By news@appleinsider.com (Andrew O’Hara) The Apple TV hardware is getting some big improvements with tvOS 18, coming in the fall of 2024. Here are all of the new features and changes spanning from enhanced audio to animation-laden screensavers.Apple TV 4K is getting even betterApple’s long-running set top box hardware initiative plays a big part in the company’s home strategy. The device is a central access point to Apple TV+ content, provides secure remote access to Apple Home accessories, and can host nearly the entire catalog of Apple Arcade games.While its software updates aren’t as headline-grabbing as iOS or macOS, there are still plenty of changes for fans of the device to get excited about. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Mike Wuerthele) Apple, amongst other big tech companies, has agreed to a voluntary and toothless initiative that asks for fairness in developing artificial intelligence models, and monitoring of potential security or privacy issues as the development continues.Future expansions to Apple Intelligence may involve more AI partners, paid subscriptionsIn an announcement on Friday morning, the White House has clearly said that Apple has agreed to adhere to a set of voluntary artificial intelligence safeguards that the Biden administration has crafted. Other big tech firms have already signed onto the effort, including Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI.As they stand, the guidelines aren’t hard lines in the sand against behaviors. The executive order that Apple has agreed to in principle has six key tenets. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (William Gallagher) Apple’s iCloud Private Relay that protects user privacy while browsing, is currently slow or unavailable, leaving some Safari users unable to search.Apple’s iCloud Private Relay encrypts user data to protect privacyiCloud Private Relay, available as part of iCloud+, encrypts your data so that rogue sites can’t track your location. Specifically, it sends Safari requests through two separate, secure routes, so that no one can see where you are or what sites you’re browsing.Right now, however, Apple is reporting that there is an ongoing issue with the service. “Some users are affected,” it says. “This service may be slow or unavailable.” Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Bon Adamson) Owning any Apple product at all means you almost definitely have an Apple ID. Whether it be the email attached to your Apple ID being a little outdated or security concerns, changing it is no problem.If your Apple ID email is out of date, the change is just as easy at is important to make.Your Apple ID, soon to be rechristened as your Apple Account, is the gateway to the amazing cross-device continuity that Apple has to offer, so it can be very important that yours is up-to-date. As long as you own an Apple device that has internet access, it’s actually no issue at all to change your Apple ID. But, depending on your security settings, the process can take an extra hour. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Christine McKee) OWC’s Thunderbolt dock, which is on sale for $99, features 14 ports to connect peripherals to your Mac or Windows machine.Get the OWC Thunderbolt Dock for just $99.99.OWC’s popular Thunderbolt Dock sale has been extended through July 28, allowing shoppers the opportunity to pick up the 14-port docking station at the lowest price ever for a few more days.Buy for $99.99 Continue Reading on AppleInsider
By news@appleinsider.com (Wesley Hilliard) Even with the Epic Games Store set to launch in the EU on iPhone, Epic has announced its games will be coming to other alternative app stores that “give developers a great deal,” like AltStore PAL.Fortnite is coming to the AltStore in the EUThe battle of Apple versus Epic may never end, with the latest chapter unfolding around EU regulations like the Digital Markets Act. Now that third-party stores and sideloading exist for EU iPhone users, Epic has an avenue to bring Fortnite back to the platform.Plans are already underway to bring the Epic Games Store to iOS and Android devices later in 2024, but that’s not the only destination for Fortnite on iPhone. Epic has also announced that it will distribute its games on third-party app stores. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Malcolm Owen) Sonos has issued a rare apology for its May iOS app update, promising that changes are on the way to improve a badly-received overhaul of the software.The updated Sonos app for iOSSonos updated its app in May, making significant updates to its iOS and Android offerings to make the app easier to navigate and to get people streaming music quicker. It turns out the app’s release was so bad that it deserved an apology.In a July 25 blog post, Sonos CEO Patrick Spence acknowledges users had “experienced significant problems” with the updated app. “I want to begin by personally apologizing for disappointing you,” he starts. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Christine McKee) A fresh M3 14-inch MacBook Pro price war has erupted, with the 1TB model equipped with 16GB unified memory now priced at a record low $1,749 thanks to a $250 price cut.Get a 1TB MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM for $1,749.Apple Authorized Resellers B&H Photo and Amazon are engaged in the M3 14-inch MacBook Pro price war, with both retailers dropping the M3 / 16GB RAM / 1TB SSD model to $1,749 this Thursday.Buy for $1,749 Continue Reading on AppleInsider
By news@appleinsider.com (Malcolm Owen) Apple’s fortunes in China may be getting worse in the short term, with iPhone shipments for the second quarter reportedly down year-on-year as local rivals increase competition.Apple’s Head of Retail, Deirdre O’Brien, in Apple Sanlitun, BeijingApple has slowly been changing its fortunes in China, with some observers seeing signs of a recovery in the region. However, not everything is going Apple’s way in the contested market.According to analysis from Canalys, Apple is seeing more competition in China, and its shipments are being hurt by it. In data shared with Reuters, Apple’s smartphone shipments are claimed to have dropped 6.7% in the second quarter of 2024, versus Q2 2023. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (William Gallagher) Future HomePods, iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands and more could display information right on their familiar fabric covering, if the latest of very many Apple patent applications is anything to go by.A familiar HomePod, but with a mocked-up display within the fabricIf a HomePod with a screen is the most commonly expected new home device that Apple may make, it’s also surely the easiest. Apple makes screens, Apple makes HomePods, so no matter how good it is, a HomePod TV is not going to be earthshaking.But it’s also, quite definitely, not the only avenue Apple is exploring. There’s a newly-revealed patent application called “Fabric-Covered Electronic Device With Light-Emitting Components,” for instance. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
