watchOS and Apple’s future

April 11, 2022

The Apple Watch has turned into a bona fide hit for Apple CEO Tim Cook -- his first major hardware release that wasn't overseen by Steve Jobs.

But looking at the history of the Apple Watch, it seems that Cupertino has learned a new approach to developing products.

The company might just use this new playbook when it comes to releasing its upcoming AR/VR headset. Our writer Graham Bower breaks it down.

In other news:

  • Don't miss our roundup of the week's best new and updated apps. It's worth it just to find out about Super Agent, which banishes website dickbars forever.

  • Apple doesn't often make mistakes, but when it does, it can be pretty funny. The company was just forced to re-sign iOS 15.4 to let customers update their new Studio Displays. Ooops!

  • Talking of Studio Displays, you can get a gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR display at a fraction of the price, if you're willing to sacrifice size. See our latest Setups post.

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

The Apple Watch has undergone a radical evolution over the past eight years. This pivot is uncharacteristic of Apple. Products like iPod, iPhone and iPad launched with a clear vision and remained true to it. The Apple Watch’s evolution suggests a shift in Cupertino’s approach to new products, and provides tantalizing clues to the future of the company’s rumored next platform launch: realityOS.

This week’s Awesome Apps roundup includes a few great utilities, a way to simplify your photo editing, and a ridiculously addictive game.

Late last week, Apple stopped signing iOS 15.4 following the release of iOS 15.4.1, making it impossible for users to downgrade their iPhones’ software. But the change also inadvertently stopped people from updating their new Studio Displays’ firmware.

Apple is now manufacturing the iPhone 13 in India through supply-chain partner Foxconn. The move will allow the Cupertino company to save on customs and import taxes that it otherwise has to pay for importing and selling the phones in the country.

The convenient feature has been in beta testing for many months, but people began getting access to the non-beta version several days ago. And it’ll be “available in a matter of days” to all — as long as you’re running iOS 15.

When Easter rolls around, you know how easy it is to find chocolate bunnies, candy eggs and the notorious marshmallow Peeps — if you’re into that sort of thing. But if you’d rather hunt for great deals on Apple accessories — especially Apple Watch bands — check out the Cult of Mac Store’s 25% discount across the board on products from Carterjett and Wiplabs.

We might get “fairly significant enhancements” to notifications in iOS 16, according to a reliable source. Further, Apple could make major improvements to health and activity tracking in watchOS 9, and debut a new multitasking interface in iPadOS 16.

The alternate-history sci-fi series heads for Mars soon, and a teaser trailer gives a first look at the new frontier the show will explore.

Insert the Wemo Smart Plug with Thread into any wall socket and you can use HomeKit to control any plug-in appliance with your iPhone. It’s easy. Plus, this gadget (obviously) offers Thread mesh networking, the future of smart home tech. I tested it in my home. Here’s why there’s a lot to like.

Anyone who buys a desktop Mac or wants a desktop feel using their MacBook is going to need a decent-sized external display. And wouldn’t it be grand if we all had $5,000 to spend on an Apple Pro Display XDR? Well, we don’t. The owner of today’s featured computer setup figured out a clever way to run a brilliant Liquid Retina XDR Display at much less cost with their new Mac Studio. What’s the catch? Well, it’s only a 12.9-inch display. Because it’s an iPad.

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One more thing ...

"A computer frees people from much of the menial work. Besides that, you are giving them a tool that encourages them to be creative. Remember, computers are tools. Tools help us do our work better." -- Steve Jobs

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