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WWDC 2023: Selling the future and buying time

tigaman webdesign — Tue, 30 May 2023 10:30:00 +0000

WWDC 2023 is just around the corner and it’s time for the annual exercise where we figuratively handcuff our wrists to our ankles and attempt to pull off an interpretive dance meant to indicate what we think Apple will announce. This is not an exhaustive list, even if it’s a little exhausting how much we’ve talked about some of this already.

What to expect

WWDC is, of course, always going to have a preview of the upcoming operating systems. You’ll get a preview of the new versions of macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and at least a tired admission that tvOS continues to be an operating system in their lineup.

The bulk of the time will likely be spent on the much-anticipated headset. Just a few weeks ago some were speculating whether or not Apple would actually announce the headset at a separate event. Since then, however, Apple has apparently invited XR media outlets to WWDC, which seems like a bit of a tell that the company might be announcing something XR media outlets would be interested in at the event, so expect a headset. You don’t invite reporters from Hog Quarterly to your county fair unless you have some big hog news.

“Betty Sue Lumpkin has done it again!” [image of giant hog]

So, while the headset will surely not be released until months later and Apple may not even announce pricing at WWDC, it will demo the device and make its pitch for developing for it.

What you might expect

A larger MacBook Air is, well, in the air and if it doesn’t get announced later today after this column is released, then it will surely make an appearance at WWDC. The Macalope feels the 11-inch MacBook Air is one of the best Macs ever released but as with smartphones these days it’s go big or go home so Apple is going to add a 15-inch model to the lineup. Are two inches worth 10 minutes in a crowded keynote? Maybe not. It’s perfectly possible the 15-inch MacBook Air is just a press release after the event. It’ll be a nice device for many people, but it’s not as big a deal as Betty Sue’s latest porcine oeuvre.

What about a Mac Pro?

No, really, the Macalope is asking. He has no idea. It does seem like Apple will at some point ship a new Mac Pro with Apple silicon, but at this point, we’ve been waiting so long it’s like that extra dipping sauce you asked for at Buffalo Wild Wings an hour ago. Where is it? Is it coming? It doesn’t even matter at this point. You’re not even hungry anymore. You just need closure.

IDG

Truth be told, the Macalope has never been to a Buffalo Wild Wings. It could be buffet style for all he knows. Or they could just throw all the wings into a huge trough for people to eat out of and the sauces are shot out of fire hoses. Don’t know.

Likewise, he doesn’t know if a Mac Pro is coming to WWDC.

What not to expect

Much, if any, mention of AI is probably not going to happen, despite the fact that Apple has repeatedly been warned that it is drastically falling behind in automated ways to pass users information that is absolute baloney. It’s sad that Apple is okay knowing there are people out there thinking that human beings usually have five fingers on each hand, but that’s clearly the company’s decision and we just have to live with it.

It is antler-bangingly maddening that we repeatedly have to suffer these bouts of groupthink that suggest that Apple is “behind” on technologies that are either not well thought out, not ready for prime time, or both. In any number of instances–from netbooks to tablet computers to smartwatches–Apple declined to rush in with a half-baked concept and then crushed it with the MacBook Air, iPad, and Apple Watch.

Smart speakers are another, if different, example. For years we heard how the Amazon Echo was a huge hit for Amazon and Apple was nowhere in the smart speaker market. Come to find out that Amazon’s hit is actually a “colossal failure” that cost the company $3 billion in the first quarter of 2022 alone. Apparently, people don’t want to subscribe to Maruchen ramen via voice. Who knew? The HomePod certainly isn’t a huge hit, but at least Apple’s investment in the line isn’t losing billions of dollars every year.

Like Jason Snell, the Macalope thinks Apple’s got time to get a compelling AI story together before we see it made public. This is more likely to be at next year’s WWDC than this year’s and that’s okay.

iOS

The best iPhone deals this month

tigaman webdesign — Wed, 03 May 2023 14:19:43 +0000

Macworld

You don’t have to pay full price to buy an iPhone; if you shop around you can find a bargain. Every month the Macworld team hunts down the best prices on iPhones at all major retailers and cellphone operators, saving you the hassle of finding the best iPhone deals.

In this article we reveal the best iPhone deals, contracts and bundles available right now. We’ll help you find a discounted iPhone suitable for any budget, and cover all eight currently available models, from the mighty iPhone 14 Pro Max down to the humble iPhone SE. We even round up the best prices on discontinued handsets.

If you’re buying a new iPhone, be sure to get a case: see our roundup of the best iPhone cases we’ve found so far.

Best iPhone deals right now

U.S. iPhone deals

In the U.S., the only big iPhone deals you can find come from carriers, and have a lot of strings attached. Typically, you have to buy a phone on a multi-year installment plan, and get your discount in the form of monthly bill credits.

AT&T: Get up to $800 in bill credits when you buy a new iPhone 14 and trade in your old phone, with a qualifying unlimited plan.
T-Mobile: Get up to $800 in bill credits when you buy an iPhone 14 and trade in your old phone when you add a new line.
Verizon: Get up to $1,000 in bill credits toward an iPhone 14 Pro with trade-in and select Unlimited plans.

U.K. iPhone deals

In the U.K. various resellers discount the iPhone so that users can upgrade without also updating their contract. There are some handy savings available right now.

Argos, iPhone 14 Pro Max: £1,139 (£60 off)
Amazon, iPhone 14 Pro: £1,039 (£60 off)
Amazon, iPhone 14 Plus: £854.97 (£94.03 off)
Amazon, iPhone 14: £764 (£85 off)
John Lewis, iPhone 13: £699 (£50 off, plus two-year warranty)
Amazon, iPhone 13 mini (512GB): £748.63 (£230.37 off)
Amazon, iPhone 13 mini (128GB): £599 (£50 off)
KRCS, iPhone SE (2022): £444.51 (£4.49 off)
Currys, iPhone 12: £599 (£50 off)

Where to buy an iPhone

Apple is the obvious place to look for a new iPhone. You can purchase directly from Apple’s online store (U.K.), which won’t give you savings, but does at least allow you to take advantage of trading in your old iPhone (see: How to sell or trade in your old iPhone). We also have a complete guide to every iPhone Apple sells.

Alternatively, Amazon U.K. regularly discounts iPhone models, so it’s well worth keeping an eye out there. If you think you’ll be doing lots of Amazon shopping, we’d recommend signing up to the 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime for free next-day delivery and access to deals 30 minutes early. You can sign up here.

Amazon U.S. offers fewer savings on SIM free iPhones, but we do see them from time to time.

It’s always worth checking the price of the iPhones in the following U.S. stores, which occasionally provide solid savings:

And U.K. readers should try these shops:

In addition we recommend you check out our automatically updated price tables, embedded below, which gather the best prices from a wide range of retailers in your region.

Where to buy an iPhone on contract

Most of the major networks will offer the iPhone at a discount if you meet certain conditions (usually opening new lines, or buying on multi-year installment plans). Here are links to browse the latest deals:

U.K. readers can browse contract deals using the tool embedded below. Click ‘Choose Smartphone’ to register which model you’re interested in.

If you’d like to research deals for yourself, try the following U.K. providers:

O2
Vodafone
Three
Virgin Mobile
EE
Sky Mobile
Carphone Warehouse (use the comparison tool by clicking View Deals, and remember to tick the box labelled “Show total cost of ownership”)

Best iPhone 14 Pro Max deals

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the biggest and most advanced iPhone from Apple. It’s pretty new, having launched in September 2022, so it’s not a huge surprise that there aren’t any significant discounts available just yet.

The 14 Pro Max starts at $1,099 / £1,199 (or less if you’ve got another iPhone to trade in).

Best iPhone 14 Pro deals

The iPhone 14 Pro jointly holds the title of most advanced iPhone currently available, but with more compact dimensions than the Max. It also launched in September 2022, so it’ll probably be a while before we start to see any big discounts.

The 14 Pro starts at $999 / £1,099 (or less if you’ve got another iPhone to trade in).

Best iPhone 14 Plus deals

The iPhone 14 Plus was an entirely new iPhone format for 2022. It’s the same as the iPhone 14, but in a bigger package… so if you want a larger iPhone you don’t have to fork out for the Max. The iPhone 14 Plus starts at $899/£949, or less if you’ve got another iPhone to trade in.

$899.00

View Deal

Best iPhone 14 deals

The iPhone 14 doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the iPhone 14 Pro, but it does offer Action Mode filming and the cameras are better than the iPhone 13. It launched in September 2022, but there are some moderate discounts available already.

The iPhone 14 starts at $799/£849, or less if you’ve got another iPhone to trade in.

$799.00

View Deal

Deals on older iPhones

That’s all of the new 14-series iPhones for 2022, but Apple sells four other handsets, plus you’ll still be able to find older iPhones on sale at resellers for some time–which could be a great way to pick up a new iPhone 13 Pro or 13 Pro Max, which Apple no longer sells.

Best iPhone 13 Pro Max deals

The iPhone 13 Pro Max was phenomenally powerful and well specced. Apple no longer sells it, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to buy one. Read our guide to the best iPhone 13 deals for dedicated advice on finding a low price on the four late-2021 Apple handsets.

You can find the iPhone 13 Pro Max in the following retailers and networks, assuming they haven’t run out of stock.

Apple used to sell the 13 Pro Max starting at $1,099/£1,049.

$633.89

View Deal

iPhone 13 Pro

Best iPhone 13 Pro deals

The 13 Pro had a smaller screen and battery than the Pro Max, but is otherwise basically identical. Given that it cost less (when Apple still sold it, at least) it will be a better option for many readers. Read our iPhone 13 Pro review for detailed analysis and testing.

Apple used to sell the 13 Pro for $999/£949.

$999.00

View Deal

iPhone 13

Best iPhone 13 deals

Apple does still sell the iPhone 13, and since the launch of the iPhone 14 the price is far more affordable than it was. If you buy the iPhone 13 you still gets the mega-fast A15 Bionic processor, 5G support, a superb twin-lens camera with the new Smart HDR 4, Cinematic Mode and Photographic Styles, and improved battery performance compared with the iPhone 12.

Read our iPhone 13 review for the full picture.

If you want to buy one, the obvious starting point is Apple, where you’ll find that the iPhone 13 now starts at $699/£749 (it was previously $799/£779). As ever, trading in an older handset will earn you a discount if you purchase from Apple and some other resellers.

Unlike with the Pro models above, however, we are seeing some discounts on this model from other vendors, at least in the U.K.

Check the automated price table below for the lowest prices currently available from other retailers:

$729.00

View Deal

$829.00

View Deal

Best iPhone 13 mini deals

iPhone 13 mini

There is no iPhone 14 mini, so the iPhone 13 mini is the only small iPhone you can still buy (aside from the iPhone SE 3). In most respects it’s identical to the iPhone 13, simply squeezed into a smaller chassis and equipped with a smaller screen and smaller battery. That means you’re getting a great (but non-ProMotion) screen, 5G, a super-fast A15 processor and great cameras with Cinematic Mode.

Read our iPhone 13 mini review for more information and expert analysis.

Apple still sells the iPhone 13 mini for $599/£649 (was $699/£679). But we’d recommend looking elsewhere for deals. Check our automated table for the latest offers:

$663.20

View Deal

Best iPhone SE (2022) deals

The iPhone SE 3rd generation burst on to the scene in March 2022, and unites a fast chipset (the same A15 Bionic you get in all of the 13-series iPhones and the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus) with an affordable price tag. It’s good value at Apple’s MSRP, but other retailers may be able to do even better.

Read our roundup of the best iPhone SE deals for more in-depth buying advice.

You can still buy the iPhone SE direct from Apple, however it’s bad news if you’re in the U.K. as the price has been bumped up since it launched in March 2022: it was $429/£419 and now starts at $429/£449. That’s a price hike of £30!

Check our automatically updated chart for the very latest SIM-free offers from other retailers:

$429.00

View Deal

$429.00

View Deal

Best iPhone 12 deals

Despite it launching in 2020 Apple is still selling the iPhone 12. In our iPhone 12 review we praised the all-round qualities and suitability for the average buyer who doesn’t need the power of a Pro but won’t settle for a true budget pick like the iPhone SE. It remains fast and well specced… not to mention significantly cheaper than the other Face ID equipped iPhones.

Apple still sells the iPhone 12. Prices start at $599/£649 (was $699/£679 from September 2021-2022).

Check our automated comparison table for the very latest SIM-free prices:

$629.00

View Deal

Best iPhone 12 mini deals

Apple no longer sells the iPhone 12 mini – the smallest and cheapest of the late-2020 handsets, but you may be able to find one on sale. We cover the best iPhone 12 and 12 Pro deals in exhaustive depth in a separate article.

The iPhone 12 mini used to start at $599/£579.

$615.56

View Deal

See our deep-dive into the best iPhone 12 mini deals for more offers and deals. Just bear in mind that lots of stock shortages have been reported, so you might be waiting a while.

iPhone