With a possible Apple event next month, here's what we want to see

Apple always has a spring event, and the next one could be happening next month. Here's what I hope we get out of it.

Spring is approaching, and you know what that means — it's time for an Apple event. The rumors are that we're probably going to see something on March 8, though that date is not confirmed (yet), but we're confident something will be happening next month. After all, Apple has historically held a spring event in either March or April every year, so definitely coming, regardless.

According to reports, there are three things that we should be expecting: a new iPhone SE, a new iPad Air, and a new 13-inch MacBook Pro. But perhaps Apple could drop some surprises at such an event too. Either way, here's what I want to see at Apple's March event.

A new iPhone SE along with new iPhone 13 colors

This is a given, and even though I have no plans on purchasing a new iPhone SE, I'm still excited to see one. I know several people in my life who still prefer an iPhone with a Home button, but the current iPhone SE is getting long in the tooth and is due for an update. This would be the year for a new iPhone SE, and with it, I expect to see 5G connectivity. After all, most of the iPhones that Apple is selling right now, at least the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 13 lineup, have 5G, so this is just the logical thing to do.

And while it's less likely, I would want to see a new design for the next iPhone SE. I mean, yes, I know the reason people would opt for the SE is that it still has a Home button, and it's also the most affordable iPhone, but the design is old. I talk about this more in my piece about what I want to see in the iPhone SE 3, but I think it would be cool to go for an iPhone mini design but still include Touch ID by moving it to the side button instead. That way, Apple can appease those who still prefer Touch ID but could benefit from more screen estate.

On another note, I would like to see another color for the iPhone 13. After all, they released a purple iPhone 12 last spring, so they could definitely be dropping a new iPhone 13 color. We already have a pink, blue, and a PRODUCT(RED), so maybe we can hope for a green hue? It's undoubtedly a springtime color, especially if you go with a lighter, sage, or mint green. Or maybe we can do a repeat of last year and do another purple shade? Or perhaps yellow? There are plenty of springy colors to pick from, so it's a possibility.

An updated iPad Air 5

This is another one of the expected announcements for the spring event, but there are certain things I'm hoping we will get with a refresh. After all, we've been recommended the iPad Air as the best iPad for most people, but it is definitely getting a little bit outdated compared to the rest of the lineup.

For one, the next iPad Air 5 will need to have Center Stage. With Center Stage, you have a mixture of machine learning, software, and an Ultra-Wide camera lens that helps keep you in the frame on all of your video calls. Center Stage is currently available on the iPad Pro, iPad mini 6, and even the base-level iPad. It only makes sense that an updated iPad Air receives the same feature, which would then be available across the entire iPad lineup.

I'm also hoping to see some improvements to the display on the iPad Air. It currently has a regular Liquid Retina display with True Tone, but I think it would be great if it could at least get ProMotion. It may not be something that everyone can notice, but I certainly saw it on my iPhone 13 Pro and 11-inch iPad Pro (2020) and can't go back. After all, the iPad Air is a middle ground between the entry-level iPads and the Pro models, so having some pro features for a lower price would be beneficial.

While this may be the least likely to happen, I would like to see the next iPad Air feature Face ID. I mean, it already doesn't have a Home button, so to me it just makes sense to begin moving away from Touch ID. If one still wants Touch ID, there would still be the entry-level iPad, as well as the iPad mini 6. I think it would be nice to have Face ID on the Air and Pro models.

A new 13-inch MacBook Pro, starring M2

Last year, we got updated MacBook Pros, but this was just for the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the new 14-inch MacBook Pro. If you've been waiting for a new 13-inch MacBook Pro, which hasn't been updated since 2020, your wait is almost over. It's time for a new 13-inch, and we should be seeing it during the spring event, if rumors are to be believed.

Though we got the powerful new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips last year, a new 13-inch MacBook Pro is likely to have the next generation of the baseline M1 chip, which would appropriately be dubbed the M2. This should be a decent spec bump over the original M1, but I expect it won't be quite as powerful as the M1 Pro or M1 Max. But for those who just want an entry-level pro laptop, the M2 should be a nice upgrade, especially coming from an Intel-based Mac.

Other things I want to see from a new 13-inch MacBook Pro, though it is highly unlikely, are some new colors for the lineup. I mean, we did get some colorful new M1 iMacs last year, so I am hoping for a splash of color with Apple's portable Mac lineup. But historically speaking, Apple doesn't seem to want to give color for "professional" devices, so maybe this is something that may fit the MacBook Air more.

Other things I hope to see at Apple's spring event

Those are the things that we should be expecting at the spring event. However, there could always be a "one more thing…" that Apple could drop, though that doesn't happen very often. Still, Apple could surprise us.

We got AirPods 3 a few months ago, so maybe we can get a glimpse of AirPods Pro 2. I've always preferred the AirPods Pro over the regular AirPods because of the silicone ear tips and incredible ANC, so I'm eager to see what the next iteration of the earbuds will have in store. Especially since rumors have been floating around about the next AirPods Pro having "updated motion sensors with a focus on fitness tracking," — I'm genuinely curious how that would work.

It would also be nice to see if Apple has an update for the AirPods Max too, though this is probably less likely since it's newer than AirPods Pro.

All-in-all, Apple's spring event is inevitable, and it will surely give us plenty to get excited over. No matter what it's going to announce, we'll be ready over here with our Apple Card.

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TikTok is rolling out 10-minute videos whether anyone wants them or not

What you need to know

• TikTok has announced that videos can be up to 10 minutes long.
• Videos posted to TikTok were previously limited to three minutes.

People don't seem too keen on the idea, though.

TikTok has confirmed that it is extending the length of videos to a whole ten minutes, whether people actually seem to want that, or not.

News broke last week that TikTok was testing longer videos and that people weren't convinced that was the way to go. Now, the video-based social network has announced that it's forging on regardless.

In a statement to TechCrunch, TikTok said that the extension comes after the outfit set about thinking of "new ways to bring value" to its users.

"We're always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience. Last year, we introduced longer videos, giving our community more time to create and be entertained on TikTok," a spokesperson from TikTok said in a statement. "Today, we're excited to start rolling out the ability to upload videos that are up to 10 minutes, which we hope would unleash even more creative possibilities for our creators around the world."

Previously, TikToks were limited to three minutes which already seemed like a long time considering the 15-second limit that the service launched with. TikTok has increased that time limit steadily in the last year or so and it seems more than likely that 15-minute videos won't be all that far away, too.

The reasons for all of this are obvious — ad dollars. Longer videos allow for mid-roll ads, something YouTube has made great use of already. For now though, it's all down to the creators. Will they take advantage of the longer video format or will they prefer to stick to shorter clips instead?

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Tweetbot 7.1 adds notifications for quote tweets, new followers, and more

What you need to know

• Tweetbot 7.1 adds support for new notification types.
• Tweetbot's icons have had a bit of a refresh.
• The updated Tweetbot is available for download now.

Now you won't need to rely on the Twitter app so much.

The hugely popular Twitter app Tweetbot has received a new update, bringing the version number all the way to 7.1 And while this isn't as big as some previous updates it does add a couple of very notable improvements around notifications.

While some people still use the official Twitter app, Tweetbot is one of the best iPhone apps that takes advantage of the latest Twitter API capabilities to create an improved experience. Now, the new version 7.1 update builds on the foundation of version 7.0 by adding support for new notification types:

• New Follower notifications
• Quote Tweet notifications
• Enable notifications when specific users Tweet

All of those require the new Background Refresh notifications to be enabled — using the old push notification system doesn't support these new types of alerts. The switch to background notifications is something to be wary of, however, with developer Tapbots pointing out that force quitting the app will break notifications and that those who have their device in Low Power Mode won't get any, either.

Tapbots lays out the following pros and cons to consider when enabling Background Notifications.

Pros:

• Adds support for Follows, Quotes, and user Tweet notifications. You can enable user Tweet notifications from someone's profile.
• These notifications will respect mute filters.

Cons:

• May increase battery/network usage.
• Force quitting the app will stop it from functioning.

With all that in mind users will need to decide how much they want the new notifications — I know I've made the switch, but not everyone will.

The updated Tweetbot is available for download now and is well worth checking out if you've yet to sample a non-Twitter app.

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Apple hit with its sixth $5.7m Dutch App Store fine

What you need to know

• Apple has been hit with another fine over its spat with a Dutch watchdog.
• Apple has been told to allow dating apps to accept payments outside of the App Store.
• Apple says it has complied although no apps can actually allow third-party payments yet.

It's all starting to add up.

Apple has today been hit with its sixth $5.7 million fine over its lack of compliance with a demand by a Dutch watchdog to allow some developers to offer third-party payments via the App Store.

In a story that's now been running for weeks, Apple has been hit by another weekly fine of 5 million euros after the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) in the Netherlands reported that it feels there has been no change in Apple's position — just hours after the iPhone maker sent a letter arguing that it has indeed complied with the ACM's demands.

While Apple has set about making it possible for developers of dating apps to offer third-party payments in the App Store, the ACM says that it isn't enough and continues to fine Apple while it waits for things to be rectified. Today's sixth fine means that Apple now owes enough to make a dent in its coffers.

While the ACM confirmed to Reuters that the letter had been received, it also said that it did not represent a change in Apple's position. Hence the new fine, presumably.

The whole showdown stems from Apple requiring 30% of all fees paid via the App Store, something the ACM has told the company some developers must be allowed to work around. That would mean that all dating apps in the Dutch App Store would be able to offer their own payment systems — although Apple says it still expects 27% of the fee for those transactions, too.

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Show off your pictures with a smart digital photo frame

We're lucky enough to have some of the best digital cameras ever made at our disposal these days. Wouldn't it be nice to display those fancy photos or help the grandparents see fresh images without paying for printing and shipping? You can do just that with digital photo frames. They take up less room than photo albums, have built-in smart features, and look great in any home. You've upgraded from a flip phone to a smartphone and maybe from a desktop to a laptop, right? Why not step up from old-fashioned photo frames to digital? I've handpicked the best digital photo frames of the year, and I can't wait to show them to you.

A smart frame

Nixplay 10.1 Smart Digital Photo Frame

Staff Favorite

Some products are billed as smart are lacking intelligence. That's not the case with this sleek Nixplay digital frame. It's a generous 10.1-inches and is viewable from across a room. You share photos and videos to the frame via the free Nixplay app and Wi-Fi, and it updates your collection of pics and videos automatically. The matte black finish is stunning and wall-mountable, and the internals include a 1280x800 HD IPS display, motion sensors, and Alexa compatibility.

$154 at Amazon $190 at Best Buy $143 at Nixplay

Best for your budget

Aluratek 7-inch distressed wood frame

You don't have to spend money outside your comfort zone to get in on the latest and greatest digital photo frames. The Aluratek has a 7-inch SVGA LCD and distressed wood frame. This model reads SD memory cards and USB drives, so it's a cinch to add photos. Photographs are bright and vibrant, and the wood-looking frame blends in with any decor. Perfect for your office cubicle, a dorm room, or a bedroom, this small digital photo frame showcases your best work and is simple enough for anyone in the family to use.

$47 at Amazon $55 at Office Max Office Depot $50 at Aluratek

Best looking

Skylight Wi-Fi digital frame

Many of today's best digital photo frames look like pieces of technology. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, but this frame from Skylight doesn't distract from or compete with your current decor. In a word, it's gorgeous. This is a 10-inch Wi-Fi frame that looks and feels like a traditional frame. Goodies include a touchscreen display, effortless setup, and quick photo transfers from an email address to the frame.

$157 at Amazon $159 at Skylight

Best resolution

Pix-Star 10-inch Wi-FI frame with IPS

When you want your photos to come to life, you want this model from Pix-Star, one of the best digital photo frames of the year. The 9.7-inch IPS display supports video and photo playback, and the whole thing works over Wi-Fi. The Pix-Star sets up in minutes and stores up to 30,000 pictures. Transfer pics from a USB stick, your iPhone or Android, social media, the cloud, or a memory card, and you're good to go. A built-in motion sensor turns this photo frame on when someone approaches and back off again when no one is within view. Bonus: you can even receive daily weather updates with this model.

$154 at Amazon $160 at Pix-Star

Best matte options

SimplySmart PhotoShare

PhotoShare from SimplySmart has an 8-inch black frame and comes with three interchangeable mattes. It holds over 5,000 photos, displays HD photos and videos, and works with iPhone, Android devices, SD cards, USB, and Google Photos. Pictures go from your phone to frame in seconds, and there's a built-in clock and calendar, making this model a fantastic desktop or nightstand accessory.

$100 at Amazon $130 at Kohl's

Best storage

Aura Mason Luxe 2K

We gave high marks to this frame in our Aura Mason Luxe review. The Mason Luxe works in landscape and portrait mode, has a super sharp 2K 9.7-inch display, and has an admirable 2048x1536 resolution. Photos on display are incredibly shart and life-like. Best of all, Aura gives you unlimited photo and video storage.

$250 at Best Buy

Best wall mountable

Feelcare smart Wi-Fi frame

The Feelcare is a slender 7-inch smart digital photo frame that's wall mountable. Finally, a digital picture frame that doesn't need to be propped up, taking up valuable space. This glossy black frame has Wi-Fi, 16GBs of storage, a touchscreen, and an IPS LCD panel. Hang it on the wall in portrait or landscape mode. Photos and videos are sendable from any Android or iPhone.

$100 at Amazon $100 at Walmart

Best remote

Atatat digital picture frame

With a crisp HD IPS screen and wide viewing angle, the Atatat digital photo frame gives you a clear, detailed view of pictures and videos from anywhere in the room. This frame comes in black or white, auto-rotates, has a slideshow mode, picture zoom, and a remote that you can use to cycle through images or add and delete anything from your collection.

$62 at Amazon

Best touchscreen

AEEZO Wi-Fi digital picture frame 2K

This contemporary frame from AEEZO gives you a touchscreen to control the settings and add and remove images and video. It has a big 10-inch IPS 2K screen that displays images in 2048 x 1536 resolution. You'll get 16GBs of internal storage, giving you enough room to store about 30,000 photos. If you're searching for a modern-looking digital frame with a touchscreen, you just found it.

$150 at Amazon $170 at AEEZO

Our final thoughts

If you have one of the best digital cameras, you'll want a good display to show off your work. More than a few generations of digital photo frames have come and gone now. The years between the first release and today have led to a less complicated installation and a more pleasurable viewing experience.

My top pick this year is the Nixplay Smart Digital Picture Frame. It's compatible with Alexa, has built-in Wi-Fi, and looks fantastic on any wall or coffee table. The Nixplay is a thoughtful gift for grandparents who may not have the patience to fiddle with setup. Your photos can be emailed to the frame or sent from the app, and they display on their own without any further interaction required. Best of all, this energy-saving mode automatically turns on when someone walks into the room and shuts off when no one is present.

If you want to keep costs down, you can't beat the Aluratek 7-Inch Digital Photo Frame. The wood frame is beautiful, and the small 7-inch TFT LCD is just the right size for exhibiting photos in your office cubicle, dorm room, or on an end table. The Aluratek pulls photographs from memory cards, USB drives, and your phone. What could be simpler?

And if you want a contemporary-looking frame, go with Skylight. The 10-inch screen shines bright, pictures travel from phone to frame over Wi-Fi, and the setup is effortless.

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It's time to party with Animal Crossing Festivale!

Get ready to party!

Yet another year has come and gone with Animal Crossing Toy Day and New Year's firmly in the rearview mirror. Now it's time to turn our attention to the year's first in-game celebration found in the form of Festivale. Islanders are visited by Pavé, the fabulous peacock, who brings with him plenty of color and cheer to light up the cold winter months. Here's everything you need to know about Animal Crossing Festivale and Pavé.

One of the reasons that Animal Crossing is one of the best Nintendo Switch games is because it allows us to celebrate real-world holidays and seasonal events in-game. To learn more about other festivities, check out the Animal Crossing events calendar.

Animal Crossing Festivale

• When is Festivale?
• What is Festivale?
• What to do on Festivale
• Festivale items
• Festivale DIY recipes
• New reactions
• New clothing
• New seasonal items

When is Animal Crossing Festivale?

This year Animal Crossing Festivale will be on February 28th. This festivity takes place the day before real-world Mardi Gras. Since the real-life holiday shifts depending on the year, Festivale is celebrated in either February or March.

What is Festivale?

Festivale is marked by Pavé the peacock appearing on your Resident Service Plaza and confetti falling from the sky. Your villagers will dress in sparkling clothes and feathery headdresses. When you talk to Pavé, this fabulous bird sends players off to collect feathers.

They can be caught with a net as they float down alongside the confetti. If players collect the proper color and amount of feathers, then Pavé rewards them with a dance, DIY recipe, or Festivale items. If you give Pavé a Rainbow Feather he will give you a Rainbow Festivale item in exchange.

What to do on Festivale

It will likely take you about 25-30 minutes to complete the Festivale tasks. The Able Sisters should have Festivale clothes in their store. Dress up to make the day that much more fun. Here's what to do on Festivale.

1. Talk to Pavé (he's on the Resident Service Plaza) to get the Rainbow Feather DIY.
2. Run around your island and capture different feather colors (red, green, purple, blue) with your bug net. You can also wear a feather if you select it from your inventory.
3. Talk to your villagers and see what feathers they have. You might be able to trade the feathers you have for a color you don't have.
4. Craft a Rainbow Feather at a DIY station using one red, one green, one purple, and one blue feather.
5. Give the Rainbow Feather to Pavé and he'll give you a rainbow Festivale item. Continue to give him Rainbow Feathers to get the rest of the rainbow set. There are nine different items in total.
6. Once you have all nine rainbow Festivale items, craft three rainbow feathers and give them to Pavé. He'll do an awesome dance and then give you the Festivale Float.
7. If you give Pavé three feathers of the same color, he will give you a random Festivale item in that same color. For instance, if I gave him three purple feathers, he might give me the purple Festivale Drum. You can continue to collect every Festivale item color variation by doing this.
8. If you want something more to do after that, you could continue to catch feathers and then craft rainbow feathers. Timmy and Tommy Nook will give you 1,600 Bells for each Rainbow Feather you sell them at Nook's Cranny. The other feathers sell for 200 Bells each.

Festivale items

Festivale items can be purchased in the Nook's Cranny, however, each player only sees one color option in their store. For instance, all the Festivale items that show up in my shop are purple. Thankfully, you can customize these items and change their colors if you have enough feathers of a different color. Of course, you can also trade with a friend who has a different color in their store.

As mentioned previously, you can also get these items from Pavé if you give him three of the same feather color. However, you can only get rainbow-colored items from Pavé. Here are all of the Animal Crossing items for Festivale.

	Name	Color variations
	Feather
	Festivale Accessory
	Festivale Balloon Lamp
	Festivale Confetti Machine
	Festivale Costume
	Festivale Drum
	Festivale Flag
	Festivale Garland
	Festivale Lamp
	Festivale Stage
	Festivale Stall
	Festivale Tank Dress

Festivale DIY recipes

There's really only the Rainbow Feather DIY. But there are several fun items to collect during Festivale.

New reactions

Nintendo has also revealed that new reactions, clothing, and seasonal items will come to New Horizons in February. For a limited time, the Viva Festivale Reaction Set can be purchased from the green cabinet at Nook's Cranny. This set includes the following reactions:

• Feelin' It
• Let's Go
• Viva and Confetti

New clothing

Starting February 1, the Able Sisters shop will sell Festivale clothing. You'll definitely want to dress in style for the big day to match your villagers and your feathery visitor.

New seasonal items

From February 1 through February 14, players can purchase special seasonal items from the Nook Stop at Resident Services or the Nook Shopping app. These items cover Valentine's Day, Groundhog Day, and the Super Bowl:

	Name	Color variations
	Bean Tossing Kit
	Bokjumeoni Lucky Pouch
	Chocolate Heart
	Megaphone
	Heart-Shaped Bouquet
	Horned-Ogre Mask
	Lucky Red Envelope
	Lunar New Year Decoration
	Maracas
	Ogre Costume
	Okame Mask
	Resetti Model

Animal Crossing Pavé & Festivale

It's time to celebrate the start of the new year with Festivale and our favorite fabulous peacock! Collect cute items as you enjoy the annual holiday.

Get More Switch

Nintendo Switch

$299 at Amazon

• How the new Switch V2 compares to the original model
• Nintendo Switch Review
• Best Nintendo Switch Games
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• Best Travel Cases for Nintendo Switch
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Animal Crossing: New Horizons

• Zelda outfits for Animal Crossing
• How to make money fast
• Multiplayer guide
• How to become best friends
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• Can you play Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch Lite?
• Every Animal Crossing amiibo
• Best Animal Crossing Switch accessories

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If Apple is making a foldable MacBook, this is what it could look like

What you need to know

• Apple is rumored to be working on a foldable MacBook of sorts.
• Rumors have Apple's foldable notebook sporting a 20-inch screen.
• This new concept imagines what a foldable MacBook could look like.

Just imagine what this thing would cost!

Rumors have Apple working on some sort of foldable MacBook and if that is indeed accurate, this new concept imagines what it might look like.

Created by designer Antonio De Rosa, the concept images and associated video imagine a MacBook Pro-like device that has a physical trackpad but no keyboard. Instead, the keyboard would be a screen-based affair, taking over part of the display when needed. However, the whole thing could also open up to be a large iPad-like device or, as previous rumors claimed, an external display for another machine entirely.

Just last week display analyst Ross Young reported that the word on the street is that Apple is working on some sort of foldable notebook that could offer a display of up to 20 inches. It isn't immediately clear how large the display would be once closed and a portion is used for something like a keyboard, however.

On the other hand, we are now showing Apple in our roadmap for foldable notebooks. We hear there is interest at the largest size yet, around 20.x". This size could create a new category for Apple and would result in a true dual use product, a notebook with a full-size keyboard when folded and for use as a monitor when not folded and used with an external keyboard. It may also allow for UHD/4K resolution or even higher at that size. The time frame is likely later than 2025 though, it could be 2026 or 2027.

What we do know is that this concept is stunning. Say hello to MacBook Folio!

When the foldable screens will be something reliable, a new kind of Apple device could appear on our desks. Let's imagine the first of his species, MacBook Folio, a foldable notebook with TouchId side-button, FaceID, a revamped AirPen and a gorgeous screen…

The concept definitely imagines something the likes of which we've never seen and while I'm still far from sold on the idea of typing on a glass-based keyboard, it's difficult to argue against the fact that this concept looks lovely. Now, just imagine how much what would surely be the best Mac ever could cost!

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