The Apple Vision Pro is too expensive, too big and heavy, and still an immature platform. But I love mine dearly, not just because it is so fun to use now, but also because it is a glimpse into the future of personal electronics. When these devices are lighter, smaller, and cheaper, Apple will have a hit on its hands. I've often said that the best part of using an Apple Vision Pro is enjoying the (still too limited) fully immersive video content created by Apple. (The new video added last week showing baby elephants is yet another great one.) But perhaps the second best part of a Vision Pro is enabled in the upcoming visionOS 2.0 software, which I'm currently using as a developer preview. Apple is adding the ability to take any photo and, with the click of one button, turn it into a 3D spatial photo. Dan Moren of Six Colors tried out the feature this week and calls it a "killer feature," adding: "The results are nothing short of astounding: subjects that pop out of pictures, environments that look like they have real depth, objects that you feel like you could reach out and touch." Whether I'm looking at relatively recent photos of family and friends or much older pictures of things like my wedding, these spatial photos are something something special. It is amazing how a photo can tug at the heartstrings in a brand new way when you feel a little bit like you are there again. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- A week ago, I raved about the first of a two-part set of podcasts from Twenty Thousand Hertz called the Sound of Apple. The second part came out this week, and it is also great. It focuses on iPhone sounds and tells you the story behind the default phone ring sounds, alert sounds, and even the sounds that are used for tapbacks in Messages. Great stuff, highly recommended.
- Sarah Witman of Wirecutter recommends the best portable chargers for your iPhone.
- Although my daughter played soccer for many years, I never did fully understand the offside rules. Apparently, officials have difficulty with the rule too, because Malcolm Owen of Apple Insider reports that the English Premier League is adopting a new system that uses dozens of iPhones and high frame rate video to watch for infractions. Ted Lasso may be over, but Apple is still leaving its mark on the pitch.
- When you think about Apple making iPhones overseas, you probably think of China. But as William Gallagher of Apple Insider notes, Apple is now the fastest-growing company in India in light of a 20-fold increase in iPhones made in India and a big increase in the number of iPhones sold in India.
- David Sparks of MacSparky talks about why he is still enjoying using his Apple Vision Pro.
- Pixar released a teaser trailer for Toy Story 5, which comes out in 2026. But as Charles Martin of AppleInsider notes, they did it by reusing Apple Watch facts that have been out since 2017. Too funny.
- There is a new movie on Apple TV+ called The Instigators, and Lewis Wallace of Cult of Mac says that it is old-school action-comedy fun. I watched it last weekend, and I enjoyed it.
- Ryan Christofel of 9to5Mac describes the big shows coming to Apple TV+ this Fall. It includes Slow Horses Season 4 (Sept. 4), Wolfs starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt (Sept. 27), Disclaimer starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline (Oct. 11), Shrinking Season 2 (Oct. 16), Silo Season 2 (Nov. 15), and more. And of course, Bad Monkey starring Vince Vaughn is available now.
- And finally, to celebrate the start of the upcoming start of the Paralympic Games, Apple released a cool video this week showing how Apple products can help lots of different athletes. The video is called The Relay:
