Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.6 updates to developers, one week after seeding the first betas and a couple weeks 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. Note that Apple has changed the version number of this beta to 13.6. When it was first released last week, it was iOS 13.5.5.
Though the feature is not live yet, iOS and iPadOS 13.6 include signs of a 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.
Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
Tuesday November 12, 2024 2:56 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's camera module supplier for the upcoming iPhone SE 4 is set to begin mass production of the components in December, according to a new report coming out of Korea.
Economic newspaper Ajunews reports that LG Innotek will supply the front camera module for the budget-friendly fourth-generation device. Final tests are now said to be underway, with mass production of the module following...
Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:01 am PST by Juli Clover
A trio of Apple customers this month filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, accusing the Cupertino company of violating California consumer protection laws and false advertising for continuing to sell AirPods Pro models that had ongoing issues with crackling or static sounds.
A few months after the AirPods Pro came out in October 2019, buyers began to complain about crackling, rattling, ...
Monday November 11, 2024 11:28 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today released firmware updates for both AirPods 4 models (version number 7B20) and the AirPods Pro 2 with both Lightning and USB-C charging cases (version number 7B21). All of these AirPods models were previously on firmware version 7B19.
It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in firmware versions 7B20 and 7B21, but we will update this story if we find...
Thursday November 14, 2024 4:19 pm PST by Juli Clover
The M4 MacBook Pro models feature quantum dot display technology, according to display analyst Ross Young. Apple used a quantum dot film instead of a red KSF phosphor film, a change that provides more vibrant, accurate color results.
Young says that Apple has opted for KSF for prior MacBook Pro models because it doesn't use toxic element cadmium (typical for quantum dot) and is more...
Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:59 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple last week replaced the M3 Max MacBook Pro with the new M4 Max MacBook Pro, and we picked up one of the new high-end MacBook Pro machines to see how it compares to the prior model with both benchmarks and real-world tests.
We tested an M4 Max with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and 48GB RAM against an M3 Max MacBook Pro with similar specs. The two machines look similar, but the display on...
Wednesday November 13, 2024 3:02 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple today announced the launch of major updates for its Final Cut Pro video editing software designed for Macs and iPads. Final Cut Pro has been version 10 since 2011, but after 13 years, Apple is finally ready to debut Final Cut Pro 11.
Apple first teased a new version of Final Cut Pro when introducing the new M4 Macs in October, and now the updated software is available for download with ...
I'm surprised they're adding new features this late in the iOS cycle...
I like it. Use WWDC to lay out the annual roadmap (fall through summer), but don't ship everything in one go.
I suppose there will be overlap this time, though: iOS 14 beta 1 will likely drop later this month, while iOS 13.6 final might ship the same day or even after.
Look, I don’t blame Apple for this, but here is an interesting comparison: iOS 5 5.0: October 12, 2011 5.0.1: November 10, 2011 5.1: March 7: 2012 5.1.1: May 7, 2012. Now for 13: 13.0: September 19, 2019 13.1: September 24, 2019 13.1.1:September 27, 2019 13.1.2:September 30, 2019 13.1.3:October 15, 2019 13.2:October 28, 2019 13.2.1: October 30 , 2019 13.2.2: November 7, 2019 13.2.3: November 18, 2019 13.3:December 10, 2019 13.3.1: January 28, 2020 13.4:March 24, 2020 13.4.1: April 7, 2020 13.5: May 20, 2020 13.5.1: June 1: 2020 And now 13.6
I really don't think the amount of releases is an indicator of quality. Windows used to be more Service Pack-focused, where bugfixes were only released about once a year (if that). It didn't mean that Windows was more stable, just that it was on a different schedule.
Look, I don’t blame Apple for this, but here is an interesting comparison: iOS 5 5.0: October 12, 2011 5.0.1: November 10, 2011 5.1: March 7: 2012 5.1.1: May 7, 2012. Now for 13: 13.0: September 19, 2019 13.1: September 24, 2019 13.1.1:September 27, 2019 13.1.2:September 30, 2019 13.1.3:October 15, 2019 13.2:October 28, 2019 13.2.1: October 30 , 2019 13.2.2: November 7, 2019 13.2.3: November 18, 2019 13.3:December 10, 2019 13.3.1: January 28, 2020 13.4:March 24, 2020 13.4.1: April 7, 2020 13.5: May 20, 2020 13.5.1: June 1: 2020 And now 13.6
While I think it is a bit crazy how many updates iOS 13 has gotten, but at the same time I prefer this versus keeping bugs/features held back till the next year’s OS release. Things like cursor support in 13.4 was a nice mid-cycle surprise.
Just More and more ways to kill blocks of your Solid state memory by constantly slamming in big lumps of files over and over again. Brilliant!
I'm not aware of a single case where a critical amount of blocks died on an iPhone. Given how much better flash storage has become, and how relatively short the lifespan is (five years is probably stretching it), I don't think that's a big concern.
