Ed Hardy - page 5

UK consumer group files £3B lawsuit against Apple for iCloud ‘abuse’

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UK consumer group files £3B lawsuit against Apple for iCloud ‘abuse’
A UK consumer-advocacy group claims iCloud is an abuse of Apple’s power over iPhone and iPad users.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The UK consumer-advocacy group Which? accused Apple of forcing iPhone and iPad owners to use iCloud, and then overcharging them for the service.

It’s asking for a hefty £3 billion ($3.8 billion) in compensation. That’s about £70 per consumer.

iPad Pro easily outsells every other Apple tablet

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How to choose the right iPad for you
iPad Pro sells very well. iPad mini… not so much.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Trying to decide which Apple tablet is right for you? Knowing which is the most popular might help. And there’s no doubt which one earns the top spot: iPad Pro.

You can probably guess the second most purchased iPadOS model.

Apple’s next big thing is a wall-mounted iPad?

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Apple’s next big thing is a wall-mounted iPad?
Apple’s smart home device might look just a little bit like this.
Concept: Vivint/Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly developing a “command center” for smart homes. It’ll supposedly be an inexpensive, wall-mounted, tablet-like computer used to control smart devices and make video calls. The device also would serve as an access point for the upcoming AI-powered Siri.

This is not much like anything the company offers now, though it does mix in some of the features of an iPad and a HomePod.

How to update your AirPods and AirPods Pro to fix bugs

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How to get the latest AirPods Pro 2 firmware update
AirPods Pro 2 have fresh firmware. So do AirPods 4. Get it now.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

There’s no direct way to update your AirPods firmware. When Apple updates the software for the wireless earbuds — as it did recently for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 — it happens automatically, in the background. However, there is a way to speed up the AirPods update process. Plus, it’s a good idea to manually check you’re running the latest version, which brings bug fixes and sometimes great new features.

Apple released firmware update 7B21 for AirPods Pro 2 and 7B20 for AirPods 4 — simple “bug fix” updates. You can get more details, and find all current AirPods firmware versions below, along with tips for getting the AirPods update as quickly as possible

Here’s how to check if your AirPods are running the latest firmware on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Plus what to do if they aren’t, and what you can do to force AirPods’ firmware to update.

Cool your iPhone while it charges with this power puck [Review] ★★★★☆

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Aukey MagFusion GameFrost Wireless Charger with iPhone★★★★☆
Protect your iPhone from excess heat with Aukey MagFusion GameFrost Wireless Charger.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Aukey MagFusion GameFrost Wireless Charger cools your iPhone or Android while it juices up, preventing the heat that often results from charging from damaging the battery.

I put the accessory through its paces to see how quickly it charges an iPhone 16, and how well it cools the handset.

Find lost luggage by sharing your AirTag location with your airline

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Find lost luggage by sharing your AirTag location with your airline
Now you can temporarily share the location of your lost bag with your airline.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Share Item Location lets AirTag users securely share the location of their tracking tag with an airline. The goal is to help find and recover lost luggage.

“The Find My network and AirTag have proven to be a powerful combination for users while traveling, providing invaluable location information when bags have been misplaced or mishandled,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, in a press release Monday. “With Share Item Location, we’re excited to give users a new way to easily share this information directly with third parties like airlines, all while protecting their privacy.”

How to add fonts to an iPad

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How to add fonts to an iPad
iPad comes with a useful selection of fonts, and you can add more.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Anyone getting real work done on an iPad might need to add a font to their word processor or image creation app. The process is more complicated than it should be, but you can bring the huge numbers of fonts available for Mac or Windows to your tablet, too … if you know how.

I’ll walk you step-by-step through the installation.

PlugBug Travel wall charger with built-in Find My goes international

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Twelve South PlugBug
Twelve South PlugBug is hard to lose wherever it goes.
Photo: Twelve South

Twelve South introduced PlugBug Travel, a version of its USB-C wall charger with six power adapters so it can be used around the world. Taking it internationally makes its support for Apple’s Find My technology even more useful.

There are versions with two ports and four ports with outputs appropriate for iPhone and/or MacBook.

iPhone does a new trick that makes it harder to hack

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Apple Security Encryption
Install iOS 18.1 to make your iPhone more challenging to hack into.
Image: Apple

Anyone hoping to hack into an iPhone now finds it more difficult thanks to a change in iOS 18.1. Whether this is police, foreign espionage agents or criminal hackers, there’s now much less time to crack the security on Apple handsets because of a simple trick.

It’s another example of Apple being serious about protecting user privacy.

New M4 Mac mini has removable storage — but don’t touch it! [Update]

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New M4 Mac mini has removable storage — but don’t touch it!
While the M4 Mac mini has removable storage, it doesn’t do anyone any good.
Photo: KianWee Lim /iFixit

The SSD in the newly launched M4 Mac mini can be removed, but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s upgradable. At this point, it’s unlikely there’ll be an option to drop additional storage to the Mac mini.

Here’s why.

UPDATE: Further testing of the M4 Mac mini finds that the storage SSD can be swapped, unlike Mac Studio. But that still doesn’t mean upgrades are possible at this point.

How many external displays each MacBook Pro or MacBook Air supports

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Late-2023 MacBook Pro with M3
The 2024 MacBook Pro can handle up to four external displays.
Photo: Apple

You can be excused if you don’t know off the top of your head how many external displays your MacBook supports. The number varies by model, processor version, and even whether the laptop is open or closed. Still, there’s a good chance it’s more than you think.

Now that notebooks with the new M4 family of processors are available, here’s an updated guide to how many external screens you can attach to your MacBook.

3 more simple AirPods tricks everyone should know

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3 more simple AirPods tricks everyone should know
AirPods have some nifty features you should be aware of.
Image: Ed Hardy/David Snow/Cult of Mac

AirPods come with no obvious controls, so it’s easy to think you just stick them in your ears and start listening. But Apple’s wireless earbuds offer features that aren’t immediately obvious. We recently published six hidden tips and tricks for AirPods. Now here are a few more you might not know.

The latest group covers how to easily control your AirPods, how to find a lost one, and a simple way to extend their battery life.

M4 Mac mini review roundup: Small wonder

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M4 Mac mini in use
Expect outsized performance from the M4 Mac mini.
Photo: Apple

If there were concerns that Apple overstepped by shrinking the 2024 Mac mini while also dropping in a super-fast processor, lay them to rest. Early M4 Mac mini reviews praise the redesign and rave about the performance boost that comes from Apple’s latest processors.

Here’s a roundup of comments on the tiny new macOS desktop.

Don’t hold your breath for an OLED MacBook Air

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OLED MacBook Air
An OLED MacBook Air is coming. Someday.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

The predictions of a MacBook Air in 2027 could turn out to be optimistic, according to sources in the screen panel industry. Prices for the OLED display are high, and there’s reason to question demand for the new type of screen.

An OLED MacBook Pro is expected sooner, however.

How to arrange an external screen in iPadOS

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iPad display arrangement: How to
iPadOS lets you place your external iPad display wherever you like.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

High-end and midrange iPads can make full use of an external display. Anyone who uses a second screen for their iPad needs to know how to tell iPadOS where the external display is positioned: left, right or above the tablet. However, it’s not that simple to find the setting that lets you adjust your iPad display arrangement.

Apple buried the necessary setting. Here’s how to find it.

Tiny game controller offers outsize iPhone retro gaming fun [Review] ★★★☆☆

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CRKD Atom iPhone game controller review★★★☆☆
CRKD Atom is a tiny but usable game controller… for the right type of game.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The CRKD Atom looks small enough to be a game controller for a doll, but it’s designed to clip on your keychain for gameplay wherever you go. It’s a way to have some fun with your iPhone when you find yourself with some unexpected time to kill.

I played with it, and while the complete lack of sticks greatly limits the controller, it’s possible to have fun with retro games.

Super-slim espresso Display 15 offers luxury on a budget

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espresso Display 15 with with Stand+
espresso Display 15 with with Stand+
Photo: espresso Displays

The espresso Display 15, an ultra-thin 15-inch monitor, launched Tuesday. It boasts an aerospace aluminum casing, not the usual plastic, but a lower price than previous high-end portable displays from this company. It gets power and data from a MacBook or iPad via a single USB-C connection.

It’s paired with Stand+, an ergonomic stand with a surprising trick.

New iPads bring only modest increase to Apple tablet shipments

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iPad Air M2 with Apple Pencil Pro
iPad Air helped buoy Apple tablet shipments in Q3 2024.
Image: Apple

iPad shipments grew only slightly last quarter, according to a market research firm, despite the release of new high-end and mid-range tablets in the spring. The lack of a new entry-level tablet from Apple significantly affected the shipment total.

Still, Apple itself showed a larger year-over-year bump in revenue during the third quarter of 2024 from this class of computer.

Today in Apple history: iPad mini arrives

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The iPad mini made a big splash for such a tiny device.
The iPad mini made a big splash for such a tiny device.
Photo: Apple

November 2: Today in Apple history: iPad mini launch brings smaller size and price tag November 2, 2012: The first iPad mini goes on sale, shrinking both the size and the price tag of Apple’s groundbreaking tablet computer.

With a reduced screen size of 7.9 inches – instead of the then-standard 9.7 inches – the original iPad mini is the fifth iPad to be released by Apple. Critics hail Apple’s most affordable iPad ever, although some people complain about the tablet’s lack of a Retina display.

 

mophie Juice Pack battery case keeps iPhone 16 going and going

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mophie Juice Pack battery case keeps iPhone 16 going and going
iPhone 16 users can now get a combination case and power bank from mophie.
Photo: mophie

The new mophie Juice Pack specifically for the iPhone 16 series merges a power bank into a form-fitting protective case. Put Apple’s latest handsets in the case to greatly extend the battery life and add 6 feet of drop protection.

External magnets allow the case to attach to other MagSafe/Qi2 accessories, like car mounts.

Apple pours an additional $1.1 billion into satellite messaging

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Globalstar satellites
iPhone satellite messaging requires satellites.
Photo: Globalstar

Apple pays Globalstar to provide the satellites needed for the iPhone’s Messages via satellite service, and an updated agreement between the two companies includes a $1.1 billion payment for the infrastructure.

Clearly, this is an iPhone feature that’ll be available for years to come.