New iOS 14.5 features, Apple TV hardware, and PDF tools on the AppleInsider podcast

By Stephen Robles

This week on the AppleInsider Podcast, your hosts discuss the latest iOS 14.5 beta, rumors of an always-on display for "iPhone 13," PDF tools for iOS and Mac, and the future of Apple TV hardware.

Recent notification from Apple TV app

The second beta of iOS 14.5 is available, and it and adds several new features. Shortcuts added actions for taking a screenshot, locking screen rotation, and setting the cellular network preference. New interface features in Apple Music include swipe gestures and the ability to share lyrics directly to social media or via text, and 200 new emoji will be arriving in the new version of iOS.

LastPass, the popular password manager app is limiting its free tier to a single device. If users want to utilize LastPass across devices with syncing capability, they will be required to pay for the service. We discuss the advantages of using a password manager application and what sets services like 1Password apart from iCloud Keychain.

Rumors of "iPhone 13" claim that the device will have an always-on display that would show battery percentage and the clock persistently like some Android phones. While the iPad Pro has ProMotion, Apple's term for a 120 Hz display, the iPhone 12 line is still relegated to a 60 Hz display -- which may change if some Apple research comes to fruition.

Ex-NSA researcher Patrick Wardle has discovered the first M1-native malware application. Current anti-virus applications failed to spot this adware program and shows how quickly nefarious software adapts to new hardware and software platforms.

Then in response to several tweets and articles questioning whether the Apple TV hardware is still necessary, we discuss the benefits of using Apple's first-party streaming box and what could be added in the future to make it a more compelling product. While the Siri remote could be dramatically improved, we would love to see more home theater features added, such as Spatial Audio, and improved gaming features to take advantage of the Apple Arcade platform.

We review some of the well-known tools on iPhone and iPad plus suggest apps for OCR and advanced PDF features on Mac.

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