Plenty of Apple, iPhone, and iPad news gets released every single day – but we know you’re busy, so we’ve got your back. Here, we’ve picked out some of the most important stories from the past week or so and summarized them for easy digestion. You’re welcome.
Let’s take a quickfire look at some of the most interesting recent headlines of late. As ever, click through to read the full stories if you want to know more!
Play Cyberpunk on your iPhone with Stadia
As promised, Google has launched a version of its Stadia game streaming platform for iOS. Head on over to the Stadia website in Safari on your iPhone or iPad, and you’ll be able to stream many of the latest and greatest PC games on your device. That includes current hit Cyberpunk 2077, which has been in the news for its demanding hardware requirements. This is a long-anticipated workaround from Google, as a raft of regular game streaming services have run afoul of Apple’s stringent App Store rules.
Facebook attacks Apple’s ad plans
It would perhaps be overly dramatic to say that Facebook has declared war on Apple, but it’s certainly escalated tensions in recent days. The social network giant has taken out a series of newspaper ads (and a blog post) laying into Apple for its forthcoming ad tracking prevention tool. Apple’s new measures will require users to opt in to ad tracking on apps and websites, a subtle change that Facebook claims will hit small businesses to the tune of 60% of their ad income and change the internet “for the worse”.
New Apple TV rumored for 2021
Another month, another claim that Apple is working on a new iteration of its Apple TV hardware. The report from respected Japanese news outlet Nikkei is extremely light on specifics, but it cites “an executive at a key Apple supplier” as confirming that Apple will launch a new media streaming device next year. It’s just the latest in a line of rumors suggesting that a new 4K media streaming box is in the works, with previous tips claiming that the new device will be a gaming powerhouse.
Hear Siri roar in iOS 14.3
Apple rolled out iOS 14.3 this week, and one of the less-heralded additions is the ability for Siri to make a whole bunch of new sounds, including animal noises. Yes, you heard that right. Ask Siri what a humpback whale sounds like, and it’ll play you a clip of the giant mammal’s haunting call, alongside a handy image and Wikipedia entry link for the creature. Ditto for lions, bees, and hyenas – and those are just the four that we’ve tried out for ourselves.