Apple released iOS 12.1 in addition to announcing the new home button-less iPad Pro, a Mac mini, and a refreshed MacBook Air. While this isn’t an entirely new iOS, it’s an important update that delivers promised features that the initial version of iOS 12 missed, as well as some much-needed performance improvements.
The big one, of course, is Group FaceTime. The ability to video call with up to 32 people on iOS and macOS devices is now available with this update. You’ll also get several new emoji, including the hotly anticipated bagel with cream cheese.
For iPhone XS and XS Max owners, there’s now a fix for the automatic skin smoothing on selfies, and you can adjust the depth of field before you take a portrait mode shot. Additionally, the update turns on dual SIM support for the aforementioned models as well as the iPhone XR.
Here’s how to update your device to iOS 12.1 so you can reap all these benefits and more.
Backup your device
Before completing any software upgrade, big or small, you’ll want to perform a backup. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, and if you end up losing data, it’s good to have a copy of it for safekeeping. iOS devices can be backed up by plugging into iTunes for an automatic sync or by syncing with iCloud in the Settings menu on the device.
Two ways to update
iOS 12.1 is a relatively small update, but brings some nice features.
Image: screenshot by jake krol/mashable
Apple will let you update via an over-the-air method or through iTunes. The first route is certainly the easiest, by far. Just navigate over to Settings > General > Software Update, and then your device will look for the update.
Once it finds iOS 12.1, it will give you a brief description of the update and its size. From there, click Download, then Install to start the update process.
If you want to update via iTunes, you’ll need to plug your iOS device into your Mac or PC. You’ll also need to make sure you have the latest version of iTunes. Start by connecting your device to your computer, then open iTunes, and it should recognize the device. Click “Check for Update,” and iTunes will download the software update. Once it’s on your computer, it will install on your iPhone.
Have your Apple ID handy
Whether you’re updating on your device or via iTunes, you’ll need to sign in with your Apple ID once it reboots. You’ll need your Apple ID email and password, plus a device on which you’ll receive your two-factor authentication code (if you have this extra layer of security turned on).
After that, you’re all set to enjoy iOS 12.1. Be sure to try the new emoji and FaceTime with 32 of your friends.
Washington, DC – Eleven people shot dead in a synagogue. Two African Americans killed at a supermarket. More than a dozen pipe bombs mailed to prominent Democrats and CNN.
Experts say it is one of the most violent election campaigns in living memory, and critics lay much of the blame on the president.
Heidi Beirich heads the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an Alabama-based hate monitor. In her decades of experience, she cannot recall a pre-election tide of violence as worrisome as the one pouring over the US right now.
“This is three major attacks, the last being the most devastating, in just a few days right before an election,” she told Al Jazeera, explaining that uptick in hate crimes and far-right violence have traditionally followed elections rather than preceded them.
On Saturday, a gunman stormed the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and perpetrated what has been described as the deadliest assault on the American Jewish community in the country’s history. “All Jews must die!” he reportedly screamed, while unloading a barrage of bullets that killed 11 worshippers during prayer time.
Police quickly arrested 46-year-old Robert Bowers, a frequent poster on the Gab social media platform, where he reportedly announced his intent to carry out the massacre just hours earlier.
Although Bowers criticised Trump, he shared the president’s anger over a US-bound caravan of Latin American migrants and refugees.
The massacre came just a day after police arrested Cesar Sayoc, who they believe mailed more than a dozen pipe bombs to outspoken critics of Trump.
The recipients were frequent targets of far-right ire: former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros and US Congresswoman Maxine Waters, among others.
A van with windows covered in pro-Trump and anti-Democrat stickers, apprehended on October 26, 2018, during an investigation into a series of parcel bombs, in Hollywood, Florida [File: Geo Rodriguez/Reuters]
Sayoc’s now-suspended Twitter accounts teemed with pro-Trump posts, conspiracy theory memes and often violent threats to journalists and others.
And as authorities intercepted explosive packages across the nation, a murder occurred in Louisville, Kentucky on Wednesday. A white man allegedly shot and killed two black shoppers at a Kroger supermarket after failing to break into a predominantly African American church. “Whites don’t kill whites,” the suspect reportedly told a bystander.
‘People who predict civil war’
From the earliest days of his presidential campaign, Trump faced accusations that his rhetoric fueled racism, xenophobia and violence.
Although hate crimes were nothing new, Trump’s ascent to power sent them soaring as far-right groups rallied behind his message. During the 10 days following his election, the SPLC documented nearly 900 reports of “harassment and intimidation” across the US, with many of the assailants declaring their support for Trump.
White supremacists killed at least 18 people in 2017, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
These [the far right] are the people who are supposed to be in power right now, and yet they still feel they’re threatened.
Daryle Lamont Jenkins, One People’s Project
Even with last year’s string of hate crimes, confrontations and brawls across the nation, the current spate of violence shocks Daryle Lamont Jenkins, who has monitored white nationalists, racist skinheads and neo-Nazi groups for more than three decades.
“Attempted assassination of elected officials past and present, a synagogue being attacked and people being killed in a grocery store in Kentucky – none of these folks engaged in any kind of violence,” he told Al Jazeera, adding: “It has never really been this [violent] during elections.”
Jenkins, who founded the One People’s Project hate watchdog in 2000, added, “These [the far right] are the people who are supposed to be in power right now, and yet they still feel they’re threatened.”
Although he expected similar far-right violence had Hillary Clinton bested Trump during the 2016 presidential elections, he says that the stakes are especially high now. “You’re talking about people who are predicting civil war if Trump is impeached … this is what they are looking for.”
‘No question’
Critics point to Trump’s rhetoric, arguing that president’s words have contributed to the spike in incitement, surge in hate crimes and mushrooming of hate groups.
In early October, members of the far-right, pro-Trump Proud Boys group attacked anti-fascist protesters outside the Metropolitan Republican Club in New York City. Gavin McInnes, the group’s founder, had been invited to speak at the club, where his supporters assaulted the protesters and yelled homophobic slurs.
Last week, when Trump addressed a campaign event in Texas for Senator Ted Cruz, he deemed himself a “nationalist” gripped in a battle against “power-hungry globalists”.
Condemnation followed soon after, and Trump’s opponents pointed out that the term globalist is often employed in the service of far-right conspiracy theories and carries thinly-veiled anti-Semitic undertones.
With little success, Trump and his supporters have sought to distance the president’s rhetoric from the violence unravelling on the ground.
After the deadly synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, Trump took to Twitter to blame “fake news” for “great anger” in the country. His comments echoed similar ones made a few days earlier in response to the spate of attempted bombings.
Steven Rogers, a former law enforcement officer who sits on the Trump for President advisory board, defended Trump against allegations of incitement and fearmongering.
“Hate is embedded in one’s heart,” he told Al Jazeera, arguing that films, music and video games have cultivated a culture of violence.
“It is not caused by a person’s political speech. The president is not responsible for the terrible acts of… deranged people.”
But the SPLC’s Beirich says there is “no question” that Trump’s rhetoric has tilled the soil for would-be attackers. “We have been tracking domestic terrorism incidents for more than 20 years, and I don’t really remember seeing something like this.”
Eddie Jones’ side have lost five out their last six matches
England’s autumn internationals
Live radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 live, with highlights on BBC Two and online
If Eddie Jones is feeling the pinch given England’s poor form in 2018, his demeanour at their warm-weather training camp in the Algarve gives a different impression.
As Ben Youngs and Manu Tuilagi sit down for the Rugby Union Weekly podcast, Jones wanders past in a mischievous mood.
And when the Leicester duo are asked how the camp is going, it’s Jones who gets in first.
“Fantastic,” he heckles, a gentle reminder to his troops to stay on-message.
The change of scenery, swapping their usual base of Bagshot in Surrey for Vilamoura in Portugal, coincides with a relaxed atmosphere in camp.
Prop Harry Williams chats about everything apart from rugby – from the price of boa-constrictors to the comedian Joe Rogan – while George Kruis interrupts the interview to remind the Exeter man of his questionable display on the golf course earlier in the week.
“Were you playing hockey or cricket?” taunts the Saracens lock.
And Williams’ Chiefs team-mate Jack Nowell, sporting a cropped hairstyle dyed peroxide blonde, lifts the lid on his new nickname: “Everyone is singing every Eminem song possible,” he explains.
But relaxed vibe or not, England are up against it this autumn.
Nowell, who previously sported a rat-tail, has gone for the bleach-blond look
‘Naughty boys’ back for England
Eddie Jones’ side face a resurgent Springboks first up, followed by the world champions New Zealand at Twickenham, and two defeats would ask further questions of the direction of travel under Jones with the World Cup looming.
England are shorn of key personnel up front – Billy and Mako Vunipola are a huge loss – while changes in the coaching staff mean new systems and structures have been introduced.
Surely, with the clock ticking to Japan, England should be fine-tuning rather than re-setting? Jones takes a different view.
“It’s fantastic for us,” he insists. “One of the things I have learned from being involved in a number of World Cup campaigns is that you need to keep tactically changing. You don’t want to be a sitting duck.”
But while Jones is without some big-hitters, a few well-known names from yesteryear are back in the fold.
England’s famous defeat of the All Blacks in 2012 was inspired by the bludgeon of Manu Tuilagi and the finishing of Chris Ashton. After a long hiatus – for a variety of reasons – both men are again in the mix.
“They are all naughty boys aren’t they, all those old ones!?” jokes Jones. “So we have got them under lock and key. I said to Chris Ashton the other day he is always a common denominator!
“But they have been good. They appreciate they have another opportunity now to play for England and they want to play for England. Mentally they are both in a good spot, physically good, and they have added to the squad.”
England 38-21 New Zealand highlights
New dad Tuilagi ‘fittest for a long time’
Tuilagi, so often ravaged by injury, is set to make his first England appearance in almost two-and-a-half-years.
“I’m just really excited and really enjoying being back in the squad with the best players in the country. It’s the fittest I have felt in a long time,” he reflects.
“He’s come a long way,” laughs scrum-half Ben Youngs, leaping to his Leicester team-mate’s defence when Rugby Union Weekly presenter Ugo Monye asks who is helping Tuilagi with his notoriously poor time-keeping. “He’s a dad now, he’s got lots of responsibility!”
“Fatherhood is the best thing ever,” Tuilagi adds. “She has been keeping me busy and I’m enjoying every moment, even when she wakes up at two o’clock in the morning. But she is too cute to be angry at. You look at life with a completely different perspective.”
Chris Jones, Ugo Monye, Ben Youngs and Manu Tuilagi sit down to chew the fat for Rugby Union Weekly
Despite the injury issues and his side’s form over the last 12 months, Jones feels his players are in a far superior place to this time 12 months ago, when an underwhelming autumn series preceded a desperate Six Nations.
“The players are in much better shape,” explains the England head coach. “You don’t realise how much the Lions tour knocks the players around.
“We had 70% of our players on the Lions tour and they don’t have a pre-season. This year they have had a pre-season, they are fitter, mentally they are fresher, and they are ready to go.”
The next few weeks could shape whether Jones and his men will be serious contenders in Japan next year – or merely making up the numbers.
Halloween is almost upon us, which means the world is eagerly awaiting the annual costume reveal of one Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter.
Every October (into early November,) Queen Bey graces her Instagram followers with a flurry of Halloween-themed posts in which she reveals her extraordinarily elaborate and thoroughly impressive costumes. It’s a true blessing for all.
On Tuesday, Beyoncé got a head start on the holiday and dropped three photos of her 2018 costume: singer Toni Braxton…or should we say Phoni Braxton?
“Sending love and adoration to one of our talented legends,” Beyoncé captioned her first post. “Thank you for the countless bops. Your tone, your beauty, your range, and your God-given talent is treasured. Loving you always. Have a Happy Halloween my Kings and Queens.”
The costume pays homage to Braxton’s debut album cover. The lipstick, short hair, white tank top, light-wash jeans, leather jacket, and chain belts were absolute perfection. She nailed it.
As loyal fans know, Beyoncé and the Carter family take Halloween very seriously. Last year Bey and Jay paid tribute to iconic rap duo Lil’ Kim and Notorious B.I.G. for their pal Kelly Rowland’s Halloween party.
As Beyoncé is known for donning multiple costumes over the course of Halloween week, we wouldn’t be surprised if she keeps rolling out other iconic Phoni Braxton looks in the coming days.
After all, she did unveil a whopping five Lil’ Kim costumes last year, so the bar’s prettyhigh. However many costumes Bey dons this year, Braxton will undoubtedly be proud.
Colombo, Sri Lanka – The surprise sacking of a prime minister; the return of a controversial leader; mass protests; a deadly shooting and warnings of a “bloodbath” – in just a few days, Sri Lanka has plunged into a bitter power struggle that risks undermining stability in the South Asian nation.
Here’s how the political crisis has unfolded and what is at stake if it drags on.
How did it all begin?
The turmoil started on Friday when, in a surprise move, President Maithripala Sirisena sacked his prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa – a former president he had defeated in a 2015 election – in a hurried ceremony in the capital, Colombo.
Wickremesinghe, who was touring the country’s south, returned to the capital immediately, denouncing what he said was an unconstitutional and illegal move by Sirisena.
He insisted he was the lawful prime minister and called for a parliament sitting to prove his majority. Sirisena responded by suspending parliament until November 16, in a move critics said was aimed at shoring up support for Rajapaksa, a popular leader who is credited with ending Sri Lanka’s 26-year long civil war, but is also accused of grave human rights abuses and corruption.
All eyes are on legislators as two prime ministers claim legitimacy [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]
The shock moves over the weekend marked a dramatic fallout for Sirisena and Wickremesinghe, two former allies who took office in 2015 promising economic reforms, a crackdown on corruption and accountability for alleged crimes committed at the close of the country’s civil war in 2009.
But after assuming power, the pair shared a rocky relationship, clashing over the economy and the day-to-day administration of government. In recent days, Sirisena went on to accuse an unnamed member of Wickremesinghe’s cabinet of involvement in an alleged assassination plot against him.
“Under these political problems, economic troubles and the strong plot to assassinate me, the only alternative open to me was to invite former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and appoint him as prime minister to form a new government,” Sirisena said on Sunday.
What’s at stake?
The crisis turned deadly on Sunday when the bodyguard of a deposed minister shot at a crowd of people who tried to prevent the official from entering his office. At least one man was killed and two others were wounded in the shooting.
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, who has refused to recognise Rajapaksa, has warned that unless parliament reconvenes the political deadlock may devolve into a “bloodbath“.
Human rights groups, meanwhile, have raised the alarm over Rajapaksa’s return to power, pointing to allegations of war crimes against ethnic Tamils and people suspected of links to Tamil separatists during the country’s civil war, as well as harassment and arrests of journalists, activists and dissidents during his decade-long rule.
Amnesty International has also expressed concern over reports of Rajapaksa loyalists seizing state media amid the crisis.
Others say Sri Lanka’s very democracy is at stake. The country is South Asia’s oldest democracy, albeit imperfect and fragile. A group of prominent students characterised Wickremesinghe’s ouster as the first “illegal” transfer of power in the country since independence in 1948.
On Tuesday, tens of thousands of people in Colombo protested against Sirisena’s “coup”, demanding the president reconvene parliament and allow legislators to choose between Wickremesinghe and Rajapaksa.
Meanwhile, the country’s already struggling economy has come under further strain from the political turmoil: The Sri Lankan rupee slumped to a record low of 174.75 per dollar on Tuesday, while several countries have issued travel advisories urging caution whilst traveling to Sri Lanka.
What’s been the international reaction?
Sri Lanka is a key country in India and China’s rivalry for control of the Indian Ocean.
New Delhi said it was following developments in Colombo closely, adding that it hoped parties respect democratic values and the constitutional process.
For its part, China has been one of the few countries to congratulate Rajapaksa – the former president had moved Sri Lanka closer to Beijing during his 2005-2015 rule – while also calling for dialogue.
Meanwhile, several Western countries have expressed concern, with the United States backing Wickremesinghe’s call to resume parliament.
The United Nations and European nations, including the United Kingdom, France and Germany, urged all sides to refrain from violence.
What’s next?
With two political rivals claiming to be the legitimate prime ministers, all eyes now are on the country’s legislators.
Wickremesinghe appears to have a narrow edge in the parliament. Prior to the crisis, his United National Party (UNP) had 105 legislators in the 225-member House, while Sirisena and Rajapaksa’s United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) had 95.
Some 126 legislators from the UNP and two minority parties, the Tamil National Alliance and the People’s Liberation Front, have sent the speaker letters urging him to recall parliament, according to Jayasuriya. Some politicians say the number is an indication of UNP’s support in parliament.
At least five UNP legislators have crossed over to the UPFA since the crisis began, and observers expect the horse-trading to intensify in the coming days. Analysts, meanwhile, say Wickremesinghe may lose his advantage the longer Rajapaksa is allowed to consolidate power.
The army has pledged not to interfere, while Wickeremesinghe’s supporters say they will continue to protest his ouster. Some legislators have raised the prospect of taking legal action.
For his part, Rajapaksa has said his government will “eschew politics of hate” as well as that he plans to hold long-delayed provincial polls and call general elections as soon as possible.
Nothing is as important as bedroom #aesthetics, especially when sleepovers happen on a weekly basis. Help her amp up her décor these neon lights. Choose from palm trees, moons, cats, flamingos, hearts, and 20 more.
The lights can be hung with the included strip or sit on a surface, powered by AA batteries or a USB cable. (Plus, it’s an easy thing to take to college to spice up a dorm.)
If you thought Wayne Rooney moved to the MLS for one final pay cheque before retirement, think again.
Since joining DC United from boyhood club Everton in June, Manchester United and England’s record scorer has scored 14 goals and steered his new side from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to the MLS play-offs.
Speaking to BBC Sport’s Natalie Pirks for Football Focus, the 33-year-old discussed his new-found anonymity, being the dressing room DJ, and the availability of a good old British cup of tea.
Life in the ‘tough and physical’ MLS
I knew it was a tough league, a physical league, but I think the ability of the teams in the league and ability of individual players is a lot higher than maybe I thought when I first came.
Some of the football that gets played is good and it is a competitive league. I think certainly in the last few weeks with play-off places up for grabs, it has got really competitive.
It is a bit different and it is not what people are used to back home but it is not relaxed. There is pressure to perform and for me to come out and perform, and I am enjoying that pressure, playing the games and helping us get to the play-offs and hopefully bringing some more success in the next couple of weeks for the team.
I am really enjoying it and I think the team are playing well, producing great football, so hopefully that continues.
‘It’s easy to go and get a coffee’ – living an anonymous life
It is a bit more relaxing for us as a family. If you want to go to the supermarket or pop out and get a coffee then it’s quite easy to do.
At times in England it could be a bit difficult but here not that many recognise you, or they are really respectful when they see you, so that is definitely a big difference.
Soccer is not the biggest sport over here at the minute, they have their other sports, NFL, basketball, which everyone watches here.
To walk around and have a bit more space and time to enjoy with your family was something a bit different to what I’m used to.
Obviously you can do the same things back in England, I’m not saying life was terrible there, but football is the main sport back home.
Everyone knows you and you do have to plan things a bit more, you can’t be spontaneous and pick the kids up from school and go and do whatever the kids want to do.
‘I’m not someone who wants to just win’
It’s the way I have been brought up. I’m not someone who wants to just win, you want to win and perform well.
There are games when you have to take the victory but you want to perform well as a team and know what you are working on in training is what you are achieving on the pitch.
Sometimes you win games and you don’t play well or deserve to and I feel like that happened a couple of weeks ago where everyone was happy after the victory.
I think it’s important to be happy but also realise the mistakes the team made or the areas where you can do better.
‘It was a big moment’ – that wonder assist v Orlando
Rooney sprinted back from the edge of the penalty area, made a goal-saving sliding tackle, then put in a stunning cross-field pass for Luciano Acosta to score
Like anything in football, you try to anticipate where the ball is going to go. We had the corner, the goalkeeper went up and I just put myself in a position where if the ball fell out I could maybe get a shot at goal, or if it fell to one of their players I could try and help defensively, which is what I did.
I chased the guy back and won the tackle and played a long ball to Luciano Acosta, who scored a great header. I think his header actually gets lost – for the size of him, for him to get up so high and score a great header…!
For the team it was a big moment to go from drawing the game to winning the game and really giving us that belief that we could go on and make the play-offs.
James Bay or Ed Sheeran?
As captain, I put the music on that I want rather than their music all the time and I don’t think it is bad.
It is a bit of James Bay, Ed Sheeran, Mumford and Sons, it is quite chilled out really.
I think I would be the perfect room-mate! It is something quite different that I have not done before but that’s part of it and it’s not a big deal for me.
I think it is important that you are part of the team and you do what your team-mates are doing.
I’ve never been someone who wants special treatment, I wouldn’t come in and start demanding things.
Finding British tea in the supermarket
The supermarket has an international aisle so there are British ones, you can get your normal tea and stuff.
Even the small differences, like a bar of chocolate or a packet of crisps was a bit different, so when you come across one you enjoy it a bit more.
The weather is similar to back home at the minute.
It was really hot and then it has gone really cold now.
What is nice is when you are here throughout the year you actually get the four seasons so it will be nice for once to get them.
The ‘frustration’ of leaving Everton
I am obviously disappointed with the way it ended at Everton but it has opened up a new chapter for me here and I’m really enjoying it.
I have always loved playing. Obviously you have moments in your career which are better than other moments but it doesn’t mean you don’t like playing or you don’t enjoy playing.
Of course you don’t enjoy it when you don’t win. The time at Everton last season was a bit frustrating at times, different managers, playing different positions…
But that is part of football and sometimes you have to go through the more difficult moments to get the great moments.
Rooney has scored 14 goals for DC United this season
‘The players have to do better’ – on Mourinho and Man Utd
Obviously they are going through a difficult period at the minute but Jose Mourinho is very experienced and I think some players have to do a little bit better.
Hopefully they can turn their form around, win a few more games and keep the pressure on the top of the table and get back up there, which is where we all want to see them.
In my experience, I have never seen or heard of a player not wanting to play in the game because they have had a falling out with the manager.
I don’t think as a player you could do that, you’ve got to respect the club and the fans and also respect your team-mates.
I don’t think any player, certainly at Manchester United, will be not playing for Jose, I’m sure they’re all working hard behind the scenes to get results.
The ‘pride’ of England’s World Cup campaign
It was great to watch the games. The last time I watched England and wasn’t part of the set up was when I was 16, just 17.
So to go back to that and watch as a fan rather than having those connections as being a part of it was different to what I was used to – it was great to chill out, watch the games and support the team.
I have seen players in the past who have retired and they maybe don’t want England to do well, I’ve spoken to players who have had that opinion.
But as an England fan I obviously wanted them to go one step further [at the 2018 World Cup] and get to the final, where anything can happen. I think they have brought a bit of pride back to the England set-up.
I felt the timing was right when I retired from England, not only for myself but I think for the team. It was the right decision to let the team move on and it was the right time. I have no regrets.
For the full interview with Wayne Rooney, watch Football Focus on BBC One on Saturday at 12:00 GMT.
The MacBook Air, formerly the neglected stepchild among Apple laptops, is reborn: It’s still basically the same wedge-shaped computer Steve Jobs introduced in 2008, but it’s sporting USB-C ports, a retina display, and a modern chip inside.
Importantly, it fills another hole in Apple’s lineup: the midrange. When Apple refreshed its MacBook Pros in the summer, it didn’t bother updating the non-Touch Bar model, meaning for anyone who didn’t want to shell out $1,800+ didn’t really have an option if they wanted something with the latest Intel chip tech.
They do now. The new MacBook Air essentially obsoletes the non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro, sporting the same ports — two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headphone jack — and better features (including the secondary T2 chip that helps secure Touch ID and until now has been reserved for Apple’s high-end machines) while undercutting the price: The fresh Air starts at $1,199, or $100 less than the weakest Pro.
Image: Pete Pachal/Mashable.
That effectively downranks the skinny MacBook to entry level in Apple’s lineup, since it starts at $1,099. The revised lineup, stepping from MacBook to Air to Pro, feels right, although it’s hard to overlook that Apple has decided in 2018 that its customers should pay more for all their products. That shouldn’t be too surprising in a year Apple released a $1,449 smartphone, but it doesn’t make it easier to swallow.
All that said, Apple technically hasn’t discontinued the old MacBook Air. The screen is low-res, and the silicon is wildly outdated, but it’s still available for $999, if you want it.
Air time
I took the 2018 MacBook Air for a spin right at the close of Apple’s Brooklyn event. From a distance, the aluminum finish is unmistakably a MacBook. It comes in three finishes: space gray, gold, and traditional silver. My favorite is probably space gray, though the gold is quite nice. It has just a hint of coral, making it closer to the current gold iPhone XS rather than the gold skinny MacBook of old.
Image: Raymond Wong/Mashable
First, the keyboard. Apple says it’s the same third-generation butterfly keyboard found in this year’s MacBook Pros. Typing things out on a couple of the models at the hands-on area, I felt the experience was subtly different from the Pro keyboard, though. They keys appeared to have a little more cushion, requiring ever-so-slightly more pressure to type.
That’s a little surprising, since both models should theoretically have the same experience, since both have the extra membrane beneath the keys (which Apple says is to make it quieter, but is probably mostly there to improve reliability). The area was noisy, so it was hard to get a sense of how quiet the keyboard was, but it definitely felt like the keys didn’t have the same “slap” as the ones on my daily drive, a 2017 MacBook Pro (2nd-gen butterfly), so it wouldn’t surprise me if it was a hair quieter.
Image: Raymond Wong/Mashable
I wish I could marvel at the screen. Apple’s 13.3-inch 2,560 x 1,600 display on the Air looks great, certainly. I checked out photos, websites, and various apps, and details (like tiny text) looked crisp and colors looked fantastic in photos. However, the brightness struggled to compete with the studio lights in the hands-on area (iPhones looked fine), so it’s not superhuman.
Moreover, it’s catch-up. Pretty much any screen these days looks better than the old MacBook Air non-retina display. If Apple has upgraded this screen to the point where it deserves to be called “Liquid Retina”… well OK, I guess, but, to the eye, it’s hard to see how the Air is any better than the display on the Surface Laptop, or the Google Pixelbook, or even Apple’s own MacBook Pros. It’s a retina display, great. What else ya got?
Image: Raymond Wong/Mashable
Better speakers, for starters. Even in a crowded demo room, I could tell the Air’s speakers were doing a decent job of playing the audio of a clip from Ready Player One. I’ll have to more fully test them out in a full review, but better sound is a welcome upgrade for those of us who spend a great deal of time on conference calls.
There’s also the Force Touch trackpad. I don’t use Force Touch much at all, but I used the new Air to Force-select an address in Notes to call up Apple Maps. Nice, though it’s not persuading me to use the feature. The trackpad itself is a fine upgrade, but again — catch-up. It’s nice and large (if a bit smaller than the trackpad on the MacBook Pros), but also unremarkable.
Image: Raymond Wong/Mashable
As for performance, the new MacBook Air did a fine job. It competently ran a bunch of apps, Safari loaded a half-dozen highly visual websites, and generally didn’t lag. App-switching from Xcode to Maps to Photos and back was quick. Touch ID appeared to work as fast as it does on my regular 2017 MacBook Pro.
Mistaking catch-up for progress
If you think I’m using the word “fine” too much, you’re probably right. The new MacBook Air looks like a great midrange machine, and Apple’s seemingly ticked all the boxes in giving the current Air owners what they want in a modern laptop.
Image: Raymond Wong/Mashable
The thing is, there are plenty of modern laptops. If you’ve already got an Air (or a lower-end Pro) and are looking to upgrade, everything I experienced suggests this is the machine you want. But for anyone else? It’s hard to pinpoint where the MacBook Air stands out to the point where you’d buy it over, say, a Lenovo Yoga.
Ten years ago, Apple’s original MacBook Air set a new bar for laptops. It got a new lease on life today, but this time as a follower, not a leader.
A group of at least eight people dressed as Ku Klux Klan (KKK) members posed outside an Islamic centre in a Northern Irish town over the weekend, in an incident that is being treated by police as a hate crime.
A picture published on social media showed the group, also carrying crucifixes, close to the Bangladesh Islamic Centre in Newtownards, east of Belfast, on Saturday.
A pig’s head was left outside the same centre in August last year, according to British media.
“We are treating this as a hate crime,” Inspector Richard Murray, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The KKK is a white supremacist group founded in the 19th century after the abolition of slavery in the United States.
The group also posed for pictures at a pub in the town with Sharon Mellor, the girlfriend of Tony Martin, leader of the fringe far-right group National Front, the Belfast Telegraph reported.
‘Dressed up for Halloween’
The newspaper published a picture showing Mellor with someone dressed in a KKK costume spattered with blood holding a beer.
She told the paper the people were “random strangers”.
“A few blokes were dressed up for Halloween, no idea who they were,” she said.
The paper said Mellor “joked” three years ago about having tried to set fire to the Islamic centre in the town.
One of the pubs the group entered on Saturday night was The Spirit Merchant owned by the JD Wetherspoon chain.
Wetherspoon spokesperson Eddie Gershon said: “We can confirm that a group dressed in KKK clothing came to our pub.
“They were refused entry by door staff, but pushed past them into the pub. They were told by bar staff that they would not be served. They remained in the pub for five minutes, unserved and then left.”
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