We had a tragic start to the year here in New Orleans. While neither I nor my friends or family were in the French Quarter this New Year's Eve, I've walked through that exact area where the senseless violence took place on countless occasions, including times when Bourbon Street is crowded, such as New Year's, Mardi Gras, etc. It is horrible how one person can do so much evil. Having said that, just a few days ago, Apple devoted its website homepage to the memory of Jimmy Carter, which serves as a reminder of how one person can do so much good that impacts so many. Hopefully, we will see a lot more of that in 2025. And now, the recent news of note:
- When I think of new hardware released by Apple in 2024, only a few things jump out at me, such as the Apple Vision Pro, new. models of the iPhone and iPad, and the new Mac mini. But Hartley Charlton came up with a list of 29 new hardware products that Apple released last year. I'm surprised it is that many, and I hope to see lots more in 2025.
- Which of those 29 new products was the Apple product of the year? The entire team at 9to5Mac explains why that was the Apple Vision Pro. I agree. I've had more "wow" experiences with the Vision Pro in 2024 than with any other product. Indeed, I'm using my Vision Pro as I type this post, taking advantage of the amazing Mac Virtual Display feature.
- Zac Hall of 9to5Mac discusses the amazing update to the Vision Pro app called Theater, developed by Adam Lisagor and the team at Sandwich. With this app, you can choose from multiple virtual environments to watch videos. But the best feature is that one of these environments is a planetarium, and you can watch amazing and beautiful videos created for planetariums in this app. It is different from Apple's immersive video content, but almost as cool.
- In an article for the Hollywood Reporter (with a short video), Erin Lassiner explains how director Jon Chu used an Apple Vision Pro to do post-production work on the movie Wicked.
- Apple announced this week that Apple TV+ is free for everyone today through Sunday. (Here is a video announcement.) If you are not already a subscriber, take advantage of this opportunity to see some amazing shows. Here is a list of my favorite 30 shows on Apple TV+, which will get you started.
- Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac explains what is coming to Apple TV+ this month, including Season 2 of Severance, Season 4 of Mythic Quest, and a new show called Prime Target that looks very promising.
- Patrick Holland of CNet got an opportunity to visit the typically secret labs at Apple to learn more about how Apple refines its video and audio products, and this article is the result.
- In an article by Dan Moren on Six Colors, which discusses an article by Dan Groodin on Ars Technica, Dan Moren argues that we need more standardization on passkey systems so that it will be easier to move to a future without passwords. I agree. The transition to passkeys has been too slow, and I hope that this changes in 2025.
- If Santa placed a new car that supports CarPlay under your Christmas tree, or if you just want some tips on customizing the CarPlay experience in your current vehicle, Chance Miller of 9to5Mac shares some in this article.
- The latest version of the Apple Watch is the Series 10. Here is my review. It has a retail price that starts at $399 but was sold for $329 on Amazon on Black Friday. It is now back at $329 on Amazon again. If you want a great new Apple Watch to begin 2025, this is it.
- And finally, speaking of using the Apple Watch to start 2025, here is a video from Apple called Quit Quitting that emphasizes how you can use an Apple Watch to motivate you to stick with your New Year's resolutions:
