News on the Fringe Week 9 - June 15

Jailbreak update success iPadOS 17 Demo, a tool to transfer Windows games to Mac, andApple glasses Low price soon, Samsung launches two new screens, Apple is facing a case for using the name Vision Pro, and other exciting news on the sidelines…

New Mac Pro hard drive problem

In a support document published by Apple, it said that some SATA hard drives may disconnect unexpectedly after the computer wakes up from sleep. Apple said it is "aware of this issue" and will fix it in a "future macOS update." As a workaround, users can prevent their device from automatically going to sleep by opening the System Settings app, tapping Display, then Advanced, and turning on the “Prevent auto sleep when screen off” option.

Vodafone and Three are the UK's largest mobile operator

Vodafone and Three UK have agreed to merge their networks to form the UK's largest mobile operator. The new company created will have more than 27 million subscribers, and will surpass its competitors EE, which is owned by BT, Virgin Media O2, which is owned by Spain's Telefonica, and Liberty Global of the United States. But the deal must be approved by regulators before it can be completed.

Vodafone will own 51% of the new company, while CK Hutchison will own 49% of the joint business. The companies said the combined business would invest £11 billion in the UK over 10 years.

The new Mac Studio and Mac Pro support up to eight 4K displays

The new Mac Studio and Mac Pro support up to eight 4K displays at 60Hz when configured with the M2 Ultra chip. The new Mac Studio contains an HDMI 2.1 port, while the new Mac Pro has two ports. These ports each support an 8K screen at 60Hz, or a 4K screen at 240Hz. Apple says the M2 Ultra chip also supports up to six Pro Display XDR1 displays.

Apple has also published support documentation that explains how to install PCIe cards in the Mac Pro and lists compatible types of PCIe1 cards. Unlike the Intel-based Mac Pro, the new model does not support graphics cards; Because of Apple Silicon's unified architecture.

The 15-inch 256GB MacBook Air has slower SSD speeds

The 15-inch MacBook Air with 256GB of storage is powered by a single NAND chip. This means that the 256GB model will have slower SSD read and write speeds compared to the 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB models that have multiple NAND chips for faster speeds, but actual results will vary.

Customers who need faster speeds must configure their 15-inch MacBook Air with a minimum of 512GB of storage, which is a $200 upgrade over the 256GB model.

Disabling iCloud Drive in iOS 17 does not turn off CloudKit sync for third-party apps

A new feature in iOS 17 allows users to disable iCloud Drive without affecting iCloud sync in third-party apps that use Apple CloudKit. Previously, disabling iCloud Drive disabled sync features in third-party apps, causing inconvenience to users who wanted to save device storage by turning off iCloud Drive.

This change in iOS 17 makes it safer to disable iCloud Drive without worrying about breaking iCloud sync in third-party apps. This is useful for corporate devices where iCloud Drive is often disabled. This improvement in cloud management will be available in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma.

In previous versions, disabling iCloud Drive also disabled iCloudKit, causing third-party apps that depended on iCloud sync to stop working correctly.

Overall, this change allows users to have more control over their iCloud settings and ensures that third-party apps can continue to function properly even if iCloud Drive is disabled.

Apple is facing a battle to use the Vision Pro name in China

Apple may have to change the name of its new mixed reality glasses in China, unless it can reach an agreement with Huawei, which already owns a trademark called “Vision Pro,” which is the same name as the Apple glasses. The trademark was originally granted to Huawei on May 16, 2019, and grants the company exclusive rights to use it in China from November 28, 2021, to November 27, 2031.

And if Apple intends to sell its glasses in China and call it Vision Pro, it may have to enter negotiations with Huawei to launch the brand for an agreed price. This isn't the first time that Apple has had to pay a Chinese company to use a product name. In 2012, Apple paid Proview Technology $60 million for the rights to the "iPad" brand in China.

Samsung launches iMac-like M8 smart display and 9-inch Odyssey OLED G49 curved gaming monitor

Samsung has launched the latest version of the iMac-like Smart Monitor M8. And the price is $ 699.99 for the 32-inch size and $ 649.99 for the new 27-inch size, but Samsung is only accepting orders for the first 32-inch size so far.

New additions to the Smart Monitor M8 include HDR10+ support and portrait rotation. The screen has a flat 4K UHD LCD screen with 400 nits of brightness, a 60Hz refresh rate and a new pivoting stand so you can rotate the screen 90 degrees for portrait orientation.

In terms of Apple-related features, the Smart Monitor M8 maintains the AirPlay support of the previous generation so that you can connect Apple devices to the monitor and view content on it. There's also a USB-C charging connection, an enhanced SlimFit 2K webcam, smart TV apps, a game center, and more.

Samsung also launched another monitor, the 9-inch Odyssey OLED G49 Curved Smart Gaming Monitor. It's available for pre-order now at a discounted price of $2199.99, down from $2499.00. The screen is expected to be shipped at the end of this month, around June 26.

Cheaper Vision glasses are likely to be released by the end of 2025

Apple plans to launch a cheaper version of its Vision Pro glasses by the end of 2025, according to Mark Gurman, as he mentioned that the cheaper version will likely be called “Apple Vision One” or “Apple Vision.”

Apple could achieve cheaper material costs in other areas, combined with a more streamlined production process, which could allow Apple to reduce the price of the speaker by several hundred dollars.

Apple releases a tool to help developers port Windows games to the Mac

At WWDC, Apple announced a new set of tools that will make it easier for game developers to port Windows games to the Mac. The toolkit provides a simulation environment that allows developers to run their current, unmodified game on Windows and Mac and quickly evaluate how the game will run on macOS before writing any code.

Apple is also introducing developers to a new Metal game engine adapter that simplifies transcoding a Windows game for play on Macs with Apple Silicon chips. Apple says the toolkit and converter significantly reduce the total development time required to port games to the Mac, from months to just a few days.

Developers interested in porting Windows games to Mac can watch Apple's series of videos.Bring your game to Mac" for more details.

Miscellaneous news

◉ Apple announced a new TipKit framework that will allow developers to provide tips in their apps on iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17. These tips can help reveal hidden features, highlight new ones, show you a faster way to get a task done, and more .

◉ Apple Maps has provided updated and more detailed map data for Paris and has also added new bike directions for all of France. The new maps make Paris the latest in a growing list of cities that feature detailed maps and gorgeous XNUMXD landmarks, which make Paris look especially stunning.

Apple provides more rich detail for road signs, buildings, commercial areas, land cover, trees, elevation, transit routes, and more. Live routing also improves with enhanced walking directions located in Paris, as well as the addition of bike directions along bike lanes and bike-friendly roads.

◉ AltStore says “an app store designed for sideloading” that the AltServer plugin for Mac won't work in the macOS Sonoma update. However, the AltStore team is working on a new authentication method as users can no longer use the existing mail plugin with macOS Sonoma.

◉ OpenAI launched its first major update to its ChatGPT app on iOS, as the new version adds native support for the iPad, as well as compatibility with Siri and Shortcuts. Drag and drop is now also available, allowing users to drag individual messages from ChatGPT into other applications.

◉ Apple has launched a set of official design resources for Figma, “a powerful web-based design tool that helps you create anything, websites, apps, logos, and more.” It contains a comprehensive set of components, views, system interfaces, text styles, color styles, materials, and layout guides. All the essential components you need to quickly create realistic iOS and iPadOS app designs.

◉ The Palera1n team announced its success in jailbreaking the iPadOS 17 beta update. This jailbreak relies on exploiting the checkm8 vulnerability on some older iPad models with A9 to A11 processors, which already support iPadOS 17.

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