Latest

9to5Mac Daily: June 17, 2024 – Apple Watch, iPhone, and MacBook redesign rumors

9to5mac daily podcast

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts appStitcherTuneInGoogle Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Funn Media: Unlock access to 10+ apps to help you build good habits and live a healthier life with the new Premium Plus Bundle

Expand Expanding Close

New HomePod coming soon? What Apple Intelligence means for the smart speaker’s future

Siri Apple Intelligence on HomePod

The biggest star of WWDC this year was undoubtedly Apple Intelligence. Apple spent nearly half its presentation explaining the philosophy behind its own spin on AI, the features it would make possible, and the bright future ahead thanks to AI’s capabilities.

The Apple Intelligence story centered around three key products: the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Which has many wondering: what about Vision Pro? Apple Watch? HomePod?

I’m not too concerned about the Vision Pro and Apple Watch’s exclusions, as I suspect Apple has AI stories in the works there. But what about HomePod? Will the HomePod gain support for the new Siri? Might there be a new model in development?

Expand Expanding Close

Apple discontinuing Apple Pay Later, ahead of new features launching this fall

Apple has announced that it is no longer offering Apple Pay Later, the “buy now, pay later” service that launched in the United States last year. The change goes into effect starting today, Apple says. Existing users with open Apple Pay Later loans will still be able to manage them via the Wallet app.

In its place, Apple is focusing on new features coming globally to Apple Pay later this year, including the ability to access installment loan offerings from eligible credit or debit cards, as well as Affirm.

Expand Expanding Close

MagSafe Monday: PITAKA delivers in-car 15-watt fast charging with Qi2 support

MagEZ MagSafe car mount

Car mounts for MagSafe are my favorite use case for wireless charging and Apple’s implementation. Thinking about going back to actually “docking” my iPhone in my car feels like going back to 2010. The ability to quickly snap your iPhone to a charger in your car for a quick top-off is a great use case for MagSafe. Today, I am looking at the new PITAKA MagEZ MagSafe car mount.

Expand Expanding Close

Best USB-C and Thunderbolt displays for Mac [June]

Samsung ViewFinity S9 5K monitor

USB-C/Thunderbolt display options have really expanded over the last couple of years. While Apple’s Pro Display XDR isn’t the best fit for most Mac users at $5,000+, it also offers the more affordable Studio Display. But there are also lots of solid choices from LG, Samsung, BenQ, and more. Here are the best USB-C/Thunderbolt displays with many available in the $400-$1,600 range.

Update 6/17/24: Samsung is running a limited-time promo with 38% off the 5K ViewFinity S9.

Expand Expanding Close

Reminders in iOS 18: All the new features coming this fall

Reminders app iOS 18

iOS 18 is one of the biggest software updates ever for the iPhone. Apple Intelligence is the headliner, but there are also powerful new customization tools and big changes to the apps you rely on every day, like Photos, Messages, and Notes.

A key productivity tool being improved this year is the Reminders app, which includes a variety of great new features coming in iOS 18 this fall.

Expand Expanding Close

9to5Mac Overtime 022: iOS 18 is here!

This week’s episode is all about WWDC 2024, with a primary focus on iOS 18. Fernando and Jeff discuss visionOS 2, their favorite iOS 18 features, and more.

9to5Mac Overtime is a weekly video-first podcast exploring fun and interesting observations in the Apple ecosystem, featuring 9to5Mac’s Fernando Silva & Jeff Benjamin. Subscribe to Overtime via Apple Podcasts. You can also watch this episode on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more.

Expand Expanding Close
Dual-boot iPad would be nuts | M4 iPad Pro models shown

Deals: 1TB 11-inch M4 iPad Pro all-time low, 15-inch 16GB M3 MacBook Air $210 off, Series 9 GPS + Cell 45mm $129 off, more

Your Monday morning edition of the 9to5Toys Lunch Break has arrived, and it’s filled with deals on Apple’s latest and greatest. This morning ushered in the very first straight up cash deal on the 1TB 11-inch M4 iPad Pro just before we spotted the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air with the 16GB RAM upgrade at $210 off. This past weekend saw a particularly notable deal go live on Apple Watch Series 9 GPS + Cell models that are starting at even lower prices in the larger 45mm sizes alongside a massive price drop on the official Leather Link band, 15W MagSafe chargers, and more. Head below for a closer look.

Expand Expanding Close

iPhone 15 Pro Max Neural Engine up to 25% faster with iOS 18 in early benchmarks

iPhone 15 Pro Max 5G speed

We learned that Apple Intelligence will require an A17 Pro chip or later at WWDC last week. And now that the iOS 18 beta is out in the wild, we’re seeing the first benchmarks for performance on the iPhone 15 Pro/Max. The new software significantly boosts Neural Engine performance with the iPhone 15 Pro Max being up to 25% faster for machine learning tasks.

Expand Expanding Close
Steven Spielberg

Sometimes your Apple Watch fails, and per Steven Spielberg’s example you just have to throw it

We have all experienced those moments when our tech fails us, and we just want to throw it. It turns out that Steven Spielberg, the prestigious director behind Jurassic Park, Jaws, and West Side Story, is just like the rest of us, as that’s exactly what he did over the weekend when his Apple Watch mistakenly thought he had fallen.

Expand Expanding Close

Apple AI logo is intended to look unthreatening, and non-anthropomorphic

Apple AI logo (left), and new Siri icon (right)

An interesting piece suggests that Apple’s AI logo* – along with the new Siri icon – is intended to look friendly, unthreatening, and is deliberately non-anthropomorphic.

*Yeah, that could be Apple Artificial Intelligence, or Apple Apple Intelligence. Thanks, Tim.

Other companies appear to have set themselves the same goals with their AI offerings, hence all the simple, colorful graphics …

Expand Expanding Close

Apple podcast transcription feature took six years from first launch

Apple podcast transcription screengrabs

The Apple podcast transcription feature was officially launched in iOS 17.4, but the company says that it actually introduced a very limited version way back in 2018.

Apple says that it took so long to launch as a fully-fledged accessibility feature because the company wanted to make it universal, and to incorporate learnings from Apple Music lyrics …

Expand Expanding Close

Philips Hue Twilight bedside lamp simulates sunrise and sunset – leaked images

Philips Hue Twilight bedside lamp | Leaked images

Leaked images have revealed that a new Philips Hue Twilight bedside lamp is on the way. In addition to a standard angled lamp, there are separate LEDs at the rear which can be used to simulate sunrise and sunset.

Philips already released the Philips Hue Signe gradient lamp back in 2022, with bedside tables one of the suggested uses, but the Twilight appears to take a more focused approach to bedroom use …

Expand Expanding Close

Siri improvements, ChatGPT, Apple Intelligence and more – when will each arrive?

Siri improvements, ChatGPT, Apple Intelligence and more | Apple promo image on colorful background

The iOS 18 beta 1 has brought some of the promised new changes, but it doesn’t include Siri improvements, ChatGPT access, or many of the Apple Intelligence features (though there are a few exceptions).

Apple hasn’t revealed a precise timeline for each of the new features, likely wanting to avoid making promises it can’t keep, but there are some indications of what we can expect when …

Expand Expanding Close

Kuo: Apple Watch Series 10 to feature larger display and thinner chassis, approaching Ultra screen size

In his latest note, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote that he believes the upcoming Apple Watch Series 10 will feature a thinner chassis and a larger display, compared to Apple Watch Series 9. What is perhaps most surprising is just how much bigger Kuo believes the screens are getting.

Kuo says the Watch will increase from the current 41mm and 45mm sizes to about 45mm and 49mm respectively. Remember, unlike other Apple devices, these sizes measure case height of the watch, not diagonal screen size. Naturally, a taller case also means a bigger display. For comparison, the current Apple Watch Ultra is also measured at 49mm case height.

Expand Expanding Close

iOS 18: top 18 features and changes for iPhone [Video]

In this initial hands-on walkthrough, I discuss 18 of my favorite new changes and features from the first iOS 18 beta for iPhone. I explain why you should be excited about new long-awaited updates to the iOS Calendar app, Reminders, Notes, Messages, and more. Watch our hands-on video, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more hands-on iOS 18 coverage.

Expand Expanding Close

Security Bite: Can Apple’s new Passwords app replace your password manager?

Apple Passwords app iOS 18 macOS seqouia

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.

For years, Apple provided its built-in Keychain password management tool hidden within the Settings app. This tool allowed passwords to be automatically generated and saved in the Passwords section, but it could often be cumbersome when a user needs to quickly manage particular logins.

Now, in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, passwords have broken away into its own dedicated app called Passwords. Apple hopes this change will make managing credentials more convenient for its users, but one question is on everyone’s mind right now: Does it offer enough to replace paid password managers? Let’s talk about it.

Expand Expanding Close