When I wrote my iPad rumor roundup last month, I included the idea that Apple had a 10.8-inch edge-to-edge display iPad or iPad Air ready to reveal. That rumor proves to have been a little right and a little wrong! Today Apple unveiled the fourth-generation iPad Air, and it includes a 10.9-inch, Liquid Retina edge-to-edge display, a first for the iPad Air family. Besides this all-screen display, what's new about the fourth-gen iPad Air? In a word, lots. Let's go over all the improvements Apple has made to the iPad Air, including its A14 Bionic Chip with Neural Engine, removal of the Home button, new display upgrades, camera and audio upgrades, and more.
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iOS 14, iPadOS 14 & watchOS 7 Are Available Sept. 16! Find Out Which iPhones, iPads & Apple Watches They Work With
By Sarah Kingsbury
Apple has just unveiled the Apple Watch Series 6, an iPad (8th generation) and a new iPad Air. New iPhones are expected to be announced later this fall. But whether or not you’re planning to upgrade to any of the new devices Apple announced during its September 15 event, you’ll still want to update your existing Apple devices and start enjoying all the newest features of iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7 as soon as possible. Here's which iPhones are compatible with iOS 14, which Apple Watches can run watchOS 7, and which iPads can run iPadOS 14 and when you can download the new software.
Fall Apple Event: How to Watch the iPhone 12 Announcement on September 15
By Sarah Kingsbury
It's official! The fall 2020 Apple event will take place on Tuesday, September 15, rather than sometime in October as leaker Jon Prosser speculated back in August. We can confidently assume that Apple will announce the coolest new features, specs, and release dates of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro and Apple Watch Series 6. We'll find out if talk of four different new iPhone models (one 5.4-inch, two 6.1-inch, and one 6.7-inch model) is accurate and we'll also see if rumors of new 2020 iPads, a more affordable version of the HomePod, and a Tile-like Bluetooth tracker called AirTags are true. We'll be offering commentary during the event in our Facebook group and in the special podcast episode we'll be recording right after. Here’s how you can watch Apple's iPhone reveal too.
Review: Scosche BaseLynx Modular Charging System
By Mike Riley
One of the most interesting new iOS accessories shown at last year's Consumer Electronics Show was Scosche's BaseLynx Modular Kit Pro Charging System ($209.96). Unlike so many other charging platforms on the market, BaseLynx is a modular system that allows you to specifically tailor the charging configuration to your device needs. Does this approach make sense from both a functional and economical point of view? Read on to find out.
How to Fix iPad Sound Not Working
By Amy Spitzfaden Both
Did your iPad’s sound mysteriously stop working? Have you lost audio while playing music or using apps? If you have no sound on your iPad, and you've already tried rebooting it to no avail and you know there are no headphones plugged in, follow these steps to fix the most common causes of iPad sound not working.
How to Answer & Make Phone Calls On Your iPad
By Sarah Kingsbury
Forget running downstairs to where you left your iPhone; you can answer the phone or call from your iPad or iPod Touch instead. You can use the iPhone Cellular Calls feature to make a phone call or answer the phone from your iPad or iPod touch if they meet the requirements and are on the same Wi-Fi network. Here's how to make phone calls from an iPad or iPod touch.
We all want our kids to avoid screen addiction and be safe online, but that can be hard to accomplish when children have open access to the internet via their iPhone or iPad. Fortunately, Apple's Screen Time parental controls are easy and free to use. In the past you might have had to pay for iPad or iPhone parental control apps to make sure inappropriate content wasn't getting through on your kids' devices, but not anymore. Learn how to set up Screen Time settings on your child's iPhone and iPad, and how to lock those settings so your curious kids can't access the content you've blocked.
Apple is making the iPad Pro look like a regular computer more and more every day. But if you are still using a computer and wish you could share your computer's accessories with your iPad Pro, you might need an accessory like the Access Pro ($199.95) from IOGear, I tried a review unit and it does what it promises. It acts as a KVM (keyboard, video, monitor) Switch, letting you share a keyboard, mouse and 4K UHD 3840x2160 at 30 Hz monitor among two devices. The Access Pro supports Windows, Mac or iPad Pro with USB-C.
Everything Apple Announced at the WWDC 2020 Keynote
By Sarah Kingsbury
Apple covered a lot of ground today in its fast-paced virtual WWDC 2020 keynote, announcing all the new features coming to macOS Big Sur, iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7 along with plans to switch from Intel processors to Apple silicon for the Mac. When it came to software updates, a unified user experience seemed to be the theme of the day, with the Mac getting a customizable Menu Bar with a Control Center and app icons that match those on the iPhone and iPad, and the iPad getting sidebars similar to those on the Mac, among other improvements. Additional highlights included a Home screen redesign for the iPhone, handwriting recognition for the Apple Pencil and iPad, sleep tracking for the Apple Watch, new privacy features, AirPods with surround sound, and more. We've got all the details below.
iPadOS 14 Rumor Roundup
By Mike Riley
Next week at its Wordwide Developers Conference, Apple will share all the details about what we can expect from the newest versions of its software for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. While a majority of the conference keynote is expected to focus on iOS 14 improvements, there will also be dedicated time set aside to discuss its superset, iPadOS. Features in iOS 14 will be replicated in iPadOS 14, whith added UI improvements specifically for the iPad platform. Since Apple is rumored to be replacing Intel CPUs with its own custom ARM processors in future macOS-based laptops, the differentiation between macOS and iPadOS will essentially boil down to a legacy OS that doesn't support touch and a modern OS that does. Apple's recent addition of mouse and trackpad support in iPadOS makes it clear that Apple intends to make iPadOS the successor to macOS, and perhaps in a few years, the two operating systems will merge into a single unified next-gen OS. But for now, the incremental improvements we expect Apple to announce at this year's WWDC include the following.
If you find that a podcast is playing too fast on your iPhone, you might need to adjust the playback speed. Podcasts are perfect for listening to while completing a task, whether that be cooking dinner or driving home from work in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The length of podcasts varies hugely from a few minutes to a couple hours. But what if you don’t have a couple hours but you also really want to listen to that podcast you love? Speed it up. Or, if you find yourself asking, "Why is my Podcast app playing so fast?" slow it down. Here’s how to change the playback speed of a podcast.
Apple Announces New iPad Pro & Magic Keyboard with Trackpad
By Leanne Hays
The world is a chaotic place right now, and in the midst of it all, Apple announced a new iPad Pro with a 3D scanning camera, a new Magic Keyboard with a trackpad, and an iPadOS update that includes trackpad support. The iPad Pro 2020 is Apple's most advanced tablet to date, featuring 3D scanning camera technology for an improved augmented reality experience, as well as the A12Z Bionic Chip, edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display, dual-camera, and Pro Audio system. The new Magic Keyboard's trackpad will finally go head to head with most Windows PC laptops, with its new cursor for navigating, editing, and gestures. Here's everything you need to know about the new iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard, including pre-order and release date, cost, and shipping dates. Let's get started!
Review: Is the Adonit Note Plus a Good Apple Pencil Alternative?
By Todd Bernhard
If you don't like either of the Apple Pencils that Apple offers, the folks at Adonit have a wide range of Apple Pencil alternatives. They even have a chart on their website to help you decide which one is right for you, with eleven models from $10 to $100. I previously wrote about their Adonit Note, and they sent me the upgraded Note Plus Stylus ($69.99) to try and it answers several of the issues I had. For starters, it uses USB-C instead of microUSB to recharge. This is important because, since my previous review, Apple has moved to standardize on USB-C for the iPad Pro. The fewer cables I have to carry around, the better, and microUSB has always been a pain because it's not reversible.
Review: The Logitech Crayon vs the Apple Pencil
By Todd Bernhard
I have used an Apple Pencil long enough to lose the cap a few times and even temporarily lose the pencil itself as it rolled off my desk. Logitech has an alternative that addresses those issues and more. The company sent me a review unit of the Crayon ($69.99) to try. Originally, a $50 option was marketed for educators, but it's now easily found for that lower price for anyone on Amazon and Best Buy.
Apple Pencil Tips: How to Take a Screenshot on an iPad
By Tamlin Day
Taking an iPad screenshot using the iPad’s physical buttons can be a pain. The iPad’s buttons are far apart, plus it’s easy to get the combination wrong and accidentally lock the iPad. But, if you have an Apple Pencil, then you can use a simple sliding gesture to quickly capture an iPad screenshot without having to fumble for the right buttons. Here’s how to take a screenshot on an iPad using either generation of the Apple Pencil.
iPad Game Review: Yellow & Yangtze
By Mike Riley
Gaming on the iPhone and iPad has certainly evolved over the last few years. What was expected straightforward pricing in the early days has become a multi-faceted marketplace of everything from freemium, in-app purchases, and an exclusive premium subscription via Apple Arcade to premium pricing matching that of traditional PC gaming costs. Dire Wolf Digital's latest digital conversion of a well-known board game (at least among board gaming enthusiasts) has opted for the higher-end premium pricing model. Reiner Knizia's Yellow & Yangtze ($9.99) is charging a penny short of ten dollars for the game on either the Android or iOS platform (with the PC version asking for a $14.99 payment for the privilege to play on that platform). Does the price justify the amount of entertainment packed into this board game conversion? Read on to find out.
Apple has once again set the standard for wireless earbuds with the AirPods Pro. Consequently, the market has followed with competitors approaching the market to either compete against Apple head-on, or flank Apple with low-cost alternatives. This article examines two sub-$100 AirPods alternatives that deliver adequate sound quality at less than half the cost of Apple's Airpods Pro.
10 Best Travel Apps for Planning & Enjoying Your Next Trip
By Conner Carey
Do you have a business trip or vacation to plan? Here are our ten top apps for getting a handle on restaurants to try, currency conversion, maps and directions, and entertainment for your flight. Once you've reached your destination, we have apps for translation, hotel and bed and breakfast bookings, photo sharing, and more. Here are our top ten travel apps; enjoy!
Review: Jaybird Vista Bluetooth Earbuds
By Mike Riley
It has been quite a year for new affordable, cross-platform wireless earbud alternatives to Apple's Airpods. Around the same time that I received the excellent Jabra 75t earbuds, I received another company's (that just so happens to start with a J) top of the line offering for review. How do the Jaybird Vista ($179.99) wireless earbuds compare to the recent competition in this rapidly expanding market segment? Read on to find out.
Looking for the perfect holiday gift for the nerd or geek in your life? No matter what kind of tech your friend or family member is into, we've found a present for them. We've selected a range of products at a variety of manageable price points, so you can find something for everyone on your list, old, young, and everywhere in between. Here are our top picks for geeky gear in 2019!