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- Monday March 23
- 03:02 pmWorkers API increased latency
Mar 23, 15:02 UTCInvestigating - Cloudflare is investigating an issue causing increased latency for the Workers API02:56 pmAirTag 1 Gets Major Amazon Discount With 4-Pack at $59.99
Apple's first-generation AirTag 4-Pack has dropped to $59.99 this week on Amazon, down from the original price of $99.00. Free shipping options have a delivery estimate around March 28, while Prime members should be able to get it delivered a few days sooner. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Overall, this is a new all-time low price on the AirTag 4-pack. Amazon's stock on the first generation AirTag 1-Pack has begun dwindling now that the new second generation models are here, so anyone interested in this low price on the first gen 4-Pack should pick it up while it's still around. $39 OFFAirTag 4-Pack for $59.99 Apple recently debuted the all-new AirTag, featuring longer range for tracking items and a louder speaker. We haven't tracked any notable discounts on the new second generation models as of yet, so anyone who wants to save money should keep looking into the original models. If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week. Deals Newsletter Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple DealsThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums02:53 pmUnited States SMS Carrier Maintenance – Verizon
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Mar 31, 21:00 PDT - Apr 1, 03:00 PDTMar 23, 07:47 PDTScheduled - The Verizon network in the United States is conducting a planned maintenance from 31 March 2026 at 21:00 PDT until 01 April 2026 at 03:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to and from Verizon United States handsets.02:28 pmApple’s next Sports app update improves MLB and NASCAR fan experience
Apple’s excellent Sports app for iPhone has a new version out today that includes two new features. Both MLB and NASCAR fans will appreciate the latest improvements. more…02:28 pmApple’s MacBook Neo is the perfect AI computer
Apple's MacBook Neo is exceptionally well-equipped for the very thing tech companies obsess over these days: AI. With its powerful… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.02:18 pmSteve Jobs Talks iBook, AirPort, and More in Newly Surfaced 1999 Video
A newly surfaced internal 1999 Apple campus video of Steve Jobs provides a rare, unfiltered look at the company's post-turnaround strategy. The video is a recording of a July 27, 1999 employee gathering at Apple's Cupertino campus, uploaded by former Apple software engineer Akira Nonaka, who worked at Apple from 1991 to 2000. The 15-minute talk appears to have been recorded informally, likely by an employee present at the event, and has apparently not previously been shared online. The remarks come just two years after Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, when the company was struggling financially and had a fragmented product lineup. The speech directly followed Apple's Macworld New York 1999 appearance, where it unveiled the iBook G3, its first consumer laptop in years. Jobs said the event drew nearly 50,000 attendees and received extensive media coverage, and he credited teams across the company for delivering the product. We introduced our iBook and everybody loved it and the show was amazing. It was the biggest New York Macworld ever... you should be really proud of this. Everybody's just going nuts over it, including our competitors. The talk outlines Apple's product strategy at the time, centered on its four-quadrant lineup of consumer and professional desktops and portables. With the iBook, Jobs said the matrix was complete alongside the iMac, Power Mac G3, and PowerBook G3, and noted that several of these products were already on their second or third iterations. A significant part of the talk focuses on AirPort, Apple's then-new wireless networking system developed with Lucent. Jobs described it as a long-awaited breakthrough, especially for education, and emphasized Apple's role in making it affordable and easy to use through integration with its other products. This is something that people have been dreaming about for over a decade... we were able to work with Lucent... to make it a very low-cost product... and do all of the software work to make it all transparent... it just works. Jobs said Apple could bring technologies like wireless networking and FireWire to market more effectively because it controlled the whole product, unlike competitors such as Dell and Compaq that had to coordinate across multiple companies. And the reason now, the strategic reason that we have that shot is because we're the last company in this business to make the whole widget... let's go for it and align behind that and bring innovation to the marketplace in a way that when you have to convince five companies, it's very hard. [...] We can break through those things and bring innovation to customers because we control enough. [...] ... we're the last people in this business who give a shit about making great computers. The talk also includes commentary on Apple's financial performance and internal transformation, but he rejected the idea that the company's primary goal had been financial recovery. The reason I came back here had nothing to do with turning Apple around... what we love even more is putting these great products out into the world and seeing people use them... the reason I came back... is to make Apple great again, right? This reflects a broader shift at Apple during the period, as the company moved beyond crisis management and began focusing on long-term product development and growth. Jobs said the previous two years had been spent rebuilding key capabilities across the business, from operations to engineering and design, adding that Apple had achieved "the best operational excellence in the business now, even better than Dell." Jobs' successor, Tim Cook, joined Apple just a year earlier as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations. The video also shows Jobs deliberately avoiding direct competition in enterprise markets, which were dominated by Windows systems and large corporate IT deployments, with Jobs instead reaffirming the company's focus on creative professionals, education, and consumers. We're not going to go make a frontal assault on the enterprise... we're going to go and sell to creative professionals... regain our leadership position in education... and come back in the consumer market with a vengeance. He also expressed confidence in Apple's future product pipeline, stating that the company had multiple upcoming releases that he described as "the best stuff I've ever seen in my life." This likely alluded to the introduction of Mac OS X and the iPod just two years later.Tag: Steve JobsThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums02:00 pmInstagram encryption U-turn leaves us all more vulnerable
Meta claimed for years that it was technically challenging to implement end-to-end encryption across Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs, but back in 2023 said that it had resolved those issues. Unfortunately, the company has now made a U-turn on Instagram direct messages, and that’s bad news for all of us … more…01:28 pmApple Reportedly Preparing 'Biggest Set of iPhone Revamps' Ever
Apple is working on "the biggest set of iPhone revamps in the product's history," according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Specifically, he is referring to the long-rumored foldable iPhone, as well as an ambitious 20th-anniversary iPhone with a truly "edge-to-edge" design. In an in-depth profile of Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus, who is widely considered to be the leading candidate to become Apple's next CEO whenever Tim Cook steps down, Gurman said Ternus is "overseeing the biggest set of iPhone revamps in the product's history, including a foldable model this year and a version with an edge-to-edge screen that could arrive as early as 2027, for the device's 20th anniversary." Apple is expected to unveil the foldable iPhone in September this year, while the 20th-anniversary iPhone would debut next year, if such a device materializes. Apple unveiled the original iPhone in January 2007, so the iconic device turns 20 next year. Given the article was focused on Ternus, it did not provide any further details about these iPhone models, but there are already plenty of rumors. Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will open up like a book, providing users with a large screen for watching videos, playing games, and multitasking. iOS 27 is expected to be optimized for the foldable iPhone, allowing for side-by-side apps. A few months ago, a report said the foldable iPhone will be equipped with a 7.7-inch inner display, and a 5.3-inch outer display. It was initially rumored that the device would have a virtually "crease-free" inner display, but it was later reported that Apple is using technology that "reduces the crease without eliminating it entirely." Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects the foldable iPhone to have two rear cameras, one front camera, and a Touch ID power button instead of Face ID. As for the 20th-anniversary iPhone, previous reports have indicated that the device will have a seamless design, with a curved glass enclosure and no cutouts in the display. To achieve this, the front camera would be located under the screen. It is unclear if Apple will be able to pull off such a device by next year, but if it does, then it truly would be a big two years ahead for the iPhone.Related Roundup: iPhone FoldTags: 20th-Anniversary iPhone, Bloomberg, Foldable iPhone, Mark GurmanThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums01:14 pmApple Considered Adding a Camera to the HomePod Years Ago
Apple considered launching a HomePod with a camera and additional sensors years before the upcoming "HomePad" device, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. In a detailed profile of Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus, Gurman revealed that Apple considered adding a camera and a more advanced array of sensors to the original HomePod, which was announced in 2017. Ternus apparently believed that the additional capabilities would push up development costs and decided to cancel the features as a result. Ternus was said to be reluctant to invest deeply in smart home devices when the first leading products from Amazon and Google arrived on the market around a decade ago. He subsequently took "some responsibility" for Apple falling behind in the smart home category. Now, Ternus is leading Apple's efforts to re-establish itself in the smart home market with three new products, including an AI-powered smart home hub with facial recognition (J490), a small sensor for managing home security (J450), and a robotic device (J595). The smart home hub, dubbed "HomePad" in some reports, is expected to launch in the fall of 2026. Related Roundup: HomePodTags: Bloomberg, John Ternus, Mark GurmanBuyer's Guide: HomePod (Neutral)This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums01:02 pmThe person who could be Apple CEO: Who is John Ternus?
All things considered, John Ternus is the center of speculation as being the best and most likely choice for control of the company. Who is he, and how did he get here?John TernusApple, like many other massive companies with giant workforces and a decades-long history, have to plan for the future direction of the company. Part of that preparation involves determining who will take control as CEO after the current leader departs, and what to do to prepare for that inevitability.For Apple and its aging leadership, Apple has to find its replacement for Tim Cook. Even though Cook probably won't be retiring in 2026, the sheer size and number of moving parts at Apple means it has to prepare now, so there's enough of a runway for the heir to the position to get ready, as well as the company itself, from 2027 onward. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums01:00 pmFolding iPhone rumored to get new glass sandwich screen to prevent damage
Apple's quest to prevent damage to the iPhone Fold display has led it to a new design that will protect the screen from Apple's own hinge mechanism.A render of what the iPhone Fold could look like - Image Credit: AppleInsiderThe development of the iPhone Fold has been dominated by Apple ensuring it doesn't fall into the same trap as other devices in having screen crease issues. If a Monday claim is true, Apple is also protecting the display from the iPhone Fold's physical hardware, too.In a Monday post to Weibo, serial leaker Digital Chat Station claims that the display used in the iPhone Fold will go beyond using "self-healing glass" and a seamless hinge design. The structure of the display panel itself will also play a role. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums01:00 pm‘For All Mankind’ season five is a must-watch for fans of Apple TV’s original sci-fi series | 9 to 5 Mac‘For All Mankind’ season five is a must-watch for fans of Apple TV’s original sci-fi series
Season five of “For All Mankind” lands on Apple TV this Friday. The new episodes are must-watch TV for fans of early seasons of the sci-fi series. The show goes from weird to gut-wrenchingly emotional to outright cinematic and suspenseful over the course of the first eight episodes. As a viewer, I can’t wait to see where this season’s finale takes us in this alt-history timeline’s future. After six years and five seasons, however, the challenge for “For All Mankind” is very clear. more…12:55 pmBroadcasters urge EU to tighten rules for Apple, other Big Tech firms in smart TV standoff | Mac Daily NewsBroadcasters urge EU to tighten rules for Apple, other Big Tech firms in smart TV standoff
Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung’s smart TVs and virtual assistants should fall under the EU’s toughest tech rules because of their… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.12:49 pmApple Store External Storage Prices Spike Amid AI-Driven Shortage
Apple last week hiked the prices of external hard drives sold through its online store and retail locations, as noted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple updated the pricing on several external drive offerings recently, and the increases are steep. For example, a SanDisk 4TB solid-state external drive that previously sold for around $500 now costs $1,200, while a 1TB model has jumped from $120 to $360. The price hikes are said to be indirectly caused by the AI-fueled demand for memory and storage chips, which is continuing to squeeze the consumer market. Gurman noted that it is vendors who set the pricing on third-party accessories, rather than Apple. However, the impact on buyers is the same regardless. It's not just a pricing issue either. External drives on Apple's online store are largely sold out, with most models showing no availability for delivery or in-store pickup. Shoppers at physical Apple Store locations may still find stock, but at the same inflated prices. Similar shortages and hikes can be found at Best Buy, Amazon, and other retailers. The shortage stems from the same supply crunch that forced Apple to raise MacBook Air and MacBook Pro prices by $100 earlier this month. Its removal of the Mac Studio's top 512GB RAM memory upgrade was also likely related. As things stand, AI data center build-outs are consuming enormous quantities of NAND flash and memory chips, and manufacturers are prioritizing those lucrative enterprise contracts over consumer products. As Gurman notes, the situation is likely to get worse throughout 2026 – and possible beyond.Tags: Apple Store, Mark GurmanThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums12:34 pmIt just got a little easier for iPhones to talk to Samsung phones
Macworld Following the surprising rollout of AirDrop support on Pixel phones by Google late last year, Samsung has announced that AirDrop support is coming to Galaxy phones too. The feature, which will work through Android Quick Share, will roll out to Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra phones this week and additional models at a later date. Like on Pixel phones, the feature will be off by default, and only works with AirDrop’s “Everyone for 10 minutes” sharing mode. This setting on iPhones allows all nearby Apple devices using AirDrop to communicate with your device for 10 minutes before reverting to “Contacts Only.” As with unknown iPhones, the user will need to select this option before receiving files from a Samsung phone. But otherwise, it will work in the same way, delivering documents and images wirelessly when the recipient accepts. While the feature isn’t a workaround, it’s also not officially supported by Apple. It relies on a technical loophole that allows AirDrop to function as a generic peer-to-peer network for a short time. While Apple could block the ability for Android phones to communicate with iPhones this way, that doesn’t seem likely. In the iOS 26.2 update in December, Apple seemingly gave the feature tacit approval by adding an additional layer of security when using AirDrop with someone who isn’t in your contacts list. AirDrop will show a PIN code similar to Apple TV pairing, which will allow the devices to communicate for 30 days before asking again. Besides, Google says the feature was built “with the same rigorous security standards that we apply to all Google products” and is “just the first step in seamless cross-platform sharing.” So iPhone users shouldn’t have to worry about any risks. So if you’re a Samsung user among a sea of iPhones, you’ll soon be able to easily share pictures and other files. But only if you ask first.12:27 pmReddit CEO highlights a hidden benefit of Face ID and Touch ID
The tech industry is currently in the middle of a rather gradual security transition from usernames and passwords to passkeys. Passkeys are far more secure as online services don’t store your username and password, but Reddit CEO Steve Huffman says that the use of Face ID and Touch ID has an additional benefit … more…12:18 pmCook praises Chinese developers as government presses for open App Store
Tim Cook has again spoken at the China Development Forum in Beijing, praising Chinese developers, but not quite getting the same praise back.Tim Cook speaking at the 2019 China Development Forum — image credit: CDFCook was in China in part for the concert celebrating Apple's 50th anniversary, but he also returned to the annual China Development Forum. He's previously been one of the few American CEOs to attend, and as spotted by Bloomberg, he once more used his speech to talk positively about Apple's relationship with China."Innovation, green development and education are not separate properties, they are deeply connected," Cook said during his speech. "They represent the vision of progress that we at Apple share, and we are committed to collaborating with our partners across China and with all of you to make that vision a reality." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums12:00 pmThe Lenovo Auto AI Box: Plug-and-Play Savior of the Modern Car
Lenovo’s Auto AI Box offers automakers a shortcut to in-vehicle AI, replacing complex in-house builds with a scalable, plug-and-play platform. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.11:54 amWhat M5 Pro, M5 Max get using vertically-stacked dies for performance
Apple's chip designs for the M5 Pro and M5 Max stack the dies, using the same UltraFusion architecture that enabled the creation of Apple's Ultra chips. Here's how and why that's faster than before.M5 Pro, M5 Max - Image credit: AppleThe M5 Pro and M5 Max are very powerful chips, but getting that high performance required the engineers to come up with new ways to design the chips in the first place. In the latest releases, Apple actually borrowed an idea from its Ultra line for its M5 chip packing.Speaking to Heise Online in an article spotted by WCCFTech, Anand Shimpi of Apple's Hardware Technologies department explained that the UltraFusion architecture of the M2 Ultra and M3 Ultra helped create the M5 Pro and Max. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums11:52 amApple has more plans to protect the the iPhone Fold display, says report
Early folding phones were notorious for the internal display being vulnerable to damage. Indeed, the first Samsung Galaxy Fold saw all pre-orders cancelled because of this issue. A new supply chain report suggests that Apple is adopting two further measures in order to protect the iPhone Fold display, as well as reduce the visibility of the crease … more…11:21 amMore pointers to John Ternus as the next Apple CEO
While everyone is careful to acknowledge that Apple CEO Tim Cook isn’t likely to retire imminently, and that the decision about his replacement hasn’t yet been made, there seems little doubt that John Ternus is the current heir apparent. An extensive new Bloomberg profile underlines this, describing both internal and external pointers to the company’s favored choice … more…11:20 amFoldable iPhone Uses Layered Glass to Reduce Display Crease
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will use a dual-layer ultra-thin glass structure to reduce display crease visibility, a new supply chain rumor suggests. According to Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station, Apple's first book-style foldable will feature two layers of ultra-thin glass (UTG) or ultra-thin flexible glass (UFG), with the display sandwiched between them, isolating it from direct contact with the hinge. The arrangement is designed to spread mechanical stress across multiple layers rather than concentrating it on a single sheet, which could improve durability and reduce visible creasing over time. The approach would be a departure from most current foldables, which typically use a single UTG layer that must simultaneously handle bending forces and protect the display underneath. Decoupling the display from the hinge mechanism could also help Apple meet its reported goal of making the crease almost imperceptible – though more recent reports have pushed back on past "crease-free" claims. As we reported in December, Apple has been testing next-generation UFG with variable thickness, with a thinner layer at the fold for flexibility, and a thicker layer elsewhere for rigidity. The latest rumor suggests Apple has developed a composite glass stack rather than relying on a single panel alone. The foldable iPhone is expected to launch later in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, although recently one analyst claimed the device could be released closer to December. The device is expected to feature an approximately 5.3- to 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.8-inch inner screen. It will reportedly use liquid metal hinges to achieve a virtually crease-free display and is expected to be priced between $2,000 and $2,500, making it Apple's most expensive iPhone ever.Tags: Digital Chat Station, Foldable iPhoneThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums11:13 amElaborate 50th anniversary party to be held at Apple Park
In what's probably the culmination of Apple's 50th anniversary celebrations, maybe we'll get to see Tim Cook dance again at a large-scale party now being planned at Apple Park.Apple Park is to host an elaborate 50th anniversary partyThe anniversary celebrations were started by Tim Cook writing an open letter about Apple's five decades, and since then events have followed in New York, China, South Korea, France, and Thailand. More are expected in the UK, Canada, and Australia, but probably the biggest one will be at Apple Park.According to Bloomberg, Apple is planning what's described as "an elaborate 50th birthday party" at its Cupertino, California headquarters. There are no further details in the article, and not even confirmed dates, but there is supposition that John Ternus will be center stage as the most likely next CEO of the company. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums11:02 am12 hidden iMessage features every iPhone user should try
Macworld For many iPhone users, iMessage is the definitive communication app, an intuitive instant-messaging platform for texting and sharing media with friends and family. And it keeps getting better and better. Over the years, Apple has steadily expanded the service with support for new attachment types and add-ons, including dedicated mini apps. Yet many users stick to iMessage for basic texting, unaware of how much more it can do. If you’re looking to take your conversations to the next level, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with these hidden iMessage features. If you’re an iPhone user who mainly relies on iMessage for basic texting, this guide will help you discover features that go far beyond simple messages. If you want to save time, stay organised, or improve how you communicate, you’ll learn practical tools like scheduling, transcripts, and automations. If you’re curious about hidden or lesser-known iMessage features, you’ll uncover capabilities you may not have realised existed. And if you’re looking to make your chats more personal, expressive, or interactive, you’ll find plenty of ways to customise and enhance your conversations. What you’ll learn from this guide How to schedule iMessages in advance so you never forget important texts How to save time on voice notes with playback speed controls and transcripts How to use Check In for safety, sharing your location and arrival status How to translate messages automatically in multilingual conversations How to automate actions and replies using the Shortcuts app Plus a range of customisation and fun features (effects, backgrounds, games, handwritten notes) Scheduling This tip is useful if you forget birthdays or send late-night texts. iMessage lets you schedule messages up to 14 days in advance, making it easier to avoid unnecessary late-night texts or to ensure you don’t forget to reach out on an important special occasion. Hit the plus button, select Send Later, pick a date and time, and type your message. Once scheduled, iMessage will store the text in Apple’s servers and deliver it on the chosen day—even if your iPhone isn’t connected to Wi-Fi or 5G. If you suspect you’ll forget to send a time-sensitive message, schedule it in advance.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Checking In Here’s a tip for staying safe when travelling alone. If you’re heading home at night or taking a route through a sketchy area, it might be wise to use the built-in Check In app in iMessage to grant a trusted contact access to your location. With your permission, it will show them exactly which road you’ve taken and when to expect you to arrive at the chosen destination. It’s one of the lesser-known iMessage perks that can make you feel safer. Voice memo speed This is helpful when friends send long voice notes. You’re probably aware of the Audio app in iMessage, which lets you instantly record and send voice memos to express yourself. Sending voice memos can be fun and convenient. Receiving them, not so much. If you tend to receive long audio messages from your friends, and would like to save a little time while listening to them, tap and hold the play button to reveal 1.25x, 1.5x, and 2x playback speeds. Alternatively, you can hit the small arrow under the audio message to read an auto-generated transcript of detected speech. Listening to voice memos can be tedious. Speed things up and save time, or just read a transcript.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Translations To understand messages instantly and reply naturally use Translate. With remote work culture making it practical for digital nomads to work from the country of their choice, making foreign friends has become more common. iMessage accommodates multilingual conversations through its translation feature. Simply tap and hold a foreign text and tap Translate. If the entire chat is in a foreign language, you could alternatively tap on the recipient’s profile photo to view their contact card and enable the Automatically Translate toggle, then select a language from the 12 options. This will effortlessly translate the entire chat to your native language. Message effects You can make important messages stand out and convey tone clearly with this tip. iMessage supports bubble and screen effects, which animate texts you send on the recipient’s end. To mark a spoiler, for example, you could use the invisible ink effect, which conceals text and media. Likewise, you could release some balloons or confetti in the chat by picking the relevant effect when congratulating someone. All you have to do is tap and hold the send button and choose one of the listed effects. iMessage’s range of screen effects include a spotlight for added drama.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Text Formatting Format text to emphasise key words or points. For something a bit more subtle, you could opt for text formatting. Select the desired word(s) in the iMessage text box, and tap on Text Effects. This will reveal formatting options, such as bold and italics, along with less dramatic animations that don’t take over the entire screen. Automations Let your iPhone trigger helpful actions for you automatically. iMessage caters to power users through native integrations with the Apple Shortcuts app. You can program the system to run tasks automatically whenever a chosen contact texts you or you receive a specific keyword. To get started, head to the Automation tab in the Shortcuts app, create a new automation, and pick Message. Pick a sender and/or a keyword to trigger the automation, and go for the Run Immediately option to avoid having to confirm manually each time. You can then proceed to the next screen to choose the tasks iOS should perform whenever the automation is initiated. Conversely, you can create a reminder in the Reminders app and set it to alert you about a certain matter whenever you text a person of your choosing. Simply enable the When Messaging toggle in a reminder’s settings and pick a contact. Handwritten notes Make messages feel more personal and thoughtful. There’s arguably no text more personal than a handwritten one, and iMessage happens to support that. Open any of your iMessage chats and rotate your iPhone sideways. The default iOS keyboard will then reveal a concealed scribble button (the cursive loop at the bottom-right) exclusive to the landscape orientation. Write a note, or doodle a picture, and then hit send. Handwritten messages become possible when you flip the iPhone on its side.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Social heartbeat Demonstrate your emotions. If you’re looking to send an even more intimate message, you could share your actual heartbeat with an iMessage contact. Tap on the plus (+) button in a chat to reveal the list of installed iMessage apps and choose Digital Touch. Tap and hold with two fingers on the black canvas and release when you’re ready to send. With your permission, the feature will read and imitate your recent heart rate records and display an accurate animation on the recipient’s end. It’ll even vibrate accordingly if they’re wearing an Apple Watch. If you don’t use an Apple Watch or a compatible accessory that adds heart rate data to the Health app, you could still send a generic heartbeat animation using the same command. Multiplayer games Turn a passive chat into a shared activity. The Messages app’s usefulness extends beyond traditional texting. If you and a friend are bored, you could search the App Store for iMessage games and download a few that catch your eye. Once installed, you can launch the game using the plus button in an iMessage chat to initiate a round. Typically, iMessage games are turn-based, so you can make a move, send the session to the other party, and wait for them to reciprocate. It’s a fun, simple way to spend time with someone while apart. Conversation backgrounds A characterful background is just the thing for livening up a conversation.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Make chats easier to recognise at a glance. iMessage has become increasingly customisable, with chat backgrounds one of the most recent additions. To set this up, tap the contact card in the desired chat (the recipient or group name at the top of the screen) then select the Backgrounds tab. This will let you pick a photo, color mix, default pattern, or AI-generated illustration. It’s worth noting that chat backgrounds appear on both ends of the conversation, so your friend will see what you pick and vice versa. Name and photo sharing Make conversations feel more personal and trustworthy. Messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram have long supported profile photos and display names. This helps people identify you, especially when you contact them for the first time. iMessage recently adopted a similar functionality that updates your contact card on their devices. On the Messages app’s main screen, tap the Edit button in the top-left corner, then hit Set Up Name & Photo. You can then proceed to pick an avatar, poster, first name, and surname, along with adjusting the privacy settings of this feature. It’s an underused way to make your chat more “you” on your friends’ iPhones. So much for the positives. But if you’re having problems, you may next wish to read How to fix iMessage.11:02 am12 hidden iMessage features every iPhone user should try
Macworld For many iPhone users, iMessage is the definitive communication app, an intuitive instant-messaging platform for texting and sharing media with friends and family. And it keeps getting better and better. Over the years, Apple has steadily expanded the service with support for new attachment types and add-ons, including dedicated mini apps. Yet many users stick to iMessage for basic texting, unaware of how much more it can do. If you’re looking to take your conversations to the next level, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with these hidden iMessage features. If you’re an iPhone user who mainly relies on iMessage for basic texting, this guide will help you discover features that go far beyond simple messages. If you want to save time, stay organised, or improve how you communicate, you’ll learn practical tools like scheduling, transcripts, and automations. If you’re curious about hidden or lesser-known iMessage features, you’ll uncover capabilities you may not have realised existed. And if you’re looking to make your chats more personal, expressive, or interactive, you’ll find plenty of ways to customise and enhance your conversations. What you’ll learn from this guide How to schedule iMessages in advance so you never forget important texts How to save time on voice notes with playback speed controls and transcripts How to use Check In for safety, sharing your location and arrival status How to translate messages automatically in multilingual conversations How to automate actions and replies using the Shortcuts app Plus a range of customisation and fun features (effects, backgrounds, games, handwritten notes) Scheduling This tip is useful if you forget birthdays or send late-night texts. iMessage lets you schedule messages up to 14 days in advance, making it easier to avoid unnecessary late-night texts or to ensure you don’t forget to reach out on an important special occasion. Hit the plus button, select Send Later, pick a date and time, and type your message. Once scheduled, iMessage will store the text in Apple’s servers and deliver it on the chosen day—even if your iPhone isn’t connected to Wi-Fi or 5G. If you suspect you’ll forget to send a time-sensitive message, schedule it in advance.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Checking In Here’s a tip for staying safe when travelling alone. If you’re heading home at night or taking a route through a sketchy area, it might be wise to use the built-in Check In app in iMessage to grant a trusted contact access to your location. With your permission, it will show them exactly which road you’ve taken and when to expect you to arrive at the chosen destination. It’s one of the lesser-known iMessage perks that can make you feel safer. Voice memo speed This is helpful when friends send long voice notes. You’re probably aware of the Audio app in iMessage, which lets you instantly record and send voice memos to express yourself. Sending voice memos can be fun and convenient. Receiving them, not so much. If you tend to receive long audio messages from your friends, and would like to save a little time while listening to them, tap and hold the play button to reveal 1.25x, 1.5x, and 2x playback speeds. Alternatively, you can hit the small arrow under the audio message to read an auto-generated transcript of detected speech. Listening to voice memos can be tedious. Speed things up and save time, or just read a transcript.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Translations To understand messages instantly and reply naturally use Translate. With remote work culture making it practical for digital nomads to work from the country of their choice, making foreign friends has become more common. iMessage accommodates multilingual conversations through its translation feature. Simply tap and hold a foreign text and tap Translate. If the entire chat is in a foreign language, you could alternatively tap on the recipient’s profile photo to view their contact card and enable the Automatically Translate toggle, then select a language from the 12 options. This will effortlessly translate the entire chat to your native language. Message effects You can make important messages stand out and convey tone clearly with this tip. iMessage supports bubble and screen effects, which animate texts you send on the recipient’s end. To mark a spoiler, for example, you could use the invisible ink effect, which conceals text and media. Likewise, you could release some balloons or confetti in the chat by picking the relevant effect when congratulating someone. All you have to do is tap and hold the send button and choose one of the listed effects. iMessage’s range of screen effects include a spotlight for added drama.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Text Formatting Format text to emphasise key words or points. For something a bit more subtle, you could opt for text formatting. Select the desired word(s) in the iMessage text box, and tap on Text Effects. This will reveal formatting options, such as bold and italics, along with less dramatic animations that don’t take over the entire screen. Automations Let your iPhone trigger helpful actions for you automatically. iMessage caters to power users through native integrations with the Apple Shortcuts app. You can program the system to run tasks automatically whenever a chosen contact texts you or you receive a specific keyword. To get started, head to the Automation tab in the Shortcuts app, create a new automation, and pick Message. Pick a sender and/or a keyword to trigger the automation, and go for the Run Immediately option to avoid having to confirm manually each time. You can then proceed to the next screen to choose the tasks iOS should perform whenever the automation is initiated. Conversely, you can create a reminder in the Reminders app and set it to alert you about a certain matter whenever you text a person of your choosing. Simply enable the When Messaging toggle in a reminder’s settings and pick a contact. Handwritten notes Make messages feel more personal and thoughtful. There’s arguably no text more personal than a handwritten one, and iMessage happens to support that. Open any of your iMessage chats and rotate your iPhone sideways. The default iOS keyboard will then reveal a concealed scribble button (the cursive loop at the bottom-right) exclusive to the landscape orientation. Write a note, or doodle a picture, and then hit send. Handwritten messages become possible when you flip the iPhone on its side.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Social heartbeat Demonstrate your emotions. If you’re looking to send an even more intimate message, you could share your actual heartbeat with an iMessage contact. Tap on the plus (+) button in a chat to reveal the list of installed iMessage apps and choose Digital Touch. Tap and hold with two fingers on the black canvas and release when you’re ready to send. With your permission, the feature will read and imitate your recent heart rate records and display an accurate animation on the recipient’s end. It’ll even vibrate accordingly if they’re wearing an Apple Watch. If you don’t use an Apple Watch or a compatible accessory that adds heart rate data to the Health app, you could still send a generic heartbeat animation using the same command. Multiplayer games Turn a passive chat into a shared activity. The Messages app’s usefulness extends beyond traditional texting. If you and a friend are bored, you could search the App Store for iMessage games and download a few that catch your eye. Once installed, you can launch the game using the plus button in an iMessage chat to initiate a round. Typically, iMessage games are turn-based, so you can make a move, send the session to the other party, and wait for them to reciprocate. It’s a fun, simple way to spend time with someone while apart. Conversation backgrounds A characterful background is just the thing for livening up a conversation.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Make chats easier to recognise at a glance. iMessage has become increasingly customisable, with chat backgrounds one of the most recent additions. To set this up, tap the contact card in the desired chat (the recipient or group name at the top of the screen) then select the Backgrounds tab. This will let you pick a photo, color mix, default pattern, or AI-generated illustration. It’s worth noting that chat backgrounds appear on both ends of the conversation, so your friend will see what you pick and vice versa. Name and photo sharing Make conversations feel more personal and trustworthy. Messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram have long supported profile photos and display names. This helps people identify you, especially when you contact them for the first time. iMessage recently adopted a similar functionality that updates your contact card on their devices. On the Messages app’s main screen, tap the Edit button in the top-left corner, then hit Set Up Name & Photo. You can then proceed to pick an avatar, poster, first name, and surname, along with adjusting the privacy settings of this feature. It’s an underused way to make your chat more “you” on your friends’ iPhones. So much for the positives. But if you’re having problems, you may next wish to read How to fix iMessage.11:02 am12 hidden iMessage features every iPhone user should try
Macworld For many iPhone users, iMessage is the definitive communication app, an intuitive instant-messaging platform for texting and sharing media with friends and family. And it keeps getting better and better. Over the years, Apple has steadily expanded the service with support for new attachment types and add-ons, including dedicated mini apps. Yet many users stick to iMessage for basic texting, unaware of how much more it can do. If you’re looking to take your conversations to the next level, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with these hidden iMessage features. If you’re an iPhone user who mainly relies on iMessage for basic texting, this guide will help you discover features that go far beyond simple messages. If you want to save time, stay organised, or improve how you communicate, you’ll learn practical tools like scheduling, transcripts, and automations. If you’re curious about hidden or lesser-known iMessage features, you’ll uncover capabilities you may not have realised existed. And if you’re looking to make your chats more personal, expressive, or interactive, you’ll find plenty of ways to customise and enhance your conversations. What you’ll learn from this guide How to schedule iMessages in advance so you never forget important texts How to save time on voice notes with playback speed controls and transcripts How to use Check In for safety, sharing your location and arrival status How to translate messages automatically in multilingual conversations How to automate actions and replies using the Shortcuts app Plus a range of customisation and fun features (effects, backgrounds, games, handwritten notes) Scheduling This tip is useful if you forget birthdays or send late-night texts. iMessage lets you schedule messages up to 14 days in advance, making it easier to avoid unnecessary late-night texts or to ensure you don’t forget to reach out on an important special occasion. Hit the plus button, select Send Later, pick a date and time, and type your message. Once scheduled, iMessage will store the text in Apple’s servers and deliver it on the chosen day—even if your iPhone isn’t connected to Wi-Fi or 5G. If you suspect you’ll forget to send a time-sensitive message, schedule it in advance.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Checking In Here’s a tip for staying safe when travelling alone. If you’re heading home at night or taking a route through a sketchy area, it might be wise to use the built-in Check In app in iMessage to grant a trusted contact access to your location. With your permission, it will show them exactly which road you’ve taken and when to expect you to arrive at the chosen destination. It’s one of the lesser-known iMessage perks that can make you feel safer. Voice memo speed This is helpful when friends send long voice notes. You’re probably aware of the Audio app in iMessage, which lets you instantly record and send voice memos to express yourself. Sending voice memos can be fun and convenient. Receiving them, not so much. If you tend to receive long audio messages from your friends, and would like to save a little time while listening to them, tap and hold the play button to reveal 1.25x, 1.5x, and 2x playback speeds. Alternatively, you can hit the small arrow under the audio message to read an auto-generated transcript of detected speech. Listening to voice memos can be tedious. Speed things up and save time, or just read a transcript.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Translations To understand messages instantly and reply naturally use Translate. With remote work culture making it practical for digital nomads to work from the country of their choice, making foreign friends has become more common. iMessage accommodates multilingual conversations through its translation feature. Simply tap and hold a foreign text and tap Translate. If the entire chat is in a foreign language, you could alternatively tap on the recipient’s profile photo to view their contact card and enable the Automatically Translate toggle, then select a language from the 12 options. This will effortlessly translate the entire chat to your native language. Message effects You can make important messages stand out and convey tone clearly with this tip. iMessage supports bubble and screen effects, which animate texts you send on the recipient’s end. To mark a spoiler, for example, you could use the invisible ink effect, which conceals text and media. Likewise, you could release some balloons or confetti in the chat by picking the relevant effect when congratulating someone. All you have to do is tap and hold the send button and choose one of the listed effects. iMessage’s range of screen effects include a spotlight for added drama.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Text Formatting Format text to emphasise key words or points. For something a bit more subtle, you could opt for text formatting. Select the desired word(s) in the iMessage text box, and tap on Text Effects. This will reveal formatting options, such as bold and italics, along with less dramatic animations that don’t take over the entire screen. Automations Let your iPhone trigger helpful actions for you automatically. iMessage caters to power users through native integrations with the Apple Shortcuts app. You can program the system to run tasks automatically whenever a chosen contact texts you or you receive a specific keyword. To get started, head to the Automation tab in the Shortcuts app, create a new automation, and pick Message. Pick a sender and/or a keyword to trigger the automation, and go for the Run Immediately option to avoid having to confirm manually each time. You can then proceed to the next screen to choose the tasks iOS should perform whenever the automation is initiated. Conversely, you can create a reminder in the Reminders app and set it to alert you about a certain matter whenever you text a person of your choosing. Simply enable the When Messaging toggle in a reminder’s settings and pick a contact. Handwritten notes Make messages feel more personal and thoughtful. There’s arguably no text more personal than a handwritten one, and iMessage happens to support that. Open any of your iMessage chats and rotate your iPhone sideways. The default iOS keyboard will then reveal a concealed scribble button (the cursive loop at the bottom-right) exclusive to the landscape orientation. Write a note, or doodle a picture, and then hit send. Handwritten messages become possible when you flip the iPhone on its side.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Social heartbeat Demonstrate your emotions. If you’re looking to send an even more intimate message, you could share your actual heartbeat with an iMessage contact. Tap on the plus (+) button in a chat to reveal the list of installed iMessage apps and choose Digital Touch. Tap and hold with two fingers on the black canvas and release when you’re ready to send. With your permission, the feature will read and imitate your recent heart rate records and display an accurate animation on the recipient’s end. It’ll even vibrate accordingly if they’re wearing an Apple Watch. If you don’t use an Apple Watch or a compatible accessory that adds heart rate data to the Health app, you could still send a generic heartbeat animation using the same command. Multiplayer games Turn a passive chat into a shared activity. The Messages app’s usefulness extends beyond traditional texting. If you and a friend are bored, you could search the App Store for iMessage games and download a few that catch your eye. Once installed, you can launch the game using the plus button in an iMessage chat to initiate a round. Typically, iMessage games are turn-based, so you can make a move, send the session to the other party, and wait for them to reciprocate. It’s a fun, simple way to spend time with someone while apart. Conversation backgrounds A characterful background is just the thing for livening up a conversation.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Make chats easier to recognise at a glance. iMessage has become increasingly customisable, with chat backgrounds one of the most recent additions. To set this up, tap the contact card in the desired chat (the recipient or group name at the top of the screen) then select the Backgrounds tab. This will let you pick a photo, color mix, default pattern, or AI-generated illustration. It’s worth noting that chat backgrounds appear on both ends of the conversation, so your friend will see what you pick and vice versa. Name and photo sharing Make conversations feel more personal and trustworthy. Messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram have long supported profile photos and display names. This helps people identify you, especially when you contact them for the first time. iMessage recently adopted a similar functionality that updates your contact card on their devices. On the Messages app’s main screen, tap the Edit button in the top-left corner, then hit Set Up Name & Photo. You can then proceed to pick an avatar, poster, first name, and surname, along with adjusting the privacy settings of this feature. It’s an underused way to make your chat more “you” on your friends’ iPhones. So much for the positives. But if you’re having problems, you may next wish to read How to fix iMessage.11:02 am12 hidden iMessage features every iPhone user should try
Macworld For many iPhone users, iMessage is the definitive communication app, an intuitive instant-messaging platform for texting and sharing media with friends and family. And it keeps getting better and better. Over the years, Apple has steadily expanded the service with support for new attachment types and add-ons, including dedicated mini apps. Yet many users stick to iMessage for basic texting, unaware of how much more it can do. If you’re looking to take your conversations to the next level, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with these hidden iMessage features. If you’re an iPhone user who mainly relies on iMessage for basic texting, this guide will help you discover features that go far beyond simple messages. If you want to save time, stay organised, or improve how you communicate, you’ll learn practical tools like scheduling, transcripts, and automations. If you’re curious about hidden or lesser-known iMessage features, you’ll uncover capabilities you may not have realised existed. And if you’re looking to make your chats more personal, expressive, or interactive, you’ll find plenty of ways to customise and enhance your conversations. What you’ll learn from this guide How to schedule iMessages in advance so you never forget important texts How to save time on voice notes with playback speed controls and transcripts How to use Check In for safety, sharing your location and arrival status How to translate messages automatically in multilingual conversations How to automate actions and replies using the Shortcuts app Plus a range of customisation and fun features (effects, backgrounds, games, handwritten notes) Scheduling This tip is useful if you forget birthdays or send late-night texts. iMessage lets you schedule messages up to 14 days in advance, making it easier to avoid unnecessary late-night texts or to ensure you don’t forget to reach out on an important special occasion. Hit the plus button, select Send Later, pick a date and time, and type your message. Once scheduled, iMessage will store the text in Apple’s servers and deliver it on the chosen day—even if your iPhone isn’t connected to Wi-Fi or 5G. If you suspect you’ll forget to send a time-sensitive message, schedule it in advance.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Checking In Here’s a tip for staying safe when travelling alone. If you’re heading home at night or taking a route through a sketchy area, it might be wise to use the built-in Check In app in iMessage to grant a trusted contact access to your location. With your permission, it will show them exactly which road you’ve taken and when to expect you to arrive at the chosen destination. It’s one of the lesser-known iMessage perks that can make you feel safer. Voice memo speed This is helpful when friends send long voice notes. You’re probably aware of the Audio app in iMessage, which lets you instantly record and send voice memos to express yourself. Sending voice memos can be fun and convenient. Receiving them, not so much. If you tend to receive long audio messages from your friends, and would like to save a little time while listening to them, tap and hold the play button to reveal 1.25x, 1.5x, and 2x playback speeds. Alternatively, you can hit the small arrow under the audio message to read an auto-generated transcript of detected speech. Listening to voice memos can be tedious. Speed things up and save time, or just read a transcript.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Translations To understand messages instantly and reply naturally use Translate. With remote work culture making it practical for digital nomads to work from the country of their choice, making foreign friends has become more common. iMessage accommodates multilingual conversations through its translation feature. Simply tap and hold a foreign text and tap Translate. If the entire chat is in a foreign language, you could alternatively tap on the recipient’s profile photo to view their contact card and enable the Automatically Translate toggle, then select a language from the 12 options. This will effortlessly translate the entire chat to your native language. Message effects You can make important messages stand out and convey tone clearly with this tip. iMessage supports bubble and screen effects, which animate texts you send on the recipient’s end. To mark a spoiler, for example, you could use the invisible ink effect, which conceals text and media. Likewise, you could release some balloons or confetti in the chat by picking the relevant effect when congratulating someone. All you have to do is tap and hold the send button and choose one of the listed effects. iMessage’s range of screen effects include a spotlight for added drama.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Text Formatting Format text to emphasise key words or points. For something a bit more subtle, you could opt for text formatting. Select the desired word(s) in the iMessage text box, and tap on Text Effects. This will reveal formatting options, such as bold and italics, along with less dramatic animations that don’t take over the entire screen. Automations Let your iPhone trigger helpful actions for you automatically. iMessage caters to power users through native integrations with the Apple Shortcuts app. You can program the system to run tasks automatically whenever a chosen contact texts you or you receive a specific keyword. To get started, head to the Automation tab in the Shortcuts app, create a new automation, and pick Message. Pick a sender and/or a keyword to trigger the automation, and go for the Run Immediately option to avoid having to confirm manually each time. You can then proceed to the next screen to choose the tasks iOS should perform whenever the automation is initiated. Conversely, you can create a reminder in the Reminders app and set it to alert you about a certain matter whenever you text a person of your choosing. Simply enable the When Messaging toggle in a reminder’s settings and pick a contact. Handwritten notes Make messages feel more personal and thoughtful. There’s arguably no text more personal than a handwritten one, and iMessage happens to support that. Open any of your iMessage chats and rotate your iPhone sideways. The default iOS keyboard will then reveal a concealed scribble button (the cursive loop at the bottom-right) exclusive to the landscape orientation. Write a note, or doodle a picture, and then hit send. Handwritten messages become possible when you flip the iPhone on its side.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Social heartbeat Demonstrate your emotions. If you’re looking to send an even more intimate message, you could share your actual heartbeat with an iMessage contact. Tap on the plus (+) button in a chat to reveal the list of installed iMessage apps and choose Digital Touch. Tap and hold with two fingers on the black canvas and release when you’re ready to send. With your permission, the feature will read and imitate your recent heart rate records and display an accurate animation on the recipient’s end. It’ll even vibrate accordingly if they’re wearing an Apple Watch. If you don’t use an Apple Watch or a compatible accessory that adds heart rate data to the Health app, you could still send a generic heartbeat animation using the same command. Multiplayer games Turn a passive chat into a shared activity. The Messages app’s usefulness extends beyond traditional texting. If you and a friend are bored, you could search the App Store for iMessage games and download a few that catch your eye. Once installed, you can launch the game using the plus button in an iMessage chat to initiate a round. Typically, iMessage games are turn-based, so you can make a move, send the session to the other party, and wait for them to reciprocate. It’s a fun, simple way to spend time with someone while apart. Conversation backgrounds A characterful background is just the thing for livening up a conversation.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Make chats easier to recognise at a glance. iMessage has become increasingly customisable, with chat backgrounds one of the most recent additions. To set this up, tap the contact card in the desired chat (the recipient or group name at the top of the screen) then select the Backgrounds tab. This will let you pick a photo, color mix, default pattern, or AI-generated illustration. It’s worth noting that chat backgrounds appear on both ends of the conversation, so your friend will see what you pick and vice versa. Name and photo sharing Make conversations feel more personal and trustworthy. Messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram have long supported profile photos and display names. This helps people identify you, especially when you contact them for the first time. iMessage recently adopted a similar functionality that updates your contact card on their devices. On the Messages app’s main screen, tap the Edit button in the top-left corner, then hit Set Up Name & Photo. You can then proceed to pick an avatar, poster, first name, and surname, along with adjusting the privacy settings of this feature. It’s an underused way to make your chat more “you” on your friends’ iPhones. So much for the positives. But if you’re having problems, you may next wish to read How to fix iMessage.10:53 amReport: iPhone Air is about twice as popular compared to the Plus model it replaced
According to cellular network data from Ookla, the iPhone Air is about twice as popular compared to the iPhone 16 Plus, in the comparable launch period for the iPhone 17 and year-ago iPhone 16 lineup. While the Air is seemingly the least popular model of the iPhone 17 generation, Apple will still consider it a relative success, as this report shows the Air has firmly eclipsed the sales performance of the outgoing Plus model. more…10:52 amQatar SMS Carrier Maintenance – Vodafone
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Apr 9, 14:00 - 20:00 PDTMar 23, 03:36 PDTScheduled - The Vodafone network in Qatar is conducting a planned maintenance from 09 April 2026 at 14:00 PDT until 09 April 2026 at 20:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to Vodafone Qatar handsets.10:30 amThe iPhone 17e is bad in a really good way
Macworld I’ve been playing with the iPhone 17e for a few days now, and my skeptical first impressions are gradually mellowing into a sort of indulgent fondness. It isn’t the best iPhone I’ve tested, or even close to that. But it’s bad in a good way. Let’s quickly recap all the things that made me nervous about the 17e when Apple unveiled it earlier this month. It starts at $599, the same as the iPhone 16e, a lower price compared to the iPhone 17, granted, but a far cry from the budget appeal of the $429 iPhone SE. It has a binned processor (with one less functional core), and still has just a single rear-facing camera. And while it gains MagSafe, it’s an old version that is capped at 15W rather than the 25W you get on more recent models. I’m still mildly depressed about the price tag, although it’s worth bearing in mind that the final iPhone SE model had plenty of issues and actually wasn’t a terribly good choice for budget buyers. (A better option was to buy a second-hand unit of a more upmarket model, and that remains an option worth considering today. The iPhone 15 costs $529 from the Apple Refurbished Store, and you can bet there will be cheaper options if you buy elsewhere, or are prepared to go back a generation or two further.) So it was always asking a lot for Apple to release an uncompromised phone for less than $500. The binned processor, if I’m honest, was never that huge a deal to me either. In fact, my feeling about the iPhone 16e was that Apple focused too heavily on making it AI-ready, which meant a faster chip and more RAM than was strictly necessary at that price, and compromises in other areas. Sure, it was faintly annoying to be getting a binned processor among all the other limitations when the price was mid-market rather than budget, but even a binned A18 was fine for all tasks in the short term and most tasks in even the long term. And I feel largely the same about the 17e’s binned A19 now. The real revelation, however, has been MagSafe. I was severely hacked off by the lack of MagSafe last year, because it’s one of those small conveniences you take for granted until it’s gone: fiddling with a non-magnetic charging puck and hoping the phone stayed on the sweet spot all night (or using a cable) was surprisingly annoying. So to have that on the 17e is a big improvement. MagSafe being capped at 15W, meanwhile, like that binned processor, is more annoying in principle than in practice. I’m not entirely sure why this old version of the technology is being wheeled out again (you have to go back to the iPhone 15 for the last time it appeared in a new iPhone), but for me, as I’ve explained in a separate article, wireless charging speed simply isn’t much of a priority. At 15W, the 17e’s MagSafe is fast enough to charge the device from zero to full twice over during a single night’s sleep, and any time you need it to charge faster, you can use a cable instead. The value of MagSafe is convenience, not speed. Would I like to have 25W MagSafe? Sure. Of course. But nothing is free, and if using a slower version means we can have MagSafe on a $599 phone, I’m on board with that decision. Having no MagSafe at all (while packing 8GB of RAM and a frontline processor) was a bad compromise. Having slow MagSafe is a sensible compromise that I fully support. That’s not to say that all of my worries have been put to rest. The iPhone 17 has clearly spoiled me: The lack of an always-on display bothers me more than I expected, and I wish the camera setup were better, since that’s a high priority for most customers. But I will say that technology has advanced to the point where even single phone cameras will do the job for most people, most of the time. The e-class phones are worse than the flagships at portrait photos and cut out macro photography, but for day-to-day snapshots, they’re absolutely fine. My review will arrive later this week, but my feelings about the iPhone 17e are a lot more positive than I expected. It’s particularly surprising because only one of my issues with the 16e (the lack of MagSafe) has been addressed. But Apple slipped in a bonus upgrade: it doubled the starting storage allocation without increasing the price. Between that, the new processor, the inclusion of 15W MagSafe, and a tougher version of Ceramic Shield on the display, I’m feeling quite happy about the iPhone 17e. Even if it’s not what you’d call a good phone. Foundry Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too. Trending: Top stories MacBook Neo is classic Apple, says Jason Snell: Moving fast and breaking stuff. While its competitors burn cash on AI, Apple is taking its usual slow and steady approach. And it’s paying off, writes the Macalope. Alex Blake offers 8 upgrades to make your old Apple gear feel new again. Roman Loyola tried to push the MacBook Neo to its limit. But it handled a week of stress better than he did. AirPods Max 2 may look old, but these big upgrades are inside. First-time customers are scooping up Neos at a record pace. The Mac just posted its ‘best launch week ever’ with non-Mac users. Podcast of the week In the latest episode of the Macworld Podcast, we review the new M5 MacBook Air, M5 Max MacBook Pro, and Apple Studio Display. Tune in and get all the details. You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site. Reviews corner Studio Display (2026): A great monitor if you can get it for half-price. BenQ MA270S: Studio Display specs for a whole lot less. DuckDuckGo VPN: Strong privacy, but missing key features. Sennheiser CX 80U: Affordable USB-C wired earbuds with impressive sound. The rumor mill Big changes are coming to iOS 27, but Liquid Glass is here to stay. Sorry. Software updates, bugs, and problems DarkSword malware targets iPhones that haven’t been updated yet. Here’s a mystery. Why did Apple just declare a 12-year-old iPhone obsolete? And with that, we’re done for this week’s Apple Breakfast. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters, including our new email from The Macalope–an irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, or X for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.10:13 amAirDrop Support Rolling Out to Samsung Galaxy S26 Devices This Week
AirDrop support is coming to Samsung's Quick Share feature on Galaxy S26 devices this week, allowing owners to directly share files and media with iPhones and Macs. In a Sunday newsroom announcement, Samsung said the rollout is starting today in Korea, with devices in the U.S. to follow later this week. The feature will expand to more regions and on more Galaxy devices at a later date, including Canada, Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan. Owners of Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra devices will need to enable the feature in their phone's Quick Share settings menu, using a new Share with Apple devices toggle. Last November, Google announced Quick Share compatibility with AirDrop on Pixel phones. The feature was initially limited to the newest Pixel 10 devices, but has since been expanded to the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold.Tags: AirDrop, SamsungThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums08:00 amYour iPhone or iPad just replaced your bulky scanner for $26
Macworld TL;DR: iScanner App turns your iPad or iPhone into a scanner on the go, and now a lifetime subscription is just $25.97 (MSRP $199.90) through April 12. Our iPhones can do a whole lot, but now there’s an app that makes them even more productive. The iScanner App turns iPhones and iPads into scanning devices that can digitize documents from anywhere. Right now, you can snag a lifetime subscription for only $25.97 (MSRP $199.90) until April 12. Scan anything, anywhere — right from your iPhone or iPad Want to clear off some clutter in your office? Now you can ditch the bulky printer-scanner hybrids and just digitize things from your iPhone with the help of the iScanner App. This helpful tool makes it easy to scan anything, anywhere — from forms you need to fill out to sentimental documents you want to keep forever. iScanner makes scanning a breeze. All you have to do is point your phone or iPad’s camera at the page you need to scan and let the AI-powered features do the rest. The app detects and adjusts the document’s borders, giving you a top-quality scan. Its technology also helps with text translation, object counting, measurements, and more. After you scan something, you can adjust it with color correction and noise removal tools. You can also choose how you’d like to save the file — as a PDF, JPG, DOC, XLS, PPT, or TXT. If you pick PDF, you can sign, add text, or auto-fill the file right within the app, as it doubles as a PDF editor. iScanner can also manage your documents, organizing your scans as you go. If you scan something that includes sensitive information, you can add a PIN to files for extra privacy. Enjoy a lifetime subscription to the iScanner App for only $25.97 (MSRP $199.90) now through April 12. iScanner App: Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply. StackSocial prices subject to change.06:48 amGalaxy S26 can now share files with iPhones using AirDrop
Quick Share on the Galaxy S26 now supports AirDrop, allowing native wireless file transfers with iPhones, iPads and Macs. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)05:22 amFRA (Frankfurt) on 2026-03-24
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Mar 24, 00:00 - 06:00 UTCMar 23, 05:10 UTCScheduled - We will be performing scheduled maintenance in FRA (Frankfurt) datacenter on 2026-03-24 between 00:00 and 06:00 UTC.Traffic might be re-routed from this location, hence there is a possibility of a slight increase in latency during this maintenance window for end-users in the affected region. For PNI / CNI customers connecting with us in this location, please make sure you are expecting this traffic to fail over elsewhere during this maintenance window as network interfaces in this datacentre may become temporarily unavailable.You can now subscribe to these notifications via Cloudflare dashboard and receive these updates directly via email, PagerDuty and webhooks (based on your plan): https://developers.cloudflare.com/notifications/notification-available/#cloudflare-status.12:05 amThese are the best new MacBook deals right now: March 2026 Buyer’s Guide
In the era of Apple Silicon, MacBooks are more affordable than ever. Nowadays, you can buy a MacBook Air with 512GB of storage and 16GB of memory for $1099 directly from Apple, when such a configuration would’ve cost $1599 just a few years ago. And on top of that, we have MacBook Neo bringing the entry-point down substantially. Even with Apple’s prices coming down though, there’s still a number of deals to be found out there if you look just a little. more…12:00 amSwift Internals [SUBSCRIBER]
This book is designed for Swift developers who want to go beyond writing working code and understand how the language truly works under the hood. It explains the mechanics of Swift’s type system, compiler behavior, memory model, and performance characteristics. Readers will also learn advanced topics like unsafe memory operations, metaprogramming, modular architecture, and linking strategies. The goal is to help developers reason about Swift at the language, compiler, and system levels. It is ideal for Swift engineers who want to write faster, safer, and more scalable apps.Sunday March 2211:16 pmBuilt (not another) calorie tracking app, feedback welcome
I built a calorie tracking app (I know I know, millions exist) but mine has a hefty focus on speed, simplicity and NOT shoving premium features/ads down your throat. I got sick of the 4.99 a month payments just to use a barcode scanner, I got sick of how long it would take to search, […]11:06 pmSamsung rolling out AirDrop over Quick Share on Galaxy S26, more devices coming
Samsung has officially confirmed plans to start rolling out AirDrop support over Quick Share starting with the Galaxy S26 series this week. more…10:38 pmApple CEO Candidate John Ternus is 'Well-Liked' and Helped Reverse 'Declining Product Quality' | MacRumorsApple CEO Candidate John Ternus is 'Well-Liked' and Helped Reverse 'Declining Product Quality'
In an in-depth article for Bloomberg Businessweek today, Mark Gurman profiled Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus, who is widely viewed as the leading candidate to become Apple's next CEO whenever Tim Cook decides to step down. The article is very long, so we recommend reading it in full, but a few of the key takeaways are that Ternus is apparently "well-liked among Apple's leadership" and helped with "reversing a trend of declining product quality" at the company. "Since getting the top hardware engineering role in 2021, he's overseen an expansion in Apple's product lineup, improving quality and focusing on functional improvements around battery life, performance and connectivity," wrote Gurman. Cook reportedly gave oversight of Apple's design teams to Ternus at the end of last year, and Ternus has been making a lot more public appearances in interviews and in product introduction videos over the past few years. The profile provides a closer look at how Ternus has risen to become the frontrunner to succeed Cook eventually. Cook has not shared his retirement plans with even some of his closest lieutenants, according to the report, so it is unclear when he plans to step down. Cook has served as Apple's CEO since 2011, and he reached the common retirement age of 65 last year. In a recent interview, he vaguely said he "I can't imagine life without Apple." The full Bloomberg Businessweek article is titled "Apple's 'Nice Guy' Heir Apparent."Tags: Bloomberg, John Ternus, Mark Gurman, Tim CookThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums10:18 pmExperiences on beating Guideline 4.3(a) Design Spam
I am a new iOS developer. I wanted to share my experience navigating the dreaded Guideline 4.3(a) – Design Spam rejection. If you’ve ever submitted an app in a crowded category, you know how generic and unhelpful the rejection messages can be. I submitted my first app and was hit with 4.3(a) after waiting for […]10:13 pmDuo Phone Call Authentication Failure for US Based Carriers
Mar 22, 18:13 EDTInvestigating - We are currently observing a recurrence of the issue causing VOIP authentication failures in all deployments in the US region. We are working to correct the issue as soon as possible. While we work to resolve this, please use alternative authentication methods such as Duo Mobile Push, SMS passcodes etc.A full list of available authentication methods can be found here:https://duo.com/docs/policy#authentication-methods10:10 pmApple already has the perfect platform for deploying conversational AI
When Apple initially rolled out Apple Intelligence, the company was pretty openly against the idea of creating a Siri chatbot. Now, things have changed a little – and the company is rumored to be deploying a Siri app in iOS 27, so users can chat with the next generation of Apple Foundation Models. While that’s a great starting point, I think theres a better idea to be tapped into here. more…09:57 pmApple to Celebrate 50th Anniversary With 'Elaborate' Party at Apple Park
Apple has been celebrating its upcoming 50th anniversary by hosting events around the world, and a grand finale will likely take place in California. In an in-depth profile of Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus, who is widely viewed as the leading candidate to become Apple's next CEO, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the company is planning "an elaborate 50th birthday party" at its Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, California, and he expects Ternus to be "center stage." The report did not offer any further details about the celebration, but our best guess is that it will take place under the rainbow arches in the middle of Apple Park. Apple turns 50 on April 1, so the party will likely take place soon. It is unclear if the celebration will be limited to Apple's employees, or if there will be a public component involving the Apple Park Visitor Center. In any case, selected members of the press may be invited. Apple kicked off its 50th anniversary celebrations with a surprise Alicia Keys performance at its Grand Central store in New York earlier this month, and it has since hosted similar events in China and South Korea. Apple is planning to host additional celebrations in Australia, Canada, France, Thailand, and the UK over the coming days. MacRumors has been invited to attend one of Apple's 50th-anniversary celebrations in London this week, but we are keeping specific details under wraps in order to avoid spoiling Apple's surprise. Stay tuned for our coverage of the event.Tags: Apple 50th Anniversary, Bloomberg, Mark GurmanThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums09:27 pmFirebase Security Rules #1: Never Trust the Client
submitted by /u/Defiant-Branch4346 [link] [comments]08:29 pmSunday Reboot: MotionVFX, celebrations, and questionable updates
In this week's "Sunday Reboot," AirPods Max 2 stretches the definition of the spec-bump update, the MotionVFX acquisition could benefit Creator Studio, and even more Apple celebrations.MotionVFX, AirPods Max 2, and a performance in China. Sunday Reboot is a weekly column covering some of the lighter stories within the Apple reality distortion field from the past seven days. All to get the next week underway with a good first step.This week, Apple lost in court but avoided another Apple Watch ban over blood oxygen patents, was dragged into a legal fight over AI data sourcing, and it came under fire for blocking some vibe coding apps in iOS. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums07:53 pmiRacing on Vision Pro bringing ‘immersion and fidelity never before seen in sim racing’ | 9 to 5 MaciRacing on Vision Pro bringing ‘immersion and fidelity never before seen in sim racing’
iRacing on Apple Vision Pro will bring a “level of immersion and fidelity never before seen in sim racing,” says iRacing president Tony Gardner. more…07:19 pmWhy Apple Temporarily Blocked Popular Vibe Coding Apps
An anonymous reader shared this report from the tech-news blog Neowin: Apple appears to have temporarily prevented apps, including Replit and Vibecode, from pushing new updates. Apple seems bothered by how apps like Replit present vibe-coded apps in a web view within the original app. This process virtually allows the app to become something else. And the new app isn't distributed via the App Store, but it still runs on the user's device... [S]uch apps would also bypass the App Store Review process that ensures that apps are safe to use and meet Apple's design and performance standards... According to the publication (via MacRumors), Apple was close to approving pending updates for such apps if they changed how they work. For instance, Replit would get the green light if its developers configure the app to open vibe-coded apps in an external browser rather than the in-app web view. Vibecode is also close to being approved if it removes features, such as the ability to develop apps specifically for the App Store. Read more of this story at Slashdot.06:51 pmGet the New Book 'Apple: The First 50 Years' for 30% Off on Amazon
Last week, tech columnist David Pogue launched a new book called "Apple: The First 50 Years." On Amazon, you can get the new book for $34.78 in hardcover, down from $50.00, the best price we've seen so far on the book. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. The book explores the first five decades of Apple's history, including interviews with 150 key people who shaped Apple into what it is today, like Steve Wozniak, John Sculley, Jony Ive, and more. The book is launching to coincide with Apple's upcoming 50th anniversary on April 1, 2026. 30% OFFApple: The First 50 Years for $34.78 Amazon's sale is on the hardcover version of the book, and provides an estimated March 27 delivery date for free delivery. If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week. Deals Newsletter Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple DealsThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums06:00 pmSecurity Bite Podcast: Psylo app is setting out to change private browsing
9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple. In this episode, I sit down with Talal, one-half of the duo behind the Mysk security research X account and co-founder of Psylo, a privacy-focused iOS browser app that takes a fundamentally different approach to private browsing. We get into why not all VPNs are created equal, how exactly websites are identifying you and tracking your moments across tabs, and how Psylo tackles all of this by giving every tab its own isolated silo, complete with a separate IP address, memory, storage, and more. If you care about browser privacy on your iPhone, this one’s worth a listen. Here’s my conversation with Talal. more…05:41 pmThis rumored MacBook Pro upgrade has me excited for the overhaul, and it isn’t OLED
Later this year, Apple is set to debut its first MacBook Pro redesign since 2021. With that redesign, we’re expecting OLED, touch displays, M6 Pro and M6 Max chips, a Dynamic Island cutout, and much more. There’s another big detail about these new MacBook Pro models, and I’m much more excited for that change. more…05:18 pmDuo Phone Call Authentication Failure for US Based Carriers
Mar 22, 13:18 EDTInvestigating - We are currently investigating an issue causing VOIP authentication failures in all the deployments in the US region and are working to correct the issue as soon as possible. Please use alternative authentication methods such as push at this time.Please check back here or subscribe to updates for any changes.04:48 pmToday in Apple history: PowerCD paves the way toward a lucrative future
On March 22, 1993, Apple launched the PowerCD, a CD player that worked as an external CD drive for Macs. It was a sign of things to come. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)04:01 pmHow-to: Create a RealityKit Entity from a DAE, OBJ, or STL file
https://preview.redd.it/4d14j6iwbmqg1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=744163fa4a953762892ab3bdf4087e12323628bd My blog post, which I have linked above, discusses how to generate a RealityKit ModelEntity at runtime from file formats other than the standard USDZ, including DAE, OBJ, STL, or other file formats that are readable by ModelIO. I'm posting to get […]03:50 pmWill Apple testers ever provide you with any red flags during an internal testing submission? | Reddit on iOS ProgrammingWill Apple testers ever provide you with any red flags during an internal testing submission?
For example, if I submit for internal testing review and it’s approved does that mean I won’t deal with issues for an actual role out? Maybe not full blown issues but ones like “app is the same as other apps on the market” etc etc. Will they flag these issues in advance? submitted by […]03:47 pmApple’s busy March continues with three notable arrivals this week
Apple has had a jam-packed March so far after launching seven new products and surprisingly announcing an eighth. Looking ahead, there’s even more to come from Apple before the month is over, including three things to watch for this week. more…03:41 pmHow 50 years of moving fast and breaking stuff led to MacBook Neo
Macworld What a funny coincidence that celebrations of Apple’s 50th anniversary would hit the same month that the company introduced the MacBook Neo, a $599 laptop that has the potential to take the Mac to new heights. The facts that Apple was founded in 1976 and the MacBook Neo exists in 2026 shouldn’t have anything in common but that they both involve a corporation called Apple. But that’s not right: Apple’s product philosophy is more continuous than you might imagine, and that string that starts with the Apple I ends, 50 years later, in a colorful new MacBook Neo. Apple was born in a chaotic world. Dozens of personal computer companies were building early devices, and each of them was its own island with its own software running on custom hardware. New chips and new hardware innovations like floppy disk drives (did you know that the earliest Apple computers could only read data from audio cassettes?!) meant that as a computer company, you evolved rapidly or you died. Most of them died, of course. But Apple didn’t, in part because it was always adopting the next big thing in order to survive. It was a mindset that I always connected to Steve Jobs, a man with absolutely zero sentimentality. Apple has always been a company that knows that it needs to move forward rapidly to survive. Steve Jobs believed in always moving forward and not getting sentimental about the past. That philosophy has served Apple well.Apple This has been a factor that has remained in the corporate culture, to varying degrees of strength, for 50 years. It’s not that Apple doesn’t care about taking care of its customers–it’s managed three chip transitions and one operating system transition on the Mac while providing solid support over a transitional period. One reason this culture got reinforced is that Apple has never been the dominant ecosystem player in any market it’s competed in. (The iPod was dominant, but not really much of an ecosystem.) When you’re dominant, like PCs driven by Microsoft’s DOS and Windows operating systems, the name of the game is compatibility. Once you’ve got the bulk of the market, it’s all about consolidation. Over time, stability and compatibility became a major reason why Microsoft was so successful. Old Windows apps just kept running. Microsoft built an entire culture about supporting its enormous base of customers, many of whom were using ancient hardware and software. The problem with that strategy is that it’s a really bad fit for times of great opportunity. As former Microsoft executive Steven Sinofsky wrote recently, Microsoft’s greatest strength suddenly became its greatest weakness. “The pull and push of forever compatibility was not just ‘Windows DNA,’ but it was the soul of what made Windows successful and was sacred.” Apple has the freedom to make game-changing moves to make better products.Apple The funny thing is that Sinofsky wrote that in the context of praising the MacBook Neo, of all things. Here’s why: Apple has constantly upgraded its operating system and ecosystem, from drivers to APIs to apps to the chips that run them. It’s been able to drag its technology forward in ways Microsoft never could. Part of that was embracing touch interfaces with the iPhone and iPad. It’s not that Microsoft didn’t have some great ideas about touch interfaces–some of the stuff it did was really cool!–but that in the end, its loyal customers pulled it backward into the abyss. The first touch-savvy version of Microsoft Office ran on the iPad. Microsoft’s own touch-friendly devices backslid to the old mouse-driven versions. The crowning achievement of all this was Apple’s embrace of its own, ARM-based chip architecture. Again, it’s not as if Microsoft and its chip partners didn’t see the strength that an Apple-style chip strategy might have. It’s that Microsoft’s customers just weren’t interested in losing compatibility with their enormous investment in Intel PCs, and Microsoft’s commitment to “run everything forever,” as Sinofsky calls it, hampered all attempts to see things differently. In the other corner: Apple, which for the last five-plus years has been shipping Macs running ARM processors, on top of a version of macOS that spent the years running up to that transition by killing off compatibility with a lot of old software that would’ve made that transition a challenge. Apple’s ability to advance its technology allows it to create a budget laptop that offers quality that its competitors can’t match.Eugen Wegmann This brings us to the MacBook Neo. It is the result of Apple being unafraid to break compatibility with 32-bit apps, with the old Carbon APIs, with Intel processors, the works. Part of the magic is that, as Mac users, we often don’t even notice when Apple does this, because it’s gotten pretty good at making it easy for us to migrate. (Software developers have had a harder time, often spending summers modifying their apps so that they still work when the new OS versions ship in the fall.) 50 years on, this is still Apple’s core approach: Don’t be afraid to change. Don’t be afraid to leave some old things behind. Not because change isn’t painful, because it often is. But because without change, without the ability to move forward, you’ll never be able to take advantage of new opportunities. And if you’re Apple, you’ll never be able to make a MacBook Neo.02:57 pmApple Card Offering New Walgreens Bonus
Now through May 20, you can get 5% Daily Cash when you use the Apple Card via Apple Pay for purchases at Walgreens and Duane Reade, both in stores and online. 5% Daily Cash is limited to $500 in combined Walgreens and Duane Reade purchases, meaning that the maximum cash back that you can receive from this offer is $25. Ordinarily, the Apple Card offers 3% Daily Cash for Walgreens and Duane Reade purchases. Apple's credit card is available in the U.S. only.Tags: Apple Card, WalgreensThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums02:39 pmGot rejected by the App Store 5 times before getting approved. Here is what I learned. | Reddit on iOS ProgrammingGot rejected by the App Store 5 times before getting approved. Here is what I learned.
We built a social app from scratch. First time going through the App Store review process and honestly nobody prepares you for how opaque it is. Five rejections over a few weeks. Here is exactly what happened: Rejection 1: Guideline 4.3(b) — Spam This was the worst one. Apple said our app "duplicates the content […]02:30 pmUnwanted Communication Reporting Extension deletes messages always
I am implementing an Unwanted Communication Reporting Extension (IdentityLookupUI) to allow users to report spam messages to our backend. The extension works perfectly in terms of data collection and network reporting (using ILClassificationExtensionNetworkReportDestination). However, I’ve encountered an issue with the message lifecycle: whenever the user taps "Done" and I return a response, the system automatically moves the reported message to the Recently Deleted folder. I want to report the data but keep the message in its current folder (especially when the user classifies it as "Safe"). I have tried varying the ILClassificationAction, but it seems the system ignores the action in favor of "cleaning up" the thread. Example of my current implementation: override func classificationResponse(for request: ILClassificationRequest) - > ILClassificationResponse { // Even when returning .none or .reportNotJunk let action: ILClassificationAction = (self.type == "spam") ? .reportJunk : .none let response = ILClassificationResponse(action: action) response.userInfo = ["type": self.taggedType, "sender": self.sender] return response } My Questions: Is there a specific ILClassificationAction or userInfo key that tells iOS not to move the message? Is this movement a mandatory "post-report cleanup" behavior of the IdentityLookup framework that cannot be overridden? Does anyone know a workaround to report the communication while maintaining its original location in the Messages app?01:56 pmiPad 12 With A18 Chip for Apple Intelligence is 'Still Coming This Year'
Apple has updated a wide range of products and accessories this month, but there is still no entry-level iPad 12 with Apple Intelligence support. Fortunately, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said an iPad with an A18 chip for Apple Intelligence is "ready to go" and "still coming this year." An earlier report from Macworld claimed that the iPad 12 will actually have an A19 chip. No other major changes have been rumored so far for the iPad 12, so we expect the device to have the same overall design as the current model. Apple Intelligence is already available on all other current-generation iPad models, including the iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. Apple released the iPad 11 with an A16 chip in March 2025, with U.S. pricing starting at $349. Related Roundup: iPadTags: Apple Intelligence, Bloomberg, Mark GurmanBuyer's Guide: iPad (Don't Buy)Related Forum: iPadThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums01:49 pmiPad with A18 chip on schedule for launch in early 2026
After updating its more powerful counterparts, Apple is still expected to update the base iPad with an A18 chip sometime in the first half of 2026.The entry-level iPad may finally get Apple Intelligence support soon. Apple's release schedule has been busy for the earliest months of the year. However, after having already moved iPad Pro to M5 and doing a similar M4 update to the iPad Air in March, Apple can now turn its attention to the lower end of the range.According to Mark Gurman in Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Apple is on track to refresh the entry-level iPad in the first half of 2026. Gurman doesn't say when exactly, but that it was originally to be released at around the same time as iOS 26.4. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums01:33 pmNew Apple TV and HomePod Mini Remain 'Ready' to Launch
Apple has unveiled nine new products this month, but the wait continues for the next-generation Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini models. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said new versions of the Apple TV and HomePod mini have been "ready" since last year, but he reiterated that Apple has held off on releasing them until the more personalized version of Siri and other Apple Intelligence upgrades are released later this year. Inventory of the Apple TV, HomePod mini, and full-sized HomePod is once again "running low" at Apple's retail stores around the world, according to Gurman, but it is unclear if this means anything since the revamped Siri has yet to debut. Gurman previously reported that Apple was aiming to release the personalized Siri features in either iOS 26.5 or iOS 27. The first developer beta of iOS 26.5 could be available in late March or early April, so at least some of the Siri upgrades might be just a week or two away, unless they are entirely held back until iOS 27 debuts in June. Accordingly, if the new Apple TV and HomePod mini models remain tied to the Siri upgrades arriving in iOS 26.5 or iOS 27, then Apple should announce the devices at any point between late March and the end of September this year. Earlier rumors claimed the next Apple TV would be equipped with the A17 Pro chip, which is the oldest chip that supports Apple Intelligence. The device is also expected to feature Apple's N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. As for the HomePod mini, it is expected to use an Apple Watch's S9 chip or newer, but it is not entirely clear how that chip would be capable enough to support the revamped Siri powered by Apple Intelligence. Other rumored features include the N1 chip, improved sound quality, a newer Ultra Wideband chip, and a red color option. The current Apple TV 4K debuted in October 2022, and the HomePod mini was introduced in October 2020, so both devices are due for upgrades. Related Roundups: Apple TV, HomePod miniTags: Bloomberg, Mark GurmanBuyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy), HomePod Mini (Don't Buy)Related Forums: Apple TV and Home Theater, HomePod, HomeKit, CarPlay, Home & Auto TechnologyThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums01:14 pmApple Stores ‘running low’ on Apple TV, HomePod, and HomePod mini inventory
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple Stores are currently facing inventory shortages for three key products: HomePod, HomePod mini, and Apple TV. This isn’t necessarily a sign of an imminent update, though it is worth noting the latter two products are due for a refresh. more…01:08 pmApple raises external storage prices as AI consumes everything
Apple has raised the price of external hard drives in its stores, as its retail efforts feel the pinch of the increased cost of storage.External drives are now more expensive to buy from Apple. The tech industry is dealing with a crisis of supply and demand, with the needs of AI infrastructure buildouts consuming masses of memory and storage. While the main discussion has been about how Apple is faring on the supply chain side of things, it seems retail is being affected at a much faster rate.Writing in Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman was informed that Apple had updated the prices for a number of its external drives. These updates occurred on both the website and in retail outlets. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums01:04 pmWhat is an IP address, and how does it affect your privacy?
Every time you open a website, stream a video, send an email, or connect to Wi-Fi, your device relies on an IP address. You rarely see it, and most of the time you probably do not think about it. But it plays a quiet, important role in how the internet works. Your IP address helps […] The post appeared first on The Mac Security Blog.01:00 pmApple Has Released More Than 10 Products and Accessories This Month
It has been a busy March for Apple, which has unveiled more than 10 products and accessories this month. However, aside from the all-new MacBook Neo and Studio Display XDR, the devices received faster chips or new colors and little else. The new products include an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, AirPods Max 2, and the Nike Powerbeats Pro 2. The new accessories include iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands, and the iPhone's Crossbody Strap in a range of fresh color options like Bright Guava, Vanilla, Soft Pink, Clementine, and/or Electric Lavender. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the iPhone 16e, but it gains Apple's A19 chip, MagSafe for magnetic wireless charging and magnetic accessories, Apple's second-generation C1X modem for faster 5G, and a doubled 256GB of base storage. In the U.S., the iPhone 17e starts at $599, just like the iPhone 16e did. The new iPad Air's key upgrades include Apple's M4 chip, an increased 12GB of RAM, Apple's N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, and the C1X modem in cellular models. The MacBook Air received a faster M5 chip, and a doubled 512GB of base storage, but the starting price increased from $999 to $1,099 as a result of a 256GB configuration being dropped. With the N1 chip, the MacBook Air now has Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and it now comes with Apple's 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max. The higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models finally received M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, plus up to twice as fast SSD speeds and a doubled 1TB of base storage. Battery life has increased slightly across all of the models, and the N1 chip extends to the MacBook Pro line now for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support. The regular Studio Display gained Thunderbolt 5 support and improved speakers, and the camera now supports Desk View. There is also an all-new, higher-end Studio Display XDR that gained all of those benefits, plus bigger improvements such as a 120Hz refresh rate, mini-LED backlighting, increased brightness, and more. The colorful new MacBook Neo starts at just $599 in the United States, and at an even lower $499 for college students. Available in Blush, Citrus, Indigo, and Silver, the MacBook Neo is powered by the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone, and it is equipped with a 13-inch display, up to 512GB of storage, and a non-configurable 8GB of RAM. AirPods Max 2 have a handful of upgrades over the previous AirPods Max, including Apple's H2 chip, increased active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and features such as Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation. Plus, the Digital Crown has a new Camera Remote function. The special-edition Nike Powerbeats Pro 2 are the same as the regular Powerbeats Pro 2, except they have a two-tone design consisting of black and Nike's signature Volt neon green-yellow color. The earbuds have both Nike and Beats logos. To learn more, read our coverage:Apple Announces iPhone 17e With A19 Chip, MagSafe, and More Apple Unveils iPad Air With M4 Chip, Increased RAM, Wi-Fi 7, and More Apple Announces MacBook Air With M5 Chip and 512GB Base Storage Apple Unveils MacBook Pro Featuring M5 Pro and M5 Max Chips Apple Updates Studio Display With Thunderbolt 5 and More Apple Introduces All-New Studio Display XDR: 120Hz, Mini-LED, and More Apple Announces $599 'MacBook Neo' With A18 Pro Chip Apple Announces AirPods Max 2 With H2 Chip and More Apple's Special-Edition Nike Powerbeats Pro 2 Now Available Apple Releases iPhone Cases, Apple Watch Bands, and Crossbody Strap in New ColorsAll of the products and accessories listed above have been released, except for the AirPods Max 2, which are available to pre-order starting Wednesday, March 25.This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums12:54 pmMade a checklist for getting iOS app approved on the first try
After shipping a few apps I noticed most rejections people complain about have nothing to do with the actual app. It's always a broken link, missing Restore Purchases button, or vague pricing text. Used this checklist on my own submissions and got approved first try every time. Decided to write it up properly so others […]12:31 pmReport: New iPad with A18 chip still on track to launch in first half of 2026
As part of Apple’s iPad Air, MacBook Neo, and the other MacBook refreshes. However, the whole week came and went – with no new base iPad. Now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has a launch update – and the product is still on track to launch relatively soon. more…11:10 amCrime blotter: Chinese national sentenced in Apple counterfeiting case
A New Yorker is arrested in California for iPhone thefts, Russian hackers targeted iPhones, and AirTag inspires a car-crash viral video, all in this week's Apple Crime Blotter.The Apple Store in Irvine The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums08:00 amYour Mac has hidden features—this $25 tool unlocks them
Macworld TL;DR: Get MacMagic with lifetime upgrades for just $25.49 (reg. $99) using code MARCH15. Apple does a great job designing Macs that work well. But anyone who uses macOS regularly knows there are still a few hidden tricks, system tools, and productivity shortcuts buried beneath the surface. And MacMagic gets you access. You can currently grab a MacMagic Lifetime Upgrades License for just $25.49 (reg. $99). It’s a toolbox for your Mac that pulls together a bunch of useful utilities into one clean interface. Need to show hidden files, force-delete a stubborn document, or clear out bloated cache files? MacMagic puts those tools front and center so you can handle them in seconds instead of digging through system menus. It also includes practical everyday tools that many Mac users end up downloading separately. You can batch rename files, combine and compress PDFs, convert images across dozens of formats, and even generate QR codes when you need them. Turn your Mac into a more powerful and flexible workstation. Get a MacMagic Lifetime Upgrades License for just $25.49 (reg. $99) through March 29 with code MARCH15. MacMagic: Lifetime Upgrades LicenseSee Deal Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply. StackSocial prices subject to change.08:00 amGet smarter on your coffee break with this $51 app
Macworld TL;DR: Headway Premium delivers 15-minute summaries of bestselling nonfiction books, and the lifetime subscription is just $50.99. There’s always another nonfiction book everyone says you should read—about productivity, money, psychology, leadership, or health. The problem is finding the time to actually sit down and finish them. Instead of asking you to read hundreds of pages, Headway delivers 15-minute summaries of bestselling nonfiction titles, breaking down the biggest ideas into quick lessons you can read or listen to anytime. Inside the app, you’ll find 2,000+ summaries covering topics like business strategy, personal development, productivity, and wellness. Each one distills the key insights from popular titles into short, practical takeaways you can absorb during a commute, workout, or coffee break. Headway also adds a few smart learning tools to keep things interesting. You can follow personalized self-growth plans, test your knowledge with quick quizzes, and save highlights to review later. There are even audio versions of summaries so you can keep learning while walking, driving, or multitasking. Headway offers a simple shortcut to the biggest ideas. Right now, a Headway Premium Lifetime Subscription is just $50.99 (reg. $299.95) through March 29 with code MARCH15. Headway Premium: Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply. StackSocial prices subject to change.07:08 amWhat’s a piece of “overengineering” you’re now embarrassed you used in a small iOS app? | Reddit on iOS ProgrammingWhat’s a piece of “overengineering” you’re now embarrassed you used in a small iOS app?
We’ve all been there—freshly inspired by a "Clean Architecture" blog post, applying VIPER or a 10-layer abstraction to a simple Todo app. For me, it was creating a generic network layer with 5 protocols for an app that had exactly two API endpoints. What’s something you used to swear by, but now realize was total […]Saturday March 2109:15 pmAirPods Max 2 surprise and disappoint, plus OpenClaw! [Cult of Mac podcast No. 12]
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The surprise release of AirPods Max 2 gives us plenty to talk about (including all the things Apple didn’t fix about the high-end headphones). Plus, special guest Christina Warren (developer advocate at GitHub and co-host of the MacBreak Weekly podcast) joins us for a deep dive into […] (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)08:01 pmSF Swift meetup on April 9!
submitted by /u/Austin_Aaron_Conlon [link] [comments]07:30 pmIndie App Spotlight: ‘Tasks’ adds 50+ app intents, refreshed interface in latest update | 9 to 5 MacIndie App Spotlight: ‘Tasks’ adds 50+ app intents, refreshed interface in latest update
Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact. Tasks, a very popular productivity app for the Apple ecosystem – just got a massive new update with support for loads of App Intents, an all new interface, as well as automations to help you manage your tasks. We covered Tasks when it initially launched back in 2020, and this week’s new update is a major one. more…07:18 pmTextExpander 8.4.2
Brings a few improvements and bug fixes for the text expansion utility. ($40 annual subscription, free update, 36 MB, macOS 11.1+)07:17 pmEagleFiler 1.9.20
Provides a workaround for a crash at launch when running the forthcoming macOS 26.4 Tahoe. ($49.99 new, free update, 34.3 MB, macOS 10.13+)07:15 pmMarsEdit 5.4.1
Maintenance update primarily focused on bug fixes for the blogging app. ($59.95 new, free update, 23.9 MB, macOS 10.15.4+)07:05 pmHow many apps can you keep in your portfolio as an indie dev?
It's impressive how many indie developers manage to have such a large portfolio of apps. How do they manage to work on so many apps? Because development is continuous, you need to be improving and evolving your apps. An app without updates will always lag behind the competition. So how do people see the analytics, […]05:15 pmThe iPad Mini 7 256GB is $100 Off
The iPad Mini is made for Apple Intelligence, the personal AI system that helps in making things organized and get things done easily while providing you with groundbreaking privacy protections ensuring that no one else but you has access to data stored in the device. The device features an A17 Pro chip for strong and […] The post appeared first on iLounge.05:14 pmApple Sports App Allows for Easy NCAA March Madness Tracking
The Apple Sports app received an update allowing fans to follow collegiate basketball and their favorite teams more easily during March Madness. Version 3.8.1 adds new brackets for fans to track NCAA D1 men’s basketball. Metrics such as play-by-play updates, detailed stats, and live scores will be provided along with a path visualized from the […] The post appeared first on iLounge.05:13 pmTim Cook In China
Tim Cook, Apple CEO, is in attendance during the 50th anniversary event in China at the temporarily closed Taikoo Li retail store situated in Chengdu. They have kicked off celebrations, starting with an impromptu concert at New York’s Grand Central Store featuring Alicia Keys. Tim Cook will be attending the Development Forum in Beijing, China, […] The post appeared first on iLounge.05:12 pmApple Headed To South Korea and China
After the impromptu concert featuring Alicia Keys in New York at the Grand Central Store, Apple is now going to Asia for more celebrations for their 50th anniversary, and as of now, events will be held in both South Korea and China. Apple features CORTIS, a South Korean boy band, at their Myeong-dong Store in […] The post appeared first on iLounge.05:11 pmThe 11th-gen iPad 256GB Is $50 Off
The 11th-gen iPad is powered by the A16 chip for strong performance for games and for work. It has a battery life that lasts all day and features 256GB of storage, perfect for storing games, documents, photos, videos, movies, and more. Featuring an 11-inch Liquid Retina Display, the iPad allows for an immersive viewing experience […] The post appeared first on iLounge.05:10 pmTim Cook Answers Rumors On Retirement
Tim Cook, Apple CEO, has responded to talks and rumors about his retirement during an interview with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, stating that the idea of wanting to step back from the company is just a rumor. The CEO did not deny or confirm explicitly that he will be retiring in the near […] The post appeared first on iLounge.05:07 pmiPhone 17e Teardown Video Uploaded
iFixit has provided us with a teardown video for the iPhone 17e, the most recent budget-friendly iPhone Apple released last week. The device is similar to the design of the previous model but has a back panel for MagSafe. iFixit found the panel of the MagSafe is the same size as the panel found in […] The post appeared first on iLounge.05:06 pmBrian Lynch Leaves Apple
The senior director for the home hardware engineering team at Apple, Brian Lynch, has left the company to join Oura, where he has taken a role as vice president for hardware engineering. Oura has managed to grab some former employees from Apple over the past few years. The Home Hub is planned for release later […] The post appeared first on iLounge.04:58 pmMacBook Neo may be one of Apple’s most inspiring products in quite some time
As someone who bought my first Mac in 2019 as a young student without much money of my own, the MacBook Neo is incredibly inspiring. When the M4 Mac mini came out towards the end of 2024, I had already felt quite strongly about its potential for inspiring young creatives – and the MacBook Neo takes that much further. more…04:05 pmAmazon's $949 15-inch MacBook Air deal hits lowest price ever ahead of Big Spring Sale | AppleInsiderAmazon's $949 15-inch MacBook Air deal hits lowest price ever ahead of Big Spring Sale
Amazon's weekend deal drops the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air down to a record low of $949 ahead of next week's Big Spring Sale.Amazon's $949 15-inch MacBook Air deal matches the lowest price ever.The blowout $949 deal at Amazon reflects a $250 discount off the original MSRP on the M4 15-inch MacBook Air with 16GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage.Buy 15" MacBook Air M4 for $949 Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums02:50 pmApple wanted to buy Halide, co-founder lawsuit reveals
A lawsuit has revealed Apple was close to acquiring Lux Optics, the developer of the Halide camera app for iOS, but the partnership between the cofounders later broke down over the alleged misuse of funds.Halide for iOSApple's acquisitions are big news, but discussions are typically held with utmost secrecy, as per Apple's usual way of operating. While confirmations of acquisitions often surface after they have been agreed upon by both sides, it's rare to find out about failed acquisition attempts.One such instance occurred to Lux Optics, makers of the third-party camera app Halide and video app Kino. The Information reports that Lux Optics was in talks with Apple for a potential acquisition during the summer of 2025. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums02:47 pmI pushed my MacBook Neo to the limit. It didn’t break
Macworld I noted in my MacBook Neo review that benchmarking the Neo as well as using it as a daily computer resulted in an experience that was quite satisfying. But that was only for a few days of very specific testing, and the Neo’s A18 Pro processor and 8GB of RAM, which can’t be upgraded at all, is certainly underpowered compared to the other M5 models. The chip and 8GB of RAM had not been a problem during my evaluation period. You can obviously see the difference in benchmarks, where the mobile chip and limited RAM affected performance, but by “problem,” I mean as a person using the Neo. They weren’t an issue. But the concern is real–after all, Apple only upgraded its base RAM configuration for its other Macs to 16GB nearly two years ago. So I decided to make it a problem–in other words, I used the MacBook Neo in ways to see if usability became problematic because of its low-end chip and 8GB of RAM. This meant I had to break my habits and purposefully push my Mac to its limit–and it left me a little frazzled at times. But what I found is that the Neo still feels capable under heavy loads and handled the “mess” better than I did. Here are some of the tasks I did to push the MacBook Neo as far as I could. Editing 1080p video in Adobe Premiere Pro As a reviewer of Macs, when people ask me for a recommendation, I ask them what kind of stuff they do on their computer, and then I try to fit what they do with a specific Mac. But as Sam Henri Gold points out, that’s a script reviewers like me use out of convenience. A lot of people want to do what they’ve been told not to do on a $599 computer like the MacBook Neo. I used the MacBook Neo to edit the Macworld Podcast in Adobe Premiere Pro.Foundry So I did one of those things you’re not supposed to do. I edited a few videos with Adobe Premiere Pro, a professional-level video editing tool. I edited episode 974 of the Macworld Podcast and a couple of video shorts with the MacBook Neo and its 8GB of RAM. The editing I did on the full podcast episode included basic trimming, adding lower thirds, a basic multi-camera setup, and some audio clean-up. The video shorts involved more editing, but nothing complex. I am by no means an experienced Premiere Pro user (in fact, I only recently started learning how to use it). But that’s exactly the use case a MacBook Neo user could have: they have a budget computer, and they’re just starting to learn higher-end software. They’re not going to go buy a more powerful computer just for this situation. And the whole experience went off without a hitch. I never had to wait for the Mac to catch up to what I was doing, nor did the MacBook Neo stall, hiccup, or churn. The only thing where I noticed a slowdown was in the export of the full podcast episode, where the 67-minute video at 1080p took 31 minutes to complete, about 10 minutes longer than it took on the M5 Max MacBook Pro. Below is a screenshot of Activity Monitor after I had finished the project and saved it, but did not quit the app. The only other apps that were open were Slack and Microsoft Edge (which I needed to access the online recording tool that we use for the podcast). Foundry I used up all of the available memory during these tasks, and macOS used the SSD as swap. When the Mac runs out of available RAM, it resorts to using the SSD. This is called swap memory, or just swap. A drawback of swap is that access speeds are slower than RAM, but Apple has a lot of confidence in its swap implementation. During this task, I ended up with 2.58GB in swap (which isn’t uncommon), but I never noticed a performance hit. Swap use brings up a concern about how swap affects an SSD’s lifespan. An SSD has a limited lifespan, and writing to an SSD causes wear and tear. However, research has found that most people will never write enough data to an SSD to adversely affect its lifespan. As for the MacBook Neo specifically, it’s very possible that an owner of the laptop would upgrade to a new one before any effect on SSD lifespan can be noticed. Editing 4K video in Adobe Premiere Pro My next attempt to stress out the MacBook Neo was to edit 4K video in Adobe Premiere Pro. I shot the video using an iPhone 17 Pro Max at 4K and 60 frames per second. I had 20 minutes of footage where I did some basic edits, titles, transitions, and color adjustments. The only other app that was open during editing was Safari. I kept expecting the MacBook Neo to stutter and lag, but it never did. Another experience without any issues. I wasn’t doing anything complicated, but I was working with a large file and doing the kind of stuff someone learning Premiere would do. I could’ve used iMovie, but as I said, I’m learning the software, and I feel like the tasks I did were more easily done in Premiere Pro. Plus, using an Apple app is basically cheating. Foundry When I finished that project, the MacBook Neo used 1.75GB in swap. Not a lot, and it would have been more had the project been more complicated and longer. What I learned from this experience is that as I continue to use Adobe Premiere Pro and develop my skills as an editor, I should be fine with the MacBook Neo for a while. I may never need to create a cinematic video, but I can progress towards that goal on the Neo. I think there are a lot of users who are in a similar situation. Even a pro who already knows what they can do and knows what Macs they want can use a Neo if the situation calls for it. Safari browser tabs This is the task that stressed me more than the MacBook Neo. I have a habit of closing any browser tabs I am not using. I’d rather not risk a hidden tab running in the background, affecting performance, even if that’s not supposed to happen. But I went against my nature and spent an afternoon working in Safari without closing a browser tab. During a four-hour session, I used Macworld’s web-based content tools, visited websites to research articles, and after I was done with work, I did some personal browsing. By the end, I had 41 tabs open in Safari (and just a little freaked out by it). Foundry A lot of users instinctively open new tabs when they start a new search, and many don’t close unused tabs. In case you didn’t know, browsers are RAM-hungry apps, which is why I developed a habit of closing unused tabs. In my experience, the MacBook Neo used over 4GB of swap, which will vary depending on how many Safari tabs you have open. The MacBook Neo handled it all without any issues I could notice. But if you’re using any Mac with 8GB of RAM and it’s starting to feel a littlle sliggish, close a few or those tabs. Google Chrome browser tabs I did the same thing with Google Chrome: a four-hour session without closing any tabs. After a couple of hours, I had 41 tabs open (though not the same sites as in the Safari test). I set Chrome’s Memory Saver to Maximum and did my best to fight the urge to close any tabs until the session was done. As I said, browsers are RAM hungry, and Google Chrome has a reputation as a particularly resource-hungry app. At the end of four hours, the MacBook Neo had a swap that was over 5GB. Again, I didn’t notice any performance hiccups. Foundry But once again, the MacBook Neo didn’t flinch. I could switch between tabs easily, and even when I used an app and kep Chrome open in the background, there was no noticeable performance hit. I wasn’t done, however. I pushed my browser until I had 59 tabs open, stopping only when it became way too difficult to navigate. The swap grew to nearly 8GB–the swap and the installed RAM were the same size. But still, the Neo powered through. Foundry Your milage may very This is all anecdotal. Your video editing project could be much more complex, and the websites you visit could be more or less demanding on your resources. If you’re the type of person who knows 8GB of RAM isn’t enough, then the MacBook Neo isn’t for you, but making a blanket statement that it’s not good for anyone isn’t correct. My experience with the MacBook Neo remains the same as it was during the review. It’s a great Mac for everyday tasks, and will even handle the occasional pro app. I’m sure there’s a ceiling to what you can do with it, but with so much headroom, there’s a good chance you’ll never get anywhere near it. Apple MacBook Neo Read our review Price When Reviewed: $599 Best Prices Today: $595 at Amazon | $597 at Walmart | $599 at Apple02:25 pmToday in Apple history: Apple TV makes its big-screen debut
On March 21, 2007, Apple launched the Apple TV, a set-top box for bringing iTunes media to the living room. Unfortunately, it flopped. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)01:50 pmiPhone 18 Pro camera hardware may come with pro software, Apple considered buying studio behind Halide | 9 to 5 MaciPhone 18 Pro camera hardware may come with pro software, Apple considered buying studio behind Halide
Two months ago, Halide cofounder and designer Sebastiaan de With made a surprise announcement that he was joining Apple’s design team. It turns out the move came after Apple initially expressed interest in buying Lux Optics, the app development studio behind the pro camera app. Apple reportedly wants to bring more pro camera features to its software as the iPhone 18 Pro camera hardware goes higher end this year. more…01:50 pmApple Wanted to Buy Halide to Boost iPhone 18 Pro's Camera App—Now There's a Lawsuit
Apple's plans to enhance the iPhone 18 Pro's Camera app led it to consider acquiring Halide, but the talks ultimately collapsed and were followed by a fierce legal dispute between the startup's co-founders, according to The Information reports. In the summer of 2025, Apple reportedly held discussions to acquire Lux Optics, the developer behind the popular iPhone camera apps Halide, Kino, and Spectre. The company concluded that it could get a better offer from Apple in the future following updates to the app. Two months after the talks concluded without a deal, Apple set about recruiting Lux's co-founder and designer Sebastian de With. Lux CEO and co-founder Ben Sandofsky is said to have fired de With in December over financial misconduct. de With announced that he had joined Apple's design team in January. Sandofsky has now filed a lawsuit in the California Superior Court of Santa Cruz against de With, accusing him of improperly using more than $150,000 in Lux company funds to pay for personal expenses since 2022, as well as providing confidential material and source code from Lux to Apple. During the discussions to acquire Lux, Apple employees purportedly told the startup that its intellectual property was a major consideration in evaluating the company. Apple apparently wanted to acquire Lux to bolster the built-in Camera app, which is said to be "top priority for the company right now." The iPhone 18 Pro will "match professional-grade cameras in terms of certain advanced features," necessitating an upgrade of the built-in Camera app. Apple is not named as a defendant in the case and it is not accused of any wrongdoing. de With's legal representatives say that the lawsuit is meritless and deny that he "used, transferred, or disclosed any Lux intellectual property" as part of his new job at Apple. They added that the lawsuit was only filed after de With raised concerns with Sandofsky about financial irregularities at Lux and had requested access to its financial records and payments, suggesting that it was a "retaliatory response to those efforts and an attempt to avoid scrutiny of that conduct."Related Roundups: iPhone 18, iPhone 18 ProTags: Halide, Apple LawsuitsRelated Forum: iPhoneThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums01:30 pmThese are my favorite budget-friendly iPhone 17e accessories
Apple finally gave the iPhone 17e the meaningful updates it originally deserved. The 17e offers better performance with the A19 chip, stronger connectivity with the new C1X chip, and MagSafe (which also supports faster 15W wireless charging)! At just $599, it feels like an entry-level iPhone that isn’t full of compromises, and I think it will be the new default iPhone for most people. The most exciting addition has to be MagSafe, which unlocks thousands of new accessories for the 17e. Here are some of my favorites (most of these will work with any iPhone). more…01:14 pmApple TV Is Now Almost 20 Years Old
The Apple TV is now almost two decades old amid rumors of the announcement of a new model. Today marks 19 years Apple launched the original Apple TV. Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple TV at Macworld Expo in January 2007 alongside the original iPhone, but it didn't launch until March. The Apple TV was initially previewed as the "iTV." The device allowed users to wirelessly stream movies, TV shows, music, and photos from their Mac or PC directly to their TV. Unlike today, there was no App Store or third-party app support, and the experience was centered almost entirely around iTunes-purchased or synced media. The Apple TV was controlled with a simple Apple Remote and ran a Front Row-style interface designed for navigating iTunes libraries on a TV. It featured a 40GB hard drive for local content storage and supported 720p HD resolution, offering both HDMI and component video output, and was priced at $299. Apple famously described the Apple TV as a "hobby," reflecting its niche and experimental status within the company at the time. Over subsequent years, Apple slowly repositioned the device over time from a Mac accessory to a standalone streaming device. In 2010, it dropped the internal hard drive and shifted to a smaller, streaming-focused design. The introduction of tvOS and the App Store in 2015 marked a major turning point, enabling third-party apps and games. Apple later added 4K support in 2017 and continued to iterate with faster chips, culminating in the current model powered by the A15 Bionic chip. Unlike the original Apple TV, which was primarily designed to stream iTunes content from a Mac or PC, the device now serves as a hub for Apple's services, with integrations for Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, AirPlay, and HomeKit. While competitors such as Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Google TV devices still dominate the lower end of the market, Apple has continued to position the Apple TV as a premium option with tighter ecosystem integration and more powerful hardware. Today's Apple TV is the third-generation 4K model from November 2022. A new Apple TV is expected to be announced soon, featuring a faster chip and Apple's custom N1 wireless chip for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Related Roundup: Apple TVBuyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)Related Forum: Apple TV and Home TheaterThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums01:00 pmEverything new in iOS 26.4: Emoji, Apple Music features and more
iOS 26.4 brings a bunch of great new features to your iPhone: new emoji, Apple Music Concerts, Playlist Playground, video podcasts and more. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)01:00 pmApple @ Work: From rogue Dropbox folders to the File Provider framework
Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple. When we talk about the accelerated growth of the Mac in the enterprise, we usually bring up how Apple Business Manager enabled easy zero-touch deployment or the sheer power of Apple Silicon, creating an incredible user experience, but I firmly believe that one of the key trends paved the way for Apple to take over the corporate world was with with Dropbox shoehorning itself into macOS back in the late 2000s. more…01:00 pmTop Stories: AirPods Max 2, iOS 27 and iPhone Fold Rumors, and More
Just when you thought Apple was done with product announcements for a little while, this week saw one last drop with the AirPods Max 2 making their appearance. This week also saw fresh rumors about iOS 27 coming later this year while an iOS 26.4 release looks to be right around the corner, and Apple kicked off a series of events around the world in celebration of the company's upcoming 50th anniversary, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! Top Stories Apple Announces AirPods Max 2 With H2 Chip and More In a surprise move, Apple this week unveiled AirPods Max 2, with key upgrades including the H2 chip, increased active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and features such as Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation. The new AirPods Max have the same overall design as the previous generation, with most of the new features coming from the upgrade to the H2 chip, but they do bring a nice set of audio improvements and a new Camera Remote function for the Digital Crown. If you're a current AirPods Max owner and are considering an upgrade, be sure to check out our buyer's guide comparing the two generations. AirPods Max 2 will be available to order starting Wednesday, March 25, with a launch to follow sometime in early April. iOS 27 Will Reportedly Be Like Mac OS X Snow Leopard In his Power On newsletter this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that iOS 27 will be similar to 2009's Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that one of Apple's biggest priorities is bug fixes for improved performance and stability. That isn't to say, however, that the update will be completely devoid of new features, as we have already heard about a number of them that are in the works beyond the significant revamp to Siri that has been repeatedly pushed back. Perhaps most notable for those who dislike the Liquid Glass redesign that arrived in iOS 26, Apple is said to be aiming to include a system-wide slider to allow users to adjust the Liquid Glass effect. Here Are Apple's Release Notes for iOS 26.4 Apple this week seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.4 and related updates to developers and public beta testers, representing the final versions that will be provided to the public if no additional bugs are found. Apple shared full release notes for iOS 26.4 as part of the seeding, revealing a few previously unknown changes including a fix for a keyboard accuracy bug and a change to App Store Family Sharing that will allow adults in a group to use different payment methods. iOS 26.4 also includes support for AirPods Max 2, so the update will definitely be released by the time those arrive in early April, but the iOS 26.4 public release could come as soon as next week. iPhone Fold: 5 Things We've Learned About Apple's Foldable It's been a big couple of weeks for foldable iPhone rumors. In case you missed any of them, we've recapped five recent rumors that we previously covered. It sounds like display production for the device may be about to get underway as Apple looks toward a launch later this year, potentially as late as December. In other foldable smartphone news, Samsung is discontinuing its Galaxy Z TriFold after just three months on the market. The innovative device unfolds twice to reveal a massive 10-inch inner display. Apple Kicks Off 50th Anniversary With Surprise Alicia Keys Concert in New York As part of its upcoming 50th anniversary celebration, Apple is hosting gatherings "around the world" throughout the month of March to celebrate human creativity and ingenuity. The series kicked off with a surprise concert by Alicia Keysat Apple's retail store overlooking the main concourse at New York City's iconic Grand Central Terminal, with MacRumors in attendance for the event. Tim Cook then traveled to China for a performance by Li Yuchun at the company's Taikoo Li store in Chengdu, with events in additional countries planned for the next few weeks. Apple CEO Tim Cook Responds to Retirement Rumors After a flurry rumors late last year going back and forth about whether his retirement as Apple CEO might be imminent, Tim Cook addressed the rumors in an interview with Good Morning America's Michael Strahan earlier this week. While Cook referred to the idea as "a rumor," he did not explicitly confirm or deny that he will be stepping down as CEO any time soon, though he did say "I can't imagine life without Apple." In a separate brief interview with Nikias Molina at the Alicia Keys concert, Cook reiterated that Apple still sees a long life ahead for the iPhone, even as rumors have suggested the company is looking to integrate its technology into other personal devices like augmented-reality glasses and an AI-powered pendant that will be able to gather information from the world around you. "There's so much left that we can do with the iPhone," said Cook. "I think it's going to continue to be the center of people's digital lives." MacRumors Newsletter Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view. So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!Tag: Top StoriesThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums12:54 pmApple Bucks China's Smartphone Slump With 23% Sales Jump
Apple saw a 23% year-over-year increase in iPhone sales in China during the first nine weeks of 2026, significantly outperforming a broader market decline driven by weak demand and rising component costs, according to Counterpoint Research. China smartphone sales apparently fell by 4% year-over-year in the first nine weeks of 2026. Within this environment, Apple emerged as the fastest-growing major vendor, with iPhone sales rising 23% compared to the same period in 2025. Counterpoint attributed Apple's impressive performance partly to a combination of e-commerce discounts and the inclusion of the standard iPhone 17 in government subsidy programs aimed at stimulating consumer electronics purchases. Counterpoint noted that the rising cost of memory components has been passed on to vendors, forcing several Android brands to adjust pricing strategies. Chinese smartphone makers OPPO and vivo have announced notable price increases for some existing models, with those changes set to take effect this month. In contrast, Apple has not announced any comparable price increases and is unlikely to follow competitors in raising prices, instead absorbing some of the margin pressure from higher component costs to maintain pricing stability. The firm added that Apple's control over its supply chain leaves it better positioned than rivals to withstand rising memory costs. Rising memory prices are expected to persist throughout 2026. The research firm expects China's smartphone market to remain under pressure in the coming months, with potential improvement in June driven by the country's mid-year "618" shopping festival. Counterpoint's findings are based on its China Weekly Smartphone Sell-Out Tracker, which monitors retail sales across the market. Tags: China, CounterpointThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forumsFirehose II – Jobs, Deals, Apps
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