Benjamin Mayo

Apple today announced it is extending the free usage period for Emergency SOS satellite features for iPhone 14 users. Previously, Apple gave iPhone 14 customers two free years after device activation, which would have began expiring this time next year.

But now, all current iPhone 14 users will be able to use the service for free for another two years. Apple has not revealed how much it will charge for Emergency SOS via satellite when the free period is up, and today’s announcement means the company can defer any decision making on that further into the future.

The Tado Smart Thermostat system is one of a few options available for United Kingdom home owners looking to upgrade their heating to smart home control. I’ve been using it for almost a year, and I’m generally very happy with it.

The Tado system is composed of a central controller, an internet bridge to connect to HomeKit, and optional radiator valves to control heating on a per-room basis.

A strange quirk of production delays and scheduling has meant Apple has not updated any iPad model this calendar year, for the first time ever.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says he expects the company will aggressively catch up in 2024, updating the entire lineup with new models of iPad Air including a larger 12.9-inch size option, iPad Pro with OLED displays, updates to iPad mini and a new generation of the cheapest entry-level iPad.

The new Double Tap gesture is the hero feature of the Apple Watch Series 9, allowing users to control their watch ‘hands-free’ without needing to touch the screen. Apple is certainly pushing the feature aggressively with a new series of ads running on social media this week.

Before getting the new watch, it was hard to tell whether Double Tap would be a genuinely convenient gesture, or a rarely-used gimmick once the novelty wears off. A month in, I think the truth is somewhere in the middle …

In a perhaps unsurprising move, Bloomberg reports Apple is set to appeal to the European Union about the inclusion of its App Store and iMessage services in the Digital Markets Act.

The EU has deemed the App Store and iMessage as gatekeeper monopoly services, which will require Apple to make changes like allowing alternatives to In-App Purchases, app sideloading, and more.

As spotted by FlatpanelsHD, the Apple TV app on tvOS 17.2 beta is starting to list 3D versions of movies, which will be playable on the upcoming Apple Vision Pro headset.

In the metadata section of a compatible movie, a new “3D” icon appears alongside the symbols for Dolby Vision, 4K, age rating and such. The 3D icon is in the shape of a headset, indicating that the 3D playback experience will only be accessible through the Vision Pro.

The actors guild announced last night that it has reached a tentative deal with the studios and streamers, ending the actors strike. The deal still has to be ratified by SAG members, but that is basically a foregone conclusion at this point.

The overlapping strikes of writers (which was resolved in September) and actors have resulted in more than six months of shutdown in the Hollywood industry this year, and billions of dollars in lost economic value. For streamers like Apple, it has severely impacted their content pipeline with almost no production happening in the US since the summer.

Apple and its partners at WildBrain have announced plans today for a new Peanuts feature-length movie featuring Snoopy and the gang. The as-yet-untitled project expands the Apple TV+ Peanuts universe, which sees the streamer as the exclusive home of all classic Peanuts specials, as well as new original series and specials.

The new movie will go into production next year, and its announcement shows Apple Original Films remains committed to the animation genre despite ending its Skydance deal prematurely.

Apple really wants customers to buy the new M3 iMac, so much so they have told The Verge today that the company has no plans to make a 27-inch iMac running on Apple Silicon.

This means prospective buyers can stop holding out hope for a direct successor to the 27-inch iMac form factor that existed in the Intel era. However, Apple’s statement to press today specifically refers to the 27-inch model, which leaves the door open to a possible future iMac with an even larger display …

Apple is rumored to be developing a custom in-house battery design, according to an industry report from ET News. Apple is apparently looking at using alternative cathode materials that will enhance the overall performance of the battery module, with an aim to increase the effective battery life of its future products.

Apple refers to its own batteries as ‘Apple-designed’ already, but what is described here would be a much deeper venture than we have seen before from the company. This was foreshadowed somewhat back in 2019 when Apple hired away a Samsung SDI exec to work on battery development.

A new sci-fi romantic drama, Fingernails, is streaming today on Apple TV+. The movie stars Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, and Jeremy Allen White. Here’s how to watch.

Following on from leaked benchmarks for the M3 chip, we now have a look at how the high-end M3 Max chip fares on Geekbench. The jump in performance for the M3 Max chip found in the high-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro means it rivals the M2 Ultra chip found in the Mac Pro and high-end Mac Studio desktops, at least as far as these first published CPU benchmark results are concerned.

On the single-core test, M3 Max achieves an average score of ~2980. On multi-core, M3 Max hits around ~20800. This compares very favorably to the previous best Apple Silicon chip, the M2 Ultra, which scores ~2800 and ~21000 respectively.

Apple TV+ today announced a new original movie The Family Plan, starring Mark Wahlberg. The film is set to stream globally on Apple’s streaming service from December 15, perfectly in time for the holiday period.

The action-comedy feature sees Wahlberg play Dan Morgan, a retired government assassin who is now living the quiet life as a family man … until he is discovered and his family is threatened.

Apple today announced the new MacBook Pro lineup featuring M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips, which deliver significant CPU and GPU performance leaps.

The lineup now starts with a cheaper 14-inch MacBook Pro model powered by the base model M3 chip. There are also the usual higher-end configurations with M3 Pro and M3 Max, available in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes. The M3 model allows Apple to offer a lower starting price, from $1599.

Following tradition, Apple has taken down the online store ahead of its special event, which is set to kick off in just under 30 minutes. We are expecting to see new M3 Apple Silicon Macs announced, including updated 24-inch iMac and 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.

The Apple homepage has a little easter egg today: If you hover over the Apple logo with your mouse, it changes to an animated countdown.

Apple doesn’t normally show a count down on the homepage ahead of events, but it’s quite useful in this case due to the unusual start time: the event today starts in the evening at 5PM Pacific Time, whereas most Apple events kick off at 10 AM PT. A 5PM start means the stream will start in about nine hours from now, as seen in the screenshot of the countdown above.

The current AirPods Max headphones have not been revised since their introduction in December 2020, whereas AirPods Pro have seen multiple updates in hardware and software.

Bloomberg has previously reported that Apple will update AirPods Max with USB-C and new color options later next year. We had assumed this would also be the time to bring them up to speed with the AirPods Pro feature set. But apparently, that won’t be the case …

After embracing HomeKit in a big way starting in 2022, and testing several motion sensors in the intervening months, my recommendation for best HomeKit motion sensor is the Eve Motion.

The Eve Motion sensor connects directly to the Home app on your iPhone, triggers HomeKit automations quickly in response to motion events, and has a very reliable connection in my experience of many months of real world use.

Apple is going the extra mile to promote Monday’s video-only Apple event, in which the company will announce updates to the 24-inch iMac and MacBook Pro featuring M3 Apple silicon chips.

Apple is sending out special gift boxes to select influencers, such as Lamarr Wilson. The boxes include a pair of AirPods Max headphones and some “sweet and spooky” snacks and drinks to consume while watching the event on Monday night.