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Zac Hall

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Made on iPad: NHL goalies’ iconic mask designs come to life with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Pro

Tim Cook’s Nike Air Max 1 ’86s aren’t the only things being “Made on iPad” this year. The National Hockey League has also turned to the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Pro for creative design inspiration.

Since the 1970s, NHL goalies have used customized masks as a form of expression. This year, creators of hockey masks the top goaltenders in the league have leveraged the power of the iPad to bring their designs to life.

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Hands-on with midnight AirPods Max with USB-C

Say what you will about AirPods Max falling behind AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 in terms of software features, but the sonic performance of Apple’s wireless over-ear headphones remains unmatched. As much as I adore AirPods Pro 2 for their peak earbud performance and ability to go anywhere, AirPods Max always impress me when I want to hear every detail of every instrument in a song.

Apple revised the hardware for the first time ever in September, replacing Lightning charging with USB-C and introducing new colors. Short of some wireless charging option, USB-C and an update from space gray to midnight topped my request list. For that reason, I turned my space gray AirPods Max with Lightning into cash and paid the difference for midnight AirPods Max with USB-C.

Midnight is closer to black than space gray was, and the hint of blue satisfies my temptation to go for a more colorful option instead. USB-C means the same cable to powers up my iPhone and iPad now can recharge AirPods Max. The Apple TV remote and Mac keyboard and mice still use Lightning, but those need charging weekly or monthly instead of every few days.

Otherwise, these are the same AirPods Max I’ve raved about since 2020. Someone else got a good deal on my old Lightning AirPods Max, and I got a cool new color and a convenience I’ll appreciate until AirPods Max 2 someday exist. For folks buying AirPods Max for the first time now, you’ll never have to wonder why they use a different charging port than new iPhones, and they sound exceptional. Anyway, read on for some hands-on shots of the new midnight finish.

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Apple Weather down

Excessive Heat Warning alert on iPhone?

Update: Emphasis on probably, huh? Readers report seeing these alerts without Cupertino saved. There goes that theory. Might just be a bug.


You may have received an Excessive Heat Warning on your iPhone today even if you’re nowhere near the affected area. This is probably why.

How Insta360 X4 integrates with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods

The Insta360 X4, the latest 360-degree action camera from Insta360, is a especially designed to work with Apple products. X4 seamlessly integrates with the Apple ecosystem, enhancing content creation, editing, and control. The Insta360 X4 leverages the capabilities of the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods to deliver a powerful and streamlined experience for creators.

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Apple Podcasts adds The New York Times to subscription program, boosting revenue with paywalled shows

Apple Podcasts

Apple has a new high profile partner for its Podcasts subscription business in The New York Times. The Times is effectively paywalling its archive of popular podcast feeds like The Daily and Hard Fork. Podcasts app users can unlock the full archive and more with a paid subscription that contributes a percentage to Apple’s Services revenue.

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Weather Up 3 packs a whole lot of app into a single super widget, now with iOS 18 features

While interactive widgets were a headlining feature of iOS 17, you might not realize just how interactive new widgets can be. Weather Up 3 is here to change that. The latest version is also optimized for Home screen personalization with iOS 18 theming features.

The all-new version packs weather data for days – plus all the weather info you need to know right now – into a single super widget.

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iOS 18 bug in Messages causes repeated app crash, fix can require data loss [Update: Fixed]

Update: iOS 18.0.1 for iPhone resolves the issue as mentioned in the release notes.


There’s an unfortunate bug in Apple’s latest software update that you should know about. The bug occurs in the Messages app on iOS 18. For now, the fix could require data loss. However, you can avoid potential data loss before a fix is in place if you know how to avoid it.

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Apple Watch Series 10 review: Ultra inspired, mainstream desired, equilibrium acquired

For the last week, I’ve been testing the new Apple Watch — mostly by sleeping. That’s because Apple Watch Series 10 is capable of detecting signs of sleep apnea.

I’ll need a few more weeks of sleep before possible sleep apnea can be flagged. In the meantime, there’s plenty to admire in the waking hours of the day.

Apple Watch Series 10 has a larger screen and a thinner design. It also gains new tricks like always displaying seconds and speaker media playback.

Of course, the new hardware includes all the Apple Watch features introduced in recent years. These include Crash Detection, the double tap gesture, and better performance just to name a few.

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AirPods 4 review: big deal, small package

I’ve been an AirPods user since 2016, and an AirPods Pro user since 2019. In-ear tips are a better fit for my ears, and Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes define the modern AirPods experience for me.

For some, however, in-ear tips are a non-starter. For others, the $249 retail price is a tall order for a pair of earbuds. Apple addresses both cost and design with the all-new AirPods 4.

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Apple details how Apple Watch accelerometer-based sleep apnea feature works

Apple Watch sleep apnea

Apple has published a new clinical validation summary document that explains how its new sleep apnea detection feature works on Apple Watch. Sleep apnea monitoring is part of Apple Watch Series 10 and comes to Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 with watchOS 11. The new watch hardware launches on Friday, and watchOS 11 is available now.

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Apple Pay now integrates with Affirm on iOS 18 following ‘Apple Pay Later’ discontinuation

Remember Apple Pay Later? The buy-now-pay-later service from Apple barely launched before the company decided to nerf it. Replacing Apple’s BNPL option is integration with more widely available options. As of today, the popular BNPL service from Affirm is available as an option for qualified iOS 18 users when checking out with Apple Pay.

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iPhone 17 Pro Max to have more RAM and better cooling system than iPhone 17 Pro and other models

iPhone 16 season is just around the corner, but supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo already has his eyes on the iPhone 17 cycle. The researcher’s latest details how the iPhone 17 Pro Max next fall will outperform the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, including the iPhone 17 Pro, when next year’s models debut. AI, of course, is the reason behind the extra punch behind the late 2025 Pro Max model.

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watchOS 11 unlocks a new level of usefulness for double tap on Apple Watch

Apple Watch watchos 11

Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 introduce the double tap gesture, and I’ve found that the upcoming watchOS 11 update makes the hands-free input method more useful.

Double tap lets you interact with the Apple Watch by doing a two-tap gesture with your thumb and finger with your watch-wearing hand. This gives you the ability to do things like reply to messages and scroll through lists without touching your watch.

While the gesture provides a practical way to interact with the Apple Watch when you’re carrying something in your other hand, double tap is also natural and reliable enough to mindlessly do it when checking your watch for updates, even if both hands are free.

A new feature coming in watchOS 11 has turned my Apple Watch double tap usage way up — don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t … to eleven.

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