Plenty of Apple, iPhone, and iPad news gets released every single day – but we know you’re busy, so we’ve got your back. Here, we’ve picked out some of the most important stories from the past week or so and summarized them for easy digestion. You’re welcome.
Let’s take a quickfire look at some of the most interesting recent headlines of late. As ever, click through to read the full stories if you want to know more!
Apple upgrades MagSafe Battery Pack firmware
Apple unexpectedly upgraded the MagSafe Battery Pack this week, upping the snap-on extended battery’s charging speed form 5W to 7.5W. That’s a not-insubstantial 50% boost. The MagSafe Battery Pack hit shops in July 2021, offering a 1,460mAh battery for the iPhone 12 – and subsequently the iPhone 13 – family. The update should commence when you next snap on the MagSafe Battery Pack. Head into Settings > General > About > MagSafe Battery Pack on your iPhone, and look for firmware 2.7.
Musk offers to buy Twitter
In the last edition of News Bites we brought you the news that Elon Musk had become the biggest shareholder at the social network. A lot has happened in the ensuing days. First, a Twitter investor revealed that they were launching a class action suit against Musk for not playing by the rules with his share acquisition. More recently, however, Musk has offered to buy the whole company for $43.4 billion. The Twitter board responded by voting to implement a so-called “poison pill” shareholder rights plan in order to fend Musk off.
Apple announces Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge winners
Apple announced the winners of its Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge in mid-April. Photographers from around the world were challenged to make use of the new close-up camera capability of the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max in order to capture the best macro shot possible. Just 10 winners were named by an international panel of expert judges. You can see the winning shots by clicking on the link above.
Apple executive slams Meta for VR commission hypocrisy
Apple Senior Director of Corporate Communications Fred Sainz has laid into Meta (the parent company of Facebook) for what he terms a hypocritical stance on App Store commissions. Facebook has been famously opposed to Apple’s 30% App Store commission, yet is now charging up to 47.5% for virtual goods sold through the Meta Quest store. “It goes to show that while they [Meta] seek to use Apple’s platform for free, they happily take from the creators and small businesses that use their own,” Sainz told MarketWatch.