Top Stories: iOS 18 Public Beta, HomePod Mini in New Midnight Color, and More

Finally, the public betas for iOS 18 and other major updates to the operating system are coming! Apple has spent the past month fine-tuning the betas through developer testing, and now it’s time to make them more widely accessible ahead of the full public launch several months from now.

We also got a surprise hardware update this week, but it was one of the most minor updates imaginable – the HomePod mini’s Space Grey color being replaced with a new version in a very similar Midnight color. This week also saw us get a look at the upcoming iPhone 16 and Apple Watch lineups which are now supposedly less than two months away, while we got to try out Samsung’s new earbuds which have some striking similarities to Apple’s AirPods Pro, so read on below for all the details!

Apple releases first public beta of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18

the The first public beta of iOS 18 is now available for iPhoneThis allows anyone to test the update for free. We recommend installing the beta on a secondary iPhone, not the one you use every day, as there are often bugs and other issues with software released before release.

iOS 18 features more customization options for the Home Screen and Control Center, a completely redesigned Photos app, the ability to use any emoji as a Tapback in Messages, an option to lock apps behind Face ID or Touch ID, and much more. The headline feature of iOS 18 is Apple Intelligence, a new suite of generative AI features from Apple that will be coming to the iPhone 15 Pro models and later later this year.

Apple launches HomePod Mini in new midnight color

Apple announced this week that HomePod mini is now available in a new Midnight colorwhich replaces the previously introduced Space Grey color.

There don’t appear to be any other changes to the HomePod mini, which continues to start at $99 in the US. In fact, Midnight looks almost identical to Space Gray, so there’s little reason for any current HomePod mini owners to buy the new color option.

iPhone 16 series just two months away: everything we know

apples Next-Gen iPhone 16 Series There are only two months left until the unveiling of these devices, and there are already many rumors about them.

Earlier this week, we List of everything we know about the iPhone 16 series Based on leaked information, one of the major changes is expected to be the larger displays on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. There are many other new features expected, so Check out the full list..

Apple Watch Lineup 2024: Key Changes We Can Expect

Along with the iPhone 16 series later this year, we can expect Next Generation Apple Watch Lineupincluding the so-called Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3 models.

Earlier this week, we compiled Major changes expected from the upcoming Apple Watch lineupIncluding larger screen sizes for some models. As is often the case, there are also rumors of new health features like sleep apnea detection.

Passwords App for iOS 18: All Features

iOS 18 features: Standalone password application A new update from Apple brings some of the iCloud Keychain functionality built into the Settings app on previous versions of iOS to make it easier to access.

We recently shared a guide Highlights all the features included in the Passwords app.which features a simpler design compared to the previous iCloud Keychain section in the Settings app.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro

Last week, Samsung introduced its latest earbuds, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro, which look a lot like Apple’s AirPods Pro 2. Given the similarity, we thought we’d give them a try. Comparing Samsung’s new earbuds to the ‌AirPods Pro‌.

Watch our practical video This goes through the design similarities and differences, performance comparisons, and other features to get an idea of ​​how they match up head-to-head. Apple users will definitely want to stick with the AirPods Pro while Android users will want to opt for the Galaxy Buds, but it’s always good to know what the competition is up to.

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