Watch Apple's WWDC 2022 keynote live here today
Today is a big day for Apple as it will be opening its yearly developer conference with an exciting keynote. As always there will be a lot of software news.
The focus will no doubt be on the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS and watchOS (there’s talk of a better battery mode), but it’s possible new hardware will also be unveiled.
Apple's space ambitions are real
Last summer, a couple weeks before the iPhone 13 announcement, Chinese market analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote that the iPhone 13 would include satellite communication capability. Huh?
This was a bolt from the blue. No other Apple analysts were writing about satellites at that time. And while Ming has a very good track record based on finding out from Apple’s supply chain about likely details in upcoming products, there was nothing about this satellite tip that even made sense, since it didn’t seem to involve hardware at all.
Satechi USB-C Slim Dock for 24-inch iMac is an elegant storage and port expansion solution for Apple's all-in-one desktop
Apple's iMac is a wonderful all-in-one macOS desktop that offers a combination of power and elegance. The computer takes up very little real estate on a desk, making it a good choice for those living in a residence that doesn't offer a lot of space. It allows you to have a proper desktop computer with a large display without needing a giant tower.
Today, Satechi launches a new product that makes the 2021 24-inch iMac even better. Called "USB-C Slim Dock," it fits over the iMac's stand and provides USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and two memory card reader slots. While port expansion alone makes this a neat product, it also has an internal M.2 SSD slot that is compatible with both NVMe and SATA drives. To create more desk space when needed, Apple's wireless keyboard can be stored on top of the USB-C Slim Dock when not in use.
Apple Music finally comes to Google's Waze
If you have ever driven a car and needed directions, there's a good chance you have tried Waze. The Google-owned service is very popular thanks to its crowdsourced traffic information -- any user can report traffic jams, police speed traps, and more. It really is a useful app that can reduce travel times.
One of the coolest features of Waze is the ability to integrate with music-streaming services, such as Spotify, so you don't have to exit the navigation app to interact with music controls. This isn't just for convenience, but for safety purposes too. Sadly, the wildly popular Apple Music has not been compatible with the aforementioned Waze feature, but today, this finally changes.
Apple finally kills off the iPod
Although MP3 players existed long before Apple got into the music game, the iPod really took things up a notch. The iconic music player has evolved and improved over the years, but now after over two decades (the original model was introduced on October 23 2001), Apple has decided the iPod has had its day and announced plans to cease production.
The news has been a long time coming of course -- these days most people stream music on phones, so don’t need a standalone player -- but the announcement will sadden a lot of people. It really is the end of an era.
Many of your 'secure' passwords will have been leaked or compromised -- here's how to easily check and change them
I reuse passwords regularly. But, here’s the thing -- I only do so on websites where that doesn’t matter. Sites that I don’t need to revisit regularly, or at all, and which don’t hold any personal information on me. Those passwords tend to be short and easy to guess, and get leaked in breaches all the time. It’s no big deal.
What is a big deal, however, is when one of my carefully curated, long, complicated and never reused passwords gets leaked. And that can, and does, happen. There are a number of ways to find out if your passwords have been compromised, including using HaveIBeenPwned. But for this article I’m going to show you the best and easiest ways to find out what passwords have been leaked. I will warn you now, you may be in for a very nasty surprise.
Apple Music comes to Roku
Apple Music is the best streaming music service. Yes, it is much better than Spotify. This is fact. I know this to be true, as I have used both and found Apple's offering to be superior. Apple Music isn't limited to the company's own devices like iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV either -- it can also be accessed on Android and the web, for instance.
Today, Apple Music comes to yet another platform -- Roku. Yes, whether you have a Roku media box or TV with Roku integrated, you can now access Apple Music with it. How cool is that?
Apple launches Self Service Repair and publishes iPhone repair manuals for DIY phone fixing
Late last year, Apple said that it was planning to let customers fix their own hardware rather than forcing them to bring devices to an Apple Store or authorized third party. Now the company has officially launched the Self Service Repair program in the US, and will bring it to Europe soon.
For now, Apple Self Service Repair applies only to certain iPhone models, but it will eventually encompass some Macs as well. Anyone interested in repairing their own iPhone can download a repair manual from Apple, order the parts they need direct from the company, and even rent the tools required to perform the repairs.
Add 1TB storage to your Apple MacBook Pro (2021) with Transcend JetDrive Lite 330
So, you bought a 2021 MacBook Pro and now you want to upgrade the storage, eh? Unfortunately, the solid state drive is soldered in and cannot be replaced. Sucks to be you! True, you can always plug in a USB flash drive or traditional SD card to increase overall storage capacity, but that is hardly an elegant solution. Hell, the ports can be damaged if the drive or card get hit or snagged.
Thankfully, a product from Transcend will allow you to use the SD card reader to expand your 2021 MacBook Pro's storage without having anything sticking out of the port. Called "JetDrive Lite 330," it is essentially a specially-sized SD card that will sit flush with the side of your MacBook Pro. Best of all, it is offered in a top capacity of 1TB.
If tech giants were countries Apple and Microsoft would be among the top 10 richest
In an interesting bit of equivalence, UK-based insolvency specialist Real Business Rescue has compared the market value of the world's richest companies to countries' GDPs to show how big these businesses have become compared to the rest of the world.
As the table below shows, Apple -- which became the first trillion dollar company in 2018 -- would rank eighth in the world, just behind France, while Microsoft is ranked ninth and worth more than Italy.
Apple Mac Studio is tiny yet mighty
There were many rumors Apple would announce a more-powerful Mac mini today, and that proved to be false. Sort of. You see, the company instead revealed an entirely new computer called Mac Studio. While the little aluminum computer does resemble a Mac mini (albeit taller), it is a far more powerful beast that is not intended for typical home users.
Designed for hardcore creators and professionals, Mac Studio is powered by either the M1 Max or all-new M1 Ultra processor. Choosing a processor really matters beyond the chip’s performance too, as it determines some other specs. For instance, the M1 Max model gets up to 64GB RAM while the Ultra version can be equipped with up to 128GB. The front USB-C ports on the Max model are just USB 3.2 while they are Thunderbolt 4 on the Ultra.
Apple's iPad Air gets a much-needed upgrade
At its latest hardware event, Apple revealed a new green/alpine green version of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, as well as a new iPhone SE and what it’s calling its "most powerful and versatile iPad Air ever."
The new iPad Air features Apple’s super-powerful M1 chip, 5G, and a new Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, and more.
Apple's affordable iPhone SE is now more powerful and durable than ever
I’m a big fan of Apple’s iPhone and couldn’t imagine using a different handset, but you certainly pay for quality. If you can’t stretch to buying the iPhone 13 Pro, or even the regular iPhone, Apple has the budget iPhone SE, and now it’s even more powerful.
At its 'Peek performance' event today, Apple revealed the 5G iPhone SE which now comes with the A15 Bionic chip, better battery life, improved durability, and a new camera system.
Apple's iPhone 13 goes green -- but not in that way
Today, at its 'Peek performance' hardware event, Apple took the wraps off two new green finishes for the iPhone 13 lineup.
Yes, because coming up with one green shade for iPhone isn’t enough, Apple has debuted two variations. Which you get will depend on the model of phone you opt for.
Watch Apple's 'Peek Performance' event here, live
Apple will today, March 8, be hosting a hardware event in which we expect the tech giant to take the wraps off a new iPhone SE with 5G and, if the rumors are correct, a refreshed iPad Air and/or Mac Mini.
There's also talk of Apple showing off a new, external display. We shall see.
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