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- Sunday March 22
- 07:19 pmWhy Apple Temporarily Blocked Popular Vibe Coding Apps
An anonymous reader shared this report from the tech-news blog Neowin: Apple appears to have temporarily prevented apps, including Replit and Vibecode, from pushing new updates. Apple seems bothered by how apps like Replit present vibe-coded apps in a web view within the original app. This process virtually allows the app to become something else. And the new app isn't distributed via the App Store, but it still runs on the user's device... [S]uch apps would also bypass the App Store Review process that ensures that apps are safe to use and meet Apple's design and performance standards... According to the publication (via MacRumors), Apple was close to approving pending updates for such apps if they changed how they work. For instance, Replit would get the green light if its developers configure the app to open vibe-coded apps in an external browser rather than the in-app web view. Vibecode is also close to being approved if it removes features, such as the ability to develop apps specifically for the App Store. Read more of this story at Slashdot.06:00 pmSecurity Bite Podcast: Psylo app is setting out to change private browsing
9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple. In this episode, I sit down with Talal, one-half of the duo behind the Mysk security research X account and co-founder of Psylo, a privacy-focused iOS browser app that takes a fundamentally different approach to private browsing. We get into why not all VPNs are created equal, how exactly websites are identifying you and tracking your moments across tabs, and how Psylo tackles all of this by giving every tab its own isolated silo, complete with a separate IP address, memory, storage, and more. If you care about browser privacy on your iPhone, this one’s worth a listen. Here’s my conversation with Talal. more…05:41 pmThis rumored MacBook Pro upgrade has me excited for the overhaul, and it isn’t OLED
Later this year, Apple is set to debut its first MacBook Pro redesign since 2021. With that redesign, we’re expecting OLED, touch displays, M6 Pro and M6 Max chips, a Dynamic Island cutout, and much more. There’s another big detail about these new MacBook Pro models, and I’m much more excited for that change. more…04:48 pmToday in Apple history: PowerCD paves the way toward a lucrative future
On March 22, 1993, Apple launched the PowerCD, a CD player that worked as an external CD drive for Macs. It was a sign of things to come. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)03:47 pmApple’s busy March continues with three notable arrivals this week
Apple has had a jam-packed March so far after launching seven new products and surprisingly announcing an eighth. Looking ahead, there’s even more to come from Apple before the month is over, including three things to watch for this week. more…03:41 pmHow 50 years of moving fast and breaking stuff led to MacBook Neo
Macworld What a funny coincidence that celebrations of Apple’s 50th anniversary would hit the same month that the company introduced the MacBook Neo, a $599 laptop that has the potential to take the Mac to new heights. The facts that Apple was founded in 1976 and the MacBook Neo exists in 2026 shouldn’t have anything in common but that they both involve a corporation called Apple. But that’s not right: Apple’s product philosophy is more continuous than you might imagine, and that string that starts with the Apple I ends, 50 years later, in a colorful new MacBook Neo. Apple was born in a chaotic world. Dozens of personal computer companies were building early devices, and each of them was its own island with its own software running on custom hardware. New chips and new hardware innovations like floppy disk drives (did you know that the earliest Apple computers could only read data from audio cassettes?!) meant that as a computer company, you evolved rapidly or you died. Most of them died, of course. But Apple didn’t, in part because it was always adopting the next big thing in order to survive. It was a mindset that I always connected to Steve Jobs, a man with absolutely zero sentimentality. Apple has always been a company that knows that it needs to move forward rapidly to survive. Steve Jobs believed in always moving forward and not getting sentimental about the past. That philosophy has served Apple well.Apple This has been a factor that has remained in the corporate culture, to varying degrees of strength, for 50 years. It’s not that Apple doesn’t care about taking care of its customers–it’s managed three chip transitions and one operating system transition on the Mac while providing solid support over a transitional period. One reason this culture got reinforced is that Apple has never been the dominant ecosystem player in any market it’s competed in. (The iPod was dominant, but not really much of an ecosystem.) When you’re dominant, like PCs driven by Microsoft’s DOS and Windows operating systems, the name of the game is compatibility. Once you’ve got the bulk of the market, it’s all about consolidation. Over time, stability and compatibility became a major reason why Microsoft was so successful. Old Windows apps just kept running. Microsoft built an entire culture about supporting its enormous base of customers, many of whom were using ancient hardware and software. The problem with that strategy is that it’s a really bad fit for times of great opportunity. As former Microsoft executive Steven Sinofsky wrote recently, Microsoft’s greatest strength suddenly became its greatest weakness. “The pull and push of forever compatibility was not just ‘Windows DNA,’ but it was the soul of what made Windows successful and was sacred.” Apple has the freedom to make game-changing moves to make better products.Apple The funny thing is that Sinofsky wrote that in the context of praising the MacBook Neo, of all things. Here’s why: Apple has constantly upgraded its operating system and ecosystem, from drivers to APIs to apps to the chips that run them. It’s been able to drag its technology forward in ways Microsoft never could. Part of that was embracing touch interfaces with the iPhone and iPad. It’s not that Microsoft didn’t have some great ideas about touch interfaces–some of the stuff it did was really cool!–but that in the end, its loyal customers pulled it backward into the abyss. The first touch-savvy version of Microsoft Office ran on the iPad. Microsoft’s own touch-friendly devices backslid to the old mouse-driven versions. The crowning achievement of all this was Apple’s embrace of its own, ARM-based chip architecture. Again, it’s not as if Microsoft and its chip partners didn’t see the strength that an Apple-style chip strategy might have. It’s that Microsoft’s customers just weren’t interested in losing compatibility with their enormous investment in Intel PCs, and Microsoft’s commitment to “run everything forever,” as Sinofsky calls it, hampered all attempts to see things differently. In the other corner: Apple, which for the last five-plus years has been shipping Macs running ARM processors, on top of a version of macOS that spent the years running up to that transition by killing off compatibility with a lot of old software that would’ve made that transition a challenge. Apple’s ability to advance its technology allows it to create a budget laptop that offers quality that its competitors can’t match.Eugen Wegmann This brings us to the MacBook Neo. It is the result of Apple being unafraid to break compatibility with 32-bit apps, with the old Carbon APIs, with Intel processors, the works. Part of the magic is that, as Mac users, we often don’t even notice when Apple does this, because it’s gotten pretty good at making it easy for us to migrate. (Software developers have had a harder time, often spending summers modifying their apps so that they still work when the new OS versions ship in the fall.) 50 years on, this is still Apple’s core approach: Don’t be afraid to change. Don’t be afraid to leave some old things behind. Not because change isn’t painful, because it often is. But because without change, without the ability to move forward, you’ll never be able to take advantage of new opportunities. And if you’re Apple, you’ll never be able to make a MacBook Neo.01:49 pmiPad with A18 chip on schedule for launch in early 2026
After updating its more powerful counterparts, Apple is still expected to update the base iPad with an A18 chip sometime in the first half of 2026.The entry-level iPad may finally get Apple Intelligence support soon. Apple's release schedule has been busy for the earliest months of the year. However, after having already moved iPad Pro to M5 and doing a similar M4 update to the iPad Air in March, Apple can now turn its attention to the lower end of the range.According to Mark Gurman in Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Apple is on track to refresh the entry-level iPad in the first half of 2026. Gurman doesn't say when exactly, but that it was originally to be released at around the same time as iOS 26.4. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums01:14 pmApple Stores ‘running low’ on Apple TV, HomePod, and HomePod mini inventory
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple Stores are currently facing inventory shortages for three key products: HomePod, HomePod mini, and Apple TV. This isn’t necessarily a sign of an imminent update, though it is worth noting the latter two products are due for a refresh. more…01:08 pmApple raises external storage prices as AI consumes everything
Apple has raised the price of external hard drives in its stores, as its retail efforts feel the pinch of the increased cost of storage.External drives are now more expensive to buy from Apple. The tech industry is dealing with a crisis of supply and demand, with the needs of AI infrastructure buildouts consuming masses of memory and storage. While the main discussion has been about how Apple is faring on the supply chain side of things, it seems retail is being affected at a much faster rate.Writing in Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman was informed that Apple had updated the prices for a number of its external drives. These updates occurred on both the website and in retail outlets. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums12:31 pmReport: New iPad with A18 chip still on track to launch in first half of 2026
As part of Apple’s iPad Air, MacBook Neo, and the other MacBook refreshes. However, the whole week came and went – with no new base iPad. Now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has a launch update – and the product is still on track to launch relatively soon. more…11:10 amCrime blotter: Chinese national sentenced in Apple counterfeiting case
A New Yorker is arrested in California for iPhone thefts, Russian hackers targeted iPhones, and AirTag inspires a car-crash viral video, all in this week's Apple Crime Blotter.The Apple Store in Irvine The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums08:00 amYour Mac has hidden features—this $25 tool unlocks them
Macworld TL;DR: Get MacMagic with lifetime upgrades for just $25.49 (reg. $99) using code MARCH15. Apple does a great job designing Macs that work well. But anyone who uses macOS regularly knows there are still a few hidden tricks, system tools, and productivity shortcuts buried beneath the surface. And MacMagic gets you access. You can currently grab a MacMagic Lifetime Upgrades License for just $25.49 (reg. $99). It’s a toolbox for your Mac that pulls together a bunch of useful utilities into one clean interface. Need to show hidden files, force-delete a stubborn document, or clear out bloated cache files? MacMagic puts those tools front and center so you can handle them in seconds instead of digging through system menus. It also includes practical everyday tools that many Mac users end up downloading separately. You can batch rename files, combine and compress PDFs, convert images across dozens of formats, and even generate QR codes when you need them. Turn your Mac into a more powerful and flexible workstation. Get a MacMagic Lifetime Upgrades License for just $25.49 (reg. $99) through March 29 with code MARCH15. MacMagic: Lifetime Upgrades LicenseSee Deal Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply. StackSocial prices subject to change.08:00 amGet smarter on your coffee break with this $51 app
Macworld TL;DR: Headway Premium delivers 15-minute summaries of bestselling nonfiction books, and the lifetime subscription is just $50.99. There’s always another nonfiction book everyone says you should read—about productivity, money, psychology, leadership, or health. The problem is finding the time to actually sit down and finish them. Instead of asking you to read hundreds of pages, Headway delivers 15-minute summaries of bestselling nonfiction titles, breaking down the biggest ideas into quick lessons you can read or listen to anytime. Inside the app, you’ll find 2,000+ summaries covering topics like business strategy, personal development, productivity, and wellness. Each one distills the key insights from popular titles into short, practical takeaways you can absorb during a commute, workout, or coffee break. Headway also adds a few smart learning tools to keep things interesting. You can follow personalized self-growth plans, test your knowledge with quick quizzes, and save highlights to review later. There are even audio versions of summaries so you can keep learning while walking, driving, or multitasking. Headway offers a simple shortcut to the biggest ideas. Right now, a Headway Premium Lifetime Subscription is just $50.99 (reg. $299.95) through March 29 with code MARCH15. Headway Premium: Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply. StackSocial prices subject to change.Saturday March 2109:15 pmAirPods Max 2 surprise and disappoint, plus OpenClaw! [Cult of Mac podcast No. 12]
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The surprise release of AirPods Max 2 gives us plenty to talk about (including all the things Apple didn’t fix about the high-end headphones). Plus, special guest Christina Warren (developer advocate at GitHub and co-host of the MacBreak Weekly podcast) joins us for a deep dive into […] (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)07:30 pmIndie App Spotlight: ‘Tasks’ adds 50+ app intents, refreshed interface in latest update | 9 to 5 MacIndie App Spotlight: ‘Tasks’ adds 50+ app intents, refreshed interface in latest update
Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact. Tasks, a very popular productivity app for the Apple ecosystem – just got a massive new update with support for loads of App Intents, an all new interface, as well as automations to help you manage your tasks. We covered Tasks when it initially launched back in 2020, and this week’s new update is a major one. more…07:18 pmTextExpander 8.4.2
Brings a few improvements and bug fixes for the text expansion utility. ($40 annual subscription, free update, 36 MB, macOS 11.1+)07:17 pmEagleFiler 1.9.20
Provides a workaround for a crash at launch when running the forthcoming macOS 26.4 Tahoe. ($49.99 new, free update, 34.3 MB, macOS 10.13+)07:15 pmMarsEdit 5.4.1
Maintenance update primarily focused on bug fixes for the blogging app. ($59.95 new, free update, 23.9 MB, macOS 10.15.4+)05:15 pmThe iPad Mini 7 256GB is $100 Off
The iPad Mini is made for Apple Intelligence, the personal AI system that helps in making things organized and get things done easily while providing you with groundbreaking privacy protections ensuring that no one else but you has access to data stored in the device. The device features an A17 Pro chip for strong and […] The post appeared first on iLounge.05:14 pmApple Sports App Allows for Easy NCAA March Madness Tracking
The Apple Sports app received an update allowing fans to follow collegiate basketball and their favorite teams more easily during March Madness. Version 3.8.1 adds new brackets for fans to track NCAA D1 men’s basketball. Metrics such as play-by-play updates, detailed stats, and live scores will be provided along with a path visualized from the […] The post appeared first on iLounge.