Matter, the Apple-backed smart home standard that aims to revolutionize how people interact with Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem and beyond, has unveiled version 1.2 of its program — which brings robot vacuums and more to your Apple Home.
The new standard was unveiled Oct. 23 and features nine new device types, including refrigerators, dishwashers, air conditioners and other appliances, as well as improvements to existing categories and the overall specification.
For the uninitiated, Matter is a smart home connectivity standard that will link nearly every smart home device on the market, including Apple HomeKit devices, but extending to devices that previously weren’t compatible with HomeKit, such as Alexa-powered speakers and more.
Version 1.2 adds nine new device types to the existing standard, which supported light bulbs and door locks but little else; now you can add laundry washers, robotic vacuums, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, air quality sensors, air purifiers, and fans to the list. The update also improves existing offerings including latch and bolt door locks.
Why does Matter matter?
For Apple users and HomeKit enthusiasts, this is great news. Matter simplifies your HomeKit ecosystem so that you can add almost any smart home accessory to your existing setup, even if it doesn’t necessarily support HomeKit. As long as it supports Matter, you’ll be fine. This means that with 1.2, you’ll be able to control Matter-enabled dishwashers and other large appliances directly from your iPhone and the Apple Home app. You’ll also be able to talk to them using Siri and add them to existing automations and schedules.
It’s also a big win for robot vacuum owners who’ll be able to control their trusty cleaning companions from their iPhones alongside all their other smart home devices.
Matter also means that if you want to start building a smart home from scratch, you don’t have to choose between HomeKit or any rival ecosystem. Rather than be locked into one forever, you can simply choose the products that work best for you without fear that they won’t be compatible. One company on board with Matter told us that Matter is to the smart home what Bluetooth is to headphones, and that sums it up well.
When it comes to larger appliances, early utility will be quite limited. For example, you’ll be able to start and stop your dishwasher or Robovac, check the temperature in your fridge, and get notifications from smoke and CO alarms directly within the Apple Home app. We’ll need to wait for manufacturers to add Matter support to new or existing products, but the list of products that work with Matter is growing at a rate of knots.
The iPad, otherwise known as the 10th-generation iPad or if you’re feeling adventurous, iPad 10, has been around since October 2022. That means that while it isn’t long overdue a refresh like other parts of Apple’s lineup, it’s getting ready for some love. And, eventually, it’ll surely get it.
The iPad 11 is a tablet that has been rumored here and there for a little while now, and some quarters expected it to have launched in October 2023. That hasn’t happened, but don’t rush out to buy the current iPad just yet — that refresh is coming.
But when will it come, and when it finally does arrive, what will it have to offer the intrepid iPad buyer? We’ll set out to answer those questions right here, right now.
Apple iPad 11: The headlines
What is it? The next entry-level iPad will sit below the iPad Air and iPad Pro in Apple’s lineup.
When can we expect it? There were some rumors that the iPad 10 would arrive towards the end of 2023, specifically in October. So far, that hasn’t come to pass.
Are there any surprises? Not that we’re expecting. I everything goes the way we expect it to, this will be an iterative update.
iPad 11: Release date rumors
(Image credit: Apple)
It was recently reported by a couple of different sources that Apple would announce the updated tablet as soon as the week beginning October 16, 2023. But that didn’t happen. Instead, Apple announced a new $79 Apple Pencil.
That leaves us in a bit of a quandary because there are no real rumors now for when the new iPad will arrive. Instead, we know more about when it likely won’t — supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo already said that there wouldn’t be any tablet announcements before the end of the year. So far, he’s been proven correct. If nothing changes 2023 will be the first year without any new iPads of any description
More recently, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple’s new iPad are due in March 2024.
the new 11 gen 10.9 inch iPad that Apple will present tomorrow will have the exact same design as the 10 gen model, furthermore the accessories will be perfectly compatible pic.twitter.com/UPd7SWq6gYOctober 16, 2023
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That all means that we’ll now just have to wait and see what happens with not only the new iPad but also the refreshed iPad mini and iPad Air. As for the OLED iPad Pro, that isn’t expected until 2024.
iPad 11: Features and specifications
(Image credit: Apple)
As mentioned, this refreshed iPad isn’t expected to bring anything new to the table in terms of big new features and capabilities. To that end, this will very much be an iterative refresh — if the rumors are true, buyers can expect much of what’s already on offer from the iPad 10 but with an upgraded chip inside.
The current iPad 10 ships with an Apple-designed A15 Bionic chip inside, and we can expect that to be upgraded to something a little more spritely. What that will be, we don’t know, but the A15 Bionic seems like a good bet. The A16 Bionic is being used in the iPhone 15 currently, and it’s unlikely that the entry-level iPad will benefit from the same silicon.
In terms of what you look at, a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display is expected to make a return. It’s a great display, albeit one that lacks advanced features like 120Hz ProMotion as you might expect. There’s support for the Apple Pencil 1 and Apple Pencil (USB-C) as well, but not the Apple Pencil 2.
iPad Air 6: What we want to see
(Image credit: Apple)
Whenever there is a new Apple product there’s some hope that a big new feature will blow us all away. But in the case of the iPad, it’s the fundamentals that matter. It’s there that we’d like improvements.
A cheaper starting price
The iPad 10 currently starts at $449 and we’d like to see that fall. The older iPad 9 is still in the lineup at $329, and that may well go away with the arrival of the iPad 11. Rather than move the iPad 10 down the lineup we’d much rather Apple just make the iPad the budget marvel that it should always have been.
Coupled with this, it’s time the iPad 9 was put out to pasture, so let’s hope that it doesn’t hang around for another year. It’s the last iPad with a Home button and huge borders and it looks like a relic from another time.
More storage
This is a common theme throughout Apple’s tablet lineup, and it’s still the situation with the base model iPad.
That base model gets you 64GB of storage which in 2023 is a sorry state of affairs. Even in a tablet that is designed to prop up the rest of Apple’s tablet strategy, 64GB just isn’t enough for the kind of people this iPad is likely to fall into the hands of — kids. Games aren’t getting any smaller, and does Apple really want kids’ first experience of an iPad to be a daily struggle, offloading apps left and right?
Sure, there’s a 256GB model available to those who want it, but why not 128GB in the current lineup? 256GB is overkill and it almost feels punitive that there’s nothing between the two right now. And nobody should spend almost $600 on an entry-level iPad.
Better battery
Bigger batteries are always welcome, although we have to acknowledge that nobody wants a thicker or heavier iPad. The move to a more modern CPU in the A15 may help here, but we’d still like to see Apple squeeze a few more hours out of this thing.
Sure, the iPad still gets you through a day and Apple can claim all-day battery life. But that’s if you baby the thing — and again, kids playing games very much don’t baby their batteries.
iPad Air: Price
(Image credit: Future/ iMore)
Picking up a 64GB iPad today will set you back $449 unless you can find a deal somewhere. Again, we’d like to see that fall or at the very least, see that money get you more storage.
You can of course spend more on your new iPad — upgrading to 256GB of storage costs you $599 and adding cellular to the 64GB model costs the same.
We’ve seen precious few rumors about what the new iPad will cost, but it’s unlikely to go up given the 2022 price hike. We’d like to see it come down, but we’re not sure that’s really all that likely, unfortunately.
Readers, I have a problem – I just love buying new Apple tech. That feeling of peeling off the label, opening it up, even the smell – there’s nothing quite like it.
Thankfully, I know I’m not alone – the Apple subreddit over on Reddit is full of folks like me. I also listen to podcasts where other ne’erdowells upgrade their tablet without needing to, or swap out their phone annually (the troublemakers!).
And yet, despite all of this, I just cannot find it in me to get excited about the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Ultra Nonplussed
(Image credit: Future)
It’s not that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a bad device, far from it. The double-touch gesture (when it arrives in watchOS 10.1) sounds like the closest I’ll get to Vision Pro functionality without selling my house, and I’m sure it’d be nice to hand off podcasts to a HomePod if I had one.
I’m also pretty excited about the new S9 chip, which allows for smoother animations and better performance, according to our hands-on with the device. I even suggested the Ultra 2 is likely to be a far better, longer-lasting investment than the Series 9, despite the price difference.
And yet, despite being quite likely to get a significant amount of the value back from my Apple Watch Ultra 1, I can’t find the enthusiasm to get excited for another new wearable.
Can a sequel be better than the original?
(Image credit: Future / Apple)
Part of that could be due to me only buying the Ultra this year, a combination of it being a gift to myself for starting a new job, and a promise to take heart tracking more seriously than perhaps I have done in the past.
But even with the fresh performance and brighter screen, I find myself struggling to get excited – and this is coming from someone who prides himself on fashion to the point where I would’ve happily traded up for an Apple Watch Ultra in titanium black.
Comparing the two side-by-side, you’ll find no design changes that catch the eye, with even the ‘Apple Watch Ultra’ underneath matching on both – there’s no denoting that the Ultra 2 is the latest model at all (at least Apple Watch models used to do things with red dots on the Digital Crown).
There are subtle updates, of course. The Ultra 2 offers Precision Finding for my iPhone 15 Pro, improved dictation, and double the internal storage – something I appreciate as someone who likes to keep a few albums and playlists downloaded on my watch. But more than anything, I’m struggling to work out who the Ultra 2 is for – and whether Apple may have actually been better off not launching it at all.
Not so Ultra
(Image credit: Future / Apple)
You could argue that this is more like an Ultra 1.5 rather than a next-generation model, and I’d agree.
But, this isn’t something that’ll affect most people. The Ultra, regardless of whether it’s a first or second-generation model, is targeting a subset of users who are really into fitness, exploration, or both.
And yet, the differences are so minuscule that I feel a lot of people are likely to flock to buy a secondhand first-generation Ultra rather than stump up $800 for the second version.
It’s perhaps emblematic of the Apple Watch lineup as a whole (the Series 9 is also a very, very slim update), and makes me wonder if it’s time for a year off. Still, with rumors that 2024 will bring a Series 10/Apple Watch X model with a drastic redesign, maybe this is an instance of Apple needing to clear its processing plants of chassis and components ahead of a big update.
Whatever happens, it feels like a particularly slow year for Apple Watch – and one that has me scratching my head about why it was necessary at all.
Since joining the consumer audio space, the Marshall range has been one that’s hyper-focused on one thing, and one thing only — retro-look headphones and speakers evoking the company’s stage gear that deliver great sound for the rocker. Pretty much all of Marshalls’ lineup nails it, from the Bluetooth speakers that look like stage amps to the headphones that are smothered in the same leather-like rubbery plastic as the firm’s practice amps.
The Marshall Monitor II are Marshall’s entry into the ANC over-head headphone space, designed to take on the likes of Sony’s excellent WF-1000XM4, Bose’s QuietComfort line, and Sennheiser’s Momentum series. With a new price and a sound signature geared for people like me (degenerate metal heads that like dank, sweaty gig venues and crunchy guitars), the Marshall Monitor II might not be up everyone’s street: But here’s why that doesn’t matter.
Marshall Monitor II: Price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
The Marshall Monitor is not a cheap headset, coming in at $349 in the US. This puts them square in the sights of the Sony WH-1000XM4, some of the best noise-canceling headphones that money can buy, even if they are slightly older. Now, it’s well worth noting that the Marshall Monitor II sound a darn sight better than the Sony’s, although you won’t get Sony’s black-magic-induced noise-blocking capability. Unless you’re a frequent metal or rock listener, the Marshall Monitor II are a slightly harder buy in the US.
In the UK, however, the Monitor II are a whole lot easier to justify. At £279, they undercut pretty much the entirety of the competition and do so with style. Forget your taste in music, they are a great option for anyone looking for noise-canceling headphones.
They’re easy to get hold of too, with stock available not only from Marshall’s own website but the likes of Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. As said before, prices do vary depending on where in the world you are.
Marshall Monitor II: Build and style
From the moment you pull them from the box, you’ll immediately notice the quality of the build of the Marshall Monitor II. There’s a sumptuous soft leather-like material covering the headband padding at the top, which runs into some solid metal brackets that keep the earcups in place. There’s no creaking in the folding hinges around the earcups either, with the metal components making for a confidence-inspiring finish and hand feel.
That same build quality extends to the earcups themselves. While they are plastic, they have a leathery finish to them which feels like the cabinets of a top-shelf Marshall amp or speaker used on stage. The Marshall logo is embedded within using white rubber — the longevity of which remains to be seen, but it certainly feels sturdy.
There’s no creaking in the folding hinges around the earcups either, with the metal components making for a confidence-inspiring finish and hand feel.
The earpads on those earcups are soft, and compliant, but have good memory. They are covered in a tighter grain leather-like than the headband, but they don’t get too hot when you’re wearing the headphones. One of my favorite features is the knurled metal band that sits between the earcups and the earpads. It’s a black color to match the rest of the headphones, but it adds some visual and textural interest to the headphones that you won’t find on the mostly plastic enclosures of the competition.
(Image credit: Future)
It all adds to a pair of headphones that look wicked, too. They have that alternative vibe that not many other headphones go for, with a retro look that conjures images of Marshall’s most well-known products. That textured plastic on the earcups looks great from a distance, and the little coiled cables that connect the two together are a neat touch. Altogether, it’s a unique-looking headset that stands out amongst what is, at the $300-ish price bracket, a very boring lineup.
One thing, however, that I feel could be greatly improved, is the carrying bag that comes in the box. While better than the AirPods Max’s suede diaper, I still feel like a carrying hard case is the way to go with a pair of over-ear headphones. I want to be able to slip my headphones into a backpack without worrying about breakages — something competitors do much better. The carrying bag, however, while made of a nice denim-like material, simply doesn’t inspire as much confidence as other cases.
Marshall Monitor II: Comfort
(Image credit: Future)
Slip them on your head, and all that leathery(ish) goodness comes into its own. For those who understand, it’s like slipping on your favorite leather jacket that’s been perfectly broken in after years of wear. There’s a warmth to the headband and a perfect tightness to the earpads.
For some with larger ears, those pads might be a little shallow, although my reasonably sized lugs didn’t find any discomfort in them. They are large in the ways that matter — height and width, allowing for a fully encompassing fit over the ear. Clamping force is good once you’ve got the Monitor II situated right on your head, and they succeed in the ever-necessary headbang test with flying colors. They survived at least as long as it takes for me to get woozy, at least.
Over a long work day, it all combines to make for a very comfortable pair of headphones. They’re light enough to melt away into the background, soft enough to not feel fatiguing, and sturdy enough to feel like you can wear them anywhere.
Marshall Monitor II: Features
As with any pair of noise-canceling headphones that needs to survive in 2023, the Marshall Monitor II have a bevy of features on board to keep them relevant and, you know, good. The first is, obviously the ANC on board — and while it might not reach the noise-canceling bliss of some of the other headphones you can buy today, it is perfectly serviceable. Walking down a busy road with your music at mid-volume will keep the majority of noise out, and sitting at home with the volume low and ANC turned on will keep air conditioning units and other annoying low-level buzzes out. It struggles in really loud environments, however, and the different levels of noise canceling don’t do much to change things in a meaningful way.
With a little more detail, the ANC is slightly weighted to block out the lower-end frequencies rather than the upper register. That means that engines and other low rumbles are all but removed completely, while voices and tire noise remain a little more present. As I said before, it’s fine, but there are options that do block a little more noise.
You can turn this noise canceling off, or you can activate the transparency mode that pumps the noise in from your surroundings. It works, and it’s a nice addition to the feature set — although you’ll find there’s no automatic switching between the modes. Instead, you’ve got a couple of options: Use the Marshall app or the little buttons on the side of the headset.
(Image credit: Future)
On the frame that keeps the earcups attached to the headband, you’ll find a little plastic button on each side. The one on the right side is called the M-button, and you can choose whether this conjures Siri, the Google Assistant, or it can sort through three different audio profiles that you can set. The other is the noise canceling button, and it will turn the noise canceling either, off, or select transparency mode. Alas, you can only choose one. Press it again and noise canceling comes back. It would be nice to cycle through all three modes, but it’s nice to have a selector at the touch of a button.
Happily, for me at least, the rest of the controls are physical as well. The skip, pause, and volume up and down functions are all controlled with a little clicking bronze joystick on the right earcup. It’s a lovely control method, and the clicks are subtle enough that you feel them but barely hear them with the headset on. Hold it down like a button, and the headphones turn on. Compared to touch controls, it’s a functional and successful alternative.
If you want to get a little more into the weeds with the headphones then you can use the Marshall App, which is like, fine, man. It works. This is where you can change the EQ of the headphones, choosing between three presets or making your own. The EQ is good for those who want to play around with the signature, although I found myself settling quickly on the Marshall sound profile and not moving it from there.
You can also change various settings here, like the ANC status, the sounds the controls make when you click them, and more. It’s clear, well laid out, and it works fine. A good app.
(Image credit: Future)
Finally, battery life and charging are easy and decent. With ANC on, Marshall reckons that the headphones will last around 30 hours, and my experience hasn’t been far off. I timed around 28 hours of listening, although that is broken up by turning them on and off to go for lunch and, you know. Sleep. Turn off the ANC and the battery life apparently doubles, although volume and other factors will play a role in how much juice they drink. Plug them in for five minutes for an hour of playback too, so you won’t have to be long without tunes if they run out.
They charge over USB-C, with a lovely braided cable in the box. There’s also a 3.5mm cable should they run out of battery which plugs in next to the USB port, and lets you listen to them wired. If you’ve got a dongle, or you’re listening on a MacBook, of course. That USB cable isn’t going to let you listen over USB, unfortunately, so the only wired listening method is over that 3.5mm cable.
Marshall Monitor II: Sound Quality
(Image credit: Future)
You can describe the Monitor II very simply; A pair of headphones designed for rock and metal. There’s an emphasis on the lower mids and bass tones, with a slight downcurve around the high frequencies. This lends plenty of bite to distorted guitars and width to bass drums, making for a lovely warm sound. It also means, however, that some definition of sounds like cymbals is lacking, and a little detail is lost overall.
For most, these are going to sound pretty good — especially, as you’d imagine, for the heavy music lover. Classical music and Jazz fans aren’t going to be too enamored with the lack of high-end here, but the nicely present sub-bass is going to please fans of Hip-Hop and other bass-heavy genres.
Sylosis’ all-out, pummeling assault on Judas allows the Monitor II to shine. The definition and edge of the machine gun riffs are sharp and heavy, Middleton’s growling layering with a palpable fury. The cymbals are already slightly lower in the mix, but here they are a little more subdued than normal. All things considered, however, the lack of high end clash is easy to forgive when everything else sounds as heavy as it does. Soundstage does suffer, unfortunately, with a relatively narrow space for the instruments to breathe.
Sylosis’ all-out, pummeling assault on Judas allows the Monitor II to shine.
This soundstage issue is, for the nitpicky amongst us, something that the Monitor II do struggle a little with. Giving Charles Mingus’ 2023 remaster of moves a whirl does reveal a little more spaciousness, but it’s still more restricted than you might like. The lack of high-end definition becomes more evident here as well, as the cymbals and highs of the voices come through a little dulled. The piano is perfectly produced, however, and the bass in the background is pleasantly fat and toneful. It’s not a bad version of the track by any stretch of the imagination — but compared to how they handle metal, it’s a little disappointing.
There is another genre, however, that the Monitor II excel at — EDM, and Drum & Bass. The emphasis on some of the lower frequencies allows the beats to come through with pinpoint precision, and the definition given by the excellent lower mids keeps the enhanced bass tight and controlled. 1991’s Pleasure for example has plenty to like — soundstage be damned, the thick, chunky bass reverberates with purpose throughout your skull, leaving you begging for more.
Dynamics could be better, with a relatively solid ceiling. The quiet parts aren’t that much quieter than the loud parts, making for a fairly one-note performance. Given that this is a complaint about most of the competition, however, it’s not going to grate too much.
Marshall Monitor II: Competition
(Image credit: Tammy Rogers/ iMore)
There is some stiff competition for the Monitor II. There’s Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 that came first in our big noise-canceling showdown, although they don’t sound as good for certain genres. The Sony WH-1000XM4 can often be picked up for decent prices, but they don’t sound or look as good.
For $349, there are other options that you need to consider if you don’t mind what your headphones look like or if you’re not a fan of some very specific genres. For those who want something that are unique looking and good for those genres, then there’s not much better than the Monitor II.
That story shifts again in the direction of the Monitor II if you’re in the UK — they’re £279 here, and that brings them into reach of a whole different bunch of competitors. Think Sony’s mid-range headsets and the like, which the Marshalls blow out of the water. They are a super solid pair of headphones for their UK price.
Marshall Monitor II: Should you buy these
You should buy these if…
You listen to rock and metal
You want something unique
You live in the UK
You shouldn’t buy these if…
You want something with more soundstage
You want perfect noise-canceling
You don’t like warm sound signatures
Marshall Monitor II: Verdict
(Image credit: Future)
The Marshall Monitor II are a great pair of headphones for most people, although they are most suited for those with certain musical… proclivities. They’re well built, attractive, and come in (in the UK at least) at a good price point.
They aren’t perfect. Noise-canceling could be better, soundstage and dynamic range are slightly lacking, and the carrying pouch they come with isn’t fantastically confidence-inducing, but if you grab a pair you’ll love their many positives.
Metal machines
The Marshall Monitor II are some wicked cans, and they sound great for rock and metal. They’re slightly light on the top end, but for fans of heavier music you’re not going to find much better.
If you’re an iPhone owner who also happens to be a subscriber to the GTA Plus service you now have two new games to play. And when we say new, we mean old. Classics, in fact.
Those two games are of course Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Chinatown Wars, and they’re available to you right now. In fact, they’re available to everyone although those of us who don’t subscribe to GTA Plus will get 30 minutes of play time before we have to stump up some cash.
That 30 minutes should be more than long enough to decide if you want to five into this particular brand of nostalgia and, really, who wouldn’t?
It’s game time
The new additions to GTA Plus were announced via a press release on Rockstar’s website in which the company says that the new games aren’t the only things to look forward to.
“Plus, through November 8, GTA+ Members can claim the latest benefits in GTA Online, which include the new Albany Brigham (Muscle) at The Vinewood Car Club, Double Rewards on new Halloween Deathmatches, and much more,” the press release reads.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars are now available for GTA+ Members to play on compatible iOS and Android devices with their active GTA+ Membership: https://t.co/5f5Tis6GPy pic.twitter.com/pWSswtGsiSOctober 19, 2023
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The GTA Plus subscription costs gamers $5.99 per month and gives them access to a back catalog of games as well as a monthly bonus of GTA$500,000 for us in GTA Online. But for iPhone owners, the real joy is in these classic games, with Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Chinatown Wars being the latest to be added.
However, it’s worth noting that while the games are in the App Store now, they might not always be part of the GTA Plus subscription. Rockstar points out that GTA Plus includes a “rotating assortment of classic Rockstar Games titles that remain available to GTA+ Members as part of their Membership benefits for as long as they’re featured in the Games Included With GTA+ library.” That last part means they might not stick around.
Want to get the games while you can? You can download GTA: Chinatown Wars and GTA: Liberty City Stories right now.
Black Friday is one of the best opportunities all year to nab yourself a massive iPad deal, with prices on Apple’s tablets tumbling all over the web. We can’t wait to see what kind of deals we’ll see on Apple’s line of premium tablets this year, with some lowest prices to really bring the savings.
Look out for the iPad mini in particular. That model is now starting to age a little more than its larger-screen counterparts, and we’ve already seen some hefty discounts this year. The iPad 9th gen is one that could have some massive discounts as well, as it now reaches its fourth birthday. The iPad Air is rumored to be replaced soon, so there could also be massive deals on the best iPad for everyone.
Easily the most exciting part of the sale is that there are also likely to be deals on other Apple products as well, such as AirPods, MacBooks, and even iPhones. It could be the perfect time to pick up one of Apple’s latest devices at a discounted price, which is always a massive bonus. You don’t even need a special account for Amazon, Target, or Best Buy as you might with other sale events — although you might find some of the really good ones are exclusive. We’re tracking all the best Apple Black Friday deals in the run-up to the sale too, and we’ll let you know when we see some really good ones.
Best iPad deals at a glance
At the moment there aren’t a massive number of deals to be found on iPads, apart from $40 off the iPad Air. The iPad 9th gen has a proportionally small discount, and we’ve seen much better deals than $30 off the iPad mini. It’s worth waiting at the moment to see if any better deals come along.
Best iPad Black Friday deals
iPad Black Friday deals Q&A
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday is the 24th of November, 2023 — Almost exactly a month before Christmas, so the perfect time to nab some early deals on presents.
What is going to be reduced over Black Friday?
There are going to be deals on all kinds of different products — but we’re looking for all the best iPad deals. There are also going to be deals on AirPods, MacBooks, iPhones and other Apple products, so keep your eyes peeled for those as well.
Where can I find the best Black Friday deals?
You’ll find them all over the place, although the best places to look are going to be Amazon, Best Buy, and other big box retailers. We’ll be showing off the best deals here as well, so make sure you stick with us for the sale!
If you are thinking of swapping your old iPhone for a brand new Huawei P60 Pro, you aren’t the only one. Apple has reportedly lost its market foothold in China due to the rise of homegrown phones and this has resulted in poorer sales than otherwise imagined.
In a report by Jefferies shared by CNBC, analysts claim iPhone sales in China have seen a ‘double–digit decline’ and ‘volume growth year over year has been negative since the iPhone 15 launched’. This is despite a 10% increase in preorders this year. Huawei has taken over the top spot for market share thanks to strong sales performance.
In that same report, an analyst said “We believe weak demand in China would eventually lead to lower-than-expected global shipments of iPhone 15 in 2023”. This is just one part of a decline in China for the American tech manufacturer.
Some tension
Just this week, Tim Cook visited a Chengdu Apple Store in China to celebrate Honor of Kings, a game with 100m daily users. This happened just weeks after reports of an iPhone ban for Chinese government officials. To match this market shrink, iPhone 15 sales are 4.5% lower than the iPhone 14, an upgrade we saw as mostly irrelevant. The growth of Huawei as a brand also contributes to this decline.
However, given how well mobile games do in China, the advanced tech of the A17 Pro chip present in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max could be a sign of a larger push into gaming for Apple. Tim Cook recently boasted that iOS is the best platform for gaming and with on-board ray tracing, Cook’s argument is a strong one.
China is Apple’s second biggest market behind the US so a dip like this is worrisome for the company, though it is worth noting that the iPhone 14 was the number one phone during its launch last year. The iPhone 15 is still 10% above last year’s phone in America so this decline is a manageable one, even if tensions between the Chinese government and Apple have continued to rise.
2016’s iPhone 7 Plus was something of a milestone device in the iPhone’s lineage, being the first in the series to adopt a secondary (2x) telephoto lens and the first to showcase a dedicated Portrait mode to add DSLR-like bokeh (background blur) around a subject.
Apple’s since refined Portrait mode with each subsequent generation of iPhone, improving edge detection, adding Portrait Lighting with the iPhone 8 Plus and now – with the iPhone 15 series – letting you turn almost any standard photo into a Portrait mode photo after the fact, whilst also throwing in some powerful new editing tools for good measure.
If you’ve ever taken a photo of a friend or a pet using the iPhone’s normal photo mode, reviewed it, and wished it had the digital bokeh dressing and depth mapping magic of Portrait mode, that’s now within reach with 2023’s iPhone 15 series. Here’s how to use this new photographic feature to elevate your would-be portrait shots into actual Portrait mode photos.
What you need
An iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max
A photo with a person, cat, or dog as the subject, taken with the ‘f‘ portrait icon visible at capture.
How to take a Portrait in Photo mode
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
While there’s no issue being intentional about taking Portrait mode photos on iPhone from the get-go, this new iPhone 15 feature adds an additional layer of flexibility to the standard shooting experience.
Open the camera app on your iPhone 15
Frame up a shot in Photo mode, with a person, cat, or dog as your subject
Wait for the – f – (for f-stop) aperture icon to appear in the bottom-right corner of the viewfinder – this means depth data is being captured.
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Take your photo by pressing the shutter button
How to edit a photo using Portrait mode controls
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Whether you’re editing a shot taken in Photo mode with depth data attached – as described above – or you’re working with an image taken in Portrait mode to begin with, the process of using the iPhone’s Portrait-specific editing tools is the same.
Open the Photos app and tap on your newly-captured photo to open it
You’ll know the photo you snapped includes the depth data needed, as you’ll see a familiar – f – icon in the top-left corner of the image; either accompanied by the word ‘Portrait’ or ‘Live’ (depending on whether you have Live Photos enabled as well).
Next, tap ‘edit’ in the top-right of the screen
Once the editing menu appears, you’ll notice a circular icon with the same – f – symbol as before in the bottom-left of the screen, under which you’ll see the word ‘Portrait’
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Tapping this brings up depth slider under your image, which is off by default
Dragging the depth slider from left to right reduces the depth of field (and simulated f-stop), increasing the amount of bokeh around your subject
You can also adjust the focus of your newly-created Portrait mode shot by tapping on the screen to change the focus plane, e.g. tapping on the background will bring it into sharp focus, while your original subject will then made blurry
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
More things to know about Portrait photos taken in Photo mode
As of right now, depth data is only captured in Photo mode if the iPhone automatically detects an appropriate subject, which currently falls to people, cats, and dogs.
If you tap on your newly captured photo from within the Camera app, instead of going to the Photos app as directed, the ‘edit’ button will be in the bottom-right, rather than the top-right.
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Depth data (and thus the ability to edit an image using Portrait mode controls) isn’t attached to images when you send them to other devices via AirDrop or iCloud by default. To include all the image data needed for this, tap the ‘options’ button in the top-left of the share menu and turn the ‘All Photos Data’ toggle on before sending.
The EU says that it has contacted X, the social network previously known as Twitter, to get clarification on its plans to deal with illegal content and disinformation on its platform.
The investigation comes following the Hamas attack on Israel earlier this month and the subsequent response from Israel which has seen people driven from their homes. Some have already raised concerns about X and the way it’s being used to spread disinformation and hate. Now, the EU has reached out to X to find out what it is going to do about it.
With X being designated as a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act, the social network has to comply with EU requirements otherwise it could find itself in hot water.
‘Dissemination of illegal content’
In a press release shared on the European Commission’s website, it was confirmed that “European Commission services formally sent X a request for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA). This request follows indications received by the Commission services of the alleged spreading of illegal content and disinformation, in particular the spreading of terrorist and violent content and hate speech.” The statement goes on to say that the request also relates to compliance with other provisions of the DSA.
It continues, saying that “following its designation as Very Large Online Platform, X is required to comply with the full set of provisions introduced by the DSA since late August 2023, including the assessment and mitigation of risks related to the dissemination of illegal content, disinformation, gender-based violence, and any negative effects on the exercise of fundamental rights, rights of the child, public security and mental well-being.”
The statement continues, saying that “Commission services are investigating X’s compliance with the DSA, including with regard to its policies and actions regarding notices on illegal content, complaint handling, risk assessment and measures to mitigate the risks identified”
As for what comes next, the statement says that X needs to provide the requested information by October 18 in terms of questions related to “the activation and functioning of X’s crisis response protocol” and by October 31 for the rest.
The Apple Watch Series 9 (and Ultra 2) are finally here, and it’d be fair to say they’re not quite the expansive revisions many were hoping for (although the rumored Apple Watch X coming next year may offer more surprises). Still, in true Apple fashion, they represent the pinnacle of the lineup so far.
When it comes to the Series 9, big, wholesale new features may not be the order of the day, but there’s still plenty to enjoy. Is it worth upgrading from a Series 8, or even a Series 7? Possibly not, but we’ve rounded up our favorite Series 9 features so far, as well as one elephant in the room that Apple hasn’t addressed yet.
New colors
(Image credit: Apple)
The Apple Watch Series 9 isn’t a big change from the Series 8, design-wise, but one of the more obvious ways to spot the latest model is the new Pink version, available on the aluminum models.
While the shade itself no doubt draws from a certain blockbuster movie that arrived this year (no, not Oppenheimer), it’s a great color that provides a bit more ‘fun’ for Apple Watch users that aren’t interested in the very serious tones we usually get year in, year out.
Here’s hoping it leads to some more color options in the future – give us an Orange Apple Watch, Apple, iMac style.
The Double Tap (Coming Soon)
(Image credit: Future / Apple)
Okay, so it’s not actually a feature that’s here yet (coming in watchOS 10.1), but while Double Tap isn’t necessarily a new feature (we covered its accessibility-focused prior iteration back in April), it makes the list because it’s a tantalising glimpse at what’s to come.
In many ways, the Double Tap gesture offered on Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will be the first taste of the tech giant’s promised future of ‘Spatial Computing’, and it has a lot of convincing to do.
Vision Pro is so unlike anything that we’re used to, at least judging by Apple’s demos, that it feels like the Double Tap is a very small way to anchor the upcoming platform in something familiar.
Pausing a workout, playing a song, or any other action it triggers is essentially a baby step of sorts into a new world, one that doesn’t come around often – and it’s exciting.
More storage
(Image credit: Apple)
I love my Apple Watch Ultra, but I’ve not got a data plan because the 4G connectivity in my area is poor enough when using a phone, let alone a watch. But, as someone that loves to run without needing to take my phone with me, that means I’m constantly shuttling songs from Spotify, or podcasts from Pocket Casts, to and from my Watch.
For that reason, I’m glad I have 32GB of space to play with, but add a few playlists and apps and that soon shrinks. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 both double that, making it a much more useful replacement music player for those instances when your phone is at home.
Also, it’s crazy to me that the Apple Watch now has the same storage as a base iPhone, especially since they began life in the Series 0 with just 8GB.
Brighter Display
(Image credit: Future)
If you’ve been keeping up with Apple Watch models in the last few years (we have a guide to catch you up if not), you’ll know the Apple Watch Ultra marked the brightest display of any Apple Watch when it launched in 2022.
That’s no longer the case, and while the Ultra 2 will now burn your retinas with 3,000 nits, the Series 9 has now matched the first generation’s 2,000 nits of brightness.
Unless you’re in particularly challenging lightning conditions, you’re unlikely to notice, but you’ll be thankful for it in direct sunlight, or if you regularly go somewhere, like my gym, where iPhone auto brightness constantly gets confused and you just need to glance at your watch.
Battery Life
(Image credit: Apple)
It’s not all good news, sadly, and I feel a little like I’m bemoaning the same thing I have been for years at this point.
I’d hoped the new S9 SiP would allow for the Apple Watch to be more power efficient, but it’s not quite moved past the nebulous ‘all-day battery life’ claims Apple has long held its Watch models close to.
As a result, expect to charge it before bed each night, particularly if you’re interested in sleep tracking – although we will concede charging in recent models is faster, and you’ll get more from a charge by turning the Always-On display off.
Still, with the Ultra hitting multiple days, and drastically cheaper alternatives lasting a week or more, it’s a shame Apple hasn’t seen fit to squeeze extra power out of the battery.
Have you picked up the Apple Watch Series 9? How are you finding it? Let us know!
If you’re a big Mac gamer it seems like you’re part of a very exclusive club. In fact, one of the biggest game companies on the planet says that it isn’t worth making a Mac version of its new game because nobody will play it.
That revelation came after Valve confirmed that it won’t be bringing Counter-Strike 2 to the Mac. The highly anticipated sequel to the massive hit that was Counter-Strike is on the way, but not for the Apple faithful.
In a statement, Valve confirmed that there will be no support for the Mac when the new game ships simply because the vast, vast majority of players are on Windows. But as disappointing as this will be for those who would have played it, it’s indicative of a bigger problem. A problem that Apple needs to fix if it ever wants the Mac to be taken seriously as a gaming platform.
If Valve says that people with Macs aren’t playing games, how can they be expected to play games if companies like Valve won’t release them?
Chicken, meet egg.
The Valve news came after it updated a Steam FAQ to explain its decision.
“As technology advances, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue support for older hardware, including DirectX 9 and 32-bit operating systems,” the FAQ reads. “Similarly, we will no longer support macOS. Combined, these represented less than one percent of active CS:GO players.”
As a result, Counter-Strike 2 will exclusively support gamers who play on Windows and Linux. That’s a fascinating statement because as much as Linux users continue to believe that every new year will be “the year of Linux on the desktop,” to my knowledge that still hasn’t happened. So if less than 1% of CS:GO players use a Mac to do so, what percentage plays on Linux?
That tangent aside, there’s no denying that Apple has a problem here. It continues to try to make the Mac a viable option for gamers. The macOS Sonoma update adds a dedicated Game Mode, no less. It’s also made a big thing about making it easier for developers to port their games from Windows, too. But the fact remains that the state of Mac gaming in 2023 is a poor one. And it doesn’t seem likely to improve in 2024, either.
But there’s a very real chicken and egg problem for Apple to overcome here. Valve says that nobody is playing its games on a Mac, but that won’t be fixed by refusing to release games on… the Mac. Developers and publishers need to take a punt and bring big games to macOS for people to play. The recent release of Baldurs Gate 3 shows it’s possible. Will others follow suit?
Apple silicon’s fine, but is it enough?
If there’s one thing that stood out when I read the specs Baldurs Gate 3 requires to run, it was the fact it will work on a standard M1 machine. That’s impressive indeed, especially when you consider the Xbox Series S was such a bottleneck to console development that there’s still no Xbox version of the game weeks after it debuted on Windows and PS5.
But if there’s one thing gamers want, it’s lots of frames and buttery smooth graphics. Can the M1 manage that? No, of course not. Can the M2? Probably not. The M2 Ultra can’t compete with real gaming graphics cards, either. Will the M3 and its Pro, Max, and Ultra variants? Maybe, especially if the iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro is any indication.
It’s probably accurate to say that games like Counter-Strike 2 are aimed at a core group of gamers. The ones that spend big sums of money on the best cards, chips, monitors, and more. They won’t accept a game simply running — it needs to run well. And maybe Macs just aren’t quite there yet.
But again, which comes first? The grade-A GPUs, or the gamers? And will they come before the games?
It’s a complicated problem to solve. Which might be why Apple hasn’t solved it after years of trying.
You won’t be buying a new M3 MacBook Air or MacBook Pro before the turn of the year. That’s according to a new report that dashes hopes of an imminent MacBook update.
There had been some expectation that Apple would refresh at least some of its laptop lineup with new M3 chips before the end of 2023, with an October unveiling having been the main focus of attention. But that now seems increasingly unlikely after a new report pointed to 2024 as the likely release.
The M3 chip will be Apple’s first Mac chip to use the latest TSMC 3nm manufacturing platform, but any benefits that will have for laptop owners will not be realized until next year, it seems.
It’s a waiting game
This is all according to a new report by the supply chain watchers at DigiTimes, at least. The outlet hasn’t always been the most accurate when it comes to making predictions about Apple’s plans, but this also isn’t the first time that we’ve heard rumors that the expected October M3 laptop launch might not happen.
In this report, DigiTimes claims that Apple will be part of an increase in laptop shipments in 2024, thanks in part to the arrival of new laptops that will use TSMC’s 3nm chips. Those chips will of course be the M3 offerings that will surely include the M3 Pro and M3 Max, too.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t see any M3 Macs before the year comes to a close, though. The 24-inch iMac and Mac mini are still possibilities for a 2023 unveiling, the former of which is long overdue an update and is still sold with the M2 chip.
None of the M3 chips will be the first Apple silicon to use TSMC’s 3nm manufacturing process, of course. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max already have the A17 Pro inside, Apple’s first 3nm offering.
Let’s face it, endlessly reading, scrolling, and scouring for deals during an event like the Amazon Prime Big Deal Days can be mind-numbing, especially if you know exactly what you want and just can’t find it. Even our extensive coverage on one site alone might be overwhelming, which is why you should definitely give this AI chatbot a go, which searches all our deals content, as well as highlights from our friends at sites including TechRadar and Tom’s Guide.
Simply enter a prompt like “MacBook” or “monitor” into the bot and you’ll get a look at some of the deals we’ve covered here at iMore over the past 24 hours. If you want to spread the net wider, try anything you like, such as “graphics cards”, and you’ll get recommendations from other sites we love like PC Gamer. It’s really that simple, and much easier than cruising Amazon or sifting through all of our articles.
Not sure what to search for? the Prime Big Deal Days sale has some great discounts on a range of Apple products, notably the Apple Watch, iPad, MacBook, and AirPods. There are also some great accessories you can find for those devices, some of which will make great gifts if you want to get a jump on the holiday season. If you’re done having fun with the bot, here are a couple of deals you might have missed you should definitely check out:
Save big money on tech deals
Save big money on tech deals
Amazon Big Deal Days is here…
Looking to save money with some pre-Black Friday tech deals? Amazon is holding a second ‘Prime Day’ style shopping event called Prime Big Deal Days across October 10 — 11. With savings to be had on Apple gear including iPads, MacBooks and Apple Watches, don’t miss it! We’ll be rounding up the best offers right here.
Amazon is currently hosting a two-day Big Deal Days sales event. Just like Prime Day earlier this year, deals are exclusive to Amazon Prime customers, but are they actually any good?
Turns out, the answer is yes. In fact, they’re not only just as good as Prime Day 2023, some of them are actually better. But which ones? I hear you cry. Here’s a roundup of some Apple deals that are just as good or better in this October event than they were during Amazon Prime Day.
Deals that are just as good
Deals that are better than they were on Prime Day
We’ll keep our eye on the deals as they continue to evolve over the next 48 hours, but right now, we’ve got five deals that are definitely better than they were during Amazon’s summer event. Stay tuned to see if any more make the cut before the event is out.
Amazon Prime Day Big Deal Days starts tomorrow. But why wait for a deal when you can pick up the brand-new AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C for $199 already? That’s a $50 saving on a pair of earbuds that was released just over two weeks ago — crazy!
AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C has all of the great features the Lightning version has including fantastic noise cancellation, an industry-leading transparency mode, and seamless integration across all of your Apple devices.
USB-C AirPods Pro 2 – $50 off
Should you buy USB-C AirPods Pro 2?
If you’re in the market for a new set of earbuds, you can’t go wrong with the AirPods Pro 2. If you’ve already decided you want one of the best pair of AirPods on the market, then choosing between Lightning or USB-C is fully dependent on personal preference and circumstances.
If you own a USB-C iPhone like the iPhone 15 or 1333, then the USB-C AirPods Pro 2 makes the most sense, especially considering the discounted price. If you don’t own any USB-C-enabled devices, then you might want to stick with Lightning so you don’t need to worry about extra cables and compatibility.
It’s worth noting the USB-C AirPods Pro 2 will also support Lossless Audio on the Apple Vision Pro, so if you’re thinking about spending $3500 in early 2024, then the USB-C version might be worth grabbing for that better audio experience.
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days kicks off on October 10 and lasts 48 hours. We’ll be covering all the best deals, so stay tuned to iMore throughout the shopping event.
