Texas's Attorney General, Ken Paxton, has launched an investigation of Twitter over concerns of "potentially false" reports related to the number of bots and other fake accounts on the social network. In a press release Monday, Paxton claims inauthentic accounts may be helping to "inflate the value" of Twitter — thus he intends to pursue the investigation under the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which protects against misleading advertisers, businesses and everyday users.
Paxton's office is pursuing the case just as Tesla CEO Elon Musk is seemingly attempting to scuttle his own bid to purchase Twitter. Musk has, for several weeks, been suggesting the platform's bot numbers may be far greater than its current leadership are reporting. It's interesting timing for Musk and Paxton's interests to align: Tesla just opened a Gigafactory in Texas, and is moving its headquarters to the region. That's a lot of potential business, and it comes as the state has offered tax breaks to companies building local facilities. For whatever it's worth, Paxton has previously been accused of abuse of office over allegations of bribery, but was eventually cleared by his own office.
Twitter has been ordered to provide unredacted documents detailing the company's active user counts since 2017, the volume of "inauthentic" accounts over that period and the methods used to calculate the ratio of fake accounts. It also has to outline its advertising model, including the revenue it generates in Texas.
It's also notable that Musk's hopes of boosting free speech on Twitter sync with Republic aims to reverse alleged censorship of conservative viewpoints on the site. Twitter has long rejected claims of ideological bias, and sued Paxton over claims of political retaliation that infringed its First Amendment rights.
We've asked Twitter for comment. The company has previously maintained that fake accounts represent less than five percent of users, but Paxton echoed Musk's currently unsupported concerns that fakes might represent 20 percent or more of all Twitter accounts.
The Attorney General has sued multiple tech companies over their practices, including Google (for its ad business) and Meta (over facial recognition). It's not clear yet if Paxton intends to pursue a lawsuit against Twitter as well.
With a revamped lock screen, redesigned notifications and an enhanced Focus mode, iOS 16 promises to bring a lot of useful new features to Apple's iPhone later this year. But as is always the case with keynotes like WWDC, there's not enough time to cover every enhancement. And one such feature Apple didn't mention is that iOS will allow you to use Face ID even when your iPhone is oriented horizontally.
The quality of life improvement was spotted by Vox Media product manager Parker Ortolani on Apple's iOS 16 preview webpage. As The Verge points out, Apple has allowed iPad owners to use Face ID in this way for a while now, so it's not exactly a new feature. Still, it's one of those changes iPhone users, particularly those who use devices like the Razer Kishi and Backbone One, will appreciate. On its preview page, Apple says the feature will work with supported models without specifying the exact ones included in that list. We've reached out to the company for more information.
As is tradition, Apple will leave some of its older devices in the dust when it starts rolling out its latest operating systems. When iOS 16 arrives this fall, it will be available for iPhone 8 and later — in other words, all the phones Apple has released since 2017. That means iPhone 6S, iPhone 7 and iPhone SE (first-generation) users won't be able to upgrade to iOS 16.
When it comes to iPadOS 16, Apple will drop support for a couple devices, the iPad Mini 4 and iPad Air 2. Given that the Mini 4 debuted in 2015 and the Air 2 is from all the way back in 2014, it's safe to say those are showing their age. If anything, it's a testament to their staying power that Apple supported them all the way up to iPadOS 15.
You'll need an Apple Watch Series 4 or later to use watchOS 9. Apple Watch Series 3 users were able to install watchOS 7 and watchOS 8, but some features weren't available.
Things get a little more complicated when it comes to macOS Ventura. The following devices will be supported:
iMac, 2017 and later
Mac Pro, 2019 and later
iMac Pro, 2017
Mac mini, 2018 and later
MacBook Air, 2018 and later
MacBook, 2017 and later
MacBook Pro, 2017 and later
By way of comparison, macOS Monterey is compatible with late 2015 or later iMac, 2017 or later iMac Pro, early 2015 or later MacBook Air, early 2015 or later MacBook Pro, 2013 or later Mac Pro, late 2014 or later Mac mini and early 2016 or later MacBook.
It's always sad to see Apple bid older devices adieu, even though all of the models it will no longer support were all released at least five years ago — the iPad Air 2 and 2013 Mac Pro in particular had a good innings. While folks will still be able to use older models, Apple will surely be hoping that those clinging onto them will upgrade in the near future.
Apple's WWDC doesn't typically bring new hardware into the mix, but the company decided to do things a bit differently for 2022. Apple announced an updated MacBook Air and an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro alongside all of the new software features it debuted at today's keynote. Both will be powered by Apple's new M2 chipset, which will provide significant performance gains when compared to the previous M1 versions. Here's everything we know about how to pre-order the latest MacBooks.
MacBook Air with M2
Apple
The M2 MacBook Air will be available for pre-order directly from Apple and authorized retailers starting in July for $1,199. It'll be available in four colors: silver, space gray, midnight, starlight. The MacBook Air M1 will remain in the lineup and will start at $999.
Apple eschewed the wedge design of previous Airs here and opted for an all-new, more squared-off profile. However, that doesn't mean the new Air is any less svelte than before, measuring 11.3mm thick and weighing 2.7 pounds. It remains a fanless laptop, so it will run quietly even when you're pushing it to its limits. Apple claims the M2 chipset will provide 18 percent faster CPU performance and 35 percent faster GPU performance than the M1 processor, so you will notice the difference if you're upgrading from a 2020 MacBook Air.
Elsewhere, Apple updated the display to a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina panel that's 25 percent brighter than the panel on the previous notebook, plus it supports one billion colors. The company upped the webcam to a 1080p lens with better low-light performance, but alas, no Center Stage capabilities. The laptop features a four-speaker sound system and a TouchID keyboard with a full Function row. As for battery life, Apple estimates the new Air will get up to 18 hours of video playback and it's capable of recharging 50 percent in only 30 minutes.
You'll still find two Thunderbolt ports make up the majority of the connections (along with a headphone jack), but Apple did bring back a dedicated MagSafe charging port on this laptop. That means you won't have to hog one of the Thunderbolt ports when you need to power up the machine.
13-inch MacBook Pro with M2
Apple
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 will be available for pre-order directly from Apple and authorized retailers starting in July for $1,299. It'll be available in two colors: silver and space gray.
Unlike the updated MacBook Air, the M2-powered MacBook Pro didn't get a design facelift. Instead, apple focused on the guts and overall efficiency. The Pro M2 has an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU that should provide up to 40 percent faster performance when playing graphics-intensive games and a similar boost when working in apps like Affinity Photo. The laptop will support up to 24GB of RAM and up to 2TB of onboard storage, plus a video-playback battery life of up to 20 hours.
One of the MacBook Air M2's most important upgrades might sit outside the computer. As part of the announcement, Apple revealed that the 10-core GPU version of the new Air comes with a 35W adapter that includes two USB-C ports. You won't have to give up one of your laptop's connections (or plug in a separate power brick) just to charge your iPhone at the same time. Given that the portable only has two Thunderbolt/USB-C jacks, this could prove a life-saver if you use multiple peripherals.
If you're not worried about connectivity, there's also an optional 67W adapter that can fast-charge the MacBook Air to 50 percent in 30 minutes. This is the adapter that comes with the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, but the Air M2's lower power draw makes fast charging practical where it requires a 96W upgrade for the Pro.
The 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter is listed as "coming soon" in compact and regular sizes, and will sell for $59 in stand-alone form if you either buy the 8-core GPU Air or want to use the brick for powering other devices. You can buy the 67W charger for the same $59. The dual-port model will only be available to customers in Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Philiippines, Taiwan, Thailand and the US, so you're currently out of luck if you want the added convenience in other parts of the world.
At WWDC today, Apple not only unveiled its new M2 Silicon, but also a pair of devices that will be equipped with it — the new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro. Though most of the Pro seems similar to older models, the Air is also getting a redesign, making it thinner and lighter than before. It also comes in four colors and sports a new, squarish look. I was able to quickly play with the new Air today at Apple Park, and so far, I'm just glad it looks noticeably different, given it's been four years since Apple last redesigned the MacBook Air..
Of the four colors the Air now comes in, my personal favorite is Midnight, which is a deep blue. Our editor-in-chief, who attended the event with me, also preferred that hue. The silver and space grey models are very familiar, while starlight did not stand out to me.
If you're a fan of Apple's distinct wedge design on previous MacBooks, you might be concerned about the new, squarer look. I didn't mind it — I actually prefer the refresh since the older aesthetic feels pretty outdated to me by now. It's similar to the new MacBook Pros, though, so if you liked those you'll appreciate this. Just like the recent Pros, too, the new Air has a fullsize row of physical function keys. At the right end of this sits the power button with a Touch ID sensor. Dana is a fan of the groove here, which makes it easy to tell by touch where you should lay your finger. It also doesn't have a glossy finish that would attract fingerprints.
Importantly, the new MacBook Air has a larger 13.6-inch screen.
This story is developing, please refresh for updates.
Apple packed a lot into its annual developer's conference keynote. On the WWDC stage, company execs touted the latest improvements coming to iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 in the fall, plus forthcoming enhancements to macOS, watchOS and others. Apple also announced new hardware at the keynote this year: a new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro powered by the new M2 processor. Here are the biggest announcement to come out of WWDC 2022.
iOS 16
Apple
The next iteration of the iPhone's operating system will include new intelligence, sharing and communication features, plus new ways to customize your smartphone. Key among the latter is the completely designed Lock Screen, which lets you personalize most elements you'll see before unlocking your iPhone. You'll be able to tap on any element of your Lock Screen and customize it, changing the color and font of the time, adding widgets from the widget gallery and changing the backdrop with filters. If you prefer to have a photo as your Lock Screen backdrop, you'll be able to now set a "photo shuffle" as your background, which will cycle through multiple photos throughout the day.
Also coming to the Lock Screen are Live Activities, which are essentially widgets that will update in real time as events happen. They'll let you better keep track of things like sports games that are going on right now, Uber rides, workouts and more. The new Lock Screen will also better support different Focus modes, allowing you to customize which alerts and notifications you receive on your Lock Screen when you're in a particular Focus mode. So, for example, you'll be able to make a work-specific Lock Screen that will accompany your Work Focus mode.
iOS 16 will also bring some highly anticipated updates to Messages, namely message editing, undo send and mark as unread. You'll be able to edit sent messages so you can get rid of any typos, undo messages you just sent and mark Message threads unread, in case you want to go back to them with fresh eyes. Apple's also extending SharePlay's abilities into Messages, allowing you to share things like videos and watch them with friends while sending messages back and forth.
Apple
iPhone users will also have access to a new feature dubbed Apple Pay Later in iOS 16. This splits purchases into four equal payments and spreads them out over many weeks, with zero interest and fees applied. That should make it easier to pay for big purchases over time, and it'll accompany the new Order Tracking feature, which will let you monitor where you're shipments are before they actually arrive at your doorstep.
Apple has a number of Family sharing updates planned for iOS 16, including easier ways for parents to manage their kids accounts and devices. The new Quick Start setup process will let parents more easily set up a new Apple device for their child with all the necessary parental controls and restrictions in place. A more general new feature coming to Family Sharing involves Photos — within your family, you'll be able to have a dedicated iCloud Shared Photo Library, a separate space into which you can share specific photos that you want everyone in your family to see. The Photos app will even give you sharing suggestions based on who's in the photo and other factors, allowing you to more easily pick and choose which images you want everyone to be able to access.
There are a bunch of other updates coming to Wallet, HomeKit, CarPlay and more, but the other new feature in iOS 16 that we wanted to touch upon here is Safety Check. It's a new privacy feature that will let you review and reset access you've granted to others. In case you ever need to remove someone's access, you'll be able to use Safety Check to do things like stop location sharing via Find My and reset permissions you previously granted for certain apps.
MacBook Air M2, 13-inch MacBook Pro M2
Apple
Uncharacteristic for WWDC, Apple unveiled a new piece of hardware at today's keynote: the new MacBook Air M2. As the name suggests, the laptop runs on the company's updated M2 chipset, which Apple promises to provide up to 18 percent faster CPU performance and 35 percent faster GPU performance than M1 chipsets. The new MacBook Air also has a totally new design — gone is the wedge shape from the previous model, as it's been replaced by a more squared-off design that remains quite svelte at 11.3mm thick and only 2.7 pounds.
The MacBook Air M1 will sport a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display that's 25 percent brighter than the screen on the previous model and has support for one billion colors. It also has a 1080p webcam, a four-speaker sound system, a TouchID keyboard with a full Function row and a fanless interior design. Unfortunately, there are still only two Thunderbolt ports on this machine, but Apple did bring back MagSafe charging with a dedicated power port, so at least you will not tie up one of the two Thunderbolt ports with a charging cable. As for battery life, Apple estimates up to 18 hours of video playback on the MacBook Air M2. The new laptop will be available next month starting at $1,199.
The M2 chipset will also hit the 13-inch MacBook Pro soon, providing a similar performance boost to another one of the company's most popular laptops. The MacBook Pro M2 will have an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, support for up to 24GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage, plus a battery life of up to 20 hours. The updated 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 will also be available next month and it starts at $1,299.
macOS Ventura
Apple
The upcoming version of macOS, dubbed Ventura, will bring a handful of new organization and collaboration features to Macs. Stage Manager presents a new way to organize app windows on desktop, automatically putting the app you're currently working in front and center. Other active apps will be highlighted in a separate side dock into which you can drag and drop files to share, copy/paste and more.
Mail will get similar updates to Messages in iOS 16, like rescind send, schedule send and reminders to come back to emails at a later time. Elsewhere in Safari, it'll be easier to share multiple tabs with friends and family, and collaborate with them in real time. For example, if you're planning a camping trip with many people, you can share multiple tabs with camping gear, locations, information and more with your group, see which tabs they're actively looking at and more.
New Handoff and Continuity features are coming to FaceTime on macOS, too. For the former, you'll be able to hand off a FaceTime call you started on your iPhone to your Mac seamlessly, allowing you to use a larger screen when you need it. The new Continuity Camera feature present an interesting way for you to use your iPhone as a webcam. Using in-development magnetic stands, you'll be able to attach your iPhone to your Mac's screen and use its camera array as your webcam for FaceTime, Zoom, Microsoft Team and other video calls. Also, this process is completely wireless, so you won't have to worry about hogging one of your computer's ports for this like you would a standard external webcam.
Also worth noting here are Apple's new passkeys, or digital keys securely stored on your device. Designed to replace passwords, these unique passkeys aren't stored in the cloud, which Apple claims makes them much less susceptible to phishing and theft attempts. Passkeys will integrate with TouchID and FaceID on Apple devices for biometric authentication, and they can be synced with other Apple devices via iCloud Keychain.
iPadOS 16
Apple
Many of the new features that will hit iPadOS 16 are those we've discussed from iOS 16 and macOS Venture. But iPads will also gain things like new collaboration perks, updated Game Center profiles and sharing capabilities and its own version of macOS' Stage Manager feature. The latter is arguably the most interesting new feature as it pushes helps push the iPad further into the desktop-alternative realm. Stage Manager on iPad will let users resize app windows for the first time and overlap app windows as well, making them more similar to browser and program windows you'd use on desktop. Add in full external display support and the iPad inches even closer to being a true laptop-replacement device.
watchOS 9
Apple
Apple Watches will gain a number of handy new exercise features in watchOS 9. Most of these are confined to the Workout app, where you'll be able to keep track of heart rate zones while exercising and even set goals based on the heart rate zone you want to stay. Runners will appreciate the new trackable metrics available in the Workout app, including vertical oscillation, stride length and ground contact time. When you're tracking a run, you'll be able to see more on your Watch's screen by using the Digital Crown to scroll through various screens with different data recorded on them. Apple will also add a Custom Workout feature to the app, which lets users create exercise routines with specific goals that they can go back to on certain training days.
Sleep tracking on Apple Watch will also get better in watchOS 9 thanks to the addition of sleep stages. The Watch will now be able to monitor when you're in REM, core and deep sleep, recording the amount of time you spend in each phase, as well as the amount of time you spend awake each night.
Finally in the health and fitness realm, Apple's new Medications app will make it easier for Watch users to track the medications, vitamins and supplements they take and how often they take them. It has a reminders feature, which will use the audio and haptic alerts on the Watch to ping you when you need to take one of our medications throughout the day.
You won't have to wait ages to try Apple's major software updates this year. Apple has confirmed that public betas of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura and watchOS 9 will be available in July through the company's testing website. Developers already have access, but this is welcome news if you're eager to try new features on a personal device.
Each update has at least one clear draw. iOS 16 offers a much-improved lock screen with widgets and a customizable look. You can also expect major improvements to Messages, Wallet, Home and CarPlay. iPadOS 16, meanwhile, finally adds overlapping windows and proper external monitor support. Use macOS Ventura and you'll find improvements to multitasking, Spotlight searches and core apps, while watchOS 9 delivers big updates to fitness tracking, faces and notifications.
Like any beta, you'll want to be cautious about installing the public test releases. You'll likely encounter bugs and incompatible apps. These are for risk-aware early adopters, or at least those enthusiasts who can afford to install a beta on a secondary device. You'll want to wait for the polished versions if you absolutely need stable software.
Apple is getting more serious about gaming on Mac and iPad with the help of its silicon chips. At WWDC, the company showed off upscaling tech along the lines of NVIDIA's Deep Learning Super Sampling and AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution.
Metal 3 will include support for MetalFX Upscaling. Your Mac will render smaller frames that are less compute-intensive. MetalFX will upscale the visuals and apply temporal anti-aliasing. The idea is to deliver better and more efficient gaming performance with higher framerates than might be possible from pure hardware-driven rendering.
Apple
Resident Evil Village will utilize the tech when that game comes to Mac. Capcom says the game will run at 1080p "effortlessly" on MacBook Air and at 4K on Mac Studio. No Man's Sky will also use MetalFX upscaling when it arrives on Mac and iPad later this year. Grid Legendsis on the way to Mac as well.
Apple also announced a fast resource loading API that's designed to minimize loading time, akin to Microsoft's DirectStorage tech. It works by routing directing game data more directly from storage to the CPU. Apple says this will enable games to "easily access high-quality textures and geometry needed to create expansive worlds for realistic and immersive gameplay."
While Apple historically hasn't done a great job with supporting games (there's no native iOS app support for Stadia and Xbox Cloud Gaming for one thing), the introduction of MetalFX upscaling is a positive move. Getting big-name studios and publishers such as Capcom, EA and Hello Games on board could help turn the tide for Mac as a viable option for gamers. However, broader support for Steam games would be a bigger step in the right direction.
As part of the company's ongoing efforts to improve user security, at WWDC 2022 Apple announced new digital passkeys that add an extra layer of security to your passwords.
Available on both iOS and macOS, Apple's passkeys are designed to replace standard passwords by providing unique digital keys that are stashed locally on your device. Apple says that by not storing passkeys in the cloud, they are much less susceptible to being stolen in the case of a data breach or phishing attempt.
Passkeys will feature integration with biometric security including Touch ID and Face ID, and can be synced to other Apple devices via your iCloud Keychain. They will also work with apps and on the web, allowing users to sign into their accounts using their iPhone instead of their password.
The arrival of passkeys comes after Apple, alongside Google and Microsoft, announced a partnership with the FIDO Alliance and the WWDC earlier this spring. Apple's passkeys look to be the company's attempt to simplify and streamline the use of passwordless sign-on methods and will feature end-to-end encryption and compatibility with a wide range of Apple devices including the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV when it arrives sometime later this year.
