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- Monday May 13
- 36 mins agoAfter Apple, EU goes after Microsoft and Booking.com (but not X, for now)
After Apple was required to make big changes in Europe to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Microsoft and Booking.com have also been ruled to be subject to the antitrust law … more…47 mins agoDeals: Apple's M3 14-inch MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM drops to $1,599
A $200 discount is in effect on Apple's upgraded M3 14-inch MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, with fast and free 2-day shipping.The AppleInsider 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Price Guide is tracking a $200 markdown on a best-selling configuration this Monday at Apple Authorized Reseller B&H Photo.Buy for $1,599Pick up the upgraded configuration with 16GB of unified memory and 512GB of storage for $1,599 in the sleek Space Gray finish. This model is equipped with Apple's M3 chip with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU. It also has two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, an HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack and a MagSafe 3 port. Continue Reading on AppleInsider1 hour agoStop spam calls at the source by fighting data brokers with Incogni
Spam calls and robocalls flood our iPhones because our personal information is accessed through data brokers, but you can end the insanity with the help of online data removal services.Stop spam calls with IncogniThe number one commodity on the internet is user information. It is gathered and sold in mass by companies to data brokers.These practices mean that a person's private information may be readily found online without much effort — including phone numbers. Unwanted calls from telemarketers, religious groups, political organizers, and other kinds of spam can make a user's phone ring constantly. Continue Reading on AppleInsider1 hour agoHuman-Centered AI and How To Prevent Widespread Future Unemployment
We are approaching a significant catastrophe of massive unemployment coupled with an equally enormous lack of jobs to employ those who have been displaced. In addition, the rate of change not only means that most people who are now in school will find their education wasn’t adequate for the available jobs, but they will be unable to change their skill set fast enough to be competitive with AIs and robots. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.1 hour agoNine-core M4 iPad Pro benchmarks leak, still smokes M2
A new set of alleged benchmarks for the nine-core M4 in the iPad Pro indicates that it will still provide buyers with a massive performance boost.M4 iPad ProFollowing the launch of the M4 iPad Pro models, aninitial benchmark claimed to show the M4 as being very powerful. Now, a second seems to show both variants of the M4 chip will offer good performance to consumers.The M4 generation consists of two versions. A top-tier variant has ten cores, consisting of four performance cores and six efficiency cores. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums1 hour agoApple looks set to lose latest court battle with Epic Games
The US judge who ordered Apple to allow developers to sell apps outside of the official App Store has sharply criticized the way the iPhone maker has responded. Epic Games went back to court to claim that Apple was not properly complying with the antitrust order, and remarks made by judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers indicate that she is in agreement … more…11:15 amGameSir X2s Type C review: Turn your iPhone into a small Steam Deck
Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating ProsEasy to useAnalogue controls Nice clicky feel ConsUSB-C iPhones onlyOur VerdictThe GameSir X2s Type C turns your iPhone into a Steam Deck-like gaming machine. Great feel and its great analog controls give you an edge when playing in the mobile world. For example, if you have a Game Pass subscription, you can play really heavy games with this bad boy attached to your phone. Price When Reviewed$45.99 Best Prices Today: GameSir X2s Type-C Retailer Price $45.99 View Deal GameSir $46 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket If you’re serious about getting a better handle on your iPhone gaming, consider a gamepad, an external device that provides physical controls–actual buttons, joysticks, direction pads, and more. One like the GameSir 2Xs Type C controller, which works with the iPhone 15 series of phones. The “Type C” in the name gently refers to its USB-C connector that plugs into the iPhone 15 (it also works with Android phones). The 2Xs cradles the iPhone; just pull the 2Xs apart and place the iPhone in. The cradle is rubberized, so there is minimal risk of scratching the phone. It also gently squeezes the phone for a secure fit. The USB-C connector is adjustable so regardless of how thick or thin the phone is, the fit remains. I tested it with an iPhone 15 Pro Max and a regular iPhone 15 and there were no problems at all. The 2Xs charges via a USB-C port and it also had passthrough charging. So while you are enjoying your game, your iPhone will charge at the same time. GameSir 2Xs Type C: Control with feeling As with most game controllers, the right side has X, Y, B, and A buttons, while the left side has a direction pad. The 2Xs itself feels solid. The underside is also rubberized for a more comfortable grip. The shoulder buttons make a satisfying mechanical click when you press them. According to the manufacturer, they should last for three million clicks. Both joysticks are also good and provide nice control when playing. You can basically plug in your phone and start playing. But you can program certain buttons to perform special functions, like turbo firing and more. There’s an app for those who want to remap the buttons or reprogram them. GameSir 2Xs Type C: Game on I played Halo Infinite (Xbox cloud gaming), War Robots, and Asphalt with the 2Xs. It works just fine. Halo is easier to play because the buttons on the 2Xs have the same layout as the Xbox controller. It feels undeniably breathtaking to play such a heavy game on an iPhone. However, the switch from using the touchscreen controls to a hardware game controller takes some time. Where I used to frantically tap the screen, I now have to do it with the controller, which in panic situations I forget. The fact that I couldn’t learn the controls fast enough is not something I will blame the manufacturer for. But the clan I belong to in War Robots was not at all impressed with my effort. Halo Infinite via Xbox Cloud Gaming is running just fine. Halo Infinite via Xbox Cloud Gaming is running just fine. Petter Ahrnstedt Halo Infinite via Xbox Cloud Gaming is running just fine. Petter Ahrnstedt Petter Ahrnstedt Should you buy the GameSir 2Xs Type C? If you like to play more advanced games on your iPhone then GameSir X2s Type C is for you. It’s great for games with complicated controls that are overwhelming on an iPhone. For example, if you are thinking of downloading Resident Evil Village to your iPhone, then it is a must! This article originally appeared on Macworld Sweden and was translated by Roman Loyola. Gaming, iPhone11:06 amTop Apple TV+ talent could share $10.5M bonus; three criteria
We learned earlier this month that Apple was actively discussing a success-based bonus system for Apple TV+ talent – in which writers, actors, and directors would be paid less up-front, but receive greater rewards when shows proved popular with audiences. A new report reveals some of the specifics of this, including the three criteria Apple would apply to determine who receives the bonus payments of up to $10.5M per season … more…10:30 amInstead of simplifying the iPad, Apple made it more confusing than ever
Macworld Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too. Simple is as simple does One of the first things they teach you at tech journalist school is to put yourself in the shoes of the casual reader. I’m immersed in the world of Apple products on a daily basis, but many of those who visit Macworld stubbornly insist on having a life. And things that might seem obvious to me, and to Apple’s head-in-the-clouds hipster marketing team, are baffling to them. It’s worrying for all concerned, then, when I’m the one finding Apple’s product range baffling. But that’s been the case with the iPad for years: between staggered launches, inconsistent naming conventions, and an excess of choice, the line-up at the start of this year was an absolute mess. Ripe, we all assumed, for a cool glass of “keep it simple, stupid.” But last week’s Let Loose event was disappointedly short of that particular beverage. First of all, Apple resolutely refused to prune the range to any significant degree. Yes, the 9th-gen iPad was dropped from sale and the 10th-gen model got a price cut, but Apple added another iPad Air to fill the void. So there are still six iPad models on sale, each with further choices of color, storage capacity, cellular connectivity, screen size… and now screen finish, as if the buying decision wasn’t complicated enough already. Apple Apple Apple Neither was any attempt made to untangle the iPad’s odd naming conventions. The cheapest model is still called simply “iPad,” making any attempt to discuss it a thoroughly Abbott and Costello experience. (“I’m going to buy an iPad.” “Which iPad?” “The iPad.” “But which iPad?” etc.) Then there’s the iPad Air, which counterintuitively isn’t the smallest or lightest model. The smallest Mac uses the “mini” branding, while the slenderest MacBook uses “Air;” only the iPad feels the need to have both. In fact, the names have even less meaning, because pixel for pixel the iPad Air is now bulkier and heavier than the iPad Pro, too. And at 1.36 pounds the 13-inch Air is by some distance the heaviest iPad currently on sale. Riddle me that one, naming sticklers. And this: If you buy an 11-inch iPad you’re actually still getting a 10.9-inch screen and the 13-inch AIr is actually 12.9 inches, while the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro are accurately named. And what about the Apple Pencil, an iPad-only accessory so seemingly fundamental to its appeal that Apple plastered one across the launch event artwork? That went from baffling to incomprehensible. Ludicrously there are now four Apple Pencils on sale simultaneously, and it would take me multiple paragraphs, and a major increase in my blood pressure, to explain the differences and which model works with which iPad. At the risk of repeating myself, Apple should have taken this opportunity to strip back the iPad range to two brands: Air and Pro. As with the MacBook range, the former would focus on portability and keeping down cost and swallow up the rebranded iPad mini as a smaller screen option. The latter would focus on processing power, battery life, and state-of-the-art screen tech. If Apple wants to offer something cheaper as well, it can keep an older Air model on sale, much as it does with the MacBook range. Admittedly some niche buying options would be lost in this purge. But Apple would gain something far more valuable: clarity. And at long last customers–and experienced tech journalists-would have some hope of understanding what’s going on. Have your say Last week I said many of Apple’s events would be better off as an email, and this prompted some strong opinions. “I used to intently listen to Steve Jobs present the next big Apple product,” wrote John Scott. “But honestly, I don’t even watch the condensed versions now. The right people can do presentations and spur on their customers’ impulse buying. But nobody at Apple today has that personality. “The leakers also ruined it for any sort of surprises.” Another reader who asked to remain nameless was less impressed by my argument. “Sorry, but I look forward to these announcements as they display new products and services in their best light, with Apple presenters who are not ‘charisma-free executives,'” he wrote. “I’ll be online at 7am (as I suspect you will, too) to hear what they have to say and admire a company that makes some of the best designed and most functional products in the world.” Foundry Foundry Foundry Let Loose special Everything Apple announced during the ‘Let Loose’ event. Apple’s iPad event: 5 unexpected surprises you may have missed. Jason Snell explains how the iPad Pro’s M4 chip sets the iPhone and Mac on a new path. With the fourth model, the Apple Pencil strategy finally makes sense. The new iPad Pro is finally here with an M4 chip and OLED display. Apple announces the M2 iPad Air with a larger 13-inch screen. Apple debuts M4 processor in new iPad Pro. New sleeker, aluminum Magic Keyboard makes iPad Pro even more Mac-like. New Apple Pencil Pro adds a fourth stylus option for iPads. Apple has tragically killed off its last device that still had a headphone jack. Apple reveals new AI-enhanced versions of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. Trending: Top stories Apple’s so behind on AI it needs an intervention. Podcast of the week The drought is finally over! Apple has announced new iPad Pros, new iPad Airs, the Apple Pencil Pro, and more! We’re talking about the latest Apple product announcements in this episode of the Macworld Podcast. You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site. Reviews corner Best VPN for Mac: Reviews and buying advice. The rumor mill The iPhone 17 may debut a new ‘slim’ model. Forget new iPads, Apple is actually working on a touchscreen Mac. And with that, we’re done for this week’s Apple Breakfast. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, or Twitter for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley. Apple Inc10:00 amInitial M4 Geekbench scores go public, new chip tests 24 percent faster than the M3
Last week at its media event, Apple made the unconventional move of releasing its newest CPU, the M4, within its next-generation iPad Pro tablet, which is currently available for pre-order and will hit the shelves on Wednesday, May 15. Benchmarks for the new M4 iPad Pro units have surfaced over on Geekbench, and offer a […] Source08:00 amStay on track of project tasks, budgeting, and more with a $20 Microsoft Project license
Macworld No matter what profession you’re in, you likely deal or lead projects on a regular basis. Project organization and management can be a difficult task, but Microsoft Project Professional 2021 can help you start and end your projects successfully. Through May 22, Microsoft’s leading project management suite (4.4-star rated on GetApp!) is less than $20. It’s a one-time fee that opens lifetime access to tools for auto-population, task reports, and more. Project offers a wide range of pre-made project management templates to get started on the right foot and can be synced with Project Online and Project Server for greater ease of use. If you’re a project manager, you can benefit from this suite’s easy timesheet submission tools, which allow you to view time spent on projects and differentiate them from project work and non-project work. Managers and business leaders can also run what-if scenarios to see how your project may turn out, as well as auto-populate start and end dates. You can even get a visual representation of complex project schedules with integrated timelines. From May 13 through 22 at 11:59 PM Pacific, you can get lifetime access to Microsoft Project Professional 2021 for Windows for just $19.97. No coupon necessary! Microsoft Project Professional 2021 for Windows Only $19.97 at Macworld StackSocial prices subject to change. Accessories01:20 amApple Store workers in Maryland vote in favor of a strike over working conditions
Two years ago, Apple Store workers in Towson, Maryland voted in favor of unionization, making it the first Apple retail location in the United States to unionize. Now, those Apple Towson Town Center employees have authorized a strike, after “a year of negotiations with Apple management that yielded unsatisfactory outcomes.” more…Sunday May 1208:34 pmOpenAI's Sam Altman on iPhones, Music, Training Data, and Apple's Controversial iPad Ad
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman gave an hour-long interview to the "All-In" podcast (hosted by Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks and David Friedberg). And speaking on technology's advance, Altman said "Phones are unbelievably good.... I personally think the iPhone is like the greatest piece of technology humanity has ever made. It's really a wonderful product." Q: What comes after it? Altman: I don't know. I mean, that was what I was saying. It's so good, that to get beyond it, I think the bar is quite high. Q: You've been working with Jony Ive on something, right? Altman: We've been discussing ideas, but I don't — like, if I knew... Altman said later he thought voice interaction "feels like a different way to use a computer." But the conversation turned to Apple in another way. It happened in a larger conversation where Altman said OpenAI has "currently made the decision not to do music, and partly because exactly these questions of where you draw the lines..." Altman: Even the world in which — if we went and, let's say we paid 10,000 musicians to create a bunch of music, just to make a great training set, where the music model could learn everything about song structure and what makes a good, catchy beat and everything else, and only trained on that — let's say we could still make a great music model, which maybe we could. I was posing that as a thought experiment to musicians, and they were like, "Well, I can't object to that on any principle basis at that point — and yet there's still something I don't like about it." Now, that's not a reason not to do it, um, necessarily, but it is — did you see that ad that Apple put out... of like squishing all of human creativity down into one really iPad...? There's something about — I'm obviously hugely positive on AI — but there is something that I think is beautiful about human creativity and human artistic expression. And, you know, for an AI that just does better science, like, "Great. Bring that on." But an AI that is going to do this deeply beautiful human creative expression? I think we should figure out — it's going to happen. It's going to be a tool that will lead us to greater creative heights. But I think we should figure out how to do it in a way that preserves the spirit of what we all care about here. What about creators whose copyrighted materials are used for training data? Altman had a ready answer — but also some predictions for the future. "On fair use, I think we have a very reasonable position under the current law. But I think AI is so different that for things like art, we'll need to think about them in different ways..." Altman:I think the conversation has been historically very caught up on training data, but it will increasingly become more about what happens at inference time, as training data becomes less valuable and what the system does accessing information in context, in real-time... what happens at inference time will become more debated, and what the new economic model is there. Altman gave the example of an AI which was never trained on any Taylor Swift songs — but could still respond to a prompt requesting a song in her style. Altman: And then the question is, should that model, even if it were never trained on any Taylor Swift song whatsoever, be allowed to do that? And if so, how should Taylor get paid? So I think there's an opt-in, opt-out in that case, first of all — and then there's an economic model. Altman also wondered if there's lessons in the history and economics of music sampling... Read more of this story at Slashdot.08:05 pmGet focused with this all-in-one Mac task manager for less than $30
A task manager app app for Mac and PC, Pagico 10 can help you plan more effectively with custom dashboards, status updates and more. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)06:15 pmEnjoy a $149 Discount on the M3 MacBook Air
The M3 MacBook Air is the closest thing you have for an ultra-portable yet very capable laptop. Today, the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD is down to just $1,149.99 from its original price of $1,300 on Amazon. You probably know that the M3 chip is one of the latest to […] The post appeared first on iLounge.06:13 pmNew patent application hints at Touch Bar for Apple Pencil support
A new patent submitted by Apple hints at a comeback of the Touch Bar for the Apple Pencil. Under the patent title ‘Mountable tool computer input’, the patent discusses having a MacBook Pro with a positioned touch screen near a keyboard for providing more than just a set of keys. The touch screen has a […] The post appeared first on iLounge.06:10 pmApple possibly partnering with OpenAI for iOS 18 generative AI technology
A report claims that talks between Apple and OpenAI are nearing completion, which could mean iOS 18 will be powered by ChatGPT’s generative AI. The online leak claims that Apple and OpenAI ‘are finalizing terms’ for using ChatGPT on iOS 18. However, the report also said that Apple is still in discussion with Google for […] The post appeared first on iLounge.06:09 pmApple launches three macOS release candidates
Apple has released not just one, but three release candidates for the macOS in a single day. macOS 14.5 release candidate has gone live alongside two other versions for older systems ahead of the public release. Apple launched watchOS 10.5, tvOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5, and iOS 17.5 on Tuesday, then followed it up with the […] The post appeared first on iLounge.06:07 pmThe M1 iPad Air Gets a $150 Discount
The fifth-generation iPad Air was the first to receive the Silicon chip, giving it a boost in the graphical and processing department. Today, the 64GB Wi-Fi model is down to just $449 from its original price of $600 on Amazon. Pair the lightest iPad in Apple’s lineup and the M1 chip and you have yourself […] The post appeared first on iLounge.06:05 pmRevamped Siri to be ‘The Core’ in Apple’s AI Foray
A New York Times report said that Apple will develop its AI technology with a revamped Siri ‘at the core.’ The decision to augment Siri was credited to senior executives, including John Giannandrea and Craig Federighi, heads of Machine Learning and AI Strategy and Software Engineering, respectively. The two apparently spent weeks testing ChatGPT and […] The post appeared first on iLounge.