By Malcolm Owen Apple has quietly updated the way that users buy and configure Macs on the online Apple Store, giving customers a process that’s closer to buying an iPhone or iPad.The new process of buying a Mac from Apple is similar to that of an iPhone or iPadThe online Apple Store guides users through configuring their new hardware before purchasing it, with some variation in the methodology depending on the product. In a very quiet change to the website, Apple has updated the way users buy a Mac.Initially spotted byConsomac, users are no longer provided with a selection of base configuration Macs to choose from before configuring them. Instead, they are taken through a process that’s pretty close to what happens when they buy an iPhone or iPad from the website. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By Amber Neely While music streaming may be king, both Apple and the recording industry at large aren’t quite ready to write off the power of the iTunes sale.The iTunes StorePeople are still buying music on iTunes. Sure, it might not be a lot of people, but it’s an audience nonetheless.And, as it turns out, 80% of people who buy music through iTunes don’t have an active Apple Music subscription. And while you might assume that these sales signal a preference for buying older music, it turns out that’s not the case, either. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By Andrew Orr Apple appears to be experiencing about Silicon Valley-average churn of engineers in it’s AI program, and the recent departures, including a Siri engineering executive, are no exception.A few AI researchers have left AppleThe company is working to rebuild Siri around Apple Intelligence, aiming to transform it from a collection of narrow features into a more capable, system-level interface. The effort follows years of criticism that Siri has fallen behind rival assistants using large language models.Employee turnover is routine in Silicon Valley, especially in a labor market as competitive as artificial intelligence. Apple’s recent departures fit that pattern and don’t point to disruption inside the company’s Siri roadmap. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By Amber Neely An auction that featured Steve Jobs’ signed checks, his collection of Bob Dylan 8-track cassettes, computers, bow ties, and more has concluded, pulling down more than $8 million.Image credit: RR AuctionThe check, regarded as “the earliest known check drawn from Apple’s original bank account,” raked in $2,409,886, as part of the recent “Steve Jobs & the Computer Revolution: The Apple 50th Anniversary Auction.” The auction realized a total of $8,153,074.”This is the most important financial document in Apple history,” said Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction. “It captures Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak’s first true business transaction, and the final result shows that collectors recognized its significance above any other Apple material ever brought to market. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By Amber Neely Catherine O’Hara, known for her work in films such as “Home Alone” and “Beetlejuice,” as well as series like “Schitt’s Creek” and Apple TV’s “The Studio,” has passed away.Catherine O’Hara in ‘The Studio’ | Image Credit: Apple TVO’Hara, a prolific actor on screens both big and small, died on January 30. During her career, she acted in more than 50 films and more than 30 films.She was widely known for her roles as family matriarch Kate McCallister in “Home Alone” and the dramatic, eccentric Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek.” Her penultimate role was in Apple TV comedy series “The Studio” as Patty Leigh — she also provided voice work for Apple TV’s since-cancelled animated series “Central Park.” Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By Christine McKee Save $300 on Samsung’s 32-inch M8 smart monitor this weekend, plus grab an additional $100 off when you buy two qualifying Samsung items.You can pick up the Samsung M8 Smart Monitor for $379.99 at B&H Photo or for $399.99 at Amazon.Save $300 on Samsung’s M8 monitor this weekend.Although $20 more at Amazon, you can save an additional $100 when you purchase two qualifying Samsung items, making it an enticing deal if you want to pick up this 85-inch Frame Pro TV alongside the M8 for Super Bowl Sunday. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By Amber Neely Apple TV’s acclaimed detective drama starring Emmy Award nominee Colin Farrell is making its way back to the small screen for its second season, just in time for summer.Image Credit: Apple TVThe eight-episode second season will kick off on Friday, June 19. New episodes will drop each Friday through August 7.Season one made its debut in April 2024 and introduced audiences to the titular John Sugar, an iconic LA-Based private detective and film connoisseur. Played by Colin Farrell, this season Sugar is tasked with tracking down the troubled older brother of an up-and-coming local boxer. The case soon expands into a citywide conspiracy, leaving Sugar to wonder how far he’s willing to go to make it right. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By William Gallagher Until Apple finds a way to stop it, AppleUnsold is selling ex-Apple Store items, the store fittings like chargers or Apple Pencil trays that you could want, but then also in-store exclusive stickers that you’d have to be an Apple fanatic to buy.Ignore the iPhones, you can now buy those Apple Store-exclusive chargers. Probably. For now. Image credit: ConsomacEver since the first ever Apple Stores back in 2001, each retail outlet has had custom-made fixtures and fittings. Now the Australia-based firm AppleUnsold will sell you these items that were never meant to be made available to the public.Don’t get too excited because AppleUnsold doesn’t stock items like the Fifth Avenue store’s glass cube, even though Apple has replaced that twice. The original glass cubes must have gone somewhere, but not to AppleUnsold. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By Oliver Haslam Apple may have signed a deal to use Google’s Gemini AI model to boost Siri, but Claude was ahead of the game, already inside Apple Park’s walls, and have taken its place if not for Anthropic’s astronomical fee demands.Anthropic priced itself out of a long-term AI deal with AppleApple is aware that its internal AI models aren’t as good as those built by other companies. The news of a deal to integrate Gemini into Siri confirms as much, but Apple continues to use models from OpenAI and Anthropic elsewhere.Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman notes that the deal with Google was only signed recently, and Apple will have to use models from other companies in countries like China. Apple already tweaks its products to work within China’s laws, and using a Chinese AI model for Siri will likely be part of that. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By Amber Neely Apple has made it decidedly more difficult to import .EPUB and .PDF files from Messages to the Books app — but it’s not impossible. Here’s how to do it on iPad, iPhone, and Mac.Import PDFs and eBooks from Messages into Apple BooksIf you’re an avid bookworm and you like reading on your iPhone, chances are you might be a fan of the Apple Books app. You can easily buy ebooks and sync them across multiple platforms, which is great if you’re the type to start reading on one device and pick up on another later.Before you start, make sure you’ve got Apple Books downloaded to your device of choice. You can grab it from the App Store for free. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
