News

OWC’s new Thunderbolt 3 Dock adds 13 additional ports to your MacBook Pro

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Other World Computing (OWC), a U.S.-based company and online store for Mac upgrades and accessories located at MacSales.com, today announced the ultimate docking station for your brand spanking new MacBook Pro.

With the new Pro the Cupertino firm is (rightly) betting on USB-C, effectively putting us in a dongle hell for now. Enter the new $279 Thunderbolt 3 Dock, a successor to OWC's Thunderbolt 2 Dock and USB-C Dock.

Billed as the best expansion solution they've ever made, it offers the speed of Thunderbolt 3 technology coupled with a whopping thirteen expansion ports to help get the most out of the new late-2016 MacBook Pro.

Beautiful concept envisions Apple extended keyboard with Touch Bar

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 3, 2016

German magazine Curved.de and Dutch 3D artist Martin Hajek created plausible concept renderings of a future Magic Keyboard with a contextually aware OLED strip replacing the physical row of function keys, but that was months before Apple unveiled the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.

Now that the new notebook has been formally announced, Reddit user “Hazza42” felt inspired to create his own mockups of what a standalone extended aluminum Apple keyboard with an integrated Touch Bar might look like.

A fix for issues with 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV is coming soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 2, 2016

It seems that the most recent Apple TV software update has rendered a lot of second and third-generation Apple TVs virtually unusable, with the set-top box device's Home screen displaying only the Computers, Music and Settings apps with no other channel options available.

According to a thread on Reddit, an Apple representative has confirmed that a fix for the bug will be included in a future software update for the Apple TV. Users can manually check if any new firmware update is available at any time through the Settings app.

New “Dive” ad from Apple promotes iPhone 7 stereo speakers and water resistance

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 2, 2016

Apple today shared a new television commercial via its YouTube channel highlighting stereo speakers and the improved IP67 water resistance on the iPhone 7 series. Titled “Dive”, the 60-second video opens with a pool scene depicting an older guy who is soaking up sun rays whilst listening to “La Virgen de la Macarena” by Arturo Sandoval playing through the iPhone's stereo speakers.

He then turns up the volume and proceeds to climb the high dive as everyone else is watching with anticipation. As the song climaxes, he jumps off causing his device to get splashed with water poolside. The video closes with Apple's “practically magic” tagline used consistently in iPhone 7 advertisements.

KGI: Apple’s AR tech could end up in autonomous driving system

Cody Lee ∙ November 2, 2016

KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo issued a new research note to investors on Wednesday regarding his vision for Apple's augmented reality efforts. In the letter, the noted analyst says that we likely won't see these efforts for 1-2 years, but when we do they will redefine Apple's current products and open up new categories.

Cut down on desktop clutter with Twelve South’s new Fermata headphone charging stand

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 2, 2016

Premium accessory maker Twelve South today unveiled a brand new accessory, the Fermata.

It's aimed at reducing desktop clutter by providing a minimal charging stand for on-ear headphones like the Beats Solo2 and their over-ear counterparts such as the Beats Solo3 wireless.

The $79.99 aluminum-clad accessory is available starting today in Black or Silver from Twelve South's webstore for customers in the United States and Japan, with an international edition coming soon.

CNBC: there’s no Time Warner bid coming from Apple “at this point”

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 2, 2016

U.S. wireless carrier AT&T recently announced it had agreed to buy Time Warner in a blockbuster deal valued at more than $85 billion.

Apple reportedly approached the media giant recently about a possible deal, but the discussions were only preliminary and didn't move forward.

With the AT&T-Time Warner merger requiring regulatory approval that could take months, things could easily change so no wonder watchers have been keeping their fingers crossed for Apple to step in and make a rival bid for Time Warner.

However, “Apple is not interested in buying Time Warner at present,” people familiar with the thinking at the company told CNBC on Wednesday.

Next-generation MacBook Pro could adopt brighter & sharper OLED display technology

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 2, 2016

Forget about Apple's just-refreshed MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar and Touch ID: Korean outlet ET News says the next refresh to the Pro might swap out LCD panels for the more power-efficient OLED screens not unlike AMOLED displays found on flagship Samsung smartphones and tablets.

“Apple is currently looking into ways of using OLED panels for MacBooks and testing their performance,” reads the report. In addition to power savings, an OLED screen on a future MacBook Pro could render brighter colors, provide better contrast and fast response speed whilst enabling ultra high resolutions.

Phil Schiller on why MacBook Pro has headphone jack, lacks SD card slot & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 2, 2016

Phil Schiller, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, sat down for an exclusive wide-ranging interview with British newspaper The Independent. He talked the MacBook Pro controversy, explaining why the refreshed notebook has retained the 3.5mm analog headphone jack, but lost an SD card slot.

He also touched upon a few other controversial topics, like Apple's product philosophy when it comes to the notebook form factor in general and the company's stubborn refusal to release a touchscreen-enabled Mac.

10+ new features in iOS 10.2 beta 1

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 14, 2017

Apple yesterday issued beta 1 of the forthcoming iOS 10.2 software update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. For starters, iOS 10.2 beta 1 includes three new wallpapers, provides a bunch of new emoji as part of the Unicode 9.0 standard and gives Camera the optional ability to remember filter, Live Photo and mode settings.

Star ratings are back in the Music app and Videos has its own widget. Oh, and you can now annoy friends with a brand new animation in Messages.

Without further ado, here's our video hands-on with iOS 10.2 beta 1 accompanied by a detailed description of all the new features and enhancements.

AirPods may not ship until January 2017

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 1, 2016

After Apple shared disappointing news that the much vaunted AirPods aren’t quite ready yet and won't meet its self-imposed late-October deadline, a new report from Chinese-language Economic Daily News re-published Tuesday by Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes suggests that Apple's first-ever wireless earphones may not actually go on sale before January of next year.

iFixit tears down the 2016 MacBook Pro base model

Anthony Bouchard ∙ November 1, 2016

iFixit officially got its hands on the 2016 MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar at the top of the keyboard, and their team has already completed one of the detailed teardowns the firm is known for.

The new MacBook Pro appears to contain a lot of new tech, highlighting large advancements in Apple's pro notebook lineup.