Macworld I recently squawked about how the Mac has taken a back seat at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, and as a fan of the Mac, I wish Apple would do more Mac stuff. Apparently, my prayers have been answered! According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, “several new Macs” will be one of the “three major focus areas” at the WWDC keynote on June 5. Several? What could those new Macs be? It’s not too hard to figure out, based on Apple’s release cycles. Mix that info with what’s been rumored, and we can come up with what Macs we could see at WWDC. Here’s a list, in order of likelihood. 15-inch MacBook Air This new model has been rumored so much…

WhatsApp appears to have a username feature in the works that could potentially provide people on the messaging service with an additional layer of privacy. As things stand, if someone wants to add you as a WhatsApp contact, you're required to share your phone number with them, even if they add you via the QR code method. That's how it's always worked in WhatsApp, but it looks as if Meta's developers understand that users might sometimes prefer to add certain contacts without revealing their phone number. WABetaInfo has spotted a WhatsApp username field in the latest beta Android app, allowing users to choose unique usernames for their accounts. The likelihood is that WhatsApp intends to let users reach other people…

This week’s release of Matter 1.1 is the result of the collective effort of hundreds of companies and individuals who have gathered as members of the Connectivity Standards Alliance and contributed to the ongoing progress and success of this evolving technology. Matter 1.1 creates an improved path forward for developers, and new user experiences, preparing for the next leg of Matter’s journey. Matter 1.1 released The updates in 1.1 make it easier for device makers and developers to get started with Matter, and to more easily certify products they’ve developed and get them to users faster. It features enhanced support for battery-operated devices — an important feature across many smart home categories. One of the benefits and differentiators of Matter…

This week’s release of Matter 1.1 is the result of the collective effort of hundreds of companies and individuals who have gathered as members of the Connectivity Standards Alliance and contributed to the ongoing progress and success of this evolving technology. Matter 1.1 creates an improved path forward for developers, and new user experiences, preparing for the next leg of Matter’s journey. Matter 1.1 released The updates in 1.1 make it easier for device makers and developers to get started with Matter, and to more easily certify products they’ve developed and get them to users faster. It features enhanced support for battery-operated devices — an important feature across many smart home categories. One of the benefits and differentiators of Matter…

In response to the U.S. state of Montana banning TikTok from operating there as of January 1, 2024, the first U.S. state to do so, it’s expected that TikTok users and/or civil liberty groups will attempt to fight the ban in court. U.S. state Montana on Wednesday banned the CCP-controlled TikTok app, with the state’s lawmakers saying they aimed to protect residents from alleged intelligence gathering by the Chinese Communist Party. Sapna Maheshwari and David McCabe for The New York Times: A court battle over First Amendment rights appeared to be brewing in Montana on Thursday, in response to the state banning TikTok from operating there as of Jan. 1, the first prohibition of its kind in the nation. Under…

In response to the U.S. state of Montana banning TikTok from operating there as of January 1, 2024, the first U.S. state to do so, it’s expected that TikTok users and/or civil liberty groups will attempt to fight the ban in court. U.S. state Montana on Wednesday banned the CCP-controlled TikTok app, with the state’s lawmakers saying they aimed to protect residents from alleged intelligence gathering by the Chinese Communist Party. Sapna Maheshwari and David McCabe for The New York Times: A court battle over First Amendment rights appeared to be brewing in Montana on Thursday, in response to the state banning TikTok from operating there as of Jan. 1, the first prohibition of its kind in the nation. Under…