Apple

Apple releases iOS 9.3 with Night Shift Mode, protected Notes, new 3D Touch goodies and more

After testing it with registered developers and public beta testers, Apple today released the iOS 9.3 software update for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. A major new software update, iOS 9.3  is now available on all iOS 9-comptaible devices in Settings right General → Software Update and brings several headline new features along with a bunch of under-the-hood tweaks and enhancements.

Some of the big new features of iOS 9.3 include Night Shift Mode, passcode or Touch ID protection of your notes, enhancements in News and Health apps, as well as important enhancements for iOS in the classroom such as managed Apple IDs, multi-user support on iPads and more.

Apple pushes further into health space with CareKit

In addition to new iPhones and iPads, Apple on Monday also announced a new software framework called CareKit. The initiative is an extension to ResearchKit, which launched last year to give hospitals and University's a way to conduct broad medical studies using iOS devices.

CareKit uses similar principles to help individuals keep track of care plans, as well as monitor their symptoms and medication. The goal is to provide insights that help people better understand their health, which may encourage them to take a more active role in their wellbeing.

New 9.7 inch iPad Pro starts at $599 and will be available March 31st

Apple announced a new 9.7-inch iPad Pro to join its existing lineup of tablets. It comes with some interesting new features and some hardware bumps, and some excellent new configurations.

Powered by an A9X chip and sporting new display technologies like the True Tone display, a powerful 12 megapixel iSight camera with 4K video recording, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro makes for a wonderful portable workstation no matter the conditions where you're using the tablet.

If you're interested in picking one up, then obviously you'll need to know when they're available and what they're going to cost you.

Apple unveils smaller iPad Pro with True Tone Display, A9X chip, Apple Pencil support & more

At its press-only media event Monday morning, which is currently underway in Cupertino, California, Apple has formally announced a smaller iPad Pro alongside the iPhone SE, new Apple Watch bands and more. As previously suspected, the new device is a smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro model that shares the same powerful internals with its bigger brother rather than it being a third-generation iPad Air.

These include Apple's most advanced A9X processor, a 2,048-by-1,536 pixel resolution screen with pixel support for the Apple Pencil, the Smart Connector that allows accessories to attach magnetically and provides power and data, and other perks—and it weighs less than a pound, which is the same wight as the iPad Air 2.

Hold on to your seats, iOS 9.3 is arriving today

Apple has just revealed at its 'Let us loop you in' media event when customers around the world will be able to download and install iOS 9.3. The third major update to iOS 9.0 since its September 2015 debut, iOS 9.3 will release later today, Apple has said.

The free software update for any iOS 9-compatible iPhone, iPod touch and iPad includes features like Night Shift Mode, which reduces blue light to avoid disrupting your sleep cycles, and the ability to pair multiple watches to a single iPhone.

In iOS 9.3, users can protect their notes with a passcode or Touch ID, enjoy an even more personalized News, take advantage of an enhanced Health app that integrates move, exercise and stand data, along with goals from Apple Watch apps, to mention just a few highlights.

This is Apple’s new four-inch iPhone SE

At today's invite-only media event at the Town Hall on its Cupertino, California headquarters, Apple has officially unveiled its latest four-inch smartphone, the iPhone SE. With one-third of iPhone buyers still preferring four inch phones and two and a half years having passed since the introduction of the iPhone 5s, its last four-inch phone and the world's first smartphone with a 64-bit processor, the iPhone SE picks up right where its predecessor left off.

The rumors were true: the iPhone SE takes Apple's latest and greatest technology like a third-generation 64-bit A9 processor with an embedded M9 motion coprocessor, upgraded cameras, faster wireless, NFC for Apple Pay and more (but without 3D Touch), and packs it inside a four-inch form factor.

Apple drops Apple Watch price to $299 as it introduces new bands

Apple took the stage on Monday at the 'Let us loop you in' event to discuss some new Apple statistics and services, but it was soon followed by new information regarding the Apple Watch.

Along with a notable price drop, Apple Watch users are getting access to new Apple Watch bands with not only new materials, but even some new colors for existing wrist bands.

tvOS 9.2 software update for the new Apple TV arrives today

Apple has said at today's 'Let us loop you in' media event that the tvOS 9.2 software update for the fourth-generation Apple TV will launch for public consumption later today.

tvOS 9.2 is the most significant software update for Apple's new set-top box since its release in October 2015, bringing many features missing from the original release to the table.

iOS 9.3 patches a bug that would let attackers decrypt photos and videos sent via iMessage

A group of Johns Hopkins University researchers led by computer science professor Matthew D. Green has discovered a critical bug in Apple's stock Messages app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

The vulnerability would allow nefarious users to decrypt photos and videos sent over iMessage, but there's nothing to worry about—iOS 9.3, which we expect to release after today's Apple event wraps up, contains a patch for this oversight on Apple's part.

How to watch Apple’s ‘Let us loop you in’ event live

Apple will be streaming its 'Let us loop you in' media event live on the company's website. The Cupertino-based company is expected to unveil a number of new products related to iPhone, iPad, and the Apple Watch, but we'll have to wait and see to know for sure.

If you'll be tuning in to watch the Apple event live on your computer, there are some requirements you'll have to meet, and we'll touch on those requirements in this piece so you're prepared for it.

Everything we expect from Apple’s ‘Let us loop you in’ event on Monday

As you know, Apple has scheduled a media event on its Cupertino campus on this coming Monday, March 21. Earlier this month, the company sent out its predictably cryptic invites with the “Let us loop you in” tagline to select members of the press.

It looks to be a pretty significant event.

On top of an all-new four-inch iPhone model, we're expecting other announcements like a smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro, new Apple Watch bands—including a black edition of the Milanese Loop—and a bunch of enhancements for Apple's operating systems.