It’s harvest time! Last week, Apple plucked from its trees the iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9, the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and slightly tweaked AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case. Also arriving this week—today, in fact—are iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, tvOS 17, and HomePod Software 17, with macOS 14 Sonoma scheduled for next week. We have all the essential details from Apple’s hardware announcements, along with unexpected revelations from the company’s Wonderlust event (such as the comforting Roadside Assistance via satellite). Finally, now that Apple has grounded Lightning, Glenn Fleishman offers advice for buying new USB-C cables and chargers. Notable Mac app releases this week include Microsoft Office for Mac 16.77, Pixelmator Pro 3.4, Airfoil 5.11.6, Audio Hijack 4.2.3, Piezo 1.8, and SoundSource 5.6.1.
Apple has revealed the release dates of its next-generation operating systems: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, tvOS 17, HomePod Software 17, and macOS 14 Sonoma.
If you’re making the jump to USB-C, Apple has updated the second-generation AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case (and a few other minor changes). The company also released a USB-C version of the wired EarPods.
Sure, Apple announced the iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 at its Wonderlust event on 12 September 2023. But we weren’t expecting these additional announcements.
The new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 extend the wearable experience mostly through a double tap gesture that activates the primary button in an app. They also have brighter screens, on-device Siri, and Precision Finding for the iPhone 15.
At its Wonderlust event, Apple unveiled its latest crop of iPhones, with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus enjoying a more significant feature jump from their iPhone 14 predecessors than the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
With USB-C replacing Lightning across Apple’s new iPhone 15 series, shun expensive Apple cables and adapters in favor of third-party alternatives.
Watchlist
Makes Microsoft Purview Information Protection the default encryption mechanism for the Office suite. ($149.99 new for one-time purchase, $99.99/$69.99 annual subscription options, free update, macOS 10.15+)
Adds support for opening and editing PDF pages and layers. ($49.99 new, free update, 633.3 MB, macOS 11+)
Three Rogue Amoeba audio apps add initial compatibility with macOS 14 Sonoma. ($35/64/25 new, free update, various sizes, macOS 11+)
Adds initial compatibility with macOS 14 Sonoma as well as numerous improvements. ($39 new, free update, 29.2 MB, macOS 11+)
