Everyone wants a piece of your car’s dashboard, and Samsung is buying Harman to get its slice of driving experience. The US$8 billion deal will give Samsung a platform for linking our smartphones to our cars, along with a way for the company to compete with Apple’s CarPlay platform.
iTunes Store Offers 93 Classic Rock Albums at $7.99
Apple still sells music on the iTunes Store. Who knew, right? On Tursday, the company launched a promotional push for classic rock albums at US$7.99 each. There are 93 albums included in the sale.
iPhone 7 Plus Ship Times Hold at 3-4 Weeks or Higher
Wait times for Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus remain at 3-4 weeks or 3-5 weeks, with none showing less than 3 weeks as of this writing. Almost 7 weeks after the initial ship date, that’s an unusual delay for Apple, and the question is why.
Tim Cook's Message to Employees after Election: 'Move Forward Together'
Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a company-wide email to employees Wednesday evening encouraging them to “move forward.” While he didn’t name President Elect Donald Trump or his defeated rival, Hillary Clinton, by name, the theme of the email was that the election shouldn’t divide employees.
Apple’s HomeKit Security vs. ioT Botnets – There’s Only So Much Apple Can Do
The recent botnet attacks have called into question the security of all our various internet of Things (ioT) devices, and rightfully so. One of the regular chimes I hear in our Apple-centric universe is, “HomeKit is secure, it must be the answer.” Unfortunately, HomeKit is only built to secure HomeKit, not everything. More must be done.
Apple Offers Refurb iPhone 6s/Plus on Apple Store Starting at $449
Apple began offering refurbished iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices on the Apple Store Tuesday. Refurbished iPhone 6s models start at US$449 with 16GB of storage, while 16GB iPhone 6s Plus models start at $529. 64GB iPhone 6s Plus are currently priced at $589.
iOS 10: Airplane Mode Doesn't Turn Off All Radios (GPS, NFC)
With iOS 8.2 and earlier, Airplane mode in iOS would turn off all four radios in an iPhone: Bluetooth, Cellular, GPS and Wi-Fi. Starting in iOS 8.3, that changed with GPS. Plus, starting with iPhone 6, NFC is not disabled either.
Review: Charge and Listen on iPhone 7 with Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar
This is a pretty easy review: Belkin’s Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar works. Think of it as a Lightning splitter with a specific purpose. If you’re looking for a way to charge your iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, or use Lightning headphones and charge an older iPhone or iPad, this is the device for you.
The Benefits of a 32GB Mac For Average Users
I didn’t think the difference between 16GB and 32GB would matter for my every day use. Sure, I’m a geek, but I’m not involved in graphic design or video editing. In the course of a normal day I don’t really run any pro apps. When I upgraded my 2014 27″ Retina iMac from 16GB to 32GB a few months ago, however, I experienced a dramatic shift in my computing life. No longer was my Mac paging out to swap all the time, no longer were apps slow to launch, and no longer was I regularly pushing against the limits of my Mac’s RAM.
Apple Follows Mystery iTunes 12.5.3 Update with Bonus Mystery iTunes 12.5.3 Update
You remember that iTunes 12.5.3 update Apple released a couple of days ago? The one where the patch notes were the same as the patch notes from iTunes 12.5.2? Well good news. There’s a new iTunes 12.5.3 update waiting for you in the Mac App Store. It’s a new build of the same update. And oh yeah, the patch notes explain nothing.
Apple Starts Activating Single Sign-On for Apple TV Beta Users
Apple TV’s promised single sing-on feature is finally starting to roll out tvOS 10.1 and 10.2 developer beta users. Single sign-on isn’t available to the public yet, but the fact that developers have it means the official release isn’t too far off.
iOS 10 Maps: Adding Pit Stops Along Your Route
Today’s Quick Tip is about how to use the redesigned Maps app to get directions along your route, so you can stop at a gas station or grab coffee when you’re already navigating somewhere. This feature will even help you figure out how much time making a pit stop will add to your trip, so come find out how to use it!
How to Turn Off Music Auto-Shuffle in iOS 10
Did the Music app in iOS 10 start auto-shuffling your albums? It’s easy to fix, but you have to know where to look. Bryan Chaffin walks you through it.
Plugable Claims New MacBook Pro Doesn't Recognize Some Thunderbolt 3 Docks
Device maker Plugable said Thursday that Apple’s new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is incompatible with Thunderbolt 3 docks that use a particular Texas Instrument chip. If accurate, it means at least some early Thunderbolt 3 docks already on the market will not work with Apple’s newest Mac laptop.
iOS 10.2: How to Disable Always On Live Photo
If the iOS 10.2 beta is any indication, Apple thinks every iPhone pic we take should be a Live Photo. Live Photo is on by default and reactivates itself every time you launch the Camera app, but there is a way to force it to stay off. Read on to learn how.
CMRA Adds a Camera to Your Apple Watch Band, But in a Cool Way
Remember Samsung’s watchband camera tumor on the Galaxy Gear smartwatch? The idea was interesting but the execution fell flat—a mistake Glide doesn’t plan on making with its CMRA watchband camera for the Apple Watch. The CRMA goes a step further, too, by including a second FaceTime-style camera.
Apple's AirPods Won't Ship Until 2017
If you were planning on picking up Apple’s AirPods wireless earpods this holiday season, ger ready to be disappointed because it looks like they won’t be shipping until January 2017 at the earliest. Apple originally promised AirPods would ship in late October, but has since changed their status to “Currently unavailable” with no projected ship date.
Mute/Unmute Apple Watch Activity Reminders in watchOS 3
Apple Watch Activity Reminders are great, but sometimes you just need to mute them—or to unmute them. That setting is hidden in the Watch app in iOS 10, and Bryan Chaffin shows you how to use it.
Function Key MacBook Pro Teardown Shows Smaller Battery, Removable SSD
It doesn’t take long after a new Apple product launch for iFixit to strip it down to its frame, and that’s exactly what happened with the late 2016 Retina MacBook Pro with function keys. Inside they found a smaller battery, removable custom SSD, and more.
Apple iTunes 12.5.3 Update Released, Contents Remain a Mystery
Apple released iTunes 12.5.3 late on Monday. It’s unclear what the update actually changes because the accompanying patch notes are the same as patch notes that came with iTunes 12.5.2, and that’s true both in the Mac App Store and on Apple’s Support site.
How to Re-enable the Startup Chime on Late 2016 MacBook Pro Models
The new 15-inch and 13-inch Touch Bar Retina MacBook Pro, along with their 13-inch function key sibling, do away with the Mac startup chime. Turns out the chime isn’t gone, but is only disabled—and it’s easy to re-enable with a quick trip to the Terminal. Read on to learn how.
Apple Music Reportedly Getting a Big Price Cut
A new report claims Apple Music is getting a big price cut in time for the holiday season with the regular US$9.99 a month deal dropping to $7.99. The family package pricing will drop, too, assuming the tenuous report is right.
Samsung, LG OLED Race Hints at New Displays for 2017 iPhone
The fight is on to be the supplier for next year’s iPhone OLED displays. Samsung and LG are hoping to get a slice of that pie, and their fight all but confirms Apple is dropping LCD in favor of OLED for iPhone screens in 2017 or 2018.
Apple Kills Start Up Chime in New MacBook Pro Models
Apple has been on a killing spree of sorts with its new MacBook Pro models. The physical Escape key and function keys are gone, the traditional USB A and mini DisplayPort/Thunderbolt 2 ports are gone, the SD Card slot and MagSafe are gone, and the iconic startup chime is missing, too. It’s sad to see—or hear—the startup chime go, but it seems Apple has a reason for axing the sound.
