iPad Mini 7 awaits an update out of the box on day of release
The iPad Mini 7 was launched on Wednesday with an update waiting right after taking it out of its packaging, with the latest version being iOS 18.0.1. The update includes security updates and major bug fixes, so updating right after purchasing the iPad mini 7 is highly recommended. New iPad Mini 7 gadget owners will […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple Intelligence Image Playground, Genmoji testers face long wait
Apple says it will be allowing access to forthcoming image-creation tools like Image Wand, Genmoji, and Image Playground "over the coming weeks," making for an unusually long waitlist for testers.Developers are waiting to test the Apple Intelligence graphics tools.Despite having already released the first beta of iOS 18.2 to developers, access to the new graphics tools will be limited. Apple said in a note to developers that "when the features are ready for you to test, you will be notified."The waitlist approach is similar to the way the company limited access to the initial set of Apple Intelligence features in the iOS 18.1 beta. In that case, however, access became widesp quickly. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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VMware Fusion Review: Now free for personal use
Macworld At a GlanceExpert's Rating Pros Free version for non-commercial users. Allows you to download Windows on Arm. Runs on Intel Macs and Apple Silicon. Cons Complicated download and registration process. Not as easy to use as Parallels Desktop. Some features are only available on Intel Macs. Our Verdict Fusion Pro can be used with a Free Personal license, making it a less expensive option than rival virtualization programs. But it lacks the polish and ease of use of Parallels Desktop. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Retailer Price VMware (Fusion Player, personal use) Free View Deal VMware Fusion Pro (non-commercial use) Free View Deal VMware Desktop Hypervisor Pro $120 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Price When ReviewedFree (personal use); $120 (commercial) Best Prices Today: VMware Fusion Retailer Price VMware (Fusion Player, personal use) Free View Deal VMware Fusion Pro (non-commercial use) Free View Deal VMware Desktop Hypervisor Pro $120 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket For many years Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion fought a long battle to produce the best virtualization software for Mac users who needed to run Windows software on their Macs. Every time Apple released a new version of the macOS we would see Parallels and VMware release their own updates, and this competition was great for Mac users because it meant that both programs continued to offer new features and performance improvements every year. In recent years, though, VMware has seemed to focus more on its high-end corporate products and, since the introduction of Apple Silicon in 2020, Fusion no longer really competes with the annual updates to Parallels Desktop anymore. And, at the end of 2023, VMware was taken over by chip manufacturer Broadcom, which raised some questions about the future of Fusion on the Mac. Now that the take-over is complete, it does seem that Broadcom is still committed to the future development of Fusion – although its emphasis on corporate and enterprise users may deter some of the home users and students that have used the app in the past. Fusion Pro price: How much does Fusion Pro cost and how to buy it? For several years, Fusion was available with three different options, which depended on how you wanted to use the program. There was a basic version called Fusion Player that was free for non-commercial use, such as home users or students, although business users who needed additional technical support were also able to buy the Fusion Player with a commercial license for $149/£127.49. There was also a version called Fusion Pro that provided additional features for IT managers in larger organizations, which cost $199/£169.16. Following the take-over of VMware by Broadcom, the basic Fusion Player has now been discontinued, while Fusion Pro is now available with two different types of license. There is a free personal license for everyday users such as students and home users, and a paid Commercial license for business users, which costs $120 per year. The commercial model is available here and bundles VMware Desktop Hypervisor apps, Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro. Unfortunately, downloading Fusion Pro is a complicated and confusing process. You have to register for a free account on the Broadcom website, and then wade through a maze of support pages to find the actual download file – and matters aren’t helped by the fact that Broadcom sometimes refers to Fusion Pro as Desktop Hypervisor instead. Broadcom is clearly more at home dealing with large corporate customers and IT managers, so it needs to simplify the download and installation process if it really does want to continue to attract everyday users. What is VMware Fusion Pro? Like Parallels Desktop, Fusion Pro is a virtualization program that allows you to create a virtual machine (VM) that runs on your Mac just like any other Mac application. This virtual machine uses software to simulate the hardware of a Windows PC, allowing you to install a full copy of Windows on the virtual machine and then run any Windows software or games that you need to use. And, crucially, you can run your Windows apps right alongside your existing Mac apps – rather than having to switch back and forth between Mac and Windows as you have to do when using Boot Camp on Intel Macs (and, of course, Boot Camp is no longer available on Macs with Apple Silicon at all). Both programs also allow you to create virtual machines that run other operating systems too, including several versions of Linux, which is a useful feature for many developers and students. VMware Fusion Pro: System Requirements Screenshot Foundry The only disadvantage of running Windows in a virtual machine on your Mac is that you’re effectively running two operating systems on your Mac at the same time – the macOS and Windows side-by-side. You’ll need a fairly fast Mac with plenty of memory and storage to get good performance for your Windows virtual machine. But, like Parallels Desktop, Fusion Pro does allow you to specify the amount of memory, and even the number of processor cores that you use to run the virtual machine so that you can fine-tune the performance of your virtual machine. There are also some differences between running Fusion Pro on Intel processors and Apple Silicon, but there’s a comparison table that you can look at on the Broadcom website. How to install Windows using Fusion Pro This is where things get a bit complicated. If you’re using an older Mac that has an Intel processor then you can use Fusion Pro to create a virtual machine on your Mac and then install the standard Intel version of Windows on the virtual machine. However, Apple’s M-series of processors – also known as Apple Silicon – are completely different from Intel’s processors, and are sometimes referred to as Arm processors as they’re based on designs from a British company called Arm Holdings. Microsoft has developed a separate version of Windows – called Windows On Arm – that will run on computers that use Arm processors, so Macs that have Apple Silicon processors need to install Windows On Arm instead. The problem here is that it’s actually quite difficult to get hold of Windows On Arm, as Microsoft generally only sells it directly to large PC manufacturers or corporate customers that have volume licenses. Screenshot Foundry Parallels Desktop got around this problem a couple of years ago by providing the option to directly download Windows on Arm at the same time as creating a new virtual machine. VMware took longer to deal with this problem, and Fusion Pro only introduced the ability to download Windows On Arm with its version 13.5 update at the end of 2023. Unfortunately, we found that we received several error messages while trying to download Windows On Arm when using the most recent Fusion Pro 13.6 (and, on one occasion, Fusion Pro actually crashed while we were trying to download Windows). Even after creating a new virtual machine, you’re faced with quite a lot of technical details, such as side channel mitigations and encryption and other settings that might seem quite daunting to less technical users. Parallels Desktop provides much greater ease of use here – although, of course, the option of using Fusion Pro with a Free Personal license will still appeal to many users. Fusion Pro features Once you’ve created a virtual machine running Windows on your Mac, you’ll see that the Windows desktop appears in its own window on your Mac screen, just like any other Mac app. Fusion used to include a feature called Unity that was able to hide the Windows desktop, just leaving individual Windows apps – such as the Edge browser – floating on your Mac desktop and looking just like ordinary Mac apps (similar to the Coherence feature found in Parallels Desktop). Unfortunately, the latest version of Fusion Pro no longer supports Unity, although it does provide the ability to quickly change the size and resolution of the virtual machine window.  You can also expand it to full-screen size so that the Mac desktop is hidden and it looks as though your Mac is just running Windows (although you can still switch to any other Mac app whenever you want to, simply by using the standard Cmd-Tab keyboard shortcut). Other features available for your Windows virtual machine include the ability to drag and drop files between Mac and Windows, and to copy and paste information between files. There’s also an option called Snapshots, which allows you to freeze the state of a Windows virtual machine – perhaps with several Windows apps still running – without fully shutting down Windows. This allows you to quit Fusion Pro if you need to, and then return to your Windows virtual machine later with your apps and files still running as they were before. And, since version 13.5, Fusion Pro also supports 3D graphics that use Microsoft’s DX11 technology, which allows you to run a number of Windows games and graphics apps for professional design work (as long as you’ve got a fast enough Mac). However, the newer DX12 – which is used in many recent games – is proving a tough nut to crack, both for Fusion Pro and Parallels Desktop, so neither program has a clear edge when it comes to running Windows games. Should you buy VMware Fusion Pro? Of course, the good news is that you can use Fusion Pro with a Free Personal license, making it a less expensive option than rival virtualization programs such as Parallels Desktop. However, it lacks the polish and ease of use of Parallels Desktop, and its increased emphasis on corporate users means that Fusion Pro may not appeal to everyday users as much as it has done in the past.

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Judge awards Apple a token $250 in its latest lawsuit against Masimo
A Delaware jury has found smartwatch maker Masimo guilty of infringing Apple's Apple Watch patents on health technology, but limited it to only older smartwatch models that are no longer sold, and awarded the firm the least damages it legally could.Apple and Masimo's legal battles have now taken a small step forwardIn the suit just decided, Apple accused Masimo in 2022 of infringing two of its own design patents to "make way for its own watch." The jury has now found Masimo guilty of the charge for Masimo's former Freedom and W1 smartwatches, but said the company was not guilty of infringement on any current products.It awarded Apple a token $250 in damages, the legal minimum for infringement. Apple's attorneys had sought a sales injunction against current Masimo products it said were infringing Apple's patents, but that charge was denied by the jury, Reuters has reported. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Repair YouTuber creates upgradable SSD storage modules for Apple Silicon MacBooks
Ever since the 2016 models with Touch Bar, Apple has been soldering the SSD storage to the logic boards, preventing users from easily being able to easily upgrade or swap the drives in their devices. However, a repair YouTuber known as iBoff, who describes himself as a “Mac Logic Board Enthusiast”, has seemingly created a solution – one that doesn’t take up much additional space. more…

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Microsoft OneDrive Review
Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Robust Office support Add Office apps with paid plans Great enterprise options Cons Web app is clunky 5GB free tier Our Verdict If you need a cloud plan for a family or small team, and you’re already leaning on Microsoft’s Office apps, then OneDrive is a great option. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When ReviewedFree (5GB), $1.99 (100GB), $6.99 (1TB) a month Best Prices Today: OneDrive Retailer Price Free View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket We’ve been rounding up the best cloud-based storage services for your Mac, and OneDrive definitely earns a spot on the list. While I’d argue it’s not as intuitive as Google Drive, if you’re using Microsoft Office to any degree you’ll find a lot to like. The app can exist in Finder just like its rivals can, but with a variety of storage plans that add in access to Microsoft mainstays like Word, Excel, and more, it’s got a lot of potential for the workplace – or for families with kids working on school projects. It’s not all good news, though. The OneDrive web app feels slow compared to the likes of Google Drive (albeit not as slow as iCloud Drive), and the 5GB base storage is painfully low for free users (although still better than Dropbox’s 2GB). First Impressions OneDrive can be found in the Finder like many of its rivals.Microsoft 5GB base storage is definitely low, but Microsoft really wants to nudge you to one of its paid plans. You can spend $99.99/£79.99 per year to get access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and more, with 1TB storage per person (6TB total). That covers six users, so you can give everyone in your household access to Office and OneDrive for a relatively low price. The Microsoft 365 Family plan is only $30/£20 more expensive than the Microsoft 365 Personal version which costs $69.99/£59.99 a year. The most basic option is the Microsoft 365 Basic at $19.99/£19.99 a year for 100GB cloud storage. Whichever option you go for, OneDrive is a model citizen when it comes to macOS. The app is lightweight and sits in Finder for you to drag and drop as you see fit. OneDrive features As I’ve already mentioned above, one of the best parts of OneDrive is that (for a price) it opens up the rest of the Office ecosystem, both for Mac and iPhone or iPad. Those apps are pretty uniformly great across Apple’s platforms, and use OneDrive to sync across platforms. If you’re not keen on Google Docs or Sheets, having Word and Excel documents spread across your devices might be a huge boon. You can also upload content straight from an Xbox console if you own one, meaning it’s easy to grab your favorite clips and drop them straight into OneDrive to then edit on your Mac or PC. OneDrive annoyances The OneDrive web app is slow.Microsoft More storage at the free tier would be great, but OneDrive’s biggest issue, not unlike iCloud Drive, is that its web app can feel slow. It’s just not as breezy to move between files and access things from the web view. It’s also more attuned to finding Office documents (which makes sense), but I kept hitting an issue where it would simply tell me I couldn’t upgrade my storage tier while testing. The issue did stop after a while, but it’s certainly strange that OneDrive seemed to not want to take my money. The Bottom Line If you need a cloud plan for a family or small team, and you’re already leaning on Microsoft’s Office apps, then OneDrive is a great option.

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Today in Apple history: iPod Photo brings color display to music machine
On October 26, 2004, Apple debuted the iPod Photo, capable of putting not just 15,000 songs in your pocket, but also 25,000 photos. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Today in Apple history: iPod Photo brings color display to music machine
On October 26, 2004, Apple debuted the iPod Photo, capable of putting not just 15,000 songs in your pocket, but also 25,000 photos. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Apple didn’t update the iPad 11 this year, and this is probably why
Apple refreshed the base iPad is over two years old, why is Apple leaving it outdated? more…

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This one’s huge: the boatload of new features in iOS 18.1
iOS 18.1 comes with a veritable boatload of big new features. The update, expected on Monday, will bring Apple Intelligence, phone call recording and more. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Lexar SL500 Magnetic Set review: iPhone SSD ideal for videographers
Macworld At a glance Pros Powerful magnet for attaching the MagSafe iPhone Shockproof Cons Non-Pro iPhones have USB-C ports that limit SSD performance Our Verdict The SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Set is a well-rounded storage solution for iPhone filmmakers. The form factor with the magnetic rubber cover fits perfectly and its use as a data storage device for filming leaves nothing to be desired. The SL500 also cuts a fine figure on the Mac. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When Reviewed$109.99 (1TB), $199.99 (2TB), $309.99 (4TB) Videographers know the problem: you only shoot a few short films on holiday and your iPhone’s memory is full again. How nice would it be if you could record directly onto an external storage device? That’s exactly what the Lexar  SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Set is designed for. All you need is an iPhone with a USB-C port (iPhone 15 or later). The  SL500 with Magnetic Set is about the size of a credit card, has an aluminum casing, and attaches to the iPhone via MagSafe. The SSD plugs into the iPhone with a USB-C connection, which is USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 with 20Mbps, capable of data transfer rates of up to 2,000 MBps. Unfortunately, Mac and iPhone users cannot benefit from this speed. Measured on the M3 MacBook Air, we end up with a typical 869MBps write and 959MBps read rate for the USB-C connection. The SL500 with Magnetic Set comes with a special rubber case and a short USB-C cable. The USB-C cable is flat and therefore does not hinder the operation of the iPhone. The rubber sleeve offers shock protection and a magnetic back that corresponds to the iPhone’s MagSafe magnets. This way, the rubber case fits perfectly on the iPhone. Lexar specifies impact protection for a drop of two meters and IP54 for dust and water tightness. The iPhone 15 Pro and later supports Apple ProRes, a professional video codec. This video codec is reserved for the Pro models and makes it possible to record a maximum of 4K resolution at 60 frames per second directly on external drives. The iPhone 16 Pro is even capable of 120Hz at 4K. To cope with these high data rates, the iPhone 15/16 Pro and iPhone 15/16 Pro Max are equipped with a 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 port. Users of standard iPhones can also benefit from the SL500 with Magnetic Set. However, due to the USB connection being castrated to 480Mbps, the speed isn’t as fast as on the Pro iPhones. On the iPhone 15, video recordings with 4K resolution, HEVC (H.265) codec, and 25 frames per second are possible without any problems. The iPhone’s camera app has to be changed to a camera app that can select a drive as the recording target. I used the very good Blackmagic Camera app. The Lexar SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Set is available with 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities. Should you buy the Lexar SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Set? 15 minutes of 4K video in HEVC (H.265) is over 4GB, and if you’re using the iPhone for a video shoot, those big files are going to fill up the iPhone quickly and an external SSD like the SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Set is essential. Lexar’s SSD has a nice rubber cover, attaches magnetically, fits on the iPhone, and the USB-C cable also cuts a fine figure. It can also be used with Macs and other devices.

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Apple Will Pay Security Researchers Up To $1 Million To Hack Its Private AI Cloud
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Ahead of the debut of Apple's private AI cloud next week, dubbed Private Cloud Compute, the technology giant says it will pay security researchers up to $1 million to find vulnerabilities that can compromise the security of its private AI cloud. In a post on Apple's security blog, the company said it would pay up to the maximum $1 million bounty to anyone who reports exploits capable of remotely running malicious code on its Private Cloud Compute servers. Apple said it would also award researchers up to $250,000 for privately reporting exploits capable of extracting users' sensitive information or the prompts that customers submit to the company's private cloud. Apple said it would "consider any security issue that has a significant impact" outside of a published category, including up to $150,000 for exploits capable of accessing sensitive user information from a privileged network position. "We award maximum amounts for vulnerabilities that compromise user data and inference request data outside the [private cloud compute] trust boundary," Apple said. You can learn more about Apple's Private Cloud Computer service in their blog post. Its source code and documentation is available here. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Vision Pro Bites Dog
It’s almost as though — hear me out — Apple launched Vision Pro in 2023 for long-term strategic reasons, not with short-term sales in mind.

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PSA: Genmoji and Image Playground rollout in iOS 18.2 beta might take a few weeks
Apple this week released the first beta of iOS 18.2 to developers, which brings additional Apple Intelligence features – such as integration with ChatGPT, Image Playground and Genmoji. However, when it comes to the features related to image generation, beta users may have to wait a few weeks before trying them out. more…

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Jury Rules Masimo Smartwatches Infringe Apple Design Patents; Apple Wins $250 In Damages
Apple was handed a victory today by a jury in Delware, which ruled that two of Masimo's smartwatches and chargers "willfully violated Apple's patent rights in smartwatch designs," according to Reuters. The reward? $250 in damages. 9to5Mac reports: Apple previously accused Masimo of using litigation to boost the launch of its own smartwatch product. In October 2022, Apple filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Masimo. The first lawsuit accused Masimo of copying the Apple Watch design. The second said that Masimo's technical features infringed on Apple patents covering technology used in the Apple Watch. Reuters reports: "Apple convinced a federal jury on Friday that health monitoring tech company Masimo's smartwatches infringe two of its design patents. The jury, in Delaware, agreed with Apple that Masimo's W1 and Freedom watches and chargers willfully violated Apple's patent rights in smartwatch designs, awarding the tech giant $250 in damages. Apple's attorneys told the court the 'ultimate purpose' of its lawsuit was to win an injunction against sales of Masimo's smartwatches after an infringement ruling." The jury, however, also determined that Masimo's smartwatches "did not infringe on Apple patents covering smartwatch inventions that the tech giant had accused Masimo of copying." The two companies continue to battle it out over patent infringements regarding the Apple Watch's blood oxygen sensor. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Blackmagic Camera for iPhone now works with Camera Control
The popular Blackmagic Camera app has just received a huge update with multiple new features for iOS users. The new version brings support for the iPhone 16’s Camera Control, as well as more bitrate options and many other improvements. Read on as we detail everything that’s new in Blackmagic Camera. more…

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Bluesky wants to introduce a paid subscription with exclusive features
The Bluesky microblogging platform has grown significantly over the last year, from 2 million users last November to more than 13 million users. But Bluesky seems to have more ambitious plans for the future, as its chief operating officer Rose Wang has confirmed that the platform will soon have a paid subscription. more…

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Jury rules Masimo smartwatches infringe Apple design patents
Apple and medical device company Masimo are currently embroiled in multiple legal battles, headlined by the ongoing fight over the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen sensor. In a separate case, however, Apple was handed a victory today courtesy of a jury in Delaware. The jury ruled that two of Masimo’s smartwatches and chargers “willfully violated Apple’s patent rights in smartwatch designs,” as reported by Reuters. more…

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Apple offers $1 million for hackers to test Apple Intelligence’s Private Cloud Compute
Apple has opened up its Private Cloud Compute (PCC) to researchers, offering up to $1 million to anyone who finds a hole in the secure… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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It’s about to get a lot easier to share spatial photos and videos for Vision Pro
Last month, Apple announced that support for it would be adding support for spatial photos and spatial videos to Safari. In a new interview with PetaPixel, Apple confirmed that this feature is on track to arrive this year. more…

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