The limitation affects all of the new hearing capabilities, including the hearing test feature, hearing aid functionality, and enhanced hearing protection. These features require the latest AirPods Pro 2 model and a device running iOS 18.1 or iPadOS 18.1.
The regional restriction likely stems from regulatory requirements – Apple has obtained FDA authorization in the United States to market AirPods Pro 2 as "clinical grade" hearing aids. Similar approvals from health regulators in other countries may be necessary before Apple can expand the features' availability.
While some people are surely loving their new iPhone 16, many users have been afflicted since their launch last month by a serious bug causing their phones to freeze, ignore touch inputs, and then randomly restart. But it looks like the end is finally in sight, with the rollout of a major software update which is understood to contain a fix.
While there is no information in iOS 18.1 about what to expect for these devices, we are expecting them to be refreshed with USB-C ports. Apple has been updating all of its devices to replace Lightning with USB-C, and all of those accessories currently use Lightning for recharging purposes.
The Apple chief executive’s latest visit to the mainland reflects his efforts to keep his ear to the ground in one of the company’s largest markets, as analysts see consumer enthusiasm for the iPhone 16 has been tepid because of the delayed local availability of Apple Intelligence.
Apple Intelligence could do for generative AI what the Mac or graphic user interface did for personal computers: help tame it, and make it seem ordinary and acceptable.
Disney is no longer allowing its customers to sign up for and purchase subscriptions to Hulu or Disney+ through Apple's App Store, cutting out any subscription fees that Disney would have needed to pay to Apple for using in-app purchase.
Though it is inevitably true the gear you buy depreciates, my MacBook has only become a better value proposition over the years. I bought a light production device then and now have something capable of running many of the best PC games of all time, such as Baldur's Gate 3 and Disco Elysium, with ease.
This is because it has quietly become a reasonably good gaming device in its own right. However, that's not why people buy Apple devices—and pretty much never has been.
Photographs, even mundane ones, pause and magnify. They let us look, and look, and look at what our roving eyes pass over. And we often pass over everyday things—which is why it can be fascinating to find out what your coffee mug, or your cat, or your own face looks like at just the right time of day.
Yes, so it is confirmed the new hearing aid feature will not be available for me. I do hope Apple can get through the regulators swiftly and get this new feature to as many people as possible.
I am still wondering if Apple can push this feature out to the entire world if it 'just' don't call it an hearing aid. Of course, I definitely don't know much about health device regulations to know if this is a so-so idea or a terrible idea.
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I did a count: between my wife and I, we still have seven devices that we need to charge using lightning cables. (Out of these seven devices, three can be charged by MagSafe.)
Can you guess what are the seven devices? (Obviously, two of them are iPhones.)
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I am surprised that Apple hasn't really said anything about Apple Intelligence in China.
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Thanks for reading.