Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Preliminary U.S. Court Ruling Says Qualcomm Must License Key ModemPatents to Rivals like Intel
Apple Promotes Reviews for the New MacBook Air and Mac mini
Another day, another Apple device launch, and another review roundup from the company promoting its latest hardware.
This week, Apple is launching not only the new iPad Pro, but also a heavily refreshed MacBook Air and Mac mini, each of which saw their own reviews pop up earlier today. (The iPad Pro reviews went up on Monday.) And, just like it has with the recent launches of the iPhone XS/XS Max, the iPhone XR, the Apple Watch Series 4, and the iPad Pro (2018), Apple is once again rounding up the latest reviews for the MacBook Air and Mac mini (2018).
As is par for the course, Apple is promoting the positive words on the MacBook Air and Mac mini, both of which officially go on sale on Wednesday, November 7. We see comments on the new laptop’s thinness, and its overall portability and power, as well as positive words on the new Retina display that Apple finally includes with the MacBook Air. So, without any additional delay, here are a few of the pull quotes from those reviews:
Gear Patrol
“It’s essentially now the perfect computer for anyone looking for a macOS laptop for ‘normal’ things, like browsing the web, drafting documents, answering emails, watching movies or even occasional work in Adobe’s creative suite.”
Daring Fireball
“The new Air is exactly that: the MacBook most people should buy, and exactly the MacBook everyone has been asking Apple to make.”
And then there is the Mac mini, which saw plenty of praise for the internal upgrades that the desktop device added this year:
Six Colors
“This new Mac mini is exactly what it needs to be. Today the Mac mini is about flexibility and filling niches. This update allows it to span a wide range from basic server needs all the way up to high-end applications that require a great deal of processor power, fast storage, ultra-fast networking, and even beyond (via Thunderbolt 3).”
ZDNet
MobileSyrup
So, good reviews for the most part. If you were on the fence with either one of these devices, are you now making a decision to purchase?
[via Apple]
Like this post? Share it!Apple Releases New Version of iOS 12.1 for the iPhone XR
It has been a week since Apple released iOS 12.1 to the public, and the company is back with another, slightly updated version.
On Tuesday, Apple officially released a new version of iOS 12.1, this one meant specifically for the iPhone XR. The software build number is 16B94 (compared to the previous build version of 16B93). To update, simply open the Settings app then General –> Software Update and follow the onscreen instructions. However, it is worth noting that the software update is not showing up for iPhone XR owners who already installed iOS 12.1.
As a result, it is not at the time of publication why, exactly, Apple is releasing a new version of iOS 12.1, let alone why the company is releasing a new version just for the iPhone XR. If you have not installed iOS 12.1 on your device just yet, then now may be a good time.
The new software is available now if you haven’t already installed it. As it stands we shouldn’t expect any hidden features to be baked into the new software or anything like that. Whatever the issue is that cropped up to warrant a slightly updated version of iOS 12.1 is hopefully minor in scale.
[via MacRumors]
Like this post? Share it!Chase Cardmembers Can Now Use Points to Shop for Apple Products
If you have chosen Chase Bank as your go-to resource for your banking needs, then the establishment has just announced a new way to buy Apple products just for you.
Announced on Tuesday, Chase has confirmed that its cardmembers can use points to shop a variety of different Apple products through the new Apple Ultimate Rewards Store. This isn’t just Apple accessories, either, but includes iPhones, the iPad lineup, the Apple TV, Apple Watch, and more. The new, dedicated store for Apple products is available for Chase Sapphire, Chase Freedom, and Chase Ink cardmembers. Earn enough points and you can use them to cover some, or all, of the purchase price for a new Apple product.
“We know our customers crave flexibility and choice with their rewards, so we are thrilled to provide another option to instantly redeem points for the things our cardmembers love, including Apple’s newest products” said Lisa Walker, Managing Director Ultimate Rewards and Loyalty Solutions.“ Ahead of the holiday shopping season, we are making it easier for our customers to get the most value out of their rewards.”
Chase breaks down, at least in part, how the points system will work when you want to buy a new Apple product:
“Within the Apple Ultimate Rewards Store, cardmembers can search and redeem points for all available Apple products, including the newest launches and must-have items, just in time for the busy holiday season. Cardmembers can redeem as many or as few Ultimate Rewards points to pay for all or part of Apple product orders, including tax. For example, as few as 17,9001 Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed towards the current price of an Apple TV 4K, 39,9001 points can be redeemed for the new Apple Watch Series 4 or the iPad mini 4 and 99,9001 can be redeemed for the new iPhone XS 64GB.”
As is par for the course, Chase offers a variety of different cards that handle rewards points differently. And you can earn bonus points if you shop at select spaces. And Chase is still offering the standard gift cards and other rewards options, aside from the brand new Apple-focused portal, so you can use rewards points on even more as well.
[via Chase]
Like this post? Share it!Shoot With a Steady Hand Every Time Using The Rigiet Smartphone Gimbal [Deals Hub]
Though you can undeniably take high definition photos and video with the latest smartphones and GoPros, final results will always suffer so long as you’re missing adequate stabilization. You don’t have to go crazy and hook up your your iPhone to a Hollywood-grade device, but the right gear does go a long way to getting you amazing results. This Rigiet Gimbal is intuitive to use, and comes standard with a variety of useful features for the avid shooter. It’s also currently on sale for 59% off at the iPhone Hacks Deals Hub, bringing the price to just $109.99 down from the original $269.
The Rigiet automatically swivels around to accommodate whatever shooting style you desire on the fly, whether portrait, landscape, or underslung. Using the built in controls, you can easily change between still and video modes, and go back and forth between selfie and front cameras. Dial into the companion app, and discover seamless live streaming, panorama creation, and even automatic tracking functionality.
This Gimbal is the perfect solution for videophiles who want to seriously step up their smartphone or GoPro game without breaking the bank too much. Pick it up today at the Deals Hub for just $109.99 after 59% off.
2018 MacBook Air Review Roundup: The Mac of the Present!
Apart from the Mac mini, the first of reviews for the 2018 MacBook Air is also out. Just like the Mac mini, Apple has updated its MacBook Air lineup after years. Unlike the mini though, this update is not meant for pros. So, how good is the new MacBook Air? Find out in our review roundup.
The new MacBook Air is a major revamp from both outside and inside. Externally, it is slimmer and lighter than the outgoing model and packs major upgrades including an edge-to-edge display glass with slimmer bezels, better speakers, and more.
2018 MacBook Air Review Roundup
The Verge
The publication aptly sums up the capabilities of the 2018 MacBook Air in the below para:
Namely: it’s a computer that will let you do whatever you want, even though some of those things are probably beyond its capabilities. It won’t say “no” when you want to open 20 tabs and eight apps and then edit a photo. (Though, sometimes, with a fan and spinning beachball, it will say “uncle.”) Most of all, it’s a computer that is familiar. It does everything you expect in a way that you’re used to.
The new 2560 x 1600 Retina Display is great to look at but at 300 nits, it simply does not get bright enough.
There is one knock on the screen, though: it doesn’t get as bright as I would like. The spec on it is a max of 300 nits, but the important thing to know is you’ll be cranking up the brightness to near 100 percent more often. I haven’t had a problem viewing this screen, even in bright rooms, but I do have a vague worry that it’s affecting my battery life to have it cranked up higher.
Don’t be fooled by that Core i5 dual-core processor. It is actually a Y-series chip from Intel which is not as fast as what that Core i5 moniker would suggest.
So let me just bottom line it: this new MacBook Air is faster than the old MacBook Air, but not by the kind of margin you’d expect after three years (or even one, if you happened to buy the 2017 model). You can do all of the same stuff you can do on your current Air. I have been running a half-dozen apps at a time along with more than a dozen tabs in Chrome, and everything is pretty okay. I think for what most people will do with this laptop, it’s fine. The base $1,199 model comes with 8GB of RAM (which is enough for most people) and 128GB of storage (which is not).
The 2018 MacBook Air is the Mac of the present.
Now, the wait is over. But if you were hoping that lightning would strike twice and this new MacBook Air would be as revolutionary as the old MacBook Air, well, it’s not. It’s basically a MacBook that finally includes all of the stuff that has been happening with laptops for the past few years. It is on par with the rest of the laptop world, but it hasn’t moved beyond it. Sometimes that means the fan is going to spin up on you.
Wired
The new MacBook Air is meant for existing MacBook Air customers who are looking for an upgrade for quite some time now.
That’s the thing: A lot of the components in the brand new MacBook Air are not actually new. Like the display—I have stared at some version of this Retina display for a long time now. But for true MacBook Air lovers, that won’t matter. This is a machine that grew stale and cruised solely on its reputation for a long time. Now, it’s ready for reinvention. Well, sort of. It’s more accurate to say that it has caught up with the times.
There’s no need to worry about the third-generation Butterfly keyboard on the 2018 MacBook Air.
So far, I haven’t had any problems with the keyboard on the Air. I like that it’s quieter. I don’t miss the TouchBar, a touch-sensitive strip of shortcuts, emoji, and apps that floats above the keyboard on MacBook Pros. The new Air’s trackpad is also larger than its previous incarnation, and is the recipient of Apple’s unfortunately-named pressure-sensitive touch technology, Force Touch.
Depending on your workload, the new MacBook Air will either do just fine or will be grossly underpowered.
That’s a lot of chip speak, but here’s what it really means: If you’re someone who builds graphics, edits 4K videos, or processes large photos for a living, the Air isn’t going to cut it. It will, however, handle 15 to 20 browser tabs at once, let you edit photos in Lightroom without any hiccups, and keep ten apps running smoothly at once. I know because I’m doing all of this right now as I type.
The 2018 MacBook Air does not live up to Apple’s claims of offering up to 12 hours of web browsing on a single charge, but it will easily last 6-7 hours on a single charge.
If your work day is around eight-hours, then sure. I cycled through the laptop’s battery life a few times. All of theses tests involved me shutting the laptop at some point to sleep, the waking it up and resuming, rather than running it down for many hours straight.
The new Air is not really innovative in any way, but given its $1,199 price tag, I doubt Apple ever intended it to be.
Apple has heard the calls for a newer, better MacBook Air, and it has answered. Thank goodness for that. But one might get the sneaking suspicion, as she stares at the gorgeous, liquid-looking display of this new machine, that such a laptop could have arrived two years ago. Or more. The new MacBook Air is not pure innovation; it’s an incantation composed to make you think it is.
Mashable
The new MacBook Air is meant to handle everyday tasks, don’t expect anything else from it.
After using the MacBook Air for a few days, though, I think I can tell where the money went. This is a laptop that can handle the everyday tasks of modern “computing” with aplomb, but push it beyond that and you’ll run into its limitations pretty quickly. That’s not unexpected for something that isn’t a “pro” level machine, but if you widen your view beyond Apple’s walled garden, you can see other laptops, even cheaper laptops, that provide comparable experiences.
…
That wasn’t typical performance — most of the time the MacBook Air managed to keep up with my actions, but here and there you could tell it was struggling: an extra second to switch between apps, a touch more confusion about the resolution of an external monitor, a spinning beach ball lasting longer than usual. Not deal-breakers, by any means, but as they add up, they get more noticeable.
You will definitely not have to worry about the new butterfly keyboard.
The keyboard on the MacBook Air is definitely the best experience I’ve had typing on a butterfly Mac. Even though this is technically the same design keyboard as in the 2018 MacBook Pros, I felt the experience was a bit quieter, with a tad more overall machine stability with every keystroke. I suspect that’s most likely due to the overall size of the machine, though it could simply be personal bias (I tend to prefer smaller machines). In any case, it’s a better experience than the second-gen butterfly keyboard on the mid-2017 MacBook Pro I use for work.
That display brightness, however, is going to be a cause of concern.
Sure, three cheers for Retina and all that, but this is table stakes for today — especially for Apple. Yes, the display is gorgeous, and, yes, photos and videos look great on it, but it’s also relatively weak in another department: brightness. Whereas the MacBook Pro can get as bright as 500 nits, the new MBA maxes out at 300.
Don’t get me wrong: that’s not at all dim by today’s standards, but if you happen to use your laptop either in bright sunlight or under studio lights, you’ll notice.
What do you think about the new MacBook Air? Do you plan to upgrade to it from your existing Air? Drop a comment and let us know!
Like this post? Share it!Monday, November 5, 2018
Get AirPod Features For A Fraction Of The Price [Deals Hub]
AirPods are incredibly popular for a reason. Sporting up-to-date Bluetooth tech, a convenient charging case, and incredible sound quality, they’re practically everything you could want in a wireless set. Unfortunately, there’s a catch—expense. AirPods are over $150 to order a new pair, but these imitation phones by Neva Tech provide all the features of their brand name counterparts. They’re also just $24.99 at the iPhoneHacks Deals Hub.
These sweat-proof Air Buds come standard with HD audio and a 2.5 hour charge. Head to the gym or to work and enjoy crystal sound quality and a solid connection thanks to the latest Bluetooth tech. Stash them back in the case, and they’ll automatically juice up, ready for another 2.5 hours in no time.
If like the features, looks and fit of the AirPods but can’t spend that much, the Air Buds are worth a serious look. Get yours today in the iPhoneHacks Deals Hub for just $24.99 after 79% off.
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