Apple is reportedly expanding one of its child safety features to six more countries very soon.
As reported by iCulture, Apple’s Communication safety in Messages feature will be expanding to users in the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil. So far, the feature has only been launched in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
According to the report, the feature will be rolling out to users in all six new countries “in the coming weeks.” The outlet says that it was informed of the rollout by Apple itself at a media briefing held earlier today.
Here’s what Communication Safety does
Originally released in iOS 15.2, which was released back in January 2022, Communication Safety in Messages will warn children if they send or receive a photo that contains nudity when using the Messages app.
As explained by Apple, “when receiving this type of content, the photo will be blurred and the child will be warned, presented with helpful resources, and reassured it is okay if they do not want to view this photo. Similar protections are available if a child attempts to send photos that contain nudity. In both cases, children are given the option to message someone they trust for help if they choose.”
Apple says that “Messages analyzes image attachments and determines if a photo contains nudity, while maintaining the end-to-end encryption of the messages. The feature is designed so that no indication of the detection of nudity ever leaves the device.” As with anything the company does lately with privacy, it ensures that “Apple does not get access to the messages, and no notifications are sent to the parent or anyone else.”
Apple provides more information about its child safety features on its Child Safety (opens in new tab) webpage. The feature works in Apple’s Messages app across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
US carrier T-Mobile has announced that it is giving all subscribers free access to the new Apple TV MLS Season Pass.
The announcement, which happened via a YouTube video, also includes free access for Metro by T-Mobile customers as well. The MLS Season Pass would normally cost $99 per year, giving viewers access to every live regular-season match as well as all MLS Cup playoff matches. The League Cup is also included, with no blackouts to speak of.
The new freebie will be available as part of T-Mobile’s “On Us” offering beginning February 21 via the company’s T-Mobile Tuesdays app, the company confirmed.
“T-Mobile customers already get unbeatable value with entertainment benefits like Apple TV+ on Us and now we’re giving them yet another with one year of MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app on Us,” said Mike Katz, President of Marketing, Innovation, and Experience at T-Mobile. “With the Un-carrier, you don’t just get access to the nation’s leading 5G network, you also get some serious value with so much included on top of your wireless plan.”
The MLS Season Pass can be watched on just about any device via the Apple TV app. That includes the Apple TV 4K (the best Apple TV to date, by the way) as well as a host of streaming sticks and smart televisions, not to mention game consoles. You can check out our list of the best streaming devices that support the Apple TV app if you need to pick one up, by the way.
Not to be confused with Apple TV Plus, the Apple TV app offers access to content bought and rented via iTunes as well as the aforementioned streaming service. It also includes support for Apple TV channels that allows people to subscribe to other streaming services via Apple’s payment systems.
The Apple Watch could be banned from the United States as soon as next week. That’s unless President Biden’s administration stops it from happening.
The ban is now hanging over Apple’s head after the US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in December that the Apple Watch infringes upon patents owned by AliveCor, a medical device company. The patents relate to electrocardiogram technology as used in Apple’s latest wearables.
If the ban goes ahead sales of wearables like the Apple Watch Series 8 will no longer be possible across the United States. But the Biden administration could stop the ban in its tracks.
Patent problems
The patent relates to one of the best iPhone features around, its ability to take ECGs to detect heart problems. But that might not be enough to stop it from being banned. What might be enough is Apple’s seemingly unlimited lobbying power.
“Apple has unlimited resources. They’re gonna go after everyone they can get and that’s what they’re doing,” said Priya Abani, CEO of AliveCor when speaking with The Hill (opens in new tab). “We are just a startup.”
Apple employed “Shara Aranoff, a lobbyist at Covington & Burling who chaired the ITC during the Obama administration,” in an attempt to ensure that its Apple Watch remains on sale.
Now President Biden must decide by Monday whether to let the ITC’s ruling stand and allow it to move on to court. He could also veto it entirely, which would let Apple off the hook.
AliveCor reportedly told The Hill that it had a good relationship with Apple. That was until the Apple Watch gained ECG functionality in 2018. AliveCor had to cancel its own product as a result.
“We come up with new technologies, and instead of the ecosystem letting us thrive and continue to build on top of the innovations we already have, Apple cuts us out up front, steals our technology, uses their platform power to scale it, and now is basically saying it’s scaled so it can’t be cut off,” Abani told The Hill.
All eyes will now be on The White House to see what comes next.
Tile has announced new Bluetooth tracker features that are designed to deal with theft and deter stalking.
The new Anti-Theft Mode is “a feature designed to protect valuables from theft by increasing the chances of recovery,” the company says.
Alongside that, Tile says that it will fine anyone found to be misusing its trackers a cool $1 million. The move is designed to help prevent Tile trackers from being used to stalk people, as has unfortunately been the case with Apple’s AirTags.
Small tracker, big fine
Tile announced its new Anti-Theft Mode via a press release (opens in new tab), saying that the feature will work by putting trackers into a state that prevents them from being detected by Scan and Secure. That’s a feature that’s specifically designed to help people find Tile and Tile-enabled devices around them.
“Tile’s new feature was designed to protect users’ valuables in response to customer demand and during a time when theft and robbery rates are up,” the company says. But the issue here is that by preventing trackers from being detectable the company could be making it easier for them to be used for stalking.
Tile reckon it has an answer to that.
“To activate Anti-Theft Mode, users must submit and apply for an advanced ID verification process that includes a biometric scan to accurately detect fake IDs,” Tile says via that press release. And there’s more. Anyone “convicted in a court of law for using Tile devices to illegally track any individual without their knowledge or consent” will be fined a cool $1 million, the company adds.
That’s quite the claim. The new Anti-Theft Mode is grilling out to Tile users over the coming weeks, so we’ll see how that goes.
Before this update Tile item trackers were already some of the best AirTag alternatives out there. Whether this new feature changes that fact will very much depend on how many of those $1 million fines get handed out.
Today, Apple released the first developer betas of iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, watchOS 9.4, and tvOS 16.4. There are a lot of new features to note across all of the releases, so we’re going to dive right in and focus in on the highlights.
Let’s dive in.
New emojis!
You can’t go wrong when a new software update includes new emojis, and iOS 16.4 includes fifteen of them.
As reported by MacRumorsthe new emoji characters being added include a “shaking head, pink heart, blue heart, gray heart, donkey, moose, black bird, goose, wing, jellyfish, hyacinth, pea pod, ginger, fan, comb, flute, maracas, and a number of left and right facing options.”
(Image credit: MacRumors)
The new emojis will be available across all of the software updates. I’m definitely going to be spamming the goose emoji.
Safari Web Push Notifications
This is an interesting one. With iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, web apps will be able to send push notifications to your iPhone and iPad.
The push notifications functionality will only be unlocked for websites that are added as a web app to your Home Screen, so don’t worry about getting spammed push notifications from Safari all day long.
Even cooler, you’ll be able to manage push notifications from web apps added to your Home Screen through the Notifications section in the Settings app right along with the rest of your full-fledged apps. Those apps will also now be integrated into your Focus modes and support alert badges like regular apps.
Apple is also adding the ability to add websites to the Home Screen from third-party browsers like Chrome and Firefox on the iPhone and iPad.
HomeKit architecture upgrade
(Image credit: iMore)
iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3 will also re-release the upgrade to HomeKit’s architecture.
Apple had previously released the update back when iOS 16.2 was released back in December 2022, but quickly pulled it due to a number of bugs affected users who had opted to upgrade to the new architecture.
It appears that Apple has resolved those issues and is ready to give it another go. I’d maybe wait to see how others fare once this is live to ensure you don’t run into any issues, but if you’re adventurous, go for it!
More precise availability for Emergency SOS via satellite
(Image credit: Apple)
Apple launched Emergency SOS via satellite back in November for the iPhone 14 lineup. With iOS 16.4, the company is going to be more precise about satellite availability when users need to use the feature.
As noted below by MacRumors, the feature will now tell you exactly when you’ll be in range of the next satellite to use the emergency communication feature:
Next Satellite Available in [x]Hour(s) and [x]Minutes)
Next Satellite Available in [x]Hour(s)
Next Satellite Available in [x]Minutes)
Next Satellite Available in Less Than 1 Minute
Apple Card Savings account
(Image credit: Apple)
It’s still unclear if iOS 16.4 will actually result in the release of the awaited Apple Card Savings account, but it sure seems like it.
As noted by MacRumors, code in the beta makes reference to “routing and account numbers, current balance, interest earned, data management, funds available for withdrawal, and more.”
The code also notes messages from the company to users, saying “Transfer your Apple Cash balance to your savings account and start earning interest today” and “You can transfer up to [amount] from Apple Cash to your savings account in a single transaction and start earning interest today.”
Everything Else
The above lays out the biggest changes, but there is so much more. Check out below for everything else that has been identified in the new betas so far:
Podcast Channels are now available in the Library section of the Podcast app
Up Next on the Podcast app now lets you resume episodes, start saved episodes, and remove episodes
Podcast app in CarPlay adds Up Next and Browse sections
Apple Music profile icon now available across tabs in the app
New Coverage section of the Settings app on iPhone to display AppleCare coverage
New options in Shortcuts app to lock screen and control Always-on Display for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro
Previews for Mastodon links in the Messages app
5G support is coming to Turkey
Always-On Display control is being added to Focus modes
5G Standalone support for T-Mobile customers, enabling download speeds up to 3Gbps
Users can opt-in to beta releases right from the Software Update screen in iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4
When will all of software release?
This is only the first developer beta, so we likely have a bit to wait until we actually get a public release.
However, it seems like we can expect all of these new updates to roll out sometime in the spring.
While using Apple Pay to make a purchase has become the default for many of us, you’ve always had to pay the full price of a transaction up front when using the service.
Apple is looking to change that with Apple Pay Later, a new financing service from the company that allows you to split Apple Pay purchases up over time.
What is Apple Pay Later?
Apple Pay Later is a “Buy Now, Pay Later” financing service that is offered directly from Apple to customers using the company’s Apple Pay digital payments service. While Apple Pay is the technology that allows you to make a purchase online safely and securely, Apple Pay Later is a service that allows you to finance an Apple Pay purchase over a short period of time.
Apple Pay Later, as explained by the company, lets Apple Pay users split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments that will need to be made over the course of six weeks. The new option is similar to other “Buy Now, Pay Later” services that are offered by companies like PayPal, Affirm, and Klarna.
The company has confirmed that it is using the Mastercard network to offer the service, the same network that it uses for its Apple Card credit card.
How do I use Apple Pay Later?
(Image credit: Apple)
In order to use Apple Pay Later, you will need to apply for and receive approval for the service.
Apple Pay Later is technically a lending service, so Apple will need to run a credit check and make a decision on whether or not to offer you the loan that will be used to finance a purchase. Apple is using its own subsidiary, Apple Financing LLC, to handle the credit checks, decision-making, and lending for Apple Pay Later.
Once the service launches, you’ll be able to apply for Apple Pay Later while making an Apple Pay purchase or within the Wallet app. If approved, you’ll see the option to use Apple Pay Later when making an Apple Pay purchase.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, you’ll only be able to borrow up to $1,000 for an Apple Pay Later purchase, so keep that in mind when you are eyeing up an item of interest.
A report in February 2023 from Bloomberg says that “the new service will let Apple leverage its trove of data on customers, including their spending at company retail outlets, App Store transactions, and services like Apple Cash peer-to-peer payments. Apple Pay , a mobile payment service launched in 2014, and the Apple Card.” That indicates that, in addition to your credit score and report, Apple may also use your relationship history with the company to determine your worthiness of a loan through the new payment service.
According to that report, “When customers sign up, they’re asked to give an amount they would like to borrow and then the system comes back with an approved total — similar to the Spending Power feature for American Express cards.” The process, which will be integrated into the Wallet app, will require those who apply to provide a government ID card, social security number, and two-step verification on their Apple ID account. Approved loans will expire after 30 days.
How do I manage my Apple Pay Later payments?
Once you make a purchase using Apple Pay Later, you will be able to manage your payments in the Wallet app.
As Apple showed in a screenshot of the Apple Pay Later section of the Wallet app, you’ll be able to see a number of helpful information including the total amount of payments due, how much is due in the next 30 days, and a breakdown of all of your upcoming payments.
Does Apple Pay Later charge any fees?
Apple says that Apple Pay Later will charge “zero interest and no fees of any kind.” However, it is currently unclear what will happen if you manage to miss one of your payments.
Apple Pay Later will be fee-free minus any possible overdraft fees from banks.
It appears that while users of the service will be able to manually make a payment early, Apple Pay Later payments will be automatically deducted from your bank account on the date that each payment is due. While it is unclear what kind of penalty may happen if your bank account does not allow overdrafts, Apple has said that “a user’s card-issuing bank may charge a fee if the user’s debit card account contains insufficient funds.”
Where will Apple Pay Later be available?
Apple has confirmed that Apple Pay Later will only be available in the United States when the service launches this fall. While the company is surely planning to bring the service to additional countries, it is currently unclear which countries are next on the list or when the service could come their way.
The fine print on the Apple Pay Later purchase screen also mentions that loans may not be available in every state. It’s currently unclear which states the service will be available when it launches.
If it is working in your state, the financing option should be available both online and in-app on the best iPhones with iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura.
When will Apple Pay Later launch?
Apple Pay Later seemed to originally be a feature that was planned to launch as part of iOS 16 when it was released to the public in September, but the iOS 16 release has come and gone without the new service showing up. While Apple has not explicitly stated it, the service is expected to also be available with iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura as the company has said the service will work both online and in-app.
In late September 2022, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman cast doubt on the service launching in 2022 at all. In his weekly newsletter, the journalist said that Apple is facing “fairly significant technical and engineering challenges in rolling out the service.” The issues may be so great that Apple Pay Later could be delayed until the Spring of 2023:
“This leads me to believe that the company isn’t completely certain when Apple Pay Later will be ready for launch,” Gurman said, adding that “it’s possible the feature won’t arrive until iOS 16.4 in the spring.”
Gurman’s prediction might be spot on. In an interview with CNBC in February 2023, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple Pay Later “will be launching soon.” The report also mentioned that the feature was being tested internally by Apple employees in beta. Being that we have not seen the first developer beta of iOS 16.4 just yet, there’s a good chance the service will show up when that is released.
In a newsletter in mid-February 2023, Gurman said that the service could launch in March or April, a decent timeline for an iOS 16.4 launch.
More to come
This new feature sounds like it will be a very welcome and convenient feature, making the best iPads, Macs, and iPhones even better. It’s a direct competitor to other “Buy Now, Pay Later” services such as Klarna and Affirm. As it’s not out just yet, we’ll be sure to update this post as we learn more about Apple Pay Later. Stay tuned!
As reported by Heise, a recent incident showcased the importance of the new Crash Detection feature built into the Apple Watch. Three men were driving in a car in Germany at around 2:00 AM when they left the roadway and “fell down a 20-meter-deep embankment…the three vehicle occupants were injured, some seriously. The three young men were partially trapped in the vehicle wreckage in the accident. There were no witnesses to the accident.”
Luckily, one of the occupants of the vehicle had one of the new Apple Watches that contain Crash Detection. According to the report, “the Apple Watch automatically sent the GPS coordinates to the rescue control center in Straubing.” A person involved in the accident said that “the watch played a central role in the rescue as there were no witnesses and only a few signs of the accident.”
Crash Detection is an exclusive feature on the iPhone 14 and new Apple Watches
The incident isn’t the first time that Crash Detection came into play in an emergency situation. The feature, along with Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature, came to the rescue for a couple in California whose car went off a mountain, falling approximately three hundred feet into the canyon below.
As Apple explains, the feature will automatically detect a car crash (in certain vehicle types) and call emergency services using both your iPhone and Apple Watch.
Apple says that “with a new dual-core accelerometer capable of detecting G-force measurements of up to 256Gs and a new high dynamic range gyroscope, Crash Detection on iPhone can now detect a severe car crash and automatically dial emergency services when a user is unconscious or unable to reach their iPhone.”
Crash Detection is currently available on the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), and Apple Watch Ultra.
Apple Pay Later might be finally close to a launch date.
In the latest version of Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, the reporter detailed what we might be able to expect from Apple’s upcoming financial services products. Apple Pay Later and Apple Savings have already been announced and hardware subscriptions are rumored, but nothing has actually been launched yet.
So, where is everything?
According to Gurman, Apple Pay Later could launch as soon as March or April. The company recently started beta testing the new payments program with employees at its retail stores. The reporter notes that the company did something similar when it launched Apple Card a few years ago, so this testing could indicate the company is nearing a lunch of the buy now, pay later service.
Apple Pay Later is a “Buy Now, Pay Later” financing service that will be offered directly from Apple to customers using the company’s Apple Pay digital payments service. While Apple Pay is the technology that allows you to make a purchase online safely and securely, Apple Pay Later is a service that will allow you to finance an Apple Pay purchase over a short period of time.
What about Apple Savings?
For Apple Savings, even Gurman has no idea when the savings account could launch. After announcing the product in the fall and saying that it would launch “in the coming months,” the reporter notes that there since “hasn’t been a word from Apple or Goldman Sachs about the release.”
Apple Savings will be a high-interest savings account offered exclusively at launch to Apple Card cardholders, but what that interest rate will be is also still unknown. The rumored hardware subscription is also radio silent over the last few months.
Gurman attributes all of this to engineering challenges that the company is working through. According to him, Apple is working on developing its own internal next-generation financial technology to handle “interest calculations, rewards, credit checks, approvals, and transaction histories — all things that are currently overseen by partners.”
Maybe Apple will delay all of this and announce the Apple Checking account at WWDC?!
Every year the Super Bowl is one of the biggest televised events of the year. The big game this year is bound to be a wild one, especially since this football season was already so abnormal, while Rihanna is all set to play the halftime show.
Of course, if you’re a regular reader of this site, you’re interested in Apple, which means you remember the 1984 commercial that announced the date for when the Macintosh was going to be showcased.
Super Bowl ads are often huge shows, with big budgets and sometimes even bigger stars. Some are funny, some are inspirational, but all of them are pretty epic in different ways.
Yet sometimes it can be hard to watch the Super Bowl commercials outside of the US, but there are a few options for people looking to see what brands and companies are selling this year.
However, even if someone has no interest in the sport, plenty of people love to watch Super Bowl commercials instead, so with this in mind, we’ve got some tips to do this if you live outside of the US.
A-VPN
VPNs have long been used to get around geo-locking and keep your internet browsing private and secure.
There are a lot of VPNs that could help you get access to CBS All Access (where the game will be streamed) if it’s not available in your country. VPNs do cost money via a yearly or monthly subscription, but many also have free-trial periods that you could take advantage of for the big game. ExpressVPN is our pick for the best iPhone and iPad VPN, to protect your IP address while you surf the web.
We also have a list of all the best Super Bowl VPN deals that you can use to stream the big game from anywhere.
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No matter where in the world you may be, a VPN is one of the easiest ways to live stream the Super Bowl for free. Get going with this great offer, and then continue using it for all the additional security benefits after the Super Bowl has ended.
Youtube
A bunch of Super Bowl ads end up on YouTube, both before and after the game, and typically they don’t end up geo-locked. If you come across any that don’t seem to be available in your country, you can always look around on YouTube to see if anybody has reuploaded the video in your country, or use a VPN to access the content.
The ad above is Pepis’s spot for the big game this year, and it’s already available on YouTube. Lots of Super Bowl ad YouTube playlists get made each and every year following the game, so chances are there’s a pretty good bet you can watch the ads if you look hard enough.
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Watch the Super Bowl ads and anything else you can imagine all right on YouTube or by using the YouTube app.
When Apple announced that the iPhone 14 would use the same chip as the iPhone 13 series there were some concerns, especially when the iPhone 14 Pro was confirmed to be getting a new one. But iPhone 14 buyers needn’t have worried.
While tests have since shown that the A16 Bionic of the iPhone 14 Pro isn’t a huge improvement over the A15 Bionic of the iPhone 13 series, there might actually be more to it than that. A new report highlights that the iPhone 14 is actually faster in some instances than the older iPhone 13 Pro, despite having the same chip inside.
The reason? It’s all about cooling.
That’s so cool
A new report by the Sydney Morning Herald (opens in new tab) points out that “the standard 14 models have better sustained performance than last year’s Pros, despite sharing the same chip, thanks to some internal shuffling.”
That reshuffling appears to be all about making the iPhone 14 cooler than the iPhone 13 Pro thanks to changes to the way heat dissipates rather than builds up inside the handset.
“This central structural plane [inside iPhone 14] helps to dissipate more heat across the entire surface more consistently,” Richard Dinh, Apple’s senior director of iPhone design, told the newspaper. “This design also introduces our first four-sided stacked main logic board [which] really condenses all the iPhone 14 components in a smaller space and allows us to access the board from either side, for improved repairability.”
Ultimately nobody would have accused the iPhone 13 series of devices of being slow anyway, so the idea of reusing its chip in the iPhone 14 shouldn’t have been a hard one for potential buyers to take. But this news certainly sweetens the deal.
The concept of using older chips looks set to continue with the iPhone 15, too. Rumors already suggest that only Apple’s best iPhones will get an upgraded chip, likely to be called the A17 Bionic.
If the Dynamic Island could come to the Mac, what would it look like?
That’s what one designer wondered. Andreas Storm took to Twitter today to share a concept for the Dynamic Dock, which reimagines the Dynamic Island for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max and brings a version of that to the Mac’s dock.
As you can see in the video below, the Dynamic Dock concept adds a section to the dock that is basically a dynamic widget. In the video, the dynamic part of the dock changes between an Apple Music, Weather, and YouTube widget.
The Apple Music widget, which displays the album art and song information, allows you to either pause or skip to the next song. The Weather widget shows the current conditions with the same animation used in the iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps. The YouTube widget provides some shortcuts like the ability to search and go straight to the channels you are getting subscribed to.
It’s a really cool concept and a great way to utilize space in the dock. It’s also quite feasible as the widgets in the dock seem to be quite similar to the ones you can use on your iPhone and iPad, so developers would just need to adapt them to the Mac.
Check out the concept video on Twitter below:
Will we see a dynamic dock soon? Concept: https://t.co/GuLeuddTdx pic.twitter.com/SId16fcgs7February 10, 2023
See more
The Dynamic Island is more than a gimmick
Apple brought the Dynamic Island to the iPhone with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max back in September 2022. The feature, as Apple explains, “blends the line between hardware and software, adapting in real time to show important alerts, notifications, and activities.”
There are already a number of apps that utilize the Dynamic Island. Flighty, one of the best flight-tracking apps, is one of those. I used it on a recent trip and, between the Dynamic Island and Live Activities on the Lock Screen, it made keeping up to date on traveling incredibly easy.
While the Dynamic Island is limited to the pro models right now, it is rumored that the feature will come to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus later this year.
You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to desktop speakers — but not so much if you factor style into the equation. Either utilitarian in design or garishly aimed at gamers, finding a good looking pair of speakers that won’t look out of place on a ‘grown-up’ desk isn’t so easy.
Finding a pair that sounds good at the same time? That gets even tougher. But the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers take the challenge in their stride.
Small but mighty, these elegant speakers offer a refined wooden enclosure and wonderful sound from a compact package that’s as easy to set up as it is to use. They’re fantastic.
(Image credit: Gerald Lynch/Future)
Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers: Price and availability
The Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers are available now, priced at $380 / £349. You’ll find them in all good hi-fi retailers, and online direct from Ruark.
That’s on the expensive side for desktop speakers, but the gorgeous sound quality they offer from a surprisingly small enclosure means they’re able to justify that asking price, even if they’re lacking the connected smarts of, say, the recently revealed HomePod 2.
Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers: Design and connectivity
They may be small, but they are mighty. Considering their relatively diminutive size, the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers will make your desktop listening sessions sing in a way few comparably-sized speakers manage.
Available in a walnut or gray finish, each small box (W130mm × H175mm × D140mm, and a little over a kilogram each) features a gray marl fabric covering its cones. It’s the right speaker that takes the lead of the two, providing power and connectivity, and easily identifiable by its black control dial on the top side, and black Bluetooth logo in the bottom right corner of its front fabric covering.
The dial turns to control volume (relatively freely — there’s a very subtle step-click as it turns to demarcate levels), while clicking it in cycles between the three available sources – Bluetooth (4.0, aptX), Optical-in (24-bit , 192 kHz) and 3.5mm aux-in, each with their own small colored LED light on the dial for easy identification.
(Image credit: Gerald Lynch/Future)
Round the back of the main speaker things are kept simple, too. There’s power-in, connections for optical and 3.5mm sources, an optional RCA subwoofer out, and a 3.5mm port to connect to the second speaker with the provided braided cable (which nicely matches the marl finish on the front of the speakers). If you don’t connect that second speaker, the main speaker will happily work as a single mono speaker — and can even be taken on the go with you if you opt to purchase a bespoke additional battery pack, sold separately. Each speaker can also be wall-mounted.
The Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers look great — there’s little unnecessary fluff added here, just the most commonly used essentials — a USB input for audio from a computer would have been good however, as given their size I can easily see the Ruark pair being hooked up to a desktop computer. You’ll be served in that respect by Bluetooth and 3.5mm regardless though. By focusing on the necessities, the impetus is rightly put on the audio quality, and fitting big sound into an aesthetically pleasing enclosure. Job done in that regard.
A 20 minute auto-standby helps the speaker’s green credentials, switching to a low power state if no sound is made during that time window, with the speakers auto-waking when a signal is again received. This can be disabled if you’d rather keep a constant connection.
(Image credit: Gerald Lynch/Future)
The one weak spot is the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers’ remote control. It’s a tiny, flimsy, six button affair, handling power, volume up and down, and the three input sources. Black, plasticky and easy to lose, it doesn’t have the premium feel that the rest of the package does.
One small troubleshooting point to note, too — be prepared to tweak the input level for the wired 3.5mm and optical sources when first hooking them up to your external devices. It’s easily fixed by holding the corresponding source button down on the remote until the LEDs flash, and then tweaking the level with the dial. Without making the tweak, the 3.5mm connection to our computer came in way too loud and distorted, so watch out for that.
Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers: Sound quality
The Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers make use of a 20W Class AB amplifier in a tuned bass reflex cabinet. A pair of custom 20mm silk dome tweeters sit alongside 75mm polypropylene cone neodymium woofers. They’re a great pairing — there’s top and mid end detail in spades from the tweeters, while the woofers push a lot of air given the enclosure size, making them very capable at tight and punchy low-end frequencies, too. I was particularly surprised at the performance over Bluetooth too with aptX sources, which retained great detail despite the format’s unavoidable compression.
Everything I threw at them sounded great. Kicking off with the soulful You’re Not Good Enough by Blood Orange, the well-layered track sparkled satisfyingly across the Ruark, with the Chic-like guitar scratches separating well over the top of the warm walking bassline, which remained defined even as it transitioned from holds to slap-bass pops. It’s a complex arrangement, but all the instruments and reverb-laden vocals find their space here.
(Image credit: Gerald Lynch/Future)
For a bass workout, there’s the always-challenging Angel by Massive Attack. Its brooding and pulsating bassline is handled with aplomb by the Ruark MR1 Mk2, remaining musical and defined even when reaching to the depths of its frequency range. The metronome-like click over the top punctuates the action, without either disrupting the underlying groove, and staying disciplined even as the bassline warps at the track’s conclusion.
Onto something a bit crunchier, and it’s the Manic Street Preachers’ roaring Faster we turn to. Machine gun drums duel against James Dean Bradfield’s spiky guitars, and there’s detail to spare — I’m able to pick up the double-layered chorus vocal easily, something that can be lost under lesser speakers.
And inspired by its star turn in the recent The Last of Us TV adaptation, Linda Ronstadt’s beautiful Long Long Time is a great vocal performance to examine. The Ruark MR1 Mk2 puts her vocal firmly center stage, both soaring and tender at the same time. It’s a really wonderfully mixed song actually, with layers of strings and finger-picked guitars, and the Ruark speakers do great justice to give each element its due — the string section in particular, with subtle lines rising and falling, easily isolated.
Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers: Competition
I’m going to highlight just the one alternative to the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers for this review, as I think they’re genuinely the only speaker pair that matches the same intent in terms of aesthetics and audio quality. And that’s the Q Acoustics M20 HD.
(Image credit: Future)
With great wireless and wired connectivity (including a USB input option), the Q Acoustics M20 HD are a gorgeous sounding — and looking — set of desktop / bookshelf oriented speakers. They’re more expensive than the Ruark models, and about twice the size, so you’ll need to take their footprint into account. But that extra size affords them a more expansive, roomy soundstage, giving an even-more-natural sound than these exemplary Ruark speakers. But there’s no optional portable mode with them, like the sold-separately Ruark battery pack offers. You won’t go far wrong with either.
Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers: Should you buy them?
Buy the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers if…
You want a great sounding music system. Whatever your taste, the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers will make your favorite songs sound fantastic, as well as doing a great job with spoken word entertainment content like films, shows and podcasts.
You’ve only got room for small-ish speakers. Despite the quality and volume of sound they pump out, the Ruark speakers are able to do so from a surprisingly small package, making it easier to find a home for them.
You want speakers that won’t look out of place in a smart office. With their wooden enclosures and soft fabric fronting, the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers look refined and classy.
Don’t buy the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers if…
You don’t like the retro-oriented aesthetic. If you’re a sucker for RGB lighting or futuristic industrial design, look away now — these are modest and classic in their stylings.
You need smart speakers. If you want a speaker you can talk to, or control over Wi-Fi, look elsewhere — though you’ll be hard pressed to find smart speakers that sound this good, especially at an affordable price for a stereo pair.
HDMI-ARC functionality would be useful. Though the optical and 3.5mm connections make it possible (and pleasurable) to match the Ruark speakers with a TV, a HDMI-ARC connection would make the whole process easier, and within the budget range of the speakers, too.
(Image credit: Gerald Lynch/Future)
Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers: Verdict
I totally love the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers. They’re a great size for a modestly-sized desk, are understated in their design, and sound astonishingly good, given how small they are especially. They should absolutely be considered alongside the best speakers for your Mac.
While the remote control feels a bit of a cut corner, the rest of the package is great — a no-nonsense stereo pair that focuses on what really matters most: making your music library sound as best as it possibly can. They lean towards the pricey side of desktop and bookshelf speakers, but are worth every penny. Your ears will thank you.
Bottom line: Small but powerful, the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 speakers are a great musical accompaniment to a smart-looking workspace.
A new program could help you earn cold, hard cash if you’re a UnitedHealthcare subscriber and Apple Watch wearer. The new UnitedHealthcare Rewards program allows eligible members and spouses to earn up to $1,000 annually by completing specific daily health goals and one-time activities.
According to the company, (opens in new tab) those using a compatible activity tracker, smartwatch, or smartphone, must meet daily activity goals and track sleep and other health-rated activities. The money earned will come from a prepaid debit card or a deposit into a health savings account.
The new perk comes as a recent survey (opens in new tab) said that only 23% of employees who have access to well-being programs use them.
Get moving
Once enrolled, UnitedHealthcare Rewards members can earn incentives by completing specific tasks. These include:
Achieve 5,000 steps or more each day.
Complete 15 minutes or more of activity per day.
Track sleep for 14 nights.
Get a biometric screening.
Complete a health survey.
Select paperless billing.
Additional qualifying activities will be added throughout the year.
Of the program, Brandon Cuevas, chief growth officer, UnitedHealthcare, explains, “UnitedHealthcare Rewards is a more modern approach to employer-sponsored well-being programs, leveraging gamification elements and giving members the opportunity to earn incentives for any number of activities that may promote health.”
Further, “UnitedHealthcare Rewards can be a key step in helping more of our members get and stay healthy, prevent or more effectively manage chronic conditions and, ultimately, make health care more affordable for individuals and employers.”
The new UnitedHealthcare Rewards program is now available to select employers and employees who have fully insured plans that started their new plan year. More employees will get added throughout the year, and self-funded customers should become eligible to join the program in 2024.
Employees should check with their HR department for more information on the new program. All the best Apple Watches work with the new rewards program, including the Apple Watch Ultra.
Apple is reportedly ready to add three vibrant new colors to its Beats Fit Pro line of earbuds.
If they do launch the new colors will be much brighter than the ones currently sold. Right now you can buy Beats Fit Pro in darker colors including Black, White, Sage Gray, and Stone Purple. There are also special colors as part of a Kim Kardashian collab, but they’re all darker colors too.
The new colors rumored for a future release are Volt Yellow, Coral Pink, and Tidal Blue.
So bright, so colorful
The new colors were shared by leaker @Jioriku on Twitter, with MacRumors (opens in new tab) also noting that multiple Apple resellers across Europe appear to list the new colors as well. However, neither Apple nor Beats have shared details just yet.
New colors coming up on the Beats Fit ProVolt YellowCoral PinkTidal BlueFebruary 5, 2023
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Beats Fit Pro offers similar features to the original AirPods Pro, including support for active noise cancellation and Transparency Mode. They also support the H1 chip, meaning they can instantly pair with Apple devices and switch between them when needed.
A tipster has provided MacRumors with alleged images of three new Beats Fit Pro colors: Tidal Blue, Coral Pink, and Volt Yellow. Apple will likely release these new colors soon. More details: https://t.co/FTpUJmHqLq pic.twitter.com/9UEJZm9TSyFebruary 6, 2023
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The Beats Fit Pro also support “Hey Siri” as well as spatial audio and head tracking for those who like that kind of thing.
The Beats Fit Pro have proven themselves to be some of the best AirPods alternatives and cost just $199. It’s highly likely that the new colors will cost the same considering they are unlikely to be marketed as any kind of special edition or limited release. They do provide new color options for people who found the existing ones a little too dull — something that might have been unexpected given Beats’ history for colorful headphones and accessories.
As for an actual release schedule, that’s impossible to know. But the new colors’ presence on some retailers’ websites might suggest that a launch is just around the corner, possibly in the next few days.
Black-owned apps are more plentiful in the App Store than you might imagine. In celebration of Black History Month, we’ve uncovered some terrific apps that are worth your time and consideration regardless of your background.
SoLo Funds: Lend & Borrow
SoLo Funds: Lend & Borrow has been designed to help you access funding or supply funding to make a social impact and return. It enables financial services for real people that are backed by people. As it explains, at Solo, “each member can tap the strength of the community to power their own journey toward financial autonomy.”
Dot’s Home
An Apple Cultural Impact Award Winner for 2022, Dot’s Home is a game that comes from the Rise-Home Stories Project, a collaborative effort between minority storytellers and housing, land, and racial justice advocates.
Dot’s Home is a single-player game highlighting struggles in the Black community across different eras. As the main character, Dorothea Hawkins, you get to explore how different decisions, big and small, can have a long-lasting impact on a family and society in general.
Calendly Mobile
A partner app to the official Calendly desktop app, this title makes it easier to schedule your days while on the go. With Calendly, you can quickly create scheduling links and save them for use in an email, text, or another app. Use the app to view upcoming meeting details, view invitee questions, join video calls, and more.
Esusu
Creating equitable financial access for everyone is the underlying goal of Esusu. It was created so the color of your skin and your financial identity won’t define where you end up in life. As such, the Esusu platform provides rent reporting, property management analytics, and rental assistance. Dong so unlocks financial access and provides better stability for both renters and property owners.
Goodr App
With this app, Goodr customers can easily redirect surplus food and compost with a few taps of the screen. The app provides a simple food pickup request process, pickup request notifications through text and email, track the social, environmental, and organizational impact attributed to food donations, and more.
Tone House TV
Using this app, you can use unlimited Tone House workouts on your favorite devices. It includes hundreds of virtual strength and conditioning workouts that you can do anywhere in the world. To get started, minimal equipment is required. You can purchase a membership directly from the app.
EatOkra
Initially only available in Brooklyn, New York, EatOkra makes it simple to find Black-owned restaurants and eateries across the United States. The app is a terrific way to locate and support Black Food entrepreneurs near you. To date, EatOkra connects more than 500,000 diners to culinary creators and more than 11,500 Black-owned businesses, including food trucks.
Official Black Wall Street 2.0
Where EatOkra helps you find great food, the Official Black Wall Street 2.0 app helps you locate other types of Black-owned businesses near you and beyond. This unique digital platform allows you to give back to the community while also finding great new locations to explore. As the organization says, “Find Anything Black-Owned. Anytime.”
Fanbase – Monetize Content
So you want to be an influence? With Fanbase, you can begin monetizing your social media posts and gain a larger following. The photo, video, and live-streaming app allows you to push out new content; users can follow you for free, then you can decide later which posts are paid only.
make a difference
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An annual celebration since 1970, Black History Month highlights the community every February, first in the United States, and now in various countries around the world. Check out the Black-owned apps and services mentioned above. You’ll be happy you did.
