Tim Cook delivers commencement address at Gallaudet University, highlights accessibility
Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered his commencement speech today in Washington, DC, at Gallaudet University. Gallaudet is a university for the deaf and hard of hearing and partners with Apple to create inclusive products.
Cook’s speech comes after Apple TV+ film CODA, about a child of deaf adults, won big at the Oscars back in March. Introduced by CODA star Marlee Matlin, Tim Cook relayed Apple’s continuing commitment to accessibility during his speech.
The CEO proceeded to ask the graduates what it takes to build a meaningful and fulfilling life. I can’t answer this question, but neither can you. AI is good, but it’s not that great. AI is good, but it’s not that good.”
Additionally, throughout the commencement speech, Cook offered life and professional advice to the graduating class of 2022. He mentioned specifically how Apple’s partnership with Gallaudet helped create a guide to help people find deaf-owned businesses in Apple Maps. Cook also discusses Apple’s strong commitment to fighting climate change and increasing consumer privacy.
“Whatever you do, lead with your values,” he tells the class of 2022.
You can watch Tim Cook’s full commencement address at Gallaudet University on YouTube.
Apple TV+ shows come to life with ‘Severance’ and ‘Ted Lasso’ among pop-ups at The Grove Apple Store [Gallery]
Apple Retail Stores are constantly used to promote Apple TV+ shows and movies, however, the company has now taken a more aggressive (and fun) approach. Some of the most popular Apple TV+ shows such as Severance and Ted Lasso have now come to life at The Grove Apple Store.
The Grove Apple Store, which is located in Los Angeles and was completely redesigned last year, now has an area with multiple pop-ups themed around the Apple TV+ shows. 9to5Mac’s José Adorno was there to bring us some great pictures of this special event.
The promoted shows are The Afterparty, Schmigadoon!, Pachinko, Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, WeCrashed, and Severance.
Each pop-up has features related to the shows. For instance, the pop-up of The Morning Show features a stand and background used in the series so that everyone can take a picture as the show’s hosts. Visitors can also get some food, such as pretzels and ice cream at the pop-ups.
There are also special QR Codes everywhere to redirect users to the show’s page on the Apple TV app.
This is not the first time that The Grove Apple Store has promoted Apple TV+ in a special way. Last year, the cast of Ted Lasso was there for a Q&A on the day of the store’s reopening. Apple also handed out exclusive Ted Lasso stickers to customers.
You can check out more photos from the Apple TV+ event at The Groove Apple Store below, which will last until the end of the month:
Read also:
Apple TV+ Guide: Every Apple TV show and movie available now
Best Thunderbolt monitors for Mac and what sets them apart from USB-C displays
In 2022, there’s more variety of Thunderbolt monitors than ever. While Apple is back in the game, its displays at $1,600-$5,000+ won’t be the right fit for everyone. There are many great options available from LG and BenQ that will suit your budget. Below we’ll cover the best Thunderbolt monitors for Mac as well as what you get with a Thunderbolt monitor vs a USB-C monitor.
Thunderbolt monitors vs USB-C monitors
Thunderbolt (3 and 4) use the same physical connector as USB-C which offers single-cable connectivity and charging for Macs with monitors. While Thunderbolt 4 is available, it’s more of a rebrand of Thunderbolt 3 with the same 40 Gbps bandwidth. That’s why you see all the companies below – even Apple with its Studio Display and Pro Display XDR – use Thunderbolt 3.
So what’s the difference between Thunderbolt monitors and a USB-C display? The primary difference for the end-user is the ability to daisy chain up to 6 devices with Thunderbolt with up to 40 Gbps performance. That’s faster than USB-C 3. 1 and 3. 2 and USB4 support hasn’t arrived in monitors at this point. If that’s not a big deal, you can save a good amount of money by going for a USB-C display instead of a Thunderbolt monitor.
For reference, USB-C 3. 1 gen 2 can support up to 10 Gbps and USB 3. 2 supports up to 10 Gbps speeds.
However, keep in mind, many times other upgrades like panel resolution and size, I/O, and more go hand-in-hand with Thunderbolt and its greater bandwidth, hence the more expensive price. Check out this roundup :
to see a selection of USB-C monitors.
Best USB-C and Thunderbolt displays for Mac
But below we’ll focus specifically on Thunderbolt monitors for Mac.
Best Thunderbolt monitors for Mac
BenQ PD3220U
The 32-inch BenQ PD3220U features Thunderbolt, 4K resolution, 95% DCI-P3 color, 85W power delivery for MacBooks, a variety of professional modes, hotkey puck, solid metal stand, lots of I/O, and portrait orientation support.
It’s a strong contender to Apple’s Studio Display but with a larger panel and several hundred dollars cheaper.
Specs:
31. 5-inch IPS panel
4K – 3840 x 2160 resolution
16:9 aspect ratio
60Hz refresh rate
Brightness: 250 typical, 300 nits HDR peak
95% DCI-P3
100% sRGB
HDR10
Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports – 85W and 15W power delivery
Daisy chain with Thunderbolt
2 x HDMI 2.0
1 x DisplayPort 1. 4
3 x USB 3. 1
1 x USB C
1 x USB B
Headphone jack
Slim bezels
Landscape and portrait orientation support
MSRP: $1,199
You can usually find the BenQ PD3220U at Amazon and BH Photo.
LG 32UL950-W
This is LG’s UltraFine 32-inch Thunderbolt monitor that includes a solid feature set like two Thunderbolt 3 ports plus two USB-A ports, slim bezels, support for portrait orientation, and more.
In his full review, my colleague Jeff Benjamin found he liked the design better than LG’s other UltraFine models with many of the same features.
The one downside here compared to the BenQ above is 60W power delivery for MacBooks. It does have a slightly higher brightness.
Specs:
31. 5-inch panel with nano IPS
4K – 3840 x 2160 resolution
60Hz refresh rate
DCI-P3 98%
600 nits HDR peak brightness, 450 nits standard
VESA DisplayHDR(tm) 600
Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports (in x 1 (PD 60W) / out x 1)
The $1,300 27-inch UltraFine display (reviewed) was really the only option on the market to support USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 at a full 5K resolution until the Apple Studio Display was released.
But interestingly, with bandwidth being used up for the higher resolution, the 27-inch model doesn’t feature downstream Thunderbolt ports for peripherals/daisy-chaining, just USB-C.
At almost half the price, the 24-inch 4K UltraFine (full review) is a compelling option for an Apple-endorsed display for those okay with the smaller size. With an MSRP of $700, it offers upstream and downstream Thunderbolt ports like the BenQ and LG 32UL950-W so you can daisy chain or get the full 40 Gbps speeds without having to use a separate dock.
2x Thunderbolt (1 upstream, 1 downstream up to 40 Gbps)
3x USB-C 3. 1 gen 1 up to 5 Gbps
MSRP $699
The LG 24-inch UltraFine display is available from Amazon, Apple, BH Photo, and more.
Apple Studio Display
Apple’s Studio Display arrived alongside the new Mac Studio and marks the return to prosumer monitors after letting LG’s UltraFine series serve as its official recommendation since 2016.
Starting at $1,599 – $300 above the LG UltraFine 5K – the Studio Display Thunderbolt monitor is aimed at those who value Apple’s refined (and metal) build quality.
While it has a range of benefits, the Studio Display doesn’t offer downstream Thunderbolt ports but has three USB 3. 1 Gen 1 (10 Gbps) ports.
Specs:
27-inch panel
5K 5120 x 2880 resolution
16:9 aspect ratio
60Hz refresh rate
600 nits brightness
P3 wide color support
True Tone support
1x Thunderbolt 3 port with 96W power delivery
3x USB-C ports (3. 1 gen 2 up to 10 Gbps)
Built-in 12 MP ultra wide camera with Center Stage support
Software update promised to fix camera quality
6-speaker system with Spatial Audio support
Studio-quality 3-mic array
Aluminum build
Supports most reference modes as Pro Display XDR except HDR
Price: $1599-$2,299 (depending on stand and screen finish)
Studio Display is available from Apple, Amazon, BH Photo, Best Buy, and more.
Apple Pro Display XDR
We won’t go into the full details on the Pro Display XDR. But the TL;DR is if you value the larger 32-inch screen, 6K resolution, metal build, variety of reference modes, and don’t mind paying $5,000+, it may be worth considering this over other Thunderbolt monitors.
Check out our detailed comparison along with more perspective on the Pro Display XD and Studio Display:
Here’s how the new Apple Studio Display compares to the Pro Display XDR and LG UltraFine
In defense of the (unnecessarily controversial) Apple Studio Display
Compelling 32-inch USB-C budget option
If you’re willing to forgo Thunderbolt and some of the other high-end features the monitors above offer, an interesting new display is Samsung’s Smart Monitor M8
The successor to last year’s M7, the Smart Monitor M8 offers a compelling package for those that want a 4K resolution, USB-C, and a large 32-inch screen for $700. You can even get an iMac-like look with four different color options.
Specs:
USB-C with up to 65W charging
4K 3840 x 2160 resolution
32-inch panel
16:9 aspect ratio
60Hz refresh rate
HDR10 support
Included magnetic SlimFit webcam with face tracking
400 nits brightness
99% sRGB
4ms response time
Built-in 2. 2 channel speakers
Available in white, blue, green, and pink
Slim bezels and overall slim design
Doubles as a smart TV, with Apple TV+ built-in and AirPlay 2
Price: MSRP $699-$729
The Smart Monitor M8 is available direct from Samsung and Amazon with the white version going for $699. 99 and the colored variants selling for $729.99.
Best Thunderbolt Monitors for Mac wrap-up
Hopefully, now you understand the differences between USB-C and Thunderbolt monitors along with the top options on the market – particularly if you don’t want to spend several thousand dollars on Apple’s displays.
And if you’ve realized you’d rather spend somewhere between $200-600 on a monitor, check out our round-up of affordable USB-C displays:
Best USB-C and Thunderbolt displays for Mac
Thanks for reading our guide on the best Thunderbolt monitors for Mac!
Zac tries out an Oculus Quest 2, a high-profile machine learning exec quits over Apple’s work from home policy, the iPhone might finally go to USB-C next year, and Apple discontinues the iPod for good.
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Elon Musk says Twitter takeover is on hold but he’s still committed to the acquisition
Remember when Elon Musk announced he was buying Twitter and that bombshell then reverberated across the social network for days on end? Well, today is another interesting day in this saga, as Musk revealed that the deal is “temporarily on hold”, pending “details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users”.
If you’re confused as to what he’s talking about, a Reuters report came out earlier this month saying that Twitter itself estimates spam and fake accounts to comprise less than 5% of users. Now, however, Musk seems to be unconvinced that it’s only 5% of users.
Obviously, if a much higher percentage of Twitter users are spam bots and fakes, then the value of the company to a buyer would decrease, in which case we assume Musk would offer less than the $44 billion he’s already agreed to paying. It’s unclear what precisely is going on, but the news has unsurprisingly resulted in a slump in Twitter’s share price.
Musk claims he is still committed seeing the acquisition through. This, however, may be a late-stage negotiation tactic. We’ll let you know what unfolds.
Ohio working on new bill prohibiting the tracking of people with AirTags
AirTag is helping Apple users track lost and stolen items for the past year. However, some have been using the tracking device for more nefarious purposes. Ohio’s news station discovered a loophole that permits electronic tracking of people.
Back in February, 3News reported an incident involving an Akron woman whose car was tracked with an AirTag. The alarm on her AirTag was what woke her up and made her want to contact the Akron police for help. After checking her car, police found an AirTag inside her car’s rear bumper – likely placed there from an ex-boyfriend.
The investigation led 3News to uncover that in Ohio, those with no prior pattern of stalking or domestic violence could potentially get away with AirTag stalking – without penalty. The station then formed an analysis and found that there are at least 19 states with laws against electronic tracking. Ohio isn’t one of them.
HB672 to outlaw tracking people
In order to change this, 3News has been advocating for bipartisan legislation to ensure protection against unwanted tracking. The Ohio Statehouse’s local lawmakers supported the bill and it was lobbied by both Democrats and Republicans.
Due to this effort, two representatives have announced the introduction of a new bill, HB672 in the Ohio House. This would “generally prohibit a person from knowingly installing a tracking device or application on another person’s property without the other person’s consent.”
Pennsylvania also works on this issue in its state and proposes legislation to criminalize AirTag misuse.
Apple is also working to improve its anti-stalking procedures for AirTags. Apple has recently released a privacy alert for anyone setting up an AirTag. A new firmware update emits a sound to alert you when there is an unidentified AirTag among your items, making it easier for you to locate them.
I’m happy that Ohio and other states are taking steps to punish those who misuse AirTag. Meant to track lost items, stalking people is absolutely not what the device is intended for. We’ve just started year two with AirTag – maybe by year three things will continue to improve. I’m hopeful that we will be able to make AirTags more secure and less stalking-proof despite all of the negative reviews. As a state where everyone seems to be from, this is one step in the right direction for the buckeyes.
More on AirTag:
AirTag helps Australian photographer recover over $7000 worth of stolen gear
Some iPhone users receiving ‘phantom’ AirTag privacy alerts, Apple shares temporary fix
This smartphone lock physically prevents you from using your phone while studying or working
Designed to curb your screen addiction, disConnect is an absurdly clever timer-based phone lock that basically goes ‘facehugger’ on your smartphone’s screen, preventing you from using it. While I personally have enough self-restraint to not need such a device, the disConnect is arguably for serious phone addicts, Twitter junkies (you know who you are), and kids who should be studying instead of aimlessly scrolling on TikTok.
Designed originally as an entry into the Braun Prize, Joao Pereira sought to find a more fool-proof, analog way to keep you from using your smartphone. You could use app locks or app timers to keep your smartphone from being used, but disConnect is the only way. The disConnect is designed to block your smartphone’s touchscreen. You can still use the device, but you will only be able see four corners. Handy if you want to check the time or your battery. It’s useless if you plan to do anything other than checking the time and your battery.
The way disConnect works is pretty elementary. Strap your smartphone in and set a timer, and the disConnect keeps your phone locked in its fabric bands until the timer ends. You can use the disConnect with multiple phones. Stack as many as 4 smartphones together and secure the strap, and you’ve effectively got yourself the perfect dinner party or movie night without you or your friends being bummers and staring at their phones. Want to pre-emptively unlock your smartphone (in case you get an important call or text), simple – enter the unlock PIN and the disConnect comes apart, letting you use your phone normally again!
Braun mouse swivels on its tilted base for ergonomic right or left handed use
A highly ergonomic mouse design that is perfectly suited for any-handed use, thus making it ideal for professionals and gamers alike.
Most mouse models are made for left-handed users. Still, left-handed users have some good choices to go for like Logitech G903, Razer Naga or Corsair M55 RGB. On the other end of the spectrum, ambidextrous mouse options including Logitech G Pro, SteelSeries Sensei Ten or Razer Viper have also claimed a good bite of the market. They are quite popular among left-handed users, and gamers too.
Designer: Xie Hong Ting
Any mouse you choose, the setup is best tailored for either left-handed, right-handed – or slightly better configurations for particular-handed use, however, none of them can claim to be perfect for any kind of use-case-scenarios. It is important to have a mouse that can switch between a left-handed and a right-handed use in an instant.
Meet the Braun Ergonomic Mouse designed for both left and right-handed use in equal capacity. This mouse is not like an ambidextrous one. It can be tilted and lowered depending on which hand it’s being used. So, you could be playing Battlefield with your right-handed configuration, and shift to a left-handed setup if your left-handed sibling wants to use the accessory. Simple manipulation of the form provides an equally good ergonomic grip for both-handed configurations.
The clever design makes use of a tilted sloped base swiveling at the center. As the base rotates it shifts between the two modes. The seamless switch between these modes allows you to maintain your hand position without having to compromise any of the other functions. Like a couple of other off-beat Braun designs. This one too carries the black or white-dominated theme with the inclusion of signature Braun colors for the buttons and scroll mouse.
Carrying the Braun branding is a bit off-beat, but then, that’s what we come to expect from concept designs which sow the seed of imagination for future designs. The otherwise household appliance giant foraying into computer peripherals looks highly unlikely, but hey, it’s still in the blueprint and early prototype stage, right?
Cozy Grove DLC introduces new butterflies, and 5 of them reference BTS
The new DLC for the chill lifestyle-sim Cozy Grove has some lightly hidden BTS references. The Animal Crossing: New Horizons-esque game is packed with critters to catch and donate to the island’s wildlife expert, Captain Billweather Snout, and the DLC introduces butterflies to the mix — a handful of which reference the K-pop superstar group, pointing to BTS’ enormous cultural imprint.
Developed by Spryfox and published by The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild Cozy Grove places players on an island haunted by ghost bears. They are the spirit scout, responsible for helping them remember their past. A steady stream of free updates has expanded the core idea with more content, including adding catchable critters in June 2021.
Released on April 26, the New Neighbears is the game’s first paid DLC and adds four new ghost bears and a new type of critter, butterflies. There are 10 butterflies total, and five of them shout out the cultural behemoth that is BTS: “Adorable representative,” “ARMY recruiter,” “Bang wool,” “Fan of butter,” and “Fluttering fanatic.” Each of these butterflies contains the description “Some parasocial relationships are bulletproof,” which names the unshakeable bond between BTS and their “ARMY” fanbase.
“Adorable representative,” “ARMY recruiter,” “Bang wool,” “Fan of butter,” and “Fluttering fanatic” each reference BTS. Image: Cozy Grove Wiki
Some of butterfly names are specific: The “ARMY recruiter” butterfly references BTS’ loud and proud fandom known as ARMY. “Fan of butter” points to the K-pop group’s recent number one English-language single “Butter,” released May 2021. And the “Bang wool” butterfly references BTS’ unabbreviated name, Bangtan Sonyeondan, translated as “bulletproof boy scouts.”
“Someone in my family is a baby ARMY and the fandom has brought her a lot of joy,” Spry Fox chief creative officer Daniel Cook said in an email to Polygon.
BTS’ presence in video game culture isn’t new. The web variety series starring the group titled Run BTS has occasionally revolved around video games, including an episode where they played League of Legends with professional players. In the first season of In the Soop, a series that follows BTS going on a trip in a reality-style web show, one of the rooms is filled with gaming PCs, and the band members are seen playing games during downtime.
There have also been a number of brand collaborations. In 2020, Epic Games released BTS-themed skins, dances, and content packs for Fortnite. More recently, BTS entered a “global collaboration” for another battle royale game, Free Fire, and each member of the band designed an individual skin (Jin’s audacious pink suit with wings was by far the best, in my opinion). The skins were released in an event last month.
Everything BTS touches today turns to gold due to their committed fan base. The BTS-related creatures in Cozy Grove are a good example of this far-reaching influence.
HomeKit Weekly: Having remote access to unlock your door and disable your security system is a smart home superpower
It’s getting close to summer and summer traveling here in the U.S., and I was recently reminded how beneficial remote access to your smart home accessories could be. This week I will be explaining how you can access your smart home accessories when you are away and what the possible uses might be.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
In the summer of 2020, we had our hardwood floors redone after a tornado landed a big tree on our house, and the accompanying rain poured in to my living room. Our hardwood floors took on a decent amount of water, so a large section of it had to be replaced, and the entire first floor had to be refinished. This entire project took a week as the floors had to be sanded down and re-stained. It’s part of building a house, but it can be a hassle in an existing one. It also requires the removal of all furniture from the space. We planned to do it while we were gone on vacation to avoid needing to stay in a hotel for a week.
Remote access to the rescue
The person that was redoing our floors is a family friend, so I trusted him in my home while I was not there, but I wanted an easy way to lock the door and set the alarm system. Thanks to my existing HomeKit setup, we had that option. I was already using the August Lock and abode alarm system. Remote access is possible with both the HomeKit or native apps of these products.
If you have products that you want to access remotely that don’t allow for native remote access, you’ll want to make sure you have a HomeKit home hub installed in your home. A HomeKit home hub can be a HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV, or an always plugged-in iPad (Check out this iPad wall mount setup for HomeKit.) If you have at least one of these devices on your network, you’ll have full access to your HomeKit environment when away from your home. If you really want to put it into use, you can flip your lights off and on at random times while you’re gone to really trick would-be burglars.
Let’s say that you have a HomeKit-only alarm system not tied to a monitoring station, but you want to disable it remotely for someone to enter – this is a situation where a HomeKit home hub will come in handy.
When you’re designing a smart home setup, you’ll want to think about situations where you want to let someone in remotely. In our situation, I knew the floor crew was coming at 8:00 a.m., so at 7:50 a.m., I’d unlock the door, disable auto-lock on the door, and disable the alarm. After I received the notification from my eufy camera that the crew was leaving the driveway at night, I would lock the front door and activate the alarm.
Wrap up
We’re using the same set-up for building our house: an August Lock with Wi Fi at our side and an abode security with central station monitoring. The home building process has led to me rethinking what benefits HomeKit brings to my life, and it’s clear that the ability to unlock your doors remotely while disabling your security system is very beneficial to have when the need comes up.
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