Welcome to the new home of Apple Breakfast! If you are a reader of Macworld UK site, you’ll recognize this column that will now appear on Macworld.com every Saturday. If you’re new, here’s our weekly collection of all the Apple news you’ve missed this week, in a handy bite-sized summary. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, but it’s cool if you want to read it during lunch or dinner hours as well.
Spring is coming (maybe) early
We thought we had until the end of March at least, but now a Bloomberg report says Apple is holding its spring event March 8. Which isn’t technically spring and could cause all sorts of trouble for migrating plants and birds that depend on Tim Cook’s talk to regulate their seasonal tendencies.
It would be an overstatement to say that the Macworld team is running around in blind panic. Rather, we’ll be ready and eager to provide expert analysis of announcements as they happen. But the hint of an early kickoff prompted some quick assessments of what we’re likely to hear about.
The big favorites for stage time (presumably still virtual) are the ipad air and the bloated new Mac mini, both of which represent the best of what a colleague calls Apple intermediate Trending: A range of Goldilocks style products with a cheap option at the bottom, and an overpowered option at the top, and by far the best option in the middle. The iPad Air was our pick of the tablet market when it launched in 2020, and only needs a simple update to reclaim that crown. The Mac mini could do with a little more punch, and rumors suggest it’s about to get just that.
Most eyes, however, will be on a device that sits closer to the bottom of the line: the long-awaited (and long-requested) 2022 update to the iPhone SE. The SE shows that Apple can create a great product on a budget when it gets down to business, while the device’s commercial success indicates how the price continues to drive smartphone sales, even globally Apple’s ambitious.
There may well be more spring surprises in store, given that 2022 is expected to be filled with Apple launches, and we’ll discuss those in due course. But for now, we would only advise you to mark the date lightly in your diary and prepare for the start of a huge year.
Week in brief
Speaking of likely releases this spring, this week’s Different Think column takes a look at the iPhone SE 3which is more exciting than it looks.
Apple and Samsung have running out of smartphone ideaswrites Michael Simon.
Autocorrect on iPhone is no better than 10 years ago and we want to know why.
Following high profile reports of AirTag Harassment, Apple acknowledged the problem and promised to do better. David Price, however, fears that the AirTag can beat theft or harassment, but not both.
The real reason Apple isn’t bringing Face ID to the Mac is not a question of size, it is a question of stubbornness.
A court of appeal has thrown the ‘legally unbearable’ damages of $ 1.1 billion that Apple had to pay infringe two patents – but confirmed the offenses themselves.
Macalope think you should reach out to help Facebook in these difficult times. (He is also very sarcastic.)
Apple has bought AI Music for an undisclosed sum. The company creates technologies for adapt the music to the behavior of the userwhich could be a perfect fit for Fitness+.
Jason Snell laments Apple’s reluctance to make changes to the App Store in the face of skyrocketing profits.
Apple Music Free Trials were cut off for three months to onein a move that may be tied to a royalty dispute from 2015. But rejoice, because Karen Haslam has found you can still get a two month trial with Shazam.
Caldigit has a 18 Port Thunderbolt Docking Station it’s tailor-made for Mac users.
If you buy your next iPhone from Verizonyou will pay for it for three years.
Software, bugs and other issues
IDG
A Bluetooth problem that caused an alarming drop in MacBook battery levels has been fixed in macOS Monterey 12.2.1.
Apple has warned of a surprising heat problem affecting two of its most high-end products. If you have a Pro Display XDR or a MacBook Pro with a Liquid Retina XDR display, you’ll need to pay attention to rooms above 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
the second beta of 15.4 arrived with the framework for Tap to Pay. macOS Monterey 12.3 beta 2 is also available.
New features in iOS 15.4 could put us on the path to eliminate password hellwrites Dan Moren.
This week, Apple rolled out a urgent security update for Mac, iPhone and iPad. The updates fix a vulnerability that could lead to “the execution of arbitrary code.”
Apple says it fixed an error in iOS 15 that meant some Siri conversations were rated without permission. Here’s what went wrong.
Adobe released fixes for 17 security vulnerabilities – including several identified as critics – in five programs, including Photoshop and Illustrator.
The rumor mill
IDG
Apple plans a blitz produced in 2022with four new M2 Macs and a full lineup of new devices throughout the year.
Is Apple preparing to launch its mixed reality headset? Something is in the works as references to “realityOS” were spotted in Apple code this week.
The prolific rumor monger Mark Gurman has spilled the beans on the MacBook Pro M2 launch planned for this year. It won’t have Pro Motion or Touch Bar, he says, while the base M2 chip won’t be able to match the performance of the M1 Pro and Max. Looks like someone is turning into a negative Nancy!
Note that other sources believe that new macbook pro could be here early March…which brings us back to the ‘pre-spring spring event’ rumors we started this article with.
And with that, we’re done for this week. If you want to receive regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters. You can also Follow us on twitter for the latest news. See you next Saturday, enjoy your weekend and stay Appley!
