Apple today updated its iWork apps for the Mac to version 10.1, introducing new features for Pages, Keynote, and Numbers.
The Pages app now supports importing books from iBooks Author, which Apple discontinued and removed from the App Store on July 1. The update app also allows videos from YouTube and Vimeo to be played right in documents, with release notes below.
- Play YouTube and Vimeo videos right in your documents. - Easily add captions and titles to images, videos, shapes, and other objects. - Create more flexible formulas using new functions. - Import an iBooks Author book to work on it in Pages.
Numbers also supports playing YouTube and Vimeo videos in spreadsheets, plus it has new functions that include XLOOKUP, XMATCH, and REGEX for matching patterns, manipulating text, and creating flexible formulas.
- Play YouTube and Vimeo videos right in your spreadsheets. - Easily add captions and titles to images, videos, shapes, and other objects. - New functions, including XLOOKUP, XMATCH, and REGEX, let you match patterns, manipulate text, and create flexible formulas.
Keynote has a new "Play Slideshow in Window" option that lets you access other applications when presenting slides locally or through video conferencing, along with some other new features outlined in the release notes.
- Use the new "Play Slideshow in Window" option to have access to other applications while presenting locally or via video conferencing. - Movies can now play through slide transitions. Add the same movie to multiple slides to play from one slide to the next. - Use the Align to Path option to have objects stay pointed in the correct direction while following a motion path. - Easily add captions and titles to images, videos, shapes, and other objects.
Keynote, Pages, and Numbers for Mac are all free downloads that can be accessed in the Mac App Store.
Update: Apple has also updated its iWork for apps for iOS with many of the same features, and updated iOS apps are available from the iOS App Store.
Apple today seeded the first public betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 14 updates to its public beta testing group, two weeks after first providing the updates to developers after the WWDC keynote and a day after seeding the second developer betas.
Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program can download the iOS/iPadOS 14 updates over the air after installing the proper certificate from the Public Beta website on an iOS device, with instructions available in our how to. The updates should not be installed on primary devices as this is beta software and could have serious bugs.
iOS 14 brings changes to the Home Screen, including widget support. Widgets can now be placed right next to your apps, and with the focus on widgets, Apple has introduced new widgets from default apps and is allowing them to be customized in three sizes.
You can put widgets anywhere on any app page, with new widgets able to be found in the widget gallery. Along with widgets, Apple has introduced an App Library, which is an interface that shows all of the apps on your iPhone both in smart folders that are created automatically and in an alphabetical list.
With the App Library providing access to all your apps, there's now an option to hide entire app pages from your iPhone, so you can avoid a cluttered Home Screen.
Apple has worked to make the iPhone's interface more compact, and incoming phone calls and Siri requests no longer take over the whole screen and are instead presented in a banner style, a feature also available on iPadOS.
There's a Picture in Picture mode for watching videos or using FaceTime while doing something else at the same time on the iPhone. The Messages app has new features focused on group conversations like pinned conversations, mentions, and inline replies.
A new App Clips feature lets you use small bite sized bits of an app without the need to download the whole app, useful for times when you need an app to buy a coffee, rent a scooter, or make a restaurant reservation. App Clips will work through Apple-designed App Clip codes, NFC tags, or QR codes, and can also be shared in Messages or from Safari.
The Health app supports the Sleep Tracking feature added in watchOS 7, and the iPhone will support the Sleep Mode and Wind Down features designed to help you get a better night's sleep. There's also a new Health Checklist that makes it easier to manage health and safety features like Emergency SOS, Fall Detection, and Medical ID.
The Weather app now provides info on severe weather events and minute-by-minute precipitation readings (U.S. only), and the Maps app supports cycling directions for the first time so bike riders can plan routes with info like busy streets, elevation changes, stairs, and more. Maps also now lets electric vehicle owners plan routes with EV charging spots.
The Home app is smarter with automation suggestions and an Adaptive Lighting feature that lets HomeKit lights adjust their color temperature throughout the day, plus there are new features for HomeKit Secure Cameras.
A new Apple-designed Translate app provides text and voice translations to and from 11 languages, and with an on-device mode, translations can be done entirely on your phone.
Tons of new privacy features have been added in iOS and iPadOS 14. Apps need permission before accessing devices on a local network, you get notified when an app accesses the clipboard, and there are little icons in the status bar of the Home Screen when an app is using the camera or the microphone.
There are also new options for limiting access to select photos and providing apps with an approximate location rather than an exact location for better privacy protection. Safari has Privacy Report that tells you which trackers sites are using, and in the future, the App Store will include a summary of developers' privacy practices in an easy-to-read format.
AirPods can now seamlessly and automatically switch between devices, and AirPods Pro gain a new spatial audio feature for surround sound complete with dynamic head tracking.
As for iPadOS 14, it includes most of the new iOS 14 updates, minus the Home Screen redesign. The biggest change is the new Scribble feature that lets you use the Apple Pencil to write on any text field, with the written text converted to typed text.
Scribble works throughout the operating system so you can use the Apple Pencil for Safari searches, adding new items in Calendar and Reminders, sending Messages, handwriting in the Notes app, and more.
iOS and iPadOS 14 beta 2 introduced a handful of tweaks and changes such as a new Calendar app icon, a Files widget, tweaks to Control Center, and more, with a full list available in our iOS 14 beta 2 tidbits article.
For more on everything that's new in iOS and iPadOS 14, make sure to check out our iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 roundups, which have a detailed look on all of the new features.
Apple today seeded the final betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.6 updates to developers, a week and a half after seeding the third betas and over a month after releasing iOS/iPadOS 13.5 with Exposure Notification API, Face ID updates, Group FaceTime changes, and more.
iOS and iPadOS 13.6 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or over the air once the proper developer profile has been installed.
The iOS 13.6 update adds a toggle for customizing software updates, providing users with more granular control over the downloading and installing of new software. iOS users can decide if their iPhone or iPad should automatically download iOS updates when connected to WiFi, and when those updates should be installed.
There's a Download iOS Updates toggle for turning automatic downloads on or off over WiFi and an Install iOS Updates toggle for installing software updates overnight as an iPhone charges. The new feature will be a welcome change for those who do not want their iPhones to automatically download new software.
In the Health app, there's a new "Symptoms" section that allows users to add symptoms of various illnesses, choosing from options like body and muscle aches, appetite changes, coughing, dizziness, fainting, headache, nausea, and more.
Health app users are able to add symptom data through the Health app by tapping on the "Add Data" option, providing a way to track and log various illness-related symptoms over time and to share that information with doctors.
iOS 13.6 also brings support for Car Key, a feature available in both iOS 13 and iOS 14. Car Key is designed to allow an iPhone or an Apple Watch to be used in lieu of a physical key to unlock an NFC-enabled vehicle.
Car Key needs to be implemented by car manufacturers to function, and BMW is one of Apple's first partners. BMW's Digital Key for iPhone feature will let iPhone owners tap to unlock their vehicles, start the car by placing the iPhone in the smartphone tray, place limitations on young drivers, and share keys with up to five other users.
In the Apple News app, iOS 13.6 adds a feature that's designed to save your place in an article when you start reading something and then exit out of the article or the app.
Though the feature is not live yet, iOS and iPadOS 13.6 include new Apple News+ Audio feature, which will see Apple offering some news stories in an audio capacity.
Apple has been working with publishers to garner permission to create audio versions of some stories. Apple also plans to offer a recap of the day's top stories for subscribers to listen to.
Code in iPadOS 13.6 also suggests Apple is working on keyboard shortcuts that will allow users who have a Magic Keyboard or other attached keyboard to adjust the brightness level of the keys, but it's not clear if this will be a feature included in the update. Apple's GM version of iOS 13.6 has the full release notes for the update:
iOS 13.6 adds support for digital car keys, introduces audio stories in Apple News+, and contains a new symptoms category in the Health app. This release also includes bug fixes and improvements.
Digital car keys - Unlock, lock, and start your compatible car with your iPhone - Securely remove digital keys from a lost device via iCloud - Share digital keys easily with iMessage - Driver-specific profiles so you can configure shared keys for full-access or restricted driving - Power reserve lets you unlock and start your car for up to five hours after iPhone runs out of battery
Apple News - Audio stories are professionally narrated versions of some of the best reads from Apple News+, selected and produced by the Apple News editors as part of your Apple News+ subscription - Apple News Today is a new, free audio briefing on the day's top stories from the Apple News editors, also available in the Podcasts app - A new Audio tab makes it easy to find Apple News Today and Apple
News+ audio stories - CarPlay allows you to listen to Apple News Today and Apple News+ audio stories while on the road - Local news in your Today feed provides extensive coverage of San Francisco, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Houston, and New York City - More stories available from local news providers with a subscription to Apple News+ - Your daily newsletter from Apple News can now be personalized with stories that reflect your interests
Health - New category for symptoms in the Health app, including symptoms logged from Cycle Tracking and ECG - Ability to log new symptoms, like fever, chills, sore throat or coughing, and share them with third-party apps
This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements. - Adds a new setting to choose if updates automatically download to your device when on Wi-Fi - Addresses an issue that could cause apps to become unresponsive when syncing data from iCloud Drive - Fixes an issue that could cause data roaming to appear to be disabled on eSIM even though it remained active - Fixes an issue thats causes some phone calls from Saskatchewan to appear as originating from the United States - Addresses an issue that could interrupt audio when making phone calls over Wi-Fi Calling - Fixes an issues that prevented some iPhone 6S and iPhone SE devices from registering for Wi-Fi Calling - Resolves an issue that could cause the software keyboard to appear unexpectedly when connected to certain third-party hardware keyboards - Fixes an issue that could cause Japanese hardware keyboards to be incorrectly mapped as a U.S. keyboard - Addresses stability issues when accessing Control Center when Assistive Touch was enabled - Provides a mechanism for administrators to specify domains to exclude from traffic carried by always-on VPN connections
iOS 13.6 is likely to be one of the last versions of iOS 13 that Apple will release as focus shifts to iOS 14, set to be released this fall.
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 14 software update to its public beta testing group, allowing non-developers to try the software ahead of its fall public release.
Public beta testers can download the new update by opening up the Settings app on the Apple TV, navigating to the Software Updates section under "System" and then toggling on "Get Public Beta Updates" after signing up to beta test on Apple's public beta website.
tvOS 14 brings a new Picture in Picture mode so you can watch TV, movies, and videos while using other apps. You can even AirPlay to a Picture in Picture window.
Multiuser gaming support for Apple Arcade lets each tvOS user keep track of game levels, leaderboards, and invitations, and there's now support for the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and Xbox Adaptive Controller.
A new Home section in Control Center on the Apple TV provides a way for you to control your HomeKit-connected products right on your TV, plus there's an option to view HomeKit camera feeds on the big screen.
You can pick your favorite screensaver family to play rather than having to rely on random choice, and there's now an option to watch YouTube videos in 4K on the 4K Apple TV.
Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming macOS Catalina 10.15.6 update to developers for testing purposes, a week and a half releasing the third beta and over a month after releasing macOS Catalina 10.15.5 with battery health management features for Macs.
The macOS Catalina 10.15.6 beta can be downloaded from the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after the proper profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center.
There's no word yet on what improvements the new update to macOS Catalina brings, but it likely includes performance improvements, security updates, and fixes for bugs that weren't able to be addressed in the previous update. No new features were found in the first three betas, but we'll update this article should anything new be found in the fourth beta.
Apple today seeded the golden master version of an upcoming watchOS 6.2.8 update to developers, a week and a half after releasing the third beta and a over month after releasing the watchOS 6.2.5 update with new Pride Apple Watch faces.
watchOS 6.2.8 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.
To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the iPhone.
It's not clear what's included in watchOS 6.2.8, but it likely focuses on under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes for issues that weren't able to be addressed in the prior update, as well as adding support for Car Keys, the feature that allows an Apple Watch to be used in lieu of a physical key for compatible cars.
No new features were found in the first three betas of watchOS 6.2.8, but the GM version has release notes that confirm the update also brings ECG support and irregular heart rhythm notifications in Bahrain, Brazil, and South Africa.
Apple today seeded the golden master version of an upcoming tvOS 13.4.8 update to developers for testing purposes, a week and a half after seeding the third tvOS 13.4.8 beta and more a month after the release of the tvOS 13.4.5 update. The GM version represents the final version of tvOS 13.4.8 that will be released to the public.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the tvOS 13.4.8 beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV through a profile that's installed using Xcode.
tvOS updates are generally minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements instead of major outward-facing changes. There's no word on what's included in tvOS 13.4.8 as of yet, and no new features were found in the first three betas.
While we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so developers can download it on release.
Apple at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference announced its intention to transition away from Intel processors to Macs powered by its own Apple Silicon chips starting in late 2020. Apple says that by using its own Arm-based processors, it will be able to build better Macs that will boast better performance while also being more energy efficient.
Apple's announcement at WWDC 2020 was expected, but the timing of the transition has left many people in the market for a new Mac wondering whether they should buy one now, or wait until the first Macs powered by Apple Silicon arrive. If you count yourself among those facing the same dilemma, then keep reading. This article summarizes the most salient points to consider.
Where Have I Heard of Arm Before?
Apple is no stranger to Arm-based architecture, and if you're already wedded to the Apple ecosystem, you probably own a device powered by Arm chips. iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV all use Advanced RISC machine (Arm-based) processors instead of Intel chips, which use the CISC instruction set.
In fact, the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac Pro, Mac mini, and Mac Pro are already equipped with Apple-designed Arm processors, in the form of the T1 and T2 chips that power the Touch Bar, Secure Enclave, and other features in these machines.
Indeed, Apple's familiarity with the architecture is one of the reasons the company has decided that it's time to make the wholesale switch for its desktop and notebook machines.
Will Arm-Based Macs Be Better Than Intel Macs?
Apple says it has been working on a family of system-on-chip processors for its desktop and notebook Macs that will usher in a new set of features and deliver "incredible performance."
Apple loves superlatives, but the details are still thin, so it's hard to know exactly what performance gains are in store. But based on past and current architecture, there are some benefits we can be sure of.
Thanks to Apple's years of experience honing power-efficient chips for its Apple Watch and iOS devices, it's fair to say that we can expect a better balance of high performance and low power consumption. Apple's custom chips will also provide best-in-class security with the Secure Enclave, along with high-performance graphics capabilities for professional apps and games.
Apple Silicon chips will also include Neural Engines and Machine Learning Accelerators, making Macs ideal platforms for machine learning. Other technologies set to feature include a high-quality camera processor, performance controller, high-performance DRAM, unified memory, and cryptography acceleration.
In addition, Apple has developed several custom technologies that it can build into Apple Silicon to integrate the system and further boost the Mac's capabilities, making it stand out from the competition. Just take the T2 chip in current Macs, which integrates the system management controller, the image signal processor, the SSD controller, and a Secure Enclave with a hardware-based encryption engine, not to mention the Touch Bar and Touch ID. By going all-in with its own silicon, Apple is increasing its ability to control both the software and the hardware, just like it does for iPhones and iPads, which should make for an improved user experience overall. Not only that, apps designed for the iPhone and the iPad will run on Apple Silicon natively when the first Mac with an Apple-designed chip is released.
How Much Faster Will Apple Silicon Macs Be?
The truth is we don't know yet. Apple seems confident in the future performance of its Arm-based Macs. Presently, Apple is providing developers with a Developer Transition Kit, which is a Mac mini with an A12Z iPad Pro chip. This is based on a 2019 Arm CPU that was designed for the iPad, so shouldn't be seen as representative of what Arm Mac performance will ultimately be.
Due to the change in CPU architecture, current Intel Mac software will be translated under Rosetta -- this means that performance of unoptimized software will be slower until developers have a chance to support the new Arm processors.
Early benchmarks show how the developer kit performs with unoptimized software, and delivers benchmarks roughly on par with 2013 to 2015-era MacBook Pros.
It's worth noting, however, that the Arm-powered 2019 iPad Pro running Arm-native benchmarking software is faster than the 13-inch MacBook Pro (2019) in single core and multi-core benchmarks.
Overall, these early benchmarks seem promising, bearing in mind that Apple's Arm-based Macs that run Apple Silicon will have new chips designed for specifically for the Mac and based on the A14 chip created for the 2020 iPhone lineup with a 5-nanometer process.
When Are the First Apple Silicon Macs Due to Launch?
At WWDC in June, Apple said that the first Mac that uses Apple Silicon will be introduced before the end of 2020. The company didn't offer any more details beyond that, but rumors suggest Apple is developing at least three Mac processors all of which are based on the A14 chip in the upcoming 2020 iPhones.
Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the first Macs that will adopt Apple's custom chips will be a refreshed 13.3-inch MacBook Pro and a redesigned 24-inch iMac, with the updated machines to launch in the fourth quarter of 2020 or early in 2021.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also said that Apple plans to release at least six Mini-LED products by the end of 2021, including 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, so it's possible that these new Macs will be among the first to run on Apple Silicon.
Apple has already confirmed that its Apple Silicon Macs will continue to offer support for the Thunderbolt USB-C standard, so there will continue to be an Intel element in the new machines after all.
What Does Apple Silicon Mean for Intel-Based Apps?
Apple has said it will continue to support Intel Macs for years after the transition to Apple Silicon is complete, so if you buy an Intel-based Mac today, you can expect to receive software updates throughout the life of the machine.
As indicated by its Developer Transition Kit, Apple expects most developers to start building native apps immediately. However, users will still be able to run Intel apps on Arm-based Macs thanks to Rosetta 2, a translation process that runs in the background and is invisible to the user.
Apple has demoed Rosetta 2 with apps and games, and shown that there's no apparent difference between running an Intel app on an Intel machine versus an Apple Silicon machine. Everything works as you'd expect, but if performance is important to you it may take some time for all your software to be updated to support the new processors.
If you rely on Adobe software, the good news is that Apple has given Adobe early access to its Arm-based architecture, and Photoshop and Lightroom are reportedly already running smoothly on Apple Silicon.
What If I Need My Mac to Run Windows?
Unfortunately, Boot Camp won't be available on Macs that run Apple Silicon, and existing virtualization solutions also won't support running Intel Windows. Even if VMWare or Parallels were to offer that support, it would suffer from slower performance due to the different CPU architectures involved.
Microsoft does have its own native Arm version of Windows it uses on its Surface Pro X, but that is only available to manufacturers who resell Microsoft products under their own name and branding. As far as we know, there are no current plans make an Arm-based version of Windows available for Macs. Even if that were to become available for the Mac, it has its own compatibility and performance issues with traditional Intel Windows applications.
Should I Buy a Mac Now or Wait for Apple Silicon?
Apple is committed to supporting Intel-based Macs long into the future, and even says it has new Mac models in the pipeline that run on Intel processors.
In addition, Apple's existing Mac lineup has never looked in better shape. The 16-inch MacBook Pro and the recently updated 13-inch MacBook Pro in particular are well-rounded machines that offer very impressive performance across the board.
If running Windows is an important factor, then buying a current generation Intel Mac makes more sense than waiting. Intel Macs will be supported for years to come with new Intel Macs still in the pipeline.
In addition, if you are looking to buy a higher end Mac with specific software where performance is important to you, it also may not be worth waiting. Early Apple Silicon Macs may not replace the top-of-the-line for some time and native software will take some time to arrive.
If you don't need to buy a new Mac right away, and the idea of Apple Silicon excites you, it might be worth holding out for a little longer to see how things evolve. Apple says the first Arm-based Mac is set to be introduced before the end of 2020.
That said, Apple has also stated that it will take two years to transition its entire Mac lineup to Apple Silicon, so depending on what kind of Mac you want, you could be in for a long wait.
Epic Games has launched a new iOS app, Live Link Face, that lets creators using the company's Unreal Engine game engine leverage Apple's ARKit platform and the iPhone's TrueDepth camera to capture and stream facial expressions for real-time rendering (via The Verge).
Capable of working with just a single actor at a desk or as part of a complex motion-capture stage setup, Live Link Face supports timecode syncing to ensure it stays synchronized with any other recording devices involved in the capture process.
And when used at a desk setup, Live Link Face can track head and neck rotation data in addition to facial expressions, for more realistic avatar behavior using nothing more than an iPhone.
For more details on what Live Link Face can do, check out Epic's blog post.
MacRumors and password management platform 1Password have partnered up to offer our readers 50 percent off their first year of the 1Password Individual plan. Only new 1Password users will be able to claim the discount.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with 1Password. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
The 1Password Individual account regularly runs for $2.99/month, billed annually at $35.88. With our exclusive discount, you can get this plan for $17.94 for the first year of 1Password. Additionally, you'll receive a 30 day free trial when first signing up for the Individual Plan.
This sale doesn't require any discount code, so simply follow this link to the 1Password website. New 1Password users can enter their email address to sign up for a 1Password account and automatically get 50 percent off their first year.
1Password is a password management app that is compatible across Apple devices, including iPhone and Mac. It allows you to create and store strong passwords across all of your most important online accounts, and alert you when your passwords are compromised.
The 1Password app also informs you when sites that you're storing information for support two-factor authentication, helping you improve and strengthen your login information. If you're on a Touch ID or Face ID-supported Apple device, you can also open the 1Password app even quicker with Apple's biometric authentication systems.
Our readers will have until August 31, 2020 to claim this deal. Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.
Apple today announced significant enhancements for its Develop in Swift and Everyone Can Code educational programs, delivering free curricula and a new Develop in Swift online course to help teachers get up to speed for teaching app development in Swift.
“Apple has worked alongside educators for 40 years, and we’re especially proud to see how Develop in Swift and Everyone Can Code have been instrumental in helping teachers and students make an impact in their communities,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Markets, Apps, and Services. “We’ve seen community college students build food security apps for their campus and watched middle school educators host virtual coding clubs over summer break. As part of our commitment to help expand access to computer science education, we are thrilled to be adding a new professional learning course to help more educators, regardless of their experience, have the opportunity to learn coding and teach the next generation of developers and designers.”
Develop in Swift, which is aimed at students in high school and above, has seen its curriculum completely redesigned and includes four free books available through Apple Books: "Develop in Swift Explorations," "Develop in Swift AP CS Principles," "Develop in Swift Fundamentals," and "Develop in Swift Data Collections," with the first three available now and the fourth coming this fall.
For younger students and other beginners, Apple is also expanding its Everyone Can Code curriculum, launching a new "Everyone Can Code Adventures" book that builds on previous content in the program to allow for more advanced coding exercises using Swift Playgrounds.
Apple's iPad mini 5 with 64GB of storage and cellular support is on sale for $449.00 today on TigerDirect, down from $529.00. This sale is among the lowest we've ever tracked for this version of the iPad mini 5, and the best available online right now.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with TigerDirect. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Only the Space Gray version of the tablet is available at this price. For those who are unaware, prominent Apple reseller MacMall recently consolidated its sales under its sibling TigerDirect brand. The site provides solid discounts on iPads, Macs, Apple TVs, and other Apple products.
Apple updated the iPad mini line in March of 2019 with the iPad mini 5. The tablet includes Touch ID for biometric authentication, a headphone jack, a Lightning charging port, and Apple's A12 Bionic chip. Thanks to these internal upgrades, the iPad mini 5 is three times faster than the previous generation and has a 10 hour battery life.
For even more iPad deals, head to our full Best Deals guide for iPad. In that guide we track the best discounts online for iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro.
Fujifilm has released its software for Mac that enables its X-series mirrorless cameras to be used as high-quality webcams.
The Fujifilm X Webcam tool was initially released for Windows PCs in May. Fujifilm later said it would offer a Mac version in mid-July due to the "overwhelming response" of its customers when it released the app for PC.
Fujifilm, Canon and Panasonic have developed software that brings webcam functionality to their cameras. The cameras are connected via a USB cable and offer a sharper picture for video calls.
Fujifilm has expanded the number of X-series mirrorless cameras that work with its Fujifilm X Webcam software, with the X-T200 and X-A7 now supported. Other cameras already supported include the X-H1, X-Pro2, X-Pro3, X-T2, X-T3, and X-T4. Fujifilm X Webcam also works with all three GFX medium format cameras.
Fujifilm lists the X Webcam software as compatible with Chrome and Edge browsers, with support for Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, and Messenger Rooms.
Apple is working on Macs that use its custom Apple-designed Apple Silicon chips instead of Intel chips, but Apple has committed to continuing to support Thunderbolt, reports The Verge.
In a statement, an Apple spokesperson said that Apple's upcoming machines will offer support for Intel's Thunderbolt USB-C standard.
"Over a decade ago, Apple partnered with Intel to design and develop Thunderbolt, and today our customers enjoy the speed and flexibility it brings to every Mac. We remain committed to the future of Thunderbolt and will support it in Macs with Apple silicon."
Apple at WWDC unveiled its plans for Macs equipped with Apple Silicon chips, the first of which is set to come out before the end of 2020. Apple eventually plans to transition all of its Macs to Apple Silicon, a process that the company says will take two years.
According to Apple, Apple Silicon will bring a new level of performance with more powerful Macs that are also more energy efficient with better battery life.
Sonnet earlier this year announced the launch of the Fusion Flex J3i internal drive mount, which is designed to let users add up to three SATA storage drives to the 2019 Mac Pro.
In our latest YouTube video, we went hands on with the Fusion Flex J3i, hooking it up to our Mac Pro to see how it performs.
The Fusion Flex J3i is a mount system that can provide up to 36TB of additional storage for the Mac Pro. When purchased from Apple, the Mac Pro maxes out at 8TB of storage, so Sonnet's add-on provides a huge storage boost. The storage added through the Fusion Flex J3i will not, of course, act as a main boot disk and will instead work like an external drive that's plugged into the Mac.
You don't get any storage with the Fusion Flex J3i since it's designed to be a mounting system, so you're going to need to purchase storage separately and add it yourself. The Fusion Flex J3i supports two 3.5-inch drives and one 2.5-inch SSD or three 2.5-inch SSDs.
We tested the Fusion Flex J3i with two 4TB 3.5-inch hard drives from Western Digital, and installation was simple. Just four screws attach each of the hard drives to the J3i after the SSD plates have been removed.
After the Fusion Flex J3i has been outfitted with SSDs or hard drives, it also takes just a few minutes to get it up and running in the Mac Pro. Pull off the cover, unscrew the plate at the top, and then insert the J3i into the machine.
The hard drives will connect to the Mac Pro and then you can attach the three SATA cables that come with the J3i, and since the Mac Pro has 1, 2, and 3, labeling, it's pretty easy to tell what goes where. After the mount is in place, put the Mac Pro back together, boot up, and all should be working well.
We found the Fusion Flex J3i to be a useful plug and play solution for those who are looking to add additional storage to their Mac Pro machines, and it's also cost effective. Sonnet charges $199 for the Fusion Flex J3i, and while adding storage is expensive, it's still cheaper than buying Apple's higher-tier SSD storage options.
You can get two 16TB 3.5-inch drives from Amazon for around $800, for example, which gives you 32TB of storage for much less than the $2,600 upgrade fee for the 8TB SSD from Apple. SSD storage is faster, of course, so if you want to go that route, you can get 4TB SSDs for somewhere around $600 each, which still comes in cheaper than Apple's storage.
For our setup, we have a couple PCIe SSDs in the Mac Pro for video editing purposes, with the J3i on hand for storing larger files, RAW images, and video backups.
Apple today launched its annual Back to School promotion in Mexico, most countries in Europe, some countries in Asia, and the Middle East providing qualifying higher education students and educators with free AirPods when purchasing an eligible Mac or iPad.
Second-generation AirPods with a wired charging case (valued at $159) are available when purchasing a new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, iPad Pro, or iPad Air. During checkout, back to school shoppers can choose to upgrade to a wireless charging case for the AirPods or the AirPods Pro for an additional fee.
The low-cost iPad, iPad mini, Mac mini, and refurbished products from Apple are not eligible for the Back to School promotion, but all educational purchases are available at a discount through the EDU store in each country.
Apple's Back to School promotion will require verification through UNiDAYs in many countries. Products can be purchased from the educational store on the EDU website for each country or in Apple retail stores. Full terms and conditions can be found on the promotional pages on Apple's country-specific websites.
Apple retail stores are now accepting appointments from customers who want to book a time at a local store to make a purchase with the one-on-one help of an Apple specialist, similar to Genius Bar reservations.
The continued spread of the coronavirus in the United States and other countries has led Apple to implement safety measures that include limiting the number of people in a store, and as 9to5Mac points out, that can lead to long lines as customers wait to enter. With the new appointment system, those who plan ahead can skirt the lines with a reservation at a specific time.
Specialist appointments can be booked through the Apple Store app by searching for a local Apple Store and then selecting the "Shop with a Specialist" option on the store page. From there, customers can choose which product they're interested in and pick a time to visit the Apple Store.
Appointments are available in 15 to 30 minute increments throughout the day depending on store location, with customers able to book up to three days ahead of their visit.
Apple today shared an "inside look" trailer for upcoming Apple TV+ movie "Greyhound" starring Tom Hanks. The trailer, narrated by Tom Hanks, explains some of the background of the Battle of the Atlantic that the movie explores.
"Greyhound" features Tom Hanks as George Krause, a career naval officer given command of Navy destroyer Greyhound during the Battle of the Atlantic. Krause fights his own self doubts and personal demons as he leads a convoy of Allied ships against German U-boats to prove that he belongs in command.
The screenplay for the movie was written by Tom Hanks and the film was meant to be released in theaters, but could not premiere because most theaters across the United States remain closed. Apple ultimately paid $70 million for the film, and it will see a premiere on Apple TV+.
"Greyhound" is the first Tom Hanks movie that has seen a straight to streaming release, which Hanks called "an absolute heartbreak" in an interview earlier this week. "I don't mean to make angry my Apple overlords," said Hanks, "but there is a difference in picture and sound quality."
Apple plans to release "Greyhound" on Friday, July 10. Apple will also debut drama series "Little Voice" and short-form sports docuseries "Greatness Code" on that date.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
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