Originally published at: http://appletalk.com.au/2016/12/wednesday-morning-news141216/
AirPods from Apple are now on sale. But you’ll have to get in quick if you want to pick up Apple’s $229 truly wireless earbuds for them to deliver on Monday 19th December, as they’re already backordered until January in the US. As a reminder, you also get Apple’s expanded holiday return policy, which lets you try AirPods until January 8 if you buy before December 25.
Apple has published a trio of AirPods user guides on their website, which reveals that AirPods are compatible with other Bluetooth devices, not just Apple’s own devices. You can tell Siri to do things like turn up the volume, but it would still be much better if there was a way to do so without looking like you’re talking to yourself.
With the release of AirPods also comes the somewhat disappointing news that Apple’s BeatsX will be delayed until February. The updated availability on the BeatsX product page gives no reason for the delay.
Now that the iOS 10.2 and watchOS 3.1.1 releases are out of the way, today it’s time to update your Macs. The 10.12.2 release of macOS includes support for all the new emoji introduced by iOS 10.2, but also brings a plethora of under-the-hood improvements instead of user-focused features, as described by Ars. The setup process for iCloud Desktop and Documents has been refined, and there’s even specific fixes for the new Touch Bar-equipped MacBook Pros.
Apple has removed the “time remaining” battery life indicator with the macOS 10.12.2 update. The reason provided to The Loop is that it just wasn’t accurate, or more precisely, wasn’t able to provide an accurate time remaining estimate due to the dynamic ways we use computers. While the percentage remaining remains on point, background tasks can impact the time remaining estimate, often without the user’s knowledge.
Some users are reporting the watchOS 3.1.1 update bricking their devices, which show a red exclamation mark in a circle with a text directing users to an Apple support article. Even after following the instructions (turning if off and on again), Apple Watch units are still unable to be used.
Apple has released iTunes 12.5.4, which now supports for the US-only TV app and has improved Touch Bar input.
Speaking of Touch Bar input, an update to Photoshop CC 2017 brings Touch Bar support to the image editing app.
The emoji changelog for iOS 10.2 is worth perusing if you’ve got a spare few minutes. There’s 104 new emojis and new designs for many emojis.
If you’re not using your Apple Watch for activity tracking, maybe you’d be better off with a regular watch. Ben Brooks used his Apple Watch for the time, notifications, and the weather, but all of those tasks can still be accomplished by your iPhone, just like they were before the Watch existed.