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Tag: iPhone

  • Apple AirPods Pro’s new hearing aid feature could help people face a problem they’d rather ignore

    Apple AirPods Pro’s new hearing aid feature could help people face a problem they’d rather ignore

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    By DEVI SHASTRI, Associated Press

    Some Apple AirPods wireless headphones can be used as hearing aids with a new software update available in October. It’s a high-profile move that experts applaud, even if they only reach a small portion of the millions of Americans with hearing loss.

    An estimated 30 million people — 1 in 8 Americans over the age of 12 — have hearing loss in both ears. Millions would benefit from hearing aids but most have never tried them, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Countless others have tried them, but don’t use them because of cost, poor quality, poor fit, how they look or for other reasons.

    Over the past few years, there’s been a push to change that. Two years ago, federal rules changed to allow hearing aids to be sold over-the-counter, a move that many hoped would bring better and cheaper options to patients. And last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved software from Apple that would turn AirPods Pro 2 into hearing aids.

    It’s unclear yet whether the rule changed has helped, experts say. But turning AirPods into hearing aids is the kind of creative move advocates had hoped for. Here’s what to know about hearing loss, hearing aids, and Apple’s new option.

    Hearing loss can contribute to isolation, dementia, even fall risk

    About 15% of Americans report some difficulty hearing. Most people with hearing loss are over 60, but hearing problems don’t only affect older people. One study found men and people living in rural areas are more likely to have hearing loss.

    And it has been linked to many health effects beyond the ear. It contributes to isolation, depression and cognitive decline, experts say. It raises dementia risk and rewires the brain. It’s also been linked to an increased risk of falls — a major health concern among older adults.

    “Everything we do, all our relationships, whether it’s personal or in our work life, involve hearing conversation,” said Barbara Kelley, executive director of Hearing Loss Association of America. “We’re finding now that the sooner that people can pay attention to their hearing health, the better.”

    You don’t need to see a doctor to get a hearing aid

    Before the 2022 rule change by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, everyone had to see a doctor and get a prescription for a hearing aid to get one. Now, they’re available without one.

    “As more of them are sold, then hopefully the price will go down,” said Elizabeth Stangl, an audiologist at the University of Iowa. “But we haven’t seen a big rush to get them.”

    Even buying over-the-counter, a decent hearing aid can easily run you $400 to $500, said Stangl, who researches how well people adjust to using hearing aids. And some of the less expensive options are really just “cheap amplifiers,” lacking the personalized level settings and noise canceling features that really make hearing aids helpful.

    How does the Apple AirPods hearing aid feature work?

    The hearing aid feature is available with AirPods Pro 2 models, and requires an iPhone or iPad to set it up. It starts with built-in tests that will help users determine if they have hearing loss, set up the feature if they do, and set personalized amplification levels.

    The headphones sell for $249 on Apple’s website, and sometimes less from other retailers.

    While there are many other earbud-type devices that can function the same way, experts agreed that the AirPods addition is a good one, simply because of the way it could help normalize hearing aids.

    “It’s just mainstream,” Kelley said. The ubiquity of AirPods could make people worried about the look of a hearing aid more open to using them.

    There may be some drawbacks, though. Fit and comfort during long use might be an issue. And while other hearing aids are built to last through a whole day or more, Stangl said the battery life of the AirPods won’t allow for that. She also noted that wearing earbuds can send a message to others that the person doesn’t want to be disturbed or spoken to.

    “But we’re hoping that more people will try it and realize, ‘Yeah, these do help,’” she said.

    Tips for buying OTC hearing aids

    Stangl suggests people do plenty of research before buying. She said Facebook and Reddit forums can be especially helpful in vetting devices. The websites Hearing Tracker and Soundly also have reliable reviews and resources for selecting a hearing aid, she said.

    The Hearing Loss Association of America and American Academy of Audiology have guides to buying a hearing aid at their websites. If you are stuck, consult an audiologist.

    Look for devices that allow you to adjust different pitches. Most people with hearing loss have the hardest time hearing higher pitches, so find a device that can adjust amplification across frequencies.

    To avoid the piercing whistle of feedback, buy a device that has a “feedback manager.” Fit is critical, but beware: it might not necessarily be the one that’s initially the most comfortable, so take your time.

    Can you use your FSA or HSA money to buy OTC hearing aids — or even AirPods?

    Pre-tax money stashed away in flexible spending accounts or health savings accounts can be used to buy hearing aids, including ones sold over the counter.

    Does this mean you can score a new set of AirPods Pro2 with pre-tax money? Experts say it’s a gray area that hasn’t been tested yet, so be wary. You may even need a letter of medical necessity. It’s best to check with an accountant before you try it.

    Your smartphone can help you even without hearing aids

    Even if you can’t afford the latest and greatest tech, your smartphone can be a tool to protect and improve your hearing.

    Most phones can now turn speech into text, which can help facilitate conversations. iPhone’s “Live Listen” feature turns your phone into an amplifying microphone that can beam your dinner date’s voice right to your ear even if you’re in a noisy restaurant.

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    The Associated Press

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  • The 10 Best Mobile Games for iOS and Android

    The 10 Best Mobile Games for iOS and Android

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    Don’t doomscroll more depressing news, use that phone to lift your mood instead. The best mobile games will bring a little joy to your day, whether you’re killing time on the commute or chilling on the couch. And these games are all addictive slices of gaming pleasure that we have been gorging on for years.

    As smartphone screens and processing power have grown, the lines between mobile gaming and just gaming have blurred, and you can find tons of great mobile games that have been ported or adapted from other systems (Minecraft, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Roblox, Stardew Valley, Grand Theft Auto, and the list goes on). But all of these titles are best enjoyed on other platforms. Our picks here are games that work especially well on your phone.

    Snag one of the best mobile controllers to level up your smartphone gaming. You may also be interested in subscription services like Google Play Pass or Apple Arcade. You can even play some Android games on your PC now.

    Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that’s too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.

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    Simon Hill

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  • Apple’s Sales in China Are Stalling. What Will It Sacrifice to Turn Things Around?

    Apple’s Sales in China Are Stalling. What Will It Sacrifice to Turn Things Around?

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    Since then, though, the expectations of the level of Apple’s capitulation have only grown more onerous. Algorithms that determine what the public sees online or through AI have to be registered with the Chinese authorities, and new AI legislation is largely focused on controlling the exact public-interfacing models that Western tech companies want to get involved with.

    “You need to file with regulators. You might need to submit a lot of details about things like coding … many tech companies may not be willing to do that,” says Tan.

    The problem is, China can afford to put in place such measures because the power balance is in its favor—more so than ever.

    “China is no longer just playing a following role in many technology fields,” adds Tan. “It is already advancing and taking the leading role.”

    Business as Usual?

    From a Western view, the rules put in place for generative AI in China veer between the admirable and the worrying.

    “The regulation includes a number of vague censorship requirements, such as that deep synthesis content ‘adhere to the correct political direction,’ not ‘disturb economic and social order,’ and not be used to generate fake news,” reads Carnegie Endowment’s paper on the state of affairs in 2023.

    “Deep synthesis” is the term the CAC uses in place of generative AI. China’s restrictions would result in a Siri that wouldn’t talk about the Dalai Llama, that wouldn’t refer to Taiwan as a separate country or acknowledge the Uyghurs. And who knows what else.

    Given the current lax state of Western LLMs, it’s hard enough to picture a chatbot that couldn’t be cajoled into saying China is a part of the sovereign state of Taiwan, let alone falling into line 100 percent of the time. But clearly many Chinese tech companies have managed to adhere to the restrictions, to the satisfaction of the regulators at least. In August 2024, the South China Morning Post reported 188 LLMs had been approved for use to date, up from just 14 in January 2024.

    It could be argued that Apple effectively adopting a custom version of one of these LLMs to fill out China’s version of Apple Intelligence represents business as usual. Apple already censors the app store to comply with China’s policies. It already cooperates with local entities.

    However, with Apple Intelligence generative AI positioned at the heart of iPhones and other devices, the company seems more at risk of being accused of being a little too embedded in the wants and whims of the Chinese state for comfort, for a US company.

    In August, Zhuang Rongwen, director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, said generative AI, such as chatbots, was “forcefully driving economic and societal growth.” The New York Times’ 2021 report suggested the government didn’t really need Chinese iPhone users’ data to surveil its citizens, as it already had stronger methods. But with GenAI, Apple may inadvertently become a more active participant in the CCP’s goals.

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    Andrew Williams

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  • Unbelievable facts

    Unbelievable facts

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    Steve Jobs made the first iPhone call publicly by prank-calling Starbucks. He humorously ordered…

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  • Using night mode on your phone can help capture photos of the northern lights. Here’s how to turn it on.

    Using night mode on your phone can help capture photos of the northern lights. Here’s how to turn it on.

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    How to use night mode to get good photos of the northern lights


    How to use night mode to get good photos of the northern lights

    02:10

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. (KDKA) — The northern lights are expected to be visible again throughout parts of the United States on Friday night. 

    When the northern lights, or the aurora borealis, are visible, the best way to see them is to find a dark spot away from bright lights, allow time to enable your eyes adjust to the darkness and look toward the north.  

    The northern lights show up best in photos.

    Here’s how to use night mode on your phone’s camera to try to capture photos of the colorful auroras.   

    How do I turn on night mode on an iPhone? 

    If you are using an iPhone, Apple says the default settings will have night mode turn on automatically “when the camera detects a low-light environment.”

    When night mode is active, an icon will turn yellow in the top left corner of your screen.

    A number will show up next to that icon showing you how long it will take for the photo to take. 

    You can adjust how long the exposure will last by tapping the arrow that shows up above the viewfinder.

    kdka-iphone-samsung-galaxy-night-mode-settings.png
    Side-by-side screenshots show how an iPhone and how a Samsung Galaxy phone can enable night mode, which can help capture better photos of the northern lights.

    How do I turn on night mode on an Android phone? 

    Starting night mode on an Android device will depend on the type of device you have. 

    On a Samsung Galaxy device, a yellow moon icon will pop up in the bottom right of your screen. On a Pixel device, you can tap Night Light, then tap Capture and hold your phone still for a few seconds. In the Google Camera app, you can turn Night mode on by tapping settings and turning the mode on or off. 

    Will the northern lights be visible where I live?

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center has issued its “Aurora Forecast” for Friday with numerous parts of the United States in the range of potentially being able to see the bright auroras of the northern lights. 

    screenshot-2024-10-11-032947.png
    NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has issued its aurora forecast for Friday night.

    Space Weather Prediction Center


    The map of the aurora forecast shows that northern parts of the country have a better chance of seeing the auroras. 

    A view line that shows “the southern extent of where aurora might be seen on the northern horizon” stretches from Washington, D.C. across the Midwest and through Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York. 

    The northern lights were on display on Thursday night 

    The northern lights were visible all throughout the country on Thursday night.

    1000033386.jpg
    The northern lights in Plainfield, Illinois on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.

    Mario Carrasco


    Photos of the northern lights were captured in places like Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Boston, New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. 

    The colorful auroras had green, purple, red and pink hues scattered throughout the skies. 

    What causes the northern lights? 

    When a geomagnetic storm occurs, solar wind is sent toward Earth. 

    Charged protons and electrons follow Earth’s magnetic field and enter the atmosphere where the magnetic fields are the weakest: the poles. 

    The electrons smash into all the different molecules that make up our atmosphere, creating a dazzling display of colors in the sky.

    Mike Darnay

    Mike Darnay is a digital producer and photojournalist at CBS Pittsburgh. Mike has also written and produced content for Vox Media and the Mon Valley Independent.
    He often covers overnight breaking news, the Pittsburgh Steelers and high school sports.

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  • iPhone users can send texts via satellite when cell service is down. Here’s how.

    iPhone users can send texts via satellite when cell service is down. Here’s how.

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    Tracking Hurricane Milton: Wednesday 10/9/2024 11AM


    Tracking Hurricane Milton: Wednesday 10/9/2024 11AM

    10:24

    As Hurricane Milton advances on Florida, many iPhone users in the state will have an option for staying connected with loved ones even if the monster storm takes down cell service in the region. 

    Apple’s recently introduced mobile operating system, iOS 18, lets iPhone customers send text messages via satellite, as well as to contact emergency services, without a Wi-Fi connection. You need an iPhone 14 or newer model equipped with iOS 18 to use the feature.

    How to enable satellite messaging

    The iPhone 14, 15 and 16 models are all capable of connecting to satellites, but iOS 18 is required to send text messages, according to Apple.

    To make sure your phone is updated, go to Settings > General > Software Update. You can find out which software your phone is using and upgrade if necessary. Also make sure iMessages is turned on before you go out of range. For contacts to receive messages, their phones must also have iOS 18. 

    Once iOS 18 is installed, you can send messages and texts without cellular of Wi-Fi service. 

    How it works 

    When you are out of normal signal range, your phone will send you a message asking if you’d like to use satellite messaging services.

    The iPhone will tell you where to point the device in order to connect to a satellite. You’ll need to be outside with a clear view of the sky and horizon, according to Apple. 

    The messaging service isn’t as speedy as it is when using cellular or Wi-Fi, but it works, according to Apple. One message could take 30 seconds to send, the company said. 

    Open the Messages app to send or accept a message. You’ll be instructed where to point your phone to get a connection. 

    Also note that you can’t send or receive photos, videos or audio messages via satellite. 

    Megan Cerullo

    Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

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  • How to make typing easier on the phone and leave the laptop at home

    How to make typing easier on the phone and leave the laptop at home

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    With summer officially over, it’s back to business (or school) for many people, which can mean more time writing longer things, especially on the go. The smartphone has replaced the laptop for many tasks, but when it comes to text input, tapping away on tiny onscreen keys might make you wish you had hauled along the computer just for its keyboard. Thankfully, your phone includes several features to make text entry much easier. Here are a few suggestions.

    Visit your settings

    Thanks to predictive text prompts, automatic punctuation and other shortcuts (like pressing vowel keys to see the pop-up menu of accent marks), typing on small glass rectangles isn’t as awkward as it used to be. To find out what features are available for your phone, start with its Settings app.

    On an iPhone, tap General and then Keyboard.

    For many Android phones, tap System, Keyboard, On-screen Keyboard and then Gboard (often the default app). Galaxy models typically offer the Samsung Keyboard with similar options.

    You should see choices for spell-check, text correction — yes, Apple’s infamous Auto-Correction has gotten better — and other aids. For example, both the Apple iOS keyboard and the Google Gboard (which has an iOS version, too) can display a compact keyboard for easier single-handed input.

    On the Gboard keyboard, press and hold the comma key for a shortcut into the settings — or tap the four-squares icon on the far left and select the One-Handed button; the same menu lets you resize or “float” the keyboard around the screen if you prefer.

    Password-manager tools prevent mistyped logins, and fewer taps may help to prevent errors elsewhere. With tools like Slide to Type from Apple and Glide Typing by Google, you can drag your finger around the keyboard and the software guesses the word you want; note that the results may vary.

    The keyboard can move the text-insertion cursor, too. On an iPhone, press and hold the space bar until the keyboard dims, and then drag your finger to reposition the cursor on the screen. For the Google Gboard, you can move the cursor by sliding a finger along the space bar if the “gesture cursor control” is enabled in the Glide Typing settings.

    Apple and Google include keyboard layouts for typing in languages other than English or inserting emojis. You can add third-party keyboard apps, but beware of software from unfamiliar companies that could pose security risks.

    Add hardware

    If you have a lot of text to enter, pairing your iPhone or Android phone with an external Bluetooth keyboard (including the Magic Keyboard made by Apple) lets you switch to traditional typing hardware. You can even use navigational buttons and shortcuts with an iPhone by going to Settings, Accessibility and Keyboards and enabling the Full Keyboard Access feature.

    If you don’t want to haul a full keyboard around, consider a folding model, as it can fit easily in a jacket pocket but expand into something resembling a full-size set of keys.

    Traveling keyboards, which typically fold up into two or three sections when not in use, range in price from about $25 to $80 depending on the size and features.

    Speak your mind

    Speech-to-text technology that converts the spoken word into editable type on the screen has been around for decades and has only become more accurate as the software has improved. Many apps (including virtual assistants) can take dictation. The Apple Notes app in iOS 18 can now directly record a live audio file and transcribe it.

    To use the feature on an iPhone, open Settings, select General and then Keyboard, and turn on Enable Dictation. The Auto-Punctuation option automatically inserts commands, periods and question marks as you talk, but Apple’s site has a full list of dictation commands for editing text and inserting emoji characters.

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    The New York Times News Service Syndicate

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  • An ‘iPhone of AI’ Makes No Sense. What Is Jony Ive Really Building?

    An ‘iPhone of AI’ Makes No Sense. What Is Jony Ive Really Building?

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    At this point, phrases like ambient computing, ubiquitous computing, and even (shudder) Internet of Things may be zipping and popping around your brain. Are we back here again? If the answer is yes, it might not be a reason to despair. Béhar cites Embodied’s Moxie companion robot, ElliQ’s elder care, and the Happiest Baby robotic bassinet as examples of AI-powered devices which actually “solve specific human needs”—but it should be noted Béhar is involved in all these products. He says, “We are designing these experiences to be directly embedded into the actual physical element of these products, rather than your smartphone. This lightens the reliance to do everything on a personal device, and we find that these solutions are not socially disruptive and actually more magical in their use.”

    Just last week, Sir Jonathan Ive was handing out degrees to Royal College of Art and Imperial College graduates at the Royal Festival Hall ceremony in London, as befitting his role as an elder statesman of design. Stephen Green, head of the joint Innovation Design Engineering program between the two universities, suggests that Ive is the perfect candidate to scoop up and metabolize all the post-smartphone, post-screen experiments we’ve seen come and go over the past decade, whether that’s voice agents—which Green believes needs to be used in combination, not solo—wearables, Bluetooth beacons for greater fidelity at a location level, signal processing, olfactory sensors (OK, perhaps we’re not quite ready for that last one).

    “Historically speaking, that was the beauty of Apple with Steve Jobs,” says Green. “Ultimately a marketing person with great technological foresight, and able to, with what’s sometimes referred to as design leadership, bring an amazing team of people and investors around him to make that happen. So, obviously, Jony Ive has many of those ingredients that are needed, with the backing that can coalesce around him, to achieve amazing critical mass to do something innovative. Because a lot of the technology and possibility is out there.”

    The iPhone of AI

    The original rumors and reports referred, of course, to an “iPhone of AI,” in the sense of a super successful device that allows everyday people to access cutting-edge technology. It’s likely that the dominant component in any era-shaping system cooked up by LoveFrom and OpenAI will define itself against the iPhone. The mentions of social disruption and reliance on screens do chime with Ive’s somewhat elusive comments through the years on smartphones and social media addiction.

    Ive is on record as saying he has limited his children’s screen time. When pressed by Anna Wintour on stage at the WIRED25 Summit in 2018 as to whether we are now “too connected,” he responded: “The nature of innovation is that you cannot predict all the consequences. In my experience, there have been surprising consequences. Some fabulous, and some less so.”

    One possible kindred spirit, both in terms of breaking away from smartphone norms and San Francisco culture, is Anjan Katta, the founder of Daylight, whose DC-1 tablet goes against the grain with a 60-fps paperlike display. He says that the harmful components of our current consumer tech, including blue light, flicker, and addiction-inducing notifications, can make us sicker and more anxious. “As someone who has directly experienced the extreme downsides of modern technology, including eye strain, disrupted circadian rhythm, exacerbation of ADHD symptoms, and mental health concerns like anxiety and depression,” he says, “I wholeheartedly embrace the push to create personal computing devices that don’t consume such a large share of our time and energy.”

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    Sophie Charara

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  • How to Customize Your Home Screen With iOS 18

    How to Customize Your Home Screen With iOS 18

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    if you’re bored with your home screen, I have good news for you. With iOS 18, you can finally personalize it however you’d like. You can now change the color of app icons and widgets (and even match them to your wallpaper), change the size to make them look larger, and place them anywhere you’d like on the screen. Below, we break down all the simple steps on how to customize your home screen.

    Be sure to also check out our iOS 18 roundup for a full list of all the top features in Apple’s latest mobile operating system, as well as our guides to the Best iPhones and Best iPads.

    Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that’s too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.

    How to Make the Icons Bigger

    1. Long-press on the home screen until the app icons start to wiggle.
    2. Tap Edit in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, and then tap Customize.
    3. Choose between Small or Large at the bottom of the screen.
    4. Tap on the home screen again to save the changes.

    How to Change the Color of App Icons

    Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

    1. Long-press on the home screen until the app icons start to wiggle.
    2. Tap Edit in the upper right-hand corner of the screen and then tap Customize.
    3. Choose between Light mode, Dark mode, or Automatic (which changes depending on whether it’s day or night).
    4. There’s also a Tinted option, which allows you to use the sliders to customize the color and saturation. You can also tap the eyedropper tool to select a color from your wallpaper to apply to the icons.
    5. You can tap the sun icon on the left to darken the background. This will make it easier to see the icons, depending on the colors you choose.

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    Brenda Stolyar

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  • Apple’s iPhone 16 Is Cuter and More Practical Than the iPhone 16 Pro

    Apple’s iPhone 16 Is Cuter and More Practical Than the iPhone 16 Pro

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    In recent years, Apple started giving the iPhone Pro models a significant chip upgrade to increase the performance gap between the phones, but this year they’re all on the same starting point: the A18 chipset. The iPhone 16 Pro devices have the A18 Pro, which features larger CPU cache sizes and an extra graphics core for slightly better overall performance. That said, in my benchmark tests, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are just behind the Pros and still more powerful than any other phone on the market.

    I played AAA games like Resident Evil and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, though I did run into a few more stutters than on the Pro models (and just as many crashes, though this could have been because I was running a developer beta of iOS 18.1). I want to note that these games are currently the cream of the crop in graphical fidelity, so I’m purposefully stress-testing. Most of the titles you’ll play will run perfectly. The Pro models this year have improved thermal performance, but Apple made some tweaks to improve the heat dissipation on the standard iPhones too, and I have not noticed the phones getting significantly hot.

    More importantly, every iPhone 16 model will be capable of running Apple Intelligence, the suite of artificial intelligence features coming in an update in October. I go over exactly what’s included in Apple Intelligence in my iOS 18 guide, and have broadly evaluated the current experience in my iPhone 16 Pro review. There are some helpful day-to-day features, like real-time transcriptions in Voice Notes or call recordings, but we’ll have to wait until Apple brings the full kit.

    Battery life is a high note. I eked out better battery life on the iPhone 16 Plus than on the Pro Max, hitting more than seven hours of screen-on time with 36 percent left in the tank at 1 am. The iPhone 16 is no slouch, giving me six hours of screen-on time with around 20 percent remaining. And that’s with a mix of doomscrolling on Instagram, picture-snapping, navigation, and music streaming. These devices will get you through a full day and then some. Speaking of the battery, it’s easier to replace on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus (not the Pro models), and iFixit gave it a 7/10 in overall repairability, which is a huge improvement over prior years.

    It’s a shame Apple did not bring an updated spec for the charging port. When Apple switched to USB-C last year, it kept the same data transfer speeds for the iPhone 15—480 megabits per second. The Pro, on the other hand, has USB3 speeds of up to 20 gigabits per second. It’s a massive difference (and an unnecessary one), but this only matters if you find yourself moving files from your iPhone to another device with a cord.

    Good Cameras

    Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

    The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus hold their own in the camera department. I found no significant differences even in low light when shooting with the main camera and the ultrawide. The Pro phones edge them out here and there, but the gap is small. Autofocus is new in the 12-MP ultrawide, so you can take macro photos. I can’t stop taking close-up shots of my pup’s nose. Boop!

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    Julian Chokkattu

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  • Protesters Take to Apple Stores Worldwide on iPhone 16 Launch Day

    Protesters Take to Apple Stores Worldwide on iPhone 16 Launch Day

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    On Friday, customers around the world flocked to Apple Stores locations to buy the iPhone 16 on its launch day. But customers in over a dozen cities were met by protests organized by current and former Apple employees.

    The protesters—holding signs and banners saying that Apple is “profiting from genocide”—demanded that Apple stop sourcing its cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where mines are notorious for dangerous conditions, low wages, frequent use of child labor, and human rights violations.

    Apple has said it does not source minerals from mines in which these conditions take place, though it has said that there are “challenges” in tracking its mineral supply chains. In 2022, this tracking led the company to remove 12 suppliers. Congo’s government recently questioned the company in relation to potential “blood minerals” in its supply chain.

    The protesters also told Apple to break its silence on the ongoing war in Gaza, which has been called a genocide by some human rights experts.

    The protests, which took place in 10 countries, were primarily organized by Apples Against Apartheid, a group of five current Apple employees and around a dozen former Apple employees. They have primarily held retail roles at Apple Stores.

    The group, originally called Apples4Ceasefire, partnered with the organization Friends of the Congo and local activist groups in cities around the world. Posts on social media show protesters holding banners outside Apple stores in Bristol, Reading, London, Tokyo, Brussels, Cape Town, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Montreal, and Cardiff. In the United States, protests took place at Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue Manhattan store, as well as in Palo Alto and Berkeley.

    Many of these protests had just a few participants, often waving big banners and large flags of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Palestine. Most of the in-person protesters were not themselves Apple workers.

    The largest turnout was in Berlin, where more than three dozen people participated in the protest. They chanted from behind a barricade, which distanced them from the Apple Store. Footage shows police officers directing protesters farther away, and arresting a person wearing a keffiyeh. Tariq Ra’Ouf, a leading Apples Against Apartheid organizer, tells WIRED that five protesters were arrested.

    Ra’Ouf worked at a Seattle Apple Store for 12 years before being fired in July. They say that they were fired for a “technicality” that they believe “should have been a misconduct warning.” They believe that their dismissal was likely retaliatory for challenging the company publicly on “anti-Palestinian bias and racism.” Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the protest or Ra’Ouf’s allegation.

    “The idea is we want to bring this to them as consumers, and so we want to disrupt their biggest day of the year as much as we could,” Ra’Ouf tells WIRED. “We want [them] to assess how much money they make on launch day, and how many phones they’re able to sell, and really show them visibly that there’s a lot of support for these communities that they’re just ignoring.”

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    Caroline Haskins

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  • The Best iPhone 16 Cases and Accessories

    The Best iPhone 16 Cases and Accessories

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    There are so many cases. Here are other ones I’ve tried that I don’t like as much as the picks above but might be suitable for you.

    Casely Bold ($35) and Classic Cases for $25: I like the Casely Classic more than the bold—the buttons don’t feel as mushy, and the hardshell plastic feels nice. Both have a nice cutout for Camera Control, with raised edges around the screen, and good MagSafe support. They also look fun! There’s even a collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art so you can get your favorite painting on the back of your iPhone. Forget the trek to New York.

    Apple Silicone MagSafe Case and Clear MagSafe Case for $49: If you want to stick with official Apple cases, these are fine. They’re just a bit expensive for what you get. The silicone cases tend to pick up pet hair and dust very easily, so they feel icky. The Clear case works well, but the buttons require more force to press than our picks above.

    OtterBox Symmetry Soft Touch MagSafe ($60), Symmetry Ultra Slim MagSafe ($50), and Symmetry Cactus Leather MagSafe ($60): All of these cases have a big gap for Camera Control, which I don’t love. It just looks awkward and is not symmetrical (ironic). The Soft Touch feels very nice but has mushy buttons. The Ultra Slim doesn’t have that problem, but it’s slippery, and the Cactus Leather model is solid overall. Just know that cactus leather isn’t necessarily as environmentally friendly as marketed.

    Wave MagSafe Case for $48: You can choose from a lot of colors, but this is an otherwise dull-looking case. The Action Button is a little harder to press, and the whole thing is a bit slippery, but everything else works fine. The edges around the screen are raised, and the MagSafe connection is good. The main reason to buy the Wave is because it’s made from biodegradable materials (wheat straw), and the company is a member of Surfers Against Sewage 250 Club, a charity that works to keep the UK coastline clean. Wave Case is based in the UK, so do note the international shipping fee.

    Speck Presidio 2 Pro MagSafe Case for $50: I tried an array of Speck cases, and they’re all solid, but my favorite is the Presidio 2 Pro. I funnily found it grippier than the Presidio 2 Grip. It checks off all the other boxes, with a roomy, sloped cutout for Camera Control, though the power button is slightly harder to press. Speck has a proprietary locking system called ClickLock that makes the MagSafe system more secure, but you need to pair it with Speck’s accessories to get it to work. I think if you tend to use MagSafe wallets, then this might be useful, as it does hold the wallet more securely than standard MagSafe. But for people mounting the iPhone, go with Peak Design’s SlimLink.

    Spigen Tough Armor MagSafe Case for $26: It’s been years and Spigen has not figured out a way to make this kickstand work in portrait and landscape orientation. (It only works in the latter.) Other than that, this is a fine case, if a bit bulky, with clicky buttons and a spacious and sloped cutout for Camera Control. The design’s a bit dull.

    Burga Tough Case ($24) and Burga Elite Case ($85): Burga’s Elite case is very slippery; there are some grips on the edges, but they don’t help much. There’s a spot to attach a lanyard though. The buttons are clicky on both these cases, with raised edges around the screen, and a cutout for Camera Control. The Tough and Elite cases do not have MagSafe support, so if you want a case without it, here you go. (Why?) That said, the company does sell an Elite MagSafe case ($90) but the price is a little ridiculous. At least there are lots of designs to choose from.

    Smartish Wallet Slayer Vol. 1 for $30: This case has an integrated wallet that lets you store two to three cards, and you can easily push them out from the gap on the left. I just don’t like integrated wallet cases in this style that add bulk and disable features like MagSafe and wireless charging, so it’s not for me, but maybe you don’t mind.

    BodyGuardz Ace Pro MagSafe Case for $50: Do you want a lanyard? This case comes with one preinstalled (you can remove it). I found the case too slippery, and the buttons are flush with the case, which might contribute to that. At least they’re clicky. Camera Control also works well here, but the clear back attracts a lot of smudges. There’s also a completely clear version called the Accent Clear ($55), but I didn’t like it as much as the Totallee Clear case.

    MagEasy Odyssey Strap M MagSafe Case for $45: This is pretty good value considering you get a protective case and a crossbody lanyard. You can even swap out the bumpers at the bottom for when you don’t want the lanyard, though how many times are you going to do this? You’ll more likely lose the spare bumpers. The Action Button is a bit mushy, but the rest work well. I’d have liked more room in the Camera Control cutout though.

    Incase Icon MagSafe Case for $60: I tried a bunch of Incase cases, from the Slim to the Halo, and the Woolenex material in the Icon is my favorite, because it’s super nice to hold. It’s fairly grippy and checks off all the other boxes.

    Mous Limitless 6.0 ($65) and Clarity 3.0 ($70): I have no major qualms with these Mous cases, and you also have a few designs to choose from, like the walnut or the speckled fabric. There’s a big gap for Camera Control, and I think it makes the case look awkward, but otherwise, there are clicky buttons, fun textures, strong MagSafe connectivity, and a spot to attach a lanyard.

    Casetify Ripple ($62), Bounce ($82), and Ultra Bounce Case ($102): Casetify cases are very customizable, but the company has been leaning hard into its Bounce case design, where it accentuates the corners of the case for improved shock absorption. It just kind of makes the whole thing bulky too. The Ripple case is a bit more reserved, with the Ultra Bounce going balls-to-the-wall crazy with multiple attachment points if you want to affix a keychain carabiner or a crossbody strap. It’s expensive and a lot. But at least the cases are solid, with reliable buttons, good MagSafe support, and raised edges around the display.

    Moft Snap Case MOVAS With MagSafe for $50: This is a very simple case. The buttons aren’t the clickiest, and you get a big cutout for the Camera Control button. It’s fairly slim, with raised edges around the display. I prefer the company’s accessories to its case, and you don’t need a Moft case to use them. That said, you do need it if you want to pair it with the brand’s excellent phone lanyard.

    Belkin ScreenForce InvisiGlass Privacy Treated Screen Protector for $35: You only get one screen protector, and Belkin doesn’t include an alcohol wipe to help clean your phone. (You do get a microfiber cloth and dust removal stickers.) The application process is OK; it leaves some wiggle room for error. That said, the privacy effect is great. No one can see your screen if they’re looking at it from an angle.

    OtterBox Premium Pro Glass Blue Light Guard for $50: This one is easy to apply, but there’s little room for error, so you have to be careful. I accidentally put mine askew. It’s made of 60 percent recycled materials, and OtterBox has infused it with blue-light-filtering tech. To my eyes, I did not notice a difference when comparing it with another iPhone model that did not have a protector installed.

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    Julian Chokkattu

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  • The iPhone 16’s Battery Is Easier to Replace, Finally

    The iPhone 16’s Battery Is Easier to Replace, Finally

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    This only affects new smartphones launching in the EU after June 2025, which means the iPhone 16 does not have to adhere to this law. The regulation doesn’t just touch on batteries though. Manufacturers need to sell critical spare parts for seven years and offer at least five years of software updates. These laws often influence other regions, which is why Apple is likely testing this battery replacement process in its latest phone. It’s unclear whether the new adhesive would be fully compliant with the EU’s regulations.

    “The point of the legislation is that it won’t most likely require [Apple] to completely change the design of the product,” says Ugo Vallauri, codirector of the Restart Project and a founding member of the Right to Repair Europe coalition. “As long as they can supply the spare part as well as the tools needed to perform the repair, and it can be performed by a generalist—someone with some level of competence—they would not need to change much further, which can be potentially be seen as a weakness of the legislation. We will see what happens in that respect.”

    Matching Game

    But easier battery replacements are just one part of the story. Apple is notorious for “parts pairing,” the policy where it uses software to identify and approve parts. Apple will disable certain features if it finds the part wasn’t sourced from Apple’s official channels—even if the part comes directly from another iPhone. For example, as iFixit’s website says, if you replace your iPhone’s screen with a genuine but secondhand part, your device will lose access to Apple’s True Tone and autobrightness features, even though the screen will otherwise function normally. You may also see warning messages for replaced parts that Apple cannot identify.

    New laws in Oregon and Colorado prohibit the practice of parts pairing to discriminate against otherwise compatible parts, and Apple earlier this year said it would expand repair options to support used genuine parts starting this fall. That now applies to the Face ID sensor in the TrueDepth selfie camera—you can now swap this component from one unit to another without compromising security, safety, and privacy, according to Apple.

    Apple also says that now, if you use a third-party part that isn’t available in its cloud-based calibration servers, the phone will try to activate the part and make it work to its full capability. It will also show the repair history of the device within Settings and list which parts have been replaced. Any used Apple parts will now be able to be calibrated after you install them, and these will appear as “used” parts in the device’s repair history. That means features like True Tone will finally be enabled for third-party displays, and you’ll be able to see health data for third-party batteries. The front camera and lidar scanner will also stay operational if the module is replaced.

    “I’ve always felt like the goal of right to repair is to create the incentive for these manufacturers, who are the ones good at making stuff, to prioritize or at least incorporate repairability into their objectives,” says Nathan Proctor, senior director of the Campaign for the Right to Repair at Public Interest Research Group. “And once they do, they are actually coming up with new ways to make things easier to fix in ways I couldn’t have predicted or thought up. It’s exciting to see Apple engineers coming up with solutions for making things more fixable.”

    Lock Step

    Photograph: Apple

    But there’s a new concern on the horizon with iOS 18 rolling out to Apple devices: Activation Lock. You might be familiar with this if you have erased an iPhone in the past but forgot to remove your Apple account details, essentially locking a new owner out from the device unless they have your password. In iOS 18, this Activation Lock feature now extends to iPhone parts. The idea is that this will deter thieves from stealing iPhones to sell parts. If the iPhone detects that a used part has been installed, it will ask for the original part owner’s Apple account password.

    Proctor says the number one complaint he’s heard from device refurbishers is around Activation Lock—these companies have devices legally acquired from donations or recycling programs, but they cannot do anything to unlock the phone. (Apple has ways to bypass Activation Lock if you have proof of purchase documentation.)

    “We need a way to verifiably say this is not a stolen part,” Proctor says. “I really respect and appreciate and understand the value of the way Activation Lock thwarts theft, but there’s got to be some middle ground where a reputable recycler doesn’t have to shred working parts and working phones. It’s ridiculous. It has the potential to undermine any environmental gains from all the other stuff that they’re doing.”

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    Julian Chokkattu

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  • Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Gets a Little Smarter With Apple Intelligence

    Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Gets a Little Smarter With Apple Intelligence

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    Creating summaries seems to be a thing everyone wants to do with AI, and Apple Intelligence is ready to do the same. You can have your emails summarized, messages summarized, and even your notifications from third-party apps summarized. Some of this can be handy, like when the Mail app calls out an urgent-sounding email in its summary, which I would have missed had I just glanced at the giant collection of emails. But more often than not I just swipe away the summary and dive into all the notifications.

    Speaking of, there’s a summarize feature built into Safari, but you have to put the web page into Reader mode. It’s these kinds of things that make it hard to find these smart features and remember that they exist. At the very least, I was able to summarize an 11,000-word story and get the gist of it when I didn’t have time to sit down and read it. (Sorry.) I’ll forgive you if you summarize this review.

    Arguably the most helpful Apple Intelligence features for me as a journalist who attends multiple briefings a month are the new transcription tools in the Notes, Voice Memos app, and even in the Phone app. Hit record in Voice Memos and Notes and the apps will transcribe conversations in real time! If you’re on a phone call, tap the record button and after both parties are notified, it will start recording the call, and you’ll get a transcription saved to your Notes app.

    For all of these, much depends on the microphone quality for the person on the other end. Either way, it’s certainly better than no transcription at all. It’s too bad there are no speaker labels, like on Google’s Recorder app. You also can’t search these recordings to find a specific quote. (Technically, you can if you add the transcript to your note in the Notes app, but you cannot jump to that part of the audio recording once you find it.)

    The Photos app is getting an Apple Intelligence infusion too, and the highlight here is the Clean Up feature. Just like with Google’s Pixel phones that debuted Magic Eraser more than three years ago, you can now delete unwanted objects in the background of your iPhone photos. This works pretty well in my experience, though I’m a little surprised Apple gives you so much freedom to erase anything. I completely erased my eye from existence in a selfie. I erased all my fingers off my hand. (Google’s feature doesn’t let you erase parts of a person’s face.)

    Next, I erased my mug, which was in front of my face as I went for a sip, and Clean Up tried to generate the rest of my face that was previously hidden to some horrifying results. (For what it’s worth, I tried this on the Pixel 9 and the results were just as bad, though Google did give me more options.) As my coworker said in Slack, “They both seem to have been trained on images of Bugs Bunny.”

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    Julian Chokkattu

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  • Is The Flip Phone Back?

    Is The Flip Phone Back?

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    I honestly never thought I’d pose this question, but are we ready to push buttons again? As the era of Y2k fashion surges on, we’re constantly hankering for more nostalgia. We’ve brought back trucker hats, Juicy Couture, and now maybe even the flip phone.

    When I was growing up, I loved to play with my dad’s Motorola Razr. In my eyes, there was no cooler phone in the world. I loved the way you could be so sassy and smack your phone closed when you were finished with a call.

    Back then even the Blackberry was all the rage. It wasn’t a flip phone, per-se, but you there was something so camp about typing on BBM to your friends even though your fingers were too big for the buttons.

    Now that the world has turned into an “iPhone or bust” culture, it’s hard to imagine the flip phone being a viable option once more. They had impossible internet service, were most functional for phone calls, and they weren’t fast.

    But, never say never. Paris Hilton — our beacon for all things the Y2k aesthetic — stepped out on September 5 with her husband, Carter Reum, toting a hot pink Motorola RAZR flip phone.

    @oliverlargex Reasons to switch from iphone to a flip Razr! 😍 #razr #razr50ultra #fyp #newphone #flipphone #motorola ♬ original sound – Oliver Large

    Yes, the classic flip is back in production with a new twist. The razr+ is a reimagined take on our OG fave: a touchscreen phone that folds up and flips any way you’d like.

    While I — like you, I’m sure — worried about the possibility of sitting on your phone and shattering the screen… It turns out the razr+ is stress tested and has the capability to last underwater for up to 30 minutes.

    What a fun alternative to the iPhone — which only seems to get worse over time. And now you can hang up the phone in such a sassy manner everyone will know precisely how you feel.

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    Jai Phillips

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  • CNBC Daily Open: Rate cuts might not benefit tech the most

    CNBC Daily Open: Rate cuts might not benefit tech the most

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    The sun rises behind the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center as people walk along the Hudson River on September 14, 2024, in Jersey City, New Jersey. 

    Gary Hershorn | Corbis News | Getty Images

    This report is from today’s CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe here.

    What you need to know today

    Record close for Dow
    The     S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average rose on Monday, with the Dow notching a record close. But the Nasdaq Composite fell. Asia-Pacific stocks were mixed. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.03% as the Japanese yen strengthened to 140.54 against the U.S. dollar. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index climbed 1.15% as Midea Group shares jumped over 9% in their Hong Kong debut.

    Next move for the BOJ
    The Bank of Japan won’t be raising interest rates at its September meeting, according to a CNBC survey of 32 analysts. However, the outlook for its October and December meetings is less certain. Almost 20% think an October hike is likely, while 25% said the bank’s next hike will be in December.

    India’s slowing deposit growth
    Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das told CNBC in an exclusive interview that slowing growth in deposits is not a cause for concern currently, and said banks are “coming out with new products for deposit mobilization.”

    Intel forges new path for foundry
    Intel shares popped around 8% in extended trading on news the chipmaker plans to structure its foundry business as an independent unit with its own board and ability to raise outside funding. It might even spin off the business as a public company, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Separately, the Biden administration on Monday awarded Intel up to $3 billion under the CHIPS Act.

    [PRO] “Golden age of fixed income”
    The U.S. Federal Reserve is poised to cut interest rates this week. Benchmark rates affect borrowing costs. This means bond yields will go down as the Fed lowers rates. Rick Rieder, BlackRock’s global chief investment officer of fixed income, thinks now’s the time for investors to take advantage of this “golden age of fixed income.”

    The bottom line

    Technology stocks benefit the most from low interest rates, conventional market wisdom says.

    That’s because tech companies tend to promise future profit in exchange for present money. When rates are low, that proposition appears attractive because returns are low elsewhere. But when rates are high, those promises don’t seem as attractive as less risky returns from assets such as Treasurys.

    The past two years have demolished this narrative. Tech has soared even as interest rates have been at 23-year highs, thanks to enthusiasm over artificial intelligence’s promise of new and explosive revenue streams.

    Nvidia, the lynchpin of AI, has soared nearly 136% just this year. Meta, which has its own AI model named Llama, is up about 51%.

    With the market pricing in a 67% chance — up from 30% last week — that the U.S. Federal Reserve will make a larger-than-usual cut of 50 basis points, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, it stands to reason tech will pop further.

    The sector, however, has been rocky in recent weeks. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF, for instance, fell 1.31% Monday, while Nvidia slipped 1.95%.

    The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.52%, while the S&P 500 inched up 0.13% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.55% to close at a new record.

    This implies investors have been moving out of tech to other sectors that might experience tailwinds amid lower rates. Case in point: the financial and energy sectors rose more than 1% on Monday, performing better than the broader market.

    Goldman Sachs noted hedge funds’ weekly purchases last week of financial stocks were the highest since June 2023.

    “Other areas of the market are starting to perk up, and a lot of that has to do with the future rate cuts that are coming into play,” said Christopher Barto, senior investment analyst at Fort Pitt Capital.

    That doesn’t mean tech’s out of favor. It’s likely to continue driving the market. But other sectors might show up for the ride.

    – CNBC’s Hakyung Kim, Pia Singh and Yun Li contributed to this story.

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  • CNBC Daily Open: Tech might not be the biggest beneficiary of rate cuts

    CNBC Daily Open: Tech might not be the biggest beneficiary of rate cuts

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    The sun rises behind the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center on September 14, 2024, in Jersey City, New Jersey. 

    Gary Hershorn | Corbis News | Getty Images

    This report is from today’s CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe here.

    What you need to know today

    Record close for Dow
    U.S. markets were     mixed on Monday. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average rose, with the Dow notching a record close. But the Nasdaq Composite fell. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index lost 0.16%. U.K.’s FTSE 100 ended flat. The Bank of England will meet Thursday for its latest monetary policy decision.

    Intel forges new path for foundry
    Intel shares popped around 8% in extended trading on news the chipmaker plans to structure its foundry business as an independent unit with its own board and ability to raise outside funding. It might even spin off the business as a public company, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Separately, the Biden administration on Monday awarded Intel up to $3 billion under the CHIPS Act.

    Blemished Apple
    Apple shares slid 2.78% after TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported demand for Apple’s new iPhone 16 was down 12% year on year compared with the iPhone 15’s first-weekend sales. Kuo also said consumers weren’t enthused because Apple Intelligence wasn’t available with the iPhone at launch, and as competition from Chinese manufacturers dents iPhone demand.

    Choppy flight
    Boeing is implementing a hiring freeze amid plans to cut costs, such as pausing nonessential staff travel. Just this year, Boeing has had to deal with: a 737 MAX door panel blowing out in midair; its Starliner spacecraft returning to Earth without its two planned passengers; and a strike by more than 30,000 workers.

    [PRO] Short-lived record?
    The S&P 500 is less than 1% away from its record high set in July. The upcoming Federal Open Market Committee meeting, at which the U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates by at least 25 basis points, might lift the S&P to new heights. But analysts warn the new high might be short lived.

    The bottom line

    Technology stocks benefit the most from low interest rates, conventional market wisdom says.

    That’s because tech companies tend to promise future profit in exchange for present money. When rates are low, that proposition appears attractive because returns are low elsewhere. But when rates are high, those promises don’t seem as attractive as less risky returns from assets such as Treasurys.

    The past two years have demolished this narrative. Tech has soared even as interest rates have been at 23-year highs, thanks to enthusiasm over artificial intelligence’s promise of new and explosive revenue streams.

    Nvidia, the lynchpin of AI, has soared nearly 136% just this year. Meta, which has its own AI model named Llama, is up about 51%.

    With the market pricing in a 62% chance — up from 30% last week — that the U.S. Federal Reserve will make a larger-than-usual cut of 50 basis points, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, it stands to reason tech will pop further.

    The sector, however, has been rocky in recent weeks. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF, for instance, fell 1.31% Monday, while Nvidia slipped 1.95%.

    The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.52%, while the S&P 500 inched up 0.13% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.55% to close at a new record.

    This implies investors have been moving out of tech to other sectors that might experience tailwinds amid lower rates. Case in point: the financial and energy sectors rose more than 1% on Monday, performing better than the broader market.

    Goldman Sachs noted hedge funds’ weekly purchases last week of financial stocks were the highest since June 2023.

    “Other areas of the market are starting to perk up, and a lot of that has to do with the future rate cuts that are coming into play,” said Christopher Barto, senior investment analyst at Fort Pitt Capital.

    That doesn’t mean tech’s out of favor. It’s likely to continue driving the market. But other sectors might show up for the ride.

    – CNBC’s Hakyung Kim, Pia Singh and Yun Li contributed to this story.

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  • How to turn your old iPhone into an AI phone (and skip the upgrade)

    How to turn your old iPhone into an AI phone (and skip the upgrade)

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    The latest iPhones, unveiled by Apple at a marketing event Monday, look virtually identical to last year’s models. But Apple hopes that what’s underneath — new software that brings what it describes as artificial intelligence to the new phones — will persuade people to upgrade.

    Apple Intelligence, the company’s new suite of AI services, automates tasks including generating images, rewriting emails and summarizing web articles. Only the iPhone 16s unveiled Monday or last year’s iPhone 15 Pro can run the new software because older models are too slow to handle those tasks, according to the company. The faster iPhone 16 devices start at $800 and will arrive in stores later this month.

    But what if I told you there was another way to get the same perks?

    Long before Apple introduced Apple Intelligence at a software conference in June, many apps for automatically producing text and images had been widely available. Relying on a technology known as generative AI, which predicts what words and images belong together to write a catchy poem or generate a realistic-looking image of a cat on a windowsill, for instance, these types of services have been trendy for the last two years.

    Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    By downloading a handful of apps, iPhone owners can get similar benefits and hold on to their older devices longer. After I tested dozens of generative AI apps in the last year, here are my recommendations.

    Summarizing text

    One of Apple Intelligence’s most anticipated features is its ability to take large blocks of text and distill the main points into a few sentences. This capability could be useful for summarizing a lengthy web article or lecture notes.

    But there’s already a popular tool for summarizing web articles: Arc Search, a free browser developed by a startup. To test it, I loaded an 8,000-word feature from ProPublica about a chemist who blew the whistle on the manufacturer 3M. When I pinched the screen, the app generated a one-sentence overview of what the article was about, followed by three bullet points summing up the highlights. While the bullet points glossed over important details you would have gotten from reading the full article, I found the summary accurate.

    For summarizing notes, the free web app Humata AI has become popular among academic researchers and lawyers. By visiting Humata.ai on a web browser, you can upload a document such as a PDF, and from there, you can type requests in a window to ask a chatbot to summarize the most important points. In response, the chatbot will show a digital copy of the PDF and highlight relevant portions of the text.

    Writing tools

    Apple Intelligence also includes tools to rewrite text — to make an email sound more professional, for instance. Lots of free apps can handle this task proficiently.

    The best known include the ChatGPT chatbot from OpenAI, along with rivals like Gemini from Google and Bing AI from Microsoft — all apps that can be downloaded in the App Store. Just paste text into the app and ask the chatbot to rewrite it in a different tone by typing, for instance, “Make this email sound more personable for a client I’ve known for many years.”

    For help with writing, I prefer a lesser-known tool, Wordtune, from the startup AI21 Labs. Its interface, accessible on wordtune.com, is designed like a word processor for composing and editing text. You can type in a paragraph and click on buttons to expand, shorten or rewrite sentences to sound more casual or formal; the app will show a list of rewritten sentences to choose from.

    Image generation

    Another of Apple Intelligence’s hyped features is its ability to generate fun images, such as an emoji of yourself eating pizza, to send to friends.

    Many options for generating images exist, including a tool that most iPhone users are likely to already have: Meta AI, Meta’s free chatbot that is included inside Instagram, WhatsApp and its other apps. In the search bar at the top of Instagram, you can ask the chatbot to conjure images by typing “/imagine” followed by a description.

    I typed “/imagine me eating steak.” Meta AI then loaded a tool to take photos of my face from multiple angles. It produced an obviously fake rendering of me salivating over a large, rare steak inside a restaurant.

    Other similar tools for typing prompts to generate images include Adobe Firefly, found on firefly.adobe.com, and ChatGPT.

    Photo editing

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    The New York Times News Service Syndicate

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  • How Useful Will Apple Intelligence Be? The Next iPhone Will Tell Us

    How Useful Will Apple Intelligence Be? The Next iPhone Will Tell Us

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    On Monday, Apple held one of its splashy media events. This one was used to show off its next round of iPhones, AirPods, and Apple Watches. These are three of its biggest products, and all of the design tweaks feel very familiar to the current Apple universe. But Apple has also trotted out some new tricks, like sleep apnea detection in the Apple Watch and a new feature that instantly turns a pair of AirPods Pro into hearing aids. And of course, the company is also very keen to get consumers hyped up about the iPhone’s new Apple Intelligence features—even if those flashy AI tricks won’t start becoming available until next month.

    This week on Gadget Lab, WIRED product reviews editors Adrienne So and Julian Chokkattu join us after Apple’s “Glowtime” event to go over all the big news from Cupertino.

    Show Notes

    Our roundup of everything Apple announced this week. Read Julian’s WIRED stories about how the iPhone 16 is incorporating AI and which iPhone 16 model is right for you. Dive into Lauren’s story about whether Apple’s AI promises will actually equate to more iPhone sales. Read Chistopher Null’s story about how AirPods Pro could disrupt the hearing aid industry. Follow all WIRED’s Apple coverage.

    Recommendations

    Adrienne recommends the book Status and Culture by W. David Marx. Julian recommends the Dev Patel action movie Monkey Man. Lauren recommends that you recommend a good chair to help her back pain. Mike recommends Manning Fireworks, the new album by musician MJ Lenderman.

    Adrienne So can be found on Threads @adso_sheehan. Julian Chokkattu is @julianchokkattu. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight@heads.social. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.

    How to Listen

    You can always listen to this week’s podcast through the audio player on this page, but if you want to subscribe for free to get every episode, here’s how:

    If you’re on an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts, or just tap this link. You can also download an app like Overcast or Pocket Casts, and search for Gadget Lab. If you use Android, you can find us in the Google Podcasts app just by tapping here. We’re on Spotify too. And in case you really need it, here’s the RSS feed.

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    Michael Calore, Lauren Goode

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