Macworld It was decades ago when you could first pay for items online using a credit card; debit card payments followed. The security of such payments was often iffy in the commercial internet’s early years. Database breaches of unsecured information made for easy pickings. These days, a combination of factors has improved the safety of paying online. Firms offering online purchases of goods, services, and subscriptions are held to higher levels of compliance by the banks and processors that let them receive electronic payments. Companies like Stripe and PayPal, among many others, manage to receive card or other payment information directly, so those private and easily copied details are never stored, or even seen, by an e-commerce site. Apple Pay,…

The Dynamic Island is a potentially good idea that’s waiting for the next step Apple pulled off some unexpected surprises with the iPhone 14 Pro: there had been lots of solid rumors about the company switching from putting the front-facing camera and Face ID system in a pill-shaped cutout instead of the familiar notch, but the new “Dynamic Island” alert system came out of nowhere. And while it was getting clearer that Apple would have to follow the industry in using bigger camera sensors eventually, Apple went even further and rebooted its entire computational photography system as the Photonic Engine. There’s a lot of that sort of thing in the iPhone 14 Pro, whose prices in the United States still…

With better sound, improved noise cancellation, and a standout translucent design, these are everything the original Beats Studio Buds should’ve been. I can’t stop looking at these earbuds. You might’ve already seen leaks about the new Beats Studio Buds Plus, available beginning today for $169.99, but there’s something even more attention-grabbing about their translucent design in person. Maybe it’s because I came of age in the late ’90s, when these semiopaque finishes were a common sight on gamepads, household phones, and other gizmos. (I’m looking at you, iMac G3.) There’s certainly a nostalgia factor. But Beats also really nailed the execution with these. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself closely poring over all the small inner details now visible:…

Apple is set to rearrange the layout of the rear triple-lens camera system on the iPhone 15 Pro Max to accommodate the new periscope camera technology that will be exclusive to the larger handset. iPhone 14 Pro camera layout. Arrows indicate swapped lens positions on iPhone 15 Pro Max. This year, a periscope lens system will be used for the telephoto camera in the iPhone 15 Pro Max for the first time, allowing for 5x or 6x optical zoom. Comparatively, the iPhone 14 Pro Max offers 3x optical zoom, which is expected to be retained for the smaller iPhone 15 Pro. Apple is likely limiting the periscope technology to the iPhone 15 Pro Max because of the internal space needed…

The Apple Watch Series 8 isn’t a massive step up from the prior model, but it does offer a few new features. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge In September, Apple launched its latest batch of smartwatches, introducing the first-ever Ultra ($799) alongside the Series 8 ($399) and a new Apple Watch SE ($249). Each wearable has its own pros and cons associated with it, but the introduction of the high-end Ultra also means there are now more Apple Watch models on the market before than ever before — and a lot more deals to be had. But with all of those options, which one should you pick? Generally speaking, you want to buy the newest watch…

Macworld In just three weeks, Tim Cook will kick off one of the most anticipated WWDC keynotes ever, with the expected arrival of Apple’s first AR headset leading a flurry of rumored announcements. Now a report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Apple is “well prepared” for next month’s Reality Pro announcement. Along with the confirmation that the headset is imminent, Kuo outlines five suppliers for the top five most expensive materials. As expected, the display and cameras top the list, with Apple using several suppliers to provide components: Assembly: Luxshare-ICTMicro OLED display: SonyDual processors: TSMCCasing: Everwin PrecisionCamera modules: CowellExternal battery pack: Goretek Apple has used many of these suppliers before, with Goretek supplying AirPods parts, and Cowell, Sony, Luxshare, and…