Parker Ortolani

A few weeks ago, Apple officially classified the original 12-inch MacBook from 2015 as “vintage.” This comes as Apple drops support for the machine with this fall’s release of macOS Monterey. Fortunately, Apple actually released three other variations of the machine between 2016 and 2018 before officially discontinuing it in 2019. Two years after Apple stopped selling the 12-inch MacBook, I’m still heartbroken that the machine fell victim to consumers’ undying love for the MacBook Air. With Apple Silicon and M1, it’s time to think about bringing it back.

In addition to the new MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12, Apple has also released two new colors for the AirTag leather key ring and the AirTag leather loop. Both are now available in California poppy and forest green. The leather key rings are priced at $35 while the the leather loops are priced at $39. You can purchase them now from Apple.com.

Fast Company tech editor Harry McCracken has figured out a way to install a classic version of Windows, version 3.1 to be exact, on the iPad. Using an app called iDOS, you can install the traditional desktop environment with support for third-party applications on an iPad. How-to Geek‘s Benj Edwards has put together a step-by-step guide on how to get Windows 3.1 up and running on your iPad using iDOS.

Lots of folks like to think of the Mac as just another product in Apple’s precious walled garden, but many don’t know that you can actually run virtually any operating system on a Mac with a little bit of work. It’s fairly easy to get the three biggest platforms that aren’t made by Apple up and running on a Mac, even at the same time. Here’s how to do it.

Using the Google Pixel Buds A-Series with the iPhone has been a better experience than I expected, but it’s not as good as using AirPods. That should be expected given the fact that they are made by Apple’s biggest competitor. But Google’s Pixel Buds A are excellent wireless earbuds with great fit and decent sound. Long story short, they are an impeccable value over the standard AirPods even if you have to make some compromises. 

The same developer behind the now incredibly popular “OldOS” TestFlight app for iPhone, Zane Kleinberg, is back with a new tool that lets you use classic macOS widgets through a web browser. Kleinberg explained how classic macOS widgets, first introduced in Tiger, were made entirely out of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This enabled him to revive several old Apple-designed widgets, including calculator, world clock, unit converter, stickies, and the tile puzzle.

Earlier this week, Apple introduced the new International Collection of Apple Watch bands designed to celebrate the Summer Olympics. There are 22 bands in total, available for all sizes of Apple Watch. Each band is based on Apple’s sport loop but has unique country-specific designs. We’ve got our hands on a few of the new bands and want to show them off.

I’ve used a Mac my entire life, and it’s certainly no secret that I have a special affinity for Apple. But it’s important to keep an eye on the competition. All of these operating systems push each other forward. They keep each other on their toes. So when Microsoft unveiled Windows 11 with a specific emphasis on its refined design, I had to try it out. Here’s what I think after using it for a few hours.

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It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 14 years since Apple shipped the first iPhones. On this day in 2007, Apple Stores across the United States hosted the “iPhone World Premiere,” and life was never the same. Looking back on that day, it’s clear that it marked a turning point. It was the beginning of a revolution in basically every single industry.

Yesterday I published a piece about how Apple could address concerns about Safari’s new bottom bar centric design in iOS 15. Many folks are unhappy with the redesign, but some of us (me included) really like it. I spent some time figuring out different ways Apple could extend this new design language to other built-in apps on the iPhone. I narrowed it down to three distinct user interface components.

One of the biggest updates in iOS 15 is the completely overhauled Safari. It’s been controversial, to say the least. We’ve heard from many users who are already fed up with the new design just a few weeks after using it in beta. And while some do seem to like the new design, there are still several ways that could make it more useable for the average person.

Earlier this week, we shared the first part of our iOS 16 concept and explained why we were publishing these ideas so far in advance, especially with the first iOS 15 beta just dropping. That first piece focused on changes to system components, while this piece focuses on individual apps and ties the two together. We looked at a few of Apple’s built-in apps that we believe could use some additional love, as well as ways for Apple to go after some of its biggest competitors.

The new Safari design in macOS Monterey has been controversial, to say the least. The new design is radically different from previous versions of Safari, with features like color adaptivity, a dynamic url bar, and buttons crammed into a single three-dot list. Luckily, Twitter user Zhuowei Zhang has found a way to bring back the old design if you’re not happy with the new one.

Apple only just released the first beta of iOS 15 a week ago, so you probably read the headline and thought that we’re thinking way too far ahead. The reality is that Apple is mapping out what they’re going to work on over the next year right now. It wouldn’t make sense to create an iOS 16 concept early next year after all of the details have been locked in. We’ve heard from several people at Apple that concepts and wishlists should be drawn up way earlier than they usually are. So we’re starting early this time.

Apple has added a few new iPhone 12 silicone cases to the online store. The new colors include sunflower, cloud blue, and electric orange. All three colors are available for each of the four iPhone 12 models. They are priced at the same $49 and are available for delivery starting this Wednesday.

After a long week of exciting announcements from WWDC, the company has officially announced the winners of this year’s Apple Design Awards. As always, Apple’s goal is to recognize and promote developers that do outstanding work, whether that be in design, innovation, delight, impact, interaction, or inclusivity. This year’s winners include some really great apps like Carrot Weather and Pok Pok Playroom.

Several different YouTubers have posted FaceTime calls with Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi in which they talk about different announcements from WWDC. The conversations include everything from iOS 15 to macOS Monterey. You can check out the videos embedded below.

A few weeks before WWDC, Apple previewed a few new accessibility features that will be coming later this year. One of those features was background sounds, which Apple plans to ship in iOS 15. Background sounds are effectively built-in white noise features with additional accessibility options. These new features are hidden in the Settings app and aren’t easily discoverable. We think they are so important that they warrant their own app in the future, and it should be called “Sounds.”

Following the WWDC keynote, Apple has released the first beta of SF Symbols 3. This latest version of SF Symbols includes over 600 new designs developers and designers can use in their apps. The update also includes a new inspector for seeing details about individual symbols.

A major new feature quietly introduced today in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey is a built-in two factor verification code generator. Like with passwords, you’ll be able connect internet accounts to Apple’s Settings apps. The best part though? Settings will actually autofill two factor codes if it detects you are signing into a registered account.