Tech Talk

Apps can play a pivotal role in helping to reach new goals, form habits, or simply improve personal productivity – here's five you should consider adopting going into 2024. Each app we've chosen for this list has a unique ability to aid Apple device users in various aspects of personal and professional development. From sophisticated task management to habit formation, these apps offer a wide range of functionalities tailored to meet the diverse needs of users seeking to make the most out of the upcoming year. Things 3 ($9.99 for iPhone and Apple Watch, $19.99 for iPad , and $49.99 for Mac): Things 3 is a popular task manager designed for Apple devices, offering a more robust feature set compared to Apple's default Reminders app. It stands out for its elegant and user-friendly interface and powerful features like project planning, deadlines, Markdown support, and more. These capabilities make it an outstanding tool for anyone looking to bring more structure to the t

2023 is quickly drawing to close, so it's a traditional time for us to look back at everything that happened in the Apple world over the past year and look forward to what we're expecting to see in 2024. While the news and rumor cycle largely slows down at this time of year, the past couple of weeks have been dominated by developments in a patent dispute that saw Apple forced to briefly halt U.S. sales of the latest Apple Watch models before a court paused the ban. Make sure to read on below for the latest developments in this case and more! Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 Once Again Available to Purchase From Apple's Online Store Last week, Apple paused sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the U.S. due to a patent dispute with medical tech company Masimo related to blood oxygen sensing. In January, the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that Apple had infringed on a Masimo patent related to blood oxygen sensing, and it ordered an

Apple has not significantly tweaked iPhone screen sizes since the introduction of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ 12 models in 2020, but that's set to change with the 2024 iPhone 16 lineup. The iPhone 16 Pro models will have notably larger display sizes than the current iPhone 15 Pro models. Here's what we know. According to multiple sources , the ‌‌iPhone 16 Pro‌‌ and ‌‌iPhone 16 Pro‌‌ Max will feature an increase in display size compared to the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ and ‌‌iPhone 15 Pro‌‌ Max, measuring roughly 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches, respectively. To be more precise, the ‌‌iPhone 16 Pro‌‌ will have a 6.27-inch display (159.31 mm), while the ‌‌iPhone 16 Pro‌‌ Max will feature a 6.85-inch (174.06 mm) screen. iPhone 16 Pro ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ Thickness 8.25 mm 8.25 mm Height 149.6 mm 146.6 mm Width 71.45 mm 70.60 mm Display 6.3" (159.31 mm) 6.1" (155.38 mm) Weight 194 grams 187 grams iPhone 16 Pro M

Apple is planning new retail stores in the Los Angeles, Toronto, and Atlanta metropolitan areas, according to building permits viewed by MacRumors . Apple Waterside Shops in Naples, Florida Apple is preparing to open a new store at the Del Amo Fashion Center shopping mall in Torrance, California, per building permits filed with the city in October. Torrance is located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County. The permits reveal that Apple will be located on the main level of the mall, between Lululemon and Madewell. The store will be taking over the combined space of two side-by-side units previously occupied by J.Crew and Chico's. Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman was first to report on Apple's plans for the store in June, after obtaining the company's internal roadmap for retail expansion . Apple estimated that the store would open in March 2024, per the roadmap, but this timeframe is subject to change based on completion of construction, hiring, and other factor

With New Year's Eve and New Year's Day approaching, many iPhone users may need to get the most out of their ‌iPhone‌'s battery life for extended parties and other festivities. We've rounded up some helpful battery tips that you might want to put into action to ensure your ‌iPhone‌ keeps working long into the night. 1. Disable Haptic Keyboard Feedback If you've turned on the keyboard option that provides haptic feedback when you tap the on-screen keys, you might want to turn it off temporarily because it can affect battery life . Here's how to turn it off: Open up the Settings app. Tap on Sounds & Haptics. Tap on Keyboard Feedback. Toggle off Haptic. 2. Turn Off Proximity AirDrop Sharing When you hold two iPhones running iOS 17 together, or an ‌iPhone‌ running ‌iOS 17‌ and an Apple Watch running watchOS 10.1 or later, the ‌iPhone‌ initiates a proximity-based AirDrop or contact transfer protocol. If you're continually triggering this, i

Apple's second-generation Vision Pro headset will feature more advanced micro-oled displays that offer higher brightness and improved efficiency, according to market research firm Omdia (via The Elec ). Apple is reportedly planning to upgrade the Vision Pro to an RGB OLEDoS display in 2027, a notable improvement over the WOLED with color filter used in the first-generation model. RGB OLEDoS technology produces light and color directly from nearby RGB sub-pixels on a single layer, putting an end to the need for a color filter. This results in significantly higher brightness compared to WOLED and color filter OLEDoS displays, which depend on filtering white light through an RGB color layer. It is also markedly more efficient than WOLED and color filter technology. Samsung is currently the only company capable of supplying RGB OLEDoS displays following its acquisition of eMagin earlier this year, with the company likely set to take over from Sony in Apple's supply chain if

Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models concurrently, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip next year's iPhone 16, or if you're just plain curious, here are five rumored features that we are expecting to arrive in time for its successor, the iPhone 17 series, which is likely to be released in September 2025. 1. Larger Standard Devices iPhone 17 & iPhone 17 Plus Next year's iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are rumored to be getting bigger display sizes, going from 6.12- and 6.69-inches to 6.27- and 6.86-inches, respectively. With the ‌iPhone‌ 17 and ‌iPhone‌ 17 Plus in 2025, Apple is expected to also bring the larger 6.27- and 6.86-inch display sizes to i

2023 was a relatively iterative year for Apple product releases, but there were still many notable announcements and surprises throughout the year. Apple previewed its upcoming Vision Pro headset, the full-sized HomePod made a comeback, the iPhone finally switched to USB-C, leather accessories were discontinued, and much more. Below, we recap some of the most noteworthy Apple news stories of 2023, in no particular order. Behold the Vision Pro After several years of rumors about Apple planning an augmented reality/virtual reality headset, the company officially unveiled the Vision Pro in June. Apple says the headset will be available in the U.S. starting in early 2024, with pricing set at a staggering $3,499. Vision Pro will allow you to interact with apps as if they are floating in the air. The headset is powered by an all-new operating system called visionOS, and it can be controlled with your eyes and hands. It has an Apple Watch-like Digital Crown for switching between vi

Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 are back in some of Apple's retail stores in the United States today, according to Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman . Select stores will have availability today, while all stores will have the Apple Watch models back in stock by December 30. Online sales of the devices are set to resume tomorrow by 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Apple is able to begin selling the Apple Watch models again after the U.S. Court of Appeals temporarily paused the import ban levied by the U.S. International Trade Commission. It's likely that Apple will be able to sell the Apple Watch models through most of January, and perhaps longer depending on what the court decides. The import ban has been halted while the appeals court determines whether a longer pause should be implemented while the full ITC vs. Apple appeal plays out. If that happens, the import ban will be stayed for several months, but if the appeals court decides not to stay the ban during the

An official Apple Vision Pro cover has emerged in new design patent filings from Hong Kong, revealing the first-party headset accessory for the first time. Apple was granted 70 more design patents in Hong Kong related to its Vision Pro headset on Friday, December 22. The filings, first spotted by PatentlyApple , include a never-before-seen Vision Pro accessory with a range of accompanying images showing various angles of it. The accessory's design seems to match the Vision Pro's headband, using a soft-touch woven fabric to cover the entire front and sides of the headset. It does not cover the back of the headset or Light Seal in any way, likely being designed to help protect the headset's EyeSight display from scratches and other damage. The cover also features a tab on the left-hand side to help remove it from the headset easily. The other notable design patent won by Apple in the latest batch of filings is a Vision Pro battery showing a recessed port. This is wort

Apple's vice president of product design Tang Tan is set to join Jony Ive's LoveFrom to design hardware products for OpenAI, Bloomberg reports. Tan will become the latest Apple designer to join LoveFrom, a design company founded by Jony Ive after he departed Apple in 2019. A total of 14 members of Ive's former design team at Apple have now left the company. Only around six designers who once reported to Ive still remain at Apple. Ive took more Apple designers with him to LoveFrom than remain at Apple. To date, more than 20 former Apple employees have joined Ive's new design firm, including Marc Newson and Shota Aoyagi. Bloomberg says that Ive's work for OpenAI marks one of his "most ambitious efforts" since he left Apple, and he apparently hopes to turn the work into a new company, with current efforts focused on hiring talent and creating concepts. At Apple, Tang Tan is vice president of product design and reports to senior vice president of ha

In celebration of the Japanese New Year, Apple will be holding a promotion that offers customers in Japan a free Apple gift card worth up to ¥30,000 with the purchase of an eligible Apple product from January 2 through January 5. Gift card values range from ¥4,000 for products like the iPhone SE and third-generation AirPods to ¥30,000 for the 15-inch MacBook Air. In addition to a gift card, the first 50,000 customers in Japan who purchase a new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 13, or third-generation iPhone SE from Apple during the promotion will receive a limited-edition AirTag with a "Year of the Dragon" engraving. Apple has shared terms and conditions for the promotion with additional details. Notably, iPhone orders placed through the Apple Store app will not qualify for a limited-edition AirTag, so make sure to complete your purchase on Apple's website or at a physical Apple Store in Japan if you are interested in receiving one. Apple holds a Japanese New

Lowe's home improvement stores across the United States have finally started accepting Apple Pay . ‌Apple Pay‌ has been available in the Lowe's app and the Lowe's website for some time, but the company has been a longtime ‌Apple Pay‌ holdout for its retail store locations. On Reddit , Lowe's employees said in late December that they had received a memo about the upcoming ‌Apple Pay‌ and contactless payment rollout, which was set to begin on December 20. A Lowe's customer on the MacRumors forums said that he was able to successfully use Apple Pay at two different Lowe's stores in Texas, confirming the rollout. The Lowe's employees on Reddit said they were glad to hear about the rollout due to the number of customers asking to use contactless payment options. There have also been many complaint threads from Lowe's customers about the lack of ‌Apple Pay‌ on Reddit and the MacRumors forums. Lowe's has more than 2,000 stores in the United St

Apple is now officially unable to sell the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States as the International Trade Commission's import ban has become final. This morning, the Biden administration announced that it would not veto the ban. The Office of the United States Trade Representative said that after "careful consultations" it was opting not to reverse the ITC's decision. "On October 26, 2023, the U.S. International Trade Commission found that Apple, Inc. infringed two patents owned by Masimo Corporation and Cercacor Laboratories, Inc, both based in the United States. Since 2005, the Office of the United States Trade Representative has been delegated the President's authority under Section 337 of the Trade Act of 1930 to review the ITC's decision for a 60-day period. After careful consultations, Ambassador Tai decided not to reverse the ITC's determination and the ITC's decision became final on December 26, 2023.&qu

Apple's iPhones include several headline camera features that are worth using, such as Portrait Mode and Photographic Styles. But if all you want to use is the standard photo mode, there are still several tools and settings that can improve the composition of your pictures and help you capture the perfect shot using more traditional techniques. Whether you are the owner of a new iPhone or a longtime user looking to up your ‌iPhone‌ photography game, here are six camera tools and settings in iOS that are worth checking out and experimenting with. 1. Use the Rule of Thirds For a while now, Apple's Camera app has included a few optional settings that can help you line up your shots. Foremost in these settings is the Grid tool, which should be used when applying the rule of thirds. It divides the frame of your photo into a grid with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines, creating nine equal parts. The rule of thirds helps guide the viewer's eye to the most impo