MacRumors

With the first set of M4 Macs having officially launched last week, Apple still wasn't quite done with news for 2024 as this week saw some software news with updates for Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro as well as new betas for iOS 18.2 and related updates with continued refinements ahead of an expected early December release.

Looking ahead to 2025, we also learned some new details about Apple's plans to increase its emphasis on smart home products, led by a "command center" hub that could be unveiled as soon as March, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

Apple to Launch AI-Powered Home 'Command Center' as Soon as March 2025

We've been hearing for quite a while about Apple's plans for smart home hub products, and this week we learned some fresh details about what we can expect from the first iteration: a thin device with a ~6-inch squarish display equipped with a camera and speakers with an interface that looks like a cross between the iPhone's StandBy mode and watchOS.

The "command center" product will be able to display calendars, photos, smart home controls, and more, and it can be mounted on a wall or on a tabletop base. As part of Apple's push into smart home products, the company is also reportedly considering its own line of HomeKit cameras and other devices.

Here's Everything New in iOS 18.2 Beta 3

Apple this week released a fresh round of betas for iOS 18.2 and related updates, and there are a number of tweaks and other changes in iOS 18.2, including continued work on next-generation CarPlay and more.

Apple also officially announced that iOS 18.2 will support AirTag location sharing in partnership with over 15 airlines, aiming to help users get reunited with lost bags.

Based on upcoming changes to Wi-Fi calling on British carrier EE, it appears iOS 18.2 and other updates may arrive on Monday, December 9.

Apple Customers Sue Over Unfixed AirPods Pro Crackling Issue

A trio of 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 first-generation AirPods Pro models that had ongoing issues with crackling or static sounds.

Apple has had a repair program that covers affected AirPods Pro earbuds for three years from the first date of sale, but customers are finding that the replacement earbuds suffer from the same issues.

Apple Releases Final Cut Pro 11 for Mac

After over a decade on version 10, Apple's professional video editing software, Final Cut Pro, has finally been updated to version 11 with a number of new features such as AI-generated captions, spatial video editing, and a Magnetic Mask tool.

Apple's corresponding audio editing app, Logic Pro, also received an update to version 11.1 for Mac and 2.1 for iPad with several new features and improvements.

M4 Max MacBook Pro: Real-World Usage Tests

Following last Friday's launch of M4-based MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac models, we've taken a dive into the high-end M4 Max MacBook Pro to see how it performs in real-world testing.

For users looking to push the limits of their computers, the M4 Max delivers a solid upgrade over last year's M3 Max, and it will be a major leap for anyone running anything older than that.

The new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips also include support for Thunderbolt 5, and we took a look at what that means for users looking for maximum performance.

Apple Black Friday Deals for 2024

Deals are continuing to ramp up as we head toward Black Friday, and we're tracking all of the best ones in our Apple Black Friday roundup.

We've also got some dedicated coverage focused deals for specific Apple products, so make sure to check in for the latest and stay tuned because deals are coming and going quickly!

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

With the introduction of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.1, communicating with Siri has become more flexible since you can easily type your requests instead of speaking them. It's a subtle but powerful change that's perfect for those moments when you need to be quiet or discrete.

Enabling Type to Siri is straightforward. Head to Settings -> Apple Intelligence & Siri, tap Talk & Type to Siri, and make sure the Type to Siri toggle is switched on. Once enabled, you can summon the typing interface with a quick double-tap at the bottom edge of your iPhone's display.

The typing interface includes suggested requests to help you get started, and you can type virtually anything you'd normally say to Siri. Simply enter your query and tap the up arrow to submit. Siri will respond just as it would to a voice command, maintaining context between messages for natural back-and-forth conversations.

• Does My Device Support Apple Intelligence?

This text-based interaction is particularly useful during meetings or in quiet spaces, when you're in a noisy environment where Siri might struggle to hear you, or if you prefer typing to speaking for more precise queries. It can also help when you want to maintain privacy in public places.

The feature integrates seamlessly with Siri's expanded knowledge base in iOS 18.1, including Apple product support and settings navigation. You can even use natural language to find settings when you're not sure of their exact names.

Whether you're a longtime Siri user looking for more flexibility or someone who's been hesitant to use voice commands in public, Type to Siri offers a handy alternative for interacting with Apple's virtual assistant.

Earlier this week, Apple released Final Cut Pro 11, a major update to the company's professional video editing software. There are quite a few new features in Final Cut Pro 11, so we thought we'd go over them for those who are considering picking up the software.

Apple didn't bring Apple Intelligence to Final Cut Pro 11, but there are new AI-powered features. Magnetic Mask makes it super quick to isolate people or objects in a video, and then you can remove them or do object-specific color grading.

A one-click transcribe to captions feature can be used to create closed captions without the need for a plug-in or third-party app, but unfortunately, you can't edit the look of the captions. If you have spatial video you've recorded for Vision Pro, it can now be edited in Final Cut Pro.

There's a picture-in-picture effect, and a new callout option for drawing attention to a specific part of a video. Apple also updated Final Cut Pro for iPad, which gains haptic feedback, new inks for Live Drawing, and the Enhance Light and Color feature for quick color grading.

What do you think of Final Cut Pro 11? Let us know in the comments below.

With iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, Apple is adding support for three Apple Intelligence image generation features, including Image Playground, Genmoji, and Image Wand. Image Wand lets you create visual aids for your notes on iPhone and iPad.

This guide goes over all of the available Image Wand features and how to use it.

Image Wand Explained

Image Wand is an offshoot of Image Playground, and it seems to use the same general image generation engine. As with ‌Image Playground‌, you can use a text description and ‌Apple Intelligence‌ will whip up an image for you, but you can also use your own rough drawings as a base.

‌Image Playground‌ and Genmoji don't support sketches as an inspiration for images generated by ‌Apple Intelligence‌, so that's the unique feature that you get with Image Wand.

Where You Can Use Image Wand

Apple designed Image Wand for the Notes app, and that's where it is available. Most of Apple's highlighting of the feature has been for the ‌iPad‌ version of Image Wand, but it does work in the Notes app on ‌iPhone‌ as well.

Image Wand is only in the Notes app at the current time, but Apple might bring it to other apps like Freeform in the future.

Creating an Image Based on Text

The neat thing about Image Wand is that it can use the information that you've written in the Notes app to give you a contextually relevant generated image.

Once you've written something, either typed or handwritten with the Apple Pencil on the ‌iPad‌, tap into the Markup menu to get to the Image Wand tool. The icon looks a bit like a magician's wand with a multi-colored tip.

With the tool selected, draw a circle in a blank spot in your note, and the Image Wand feature will create an image. The image parameters will be auto-filled based on what you've written in your note, similar to how you can direct the look of an image in ‌Image Playground‌ with different phrases.

You can swipe through the different image options to find the most relevant image. For the phrases that are automatically pulled in, you can tap on the "-" to remove something, or you can add context by typing something in the text bar. You can also tap on the "+" button to select additional phrases pulled from your notes. When you're finished, tap on "Done" to add it to your note.

Images From Handwritten Text

If you have an ‌Apple Pencil‌ with an ‌iPad‌, you can handwrite your notes and have Image Wand generate an image based on your handwritten text. This is a useful feature for actual note taking in a class, and it works the same way as generating an image from typed text.

Simply write something out and then circle a blank space on the page to bring up the Image Wand interface, where it will pull in what you've written as inspiration. You can describe additional traits in your own handwriting with the ‌Apple Pencil‌ by writing in the image description box.

Creating an Image From a Drawing

Rather than generating an image solely from text, you can make a sketch that Image Wand can use when creating a picture. On the ‌iPhone‌, you'll need to use the Markup tools to draw an image with a finger, but on the ‌iPad‌, you can use the ‌Apple Pencil‌.

Make a rough drawing, and then circle it with the Image Wand tool selected. You'll need to add a word or two as an extra descriptor to go along with it, and then Image Wand will create something based on both your drawing and your text description.

What's particularly nice about the drawing feature in Image Wand is the weight that it gives to where you've placed objects in your image. For example, if you draw an apple with a leaf on the right side of the stem, Image Wand mimics that placement. It's a useful way to get a more refined and specific image than you can get from ‌Image Playground‌.

In some cases, it will also use the same colors that you've chosen.

Placing and Editing an Image

After you've created an image with Image Wand and pressed the "Done" button, the image you've created can be moved around, resized, deleted, or copied.

You can tap on the thumbs up or thumbs down option to give Apple feedback if something doesn't look right, or you can tap on the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ icon to re-generate an image.

There is one particularly useful feature available after an image has been created, and that's the remove background option. If you tap on the icon with the three dots and then choose Remove Background, it will tweak your image to remove color that might be in the background so that it better blends in with your note.

Image Wand Styles

There are three styles available in Image Wand: Sketch, Illustration, and Animation.

Apple describes Sketch as a "highly detailed and academic" style that "produces gorgeous drawings on stark backgrounds," while the illustration style features strong outlines, bold colors, and simple shapes. Apple says the animation style has a "whimsical, 3D cartoon look."

Sketch is not available outside of Image Wand as of yet, but it does produce the images that look the most hand drawn.

Image Wand Limitations

Image Wand has a unique limitation compared to ‌Genmoji‌ and ‌Image Playground‌ - it won't generate people. If you try to generate an image that has a person, even one that's generic, it will let you know that images involving people are not supported.

As with ‌Image Playground‌ and ‌Genmoji‌, you can't create questionable content that involves violence or nudity, nor can you generate images based on copyrighted characters, people, or products.

Apple Intelligence Compatible Devices

Image Wand will be available on devices that support ‌Apple Intelligence‌. That includes the iPhone 15 Pro, the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max, all iPhone 16 models, the iPad mini with A17 Pro chip, and all iPads with an Apple silicon chip.

Read More

We've shared detailed guides on ‌Genmoji‌ and ‌Image Playground‌ already, plus we have an overall guide on the full set of ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features and a guide for the general features coming in iOS 18.2.

• Genmoji in iOS 18.2
• Image Playground in iOS 18.2
• Everything You Need to Know About Apple Intelligence
• Everything New in the iOS 18.2 Beta

Release Date

iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 with Image Wand integration will be coming in December, with Apple likely planning for a December 9 software release.

Today marks two years since Apple made its Emergency SOS via satellite feature available on all iPhone 14 models in the U.S. and Canada. Apple has since expanded its suite of satellite-based features, and they all remain free to use for now.

Below, we recap the rollout of Apple's satellite features and what's next.

• November 2022: Apple launches Emergency SOS via satellite in the U.S. and Canada, allowing you to contact emergency services via SMS in most locations without cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. You can also share your location in the Find My app via satellite connection. The feature is available on all iPhone 14 models and newer. When the feature first launched, Apple said it would be free for two years after the activation of any iPhone 14, but the free period was later extended by one year.
• December 2022: The feature expands to the U.K., France, Germany, and Ireland.
• March 2023: The feature expands to Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal.
• May 2023: The feature expands to Australia and New Zealand.
• September 2023: The feature expands to Spain and Switzerland.
• September 2023: Apple launches Roadside Assistance via satellite in the U.S., allowing you to contact roadside assistance provider AAA via SMS in most locations without cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, in the event you get a flat tire, run out of gas, or have other car troubles. The feature is available on all iPhone 14 models and newer. This feature is also free for two years after device activation.
• November 2023: Apple makes Emergency SOS via satellite free for an additional year for users who had already activated an iPhone 14, meaning the feature can be used for free until at least November 2025.
• December 2023: Verizon becomes a Roadside Assistance via satellite partner.
• July 2024: Emergency SOS via satellite expands to Japan.
• September 2024: Apple launches Messages via satellite in the U.S. and Canada, allowing you to send and receive text messages over iMessage and SMS in non-emergency situations outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. Like the other satellite features, it has an initial two-year free usage period.
• October 2024: Roadside Assistance via satellite expands to the U.K. with Green Flag.
• November 2024: Apple commits around $1.5 billion to its satellite partner Globalstar to fund the expansion of iPhone satellite services.

It is unclear if and when Apple will start charging for its iPhone satellite features, but the time limit on free usage makes it sound like the company does eventually plan to charge a fee for at least some of the services. The current free period for Emergency SOS via satellite ends one year from today, so Apple still has some time to figure out its plans.

With funding from Apple, Globalstar plans to launch a new satellite constellation and expand its ground infrastructure, which could result in faster connection times and the expansion of iPhone satellite features to additional countries.

Today we're tracking big discounts across the entire M4 iPad Pro lineup as part of Best Buy's early Black Friday sale. In this sale, My Best Buy Plus/Total members can get $150 off select M4 iPad Pro models, with many hitting all-time low prices because of this member exclusive discount.

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

If you don't have a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership, you can get some solid second-best prices on many of these iPad Pro models at Best Buy this weekend. You can find a list of the M4 iPad Pros on sale below, and be sure to browse the rest of Best Buy's early Black Friday sale for discounts on laptops, TVs, video games, and more.

11-Inch iPad Pro

Wi-Fi

• 256GB Wi-Fi - $899.00 ($100 off) [Best Buy members only]
• 512GB Wi-Fi - $1,049.00 ($150 off) [Best Buy members only]
• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,449.00 ($150 off) [Best Buy members only]
• 1TB Wi-Fi with Nano-Texture Glass - $1,549.00 ($150 off) [Best Buy members only]
• 2TB Wi-Fi - $1,849.00 ($150 off) [Best Buy members only]
• 2TB Wi-Fi with Nano-Texture Glass - $1,949.00 ($150 off) [Best Buy members only]

Cellular

• 256GB Cellular - $1,099.00 ($100 off) [Best Buy members only]
• 512GB Cellular - $1,249.00 ($150 off) [Best Buy members only]
• 1TB Cellular - $1,649.00 ($150 off) [Best Buy members only]
• 1TB Cellular with Nano-Texture Glass - $1,749.00 ($150 off) [Best Buy members only]
• 2TB Cellular - $2,049.00 ($150 off) [Best Buy members only]

13-Inch iPad Pro

Wi-Fi

• 256GB Wi-Fi - $1,199.00 ($100 off) [Best Buy members only]
• 512GB Wi-Fi - $1,349.00 ($150 off) [Best Buy members only]
• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,749.00 ($150 off) [Best Buy members only]
• 1TB Wi-Fi with Nano-Texture Glass - $1,849.00 ($150 off) [Best Buy members only]

Cellular

• 256GB Cellular - $1,399.00 ($100 off) [Best Buy members only]

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2024.

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This week's best deals include new record low prices on Apple Watch Series 10 at $50 off, as well as great deals on AirPods 4, M2 MacBook Air, and Magic Keyboard for the M4 iPad Pro.

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

Apple Accessories

• What's the deal? Save on Apple's first party accessories
• Where can I get it? Amazon

Amazon has a few solid discounts on Apple's Magic Keyboards and MagSafe Chargers this week, including all-time low prices on the former accessories, both of which are for the M4 iPad Pro.

Apple Watch Series 10

• What's the deal? Take $50 off Apple Watch Series 10
• Where can I get it? Amazon

Amazon hosted a few low prices on the Apple Watch Series 10 this week, with record low prices on both the 42mm and 46mm GPS models still available. This includes the 42mm GPS model for the all-time low price of $349.00 in multiple colors and styles, down from $399.00.

M2 MacBook Air

• What's the deal? Take $250 off M2 MacBook Air
• Where can I get it? Amazon

One of the most notable deals of the week was on the 256GB 13-inch M2 MacBook Air, available for just $749.00, down from $999.00, and this sale has since expanded to include more colors. Overall, this is a solid second-best price on the previous generation MacBook Air, and the 512GB model is seeing a similarly steep discount on Amazon.

AirPods

• What's the deal? Take $10 off AirPods 4
• Where can I get it? Amazon

Amazon took $10 off both models of the AirPods 4 this week, starting at $119.00 for the base model without Active Noise Cancellation. Both deals are still available to purchase today, and right now only Amazon has the discounts.

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2024.

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YouTuber Kevin Nether joins us on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show to discuss Apple's latest updates to its array of Pro apps and the acquisition of Pixelmator.

Apple this week released a series of updates for its Pro apps, including Logic Pro 11.1, Logic Pro for iPad 2.1, Final Cut Pro 11, Final Cut Pro for ‌iPad‌ 2.1, and Final Cut Camera 1.1. Most notably, the latest version of Final Cut Pro for the Mac includes spatial video editing support and AI-driven features such as Magnetic Mask and Transcribe to Captions.

Earlier this month, Pixelmator, the company behind popular photo and image editing apps Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator, announced that it is being acquired by Apple. The apps are exclusive to Apple platforms with a focus on user experience and one-off purchasing, unlike many of their rivals. Pixelmator is designed to be a challenger to Adobe Photoshop, while Photomator is a Lightroom competitor.

Both Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro were Apple acquisitions, so it's possible that Pixelmator and Photomator may become the next Apple Pro apps with a focus on image editing. It could also fold some of their features into the Photos app. While Apple used to offer a Lightroom competitor called Aperture, it discontinued the app just over a decade ago, and it has never made a Photoshop rival. What exactly Apple will do with the acquisition remains to be seen, but the Pixelmator team has teased "exciting updates to come."

See more of Kevin's work over on his YouTube channel "Kevin The Tech Ninja." The MacRumors Show also has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips:

You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.

If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion about visionOS 2.2 and Apple's potential move into iPhone-connected glasses.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.

Apple today shared a new Apple Pay ad ahead of the holidays, promoting the service's ease of use for online shopping. With ‌Apple Pay‌, a stored card can be used for a purchase with just Face ID or Touch ID authentication, allowing for quick purchases.

In the spot, a woman with a plate collection has an empty spot, and she uses ‌Apple Pay‌ to purchase a plate in just a tap with ‌Apple Pay‌.

The ad ends with the tagline "Pay the Apple Way," which is also the messaging that's on the Apple Pay website.

Apple today added a few older iPhone and Apple Watch models to the vintage and obsolete products list on its website.

Apple has now classified the iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone XS Max as "vintage" worldwide. Apple considers a device to be "vintage" once five years have passed since the company stopped distributing it for sale. Apple and Apple Authorized Service Providers sometimes offer repairs for vintage devices, but only if parts remain available.

Note that if you have an iPhone 6s Plus with 32GB of storage, that particular configuration was already classified as "obsolete" prior to today.

Apple has yet to add the smaller iPhone XS and iPhone 6s models to the "vintage" list.

In addition, aluminum and stainless steel Apple Watch Series 2 models are now classified as "obsolete" worldwide, but the high-end Series 2 model with a ceramic case has yet to be added to the list. Apple considers a device to be "obsolete" once seven years have passed since the company stopped distributing it for sale. Once a device is obsolete, it is no longer eligible for repair at Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider, with the only exception being MacBook battery replacements for up to a 10-year period.

Ever need a moment of privacy without raising suspicion? If you're secretly shopping for a holiday gift or planning a surprise party, you might want to temporarily obscure your actual location in Apple's Find My app on your iPhone without completely turning off location sharing.

Here's a clever trick that lets you keep sharing enabled while displaying a different location – all by using another Apple device you own.

To hide your actual location, you'll need to own an iPhone and an iPad, or two iPhones or two iPads (i.e. not a Mac) signed in to your Apple Account with Find My enabled. This method works by telling Find My to use a stationary device's location instead of your iPhone's.

Start by leaving the device you want to use as your displayed location (like an iPad) in a convincing spot – perhaps your home or office. Then, take your iPhone and follow these steps:

1. Open the Find My app and tap the Me tab at the bottom of the screen.
2. Scroll down to find "Use This iPhone as My Location" and make sure it's toggled off.
   
   

3. Grab your other Apple device and open Find My.
4. Tap the Me tab, then select "Use this [device] as My Location."
   
   

5. Toggle on the switch next to Share My Location. Your shared location will now show where this device is stationed, not where you actually are with your iPhone.
6. When you're ready to resume normal location sharing, simply return to your iPhone's Find My app and toggle "Use This iPhone as My Location" back on.

Remember that this trick only works as long as your decoy device stays put and powered on. Lastly, we trust that you'll use this tip responsibly – like keeping that upcoming surprise party under wraps!

WeChat is introducing passkey support for its iOS app, allowing users outside of China to sign in to the country's dominant messaging platform using Face ID, Touch ID, or their device passcode instead of traditional passwords.

Apple introduced passkeys in iOS 16 to provide users with a more secure and convenient authentication method than entering a password. Passkeys offer enhanced security by reducing common risks associated with traditional passwords, such as phishing attacks and credential theft. Since authentication occurs directly on the user's device using biometric data or their device passcode, there are no passwords to compromise or intercept.

To set up a passkey, WeChat users need an iPhone or iPad running iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 or later with iCloud Keychain and two-factor authentication enabled for their Apple Account. Users can enable the feature through WeChat's Account & Security settings, according to a new WeChat support document.

Tencent-owned WeChat joins a growing list of major platforms that have adopted passkey technology, including Google, PayPal, Microsoft, and TikTok. In WeChat, the feature is currently limited to users outside of China, and there's no word on if or when it might expand to the app's domestic Chinese version.

Apple Vision Pro launched in stores and began arriving to customers today in South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. In addition, customers can now schedule a free 30-minute appointment to demo the headset at Apple Store locations in both countries.

Apple has localized Vision Pro pages in South Korea and the United Arab Emirates with more details about the headset, for those unfamiliar.

Apple first released the Vision Pro in the U.S. in February, with pricing starting at $3,499. In June and July, the headset launched in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the U.K., China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore. With the additions of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, the headset is now available in 12 countries and regions.

In July, research firm IDC estimated that Vision Pro sales would total less than 500,000 units this year. In a recent interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that the Vision Pro is not a mass-market product due to its high price.

"At $3,500, it's not a mass-market product," said Cook. "Right now, it's an early-adopter product. People who want to have tomorrow's technology today—that's who it's for. Fortunately, there's enough people who are in that camp that it's exciting."

Currently in beta, visionOS 2.2 adds an ultra-wide mode to the Mac Virtual Display feature.

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 efficient (and thus less expensive). Way back in 2015, when Apple introduced support for P3 wide color on the iMac, Apple executives said that quantum dot technology had been considered for its LED displays, but rejected because of the cadmium requirement.

There are now cadmium-free quantum dot options that Young says have as good or better color gamut and better motion performance than the KSF film Apple previously used. The KSF phosphor coating Apple added to prior ‌MacBook Pro‌ models boosted color by enhancing shades of red, but quantum dot film is considered superior because it often results in better color accuracy and a wider color gamut.

Quantum dot technology has been used for high-end displays for several years, with companies like Samsung and Sony manufacturing "QLED" displays and TV sets.

Apple didn't highlight specific color improvements with the ‌M4 MacBook Pro‌ models, but max SDR brightness increased to 1,000 nits, up from 600 nits in the prior model.

With iOS 18, Apple introduced a feature that causes the iPhone to reboot every three days, security researchers have confirmed (via TechCrunch). In a demo video, security researcher Jiska Classen proved that an ‌iPhone‌ left untouched for 72 hours will automatically restart, and Graykey manufacturer also Magnet Forensics wrote a blog post about the feature.

After a reboot, an ‌iPhone‌ is more difficult to break into with the forensic tools used by law enforcement and others, such as bad actors. There are multiple unlocked states for an ‌iPhone‌, and an ‌iPhone‌ that's at a passcode screen but has been previously unlocked with Face ID/Touch ID is easier to break into.

An ‌iPhone‌ that has recently restarted is in a "Before First Unlock" state, and that is when an ‌iPhone‌ is most secure because all data is encrypted. A reboot will initialize if a device is in a locked state (as in has been unlocked with ‌Face ID‌ or ‌Touch ID‌ but is now at the passcode screen) and has not been unlocked for a 72 hour period.

A 7-day inactivity reboot functionality was initially introduced in ‌iOS 18‌, but the timer was shortened to three days with the launch of iOS 18.1. An ‌iPhone‌ in "Before First Unlock" state has messaging about ‌Face ID‌/‌Touch ID‌ being required after an ‌iPhone‌ restarts. An ‌iPhone‌ in the "After First Unlock" state simply says "Enter Passcode."

Apple has not provided details on inactivity reboot, and kept quiet about the addition of the feature. It was discovered when law enforcement officials noticed iPhones spontaneously rebooting following the launch of ‌iOS 18‌. 404 Media last week shared a letter from officers in Detroit, Michigan, warning other law enforcement about the new limitation. While police speculated that the reboot could be tied to cellular network connectivity, iPhones will reboot regardless of connectivity status.

There was also speculation that an ‌iPhone‌ running iOS 18.1 could cause other iPhones to reboot, but that does not seem to be the case.

Law enforcement officials can still use brute force tools to get into iPhones running ‌iOS 18‌ or later, but breaking into an ‌iPhone‌ must now be done before the ‌iPhone‌ restarts.

Every year, the Unicode Consortium decides on new emoji characters that will be coming to smartphones and other devices in the future, and this week, the Unicode 17 emoji recommendations came out [PDF].

Eight new emoji characters have been proposed, including hairy creature (like Bigfoot), distorted face, fight cloud, apple core, orca, trombone, landslide, and treasure chest. There are also skin tone variations for a number of existing emoji like ballet dancer, people with bunny ears, and people wrestling.

The Unicode consortium created mockups of what the emoji might look like, with the images shared by Emojipedia. It is important to note that the Unicode Consortium only comes up with the underlying emoji code, and Apple designers will create their own version of each character in the Apple style when the Unicode 17 standard is finalized.

Unicode 17 will likely be approved sometime next fall, though it will take Apple time to implement the new characters. We could see them around spring 2026 if Apple sticks with its typical emoji release timeline.

In 2025, Apple will introduce the Unicode 16 characters, which were approved in September 2024. Unicode 16 emoji include face with bags under eyes, fingerprint, leafless tree, root vegetable, harp, shovel, and splatter.

Apple last introduced new emoji with the iOS 17.4 update that was released in March 2024. Characters added in iOS 17.4 include lime, an edible brown mushroom, a phoenix, a broken chain, shaking head vertically (as in a "yes" nod), and shaking head horizontally (a "no" head shake).

With iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2, Apple will debut Genmoji for devices that support Apple Intelligence. Genmoji are a customizable version of emoji that are generated based on a phrase supplied by the user. ‌Genmoji‌ behave like emoji on Apple devices, but are not cross-platform and don't display like emoji characters on Android devices.

The ChatGPT app for Mac is now able to integrate with coding apps like Xcode, VS Code, TextEdit, and Terminal, simplifying workflows where developers copy and paste their code from a coding app into ChatGPT.

When ChatGPT is given permission to interact with an app like Xcode through a new Work with Apps feature, a selection of code can be sent directly to ChatGPT alongside a prompt. TechCrunch had a demo of the feature, and described how it works:

In a demo with TechCrunch, an OpenAI employee opened the ChatGPT app and an Xcode environment containing a simple project modeling the solar system - although it was missing the Earth. The employee selected an Xcode tab within ChatGPT, which tells the AI chatbot to look at the app, and prompted the chatbot to "add the missing planets." The chatbot was able to complete the task, writing a line of code to represent the Earth that matched the rest of the project's format.

Back in October, GitHub brought Copilot integration to Xcode, with Copilot providing coding assistance right in the app. ChatGPT's integration is not that deep, and it is not able to write code in Xcode. ChatGPT is instead using the macOS Accessibility API for screen readers that allows apps to read text, which also means that it cannot interpret images or videos.

The new ChatGPT for Mac feature is available for ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Teams users starting today, with Enterprise and Edu support coming in the near future. Going forward, OpenAI plans to bring this integration to other apps.