Amazon is back at it again with some more great discounts on select Apple gear. This time they’re knocking $100 off the price of iPad mini 7, $300 off the Apple Studio Display, $70 off Apple Watch Series 10, and $30 off a pack of AirTags 4-pack. Check out the deals and grab what interests you!
Apple has released the fourth beta version of iOS 18.4, MacOS Sequoia 15.4, and iPadOS 18.4, all of which are set to be fairly minor software updates but do include a handful of new features, and will also include the usual round of bug fixes and security enhancements.
New features currently being tested in these various beta releases include bringing the maligned Mail Categories sorting feature from iPhone to the iPad and Mac (fun!), a new ability to generate ambient music from Control Center, refinements to Apple Intelligence features, and a handful of new Emoji icons.
There are also new beta versions of system software for tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS, if you’re testing software on those devices as well.
The latest versions of MacOS make it easier than ever to use Type to Siri, but many Mac users are finding themselves accidentally triggering the ‘Type to Siri’ feature on their Mac running the latest MacOS Sequoia releases. This can be frustrating, and if you don’t use Siri or Type To Siri you might not want this feature to activate at all, so as Mac user you might be wondering how to disable Type to Siri and prevent it from activating unintentionally.
Curiously, MacOS Sequoia does not have a settings toggle available to directly turn off Type to Siri on the Mac. That doesn’t mean you can’t disable the feature though, so read on to learn more about how to handle this.
One of the questions many Mac users have when they see newly available system software updates for MacOS is “how long will updating MacOS take?” followed by “why is MacOS update taking forever?” These are both perfectly reasonable questions, and it’s important to remember the answers can vary. But, with modern MacOS, you can also get a pretty good estimate for how long installing a MacOS system update will take.
Let’s dive into this topic a bit so that you can better understand and prepare for installing MacOS updates on your Mac.
Amazon is back with some more great deals on Apple products, beginning with a big discount on AirTags, Apple Watch Series 10, AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, and Apple Pencil Pro. Let’s check them out.
AirTags are very useful personal trackers that have myriad uses from keeping an eye on your dog, cat, luggage, backpack, purse, car keys, package, bike, or just about whatever else you might want to track with the Find My network. With an AirTag 4-pack coming in at just $65 ($16 per AirTag), this is quite a deal, down from the $99 retail price. Try them out yourself!
Apple has released iOS 18.3.2 for iPhone and ipadOS 18.3.2 for iPad. The updates are focused on security patches and bug fixes, and do not include any new features.
Separately, there are updates available for Mac as MacOS Sequoia 15.3.2, Safari 18.3.1 for Ventura and Sonoma, tvOS 18.3.1 for Apple TV, and visionOS 3.2.3 for Apple vision Pro.
MacOS Sequoia 15.3.2 has been released by Apple for Mac users running the Sequoia operating system.
The update includes important bug fixes and security patches, and Apple recommends installing the update on all eligible devices.
If your Mac is running macOS Ventura or macOS Sonoma, you will find an update to Safari 18.3.1 available instead of a full-fledged MacOS software update.
Separately, iPhone and iPad users will find iOS 18.3.2 and ipadOS 18.3.2 available as software updates, and Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro receive small updates as well.
More great Apple deals are on tap from Amazon today, including big discounts on AirPods and Apple Watch Series 10. Let’s take a look!
AirPods 4 are on sale for just $99, cutting 22% off the $129 retail price. These are wildly popular headphones for a reason, and not just because of the iconic stylish design of the wireless earbuds. AirPods 4 include features like gesture support, Spatial Audio, voice isolation for phone calls, water resistance, sweat resistance, Siri commands, and a USB-C charging case.
Apple has released the third beta version of MacOS Sequoia 15.4, iOS 18.4, and iPadOS 18.4, for users who are participating in the beta testing programs for Apple system software.
These beta builds are working on a variety of new features and capabilities, including refinements to Apple Intelligence, the controversial and frustrating sorted Mail Categories feature from iPhone is coming to iPad and Mac, a new ambient music feature in Control Center, new Emoji icons, and more smaller features and changes.
Some MacOS Sequoia users have discovered the familiar handy Emoji keyboard shortcut to access the Emoji & Symbols panel is no longer working as expected. This can be immensely frustrating, especially if you rely on it for quick access to emojis in messages, emails, documents, and in general.
While it might seem like a minor issue, an inability to access the Emoji & Symbols panel by keyboard shortcut can disrupt workflow and make simple tasks like writing messages and emails much harder. Fortunately, there are ways to troubleshoot and fix the problem, whether it’s a settings adjustment or a quick reboot. With a little patience, it’s usually possible to get things working again and bring back that seamless emoji experience on the Mac.
If you’re frustrated with an unreliable Emoji keyboard shortcut on macOS Sequoia, read along.
Amazon is offering some all-time-low prices on some fantastic Apple products right now, including the latest Apple Watch Series 10 for just $299 (down from $399 retail), AirPods Pro 2 with Hearing Aid functionality for just $169.99 (down from $249), and the M2 MacBook Air 13″ 16GB / 256GB model for just $699. What’s not to love about these great deals? Why pay more than you have to, check out the deals below!
ChatGPT allows you to upload documents, which you can then describe, analyze, summarize, explain, or even get assistance with that particular document. ChatGPT works with just about any document type that you might be working with or come across in the world of tech and computers, including .pdf, .doc, .docx, .txt, .rtf, .xls, .xlsx, .csv, .ppt, .pptx, .md, .json, .xml, .html, as well as image file formats like JPG, GIF, PNG, and more.
Why might you want to upload a document to ChatGPT? Well there are plenty of practical applications for this. For example, maybe you were provided with a tax form that you’re not sure about, you can upload it to ChatGPT and have ChatGPT explain the purpose of that particular file, and even get assistance in how to fill the form out properly. Or perhaps someone emailed you a Word document that you want to summarize the key points for, or maybe you have an Excel spreadsheet that you want to analyze and explain. ChatGPT can do all of that and more, and it’s incredibly powerful and very easy to use.
We’re going to assume you have the ChatGPT app installed on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Windows PC, but you can also use the ChatGPT web site for uploading documents to as well. If you don’t have ChatGPT installed on your devices yet, you’ll want to do that first, it’s a free download available from OpenAI here.
Apple has released updated MacBook Air and Mac Studio models with spec bumps, and a new color option for the MacBook Air.
The MacBook Air gains the M4 chip and is now available in a new light blue color option that Apple calls ‘sky blue’. Meanwhile, the Mac Studio gains the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chip options.
These updated Macs come a day after Apple spec-bumped the iPad Air to an M3 chip as well.
Amazon is back with some great deals again, this time offering the fantastic 27″ Apple Studio Display for just $1299, and the Apple Watch Series 10 for just $329. Why pay full price when you don’t have to?
Apple has given the iPad Air lineup a spec-bump update to include M3 chips, but otherwise the new iPad Air remains pretty much the same as the previous M2 model.
The second beta versions of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and MacOS Sequoia 15.4 are available for users enrolled in the beta testing programs for the Apple operating system suite.
The latest beta builds continue to refine Apple Intelligence features, add a new Ambient music feature from Control Center, and for iPadOS and MacOS include the controversial Mail Categories feature from iPhone that aims to sort your mail inbox for you. There are also new Emoji icons available in the latest betas, including a tired face, a fingerprint, and a shovel.
Amazon has returned with more great deals on Apple products, including taking $100 off the all-new iPad mini 7, taking 18% off the Apple Watch Series 10, and getting an AirTags 4-pack for just $70. Check out the deals!
This is a helpful reminder for Mac users that it’s important to periodically restart your Mac to maintain optimal system performance.
