Evan Selleck

Some iPad models may add OLED displays beginning in 2022

Evan Selleck ∙ May 31, 2021

Before Apple officially made the switch to a mini-LED display in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, there was a bit of a back-and-forth going on in the rumors department. Some stories said Apple would make the leap to OLED. Others pointed to mini-LED.

And now we know that Apple chose the latter, going with that display technology for its largest and most powerful tablet this year. However, there is still an expectation that Apple's simply biding its time, still planning to adopt an OLED display in at least one iPad model in the near future. Indeed, many believe that switch will happen in 2022.

Has an iPad replaced your Mac?

Evan Selleck ∙ May 29, 2021

I have very down-to-earth goals for an iPad mini: I just want to use it to read books. And that form factor is still my favorite iPad size to date. But even I know my aspirations for the small tablet are insane.

Because while the iPad mini is a great tool to use Apple Books on, even if it has a dated LCD screen, that price tag makes it an outrageous eReader. And this is when someone would say, well, it's an iPad. You can use it for more than just an eReader, and that's the real appeal. And that person would be right!

Apple delays Podcast subscriptions until June

Evan Selleck ∙ May 28, 2021

Along with the launch of iOS 14.6 earlier this month, Apple was supposed to welcome subscriptions for podcasts.

But, it turns out there will be a bit of a delay before the feature actually goes live. As reported today by MacRumors, Apple has notified content creators that it is delaying the podcast subscription feature until sometime in June. The reason? Apple wants a good experience for everyone involved.

Apple reportedly put in a bid to buy the rap-battle series Verzuz

Evan Selleck ∙ May 28, 2021

Back in 2020, Apple Music and Beats 1 welcomed a new element to its listening library: Verzuz. It's a live-streaming event that pits two artists in a lyrical one-on-one battle.

At the time, the site, which launched initially on Instagram Live, was going to see a worthwhile time slot on Beats 1 while also still streaming on Facebook's Instagram platform. The first episode for Apple Music/Beats 1 premiered in mid-July of last year, and apparently it was a pretty successful launch. A new report says Apple was looking to outright acquire the rap-battle site.

New AirPods Pro will reportedly boost fitness tracking features, AirPods 3 coming later this year; new HomePods in development, no AirPods Max 2 in the works

Evan Selleck ∙ May 28, 2021

The rumor mill has been pumping out expectations for new AirPods and AirPods Pro for quite some time. But the new truly wireless headphones have yet to actually launch.

And while we're still waiting, we've got new reports to sift through. This time around it's from Bloomberg, with Mark Gurman aiming to tell us what to expect this year. In his latest report, we learn that Apple is still planning on launching new AirPods and AirPods Pro models. So, that's the good news.

iPad Air to be handed out to all incoming freshmen at the University of Nevada, Reno

Evan Selleck ∙ May 27, 2021

Education continues to be an important element to Apple, which usually relies on the company working with educational bodies in some way or another.

Like, for instance, today's announcement from the University of Nevada, Reno. The university says it is teaming up with Apple to provide the incoming freshman class with new iPad models. The goal, according to the announcement, is to develop a "common learning platform" for all students, providing equal access to technology. The university is calling it the "Digital Wolf Pack initiative."

Kia is offering a free Apple Watch for select customers who buy a 2022 EV6 First Edition

Evan Selleck ∙ May 27, 2021

In an effort to help drum up interest in its newest EV, Kia is offering a sweet deal: a free Apple Watch if you're lucky enough to secure the right model.

Kia is offering a free gift for those who are lucky enough to get their hands on one of the first 2022 EV6 First Edition models. The gift will go out to the first 1,500 customers who pick up the electric automobile. After that initial batch is bought up, no more free Apple Watches for customers who buy the vehicle.

Apple confirms iCloud Mail is experiencing some issues, may be slow or unavailable

Evan Selleck ∙ May 27, 2021

iCloud is one of the most integral elements of Apple's business model. But, while it serves as the backbone to many other services, sometimes an outage happens. And sometimes an outage hits a specific service in particular.

Every once in a while, Apple will update its official system status page to reflect an outage of some kind. It's not as rare as some might like, unfortunately. And today, iCloud Mail users have probably already discovered the service is having some issues.

The iPhone 13 lineup is once again expected to feature sensor-shift camera stabilization

Evan Selleck ∙ May 27, 2021

It's felt pretty quiet out of the rumor mill regarding the upcoming iPhone refresh, and today's latest news regarding the camera system in the upcoming lineup doesn't really change that.

That's because this latest rumor is just the same rumor we've heard in the past. It's regarding the standout sensor-shift camera stabilization feature that Apple introduced with the iPhone 12 Pro Max late last year. It's easily one of the best camera-focused features in the iPhone 12 lineup, but it's reserved for the largest --and most expensive-- model. But that may be changing this year.

Apple TV+ comedy series ‘Physical’ gets official trailer ahead of June 18 premiere

Evan Selleck ∙ May 27, 2021

With the upcoming June 18 premiere date for one of Apple TV+'s newest comedy series rapidly approaching, the streaming service has provided the official trailer for Physical.

Apple TV+ has been teasing the upcoming dramedy for a while now. We got a first-look of the lead star, Rose Byrne (Instant Family) a while back. And back in April we saw the first teaser trailer. But this latest look offers just over two minutes of footage, giving us a better feel of the comedy, and overall story, coming soon to Apple's streaming service.

LeBron James photographed using the unreleased Beats Studio Buds

Evan Selleck ∙ May 26, 2021

The unreleased Beats Studio Buds appear to be caught in an avalanche. Ever since they were discovered in the release candidate for iOS 14.6, the new headphones keep cropping up in other places.

Everywhere except an official announcement. But that will probably be changing in the very near future, now that at least one superstar athlete has been photographed out there in the wild wearing the new headphones. At least, one would hope.

Halide developers highlight the camera ‘superpower’ of the new iPad Pro

Evan Selleck ∙ May 26, 2021

The new iPad Pro lineup is here. Both the 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro offer some noteworthy changes over the models they replace, with the larger of the two picking up the all-new mini-LED display.

However, it turns out that Apple did some tweaking of the front-facing camera system to make sure that it really stands out, especially with the ultra-wide and the company's new Center Stage feature. According to the folks over at Lux, who developed the mega-popular camera app Halide, Apple's new front-facing camera system in the new iPad Pro lineup is basically a superpower.