Spring iPhone sales slip to lowest activation share in years
The iPhone's slice of the smartphone activation pie has shrunk to its smallest size in six years, marking a concerning trend for Apple as it grapples with the longest gap yet between its iPhone releases.iPhone sales slip to lowest activation share in yearsThe latest data reveals that the iPhone now accounts for only one-third of all new smartphone activations in the US, a significant decline from its 40% share over the past year, as noted by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).Apple's once-dominant position in the smartphone market is now under threat as it faces fierce competition from Android devices, which now hold a commanding two-thirds share of new activations. The shift in market dynamics mirrors the situation six years ago when iOS and Android pushed out competitors like Blackberry and Windows. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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iMazing 3 launches for Mac and PC with all-new design, fresh features, dark mode, more
iMazing has been a go-to tool for Apple power users and IT admins for almost 20 years, now developer DigiDNA is out with iMazing 3. The major release sees a re-engineering of the whole app that brings a new UI and features, and even Vision Pro compatibility to join iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple TV support. more…

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Spotify not adopting new App Store terms in the EU, submits app update with pricing info instead
Apple was hit with a $2 billion fine in the European Union last month for “abusive” App Store rules for music streaming services. In addition to the fine, the European Commission also said Apple must relax its anti-steering rules. As reported by TechCrunch, Spotify has submitted a new update to its app that includes pricing information for users in the EU. Spotify also says that it is not planning to opt into Apple’s new business terms in the European Union offered in response to the Digital Markets Act. more…

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Apple releases third beta for iOS 17.5 and more [U: Public betas join]
Update: Apple has released public beta versions of yesterday’s updates. The iOS 17.5 beta train continues today with the third developer release. Apple is also testing macOS Sonoma 14.5, visionOS 1.2, watchOS 10.5, tvOS 17.5, and HomePod 17.5. more…

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Bag bargains on iMacs and Apple accessories while they last
Woot's sale on iMacs and Apple accessories gives you a chance to stock up on items large and small while supplies last. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Apple’s forthcoming M4 Mac Studio Sounds like an absolute beast
Apple's current Mac Studio delivers next-generation speed, but the next-gen M4-powered Mac Studio promises to deliver breathtaking power… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Apple Watch Series X might get new and thinner motherboard material
A new supply chain rumor claims that Apple will switch to thinner resin-coated copper motherboards for a future Apple Watch, echoing previous reports of the same coming to the iPhone 17.Apple Watch Series 9Resin-coated copper (RCC) is exactly what it says it is — a thin film of copper, coated in resin. It replaces the typically green, grey or black nonconductive bonding sheet material on motherboards. In October 2023, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple would adopt it for the iPhone because it is thin, light, and has benefits in manufacturing.And now, according to Digtimes, unspecified sources in the supply chain say that this same RCC technology is to be used in at least one forthcoming Apple Watch model. It's not known whether this will certainly mean the 2024 models, but a major redesign has previously been rumored for the "Apple Watch Series X." Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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The new Snapdragon X chips are faster than an M3, but should we believe it?
Macworld If you follow tech outside the world of Apple, you may have noticed that Qualcomm has been getting a lot of attention lately. That’s because the company is promoting its upcoming Snapdragon X Plus and Elite chips, which aren’t going to be in PC laptops until this summer. As part of its marketing, Qualcomm compares its chips’ performance to Intel (of course), but it also calls out Apple’s latest M3 chip. According to Qualcomm (via PCWorld), its Snapdragon X Elite chip is 28 percent faster and the Snapdragon X Plus chip is 10 percent faster than the Apple M3 in a MacBook Pro in Geekbench testing. Which, for chips that will ship some seven months after the M3 launched, leaves an impression–at least Qualcomm thinks so. However, these are Qualcomm-provided numbers and one major point that is left out of the M3 comparison is power consumption (not to mention memory and price). Apple takes a great deal of pride in the fact that its chips provide top performance while being efficient.   In fact, Qualcomm’s chart below comparing multi-threaded performance based on power consumption conspicuously doesn’t include any Apple chips. For a mobile chip, that’s a notable exclusion—especially since it challenges Apple at every other turn. Qualcomm Qualcomm Qualcomm That are other flags, such as the fact that Qualcomm doesn’t include the M3 Pro or M3 Max. Wouldn’t an X Elite (which has 12 CPU cores) versus a M3 Pro or M3 Max be a better comparison? Seems so. Then there’s the whole issue of whether Qualcomm’s benchmarks are believable at all, which the website SemiAccurate claims isn’t the case, and “the numbers that they are showing to the press and are not achievable with the settings they claim.” In any case, why should Apple users even care what these new Qualcomm chips do? After all, you can’t (officially) run macOS on a PC laptop–even our sister site, PCWorld, says it “doesn’t care as much about how the X Elite and X Plus shape up to Apple’s best.” If anything, it just shows the importance of Apple in the market, and in the very competitive world of PC laptops, you try to find customers wherever you can. Even with a significantly undersized market share, Apple makes a ton of noise with the Mac, and PC makers will do everything they can to convince PC buyers that the devices they sell are just as good. As for whether the X Plus and X Elite really do outperform the M3, we’ll just have to wait and see when PCWorld tests the chips after they become available this summer. They’ll probably match up in some benchmarks with some asterisks and caveats. Also, Apple’s M4 is expected later this year, so this comparison will eventually be moot. CPUs and Processors

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iPhone activation market share hits new low as Android dominates
CIRP is out with a report on how iPhone activations compare to Android in the US. The latest data shows a notable drop over the last year bringing Apple’s US smartphone market share of new activations back in time six years. more…

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Biden signs TikTok bill into law as Chinese firm threatens legal action
President Biden has now formally signed the bill that means TikTok owner ByteDance must sell the platform, or face being banned in the US from 2025.TikTok could be banned in the US from 2025As expected following the Senate's passing of the combination bill regarding funding for Ukraine and the potential ban of TikTok, President Biden has now signed the measure into law. From today, ByteDance has nine months in which to sell or divest itself of TikTok, although there may be a further three-month extension if a deal is being negotiated."The path to my desk was a difficult path," President Biden said in a statement seen by CNBC. "It should have been easier and it should've gotten there sooner." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Competing rumors cast doubt on mini LED iPad Air debut in May
Supply chain sources apparently vary on when Apple may release a 12.9-inch iPad Air with mini LED, with a new rumor pushing the release much later.Apple's current iPad Air 5Less than two weeks away from Apple's "Let Loose" iPad-centric event in May, it's still not fully clear what Apple is going to release. A previous rumor claimed with certainty that the 12.9-inch iPad Air would get the same mini LED screen that the present M2 iPad Pro has.And now, the same source, Ross Young, isn't so sure based on what he's heard from other suppliers. In a post on X to paid subscribers, he now says that it's not coming at the event. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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‘Masters of the Air’ star Callum Turner joins new Apple TV+ sci-fi series ‘Neuromancer’
Apple TV+ will expand its acclaimed slate of science fiction offerings with “Neuromancer.” "Masters of the Air" star Callum Turner has… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Black Panthers tap Hollywood to fake out FBI in The Big Cigar trailer
The new trailer for "The Big Cigar" drama series shows how Huey P. Newton escaped to Cuba under cover of a fake Hollywood production. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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This deal adds a headphone jack to your Lightning iPhone for just $3
Macworld If you own a recent iPhone before the latest model, two things are true: It has a Lightning port and it doesn’t have a headphone jack. Today’s deal can fix that for very cheap: Best Buy is selling a 2-pack of Insignia Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone adapters for just $6, a savings of $11.50 and the best price you’re ever going to see. This adapter has one job: One end connects to the Lightning port on your iPhone and the other accepts a 3.5mm jack from your headphones or some other audio device. The cables are braided, so they should stay free from frays and breaks, and since you get two, you can keep one in a bag, use it on another device, or give it to a lucky friend. For comparison, Apple sells a similar adapter for $9, so this deal is quite a bargain. We’re not sure how long stock will remain, so if you want one go grab one now. iPhone

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Save $300 on 15-inch M2 MacBook Air in Wednesday’s best deals, USB-C Apple Pencil $69, more
Wednesday’s best deals come headlined by a $300 discount on Apple’s 15-inch M2 MacBook Air. Those who won’t be upgrading to the new iPad Pros in May can also score an all-time low on the new Apple Pencil with USB-C at $69. Plus, save on 15W MagSafe chargers and more. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break. more…

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Apple's M2 Mac mini is back down to $499 at Amazon
The best M2 Mac mini price we've seen at Amazon has returned, with the standard model dipping to just $499.99. Plus, save up to $250 on upgraded models with an exclusive coupon discount.The cheapest M2 Mac mini price is currently available at Amazon, with the standard model featuring an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU discounted to $499.99. The savings are in the form of a $49.01 on-page coupon that stacks with a $50 instant rebate already in place.Buy for $499.99If you're looking for the best deal on upgraded models, our M2 Mac mini Price Guide is home to exclusive coupon savings on every configuration — with discounts of up to $250 off using promo code APINSIDER during Step 4 of checkout at Apple Authorized Reseller Adorama. Continue Reading on AppleInsider

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Artist loves his iPad Pro stand for good reason [Setups]
You'd think this Mac mini rig's colorful art would distract us, but we lasered in on the cool Lab22 Infinity Adjust iPad stand. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Ross Young: New iPad Air won’t feature mini-LED after all, but a new mystery iPad is coming in Q4
Last week, we got a report from Ross Young with a nice surprise that the upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Air would use mini-LED for its display. Now an updated report from Ross says that’s not happening after all, but there could be an iPad surprise at the end of the year. more…

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Biden signs bill that bans TikTok if ByteDance doesn’t sell
President Joe Biden has officially signed off on a bill that requires TikTok parent company to divest the app within the next nine months. Should ByteDance fail to do so, TikTok would effectively be banned in the United States and removed from Apple’s App Store. more…

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iPad mini 7: Here’s what’s next for Apple’s smallest tablet
Macworld Apple’s smallest iPad was given a substantial facelift at the end of 2021. The 6th-generation iPad mini sports a complete redesign with a bigger display, Touch ID on the power button, USB C instead of Lightning, and an upgraded front camera. This represented the first major change to the design since the iPad mini was first introduced back in 2012. The mini celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2022 without an update and no update was forthcoming in 2023 either. But a new iPad mini 7th generation is rumored to be in the works for 2024. Update April 24: Apple announced its Let Loose iPad event for May 5, but the iPad mini is not expected to be announced. iPad mini 7 release date: When is the new iPad mini coming out? It’s been more than two years since the 6th generation iPad mini launched in September 2021, and, based on the dates when other iPad mini models have launched, a fall 2023 update for the iPad mini would have made sense. But now it’s looking like a new iPad mini won’t arrive until fall 2024. Apple will hold its Let Loose event on May 7 to launch new iPads, but the iPad mini isn’t expected to be among them. Apple will reportedly release new iPad Pro and iPad Air models at the event, but the mini isn’t expected to arrive until the fall. Way back in December 2022, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the new iPad mini won’t arrive until late 2023 or early 2024. However, in November 2023, Kuo pushed that prediction back: saying the 7th-gen iPad mini won’t arrive until the second half of 2024. iPad mini 7 price: How much will the new iPad mini cost? The arrival of the redesigned iPad mini 6th generation saw a $100 increase in price over the previous model to $499. Here’s how the prices of the 6th and 5th generations compared: iPad mini 6th generation: $499/£569 (At launch was £479 in the U.K) iPad mini 5th generation: $399/£379 That price increased even further outside the U.S. including in the U.K. where the price increased again by £90 a few months after the launch. However, it is hoped with the new generation that prices will drop in some markets. We hope that when the new models launch pricing in the U.K. will match the U.S., so $499/£499, rather than $499/£569. iPad mini 7 specs: What new features will the iPad mini have? There’s an expectation the new iPad mini will feature a more impressive processor than it does currently. We are also hoping for some small internal improvements. A16 processor The iPad mini 6 offers the A15 Bionic chip as found in the iPhone 13, mini, Pro and Max, however, this chip is down-clocked compared to the one inside the iPhone 13 series. Here’s how that chip compares to the rest of the range and what is expected for the next generation. iPad Pro: M2. The next generation is expected to get an M3 chip. iPad Air (5th gen): M1. The next generation is expected to get an M2 chip. iPad mini (6th gen): A15, as found in iPhone 13 series. The next generation is expected to get A16, as found in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15. iPad (10th gen): A14, as found in iPhone 12 series. The next generation is expected to get A16, as found in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15. iPad (9th gen): A13, as found in iPhone 11 series. It’s unclear how (or if) Apple will update this model. Kuo reported in December that the iPad mini’s “main selling point” would be the new processor. He didn’t specify which processor at the time, but it is now expected to be the A16 chip found in the iPhone 14 Pro and Max and the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. You may be looking at the iPad Air and wondering if the iPad mini might get an M1 chip like that found in the iPad Air. Perhaps it’s something Apple might consider down the line, but the rumors around the launch of the iPad Air indicated that Apple’s reason for using the M1 was actually the reduced of availability of the A16 at the time, as per this tweet from Mark Gurman. Could also be another explanation for why the iPad Air got the M1 (supply). https://t.co/lrvuVR0QkW— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) March 13, 2022 Increased storage On the current iPad mini 6th generation, the base model starts off with a rather paltry 64GB of storage. For a device like an iPad, where you can store movies, TV shows, books, comics, magazines, games, and a wide range of apps, that amount can often become a problem, especially if you want to take your iPad away on holiday or use it for your commute without needing to manage the storage. Although Apple has something of a history of giving base models low storage capacities, we think it would be a wise move to upgrade the entry-level iPad mini 7th generation to at least 128GB. File sizes are growing all the time, due to higher-quality cameras and software, so doubling the existing 64GB would be a very consumer-friendly solution. Along these lines, there’s also the possibility that the upper limit of the storage could be increased. At the time of writing, the most storage available on the iPad mini 6th generation is 256GB. Moving up to 512GB would be the logical step, especially if the baseline storage moves to 128GB. iPad mini 7 display: Will the iPad mini get a new screen? The iPad mini will likely keep the same design for several generations. The iPad mini will likely keep the same design for several generations.IDG The iPad mini will likely keep the same design for several generations.IDG IDG It’s unlikely that the design will change, but the new iPad mini is expected to include a new display controller designed to mitigate a problem described as a “jelly scrolling issue” that reportedly makes content look laggy. There have been reports for a while that Apple will move the display technology to OLED but this looks like it won’t happen until at least next year. Apple is said to be talking to LG, Samsung, and other companies regarding active matrix OLEDs (AMOLEDs). But, according to market research company Omdia: “Apple is continuously discussing the possibility of widely adopting OLED technology for the iPad mini and iPad Air lineup as the next phase of its strategy from 2026 onward.” Screen size The iPad mini screen was 7.9-inches up until the current iPad mini 6th generation launched in 2021. The iPad mini 6th generation screen is 8.3-inch thanks to the removal of the Home button. A report from ET News suggests that an iPad mini with a larger 8.7-inch OLED display is in the works. However, this change might not happen with the 7th generation as the iPad mini with OLED screen isn’t expected until 2026. Folding display Apple is said to have been working on an iPad with a folding display, but it’s unlikely to come to this model. In December 2022, Ming-Chi Kuo said that reports of a folding iPad mini in development were wrong “because a foldable iPad will have a markedly higher price than an iPad mini, so such a replacement is not reasonable.” (3/3)Additionally, Apple is currently working on a new version of the iPad mini equipped with a new processor as the main selling point, and the mass shipment is expected to start by the end of 2023 or in 1H24.— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) December 27, 2022 ProMotion screen The screen in the 7th gen model isn’t expected to grow from the current 8.3-inch, but there may be new screen technology. A post on a South Korean forum back in November 2021 indicated Apple had ordered 8.3-inch displays from Samsung that support 120Hz maximum refresh rates. If true, the post on Clien (translated here) could mean the next mini offers the ProMotion ultra-smooth scrolling feature currently seen on the iPad Pro, iPhone 13 Pro models, and 14- & 16-inch MacBook Pro. This could address the minor issue of “jelly scrolling” that some users have complained about with the current iPad mini. I would be surprised since it is currently an a-Si LCD which isn't compatible with ProMotion. Only their Pro models support ProMotion as they use an Oxide LCD.— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) June 28, 2022 However, it’s not looking like this particular rumor is accurate. Analyst Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, doesn’t believe that Apple will be giving the iPad mini a ProMotion display yet. He indicates that doing so would require significant hardware changes. This would require a “whole new level of engineering,” according to Young. We remain skeptical of a ProMotion upgrade as it’s one of the main differentiators between the standard and Pro devices Apple sells. iPad mini design: What will the new iPad mini look like? It’s been surprisingly quiet on the rumor front, which probably means the iPad mini 7 design will be largely the same as the 6th-gen model. Here’s what we’ve managed to uncover. One of the most obvious changes to the iPad mini 6th generation was the new palette of colors that Apple made available. While you can currently select between space gray, pink, purple, and starlight, there are several interesting hues available on the iPad Air when it received its new look in fall 2021, including silver, rose gold, green, and sky blue. It would therefore seem reasonable to assume that some of these make it to the mini. Plus now that the iPad 10th generation brought a bold selection of colors, the iPad mini may get a completely new palette. However, the iPhone 15 introduced an extremely light palette of colors so it’s unclear which direction Apple will go. We’ll update this article as more details become available, but until then, be sure to read our iPad buying guide to see which models we’d recommend if you want to buy one of Apple’s tablets today. And check our roundup of the best iPad mini deals for the latest bargains on the current range. iPad

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