Technology - Google News

Apple service centers can reportedly replace the Studio Display's 'built-in' stands - The Verge
Apple services including App Store, Apple Music and iCloud hit by brief outage - CNN
Android 12L with March Feature Drop rolling out to Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, OTAs now live - 9to5Google

Apple service centers can reportedly replace the Studio Display's 'built-in' stands - The Verge

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 01:03 PM PDT

Workers at Apple Stores or Authorized Service Providers will be able to change which stand is attached to the Studio Display, according to a report from MacRumors, which cites internal Apple documents. This is despite a warning on Apple's "Buy Apple Studio Display" page, which says that you have to choose a stand at the time of purchase, as they're "built-in" and "not interchangeable."

Apple provides three different stand options for the Studio Display. You can get either the standard stand with tilt adjustments or the VESA adapter for attaching the monitor to third-party arms without paying anything extra. If you want a height-adjustable stand from Apple, it's a $400 upgrade. Apple says you have to decide at the time you're buying the monitor — though the MacRumors report implies that you'll be able to pay to change stands later on if you change your mind or get a different desk setup.

Apple didn't respond to The Verge's request for comment on whether these reports are accurate.

Differences between what Apple says and reality seem to be a frustrating trend with the Studio Display. Apple's "Important handling information for Apple Studio Display" page says that the monitor's power cable is non-removable, yet The Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel, along with YouTuber Linus Tech Tips, have already proven that the cable can in fact be removed. (Though, in my opinion, that shouldn't distract from the fact that making a monitor with a power cable that's supposed to be fixed in place is really annoying.)

Verge fellow Umar Shakir points out that, at least externally, the hinge looks pretty similar to the one found on Apple's Cinema HD Display from the early 2000s. According to an archived copy of a service manual, removing the stand for that monitor simply required undoing two screws, which suggests one way Apple could've designed the Studio Display's stand to be user-replaceable.

At least, in my opinion, that'd be almost the perfect use-case for the company's recently introduced Self Service Repair program — it's the type of job that most people can be comfortable doing themselves but wouldn't be so easy that it'd make the Pro Display XDR (with its magnetic stand mount) less desirable. Unfortunately, that's not the world we live in right now.

Currently, Apple's display service and repair page doesn't mention the reported program that will let you get your Studio Display's stand swapped out. MacRumors does say that the price "will vary based on the region, the type of stand or mount being installed, and the cost of labor" and that the kit to make the change won't be sold online, so it seems unlikely that we'll ever see hard details about pricing on Apple's site. We'll keep an eye out for any public mention from Apple that this is an option — otherwise, you may have to hit up your local Apple Store and ask if they'll do a stand change if you're looking to get one done.

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Apple services including App Store, Apple Music and iCloud hit by brief outage - CNN

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 02:34 PM PDT

(CNN)A number of Apple services were hit by a short-lived outage for some users on Monday afternoon.

Reports began to swirl online of users experiencing issues with iMessage, iCloud and more of the tech giant's tools starting around 1 p.m. ET. Apple eventually acknowledged at least 11 outages on its systems support page as of 1:30 p.m. ET, including issues impacting its App Store, Apple Music and iCloud services.

The company did not disclose the cause of the outage on its system services page. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.

There were thousands of user reports on the outage-detecting site Down Detector of issues with iMessage and iCloud on Monday afternoon. The number of outages reported with the services rapidly peaked and then receded.

By 4 p.m. ET, Apple's systems services page was updated to indicate that all of the outages had been resolved.

While Monday's outage ended up being brief, service disruptions like this are notably rare from Apple.

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Android 12L with March Feature Drop rolling out to Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, OTAs now live - 9to5Google

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 01:33 PM PDT

After a two-week delay, Pixel 6 and 6 Pro owners today are starting to see the Android 12L update with the March Feature Drop roll out.

The Pixel 6's Android 12L update brings a slew of UI and functional tweaks – detailed here – as well as several patches. In total, 76 issues have been addressed on Google's latest phones.

Meanwhile, a handful of features announced with the March Feature Drop are exclusive to the Pixel 6 family. This includes Live Caption for Calls, where you can type out responses that are read aloud on the other end, and Night Sight in Snapchat (app update required). Meanwhile, Spanish and Italian are now supported by the Recorder app and Live Translate. Interpreter Mode today also works in those languages, as well as French.

One of the biggest highlights is the Battery widget for Bluetooth devices, like headphones. After updating to Android 12L, you should see an update for Settings Services in the Play Store. Afterward, look for that "app" in the Widgets list to place "Battery" on your homescreen.

At a Glance on the lock/homescreen will also surface battery information, earthquake alerts, safety check countdown (Personal Safety), and a useful prompt to turn off alarms if tomorrow is a holiday. However, this capability has not launched yet.

There are no carrier-specific builds, while this update also enables C-Band support on Verizon. You can install via the ~490MB OTA or flash/sideload immediately: