Apple has released the iOS 17 software update for iPhone, available to download now as a free update for all compatible iPhone models. The iOS 17 final build is 21A329, matching the RC release.

iOS 17 includes a wide variety of new features and improvements to the iPhone operating system, including Standby Mode that transforms your horizontally charging iPhone into a display clock, support for FaceTime Video Voicemail messages, customizable Contact Posters so that you can determine what you look like when you call someone, NameDrop easy contact sharing, Safari Profiles support, interactive Home Screen widgets, improved predictive typing and autocorrect, along with many other smaller changes and new features for Messages, Safari, Music, AirPlay, Phone, and more. Eventually, a Journal app will also be included in iOS 17 as well, but that is not included in this release.

Separately, Apple has also released iPadOS 17 for iPad, watchOS 10 for Apple Watch, and tvOS 17 for Apple TV. MacOS Sonoma for Macs will be released later, on September 22.

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The iPadOS 17 software update for iPad has been released by Apple and is available to download now. The final build of ipadOS 17 matches the RC build of 21A329.

iPadOS 17 includes a variety of new features, including a redesigned Lock Screen that allows widgets and a customized clock, interactive Home Screen widgets, Safari Profiles support, improvements to multitasking in Stage Manager, FaceTime Video Voicemail support, the Health app comes to iPad, improvements to autocorrect and predictive typing, and there are many smaller changes, additions, and improvements to Messages, Music, AirPlay, Notes, and more.

Separately, iOS 17 for iPhone has also been released, along with tvOS 17 for Apple TV, and watchOS 10 for Apple Watch. MacOS Sonoma will be released separately on September 22.

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The iPhone 15 includes fancy new wallpapers, but you won’t have to get a new phone just to appreciate the nice wallpapers, because we’ve gathered them here. You’ll find the five default iPhone 15 wallpapers in colors matching the iPhone 15 colors of green, pink, gray, blue, and yellow.

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iOS 17 is just around the corner, and you’re probably excited about getting the latest iOS update onto your iPhone so that you can enjoy all that it has to offer, like interactive widgets, Contact Posters, NameDrop, Safari Profiles, and so much more. While you can always jump right into updating, you can also take this as an opportunity to clean house a bit and get your device ready for iOS 17.

Let’s go through a list of things to check so that you can be sure your iPhone is ready for iOS 17.

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Amazon is back offering some great discounts on some of the best big screen Mac laptops available.

First up is the beloved 15″ M2 MacBook Air, which Amazon is offering at a great discount taking $200 off the standard price and offering the 256GB model for just $1099 and the upgraded 512GB storage model for just $1299, available in most colors.

If you need a lot more power and an even bigger display, Amazon is taking $250 off the M2 Max MacBook Pro 16″ with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD, knocking the price down to $3249 from the standard $3499 retail price.

And finally, Amazon is providing a nice discount on the AirPods 2nd generation for just $99, down from the $129 retail price.

Let’s get to the deals:

M2 MacBook Air 15″

M2 MacBook Air 15″ base model with 256 GB storage and 8 GB RAM:

• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Starlight – $1099 (from $1299)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Midnight – $1099 (from $1299)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Space Gray – $1099 (from $1299)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Silver – $1099 (Reduced from $1299)

M2 MacBook Air 15″ upgraded model with 512 GB storage and 8 GB RAM is available for $200 off in select colors:

• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 512GB – Midnight – $1299 (from $1499)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 512GB – Starlight – $1299 (from $1499)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 512GB – Space Grey – $1299 (from $1499)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 512GB – Silver – $1299 (from $1499)

M2 Max MacBook Pro 16″

If you need a lot more power, the M2 Max 16″ MacBook Pro is an absolute powerhouse equipped with a 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU, and comes with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD for a nice $250 discount:

• MacBook Pro 16″ with M2 Max 32GB/1TB for $3249 (discounted from $3499)

AirPods 2 for $99 (from $129 retail)

The AirPods 2 feature a lightning charging case, 24 hours of battery life, easy setup, and Hey Siri support, and remain an excellent choice if you do not need the more advanced features or water resistance available on the other models.

• AirPods 2nd generation for $99 (discounted from $129)

Stock changes quickly at Amazon, so check what’s available and if you see something you like, shop quickly.

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If you’re interested in creating a bootable macOS Sonoma beta USB installer drive, out of a USB flash drive or similar disk device, you can do so easily. Many Mac users like to use bootable USB installer drives to perform clean installations of MacOS Sonoma, to update multiple Macs easily, or just to have for troubleshooting purposes, amongst myriad other reasons.

To get started, you’ll need a USB flash drive that is at least 16GB in size, and you will need the full installer of MacOS Sonoma on your Mac in the /Applications folder.

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Apple has issued MacOS Sonoma Release Candidate to Mac users who are participating in the beta testing program for MacOS system software. The update is available to users enrolled in either the developer beta or public beta program, and MacOS Sonoma RC carries the build of 23A339.

Note that many M2 Mac users running Sonoma are not able to find the MacOS Sonoma RC available to download on their computers. The Sonoma RC download not showing katup on M2 Macs is a widely reported issue on Apple’s forums as well as throughout social media, and the web of Apple-fan sites like the one you’re reading right now.

MacOS Sonoma features over 100 new screen savers and wallpapers, a neat moving wallpaper feature, a redesigned Lock Screen, the ability to place widgets for things like weather and stocks on the Mac desktop, FaceTime Video Voicemail support, Safari Profiles support, along with many smaller features and improvements.

Separately, Apple has also issued iOS 17 RC, iPadOS 17 RC, watchOS 10 RC, and tvOS 17 RC to beta testers running those operating systems on their Apple devices.

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Apple has issued a release candidate build for iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The iOS 17 RC and iPadOS 17 RC builds are available to download now for users enrolled in either the public beta or developer beta programs.

RC (Release Candidate) builds are often the final beta build of a beta testing cycle, unless some critical bug or issue is found. Given that Apple has said that iOS 17 will be released on September 18, this particular build is likely to match the final build.

Separately Apple has also issued RC builds for tvOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS Sonoma RC.

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MacOS Sonoma will be released on Tuesday, September 26. MacOS Sonoma, which is versioned as macOS 14, will be will be available as a free update to Mac users.

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Apple has released the all new iPhone 15 series, including the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

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Apple has announced that iOS 17 will be released on Monday, September 18. The new version of system software will be available to all users as a free software update.

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iPadOS 17 will be released on Monday, September 18, according to Apple. The latest version of iPad system software will be a free software update, available through the typical software update channels.

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Apple has issued a series of software updates for older versions of system software for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac that contain important security fixes, and are therefore recommended for all eligible users to install. These new updates include the same security fixes that were just made available in iOS 16.6.1, iPadOS 16.6.1, and macOS Ventura 13.5.2.

Specifically, iOS 15.7.9 is available for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone SE 1st generation, and iPod touch 7th generation, while iPadOS 15.7.9 is available for iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4th generation.

macOS Monterey 12.6.9 is available for Macs continuing to run the Monterey operating system, while macOS Big Sur 11.7.10 is available for Macs running the Big Sur operating system.

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Amazon is again offering the 15″ M2 MacBook Air at a solid discount, taking $200 off the retail price. The deal brings the 256GB model down to just $1099 from $1299, and the 512GB model to just $1299 down from $1499. You can get the discounted price in every available color, whether you’re looking for Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, or Silver.

The MacBook Air 15″ features the powerful and efficient M2 chip, a 15.3″ Liquid Retina display, 1080p camera, two USB-C / Thunderbolt ports, Touch ID, backlit keyboard, a MagSafe Charger, and excellent battery life.

The M2 MacBook Air 15″ base model with 256 GB storage and 8 GB RAM is available for $200 off at the following links:

• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Starlight – $1099 (from $1299)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Midnight – $1099 (from $1299)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Space Gray – $1099 (from $1299)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Silver – $1099 (Reduced from $1299)

The M2 MacBook Air 15″ model with 512 GB storage and 8 GB RAM is available for $200 off as well:

• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 512GB – Midnight – $1299 (from $1499)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 512GB – Starlight – $1299 (from $1499)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 512GB – Space Grey – $1299 (from $1499)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 512GB – Silver – $1299 (from $1499)

Separately, Amazon also has a nice deal going for the AirTags 4 pack, offering a 10% discount on the tracking devices when bought as a bundle:

• AirTags 4 pack for $89

FTC: OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.

If you have an Xbox One, Xbox Series X, or Xbox Series S, and you want to watch Apple TV+ content on the Xbox, you can do so by downloading the official Apple TV app for the Xbox. The Apple TV app will allow you to access and watch Apple TV+ content directly from the Xbox.

Yes, even though Apple makes Apple TV, and Microsoft makes Xbox, the two actually work pretty well together thanks to the app store experience.

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Do you remember the Apple Newton commercials from the mid 1990s? The Apple Newton, which was Apple’s Personal Digital Assistant and first tablet experiment, used a stylus for input, had internet connectivity, and some really cool features that only recently came to the iPad – like Scribble.

A YouTuber has put together a collection of all Apple Newton commercials from the 1990s, and it’s a fun watch. Some of the commercials are funny, and all of them show off some of the capabilities of the Newton.

The commercials are embedded below for easy viewing:

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Have you ever wondered if your iPhone battery needs to be replaced? Maybe you are experiencing rapid battery drain, or other battery health issues like sluggish performance, random shutdowns, or the dreaded swollen battery issue with your iPhone.

Read on and we’ll review five common signs that it’s time to replace the battery on your iPhone.

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Apple has released a series of software updates for various devices, including iOS 16.6.1 for iPhone, MacOS Ventura 13.5.2 for Mac, and iPadOS 16.6.1 for iPad. The updates appear to be include important security fixes for actively exploited issues, and no new features are included.

These small point release updates arrive ahead of the major new releases of iOS/iPadOS 17 and MacOS Sonoma 14 that are set to be released as soon as next week at the planned September 12 Apple event.

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