Apple Intelligence took a big step toward release on Monday. The AI-powered features unveiled at WWDC24 entered beta testing so developers can start trying them out in the real world.
They are part of the initial round of betas of iOS 18.1, macOS Sequoia 15.1 and iPadOS 18.1, which are expected to launch in October.
A 3-in-1 MagSafe Travel Charger for iPhone and other gear tops the new SRGE lineup of charging accessories Urban Armor Gear (UAG) released Monday, the company said. Best known for mobile device cases previously, the company’s new lineup features four new charging products for iPhone, AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad and MacBook.
“We see massive opportunities within our new Power category. Our team has brought the same attention to detail and protection from our phone cases into this new category so our consumers can Go Further,” said Carlos Del Toro, UAG’s vice president of Product Management. “Whether on the road or just at your desk, these products are must-haves to keep your device ready to go throughout the entire day. We’re especially excited about the 3-in-1 Travel Charger and all of the places our consumers will bring it to power their day.”
When iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 launch this fall, do not expect Apple Intelligence to be part of the first releases of the operating system upgrades. The company’s cool new AI capabilities reportedly will arrive about a month later. Monday’s release of the first developer beta of iOS 18.1 — which includes some Apple Intelligence features — seems to confirm that release roadmap.
This means Apple Intelligence likely will arrive in October, around the same time as macOS Sequoia. So Mac users might get Apple AI along with their big upgrade.
July 29, 1993: Apple releases the Macintosh Centris 660av, a computer packed with innovative audiovisual features. These include an AppleVision monitor with microphone and speakers, and a port that can work as a modem with a telecom adapter. It also comes with PlainTalk, the first Apple software to recognize and synthesize speech.
At the relatively low price of $2,489, this was one of the first great affordable multimedia Macs.
The main complaint about Apple’s 5K Studio Display is price — at about $1,600, it’s financially out of reach for many people. And 5K monitor competitors like LG only bring the cost down a few hundred bucks. So how about saving some dough by making your own DIY Studio Display? The owner of today’s M3 Pro MacBook Pro setup did just that, crafting dual 27-inch 5K monitors for several hundred dollars less than buying production models.
In a dramatic Emergency SOS via satellite rescue, Apple’s service led to a helicopter snatching up four women trapped on a glacier by wildfires last week in British Columbia, according to a report.
“In this instance, their cellphone literally saved their lives,” said a rescue manager.
Apple reportedly met with the U.K.’s TV ratings organization Barb Audiences in what’s being taken as a sign that the company’s streaming service is prepping an ad-supported subscription plan.
Apple TV+ is the only one of the large streaming services that lacks such a pricing tier.
July 28, 2012: Apple buys biometrics company AuthenTec, acquiring the technology that will power Touch ID for authentication and secure payments on the iPhone and other devices.
With a price tag of $356 million, the deal gives Apple the right to use AuthenTec hardware, software and patents. In the short term, Apple engineers start working to build Touch ID sensors into the iPhone 5s. Longer-term, AuthenTec’s mobile wallet tech paves the way for Apple Pay.
Silo will return for a second season on Apple TV+ this fall. Apple announced the premiere date for season two of the popular sci-fi series Saturday at Comic-Con International. In addition, we also learned that Steve Zahn (War for the Planet of the Apes) joined the Silo cast.
Update: Late Saturday, more than two days after the iCloud Private Relay problem first cropped up, Apple fixed it.
If you’ve received repeated notifications that iCloud Private Relay is inactive on one of your Apple devices, it’s not a problem with your internet connection or network. The problem is on Apple’s end.
The issue has persisted since Thursday afternoon and into Friday morning, and might be slowing down your web browsing.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest rumors about a premium “iPhone 17 Slim” leave us scratching our heads. Thickness aside, it sounds like it will bring less of almost everything. Will you pay more for an iPhone Air?
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
The Apple TV+ thriller Lady in the Lake got off to a strong start, immediately becoming a top 10 hit with streaming viewers. Natalie Portman leads the cast of the limited series as new episodes appear each week through late August.
In addition, the Apple TV+ crime drama Presumed Innocent is still pulling in plenty of eyes, as is the mystery series Sunny.
July 27, 1955: Joanna Hoffman, who will join the original Macintosh and NeXT teams and become Steve Jobs’ first right-hand woman, is born in Poland.
Six months younger than Jobs, the marketing executive is one of the few people willing and able to stand up to the oftentimes-fierce Apple co-founder during the first part of his career.
Apple will reportedly start assembling iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max units in India later this year. So far, the company has only assembled non-Pro iPhones in the country.
This move would be a big step in Apple’s increased manufacturing presence in India. It would also help further diversify the company’s supply chain away from China.
A new Apple history podcast from two Cult of Mac contributors launched this month. In each episode of Apple Core, hosts Graham Bower and Charlie Sorrel explore the history of a different Apple product, focusing on what we can learn from Apple’s past, and what this tells us about the company’s future plans.
Some upcoming guests will be familiar to Cult of Mac readers, including Leander Kahney and CultCast host Griffin Jones.
For anyone who thinks of the world’s most popular laptop — MacBook Air — as Apple’s lightweight laptop in more ways than one, like it’s strictly for students and amateurs, it’s probably time to update your view. Today’s attractive working setup from Germany finds its slim-but-powerful M3 MacBook Air provides plenty of computing power.
July 26, 2005: Apple debuts the opaque white iBook G4, the last of its laptops to launch under the iBook name.
The portable computer adds Apple’s scrolling trackpad for the first time. It also incorporates Bluetooth 2.0 as a standard feature, and becomes the last Apple laptop with a PowerPC chip.
Apple agreed to adhere to a set of voluntary artificial intelligence (AI) safeguards proposed by the Biden administration, according to a new report Friday. The move aligns Apple with other major tech companies like Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI. It’s a collective effort to help ensure responsible AI development (although there are, as of yet, no penalties for flouting the firmly worded but fairly vague suggestions).
In late 2020, the switch to Apple silicon introduced a major leap in the MacBook Air’s performance, efficiency and battery life. Almost four years later, Microsoft’s Surface Laptop lineup is undergoing a similar transition.
The latest Surface Laptop 7 uses Qualcomm’s newest Arm-based Snapdragon chips, which bring a major leap in performance and efficiency. Do these upgrades make the Surface Laptop 7 better than the M3 MacBook Air?
Apple manufacturer Foxconn wants to expand its operations in India and assemble iPads in the country, potentially at its Sriperumbudur facility in Tamil Nadu.
Currently, Apple contractors Foxconn, Pegatron and Tata Group only assemble iPhones in India.
WhatsApp announced today that it has reached 100 million monthly active users in the US. This comes just a few months after the messaging service revealed that it is seeing double-digit growth in the US.
Despite over two billion people using WhatsApp worldwide, it has a limited US presence. However, the Meta-owned company has been working on expanding its presence in the region.
Epic Games will make its highly popular game Fortnite and other titles available via AltStore PAL, the first app marketplace for iPhone to open in the European Union. The game developer is also continuing to work on its own iOS app marketplace, because it’s banned from Apple’s App Store.
So the days of playing Fortnite on iPhone will be back soon … but only for those who live in the right region.
The first German-language series to air on Apple TV+, a tech-centric dark comedy called Where’s Wanda?, will debut October 2, the streamer said Thursday. So we have an air date, an image (above) and a description (below). Soon enough, a trailer should follow for what looks like it might be a pretty compelling show.
This follows news of the second German-language show coming to Apple TV+, hospital drama KRANK Berlin, starring Haley Louise Jones. Still in production, it has no air date yet.
For $16.99 a month, it’s now possible to subscribe to Disney+, Hulu and Max. That’s a 53% savings for the popular streaming services. The cost almost doubles for advertising-free versions, though.
The three are ready to watch on Mac, iPad, iPhone or Apple TV.
Thursday’s move is part of a recent trend toward bundling. Apple TV+ got on the bandwagon in May, joining in with Netflix and Peacock.
The sprawling North American Leagues Cup 2024 soccer tournament kicks off July 26 exclusively on MLS Season Pass through the Apple TV app, the iPhone giant said Thursday.
The second annual Leagues Cup is a monthlong tournament featuring all 47 clubs from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga MX. So participating clubs come from the United States, Canada and Mexico.