Apple could have purchased any of 487 S&P 500 companies, but CEO Tim Cook chose $853 billion in buybacks instead
Apple invested a staggering $853 billion in share buybacks since 2013. That war chest could have purchased nearly any of the other 487… The post Apple could have purchased any of 487 S&P 500 companies, but CEO Tim Cook chose $853 billion in buybacks instead appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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PamStealer malware poses as a Mac clipboard app — and verifies your password before stealing it
PamStealer, a fake version of the popular Maccy clipboard app, tricks Mac users into handing over a password that’s already been confirmed to work. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Apple & Broadcom renew partnership through 2031
Apple has extended its long-time supplier agreement with Broadcom, ensuring Apple gets a steady flow of custom chips until 2031.Broadcom offices - Image Credit: BroadcomApple has used Broadcom as a supplier for its iPhone and other hardware for quite some time. However, as threats like the global memory crisis demonstrate, supply chains often aren't as stable as they could be.On July 6, Broadcom confirmed to Reuters that it had agreed to an extension of its partnership with Apple. The deal means Broadcom will be developing and supplying custom chips for Apple through to 2031. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple radio chips switch likely to take five more years, suggests Broadcom deal
The next generation of Apple radio chips is expected to debut in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra, but a new deal suggests the company doesn’t expect to complete a switch to its own cellular modems before 2031. The company has committed to retaining and expanding its partnership with radio chip maker Broadcom through 2031 …

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AI's Biggest Productivity Gains Are Still Ahead
The first wave of AI built the infrastructure. The next will reward organizations that redesign business processes to unlock productivity, innovation, and competitive advantage. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

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Broadcom and Apple extend strategic partnership: custom chip collaboration locked in through 2031
Broadcom and Apple have agreed to extend their technology collaboration through 2031. The companies entered into new multi-year… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Four years later, Apple bends to India's demands over card payments
App Store and iCloud users in India should soon be able to subscribe using credit or debit cards again, as Apple tries to smooth the way to launching Apple Pay.Dierdre O'Brien and Tim Cook open Apple BKC, the first Apple Store in India (Source: Apple)Starting in June 2022, India introduced extra banking laws regarding any online recurring payments, such as subscriptions, and Apple ceased accepting any debit or credit cards in the country. The company said at the time only that it was because of banking regulations and that users would have to switch to India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI).Now according to Indian financial publication Moneycontrol, Apple is testing credit and debit card options with a limited number of users. Reportedly, the intention is to roll it out across India in the next few months. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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The folding iPhone Ultra could follow the iPhone X’s path: Late and expensive
Macworld Apple fans have been waiting years to get their hands on a foldable iPhone. And that wait may go on for slightly longer than expected when the iPhone Ultra is announced this fall, if the latest report is accurate. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, a widely respected industry analyst, Apple is likely to release its first ever folding phone in a separate batch from the more conventional iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. This is the same policy it followed when releasing the iPhone X in 2017. Citing his “latest industry survey,” Kuo reported this weekend that Apple is on course to ship roughly 7–8 million units of the folding iPhone in the second half of 2026, but that fewer than a million of those will be ready in the third quarter. By contrast, the company will have 20-22 million units of the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max ready to ship in Q3, which Kuo describes as “already meeting the inventory requirement for an official launch.” By implication, the Ultra is not on course to meet that requirement. With the Pro models ready for a normal September release date but the Ultra struggling to hit that deadline, Kuo believes the logical solution is for Apple to announce all three models at the same time, but then to ship them separately. “The foldable iPhone is likely to repeat what happened with the iPhone X in 2017,” he explains. “It may be announced alongside the other new models, but with pre-orders and official sales both coming later.” Macworld’s own sources previously reported that Apple will launch the two phones separately. The good news, at least as far as Apple is concerned, is that demand for even a very expensive folding iPhone looks strong. “Based on discussions with carriers, sales channels, and resellers/proxy buyers, commonly referred to as scalpers, my conclusion is that demand for the foldable iPhone should remain strong at least through the end of 2026,” he explains. “Even at a price of roughly $2,300-$2,500.” When the iPhone X launched in 2017, it, too, was extremely expensive compared to the iPhone 8, starting at $999 compared to $649. Kuo doesn’t offer any specifics of when the Ultra will go on sale beyond the word “later,” but the iPhone X’s launch gives an obvious point of reference. In 2017, Apple announced the X alongside the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus on September 12, then opened pre-orders of the latter two devices on September 15, with sales beginning on September 22. The X, by contrast, didn’t go on pre-order until October 27 and didn’t hit shelves until November 3, in each case a delay of more than a month. Still, what’s another month when you’ve been waiting for years? For all the latest news and rumors, check out our regularly updated iPhone Ultra superguide.

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WhatsApp iPhone app getting a green dot to show who’s online
Last month, the beta version of the WhatsApp Android app started showing a green dot for contacts who are online. The beta of the iPhone app is now doing the same. The feature does seem to take care to protect privacy in a couple of ways, which is not always a given with Meta apps …

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Qualcomm's Wearable Platform Solves Only Half the Problem
Qualcomm's latest wearable platform could enable smarter devices, but better hardware alone won't drive adoption. Success still depends on design, usability, and products consumers genuinely want. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

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Apple Watch sleep score became more useful for me with these settings
Apple Watch includes a built-in sleep tracking feature. Just wear your Apple Watch to bed, and it works automatically. No need to install apps or enter a special mode. watchOS 26 takes sleep tracking further with Apple’s sleep score feature. Sleep score is a great way to visualize the quality of your sleep from night to night. There’s one setting in particular that has made sleep score especially useful for me.

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Here’s how to turn any iPhone into a dumb phone for you or your kids
One of the big challenges for parents these days is that you may want to give your kids access to a phone for emergencies or tracking before you are willing to give them access to the internet, social media apps, and so on. There’s also a growing trend of people buying dumb phones in order to reduce their own phone addiction, like the Nokia shown above. Apple is giving parental controls a major upgrade in iOS 27, but there’s a little-known way to turn an iPhone into a dumb phone without waiting for this …

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Limited initial availability of the iPhone Ultra may be a feature, not a bug
After conflicting reports about when the iPhone Ultra would launch, there’s now a clear consensus that it will be announced in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro. It does, however, look likely that Apple may adapt the iPhone X strategy of announcing it in September and having it go on sale a little later, and a report yesterday suggested that launch availability may be very limited …

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Apple leaks have sucked all the fun out of iPhone season
Macworld There are still two months to go until the flagship product launch of Apple’s year. One day in early September (very likely the 8th), we’ll get our first official glimpse of the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Ultra. Yet it feels like we’ve already had enough unofficial glimpses to fill a prerecorded keynote presentation. Last week, for example, saw the leaking of the 18 Pro’s parts list and a video of the device allegedly undergoing a drop test, all apparently as a result of a ransomware attack. A few days later, a different source claimed to know the exact battery capacity of the 18 Pro Max, and yet another claimed both Pro models would feature slower QLC NAND storage. These are major and specific pieces of information about a set of products that don’t yet officially exist. And they follow in the wake of broader knowledge: the staggered launch cadence, the existence (and likely branding) of a folding model, camera, processor, and modem upgrades, and even the color finishes. The cat isn’t quite out of the bag, but supply-chain sources have revealed extensive details about the cat’s design and tech specs. The latest reports may be plain wrong, we should add. The drop-test video came under scrutiny after its source was banned from Twitter/X, seemingly for hijacking a more reputable leaker’s account. The battery spec rumor, meanwhile, comes from a tweet that’s since been deleted by a leaker with very little track record to check for accuracy. Skepticism is advised in the age of Weibo punditry. Apple thus finds itself in a curious position where its unreleased products are both known and unknown to the public. They certainly aren’t a secret, much to Apple’s chagrin. John Ternus wants nothing more than to step out on the virtual stage and pull a mysterious object from a manila envelope. But that’s not going to happen. However, the information we have is likely fallible and almost certainly incomplete. Some elements of the released products, hopefully minor ones, will be different from the theoretical iPhones we’ve pieced together across a year of punditry and leakage. This may be because somebody somewhere got something wrong and was then wrongly believed; or it may be because Apple changed its plans. The other possibility is that Apple may have deliberately poisoned the well with misinformation. It’s known to have engaged with the rumor mill in the past in order to flush out moles within its own organization, so there’s no reason why it wouldn’t follow a similar playbook to discredit pesky leakers who keep spilling its beans. Or, more deviously, to put rumors into the public sphere that will subsequently make its products look better by comparison. Take this battery rumor. The new claimed numbers for the 18 Pro Max’s capacity (5,235 mAh and 5,425 mAh on the Nano SIM and eSIM models, respectively) are higher than the community’s previous best guess (between 5,000 mAh and 5,200 mAh) and way higher than the capacity of the 17 Pro Max (4,823 mAh and 5,088 mAh). Compare that to another recent rumor, which claimed the 18 Pro’s capacity would see the smallest gain since 2020. One rumor raises expectations, the other tempers them–so which do you think is more likely to come from Apple? By this point, I suspect that most customers are used to the steady flow of rumors and the loss of that sense of secrecy and surprise for which Apple was once known. It may not be quite as fun to watch the keynote and know the reveals before they come, but that’s a far better experience than having high expectations and seeing them disappointed. Needless to say, the rumors won’t stop any time soon. Macworld’s job is to help you separate the legit info from the nonsense: for our verdict on this year’s phone launches check out our guides to the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone Ultra. Just remember to keep a supply of salt handy. 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 Apple has all the tech needed for great Mac games, writes Alex Blake. So where are they? Apple won’t go broke for us, argues the Macalope, so why should we go broke for Apple? Ring toss: Why the Apple Watch’s activity goals need an update. New video proves that MacBook Neo lives rent-free in Microsoft’s head. Apple A20 Pro preview: What to expect from the chip that will power the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra. You can blame the iPhone for the plunging U.S. birth rate. Apparently. Podcast of the week Late last month, Apple drastically raised prices for the Mac and iPad. Apple is also expected to introduce new iPhones and other products later this year with higher prices than usual. We talk about this new development and how it affects you in the latest episode of the Macworld Podcast. You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site. Reviews corner Logitech Signature Comfort Plus Combo MK880: Customizable keyboard & mouse. MacPaw Moonlock: Fast Mac antivirus that focuses on security. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac: Excellent protection held back by frustrating flaws. espresso Pro 4K Touch: Brilliant portable 4K screen, genius magnetic stand. The rumor mill Sources: iPhone 18 and Ultra will launch separately with highest prices ever. New iPad Pros and entry-level MacBook Pro coming in the first half of 2027. Apple’s pricing woes will worsen through 2027, report claims. Crackdown raises red flags over ‘biggest leak in Apple’s history.’ Video of the week @macworld.com Want Siri AI cursor? ♬ original sound – Macworld – Macworld Siri on the Mac has a big opportunity. For more short videos, follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Software updates, bugs, and problems New malicious clipboard clone raises serious security concerns for Mac users. Hackers have a new way to disable Mac security software. iCloud’s ‘Hide My Email’ might not be hiding your email after all. macOS 27 Golden Gate marks the end of built-in DVD support. 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.

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A20 Pro preview: Everything you can expect from Apple’s next iPhone chip
Macworld When the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra launch this September, Apple will power them with the newest A-series chip. As in recent years, the next-generation processor will likely be split into two, with a full-performance “Pro” version and a non-Pro model made for lower-cost products. All of the products released this fall are expected to use the Pro version of the chip. We won’t know for sure what it can do until we get to test it, but we can examine the history and performance of the A-series processors from the last several years, along with the recent rumors and overall industry trends, to anticipate what we might expect from Apple’s new iPhone silicon this fall. Of course, this is all just an educated guess—Apple is famously secretive, and the details about its products are often not fully revealed until they are released. Sometimes, details are kept under wraps even then. The first 2nm iPhone chip The A19 Pro was made with TSMC’s advanced 3-nanometer “N3E” process, building on years of refinement since the A17 Pro first brought 3nm to mass-market devices. TSMC is now ramping production of 2nm process technology, and the A20 Pro is expected to be Apple’s first 2nm product. This new manufacturing process is expected to allow about 15 percent higher transistor density for chips like Apple’s, along with improvements to both performance and power usage, but just how much better performance or lower power you get out of it will depend on the characteristics of the design. The bottom line is, this new process gives Apple more room for more cores, more cache, and higher-performance core designs while staying within the strict power and thermal budget required for a smartphone. Also, just as the iPhone Air features a version of the A19 Pro that has one fewer GPU core enabled, the rumored iPhone Ultra and any iPhone Air successor could very well feature a somewhat handicapped version of the A20 chip as well. Of note: Apple is said to be using a new chip packaging process, called Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) packaging. It’s a different method of connecting parts of a multiple silicon dies together in a high-speed fashion. For the A20, it’s likely to mean that Apple can place the RAM chips to the side instead of stacking it on top of the main processor, without sacrificing speed. That takes up a little more horizontal space on the mainboard, but it should provide for better cooling of the main A20 and RAM. CPU performance holds the crown Apple’s CPU performance improvements have been remarkably steady over time. Both single-core and multi-core performance shows a drumbeat of regular increases that are almost linear year after year. It’s honestly kind of amazing, if you follow CPU design and architecture trends. Because Apple’s yearly performance gains are so consistent, we feel pretty confident predicting the A20’s performance. There will likely be a 6-core CPU again, with two performance and four efficiency cores. With the debut of the M5, Apple re-branded its performance cores to “Super Cores,” a meaningless marketing move. Don’t be surprised if the A20 Pro features “Super Cores” as well. Foundry An estimated single-core CPU score of around 4,200 would place the A20 Pro in the same league as the M5 (for a single high-performance core), and way above the best Intel and AMD desktop processors or any processor found in any Android phone. When it comes to phone-capable chips, Apple is so far out ahead in single-core performance that it’s hardly worth mentioning. Foundry Multi-core performance is a different story. Apple’s CPU is no slouch, and will probably break 10,000 in the A20 Pro. But some Android products reach this level, and of course most processors aimed at laptops and desktops do. These all feature far more than Apple’s six cores, so naturally, multi-core performance benefits. The takeaway is this: For the last several years, there has been no processor in any smartphone that delivers overall CPU performance equal to Apple’s, and the A20 Pro will surely retain that performance crown. GPU performance for AI and more GPU performance is tricky. The GPU is used for graphics rendering of course, which has its own performance criteria, but it’s also used for parallel computing tasks like running machine learning algorithms. GPU performance is usually highly dependent on memory bandwidth, which is shared with the rest of the chip. The GPU performance gain for Apple’s A-series chips has been a little irregular. Sometimes, the GPU architecture doesn’t change much; it just runs at a higher clock speed, perhaps with a bit more cache or memory bandwidth. Other times, Apple makes serious changes to the architecture to increase efficiency and add features. We don’t know what to expect this year, but we can assume Apple sees the GPU as a big priority, given how important its performance is to AI. Foundry The compute performance of Apple’s GPU design took a big leap last year thanks to a new architecture aimed at improving that aspect in particular. It probably won’t shoot up as far again this year, but a boost of more than 10 percent seems reasonable. When it comes to performance in high-end 3D graphics rendering, as in AAA premium games, again we saw a big improvement with the new GPU architecture last year in the A19 Pro but most other years the gains are less dramatic. Foundry Over 50 frames per second in the 3DMark Solar Bay Unlimited benchmark would be a good result. That’s over double the real-world graphics performance in just three years. Foundry On the less intensive Wild Life Unlimited benchmark, Apple passed the 100 frames per second threshold two years ago, so it’s not crazy to think we could see a result over 150 this time. That would represent about a 65 percent improvement over three years. GPU performance is one of those areas where Apple doesn’t completely dominate in its chip design, and it will be interesting to see if the company invests more heavily in it over the next few years, allocating more of the chip’s area to the GPU to cram in more cores, bigger caches, or other performance-improving features. The GPU is very important for local AI tasks, and that seems to be a major focus for Apple. Good news for gamers—you benefit, too. Neural Engine is more important than ever Apple has had a dedicated NPU (Neural Processing Unit), which it calls the Neural Engine, since the A11 was introduced with the iPhone X. The first Neural Engine could do 600 billion operations per second, while Apple’s latest chips do over 35 trillion. The Neural Engine is sort of like a GPU, but tailored specifically to run the sort of specialized matrix operations that most AI and machine learning models require. It’s not just about Siri or Apple Intelligence, either. The Neural Engine is used in dozens of areas throughout your iPhone, from taking photos to recording audio without background noise to copying text out of an image. With the heavy push to big fancy AI models, NPUs are more important than ever, and the their performance doesn’t necessarily scale with the “trillions of operations per second” statistic. Memory bandwidth, cache, and support for special compact data formats all play a big role in NPU performance. Foundry Geekbench has a special separate AI benchmark that runs common machine learning and AI tasks on the CPU, GPU, or NPU. When we look at the results when running on the NPU, we see a some big improvements, including a near-doubling in the last three years. There’s no question that Apple has big NPU plans. Recent claims have said that the NPU takes up a lot more of the chip area on the A20—if that’s true and Apple can keep up with the memory bandwidth for it, our chart above could be very wrong in a very good way, and we could be in for another big jump in NPU performance as we saw between the A17 and A18. RAM, N2, and more Beyond the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine, the A20 Pro package will be paired with other critical components. First, there’s RAM. This is a tricky one. It’s probably too soon to expect LPDDR6 memory and the big boost in bandwidth and efficiency it will bring, but Apple will probably use high-speed LPDDR5x memory and maybe a wider memory bus. So many critical features are dependent on high memory bandwidth. AI also depends on having lots of RAM—LLMs are big. The A19 Pro has 12GB of RAM, while the regular A19 only has 8GB, and it already makes a difference: The new and improved dictation and more emotive Siri voice in iOS 27 require devices that have extra RAM. On the other hand, RAM prices have gone up more than 5x in the last year alone, making RAM super expensive. Apple probably wants to attach 16GB of RAM to the A20 Pro, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see 12GB, just because the market is totally nuts right now, even for Apple. Then we have the wireless chips. Apple used its own 5G chip (the C1) in the iPhone 16e and followed up with the surprise C1X in the iPhone Air that’s both faster and more energy efficient. Apple’s new iPhones may use the C1X, but we’re actually expecting the C2, which should further improve performance, add mmWave support in some markets, and improve battery life even further. Notably, Apple’s Pro devices have yet to use anything other than a Qualcomm modem, so we’ll have to see if that changes this year. Apple has its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, too: the N1. There’s little reason for Apple to move beyond the N1 yet—it already supports Bluetooth 6 and Wi-Fi 7. An N2 is not expected yet, but if Apple announced an N1X that improves power efficiency, we wouldn’t be surprised.

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Still paying monthly for Office? This $55 lifetime license says you don’t have to.
Macworld TL;DR: Pay $54.99 once, use Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus for life on one Windows PC. Monthly subscriptions make sense for some software. But if you use the same Windows PC every day and simply want Microsoft Office installed and ready to go, paying once can be the simpler option. That’s what makes Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus worth a look. Right now, you can grab a lifetime license for $54.99 (reg. $249.99), giving you permanent access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Access on one Windows PC. The important thing to know is that this version uses a device-linked license, not one tied to your Microsoft account. That’s the trade-off that helps keep the price lower. If you’re buying Office for a computer you plan to keep for a while, that may be a perfectly reasonable compromise. You’ll also avoid recurring Microsoft 365 payments while still getting the productivity apps most people use every day. Whether you’re building spreadsheets, writing reports, creating presentations, or managing email, the core experience is designed for long-term stability. It also includes Dark Mode and is built to perform well on a wide range of hardware without requiring an ongoing subscription. If your goal is simple—a full Office suite on one Windows PC with no recurring fees—this is an easy way to get there. Get Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus for a one-time $54.99 (reg. $249.99). Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus: Lifetime LicenseSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Apple may pull an iPhone X with its first foldable iPhone
Apple may unveil its first foldable iPhone alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, but you may have to wait weeks before preorders begin. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Report: iPhone Ultra to have incredibly limited availability at launch, may ship slightly later
According to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is likely to have very limited supply for iPhone Ultra at its time of announcement in September. This means it’s plausible that the company may delay shipping it for another month or two, similar to iPhone X.

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Sunday Reboot: Stats, iPhones, and AI devices are still a threat
In this week's "Sunday Reboot," scientists somehow say iPhones lowered birthrates, and Musk's AI prototype story shows that specialist hardware is coming, even if we don't necessarily want it.Elon Musk denies there's an xAI AI device being prototyped - Image Credit: TeslaSunday 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. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Folding iPhone may launch in September, good luck getting it before 2027
Apple may be pulling an iPhone X for the iPhone Fold, by launching it in September but actually selling it months later.What the iPhone Fold could look like - Image Credit: AppleInsiderApple is widely expected to launch the iPhone Fold this fall, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro. However, the schedule of when it goes on sale could be completely different.According to a Sunday X post by TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the supply chain indicates there may not be enough inventory for the iPhone Fold to go on sale immediately after launch. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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