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Apple Maps image of Taipei, Taiwan. Image source: Justin O’Beirne
Public testing of redesigned Apple Maps for Taiwan has begun, but the full release isn’t expected until June.
According to Apple Maps blogger Justin O’Beirne, Taiwan is up next for Apple’s map redesign. Apple has made the redesign available to a few users in this testing rollout, and a user named Steve Chang provided images of the changes.
Prices are slashed on open-box Apple products.
Get an extra 20% off on top of already reduced prices on more than 1,000 Apple products, including Macs, iPads, Apple Watch Ultra, accessories and more. Each open-box device also comes with an Apple or Adorama-equivalent warranty and free shipping.
To grab this exclusive offer, head over to the open box Apple section at Adorama.com (hint: look for “OB” under condition) and enter promo code APINSIDER20 during step 3 of checkout. It’s that simple! With this special coupon code, you can save a considerable amount of money on open-box Apple hardware, ranging from new MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro or M2 Max chips all the way up to top-of-the-line Mac Studio desktop computers.
To put the savings into perspective, this open-box 1TB MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023) in Space Gray is marked down to $1,686.40 with the APINSIDER20 code. That’s cheaper than the 512GB version with half the amount of storage space when ordered in new condition. And that’s not all — Apple accessories are also heavily discounted, so this is the perfect opportunity to upgrade your home office setup by grabbing an Apple Pencil 2 or Magic Trackpad at a rock-bottom price.
With each open-box Apple device, you get either the manufacturer warranty or an Adorama-equivalent warranty. And in case of any defects, you have a 30-day return window, although return shipping isn’t prepaid if you simply change your mind and want to return the item.
This offer is valid for a short time only and individual configurations are often limited to only one or two units on hand. Be sure to shop early for the best selection.
Jump to open box products by category:
Save big on MacBook Pro models, even 2023 configs.
There are dozens of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air configurations that are heavily discounted, with even 2023 14-inch MacBook Pro models available at press time.
M2 MacBook Air models can be found for a fraction of the retail price.
High-end MacBook Air M2 models are up to $456 off with the open-box coupon.
Steep savings can be found on high-performance Mac Studio hardware.
Some of the steepest discounts can be found on Apple’s high-performance Mac Studio.
iPad Pro models with M2 are available with open box savings.
There are plenty of open-box iPad deals on the latest iPad 10th Generation and iPad Pro. View the entire selection here.
Apple’s all-in-one desktop is heavily reduced with open-box deals.
Check out Adorama’s selection of iMac open-box units and save an additional 20% with promo code APINSIDER20.
The Apple Watch Ultra open-box selection is an extra 20% off.
Upgrade your existing Apple setup with complementary accessories that can instantly enhance your workflow.
If you need help activating the APINSIDER20 discount code at Adorama, here are step-by-step instructions:
There are plenty of additional sales going on alongside the blowout deals, knocking double and triple digits off the latest hardware and closeout models. Here’s a sampling of the bargains, with hundreds of items on sale in our Apple Price Guide.
Using iMessage on Windows
With its latest update, Microsoft is enabling iMessage on Windows 11 — with some caveats. Here’s how it works and what features are still missing.
While we’re big fans of the Mac and its native iMessage functionality, there are plenty of Windows users out there. We have a separate PC as a dedicated gaming laptop, some use a Windows machine for work, and others may just prefer the Microsoft platform overall.
To date, it’s been impossible to use Apple iMessage on Windows because the native Phone Link app supported only Android. That has changed with the latest update rolling out to Windows 11 users.
All you need to get going is an iPhone, a Windows 11 PC, the Windows Link iOS app, and the pre-installed Microsoft Phone Link app for Windows.
Enable Bluetooth settings
Once we finished the setup process, the Phone Link app should have populated with all our notifications, phone calls, and contacts. But it didn’t.
Using iMessage on our Razer Blade PC
The app just remained static, even after closing and reopening the app. We did get it working eventually by restarting our iPhone.
This seemed to kick things into gear, and once it reconnected to our PC, everything propagated successfully. We saw all our incoming and outgoing phone calls, our system notifications such as calendar appointments, and a list of contacts.
Setting up Phone Link
Historical iMessages don’t sync to the app, but all new messages did appear right away as expected. We could send and receive iMessages, directly from our PC without issue.
There are limitations to this app though. Aside from the lack of historical messages, only messages that were sent or received while running Phone Link will show.
Pictures and videos can’t be sent and aren’t viewable in Phone Link. Also, group conversations are not supported.
Microsoft shared in a published blog post that the update is rolling out gradually to users, and should show up to everyone by mid-May.
Notifications on the Phone Link app
Microsoft Phone Link for iOS on Windows 11 is beginning to rollout to our global audience in 39 languages across 85 markets.
Thus far, the performance seems promising, even with its limitations. Apple doesn’t endorse this but it is at least an option for those who use an iPhone with a Windows machine.
The framed MacBook Air from Grid
Grid’s disassembled MacBook Air isn’t small, but it’s one of the most eye-catching pieces of tech-y art you could use to decorate your space.
From the beginning, Grid became known for its framed iPhones — we reviewed three of them, but the company has since moved on to other gadgets. In this review, we are looking at an original MacBook Air, first introduced in 2008.
When the MacBook Air launched, it was heralded by Steve Jobs as the world’s thinnest notebook, measuring only three-quarters of an inch at its thickest point. Jobs touted the thinness by sliding the laptop out of a run-of-the-mill manilla envelope.
The framed MacBook Air from Grid looks stunning in our studio
Like all Grid devices, it ships with wall mounting hardware, a framed piece of art, and a little card explaining the item you bought. It’s wrapped like a present in matte black paper with a little ribbon, upping that customer experience.
The front, outfitted with a piece of plexiglass rather than actual glass, has a sheet of protective plastic you must remove first. Grid pulls back one corner before shipping for you to provide an easy starting point.
A closeup look at the MacBook Air internals
These kinds of disassembled pieces are mesmerizing to look at. Apple always has worked hard to make the entire product gorgeous, both inside and out.
With this exploded view of the MacBook Air, you can see how cleanly the primary logic board has organized. You can see how impossibly thin the spinning hard drive was.
You can also see how relatively few pieces make up this incredible machine.
It’s all to reminisce about this machine as it was revolutionary at the time. It started this whole category of notebooks for Apple that it continues to this day.
While the new MacBook Air models are even a bit thinner, back then, Apple had to create a pivoting port bay to house things like the USB-A port, micro DVI port, and headphone jack.
A closeup look at more of the MacBook Air internals
Grid does an excellent job of laying out the MacBook Air with the internals sandwiched between the keyboard and the display. There are lines as you’d see on a blueprint that help identify the different pieces, giving some context to what you’re looking at.
Plus, Grid adds extra bits like the MacBook Air’s dimensions and a quote from Steve Jobs. On this MacBook Air, it says “Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.”
If there’s a negative to the Grid framed MacBook Air, it is that it doesn’t use actual glass and the frame can feel slightly flimsy at this size.
The framed MacBook Air from Grid
You aren’t prohibited from swapping the frame or glass yourself as what you’re primarily buying is the art inside of the frame. Shipping glass can also be dangerous, so we aren’t going to harp on Grid too much for this choice.
Unlike the iPhone and Apple Watch models, the MacBook Air is a much larger focal piece to hang on your wall. But that’s a good thing. As self-proclaimed Apple geeks, this looks amazing up on our wall.
You can nab the Grid disassembled MacBook Air from their store, on sale for $599, $100 off its normal price.
OWC docks are 20% with coupon.
OWC is offering a significant discount on all docks allowing Mac and PC users extra accessory ports for 20% off retail price. Expand your workstation with docks that add USB-C, Thunderbolt, and Gigabit Ethernet capabilities to your computer.
Find a dock that supports your needs, from travel-friendly adapters to full-fledged Thunderbolt powerhouses with 8K external display support and daisy-chain functionality. Plus, save 20% on qualifying docking stations with coupon code APPLEINSIDER at OWC, along with free shipping on orders of $149 or more.
It’s no secret that users often need additional ports to connect multiple accessories to Apple computers. However, with an OWC dock, you can bring all the ports you need in a compact solution.
OWC’s Thunderbolt Go Dock is a perfect partner for your MacBook, with 11 ports to connect every accessory you might need. The dock includes four USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, an SD Card reader slot, and an HDMI port.
Using exclusive coupon code APPLEINSIDER, you can take 20% off the retail price bringing your subtotal to $279.99. You won’t have to wait forever on shipping, as devices in stock ship same-day.
Buyers looking for a more flexible solution should look for the Thunderbolt Dock from OWC. This dock only offers Thunderbolt 3 support for Mac computers, yet it still provides 11 ports for users to connect accessories.
The OWC Thunderbolt Dock is an excellent platform for daisy-chaining devices using three separate device branches. These device chain branches allow you to connect extensive networks of accessories without disconnecting and reconnecting devices when something changes.
You can also take home the OWC Thunderbolt Dock for 20% off the $249.99 retail price using the APPLEINSIDER code. Enjoy three Thunderbolt ports plus the host port, four USB-A ports, an SD card slot, a 3.5mm auxiliary port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and 96W of pass-through power.
Of course, there are plenty of other OWC docks to fit the needs of every Mac or PC user.
Once you pick out a dock, you must start the checkout process to take advantage of the 20% off discount code. Follow these steps to ensure you can take advantage of the savings.
There are plenty of additional bargains going on, knocking double and triple digits off MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and MacBook Air hardware that can be used alongside the this OWC deal. Here’s a sampling of some of the bargains, with hundreds of items on sale in our Apple Price Guide.
Elecom’s Wired Mini USB Pantograph Keyboard makes a nice travel companion for your Mac, although it is a bit heavy.
Popular Japanese electronics maker Elecom offers a small, clever, high-quality USB 2 keyboard – model TK-FCP096WH – which works with Macs and most PCs.
Elecom is a fairly popular brand in Japan and is known for its quality. Dozens of top electronics stores, such as Bic Camera, and others all over Tokyo carry Elecom’s products.
As with most things Japanese, the keyboard keeps with Japan’s aesthetic ideals of smallness and understated beauty.
It is a small portable keyboard slightly larger than Apple’s own current model wireless aluminum Bluetooth keyboard. It uses a wired USB 2 connection, but the lack of USB 3 shouldn’t be a problem since the amount of data used by keyboards is tiny.
The rear of the keyboard has six large rubber feet, and a slightly raised area at the top with a weight inside to provide the keyboard with both a slope and a little heft. Along with keeping it from sliding around on your desk, the internal inert weight also gives the keys a more solid feel when typing.
The added weight, however, does make it slightly heavy for travel – weighing in at just under a pound versus nine ounces for Apple’s wireless compact keyboard.
The keyboard’s non-removable USB cable is approximately four and a half feet in length and uses a standard USB-A connector.
The underside round edges have a unique shape and curve to them, somehow making the keyboard easier to pick up than most computer keyboards. It’s a curve that is just enough to slip your hand under, but hardly noticeable when you look at it.
Overall the device has a solid feel – with quality plastics throughout, and special key mechanisms called Pantographs. These devices were originally used to trace small images by hand to create larger copies on paper, and had two inverted movable “V”-shaped sides connected in the center with two round joints.
Pantographs slide open and closed vertically, and their use as key switches is ingenious as they give the keys a smooth but solid click.
Key faces include both English and common Hiragana characters for English and Japanese use. The use of a language key allows you to switch between either of the languages.
There are also a few special-use keys for computers found only in Japan.
Although the TK-FCP096WH isn’t a full-sized keyboard and thus lacks dedicated PC keys and a numeric keypad, Elecom has thought of a solution anyway: Page keys are located on the arrow keys, and are accessible using the function key.
Likewise, most other PC and Mac function keys are found on other keys via the use of the function key:
These key combos mean you get nearly the full range of both Mac and PC/Windows keys on a compact keyboard for both platforms. The only major key missing is Apple’s Touch ID key found on Apple keyboards.
There is also a tiny green Caps Lock LED at the top right corner which lights when the Caps Lock key is engaged.
The TK-FCP096WH comes in both white and black, although the black version is extremely difficult to find both online and in retail shops in Japan itself.
Overall Elecom has created a fine, quality keyboard, with simple, clean design and great keys – but you will feel the little extra weight if you carry it in your travel bag. It’s not grossly heavy, but the extra weight is noticeable.
Considering the low cost – less than half of Apple’s Bluetooth keyboard – it makes a nice addition to your travel kit.
You can purchase the TK-FCP096WH on Amazon US and other western sites, although the device is imported from Japan so additional shipping may or may not apply.
You can also find it at several large Japanese electronics shops online, such as Bic Camera, if you can find one that ships to other countries.
Elecom also makes small portable drives, mice, Ethernet switches, and other small computing devices.
A UK emergency alert test will occur on Sunday, messaging iPhones across the country
The UK government will be testing its emergency alert system on Sunday, with the vast majority of iPhones in the country expected to receive the notification.
Emergency alert systems around the world occasionally get tested by governments making changes to the infrastructure. As part of the setup of a new system in the United Kingdom, people within the country will experience an alert broadcast on Sunday.
At 3p.m. BST, 10.a.m. Eastern, smartphones and cellular-equipped tablets using 4G and 5G networks in the UK will receive a message from the Emergency Alerts system. The alert itself will consist of a “loud siren-like sound” and a vibration lasting ten seconds, with some devices also reading the alert aloud, according to the government website.
The alert notification will advise recipients that it is a test, that it is a system to warn in the case of a life-threatening emergency nearby, and that device users should follow any issued instructions in a real emergency. It will also advise recipients to visit the UK government’s website for more information about the alerts.
In England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, the message will be in English. In Wales, the message will be in both English and Welsh.
The alerts will work with iPhones running iOS 14.5 or later, as well as Android smartphones running Android 11 or later. Older devices, turned off smartphones, and those in airplane mode will not receive the alert at the time of broadcast.
The alert will sound even if the devices are set to silent, though they can be disabled on an iPhone. Government alerts for many countries can be disabled by going to Settings, selecting Notifications, then under Government Alerts, turning the type of alert on and off.
However, since government alerts are intended to help with emergency situations, threats to safety or life, extreme weather warnings, missing persons broadcasts, and other public safety alerts, it’s not advised to turn them off unless absolutely necessary.
Though well intentioned, alert systems do have the potential to cause panic. In 2018, a false emergency alert was broadcast in Hawaii warning of incoming ballistic missiles, which prompted the FCC to make changes to the U.S. system.
Google’s San Jose “Downtown West” development
As Google’s fortunes have fallen, the company appears to have backed off construction of a San Jose, California “mega-campus” that it lobbied hard for, starting in 2019.
The controversial “Downtown West” facility, was met with protests from the start. As early as 2019, activists fought against the sale of public land, and land holding historical buildings to Google.
Ultimately, after a $200 million benefits package, San Jose approved Google’s project. As part of that $200 million, the development was slated to have housing for thousands of families, 15 acres of public parks, and more.
Contractors were supposed to break ground in early 2023, and that date has passed. As it stands today, it is a wide, barren, field adjacent to San Jose downtown, with mostly-completed demolition of historic locations and beloved local attractions.
A report from CNBC on Friday delves into the severity of the situation. The main cheerleader for the project, David Radcliffe, left Google in 2022. Scott Foster, Radcliffe’s replacement, is described as “more conservative in spending” in Friday’s report.
Contractors were told in late 2022 that the project could face delays, and in February 2023, the lead developer for the project laid off 67 employees, including people directly associated with Google’s project.
CNBC performed site visits performed by the publication. Construction vehicles were present, but there was no sign of any work being done on-site.
The development appears, at present, to be casualty of Google’s miserable earnings for the last few quarters. Layoffs were the first impact, and real estate the second.
In February, the company said that it would have to take a $500 million hit to cut down on office space.
Additionally, it said that other real estate changes were likely going forward.
“We’re working to ensure our real estate investments match the future needs of our hybrid workforce, our business and our communities,” a Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement to CNBC. “While we’re assessing how to best move forward with Downtown West, we’re still committed to San Jose for the long term and believe in the importance of the development.”
The future of the site isn’t clear. The company says that it could take decades to finish the project, so the window to meet that very large time span remains open.
Other projects that Google has in the works is continued investment in New York City; a campus in Boulder, Colorado; expansion of the Dulles, Virginia data center; and a data center in Texas.
San Jose stands to lose the most from the retreat, delay, or cancellation, whichever the case may be. As the report states, the area now is a demolition zone instead of what it was before — a productive downtown. Additionally, vendors, construction companies, and contractors expecting work from the build have nothing to show for it.
Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps is now 45% off.
Get one month of Adobe Creative Cloud for just $44.99, with access to all apps, including Photoshop and Illustrator. Save 45% instantly with this special offer.
StackCommerce is currently offering a deal that heavily discounts Adobe’s Creative Cloud All Apps 1-month plan for new customers, making the suite of tools more accessible to those who want to take advantage of its powerful features. The deal brings the cost down to $44.99 for a 1-month license, which is a savings of nearly 50% off Adobe’s $82.49 MSRP.
The Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan includes access to over 20 desktop apps, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, Acrobat Pro and more. You’ll also have access to 100GB of cloud storage, which makes it easy to access your files from anywhere. With the Creative Cloud subscription, it’s easier than ever to take your creative projects to the next level and work more efficiently.
There are plenty of additional bargains going on, knocking double and triple digits off MacBook Pro, Mac mini and MacBook Air hardware that can be used alongside Adobe Creative Cloud. Here’s a sampling of the deals, with hundreds of items eligible for exclusive savings in our Apple Price Guide.
Payment failure issues will be processed in-app
App Store payment failures are a big inconvenience for users and developers alike, but Apple will soon let customers solve their issues without leaving the app.
Apple handles payment processing through in-app purchases, but when a payment fails, customers are often knocking on the developer’s door. A new system will enable users to get help without ever leaving an app or needing to bother the developer.
Before, if a payment failed and a subscription lapsed, customers may lose access to certain billing discounts or grandfathered plans. Customers would then go to the developer to complain, even though payment processing is Apple’s problem.