Macworld When Apple unveiled its first-ever smartwatch back in 2014, it’s fair to say that the world wasn’t exactly sure what it was for… and neither was Apple. In those early days, along with the fitness elements which would remain an enduring part of the product’s appeal, the company talked enthusiastically about sharing taps, sketches, and heartbeats with friends, which would not. It took time for users and third-party developers to teach Apple what they wanted from a smartwatch, and for the company to take that on board. Today, the Apple Watch is a mature and versatile product. It’s so versatile, indeed, that you may not be aware of some of its most useful capabilities. In this article, we’re going…

Whether your iPhone or iPad is long overdue a battery replacement, or you just want to get more juice out of a single charge, here's a way to keep your device's Low Power Mode on all the time. Most ‌iPhone‌ and iPad users will be familiar with the way their device throws up a prompt to turn on Low Power Mode when the battery falls to 20 percent. The special mode conserves what remaining battery life the device has left by limiting some features, but by default the mode automatically turns off when a charging iPhone or iPad reaches 80 percent. If that irks you, don't worry – there is a solution. Perhaps you're running the latest version of iOS…

Macworld With WWDC behind us and summer in full swing, it won’t be long before the iPhone 15 is upon us. It’s still about two months away, but the rumor mill is already giving us a good idea of what to expect. Just as we have had for the last few years, we expect a standard iPhone 15 in regular and Plus sizes (6.1 and 6.7 inches, though slimmer bezels may make the displays ever-so-slightly larger), and the iPhone 15 Pro in nearly identical standard and Max sizes. At the low end, pricing is expected to be similar to current iPhone 14 models: $799/£849 for the standard iPhone 15 and $899/£949 for the larger Plus model. At the high end,…

Macworld StandBy, one of a number of appealing new features in this year’s iOS 17 software update, enables iPhones to act as smart displays when plugged in and not otherwise in use. This means they can serve a secondary function as a reduced-brightness (or red-tinted) digital alarm clock with a few useful widgets while charging overnight. But based on a new report, Apple is considering a similar feature for the Mac. Of course, your Mac is less likely to be sitting beside your bed during the night, so the analogy isn’t exact. But there’s considerable merit to the idea of the screen automatically transitioning into a more general info hub when it would otherwise be sleeping (and assuming battery conservation…

Smart home accessory company Eve Systems has been updating its range of HomeKit devices with Thread support to improve reliability and connectivity, and the Eve Flare smart light is one of the latest products to get Thread support. The Eve Flare is a product that Eve Systems has had around for years now, and I reviewed it four years ago in 2019. I wanted to see what, if any, difference Thread would make compared to the prior Bluetooth-only connectivity, hence the review update. There have been no notable design changes to the Eve Flare that I can see. The look, size, and functionality are exactly the same as they were in 2019. Eve Flare is a sphere-shaped accent light, and…

The A2 is about as affordable as it gets for an LG OLED TV. | Image: LG It’s the Friday before the Fourth of July weekend, which means a couple of things: fly-by-night fireworks sellers are probably popping up in mall parking lots around you, and there are deals to be had (ones that don’t risk you any bodily harm). As for today’s deals, one of the best is the $700 discount Best Buy is currently offering on the 48-inch LG A2 OLED TV. That knocks the price of the entry-level OLED down to $599.99 — an all-time low we’ve seen once or twice before. While the A2 may be considered entry-level compared to LG’s other OLED models, it’s still…