Apple has discontinued its Clips video editing app, removing it from the App Store and ending updates, though existing users can still use it on iOS and iPadOS. The company recommends saving videos locally to prevent data loss.
The Soundpeats Air4 Pro earbuds offer premium features at a more affordable price, with app support providing control options such as multiband EQ, battery display, and gaming mode. The earbuds boast a multipoint pairing feature, good battery life, and effective noise canceling for low-frequency sounds, but struggle with high-frequency noises. While lacking some high-end extras, the Air4 Pro earbuds provide a compelling option for those seeking quality features without the premium price tag.
Google Chrome has released its first build for "Windows 11 ARM" through Chrome Canary, marking its support for Arm-based Windows machines. This move comes ahead of the anticipated release of laptops featuring Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chip, which promises performance similar to Apple's M-series chips. With Google Chrome's native support, Windows on Arm is poised to gain significant momentum, especially considering the dominance of Chrome as the world's biggest browser.
Netflix has announced that it will not offer an app for Apple's new Vision Pro device, meaning users will have to use a web-based interface to access the streaming service. This decision compromises the device's appeal, as it limits the user experience by not supporting offline downloads and potentially capping resolution at 720p. The absence of a native app also complicates launching and diminishes the overall interface quality. This move by Netflix is seen as a deliberate snub and makes it a notable outlier among other major streaming services that will have working visionOS apps when the device launches.
The Dynamic Island, introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, has been a disappointment for users due to the lack of app support. Many popular apps do not utilize the Dynamic Island, leaving it blank and underutilized. Users have compared it to the Touch Bar on MacBooks, which was eventually eliminated due to limited functionality and lack of developer support. Despite initial excitement, the Dynamic Island has not lived up to its potential, leaving users hoping for more in future iPhone models.
With the increasing size of iPhone screens, it's time for Apple to add split-screen multitasking to the iPhone, similar to the iPad's Split View feature. While some third-party apps have implemented split-screen features, they only work within the app. Split-screen multitasking on iPhone would allow users to run two apps side-by-side, making it easier to reference information from both apps. Adding this feature with iOS 17 would give developers ample time to adopt and perfect it ahead of the rumored iPhone 16 Pro launch.
YouTube podcasts are now available on YouTube Music in the US, with app support. Google says that the podcast listening experience is different from the music listening experience and that features like background playback and offline playback are free for podcasting. Creators can tag existing playlists as podcasts to put the episodes on the podcast pages and to make them appear in the YouTube Music app. Google says podcasts will roll out to other countries in the future.