MWSF Tidbits: Modbook Pro, Matte Screens, Tune Blocker, Gorilla Pod
We've collected a few items of interest from vendors here at Macworld San Francisco:
Axiotron, with advisor and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on hand, announced the Modbook Pro, a new tablet Mac based on the MacBook Pro. Pre-orders are available starting at $4998 for a complete system, or $3049 for users providing their own MacBook Pro for conversion. Orders are expected to begin shipping in May or June of this year.
TechRestore is offering a Matte screen replacement option for unibody 15" MacBook Pro owners who just can't deal with the glossy screen, a common concern after Apple discontinued the offering of matte screens from some of their notebooks. Cost for this replacement service is $199.
Matias announced
Tune Blocker, a USB-to-Dock connector for the iPhone and iPod touch containing a switch allowing the user to select whether to charge and sync their device with iTunes as usual or to charge the device without mounting and syncing it in iTunes. Designed to help prevent users from accidentally overwriting their iPod data when connecting to a computer other than the one normally used for syncing, the connector will begin shipping in March with a 3-foot cable ($24.95) or 6-foot cable ($29.95).
Joby was showing off their Gorilla Pod camera stands which allow you to securely mount your camera onto "anything". Prices range from $24.95 to $139.95 depending on the size.
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Verizon is experiencing a major outage across the U.S. today, with hundreds of thousands of customers reporting issues with the network on the website Downdetector. There are also complaints across Reddit and other social media platforms.
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While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around eight months away, a leaker has shared some alleged details about the devices.
In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, the account Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
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Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones.
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Apple today released a firmware update for the AirPods Pro 3. The latest firmware has a version number of 8B34, up from the previous version 8B30.
Apple has a support document for AirPods firmware updates, and it indicates that the 8B34 update contains unspecified "bug fixes and other improvements."
No other AirPods models received firmware updates today.
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