Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
Apple showed off its second batch of new products ahead of the all-important holiday shopping season.
At a virtual event on Monday, the company showed off two high-end MacBook Pro laptops powered by its next-generation silicon chip. It also unveiled AirPods 3, its entry-level wireless earbuds that borrow a few features from its higher-end AirPods Pro line.
Apple's event came amid ongoing concerns about global component shortages and logistics issues across the tech industry. Still, Google will unveil its Pixel 6 smartphone on Tuesday, and Samsung is hosting a mysterious press event the following day.
Here's a look at what Apple announced:
Apple announced new MacBook Pro laptops that use its new in-house M1 Pro and M1 Max processors, which promise to be 70% faster and more efficient than its previous M1 chip.
The Pro comes in two sizes -- 16 inches and, for the first time, a 14-inch model -- and features thinner bezels and improved displays, with a higher refresh rate. Other improvements include longer-lasting batteries and an advanced front-facing camera that can take 1080p video.
Apple also ditched its digital Touch Bar, a divisive feature that replaced the row of function keys at the top of the keyboard with text prediction and shortcuts. But the Pro does include a fingerprint sensor located in the power button.
The company is also bringing back the HDMI port, SD card slot, and a MagSafe charger, the last of which was removed when Apple introduced USB-C ports to the line.
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro model starts at $1,999 and the 16-inch MacBook Pro model starts at $2,499.
Apple introduced an update to its entry-level AirPods that offers features of the AirPods Pro line.
AirPods 3 comes with spatial audio, better sound quality -- providing more powerful bass and crisp high frequency -- and is sweat and water resistant for workouts. It also comes with a new contour design and adaptive EQ, a feature previously found only on AirPods Pro. The wireless earbuds customize sound in real time by adjusting frequencies based on what your ear is hearing.
The latest model touts improved battery performance, promising up to 6 hours of battery life, and 5 minutes of charge time will get an hour of use. Apple is also adding MagSafe and wireless charging to the case.
AirPods 3, which are available for pre-order starting today, cost $179, while AirPods 2 are now $129. AirPods Pro will remain at $249 and its over-the-ear headphones, AirPods Max, cost $549.
The company is adding a splash of color to its HomePod mini line. In addition to black and white, HomePod mini will soon be available in orange, yellow and dark blue for $99 each, starting in November.
Meanwhile, Apple Music is getting a voice plan with Siri integration. For about $5 each month, subscribers can ask Siri to pull up playlists, songs and radio stations. The voice-only option is cheaper than its existing plan $9.99/month and the Family Plan at $14.99/month.
Although Apple previously teased new features coming to macOS Monterey back in June, it never formally revealed a launch date until now. The latest Mac software, which includes updates to FaceTime, support for AirPlay, a low-power mode and a tab-grouping feature in Safari, will be available for download starting October 25.
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Whether passionate about Poirot or hungry for Holmes, Winnipeg mystery obsessives have had a local haunt for over 30 years in which to search out their latest page-turners.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.