Macworld The first seemingly legitimate benchmarks of Apple’s new A18 Pro chip have apparently leaked out, and they show a healthy boost in performance that should keep Apple on top of the smartphone performance charts for a while. The Geekbench 6 listing for “iPhone17,2” means we’re looking at the performance numbers for an iPhone 16 Pro Max, and therefore the A18 Pro chip. The CPU score shows single-core performance of 3,409 and multi-core performance of 8,492. The GPU benchmark, which measures Metal API performance for GPU compute tasks and not 3D graphics rendering performance, came in at ..read more

Macworld On September 9, 2024, Apple pulled back the covers on its latest generation of iPhones, ushering in the age of the iPhone 16. As with the previous lineup, you get four models to choose from: the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Here, we’ll compare the standard iPhone 16 and its Pro counterpart to find out whether the extra money is worth spending.  If it’s the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max you are deciding between, those handsets share the same features as their smaller counterpart–only the screen sizes are different–so the information below ..read more

Macworld One of the enduring features of the Apple Watch is its three activity rings: Move, Exercise, and Stand. Apple made Close Your Rings a central piece of Apple Watch marketing and even built many of its special Activity Badges around various streaks where you close your rings every day for a certain period of time. Users noticed a problem with ring-closing streaks almost immediately. What if you get sick? What if you’re stuck traveling where you can’t exercise? What if you suffer an injury? Or can’t wear your Apple Watch for a little while? For years we’ve asked for the ability to pause ..read more

Macworld For the second year in a row, Apple has added a button to the iPhone. New iPhone buyers will have two different hardware buttons to get familiar with, both the Action Button (introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro, and now on all iPhone 16 models) and the all-new Camera Control button. For those of us who remember the era when Apple attempted to strip buttons and ports off of all its products–reaching a low point with the completely buttonless iPod shuffle–it’s a remarkable turnaround. I got to spend some time trying out Camera Control this week, and while it’s not guaranteed that everyone ..read more

Macworld Apple keeps adding helpful new features to AirPods Pro 2, but this latest firmware update is bigger than most—it’s all to get them ready for the big iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia update next week. The new firmware version is 7A294 (the previous version was 6F8) and it is available for both the Lightning and USB-C variants of the 2nd-gen AirPods Pro. Apple describes the update as follows: When used with an iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and watchOS 11-supported iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, AirPods Pro 2 firmware update 7A294 makes the hands-free experience even more seamless by ..read more

Macworld There may be a cool new color for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, but otherwise, it’s the same device as last year’s model. And if you can do without black, we’re seeing the best price on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 right now, which is available for $689 at Amazon, down from $799. The Ultra 2 is a fantastic choice for anyone who wants a rugged smartwatch with a large and bright screen and a fantastic battery life. In our review of the Apple Watch Ultra 2, we gave it a 4- out of 5-star rating, with our expert appreciating the screen, the slick operating system, and the great performance in track ..read more

Macworld Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro (alongside new Apple Watch and AirPods models) at an action-packed press event yesterday. The company focused heavily on new AI features, but we knew quite a lot about Apple Intelligence already; many company watchers, including this one, were more interested in the iPhone getting a second new button in as many years. As had been rumored ahead of the event, all four new iPhone models for 2024 feature a new capacitive, gesture-sensitive button called Camera Control. This sits in a slight recess low down on the righthand edge, below the power but ..read more

Macworld Apple unveiled a new generation of iPhones at the GlowTime event on September 9, 2024. The iPhone 16 comes with Apple Intelligence features and a selection of upgrades and tweaks that we’ve come to expect with the annual releases. Some people update their iPhones every year and will be wondering if it is worth updating from the iPhone 15 to the iPhone 16, others will be updating from an older iPhone and deciding whether to go whole hog and get the iPhone 16, or if they would be better off saving some money and getting the iPhone 15. We are here to help you choose between the iPhone 1 ..read more

Macworld At the company’s Glowtime event on Monday, Apple announced new Watches, AirPods, and, yes, new iPhones. The iPhone 16 series is almost here and this year’s crop may leave some people in a quandary. Apple rationalized its formerly messy iPad lineup last year, making the distinction between the iPad Air line and the iPad Pro line more clear by putting its Fastest Processor Ever™ in the Pro and moving the price up the the Highest Price For an iPad Ever™. The innovations just keep coming. Now, weirdly, it’s done the almost opposite with the iPhone line. There is still a fair bit of light ..read more

Macworld Much has been said about Apple’s ecosystem and how it’s engineered so that it makes it difficult to leave it. Why would you? It’s so easy to switch between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac regardless of the work you are doing–or the fun you are having. AirPods have always been included in the ecosystem, but after the Glowtime event, it’s clear that Apple is making a concerted effort to keep AirPods in your ears, so much so that you’ll put them on and will have few reasons to take them off. Now hear this The most obvious new always-on feature is the AirPods Pro’s new hearing health awarenes ..read more