Zac Hall

The first Apple Vision Pro reviews arrived last week on January 30 ahead of the February 2 product launch. A week and change later, tech journalists have had even more time to spend with Apple Vision Pro. My new favorite review is from Raymond Wong at Inverse. He spares no words when evaluating Apple Vision Pro, including as a spatial computer.

With Vision Pro, Apple is clearly marching toward a future where sleek smart glasses can augment our views with useful information and applications. Perhaps we should think about Apple Vision Pro as the desktop, and Apple glasses will be the desktop’s miniaturization into the laptop.

Anyway, we don’t have to wait and see what Apple is cooking up to get our first taste of what smart glasses may offer. Meta/Ray-Ban and Amazon have been in the business for a few years, and more bespoke AI products are popping up on the regular. The latest is this open-source pair of AI glasses from Brilliant Labs.

Apple has released a new iPhone software update for all users. iOS 17.3.1 is now available ahead of iOS 17.4’s release in March. Other releases out today include watchOS 10.3.1 and macOS 14.3.1.

Update: Within an hour of publishing, Apple removed the previously reviewed and approved app in question from the App Store.

Is it LastPass or LassPass? LastPass wants you to know that it’s definitely LastPass, and LassPass is completely sus. The imposter “password manager” is undeniably masquerading as the real thing, and it’s live in the App Store as of this writing.

When the Apple Watch launched in 2015, Apple gifted artists like Beyonce and Katy Perry with real gold versions as a marketing campaign. No celebrity endorsement competes with this (seemingly organic and slightly NSFW) take from Mr. Buy U a Drank himself, T-Pain, however.

Apple has been in the process of discontinuing iTunes for almost five years. It’s a process that is still ongoing with Windows PCs today. Starting today, Apple Music and Apple TV apps on Windows are no longer in a preview state. iTunes, however, still has a role on the platform. Separately, Apple has redesigned the iCloud for Windows app experience.

Leitmotif, the team behind Kaleidoscope and Versions for Mac, is out with a brand new photo management tool. Photoscope just launched on both iPhone and Apple Vision Pro (possibly a first for that combo with a new app). The pitch is that it can help you clean up your massive photo library and rediscover your best shots. And to start, t’s completely free with no in-app purchases or subscriptions.

A day later, Apple has released public beta versions of the second beta builds. No visionOS public beta, fortunately or unfortunately.

iOS 17.4 development is well under way. Apple just shipped iOS 17.4 beta 2 to developers. The pre-release software primarily focuses on changes made in the EU due to regulatory requirements.

Tim Cook is the star of a new NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show (sponsored by Apple Music) that’s straight out of left field. Wait, that’s baseball. Anyway, the Apple CEO is spotted in an Usher tee shirt (that’s who is performing the show) and FaceTime calling Ludacris, Lil Jon and Taraji P. Henson. Words cannot do it justice.

Apple is updating the iPhone with even more emoji characters. iOS 17.4 introduces new ways to express approval or denial, break through the chains, rise from the ashes, or just express that limes are superior to lemons. There’s also a mushroom that looks less out of Mario World and more out of the grocery store.

The new emoji characters are also available in macOS 14.4 on the Mac, watchOS 10.4 for Apple Watch, and iPadOS 17.4 for iPad. For Apple Vision Pro owners, they appear in visionOS 1.1 developer beta.

Apple Vision Pro has tremendous opportunity in the enterprise. However, version 1.0 of the visionOS software shipped without mobile device management support. That’s about to change with the upcoming visionOS 1.1 software update. Apple released the first developer beta version of the software today.

Cisco is delivering the cutting edge goods for Apple users this month. Last week the company shipped Webex for Apple TV 4K. That lets you turn your TV into a conference call display with up to 25 participants simultaneously. Now Cisco is shipping Webex for Apple Vision Pro. The spatial design lets you turn any space into a gigantic display for meetings surrounded by your virtual workspace.

Apple Watch has been helping customers discover life-saving ailments for nearly a decade now. The latest is a situation out of Florida involving a deputy sheriff and a persistent warning from the watch.

Speaking of ways creatives can use Apple Vision Pro, check out this augmented reality art projector app from Da Vinci Eye. It uses Apple Vision Pro’s Passthrough feature to let you see your own canvas as you project a transparent layer of art for inspiration over it.

As someone who dabbles in music creation for fun, nothing excites me like a Moog synthesizer. So when I learned that Moog has turned Apple Vision Pro into a first-class instrument for music production, my brain went into galaxy mode.

The aptly named Animoog Galaxy is a “multi-sensory creative tool” that delivers an “immersive experience unlike any other, bringing a revolutionary instrument to musicians and technophiles.” In other words, we have our first killer app for music creators.

Apple changed the charging port from Lightning to USB-C with the iPhone 15. A USB-C charging cable comes in the box, but upgraders may need to purchase a separate cable to continue using CarPlay.

Apple Vision Pro is the third Apple product to use a Digital Crown. Apple Watch originally introduced the dial input method before AirPods Max adapted it as a volume knob. Now the Digital Crown is taking on its third life as one of two physical controls on Apple Vision Pro. Here’s everything you can do with the Digital Crown and top button on Apple Vision Pro.

Do Wireless CarPlay adapters actually work? My Honda Civic came with wired Apple CarPlay. I really wanted Wireless CarPlay in the Civic, but replacing its entertainment system seemed unwise. However, there’s a solution for turning standard CarPlay into Wireless CarPlay, and it works with iOS 17 and iPhone 15.

Sources indicate Apple plans to acquire Brighter AI, a German AI startup specializing in anonymizing face and license plate data. Apple aims to use this acquisition to enhance privacy features on Apple Vision Pro, 9to5Mac is told. Apple may be considering Brighter AI’s technology to minimize the risk of Apple Vision Pro capturing identifiable information in videos or photos taken in public.

The Grammy Awards ceremony is just around the corner, and Siri is ready to get the music started. Siri can control Apple Music and other popular music streaming services with requests specifically tuned for the Grammys. And Swifties can take things even further with instant Taylor Swift playback using Shortcuts and Apple Music or Spotify.

My pal Jacob and I trekked over to the Apple Store in New Orleans this morning to be customers #1 and #2 on Apple Vision Pro launch day. We both went for the half hour Vision Pro demo sessions that stores are now offering. The verdict? If you’re at all interested in experiencing Apple Vision Pro, you just have to find the nearest Apple Store and take advantage of the opportunity.

It was nice to finally experience some of the things Chance Miller hasn’t stopped talking about since June. But my experience isn’t really complete yet. My memory of using Apple Vision Pro so far is distant and blurry. That’s because there weren’t optical inserts for my particular corrective lens prescription. Still, I had to try Apple Vision Pro, and it was an interesting 30 minutes.