Inflation Delaying New Phone Purchases for Many Americans: Survey
Inflation is causing many consumers to pass on upgrading to a new cell phone this year, according to a survey conducted by an online personal finance platform. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

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AirPods hearing aid feature is going to challenge social norms, and company policies
Apple’s announcement about the upcoming AirPods hearing aid capability hasn’t just upset the share price of existing brands – it’s also likely to lead to some social norms being challenged. In addition, the uncertainty of whether someone wearing a pair of AirPods means that they either can or can’t hear you is likely to create some comedic moments … more…

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This USB-C hub sports a stunning array of 12 ports
With a vertical stand and 12 ports (including Ethernet, memory cards and HDMI), the Casa Hub Pro S USB-C hub is very versatile. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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How long does Apple support iPads?
Macworld If you have an iPad already or are thinking of picking up an older one, maybe a refurbished model, you’ll need to know how long it will still be able to use the newest version of iPadOS. Apple is usually excellent in this area, often keeping older generations of its products on the latest versions of the operating system or at least blessed with security updates to keep them safe. But there comes a time when the software on an iPad can no longer be updated to a secure version of iPadOS, and when that happens you may find that apps and services will no longer work and your data could be at risk. Here’s a quick guide to how long you should expect an iPad to remain usable.  Which versions of iPadOS does Apple support? The crucial thing is whether Apple will update the operating system software that runs on your iPad if it discovers a security flaw. While Apple only issues updates with new features for the current version of the iPadOS, it does issue security updates to older versions of iPadOS to keep older iPads secure. Security updates are released relatively frequently and simply update the code in the system to close any potential areas where hackers or malware could gain access. These appear on your device as “point” releases, such as iPadOS 17.1, 17.1.1, 17.2, etc., and they make small adjustments to iPadOS and fix any security issues.  This means that the real defining element of how long an iPad can last is security updates. Once those stop, it’s not advisable to continue using the device, as it could be vulnerable. Generally, Apple issues security updates for two generations after ending support for the latest version. For example, when iPadOS 17 arrived in 2023, Apple still issued updates for iPadOS 16 and 15 throughout the year. With iPadOS 18, Apple is expected to stop issuing regular security updates for iPadOS 15. Occasionally, Apple will issue updates for older models, such as an iOS 12 update (before Apple split iOS and iPadOS) in January 2023. iPadOS 18 iPadOS 18 Apple iPadOS 18 Apple Apple Which version of iPadOS can I run? The key is to know which version of iPadOS your iPad can run, that way you can identify whether Apple is still committed to updating it with security-related fixes. iOS 12 This old version of iOS ran on various iPads as well as the iPhone, including: iPad Air (1st generation) – from 2013 iPad mini (2nd and 3rd generation) – from 2013 Apple issued a security update in January 2023. We do not expect any further updates for this version. iPadOS 15 iPadOS 15 arrived in 2021 and was last updated in July 2024. It runs on the following models: iPad Pro iPad Air (2nd gen and later) iPad (5th gen and later) iPad mini (4th gen and later) iPadOS 16 iPadOS 16 arrived in 2022 and was last updated in August 2024. It runs on the following models: iPad Pro iPad Air (3rd gen and later) iPad (5th gen and later) iPad mini (5th gen and later) iPadOS 16 dropped support for iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4 from those supported by iPadOS 15. iPadOS 17 iPadOS 16 arrived in 2023 and was last updated in August 2024. It runs on the following models: iPad Pro 12.9 (2nd gen and later) iPad Pro 11 iPad Pro 10.5 iPad Air (3rd gen and later) iPad (6th gen and later) iPad mini (5th gen and later) iPadOS 17 dropped support for 2016 iPad Pro 9.7-inch (A9X chip), 2015 iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st gen) (A9X chip) and 2017 iPad (5th gen) which runs on an even slower A9 processor. iPadOS 18 iPadOS 18 will arrive in 2024. It runs on the following models: iPad Pro (M4) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd gen and later) iPad Pro 11-inch) iPad Air (M2) iPad Air (3rd gen and later) iPad (7th gen and later) iPad Mini (5th gen and later) Apple dropped support for the 2nd-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and the 6th-gen iPad. Apple Apple Apple Which iPads are not supported with any updates? With the exception of a rare older security update, we would avoid any iPads that can’t run iPadOS 16. That includes these models: iPad Air (2nd gen and earlier) iPad (4th gen and earlier) iPad mini (4th gen and earlier) Which iPads are supported with full updates? With the launch of iPadOS 18, these are the iPads that will get the latest version: iPad Pro (M4) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd gen and later) iPad Pro 11-inch iPad Air (M2) iPad Air (3rd gen and later) iPad (7th gen and later) iPad Mini (5th gen and later) How long does Apple support iPads with security updates? The oldest model Apple makes that is still able to install iPadOS 18 is from 2018. Assuming those models are dropped next year, that will be nearly seven years of support for a full version and nine years of security updates. Apple will also occasionally push updates to older iPads, though it’s very rare and only in extreme cases. However, when buying an iPad, you can assume between eight and 10 years of security updates. How long does Apple support iPads for repair? Generally, Apple moves devices onto the Vintage list between five and seven years after it stops selling them. Around seven years after Apple stops selling a product it is moved into the Obsolete list, though some countries have different rules. Once considered Vintage by Apple, your chance of being able to get replacement parts is difficult, but when a product is Obsolete you will not be able to get replacement parts. Therefore if it has been five years since Apple stopped selling an iPad you are unlikely to be able to get replacement parts if something goes wrong. The products considered vintage and obsolete are listed below. Vintage iPads iPad Air 2 iPad mini 2 iPad Pro 9.7-inch (1st gen) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st gen) iPad (5th gen) Obsolete iPads iPad Air (1st gen) iPad mini (3rd gen and earlier) iPad (4th gen and earlier) How long should an iPad last? On the software side of things, it seems from the current examples laid out above that you can expect software security support up to nine years from when an iPad went on sale, however, we wouldn’t count on that. Because Apple doesn’t consider a product vintage until five years after it stopped selling it, you can expect at least six years of support (assuming the product was sold for a year, though Apple often sells products for much longer than that). Of course, hardware is the other side of the equation and that can be more random as parts deteriorate or fail. Say your battery life falls off a cliff, you’ll need to still be within your one-year warranty period to have it repaired for free. Apple does have a battery replacement service though, usually costing $99/£99 for a replacement and fitting, so this could prolong the hardware side of things for a good while (essentially up until it was moved to the vintage list five years after Apple stopped selling it). Apple offers hardware servicing and parts for a range of older iPads, all at a cost of course. On its site, the company states, “Owners of iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac or Apple TV products may obtain service and parts from Apple service providers, including Apple Store locations and Independent Repair Providers, for a minimum of 5 years from when Apple last distributed the product for sale”. This is clarified later in the text, saying that you can get iPads repaired up to seven years after they were last on sale from Apple. So, if you want to know if your iPad qualifies, simply Google when it was discontinued by Apple.  Naturally, a 10-year-old iPad is an impressive feat of durability, but it won’t be as fun or powerful as a new one. So, take a look at our iPad buying guide to see what’s currently on offer. After all, you could be using it for a very long time. Want to know how long Apple supports iPhones and how long Apple supports Macs, we have that covered too.

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Save up to 40% on Samsung monitors & portable SSDs to pair with your Mac, iPad
Samsung looks to take the spotlight during Apple Event week by slashing prices on monitors and portable SSDs that pair well with your Mac and iPad.Save up to 40% on a variety of Samsung products.The sale, which can be found at Amazon and

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Apple looks to less expensive displays for lower-end Apple Vision
Apple has received a glass board-based OLED panel from Japanese manufacturer JDI for Apple Vision prototype testing… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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How much heavier are the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max?
With the switch to titanium last year, Apple dramatically reduced the weight of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. This year, however, Apple has reversed some of that progress with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, both of which have bigger screens. more…

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Apple Watch Series 10 vs. Apple Watch Ultra 2: Which should you buy?
Confused about which Apple Watch to buy? Find out in our Apple Watch Series 10 versus Apple Watch Ultra 2 comparison. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Meta scraped all public Facebook and Instagram posts since 2007 for AI training
Meta has admitted to scraping all public Facebook and Instagram posts made since 2007 in order to train its generative AI model, adding to the privacy contrast with Apple Intelligence. While the admission was made during a public enquiry in Australia, the company’s statement applies globally … more…

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Wearable weigh-in — Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Series 9 compared
Apple's iPhone 16 event saw the Apple Watch Series 10 get a big upgrade, over the year-old Apple Watch Series 9. This is what has changed between the wearable generations.Apple Watch Series 10 [left], Apple Watch Series 9 [right]The 2024 update to the Apple Watch is a milestone, with its Series number finally ticking over into double digits. The Apple Watch is now on Series 10.The rumor mill has spent a lot of time claiming there will be big changes inbound because of hitting the Series 10 name, and it got a lot right. This is a big upgrade for the Apple Watch after a few years of relatively muted updates. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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OLED MacBook Pro ‘highly likely’ to launch in 2026 – consensus view [U]
Tech analyst Omdia said back in May that Apple is “highly likely” to launch its first OLED MacBook Pro models in 2026, despite some reports that the switch would happen in 2025. Two more analysts have now expressed the same opinion, stating that Apple will stick to mini-LED screens for next year’s models … more…

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AirPods Pro hearing aid upgrade hits stocks of major brands
Apple’s announcement of the new AirPods Pro hearing aid feature has triggered a fall in the stock value of major standalone hearing aid brands. The Cupertino company had long been expected to add hearing aid features to AirPods, and Monday’s event revealed the details … more…

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Apple may cut future Apple Vision Pro cost with far cheaper displays
Apple is reportedly switching to a less expensive OLED technology to try and get the manufacturing costs down on a future Apple Vision Pro headset.Apple Vision ProThe new display is built by Japan Display Inc (JDI), which Apple has previously supported with a $100 million investment. According to The Elec, JDI has recently delivered a glass-based OLED panel, intended for an Apple Vision Pro-style mixed reality headset.Instead of the glass board used by JDI, Apple Vision Pro is based on a silicon one. The difference is that a silicon substrate allows for smaller pixels, which makes for a much higher resolution. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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How to pause your Apple Watch activity rings and keep your streaks intact
Macworld One of the enduring features of the Apple Watch is its three activity rings: Move, Exercise, and Stand. Apple made Close Your Rings a central piece of Apple Watch marketing and even built many of its special Activity Badges around various streaks where you close your rings every day for a certain period of time. Users noticed a problem with ring-closing streaks almost immediately. What if you get sick? What if you’re stuck traveling where you can’t exercise? What if you suffer an injury? Or can’t wear your Apple Watch for a little while? For years we’ve asked for the ability to pause our activity rings, and with watchOS 11, Apple is finally allowing it. Here’s how you can pause your activity rings for up to a month so you don’t lose your streaks. This will only work if you’ve updated your Apple Watch to watchOS 11 or later (available September 16, 2024). Open the Activity app on your Apple Watch. Tap on your Activity rings. You’ll be presented with two options: Change Goals or Pause Rings. Choose the latter. From here, you’ll be able to scroll down and pause your rings for various amounts of time: Just for today, for a week, a month, or a custom length of time. Foundry Foundry Foundry There’s a one-month limit to how long you can close your rings, and of course, you don’t get credit for any of your streaks while it’s paused. But you don’t lose any of your streaks either. There does not appear to be a way to do this from the Watch app on your iPhone, unfortunately. So if you need to pause your rings because your Apple Watch has been damaged and is unusable, you’re still out of luck.

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The M3 MacBook Pro 1TB SSD is $300 Off
The deal for the M3 MacBook Pro has returned- better get it fast or it will disappear. Today, the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro with 1TB of storage is down to just $1,499 from its original price of $1,800 on Amazon. Grab the M3 MacBook Pro if you don’t want to wait for the M4 chip, […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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AT&T ‘free’ iPhone 16 Pro offer requires $2,735 spend over three years
An AT&T ‘free’ iPhone 16 promo invites both new and existing customers to “get the new iPhone 16 Pro, on us, with eligible trade-in, guaranteed.” As is usual with such offers, however, the headline giveth and the small print taketh away – with two big catches … more…

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Apple reveals two new AirPods 4 models 
Two new AirPods 4 models have been launched during the ‘It’s Glowtime’ event on September 9. The AirPods 4 will come in two iterations, a base model and one with ANC. Apple claims that sound quality has been improved, featuring dynamic head tracking for greater immersion. Both of the earbud models have the H2 chip […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Plastic and Silicone iPhone 16 cases launches
Apple revealed replacement cases for last year’s FineWoven material being made of plastic and silicone. FineWoven was discontinued during the event, along with the unveiling of the iPhone 16 lineup. Its successor is largely absent, and Apple instead offered iPhone 16 cases in plastic and silicone material. Versions of FineWoven on Air Tag keyring and […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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iPhone 16 Pro Max and Pro models debut
Apple introduced the new iPhone 16 lineup during the ‘It’s Glowtime’ event on September 9. In the event, Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 Pro, the flagship models in the lineup. Headlining the Pro model features are the A18 Pro chip, the Camera Control button, and larger displays. It’s worth […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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The best iPhone 16 feature is a throwback to what Apple does best
Macworld For the second year in a row, Apple has added a button to the iPhone. New iPhone buyers will have two different hardware buttons to get familiar with, both the Action Button (introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro, and now on all iPhone 16 models) and the all-new Camera Control button. For those of us who remember the era when Apple attempted to strip buttons and ports off of all its products–reaching a low point with the completely buttonless iPod shuffle–it’s a remarkable turnaround. I got to spend some time trying out Camera Control this week, and while it’s not guaranteed that everyone will love it, I think it’s got a lot of advantages that will make the iPhone a better camera. Let’s start with the most important thing about Camera Control: It’s hardware. It is a physical button you push down, and things happen on your iPhone. This might seem obvious, but the iPhone came to exist because of the philosophy that the more that could be done on a touchscreen, the better. That’s why we all use touchscreens now, and the Blackberry has been banished to the land of wind and ghosts. But as much as a good call as the original iPhone design was, there’s something about physical controls. You can find them by feel, which you simply can’t do with a touchscreen. They can move and provide tactile feedback. Wrap it all together and you end up with an interface that works with our brains’ innate desire to store physical actions as muscle memory. There’s something about physical controls. You can find them by feel, which you simply can’t do with a touchscreen. They can move and provide tactile feedback. Camera Control button is a winner when it comes to being tactile. The Camera Control button is a winner when it comes to being tactile. When you press it down all the way to launch the Camera app or to take a photo, there’s a satisfying popping feeling on your finger, courtesy of a little extra haptics. Taking a picture is as simple as pulling your phone out of your pocket and feeling for the Camera Control button. This was the solution for physical cameras for years, and now it’s on the iPhone. Apple has even aped the old-school camera interface where you press halfway to focus and then all the way to take a picture. The iPhone’s touchscreen interface is amazing because it can be literally anything you want it to be. But I can’t tell you how many people I see struggling with the Camera app, swiping and tapping and trying to get the right mode so that they can take a picture–or hand the phone to someone like me to take a picture for them. In those moments (when you’re out in bright sunlight that just makes it harder to see) and just want to capture a moment before it’s gone, the last thing you want to do is fight with a software interface. The platonic ideal of camera interfaces is “point and shoot” for a reason. Point and swipe or tap? Not as good. YOu can swipe on the Control Control button to adjust settings. YOu can swipe on the Control Control button to adjust settings.Apple YOu can swipe on the Control Control button to adjust settings.Apple Apple And, yes, I know that you’ve been able to use a volume button to take pictures for ages and that you can get to the Camera app by swiping on the lock screen or tapping and holding on the Camera icon. All true! And yet… people don’t. This is Apple realizing that people don’t, and won’t, and trying to give them a safe, dedicated place for all their photography. Camera Control is as complicated as you want to make it. At its core, it really is point-and-shoot. When you press the button all the way, you take a picture. (If your camera app isn’t open, it’ll open it first–and yes, third-party camera apps can replace Apple’s Camera app if you wish.) When you press halfway down, things change a little. Most of the Camera app’s chrome falls away, giving you a simpler preview of your shot. You’ll also see a small horizontal interface pop out of the screen right below the Camera Control button. This is a set of controls you can adjust by swiping your finger left or right, just like you might if you used a digital camera that had a control dial in addition to the shutter button. This control might let you dial in a zoom level, for example. And if you want even more control, you can add another layer of complexity. Press halfway down twice, in the style of a double-tap (but without lifting your finger!) and the interface goes up one level, to a collection of different controls that you can use when you slide your finger. I don’t imagine people will be toggling back and forth between different controls often, but it does allow you to pick the set of controls that are the most important to you and make those the ones that appear when you use the camera. For example, maybe you want to switch between different Photographic Style options rather than zoom levels. Here’s a list of everything you can do with Camera Control. Camera Control has a tactic engine built in to give just the right feedback. Camera Control has a tactic engine built in to give just the right feedback.IDG Camera Control has a tactic engine built in to give just the right feedback.IDG IDG Look, I’m a power user. I love optional complexity. But it’s got to be optional. The base functionality needs to be simple enough for regular users–and I think the Camera Control button will probably fulfill their needs. There’s added complexity if you want to learn how to access it, but the bottom line is that it’s a button you press to take a picture, and that’s what it should be. When Apple introduced the Action button last year, it suggested it could be used as a camera shutter button, and a lot of people probably used it as such. But the Camera Control is entirely about taking pictures and it’s on all four new iPhone 16 models, which I think gives it a better chance to succeed. The Action button can be repurposed for pretty much anything you want it to do, but Camera Control should remain focused on camera stuff. Apple needs to stay committed to it, continue to improve and refine the software attached to it, and avoid attempts to overcomplicate things. It will only succeed if it’s as easy to use as the shutter button on a traditional camera. Learn more about the new phones with Macworld’s iPhone 16 superguide.

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