Apple to offer virtual Today at Apple session to help entrepreneurs, small businesses

Apple

Apple will be holding a new virtual Today at Apple session on June 16 to help entrepreneurs and small business owners showcase their work. The "Virtual Session: Photography for your Business" kicks off on June 16. It'll be free to join, and some classes offer support for sign language interpreters.

All you need to join is to have an iPhone and Webex, which is best experienced on a Mac. Your camera and microphone will be turned off during the session, but you can access Apple's Creative Pros questions through the live chat feature. Work shared during these sessions won't be retained for longer than 72 hours or republished by Apple without your permission. 

Source: 9to5Mac

Sony launches WF-1000XM4 wireless earbuds

Sony

Sony has a new pair of premium wireless buds that get improved noise cancellation, battery life, audio performance, and a more compact design. The Sony WF-1000XM4 gets 10% smaller buds with 40% case. But what Sony wants you to know is it has a new Integrated Processor V1 that improves noise cancellation "at all frequencies." You get Sony features like Speak-to-Chat, Adaptive Sound Control, wear detection, and more. These earbuds also have better voice call tech with beamforming mics and bone conduction sensors.

They get a battery life of up to eight hours per use with noise-cancellation enabled, plus 16 extra hours from the charging case. You can recharge these buds via USB-C or Qi wireless charging. Sony brings IPX4 water- and sweat-resistance here, so you can take these out for your workouts. Unfortunately, these don't support multipoint Bluetooth connections. The Sony WF-1000XM4s retail for USD 280, which is approximately CAD 339.

Source: The Verge

Toronto-based Ecobee's SmartThermostat will be one of the first third-party HomeKit devices to support Siri

Apple announced during the WWDC 2021 keynote that it would add third-party support for Siri. One of those devices to get access to the virtual assistant is from Toronto-based company Ecobee. Later this year, the SmartThermostat with voice control will get the feature through a firmware update. You will need a HomePod or HomePod mini to get Siri to work with your device, though. But, if you've been looking for that integration, it's arriving soon.

Source: Apple Insider

Apple will update iOS 14 even when iOS 15 rolls out

Photo by Szabo Viktor on Unsplash

If you wanted to stick around and use iOS 14 when iOS 15 comes out, you'd still get critical security updates on your device. Apple updated its software page, saying it'll give users an option to delay upgrading to iOS 15. The company did emphasize that the iOS 15 will get the "most complete set of security updates," while iOS 14 will get "important security updates."

The move can help users who need time to upgrade if they have device restrictions or requirements of iOS devices that organizations like schools and enterprises manage. First iOS 15 developer builds are now available for download, with the public beta expected to roll out sometime in July and then the public release in the fall.

Source: GSMArena