Cellular Apple Watch buyers call out Verizon's maddening activation block
Apple Watch owners can't activate their cell plans through Verizon — unless they bought the device from the carrier, or complain at length.
William Gallagher started out in the 1980s using Macs on a UK freesheet newspaper while also working for BBC Local Radio, and writing computer manuals for McDonnell Douglas on a Mac SE/30. He wrote assembly language routines for a professional publishing app in the mid-1980s, and contributed to BBC Television's Micro Live in 1987.
Working in London as features editor on PC Direct from 1990, he wrote technology articles for Macworld UK, PC Magazine, and Computer Life. He edited Educational Computing & Technology magazine and wrote about television drama for the British Film Institute and Paramount Comedy Network's teletext service.
Moving to the BBC's teletext service in 1994, he was a freelance broadcast journalist for BBC Ceefax, then BBC Digitext, and BBC News Online. Simultaneously, he was a producer on the BBC's Radio Times website, and he wrote the Radio Times television history column On This Day for five years.
In 2005 he launched one of the earliest podcasts, UK DVD Review, which charted in the top ten of all podcasts, in all categories, around the world. The show ran for five years and was favorably reviewed on BBC News and The Sunday Times. His work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, and the UK's The Independent.
William Gallagher continues to freelance for the BBC, and makes regular contributions on BBC Local Radio stations around the country. In 2012, his first book about television drama was published by the British Film Institute, and it's been followed by 18 further titles on drama, writing, and technology. His books include four best-selling ebook titles about Mac and Apple software.
Alongside writing about technology and its uses for AppleInsider, he runs extensive workshops for writers, musicians, actors and journalists. Including his work with young writers, and roles at UK literary festivals, he's made 790 public speaking appearances since 2012.
Since January 2020, he's produced and presented over 170 weekly editions of 58keys, a YouTube podcast series for writers who use Macs, iPhones and iPads.
Apple Watch owners can't activate their cell plans through Verizon — unless they bought the device from the carrier, or complain at length.
Nine Macs from 2015 and 2016 are now officially classified as obsolete, meaning Apple will not service them — while another three hang on under the label of vintage.
In what appears to be an iOS 18 bug, users of iPhones including the iPhone 16 Pro are reporting touches and taps not being recognized.
Both the new iPhone 16 range and the Apple Watch Series 10 have been described as merely incremental updates, but in practice there is such a lot more to them, even before Apple Intelligence arrives.
Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max and Apple Watch Series 10 are larger devices — but they seem to come in smaller packages every year.
Samsung is now mocking Apple over a perceived lack of new designs for the iPhone, and doing it with a nod to the famous "Think Different" ads — as well as doing it despite a lack of new designs.
As the first pre-orders arrive, the iPhone 16 can now be bought in Apple Stores, as well as ordered online for immediate shipping.
Yet another report says Apple's own 5G modem will launch in 2025, cutting Qualcomm out of its iPhone SE and even iPhone 17 profits.
The European Commission has begun to set out legal requirements for Apple to open up all of iOS and iPadOS to third parties, on top of allowing rival App Stores and payment systems.
A new report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that only certain models of the 2026 iPhone 18 range — presumably the Pro editions — will get 2nm processors.
A lawsuit claiming that Facebook parent company Meta concealed how Apple's iOS privacy settings would hurt advertisers, has been dismissed.
The initial reviews for Apple's iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are arriving, with most reviewers saying that the improvements are small, or at least will be until Apple Intelligence launches too.
By default, macOS Sequoia leaves a neat gap between windows when they are tiled — but if you don't like that, it's easy to change it.
Following FDA approval, Apple will shortly launch its sleep apnea detection feature for the Apple Watch, and has now published a health paper detailing its development and verification.
Apple TV+ time-travelling fantasy has run out of time — Taika Waititi's "Time Bandits" will not return for a second season.
Apple's macOS Sequoia is chiefly a tale of two halves, with all of the better improvements coming later. But what's here now is good, sometimes even very good, but it definitely doesn't feel like the full picture.
After being unveiled at WWDC 2024 and then working its way through rounds of beta versions, macOS Sequoia has now been officially released. It is the new current version and all Macs sold from today onwards will have it preinstalled.
Across the board, every review so far of the new AirPods 4 has concentrated on how remarkably good Active Noise Cancellation is.
Apple TV+ thriller "Slow Horses" won its creator and executive producer Will Smith an Emmy in an otherwise weak year for the streamer.
Finally, it's all here — or at least the announcement is. As we wait to get our hands on the new iPhone 16, Apple Watch, and AirPods, here's what is getting us excited about this year's launches.
Following the start of preorders for the iPhone 16 range, the earliest shipping date for the iPhone 16 Pro Max has already slipped back a week.
After about a three-hour downtime, the Apple Store is back online and preorders have started for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.
Three hours ahead of preorders opening for the iPhone 16 range, AirPods, and black Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple has taken down its store.
Two years after the Dirigera hub was announced with the promise of being Matter-compatible, Ikea is finally releasing non-beta firmware to facilitate this.
Apple had to achieve what Craig Federighi says were breakthroughs so that Apple Intelligence could use large language models in the cloud while still protecting users' privacy. Here's what Apple did.
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