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    Apple working on first-party game controllers, likely under Beats brand

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    DualShock 4 Wireless Controller

    Apple has spent more than a year developing its own game controllers and is likely to sell them under the Beats name rather than its main brand, according to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman.

    The project is being led by Beats executives on both product conception and engineering, Gurman reported in his Power On newsletter. Apple sees dedicated controllers as a growing market and wants a piece of it, after years of selling third-party options such as Backbone and SteelSeries devices through its own channels.

    The effort follows code references that surfaced earlier this month in a macOS beta, pointing to two unreleased first-party controllers identified as T6502 and T1057. Those listings described conventional gamepad hardware, including a D-pad, dual analog thumbsticks, face buttons, shoulder buttons, analog triggers, and haptic motors. One model appears wired; the other is described as adding Bluetooth, motion sensors, and richer haptic feedback.

    Gurman said the Beats label is a strategic fit. Apple has already used the subsidiary — acquired in 2014 — for iPhone cases, USB-C cables, and other accessories that sit below the materials, finishes, and prices associated with the Apple brand. A controller aimed at a broad audience would need to stay relatively affordable, which argues against the premium approach typical of Apple-branded hardware. The culture around gaming accessories also aligns more naturally with Beats than with Apple’s core lineup, he wrote.

    No pricing, design details, or launch window have been disclosed. Existing Made for iPhone controllers and console pads from PlayStation and Xbox already work with Apple devices; a first-party option could still tighten the company’s grip on mobile and Apple TV gaming as more demanding titles arrive on iOS and Mac.

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    Source link: https://macdailynews.com/2026/09/14/apple-working-on-first-party-game-controllers-likely-under-beats-brand/

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    GM capitulates on Apple CarPlay ban; brings back system later this year

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    Apple CarPlay

    General Motors has capitulated on its hard line against phone projection, bringing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto into a new truck user interface after years of pushing customers toward its own software, according to Bloomberg News‘ David Welch.

    The automaker will introduce the system later this year on the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500. Rather than letting CarPlay or Android Auto occupy the entire screen, GM is placing the phone interface in a large window alongside native functions such as trailering data, tire pressure, fuel information, and Super Cruise.

    The design is a retreat from GM’s 2023 decision to drop CarPlay and Android Auto from electric vehicles, a move that drew backlash from buyers who wanted their familiar phone apps on the dashboard. Gas-powered trucks had kept the features, and the new interface is meant to end the either-or choice between Apple or Google and GM’s own system.

    GM product officials have described the split view as the “sweet spot,” allowing drivers to use phone apps without losing truck-specific tools. Tapping the phone icon opens CarPlay or Android Auto in the large pane; the home control returns the native layout.

    The software also adds updated graphics, animated transitions, and simplified layouts for towing and off-roading on large displays, including a 16.3-inch touchscreen. GM plans to start with its highest-volume pickups before spreading the interface more widely.

    Shocker.

    General Motors is blowing it by barring the widely-used Apple CarPlay (and Google’s derivative Android Auto) that allow drivers to bypass vehicle’s infotainment systems, shifting instead to an built-in infotainment system, Google Automotive, for future electric vehicles.

    For us, and many, many others, General Motors simply moves even further out of consideration for future purchases (GM never really was in consideration anyway).

    If GM sticks to this stupidity, it deserves its fate. – MacDailyNews, May 15, 2023

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    Source link: https://macdailynews.com/2026/09/15/gm-capitulates-on-apple-carplay-ban-brings-back-system-later-this-year/