MacRumors

Some of Lowe's retail locations are now offering an in-store Apple Vision Pro experience that is designed to allow customers to personalize and visualize their dream kitchen with the help of a Lowe's associate.

Available in select stores in North Carolina, California, and New Jersey to begin with, the experience provides customers with an Apple Vision Pro to use the Lowe's Style Studio app that launched alongside the Vision Pro in February. Lowe's Style Studio offers a 3D kitchen environment that can be customized with hundreds of real-world materials, fixtures, and appliances.

While Vision Pro owners are able to use the Style Studio app at home, many Lowe's customers who are planning a kitchen remodel might not have a Vision Pro available to see the different kitchen options. They can instead visit a Lowe's location to partake in an immersive kitchen visualization session.

A Lowe's employee will guide customers through the kitchen creation process during a one-on-one appointment, where there are 80 billion design combinations available. Completed kitchen setups can be saved, emailed, texted, or AirDropped as a PDF, with the content in the kitchen able to be purchased through Lowe's.

From June 8 to June 12, the Vision Pro demo is available at the Central Charlotte, NC Lowe's, and from June 22 through June 25, it will be available at Lowe's stores in North Bergen, New Jersey and Sunnyvale, California. Customers in these areas will be able to book a session online, with Lowe's also able to accommodate some walk-ins.

The Vision Pro version of the Apple Developer app has a special immersive Environment included that can be used as a backdrop for watching session videos when WWDC begins next week.

Apple's Environment for the Developer app features a black background with neon light animations in the colors of the WWDC artwork that Apple is using this year. It serves as a visually interesting background that's not too distracting for those who want to watch WWDC content with the world shut out.

The Environment is similar to those that Apple has created for general use, such as Yosemite, Mount Hood, and the Moon. It can be accessed when using the Apple Developer app, and immersion can be adjusted with the Digital Crown.

WWDC is set to begin next Monday, with a keynote event that will take place at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. The keynote can be watched in the Apple Developer app, on YouTube, in the Apple TV app, or on Apple's website. WWDC sessions will be available starting on Monday, with Apple releasing new content throughout the week.

The Vision Pro Developer app can be downloaded from the visionOS App Store for free.

Throwboy is known for its pillows that look like classic Macs, but the company is expanding with a new range of pillows that are modeled after Apple's app icons.

Designed to look like the Messages, Mail, Apple Music, Finder, and Notes icons, the pillows are made from a soft, plush material that Throwboy says has a lush and cozy touch. Thick poly filling inside gives the pillows a "cuddly, bouncy feel" and the design on each pillow is embroidered for durability.

Get your hands on the essential set containing all five app-themed pillows. Whether you're a messaging, music, notes, mail, or icons fan, this collection has got you covered. Made with careful attention to detail and plush material, each pillow captures the true essence of our digital realm in a cuddly form. Perfect for your sofa, bed, or anywhere you want to flaunt your tech-loving side. Embrace your inner geek with The App Pillow Collection - the perfect addition for any digital enthusiast!

Each pillow measures in at 13 by 13 inches, and there is a woven label on the back that can be used to hang them on the wall for those who don't want to use them as cushions.

The set of five pillows is priced at $225, but each pillow is also available individually for $47 for those who want to buy the pillow of their favorite app.

Customers who bought the $700 AI Pin from Humane should stop using the Charge Case Accessory that came with the device, Humane said in emails that went out today. The email, which was shared by The Verge, says the charging case "may pose a fire safety risk."

Humane claims that it is contacting customers "out of an abundance of caution." After a report of a charging issue, Humane says that it looked into the Charge Case and found a quality issue with the battery cell. A third-party vendor supplied the cell, and Humane said that it is no longer working with that supplier.

Humane is working to find a new battery vendor, and the company says the problem is limited to the Charge Case. The AI Pin, Battery Boosters, and Charge Pad are not impacted, so the device can still be charged.

Customers should stop using and charging the Charge Case Accessory "immediately." Humane is not issuing a recall or refunding customers, but it will be providing customers with two months of the Humane subscription for free.

The AI Pin, which launched in November, is a standalone device that was designed specifically for AI. It attaches to a clothing item using a magnetic battery system, and it responds to questions and queries. There is a "laser ink display" that is able to project information onto the user's hand, and a built-in camera.

Humane's AI Pin did not fare well in reviews, and it was widely criticized for its poor performance.

Fans of large numbers will be happy to know that Apple became a $3 trillion company again today based on market cap, which is the total value of all of the company's outstanding shares. However, chipmaker Nvidia stole the moment.

Nvidia not only crossed the $3 trillion mark today for the first time ever, but it overtook Apple to become the world's second most valuable company as of market close today, trailing only Microsoft. Nvidia's stock price has more than tripled over the past year amid strong demand for its artificial intelligence (AI) server chips.

Apple became the world's first $3 trillion company in January 2022, and it has recrossed that mark several times since then. However, this is the first time that Apple has dropped to be the world's third most valuable company since 2019.

Apple is expected to unveil its own AI strategy during its WWDC keynote next week, with iOS 18 rumored to feature a smarter version of Siri powered by a large language model (LLM) and many other new AI features. Apple has also reportedly partnered with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT on the iPhone, but the exact implementation remains to be seen.

AAPL closed at $195.87 today, down from a 52-week high of $199.62.

The Apple Weather app appears to be experiencing an outage, with some users seeing it fail to load or take 30 seconds or more to update to the current conditions.

There are reports about the Weather app on social media, and we've also confirmed that it is not fully functional for some users, but Apple's System Status page is not reporting an outage as of yet.

We'll update this post when the Weather app is functioning as normal.

Update: The iOS Weather app appears to be back up, but the macOS version is still down.

Update 2: Apple's System Status page is now reporting a Weather outage limited to next-hour precipitation in Alaska, but the Weather issue appears to be much more extensive than that.

Update 3: Apple has updated the System Status page again to confirm an outage that started at 2:10 p.m. Eastern Time. Apple says that the Weather app may be slow or unavailable.

Update 4: Apple removed Weather from the System Status page, but the Mac app continues to be down and the iOS Weather app loads slowly.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is now rolling out for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as iPad Air and iPad Pro models equipped with the M1 chip or newer.

The game will be available in the U.S. starting tomorrow, June 6, according to the App Store. However, due to time zones, it is already available in countries like Australia, New Zealand, India, and Singapore, with Europe to follow in a few more hours.

Ubisoft previously announced that Assassin's Creed Mirage will be free to play for 90 minutes on the iPhone and iPad, and users will be able to unlock the full version with a single $49.99 in-app purchase. However, the game will be 50% off through June 20, so users will be able to unlock unlimited gameplay for $24.99 for the first two weeks.

Ubisoft says the iPhone and iPad versions of Assassin's Creed Mirage offer the same experience as the console version, but with touch-based controls.

The game's description in the App Store:

In Assassin's Creed® Mirage, you are Basim, a cunning street thief with nightmarish visions, seeking answers and justice. After an act of deadly retribution, Basim flees Baghdad and joins an ancient organization – The Hidden Ones. As he learns their mysterious rituals and powerful tenets, he will hone his unique abilities, discover his true nature, and come to understand a new Creed – one that will change his fate in ways he never could have imagined.

Assassin's Creed Mirage was first released for Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows in October.

With the A17 Pro chip, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max support hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, allowing for improved graphics rendering in games. This hardware upgrade has allowed for more AAA games on the iPhone, such as multiple Resident Evil titles and Death Stranding Director's Cut.

Apple has added an unannounced Thread radio in most of the Macs and iPads that have been released in the last eight months, according to a report from The Verge. Thread is not listed as a feature in the specifications for the devices released since September 2023, but FCC reports suggest that a Thread radio is indeed included.

Thread radios have been added to the M4 iPad Pro models, the M2 iPad Air models, the M3/M3 Pro/M3 Max MacBook Pro models, the M3 MacBook Air models, and the M3 iMacs.

It is possible that the Thread radios inside of the devices are inactive at the current time, which may be why Apple does not list Thread as an included feature. The Verge was not able to get a response from Apple on whether the Thread radios are functional or dormant.

Device makers have to list and test all radios contained in a product because of FCC regulations, which is why a Thread radio is listed in the FCC report for each device, but not included on the specifications website.

Thread is a mesh network that links smart home devices together, extending their range and reliability. It is an improvement over Bluetooth, and it is an important component of the Matter smart home protocol. Thread connects devices together, and Matter allows them to communicate with one another.

For Thread to work, a Thread border router is needed, and devices have to have Thread built in. Thread border routers include the Apple TV 4K, the HomePod, and the HomePod mini, among other smart home products. The ‌HomePod‌ and the ‌Apple TV‌ 4K have a known Thread radio that Apple has announced, as do the iPhone 15 Pro models, but Apple has not confirmed that Thread is in any of its other devices.

With a Thread radio, a Mac or iPad could serve as a Thread border router or a Home Hub for HomeKit devices, but right now that capability is not included in devices other than the ‌HomePod‌ and ‌Apple TV‌. iPads used to be Home Hubs (before Thread), but Apple eliminated that functionality.

As The Verge points out, the Thread radios in the Mac and ‌iPad‌ models could be for futureproofing purposes. Apple said the ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro models had Thread for "future opportunities for Home app integrations," and Thread could in the future be used for connecting Apple Watches and other devices instead of Bluetooth.

Apple's supply chain will begin shipping the Vision Pro headset to countries outside of the U.S. by mid-June, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a brief post on social media platform X today, Kuo said the UK, France, Germany, China, Japan, and Singapore will be among the countries that begin receiving Vision Pro shipments later this month. Other countries that could be part of this expansion wave include Australia, Canada, and South Korea, we previously reported.

Apple could share international availability details for the Vision Pro during its WWDC keynote on June 10, alongside visionOS 2. The headset is expected to launch in the first countries outside of the U.S. before the end of July.

visionOS 2 will include more Apple apps optimized for the Vision Pro headset, and address other "missing features," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The update could also introduce some kind of respiration tracking feature, and add Apple Pencil Pro support to the Vision Pro, based on rumors over the past few months.

Apple first launched the Vision Pro in the U.S. in early February.

Today we're tracking a pair of deals on Apple's sixth generation iPad mini and fifth generation iPad Air, both of which are available on Amazon. These iPads can be delivered as soon as Friday, June 7 for Prime members in the United States.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Starting with the 256GB Wi-Fi M1 iPad Air, Amazon has this model for $549.99, down from $749.00. This is an all-time low price on this model of the 2022 iPad Air, and it's available in Blue and Purple.

Apple introduced new M2 iPad Air models last month, which is why we're seeing steep discounts on the previous generation models more often. You can still save a bit of money on the 2024 models if you're interested in owning the latest version.

Secondly, Amazon has the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad mini 6 for $399.99, down from $499.00. This one is a second-best price on the iPad mini, and it's available in three colors: Space Gray, Starlight, and Purple.

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

Apple has tested a redesigned version of Control Center with a customizable layout for iOS 18, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. However, we have not confirmed if this change has been finalized for the update.

The new Control Center would feature a drag-and-drop system that allows at least some of the controls to be reorganized directly on the interface, our sources said. Currently, only the smaller controls in the bottom half of Control Center for things like the flashlight and Low Power Mode can be rearranged or removed through the Settings app.

If this plan moves forward, it would represent the biggest redesign to Control Center since iOS 11 was released in 2017. On the iPhone X and newer, the menu can be opened by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen, providing controls for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, display brightness, volume, and many other system functions.

We'll find out if the redesigned Control Center is happening in just days from now, as Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10. The first beta of iOS 18 will likely be made available to members of the Apple Developer Program immediately following the keynote, and the update should be widely released in September.

Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitor users can now monitor their blood sugar data in real time on an Apple Watch without having their iPhone to hand, the U.S. medical device manufacturer has announced.

Using its own dedicated Bluetooth connection, the Dexcom G7 Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System sends glucose information and personalized alerts directly to the user's Apple Watch, allowing them to "go for a run, enjoy a dinner out, and feel confident leaving their ‌iPhone‌ behind," according to the Dexcom press release.

"At Dexcom, our users are at the heart of everything we do. Direct to Apple Watch has been one of our most requested features and we're thrilled to roll it out to Dexcom G7 users in the U.S. and around the world," said Jake Leach, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Dexcom. "We've long believed that people with diabetes should be able to view their CGM data where and how they choose. Direct to Apple Watch is a testament to that, allowing people with diabetes flexibility and choice in how they manage their health."

Prior to the update, the Dexcom G7's Apple Watch app enabled users to consult a watch face complication, but there was a three-hour delay with synced data. Users will continue to need an ‌iPhone‌ to set up the G7 GCM with their Apple Watch, and the iOS Health app is still required to view blood glucose data alongside other biometrics tracked by Apple Watch.

The Direct to Apple Watch feature is now available to G7 GCM users in the U.S., U.K., and Ireland, with the feature coming to additional markets later this month. Users will need the Dexcom G7 app version 2.1, an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 10 or later, and an ‌iPhone‌ running iOS 17 or later. More information can be found on the Dexcom website.

Apple is expected to offer new AI features in iOS 18 and its other operating systems as an opt-in service, as a way of allowing users wary of the technology to steer clear of it, reports Bloomberg.

Apple has been working on a deal with OpenAI to integrate its ChatGPT technology into ‌iOS 18‌, and has come to an agreement to integrate its ChatGPT technology into iPhones and other Apple devices.

That partnership is expected to be announced next week at WWDC. However, the decision to green-light the deal reportedly did not come easily. Executives are said to have had concerns about reputational damage from a "rogue chatbot," while some people within Apple are even said to have a "philosophical aversion" to having a chatbot integrated into Apple software, according to today's report.

Ultimately, however, Apple believed that consumers would expect the cutting-edge technology to be offered by the company. By outsourcing the chatbot function, Apple also believes it can distance itself from any potentially controversial repercussions, and by providing AI features as an opt-in service, consumers will be given the choice of whether to use it or not.

• OpenAI Employees Warn of Advanced AI Dangers

Apple is also in talks with Google about incorporating Gemini into its operating systems. Apple is negotiating the deals on a case-by-case basis, and may ultimately offer a number of third-party chatbots across its operating systems, according to today's report, citing people familiar with the matter.

Apple reportedly began considering a partnership with another company to deliver advanced AI features after it hit a wall in its own artificial intelligence research and development. Apple is known to have been working on its own large language model (LLM), the algorithm that underpins generative AI, and found that its model could power basic features like voice memo transcriptions, photo editing, new Safari search capabilities, and auto-replies for Mail and Messages. However, Apple is said to have realized "early on" that competitors like Google and OpenAI were "far ahead in chatbots and on-the-fly assistance."

In iOS 18, Apple's LLM work will likely be limited to new ‌Siri features, with the virtual assistant expected to be able to‌ control all individual features in apps for the first time. These features are expected to work on-device, with more advanced AI capabilities relying on cloud servers. This may be where OpenAI's technology is more likely to come in. Regardless, Apple is believed to see the OpenAI agreement as a stop-gap measure while it continues to work on its own generative AI technology.

Today's report also claims that Apple is looking beyond chatbots in its AI research, and intends to use LLMs to help power a pair of robotic devices that it is secretly developing. These are said to include the previously rumored table-top robotic arm with an iPad-like display, as well as a mobile robot that can follow users around and handle chores on their behalf. Apple reportedly also plans to integrate cameras and AI features into future AirPods.

The Apple Vision Pro can be used as a display for a connected Mac, but it is bulky, heavy, and uncomfortable. The Spacetop G1, a new laptop from former Magic Leap employees, promises to solve those problems by pairing a computer with a set of lightweight AR glasses that look more comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

Priced at $1,700, Spacetop is basically a keyboard with an attached set of glasses. There is no display, but there is a top case that the glasses can be stored in when the device is not in use. Videos featuring the device show users typing on the keyboard while viewing a set of AR windows that are placed around them.

The Spacetop runs SpaceOS, which the company says is a spatial operating system built for productivity. It focuses on web tasks, which provides content without the company having to recruit developers to build apps.

The AR glasses weigh in at 85 grams, while the Vision Pro weighs between 600 and 650 grams depending on the attached Light Seal. The keyboard is just under 12 inches wide, and the whole setup weighs three pounds, which is heavier than a MacBook Air or iPad Pro.

It includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon QCS8550 chip, 128GB storage, 16GB RAM, and two open-ear speakers. There are two USB-C ports on the keyboard component that allow it to be connected to a traditional external display, and the battery lasts for up to eight hours. The glasses are equipped with two OLED display panels with a 1920x1080 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate, and custom prescription lenses are supported.

The Spacetop G1 will retail for $1,900, but those who reserve it early can get a $200 discount, dropping the price to $1,700. A machine can be reserved for a $100 refundable deposit, and it is expected to start shipping in October 2024.

Popular Mac app Bartender appears to have been quietly sold approximately two months ago, with neither the prior owner nor the current owner providing customers or potential customers with information on the sale.

The transaction came to light after some Reddit users saw a warning from MacUpdater letting them know that the company behind Bartender had been silently replaced. MacUpdater warned users that updates to the app from version 5.0.52 could be potentially unsafe due to the lack of transparency surrounding the situation.

Bartender's new owners replied to the Reddit thread and confirmed that Bartender had been acquired, but did not explain why customers had not been notified nor why there had been a certificate change without said explanation.

Hey everyone, new owners of Bartender here! Our team acquired Bartender from Ben S, the original developer, two months ago. As we prepare to roll out updates for Bartender, we needed to re-sign the app with Apple using our company's information, replacing Ben's. This led to a one-time certificate change.

Truth be told, we should have notated it on the release notes but, since we could not update them retroactively, we included this fact on our blog & shared it with users as they emailed us. We've collaborated closely with Ben to understand his vision for Bartender. Our goal is to implement many of the improvements he had planned and address any reported bugs from the past few months to enhance Bartender's performance.

Reddit users asked Bartender's owners for more information on their identity, but there was no response. The Bartender website was updated with information about the certificate change after users began seeing popups asking for new permissions, and while the blog post calls the new certificate request "expected and valid," no background information is provided on the purchase. In the Reddit thread, the owners claim to have posted information about the sale on the website, but that has turned out to be untrue.

At this point, it does not appear that Bartender's new owners plan to inform customers about the change in ownership, but users should be aware that the app has been sold and is no longer being updated by the original developer. The new owner's intentions are not clear, but as Reddit users have pointed out, the situation raises some red flags.

Update: Ben Surtees, the original developer of Bartender, today said that he sold the app to Applause three months ago. There is no other information on the company, and Applause still has not officially commented on the sale.

Apple could soon launch its annual Back to School promotion for university students in the United States and Canada, based on ads that have been popping up on social networks.

On Instagram, Apple is promoting Macs to college and university students. The ad in question depicts a Back to School image with the following text: "Buy Mac for university or college with education savings. Plus get a gift card for up to $200." The screenshot of the ad is from a Canadian user, and that price point suggests we will see the same $150 discount in the United States that Apple provided last year.

Clicking on the ad redirects to Apple's education website, but there is as of yet no mention of the back to school sale. Last year's back to school sale began on Tuesday, June 4, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in his latest Power On newsletter that the 2024 sale will not begin until later in the month.

Apple's back to school sales provide students with a free Apple gift card when purchasing a Mac or an iPad. Last year, Apple offered U.S. students up to $150 when purchasing a Mac and up to $100 when purchasing an ‌iPad‌.

Several current and former employees of OpenAI and Google DeepMind today shared an open letter warning of the dangers of advanced AI and the current lack of oversight of companies working on AI technology.

The employees suggest there are a number of risks that we are facing from AI development, including further entrenchment of existing inequalities, manipulation and misinformation, and loss of control of autonomous AI systems, which the letter says could lead to human extinction.

AI companies have "strong financial incentives" to forge ahead with development and to avoid sharing information about their protective measures and risk levels. "We do not think they can all be relied upon to share it voluntarily," reads the letter, which says that it is up to current and former employees to speak out.

So long as there is no effective government oversight of these corporations, current and former employees are among the few people who can hold them accountable to the public. Yet broad confidentiality agreements block us from voicing our concerns, except to the very companies that may be failing to address these issues. Ordinary whistleblower protections are insufficient because they focus on illegal activity, whereas many of the risks we are concerned about are not yet regulated.

Employees are ultimately calling on AI companies to offer solid whistleblower protections for speaking out about the risks of AI.

• Avoid creating or enforcing agreements that prevent criticism for risk-related concerns.
• Offer a verifiably anonymous process for employees to raise risk-related concerns to the board, regulators, and independent organizations with relevant expertise.
• Support a culture of open criticism to allow employees to raise risk-related concerns about technologies to the public, the board, regulators, and more, as long as trade secrets are protected.
• Avoid retaliating against employees who publicly share risk-related confidential information after other processes have failed.

A total of 13 employees signed the letter, including seven former OpenAI employees, four current OpenAI employees, one former Google DeepMind employee, and one current Google DeepMind employee. OpenAI has threatened employees with loss of vested equity for speaking up, and it makes them sign draconian NDA agreements that muzzle criticism.

The letter comes as Apple prepares to announce multiple AI-powered features for iOS 18 and other software updates on Monday. Apple is working on its own AI functionality that will be baked into apps across the operating system, plus it has signed a deal with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT features into iOS 18.

There appears to be an outage with at least one U.S. cellular carrier, with customers unable to place or receive calls. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon customers have been complaining about the issue on social networks, and there are also reports of outages on the Down Detector website.

According to a statement from AT&T, the outage is affecting calls between carriers in the United States. All of the major carriers are working to restore service.

There is a nationwide issue that is affecting the ability of customers to complete calls between carriers. The carriers are working as quickly as possible to diagnose and resolve the issue.”

Customers affected have been reporting dropped calls and an inability to hear the person they're attempting to communicate with.

Update: AT&T says that the interoperability issue has been fixed, and that it worked with other carriers to solve the problem.

Update 2: T-Mobile has clarified that its network was not down. From a T-Mobile spokesperson: "We are not experiencing an outage. We are seeing Down Detector increases with other providers, so this likely could be challenges our customers are having connecting with users on other networks."