This Week's Sponsor:

Mindspace

A Private All-in-One Journal App Made for iPad, Offering 50% Off Your First Year.

Posts tagged with "apple watch"

Apple Releases Watch Band, Watch Face, and Wallpapers to Celebrate Pride Month

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Apple has released its annual Pride Collection, including a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Sport Loop band, watch face, and iPhone and iPad wallpapers celebrating LGBTQ+ communities.

The commemorative Sport Loop uses 11 colors of nylon thread that blend the colors together in a unique way. As Apple’s press release puts it:

The intricate weaving blends one color into the next, creating depth and movement across the band. The resulting design is joyful and vibrant, showcasing a full spectrum of colors that reflect the unique identities that shape LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

The watch face and wallpapers share a similar style of gradient strips of bright colors radiating out from the watch face’s analog clock design and in vertical strips on the wallpapers.

As usual, Apple’s designers have done great work with the band, watch face, and wallpapers. There’s a vibrancy and energy to them that brings them to life.

The Apple Sport Loop is available to order today online and in the Apple Store app for $49 and will be in retail stores later this week. The watch face and wallpapers will be available as soon as the 26.5 releases of watchOS, iOS, and iPadOS are released to the public.

Finding the Best Sleep Tracker→

Earlier this year, Andrej Karpathy wrote an in-depth analysis of four sleep tracking methods that Federico recently recommended I read. I’m glad he did, Karpathy, an AI researcher who has worked at OpenAI and Tesla, took the kind of nerdy, data-driven approach that I love.

Over the course of two months, Karpathy plotted sleep tracking results from:

Karpathy got the best results from the Whoop band and Oura ring, but just as interesting were how the data correlated to how he felt after a good night’s sleep:

…my sleep scores correlate strongly with the quality of work I am able to do that day. When my score is low, I lack agency, I lack courage, I lack creativity, I’m simply tired. When my sleep score is high, I can power through anything. On my best days, I can sit down and work through 14 hours and barely notice the passage of time. It’s not subtle.

I recommend reading the entire post for all the details of how each tracking method compared on variety of metrics. I’ve long been intrigued by the Whoop band and Oura ring as a companion to the Apple Watch. There’s overlap between the devices, but Karpathy has planted a seed in my brain that may lead to my own multi-device experiments.

Permalink

Hands-On with the Kuxiu X40 Turbo Qi 2.2 3-in-1 Travel Charger

Wireless charging is great, but historically it’s been slow. That’s starting to change for the iPhone with Qi 2.2, the latest wireless charging standard that the iPhone 16 and 17 series phones support. With Qi 2.2, a compatible iPhone charges wirelessly at 25W. By comparison Qi 1 charged at 5–7.5W and Qi 2.0 and the original MagSafe charged at 15W.

So far, though, there have been precious few chargers, besides Apple’s MagSafe puck charger, that support Qi 2.2’s faster charging, which is why I was interested in trying the Kuxiu X40 Turbo, when Kuxiu offered to send me a review unit. As advertised, the compact 3-in-1 charger delivers the fastest wireless iPhone charging around, but that’s not its only selling point.

In addition to fast charging an iPhone 16 or 17 series phone at 25W, the X40 Turbo, which retails for around $80, charges AirPods and an Apple Watch at 5W. However, what I wasn’t expecting was just how small the X40 Turbo is when folded for travel. The entire package is about twice as thick as an iPhone 17 Pro Max and fits neatly into the palm of your hand. At the same time, though, the X40 Turbo feels sturdy. It’s made of metal with soft-touch pads to avoid scratching your devices or tabletop. Here’s a closer look at what Kuxiu sent me:

When it’s time to charge your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch, the X40 Turbo unfolds into a z-shaped configuration from which the Watch pad flips down horizontally. So far, I’ve used the X40 Turbo on my nightstand and at my desk, where it takes up minimal space. I also plan to take the X40 Turbo on my next trip because it takes so little room in my bag.

Kuxiu isn’t the first company to make a charger in this form factor, but the X40 Turbo is one of the best built that I’ve tried, and as one of the first Qi 2.2 models, it’s notable, and a great upgrade to your charging setup.

The Kuxiu X40 Turbo is available directly from Kuxiu and Amazon.

watchOS 26: The MacStories Review

Last year was my first covering the watchOS beat with version 11. It turned out to be a trial by fire, with the annual software update for the world’s most popular smartwatch proving to be both sizable and significant.

While controversy reigned over iOS, iPadOS, and macOS regarding new Apple Intelligence features, watchOS took an exit off of that highway to a more peaceful, focused road that contained real, tangible updates. There were long-requested customizations to Activity Rings, as well as added power and functionality in the Smart Stack. Brand new features like Training Load and the Vitals app started to hint that Apple was maybe, finally, getting serious about, well, serious athletes.

If I’m being honest, I expected more of the same this year. The watchOS team seemed to be on a roll. Unfortunately, that hasn’t come to pass with watchOS 26, which – unlike watchOS 11 with Apple Intelligence – has been brought along for the ride with this year’s big controversy: Liquid Glass.

Can watchOS 26 handle this big UI overhaul and still deliver some tangible additions in this, the year of the Apple Watch’s tenth anniversary? Let’s take a look.

Read more

Apple Announces Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE, and New Health Features

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

While most of the focus going into today’s event was on the heavily boosted iPhone lineup, predictions were cool for new Apple Watches. When the new lineup was unveiled, the upgrades were mostly spec bumps for the Series 11, while the Apple Watch Ultra finally got a proper update, and the SE got a notable bump. Apple also announced a potentially groundbreaking new health tracking feature. Let’s take a look.

Apple Watch Series 11

Yes, the Series 11 looks identical to the Series 10. Source: Apple.

Yes, the Series 11 looks identical to the Series 10. Source: Apple.

The updates to the flagship Apple Watch are simple but noticeable quality-of-life improvements. First, there’s battery life, which jumps from 18 hours on a single charge to a whopping 24 hours. Additionally, Low Power Mode adds an extra 2 hours over the Series 10 to reach 38 hours of battery life. Then, while the fast-charging capability remains at 0–80% in 30 minutes, you can now add 8 hours of charge in just 15 minutes.

Read more

Apple’s September 2025 Event: All the Small Things (Bento Box Version)

Several things are ubiquitous with Apple Events. Tim Cook’s “Good Morning!”, Craig Federighi being, well, Craig Federighi, and the keynote bento boxes. Offering up a summary to each keynote section, these bento box slides provide a great way to recap a new product.

So, after today’s bumper announcements, let’s take a look at today’s bento box slides.

iPhone 17

iPhone Air

iPhone 17 Pro

Read more

Apple Announces September 9 Awe Dropping Event

Today, Apple announced that it will host an event entitled “Awe Dropping” on September 9, 2025, at 10:00 AM Pacific Time. The company is expected to announce the iPhone 17 line, including the new iPhone 17 Air, alongside new Apple Watches and potentially AirPods Pro.

The event will be streamed live globally on Apple’s Events page as well as on YouTube and in the Apple TV app. Some members of the media were invited to watch the event in person at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park.

The MacStories team will be covering all the details of the event, so stay tuned and get ready for September 9.