Pimping out a computer setup with vintage gear is super-cool, even if the old stuff doesn’t get much use (or is solely for display purposes). Today’s M1 MacBook Pro setup recently added a new Studio Display, and both of those modern machines bask in the glory of a nearby classic Macintosh SE from the 1980s.
The ancient all-in-one computer still works and it even gets some use.
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‘Old school’ Macintosh SE hangs with ‘new school’ MacBook Pro and Studio Display
Redditor nickdmiller showcased the old-and-new setup in a post entitled, “Old school and new school.”
“Just got the new Studio Display and loving it with my M1 [MacBook Pro],” Miller said. “Also pictured is vintage Macintosh SE, iPad Pro and custom-painted Magic Keyboard.”
So as noted, Miller runs an M1 MacBook Pro with a brand-new Studio Display and a 12.9-inch iPad Pro in the central setup.
“Do you use the iPad Pro as a secondary display?” a commenter asked.
“Yeah, I use it as an extension of my MacBook. I normally keep calendar and mail open on the iPad all day and use the display for focused task work,” Miller replied.
ColorWare custom-painted accessories
Then another person asked if the Magic Keyboard gets its look because of a skin applied to it. That’s a type of cover you can leave on as you use the keyboard. But in Miller’s case, it’s a custom paint job.
“It’s painted from ColorWare,” Miller said. “I believe they stopped selling Magic Keyboards, but still have trackpads and mice.” (A quick check of the website suggests that among Apple products, they only do Apple Pencil, AirPods cases, AirTags, AirPods Max and Magic Mouse.)
Classic Macintosh SE
And off to the right in the photograph sits a classic Macintosh SE from the 1980s. An improvement on the Macintosh Plus, Apple produced the SE from March 1987 to October 1990. The Macintosh II came out at the same time and the enhanced SE/30 came out toward the end of SE’s run, though the two overlapped for a time.
Miller’s SE is in full working order and actually gets some use, he said.
“It works and I have Oregon Trail on it … it’s mainly just a display piece but fun to turn on and let the kids play it,” he noted.
Shop these items now:
A tighter shot gives a better look at the ColorWare custom-painted Magic Keyboard. Photo: [email protected]
Computers:
Display:
Input devices:
Audio:
Furniture:
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected]. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.
Not as good as Apple’s Pro Display XDR, but the 27-inch Apple Studio Display packs an impressive panel coupled with a six-speaker system and studio-quality microphones.
Conversation Boost in current AirPods Pro acts like a hearing aid but Apple reportedly wants to go farther. Graphic: Apple
AirPods Pro might be able to act more like a hearing aid with the release of iOS 18, according to an Apple tipster.
The additional audio function would benefit those with slight hearing loss who aren’t ready for more serious hearing assistance.
Skip the hearing aid with AirPods Pro in iOS 18
Many people wear AirPods for hours every day so they can (1) listen to music but also (2) close off the world. But soon these truly wireless earbuds could help wearers better communicate with the people around them.
The release of iOS 18 in the autumn will add new hearing aid capabilities to AirPods Pro, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. No additional details on what exactly that means came from the tipster.
Better than Live Listen and Conversation Boost?
Specifics on the upcoming hearing aid feature for AirPods Pro are lacking, but it will obviously have to improve on Conversation Boost, a feature that’s been in AirPods Pro since 2022. It uses software to amplify the voice of the person the wearer is speaking with.
And several Apple headphones models also support Live Listen, which turns an iPhone or iPad into a microphone that sends sound to any of several AirPods models. This is useful than sitting in a noisy environment like a restaurant.
A 2022 FDA full change allows companies to sell hearing aids over the counter and online, without a doctor’s intervention. Ever since, there have been expectations that Apple would make AirPods act as a hearing aid for those who need extra help. These have been helped along by leaks indicating the audio feature is on the way.
iOS 18 is expected to be announced at WWDC24 in June. New artificial intelligence-driven features are expected to be a highlight, and being able to pick out speech from ambient noise and amplify just it might be one of those AI additions.
Powerful new health and wellness apps take advantage of visionOS’s “infinite canvas” to use spatial experiences to improve patient outcomes in clinical settings and at home, Apple said Monday. It seems that Vision Pro health apps are changing medical care.
“We’re thrilled to see the incredible apps that developers across the healthcare community are bringing to Apple Vision Pro,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “The imagination and drive of our developers, combined with the technical capabilities of visionOS, are igniting new possibilities for physicians, frontline workers, and even students, and we can’t wait to see what’s to come.”
visionOS health apps benefit users through spatial experiences
Accordingly, Apple pointed out that medical institutions and developers have worked with products like iPad and iPhone for a long time. Apple gear has helped improve patient outcomes, increase efficiency, save money and supercharge research. Now it’s Vision Pro’s turn.
“Vision Pro seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world, unlocking powerful spatial experiences in an infinite canvas,” Apple said. “And with the unique capabilities of visionOS, healthcare developers are creating new apps that were not previously possible. [They] transform areas such as clinical education, surgical planning, training, medical imaging, behavioral health and more.”
In support of the premise, the iPhone giant listed some choice examples of healthcare and wellness apps.
Aiding behavioral health and wellness
Cedars-Sinai’s Xaia app (pictured above; watch a video demo) uses Vision Pro to support patients’ mental health. The app’s “trained digital avatar offers patients AI-enabled, conversational mental health support in relaxing spatial environments where they can also do deep breathing exercises and meditation.” The patient could be at home or somewhere like a beach. And privacy remains intact, as the app requires no patient information.
“Apple Vision Pro’s stunning display offers a gateway into a world of immersive, interactive behavioral health support — a quantum leap beyond previous technologies,” said Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS, professor of medicine, director of Health Services Research, and director of the master’s degree program in Health Delivery Science at Cedars-Sinai.
“With Xaia, we leverage every pixel of that remarkable resolution and the full spectrum of vivid colors to craft a form of immersive therapy that’s engaging and deeply personal,” he added. “With this remarkable device, our team was able to completely reimagine how spatial computing can support behavioral health and overall wellbeing in ways never before possible.”
And you can explore other behavioral health and wellness apps:
The Mindfulness app on Vision Pro creates calm, immersive environments for users.
TRIPP delivers illuminating visuals and Spatial Audio for guided breathing exercises and sleep experience.
Healium helps Vision Pro users “relax and build resilience by creating stress-reducing memories of nature-based escapes.”
Odio uses Spatial Audio and intuitive gestures to display 3D images for focus, relaxation or peaceful sleep.
Surgical planning and education with Vision Pro health apps
Apple pointed out Stryker’s new myMako app for the company’s Mako SmartRobotics hip and knee replacement surgeries. The app helps surgeons use Vision Pro and iPhone to extend their experience in and beyond the operating room for better surgical outcomes. It helps surgeons prepare by visualizing and reviewing patients’ Mako surgical plans through immersive visuals.
“The myMako app for Apple Vision Pro allows surgeons the ability to access intricate surgical plan details and insights at their fingertips in a 3D-native, intuitive, and dynamic way. This level of insight — anytime, anywhere — was previously not possible,” said Robert Cohen, Stryker’s president of Digital, Robotics, and Enabling Technologies.
“With Apple Vision Pro, Stryker’s market-leading enabling technologies such as Mako SmartRobotics have the exciting potential to transform the way surgeons think about preoperative planning and the intraoperative experience, all consistent with Stryker’s mission to make healthcare better.”
Virtual environments for training
Boston Children’s Hospital created CyranoHealth, an app that offers immersive, comprehensive training on new medical equipment for frontline workers. Photo: Apple
In addition, Apple cited Boston Children’s Hospital’s CyranoHealth app. Its comprehensive learning experience in a virtual environment helps with onboarding and training of clinicians. This is especially helpful in prepping them for real-world use of new medical equipment.
“CyranoHealth utilizes spatial computing to revolutionize the training of healthcare professionals, offering immersive, lifelike simulations to enhance learning and combat burnout. The app represents a significant leap forward in healthcare training, blending technology and medicine to create a future-ready workforce,” said John Brownstein, Ph.D., Boston Children’s chief innovation officer.
And you can explore other surgical planning and education apps:
Fundamental Surgery delivers surgical training through spatial computing.
CollaboratOR 3D by KARL STORZ enhances surgical learning opportunities.
Elsevier’s Complete HeartX “delves into … the human body to create a realistic and engaging learning environment.”
Insight Heart helps users understand the human heart. With ARKit, they can scan physical surroundings and visualize 3D hearts using CT data.
Interactive holograms
Siemens Healthineers’ Cinematic Reality app for Vision Pro lets clinicians and patients see immersive, interactive holograms of the human body taken from medical scans.
So here’s Apple’s description of how it works:
Using Metal and the power of the M2 processor, the app integrates advanced path-tracing technology, simulating light interactions with virtual objects to deliver breathtakingly realistic lighting and reflections.
“Cinematic Reality gives people the opportunity to immerse themselves in a world of photorealistic renderings of the human anatomy,” said Christian Zapf, of Siemens Healthineers. “Apple Vision Pro perfectly presents that three-dimensional experience, combined with great flexibility and standalone use. We see great potential for the technology for clinical as well as educational purposes.”
Vision Pro health apps: Collaborative medical histories
Epic Spatial Computing Concept allows physicians to experience charting, secure chat, and in-basket workflows with Apple Vision Pro using gestures. Photo: Apple
And another good example of an enhanced health app involves all-important medical records.
Epic Systems’ Epic Spatial Computing Concept for Vision Pro helps healthcare workers in various ways. They can “easily complete charting, review labs, communicate using secure chat, and complete in-basket workflows through intuitive gestures.”
“Creating the first electronic health record experience for spatial computing was an exciting project for our developers,” said Seth Howard, Epic’s senior VP of R&D. “With Apple Vision Pro, clinicians will be able to interact with their patients’ health information in new, immersive ways. We welcome ideas from the physician community about how this technology can expand the future of healthcare delivery.”
And you can explore other productivity and collaboration apps:
Visage Ease VP supports immersive spatial experiences for diagnostic imaging and multimedia. UC San Diego Health became the first health system to pilot the technology t0 improve patient care.
Falcon Vue unleashes the power of spatial medical imaging viewing.
Medivis brings SurgicalAR Vision to Apple Vision Pro, enhancing medical imaging to support surgical precision.
March 11, 2011: How do you follow up your biggest product debut ever? That’s the question Apple needs to answer as it releases the iPad 2.
Apple’s second-generation tablet boasts a faster dual-core A5 processor inside a lighter build. It’s also the first iPad to feature VGA front-facing and 720p rear-facing cameras.
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iPad 2: A worthy upgrade
Although iPad sales today pale in comparison to the iPhone, the original iPad came out of the gate as one of Apple’s biggest successes. When introduced in January 2010, it immediately became the most exciting new gadget in the world.
When the original iPad went on sale, it took less than a month to sell 1 million units — half the time it took Apple to sell that many iPhones at the time.
In its first year, Apple sold around 25 million iPads, making the tablet the most successful new product category launch in Cupertino history. After six months, it already outsold the Mac.
Second Apple tablet brings advances in form and function
The iPad 2, therefore, had a lot to live up to. Did it succeed? In a word, “yes.”
Apple’s second-generation tablet maintained its predecessor’s display size, price and capacity, but packed more power into a one-third thinner body. Measuring just 0.34 inches thick, it even came in slimmer than the then-current iPhone 4.
The iPad 2 lineup also added a new color: It now came in black and white options. The speaker grille also wrapped around the back of the device, providing users with better sound quality.
Apple’s new magnetic Smart Cover arrived at the same time as the iPad 2, instantly making the bulky, rubber, third-party cases for the original iPad look terrible by comparison.
In the end, the iPad 2 hung around for an impressively long period. It outlasted both the iPad 3 and iPad 4. Apple sold the iPad 2 until 2014.
Sound off on iPad 2
Did you own an iPad 2? What was the first model of Apple’s tablet that you bought, and what were your initial impressions? Let us know in the comments below.
No Apple TV+ film won an Oscar on Sunday, despite for Martin Scorsese’s historical epic Killers of the Flower Moon earning ten Oscar nominations — including Best Picture — and Ridley Scott’s historical epic Napoleon earning three noms.
Despite the final results, Apple made it clear that it is honored to be nominated. And both films have drawn large audiences since they debuted on Apple’s streaming service.
Apple TV+ gets 10 Oscar nominations for Killers of the Flower Moon and 3 for Napoleon
From the start, Apple TV+ execs set their sights on winning industry awards to garner attention for the upstart streaming service. This year, Apple Original Films received 13 Academy Awards nominations in total for the two Apple Original Films — ten for Killers of the Flower Moon and three for Napoleon.
And two other indigenous artists got nominations — the late guitarist and arranger Robbie Robertson for Best Original Score and Osage member Scott George for Best Original Song “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People).”
Also of note, Scorsese’s nod for Best Director makes him the most-nominated living director in history with 10 nominations, Apple said.
13 nominations, but no wins
Apple TV+ snatched just one win off 14 nominations in the Golden Globes. These are often seen as a predictor of Oscar awards, and that held true once again in 2024.
But Apple made it clear it’s proud of the nominations.
“Thank you to the Academy for these nominations that celebrate both Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese’s powerful film that has moved and inspired audiences across the globe, and Ridley Scott’s spectacular epic Napoleon, two stories that illuminate the human experience,” said Zack Van Amburg, Apple’s head of Worldwide Video.
“From the dynamic and complex performances of Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro, and the gorgeous cinematography, design, editing, and soundscape that immersed viewers in the world of the Osage Nation, to the majestic costumes, sets, and visual effects that brought Napoleonic France to vibrant life on screen, it is wonderful to see so many members of these brilliant creative teams recognized today,” he added. “We applaud you all.”
Apple historical epics faced stiff competition
Killers of the Flower Moon was recognized with 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Martin Scorsese), and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Lily Gladstone). Photo: Apple TV+
Scorsese’s film, based on Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, the 2017 nonfiction book by journalist David Grann, also got a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Robert De Niro as well as a best director nomination and nods for film editing, cinematography, music and more.
Napoleon, a biopic about the rise of French conqueror and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, received nominations for production design, costume design and visual effects.
The competition at the Academy Awards was stiff for Best Picture and other categories. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, most notably, racked up 13 Oscar nominations and took home the 2024 Best Picture Oscar. (It won the same award at the Golden Globes.)
Nomination for Killers of the Flower Moon:
Best Picture
Directing: Martin Scorsese
Actress in a Leading Role: Lily Gladstone
Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert De Niro
Film Editing: Thelma Schoonmaker
Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto
Production Design: Jack Fisk, Adam Willis
Costume Design: Jacqueline West
Music (Original Score): Robbie Robertson
Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People), Music (Original Song): Scott George
Nominations for Napoleon:
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon received three Oscar nominations. Photo: Apple TV+
Production Design: Arthur Max, Elli Griff
Costume Design: Janty Yates, David Crossman
Visual Effects: Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet, Simone Coco, and Neil Corbould
Base M3 MacBook Airs ship with faster storage than their predecessors. Photo: Apple
Apple has fixed the slow storage speed issue that plagued M2 Macs on the M3 MacBook Air. Early testing suggests the entry-level M3 MacBook Air delivers significantly faster read/write speeds than its predecessor.
The slow SSD transfer speed only affected entry-level M2 Macs due to them using a single-chip NAND solution.
M3 MacBook Air with 256GB storage gets a big SSD speed boost
On M2 Macs with 256 GB storage, Apple used a single-chip solution instead of two storage chips. On 512GB and higher configurations, it used a multi-chip solution. This enabled SSDs on machines with 512GB or more storage to offer faster read/write speeds as the chips could process the task in parallel.
This was a regression from M1 Macs, with tests showing a decline in performance of about 30-50%. While this might not make a difference in daily use, the slower SSD speed would be evident when transferring large files and opening/running heavy apps.
As YouTuber MaxTech shows in his 13-inch MacBook Air with M3 teardown video, the new machine uses two 128GB storage chips. This ensures the SSD delivers better performance than the M2 model, with benchmarks indicating 33% faster write speeds and a whopping 82% faster read speeds.
Dual storage chips bring a big performance jump
Such a big performance jump should be easily noticeable when running heavy apps. Add the dual external monitor support, and the M3 MacBook Air packs compelling changes over its predecessors.
While the YouTuber has only tested the 13-inch MacBook Air, the same changes should apply to the 15-inch model. You can read our M2 vs. M3 MacBook Air comparison to learn how the new models are better.
Most average users might not notice the faster SSD speeds on the entry-level M3 Airs. But if the slower speed bothered you on M2 Macs, you no longer need to upgrade to 512GB storage for faster SSD speed on the new M3 Airs.
CleanMyPhone is a new app that will tidy up your photo library. Developed by MacPaw, maker of CleanMyMac X, the new app can do a thorough scan of images on your iPhone to clear out years of screenshots, saved TikToks and unusably blurry shots. It’s a simple way to clean up photos on your iPhone.
It also uses artificial intelligence to sort your photos into handy categories. Plus, it makes it simple to periodically look at the last week or month of your photos to sort things into albums and stay organized. As a bonus, the app comes with an internet speed test — good for checking if your connection is solid enough to take an important video call.
Clean up and organize your photo library with the CleanMyPhone app [Review]
I have … a lot of screen recordings. Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Immediately you’ll notice how beautifully designed the CleanMyPhone app is. Open the app and you’ll see a quick walkthrough of the main features, with gorgeous graphics on a colorfully animated background. Make sure you enable access to all photos — that’s essential for the core features to work.
Hit the Scan button to search through your photos for clutter to eliminate. The scan surfaces screenshots, blurry pictures, duplicates, screen recordings, TikTok videos and albums generated by apps.
Tap on any category to get a closer look at what the CleanMyPhone scan flagged. You can mark some of the items as Sensitive, if you like, so the app won’t ever remove them. (If you delete something accidentally, you have 30 days to recover it from the Recently Deleted folder in Photos.)
Once you’re finished, just tap the satisfying Clean button to clear your iPhone of duplicate photos and other clutter.
As you can see from the screenshot above, I have gigabytes of screen recordings and screenshots that it surfaced. Many of these were for work (and have already been published in articles and archived elsewhere) and didn’t need to be in my library.
Personally, I don’t understand why it thinks Snapchats are clutter. All of these are pictures and videos I just happened to capture with Snapchat instead of the regular camera and saved to my library intentionally. But it’s easy to mark them as sensitive (or ignore the category entirely).
Keep yourself organized
Don’t just clean the house — get someone to keep it up. Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
One-time cleans are all well and good for cutting out cruft, but any parent can tell you that staying organized is arguably more important. Go to the Organize tab for a quick review of the last week or the last month of photos.
The CleanMyPhone app will sort your pictures into albums, using AI to put them into a few categories: Portraits, Travel, Pets, Food, Text, Other.
In each category, you can see Similars (groups of photos all taken in a batch, where you only need to keep the best few) and Unique photos (one-offs you may or may not need). Pick the photos you want to keep (and which you want to remove), then tap Finish.
You can keep coming back to this tab regularly to keep your library tidy. I think this kind of habit-making digital cleanliness could really tickle the right kind of person (like someone who compulsively clears their running apps).
But wait, there’s One More Thing™
Mediocre internet that I pay truly heinous prices for in rural Ohio. Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
The CleanMyPhone app also gives you a tool for testing your internet speed. To use it, just tap the Network tab at the bottom and then hit Test. I normally just go to fast.com, but this is certainly a more beautiful experience.
During CleanMyPhone’s speed test, numbers whizz by the top of your iPhone screen and a big glowing graph is drawn live. When it finishes, the app will tell you what your internet connection can handle. For instance, it can tell you whether your connection is good enough to handle live gaming or a video call, or whether you should just stick to audio.
I really love this interface. If the developers made a little Mac app of this same interface (it wouldn’t even need the photo library stuff) I would pay an irresponsible amount of money for it considering fast.com is free.
Where to get the CleanMyPhone app
Price: $24.99 per year with three-day trial Download from:App Store
CleanMyPhone is a delightful utility that will bring a spark of joy to the otherwise tedious chore of sorting through thousands of photos. I can easily foresee MacPaw adding more different tools to CleanMyPhone over time, to match the Swiss army knife-utility that is CleanMyMac X.
And CleanMyMac X remains the best way to keep your Mac in tip-top shape. You can use MacPaw’s flagship Mac app to clear out malware and adware, scope out the giant hidden files filling up your disk, and keep an eye on the apps that are hogging all your memory.
Light up your home in 16 million colors with this smart LED floor lamp, now $60. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
You don’t need to completely revamp your home to make it feel new and cool again. Just a dash of color can completely change the mood of any space, and that’s easy (and affordable) with this modern LED floor lamp that can be controlled via an app.
Meet the 55-inch RGB LED Remote Floor Lamp, a practical piece of home decor that can help you create the perfect ambiance with its dazzling range of smart lighting features. Right now, it’s only $59.99 (regularly $99) when you shop at Cult of Mac Deals.
Smart, sleek lighting that can amplify any space
Proper lighting is the unsung hero of any computer setup and makes a gigantic difference when it comes to the look and feel of any room. A modern floor lamp like this one can transform a space instantly.
This razor-thin home lighting option boasts powerful LEDs that are highly customizable. Whether you want to make your bedroom a more mellow, relaxing space or transform your living area into a vibrant setting for your next gathering, you can choose from 16 million color options and 68 light modes to personalize your lighting and curate the right aesthetic.
Sync your lighting to your music with this modern floor lamp
But that’s not the only impressive part. Thanks to a built-in microphone, this modern floor lamp can sync with your music to bring your lighting to life. You can control the lamp with the supplied remote or through the companion app (iPhone or Android).
Each option gives you granular control. You can select the perfect hue via a color wheel on your phone, and choose your ideal brightness using the digital dimmer switch that runs from 1% to 100%. The lamp even offers a timer setting, meaning there’s no need to turn the lamp off manually when you go to bed. Plus, you can schedule specific lighting for certain times of the day.
These features come packed into a slim aluminum-and-acrylic design that takes up little space. Its minimalist aesthetic looks good in bedrooms, living areas, gaming dens and most other spaces.
Save on an LED floor lamp with loads of color options
Grab this 55-inch LED floor lamp for just $59.99 for a limited time. That’s a 40% discount off the usual price of $99.99. And you can save even more if you buy two or three lamps in a bundle.
March 5, 2012: Apple reaches a staggering milestone, with 25 billion apps downloaded from the iOS App Store. The company celebrates with a giveaway titled the “25 Billion App Countdown.”
The lucky 25 billionth app downloader wins an iTunes gift card worth $10,000.
Apple’s 25 Billion App Countdown
Just four years after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs relented and opened the iPhone’s App Store, the genius of allowing third-party developers to create iOS apps was undeniable. Hitting the 25 billion downloads landmark in such a short time showcased just how smart — and lucrative — the move was.
Developers dreamed up apps that made the iPhone more useful and fun. Apps that became hits made devs rich, and Apple took a cut of the sales. The App Store became a major profit center for Apple.
“We’d like to thank our customers and developers for helping us achieve this historic milestone of 25 billion apps downloaded,” says Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, in a statement. “When we launched the App Store less than four years ago, we never imagined that mobile apps would become the phenomenon they have, or that developers would create such an incredible selection of apps for iOS users.”
At the time, the App Store offered more than 550,000 apps for download. Apple had doled out more than $4 billion to developers for their 70% share of revenue from paid downloads.
The winner of the gift card in Apple’s 25 Billion App Countdown is Chunli Fu from China. The app is Disney’s Where’s My Water?, a free puzzle game released the previous September.
App Store continues to grow
By comparison, today the App Store peddles nearly 2 million apps, and clocks more than 100 billion downloads a year. The App Store’s reach and influence continue to grow, although Apple’s management of the store faces increasing scrutiny from international antitrust regulators.
“Apps and games have become the essential source for the world’s most innovative and timely entertainment,” Apple said in a 2022 press release. “The efforts, innovation, and creativity of the developers who leverage Apple technology to build these incredible experiences, coupled with the power of the App Store’s global platform to connect businesses of all sizes with over 600 million people each week across 175 countries, has led to developers selling digital goods and services earning more than $260 billion since the App Store launched in 2008.”
Apple continually touts the benefits of the App Store to both consumers and third-party developers. However, the company’s strict control over the app marketplace and the overall iOS ecosystem have landed Apple in hot water. Changes coming soon in iOS 17.4 will open the iPhone to sideloading and third-party app stores in the European Union. And Apple faces a $1.8 billion fine for its allegedly abusive treatment of streaming music rival Spotify.
Apple loved the milestones
Just a few years ago, Apple liked celebrating milestone events with promotions like the 25 Billion App Countdown. In fact, a 2004 contest to mark 100 million iTunes song downloads made the 2012 app download contest look meager.
The winner of the 2004 contest received a personal phone call from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, a 17-inch PowerBook, a 40GB iPod and a gift certificate for 10,000 iTunes songs.
These days, Apple mostly avoids making a big deal of these kinds of landmark events. When Apple passed the 1 billionth iPhone milestone, the company did little to commemorate the occasion. The same held true when Apple’s market cap surpassed the $1 trillion valuation. And $2 trillion. And $3 trillion.
Similarly, Apple avoids sharing too many details about the usage of services like Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and Apple Fitness+. The company also stopped revealing the number of iPhones sold each quarter.
While I understand the logic behind this less-bombastic strategy, I miss the excitement of such old-school Apple events. It was fun when Apple eagerly (and publicly) counted down to its next gigantic sales record with events like the 25 Billion App Countdown.
Apple just dropped iOS 17.4, bringing a plethora of new features — some of which fundamentally change how the iPhone works.
The biggest point update to iOS 17, iOS 17.4 comes almost six months after the operating system’s initial release. It enables support for third-party app stores, browsers and payment apps on the iPhone. The bummer? These major changes are only coming to the European Union. Still, there are a lot of new iOS 17.4 features that will enhance the experience of every iPhone user.
All the new iOS 17.4 features
Apple crammed iOS 17.4 with features and significant changes. Many of them result from the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which goes into effect soon, forcing Apple to make some fundamental changes to its mobile OS.
If you want to try the new iOS 17.4 features, first you need to install iOS 17.4 on your iPhone from Settings > General > Software Update.
EU-specific changes
NFC access to third-party payment apps
Apple is opening the iPhone’s NFC chip to third-party payment and banking apps in iOS 17.4. So, for the first time, iPhone users in Europe can use a non-Apple Pay payment service to make contactless payments in-store.
You can set a default payment app from the Settings menu. iOS 17.4 will also show the apps granted access to the NFC chip for contactless payment.
Third-party browser engines
Another significant EU-specific change in iOS 17.4 is support for third-party browser engines. While Chrome, Firefox and Edge are available for iOS, they use the same WebKit rendering engine as Safari due to the platform’s restrictions.
With iOS 17.4, Apple is opening its mobile platform to third-party browser changes.
Third-party app stores
Sideloading applications onto an iPhone comes with a lot of rules. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
iOS 17.4 paves the way for third-party app stores and sideloading on the iPhone, at least in the European Union. Apple was against the iPhone sideloading provision in the EU’s Digital Markets Act. But since it lost, the company has no option but to adhere to the changes.
So, with iOS 17.4, the company is opening iOS to third-party app stores and sideloading. In typical Apple style, though, there are a lot of restrictions and clauses here. Apple must approve every app before it is available for sideloading. And developers can only offer them for download through alternative app stores. (Some developers lashed out at Apple’s onerous rules as “malicious compliance” with the EU’s new rules.)
EU developers are free to use non-Apple in-app payment systems in their apps. These changes might not be visible immediately after iOS 17.4’s release, but developers should quickly adopt them.
Developers in the EU have the option of adopting Apple’s new business terms. Under this, they will have to pay 0.5 euros per user per year, with no other fees applicable. The first million installations will be free. You can find more information about this in Apple’s announcement from January 2024.
iOS 17.4 enhancements for everyone
Stolen Device Protection improvements
iOS 17.4 improves the iPhone’s Stolen Device Protection feature with an “Always” security delay for changing the security settings. (On iOS 17.3, you could change the security settings on your iPhone after an hour from unfamiliar locations.)
While small, the change will help keep your Apple account and iPhone secure in case of theft.
Messaging with Siri
iOS 17.4 renames Siri’s “Automatically Send Messages” feature to “Messaging with Siri.” More importantly, you can specify multiple languages in which Siri can send messages. Apple’s voice assistant was previously limited to sending messages in English.
Transcript support in Podcasts
Apple Podcasts transcripts Photo: Apple
iOS 17.4 introduces automatic transcript support in Apple’s Podcasts app. When playing a podcast, you need to tap the first icon at the bottom from the left, which looks like a speech bubble within quotes. The show’s transcript should then appear on your iPhone’s display.
You also can search through the transcript to directly jump to that part of the podcast.
Emoji 15.1
Apple is adding 118 emoji from the Emoji 15.1 release to iOS 17.4. They include a phoenix, a lime and smileys shaking their heads up and down.
The new emoji could help you express yourself better when talking to friends or family.
Enjoy these new emoji on your iPhone after updating to iOS 17.4. Photo: Emojipedia
Fortified iMessage security
iMessage will gain post-quantum cryptography (PQC) security in iOS 17.4. This won’t affect your ongoing conversations in the Messages app. But once you and your friends’ iPhones are on iOS 17.4, a cutting-edge security protocol will protect all your texts.
Revamped Battery Health menu
With iOS 17.4, the iPhone 15 will get a revamped Battery Health menu, showing the battery’s condition as “Normal” if its capacity is not a concern. Tapping on this menu will provide more detailed information, like the cycle count and capacity percentage.
Previous models will stick to the older menu, requiring you to head inside the Battery Health submenu to know the cell’s condition.
Cloud-based game services on the App Store
Apple is changing its stance on cloud gaming services with the release of iOS 17.4. The company will allow game streaming apps like Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming to launch dedicated apps on the App Store.
Apple previously limited such services from displaying their game collections through the iOS web browser.
Virtual card number in Apple Cash
iOS 17.4 brings a new feature to the Wallet app: the ability to create a virtual debit card number for Apple Cash. This is a convenient option for making secure payments online or in stores where Apple Pay isn’t accepted.
Using a virtual card number prevents you from sharing your actual card details for added security.
Disable Hand gesture reactions in third-party apps
Apple is introducing a new API in iOS 17.4 that will allow developers to turn off the hand gesture reactions in their video calling apps. Starting with iOS 17, you could make certain hand gestures to trigger reactions while on a video call, whether on FaceTime or third-party apps. Since there was no way to turn off each gesture reaction, many iPhone users inadvertently triggered them.
An API in iOS 17.4 will fix that, allowing developers to turn off each gesture individually.
iOS 17.4 release notes
You can find Apple’s official iOS 17.4 release notes highlighting all the changes below.
Emoji
New mushroom, phoenix, lime, broken chain, and shaking heads emoji are now available in the emoji keyboard.
18 people and body emoji add the option to face them in either direction.
Apple Podcasts
Transcripts let you follow an episode with text that highlights in sync with the audio in English, Spanish, French and German.
Episode text can be read in full, searched for a word or phrase, tapped to play from a specific point and used with accessibility features such as Text Size, Increase Contrast and VoiceOver.
This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
Music recognition lets you add songs you have identified to your Apple Music Playlists and Library, as well as Apple Music Classic.
Siri has a new option to announce messages you receive in any supported language.
Stolen Device Protection supports the option for increased security in all locations.
Battery Health in Settings shows battery cycle count, manufacture date, and first use on iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models.
Call Identification displays Apple-verified business name, logo and department name when available.
Business updates in Messages for Business provide trusted information for order status, flight notifications, fraud alerts or other transactions you opt into.
Apple Cash virtual card numbers enable you to pay with Apple Cash at merchants that don’t yet accept Apple Pay by typing in your number from Wallet or using Safari AutoFill.
Fixes an issue where contact pictures are blank in Find My.
Fixes an issue for Dual SIM users where the phone number changes from primary to secondary and is visible to a group they have messaged.
What are your favorite new iOS 17.4 features? Let us know in the comments below.
March 11, 2011: How do you follow up your biggest product debut ever? That’s the question Apple needs to answer as it releases the iPad 2.
March 5, 2012: Apple reaches a staggering milestone, with 25 billion apps downloaded from the iOS App Store. The company celebrates with a giveaway titled the “25 Billion App Countdown.”
