Apple is reportedly set to begin production of its next-generation iPad Air this month with display components going into mass production in the middle of this month and components such as the processor and camera sensors going into production next month. The design of the sixth-generation full sized iPad will mimic that of the current model and the display resolution will stay at 2048 x 1536, according to ETNews. The new iPad Air will sport a more advanced A8 processor, which sources previously noted focuses on efficiency and battery performance for the iPhone (likely for the iPad too):...

A number of people commented on what appears to be a comical difference in the new MacBook Air specs, between the $999 base model and the $1249 version. Both models have an 8-core CPU with 4 perform­ance cores and 4 efficiency cores, along with a 16-core Neural Engine. But while the higher-spec model has an 8-core GPU – also seen in the new MacBook Pro and Mac mini – the base model only has a 7-core GPU …...

On the heels of last Friday’s iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and Apple Watch Series 5 launch, Apple is continuing a rapid retail expansion before the holiday season. Apple Columbia in Columbia, Maryland will reopen in a new, larger space on September 28 at 10:00 a.m. We learned in April that Apple was planning an expansion at The Mall in Columbia near its existing location on the second floor. Sandwiched between Banana Republic and Ann Taylor, the new store is roughly twice the width of Apple’s current location and will follow the design principles established by other recently opened indoor mall stores....

The magic of Thra, from the smallest green sprout to the epic adventures of the intrepid heroes, made the original film The Dark Crystal an endearing cult hit. The talents of master creators like Jim Henson and Frank Oz have been brought to the screen again in the modern era. The Netflix series was greeted with equal enthusiasm by old and new fans alike, and we can’t wait for our favorite characters to return in Season Two....

This month’s handy content calendar will show you how to smash your Valentine’s Day sales out of the park, and show you exactly how to start being more consistent across ALL of your key social media platforms, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, without any extra work! Download your free February content calendar here How to Use Our New Interactive Content Calendar Makeover Alert! We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve redesigned our content calendar for 2021, jampacking it with even more valuable content ideas....

Apple is upgrading AirPods with new automatic switching modes and a spatial audio experience for AirPods Pro owners. With iOS 14, AirPods will automatically connect to the device that you are currently using. If you are watching a movie on your iPad, and you accept a call on your phone, the AirPods come along automatically. Spatial audio for AirPods Pro is a simulated surround experience through the earbuds, using directional audio algorithms....

Microsoft is bringing a new dashboard design to all Xbox One consoles this week, and this update will finally stop notifications from blocking content. The new update is already available for download and the dashboard changes will take place automatically. The Xbox One system has received several impressive updates over the years to improve the system. In 2016, Microsoft added Cortana, a gaming hub, and video recording software. This update allowed players to use voice commands through Cortana and also streamlined the game collection screen....

One of my favorite mail clients, Newton, is receiving a substantial new update today, removing the ‘Sent’ inbox entirely, a problem that the developers say significantly convolutes your inbox. The issue at hand is pretty simple. When you send an email, it gets moved to the Sent folder of your inbox. A lot of users get around this issue by auto BCCing themselves to every email they send. Newton aims to resolve this issue by simply putting your reply in line in the inbox....

CBS has renewed NCIS for season 17. Created by Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill, the police procedural stars Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a former U.S. Marine sniper who commands the titular Naval Criminal Investigative Service. To date, Harmon and co-star David McCallum (as chief medical examiner Donald “Ducky" Mallard) have starred in 378 episodes of NCIS. In April 2003, CBS released two “introductory” episodes, both of which were written by Bellisario and McGill....

Netflix cuts The Hateful Eight Extended Version into four 50-minute episodes. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, the 2015 western thriller is available to stream in its original form, however the April 25 addition of the longer cut shows that Netflix lists the film as a “Season.” Distributed by The Weinstein Company, The Hateful Eight chronicles the meeting of eight strangers during a blizzard. Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, and Jennifer Jason Leigh headline the film, though it features an accomplished ensemble cast of supporting players like Channing Tatum and Bruce Dern....

The team behind the popular subscription-based Newton Mail client has recently announced a new Calendar companion app. The developers say the app is designed to be lightweight and act as a complement to Newton Email, though it is a separate app… Newton Calendar for iOS offers a clean and easy to use design, based around a main Schedule View that lets you easily view your upcoming events and free time. There’s also support for Google and Exchange calendars, making it easy to sync across platforms and devices....

In an extensive briefing despatched to clients this morning, Wolf shared calculations which suggest the installed base of iPhone users will reach 150 million in the next ten years – the equivalent of 5 per cent of the installed base of mobile phone owners in that year. Wolf based his new predictions on Apple’s seeming decision to drop revenue-sharing deals in most of the countries it offers the device in, and on strength of the carrier subsidies being offered with iPhone 3G, which see the mobile sold for as little as one Euro by T-Mobile in Germany and Austria....

LEGO may be coming out with brand new movies in The LEGO Movie franchise, but not from Warner Bros. as the company is currently in talks with Universal. The LEGO Movie franchise is the immensely popular animated series of movies focused on LEGO characters. While LEGO-based movies have existed since the Bionicle days in the early 2000s, LEGO began to make movies with Warner Bros. in the 2010s. The first few Warner Bros....

[slideshow] The popular 1Password looks to have received a total revamp in the new version 4. The app has hit the New Zealand and Australian App Stores and is working its way through the Eastern Hemisphere. We may or may not have a thorough review of the app coming when it hits ‘Murica. All of the particulars below: Description ☆☆☆ LAUNCH CELEBRATION SALE – SAVE OVER 50% FOR A LIMITED TIME ☆☆☆...

A big change is coming soon to the New York City transit system. According to a report from The New York Times, the transit system will move towards replacing the MetroCard with contactless payments via platforms such as Apple Pay. The full rollout will take several years, but it’s a step in the right direction. A committee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved plans for a $573 million fare payment system today....

Netamo has today pushed a firmware update to its Welcome smart camera, adding support for HomeKit. Today’s firmware update (via Reddit), which brings it up to version 239 for Netamo, allows users to view a live feed from the camera, directly within the Home app. And just like other HomeKit-enabled video cameras, this one is fairly limited in what it can do within HomeKit. You won’t be able to have the Home app push notifications for specific faces, but rather it’s an all or nothing....

Streaming giant Netflix is in talks to acquire a famous Hollywood landmark, the Egyptian Theatre, which would make it the streaming service’s first brick and mortar movie theater. Currently owned by American Cinematheque, the building may soon be purchased by Netflix once the city permit specifics are finalized. Located on Hollywood Boulevard, the Egyptian Theatre was opened by Sid Grauman in 1922, and famously hosted the first Hollywood premiere (Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks)....

Netflix’s latest true crime documentary Don’t F**k With Cats takes on the infamous Luka Magnotta story, but screws up so much in the process. On top of critically acclaimed and commercially successful feature films and television series, Netflix has produced some great original documentaries. True crime, in particular, has become a key part of the streaming service’s business model. Specials like Making a Murderer and Icarus have won them awards and helped to shape wider conversations about the intersections of true crime, justice, and entertainment....

Netflix is testing a new feature on iOS called “Collections” that highlights content curated by humans. This is different than many of the current recommendation features offered in the Netflix app, which are primarily based on algorithms. TechCrunch explains that the “Collections” contain movies and TV shows that are curated by “experts on the company’s creative teams.” The collections are based on things like genre, tone, story line, and characters....

What is it? Network Link Conditioner is a new utility in OS X Lion (via the free Xcode 4.1 app) that will allow you to simulate less than desirable network conditions, such as a bad 3G connection or Edge with “Good Connectivity”. This is an especially useful utility for those developing apps and sites that highly rely on network connectivity, whether it’s a multiplayer game or just an animation heavy web app....