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Today Apple announced the all new redesigned MacBook Air with the new M2 chip. The new MacBook Air comes in new color options including Starlight, Midnight, Silver, and Space Grey. It also features MagSafe for charging like the new MacBook Pro models. The design is very similar to the new 14" and 16" MacBook Pro models and it features a 13.6-inch display with up to 500 nits of brightness. It still has a very thin finless design with two Thunderbolt ports and a headphone jack. The new MacBook Air has up to a 10-core GPU, and unto 2TB of SSD storage, along with 24GB of memory. It also has up to 18-hours of battery life on a single charge. The new MacBook Air also includes the new updated Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. It will be available next month and will start at $1199 and $1099 for education.

Today Apple announced iPadOS 16 with new features like the weather app, collaboration features, and more. iPadOS 16 allows you to collaborate with more people by sharing notes or pages and these collaborations can be done from FaceTime and Messages. With Metal 3, gaming on iPad will give users a much better experience. Large downloads from games will happen in the background and won't interrupt the experience. With Reference mode, users have better control of color consistency and will allow more professional creative users to have a better workflow and see edits in real time on their iPad. You can now also customize the pixel size of a display with solid view and optimize it for the app you're using. iPadOS 16 is available as a developer beta today and will be available as a public beta in July, and is available to everyone in the Fall.

Today Apple announced macOS Ventura with new features like Stage manager, Continuity Camera, updates to security and privacy, and more. Stage manager is a new feature which allows you to focus on one app by pushing all other apps to the side and still keeping it in your preview. Continuity Camera will allow macOS users to use their iPhone as a website wirelessly to deliver a better quality image. There's also anew view called Desk View which allows you to show everything on your desk without even having the adjust the camera. There are also updates to Mail which allows users to unsend emails and schedule emails and add reminders to follow up to emails. Apple also introduced PassKeys which are unique digital keys which stay locally on your device and will never be stored in the browser. This will prevent hackers from gaining access to your accounts. Apple also focused on gaming on the Mac with Metal 3 which allows games built for gaming consoles and PC's to come to the Mac. macOS Ventura is available today as a developer beta, and will be available as a public beta in July. It will also be available to everyone in the Fall.

Today Apple announced the next generation of their M-Series chips starting off with the M2 chip with better performance and more efficiency. The M2 chip uses the new 5nm technology with 20 billion transistors. It is up to 25% faster than the M1 chip, Supports up to 24GB of Memory and has four performance cores and four efficiency cores. There's also support for up to 100GB/s of memory bandwidth. It also has a 10-core GPU and delivers better performance with more efficiency. Apple claims the new chip is more efficient and that they took a focus on being more efficient than other chips in the industry.

Today Apple announced new updates to watchOS with watchOS 9 at WWDC. There are some new watch faces including Lunar, Playtime, Metropolitan, and Astronomy. For users who like to run, new features will allow users to keep track of metrics like ground contact time. stride length, and vertical oscillation. Runners can also race against their previous routes and times and will receive alerts if they're ahead or behind their previous pace. You can also get more insights on Sleep Tracking with Apple Watch like when you're in REM, Core, or Deep Sleep. Apple Watch will also give users a history of their heart rhythm and those who are diagnosed with AFib. It will update users on signs of irregular heartbeat. A new medications feature allows you to add medications and receive updates and reminders on when to take them and what not to do while you're on the medication. It will also let patients know if medications consumed together can cause any harmful affects to them. Other updates to watchOS 9 include updates to notifications, Quick Actions, QWERTY keyboard in other languages, updates to health. watchOS 9 will be available as a developer beta today, public beta will come in July, and it will be available in the Fall with Apple Watch Series 4 and up.

Today Apple announced their latest update to iOS at WWDC which is iOS 16 and debut a bunch of new features including updates to the Lock Screen, Messages app, Wallet app, Maps, and more. The updates make iOS more personal and allow you to customize everything starting with the new updated Lock Screen. Here's a recap of everything Apple announced with iOS 16. Updates to Lock Screen and Notifications Apple announced an all new redesigned Lock Screen which you can customize with different fonts, text colors, and widgets. You can also create and customize multiple lock screens and switch between them by swiping. The new feature allows you to break away from the traditional Lock Screen and have things that are the most important to you displayed when ever you turn on your iPhone. There are also updates to notifications. Notifications will now pop up from the bottom of the screen and the clutter of notifications will be minimized under the new look. There's also a new Live Activities feature which allows you to keep track of events in real time, like sports, or your food delivery. Updates to Messages With the new update to Messages you can now unsend and edit messages. You can also mark messages as unread even if you read them. There's also support for SharePlay which will allow you to watch a movie in sync with the person you're chatting to in real time. Updates to Dictation and Live Text New updates to dictations allows users to easily speak to type with the keyboard now being open so you can make edits while you speak. Dictation will also now automatically add punctuation and emojis to your text. New updates to Live Text will now allow users to copy text from videos and a new quick actions feature will allow users to tap text for currency conversion and also translation of text. Updates to the Wallet App Updates to the Wallet App will now allow users to share digital keys via the Messages app. There's also Apple Pay Later which allows users to pay in four installments plans over six weeks with zero interest and no fees. Lastly, Apple Pay Order Tracking allows users to keep track of purchased items. Updates to Sports Users will now be able to stay updated with sports in a new way with widgets in the Apple News app in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia. Updates to Family Sharing A new shared photo library features in iCloud will allow up to six family members to share photos in a dedicated photo library and it can be shared directly from the camera app. Updates to Home App The Home app has been completely redesigned to feature categories including climate security, and more information about your home. iOS 16 also supports the latest Matter standard for smart home products. Minor Updates There are also some updates to Spatial Audio, QuickNote, Rapid Security Response, Fitness app on iPhone for non Apple Watch users, and Spotlight. A new feature called Safety Check allows you to completely to revoke access to your iPhone and other apps, like location sharing from someone else it was previously accessible to. iOS 16 is available as a developer beta today, and the public beta is available in July. It will be available to all users in the Fall.

Here are the top stories of the week from us. Check out more about our reviews and deals by clicking on the links below. AirPods Pro 2 charging case will still feature the lightning port instead of USB-C The AirPods Pro 2 are expected to have a lightning port for charging instead of a USB-C port which was rumored for the new model. It will also have new updates to its overall design and features. New renders show a detailed version of what the iPhone 14 might look like New renders show a detailed version of the iPhone 14 models from every angle and also the new rumored purple color for the "Pro" lineup. China lockdowns delay iPhone 14 production Lockdowns in China have caused the production of the iPhone 14 to get delayed and Apple is reportedly looking to move their supply chains to new locations outside of China. Could the delays pushback the release of the new iPhone 14 models? Apple Self Service Repair Program Review: just take your device to the Apple store With This week we review Apple's Self Service Repair Program and based on our experience with the program we think it's better if you just take your device to the Apple store, and here's why. Deals: 5th generation iPad Air is available for $559 down from $599 Check out this week's deal on the new 5th generation iPad Air. Deals: iPad mini 6 is now available for $409 down from $499 Check out this week's deal on the iPad mini 6.

Microsoft has been working on a new Xbox game steaming device for a while now but according to a new report from Windows Central, they’re more focused on developing the device into something else now. Here’s what a Microsoft spokesperson said about the new device: “Our vision for Xbox Cloud Gaming is unwavering, our goal is to enable people to play the games they want, on the devices they want, anywhere they want. As announced last year, we’ve been working on a game-streaming device, codename Keystone, that could be connected to any TV or monitor without the need for a console," a Microsoft spokesperson stated.” "As part of any technical journey, we are constantly evaluating our efforts, reviewing our learnings, and ensuring we are bringing value to our customers. We have made the decision to pivot away from the current iteration of the Keystone device. We will take our learnings and refocus our efforts on a new approach that will allow us to deliver Xbox Cloud Gaming to more players around the world in the future.” Microsoft's plans for the new device is to make it more affordable and easier for people to stream games from the device onto their TV without a need for a gaming console like the new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series X consoles which were released back in November 2020. Microsoft is also developing an Xbox app, which was reported by The Verge. The app is supposed to be installed onto your smart TV and will allow users to play games directly from their TV. The streaming service will reportedly be available on Samsung smart TV’s in a couple of months.

The iPad mini 6 is now available for $409 down from $499 on Amazon which drops the price down by $90. The iPad mini 6 is also a refresh of the iPad mini which was released by Apple back in September 2021 and has many features like a 12MP Wide camera and a 12MP Ultra Wide camera with support for Center Stage. It also has the new A15 Bionic chip and comes in 64GB and 256GB storage options. The color options include purple, pink, starlight, and space gray. The display is also an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display with True Tone. FTC Disclaimer: The Apple Square earns a small commission whenever you use our links to purchase items.

The new 5th generation iPad Air is now available on Amazon for $559 down from $599 which is $50 off on the latest iPad which was recently announced a months ago at Apple’s March event. Some features of the 5th generation iPad Air is the Apple M1 chip which is included in the iPad Pro, 12MP Wide camera, 12MP Ultra Wide front facing camera with support for Center Stage. It comes in 64GB and 256GB storage options and also comes in blue, purple, pink, starlight, and space gray color options. The display is also a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display with True Tone. FTC Disclaimer: The Apple Square earns a small commission whenever you use our affiliate links to purchase items.

The 2021 MacBook Pro is amazing and was the upgrade that many Apple fans were waiting for. It got so many new features as well as features that have returned to the MacBook Pro after being removed on previous models. The MacBook Pro comes in two sizes, 14-inch and 16-inch, and it also comes in silver and space grey. One noticeable difference in the new design is the notch on top of the display which houses the 1080p FaceTime camera, ambient light sensor, and True Tone light sensor. The display is also a Mini-LED display with Pro Motion and can go up to 120Hz. The 2021 MacBook Pro also brings back some of the ports which were removed on previous models like the HDMI port, SDA card slot, and MagSafe. There are also a couple of USB-C ports. The MacBook Pro now uses MagSafe to charge and the 14-inch can support up to a 100W of fast charging speeds while the 16-inch can support up to 140W faster charging speeds. Both models come with their appropriate charging brick in the box. The new Keyboard on the MacBook Pro is also amazing. Apple has removed the Touch Bar and brought back the function keys. They’re very smooth to use and have a new design. They also have a new version of Touch ID on them. The speakers are also amazing and provide an amazing audio experience while watching a video or streaming a movie. The big updates for the new MacBook Pro is the new powerful M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. Both of them are ahead in the industry and provide faster performance while being more efficient. The M1 Pro is the standard on low end MacBook Pro models but you can upgrade to the M1 Max if you want something more powerful. Both the M1 Pro and M1 Max come with a 10-core CPU and the M1 Pro only comes with an 8-core CPU in the basic 14-inch MacBook Pro. The big difference between them is in the GPU where the M1 Pro has up to 16-cores and the M1 Max can has a 24-core or 32-core GPU depending on the option you pick. So the M1 Pro and M1 Max offer an amazing experience to those who want to play games or get some intense work done in Adobe creative cloud. The 2021 MacBook Pro is packed with amazing features and is definitely worth an upgrade if you’re looking for a powerful laptop for intense work.

Apple launched their new Self Service Repair Program back in April which allows iPhone users to order parts and do their own repairs using repair manuals and tool kits provided by Apple. But to some, this repair process seemed overly difficult and we feel like it will just be better if you take your device to Apple Support at the Apple Store instead of repairing it yourself. Products available for Self Service Repair Program Currently the Self Service Repair Program is only available for these products listed below which include the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and the third generation iPhone SE models. Apple does plan to add more devices to the list later. The only components you can repair by yourself include the battery, camera, SIM tray, display, Taptic Engine, and bottom speaker grills. How to start the repair process To start off your repair, go visit the online Self Service Repair Store and check the manuals for which device you want to repair and what parts and tools you will need for the repair. Tool kits You can also rent an Apple Tool Kit for $49 to get access to all the tools you will need for your repair. Apple will also charge an authorization fee for the tool kit and will return it back to your account once the repair kits are returned through UPS and are in good shape. You will have seven days with the tool kits to perform your repair. Tools from Apple are also available for purchase and some tools might not be included in the tool kit. Accessing repair manuals You can also access repair manuals through the Apple Self Service Repair Program website and find a PDF file for every device you can repair on the website to use as your guide during your repair. Repair process The repair can get a little bit tedious if you don't have any prior experience with repairing devices yourself. The Apple manual could also get confusing to those who don't know technical terms and who don't really know the inside of their iPhone really well. Apple even recommends to bring in your device for your repair to them instead of doing it yourself because of the amount of work it requires. Part limits Apple also limits the amount of parts you can buy from them by tying the parts to your iPhone's IMEI or serial number. You also can't purchase replacement parts for other products without providing an IMEI or serial number. An example of this will be how if you provide an iPhone SE IMEI or serial number, you can't purchase a display panel for the iPhone 13 Pro, you can only purchase parts for the iPhone SE. Recycling old parts Apple will also allow you to send back in your old parts to recycle for a discount on your repair. The old parts will also need to be in good shape for Apple to be able to use them in order for you to receive the discount. Final thoughts We believe that it's better if you take your device to the Apple Store to get repaired instead of doing it on your own since it will take a long time and will also require a lot of tools and expertise with technology for you to successfully repair your devices. On the other hand if you do have experience with repairing your devices it should be easy for you and you should find the process to be very efficient. We also think that small repairs could be manageable and less costly, but repairs like switching out your battery or replacing your iPhone's display can get difficult for the average customer. Apple's Self Service Repair Program is good for those who want to experience what it feels like to repair their devices themselves but Apple recommends that you still visit them for your next repair and we think it's much cheaper and better to go to an Apple Authorized Service Provider.