Zac Hall

Apple surprised us on Monday morning with the introduction of the M3 MacBook Air. It can now drive two external monitors while the lid is closed, the midnight color should be less prone to fingerprints, and both the 13- and 15-inch sizes are available from day one. Apple calls the M3 MacBook Air the best consumer laptop for AI, and it hits stores on Friday. In the meantime, let’s check out some of the first press reviews.

Apple’s iOS 17.4 software update for iPhone is now available. It features major App Store changes in the EU, new emoji for everyone, and a slight update to CarPlay.

Here’s how Apple describes the CarPlay update in iOS 17.4:

In the latest installment of Things No One Should Lose Sleep Over, Epic Games says Apple has taken down its newly reinstated developer account in the EU. In a blog post, Epic partially blames a tweet as Apple’s reason for doing so. Epic says this hinders its plans to launch a competing app marketplace in the EU.

Regain clarity with CleanMyPhone by MacPaw — the new AI-powered cleaning app that quickly identifies and removes blurred images, screenshots, and other clutter from your device. Download it now with a free trial.

Spotify teased up a version of its iPhone app earlier this year that would let users subscribe to ad-free plans directly in the app. Despite dramatic changes forced by the Digital Markets Act and a gigantic $2 billion fine by the EU, Spotify has reportedly changed its tune for now.

Regain clarity with CleanMyPhone by MacPaw — the new AI-powered cleaning app that quickly identifies and removes blurred images, screenshots, and other clutter from your device. Download it now with a free trial.

In 2020, switching from Intel to Apple silicon brought incredible performance-per-watt improvements to the Mac. It also enabled iPhone and iPad apps to natively run on macOS for the first time. A year later, Microsoft and Amazon teamed up to bring some Android apps to Windows with a similar approach.

The difference? Apple was rewarding developers and users with the culmination of its own technology to expand the app catalog on the Mac. Microsoft, on the other hand, well, no one is exactly sure what they were trying to achieve.

Regain clarity with CleanMyPhone by MacPaw — the new AI-powered cleaning app that quickly identifies and removes blurred images, screenshots, and other clutter from your device. Download it now with a free trial.

Apple has confirmed it will release the final version of iOS 17.4, officially bringing the software update out of beta. iOS 17.4 is packed with changes including new emoji characters, podcast transcriptions, virtual Apple Cash card numbers, and much more. The update also addresses Digital Markets Act regulatory requirements in the EU with support for competing app marketplaces and other changes where required.

Regain clarity with CleanMyPhone by MacPaw — the new AI-powered cleaning app that quickly identifies and removes blurred images, screenshots, and other clutter from your device. Download it now with a free trial.

Update: Services were restored after an outage of 1-2 hours for most people. The most likely explanation appears to be a mistake within Meta, similar to that in 2021.

Did you just get randomly signed out of Facebook? It’s not just you. The platform is facing an outage that has logged out users. The outage will cause your password to be rejected, but your password isn’t wrong.

Another day, another case of Apple stoking the growth fire on Wall Street with the magical two letters: AI.

Tim Cook’s shareholder meeting comments about Apple breaking new ground for AI this year were intended to excite investors. According to one analyst, however, the market has not been persuaded by promises. Still, they make the case for one investors should be optimistic about the company’s revenue growth with AI.

Meanwhile, Apple has found new ways to market existing silicon using AI. The term AI, not the technology, that is.

Apple has issued the first release candidate versions of more upcoming software updates. Following iOS 17.4 RC last week, Apple just dropped release candidate versions of visionOS 1.1, macOS 14.4, watchOS 10.4, and tvOS 17.4.

Apple introduced the M3 MacBook Air with a headlining new feature. For the first time, the Apple silicon MacBook Air will be able to simultaneously drive two external monitors. The only compromise is that the MacBook Air lid must be closed. Still, that’s a big win for users who appreciate portability on-the-go and large displays at the office.

The new feature also raises an interesting question: will the M3 MacBook Pro that was introduced in October also gain multi-display support in the same way? It shares the same version of Apple silicon and has Pro in the name, after all.

Happy MagSafe Monday to those who celebrate! Last fall, Apple added FaceTime to Apple TV 4K as part of tvOS 17. Now the company is selling a Belkin MagSafe mount for using the iPhone-enabled feature more easily. The accessory also makes video calling with iPhone on Apple TV 4K easier with apps like Zoom and Webex.

Apple is updating the iPhone with even more emoji characters. iOS 17.4 introduces new ways to express approval or denial, break through the chains, rise from the ashes, or just express that limes are superior to lemons. There’s also a mushroom that looks less out of Mario World and more out of the grocery store.

The new emoji characters are also available in macOS 14.4 on the Mac, watchOS 10.4 for Apple Watch, and iPadOS 17.4 for iPad. For Apple Vision Pro owners, they appear in visionOS 1.1 developer beta.

CarPlay has graduated from a niche upgrade option to a mainstream standard feature in new cars, replacing clunky radio user interfaces with a design very familiar for iPhone users. But before Apple set CarPlay loose in the wild, the world was shown a very different design for Apple’s infotainment feature under a different name.

Sunday marks 10 years since Apple publicly rebranded “iOS in the Car” as CarPlay. Here’s a look back:

Redmond, start your photocopiers! After recently innovating Windows with center-aligned, bottom-docked apps, Microsoft is catching up with macOS in a more useful way. Tom Warren at The Verge reports that Windows 11 is gaining the ability to use a phone as a webcam. 

Apple Australia on YouTube has published two new advertisements for the Apple Watch that showcase the device’s health and safety features. Both stories are retellings of actual experiences Apple Watch customers have had.

If you’re keen on running unreleased firmware on your AirPods, you’re in luck. Apple just released a new developer beta firmware update for AirPods Pro 2.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has a message for Wall Street. He believes Apple “break new ground” on generative AI this year. Cook’s latest AI hype comments came today during Apple’s annual shareholders meeting.

In addition to releasing iOS 17.4 RC 1, Apple has updated several other beta software releases today. This includes the fourth beta of the upcoming visionOS 1.1 update. The new version adds mobile device management support for enterprise email and calendar, the latest emoji characters, and improvements to Persona.

Additionally, Apple has released the fifth beta versions of its other non-iOS software updates. This includes macOS Sonoma 14.4, tvOS 17.4, and the HomePod 17.4 update. No sign of watchOS 10.4 beta 5 yet.

Apple has released the first iOS 17.4 RC (release candidate) ahead of the expected final version shipping next week.

iOS 17.4 addresses new regulation in the EU as required by the Digital Markets Act. The primary change is in policy with Apple now forced to allow app markets to compete with the App Store on iPhone. iOS 17.4 delivers the system-level infrastructure to support alternative app stores.

Globally, iOS 17.4 has a collection of feature additions including updates to CarPlay, the latest emoji characters, and more.

We’re still learning everything Apple Vision Pro can do thanks to creative developers like Geert Bevin. For example, did you know apps can create floating wrist HUDs as if you were wearing a futuristic watch that projected information? That’s something his new MIDI Widgets app for Apple Vision Pro can do, and it’s a must-have for musicians.

Apple is reportedly hiring away the current White House deputy press secretary. Olivia Alair Dalton currently serves as Deputy Assistant to the President and White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary.