iPad, AirPods, and iPhone SE Rumors, Smart Speaker Showdown, iOS 11.3 Beta Drops AirPlay 2 - MacRumors

Brought to you by: iPad Refresh in March Likely as Apple Receives Certification for New Tablets in Eurasia It looks like updated iPads are right around the corner, as Apple has received certification from the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) in Russia to sell a pair of new iPad models. These are likely updated versions of the $329 iPad introduced last year, and rumors have suggested Apple could lower the price even further this year. The EEC has also granted certifications for "samples" of several other tablet and smartphone models from Apple, but with unfamiliar model number formats it's unclear what these devices might be. As for timing on the new iPads, the most common timeframe for Apple product launches in the early part of the year is March, but it's unclear whether Apple would hold a media event or simply issue press releases for any upcoming updates. The EEC has also revealed upcoming models several times in the past, and the lead time on this typically only a few weeks at most, so we should be seeing something soon!   Read Full Article Sponsored Stories An Essential Mac Productivity App for Files, Notes & Clipboard Management That Feels Like a Part of macOS Itself Unclutter – drag-and-drop clutter off your Mac's desktop, quickly jot sticky notes & easily track what you copy and paste via the clipboard manager within a single snappy app! Unclutter takes micro file management to a completely new level. It eliminates the need to have any files or folders cluttering your desktop. Instead, it offers a "drag-and-drop shortcut" where you can store or use to move between apps — your frequently used or transient files. Taking notes with Unclutter is both quick & easy. Just like with a sticky note, you can instantly jot a phone number, address, to-do task or anything else without having to open your text editor or wait until some other app launches. Plus, you can create multiple notes & easily navigate through them via the in-app quick search. Unclutter comes with a reinvented clipboard manager that extends your Mac's clipboard functionality with a history of recently copied items, essentially making it a Time Machine for “copy and paste" but with a few extra practical features on top: favorites (your frequently used clips), contents (ability to display & edit clips) and sensitive data protection (clipboard history). Get Unclutter at 30% OFF exclusively for MacRumors Subscribers Visit Sponsor Popular Stories Feb 22, 2018 Apple to Debut New AirPods This Year With Handsfree 'Hey, Siri' Voice Command Feature, 'Water-Resistant' Models Coming in 2019 Apple was unable to keep up with demand for its AirPods for nearly a year after their December 2016 launch, but now that supplies have stabilized we're hearing word that the popular wireless earphones will be receiving regular hardware updates. According to Bloomberg, Apple is planning to release updated AirPods with "Hey Siri" functionality sometime later this year. A subsequent model, likely slated for 2019, is planned to offer water resistance that would allow the AirPods to better stand up to "splashes of water and rain," but they couldn't be submerged in water. There's no word on when we should expect the new AirPods this year, but Apple has already announced a wireless charging case for the existing AirPods that will be compatible with the company's upcoming AirPower charging mat sometime this year.   Read Full Article Sketchy Rumor: iPhone SE 2 Will Debut at WWDC With Classic Design But Larger 4.2-Inch Display We're definitely filing this one in the "sketchy" category, but given other rumors of an update to Apple's iPhone SE, it's worth noting a new report claiming knowledge of some of the device's specs. According to Chinese news site QQ.com, the so-called "iPhone SE 2" will look very similar to the existing model but include a faster A10 Fusion chip and a slightly larger display. The current iPhone SE has a 4-inch display, while this rumor is claiming a 4.2-inch display for the next model. Other rumored specs include the same 2 GB of RAM and 32/128 GB storage options seen on the current model.   Read Full Article Smart Speaker Showdown: HomePod vs. Google Home Max vs. Sonos One Apple's HomePod has been out for a couple of weeks now, and we decided to put it to the test against the Google Home Max and the Alexa-powered Sonos One in a smart speaker showdown. We liked the HomePod's sound the best and its microphones are fantastic at picking up voices, but Siri on HomePod is much less capable than either Alexa or Google Assistant. When it comes down to a purchasing recommendation, it's really dependent on the combination of services you use. If you're fully invested in the Apple ecosystem with an Apple Music subscription and HomeKit devices, then HomePod is the smart speaker for you. But if you like Spotify and other non-Apple services, you might want to consider one of the other speaker options with more flexibility.   Read Full Article Apple Seeds Third Beta of iOS 11.3, Removes AirPlay 2 Features Apple this week seeded the third beta versions of iOS 11.3, macOS 10.13.4, tvOS 11.3, and watchOS 4.3 as the company continues working on its next significant operating system updates. Likely the most notable change in this beta of iOS 11.3 (and tvOS 11.3) is the removal of AirPlay 2 support. Previous betas had allowed you to stream the same audio to multiple devices like HomePods and Apple TVs, but that's no longer possible in the new betas. It's unclear whether this feature will be returning in a later beta in time for the public release expected next month or if it's been pushed back to a later update entirely.   Read Full Article Apple Releases iOS 11.2.6 With Fix for Telugu Character Bug That Causes iOS Devices to Crash Apple this week pushed out an iOS 11.2.6 release for the public, addressing a few bugs including a nasty one that could cause app and device crashes when users typed or received certain characters from the Indian language Telugu. All of Apple's operating systems were affected by the issue, so in addition to iOS 11.2.6 the company also released watchOS 4.2.3, tvOS 11.2.6, and a macOS 10.13.3 supplemental update.   Read Full Article

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