If you’re still running Apple Home on the old HomeKit architecture, this is your final reminder: Apple’s migration deadline is tomorrow, February 10. Here’s how to update.

more…

YouTube is splitting YouTube TV into a selection of tailored YouTube TV Plans, allowing subscribers to pay less for a smaller selection of channels. "TV should be easy," reads the blog post announcing the change.


There are 10+ new plans across Sports, News, Entertainment, and Family, at prices that are $11 to $28 below the $82.99 per month cost for a full YouTube TV subscription. New subscribers will have access to lower prices for the first three months to a year, and a 10-day trial is available. Existing subscribers can downgrade to one of the more affordable plans.

• Sports Plan - $64.99 per month, or $54.99 per month for new subscribers (1-year discount). Includes all major broadcasters (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) plus sports networks like FS1, NBC Sports Network, all ESPN networks, and ESPN Unlimited.


• Sports + News Plan - $71.99 per month, or $56.99 per month for new subscribers (3-month discount). Includes everything in the Sports Plan, plus networks like CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, CSPAN, Bloomberg, and Fox Business.


• Entertainment Plan - $54.99 per month, or $44.99 per month for new subscribers (3-month discount). Includes all major broadcasters and content, from FX dramas to Hallmark classics. Comedy Central, Bravo, Paramount, Food Network, HGTV, and more are available.


• News + Entertainment + Family Plan - $69.99 per month, or $59.99 per month for new subscribers (3-month discount). Includes news and entertainment channels along with family content like the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, National Geographic, Cartoon Network, and PBS Kids.

The new YouTube TV plans will have the perks of YouTube TV, such as unlimited DVR, and the option to share content with six members on one account. Add-ons like NFL Sunday Ticket, HBO Max, and 4K Plus can also be purchased. Plans are rolling out starting this week.

YouTube TV first launched in April 2017, and it was initially priced at $35 per month. It has more than doubled in price over the course of the last nine years. The last price increase came in December 2024, when YouTube raised the price from $72.99 per month to $82.99 per month.

YouTube TV is available across a wide range of devices, including the Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad.
This article, "YouTube TV Gets Cheaper Sports, News, and Entertainment Bundles" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Back in December, Rivian released support for using an Apple Watch as a digital key. Next, the EV maker is launching a dedicated Apple Watch app with remote access and control capabilities.

more…

The feature is now starting to reach WhatsApp Web beta users, with a wider rollout expected for the coming weeks. Here’s how it works.

more…

Apple has announced that its flagship Regent Street store in London, England reopens on Saturday, February 14, at 10 a.m. local time.


The store has been temporarily closed for "refurbishment" since Monday, January 12. The extent of the changes remains to be seen.

It is not yet clear if Apple made any changes that will be visible to customers. In some cases, Apple only updates a store's fixtures or back-of-house area, resulting in no visible differences to customers when business resumes.

Apple first opened up shop on London's world-famous Regent Street in 2004. The store was already remodeled in 2016.
This article, "Apple's Regent Street Store Reopening Soon After One-Month Closure" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

U.S. ChatGPT users who have a free account or a low-cost Go subscription will start seeing ads starting today, according to OpenAI.


Ads will be limited to the Free and Go subscription tiers, and will be shown to logged-in adult users. OpenAI does not plan to show ads to minors, and the company claims that ads will not influence the answers that ChatGPT provides. OpenAI also says it will not provide advertisers with content from ChatGPT conversations.

OpenAI is not profitable, and the free and Go tier options require "significant infrastructure and ongoing investment." OpenAI is funding that work through ads, and it says that customers who do not want to see ads can upgrade to a Plus or Pro plan. There's also an option to opt out of ads in exchange for fewer daily free messages.

Ads in ChatGPT will be clearly labeled as sponsored and the information will be presented separately from answers that ChatGPT provides. By default, OpenAI will show ads based on conversation topic, past chats, and past interactions with ads. A conversation about recipes, for example, may surface ads for meal kits or grocery delivery.

Advertisers will receive aggregate information like number of views or clicks, but won't have access to chat history, memories, or personal user information. Ads will not be shown for sensitive topics like health, mental health, or politics.

OpenAI is allowing users to dismiss ads, share feedback, and get information on why a particular ad is displayed. Ad data is also able to be deleted, and personalization can be disabled.

ChatGPT subscribers with Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education plans will not see ads. OpenAI says the current rollout is a test to learn, listen, and get the ad experience right, and the company claims that it believes ads in ChatGPT can be "uniquely valuable for people."

Last week, OpenAI competitor Anthropic promised to keep the Claude chatbot ad-free in response to OpenAI's plan to introduce ads. Anthropic shared an anti-ad commercial during the Super Bowl calling out OpenAI for its ad plans, and said that a "conversation with Claude" is not the right place for ads.
This article, "ChatGPT Now Has Ads for Free and Go Tier Users" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

OWC recently kicked off a new sale offering big discounts on a variety of USB-C docks, external drives and enclosures, and Mac accessories. This includes $40 off OWC's new Thunderbolt 5 Hub, available for $149.99, down from $189.99.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with OWC. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This new hub adds more Thunderbolt 5 ports to your Mac, PC, or iPad Pro setup, with support for Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB4, and USB-C devices. There's also a deal on OWC's 11-Port Thunderbolt 5 Dock, which is available for $299.99, down from $329.99 and has ports for memory cards, USB-A devices, networking cables, headphones, and more.




OWC's sale has a few other discounts this week, including savings on Thunderbolt cables, charging cables, and more. The popular 14-Port Thunderbolt Dock for Mac is available for $179.99, down from $279.99. If you purchase a qualifying new or used Mac at the same time as this dock, you can get an additional $20 off the accessory at checkout.

Docks and Hubs

• USB-C Travel Dock - $34.99, down from $49.99


• USB-C Travel Dock E - $49.99, down from $59.99


• Thunderbolt 5 Hub - $149.99, down from $189.99


• 14-Port Thunderbolt Dock - $179.99, down from $279.99


• Thunderbolt Go Dock - $179.99, down from $299.99


• 11-Port Thunderbolt 5 Dock - $299.99, down from $329.99

Cables

• Thunderbolt 4 Cable - $11.49, down from $24.99


• Thunderbolt 5 Cable (11.8 in) - $14.99, down from $19.99


• Thunderbolt 5 Cable (31.5 in) - $19.99, down from $27.99

Drives and Enclosures

• 1TB OWC Express 1M2 + SanDisk WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe M.2 2280 SSD - $299.99, down from $417.98


• 2TB OWC Express 1M2 + SanDisk WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe M.2 2280 SSD - $469.99, down from $907.98

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

---

This article, "OWC Introduces Discounts on Newest Thunderbolt 5 Docks and Hubs" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums