Category: Apple Insider

During Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards, Apple TV+ was represented by a pair of films that were nominated for a total of six awards, with “CODA” alongside “The Tragedy of Macbeth” for three categories apiece.

“CODA” took the top prize of the awards, winning the Best Picture category. The Apple TV+ beat out nine other major movies that were up for the award, including “Drive My Car,” “Dune,” “Licorice Pizza,” “The Power of the Dog,” and “West Side Story.”

The film is a landmark winner in a number of ways, including being the first Best Picture nomination for Apple TV+. It is also the first movie featuring a predominantly deaf cast to be honored in the category and the first movie from a streaming service to win the award.

Troy Kotsur, who played father “Frank Rossi” in “CODA,” won his category of Best Actor in a Supporting Role, following earlier accolades at the BAFTAs and other ceremonies. Kotsur also made history by being the first deaf male actor to ever receive an Oscar nomination, arriving 35 years after co-star Marlee Matlin won best actress for 1987’s “Children of a Lesser God.”

Sian Heder picked up the award for Best Adapted Screenplay for “CODA,” beating out the writers behind “Drive My Car,” “Dune,” “The Lost Daughter,” and “The Power of the Dog” to the gong.

Denzel Washington’s portrayal of the titular character in “The Tragedy of Macbeth” wasn’t quite enough to win Best Actor against Will Smith. The nomination was Washington’s tenth at the Oscars, and he previously won Best Actor for “Training Day” in 2002 and Best Supporting Actor for “Glory” in 1990.

Bruno Delbonnel narrowly missed the Best Cinematography award for his work in “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” in a category that also included “Dune,” “Nightmare Alley,” “The Power of the Dog,” and “West Side Story.” Greig Fraser ultimately won for his work on “Dune.”

Stefan Dechant didn’t win the category for Best Production Design for “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” with it won by Patrice Vermette and Zsuzsanna Sipos for “Dune.”

The Chrome Team said on Friday there was a “Stable Channel Update for Desktop” that brings Chrome up to version 99.0.4844.84 on macOS, as well as Windows and Linux. The update is important, as it fixes a high-severity bug in the browser.

The issue, identified as CVE-2022-1096, is a “type confusion” weakness for Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine, reports Bleeping Computer. Identified by an anonymous security researcher, details of the bug’s workings are being kept restricted until “a majority of users are updated with a fix.”

Google is being purposefully cagey about the details of the exploit, since it says it detected attacks actively using it. The team also insists that restrictions on the exploit’s details will stay in place if the same bug exists in third-party libraries that other projects rely on, that have yet to be fixed.

Type confusion refers to a bug that can crash a browser due to the reading and writing of memory out of buffer bounds. As well as causing crashes, the bug can also be used by an attacker to execute code.

Google didn’t say when it would expect to reveal details of the vulnerability, but that may depend on how long it takes for a sufficient number of users to update their browsers.

The update to the new version is available as an automatic update, though it can be manually performed in macOS by selecting “Chrome” in the main menu followed by “About Google Chrome.” Once the update has been downloaded, click “Relaunch.”

The new Vappeby speaker features Spotify Tap functionality, allowing the user to instantly resume the music from where it was left off from the connected device with a single tap. It can also generate new suggestions if the button on the device is pressed again.

The speaker also has an LED bulb with two light modes built-in and the capability to output 360 sound. Its IP65 water and dust resistance rating makes it a perfect pool-side accessory and a must-have camping companion.

The speaker’s durable, lantern-inspired design and grip-friendly handle make it an excellent device for use at home or on the go. It reacharges easily using the included USB-C cable.

Finally, the Bluetooth functionality means it is just as easy to connect audio from other sources such as Apple Music and YouTube from an iPhone or iPad.

The rule, part of the larger proposed Digital Markets Act (DMA,) would require major messaging platforms to allow their services to work with smaller messaging platforms. Services that would need to work between platforms include sending messages, making video calls, and even sending files.

The rule would apply to any company that has at least 45 million monthly active end users and 10,000 annually active corporate users in Europe as noted by TechCrunch.

Failure to comply with the new legislation could see violators incurring fines of up to 10% global annual turnover or up to 20% for repeat violations.

Naturally, this has many questioning the security of such an interoperable platform, but Andreas Schwab, the European Parliament’s Rapporteur for the file, believes it can be done safely.

“The Parliament has always been clear that interoperability for messaging has to come,” Andreas told TechCrunch. “It will come — at the same time, it also has to be secure. If the Telecoms Regulators say it is not possible to deliver end-to-end encrypted group chats within the next nine months, then it will come as soon as it is possible, there will be no doubt about that.”

The legislation would also force platforms to allow users to choose which web browsers, search engines, and virtual assistants they use.

The DMA has yet to be finalized, pending approval of the legal text by the Parliament and Council. Currently, there is no suggested timeline for when implementing interoperable features would need to occur.

Back in November 2020, Big Tech firms, including Apple and Google, were invited to participate in talks about the DMA.

The DMA’s primary goal is to curb anti-competitive growth for tech giants such as Apple, Google, and Meta (formerly Facebook Inc.) It is the same legislation that suggested Apple allow alternate app stores to enable fair competition on its platforms.

As it has before with devices such as the 16-inch MacBook Pro, iFixit has done an initial teardown of Apple’s latest device. It’s done with the aim of discovering how repairable — or not — a device is.

At some point later, iFixit will ultimately produce a written and illustrated guide to precisely how a Mac Studio can be taken apart for repairs. For now, though, it’s done a quick video overview showing the Mac’s components.

The cooling system takes up roughly half of the Mac’s internal space. The most noticeable part is the aluminum heatsink on the M1 Max version and the copper thermal module in the M1 Ultra edition.

The video also discusses the slotted storage in the Mac Studio. The company could swap out like-for-like on flash modules but had no success putting in a larger or smaller one.

A teardown of the Studio Display was also teased. The company noted that it not only looks like an iMac, but it comes apart in much the same way.

The Mac Studio was given a 6 out of 10 for repairability.

The possibility of repair is perhaps becoming more of an issue as Apple plans to roll out its Self Service Repair program for M1 Macs and iPhones. The program, announced five months ago, has still yet to be detailed.

Samsung is reportedly developing a new under-panel camera component that would allow Apple to effectively hide the Face ID module behind the screen.

The new technology will first roll out to Samsung’s Fold lineup in 2023, according to The Elec.

According to the report, Samsung is collaborating with Canada’s OTI Luminotics on the technology, which includes “a metal patterning layer that uses cathode mask materials.”

In April 2021, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that he believed Apple would introduce a Face ID system that sits below the display in 2023.

Face ID isn’t the only technology rumored to be moving under-display, either. Many, including Kuo, have suggested that Touch ID will return to iPhone in 2023, but will be placed under-display rather than in a Home Button.

In a press release released March 21, 2022, Verizon announced that it had received an early clearance to deploy its C-band spectrum, which allows for greater bandwidth to serve its antennas in major population centers.

“This early spectrum clearance is just the latest development that allows us to bring 5G Ultra Wideband to our customers faster.” said Kyle Malady, Verizon’s EVP and President of Global Network and Technology.

“We’ve been able to accelerate deployment because we’re driving more efficiency and coverage from the C-band spectrum, leveraging opportunities like the one we are announcing today, and leveraging our already in place infrastructure. In my career with Verizon, I have never experienced a network deployment move so quickly.”

Verizon has been steadily expanding its 5G Ultra Wideband service to more cities, which promised better data speeds even during high-demand periods due to the increased bandwidth available.

According to Verizon, it will expect to deliver at least 60 MHz, and up to 100 MHz of signal spectrum to at least 30 additional major markets, which includes the following population centers:

• Atlanta, GA
• Baltimore, MD
• Washington, DC
• Denver, CO

The carrier network announced in January 2022 that it had covered 100 million people in over 1700 cities with its 5G Ultra Wideband service, with the aim of expanding the coverage to reach 175 million people by the end of 2022.

Many Apple devices can now take advantage of 5G networks, including the newly launched iPad Air 5 and third-generation iPhone SE. Apple first brought 5G to its devices in 2020 with the launch of the iPhone 12 lineup.

Now priced at $1,449 thanks to a $200 cash discount, the premium model features Apple’s M1 chip with an 8-core GPU. It’s also equipped with 16GB of memory, double that of the standard 8GB found in the base configuration. Storage space is also substantial thanks to the 1TB SSD.

You won’t have to wait long for the system to arrive either as units are in stock with free expedited delivery on orders shipped within the contiguous U.S.

This flash deal is scheduled to end at 11:59 pm ET on March 21, or while supplies last. For the best MacBook Air deals on every other configuration, including the Silver and Space Gray models, be sure to visit our Mac Price Guide.

If you’re looking for the best deals on Apple hardware, it’s worth checking out our Apple Price Guide. Updated daily, there are hundreds of exclusive discounts on everything from iPads to MacBooks. Here are a few specials running this week:

Apple updates Boot Camp periodically to introduce support for new hardware, along with typical compatibility and performance improvements. In a March update of the software, Apple has enabled Boot Camp to work with the new Studio Display.

The update that brings Boot Camp to version 6.1.17, spotted by Reddit, introduces two key elements of support. First, it adds compatibility for the Studio Display, ensuring Intel Mac users running Windows can still use the monitor without any issue.

The update also includes AMD graphics driver updates, changes that will be especially useful for eGPU users.

Boot Camp, Apple’s software for running Windows on Mac hardware, is available to use on Intel-based Macs. Apple Silicon Macs can run Windows within a virtual machine in macOS, meaning support for the Studio Display will be available by default so long as macOS is up to date.

While the Studio Display will work on Windows desktops, macOS-specific features like Center Stage for the webcam won’t function.

Amazon has dropped the cost of the Space Gray 14-inch MacBook Pro with Apple’s M1 Pro chip (8-core CPU, 14-core GPU), 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD to $1,749 while supplies last.

For those that prefer more storage, the silver 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro chip with 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB RAM, and 1TB of storage is also $250 off, coming in at $2,249 while supplies last.

If you’re looking for the best deals on Apple hardware, it’s worth checking out our Apple Price Guide. Updated daily, there are hundreds of exclusive discounts on everything from iPads to MacBooks. Here are a few specials heading into the Presidents’ Day weekend: