9to5Mac Daily: May 2, 2024 – More changes in the EU for App Store and iPad
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Supported by Setapp: Get access to 240+ apps on your Mac for just $9.99. Sign up today for a free 7-day trial.  more…

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iOS 17.5 beta feature makes sending in your iPhone for repair a lot friendlier
Macworld Sending your iPhone in for repair was always a little nerve-wracking. Not just because you no longer have access to what may be the most important gadget in your life, but because you never know if it’s safe. Apple’s recommended procedure for preparing your device for service is to back up your phone, turn off Apple Cash, remove all cards from Wallet, and then remove your iPhone from Find My. This also removes Activation Lock. The fine print says, “Apple might not be able to service your device if Find My isn’t turned off.” It’s all very worrying and not the smooth and seamless experience we’re used to from Apple. That’s about to change, it seems. MacRumors found a new feature in iOS 17.5 (currently in beta) that allows you to set your iPhone to a “Repair State” in which it remains fully functional and has Find My and Activation Lock enabled but still does whatever Apple needs to repair your iPhone. When you go to Find My, then your Devices list, and choose “Remove This Device” on your iPhone with iOS 17.5, you’ll get a message that says “Cannot remove iPhone. Prepare this device for repair?” Choosing Continue will retain your device’s functionality and it can be tracked via Find My. It will have a stethoscope icon next to it in the device list. Foundry Foundry Foundry The feature is currently limited to iOS, but it makes sense that Apple would expand it to other devices, including the Apple Watch and Mac. Allowing users to track their devices as they’re sent in for repair, and keeping Activation Lock enabled, should hopefully give users a lot more piece of mind that it won’t get stolen. iOS

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DOJ explains how Google-Apple deal should have been done to avoid legal peril
Judge: What should Google have done to avoid the DOJ’s crosshairs?

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How transcripts in Apple Podcasts became a time-saving killer feature
There is no shortage of great third-party podcast clients on the App Store, such as Castro, Overcast, and Pocket Casts. But when Apple Podcasts introduced transcripts in iOS 17.4, the app immediately won me over. Podcast transcripts are a fantastic feature for all kinds of users. For Deaf users there’s a clear benefit, since content that was previously limited to audio suddenly became accessible in written form. For researchers trying to quickly find key info, transcript search is an invaluable tool. For me though, the biggest win with podcast transcripts has been their ability to save me significant time by filtering down the content to only what I actually want to hear. more…

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Beats Pill revival resurfaces thanks to F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo
The unannounced Beats Pill has made another public appearance. This time, it's caught in the hand of F1 racing driver Daniel Ricciardo.A Beats Pill-like speaker carried by Daniel Ricciardo [Instagram/F1]Beats is in the middle of updating its personal audio lineup, including its Beats Solo 4 and Beats Solo Buds. So far, it has yet to announce a speaker, but celebrity leaks are continuing to flow.A shot posted to the official F1 Instagram account shows racing driver Daniel Ricciardo in Miami holding a Beats speaker by a connected cord. The shot clearly shows the Beats logo in the middle of a speaker that looks like the well-known Pill series. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple exempts freeware from controversial Core Technology Fee
Apple gave in to protests about the Core Technology Fee it charges European developers. Freeware is now exempt. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Unveiling 9to5Mac YouTube channel memberships: Join today!
We’re excited to announce the launch of something new for the amazing 9to5Mac community: YouTube channel memberships! This is your opportunity to directly support the channel you love and unlock some fun perks as a result. Why support the channel? 9to5Mac has been going strong on YouTube for eight years and is inching closer to one million subscribers. Your support helps us to continue growing and creating the in-depth video content you love. We provide in-depth iOS guides, walkthroughs, tutorials, news, reviews, and, most recently, the 9to5Mac Overtime podcast. Of course, our YouTube content will always remain free and accessible, and you are not obligated to become a channel member. However, for those who especially appreciate our work, here is your chance to support us directly. more…

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How to watch Apple’s May iPad event (with a different start time)
Apple’s “Let Loose” event is almost here and we’re expecting the official launch of the new iPad Pro, iPad Air, and more. Here’s how to watch the iPad event (including below), plus a reminder that the start time is three hours earlier than most of the company’s events. more…

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The Last Thing the iPad Needs Is a Spec Bump
An anonymous reader shares a column: When Apple CEO Tim Cook and a bunch of his deputies take the virtual stage next week to announce new iPads, they're going to spend a lot of time talking about specs. If the rumors are true, we're going to get new iPad Pros with OLED screens and thinner bodies, new Airs with faster chips and a correctly placed front camera, and a couple of new accessories. Before they even launch, I feel confident telling you these are the best iPads ever. But after all these years, I still don't know how to tell you whether you should want an iPad. Or what you'd want to do with it. This has been true forever, of course. The iPad is the jack-of-all-trades in Apple's lineup, a terrific device in many ways that still feels increasingly redundant now that so many people have big phones and long-lasting laptops. Apple seems to have spent the last decade-plus enamored with the idea of the iPad as a shapeshifter -- a device that can be exactly what you need at any given time. The company loves that the iPad's use case is hard to pin down, that it means different things to different people. It's a fun, good, ambitious idea: The One Gadget To Rule Them All. The way to make that happen, though, is not to upgrade the chips or move the buttons or redesign the rounded corners. It's to focus less on the iPad itself and more on the things you attach to it. [...] The iPad is a screen and a processor, and everything else should be an add-on for whenever you need it. Give the gamers a controller and an external GPU. Give the music lovers a speaker dock, and give the smart home fanatics a bunch of buttons that connect to various devices. The photographers need lenses; the spreadsheeters need a keyboard with function keys. The Pencil and the Magic Keyboard are a start, but Apple needs to do much more. The company needs to spend less time worrying about the iPad itself -- a device famous for how long it lasts and that hardly anyone is using to its full potential -- and more time on how to make it more than just a tablet. (Plus, bonus for Apple: it's going to be a lot easier to get people to buy accessories than to convince them to upgrade their iPad when they don't need to.) Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Apple vastly expands Figma support with new set of design templates
Apple today has added nine new design templates to its collection of Figma resources, significantly increasing the number of resources available for Figma users. Previously the available resources focused solely on key operating systems like iOS and iPadOS, visionOS, and macOS. Now, nine new cross-platform feature templates are available. more…

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Apple’s Beats Pill speaker could be about to make a comeback
Update May 2, 2024: Another day, another Beats Pill comeback teaser. This time, F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo was spotted carrying an unreleased Beats Pill speaker in Miami this week. Back in January 2022, Apple discontinued the years-old Beats Pill+ without announcing a replacement of any sort. It looks like that could be about to change, at least based on a teaser this week. more…

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Siri on HomePod can't tell you what time it is right now
The HomePod is having an issue understanding the simple query "What time is it?" right now. Apple will probably fix it soon.You can't ask Siri what time it is on HomePod for the momentUsers of Siri know that there are many basic queries that could be asked, which result in straightforward results. One common query is to ask Siri the time, which is helpful if the user can't see a clock nearby.However, social media users started to report on Tuesday that asking Siri for the time was coming up with a completely different answer on HomePod. In many cases, Siri seems to believe that users want to know about a web result. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple poised to throw billions more at investors amid stock slump
Apple stock has been in decline for most of the year, but AAPL investors are likely to get at least one bit of good news when the company… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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TwelveSouth’s adjustable iPad mount is secretly a versatile iPhone accessory
TwelveSouth recently sent me their l to test with FaceTime on Apple TV 4K. HoverBar Duo is primarily marketed as an adjustable iPad mount for using the tablet hands-free. However, the arrival of FaceTime for Apple TV 4K makes HoverBar Duo a versatile solution for positioning your iPhone camera just right. Before trying it with FaceTime on Apple TV 4K, the TwelveSouth HoverBar Duo has proved useful with the iPhone in lots of other ways. more…

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Save on flowers, jewelry, clothes and more with these select Apple Pay deals
Apple has debuted new Apple Pay promotions ahead of Mother's Day, offering a handful of discounts on flowers, chocolates, jewelry, and more.Save on Mother's Day with Apple PayMother's Day 2024 falls on Sunday, May 12, so it's time to make sure you've snagged a gift that will really wow that special mom in your life.For the fashion-forward mom, you can take 20% off a purchase of $125 or more with the promo code APPLEPAY at Ann Taylor. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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New SoundLink Max cranks up Bose’s portable speaker lineup
The new Bose SoundLink Max Portable Speaker brings big sound and lossless audio to the party, wherever it may be. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Beats Solo Buds, surprising iPad Pro specs, and iOS 18 rumors
Benjamin and Chance assess the final iPad rumors ahead of next week’s ‘Let Loose’ event. Beats launches an incredibly compelling new addition to their headphones lineup, the Beats Solo Buds. At the same time, Apple fails to acknowledge what happened with people getting locked out of their Apple IDs over the weekend, in the same week as it releases a statement promising to fix an issue with iPhone alarms.  And in Happy Hour Plus, Benjamin and Chance discuss what podcast client they currently use and why, and how their listening habits reflect their app preferences. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join. Sponsored by Ladder: Go to Ladderlife.com/HappyHour today to see if you’re instantly approved. Sponsored by Incogni: Limit public access to your private information, mitigate the risks of identity theft, and keep your data from being sold. Use code “happyhour” at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: incogni.com/happyhour Sponsored by Kolide by 1Password, the device trust solution that ensures that if a device isn’t secure, it can’t access your apps. Close the Zero Trust access gap for Okta. Learn more or watch the demo. more…

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Microsoft finally lets users sign into accounts with passkeys
Microsoft has rolled out support for passkeys to all consumer accounts, allowing users to log into services without using a password.Microsoft passkey supportPasskeys are slowly growing in popularity with services, since they offer a secure way to authenticate a user. Already a supporter of the passkey standard, Microsoft is now bringing support for it to all consumer Microsoft accounts.The change, introduced on May 2, means users can add a passkey to their Microsoft account. Once enabled, users can sign into Microsoft accounts via an iPhone or another mobile device, taking advantage of that device's biometric security. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple Adds More Carve-outs To Its EU Core Tech Fee After Criticism From Devs
Apple is tweaking how it applies a new fee that can apply to iOS developers in the European Union as it continues to configure its approach to the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA): Developers of free apps will be able to avoid the fee entirely under changes it announced Thursday, which apply from today, while other developers earning under a certain revenue threshold will get longer before they have to pay Apple the fee. From a report: The so-called "core technology fee" remains opt in for iOS developers in the region, as Apple continues to offer its standard business terms, but those wanting to take up new entitlements the DMA has required Apple to offer -- such as allowing sideloading of apps, third party app stores, and support for alternative payment tech than Apple's own -- must agree to the set of business terms that include the CTF (as Apple calls it). The fee remains under scrutiny in the region where the Commission, which enforces the DMA on Apple and other gatekeepers -- and opened its first investigations including on Apple in March -- is actively exploring whether the mechanism is enabling the iPhone maker to avoid its obligations to open up the App Store to competition, such as from third party app stores. But so far the EU hasn't prevented Apple from charging a fee. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Apple extends new core technology fee to iPadOS apps in the EU
Apple will extend its newly introduced core technology fee to iPadOS apps downloaded on its App Store in the EU after the iPad operating… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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