Ios9

Apple on Friday announced the discontinuation of the full-size HomePod , saying it plans to focus on production and development of the HomePod mini. Apple informed TechCrunch of the product's end of life in a statement today. HomePod mini has been a hit since its debut last fall, offering customers amazing sound, an intelligent assistant, and smart home control all for just $99. We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini. We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be available while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple will provide HomePod customers with software updates and service and support through Apple Care. The company plans to sell remaining HomePod units until stock is depleted, though Apple's online storefront is already sold out of Space Gray models. Support will also continue until the product is declared obsolete. Announced at WWDC 2017, HomePod was Apple's … [Read more...] about Apple discontinues full-size HomePod, to focus on HomePod mini

Apple has released a new HomePod and HomePod mini software update with a version number of 14.4 and a new Handoff experience for HomePod mini. The HomePod and HomePod mini run a specialized version of tvOS and receive updates sporadically when compared to Apple's other operating systems. Updates generally include bug fixes and improvements for features attached to the larger ecosystem. The last HomePod software update was for version 14.3 which was another bug fix update. HomePod Software Version 14.4 includes: Software version 14.4 includes bug fixes and the following new features with an Ultra Wideband (U1) equipped iPhone. Hand off music with visual, audible, and haptic effects from iPhone to HomePod mini Get personalized listening suggestions on iPhone when it is next to HomePod mini Media controls automatically appear without having to unlock iPhone when it is close to HomePod mini The last major update was for HomePod OS 14.1 which … [Read more...] about HomePod mini updated with new Handoff experience in OS version 14.4

Feature The HomePod stands to be an audiophile's ideal speaker when it ships on Feb. 9, in no small part due to the considerable effort Apple has put into audio processing for the device. Audio expert Matt Hines of iZotope explains some of the technical hurdles Apple and other smart speaker producers have to overcome to provide a high-quality audio experience in a wide variety of environments. The first problem Apple and similar firms face when creating an intelligent speaker, like the HomePod , is to ensure there is an optimal audio experience for the user, regardless of where they are in the room. Hines, product manager of Spire by iZotope and guest on this week's AppleInsider Podcast , says the exact position of the user can dramatically affect the sound from a normal speaker, with the problem compounded by local acoustics. Moving a speaker around a room alters the sound reflections in a dramatic way, Hines suggests, such as a loss of bass … [Read more...] about A deep dive into HomePod’s adaptive audio, beamforming and why it needs an A8 processor

This week's markdowns see the 44mm Apple Watch SE on sale for $269.99, a $40 discount on the new model. Apple's iPad Air 4 is also back down to $559, while the iMac 4K drops to $1,379 ($120 off). Apple accessories also get steeper price cuts as we near the weekend. Latest Amazon offers on Apple The latest Apple discounts on Amazon include deals on AirPods and MacBook discounts , but three offers that stand out include $40 savings on the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE and the 64GB iPad Air 4 (Wi-Fi) in Sky Blue , plus a new $120 price drop on the iMac 4K (also available at B&H Photo ). These promotions offer shoppers the lowest Apple prices , according to our Price Guide. And with inventory constraints still affecting the Apple space, it's best to order now to secure your place in line. At press time, the 44mm Apple Watch SE (GPS) is in stock in Space Gray Aluminum with a Black Sport Band, while the Sky Blue iPad Air 4 is expected to ship by Jan. 20. … [Read more...] about Apple Deals on Amazon: 44mm Apple Watch SE $269; iPad Air 4 $559; $120 off iMac; accessory sale

AMD will be expanding its Radeon RX 6000 graphics card line on March 3, with the launch thought to introduce lower-priced options that could eventually be used with the Mac Pro or eGPU solutions. The first Radeon RX 6000-series GPUs were introduced on October 28, with the RX 6800, RX 6800 XT, and RX 6900 XT unveiled by AMD. In an announcement made on Twitter, AMD plans to add more cards to the range. The tweet proclaims "the journey continues for RDNA2" at 11 A.M. Eastern on March 3. The event will be the third episode of AMD's "Where Gaming Begins" virtual event streams, and is confirmed via the tweet to include at least one new card. On March 3rd, the journey continues for #RDNA2 . Join us at 11AM US Eastern as we reveal the latest addition to the @AMD Radeon RX 6000 graphics family. https://t.co/5CFvT9D2SR pic.twitter.com/tUpUwRfpgk — Radeon RX (@Radeon) February 24, 2021 Current speculation is that AMD's next card will be one that extends the … [Read more...] about AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT GPU may launch at March 3 event

Feature For the first time since March 2020 all 270 Apple Stores in the US are now open in some capacity. AppleInsider has visited a few stores in the last few weeks, and the experience is radically different than what it was a year ago, or even when the stores reopened for the first time. Over the past year, my local Apple Store found in the Westfield Brandon Town Center mall has remained open save for only a few sporadic weeks. While I haven't had much need to visit in-person over the past year, two faulty MacBooks finally required me to make a Genius Bar appointment and bring them in for repair. Users looking to make any kind of Genius Bar appointment should plan far ahead as the earliest appointments for this location were at least one week out. If you attempt to show up in-person without an appointment, don't expect support. You may be able to wait several hours for a personal shopping experience, but Genius support won't be available. Visitors … [Read more...] about Returning to the Apple Store – the new normal

Apple this week posted repairability scores for flagship iPhone and Mac products in France, a measure mandated by the country's government in January. The listings, known as repair indexes, are now displayed on official Apple Store app purchase pages and on Apple's website, reports MacGeneration . Current-generation flagship devices including the iPhone 12 , iPhone 11 and iPhone SE series, as well as MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models, carry the informational mark designed to offer insight into a product's life cycle. Separately, Apple has posted a dedicated webpage on its French website with links to detailed repair index reports covering documentation; disassembly, access and tools; parts availability; parts pricing; and software and services support. Indexes are self-reported and assigned based on cumulative scores in a range of sub-categories. All models in the current iPhone 12 series were assigned a score of 6 out of 10. The iPhone 11 and 11 Pro … [Read more...] about Apple now displays iPhone and Mac repairability scores in France

Feature With the varieties of USB and Thunderbolt terminology floating about, as well as new versions on the horizon, sorting out the mess can be a problem. Here's what you need to know about USB 3, USB 4, Thunderbolt 3, and Thunderbolt 4. For most users, there are two general families of multi-purpose connections: USB and Thunderbolt. Both have their benefits and their foibles, as well as sharing many characteristics, but the two technology trees are, largely, quite different. If you don't read any further, here's your main takeaway: The term "USB-C" by itself doesn't specify anything for data, charging, or video beyond the physicality of the connector. But, as you might expect, there are a lot of details behind USB 3, USB 4, Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and how they pertain to the USB-C connector. USB, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 3.1, USB 3.2 Originally released in 1996, the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard is the older of the two connection types, … [Read more...] about USB 3, USB 4, Thunderbolt, & USB-C — everything you need to know

AMD unveiled a trio of RX 6000 series GPUs, three RDNA 2 powered cards that undercut Nvidia's RTX 30 series in price with comparable performance and lower power consumption. AMD's three new cards all use the company's RDNA 2 architecture, which it envisions as the foundation of next-gen PC and console gaming. AMD designed RDNA 2 to provide an optimal balance of performance and power-efficiency. The architecture will also power both the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Along with increased performance and power efficiency, the GPUs also have ray-tracing capabilities and variable-rate shading. That brings the AMD cards more in-line with main rival Nvidia. The $649 Radeon RX 6800 XT is a direct competitor to the Nvidia RTX 3080. AMD says you can expect 4K and 1440p gaming performance that matches or beats the RTX 3080. At 250W, it also draws less board power than the Nvidia equivalent. The card has 72 compute units, 16GB of GDDR6 memory, and a 2,015MHz game clock. The Radeon RX … [Read more...] about AMD debuts first Radeon RX 6000 PCI-E video cards

The European Parliament on Wednesday voted to support the right of consumers to repair their own phones, tablets, laptops and other devices without going through the companies that produced them. The resolution, a report of recommendations to facilitate the right to repair, was passed with 395 votes in favor and 94 against, with 207 abstentions. As Euronews points out , it's only an advisory report, and it's still up to the European Commission to issue actual proposals. "By adopting this report, the European Parliament sent a clear message: harmonized mandatory labelling indicating durability and tackling premature obsolescence at EU level are the way forward," said Rapporteur David Cormand, MEP from France. The vote calls for the European Commission to "develop and introduce mandatory labelling, to provide clear, immediately visible and easy-to-understand information to consumers on the estimated lifetime and reparability of a product at the time of purchase." … [Read more...] about European Parliament votes to facilitate consumer right to repair