Apple’s lead marketer for Vision Pro spatial computer retires
Apple's senior director leading product-marketing efforts for the company's Vision Pro spatial computer has retired following the… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Spotify Says Apple Has Rejected Its App Update With Price Information for EU Users
Apple has rejected Spotify's new version of its iOS app with in-app pricing information for users in the European Union, the audio streaming firm said on Thursday. Reuters: The Swedish company submitted a new version of its app to Apple with basic pricing and website information, which is a minimum requirement under the European Commission's ruling in its music streaming case, it said in a post on X on Wednesday. Spotify said the Cupertino, California based-Apple rejected its update in a response directly sent to the company. "Apple has once again defied the European Commission's decision, rejecting our update for attempting to communicate with customers about our prices unless we pay Apple a new tax. Their disregard for consumers and developers is matched only by their disdain for the law," a spokesperson for Spotify said in a statement. In March, Brussels fined Apple with 1.84 billion euros ($1.97 billion) for thwarting competition from music streaming rivals via restrictions on its App Store, marking its first ever EU antitrust penalty, following a 2019 complaint from Spotify. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Patrick Wardle teams up with ex-Apple researcher to boost Mac security for all
Two long-standing Mac security experts have formed DoubleYou, a firm that aims to develop security tools that other Mac developers can incorporate into their systems.DoubleYou founders believe Mac needs better securityThe new company was started by, and is named after the last initial of, noted security expert Patrick Wardle. Together with Mikhail Sosonkin, he plans to release modular security apps that can protect against one or many components of malware."Instead of building, for example, a whole product from scratch, we really took a step back," Wardle told TechCrunch, "and we said 'hey, how do the offensive adversaries do this?'" Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple Silicon supplier TSMC unveils 1.6nm process roadmap for 2026 chips
Apple Silicon supplier TSMC on Wednesday unveiled its newest semiconductor process, advanced packaging, and 3D IC technologies… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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If you're seeing canceled Apple iPhone trade-in notifications today, you're not alone
AppleInsider has learned that trade-ins for iPhones processed months ago are being mysteriously listed as canceled, and the root cause for the notification isn't known yet.Pair of iPhone 14 modelsOvernight, we got some tips about months-old trade-ins listed as cancelled. It has also also happened to one AppleInsider staffer.It's not yet clear exactly what's going on. Apple takes in one trade-in towards a single device, with multiple devices being traded in counting toward gift cards. So far, the only information we have is that it only appears to be happening to people who have traded in for a new device. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Go back in time with a modern Atari console and 200+ games for just $70
Save on My Arcade Atari Game Station Pro. The officially licensed, modern Atari console comes with tons of preloaded games for only $69.99. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Verizon upgrades Home Device Protect to cover almost all devices, 2nd residences, more
Verizon is out with an update for its Home Device Protect plan that repairs or replaces an unlimited number of devices from computers, game consoles, smart home devices, TVs, and now robot vacuums, healthcare devices, and more. The service also now covers a 2nd residence, 24/7 tech support, in-home expert visits, and more. more…

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Chinese smartphone market grows 6.5% in Q1; Apple iPhone declines 6.6%
China smartphone shipments grew 6.5% year over year (YoY) to 69.3 million units in 1Q24. Although the growth was supported by a low… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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What new features to expect in Apple Pencil 3
Get ready for Apple Pencil 3: new features like a squeeze gesture and Find My support make it a game changer for artists and note takers. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Spotify: Apple has ‘defied’ the EU by blocking latest update with pricing info
Yesterday we learned that Spotify decided to pass on Apple’s new EU terms that would allow it to use alternative payment methods due to the Core Technology Fee. Instead, it submitted an app update with pricing info and details on how to subscribe outside of the App Store without giving users a link. Now Spotify says Apple has unjustly blocked the update and again “defied the European Commission”. more…

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Blowout deals: grab a 24-inch iMac for $799 while supplies last
Apple resellers are clearing out iMac inventory this week, with staggering discounts on the M1 24-inch iMac that knock up to $700 off.Kicking off the sale, Amazon-owned Woot has the standard model with a 7-core GPU, 8GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD marked down to $799.99 in new condition. This blowout special is available with an English or Spanish keyboard, depending on the selected colorway. According to Woot, these models come with Apple's 1-year limited warranty and are eligible for AppleCare.M1 7-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD: $799.99 ($500 off) at Amazon-owned Woot Continue Reading on AppleInsider

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I switched from an iPhone 14 Pro to an iPhone 15 and haven’t looked back
Macworld I don’t need to have a new iPhone every year, just the procedure of changing over with various authentications is sometimes a bit annoying. What’s more, the iPhone has matured to such an extent that there are only evolutionary changes from year to year, rarely an innovation that really knocks my socks off. A new device every three to four years, possibly a replacement battery in between—that’s quite enough. After three to four years, a new iPhone really does feel revolutionary compared to the old one. But now I’m in the situation of having to change every year for professional reasons. Because even if the innovations from generation to generation are rather sparse, iI need to be familiar with each annual upgrade to make sure I give our valued readers the best possible information. But which model is best for me? Deciding on a downgrade In recent years, I have had a red iPhone 11, a green iPhone 12, a lilac-coloured iPhone 13 and a gold iPhone 14 Pro in constant use. I didn’t buy any of them myself, most of them were test models from Apple that we returned after a year, well-looked-after and undamaged. But what does a spoiled iPhone user buy when they’ve been using the iPhone 14 Pro for a whole year? Your mileage may vary, but I opted for an iPhone 15, without the “Pro.” All iPhone 15s come with USB-C instead of Lightning. All iPhone 15s come with USB-C instead of Lightning.Apple All iPhone 15s come with USB-C instead of Lightning.Apple Apple Why is that? Sure, the price plays a role. Would the features of the iPhone 15 Pro justify the extra cost? Six months after making the switch, I have an answer. Current best price: iPhone 15 Retailer Price $829 View Deal $829.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The camera: Just as good, minus the zoom Most people now make their purchase decision based on the smartphone’s camera, so most smartphone tests are actually camera tests. I had always used the normal model with its wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lens until I got a telephoto lens with the iPhone 14 Pro. It made a difference compared to the previous iPhone 13, no question about it. On holiday, I was able to leave the other cameras at home for the first time (one a compact digital camera with 6x zoom, one a system camera with 3x zoom), especially as the iPhone simply takes better pictures. Okay, I like the computational processing of the real images better on the iPhone, but I can’t really judge whether the images are really better. 48 megapixels for full resolution – better for zooming 48 megapixels for full resolution – better for zoomingApple 48 megapixels for full resolution – better for zoomingApple Apple At the end of 2023, Apple also gave the standard iPhone a 2x zoom. The trick is that the scene photographed with the 48-megapixel sensor just uses the center 12 megapixels, which is a sort of crop-zoom. As a result, the 2x magnification works like an optical zoom without the resolution suffering and the photo becoming grainy. And even at 3x zoom, though digitally enlarged, was not a problem. When the Alps seem to start just behind Munich on a clear day, you can’t capture this adequately on a picture with a triple zoom, whereas the digital zoom shows the Zugspitze large, but quite blurred. The change has not taken away my enjoyment of the iPhone in terms of the camera, the 5x zoom (optical) of the iPhone 15 Pro Max would have been a good reason for a bigger investment, but the Pro Max is too large for me. Let’s see if the rumors are true and the iPhone 16 Pro also gets a 5x or even 6x zoom in a size that I can tolerate. Will I have to pass on the 15 after just one year in the family? My son with his iPhone 11 might be interested. The processor: I don’t notice any difference What will soon apply to the Mac chips of the M series has been the rule for the A-Bionics of the iPhones for a few years now: the improvements from year to year are measurable but incremental, but every few years a new chip causes a sensation thanks to the further shrinking of the manufacturing process. In 2023, this happened with the A17 Pro, the first chip manufactured using the 3 nm process. But that’s no reason for me to buy the more expensive iPhone 15 Pro, because I don’t really need hardware ray tracing; I’m a casual gamer at best, and then preferably chess. The best iPhone chip to date will no longer be good enough for some tasks in 2024. The best iPhone chip to date will no longer be good enough for some tasks in 2024.Apple The best iPhone chip to date will no longer be good enough for some tasks in 2024.Apple Apple So my switch from the iPhone 14 Pro to the iPhone 15 meant sticking with the same chip, the A16 Bionic with its 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU and 16-core Neutral Engine: a wonderful piece of technology that is still way ahead of the pack and is completely sufficient for my everyday use. Things will probably not be much different with the next major leap, but if Apple uses more AI in iOS 18, its functions may not run on all older iPhones. You may get all the latest AI features with the A18 Pro, so even an iPhone 15 Pro wouldn’t help me much here. And I would hardly have noticed its better performance compared to the iPhone 15. So I don’t miss anything when it comes to the chip. Current best price: iPhone 15 Pro Retailer Price $999 View Deal $999.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Color and shape: A matter of taste You can take the view that an iPhone is only an iPhone if the casing is black. I respect that, but I don’t follow it. My second iPhone, a 4S, was white. Then I favored gold, then red, light green, lilac, white gold and now: light blue. Sure, the titanium colors of the iPhone 15 Pro are very chic, let’s see what Apple comes up with for the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone 15’s colors are a little pale, especially compared to the previous generations, but that doesn’t bother me. Green, yellow and even blue are rather white with a hint of the main color, only the black and the pink are a little bolder. To be honest, the iPhone 14 Pro in gold was rather unfortunate in terms of color. The gold was very pale, the back more milky-white than anything else. In real life, the colours are much paler than in Apple’s promotional image. In real life, the colours are much paler than in Apple’s promotional image.Apple In real life, the colours are much paler than in Apple’s promotional image.Apple Apple I would have been reluctant to say goodbye to the damn chic Deep Purple colour or the Sierra Blue of the iPhone 13 Pro, but I don’t miss anything. On the contrary: I like the colour so much that I don’t want to hide it and have bought a transparent case. But after six months, it’s already clearly yellowed. I’ve taken out Apple Care+, so maybe I should use the iPhone without the case? It feels really comfortable in my hand, far better than the iPhone 14 Pro without a case. Display: The main reason to go Pro Apple passes on some innovations from the Pro models to the regular iPhones in the next generation, such as the sensor shift image stabilisation, which was initially only built into the iPhone 12 Pro Max and a year later into all iPhones 13. Other features are reserved for the Pros for longer, or end up not being included in the second division at all. (Or should we rather talk about Champions League and Europa League? The regular iPhones are far better than second division!) So far, this includes ProMotion, the adaptive screen refresh rate that Apple has been including with the iPad Pro for years and has only been using with iPhone since the iPhone 14 Pro. Critics of the iPhone have complained that there is still no 120Hz display for the no-Pro models, but that is only one end of the spectrum. A higher refresh rate leads to a better experience in many games, which, as mentioned above, is not so important to me. And I don’t notice that it’s smoother to scroll through websites, for example. With a refresh rate of 1 Hz, the iPhone keeps you informed about current events even when locked, which used to be better anyway. With a refresh rate of 1 Hz, the iPhone keeps you informed about current events even when locked, which used to be better anyway.Zaawely Graphics / shutterstock.com With a refresh rate of 1 Hz, the iPhone keeps you informed about current events even when locked, which used to be better anyway.Zaawely Graphics / shutterstock.com Zaawely Graphics / shutterstock.com At the other end of the spectrum, however, there is something I miss about the iPhone 15, possibly the only feature of the iPhone 14 Pro: the always-on display, which uses a refresh rate of 1 Hz. This was a little unusual at the time and nothing new for Android users, and not every Apple user approved of the feature. However, I liked it and I wish Apple had at least passed this function from the iPhone 14 Pro to the iPhone 15. But that will happen at some point, and my iPhone 15 is certainly not my last iPhone. This article originally appeared on Macwelt and was translated by Jason Cross. iPhone

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Mac Virus Scan: How to protect your Mac from malware
Macworld You may have been led to believe that you don’t have to worry about computer viruses on your Mac. And, to some extent, there’s truth to that. While your Mac can definitely be infected with malware, Apple’s built-in malware detection and file quarantine capabilities should make it less likely that you’ll download and run malicious software. Apple introduced malware detection to the macOS back in 2009 with Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6). This system consists of the quarantine of any app downloaded from the Internet, the use of Code Signing certificates to verify that an app is coming from a legitimate source, and regular security updates that include databases of known malware targeting the macOS. If you want some tips to help you keep your Mac secure from any potential malware read: How to protect your Mac from malware. We also discuss How secure is a Mac and what to do if you think your Mac has a virus separately. Here we will discuss how you can check your Mac for viruses and how to run a Mac virus scan. Read on to find out more. How Apple scans your Mac for viruses and malware Apple includes antivirus software in macOS that monitors your Mac for malware, blocks malware and removes it if necessary. There are three elements to this: XProtect, Gatekeeper and Notarization. PROMOTIONAntivirus Deal: Intego Mac Premium Bundle Get Intego’s Mac Premium Bundle X9 with antivirus, firewall, backup and system performance tools for just $29.99 (down from $84.99) for the first year. Intego is Macworld’s #1 choice of antivirus for Macs. Get Deal 1. Apps are checked before they can be installed Foundry Apple makes it hard to install an app that might not be safe on a Mac. Mac users can choose to only install apps from the Mac App Store, which is the safest option as it means that the app has been thoroughly checked by Apple before being distributed. Alternatively, there is an option to install apps from the App Store and identified developers. An identified developer is one whose software has been scanned by Apple to ensure it is safe. As long as the app has passed Apple’s tests it will have a Notarization ticket, which Gatekeeper looks for before telling macOS that it is safe to open. If you only install apps from the Mac App Store, or notarised apps from identified developers, you should be safe, but sticking to the Mac App Store is the safest option as apps on the Mac App Store can’t be tampered with. If you want to make sure your Mac can only install apps from the Mac App Store these are the steps to follow: On Ventura or later: Open System Settings. Click on Privacy & Security. Scroll down to Security and select App Store below Allow applications downloaded from. On Monterey or earlier: Open System Preferences. Click on Security & Privacy. Click on General. Under Allow applications downloaded from select App Store. If you prefer to allow installations from outside the Mac App Store follow the same steps but choose App Store and identified developers from the options. If you choose to allow installations from identified developers then Apple will look for evidence that the app is notarized and it will also verify that the app hasn’t been tampered with and no malware is present. Unfortunately in the past there have been apps that slipped through this process because a certificate was present, such as the case of the Shlayer malware, but Apple has ramped up security since and changes to notarized apps are pushed out as required. If Gatekeeper detects that the app has no notarization to prove the developer is certified by Apple, a message saying the app can’t be opened because of your settings will be displayed. If you know that the software is from a legitimate developer you can override this and open the app. See: How to open a Mac app from an unidentified developer. However, you should be aware that even legitimate software has been known to conceal malware. 2. App Management stops unauthorized apps from making modifications Foundry App Management is a privacy setting that arrived in macOS Ventura. It is intended to prevent malicious software modifications by watching for attempts by software to modify other apps. If this happens, App Management blocks the modification and alerts the user, who can allow it if applicable. This means that apps can only be updated by the developer of that app. A modification from anyone else will be blocked. In System Settings there is an option in Privacy & Security for App Management. Users see details of any activity that has been blocked here and can allow the applications to update or delete other applications if they feel that it isn’t malicious behavior. 3. XProtect blocks malware from running Even if the developer is recognized by Apple, the software will still be checked against a list of known malware in XProtect. XProtect will scan an app the first time it launches and it will scan the app every time there is an update issued for it. Updates to XProtect are pushed out frequently and macOS automatically checks for updates daily–a Mac user doesn’t even need to do anything as these updates are separate to macOS updates. This means that even the newest malware should be identified by XProtect, although Apple isn’t always as fast at getting this information updated as other antivirus solutions are. See our round-up of the Best Antivirus for Mac, which features Intego as our number one choice. If malware is identified the app will be blocked and a message will appear giving the option to delete the software. To take full advantage of XProtect you need to be running macOS Catalina (10.15) or later, but we would advise that, because Apple only supports the last three versions of macOS, you will be safest if you are running macOS Monterey, Ventura or Sonoma. You should make sure your Mac is set to receive these updates automatically by following these steps: In Ventura or later: Open System Settings. Go to General > Software Update. Click on the i beside Automatic updates and check that Install Security Responses and System Files is selected. In Monterey or older: Open System Preferences. Click on Software Update. Click on Advanced. Make sure the box beside Install system data files and security updates is selected. 4. Malware is removed by XProtect Remediator Foundry When malware is identified on a Mac the user sees an alert suggesting that the affected app has been moved to the trash. The user is also asked to alert others to the malware, which they can do automatically. This doesn’t mean it is entirely down to the user to delete the app and remove the malware though. The removal used to involve a separate Malware Removal Tool (MRT) found in /Library/System, but it wasn’t an app users could run. However, since macOS Monterey MRT was replaced by an XProtect Remediator that scans for and removes malware. XProtect Remediator will scan your Mac at least once a day or more, and is updated much more frequently than MRT was–since MRT is no longer updated it is a good reason to make sure you are running macOS Catalina or later. XProtect Remediator will attempt to remedy or remove malware. 5. The developer loses certificate and app loses notarization If an app had been notorized by Apple but malware is identified that developer will lose the certificate that allows them to distribute apps and the app will lose its notarization. This change to the notarization is then pushed to other Mac users so that Gatekeeper knows not to allow that app to be opened. macOS checks for XProtect updates daily, but Notarization updates are issued even more frequently, so if malware is detected, or an app loses its Notarization, Mac users should quickly be protected. 6. Is Apple’s protection enough? Foundry If Mac users rely solely on XProtect and Apple’s other protections there are limitations in comparison to other anti-malware solutions, which are updated more regularly and have teams of specialists working on identifying malware. The protection offered by XProtect is also more basic than that of third-party anti-malware apps that can also protect you from phishing, social networking scams, and they can protect your Windows using friends. We make various recommendations in our test of the top Mac antivirus apps. XProtect is updated more frequently than it was–which was one of the main criticisms–but other malware apps check for malware constantly. XProtect only checks for malware when an app is downloaded for the first time, if the app is updated and if the status of the developer signature or app notarization changes. Apple’s protections should keep your Mac free from most malicious software, but they do not make it impossible for malicious software to be installed on your Mac. If new malware is released today and you download and run it today you will have done so before Apple’s databases could have been updated. So it’s always best to be wise when downloading software from unknown sources. As we argue in a separate article: Macs do need antivirus software despite Apple’s protections in macOS. How to run a Mac virus scan macOS will automatically scan your Mac for any malware definitions that features in XProtect, you can’t force it to do this. If you wish to enhance the protection to include other kinds of malware and scan for Windows viruses so there is no danger of passing them on, then you would be wise to install a third-party anti-malware app. There are lots of third-party apps that can to scan your Mac for viruses, including some free options and many that offer a free trial period. Before you can scan your Mac for viruses you may need to visit the Privacy & Security in System Settings or Security & Privacy in System Preferences to allow access. For example, in the case of Avira we had to click on Allow to let it scan our system. You will also need to allow Full Disk Access, which can also be done in Privacy & Security. Initiating a virus scan is an easy process that usually begins with the user clicking a Scan or Smart Scan button. Expect the scan to take a while if there is a lot of data on your Mac. These are the steps we went through to run a scan with Avira Free Security for Mac: Foundry Foundry Foundry Download Avira Avira Free Security for Mac here. Find the installer in your Downloads folder. Click on it. The installer window will open. Double-click on the Avira Security Installer. Click on Open. The installer will open. Click Accept & Install. Wait while it installs. Press Command and Spacebar and start typing Avira to find and open Avira Free Security. You need to allow the software to scan your Mac (this is the case with all antivirus apps), so click Open Full Disk Access. A System Settings window will open in Full Disk Access. You need to make sure that the slider beside both Avira Scan Service and Avira Security Helper is on. Enter your password to allow this. Now you can run a scan for viruses. Click on the Start Smart Scan button and wait. You can then choose to ‘Fix issues’ and the Scan will remove some cookies and free up some gigabytes of space without you needing to pay anything. When we ran Avira it didn’t find any viruses, but it did find 487 tracking cookies and indicated that we could free up 2.13 GB of space. If you do encounter any viruses there is a free 60-day trial, so you could take advantage of the trial and then cancel it before the 60 days are up and the subscription period starts. Foundry Foundry Foundry Best free Mac Antivirus Here is our pick of the best free Antivirus options if you don’t want to pay to scan your Mac for viruses. Avast Free Antivirus AVG Antivirus for the Mac. Bitdefender Virus Scanner for Mac. Avira Free Security for Mac Intego VirusBarrier Scanner Best apps to check a Mac for viruses The best antivirus protection is paid for though. We have lots of options in our round up of the best antivirus solutions for Mac, here are few: 1. Intego Mac Internet Security X9 Price When Reviewed: From $24.99 for first year, then $84.99 a year (1 Mac) Using our link Best Prices Today: $39.99 at Intego (first year) Read our full Intego Mac Internet Security X9 review 2. AVG AntiVirus for Mac Price When Reviewed: Free download Best Prices Today: $0 at AVG Read our full AVG AntiVirus for Mac review 3. McAfee Total Protection Price When Reviewed: From $39.99 for first year, then $119.99 a year (5 devices) Best Prices Today: $39.99 at McAfee Total Protection Read our full McAfee Total Protection review 4. Sophos Home Premium for Mac Price When Reviewed: $45 for the first year Best Prices Today: $44.99 at Sophos Read our full Sophos Home Premium for Mac review Antivirus, Security Software and Services

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WhatsApp for iPhone gains passkey support
WhatsApp is adding passkey support to its iPhone app, seven months after the feature rolled out on Android. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Best VPN apps for Apple TV
Setting up a VPN on your Apple TV 4K allows you to avoid geographic region restrictions and access services not normally available to you. With tvOS 17, VPN apps can now be installed on the Apple TV directly. VPN apps available now for Apple TV include NordVPN, PureVPN, IPVanish, ExpressVPN, and more. Here’s all the best VPN apps for Apple TV available now … more…

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Apple needs to become a software company again
Macworld I have an admission: Though I frequently review new Apple products, I don’t always buy them. Like many of you, I can’t afford to update every bit of Apple hardware every time the company revises one of its products. So I have to carefully measure when my stuff has now become too old and needs to be replaced with the shiny and new. Of course, Apple would love us all to buy new stuff all the time. But the company has to earn its sales the hard way. I might buy a new iPhone because of an upgraded camera or a new MacBook Air because of a new design and a faster processor. I might bypass the latest Apple Watch because the new features just don’t matter to me. As the heat from the iPhone’s huge acceleration of growth begins to cool down and iPad and Mac sales drop from their pandemic-driven heights, Apple is looking for reasons to sell new hardware. And now, it may have found a big one in a somewhat unexpected place: AI. AI models eat RAM Artificial Intelligence algorithms are software, of course. Theoretically, all current Apple hardware should be able to run AI stuff. Apple’s been building Neural Engines into its chips for years, for example. And yet the rumored addition of major AI features to Apple’s platforms starting this fall may fuel a new wave of upgrades. This is because when we discuss AI these days, we’re largely discussing Large Language Models (LLMs), things like OpenAI’s Chat GPT and Google’s Gemini. Apple is reportedly building its own LLM, intending it to run natively on Apple devices rather than being outsourced to the cloud. This could increase speed dramatically, as well as enhance privacy. But here’s the thing: LLMs really need memory. Google has barred Gemini Nano, a model likely quite similar to what Apple is planning for the iPhone, from all but the largest Google Pixel phone, seemingly because of memory limitations. The most RAM ever in an iPhone is the 8GB of memory in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. While iOS has proven generally to be better at managing memory usage than Android, that’s still a relatively small amount of RAM, and would seem to be the bare minimum capable of running an on-device LLM of the kind Apple and Google are working on. Given that Apple reportedly will unveil its AI efforts at WWDC in June, it can’t really show off iPhone features that don’t work on any current models. But it’s not unreasonable to assume that many of the iOS AI features might be limited to iPhone 15 Pro models–because they’re the only ones with 8GB of memory. (A new line of iPhones in the fall would presumably all ship with sufficient memory.) Neural Engines have been part of Apple silicon for a while, but is it enough to address the needs of generastive AI? Neural Engines have been part of Apple silicon for a while, but is it enough to address the needs of generastive AI?Apple Neural Engines have been part of Apple silicon for a while, but is it enough to address the needs of generastive AI?Apple Apple And just like that, Apple’s AI announcements may provide a huge set of features to motivate prospective buyers. Want to use Apple’s most awesome new AI features? Unless you’ve just bought the highest-end iPhone, you’ll need to upgrade. One step beyond On the Mac, things will probably be a little easier. Macs are beefier than iPhones, and it’s likely that most Apple silicon Macs will do well with an Apple-built LLM, though even there it may be the case that M1 Macs will lag a bit behind the M2 and M3 versions. Still, I’m starting to think that the most compelling reason that someone who owns an Apple silicon-based Mac might have to upgrade will be the slow processing of AI models, which can demand lots of memory and many GPU cores. I’m a big fan of M1 Macs, including the low-cost M1 MacBook Air, but Apple’s next-generation AI features may make the M1 feel old. Then there’s the Apple Watch. Its hardware just got upgraded to support on-device Siri for the first time, which suggests that it might be a while before it’s got enough oomph to support an on-device LLM. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that I would upgrade my Apple Watch in a heartbeat if I could get access to a better, more responsive voice assistant. Apple sold a ton of M1 Macs, but it’s possible that it may not be powerful enough (or at least won’t have enough memory) to handle on-device AI processing. Apple sold a ton of M1 Macs, but it’s possible that it may not be powerful enough (or at least won’t have enough memory) to handle on-device AI processing.Quelle: Apple Apple sold a ton of M1 Macs, but it’s possible that it may not be powerful enough (or at least won’t have enough memory) to handle on-device AI processing.Quelle: Apple Quelle: Apple Of course, it’s still incumbent on Apple to ship AI features that people want. One of Apple’s most steadfast traits through the years is the company’s ability to take cutting-edge technology and build it into features that users actually value. Shipping an LLM and other AI features will not be a cure-all–they need to be built into functionality that people will want to actually use. But if Apple can manage to infuse AI into its operating systems in ways that make them more appealing, and by happy coincidence, it requires faster processors and more memory, that’s going to motivate a round of hardware upgrades. And that’s good for Apple, because while OS updates are free, new iPhones absolutely are not. I’m not thrilled about the idea of replacing my Apple hardware, but I’d rather do it because I’m motivated by an awesome AI-based feature than because I’m tired of the color of my laptop or the shape of my iPhone. Apple Inc

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Apple announces May 7 special event, hints at possible next-gen Apple Pencil
There may be some cool stuff en route for Apple’s special event on May 7, which was announced on Tuesday. The company may have also dropped some interesting hints into the invitation, including a pencil icon that could indicate a next-gen Apple Pencil within the works. In a post on X, Apple CEO Cook shared […] Source

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Congo demands that Apple prove iPhone doesn't use conflict materials
The Democratic Republic of Congo has told Apple it believes the iPhone maker's supply chain is using materials linked to militia groups.Apple has been asked to verify that it doesn't use "conflict minerals" in the iPhoneApple and at least most Big Tech manufacturers have long been accused of sourcing tin, tungsten, and tantalum — the 3T materials — from regions where that means funding violent groups. In 2020, Apple revealed that it had stopped using 18 smelters and refiners for flouting the rules over these conflict materials.Then in 2022, it ceased working with a further 12 suppliers over the issue. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Congo accuses Apple of using illegal conflict minerals in its supply chain
The Democratic Republic of Congo is accusing Apple of using illegally exploited minerals sourced in the eastern regions, involving violence, child labor and other human rights violations. This allegation disagrees with Apple’s published Conflict Minerals Report, that states it found no connection between its smelters and refiner partners, and the armed groups of the DRC, as of December 31, 2023. more…

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Apple begins selling refurbished Apple Watch Series 9 units
If you’re hoping to save some money on an Apple Watch Series 9, you’re going to like this. Apple on Wednesday began selling certified refurbished Apple Watch Series 9 models in the U.S. for the first time since the device was released in September. The refurbished units are discounted by approximately 15 percent compared to […] Source

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