Ben Lovejoy

With Apple having announced a new Mac Studio with the exact same chipset, it seemed clear that the 2023 Mac Pro market would be pretty small – if not dead on arrival.

Talking to pro Mac users with demanding needs, it seems that the 16-inch MacBook Pro has also cannibalized much of its market…

Apple has limited a Vision Pro safe area to 10 feet by 10 feet, when using fully immersive VR experiences. It follows earlier news of a speed limit when using the device.

The limit is likely designed to prevent the sort of virtual reality headset accidents frequently seen in YouTube videos, but some are saying that it might prove too limiting for some types of gameplay, as well as proving a significant limitation for some commercial and industrial uses …

Facebook Messenger parental controls have long been available for Messenger Kids – the special version of the chat app designed for children below 13 years of age – but not for teens. This has now changed, with parental controls coming to the main Messenger app when used by teens aged 13 to 18.

Separately, TikTok is integrating two existing filtering features after continuing concerns about showing inappropriate content to children – though as always, in a very weak way …

The announcement of the $3500 Vision Pro starting price didn’t go down well with those in the keynote audience, but a company which makes an even more expensive mixed-reality headset believes that Apple’s entry into the field is a good thing for its own prospects.

Varjo’s XR-3 VR/AR headset comes in at an even more eye-watering $6500, but the company claims that it welcomes the competition …

A hiker who broke her leg was airlifted to safety by helicopter after using her iPhone 14’s Emergency SOS via Satellite feature.

The woman was able to call for help, despite not even knowing how the feature worked …

The airline 5G mess – where some planes with older radio altimeters could be confused by strong 5G signals when making their final approach to US airports – still isn’t over.

Airlines were given until July 1 to update their fleets, but some won’t meet this weekend’s deadline for three reasons, and their flights will be subject to delay as a result …

Questions are being raised about TSMC Arizona plant safety, after multiple accidents, near-misses, and claims of a faked active shooter drill to cover up the evacuation needed for a dangerous gas leak.

One union rep says that the plant – which is set to make chips for Apple – is “easily the most unsafe site” he’s seen in 17 years …

Planned improvements to NFC specifications are likely to see improvements to Apple Pay range and speed.

Another proposed change would enable the Wallet app to get smarter, as the standard will begin supporting multiple actions with a single tap …

Australia’s prime minister has echoed the advice of cybersecurity professionals, in recommending that you turn off your iPhone for five minutes every night.

No, it’s not so you can reduce your daily Screen Time to 23 hours and 55 minutes, but to stop any spyware that may be running in the background on your device …

One of the main questions asked since the US launch of Apple Card is: When will it be launched in other countries? A new report suggests that the Cupertino company is in active discussions for a planned Apple Card global rollout, but it may not be easy.

The report says that Apple is talking to both banks and regulators about launching the card in India …

Reddit threatened multiple moderators of subreddits, after they made the decision to remain closed as a continuing protest against the upcoming API charges that killed the popular third-party app Apollo.

Effectively, they have been told that the subreddit will be taken away from them unless they re-open. Additionally, Reddit is forcing rule changes that are likely to reduce the quality of posts …

Bob Clearmountain, the US recording engineer who mixed Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. album, says that he hopes Spatial Audio will bring back the days when people sat down and actively listened to music – instead of it simply being a background soundtrack to their lives.

Artist Alicia Keys says that it should, as it completely transforms the experience of listening to an album …

We noted last week that Vision Pro supply will be constrained by the advanced OLEDoS displays used in this device. So far, Sony is Apple’s sole supplier, but Chinese company SeeYa is hoping to change that.

SeeYa has just spent $24M on kit designed to boost its own production of OLED on Silicon (OLEDoS) displays, and the company is reportedly targeting Apple orders …

Apple yesterday released the first SDK for visionOS, and we dived into the Xcode simulator to take a look at what we can expect. The company also released Vision Pro developer guidelines, which provide more clues about the upcoming spatial computing experience.

Third-party Vision Pro apps are likely to play a significant role in boosting the appeal of the device, and Apple is offering developers advice on providing the best user experience …

Yet another Apple union-busting tactic has been found to be illegal. Yesterday’s ruling by a judge was the third time that the company was found to have broken employment law in its efforts to stem the growing tide of Apple Store staff forming and joining unions.

A US labor board judge found that the company was guilty of “coercively interrogating workers” about their unionization activities …

We reported a couple of days ago that a planned new European law could force Apple to make iPhone battery replacement an easier process. The law would also apply to other tech products made by the Cupertino company – indeed, it might apply to all of them.

We noted at the time the lack of any clear definition or guidelines, and a new piece today shows just how many questions the new law could raise …