The calendar has flipped to May, which means WWDC is right around the corner. There continues to be lots to talk about as far as rumors and expectations on both the software and hardware sides, so buckle up! This week also saw a few somewhat unusual software updates from Apple, including the first-ever public Rapid Security Response updates, as well as an acknowledgment that recent firmware updates for various AirPods and Beats models address a security issue that could allow hackers access to your earphones. That's not all though, so read on for all the details on these stories and more! One Month Until WWDC 2023: Here's What's Coming WWDC 2023 is now just under a month away, and rumors…

Macworld Editor’s note: 25 years ago today, Apple revealed the iMac. To commemorate the anniversary, we are reposting this article that originally appeared on the iMac’s tenth anniversary in 2008. The iMac made an instant impression when Apple first unveiled it in May 1998. But it didn’t start to really shake things up until it began to ship, which happened on August 15, 1998. Arguably the most influential desktop computer of the last decade, the original iMac’s specifications seem quaint by today’s standards. For $1,299, you came home with a 233MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 32MB of RAM, a 4GB hard drive, a 15-inch built-in monitor, and stereo speakers, all in an amazingly stylish case. The Bondi Blue wonder heralded the…

Macworld Apple has planted its own flag in the streaming wars with Apple TV+, its in-house streaming service that focuses almost entirely on original programming rather than an extensive library of existing TV shows or movies. This resource will list all the Apple TV+ content you can watch today, grouped into: TV shows, limited series, and movies. There’s also a ton of new content in the works for Apple’s $6.99-a-month service. If you want to know what’s on the way, check out our list of upcoming Apple TV+ shows and movies. Updated 05/05/23: Season 2 of children’s animated series Harriet the Spy and the post-apocalyptic thriller Silo are now streaming. u003cbru003eMentioned IN THIS story Apple TV 4K (2022, 3. Gen.)…

Macworld When Apple’s M1 chip made its debut in November 2020, it not only shook up the Mac, it shook up the whole computer industry, outperforming chips from giants such as Intel (which Apple ditched) and AMD. Those companies have been doing their best to catch up and lo and behold, AMD now claims its latest laptop chip, the 7840U, is faster than Apple’s M2. According to AMD, its new Ryzen 7 7840U shows improvement over the M2 that ranges from 5 percent in web browsing to 75 in the Passmark 10 benchmark tool. (We wonder why it doesn’t supply specific numbers or use a more common tool such as Geekbench or Cinebench.) Macworld’s sister site, PCWorld, states that the…

Macworld Apple has issued firmware updates for eight different devices today, and you can’t even really take care of it yourself. Multiple AirPods and Beats models are getting firmware updates, along with, oddly enough, the official Apple MagSafe charger. The full list of products and their new firmware numbers are as follows: AirPods 2nd-gen: 5E135AirPods 3rd-gen: 5E135AirPods Pro 1st-gen: 5E135AirPods Pro 2nd-gen: 5E135AirPods Max: 5E135PowerBeats Pro: 5B66Beats Fit Pro: 5B66MagSafe Charger: 258.0.0.0 What do these firmware updates do? Nobody really knows! Apple never says. The company maintains a support document for AirPods firmware updates but every update only says it provides “Bug fixes and other improvements,” with very few exceptions. What’s worse, it’s not possible to actually update the firmware yourself.…