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 Apple has been gradually transitioning its products from Lightning to USB-C in recent years. For example, the charging cases for both new AirPods 4 models unveiled this week, and the revised AirPods Max, are now equipped with a USB-C port. In addition, Apple discontinued the iPhone 13 this week, and that device has a Lightning port.
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The second-generation AirPods Pro have had hearing health features for a while now. However, those tools are being expanded in iOS 18 with Hearing Test, Hearing Aid and Hearing Protection that will soon be available on the earbuds. Apple's three-prong approach to hearing health now covers awareness, assistance and prevention, but it all starts with the "clinically validated" hearing test you can take on your own.
Apple has created its version of the hearing test we all probably took as kids. The one where you sit in a booth and raise your hand when you hear a sound. The company offers an alternative to the booth, bulky equipment and trip to the doctor with AirPods Pro and the iPhone. In any quiet environment, the earbuds and the phone can now offer a similar test to what you'd get in a physician's office. Here's how it works.
From the Settings menu on your iPhone, you'll tap into the AirPods Pro settings to find the Hearing Health section. First, the software will check to make sure the fit of your AirPods provides a good seal for the test and that your location is quiet enough for the tech to offer reliable results. Once Hearing Test begins, active noise cancellation (ANC) will be enabled and you'll tap your iPhone screen when you hear tones on both the left and right sides. Apple employed 150,000 real-world audiograms and millions of simulations to develop a test that's quick and easy. But most importantly, the company says, it created one that's accurate.
Once the test is completed, you'll get immediate results on your phone, telling you the level of hearing loss (if any) in each ear. If you have minimal hearing
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The headline feature of the AirPods 4 may be active noise cancellation (ANC), but Apple has done well to improve the overall audio quality in addition to blocking environmental sounds. For the first time on the "regular" AirPods ANC is on the spec sheet, at least for one model, and there are a few key components that allow the earbuds to effectively cancel noise. And that's despite the fact that your ears aren't completely sealed off with a flexible tip. There are also specific changes to the AirPods 4 that improve overall sound quality, a feat that's impressive in its own right for open design earbuds.
When it comes to the ANC setup on AirPods 4, the combination of a refined earbud shape, the power of the H2 chip and upgraded microphones work in unison for useful noise cancellation. Apple isn't the first to offer ANC on open-type earbuds. I've reviewed dozens of sets of earbuds over the years, and after a few minutes with the AirPods 4, I would argue the company is the first to actually employ noise cancelling in a way that's actually helpful while not fully sealing off your ears. The ANC setup here obviously blocks noise, which isn't always the case with this type of buds.
Apple has amassed a database of thousands of ear scans and 50 million data points, both of which contributed to the tapered design and reduced proportions of the AirPods 4. Those changes mean the earbuds fit better in more people's ears. A better fit means the ANC tech is less reliant on a complete seal to do its thing, but also it means that the earbuds should be more comfortable to wear.
The updated microphones have both a lowe
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Apple Intelligence is coming next month. The company has revealed that its artificial intelligence platform is arriving on iPhones, iPads and MacBooks with the iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 updates rolling out in October. It will only work on Apple's newer and more powerful devices, though, including the iPhone 15 Pro and the upcoming iPhone 16 models, as well as MacBooks and iPads running on M-series chips. In addition, the first batch of Apple Intelligence features will only be available in US English. Support for English in Australia, Canada, New Zeal
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Amazon's Fire HD 8 tablet is more than half off, bringing the cost down to just $55. The original asking price is a whopping $130, so this is quite a bargain. As a matter of fact, it's just $5 shy of the Amazon Prime Day price.
This is a decent tablet, even at the original sum. It boasts a hexa-core processor, 13 hours of battery life per charge, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a microSD slot for up to 1TB of additional storage.
It's fairly thin and light, making it a budget-friendly option for a "kick around the house" tablet. Just plop it on the nightstand and use it for emergency Netflix sessions. We recommended the tablet in our official review, calling it "a great communal device." It's not going to win any design awards, but it gets the job done.
There are two caveats. Fir
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Apple's "Glowtime" event brings the new iPhone 16 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 10 and a refresh to the whole AirPods line.
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Apple today held the "It's Glowtime" fall event to debut new iPhone 16 models, a new version of the Apple Watch, new AirPods, and more. It took Apple more than an hour and a half to introduce the new devices, but we've recapped everything in a quick 13 minute video for our readers who want a short but detailed overview of what's new.
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