Macworld The first iOS 17 Developer Beta was released on the first day of WWDC, as is tradition. While it is meant for developers to begin building apps using new frameworks and APIs, and to test and send bug reports if their apps don’t work with the new software, it is technically available to anyone with a developer account. In fact, the Developer Beta used to require a paid membership to the developer program, which costs $99 a year. With iOS 17, Apple changed its policy to allow even those with free developer accounts (which otherwise only provide access to the developer forums and Xcode) to download the iOS 17 Developer Beta. Still, we recommend waiting for the Public Beta…

Apple’s plans to release an updated version of the Apple Watch Ultra with a next-generation microLED display have been delayed again due to manufacturing challenges, according to market research firm Trendforce. Apple Watch Ultra Tim Hardwick for MacRumors: Information shared in April by display analyst Ross Young suggested that an Apple Watch Ultra with microLED display would launch in the second half of 2025 at the earliest, rather than late 2024 as was originally rumored. Now, Trendforce believes it has been postponed for a second time and is unlikely to emerge before the first quarter of 2026, because of problems relating to high manufacturing costs which need to be solved before Apple can proceed to mass production. Apple has reportedly…

Macworld For a product that isn’t debuting until 2024, Apple has said a lot about the Vision Pro, its mixed reality headset. Apple spent nearly an hour in the WWDC keynote discussing it. It has rolled out developer tools for visionOS, which has given us even more clarity about what visionOS can and can’t do. And yet I remain firmly convinced that Apple hasn’t told us the whole story. The WWDC keynote was the time to make a first impression–but there’s half a year to go before the final story is told. As a result, Apple emphasized the features of the device that it felt would best represent the device. It emphasized the fact that it’s an augmented-reality product that…

Macworld Apple’s 4th-generation AirPods and 3rd-gen AirPods launch is approaching, and a major leak has revealed some new details about the next version of the company’s hugely popular wireless earbuds. These include new health features (covering both hearing and body temperature monitoring) and a switch from Lightning to USB-C. The leaker-analyst Mark Gurman focused on the next generation of AirPods in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, and while some elements have been mentioned before by Gurman and others, the article is a useful summation with some new tidbits and further detail in certain areas. We already know, for example, that Apple is deeply interested in hearing health and how AirPods can help with this. It’s been shown…

Macworld Apple’s 4th-generation AirPods launch is approaching, and a major leak has revealed some new details about the next version of the company’s hugely popular wireless earbuds. These include new health features (covering both hearing and body temperature monitoring) and a switch from Lightning to USB-C. The leaker-analyst Mark Gurman focused on the 4th-gen AirPods in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, and while some elements have been mentioned before by Gurman and others, the article is a useful summation with some new tidbits and further detail in certain areas. We already know, for example, that Apple is deeply interested in hearing health and how AirPods can help with this. It’s been shown that current AirPods Pro models…

Apple is likely to release a USB-C case for AirPods Pro alongside the launch of the iPhone 15 lineup this fall, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said the shift was in line with the same switch from Lightning to USB-C that is expected to happen across the iPhone 15 series this year. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported in March that Apple would release a second-generation AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case later this year. Kuo said it was unclear if any other hardware changes are planned for AirPods Pro in 2023. Gurman's report suggests not. Meanwhile on the software side, Gurman said Apple is developing a new hearing test feature for…