Scanners
- Friday November 01
- 05:45 pmThe AirPods Pro 2 with Hearing Health are $70 off right now
Macworld Sure, the AirPods Pro 2 might be a couple of years old, but Apple keeps making them better through firmware features. The latest turns them into a bonafide hearing aid with iOS 18.1, but what’s even better, however, is the fact that you can get these $249 earbuds for just $179 right now. When we reviewed the AirPods Pro 2, we gave these earbuds a near-perfect 4.5-star rating, appreciating the audio quality, the excellent noise canceling, and the superb transparency mode. “On the outside, not much has changed with these second-generation AirPods Pro. But the sound quality has improved a lot, noise canceling is much better, transparency mode is top-notch, and battery life is finally up to par. There’s not a lot here you can’t find on other models, but Apple makes it easy and has caught up to its fierce competition,” our review reads. Featuring the H2 chip, these earbuds promise a deep and immersive sound with crisp, high notes and a rich bass. They come with four pairs of silicone tips in multiple sizes so you can obtain that perfect noise cancellation level. Since our review, the AirPods Pro 2 has gained a USB-C case, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and Personalized Volume, and can even act as a hearing aid with a built-in clinical-grade test. And since they’re available for nearly 30 percent off their regular price, it would be a shame not to take advantage of this Amazon deal. So go grab the AirPods Pro 2 for $179 and treat your ears to great sound and good health. Get the best earbuds for $70 offBuy it now at Amazon05:39 pmApple is snapping up one of the best non-Adobe image editors, Pixelmator
Will Apple keep one of the few single-fee alternatives to Photoshop available?05:37 pmApple's fourth quarter earnings were decent, but the holiday quarter will be vital
While the fourth quarter was good for Apple, analysts only care about the holiday quarter's massive revenue. A period that will be heavily influenced by the rollout of Apple Intelligence.Apple CEO Tim CookOn Halloween night, Apple offered a treat to investors in the form of its financial results. Its fourth-quarter figures for 2024 hit a lot of good notes for the company.For a start, the $94.93 billion in revenue it reported for the period is a 6.1% year-on-year increase. In fact, it's higher than the $91.8 billion Apple reported in its Q1 2020 results. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums05:32 pmIt’s Day of the Dead and one of my favorite Mac apps isn’t long for this world
Macworld One of my favorite Mac apps is Pixelmator Pro, an image editing tool I use daily. On Friday, the company behind the app announced that Apple is acquiring it. While that sounds like great news for the Pixelmator team and Apple users, my first reaction was a sense of dread that an app I frequently use will be drastically different in the future or may no longer exist in its current form. I started using Pixelmator primarily to escape Adobe’s subscription-only model for Photoshop. Pixelmator is available for a one-time purchase of $50, which is much friendlier to my wallet than Photoshop’s $20 per month or Photoshop Elements’ $100 for a “3-year term license,” whatever that means. I also wanted to support the Pixelmator team in making Mac-only apps. While developers can make a living as a Mac-only developer, the market isn’t as big as Windows, or even iOS. The Pixelmator team makes top-notch software and they deserve as much support as they can get. When I first started using Pixelmator Pro instead of Photoshop, I had a lot to learn about the app’s user interface. After using Photoshop for years, undoing all that muscle memory took time. But it helped that Pixelmator Pro has a great UI that makes sense, and it didn’t take long to get comfortable. But now, with the acquisition news, I’m afraid that’s all going to be thrown out the window. Pixelmator Pro isn’t going to change “at this time,” says the Pixelmator Team. That’s not very reassuring. My major concern is that the one-time purchase plan is going to disappear. Apple’s Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are one-time purchase Mac apps, so there’s hope that this will be the case with Apple Pixelmator Pro. But the iPad versions of Apple’s Pro apps are subscription purchases, so there’s a recent precedent of Apple implementing such purchase plans. Apple’s Services revenue is valuable to its bottom line and making its Mac apps subscription-based is something the company could do to help Services revenue grow. Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro were Apple acquisitions, but Apple didn’t have a presence in those software categories in the first place. They do with Pixelmator and Photos, so my other concern is unfounded and far-fetched, but what if Apple decides to end Pixelmator as a stand-alone app and incorporate it into the Photos app, possibly as a paid Photos+ option? That’s not ideal—Photos is an app for maintaining your photo library, and it’s not ideal for my work. What makes more sense is if Apple incorporated the Photomator app into Photos and left Pixelmator as its own app. Overall, this seems like good news for the Pixelmator Team–Apple made a great acquisition and I’m happy to see them succeed. But let this be my plea to Apple to keep Pixelmator Pro as an affordable, stand-alone app that I can rely on for years and years.05:26 pmApple to invest up to $1.5 billion more in Globalstar for satellite coverage expansion | Mac Daily NewsApple to invest up to $1.5 billion more in Globalstar for satellite coverage expansion
Apple is making a significant investment in satellite technology. The company will invest up to $1.5 billion in Globalstar to expand its… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.05:23 pmApple is buying a treasure in Pixelmator, and we hope it won't get destroyed
If Apple's surprise acquisition of Mac developer Pixelmator passes the regulators, the future of its beloved apps may be bright — or there could be dark skies ahead.Dark Sky (left) was shut down, Apple Music Classical (right) came from an acquisition, so what will happen to Pixelmator?The Pixelmator company has announced that it has agreed to be acquired by Apple, pending only regulatory approval. Assuming the acquisition goes ahead, it means that Apple gains Photomator, Pixelmator, and perhaps most significantly, Pixelmator Pro.Pixelmator has been an independent developer for 17 years and when it first introduced what would become Pixelmator Pro, it did look like a cheaper alternative to Adobe Photoshop. It looked like it, it was it, and to this day it remains that lower-cost option, but it's also become much more than that. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums05:22 pmApple is Buying 20% of Its iPhone Satellite Services Partner
Apple is taking a 20 percent stake in its iPhone satellite connectivity partner GlobalStar -- a stake worth $400 million -- as part of an expansion of its deal with the company. From a report: GlobalStar will also receive a prepayment of $1.1 billion from Apple that is intended to improve satellite infrastructure. Apple relies on GlobalStar's satellites to enable to send emergency text messages, iMessage reactions, and more through the skies in areas with no cell signal. GlobalStar disclosed the details of the deal expansion in an SEC filing, which includes "a new satellite constellation, expanded ground infrastructure, and increased global [mobile satellite services] licensing." Read more of this story at Slashdot.05:08 pmSecurity Bite: Looking at the newly released Private Cloud Compute resources
9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple. Private Cloud Compute (PCC), the computational powerhouse behind Apple Intelligence, was unveiled months back at WWDC24 as Apple’s new privacy-focused cloud infrastructure. At the same time, the company stated it would periodically release subsets of PCC source code for independent review. After some wait, 9to5Mac reported last week that many of its resources are now available to everyone. Here’s what’s included. more…05:00 pmHomeKit Weekly: These are the best Home Key enabled smart door locks
If you’re deep into HomeKit like me, you know how convenient it can be for home automation. One of the most exciting smart home security additions for me in the past few years is Home Key from Apple, which lets you unlock your door using just your iPhone or Apple Watch. There is no need for apps or Bluetooth connection—tap your device, and you’re in. In this blog, I will break down the top HomeKit-compatible locks with Home Key support, highlighting what makes them stand out and why they should be at the top of your smart home wishlist for Christmas. more…04:54 pm9to5Mac Daily: November 1, 2024 – AAPL Q4 earnings
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 Dreametech: Industry-leading smart cleaning products, available now with massive savings. more…04:47 pmFantastical 4.0 and Cardhop 2.3.2
Improvements for the bundled calendar and contact apps, plus welcoming Fantastical to the Windows platform. ($56.99 annual subscription new, free update, 67.2/30.1 MB, macOS 12+)04:43 pmTiming 2024.5.1
Maintenance update with improvements for the time and productivity tracking app. ($108/$132/$192 annual subscriptions, free update, 26.8 MB, macOS 10.15+)04:41 pmFirefox 132
Web browser gains a couple of macOS-specific improvements. (Free, 153.2 MB, macOS 10.15+)04:25 pmmophie Juice Pack battery case keeps iPhone 16 going and going
The new mophie Juice Pack specifically for the iPhone 16 series merges a power bank into a form-fitting protective case. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)04:24 pmApple to acquire Pixelmator, creators of popular image editing software
Macworld Apple has agreed to acquire Pixelmator, the creators of popular professional image editing apps Pixelmator Pro and photo editing software Photomator. In a blog post, the Pixelmator team announced its sale (subject to regulatory approval), and assured its customers that, “There will be no material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time.” Of course, that was followed by, “Stay tuned for exciting updates to come,” so we can obviously expect some changes once the deal goes through and Apple has something specific to announce. Pixelmator Pro is a popular professional image editing app that is often spoken of as an alternative to Photoshop, especially for those on a tighter budget (Pixelmator Pro is a one-time purchase of $49.99 in the App Store). It has only been available for the Mac and uses a lot of Mac-specific technologies to improve performance. There is also an iOS companion app. It is unclear what Apple will do with the acquisition. If we had to guess, we would say that Apple will continue to develop the app, offering it as a third pro-level software offering alongside Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro. Pixelmator’s photo-editing app, Photomator, may find some of its features wrapped up into the editing interface for the Photos app, but Apple seemingly has little need for a separate consumer photo editing app of that nature.04:20 pmThe first Silo season 2 reviews have dropped, here’s the verdict
One of the most popular Apple TV+ shows, Silo, is back for a second season in just two weeks. Apple has released the first five minutes of episode one, and early reviews are here for the show’s return. Here’s what the Silo season 2 reviews are saying. more…04:10 pmApple acquires Pixelmator
The Pixelmator Team on Friday announced they have signed an agreement to be acquired by Apple, subject to regulatory approval… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.04:04 pmM4 Pro and Max benchmarks show M2 Ultra who’s boss
M4 Pro and M4 Max benchmarks from Geekbench show the chips' dramatic boosts in speed, even over those in higher-end Macs. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)04:03 pmApple acquires the team behind Pixelmator Pro
In a surprise Friday announcement, Pixelmator, the team behind the Mac image editing app, announced that it is being acquired by Apple.Pixelmator - Image credit: PixelmatorPosted to the company's blog on Friday, Pixelmator shares the news that it has been picked up by Apple. The acquisition, the terms of which are unknown, brings the Pixelmator, Pixelmator Pro, and Photomator apps under Apple's ownership.The team has signed an agreement for acquisition, but it still needs to receive regulatory approval before it completes. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums04:01 pmApple Acquires Photo Editing App Maker Pixelmator
Apple has reached an agreement to acquire Pixelmator, the maker of popular photo and image editing apps Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator. Financial terms of the deal wasn't disclosed. Read more of this story at Slashdot.