Category: Technologies

Rumor has it that Apple will launch a new model of its 24-inch iMac, with an anticipated M3 processor, at its “Scary Fast” event on Oct. 30. When Apple redesigned it for its May 2021 debut, it was desperately in need of a complete overhaul: aesthetic modernization, new components, a bigger screen on the entry-level model, an upgraded webcam, port rejiggering and more. We got a lot of those, but it’s been a while and it’s time for a new round of updates, including upgraded components — which we’re likely to see — and some design tweaks, like the port rejiggering that never happened.

Right now, there are two versions of the iMac, a stripped-down model with the seven-core GPU, two USB-C/Thunderbolt ports and optional Ethernet, which starts at $1,299; and a version with the eight-core GPU, two more USB-C connections and included Ethernet, which starts at $1,499. As much as I’d like to see Apple defragment the line for simplicity, it makes sense to keep it this way for Apple.

But it would be loooovely if Apple instead kept the base M1 in the line and dropped the price so that it had a more aggressive entry point. That could potentially mean keeping the M1 chip in production just for the one iMac model, though, which doesn’t seem feasible.

I think the most notable upgrade I’d like to see is a new screen. In a perfect world, it would be a 27-inch addition to the line, but the 24-inch needs to support HDR (which means it would need to be brighter) and a faster refresh rate of 120Hz or better — excuse me, ProMotion — if only to keep up with the rest of its kin.

It’s too expensive to not offer what by now are common features on Windows. However, we’d have heard by now if there was going to be a new panel. Sad trombone. Smaller screen bezels would not come amiss, either.

I would also love to see a new webcam, at least like the higher-resolution one in the Studio Display, if not better. That would allow for more flexibility in zooming and field of view. The 1080p webcam in the current iMac is OK, but computational video can only get you so far without more data.

And one of the continuing complaints I have, which I very much doubt will be addressed this go round (and possibly never, since I’ve been complaining about it for years) is the location of the ports. The back is a horribly annoying place to put them all: At least one USB port should be easily accessible on the bottom or the side. More likely is an update to the accessories with USB-C connections; the current ones are charged via Lightning.

The rumors about the M3 indicate that it’s probably based off the 10-GPU-core M2 (the one that’s in the 13-inch MacBook Air and Pro), but fabricated using a new, smaller 3nm process. The benefits to that can include a smaller die size, better performance per watt and better performance overall. Even an M2-class upgrade would be better than the M1 it’s got now, but I was hoping at least for more GPU and Neural Engine cores in the M3, because it might be another couple of years before we see a refresh.

The M1 also limits the current model to 16GB of memory, which will probably jump to 24GB, which it will need for the higher GPU-core count, because the GPU and CPU share the system memory. 32GB would be nice, but that’s probably not gonna happen.

I’m always hoping to be pleasantly surprised, and it happens more often than you’d think. We’ll know for sure soon. Probably.

While Apple’s iPhone 15 series is still turning heads, not everyone is going to be enticed by the tech giant’s latest offering. For instance, this fall Google released the latest edition of its flagship phone, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, a brand-new option for those who prefer Android phones over Apple phones.

However, no matter what fantastic new flagship phones smartphone-makers offer each year, people will always have their favorite brands. And we all know that despite your iPhone or Android alliance, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what kind of phone your friends have, you’re still going to be in group chats with them.

If you’re an iPhone user, you’ve probably been in the situation where a group text is blowing up your phone and clogging your notifications — and all you want is a bit of peace and quiet. Luckily, you have a couple of options to put a pause on that stream of notifications.

So, if everyone in the group chat is on an iPhone — including yourself — there’s a fix to this problem is pretty dramatic, yet pretty simple. All you have to do is leave the group chat. However, if you’re on an iPhone in a group chat with one or more Android users, you won’t be able to just walk away.

Don’t worry: It’s still easy to put a halt to a noisy group chat, even if it’s a mixed group. We’ve got a way for you to silence those pesky notifications.

For more, here’s what we love about iOS 17, and here’s a head-to-head comparison of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

Why can’t I leave a group chat with iPhone and Android users?

It’s easy enough to leave a group chat if everyone is on an Apple device using the Messages app:

1. Tap the group text message that you want to leave.
2. Tap the group icons at the top of the thread.
3. Tap the Leave this Conversation button.

If, however, you use Messages in a group chat with an Android user, you’re stuck. Why? Because once you’re outside of Apple’s texting world, Android and mobile carriers handle messages differently. So after you join a mixed Apple-and-Android group, you can’t leave it. Annoying, right?

What should I do if I’m in a group message with an Android user?

Since you’re unable to leave an iMessage group if there’s an Android user in the chat, your only option is to mute the group chat. It’s a simple process. (Pro tip: You can also follow these steps if you wish to silence notifications without leaving the chat.)

The first thing you’ll want to do is open the Messages app on your iPhone or other Apple device and go into the group chat you want to mute. If you’re using iOS 14 or earlier, you’ll need to tap the group icons at the top of the messaging screen, and then tap the information button on the page that pops up, which appears as a lowercase “i” with a circle around it. After the next screen appears, scroll down to the Hide Alerts option and turn it on.

If you’re using iOS 15 or later, tap the group icons at the top of the messaging screen. Once the next screen pops up, all you need to do is scroll down to the Hide Alerts option and switch it on.

Another option you have to silence your messages is to go to the screen with your list of messages. When you’ve found the message you wish to silence, you can simply swipe left over the message and then tap the purple Alerts button there.

Once you’ve silenced notifications, an icon on the messages screen indicates that you’ve turned off notifications for that specific group message. If you’re using iOS 14 or earlier, this icon will look like a crescent moon. On iOS 15 or later, the icon will be a bell with a slash through it.

iOS 17 came out earlier this fall, and it brought tons of new features to compatible iPhones, including the ability to create your own contact poster, the brand-new StandBy mode, the Journal app and more. Among these brand-new features is the ability to have your phone automatically delete all of the two-factor authentication codes that are sent to your iMessage or Mail inboxes.

Two-factor authentication is a simple, yet effective way to protect your information. By having a service send a code to your device when logging in to your account, you can make it harder for your information to get stolen. However, it gets a little messy when your messages app is constantly clogged up with all the codes that get sent directly to your messages or email inboxes.

With this new feature, all you’ll need to do is toggle one setting, and then the two-factor authentication codes will be automatically deleted from your account, freeing up your inboxes.

Here’s our review of the new iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, and here’s a rundown of everything announced at Apple’s “Wonderlust” event in September.

How can I automatically delete two-factor authentication codes?

On iOS 17, if you want to turn on the option to automatically delete your two-factor authentication codes, you’ll first need to go into your Settings on your phone. After you’ve opened your settings, navigate to the Passwords tab. Then tap Passwords. (You may need to unlock your phone.) Now tap Password Options scroll down to the Verification Codes section and enable Clean Up Automatically.

After you turn that one, you should be set. And don’t worry: This won’t automatically delete any unused authentication codes — it only deletes codes that you’ve already used. This also works in the Mail app, so all of your inboxes will be squeaky clean.

For more, here are some hidden iOS 17 features you need to know and the most impressive features of iOS 17.

It’s spooky season, which means it’s time to start decorating for Halloween and shopping for the perfect costume. And to help you prepare for your ghoulish festivities, several retailers, including Walmart, Spirit Halloween and Party City, are offering fantastic deals and discounts.

Looking for more discounts? CNET has the best deals from Walmart, Spirit Halloween, Party City and many others, along with promo code offers — all updated and verified daily.

Welcome to CNET Coupons, the first stop before you shop, featuring a multitude of deals and discounts from top online retailers. Simply head over to our coupon page and type in your favorite store or brands to find all the deals available for the week.

The Honor Magic 6, which is rumored to launch in 2023, will run on Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, the companies announced Wednesday. The new chip will allow Magic 6 owners to tap into generative AI wherever they are, even offline.

The buzz around generative AI tools started last November when OpenAI released ChatGPT. Since then, companies like Google and Microsoft have been in a rush to bring generative AI tools to computers and phones.

Qualcomm touts the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip for its boosted privacy and faster speeds. But it also runs on-device large language models, which is similar to the technology behind ChatGPT and that can be used for more features built around personalization.

Honor says the Magic 6’s LLM is different from cloud-based LLMs, since those are trained on publicly accessible datasets. The Magic 6 “draws from its understanding of the device’s user to provide personalized services according to their preferences.”

During a keynote at the Qualcomm Summit, Honor showed off the Magic 6’s AI capabilities via the phone’s assistant, Yoyo, to create a short video featuring photos and footage stored on the phone. Honor also teased a feature called Magic Capsule which looks like Apple’s Dynamic Island on the iPhone but with eye-tracking. The short demo video below shows a woman holding the Magic 6 and selecting the Magic Capsule by looking at it. There are definitely some strong Amazon Fire phone vibes here.

Apart from Honor, upcoming flagship phones from the likes of Xiaomi, Oppo and OnePlus are set to run on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. However, those companies will need to work with Qualcomm to integrate AI features into their phones as they will not be natively available.

Earlier this month, Google launched the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, both of which are brimming with AI features for improving photos, answering phone calls and even making custom wallpapers.

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to help create some stories. For more, see this post.

T-Mobile caused a bit of a stir earlier this month when a leak revealed it planned to move people from older, cheaper plans to pricier ones starting with their November bill cycle. On Wednesday, the carrier officially walked back the changes with CEO Mike Sievert confirming that they would not happen.

“We tend to do tests and pilots of things quite a bit to try to figure out what’s the right answer,” Sievert said on a company earnings call, in response to a question about industry pricing and how it could raise its average revenues per user, a key industry metric. “In this case, we had a test sell to try to understand customer interest in, and acceptance of, migrating off old legacy rate plans to something that’s higher value, for them and for us.”

Sievert noted that the company was doing training around this test and said it wasn’t planned to be a “broad, national thing.” In its statement confirming the leak, the company told CNET earlier this month that the notices it was sending out was going to “a small number” of its users, but the carrier never clarified what a “small number” actually meant and didn’t respond to that question when asked.

At the time, the carrier said that the switch would generally see customers pay “an increase of approximately $10 per line” per month.

Read more: Best unlimited data plans

With the “plenty of feedback” the company received following the leak, Sievert said that T-Mobile has learned that this “particular test sell isn’t something that our customers are going to love.” He mentioned that no migrations of plans have actually rolled out.

As for what will happen going forward, the carrier will continue to do tests and pilots for different changes, Mike Katz, T-Mobile’s president of marketing, strategy and products, said on the call.

“I would expect to see more of those kinds of tests from us because it’s been a consistent practice throughout the entire ‘un-carrier’ journey so that we get it right for the experience for our customers,” Katz said.

“We remain very interested in rationalizing our legacy rate plans,” added Sievert. “So we’re going to stay at it,” reiterating that getting users to switch plans will “probably” require the carrier to “do something different” than this test indicated.

You won’t need to wait until Halloween to receive treats from Apple. The company is hosting a product launch event online on Monday, Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET). If you peep the Apple Events page, you’ll see the Apple logo morphing into the Finder icon that vaguely resembles a jack-o-lantern. It not only fits into the Halloween theme for this time of year but also gives us a hint that it will be a Mac-related announcement.

And that would make sense, since Apple released new iPhones in September and then followed that up last week with a new Apple Pencil (but no new iPads). It’s too early for another iPhone, and if Apple had new iPads to roll out, we would have seen them last week. That leaves Macs as the chief suspects for Monday’s event.

M3 iMac on the way?

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is prepping a new 24-inch iMac based on a new M3 processor. The current iMac is nearly two-and-a-half years old, so it’s well overdue for a refresh. Apple released the M1 iMac in May 2021, and it has yet to update it with the M2 chip that can be found in the company’s MacBook, Mac Mini, Mac Studio and Mac Pro lines.

The rumors point to a spec update and not a design overhaul, other than perhaps different color options. The current iMac is already available in a rainbow of colors: blue, green, pink, silver, yellow, orange and purple.

M3 MacBooks, too?

Gurman also points out that stock is low for MacBook Pros, which could be a hint that new models are coming soon. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is the oldest MacBook in Apple’s lineup. It was released in June 2022 with Apple’s M2 chip. It could get the M3 treatment alongside the iMac on Monday. If the 13-inch MacBook Pro receives an update, it could mean the end of the much-derided Touch Bar that’s not as useful as simply having a row of physical Function keys above the keyboard. The 13-inch Pro is the last MacBook equipped with the Touch Bar.

Apple is famously tight-lipped ahead of its product announcements, so we won’t know what it has in store until Monday’s event. My best guess? We see a new M3 iMac. And if Apple rolls out the M3 chip to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, then we will also get a 13-inch M3 MacBook Air update. The least compelling MacBook Pro is the 13-inch model, and I don’t see it headlining Apple’s M3 MacBook announcement. The 13-inch MacBook Air is much more popular and is also primed for an update; it was last updated at WWDC in June 2022 with an M2 chip alongside the 13-inch Pro.

Stock may be low for the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, but they are newer than their smaller, 13-inch sibling. These models were released in January 2023 with Apple’s M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. I’d wager it won’t be until 2024 that we see them updated with M3 Pro and Max chips.

What about the 15-inch MacBook Air, you ask? It’s not even six months old, far too new to receive an M3 update. Perhaps Apple will close or remove entirely the $200 price gap between it and the 13-inch model if the 13-inch model moves to the M3 and the 15-inch Air stays with the M2. Hopefully, that means the 15-inch Air gets a price cut and not the other way around, with the starting price of the 13-inch Air going up. Completing the MacBook Air shuffle could be the M2 Air replacing the M1 Air as the entry-level MacBook Air model at $999.

Again, Apple’s “Scary Fast” event starts at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET, 1 a.m. BST, 11 a.m. AEDT) on Monday and can be streamed live on Apple’s website and Apple TV.

Apple released iOS 17.1 to the public on Wednesday, more than a month after the arrival of iOS 17. The update brings a few new features and bug fixes to your iPhone, but some touted features, like the Journal app, are still missing.

To download the update, go to Settings > General > Software Update, tap Install Now and follow the onscreen prompts.

Here are some of the new features and fixes iOS 17.1 brings to your iPhone.

iPhone 12 radio frequency concerns addressed

France’s National Frequency Agency said on Sept. 12 that the iPhone 12 exceeds European-specific absorption rate limits, and it appears Apple addresses those concerns with iOS 17.1.

“iOS 17.1 includes an update for iPhone 12 for users in France to accommodate this specific test protocol that requires reduced power when off-body on a static surface,” Apple posted Oct. 10. “iPhone 12 will no longer increase the allowed power when the off-body state is detected, such as while it is sitting on a table.”

New StandBy mode settings

StandBy mode is one of my favorite new iOS features, and in iOS 17.1, Apple gives StandBy mode more setting options. With iOS 17.1, you have the option to turn StandBy mode off after 20 seconds, never or “Automatically.” Apple writes that if you choose Automatically, the display will turn off when your iPhone is not in use and the room is dark, like when you’re sleeping at night.

However, I checked these settings on my iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone XR and only found these options on my iPhone 14 Pro. So it appears the new settings are only available on iPhones with an always-on display.

Apple Music upgrades

In iOS 17.1, Apple adds a new button in Apple Music that allows you to quickly find Favorite songs. When a song is playing and you’re looking at its card on your iPhone, there’s a star outline near the song’s title. You can tap this star to add the song to your Favorites.

There’s also a new way to find all your Favorited playlists, albums and songs. To find them, go into the corresponding category in Apple Music, tap the button in the top-right corner of your screen, and tap Favorited.

Apple Music also shows you song suggestions in iOS 17.1. To see them, go into any of your playlists and scroll to the bottom of the playlist to see a section called Song Suggestions. These are songs that the app thinks you might like, based on your musical tastes.

AirDrop using cellular data

With iOS 17, Apple upgraded AirDrop with NameDrop, which allows two devices to tap each other and exchange contact information — kind of like exchanging digital business cards. And in iOS 17.1, Apple now lets you use cellular data to send and receive information over AirDrop when two iPhones are out of range of each other.

Flashlight symbol in Live Activities

Have you ever accidentally switched on your iPhone’s flashlight and had someone point it out to you later? Some iPhone users won’t have to worry about that anymore. With iOS 17.1, when you turn on your flashlight, a little flashlight symbol appears in the Live Activities feed across the top of your screen. However, I couldn’t replicate this symbol anywhere on my iPhone XR, so this feature likely only works on Live Activity-enabled iPhones, like the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, as well as the iPhone 15 lineup.

Full release notes for iOS 17.1

Here are Apple’s full release notes for iOS 17.1, including bug fixes and other improvements:

AirDrop
• Content continues to transfer over the internet when you step out of AirDrop range.

StandBy
• New options to control when the display turns off (iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max).

Music
• Favorites expanded to include songs, albums and playlists, and you can filter to display your favorites in the library.
• New cover art collection offers designs that change colors to reflect the music in your playlist.
• Song suggestions appear at the bottom of every playlist, making it easy to add music that matches the vibe of your playlist.

This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:

• Option to choose a specific album to use with Photo Shuffle on the Lock Screen.
• Home key support for Matter locks.
• Improved reliability of Screen Time settings syncing across devices.
• Fixes an issue that may cause the Significant Location privacy setting to reset when transferring an Apple Watch or pairing it for the first time.
• Resolves an issue where the names of incoming callers may not appear when you are on another call.
• Addresses an issue where custom and purchased ringtones may not appear as options for your text tone.
• Fixes an issue that may cause the keyboard to be less responsive.
• Crash detection optimizations (all iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models).
• Fixes an issue that may cause display image persistence.

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222.

For more, check out my review of iOS 17 and our iOS 17 cheat sheet.

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 now have access to Double Tap, one of the biggest new features on this year’s watches. Double Tap is a gesture that lets you tap your thumb and index finger together twice to control the watch without touching the screen. The update is part of WatchOS 10.1 and is available to download now.

Double Tap relies on the new S9 chip, so it’s only available on the Series 9 and Ultra 2. It uses the accelerometer, gyroscope and heart rate sensor to detect movement and blood flow when the watch’s screen is active. That means you’ll need to raise your wrist to get Double Tap to register. It won’t work if the display is dimmed, or if you’re not actively using the watch. You’ll see a blue icon appear at the top of the screen when the gesture is recognized.

There’s a long list of tasks and apps that Double Tap works with, but some of the key ones include:

• Bringing up the Smart Stack of widgets and scrolling through
• Answering and ending calls
• Playing or pausing music
• Replying to text messages with voice dictation and sending that message
• Starting and stopping timers
• Taking a photo with the iPhone’s Camera app using Camera Remote on the Watch

Double Tap also works in some third-party apps and will perform the default action for that app. Examples include dismissing a notification or responding to a message from a different messaging app.

I’ve been testing a prerelease version in the public beta of WatchOS 10.1, and it’s been accurate and reliable so far. Double Tap is turned on by default, but you can turn it off or customize it from the Settings menu.

Double Tap isn’t compatible with every app, however. You won’t be able to use it during an activity in the Workout app, when navigating in Maps, while taking an ECG or when using the Heart Rate or Blood Oxygen apps.

Double Tap is separate from AssistiveTouch, an accessibility feature that lets you control various aspects of the Apple Watch without touching the display. To download WatchOS 10.1, go to the Watch app on your iPhone, then tap the General option and select Software Update.