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I’m terrible at remembering people’s names.
It’s usually in one ear, right out the other. Sometimes I rehearse a new acquaintance’s name silently, but it never works.
So I’ve always wanted smart glasses that quietly reminded you of someone’s name when they walked into view.
The name thing has long been a science-fiction trope — one of the earliest imagined uses for AR glasses.
Back in the good old days, no one pondered the privacy implications of such technology, which could make Ring’s pet-scanning network look completely benign.
But if one company can do it right, it’d likely be Apple.
Perhaps the technology would only identify people you already knew, who were in your contacts? That sounds reasonable, I guess.
But what about at cocktail parties, where you just met the person? And how would recognizing just your contacts work exactly?
These are some of the issues Apple engineers are currently grappling with, as Apple prepares for a big AI push this year.
Apple is rumored to be preparing three main AI products — smart glasses, an AI pin/pendant and camera-equipped AirPods — that sound as if they will function as the eyes and ears for the upcoming “smarter Siri.”
And it appears Apple’s Visual Intelligence — which is already surprisingly capable — may be a key technology unifying them all.
Also in today’s newsletter:
Cosmic orange became a giant draw for the iPhone 17 Pro, so naturally, Apple is looking for another hit color for the iPhone 18 Pro.
Adding Visual Intelligence to AirPods and AI pins is something we discussed in this week’s Cult of Mac podcast, along with what to expect at the “special Apple Experience” in early March.
🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: Changing AirTag batteries can be a pain — but not with this extended battery case, which stretches an AirTag’s battery life to a decade or more! And this four-pack deal is just $36 (20% off).
You probably tried texting from your Apple Watch, and then never attempted it again. But setting up some canned replies can make the experience a lot less painful.
Our roundup of the best Mac setups with weird and unusual keyboards offers a good overview of the dizzying options available. Ortholinear keyboards? Low-profile mechanicals? See-through? We got ‘em all!
I was surprised by the most popular color for the new low-cost MacBook in last Friday’s poll. See below. But we goofed, as one reader pointed out: Classic beige wasn’t one of the options!
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
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A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team
A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team
Cult of Mac’s buyback program
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The main thing in our design is that we have to make things intuitively obvious.
Today’s poll
Do you use Apple's Visual Intelligence?
Results from yesterday’s poll: If you got a low-cost MacBook, what color would you get?
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