Wednesday’s best deals have AirPods 2 marked down to the best price of the year at $89 to go alongside Apple’s new HomePod 2, which starts from $250. Plus, you might as well try out Apple’s FineWoven MagSafe wallet at just $32. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

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Apple is sending an email to Apple Card users today informing them of a “system error” that occurred on Monday. According to the email, this led to some Apple Card users erroneously being told they weren’t enrolled in Scheduled Payments.

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iPhone 16 Pro rumors continue to fly by, and the latest involves a change to the back glass. According to a Weibo post (via ShrimpApplePro), Apple may be bringing the custom dual ion-exchange glass process to this fall’s premium model.

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A Right to Disconnect law introduced by a Californian lawmaker aims to end the tyranny of employers who expect their staff to respond 24/7 to emails, Slack alerts, text messages, and other out-of-hours notifications.

It mirrors similar laws already passed in several European countries …

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Spotify is cranking up the volume, err, subscription price, for the second time in a year. Whether it’s to cover the increased cost of licensing music or to fund future complaints against Apple, Spotify will start charging subscribers $1 to $2 more per month, depending on their plan.

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Sponsored by Kolide: If a device isn’t secure, it can’t access your apps. It’s device trust for Okta. Visit kolide.com/appleatwork to learn more and watch a demo.

Two things are being discussed by every CIO, CEO, and board in 2024: security threats and the impact of AI. Today, companies are caught between a rock and a hard place, grappling with the need to safeguard their operations without hampering their ability to get things done and stay ahead of the competition. This clash between security measures and the pursuit of productivity is nothing new. Still, it’s become more pressing than ever, thanks to increased cyber threats and the rapid growth of generative AI.

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The biggest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years has killed at least four people, with TSMC plants evacuated as a safety precaution.

Apple’s chipmaker is still assessing the impact on production; even the slightest vibration can result in entire batches of chips being destroyed …

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We’ve already seen at least two examples of a Vision Pro headset assisting with surgery, and another first has now been notched up in Florida.

Vision Pro was used to provide “touch-free access to the surgical setup, inventory, and procedural guides from within the sterile field of the operating room” during a shoulder replacement – specifically, a reverse one …

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Installing a third-party app store is now possible for iPhone owners in the EU – but it’s not exactly a quick-and-easy process.

It seems a safe bet that this is a deliberate move on Apple’s part to deter people from doing it – something which is likely to land the company in court on antitrust charges …

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Green energy pioneer BLUETTI has a brand new portable solution that’s ready to power your adventures on land, water, and anything in between. Here’s what you get with the mobile, yet powerful new weatherproof BLUETTI AC240. Plus 9to5Mac readers can get an extra $100 off the already generous early bird launch pricing.

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Apple released iOS 17.5 beta 1 to developers today, after a month-long gap with zero beta releases. While iOS 17.5 beta 1 is a relatively minor update, there are a few things worth pointing out. Head below for more.

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Apple last year announced a partnership with Google to work on a new “industry specification to address unwanted tracking” after many concerns about stalkers using accessories like to silently track people. Now it seems that Apple is planning to launch these new anti-stalking features with iOS 17.5.

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As Apple is expected to introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models soon, we’ve also heard rumors about the company working on new accessories for its tablets. 9to5Mac has now found evidence that corroborates the development of a new Apple Pencil 3 – and that it will feature a new “squeeze” gesture.

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Apple is rolling out a new firmware version for AirPods Max users today. The update is the first firmware release for AirPods Max users since the end of January, but don’t expect any major changes.

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Update: We’re told May 2 is the release date for Beats Solo4 headphones. Early May sounds busy. No word on when this guy makes a come back.

It’s been a few days since Apple announced new Beats Solo headphones. 2,764 days and counting to be exact. The day counter is clearly about to reset, however, as more and more signs point to Beats Solo4 hardware launching soon.

The clearest sign yet? 9to5Mac has exclusively received the full rundown on Beats Solo4 specs from trusted sources. The TL;DR is this: Beats is about to deliver a big upgrade to the on-ear headphones for the same price as their predecessors from 2016. That translates to a great value in 2024 dollars, plus they’re USB-C. Here’s what we’re told to expect from Beats Solo4 headphones…

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Update: Public beta versions are starting to roll in. Have fun!

Miss living on beta? All aboard the iOS 17.5 beta train. After a few too many weeks with no developer beta, Apple has released the first iOS 17.5 beta for testing. The full list of beta releases today includes Apple’s other platforms as well:

• iOS 17.5
• macOS Sonoma 14.5
• visionOS 1.1
• watchOS 10.5
• tvOS 17.5
• HomePod 17.5

Enjoy the fresh beta bits, and let us know what you find!

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More on Apple Card: Sponsored by Capital One Shopping: Capital One Shopping users saved over $800 million in the past year....

It feels like just yesterday when Apple continued to sell 2017’s Apple Watch Series 3 despite it not receiving an already announced watchOS update. Fortunately, Apple hasn’t repeated that mistake again. Instead, we’re merely looking at the successor to that Apple Watch potentially missing support for the next major watchOS release.

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In February, images of unreleased Beats Solo 4 headphones were revealed thanks to the iOS 17.4 beta. Now, the Beats Solo 4 have popped up in the FCC’s database, signaling that a launch is imminent. They’ll mark the first update to the Beats Solo line in eight years…

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Nothing makes me feel more like Zion Williamson than shooting hoops at the arcade. And while I’d love to take arcade basketball home with me, I’m not sure that’s the best investment. Fortunately, Apple Vision Pro has quickly become the best way to turn any space into an arcade basketball arena.

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