Technologies

Apple’s ‘Wonderlust’ Event Highlights iPhone 15, USB-C and Apple Watch 9: Everything Announced

At its annual fall event, Apple launched its latest round of iPhones and watches. And yes, USB-C has landed on the iPhone 15.

It was a big day for the iPhone and Apple Watch as Apple rolled out the 2023 models: the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2. And the moment you’ve all been waiting for — USB-C has landed in the iPhone and AirPods.

In addition to the big reveals, Apple tossed us the usual random scraps of updates to its products and services, and announced the availability of its operating systems. The company claims that by 2030 it will have net zero climate impact (in a skit featuring Oscar winner Octavia Spencer) and detailed all the ways it’s working toward that. iCloud Plus gets a couple of new tiers, as well — 6 and 12 terabytes — because everything takes up a lot more space.

For the play-by-play commentary during the event, you can relive the magic with our archived live blog.

iPhone 15 and 15 Plus

These inherit a lot from the iPhone 14 Pro, minus the telephoto camera, including the Dynamic Island widget that expands the camera cutout to show contextual information. The 15 Plus has a bigger battery and a 6.7-inch screen compared to the 6.1-inch of the 15. Both also use the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip that’s in the new watches.

In addition to USB-C charging, Apple has upped its MagSafe to support the Qi2 standard.

It uses «color infused glass» for the new back (giving more durable color) with an etched layer over it. The new main camera is 48 megapixels — still dual cameras — and uses pixel binning to improve low-light performance. It still uses digital zoom for 2x by cropping into the center of the sensor. And now you don’t have to remember to switch to portrait mode; it will autodetect. Plus, it lets you select a subject for focus after the fact.

Apple has expanded its emergency satellite service to roadside assistance. It’s launching in the US with AAA, and is included in the membership. Nonmembers can subscribe separately.

The new A16 Bionic chip with an improved neural engine adds aggressive background noise cancellation on calls (aka Voice Isolation).

The iPhone 15 starts at $799 and the Plus starts at $899 in the US. Both prices are with carrier activation.

iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max

The Pro — 6.1 inches for Pro and 6.7 inches for Pro Max — now sports a titanium alloy case with an aluminum substructure, which makes it lighter (though not thinner) and better for heat dissipation, and has shrunken borders for more screen visibility. Their new internal design also improves repairability, partly because the back glass can be replaced.

The rumored Action button is real. It’s programmable and has haptic feedback, but still remains available for muting and works in conjunction with Dynamic Island. And like Android, there’s an always-on StandBy screen enabled by iOS 17.

Apple debuts the A17 Pro chip for these, which has a new GPU that includes ray-tracing acceleration (for augmented reality!). Metal, the company’s 3D graphics framework, includes optimized upscaling, plus provides more efficient (and therefore battery friendly) operation. Some console games will also be natively playable — Apple specifically called out Assassin’s Creed Mirage, coming next year.

The chip also has improved performance cores, a new neural engine, a dedicated AV1 decoder, a USB 3 controller and USB-C connection.

The New iPhone 15 Lineup Is Here. Here’s What They Can Do

iphone 15 in different color from an angled view

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The Max has a 48-megapixel camera with a larger sensor than the other models and coated lenses for fewer reflections. It’s got 24mm, 28mm and 35mm equivalent lenses on the main camera, and the company promises better detail and dynamic range. The 120mm telephoto lens uses a «tetraprism» design with three-axis sensor-shift image stabilization. There’s also a 3x zoom lens.

Video supports recording to an external USB drive, v-log encoding and ACES support (the latter two are big for pros). Because the Vision Pro headset is on the horizon, it lets you capture 3D spatial videos — later this year.

The $15 Pro starts at $999, with the Pro Max starting at $1,199; preorders start Friday and they ship on Sept. 22.

Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra

The new S9 chip powers the updated watch, with upgraded graphics and neural core for more streamlined operation and on-device processing of Siri requests, including logging and retrieving health data. The new Ultra Wideband chip will allow or improve location and control other Apple devices. And the display is brighter and can get darker, which should improve visibility in dim or bright lighting. On the inside it’s also got an A16 Bionic chip.

The company says that the Series 9 is net zero, its first carbon-neutral product; part of that is replacing leather bands with a new material it calls «FineWoven.» New faces, colors and materials: There are a lot of new bands.

There’s a gesture that’s been repurposed from its accessibility tools — Double Tap — which controls the primary button in an app and scrolls through widgets, among other things.

It’s shipping in October, also in a new pink color, and preorders are live now.

In addition to all the updates to the Series 9, the new display on the Ultra goes up to 3,000 nits of brightness (that’s pretty bright, significantly brighter than the Series 9’s 2,000 nits), and offers a new modular face. It also has an expanded altitude range.

It too has an improved environmental impact, such as using 95% recycled titanium.

Both watches are available starting Sept. 22; they begin at $399 for the Series 9 and $799 for the Ultra 2.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, April 8

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 8.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Hint: It uses a lot of the letter Z for some reason. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: ___-Carlton (hotel chain)
Answer: RITZ

5A clue: Span of the alphabet
Answer: ATOZ

6A clue: Cable channel with an out-of-this-world name
Answer: STARZ

7A clue: Takes care of, as a squeaky wheel
Answer: OILS

8A clue: Toy on a string
Answer: YOYO

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: When a post receives far more negative comments than likes, in social media slang
Answer: RATIO

2D clue: World’s leading wine producer
Answer: ITALY

3D clue: Middle of the human body
Answer: TORSO

4D clue: Sleeping sound
Answer: ZZZ

6D clue: Tofu base
Answer: SOY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 8, #562

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 8 No. 562.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Working out.

Green group hint: Cover your face.

Blue group hint: NFL players.

Purple group hint: Leap.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Exercises in singular form.

Green group: Sporting jobs that require masks.

Blue group: Hall of Fame defensive ends.

Purple group: ____ jump.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is exercises in singular form. The four answers are crunch, plank, situp and squat.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is sporting jobs that require masks. The four answers are catcher, fencer, football player and goaltender.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Hall of Fame defensive ends. The four answers are Dent, Peppers, Strahan and Youngblood.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ jump. The four answers are broad, high, long and triple.

Technologies

The $135M Google Data Settlement Site Is Live — See If You’re Eligible

Use the settlement website to select your preferred payment method, and you may end up $100 richer.

You can now file a claim in the $135 million Google data settlement. The case centers on claims that Android devices transmitted user data without consent. Specifically, the class action lawsuit Taylor v. Google LLC contends that Google’s Android devices passively transferred cellular data to Google without user permission, even when the devices were idle. While not admitting fault, Google reached a preliminary settlement in January, agreeing to pay $135 million to about 100 million US Android phone users.

The official settlement website for the lawsuit is now live. The final approval hearing won’t occur until June 23, when the court will consider whether Google’s settlement is fair and listen to objections. After that, the court will decide whether to approve the $135 million settlement.

In the meantime, if you qualify and want to be paid as part of the settlement, you can select your preferred payment method on the official website. There, you can find information on speaking at the June 23 court hearing and on how to exclude yourself or write to the court to object by May 29.

As part of the settlement, Google will update its Google Play terms of service to clarify that certain data transfers do occur passively even when you’re not using your Android device, and that cellular data may be relied upon when not connected to Wi-Fi. This can’t always be disabled, but users will be asked to consent to it when setting up their device.

Google will also fully stop collecting data when its «allow background data usage» option is toggled off.

Who can be part of the settlement?

In order to join the Taylor v. Google LLC settlement, you must meet four qualifications:

Be a living, individual human being in the US.
Have used an Android mobile device with a cellular data plan.
Have used the aforementioned device at any time from Nov. 12, 2017, to the date when the settlement receives final approval.
You’re not a class member in the Csupo v. Google LLC lawsuit, which is similar but specifically for California residents.

The final approval hearing is on June 23, so you can add your payment method until then. The hearing’s date and time may change, and any updates will be posted on the settlement website.

If you choose to do nothing, you will still be issued a settlement payment, but you may not receive it if you don’t select a payment method.

How much will I get paid?

It’s not currently known exactly how much each settlement class member will receive, but the cap is $100. Payments will be distributed after final court approval and after any appeals are resolved.

After all administrative, tax and attorney costs are paid, the settlement administrator will attempt to pay each member an equal amount. If any funds remain after payments are sent, and it’s economically feasible, they will be redistributed to members who were previously and successfully paid. If it’s not economically feasible, the funds will go to an organization approved by the court.