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The iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 release date is here. They bring in the second wave of Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji, the Image Playground, optional ChatGPT integration and more.

watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2 and visionOS 2.2 also went out, though these don’t include any AI features.

Another generation of MacBook Pros recently launched without Face ID, meaning Apple once again missed an opportunity to make its premier laptops easier to use. Adding the facial-recognition authentication system seems like a no-brainer, since it would enable Mac users to unlock their computers simply by looking at them.

Instead, MacBooks continue to depend on Touch ID, even though multiple reasons make Face ID a far superior security option. And Apple’s excuse for sticking with its fingerprint sensor is lame.

The Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case makes cases with single pictures obsolete. It includes a screen you can update with new images whenever you want, and so offers almost endless personalization.

It won’t drain your phone’s battery, but the case does protect your device when you’re on the go.

I tested the case, and I really like it, despite some screen limitations.

Over about a week of testing for this Status Audio Between 3ANC earbuds review, I found the distinctive buds to be a product of intriguing contrasts — ambitious in some areas while falling short in others.  Currently priced at $179 (recently reduced from $199 and $249 before that), the earbuds try to compete with industry leaders like AirPods Pro 2 through a unique triple-driver design and striking looks. In fact, these earbuds even claim in ads to have a “subwoofer” for the low end. But while Between 3ANC buds boast good sound, I found overall performance results somewhat mixed.

Watching the new Severance season two trailer, below, my excitement for the new episodes became one with my grim determination to watch the entire first season again before the undoubtedly bizarre new scenes of workplace hell start streaming on January 17, 2025.

Never before have I force-marched myself through a whole TV series season as a matter of preparation. But this funny-yet-unnerving workplace psycho-thriller deserves and demands it.

iOS 18.2 drops a huge number of new features onto the iPhone. The second major iOS 18 update, available now, expands the capabilities of Apple Intelligence — and adds plenty of goodies for everyone else, too.

Keep reading or watch our video on the new features awaiting iPhone owners in iOS 18.2.

iOS 18.2 will go out to iPhones everywhere next week, but you don’t need to wait. It’s possible to go ahead and install the iOS 18.2 release candidate — the final version before Apple pushes it to the public — this weekend. That way you’ll have time to play around with the AI-powered Image Playground and other new Apple Intelligence features.

Getting iOS 18.2 now doesn’t require doing anything dodgy or risky. You’ll download the final version of the upgrade straight from Apple … just a little earlier than scheduled.

With Thursday’s introduction of the release candidates for iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2, we’re likely a week away from the debut of the second wave of Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji, the Image Playground and more.

Release candidates for watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2 and visionOS 2.2 also went out.

After the disappointing launch of its Ai Pin wearable device, San Francisco-based tech company Humane shifts its focus to CosmOS. It’s a new AI-powered operating system that promises to revolutionize how users rely on artificial intelligence to interact with their smart devices, including Apple’s.

That might remind folks of Steve Jobs’ long-ago move from Apple to NeXT, which ended up dropping hardware entirely and focusing on software.

Humane demonstrated CosmOS running across multiple platforms including car entertainment systems, smart speakers, TVs and smartphones in a new video Wednesday. The system aims to provide functionality similar to AI assistants like Siri, but appears more advanced, enabling complex, context-aware interactions across various devices.

Another mad tinkerer surfaced this week spending a huge amount of time an effort recreating a decades-old Apple concept. Designer Kevin Noki dropped a YouTube video Wednesday showing every detail about how he remade Apple’s abandoned FlatMac concept from 1984 into a working prototype. And like an inspiration for the iPads that would come later, it’s a thing of beauty!

“This project has been a dream come true! As a designer, I’ve always been inspired by groundbreaking concepts, and this time, I challenged myself to recreate one of the most iconic and unrealized prototypes: Hartmut Esslinger’s Apple FlatMac,” Noki wrote on his YouTube video page.

Apple Music Replay is a great way to find your music stats for the past year: the most played songs, artists and albums in the last 12 months. Similar to Spotify Wrapped and the like, your annual Apple replay is a fun way to see what tracks you listened to most in 2024.

(Fun fact: Apple usually publicizes Apple Music Replay in November, but it’s actually updated weekly and available throughout the whole year!)

We’ll show you how to find it and how to share your top music of the year to your friends and social media.

Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed details about the company’s approach to artificial intelligence and defended its Vision Pro headset in an extensive interview Wednesday. In a now-familiar refrain, he discussed the company’s strategic entry into generative AI while addressing criticisms about Apple’s seemingly delayed response to the AI boom.

“We never talked about charging for it,” Cook said of Apple Intelligence. “We view it sort of like multitouch, which enabled the smartphone revolution and the modern tablet.”

A rumor from early November said the iOS 18.2 launch day would be the week of December 2, but that’s now impossible. There are steps that must take place before the operating system can be introduced, and not all of them have happened yet.

The release will probably be in the second week of December. Right now, the earliest likely date is December 10, though December 11 is looking increasingly likely.

Whenever the launch finally happens, it’ll usher in some of the most-anticipated new Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji, the Image Playground and more.

Update: The much-anticipated release candidates for iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 went out December 5, which means Apple Intelligence phase 2 will likely launch December 12.

When Apple unveiled M4 MacBook Pro models on October 30, I preordered an M4 Pro MacBook Pro for $1,999. And I lined up a $705 trade-in of my M1 Pro MacBook Pro to help ease the financial pain. Now I see Black Friday/Cyber Monday has set a new Amazon price on my exact model at $1,749 — $250 less than I paid. I really can’t recommend (or envy) the machine at that price enough. It’s a fantastic price tag on a power-packed laptop.

Update: This MacBook Pro deal remains in effect for Cyber Monday!

These days its seems a “national day” exists for every conceivable thing — and on Saturday, November 30, that includes unsubscribing. In other words, it’s time to unsubscribe from unwanted emails and manage paid subscriptions. For example, do you even open half the emails you get? Do you know how many subscriptions you pay for? Well, there are apps and other tools for cleaning up your subscription life so you can get on with your actual life.

Apple is reportedly considering making a television set, but don’t get your hopes up. There are simply too many reasons why Apple won’t make a TV. Like so many things, it all comes down to profits (and the lack thereof).

You need look no further than Apple’s set-top box and monitors to see why an Apple-branded television isn’t going to happen.

Apple added Share Item Location to the Find My app to let AirTag users securely share with an airline the exact position of a tracking tag attached to lost luggage.

Here’s how to use the new feature to show an airline employee that your bag is actually just outside Concourse C in the Atlanta airport, not in Denver where they think it is. They can even see the exact position of the luggage.

If your Apple Watch feels like it’s not responding to your taps, it could be in Water Lock mode. It’s easy to forget to turn off Water Lock Mode after you go for a swim or a shower.

There’s also a bit of confusion about how Apple Watch’s Water Lock feature works. Read on to see how to (and how not to) use it.

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, it’s time to watch the beloved Peanuts holiday special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. While Apple TV+ subscribers can watch it anytime, the special is also free for anyone to stream all this weekend.

And you do not need an Apple device to do so. It’s easy on Roku, Windows and many more options.

Asus’ new ProArt 5K desktop monitor costs just half of what you’ll pay for Apple’s Studio Display but offers many of the same features. The Asus ProArt 5K PA27JCV boasts the same 27-inch screen, Retina resolution, standard framerate and P3 wide color gamut as Apple’s midrange monitor. It also comes with a built-in USB hub and KVM, which proves great if you still use a few USB-A accessories or flash drives.

Admittedly, Asus’ 5K desktop monitor misses some of the Studio Display’s premium features. The stand wobbles and the body is made of creaky plastic. Plus, the panel isn’t quite as bright as Apple’s display, and it doesn’t come with a webcam.

Still, with very similar specs — and a budget-friendly $799 list price, compared to the Studio Display’s $1,599 (or $1,999 if you dare to desire an adjustable stand) — Asus is making an offer that’s hard to refuse. Keep reading or watch our video review.

Using Genmoji, you can create custom emoji when you can’t find the exact right one to express yourself nonverbally. An Apple Intelligence feature coming in iOS 18.2, Genmoji generates emoji on the fly based on your description.

Finally, you can enhance your conversations about ostriches or shovels or tissues boxes with your own emoji. Or make an emoji that matches your pet, like a white cat or a Pomeranian dog. You can even make emoji versions of the people you know.

Here’s how.

I always use Apple’s privacy-focused Sign in with Apple and Hide My Email services whenever I get the option.

The Sign in with Apple feature, which lets you log into third-party accounts using your Apple ID while keeping your personal info private, is so easy to use that I utilize it everywhere. But that also means my disguised logins pile up, accumulating in the digital junk drawer that is iCloud Settings.

I’ll show you where you can find, manage or delete these accounts. Perhaps you’re jumping ship from iPhone to Android, and you want to make sure you still have another way of signing into your Chipotle account.

The Hide My Email service is similar. It creates a temporary email address that forwards to your real one — handy if you’re signing up for a shady website, or if you need a public contact email. I’ll show you where you can create new ones and delete the old ones.

Image Playground is the free app coming to your iPhone that will let you generate unlimited AI images for free. You can generate images based on your friends, from a text prompt or totally from scratch, in a wide variety of themes and styles.

It’s part of Apple Intelligence, the growing set of AI features that work on the latest iPhones, Macs and iPads. Image Playground is one of the most hotly anticipated features — here’s how to use it.

You’re at a party and your friend takes a great picture. You ask them to AirDrop you a copy and the two iPhones won’t connect. So frustrating … what the %^#* is wrong? Why can’t you share iPhone photos the way you used to? You probably just need to tweak a setting to turn on AirDrop’s capability to work with any iPhone.

You see, Apple changed the way AirDrop works in iOS 16. If you haven’t updated your AirDrop settings, it might not work the way you want. Here’s how to set the easy wireless file-transfer system so you can get that picture from your friend.

In a surprise move, the M4 Mac mini includes a removable, swappable SSD. Apple really should give customers the option to buy high-capacity versions of these as storage upgrades for the tiny desktop. It would be a win for both the Mac-maker and its customers.

The option would be welcome addition even if the SSDs only came from Apple at fairly high prices.