Technologies

iPhone 17 Cameras Might Get Improved Video Skills. As a Creator, I’m Excited

The iPhone 17 Pro could be great for YouTubers and content creators. Here’s what Apple needs to do.

The iPhone 16 Pro is already an extremely powerful tool for both photographers and videographers alike, thanks to its stellar rear cameras and ProRes Log video support. However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman — an Apple analyst with a reliable track record — writes that for the iPhone 17 Pro line, Apple «will stress improvements to video recording» in a move to «get the vlogging community away from stand alone cameras.» As a YouTube creator and professional photographer myself, I’m intrigued.

Sadly, Gurman hasn’t offered any details on what these video improvements might be. And to be fair to Apple, it’s already leading the way with some of its video production capabilities. The combination of ProRes recording and Log color profiles on the last couple of iPhone Pro models has made them not just great video cameras for everyday vloggers, but powerful enough to be the primary cameras for Hollywood films. Samsung clearly took note of Apple’s video dominance in the creative space as it equipped the recent S25 Ultra with Log color, too.

Given the already top-end video skills of the iPhones, it’s difficult to know exactly what Apple might do to make its devices even more appealing to content creators. I produce videos for CNET and I operate a YouTube channel, so I spend a lot of my time shooting video and vlogging on a variety of equipment from mirrorless cameras like my Canon R5 and BlackMagic Cinema Camera to more mobile options like the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. Yet I rarely use my iPhone 16 Pro as part of my production. So, why don’t I?

In all honesty, there’s no specific reason beyond that I feel I have my bases adequately covered by what’s already available. When I want cinematic production quality, I use my main cameras. When I want a lightweight mobile setup for photowalk vlogging, I use my Osmo. So I’m left wondering what Apple would need to do to make me leave my Osmo at home and head out to shoot my YouTube videos using just my phone. I do have a couple of thoughts.

First, it needs to make the main camera app easier to use with Bluetooth microphones. While the iPhone’s built-in microphones are decent enough in quiet environments, external mics can offer more professional sound quality with better wind resistance. They allow you to stand further away from your camera while capturing crystal clear sound.

While it’s possible to pair the DJI Mic 2 with the iPhone, I’ve only been able to get it to work when using the BlackMagic Camera app, but not in the iPhone’s default camera app. It’s possible that Apple will try to push the AirPods Pro 2 as the better option for creators, but I don’t like wearing headphones when vlogging, so this isn’t a workaround I’d be happy with.

I also want to see Apple offer more editing options for its Log footage on the phone. Log video looks grey and low contrast by default as you typically take that footage into editing software like Adobe Premiere or DaVinci Resolve and adjust the colors and contrast to suit — a process called color grading. But that adds a lot of time and effort.

If Apple wants its high-level video skills to appeal to fast-paced YouTubers and social media creators, adding color presets (often called LUTs) to the iPhone’s video editing workflow would be a welcome addition.

I’m definitely excited to see what Apple has in store for the iPhone 17’s cameras. As someone who spends a lot of time producing videos, I’m keen to see whether its new updates will be enough to tempt me away from my own tried-and-tested setup.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for July 5, #1477

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for July 5, No. 1,477.

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

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a pretty tough one. I grew up on a farm, so I know the word, but I didn’t put it together right away, even though the letters are common ones. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There is are two vowels in today’s Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with the letter B.

Wordle hint No. 4: Down on the farm

Today’s Wordle answer describes a piece of farm equipment.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer refers to a machine for making paper, hay, or cotton into bales.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is BALER.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, July 4, No. 1476 was CURVE.

Recent Wordle answers

June 30, No. 1472: BLINK

July 1, No. 1473: MOLDY

July 2, No. 1474: INCUR

July 3, No. 1475: POPPY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for July 5, #489

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for July 5, No. 489.

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

The theme of today’s NYT Strands puzzle isn’t terribly tough, but at least one of the words is unusual and really, really long to unscramble. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Every second counts.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Does anybody really know what time it is?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

DIAL, SOLE, MOLE, MOLES, SHAKE, CHEEP, ROLE, HOME, LOCK, MEAT, TAME, TAMES, ROLES, ROON, TRON

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

CLOCK, WATCH, SUNDIAL, HOURGLASS, CHRONOMETER

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is TIMEKEEPERS. To find it, look for the T that’s four letters down on the far left, and wind across.

Technologies

Microsoft Is Eliminating Passwords in August: Here’s What You Need to Do to Prepare

Microsoft Authenticator has already stopped autofilling passwords, but the biggest change comes next month.

In June, Microsoft Authenticator stopped letting users create new passwords. In July, it turned off the autofill password function. And in August, the login app will stop supporting passwords entirely, moving to more secure passkeys, such as a PIN, fingerprint or facial recognition.

Attila Tomaschek, CNET’s software senior writer and digital security expert, says that passkeys are a safer alternative to the risky password habits practiced by 49% of US adults, according to a recent survey by CNET.

«Passwords can be cracked, whereas passkeys need both the public and the locally stored private key to authenticate users, which can help mitigate risks like falling victim to phishing and brute-force or credential-stuffing attacks,» Tomaschek said.

Using the same password for several accounts or adding personal hints can be a convenient way to remember your login. But that puts you at a big risk for scammers, identity theft and fraud. Here’s more on Microsoft’s plan for eliminating passwords and how to make the switch to passkeys before August.

When will Microsoft Authenticator stop supporting passwords?

Microsoft Authenticator houses your passwords and lets you sign into all your Microsoft accounts using a PIN, facial recognition like Windows Hello, or other biometric data like a fingerprint. Authenticator can be used in other ways, such as verifying you’re logging in if you forgot your password, or using two-factor authentication as an extra layer of security for your accounts. In June, the company stopped letting users add passwords to Authenticator, but here’s a timeline of other changes you can expect from Microsoft.

July 2025: You won’t be able to use the autofill password function.
August 2025: You’ll no longer be able to use saved passwords.

If you still want to use passwords instead of passkeys, you can store them in Microsoft Edge. However, CNET experts recommend adopting passkeys during this transition. «Passkeys use public key cryptography to authenticate users, rather than relying on users themselves creating their own (often weak or reused) passwords to access their online accounts,» Tomaschek said.

Why are passkeys a better alternative to passwords?

So what exactly is a passkey? It’s a credential created by the Fast Identity Online Alliance that uses biometric data or a PIN to verify your identity and access your account. Think about using your fingerprint or Face ID to log into your account. That’s generally safer than using a password that is easy to guess or susceptible to a phishing attack.

Passkeys aren’t stored on servers like passwords. Instead, they’re stored only on your personal device. More conveniently, this takes the guesswork out of remembering your passwords and the need for a password manager.

How to set up a passkey in Microsoft Authenticator

Microsoft said in a May 1 blog post that it will automatically detect the best passkey to set up and make that your default sign-in option. «If you have a password and ‘one-time code’ set up on your account, we’ll prompt you to sign in with your one-time code instead of your password. After you’re signed in, you’ll be prompted to enroll a passkey. Then the next time you sign in, you’ll be prompted to sign in with your passkey,» according to the blog post.

To set up a new passkey, open your Authenticator app on your phone. Tap on your account and select «Set up a passkey.» You’ll be prompted to log in with your existing credentials. After you’re logged in, you can set up the passkey.