Aaron Mackey, free speech and transparency litigation director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), notes that the Texas law doesn't have any built-in protections for user data, such as minimizing what is collected and transmitted and for how long it is retained. Plus, there are risks present in the likelihood that app stores will utilize third-party verification services to comply with the requirements, meaning data is available to multiple parties.
The EFF and the ACLU also argue that online age verification requirements violate users' First Amendment rights, as they may make protected free speech inaccessible—if adults don't have a valid form of identification, or facial recognition inaccurately estimates age, or minors can't get parental consent—or force people to choose between shielding their privacy and being online.
Most people these days either tolerate these privacy intrusions or outright don’t care about them. But there’s a growing movement that believes it’s time to claim our privacy back. Some are working piecemeal, blocking trackers and reducing permissions where they can, while not totally ditching modern digital society as a whole. Others, however, are as hardcore as can be—a modern equivalent of "going off the grid."
Apple has released its highly anticipated feature film documentary event Bono: Stories of Surrender, the company’s first dual-format feature film release, available both in a traditional 2D presentation and Apple Immersive Video for Apple Vision Pro on Apple TV+.
The first version of Classic Mac OS released with the original Macintosh 128K naturally came with System 1.0 and Finder 1.0. Within a few months, version numbering was already becoming confusing, when the successor System Software 0.1 had apparently started at 0.0, but the System itself had reached 1.1. This worsened when System Software 1.0 was released two years later, and came with System 3.1 and Finder 5.2.
For depicting something like the apocalypse of this series, Boyle believes “it’s wonderful to give yourself parameters that you use to try and depict it and have technical limitations.” That would include using iPhones to shoot certain sequences – sometimes as many as 20 of them at a time. But that was just one of the methods the filmmaker implemented.
Apple has shared its third-ever App Store Transparency Report today. The report includes granular information on things like app removals and appeals, App Store user traffic, government takedown requests, and more.
Yet another thing I hate to find out in the morning: one of the AirPods was not placed nicely in the case and is not charged overnight, and now either I have to not listen to any audio at all for quite a few more minutes, or I have to listen with one ear only with no noise cancelling.
In the grand scheme of things, not a big deal. But, hey, I am still unhappy for that quite a few minutes.
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In announcing ticket sales for this year's live episode going live today, Gruber has revealed that Apple declined his invitation for executives to appear on this year's episode, for the first time in the decade of this tradition.
As it faces increasing legal pressure in the United States, Apple today shared the results of a commissioned study that delves into the success of the App Store ecosystem and the money that it's earned developers large and small through digital and physical purchases.
A month after the holy-fucking-shit finale of Season 2, the star and the director of “Severance” sit down for what I can only assume is one of the last stops on their impressive, six-month global press tour. It’s starting to look more like a victory lap. When I interviewed both of them in December before the premiere, Scott and Stiller were focused on rallying those who watched Season 1 to tune back in for Season 2. Now, the show is bigger than either of them could have imagined: What started as a niche sci-fi hit with awards and critical acclaim has become a cultural juggernaut. Terms like “innie” and “outie” have permeated office vocabulary. Its characters and their cubicles took over Grand Central Station — and the internet — for two days. And its theme song was performed for some 50,000 people at Coachella.
“For me, it’s when the organ player at Madison Square Garden plays it during Knicks games,” says Stiller. “Like I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
Amidst the strain of tariffs, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced Thursday the launch of a new 7,083-piece iPhone kit.
I sure hope Apple is relooking at all its traditions, and will be breaking all 'rules' this WWDC. (And it's not just that Apple is thin-skinned.)
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According to Rich Siegel of Bare Bones Software, publishers of BBEdit, the inspiration for the new Workspaces feature was actually the app’s mechanic that restores settings more generally. He realized that same mechanic could be used to save and restore different states, so for instance, if you’re switching between projects or clients or types of work, you can now save your existing workspace and load a new one, with a completely different set of open windows. When you’re ready to switch back, you just load the old workspace and the current set of open windows disappears, replaced by the other workspace. It’s a simple concept that will make life easier for a lot of people who use BBEdit in many different contexts.
The main use I’ve found for workspaces is when I’m doing some ad hoc work with a random collection of files and I need to pause that and temporarily switch gears to do something else. I can save the current state as a temporary workspace, clear everything away, do some urgent work in a project, and then restore what I was doing. This is also how I use Safari tab groups. They’re not part of my day-to-day workflow, but they’re occasionally very handy.
The next Apple operating systems will be identified by year, rather than with a version number, according to people with knowledge of the matter. That means the current iOS 18 will give way to “iOS 26,” said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plan is still private. Other updates will be known as iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26 and visionOS 26.
Apple is making the change to bring consistency to its branding and move away from an approach that can be confusing to customers and developers. Today’s operating systems — including iOS 18, watchOS 12, macOS 15 and visionOS 2 — use different numbers because their initial versions didn’t debut at the same time.
Apple has today updated Logic Pro for both Mac and iPad, with an improved stem splitter now able to separate guitar and piano tracks from existing recordings, new sound packs, and even the ability to rescue you if you forgot to save a track.
Apple today announced that DIRECTV customers can watch Apple's weekly Sunday Night Soccer production at no additional cost, for the remainder of the 2025 Major League Soccer season. This includes both residential customers at home, as well as commercial customers, such as sports bars and restaurants that subscribe to DIRECTV.
Apple today expanded the Messages via Satellite and Find My via Satellite features to Mexico, allowing iPhone users in Mexico to take advantage of Globalstar satellites for communication when cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity options are unavailable.
To help users with this transition, we’ve rounded up a number of apps you might want to consider.
Anyone who’s used a Mac for years understands the value of Spotlight search, as it can quickly help you search through your Mac, email, apps, and system settings. But if you want to take things to the next level, check out Raycast — a powerful Spotlight alternative that goes beyond simple search.
From setting reminders and tracking flights to running Terminal commands and finding files, Raycast is built for speed and efficiency. It really is a Swiss Army Knife for your Mac. Here’s how I use it to supercharge my productivity on the Mac.
Everyone has different needs and circumstances, but if you’ve found yourself struggling to eject disks that macOS refuses to let go of, forgetting to eject disks before disconnecting them from your laptop, or fussing to eject and remount disks regularly, Jettison may be your new favorite utility. Give it a try.
Satechi today added a range of new accessories to its line of FindAll products, all of which integrate with Apple's Find My app. Satechi is debuting a new FindAll Luggage Tag, a FindAll Keychain, a FindAll Card, and a FindAll Glasses Case. Satechi's FindAll products work like Apple's AirTags, but come in different shapes and sizes.
One of my favorite parts of programming is the ability to simply build things just for the fun of it, and this project was nothing short of exactly that. While I do wish I could have kept it up for longer than a few weeks, being able to use data that seems meaningless on the surface to build something bigger is always such an adventure.
I hope nobody at Microsoft's marketing department have to scrap plans for Windows 12 and start all over again.
:-)
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Apple today announced the addition of iPad to Self Service Repair, providing iPad owners with access to repair manuals, genuine Apple parts, Apple Diagnostics troubleshooting sessions, tools, and rental toolkits. Beginning tomorrow, with support for iPad Air (M2 and later), iPad Pro (M4), iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad (A16), the launch features components including displays, batteries, cameras, and external charging ports. Today’s announcement joins the expansion of other Apple repair services that further enable customers and independent repair providers to complete out-of-warranty repairs, including new details about the Genuine Parts Distributor program.
Apple today shared a variety of statistics that are intended to show how the App Store is a safe and trusted place for users to download apps.
Apple plans to announce an app focused on video games for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV at its Worldwide Developer Conference next week, according to Bloomberg. The app will let you launch games you’ve installed on your devices and serve as a hub for things like achievements and leaderboards.
Apple today updated the Invites app to introduce a new option to add a link to an invitation. Event creators can use the feature to send important details to invitees.
Apple is celebrating Global Running Day by encouraging Apple Watch customers to complete a 5K (3.1-mile) run with any app that records to Apple Health. Global Running Day falls on the first Wednesday in June, which happens to be June 4 this year.
The iPad version takes advantage of the larger screen real estate to enable a two-column layout with your threads on the left side and your current conversation on the right.
It also supports proper multitasking features like Split View, Slide Over, and Picture in Picture, enabling you to keep WhatsApp close at hand while working in other iPadOS apps.
We’re standing at the edge of a new visual language: one that’s expressive, emotional, and unapologetically digital. Diamorphic design isn’t a throwback, and it’s not just decoration. It’s a step forward.
And with tools like AI lowering the barrier to entry, we’re about to see more people than ever join the conversation.
Apple has acquired RAC7, the two-person video game developer behind Apple Arcade hit Sneaky Sasquatch. This is the first time that Apple has acquired a video game studio in its history, but the company describes the move as a unique situation.
[...]
Apple notes that the move is a unique circumstance, as it saw an opportunity to help the team grow its game more on Apple Arcade. It says that it will continue to work with third-party studios big and small to create games for the service.
Now, companies like Apple and Google have until January 1, 2026, to implement changes requiring them to verify the age of all app store users, and obtain parental consent before minors can download most apps or make in-app purchases.
Following its initial €500 million fine in April, the European Commission is now giving Apple 30 days to fully align its App Store rules with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). If it fails to comply, the EU says it will start imposing “periodic penalty payments” until Apple does.
I wonder if the new video-game app launcher thing will have a green felt background.
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Apple’s already prevalent Continuity features are plenty useful as it is. When I’m on the go, Instant Hotspot automatically kicks in, enabling a swift transition to my iPad Air when I’m on the train. For someone who does her writing everywhere, the Universal Clipboard is a godsend in itself. Of course, the ecosystem allows my Notes app to be synced up across all three main devices: my iPhone, my iPad and the iMac I use at work. But it’s really iPhone Mirroring—one of the latest in its long line of Continuity features—which is the real game changer for this digital nomad.
Apple today introduced Tap to Pay on iPhone in Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, and Malta, enabling millions of merchants to use iPhone to seamlessly and securely accept in-person contactless payments.
Described by its developers as a “news reader,” it can suck up content from different sources and present it all together in a manageable list.
Checking your weather app's chance of rain percentage can help you get an idea of what's happening in your current location, but it won't tell you if there's a downpour awaiting you two hours into your drive or if you'll encounter snow just before you get to your destination. The Drive Weather app [...] changes all that by letting you see how the forecast changes mile by mile and even hour by hour based on your exact route and planned departure time.
I am a repeat offender at circumventing my own self-imposed app restrictions on WhatsApp, Instagram, News, Google Chrome and Vinted, so for me the only viable solution so far is to physically lock away my phone. I want to claim my life back. I want more smart, less phone — and if I can’t trust my own self-discipline to achieve that, maybe, paradoxically, I need to find some tech that can help.
The PopSockets Kick-Out Grip and Stand is less than a millimeter thicker than the company’s current lineup of MagSafe PopGrips, according to the company’s founder, David Barnett, but introduces a hinge so the pop-up grip can now fold out and double as a support stand.
Does Apple still see iPads as a third-device, sitting between your Mac and your iPhone? Or has Apple did a rethink, and now consider iPads on-par with Mac computers? But if so, where is iPhone Mirroring on iPad? (Coming this year?)
Or has Apple downgraded iPads to be 'just' big iPhones? But if so, why is Apple (rumored) to be pushing for more multitasking capabilities on iPads?
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That's a pretty wild claim even on its face: that the NYT is publishing race science based on anonymous experts.
How to account for the spate of TV series about rich people being terrible?
Tell me about the smart home. Tell me about fitness and entertainment. Just don’t tell me anything more about the iPhone.
The stock app is far from the best, so here are five third-party utilities that you should try today.
The first time I saw a computer was in 1984. I was fifteen years old and living in a sparsely populated area near a river, miles away from the closest town, in a far-northern country at the very edge of the world. A sign lit up above the convenience store that closed at four o’clock every day; otherwise, the visual stimuli were limited to fields and trees, trees and fields, and to the cars driving along the roads. In autumn and spring it rained so much that the river overflowed its banks—I remember standing in front of the living-room window watching the water cover the field where we played football, the goalposts rising up from it. There was one TV channel, two radio stations, and the newspapers were printed in black and white. The news from Iran and Israel, Egypt and South Africa, England and Northern Ireland, the United States and India, Lebanon and the Soviet Union all took place far away, as if on another planet.
To understand a man, you have to know what was happening in the world when he was twenty, Napoleon is supposed to have said. The quotation is probably apocryphal, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. For me, it is this world by the river that counts. When I sit down to write a novel, the natural time for it to take place in is the Eighties, as though that era embodied the world’s true form, its essence, and everything that came later were a kind of deviation. Even though I google various topics as I’m writing, the characters in the novel don’t google anything; it never occurs to them. The same is true when I dream. Cell phones and the internet never appear in my dreams, which are populated mostly by the people I was surrounded by forty years ago.
A decade (and a couple) ago, Apple got rid of skeuomorphism, and all developers believe they can also do design.
I hope Apple is not intending to reintroduce skeuomorphism this year, and ask developers to just call Apple's AI API to create the skeuomorphism designs.
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Cathay Pacific has added support for Apple’s Share Item Location feature, allowing passengers to share location information from Apple AirTags or other Find My network accessories with baggage service teams, to expedite the recovery of missing or delayed bags.
Milanote promises productivity with a side order of aesthetics. I use this app to make my to-do lists visual, allowing me to think big and get things done.
Bandbreite is an excellent tool for Apple Watch enthusiasts. It offers deep insights on all 840+ Apple Watch bands launched over the 10+ year old lifespan of the Apple Watch, allowing users to learn more about Apple Watch bands and keep track of their collection.
An AI device as sleek and irresistible in 2030 as the iPhone was in 2010 sounds like a great idea, as great as astonishing economic growth and all that free time. But the machine models aren’t able to give us any of that, and there’s scarce evidence Sam Altman or anyone else has yet figured out how to build them so they can.
The post-Jobs Apple era was one of great financial success, but the design failures and bizarre dead ends are there for all to see, and it’s hard not to imagine that an unchallenged Ive was a major part of that dynamic. Solid gold watches, butterfly keyboards to meet impossible laptop design goals, removing unsightly ports on pro laptops, and the introduction of a $3500 VR headset with sparkling chrome and a luxurious 3D knitted headband and a set of outward-facing displays to “encourage human connection.” To me, all of this is the legacy of Ive’s design culture.
In the book "Apple in China", Patrick McGee documented the saga of how the design team at Apple refused to listen to their colleagues on why the initial iMac design was impossible to manufature, and how they only backed down and modified their design when external experts told them the design was impossible to manufature.
Which reminded me of the butterfly keyboard, and how Apple refused to change the design and just applied duct-tape after duct tape, until external experts -- the customers and their wallets, as well as AppleCare -- told them otherwise.
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Age verification laws do far more than ‘protect children online’—they require the creation of a system that collects vast amounts of personal information from everyone. Instead of making the internet safer for children, these laws force all users—regardless of age—to verify their identity just to access basic content or products. This isn't a mistake; it's a deliberate strategy.
This centralized approach would establish a single point of failure for sensitive personal data, making it an attractive target for malicious actors. Moreover, storing verification data at the app store level would make personal information potentially accessible across all downloaded applications, vastly increasing the risk of data breaches and misuse.
The CEO called Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last week to ask for changes to the legislation or, failing that, for a veto, according to people familiar with the call. These people said that the conversation was cordial and that it made clear the extent of Apple’s interest in stopping the bill.
[...]
Proponents argue that such laws will give parents more control over their children’s use of smartphones, and that children aren’t legally allowed to agree to apps’ terms of service in the first place.
Critics say such a law could impose costs on a swath of apps whose content isn’t controversial. They also say the bills are allowing Meta and other apps to shunt responsibility for online safety onto others.
They promote App Store security system, the iPhone’s Ceramic Shield toughness, the relatively new Stolen Device Protection feature, and Find My as a parental control tool.
Apple has officially expanded its Maps service in Malaysia, adding support for public transit directions in major cities. Starting today, users can now plan journeys across Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru using a range of transport options including buses, light rail, monorail, ferries, and national rail.
With the age-verification requirement imposed on platforms with app stores, instead on the actual websites and apps, the obvious path I see we are going down is that platforms without age verifications will be banned or restricted.
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“Would you like to stream this movie?” my Apple TV asks. “Or, would you like to purchase it? How about renting it? We know you can’t commit. And if you’d like to rent it, would you like a standard-definition or high-quality stream, which will cost you one extra dollar, yet display a negligible difference between the two? Ooh, want to stream this horror movie on Shudder? We can see that they have it ready. Come on over! Just kidding, they actually don’t, you idiot. But it’s available on Prime Video to stream, you will just have to watch a four-minute series of advertisements in the middle of your movie, which you won’t know until you start it. It’s fine, that character who got shot just before the ad break won’t get any deader by the time you’ve finished watching this ad for Cymbalta, which you’re going to need after getting so depressed on this sojourn that you just want to give up and watch YouTube videos.”
“Streaming seemed like such a good way to democratize movies so that anyone could see anything. Instead, we ended up with a system that requires so many subscriptions, searching and effort. It’s turned art into work.”
At Emory Hillandale Hospital in Lithonia, Georgia, Apple products are now the standard, marking a first-of-its-kind technology transformation for clinicians and patients. Propelled by the availability of Epic Systems on Mac, Emory Healthcare has introduced Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch across Emory Hillandale Hospital, enabling clinicians to work more efficiently and stay connected with their teams, from anywhere.
Rode has announced a firmware update for its Wireless Micro microphone system introducing a new feature called Direct Connect that allows the mic to directly connect to iOS devices over Bluetooth. Previously, you needed to use the company’s USB-C dongle receiver.
While you could certainly outsource all this work to a professional, there are a handful of user-friendly apps perfect for the DIY designer. From mapping out a scaled floor plan to assembling a scheme of colors and patterns, these tools will help you ace your design decision making. And most of them are simple enough for a beginner to use.
Radar maps are available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac versions of Mercury Weather; they offer a couple of different map styles and a legend that explains what each color on the map means.
Mozilla is shutting down Pocket, the handy bookmarking tool used to save articles and webpages for later. The organization announced that Pocket will stop working on July 8th, 2025, as Mozilla begins concentrating its “resources into projects that better match their browsing habits and online needs.”
I would never buy another car without CarPlay, because even when it’s flakey, or Siri bumbles something, it’s handling my media and my personalized navigation better than any car can. I can’t say the same thing about CarPlay Ultra, which feels more like applying an iOS-styled WinAmp skin to the speedometer. For CarPlay Ultra to succeed, Apple needs to do more than woo reluctant automakers. It needs the discipline to address the long list of existing CarPlay annoyances. A rising tide lifts all boats. Er, cars. You get what I’m saying.
So Apple executives recognize the threat. The question is, can they generate the youthful perspectives, energy, and enthusiasm needed to keep Apple relevant?
After directing dozens of documentaries over his 60-year career, legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese will now have his own life chronicled for Apple TV Plus. In its announcement, Apple says the five-part Mr. Scorsese documentary series will explore how themes like “the place of good and evil in the fundamental nature of humankind” have shaped Scorsese’s filmography as far back as his student work at New York University.
AI, and whatever Jony Ive is working on, definitely seems to be the least of Apple's problems right now. Or anyone's problems, for that matter.
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Rogen agrees there’s been a shift now that the first season is out in the world. “I think when people were telling us stories, they didn’t think we’d actually use them,” he says. “Now they know that we actually will.”
“Please, everybody,” Goldberg interrupts. “We’d still love to hear your stories.”
When something important goes missing—especially something that likes ear scritches and pumpkin treats—it is best not to have to find a charging cable or magnetic charging pad, or discover the cells inside are dead. Coin cells are not perfectly recyclable, because nothing really is, but they're generally much easier to handle than lithium-ion waste.
The mysterious device that OpenAI is cooking up with former Apple designer Jony Ive will be pocket-size, contextually aware, screen-free, and isn’t eyewear. Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed details about the project in an internal staff call reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, after announcing the $6.5 billion acquisition of Ive’s AI hardware startup, io.
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Altman dropped some hints during the call that shape our expectations, however, including that it will be unobtrusive, fully aware of a user’s life and surroundings, and will serve as a “third core device” a person would put on a desk after a MacBook Pro and an iPhone.
Tallies of AI’s energy use often short-circuit the conversation—either by scolding individual behavior, or by triggering comparisons to bigger climate offenders. Both reactions dodge the point: AI is unavoidable, and even if a single query is low-impact, governments and companies are now shaping a much larger energy future around AI’s needs.
We’re taking a different approach with an accounting meant to inform the many decisions still ahead: where data centers go, what powers them, and how to make the growing toll of AI visible and accountable.
Vivaldi has released version 7.4 of its iOS browser, introducing background audio playback that lets users continue streaming music, podcasts, and videos even when switching apps or locking their screen.
Brian Albrecht, chief economist at the International Center for Law and Economics, tells Reason that Apple's in-app fees can be justified by platform investment incentives and security concerns, which shield Apple from liability under federal antitrust laws.
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Albrecht explains that the ruling will increase competition payments, which will help consumers, but reduce Apple's investments in the App Store, which will harm them. "It's hard to see how completely ripping [the system] apart will be helpful to consumers," says Albrecht.
The project is a collaboration between Apple, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Washington, and UC San Diego. It explores how first-person footage of people manipulating objects can be used to train general-purpose robot models.
Today, I've finished watching the first season of the wonderful The Studio. And I've found out that some AI company and Jony Ive are developing a third-device (the iPad is dead?) that we will all want.
It's not an apples-to-apples comparison. It is probably not even a fair comparison, as we still don't know what that AI device is.
But my gut feeling is I'll rather have more The Studio and other wonderful stories than a third-device.
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Today, Apple unveiled an exciting lineup for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), including the Keynote and Platforms State of the Union. Taking place June 9-13, the free online conference will bring the global Apple developer community together to provide insights into the latest Apple tools, technologies, and features. Throughout the week, developers around the world can connect with Apple engineers, designers, and evangelists, and watch more than 100 sessions that will help them discover the newest enhancements to build platform-differentiating apps and games across Apple products. Apple will also welcome more than 1,000 developers and students to celebrate in person during a special event at Apple Park on June 9.
The iPhone maker is working on a software development kit and related frameworks that will let outsiders build AI features based on the large language models that the company uses for Apple Intelligence, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Apple expects to unveil the plan on June 9 at its Worldwide Developers Conference, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the initiative hasn’t been announced.
Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical is the first new Peanuts musical special in 35 years. Ben Folds (of Ben Folds Five, and also the guy who composed “It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown”) will write original music for the July 18 release, as will Jeff Morrow. A Summer Musical has a 40-minute runtime.
Warner Bros. Pictures decided to offer additional IMAX screenings due to "overwhelming popularity" for the film so far, with the initial 25 screenings that it offered all sold out.
Epic Games' wildly popular multiplayer shooter game "Fortnite" is available again on Apple's (AAPL.O) App Store in the U.S. from Tuesday, capping a ban of nearly five years and marking a major win for the video game company. [...] Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Fortnite's return to its App Store.
Microsoft filed an amicus brief late on Tuesday, in support of Epic Games’ ongoing fight with Apple’s control over the App Store. The brief takes issue with Apple’s attempt to overturn the injunction that allows Epic and other developers to freely advertise alternative payment methods in their apps, and not have to pay Apple additional fees for purchases made outside of apps.
It’s a key ruling that has already allowed Fortnite to return to the App Store in the US, complete with the ability for Epic Games to link out to its own payment system inside the game. Microsoft has wanted to offer a similar experience for its Xbox mobile store, but it says its solution “has been stymied by Apple.”
Apple today released a new firmware update for the USB-C version of the AirPods Max headphones. The new firmware is version 7E108, up from the prior 7E101 firmware the device was previously running.
Fender has released a free new recording app called Fender Studio that seems pretty powerful. The app [...] supports multitrack recording and offers a host of effects that emulate guitar pedals and several of the company’s iconic amplifiers over the years.
Adobe’s Creative Cloud All Apps subscription, which includes access to more than 20 Adobe apps, will soon be known as “Creative Cloud Pro,” the company announced last week. The renamed subscription plan will give users expanded access to Adobe’s AI-powered tools and apps, but for a price.
New leadership is almost always part of a turnaround. In part, that’s because poor financial performance is one of the few remaining sins for which CEOs are reliably held to account. But it’s also because certain kinds of changes need the credibility that only new faces can bring.
So what are those changes? What are the things I think Apple should do, but that its current leadership seems unwilling to budge on? What changes require a level of engagement and understanding that Apple no longer seems to have?
For me, a Murderbot fan and brain science nerd, “finding my way through it” involved talking to neuroscientists to understand how this seamless integration of brain and computer might work—because mixing brains and computer circuitry is not only science fiction. “It’s a very cool idea that we’re moving toward in many ways,” says Alexander Huth, a neuroscientist at the University of Texas at Austin (and fellow Murderbot fan). And as neuroscientists get better at linking up our minds with computers, they’re revealing some of what is so unique, and confounding, about the human brain and how we consciously experience the world.
I hope the worlds painted by Murderbot and other science fictions such as Terminator remain purely fictional. Humans cannot handle the responsibility of being god; heck, in many instances, there are too many humans that cannot even handle the responsibility of being human.
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The aspect of Sound Therapy that I found most convincing, though, was the section dedicated to focus. I really didn’t think I’d listen to much of it because I get so easily distracted by music while I work, but I queued up a selection of songs, hit play, and got to work. To my surprise, I didn’t find my attention being pulled away by what I was hearing. I was actually able to focus on the work I was doing and enjoy some nice music at the same time. I can’t say for sure that it was any particular frequency or rhythm that did it, but it felt like the songs actually were helping me stay in the zone. That’s an experience I’ve never had before.
From a cybersecurity perspective, it is nearly impossible to create a backdoor to a communications product that is only accessible for certain purposes or under certain conditions. If a passageway exists, it’s only a matter of time before it is exploited for nefarious purposes. In other words, creating what is essentially a software vulnerability to help the good guys will inevitably end up helping the bad guys, too.
Often overlooked in this debate is that if encryption is weakened to improve surveillance for governmental purposes, it will drive criminals and terrorists further underground. Using different or homegrown technologies, they will still be able to exchange information in ways that governments can’t readily access. But everyone else’s digital security will be needlessly diminished.
Apple today updated its Apple Sports app with several tweaks to improve the user experience, including at-a-glance standings on league pages, highlighting of goal scorers at the top of NHL game pages, and support for the upcoming Relegation Playoff in the German Bundesliga.
Your results may vary. But if you experience motion sickness the way I do, this is one feature that's certainly worth a try.
With a refreshed, modern user interface, HoudahGeo 7 now enables you to geotag videos as well as photos.
A workflow automation platform for DAWs and music software, SoundFlow is already available for programs such as Pro Tools, Logic Pro and Sibelius, and has just launched a public beta version of its Ableton Live integration.
Starting today, U.S. iOS users can purchase individual audiobooks and Spotify subscriptions directly from within the app using external payment links.
Reading between the lines, the demand for the name of the Apple official in the new filing suggests that Gonzalez Rogers is not above considering contempt charges for failing to comply with the court’s injunction.
I'm pretty sure I am not the only one who wishes my iPhone and/or earphones can detect when I've fallen asleep and stop the audio. So far, I've discovred just one podcast player app that makes it super-easy to fall asleep with. (One of the settings to always assume I want to pause the audio after a specific number of minutes during specific hours in the middle of the night.) I don't want to set a timer to fall asleep every time I press the play button.
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“The lawyers are the people who are supposed to be saying no when something crosses a line, and they aren’t even failing that duty—they are actively encouraging this stuff,” said John Newman, a law professor at the University of Miami and a former FTC deputy director. “That just seems to have created, or at least contributed to, a culture of what—if they weren’t our crown jewel tech companies—I think we would call a culture of lawlessness.”
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In Apple’s case, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers wrote late last month that about half of the tens of thousands of documents the company claimed were privileged were later downgraded in the midst of extra scrutiny. She concluded it resulted in delay for the legal proceedings and “that delay equaled profits” for the iPhone maker. (For its part, Apple disagrees and plans to appeal.)
Apple plans to mostly stop announcing new features more than a few months before they are ready to launch, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett.
Ford tells PEOPLE he didn’t know Fox “very well” before he joined the Shrinking cast, but he has had the opportunity to meet him a few times throughout the years.
“His willingness to be part of our show is a great source of inspiration and gives us a real purpose,” Ford tells PEOPLE. “It's not just us coming together, two actors. There's a story to tell, and our commitment to the story is what joins us together. I appreciate his willingness to be a part of the show.”
Obviously I have no idea what is going on inside Apple, but it seems to me there once was an era at Apple when the design team was king, and that led to the butterfly keyboard and trash-can Mac Pro.
I hope Apple learnt its lessons, and not allow any one particular team -- say marketing -- to win all arguments above all else.
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Thanks for reading.
Building a healthier relationship with your smartphone doesn’t necessarily mean going cold turkey or tossing your device into a drawer. Instead, it’s about subtle shifts that return a sense of control.
With Untold Novel, you can get all of your ideas down as quickly as possible. The developers built it to foster an inspiring environment for any aspiring novelist.
The Most Dangerous Writing App gives a brutally ruthless solution to a brutally stale problem. Instead of adding graphics to make writing more inviting, or sound effects whenever you finish a sentence to get your dopamine going, it does the opposite. This app does not rely on dopamine, it relies on adrenaline. You write, or you die.
iPhone and iPad are already powerful AR devices. With LiDAR scanners, fast chips, and Apple-built frameworks like ARKit and RealityKit, everything works together out of the box. No extra hardware. No complicated configuration. [...] In the enterprise, AR is starting to prove itself in some very practical ways.
Of course, as every parent knows, no system is actually going to block every single dangerous, gross, or hurtful thing that can come in through a phone from the outside world. But that there are now so many alternative-device companies to choose from is evidence of how much people want and are willing to search for something that has so far been unattainable: a phone without any of the bad stuff.
Who will Apple hold a grudge longer, Nvidia or Epic Games?
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Thanks for reading.
"I think it’s up to us in the media to figure out how to evolve to continue to serve a real need. I think the need for what we do will always be there—it just gets tougher to figure out how to deliver it and reach our audience and get paid for it. I think things are actually, in a way, better than they used to be. More people are paying for the actual content. The media industry has learned that it’s a fool’s errand to depend on these companies to deliver an audience—you’ve got to get your own audience."
St. Clair Software has released Default Folder X 6.1.6 with a new Focus Filter feature that automatically switches to a specific folder set when you enter a macOS Focus mode.
SunSeekr’s interactive map shows which pubs, cafes and restaurants near you are in the sun or shade, in real time. It features sunny places to eat and drink across the UK, as well as in Europe and the States — everywhere from Barcelona to Boston.
The company says that its own web-based checkout option is now the default for U.S. fans, but it has to update its app so that this checkout option opens in an external browser instead, per Apple’s instruction.
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Because of this new flexibility, Patreon’s deadline to switch creators to subscription billing is no longer in effect, it says.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Apple said that Epic Games tied its U.S. App Store submission to the update that was also being submitted to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union. Apple told Epic Games to resubmit the update without the U.S. component.
What I don't want to see is Apple returning back to the USD1K annual fee for their developer programme; the rest of us will either have to use Steve Jobs' sweet solution instead.
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Thanks for reading.
Apple pointed us to an X post from RevenueCat CEO Jacob Eiting, who, responding directly to Maric, correctly suggested that the disclosures are EU-only and “have been around for a while.”
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In its response to TechCrunch, Apple also noted that it intended to update the message after initial pushback. In August 2024, the company announced a series of changes to its DMA plan that would have included a change to the user disclosure screen. Instead of warning users of the dangers of using external purchases, the new message would have read: “Transactions in this app are supported by the developer and not Apple.”
The tech giant claims that the European Commission (EC) raised no objection to the updated message but instructed Apple to hold off on making any changes. Without further guidance, Apple kept the existing screen in place.
Apple today shared new videos that highlight the upcoming Accessibility features that the company plans to introduce with iOS 19 and macOS 16. Apple this week debuted a number of new Accessibility options that will be coming later this year to honor Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
It’s that easy, with no fuss. Now I have all of the following metrics being recorded and saved to Health app: Weight, Body Fat Percentage, Body Mass Index, Height, and Lean Body Mass. It could send Heart Rate readings too, but I disabled that feature on the scale in lieu of using my Apple Watch, as doing it on the scale means waiting around for a good five-to-ten additional seconds.
You can upload an audio, video, or image file or record audio on the go with the tool’s built-in recorder. The web tool also allows you to paste in the URL of a video, and it’ll auto-transcribe the content, which can be pretty useful.
Tracking your performance and streaks is one of the best ways to stay motivated. SmartGym now offers custom goals, complete with history, targets, achievements, and detailed infographics to help you visualize progress over time.
And speaking of personalization, one of the app’s most unique features, the Smart Trainer, uses AI to generate personalized routines based on your goals and available equipment.
Five-time Emmy winner Michael J. Fox is returning to acting with a major guest-starring role on the upcoming third season of Apple TV+’s hit comedy series Shrinking, toplined by Jason Segel and Harrison Ford.
Details around the role are being kept under wraps but it may be connected to the character arc of Ford’s therapist Paul Rhoades. It was revealed at the end of Season 1 that Paul has Parkinson’s, a disease Fox has been battling for three and a half decades.
Obviously, the first step is a status check, to get a realistic sense of when a feature will be ready to ship to customers. But there’s another aspect to this part of the job: The whole group needs to consider all the mistakes they made last year in terms of gauging readiness. Obviously, last year’s judgment about what was ready to be announced was… flawed. How does Apple avoid that this time around? And then considering those mistakes, what features are really going to ship by spring 2026? Everything else gets delayed until 2026.
When lawmakers make laws to forbid certain behaviors, the idea is to reduce or eliminate the said behavior. Laws are not supposed to be difficult to obey, so as to easily fine people and companies, and generate revenues for the government.
When police erect speed cameras, the idea is to get more people not to speed; hence all the speed camera warning signs on the roads and on GPS systems.
Of course, in the year 2025, your mileage may (still) vary.
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It's the year 2025. Who still talks about GPS systems?
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Thanks for reading.
Rather than spend hundreds of dollars on a device so lacking in functionality it’s more likely to create a coronary than a Zen-like state of mind, my strong recommendation is to instead calm your iPhone.
Greatest problems come with Apple’s old Time Capsules, most of which are still used with AFP, as they can only support SMB version 1, not versions 2 or 3. If you’re still using a Time Capsule, or an old NAS that doesn’t support SMB version 3, then access to your network storage may well still be reliant on AFP.
It's not you. HDR confuses tons of people.
Apple is updating the Maps app with insights, ratings, and reviews from expert sources, with the aim of helping users find top-ranked restaurants, hotels, and more.
There are now options to search for and view Michelin-starred, Green Star, and Bib Gourmand restaurants, along with Michelin Key hotels. As of right now, the search options are available for locations in the U.S., but Apple plans to expand them to additional regions in the future.
The upgrades come in both permanent and transitory forms. Temporary structures like grandstands will appear and then disappear after the race. The entire race circuit will be highlighted, including road closures and detours during the race. All 19 of the race’s turns will be marked, as well as all the pedestrian bridges over the race. The F1 pit area, which is a permanent structure, will stay on the map al the time. (Apple’s also whimsically placing race cars in various locations throughout the city—presumably, Waldo approves.)
Starting today, CarPlay Ultra, the next generation of CarPlay, is available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada, and will be available for existing models that feature the brand’s next-generation infotainment system through a software update in the coming weeks. CarPlay Ultra builds on the capabilities of CarPlay and provides the ultimate in-car experience by deeply integrating with the vehicle to deliver the best of iPhone and the best of the car. It provides information for all of the driver’s screens, including real-time content and gauges in the instrument cluster, while reflecting the automaker’s look and feel and offering drivers a customizable experience. Many other automakers around the world are working to bring CarPlay Ultra to drivers, including newly committed brands Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
Apple is partnering with SongShift for the new Apple Music feature. SongShift is an app that transfers music playlists across streaming platforms, but by working with Apple, the functionality has been integrated directly in the Apple Music app. Adding a simple option for transferring content from another service to Apple Music could spur people with large, curated libraries and playlists to make the jump to Apple's music service.
WWDC is only a few weeks away, and the Apple Developer app just got updated in preparation. There’s little new inside the app to explore, but one nice addition can be found in the Messages app: new iMessage stickers.
Leica is bringing a new kind of filter effect called “Artist Looks” to its Lux camera app for iPhones, with the first one adjusting your photos to resemble the style and body of work of celebrity photographer Greg Williams.
Artist Looks, like the other color and black-and-white looks in Leica’s app, are essentially one-click filter presets for easy photo editing. It’s the first time Leica Camera has collaborated with a pro on looks designed to mimic their personal aesthetic. In Williams’s case, his Artist Look is lightly inspired by Kodak Tri-X film, converting your color photos to black and white — with the white point shifted a touch to make the whites slightly off-white and yielding a more vintage warm-tone feel.
There are lots of photo apps around, but Locationscout combines weather, navigation, local knowledge, photos from other users, and articles and tutorials.
“When you create an account on a developer’s external website, you may have to provide personal information, including payment information, directly to the developer or third-party partners,” Apple says in a support page linked from its warning message. “You will be trusting the developer, as well as any partners and payment providers they work with, to handle your information based on their privacy and security controls.”
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This App Store warning message has also appeared in the wake of the recent Epic vs Apple ruling that bans Apple from restricting how developers can link to alternative purchase systems. A notable requirement implemented to address Apple’s scare tactics was that the company cannot interfere with consumers choosing to leave an app with anything beyond “a neutral message” about being directed to a third-party site, though that injunction doesn’t apply outside of the US.
In a new report published on Thursday, the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) argues that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) must be “beefed up” to deliver faster and more forceful interventions in digital markets, especially against “exploitative practices” like excessive commission fees charged by Apple and Google on their respective app stores.
Besides turning off notifications from as many apps as possible, I've also configured the Office 365 apps (via a settings in Office 365, not iPhone) to only send notifications during my actual work hours. I've also turned off notification sounds in messaging apps except those from my family. (You can turn on or off sounds by individual contacts in iMessage and WhatsApp.)
I no longer keep apps that I don't use on my iPhone, 'in case I need it someday'. I limit myself to one home screen, with only apps that I need to use at least once a day. And if the thing that I need to do can be programmed using a shortcut, I even replace the app icon with the shortcut icon. For example, I run a shortcut to play music, rather than opening the Apple Music app and get tempted to 'waste time' browsing with recommended or new albums and playlists.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
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Thanks for reading.
Apple Music, under an exclusive deal with Universal Music Group, is rolling out a collection of instrumental versions of pop songs — crafted based on audio science — that it claims can help you better sleep, relax and focus.
Apple Music’s Sound Therapy collection takes well-known songs and blends in “special sound waves designed to enhance users’ daily routines, while retaining the artist’s original vision,” according to the companies. For example, a “dreamy version of Katy Perry’s ‘Double Rainbow’… could help listeners drift off to sleep.”
The tvOS 18.5 update that Apple seeded to developers yesterday adds support for synchronizing Dolby Atmos playback to speakers over AirPlay or Bluetooth, according to Apple's release notes for the update.
Maybe it is the right time for this love affair to come to an end. Not the end of my love for what I can do with Apple stuff, but creating boundaries, something good for any relationship. From Tim Cook down, executives—Schiller excepted—have proven themselves unworthy of our trust. As shepherds of the company, they have revealed themselves. I may still love the concept of Apple, but certainly the company no more.
I think we will always have difficult relationships with creators: authors, singers, directors, actors. As well as, you know, software developers and device makers.
Some work can be mainly attributed to a single person, but many work are created by entire teams of people.
Some work can be easily ignored or substituted, while some are painfully essentials.
Life's complicated.
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Thanks for reading.
There's an update to Screen Time that lets parents know when a Screen Time passcode is used on a child's device, and there is support for carrier-provided satellite features on iPhone 13 models.
macOS Sequoia 15.5 is light on new features, with Apple listing only a change to Screen Time in its notes.
The new face offers a colorful, abstract portrayal of the Pride flag and makes a nice complement to iOS and iPadOS 18.5’s new Pride wallpapers.
With visionOS 2.5, Apple added a Vision tab to the Apple TV app to make it easier for users to find content created for the Vision Pro.
According to Apple’s security release notes, a fix was issued in regards to the iPhone 16e’s C1 modem, where “An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to intercept network traffic.”
It's time to update your Macs again! This time, I'm not burying the lede. CVE-2025-31250, which was patched in today's releases of macOS Sequoia 15.5 et al., allowed for…
…any Application A to make macOS show a permission consent prompt…
…appearing as if it were coming from any Application B…
…with the results of the user's consent response being applied to any Application C.
With Safari 18.5, included in macOS 15.5, Apple added Declarative Web Push, an updated method to deliver web-based push notifications even when a website isn't open. With Declarative Web Push, developers can display notifications without the need for a service worker, which preserves battery life for Web Push notifications.
Ahead of WWDC kicking off in June, Apple today has officially unveiled this year’s new accessibility features for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. The year’s features come as Apple celebrates 40 years of accessibility innovation, with the company originally starting its office of disability in 1985.
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Headlining Apple’s announcement of new iOS 19 accessibility features is an upgrade for the App Store. Later this year, Apple will add a new Accessibility Nutrition Labels section to App Store listings. This is similar to the Privacy Nutrition Labels feature that Apple launched several years ago, giving users a way to easily see the privacy practices of individual apps.
In macOS 16, Mac users will get an alert when a Mac app reads the pasteboard without direct user interaction. This change means apps won't be able to surreptitiously view the things you've copied and pasted.
The company has confirmed via a support document that iOS 19 will end support for its legacy Home app architecture, requiring an update.
Something else you may have noticed is that when you send an audio message using the Messages app, the message includes a transcription of the audio. If you happen to pronounce the name “Dave and Buster’s” as someone would normally pronounce it, almost like it’s a single word, the transcription engine on iOS will recognize the brand name and correctly write it as “Dave & Buster’s” (with an ampersand).
[...]
Ampersands have special meaning in XML/HTML and must be escaped [...] Apple's transcription system is not doing that, causing the parser to attempt to detect a special code after the ampersand, and since there's no valid special code nor semicolon terminating what it thinks is an HTML entity, it detects an error and stops parsing the content.
I did not expect a TV show called Murderbot to be quite so relatable. On the surface, the Apple TV Plus sci-fi comedy is a somewhat generic futuristic story about a group of humans exploring a dangerous planet with the help of a security bot that’s designed to protect them. The key is the perspective: the story is told from the bot’s point of view, and that bot is really going through it. It’s experiencing free will for the first time and struggling with the ramifications of that, making it anxious, awkward, anf addicted to streaming television. It may be built to kill — but it’s just like me.
While every Wells fan will have their own view of what that means when it comes to the new Apple TV+ "Murderbot" series, it's clear from the very beginning that this is an adaptation in love with Wells' ideas, and it's adept at finding ways to bring them to crackling, compulsively watchable life.
Still, I hope Murderbot bucks the trend and makes waves with its quirky mix of deadpan humor, sideways social commentary and special effects-laden action.
Because sci-fi nerds shouldn't be the only people who get to enjoy a TV series more entertaining than most of the franchise films clogging big movie screens.
Apple today shared a trio of spooky "Mac to School" ads on its YouTube channel in the UK.
The videos highlight three useful Mac features for students, including AirDrop, iPhone Mirroring, and Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools.
The Apple Watch has been an odd hybrid since the introduction of the cellular option. An Apple Watch with Wi-Fi can independently connect to Wi-Fi networks, for which it has stored a connection synced from its paired iPhone. You can also join a network through the device itself since watchOS 5, although I don’t relish entering a long alphanumeric and punctuation password with the tiny on-screen keyboard.
So the answer is: Yes! But with a lot of different circumstances for an Apple Watch with just Wi-Fi.
If you’ve ever wanted to take an early look at new versions of Apple’s operating systems before they launch, and maybe help shape them in the process, then Apple’s beta program is something you should consider. This initiative allows developers and public beta testers to gain access to the updates before they’re released, so they can help test for bugs and give any new features a thorough workout before they’re unleashed on the general public.
It’s sort of an iPad ecosystem for design, and a well-brewing one at that. She explains it as, “I run a design business, create online courses, build templates, test brushes,” all on the iPad, and it’s one device where she can have everything live without worrying about if there’s enough power or speed.
There are a lot of rumors flying around about a big iOS and macOS redesign coming this year, perhaps as a distraction to the continued issues around Apple Intelligence. And while I’m game for a fresh coat of paint across the software I use every single day, I have one plea while Apple’s at it: Please, for the love of god, make the Notes app render the letter “a” properly.
Patrick McGee: "I quote someone saying that they need to walk out of China, but they can’t run. If they run, they risk the ire of Beijing as well as the Chinese consumers. But if they go too slowly, then they remain stuck in China. So they have to find this perfect pace to exit because they can’t become the poster child of de-risking from China.
"I have got sourcing that Apple has told China, “OK, more stuff is going to India, but the supply chain is becoming more and more Chinese.” The rise of the “red supply chain,” which includes companies like BYD, [electronics firm] Luxshare, [acoustic parts maker] Goertek, and [semiconductor company] Wingtech, is of geopolitical importance."
Apple is one of the most profitable companies in history. It can afford to be better, and I would argue that any short-term reduction in profit would more than pay off in the long run. If Apple wants to leave the world better than it found it, now is the time to align its behavior toward developers with the rest of the company’s stated values.
Accessibility Reader, a "systemwide reading mode" that is coming to the new version of iOS, sures sounds like something I will want to use. Especially for that one particular iOS app that have fontsize too small for my old eyes.
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Also, I can't wait to watch Murderbot and The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.
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Thanks for reading.
And yet the prevailing narrative about Apple in China is remarkably narrow. Much of the coverage over the past two decades has focused on the tedium of assembling Apple products — a tale of low wages, underage employees, 16-hour working days, a spate of suicides at an assembly plant in 2010 and accusations of using forced Uighur labour. This narrative wasn’t entirely wrong — Apple set up a supplier responsibility programme in response, vowing to improve conditions — but it missed the biggest piece of the puzzle: that Beijing allowed Apple’s activities so that China could exploit Apple and become a tech powerhouse in its own right.
Indeed, China wouldn’t be China today without Apple. The California tech giant’s investments in the country have been spectacular, exceeding even that of the Marshall Plan — America’s four-year effort to revive Europe after the Second World War — in cost, man-hours and impact. Apple estimates that since 2008 it has trained at least 28 million workers, the vast bulk of whom were in China — that’s more than the entire labour force of California.
This is the other story — of how Apple, in feeding its own global ambition, helped fuel China’s technological and economic rise.
PowerPhotos 3 provides tools for metadata, searching, and multiple Photos library management that dramatically upgrade how you can work with your organized media.
SoundSource gives you a level of control over your Mac’s audio that Apple could only dream of. And it does this all while stowing away neatly in your menu bar, where it’s both out of the way and just a click away when you need it.
It took me a while, but I've realized one does not need to just use one podcast app to listen to all the podcasts (that I want to listen to). Rather than searching for one podcast app that work for all my contexts, I now have two different podcast apps for different time of the day: one for regular listening, and one for bedtime listening.
On the other hand, I yet have a good reason why I want both the Apple Music and Apple Music Classical apps yet.
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Thanks for reading.
As winter turned into spring this year, my phone played a fundamental role in my relationship with all the life growing around my home.
I rely on the PictureThis app, which a friend and mentor who works in conservation recommended to me. It allows me to aim my phone at a plant, take a picture, and have it tell me what that plant is. Here's how I've put it to use.
CarStream for Twitch lets you listen to audio versions of Twitch streams on CarPlay, without needing to fiddle with your phone while driving. Think radio stations, but with Twitch livestreams.
Part of my indifference towards the Action button comes down to how little time it might save me.
I, too, have tried shortcuts and controls and whatnots for the Action button, but I, too, returned to just using it as a ringer-mute toggle.
There are two things that I discovered with the Action button. Firstly, I don't have much use for a button that I can reach and press while my iPhone is in my pocket. And if the iPhone is already out in my hand, it is usually easier to use the touchscreen instead.
Secondly, I find that I can easily push on the wrong button when the iPhone is in my pocket. The feel of the Action button is so much like the Volume buttons that I do easily miss.
Oh well.
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Thanks for reading.
"I really believe that design and craft are the differentiator that makes a product and a brand stand out. Can you vibe code or hack your way towards something that makes money? Absolutely. But is it going to be an enduring product? For that, if you have any level of competition, you need to have really good design, a point of view, a great user experience, and a great brand. If you think about all the context that humans have that a LLM does not, I don’t see it being the case that models will get you there all the way."
"If I were to critique those years, I think perhaps we didn't make the right level of investment in the platform software of Sonos. And in a way, the attempt to re-architect the mobile experience was meant to be a remedy for that. But as we've described, we made some mistakes along the way. And so part of the reason that I can speak with some confidence about the progress we've made is that we have a really strong quantitative understanding of how the software platform is performing today relative to the previous generation software. Across dozens of metrics, the platform performs better than the software that it replaced."
Meme culture thrives on exaggerated content, and depth or restraint is often an afterthought. The viral "What I See vs. What I Take" trend is different. It's recently filled Instagram feeds with before-and-after images. The trend showcases the cluttered, everyday scenes a photographer encounters, followed by the tightly framed, intentional image they ultimately create. When executed properly, it's a solid lesson in composition.
While you're typing, predictive text (in gray) appears to the right of your cursor, no matter what application you're using. You can hit "Tab" to accept everything suggested or "`" (the key right above Tab) to accept the next word. The idea is that the AI makes writing faster by suggesting words you were going to type anyway—accept the words you wanted and ignore the ones you didn't. Gräfe calls this kind of writing "dancing with the AI," which is a romantic notion.
When you're planning a trip with friends, there's a good chance your group chat will be full of links to and screenshots of places you want to visit or cafés you want to hit.
To help you keep track of all that, Google is now rolling out a new feature to add multiple locations to a Google Maps list for you using screenshots. This feature scans your phone and uses Gemini AI to work out the places mentioned in your screenshots.
Apple acquired Canadian startup Mayday Labs in April 2024, according to a European Commission listing, spotted by French blog MacGeneration. The acquisition had not received widespread attention from tech publications until now.
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Mayday Labs had developed an AI-powered calendar, task manager, and scheduling assistant for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The all-in-one app used AI to automatically schedule your events and tasks at ideal times, and it could learn your scheduling preferences and daily patterns over time to further optimize your calendar.
Danish engineers are drawing up plans to connect an Apple datacentre to a district heating network in Denmark that will use its waste energy to heat homes and provide hot water.
This comes a decade after the US phone giant announced plans to build one capable of community integration, and five years after it started operating.
Apple, as embodied by its leadership’s decisions over the past decade or more, no longer seems primarily motivated by the creation of great products. Time and time again, its policies have made its products worse for customers in exchange for more power, control, and, yes, money for Apple.
I think AI may be useful if the generated results go through real human beings for review and approval first. AI may never be good enough if we are expected to just trust and believe and use whatever it spits out.
Which is probably why I don't have high hopes for a better Siri this year or next.
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Thanks for reading.
“We’re always inspired by the talent and perspective young developers bring to the Swift Student Challenge,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “This year’s winners show exceptional skill in transforming meaningful ideas into app playgrounds that are innovative, impactful, and thoughtfully built — and we’re excited to support their journey as they continue building apps that will help shape the future.”
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Many of this year’s winners took inspiration from their local communities, creating powerful tools that are designed to make an impact on a global scale. Below, Distinguished Winners Taiki Hamamoto, Marina Lee, Luciana Ortiz Nolasco, and Nahom Worku delve into their app playgrounds and the real-world problems they’re aiming to solve, demonstrating the power of coding to drive lasting change.
Apple executives contend that the firm made a series of proposals to Brussels over the course of 2024 but was met with silence as to whether those proposals would put them on the right side of the law, according to correspondence seen by POLITICO.
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Apple’s appeal potentially sets up a court fight in Luxembourg that should clarify what exact responsibilities the Commission has to engage in dialogue with firms under the DMA, said Kay Jebelli, a legal adviser to the Chamber of Progress, which is partly funded by Apple.
Apple is at its best when it is focused on building great products that serve its customers well. I am a two-fold Apple customer. I buy many of their consumer products and services and enjoy using them in my personal life. I also own a business that is an Apple customer, which has paid Apple a huge amount in the last 17 years for the developer services it has sold me. I don’t begrudge them those fees at all, they have provided the basis and means of my building a business I’m proud of, and I am genuinely grateful to Apple for that.
Where I see Apple’s biggest mistake in their current line of thinking is that while I pay Apple huge sums of money each month, they don’t view me as a customer to be served. They don’t seem to see the benefit of making my experience and offerings better and better. They aren’t trying to win me over by being excellent; they are assuming my loyalty through strong-arm tactics and intransigence.
"The Studio," Seth Rogen's new Apple TV+ comedy, is stuffed with cameo appearances from real famous people playing themselves. But one guest star is more surprising than the others: Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Apple TV+'s streaming rival, Netflix.
Apparently, Apple had some notes on that casting, but Rogen didn't take them.
What’s funny is I was at the actual Golden Globes a few months ago, and it was after we had filmed this episode. Ted was sitting literally like seven feet away from me. And Zoe Saldaña won very early on in the evening, and as she was thanking people, she was clearly getting down the list and he hadn’t been thanked yet. And he looked back at me and gave me a look like, “Oh no, is it gonna happen?” And then like, right at the wire, she thanked him, and he gave me a look of immense relief.
Apple today shared a new spatial video that's designed to highlight the Vision Pro headset, demonstrating how the device can be used to make and preserve memories.
Figma is expanding its creative software ecosystem to allow product designers to complete entire projects without jumping to third-party apps. Four new products for website building, AI coding, branded marketing, and digital illustration were introduced at Figma’s Config event today, aiming to fill in any gaps holding Figma back from being an all-in-one platform that supports the entire product design lifecycle.
SwiftUI offers several approaches to building lists of content. You can use a VStack if your list consists of a bunch of elements that should be placed on top of each other. Or you can use a LazyVStack if your list is really long. And in other cases, a List might make more sense.
At 3.12pm on a sunny spring afternoon in St Albans, Yasser Afghen reaches for the iPhone in his jeans pocket, hoping to use the three minutes before his son emerges from his year 1 primary class to scroll through his emails. As he lifts the phone to his face, Matthew Tavender, the head teacher of Cunningham Hill school, strides across the playground towards him. Afghen smiles apologetically, puts his phone away, and spends the remaining waiting time listening to the birdsong in the trees behind the school yard.
A one-storey 1960s block with 14 classrooms backing on to a playing field, Cunningham Hill primary feels like an unlikely hub for a revolution. But a year ago, Tavender and the school’s executive head, Justine Elbourne-Cload, began coordinating with the heads at other primary schools across the city, then sent a joint letter to parents and carers across St Albans: the highly addictive nature of smartphones was having a lasting effect on children’s brains. The devices were robbing children of their childhood. Could parents, the letter asked, please avoid giving them smartphones until they turned 14?
I am not sure if the Apple execs asking for a Tim Cook cameo in The Studio understood what they were getting into.
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In court documents filed Wednesday, Apple called the district court's order "extraordinary" and argued it unlawfully forces the company to permanently give up control over "core aspects of its business operations."
"A federal court cannot force Apple to permanently give away free access to its products and services, including intellectual property," Apple's lawyers wrote in the motion.
Apple executive Eddie Cue said that Apple is "actively looking at" shifting the focus of mobile Safari's search experience to AI search engines, potentially challenging Google's longstanding search dominance and the two companies' lucrative default search engine deal. The statements were made while Cue testified for the US Department of Justice in the Alphabet/Google antitrust trial, as first reported in Bloomberg.
Cue noted that searches in Safari fell for the first time ever last year, and attributed the shift to users increasingly using large language model-based solutions to perform their searches.
Google released a short statement on its blog that seems to run counter to what Cue said yesterday. Google said that it continues to see increasing engagement with search, including on Apple devices.
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While there isn’t enough detail to fully explain the discrepancy, perhaps Cue was referring to usage inside Safari and Google is suggesting that usage through other means on Apple’s platforms — through Google’s apps in the App Store for instance — makes up for that gap.
Essentially, Apple is taking live Shazam data from each day and funneling it into the new playlist.
That means the Viral Chart playlist will be updated daily, so it always features the top 50 songs that Shazam users are discovering within a given 24-hour period.
One of Apple’s biggest series will start streaming again this summer. The company announced that season 3 of Foundation will hit Apple TV Plus on July 11th, with new episodes weekly through September 12th. As part of the announcement, Apple also released the first teaser for the third season.
The path of the iMac seems obvious in hindsight. But it had a huge impact on today’s Mac, today’s Apple, and really the entire technology world of today. The iMac spirit lives on–as does the iMac itself.
That first iMac was the first Mac that gave us a good Mac experience without the then-traditional high price of a Mac.
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Apple today announced it has renewed two acclaimed comedy series, with Trying and The Studio each set to return for an additional season on Apple TV+.
“We’re thrilled to be making a second season of The Studio,” Rogen and his Point Grey Pictures partner Evan Goldberg said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to taking the lived experience of making season one and immediately putting it into season two, then repeating that loop for ten more seasons. And, we’re excited to keep all our industry friends and colleagues guessing as to when one of their personal stories will stream on Apple TV+.”
Apple Arcade welcomes five new games and exciting updates for hit games on the service next month, offering a seamless experience of uninterrupted fun with no ads or in-app purchases.
Creator platform Patreon has rolled out an updated version of its app that now allows users to make purchases via the web, in the wake of the Apple-Epic court ruling that forced Apple to allow app developers to include links to alternative forms of payment without being subject to Apple’s commission.
Inside Kindle on both iPhone and iPad, there’s now a ‘Get Book’ button provided with each listed title.
Tapping this new button takes you directly to the book’s Amazon listing in your preferred web browser.
Such international regulatory alignment signals the end of an era for Apple, whose business model thrived precisely because of fragmented global policies. Apple adeptly leveraged differences between jurisdictions to maintain strict control over its ecosystem, extracting billions in revenue. But regulators worldwide are now converging around the principle that platform control should not equate to monopolistic gatekeeping.
I am delighted that there will be a second season of The Studio, and I hope the quality keeps up.
I am also delighted that there will be another season of Trying. This is not at the same level of The Studio creatively and technically, but nevertheless it is also a wonderful show. If you haven't watch it, do give it a… well… try.
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You probably spend a lot of time on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac running one task after another after another across a variety of apps. Think how much time you could save if you automated those tasks or combined them into a single action. You can do all that and more with Apple's Shortcuts app.
After a stinging rebuke in the lower courts over its legal battle with Epic, Apple filed a notice of appeal to the Ninth Circuit on Monday. The appeal will challenge last week’s ruling that prevents the company from charging developers fees on purchases made outside the App Store.
Apple is being sued by developers unhappy with the company's "willful violation" of the anti-steering injunction the court ordered as part of its legal battle with Epic Games. A company called Pure Sweat Basketball has teamed up with law firm Hagens Berman to file a class-action lawsuit against Apple in an attempt to win some money for developers.
Ahead of Pride Month, Apple is introducing a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Sport Band, watch face, and iPhone and iPad wallpaper to celebrate the strength and beauty of LGBTQ+ communities around the world. The Pride Edition Sport Band is available to order today, and the matching, dynamic watch face and wallpaper will be available in an upcoming software update.
Apple and EA Sports today jointly announced that four selected MLS Season Pass matches will be streamed for free in the FC Mobile app on the iPhone and iPad.
If used for its intended purpose, the SwitchBot Wallet Finder is a very effective and great value for money. While obviously designed to be kept inside a wallet, it even has a built-in hole cutout if you did want to slip it on some kind of lanyard or keychain. I highly recommend it.
Perhaps the only drawback to be aware of is that the Wallet Finder card has no means of replacing the battery. It is a single use consumable, rated for about 3 years of usage. But the contents of your wallet are valuable enough that it probably makes financial sense to simply buy another when it eventually dies. You just have to be okay with yourself regarding the environmental waste.
Ergonis Software has released PopChar 10.4 with a new option to view passwords in clear text for easier typo checking.
After adding support for package directories (Photos libraries, for example) in version 1.1 and cloud storage files in version 1.2, Hyperspace 1.3 adds support for scanning Library folders.
I always turn to an alternative terminal app when on MacOS. If you're interested in doing the same, I've rounded up what I consider to be the six best MacOS terminal applications, and I'm certain one of these will serve your needs perfectly.
Apple may soon be forced to put up prices in response to the ongoing tariff war–and that’s not a pundit saying that, but one of the company’s own official statements.
On page 23 of its latest 10-Q SEC filing (which you can read on the Investor Relations web page), Apple discusses risk factors which could affect its operations and stock price.
Like everyone else, I use my desktop/laptop computer differently than my pocket computer, so it will be nonsensical to compare whether I enjoy using Mac computers more or less than using iPhone computers.
However, when I think about it, I do find joy using Macs, which I do not when I am using iPhones. This is not to say I hate or dislike using iPhones; it's just that there isn't joy.
My guess is that I regularly use a Windows computer too, being forced to use one at work. So, when I am using my Mac, I know how much worse it can get. Whereas I've never used Androids, and I haven't use any other smartphones in decades. (Palm!) So I don't have a reference to compare iPHones with.
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There, Apple puts its top-secret prototypes through their paces - and the gadgets won't leave until they pass the rigorous tests.
From bashing and prodding, roasting and freezing, here's what really goes on inside Apple's European testing labs.
Widgets were supposed to make your iPhone more useful, but most end up just sitting there looking pretty. The good news? A handful of apps can finally make widgets worth your time.
Across multiple product areas, Apple’s future feels uncertain. The company’s two great moonshot projects, Vision Pro and Apple Intelligence, are failures, albeit in different ways: one a technically impressive proof of concept that was inexplicably marketed as a consumer product, and the other a technical disaster that was somehow launched both too early and too late.
Storms are already here, and Apple have already made a few navigational missteps.
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In the first episode of the Apple TV+ show “The Studio,” Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese sells his script to the fictional Continental Studios, only to be told later by a studio chief played by Seth Rogen that the project, about Jonestown, has been killed. [...] “Just give me back my movie and let me go sell it to f— Apple, the way I should have done it in the first place,” a despairing Scorsese says.
The line could practically be an ad for how Apple TV+, the Cupertino tech giant’s streaming service, has positioned itself as a creative haven for filmmakers trying to sell bold, original ideas.
With Apple's in-house designed chips showcasing that they are more than just great slices of silicon for getting stuff done, and have the graphical grunt for gaming, I could see a decent future for actually gaming on Macs.
Now I don’t expect custom Windows PCs to be replaced by Macs, no matter how powerful the latter get. But I do see MacBooks being viable gaming machines if more games are ported over to run on M-series chips, either via the App Store on Stream.
According to a new report from Wayne Ma from The Information, Apple may be looking to shake up its release strategy with the iPhone 18 lineup, with some models launching in the fall as they would normally, and others moving to a new spring release window.
From blossoming long-distance love to helping families stay connected, for years Skype held a unique place in people's hearts.
In the days before Zoom, WhatsApp and Teams, the video call service was once one of the world's most popular websites.
But really, maybe Star Wars isn't even wrong here. I mean, it is in a whole different galaxy, and they have special powers like The Force. Perhaps they figured out a way to send information faster than the speed of light. One thing is certain: Ignoring the science makes for great entertainment. But understanding the science sure makes you appreciate our home on Earth. Go outside right now and listen to all the sounds!
When Apple loses the money from Google, and if Apple loses much of the money from developers, where will Apple squeeze for more Service revenue? I don't think it will be Apple TV+, where it still haven't had any success in pushing up subscriber numbers significantly, nor will Apple want to increase prices significantly in fear of heavier churn. Neither will it be Apple Music, where the profit margin are probably thin.
It probably isn't iCloud+, even though Apple is never going to increase the 5GB storage on the free tier, right?
Maybe Apple may finally have some success with the new Apple Ads outside of App Store.
But what I really hope? Let's not have the CFO drive these products.
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"This is a huge moment for creators and their businesses," a Patreon spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement. "The iOS app is the No. 1 platform for fan engagement on Patreon, and we believe this ruling allows creators to get paid without giving Apple 30%."
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Apps that help creators make money from subscriptions, like Patreon, Passes, Kajabi, and Mighty Networks, rejoiced at the changes. If more subscriptions are transacted outside Apple's ecosystem, it could mean more money for creators and platforms alike.
A security vulnerability in macOS has been discovered. It allows malicious actors to escape the App Sandbox protection by manipulating security-scoped bookmarks.
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Apple has addressed the vulnerability “through improved state management” in security updates released for affected systems. Users are strongly encouraged to apply these updates immediately.
While some of the most anticipated Apple Intelligence features have yet to ship, Apple is ramping up its marketing of the ones that have. In a new video posted on YouTube, Apple goes in-depth on features like Genmoji, Image Playground, Clean Up in Photos, and more.
Murderbot creators, writers, directors, and executive producers (and brothers) Chris and Paul Weitz are huge fans of the Martha Wells Murderbot Diaries books, and they approached their Apple TV+ series from the same perspective. Sci-fi fans like what they like, including the show’s main character, played by Alexander Skarsgård: a Security Unit that’s hacked its own system, gained free will, and discovered the wild world of trashy TV.
Apple is working with Anthropic on an updated version of Xcode that will support AI code writing, editing, and testing, reports Bloomberg. Anthropic is best known for its "Claude" large language model and chatbot that competes with OpenAI's ChatGPT. Claude is well-known for its coding capabilities, beating out other LLMs on programming tasks.
Have Apple asked the AIs on what's still missing with SwiftUI?
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Apple CEO Tim Cook said Thursday that the majority of iPhones sold in the U.S. in the current fiscal quarter will be sourced from India, while iPads and other devices will come from Vietnam as the company works to avoid the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on its business.
Apple’s earnings for the first three months of the year topped Wall Street’s expectations thanks to high demand for its iPhones, and the company said tariffs had a limited effect on the fiscal second quarter’s results.
Apple CEO Tim Cook offered the company’s first comments on the impact of President Trump’s tariffs during Thursday’s second-quarter earnings call with investors. While the iPhone maker saw only “limited impact” from tariffs in the March quarter, Cook said Apple couldn’t forecast what that would mean for the coming quarter. However, if things remained the same, the company estimates tariffs will only add $900 million to its costs in Q3.
The news was a relief to investors, with one even calling it a “pretty good outcome.” However, investors were still concerned as to what the next quarters could hold, given the rapid changes to U.S. trade policy in recent weeks.
During today's earnings call covering the second fiscal quarter of 2025, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged the Apple Intelligence Siri features that have been delayed. Cook said that Apple needs more time to ensure Siri meets its quality bar, but progress is being made.
"For our part, we will manage the company the way we always have, with thoughtful and deliberate decisions, with a focus on investing for the long term, and with dedication to innovation and the possibilities it creates. As we look ahead, we remain confident. Confident that we will continue to build the world’s best products and services. Confident in our ability to innovate and enrich our users’ lives. And confident that we can continue to run our business in a way that has always set Apple apart."
In the wake of yesterday's court ruling in the dispute between Apple and Epic Games over Apple's policies restricting developers' ability to inform users about alternatives to making purchases through Apple's in-app purchasing system, Apple has updated its App Review Guidelines to comply with the ruling.
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The changes are currently limited to the United States given the scope of the court case.
Apple has officially approved the first app with links to external payment options in the United States. After submitting its update to Apple yesterday afternoon, Spotify says that Apple has approved a new version of the app that takes advantage of the latest changes to the App Store Guidelines.
Payments processor Stripe has published new documentation for developers looking to accept out-of-app payments for digital goods and subscriptions on iPhone and iPad.
The move follows a court ruling that bars Apple from preventing developers from directing users to web-based payment options from within their apps.
In a furious opinion, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said that she wouldn’t give Apple a second chance to get it right: instead, she’s demanding specific changes to the App Store, ripping away Apple’s grip after years of unsubstantial alterations in response.
The ruling describes a deliberate process by which Apple sized up how to comply with the court’s original order, only to choose an anticompetitive option “at every step.”
It’s overkill for many situations - Photoshop will run almost as well on much cheaper machines, as will a web browser - but if you’re video editing, rendering, using AI or perhaps doing all three things at once, the Mac Studio is one of the best desktop PCs around.
No matter the interpretation, the labor market for young grads is flashing a yellow light. It could be the signal of short-term economic drag, or medium-term changes to the value of the college degree, or long-term changes to the relationship between people and AI. This is a number to watch.
Apple must pay a U.S. patent holder $502 million for the use of 4G patents in devices including iPhones and iPads, London's Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday, in the latest stage of a long-running legal battle.
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An Apple spokesperson said they were "disappointed by this decision and plan to appeal".
"Optis makes no products and their sole business is to sue companies using patents they buy," the spokesperson added. "We will continue to defend against their attempts to extract unreasonable payments."
We all expected Mr Tim Cook to not retire at least for the next four years because of, well, all the stuff he has to deal with from the US executive branch.
But now, we can also argue that Tim Cook may want to retire because of US judiciary.
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Epic Games v. Apple judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers just ruled that, effective immediately, Apple is no longer allowed to collect fees on purchases made outside apps and blocks the company from restricting how developers can point users to where they can make purchases outside of apps.
The ruling was issued as part of Epic Games’ ongoing legal dispute against Apple, and it’s a major victory for Epic’s arguments. Rogers also says that Apple “willfully” chose not to comply with her previous injunction from her original 2021 ruling. “That [Apple] thought this Court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation,” Rogers says.
"We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court's order and we will appeal," reads Apple's statement.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has referred the situation to the US Attorney’s Office in San Francisco “to investigate whether criminal contempt proceedings are appropriate.”
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Apple pursued its noncompliance strategy “with the express intent to create new anticompetitive barriers which would, by design and in effect, maintain a valued revenue stream; a revenue stream previously found to be anticompetitive,” Gonzalez Rogers wrote in her ruling on Wednesday. “That it thought this court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation.”
The Mac Studio is everything Apple 20 years ago couldn’t deliver — the most powerful machine in its class, capable of munching its way through the most demanding tasks, and with benchmark data points that absolutely show these Macs to be the best systems for any professional needing to do intensive work.
Apple TV+ is exactly one month away from debuting Bono: Stories of Surrender, a concert-style “documentary event.” This will also be the first ever feature-length film in Apple Immersive Video on the Vision Pro. And today, Apple debuted the first trailer to show us what to expect.
With the Firefox tab group implementation, users are able to drag and drop tabs into organized groups and label them by name or color, with groups listed in the right side of the Firefox browser's top menu.
The coalition's members argue that Apple and Google, as gatekeepers of the iOS App Store and Google Play Store respectively, are best positioned to implement uniform age verification protocols across devices and markets. By contrast, Apple and Google have maintained that responsibility should lie with individual app developers, who are directly collecting and processing user data within their apps.
Back in the mid-1990s, when The Net was among the top box office draws and Americans were just starting to flock online in droves, kids had to swipe their parents' credit cards or find a fraudulent number online to access adult content on the web. But today's kids—even in states with the strictest age verification laws—know they can just use Google.
Last month, a study analyzing the relative popularity of Google search terms found that age verification laws shift users' search behavior. It's impossible to tell if the shift represents young users attempting to circumvent the child-focused law or adult users who aren't the actual target of the laws. But overall, enforcement causes nearly half of users to stop searching for popular adult sites complying with laws and instead search for a noncompliant rival (48 percent) or virtual private network (VPN) services (34 percent), which are used to mask a location and circumvent age checks on preferred sites, the study found.
Outdoor hugging starts today.
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