to install your second version of macOS. Download the installer for the OS you want. You’ll be able to get the installer via Software Update or the Mac App Store. (See How to update macOS for details of how to get the installer). Note: it will have to be a newer version than the one you are running currently – if it isn’t then the process will be more complicated and you should read this: How to downgrade to an older version of macOS. Download it, but don’t start to install it yet. Run the installer, but make sure you select the new volume you created and install the alternative macOS on that – not your main volume. Now wait while your Mac installs the new OS on the new volume. Once it’s done your Mac will open up in the volume with the new OS installed. When you are ready to go back to your old version of the OS, just shut down your Mac, and while it starts up keep the Alt/Option key until you see the option to open from your original volume. This will allow you to choose which volume you want to use, and the version of macOS you want to run. When your Mac boots up it will look like you need to choose a network and enter the password–you don’t we find we can skip this step. Apple (modificada) Apple (modificada) Apple (modificada) How to install macOS beta on a separate volume The process is similar if you want to install a beta version of macOS on the second volume. If you are setting this up for the first time you will need to sign up for the beta and download the macOS beta software. Once it’s downloaded you will need to install it on the new volume you just created as per the instructions above. We have a detailed explanation of how to sign up for the macOS beta and How to get the macOS beta. We also have advice about downloading older versions of macOS here. For OS options beyond macOS, you might like to read our guides showing How to install Windows on a Mac, and How to install Linux on a Mac. How to install a second macOS on a Partition If you need to create a partition you will need to wipe your Mac, so, as we said above, make sure you make a backup. The simplest way to create your partition is to do the following: Boot macOS into Recovery mode (start up your Mac and hold down the Command and R keys until you see an Apple logo or spinning globe). Once in Recovery mode, use Disk Utility to wipe the main hard drive and split it into two partitions. Now recover your Time Machine backup into that partition. Remember, you won’t be able to recover a backup based on a newer version of macOS than the one you want to be using on this partition. Alternatively, you could use the Install option in Recovery to install whichever version of macOS you wish to run on to the main partition. Now it’s time to install the other version of macOS in partition 2. Follow the steps here to install a second version of macOS, or the beta of the new version of macOS, onto the second partition.06:02 amApple Store is down ahead of iPhone 16 preorders
The Apple Store is down, ahead of iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max and Apple Watch Series 10 preorders going live. (AirPods 4 are .) If you are looking to buy Apple’s shiny new gadgets, start refreshing the Apple Store at 5 AM PT, or in about six hours time. All the new iPhones, Watches and AirPods ship to customers beginning September 20. more…04:01 amInternational Verify Your Backups Day
What better day than Friday the 13th to check that your backups are actually working by restoring some critical files?01:43 amApple brings Activation Lock to iPhone parts with iOS 18
Earlier this year, Apple announced some changes to its repair policies. Overall, the company has made it easier for users to repair their iPhone with genuine used parts. However, at the same time, Apple also announced that it would bring Activation Lock to iPhone parts. This new feature is now available and working in iOS 18. more…01:15 amApple touts iPhone 16 Pro and Apple Intelligence in new videos
On the eve of pre-orders beginning, Apple has shared three new videos showcasing iPhone 16 Pro with Apple Intelligence. The latest ads, which star English actor Bella Ramsey, tout Apple Intelligence features in the Mail app, Photos app, and Siri. more…Thursday September 1211:26 pmHow to prepare to preorder iPhone 16 (+ Torras Magnetic Ostand 360 Spin Case)
If you’re planning on picking up a new iPhone 16 model during pre-order day, the key is to have the smoothest and quickest checkout experience possible. With a ton of Apple users ordering at the same time tomorrow morning at 5:00 a.m. PDT (Sept. 13), just a few minutes can make a huge difference in how long it will take to actually receive your device. Head below for 9to5’s pre-order tips to get prepared for tomorrow’s launch. 9to5Mac’s iPhone PreOrder Hub is brought to you by Torras. 9to5 readers can get a limited time deal on the to help celebrate the launch of iPhone 16. more…11:24 pmNetflix will no longer provide support for iPhones and iPads running iOS 16
After discontinuing its app for the third generation Apple TV, Netflix has just confirmed that it will soon end support for some old iPhones and iPads. More specifically, the company will no longer provide updates compatible with devices running iOS 16. more…11:19 pmGet ready to upgrade to the new iPhone 16, Apple Watch, and AirPods lineups
Starting September 13, at 8 a.m. EDT / 5 a.m. PDT, customers can pre-order Apple’s powerful new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.11:06 pmiPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10 and AirPods 4 event reactions
Benjamin and Chance react to Apple’s September event, with full coverage of all the announcements from the keynote, including thoughts on the new iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. We try to forget the AirPods Max. And in Happy Hour Plus, of all the new products, hear what Benjamin and Chance are excited to order for day one delivery. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join. 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 HelloFresh: America’s #1 meal kit! For FREE breakfast for life go to hellofresh.com/freehappyhour : Elevate your iPhone experience with the TORRAS Ostand 360 Spin Case and the new Ostand 360. Protect your device, enhance your productivity, and enjoy unmatched convenience and style. Get yours today and experience the next level of phone protection and functionality. Sponsored by iMazing 3: The world’s most trusted tool to manage Apple devices and transfer data from a Mac or PC. Try it now. more…09:37 pmStay secure anywhere with this portable, subscription-free VPN router for 27% off
Whether you’re a frequent traveler or a remote worker, the Deeper Connect Air Portable VPN Travel Router could be a helpful privacy solution. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)08:40 pmFDA Approves Apple AirPods As Hearing Aids
The FDA on Thursday approved the first hearing aid software for Apple's latest AirPods Pro earbuds. According to Apple, the feature will be pushed to eligible devices through a software update in the coming weeks. The Washington Post reports: The move, which comes two years after the FDA first approved over-the-counter hearing aids, could help more Americans with hearing loss start getting help, the FDA said in a statement. The feature works by amplifying some sounds, such as voices, while minimizing others, such as ambient noise. Users can take a hearing test in the Apple Health app, and their AirPods will adjust sound level automatically based on the results. The feature is only available on the AirPods Pro 2, which cost $249. The FDA says it tested Apple's hearing aid feature in a clinical study with 118 subjects who believed they had mild or moderate hearing loss. The study found that people who set up their AirPods using Apple's hearing test noticed similar benefits as people who had a professional set up the earbuds. Over-the-counter hearing aids are best for people with mild to moderate hearing loss, audiologists say, many of whom don't seek treatment. [...] However, consumer earbuds aren't a good solution for people with severe hearing loss, experts maintain, and most over-the-counter hearing devices will still require a trip to the audiologist for some fine tuning. Read more of this story at Slashdot.08:01 pmFlappy Bird set to make a comeback on iPhone
The beloved mobile game Flappy Bird is set to make a triumphant return to the iPhone. After being pulled from the App Store in 2014 due to its creator’s concerns about addiction and excessive fame, Flappy Bird is now being revived by a dedicated team of fans. The Flappy Bird Foundation, a group of passionate […] The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.07:57 pmDo this now to ace your iPhone 16 preorder
The iPhone 16 series goes up for preorder on Friday, and you need do some prep work to be sure to get Apple's latest and greatest. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)07:50 pmHow to download old versions of macOS: Get Sonoma,Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, and more | MacworldHow to download old versions of macOS: Get Sonoma,Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, and more
Macworld There are a few reasons why you might want to download and install an old version of macOS or Mac OS X. Perhaps you’re relying on software you have discovered doesn’t work properly in the latest version. Perhaps your Mac has run slowly ever since you updated. Or maybe you just don’t like the new version of macOS that you have installed. Either way, you have questions and we have answers. In this article, we will cover how to get old versions of macOS, including Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, El Capitan, Sierra, Yosemite, and even old versions of Mac OS X. We explain how to get hold of the relevant installer files so that you can install the software on your Mac. Just note: if you were hoping to run Catalina, Mojave, or a version of macOS older than Big Sur on an M1 or later Mac, that’s not possible. If you are looking for a way to go back to the previous version of macOS, we have an article about reverting a macOS update. You also might want to get the installer for a version of macOS to make a bootable installer for installing macOS on multiple Macs. We have a separate article that explains how to downgrade macOS when you get to that stage of the process. Where to get older versions of macOS Before you can install an older version of macOS or Mac OS X you will need to get hold of the installer for the version of macOS you want to install. Luckily it is possible to get ahold of these files, as long as you know where to go on the Mac App Store. If you’re unsure of your Mac’s compatibility, check out our list of which Macs run which versions of macOS & Mac OS X. It is possible to download older versions of macOS from the Mac App Store. Click on the links to download the installers for the following macOS versions: *Note that we have discovered that the links we give below will only work if you are using Safari, so we suggest you switch to Apple’s browser before moving on. You should also close the Mac App Store app if you have that open or the link may not work* macOS Sonoma macOS Ventura macOS Monterey macOS Big Sur macOS Catalina macOS Mojave macOS High Siera Foundry Foundry Foundry Older verisons of macOS aren’t availbale on the Mac App Store, but Apple does provide dmg files of them. You need to download them in Safari. A disk image named InstallOS.dmg will download and once it does you need to locate the pkg installer inside the disk image. macOS Sierra OS X El Capitan OS X Yosemite OS X Mountain Lion OS X Lion We discuss this process in more detail below. How to download an older version of macOS for an M-Series Mac Apple began transitioning away from Apple silicon with the release of macOS Big Sur in 2020, so any version of macOS before that won’t run on an M1 Mac or later. If you have a M1 or later Mac you will see a message that your Mac is not compatible with versions of macOS that predate Apple’s move to its own silicon. All versions of macOS prior to Big Sur require an Intel Mac. How to download macOS Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave and High Sierra Foundry Foundry Foundry You can download the installers for many versions of macOS from the Mac App Store. Follow these steps to download the version of macOS that you want from the Mac App Store. Use Safari and close the Mac App Store app if you have that open before you begin. Follow the Mac App Store link above to the software you require. Use Safari and the Mac App Store will open on the page for the macOS version you require. Click on Get. Software Update will open with the words “Finding Update”. Eventually a message “Are you sure you want to download macOS [name]” will appear. It might look like an update rather than the full version, but you’ll see from the size of the download (around 6GB) that this is the complete installer for macOS. Once the installer has downloaded do not click “Install”. If you do, the installer will automatically be deleted (plus it won’t install if you are already running something newer). You should be able to find the “Install macOS [name]” app in your Applications folder, which you can use to downgrade macOS to an older version (see our separate tutorial). How to download Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mountain Lion and Lion Apple provides dmg files of these older macOS versions, but you need to download them using Safari. A disk image named InstallOS.dmg will download and once it does you need to locate the pkg installer inside the disk image. Prior to June 2021, you could purchase OS X 10.7 Lion or Mountain Lion from Apple for $19.99/£19.99 each – Apple would send you a download code. Now Apple has stopped charging for the aging operating system versions. Instead, you can download the operating systems directly from the company along with these other versions. macOS Sierra OS X El Capitan OS X Yosemite OS X Mountain Lion OS X Lion We saw a warning about the connection not being private when trying to download these, this message is appearing because it’s not an https connection, probably because these files predate that standard, but do exercise caution here. The links come from this Apple page so should be secure. What to do if the Mac App Store links above aren’t working We’ve said above that in our experience usually the reason the above links don’t work is if you are browsing in something other than Safari, or if you have already got the Mac App Store open. However, if you are still finding that the link isn’t working you could try the alternative methods below. Another issue is if the link takes you to the correct page in the Mac App Store, but you see an Update not found error message when you try to download it. This is an issue we are aware of that others have encountered, although we haven’t. In that case, we suggest you try to download the installer via that link using an older Mac. You may also encounter issues if you are trying to download an older version of macOS that your Mac cannot support. Usually, when Apple introduces a new Mac it will not be able to run the version of macOS that shipped before the one installed on that Mac. The older macOS might not support certain components in that Mac, for example. Other ways to get older macOS versions If you are running an older version of macOS – or someone you know is – you should be able to easily find older versions of macOS and even Mac OS X in the Mac App Store. How easy they are to find will be determined by the version of macOS running on that Mac. Prior to macOS Mojave’s arrival in 2018, the installers for the older macOS versions could be searched for or found via the Purchased tab (not that anyone has had to pay for a Mac OS X update for years). However, when Apple introduced Mojave the Mac App Store changed, and these installers can no longer be searched for or found in the purchased section of the store. (Although we do have redirect links in the section above to each of the relevant pages on the Mac App Store.) If you happen to have access to a Mac that’s running an older version of macOS, log into the Mac App Store with your password and download the Mojave installer on that Mac. Alternatively, ask a friend to download a copy of the installer from the Mac App Store for you. Once the installer has downloaded don’t install it! If you do the installer will be deleted. You’ll find the installer in your Applications folder from which you can copy it onto your Mac or create a bootable installer. You may also find updates to an older version of macOS on Apple’s website. However these are just point updates, rather than the full version, so it won’t be much help if you are trying to get the full download. The one thing you really mustn’t do is go to a torrent site and download a copy of the macOS you want. Just because Apple gives away its software for free, don’t think it’s fine to just pick up a copy. Pirated copies of Apple software could have been adjusted to allow hackers access to the software and your Mac. How to get OS X Snow Leopard If your Mac has a version of macOS installed that is older than Snow Leopard you won’t have access to the Mac App Store. For a number of years after Snow Leopard arrived all versions of Mac OS X arrived via the Mac App Store, those who never installed Snow Leopard had a problem: without Snow Leopard, they couldn’t update. Until 2021 Apple still sold a boxed version of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard for $19.99/£19.99 (at its launch in 2009 it cost $25/£25). If you purchased Snow Leopard this way you were sent a physical box containing an optical disc – so you will need a CD/DVD drive to install it (which you will probably have if the Mac is that old). Apple has now removed the ability to buy Snow Leopard. However, this isn’t a big problem because those people who were previously locked out of updates can now download the Lion or Mountain Lion update via the links provided above. How to get OS X Leopard or earlier If the old version of the OS you are after predates Snow Leopard and you have a developer account you might be able to get it from developer.apple.com/downloads. If you search within the OS X category you should see downloads for all versions of OS X, at least from version 10.3 to 10.6. You may be able to access the Developer section of the website, but you will only be able to access certain software downloads if your Apple ID is associated with a paid Apple Developer Program. It costs $99/£79 a year to join the Apple Developer Program and you have to sign a nondisclosure agreement. You could also try looking on Amazon or eBay to see if anyone is selling old versions of the Mac operating system or perhaps a Mac running one.07:46 pmThree reasons to wait for the iPhone 17 Air
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