Tag: HomePod

Apple releases iOS 15.2, macOS 12.1, Xcode 13.2 and other platforms

by Danis Tazetdinov

Big day for Apple users – macOS 12.1 Monterey with SharePlay support is released. iOS/iPadOS 15.2 is also released together with watchOS 8.3 and tvOS 15.2.

Important new features in the updates:

  • SharePlay is available on macOS 12.1 Monterey;
  • iOS, iPadOS, watchOS provide App Privacy Report allowing users to inspect app network activity in a friendly form;
  • Communication safety features for children are added, will notify children of potentially unsafe content;
  • Digital Legacy is now added allowing users to designate people to take care of Apple ID when user passes away;
  • Updates add support for Apple Music Voice plan;
  • Xcode 13.2 brings support for upcoming Swift Playgrounds 4 project format;
  • Swift Concurrency back deployment is now enabled in Xcode 13.2.

Xcode download from App Store might be broken for now

According to Developer Forums thread there might be issues with Xcode 13.2 downloaded from App Store. This issues might also be already resolved. In case, you see similar behavior, please use Developer Downloads section to get Xcode 13.2.

Together with macOS Monterey, Apple also pushed security updates for macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina.

Apple also updates Developer Agreement to reflect changes related to Swift Playgrounds 4 and Xcode Cloud.

HomePodOS gets 15.2 update which brings new Siri languages including Dutch and Russian, hinting new territories for HomePod sales. tvOS 15.2 also gets new languages supported for Siri.

Notably, Universal Control feature is postponed til Spring 2022.

Release notes:

Reference:

Apple announces new MacBooks, AirPods 3 and new HomePod mini color options

by Danis Tazetdinov

Apple held "Unleashed." special event. During this event there were couple of important announcements made.

Important highlights:

  • New MacBook Pro models 14" and 16" featuring M1 Pro and M1 Max chips;
  • M1 Pro supports up to 32GB of RAM, features 8 high performance cores and 2 high efficiency cores and 16 graphic cores;
  • M1 Max supports up to 64GB of RAM, features 8 high performance cores and 2 high efficiency cores and up to 32 graphic cores;
  • New MacBooks feature HDMI port, SDXD card reader, MagSafe 3 power connector and 3 Thunderbolt/USB-C ports.
  • MacBooks now have up to 8TB of storage options;
  • New MacBook Pro feature Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion support (with up to 120Hz refresh rate);
  • New AirPods 3 feature AirPods Pro like design and spatial audio support, but without noise cancellation;
  • Apple quietly adds new charging case for AirPods Pro with MagSafe support;
  • New "Voice plan" is announced for Apple Music in select countries featuring lower price tier and Siri support;
  • New color options are announced for HomePod mini.

MacBooks, AirPods, HomePod minis are available for pre-order.