If you are interested in things that are new in the iPhone Extended Universe, then this is your week. Indeed, the iconic Apple Store Fifth Avenue in New York is literally glowing with excitement right now. On Monday, Apple released updates to the operating systems for virtually every one of its products. That includes iOS 18 for the iPhone. And because the new iPhone 16 line, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4 go on sale today, members of the press seeded with early review units have been publishing their reviews over the last few days, giving us all a sneak peek of what is now available to purchase. Plus, there is Apple TV+ news, and we say goodbye to a long-beloved iPhone website Let's get to it, the news of note from the past week:
- Before we start the news, please consider taking 10 seconds to make a quick donation to the campaign I am running for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. For those of you who have already contributed, a lens cloth is on its way to you!
- Dan Moren of Six Colors reviews iOS 18.
- Juli Clover recommends 10 new things to try in iOS 18.
- Jason Snell of Six Colors discusses the changes to the Photos app in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. This is one of my favorite parts of the updates.
- Tim Hardwick of MacRumors says that one of the best parts of iOS 18 is the ability to use any Emoji as a tapback reaction in Messages. I agree; this feature is nice.
- Jason Snell of Six Colors discusses the Math Notes feature of iPadOS 18 as well as the new tab bars.
- Jonathan Reed of MacStories posts an extensive review of watchOS 11.
- Brian Heater of TechCrunch reports that the FDA has approved the new sleep apnea detection feature of watchOS 11, which works on the prior Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 and the new Series 10.
- Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac explains how the remote app on the Apple Watch gains new features in watchOS 11, so you can do even more to control an Apple TV.
- WatchOS 11 giveth, but it also taketh away. Zac Hall of 9to5Mac notes that watchOS 11 removes four watch faces from the Apple Watch.
- Devon Dundee of MacStories posted an excellent, in-depth review of visionOS 2 for the Apple Vision Pro. I've been using the beta version for many weeks now, and it is a great upgrade.
- Juli Clover of MacRumors also reviews visionOS 2.
- Joe Rossignol of MacRumors discusses some updates to tvOS 18 that won't be available until later this year, including a new Snoopy screensaver.
- Juli Clover of MacRumors discusses what is new in HomePod Software 18.
- Nilay Patel of The Verge did a great job with his review of the iPhone 16 Pro, and I especially recommend the video that accompanies his article.
- A major advantage of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max is camera advances. Austin Mann tried out the new camera while in Kenya and got some amazing photographs.
- One advantage of the new iPhone 16 is that it may be the most repairable iPhone ever, as reported by Tom Pritchard of Tom's Guide.
- Liz Plosser of Women's Health posted a good review of the new Apple Watch Series 10, including the numerous health-related features that it offers.
- Lexy Savvides of CNet reviewed the new Apple Watch Series 10 and found that it was even better than expected. I also like the video she created as a part of the review that shows that the voice isolation feature works really well when you are using the Apple Watch to talk on the phone with someone but you are in a noisy environment.
- Victoria Song of The Verge explains in her review of the Apple Watch Series 10 why the bigger display is a great new feature.
- The new Apple Watch Series 10 doesn't have a longer battery life, but it does take less time to charge than prior models, as noted by Todd Haselton in his review for CNBC.
- Apple did not release an Apple Watch Ultra 3, but the existing Ultra 2 did just get better in three ways, as noted by Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac.
- David Carnoy of CNet says that the noise cancellation feature in the high-end version of AirPods 4 works better than you would expect for a product that doesn't create a seal on your ear to keep out background noise.
- Justine Ezarik of iJustine has a good video review of the new AirPods 4 and the hearing aid update to the current AirPods Pro 2.
- As explained by Matt Stoller of the BIG newsletter, the new hearing aid feature of AirPods Pro 2 is possible today in large part due to an executive order issued by President Biden a few months ago.
- Nellie Andreeva of Deadline reports that Apple TV+ has canceled Time Bandits after only one season. I'm still in the middle of watching Season 1, but I thought it was a decent, quirky show.
- William Gallagher of AppleInsider reports that the Apple TV+ show Slow Horses won the Emmy for outstanding writing. That Emmy was for Season 3; Season 4 is currently streaming and Season 5 just finished filming. Also, Billy Crudup of the Apple TV+ show The Morning Show got a second Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
- Apple announced that the next states to add digital driver's licenses to the Wallet app include Montana, New Mexico, and West Virginia.
- Joe Rossignol of MacRumors asks: where is Apple's next-generation CarPlay?
- Fernando Silva of 9to5Mac discusses the new KeyBudz, a robust AirTag case that you can attach to an object that is made for extreme conditions, such as underwater submersion for over 60 days. This looks like a good way to attach an AirTag to a bike or outdoor equipment. It is $15 on Amazon (or 4 for $35).
- Just over 15 years ago in 2008, two websites launched that were related to the iPhone. I, an attorney, launched iPhone J.D., and Arnold Kim, a doctor, co-founded Touch Arcade. Because Touch Arcade was all about iPhone apps, a topic that I virtually always avoid here on iPhone J.D., there was no real overlap between the two websites. But it was the website I turned to whenever I was curious about the gaming side of the iPhone. Thus, I was sad to learn this week that TouchArcade is shutting down. Thank you to all of the people who contributed to that site over the years. Fortunately, another website started by Arnold Kim, MacRumors, is still going strong.
- Let's finish up with two great videos from Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal. First, in this recent video, she shows how Wi-Fi on some airplanes is going to get much faster thanks to some planes using Starlink for Internet service.
- And finally, in another video, Stern does a great job showing off 18 tips for iOS 18:
