Apple has updated the Game Porting Toolkit, with version 1.0.2 of the development tool now working at a higher level of performance when running Windows games on a Mac.The introduction of the Game Porting Toolkit during WWDC 2023 offered a way to show developers what a game made for Windows could look like when running on a Mac. The kit included elements such as an emulation interface, to give developers an idea of how their game will run under macOS.Updated on June 30 and first reported by Andrew Tsai via YouTube on Tuesday, Game Porting Toolkit Beta 1.0.2 is a refresh of the original release. However, while Apple doesn't offer any documentation about what's different in the release, there are…

Apple is known to be working on an updated version of the Apple Watch Ultra that uses a next-generation microLED display, but the device has again been postponed due to manufacturing issues, according to market research firm Trendforce (via The Elec). Information shared in April by display analyst Ross Young suggested that an Apple Watch Ultra with microLED display would launch in the second half of 2025 at the earliest, rather than late 2024 as was originally rumored. Now, Trendforce believes it has been postponed for a second time and is unlikely to emerge before the first quarter of 2026, because of problems relating to high manufacturing costs which need to be solved before Apple can proceed to mass production.…

In the latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg News, Mark Gurman reports that Apple is working on a new Mac external display option that can serve as a smart home display when idle. Apple’s 27-inch 5K Retina Studio Display Benjamin Mayo for 9to5Mac: Apple is also working on other monitor options, likely aimed as direct successors to the Pro Display XDR and Apple Studio Display. The smart display would run using an iOS device chip, but that doesn’t come as much surprise given the Studio Display works in the same way (running off an A13 chip internally). But on the Studio Display, the smarts of the software merely extend to the camera and speaker system with features like Center Stage…

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…

Macworld Apple’s 4th-generation AirPods and 3rd-gen AirPods launch is approaching, and a major leak has revealed some new details about the next version of the company’s hugely popular wireless earbuds. These include new health features (covering both hearing and body temperature monitoring) and a switch from Lightning to USB-C. The leaker-analyst Mark Gurman focused on the next generation of AirPods in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, and while some elements have been mentioned before by Gurman and others, the article is a useful summation with some new tidbits and further detail in certain areas. We already know, for example, that Apple is deeply interested in hearing health and how AirPods can help with this. It’s been shown…

Macworld The Mac is an obvious candidate if you’re looking for a computer with which to make music. The choice can be overwhelming, though, with devices ranging from a few hundred dollars or pounds to thousands more than you might spend on a car. In this article we compare them all and explain which Mac is right for you. There was a time when music production required hiring a studio, but technology moves fast. During the 1980s, there was a revolution in analog home recording kit; then the 1990s saw home computers gradually take over. Today, you can do everything from recording pop songs to mastering movie soundtracks on a Mac. But which Mac? That’s the question we’re here to…