Apple News

Subscribe to Apple News feed Apple News
Welcome Home! Apple and Mac News
Updated: 4 days 6 hours ago

iOS 18 to turn AirPods Pro into hearing aids

Tue, 2024-03-12 08:12
AirPods Pro (2nd generation)

Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman reports this week that Apple has big plans for iOS 18, including a new “hearing aid mode” for AirPods Pro.

Chance Miller for 9to5Mac:

AirPods already offer a feature called Live Listen, which launched as part of iOS 12 in 2018. This feature essentially turns an iPhone into a directional microphone, transmitting the audio captured by that iPhone to AirPods in real time.

Apple also introduced a Conversation Boost capability to AirPods Pro in 2021, which boosts mic pickup from directly in front of you, to better hear someone talking to you. A study in 2022 showed that some of these existing AirPods Pro features already compare well to much more expensive dedicated devices.

More details on this new iOS 18 feature for AirPods Pro users are unclear.


MacDailyNews Note: In August 2022, the U.S. NIH issued new guidelines allowing for over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, a new category of hearing aids that consumers with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss can buy directly, without visiting a hearing health professional.

Please help support MacDailyNews. Click or tap here to support our independent tech blog. Thank you!

Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.

The post iOS 18 to turn AirPods Pro into hearing aids appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, uses Mac to alter family photograph

Tue, 2024-03-12 06:36
Catherine, Princess of Wales and her children (left to right) Prince Louis, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte in altered photograph

Catherine, Princess of Wales, was admitted to The London Clinic on January 16, 2024, where she underwent abdominal surgery for an undisclosed medical condition that was not cancer-related. On Sunday, March 10, 2024, she released a photograph which she later admitted was edited on a Mac along with the text: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C”

Kensington Palace said the photo had been taken by her husband, heir to the throne Prince William, last week.

Michael Holden for Reuters:

Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, issued an apology on social media on Monday for “any confusion” caused by an edited photograph which had been issued by her office Kensington Palace the previous day.

Several leading news organisations including Reuters withdrew the picture of Kate, 42, posing with her three children after post-publication analysis showed it did not meet their editorial standards.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” the message on X said, signed with a “C” meaning it was sent by Kate. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”

A royal source said Kate had wanted to post an informal picture of her family to mark Mother’s Day, which was celebrated in Britain on Sunday, and had made minor adjustments.

Broadcasters with access to the original image said an examination of its metadata showed it had been saved in photo editing software Adobe Photoshop twice on an Apple Mac.


MacDailyNews Take: The mystery deepens!

Please help support MacDailyNews. Click or tap here to support our independent tech blog. Thank you!

Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.

The post Catherine, Princess of Wales, uses Mac to alter family photograph appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Apple tests new AI-powered tool for optimizing App Store ads

Tue, 2024-03-12 05:47

Apple is experimenting with a new AI-powered way to buy its App Store ads, Business Insider reports Monday citing “two people familiar with the matter.”

Lara O’Reilly for Business Insider:

Apple has begun testing a new product with a small group of advertisers that automatically decides where to place ads within its App Store, much like Google’s Performance Max and Meta’s Advantage+.

Apple’s current ad formats include two types of ads within the search tab and on the search results page, “You might also like” ads that appear on app product pages, and those that appear on the “Today” tab when users first open the App Store.

Performance Max and Advantage+ have been a boon for Google and Meta, which both regularly reference those products on their earnings calls as key growth drivers. Google says Performance Max drives better results, though some advertisers are skeptical of the product because the company doesn’t provide detailed breakdowns about where their ads ran. Meta does disclose Advantage+ placement reports.

While Apple’s new tool appears to be limited to placements within the App Store, mobile advertising experts said it could logically follow that Apple would eventually expand it to other properties… Commentators have previously speculated that Apple would soon bring ads to Maps, Apple TV+, and its Books app. Apple also recently launched a Sports app, which could be another contender for new ad spots.


MacDailyNews Take: AI-powered ad placements are slightly more thrilling to the Apple customer than sitting through a Tim Cook keynote address.

Please help support MacDailyNews. Click or tap here to support our independent tech blog. Thank you!

Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]

The post Apple tests new AI-powered tool for optimizing App Store ads appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Pages