MacOS Sonoma beta is available to download and install by any Mac user for free, thanks to a recent change in the Apple Developer program. However, it’s important to remember this is an early developer beta of MacOS 14 that is buggy and less stable, so most Mac users should not install it at this point in time.

Apple quietly changed the Apple Developer program to allow anyone enrolled to be a developer to have access to download and install betas of all Apple system software, including MacOS Sonoma beta, iOS 17 beta, iPadOS 17 beta, watchOS 10 beta, and tvOS 17 beta, and without having to pay for the annual membership fee. Basically this means that anyone can use the developer beta system software right now, without having to wait for the public beta.

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Apple has released the first beta versions of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.

The initial beta releases of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 are available exclusively to users registered in the developer beta testing programs, while public beta versions will be made available in July.

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Apple has released the first beta version of MacOS Sonoma, or MacOS 14, to users participating in the developer beta testing program.

While the first developer betas are available only to registered Apple developers, a public beta will be made available to anyone interested in July.

MacOS Sonoma includes new features for the Mac, including new screen savers, the re-introduction of widgets, improvements to Messages, Safari browsing profiles, FaceTime video messages, and more.

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Apple has revealed their much anticipated virtual reality headset, called Vision Pro.

Apple describes the headset as their “first spatial computer”, and the device offers both augmented reality and virtual reality experiences on a screen that “feels 100 feet wide” and includes a spatial audio system for fully immersive experiences.

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Apple has announced iOS 17, the next major system software release for iPhone.

The new operating system for iPhone includes some significant new features for the FaceTime app, Phone app, Messages app, AirDrop, Photos, and more.

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Apple has announced MacOS Sonoma as the next major version of MacOS.

MacOS Sonoma, technically versioned as MacOS 14, features a new desktop widgets feature, new screen savers, new video conferencing features, a new Game Mode feature that optimizes performance when playing games, and more.

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Apple has announced iPadOS 17 for iPad.

The upcoming major system software release for iPad includes a customizable lock screen similar to what is already available on iPhone, a new Profiles feature for Safari, interactive widgets on the iPad Home Screen, new Messages features, the inclusion of the Health app on iPad, new window placement options in Stage Manager, enhancements to Spotlight search, and more.

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Apple has introduced an all new 15″ MacBook Air. The new MacBook Air is basically the same as the 13″ model, but features a larger 15.3″ display.

MacBook Air 15″ features an M2 chip, MagSafe charging, two Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports, a 1080p webcam, microphone, six-speakers with spatial audio, and up to 18 hours of battery life. The 15″ MacBook Air weighs in at 3.3lbs and is 11.5mm thick, making the device still quite portable despite the larger display size.

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Apple has launched an all new Mac Pro with M2 Ultra chip, along with a Mac Studio with M2 chip options. The hardware enclosures feature the same designs as prior generations, meaning the updates are to new internal hardware components.

The M2 Mac Studio features an M2 Max or M2 Ultra chip with up to 24-core CPU and 76-core GPU, up to 192GB RAM, and up to 8TB of SSD storage. You’ll also get 10GB ethernet, HDMI ports, SDXC port, ThunderBolt 4 / USB-C ports, and support for 8K displays.

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For users who are concerned about an unauthorized person physically tampering with a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or MacBook, nail polish (yes, that kind of nail polish) can offer a bit of security, or at least demonstrate potential evidence that hardware has been fiddled with.

Now of course this does not apply to the vast majority of computer users, and these type of deep security concerns are only relevant to a very small group of people. But for those where these type of worries are legitimate, then some selectively applied nail polish can offer a very low-tech method of signaling when an “evil maid” attack has occurred against computer hardware.

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iMessage is the messaging protocol that is limited to the Apple ecosystem – iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches – until now anyway. Thanks to Phone Link for Windows 11, you can now use iMessage on a Windows PC to text other iMessage and Android users back and forth, and you can even make phone calls through the PC using the iPhone too. It’s actually pretty easy to setup too, as we’ll show you.

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Did you know that you can connect an external display to any modern iPad model? With any of the most current model iPads that has a USB-C connector, including newer models of iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, and iPad Mini, connecting the iPad to an external screen is really easy, and depending on the iPad model you have, it’ll either mirror your iPad display, or extend the display with Stage Manager.

For the purposes here, we’ll go with the simplest method of connecting an external display to an iPad by using a Warky USB-C to HDMI cable.

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Modern versions of iOS and iPadOS have changed the way that beta system software is opted into on iPhone and iPad, abandoning the usage of profiles, and instead using a simples settings adjustment toggle on the device itself.

Your Apple ID must be associated with a beta program to be able to toggle and use these settings. If the Apple ID associated with your iPhone or iPad is not enrolled in either the developer beta or public beta program, you will not see these toggles available. Additionally, you will only see the developer beta or public beta, if you are only enrolled in one of those, or both, if you are enrolled in both programs.

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The second beta versions of iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, and macOS Ventura 13.5 are now available to users who are actively participating in the beta testing programs for Apple system software. Typically dev betas roll out first and are soon followed by the same build as a public beta.

No major features or changes are expected in iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, and macOS Ventura 13.5, and the updates will likely simply include some bug fixes and security enhancements.

iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS 14 will debut next week at WWDC, so the amount of focus on the current generations of system software is probably not as significant as those major new releases.

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Voice Messages are a great feature in Messages for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, that allow you to record yourself speaking and send that audio as a message. This can be fantastic for hands-free texting and communication (say, when walking, biking, driving, etc), if you simply prefer talking to texting, if you want to convey more emotion than what is possible through text, if you want to send an audio recording of whatever you’re currently doing (for example, if you’re at a concert), or any number of other situations.

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The iPad Magic Keyboard is ultra popular for good reason, and it’s easily the best accessory available for iPad. With the excellent functionality of a full-size backlit keyboard combined with a great trackpad, Magic Keyboard brings productivity potential to the iPad that is otherwise missing for many users. Plus, Magic Keyboard looks great, with a unique floating design and adjustable viewing angles.

Check out these tips for using the Magic Keyboard with iPad, and you’ll be more productive with the iPad than ever before.

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If you use git on the Mac platform, you likely have come across DS_Store files in a git repository. These can be annoying and clutter a git repo, and you may even run into unnecessary conflicts due to .DS_Store files being maintained in git repos, where you may see error messages like “The files .DS_Store and .DS_Store had a tree conflict”. Because .DS_Store files are not needed by the vast majority of git repositories and generally can just cause issues, it’s reasonable to want to remove .DS_Store files from git repositories.

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You can now easily check your AppleCare warranty coverage right on the iPhone or iPad, for not only your device, but also any other devices that are paired to it, like AirPods or Apple Watches.

All Apple devices come with a one year limited AppleCare warranty, but many users opt to purchase the optional various AppleCare plans to extend warranty duration or coverage to things like accidents and theft.

If you want to see the warranty details and coverage of AppleCare on your iPhone or iPad, you can easily do that directly on your phone or tablet. We’ll show you how this works.

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