Apple is considering a bid for the rights to stream the English Premier League in the United Kingdom, among other lower league matches run by the English Football League, according to a Bloomberg report citing "people familiar with the situation."
From the report:
The rights under consideration would allow Apple to show Premier League games in the UK, as well as lower league matches run by the English Football League, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.
If Apple went ahead with the plan, it would become the fourth major player in contention to purchase domestic broadcasting rights for top-flight soccer (or football, as it's called outside North America).
That would likely see a marked increase in the current £5.1 billion ($6.23 billion) valuation for domestic EPL rights, which operates on a three-year renewal cycle. Tender rights are currently being reviewed, with existing rights for the current three-year period set to expire in 2025.
Recent years have seen bidding wars play out between Sky Sports, BT Sport, and Amazon Prime Video, with Sky Sports often being the dominant player, although Amazon has been increasingly wielding its bidding power in recent years. Packaging terms ensure that no one broadcaster gains rights to all English Premier League matches, so any Apple deal for EPL broadcasting rights would necessarily fall short of the exclusivity deal the company successfully negotiated with MLS.
Apple has been pursuing sports content in an effort to attract new viewers to the Apple TV+ streaming service. The company has signed deals with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer, which is currently available on Apple TV+ via an MLS Season Pass priced at $14.99 per month or $99 per season. Apple has also reportedly expressed interest in acquiring an NBA streaming package.
Apple TV+ is also the home of hit sports comedy drama "Ted Lasso," in which an American college football coach is hired to coach an English soccer team.
Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer.
Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least three days per week.
Employees are required to be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with most able to work remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays. However, it appears that Apple is doubling down on this strategy as it looks for ways across the company to cut costs.
In a post on Twitter, Schiffer said that Apple is now actively tracking in-person attendance using badge records and will give employees "escalating warnings" if they don't come in the required three times per week.
According to Schiffer, some Apple offices have even warned staff that failure to comply could result in job termination, although that "doesn't appear to be a company-wide policy."
The development follows a recent report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in which he outlined several cost-cutting measures being newly enacted by Apple, including managers becoming "as strict as ever" about office attendance, with some staff believing it to be a harbinger of Apple firing employees who don't meet the requirement.
In this regard, Gurman has also reported an overlap in retail stores, with Apple taking a closer look at work attendance and hours, and the company ditching its "special sick time" for time missed due to Covid, asking staff to use their normal sick time instead.
According to the report, Apple isn't always filling positions when employees leave, suggesting the crackdown on staff who do not fulfill the in-person work requirements is at least in part one aspect of its wider strategy to cut costs while avoiding the sort of mass layoffs that have recently befallen other tech giants, including Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
The Video Doorbell G4 features a 1080p camera and is compatible with HomeKit Secure Video, along with support for local streaming to Amazon Alexa and Google Home smart devices.
It features on-device AI facial recognition, which can trigger customized automations for different people. For example, a "welcome home" scene is activated when the G4 recognizes a family member coming home. Or in the case that it detects the postman, the doorbell will play a pre-recorded message.
The battery-powered video doorbell supports both wireless and wired installation and can use a pack of six AA batteries that lasts about four months, according to Aqara. Alternatively, users can opt to wire the G4 doorbell to an AC/DC transformer for 24/7 recording, and use the battery pack as a back-up power source.
The doorbell also offers adjustable sensitivity, configurable motion detection, and a power saving mode for users who live in a high traffic area to extend the battery life. Additionally, the G4's chime repeater, which has a 95 dB speaker, includes a USB-C port, allowing users to place the repeater indoors.
Video footage can be stored locally or remotely via iCloud or the Aqara platform. The latter offers subscription-free cloud storage of up to seven days of critical event clips such as motion detection, facial recognition, doorbell ring, and tamper alerts.
Priced at $119.99, the Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 comes in both Shadow Gray and Black colors, with optional local storage via a microSD card slot. Support for the new Matter standard will come via a future over-the-air update, according to Aqara. The G4 is available on Amazon in both North America and Europe, as well as selective Aqara retailers worldwide.
With the ThunderBay 8, OWC expands its vast range of professional-grade Thunderbolt accessories, offering an ultra high-capacity storage solution with eight hot-swappable universal bays for 3.5- or 2.5-inch hard drives or SSDs.
The ThunderBay 8 can serve as a high-performance personal data center with multiple configuration options to suit ever-growing storage requirements. It can accommodate the needs of individuals with data-intensive video editing, high-resolution image, and VR workflows, who need abundant drive space to store large format files, as well as fast data transfer speeds to ensure that they remain workable.
The ThunderBay 8 offers up to 160TB of storage depending on the configuration you choose, with additional options for standard and enterprise drives, pushing beyond the limits of more common four-bay storage solutions.
Having eight drive bays allows for greater flexibility and customization in terms of drive configuration and RAID options. Users can choose to arrange the drives in various RAID modes to optimize performance, data redundancy, or a balance of both. For example, users can choose RAID 0 for maximum performance, RAID 5 for data redundancy, or RAID 10 for a balance of both.
An enclosure with eight drive bays also cuts down on unnecessary cables and power wastage compared to single or dual drive solutions, and offers massive, highly flexible storage potential that users can scale over time.
The ThunderBay 8 arrived very well packed for transit, generously using high-density foam buffers, air bags, and thick cardboard – a key consideration for transporting a large number of fairly delicate drives. The enclosure itself came in a blue woven nylon bag to help lift it out of the box, which was a much welcome aid considering it weighs almost 20 pounds. This is relatively heavy compared to some other external storage solutions, which may mean it isn't ideal for users who need good portability, even for a drive array of this size. The sturdy bag is worth definitely keeping around to help move the ThunderBay around in the future.
Design
The ThunderBay 8's enclosure is made of thick aluminium with a matte black anodized finish. The device is very well built and clearly designed for durability and heat dissipation, with plenty of opportunity to last through changes to your setup and multiple drives.
The ThunderBay comes with two keys to unlock the perforated panel at the front that leads to the hard drives. Once unlocked, you simply pull the cover up and off to get access inside.
Each drive is stored in a tray, labeled A to H, that can be easily released with a thumb screw. The drives are a little difficult to remove even after they have been released, requiring quite a bit of force to come loose. Since OWC offers additional drive trays, it's possible to keep some extra drives nearby so they are ready to swap in if necessary. This could be particularly useful for repairing a RAID-5 array with minimal inconvenience.
The rear of the enclosure features a Kensington lock, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a DisplayPort 1.2 port for connecting a display with a resolution up to 4K. Each drive has an indicator light, as do the rear ports, clearly showing when a drive or wired connection is in use. A single large fan at the back pulls in cool air.
The bottom of the ThunderBay has four rubber feet to keep it secure on a surface, but also offers the opportunity to stack several ThunderBay enclosures on top of each other if you require. The power supply is integrated and there is no need for an external transformer on the power cable, which cuts down on cable mess compared to some other devices in this class.
Noise
While the OWC ThunderBay 8 is designed to be relatively quiet, some users may find that the noise level is noticeable, especially if they work in a quiet environment. It mainly comes from the fan that helps cool the drives inside the enclosure.
The fan is large and spins at a low speed, which helps reduce high-frequency noise, but it can still produce a low-frequency hum that may be noticeable in quiet environments. The fan also seems to take quite some time to turn off when the ThunderBay is idle, which some users may find a little bit annoying.
That being said, it is inevitable that eight high-capacity drives and the cooling they require will produce a certain amount of noise. The sound level is also highly dependent on the type of drives that have been installed, with faster and higher-capacity drives typically producing more noise than slower and lower-capacity drives.
While OWC has done a relatively good job at minimizing the noise the ThunderBay 8 makes, I still thought the ThunderBay was quite loud compared to other similar devices. It is easily loud enough to fill a room and even be heard in adjacent rooms – which could be a problem if you work with audio or sleep near your workstation. For this reason, some users may find it unsuitable as a desktop storage solution, especially if you think the constant clicking of the drives could irrirate you or impede your work. OWC supplies a 0.5 meter Thunderbolt 3 cable with the ThunderBay 8, which requires placing the unit quite close to the computer. It may be better to utilize a 2m Thunderbolt cable and tuck the enclosure more out of the way, if possible.
Set Up
The ThunderBay 8 is not a hardware RAID system, so it relies on SoftRAID to create, monitor, and manage RAID sets. The software allows users to configure and manage RAID arrays with ease, providing advanced features and performance enhancements over Apple's Disk Utility.
SoftRAID is theoretically not a necessity for using the ThunderBay unless you want to use the drives individually, but you will need to use it if you want to use RAID.
One of the key advantages of SoftRAID is performance. According to OWC, it uses advanced algorithms to optimize disk performance and provides faster data transfer rates compared to traditional hardware RAID solutions. This is particularly important for users who work with large files and high-resolution media content, as it can significantly reduce the time required to transfer and process data.
Another advantage is its ease of use. The software provides a relatively simple interface for configuring and managing RAID arrays, allowing users to create, delete, and modify arrays, with a minimal level of experience. SoftRAID also includes features like disk health monitoring, email notifications, and SMART data analysis to detect potential drive failures before they occur.
The enclosure contains a printed license number for SoftRaid XT, and it was fairly easy to install and get running, but you will need to restart and enter recovery mode to enable full disk access. My experience with SoftRAID was fairly robust, but I thought the printed instructions could have been a little more detailed and I think a newcomer could struggle a little bit with the process.
Upon connecting the ThunderBay 8 to a Mac via Thunderbolt and with SoftRAID XT installed, a RAID 5 array formatted in HFS+ appears on the desktop and is ready to use. You can then split the disks up into new RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, and 10 arrays however you see fit, and reformat as you wish.
It's worth noting that the drives are not clearly labeled in SoftRAID, meaning that the only way to identify a particular drive is via the LED indicator. SoftRAID's design also feels a little bit outdated, but this could, of course, be improved via future software updates. The most important thing is that it works very reliably.
Performance
With eight bays, the ThunderBay 8 can reach up to 2,586 MB/s, according to OWC. In my series of tests, the ThunderBay 8 performed extremely well – surpassing SSD speeds via USB. With only HDDs, I achieved speeds of around 1,460 MB/s write and 1,900 MB/s read in RAID 0, which should be more than sufficient for even the most demanding professional workflows.
In RAID 5, this barely slowed to read and write speeds of around 1,200 MB/s and 1,150 MB/s, respectively, which is still impressive considering the added data redundancy provided by this configuration. Its fast transfer speeds and high-capacity also make it an ideal machine for Time Machine backups, although SoftRAID does not support encryption of APFS formatted arrays at this time.
Overall, this level of performance is ideal for users who work with high-resolution media content, such as 4K and 8K video, allowing for smooth playback and editing of large files. The ThunderBay 8's performance results in Blackmagic speed tests are on par with other high-performance storage solutions on the market, making it a reliable choice for professional content creators and power users who demand top-tier performance from their storage devices.
Since the ThunderBay 8 has two Thunderbolt ports, it's possible to daisy-chain other USB and Thunderbolt devices from it. I tried this with a Thunderbolt 3 SSD as well as standard USB hard drives and it worked extremely well, though I did have to remember to eject these drives before turning the ThunderBay off.
Bottom Line
Overall, the OWC ThunderBay 8 is an excellent professional-grade storage solution that works very well with the Mac, offering high-volume, high-performance storage to meet a broad range of intense demands. Across multiple RAID arrays, the device manages large libraries of video and audio production files, as well as concurrent backups, oustandingly well after months of constant use.
The ThunderBay 8 is a premium storage solution that comes at a premium price, but its features and performance justify its cost, especially for professionals who require reliable storage for their workflows. Moreover, its modular design allows for easy upgrades and maintenance, making it a long-term investment that can scale with your storage needs.
The ThunderBay 8 also comes with OWC's five-year limited warranty and customer support. If you don't need as much space as the ThunderBay 8 can provide, OWC also offers a four-bay version with the ThunderBay 4.
How to Buy
The ThunderBay 8 is available from OWC's website for a starting price of $779.00. The 16TB ThunderBay 8, which includes SoftRAID XT, starts at $1,479.00.
Nothing today announced the launch of its second-generation wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2), which offer many of the same features as Apple's AirPods Pro 2 at a lower price point. We went hands-on with the Ear (2) earbuds to see whether they're a viable alternative to the AirPods Pro 2 for those who want to save some cash.
The Ear (2) earbuds are the successor to the Nothing Ear (1), and Nothing has used the same general form factor. Nothing's products stand out because of the clear design that lets you see some of the internals, and it's definitely a unique and appealing look. There's a clear body for the stem, with additional components housed in the white plastic top that also has a silicone tip for a comfortable fit in the ear. Compared to the AirPods Pro 2, the Nothing Ear (2) are just about as comfortable, even for longer periods of wear.
Like the AirPods Pro 2, the Ear (2) earbuds feature Active Noise Cancellation. Nothing advertises some bells and whistles like personalization that tailors ANC to the shape of a user's ear, but the ANC on the Ear (2) is about on par with the AirPods Pro 2 ANC. There is a transparency mode that is meant to adjust noise reduction based on environment in real time, like Apple's Adaptive Transparency, but as we've encountered before, no one seems to be able to do Transparency like Apple. The Ear (2)'s transparency options just aren't great.
As for sound quality, Nothing has added Hi-Res Audio certification and LHDC 5.0, which is a low latency audio codec meant to deliver better sound. There's also an 11.6mm driver and a "dual-chamber" design for better sound quality and "smoother airflow," and while the sound is good, it is not quite at the AirPods Pro 2 level.
The Ear (2) earbuds are also lacking many of the features that you get using AirPods Pro 2 with Apple devices, such as instant pairing, automatic device switching, and Spatial Audio, which is something to keep in mind.
Nothing highlights a range of features like Dual Connection for connecting to two devices at the same time, a personal sound profile for customization, and clear voice technology for better call quality. The customization in particular is something that you can't get with the AirPods, so that might appeal to some who want more control over the listening experience.
The Nothing Ear (2) buds feature 36 hours of total playback time with the charging case battery life included and ANC turned off, and they offer IP54 water resistance so they're able to hold up to sweat. There are on-device controls that are activated with a press, and if you have an Android device or a Windows device there are some quick pairing options to take advantage of.
Make sure to watch our video to see the earbuds in action, with a full overview of all of the available features.
The Nothing Ear (2) earbuds are priced at $149, and they are available for purchase from the Nothing website starting today.
Apple today announced that its weekly MLB doubleheader "Friday Night Baseball" returns in April. While the games were free to watch last season, an Apple TV+ subscription is now required, with U.S. pricing set at $6.99 per month or $69 per year.
"Friday Night Baseball" will include two live MLB games each Friday throughout the 2023 regular season. The games will be available to stream in 60 countries and regions, up from 13 last season, with no local broadcast restrictions. The action will begin on Friday, April 7, with the Chicago Cubs facing the Texas Rangers at 2 p.m. Eastern Time and the Atlanta Braves taking on the San Diego Padres at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
In the U.S., DirecTV will make "Friday Night Baseball" games available to more than 300,000 restaurants, bars, hotel lounges, retail stores, and other venues throughout the regular season on existing satellite TV equipment, according to Apple.
Apple and the MLB shared the "Friday Night Baseball" schedule for the first half of the season, through June 30. Each game will feature "state-of-the-art cameras to present vivid live-action shots," along with live pre-game and post-game coverage.
2023 "Friday Night Baseball" Schedule on Apple TV+
Friday, April 7 Texas Rangers at Chicago Cubs 2 p.m. ET
San Diego Padres at Atlanta Braves 7 p.m. ET
Friday, April 14 San Francisco Giants at Detroit Tigers 6:30 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Angels at Boston Red Sox 7 p.m. ET
Friday, April 21 Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees 7 p.m. ET
Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves 7 p.m. ET
Friday, April 28 Philadelphia Phillies at Houston Astros 8 p.m. ET
St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers 10 p.m. ET
Friday, May 5 Chicago White Sox at Cincinnati Reds 6:30 p.m. ET
Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Guardians 7 p.m. ET
Friday, May 12 Kansas City Royals at Milwaukee Brewers 8 p.m. ET
Chicago Cubs at Minnesota Twins 8 p.m. ET
Friday, May 19 Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays 7 p.m. ET
Seattle Mariners at Atlanta Braves 7 p.m. ET
Friday, May 26 San Diego Padres at New York Yankees 7 p.m. ET
Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers 6:30 p.m. ET
Friday, June 2 Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds 5 p.m. ET
Cleveland Guardians at Minnesota Twins 8 p.m. ET
Friday, June 9 Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles 7 p.m. ET
Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels 9:30 p.m. ET
Friday, June 16 Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers 8 p.m. ET
Chicago White Sox at Seattle Mariners 10 p.m. ET
Friday, June 23 Pittsburgh Pirates at Miami Marlins 6:30 p.m. ET
New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies 7 p.m. ET
Friday, June 30 Milwaukee Brewers at Pittsburgh Pirates 7 p.m. ET
Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Angels 9:30 p.m. ET
Samsung today refreshed its "Discover Samsung" event with new discounts on monitors and more markdowns on TVs. All of these sales can be found directly on Samsung's website, and if you want more monitor-focused deals be sure to visit our post from Monday.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
This time we're focusing on TV-related deals offered by Samsung, with up to $3,000 off select TVs during the event. You'll find both 4K and 8K TVs with notable markdowns, as well as Samsung soundbars and a 4K laser projector on sale.
A few highlights of the sale are markdowns on Samsung's QN90B Neo QLED 4K Smart TVs, starting at $999.99 for the 43-inch model, down from $1,199.99. In total, you can save up to $2,200 on these models. Additionally, there's the cheaper Q60B QLED 4K TVs available from $429.99 for 43-inch sets.
Remember to check out every category during the event if you're interested in smartwatches and audio, tablets and computers, or monitors and memory. Each of these categories have plenty of deals going on this week, as well as highlighted deals of the day that will expire at the end of the day.
Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
iOS 16.4 includes additional Crash Detection optimizations for all iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models, according to Apple's release notes for the software update, which is expected to be released to the public as early as next week.
Apple does not provide any specific details about the optimizations, but the company has been working to improve Crash Detection after emergency dispatchers in several U.S. states and Canada complained about the feature triggering an influx of false 911 calls from skiers and snowboarders throughout the winter. This is the third update with Crash Detection optimizations after iOS 16.1.2 in November and iOS 16.3.1 last month.
Crash Detection launched last year for all iPhone 14 models and the latest Apple Watch models. The feature is designed to detect a severe car crash and automatically call emergency services if a user does not respond to the device within 20 seconds, but has sometimes mistaken a skier or snowboarder falling down as a car crash, according to reports out of Colorado, Utah, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and other popular skiing areas.
It's unclear if the latest optimizations will fully resolve the issue. The skiing season is drawing to a close in the U.S. and Canada, so we will have to wait until next winter in order to know if iOS 16.4 leads to a reduction in false 911 calls.
Nanoleaf today began accepting pre-orders for its Matter-enabled Essential lights, which are designed to work with HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and more through the Matter cross-platform smart home connectivity standard.
Matter-compatible Essential bulbs that include the A19 and BR30 are available, as is the Essential Lightstrip that works with Matter. Matter is a new smart home standard and is still rolling out, so these are some of the first lighting products that have native Matter support.
For HomeKit users, Matter works the same as HomeKit devices, but it connects through Matter instead of HomeKit. That doesn't mean much for someone who has an all-HomeKit setup, but for households with multiple smart home platforms or different smartphone brands, it means the Matter lights can be controlled from any device. Both Android and iPhone users can control a Matter-enabled Nanoleaf light from their respective devices, provided the proper hub setup is available.
The new Nanoleaf Essentials lights work with Matter over Thread for an improved connectivity experience with other Thread devices. Nanoleaf's bulbs and lightstrip can be set to any one of 16 million colors or can be used to provide different shades of white lighting.
Essentials lights with Matter support can be controlled from any smart home app, such as the Home app or the Nanoleaf app. The Nanoleaf app offers useful scene setups for working, evening ambiance, and more, and it provides an option to have the color temperature of the light shift throughout the day.
Matter-enabled Nanoleaf lights can be ordered from the Nanoleaf website, with prices ranging from $20 to $50. The A19 bulb and Lightstrip are available for preorder today, while the BR30 is coming in April. Later this year, Nanoleaf will provide a GU10 light and a Recessed Downlight.
Nanoleaf is also working on an over-the-air update to add Matter to its existing line of light panels and light bars.
Verizon today has deals for nearly every one of Apple's AirPods, including the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 3, and AirPods 2. As with all other Verizon deals, you don't need to be a Verizon customer to get these savings, and all orders receive free two-day shipping.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Verizon. 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 AirPods Pro 2, these are once again available for $199.99, down from $249.99. This remains the best price of the year so far on the newest AirPods Pro model.
Secondly, Verizon has both models of the AirPods 3 on sale. You can get the AirPods 3 with Lightning Charging Case for $149.99, down from $169.99; and the AirPods 3 with MagSafe Charging Case for $159.00, down from $179.00. Deals on the AirPods 3 have been rare over the past few months, so this is a great chance to finally get some savings on these models.
Finally, Verizon has the AirPods 2 for $89.99, down from $129.00. Although this is an overall second-best price, it is the lowest price that we've tracked since the holidays, making it the best price of 2023 so far on the entry-level AirPods 2.
We track sales for every model of the AirPods in our Best AirPods Deals guide, so be sure to bookmark that page while you shop around for the wireless headphones. Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Apple Music appears to be sparking serious privacy concerns for some users, with multiple complaints on Reddit about other people's playlists randomly appearing in their music libraries in the Music app.
Redditor adh1003, who contacted MacRumors about the issue, has compiled several reports from users complaining about the appearance of strange playlists in the app that they do not recognize. MacRumors has since found other posts on Reddit from users reporting the same behavior.
In some cases, unknown playlists have been merged with users' existing playlists. In other cases, users' playlists have gone missing or been replaced by unrecognized ones.
Some users have expressed concerns that their Apple accounts have been hacked, but the more likely cause of the issue is an unspecified problem with Apple's iCloud server. Unsyncing and then re-syncing iCloud for the Music app (Settings -> Apple ID -> iCloud -> Show All) has worked for a handful of users, but not all.
Based on reports, the appearance of unrecognized playlists is only occurring in the Music app for iPhone, with the Music app for macOS remaining unaffected. User reports regarding the issue date back to mid February, suggesting the problem could be related to the release of iOS 16.3.1, which included a bug fix for iCloud settings.
Some users have contacted Apple support to resolve the issue but none have reported success. We've contacted Apple about the problem and will update this article if we learn more.
The issue is reminiscent of another iCloud bug that occurred last year in which some users reported videos and images from strangers appearing in their Photos library.
WhatsApp parent company Meta has announced two new updates related to WhatsApp groups, including a new privacy control tool for admins and a way for users to find out which groups they have in common.
For group admins, WhatsApp now includes a Pending participants tool that gives them the ability to decide who can join the group.
When an admin chooses to share their group's invite link or make their group joinable in a community, they'll now have more control over who can join, says WhatsApp.
It's also now possible for a user to find out which groups they have in common with someone else. This can be done by simply searching a contact's name, where they will be able to see the contact's group memberships.
The new group features are rolling out over the coming weeks on iOS and Android.
Looking ahead, WhatsApp has been testing a new feature that will allow group chat memberships on the encrypted platform to expire after a set period of time, although it's not clear when it will be ready to go live.
Those interested in Bard can join Google's waitlist to get access, and some users have reported getting invitation emails just hours after signing up. There are a long list of sample functions that Google says Bard can perform:
Explain why lightning might strike in the same place twice
Help you write your first novel
Draft a packing list for your weekend trip
Outline a blogpost about your summer mocktail recipes
Explain why large language models might make mistakes
Generate an art studio tagline
Suggest high-protein options to add to a vegan diet
Bard beta access is limited to the United States and UK at the current time, and there is an unknown wait time. Google does not allow Google Workspace accounts to request an invitation.
According to Google, Bard is using a "lightweight and optimized version of LaMDA," so the chatbot will offer a different experience than the OpenAI-powered Bing chat interface.
Bard is not designed to replace Google Search, and Google instead says it is "complementary." Google warns that Bard learns from a wide range of information that includes real-world biases and stereotypes, so the chatbot can provide inaccurate, misleading, or false information. It will improve over time based on feedback, and Google plans to add capabilities like coding and more languages in the future.
Microsoft today announced that its AI-enhanced Bing browser now includes Bing Image Creator, image-generating technology powered by OpenAI's DALL-E deep learning model.
DALL-E is designed to generate digital content through natural language descriptions, and it has been a popular image generation tool for some time now. Microsoft says that the Bing Image Creator will bring AI-powered visual stories and updated Knowledge Cards to both Bing and the Microsoft Edge preview that has the same AI capabilities.
Bing Image Creator is integrated into the Bing chat experience, launching in creative mode to begin with. Typing in a description for an image, adding context like location or activity, and providing an art style will allow the Image Creator to generate a unique image.
Microsoft says that it is working with OpenAI to curb potential misuse of the image creator, and that it has implemented safeguards and additional protections to limit the generation of harmful or unsafe images.
Using the Bing Image Creator requires access to the Bing preview or the new Microsoft Edge experience. Not all Bing preview users will have access to the Image Creator right away, as Microsoft says it will be deployed with a phased approach. It will be available on both desktop and the Bing mobile apps for those who have been given access.
Apple is developing a new version of the Beats Studio Buds called the Beats Studio Buds+, signs of which were discovered in the iOS 16.4 release candidate today by 9to5Mac.
Image via 9to5Mac
The Beats Studio Buds+ look similar to the Beats Studio Buds that were initially introduced in 2021. 9to5Mac has suggested that the earbuds will be upgraded to an H1 or W1 chip, but MacRumors has learned that the Beats Studio Buds will continue to feature a Beats chip rather than the H1/W1.
Apple is planning to add improved Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency to the Beats Studio Buds+, which still have some time to go before they see a public launch.
The original Beats Studio Buds were introduced in 2021 and were positioned as a cheaper alternative to the AirPods. The Beats Studio Buds are priced at $150, and the new model is likely to have a similar price tag.
The iOS 16.4 release candidate version that was provided to developers today appears to hint at a new set of AirPods that could be coming in the near future. According to @aaronp613, the beta features references to AirPods that have a model number of A3048 and an AirPods case with a model number of A2968.
There have been no rumors that new AirPods are on the horizon, and it is early for Apple to update the earbuds as they were just refreshed in 2021.
Exclusive: iOS 16.4 references new AirPods with the model number A3048 and a new AirPods case with the model number A2968
— Aaron (@aaronp613) March 21, 2023
It is not clear if there are indeed new AirPods on the way or if this is some kind of iterative update that will see Apple transitioning to USB-C charging instead of Lightning for the charging case as expected.
In addition to new emojis, web push notifications, and a range of other features, the iOS 16.4 update expands support for detecting duplicate images to iCloud Shared Photo Library.
With iOS 16, Apple added a duplicate detection function for the Photos app. If you have duplicate images, the Photos app displays a "Duplicates" folder in the Utilities album section. From there, you can merge all of your duplicate images together.
At launch, the duplicate detection option did not work with iCloud Shared Photo Library, but that's changing with the iOS 16.4 update. According to Apple, after installing iOS 16.4, you will be able to detect duplicate photos and videos in iCloud Shared Photo Library, merging them to cut down on unnecessary extra images.
iOS 16.4 is set to be released to the public as soon as next week. The update also includes VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app, a fix for an issue that could cause Ask to Buy requests to fail to appear on a parent's device, a bug with Matter-compatible thermostats, and additional Crash Detection optimizations for iPhone 14 models.
The iOS 16.4 update that is set to be released to the public in the near future includes voice isolation for cellular calls, according to notes that Apple shared today.
Apple says that Voice Isolation will prioritize your voice and block out the ambient noise around you, making for clearer phone calls where you can better hear the person you're chatting with and vice versa.
Voice Isolation has been available for VoIP calls that use FaceTime, WhatsApp, and other apps on devices running iOS 15 or macOS Monterey or later, and it is designed to significantly improve microphone quality when on calls by cutting down on background noise. Until now, it was not available for cellular conversations, with Apple offering no way to improve call quality.
On a FaceTime call, Voice Isolation can be enabled by activating control center, tapping on the Mic Mode option, and choosing the Voice Isolation option, so the feature may be able to be activated in a similar way for voice calls.
Other iOS 16.4 features include new emojis, Push Notifications for web apps, bug fixes for HomeKit, Crash Detection optimizations, and more.
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