Comment: Apple's Spring Loaded Event – The Good the Bad... And Almost No Ugly

Apple introduced a new HomeKit architecture in iOS 16.2 only to withdraw the update shortly afterwards. Now, there are clues that Apple may be weighing giving the benched update a new shot with iOS 16.3.

Tim Cook's compensation package increased considerably during 2021 and 2022 – but per Cook's wish and that of shareholders, the company is reducing the CEO's salary significantly for 2023. Despite this, Cook should still be far from hungering.

The Mac Pro is coming this year – that much is essentially certain. However, speculation about the device's release date is already brewing: Some reports estimate a spring release, others, a fall. Mark Gurman indicates that a release could come earlier than expected.

2023 is the year that Apple will finally release the 2019 Mac Pro's progeny – and this much is for sure. Bloomberg recently reported that the device should ship with the housing of its Intel forebearer, and the upgradeability of the device's RAM will be limited.

Intel presented new processors at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show – alongside a 24-core monster of a laptop chip with a maximum clock rate of 5.6GHz. According to Intel, it's currently the fastest available mobile processor.

In the last three years, Apple rushed from one record quarter to another – but things may be about to change come the end of the Christmas quarter. Apple has just revealed when it will release its earnings report.

Epic Games and Apple remain in a bitter legal battle concerning payment models in the Apple App Store. Epic's developer account, used to operate the game "Fortnite", is currently banned. Yet the Epic CEO states Fortnite will return to iOS in 2023.

Now that the New Year has finally arrived, several Apple devices are likely to get a new look – and some new hardware, whilst other devices may need some dusting before a new generation arrives. The iPhone SE and iPad Pro are unlikely to receive an upgrade this year.

According to a well-informed expert, both models of the iPad Pro should receive a significant display update next year: Alongside OLED, a larger panel is in the works, and it should presumably come with narrower display bezels.

Apple purchased the classical music streaming service "Primephonic" in August 2022 and announced its intentions to start such a service. As we still await a release, Apple has failed to meet its previously indicated deadline.

How might the notebooks of the future look? According to a recent report, Apple has already decided on the matter for the industry, and it appears that the innovative 20" MacBooks of the future will wield continuous displays. Normal, integrated keyboards would disappear as a result.

Those hoping to repair their 3rd generation iPad mini had better do so soon: Apple's just about to end service entirely for the device – at which point several variants of the device will be discontinued.

The Metaverse has yet to step into its own stride or capture much of the market’s attention. Facebook’s recent inability to recognize this has led to the service’s widespread ridicule, which has apparently failed to stand out to the EU. After organizing a virtual party on the platform with barely any visitors – and investing a considerable sum in the process, maybe it’s become a little bit clearer to Brussels that money doesn’t buy happiness – or even party attendees.

Apple's SMS service, iMessage, is available only on Apple devices – even iCloud.com can't use the messager. One software company is now cliaming to have found a way to use the Apple service on Android smartphones.

Since iOS 16, the Notification Center hasn't necessarily displayed all... notifications. Apple is backtracking a little in the current beta of iOS 16.2 – however, there's still no change to the lock screen.

Apple continues to reign supreme in the smartwatch market. Although the Californian company's global market share did sink slightly in the third quarter, the distance between itself and the second-place holder is still massive. The Apple Watch Series 8 is to thank for Cupertino's continued success in the market.

Password managers are an attractive goal for attackers, especially when users save their data in cloud-password banks. This is exactly the case for Lastpass after yet another attack, exactly how many customers are affected remains unknown.

Does Apple really want to remove Twitter from the App Store? Elon Musk is undergoing talks with Tim Cook concerning the matter, now referring to it as a "miscommunication". The responsible EU commissioner, however, considers the platform in its current form as standing in violation of the Digital Service Act.

A customer of a New York Apple Store purchased 300 iPhones and after leaving the business, he was robbed violently. The suspects were after the buyer and were able to secure the iPhones totalling US$95,000 in value.

The personal data of over half a million Facebook and Instagram users landed in a hacker forum last year. Facebook's principal company, Meta, breached data privacy laws and must not pay a million US$ fine – according to EU authorities.

Offices at many companies are currently celebrating after the announcements of this year's Apple App Awards, including the office of a small Mac software company in Mainz, Germany – amongst 14 other award winners for the best apps and games of 2022.