Wait times for some Macs now stretch into August. Apple manufacturer Quanta Computer simply can’t assemble enough units to meet demand, as its workers revolt at lengthy COVID-19 lockdowns.
The delays caused by the lockdowns, enforced by the Chinese government in an attempt to control the spread of the highly transmissible disease, are not just irritating to customers, though. Apple predicts the problem will mean an $8 billion hit to its revenue.
The A16 processor going in this fall’s iPhone 14 Pro models will be made with a 5nm process, according to a tipster. That’s the same process used for years, not a better one, and it means the upcoming iPhones won’t get as big a speed boost as expected.
Still, the A16 is rumored to get improved processor cores and other enhancements.
A bill aimed at regulating Big Tech is reportedly losing support in the U.S. Senate. The fate of the American Choice and Innovation Online Act is now in question.
It is a Democratic proposal but some Senate Democrats are leery about voting for it in an election year.
“Here he comes. Here comes Speed Racer.” The theme song to the classic cartoon could be referring to a live-action Speed Racer series reportedly headed for Apple TV+.
It’ll supposedly have J.J. Abrams as executive producer.
Apple employees can to look forward to raises. The company sent an email to its workers informing them it’ll spend more on employee compensation this year. And starting pay for retail workers is going up 10%.
This is happening as Apple faces increasing competition for employees in a tight labor market, and its retail workers are starting to unionize.
Apple TV users should install a system software patch released Wednesday. tvOS 15.5.1 apparently fixes a small bug in the latest big update, which Apple released last week.
The patch comes out in unison with a small update to HomePod software.
You don’t have to wait months for Apple to finally show off the iPhone 14: A collection of renders based on the most reliable leaks gives the best look yet at the upcoming device. That includes the replacement for the screen notch, the expected changes to the camera hump and more.
As a bonus, the renders show the upcoming handset in purple, which supposedly will be an option.
Games played on iPhone and Android represents 61% of the overall gaming market, according to two market analysis firms. And mobile’s lead over PC and console gaming is growing.
The total gaming market is set to hit $222 billion in 2022. For comparison, global film revenue for 2019 (the last pre-pandemic year) was $42.5 billion.
App Store revenue for smaller developers increased by 113% over the past two years – more than double the growth of large developers, according to a study financed by Apple.
And the iPhone app economy supported more than 2.2 million jobs in the U.S. in 2021.
Google’s Waze navigation app makes driving a little more fun by building in support for Apple Music. This allows drivers to make changes to the music streaming through their iPhone or Android without leaving Waze.
The app already supports other music streaming services.
★★★★☆
The BluShark AlphaPremier Apple Watch Band skips over the usual materials – leather or metal – and goes for seatbelt webbing. I used it for weeks with my Watch and found a lot of reasons to like it.
Read to to see why a surprising choice of materials makes for a comfortable, durable band.
It’s dinosaur week on Apple TV+. There’s a new episode of Prehistoric Planet on every night, and critics are heaping praise on the docuseries.
It has a 100% positive score on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
Anyone wanting a new Apple Studio Display needs to be patient. Order the high-end display now and you could be waiting until August for it. The accessory has apparently run into COVID-related production problems in China.
Unfortunately, there are several other Apple devices with very long wait times.
Apple is taking the Today at Apple Creative Studios to additional countries to reach even more young creatives from underrepresented communities around the world. The program offers career-building mentorship, training and resources across a wide range of artistic disciplines.
It started in summer 2021 and expanded in the autumn. Last year, over 400 young people participated in Creative Studios programming.
Apple reportedly held talks about buying out Electronic Arts, the company behind the wildly popular Madden series, The Sims series and many more.
But EA has also supposedly held acquisition talks with others, including Disney.
When Tim Cook and other Apple executive first show off iOS 16 in early June, there’s a good chance it’ll have much in common with a recently released artists’ concept. The new video shows some of the most-anticipated features, including an always-on screen and interactive widgets.
Watch the iOS 16 concept video now for a sneak peek at what might be coming soon to iPhone.
Add an autofocus front camera to the list of improvements expected for the iPhone 14 when it debuts this autumn. This supposedly tripled Apple’s cost for the component.
If the unconfirmed report is true, the upcoming model will be the first iPhone with an auto-focus selfie camera.
The Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 80 External SSD includes a touchscreen and hardware encryption to protect user data. Unlock the XTS-AES 256-bit encryption by tapping in a password or numeric passcode onto the touchscreen.
It’s available in capacities up to 1920 GB.
Apple CEO Tim Cook once again shows up on Time‘s list of “The World’s Most Influential People,” which pays tribute to 100 important figures from film, music, politics and global culture in general.
Others on the list include Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Channing Tatum, Mary J. Blige, Kris Jenner and Ron DeSantis.
An enhanced version of the Apple Studio Display will reach customers this fall, according to a very reliable source of insider into. This version of the monitor will feature a mini-LED screen, making it look better than the current model that has a standard LCD.
Previously, the display was thought to be coming this summer.
The long-rumored Apple AR/VR headset won’t focus on games, according to a trove of information leaking out about the upcoming product. And it won’t emphasize helping designers create VR and AR content.
Much of the development effort seems to have gone into making a communication tool. But the design team has reportedly struggled to live up to Apple’s expectations that it’ll be better than existing headsets.
★★★★☆
MacBooks with an Apple M1 processor can handle only one external monitor, but the OWC USB-C Dual HDMI 4K Display Adapter with DisplayLink doubles the number. And Mac mini users can connect to three monitors with it.
I put the USB-C HDMI adapter through a round of testing to be sure it lived up to the claims.
iPhone demand remains strong, according to a respected analyst. This despite the supply chain issues that are slowing production of other Apple products.
The analyst is bullish on Apple, and says its stock price should be much higher than it currently is.
Peter Griffin jumps in a go-kart and races Hank Hill. Or Stan Smith takes on Dale Gribble. These matchups are all part of Warped Kart Racers.
The wacky racing game launched Friday on Apple Arcade. It’s playable on iPhone, Mac and more. And up to eight players can race at once.
A couple of enormous sauropods go head to head. A herd of ceratopsia takes on a predator in a driving snowstorm. A pair of tyrannosaurs share a tender moment. All of these are highlights of the second trailer for Prehistoric Planet, coming soon to Apple TV+.
This five-night docuseries will explore the age of the dinosaurs from the Arctic to the oceans.