President Trump raises global U.S. import tariff to 15%
President Donald Trump announced Saturday he is raising a global U.S. import tariff to 15% after a ruling this week by the Supreme Court… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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iPhone 18 Pro reportedly enters test production
The iPhone 18 Pro has reached the test production stage ahead of its launch in September, according to a leaker with a decent track record. The report is sufficiently vague that it’s not clear whether or not it clashes with an earlier one from Bloomberg … more…

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Make texting more bearable with custom Apple Watch replies
Apple Watch texting is a nightmare. Luckily, you can enter your own canned messages to make it much more bearable. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Apple set to launch ‘at least five new products’ by March 4
Macworld Apple has invited the press to what it calls an “experience” on March 4, in the middle of next week. But based on the unusual terminology and timing, analysts believe Apple won’t save everything for that date and will rather launch new products throughout the week. And now a new report has revealed more details of what we can expect next week. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Marc Gurman claims Apple will launch at least five new products, and that these “could span hardware, software, and chips.” Gurman believes any or all of the following products could arrive before Apple’s “experience” kicks off at 9am ET next Wednesday: Low-cost MacBook iPhone 17e M5 MacBook Air M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro Entry-level iPad iPad Air Mac Studio Apple Studio Display Of these five-plus announcements for the week of March 2, Gurman is most confident that we’re going to get a low-cost MacBook and the iPhone 17e, although he says the latter might even make it out the door before then. Its predecessor was released in mid-February 2025, and one source who contacted Macworld at the start of this month believed the 17e would arrive exactly a year after the 16e on February 19, which we now know was a mistake.) The budget MacBook, Gurman says, “is the only thing in Apple’s imminent pipeline that actually looks new,” referring to the bold colors in both the laptop and the invitation artwork. Indeed the hands-on event on March 4 wouldn’t be happening without this product, he argues, cattily observing that “it’s not worth flying in so-called influencers to try out a product if the only difference is a faster chip.” So hardware and chips, check. It’s not clear what Gurman’s “software” prediction refers to, but presumably it’s a round of 26.3.1 updates to support all the new products. Beyond the iPhone 17e and the low-cost MacBook, Gurman identifies four further products or product groups that are coming in spring 2026. There are two iPads on the way (the latest version of the standard iPad with an A18 or A19 processor, and the M4 iPad Air), and new models of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The timing fits historically for the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro “is overdue by months,” and Gurman’s supply-chain sources indicate that the iPads are ready to go too, so there’s a good chance that some or all of these products will be revealed next week. And it doesn’t end there. The Mac Studio is in line for a refresh in the first half of 2026, as is the Apple Studio Display. The new display, Gurman says, is ready to ship, while the new desktop isn’t far behind. So next week could be full of excitement, even if we don’t get an actual Apple event.

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We already have a good idea how capable the new MacBook will be
Once the new low-cost MacBook launches this week, those wanting to buy a portable Mac will have a choice of three ranges: the MacBook, the MacBook Air, and the MacBook Pro. For those with very undemanding or demanding needs, the choice may be very obvious – the low-cost MacBook on the one hand, or a MacBook Pro on the other. But what about those who sit somewhere in the middle … ? more…

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4 AI-Driven Outcomes Could Define the Future of Humanity
Artificial intelligence is accelerating toward a turning point, and four possible outcomes — from adversarial conflict to human-AI synergy — could determine whether the technology reshapes humanity for better or worse. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

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'F1: The Movie' sound team get a weekend of awards
The sound design team for Apple TV hit "F1: The Movie" picked up one prestigious UK award on Saturday — and another on Sunday.Award-winning "F1 The Movie" is streaming on Apple TV - Image credit: AppleContinuing its track record of awards, all of those great engine noises in "F1: The Movie" have been acknowledged with two separate wins for its team. On Saturday February 21, 2026, they were honored by the Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) at the Warner Bros offices in London."F1" sound team Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John and Dash Mason-Malik, received the AMPS Excellence in Sound for a Feature Film. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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2026 iPad mini: All the rumors in one place
Macworld The iPad mini isn’t on the same update cadence as Apple’s other tablets. Where the iPad and iPad Air generally get annual refreshes, and the iPad Pro gets a new model every 18 months, the iPad mini can often go years without an update. As such, the current iPad mini, which was released in October 2024, isn’t expected to get an update until later this year. But it could be worth the wait. 2026 iPad mini: At a glance A18 Pro, N1, C1X Possible OLED display Same design and cameras Same price 2026 iPad mini: Performance and specs  A18 Pro chip 8GB RAM C1X modem N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 Since it hasn’t been updated in over a year, the 2026 iPad mini will likely get several chip upgrades. With the current iPad mini sporting an A17 Pro with 8GB of RAM and Apple Intelligence support, the 2026 iPad mini is expected to jump to the A18 Pro, according to reports. The A18 Pro has the same number of CPU cores as the A17 Pro (10), but the chip optimizations make the A18 Pro a faster CPU performer. The A18 Pro is available with a 6-core GPU, which is one more GPU core than the A17 Pro. So it’ll benchmark a little better than the existing model but won’t bring a huge speed bump. With the iPhone 17 lineup, Apple released a new N1 chip for wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread). Apple is expected to gradually roll out the new chip to the iPad line throughout 2026 and 2027, including the iPad mini. We also expect the cellular version of the iPad mini to get Apple’s C1X modem. The A18 Pro chip will be the main new feature in the upcoming iPad miniApple 2026 iPad mini: Design and display OLED display upgrade Similar design The new iPad mini has had the same design since its 2021 overhaul, and the 2026 model is expected to keep the same overall look. There’s a strong possibility of new colors, however. Apple currently offers blue, purple, starlight, and space gray, following the previous model’s pink, purple, starlight, and space gray. However, the display might get a major upgrade. The current iPad mini has the same Liquid Retina Display as the iPad and iPad Air, an LED backlit panel with rounded corners, wide color, and True Tone. Following the iPad Pro’s OLED upgrade in 2024, reports have claimed that the iPad mini will be the next in line to get a Super Retina display. While it’s not likely to have features like ProMotion and tandem technology found in the iPad Pro, an OLED display would give the iPad mini superior color accuracy, richer blacks, and better brightness. The M4 iPad Pro’s OLED Display could make its way to the iPad mini next.IDG 2026 iPad mini: Cameras  12MP rear camera 12MP Center Stage front camera Apple’s iPads all have the same 12MP front camera with Center Stage and 12MP wide-angle rear camera. It’s likely that Apple sticks with the same setup for the new iPad mini, although the front camera could relocate to the landscape edge like the other models. At some point, the iPad lineup will get the same 18MP front camera as the iPhone, but that’s not expected with this update. Apple is not expected to upgrade the cameras in the next iPad mini.Foundry 2026 iPad mini: Price  The iPad mini has had the same $499 price tag since its 2021 redesign, and we expect the starting price to remain the same. However, during Apple’s first quarter 2026 financial results announcement, CEO Tim Cook said that Apple is now “in a supply chase mode” due to industry-wide constraints. Thus, tariffs, the rising cost of RAM, and other increases in supply-chain costs could impact pricing for some higher-end storage options.

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Apple faces new tariffs after Supreme Court ruling strikes down the old ones
The US Supreme Court has declared on Friday that most of the import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration last year were illegal. Trump’s response to this now leaves Apple in a worse position than it was in before. While lobbying by Apple had resulted in almost all of its products being excluded from the previous tariffs, Trump has announced new ones which will include them again … more…

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How cheap is a cheap MacBook, really?
Macworld There’s probably not long to go now. Based on Apple’s looming “global experience” on March 4, dwindling stock of the M1 MacBook Air, and a near-universal consensus among pundits and leakers, the much-anticipated cheap MacBook will be with us in the next week or two. But we still don’t know the answer to the key question. Exactly how cheap are we talking about? Because here’s the thing: As a general rule, Apple doesn’t do cheap. It prefers to focus on the premium end of the market where the margins are higher, and it can get more mileage out of its luxury brand. Conversely, dabbling in the budget market risks tarnishing that brand: if everyone can afford an iPhone, owning an iPhone stops being a status symbol. From the iPhone 5c and Apple Watch SE to the AirPods 4 and Mac mini, fans have often got excited about the imminent launch of a “cheap” Apple product, then been disappointed when it turns out to sit roughly on the border of budget and solidly affordable mid-market. They’re (mostly) good products perfectly capable of delivering value for money. But that isn’t quite the same as being out-and-out cheap. Indeed, despite rising costs of living in the U.S. and several major international markets, Apple appears less inclined than ever to cater to buyers on a strict budget. This time last year, it released the iPhone 16e, which was certainly more affordable than its siblings but cost $170 more than the iPhone SE it nominally replaced. The new “e” phone felt like a signal that Apple no longer wished to participate (or pretend to participate) in the budget smartphone market. And the iPhone 17e, which we expect to launch in a matter of days as well, is unlikely to reverse that decision. So what would be a reasonable asking price for a MacBook with an A19 iPhone chip? For comparison purposes, let’s consider the rest of Apple’s current range. At the top, the MacBook Pro starts at $1,599 for the 14-inch model with an M5 chip, while the MacBook Air starts at $999 for the 13-inch model with an M4 chip. Even if the cheap MacBook has the same 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM as those models (which isn’t guaranteed), it’ll cost less than both of those, so we can start subtracting from a thousand. At the other end, the most interesting comparator is the M1 MacBook Air. Apple once sold this machine for $999 long past its prime, and it continued to be sold by Walmart until very recently. In 2024, Walmart sold the M1 Air for $699, but the price fell over the months to $599, $549 and finally all the way down to $499 on Cyber Monday last year, so this gives us a floor. Now that we’ve established that cheap is between $499 and $999, let’s drill down deeper. The budget MacBook will be targeted at customers who need to do light work on the go, and that’s veering into iPad territory. The entry-level and mini versions of the iPad don’t quite fit that target audience, but the iPad Air is about right. That starts at $599. Chuck in the Magic Keyboard, and we’re up to $868. I’d expect our MacBook’s price tag to sit somewhere between those two numbers, hopefully closer to the lower end. And this is more or less where pundits have ended up. Mark Gurman, writing for Bloomberg, says the budget MacBook will cost “well under $1,000.” Others have more ambitiously claimed it could start as low as $599 to compete in the popular Chromebook market, and maybe Apple will manage this by making heavy compromises on the specs and feature set. But I’d be surprised by that, given how recently Apple fans were expected to part with the same amount for a five-year-old MacBook Air. Based on our experience with the transition from the iPhone SE 3 to the iPhone S16e, I’d expect the A19 Pro MacBook to cost somewhere between $699 and $799, with a discount of $50 or $100 for education buyers. Of course, there are plenty of customers out there who’d be delighted if Apple went lower. Our colleagues at PCWorld have an entire article recommending laptops under $500, and this includes one pick under $300 and another under $200. If Apple truly wanted to smash the ultra-budget Chromebook market, it would be targeting numbers like that. But it won’t. And the sooner we accept this, the better. 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 The Mac you’ve always wanted is coming soon! or as the Macalope puts it,a colorful MacBook is coming to chase away the Siri doom. The iPhone 17e still won’t be good enough to lure Android users, reckons Mahmoud Itani. iOS includes a growing set of built-in features to curb unwelcome calls and notifications. You can kill iPhone spam with these 10 tips. What if we told you that Apple once considered launching a “retro iPod”? Thanks to newly published material, we now have a fascinating glimpse into the iPod that never was. Forget Siri 2.0. OpenAI’s smarter chatbot is already integrated into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, and ChatGPT is your iPhone’s secret superpower. The saga of Apple’s rumored Health+ service makes Apple’s service chief look like a strong leader. So can Eddy Cue break Apple’s slump? Podcast of the week Apple has something cooking for March 4, and the signs indicate that we are getting the laptop we’ve been waiting for. We’re talking about the upcoming event and new developments in Apple AI hardware on 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. The rumor mill macOS 26.3 might have just spilled Apple’s biggest March 4 secrets. No, Apple won’t drop USB-C from the iPhone 18. Low-cost MacBook in ‘fun colors’ leads flurry of upcoming Mac releases. Move over Meta: Apple smart glasses are coming. Video of the week @macworld.com Apple’s March 4 “experience” #apple #macbook #iphone #news ♬ original sound – Macworld – Macworld Don’t call it a special event. It’s an experience. Enjoy all our short-form video on TikTok or Instagram. Software updates, bugs, and problems Finally! Apple adds MacBook battery charge limit to macOS 26.4. iOS 26.4 beta suggests Apple hasn’t given up on its AI health coach. iOS 26.4 beta introduces AI playlists for Apple Music. 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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The AirPods Max Is $100 Off
The AirPods Max provides the user with the ultimate over-ear listening experience with an Apple-designed H1 chip, software, and a custom acoustic design. The headphones feature personalized spatial audio and dynamic head tracking, placing music all over you for an immersive listening experience. The sound being played is sealed in with an acoustic design made […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple Rumored To Be Manufacturing AI Wearable Devices
Apple is accelerating its process of creating three wearable devices with AI. The company is developing AI AirPods, an AI wearable Pin, and smart glasses, all capable of connecting to an iPhone and showing an interface with the new Siri. The products will have cameras built-into them, enabling the AI to see the surroundings of […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Revamped Siri is a No-Show in iOS 26.4 Beta
iOS 26.4 is now available for public beta testers and developers, but there are no signs of new features for Siri in the new software. Expectations were disappointing as everyone was expecting new Siri Capabilities with Apple Intelligence, even with delays. It looks like we have to wait longer as the company has announced a […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple May Introduce New Products First Week of Next Month
Apple has invited certain content creators and journalists on March 4 in London, Shanghai, and New York for a special Apple Experience. Rumors have surfaced about the company’s other plans during that event, where many products will be announced in the first week of next month. Reporters do not expect the usual live stream Apple […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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The 4-pack AirTag Is $35 Off
The AirTag is a small Apple accessory that you can attach to your valuables, allowing you to track them when you lose them with the use of the Find My app. With the tracking device, you lessen the stress of the searching process and get to the lost item immediately. The AirTag features a built-in […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple Special Experience Announced By Apple
A special Apple Experience happening on March 4, 9:00 a.m ET in Shanghai, New York, and London has been announced by Apple today as a special Apple Experience. Certain members of the media have been invited by Apple itself in the three big cities. The company described the event as a Special Apple Experience, and […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple Podcast Now Supporting Video Episodes
Apple will be adding capabilities for a video podcast to their Apple Podcasts app using HLS or HTTP Live Streaming, supplying creators with opportunities for monetization and control, and giving the viewers a high-quality watching experience. The podcasts app in iOS 26.4 enables users to swap between listening to and watching shows with videos capable […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Budget-Friendly MacBook May Be Coming In These Colors
Apple has been trying out a variety of colorful colorways for its new budget-friendly MacBook. The company has tested pink, dark gray, classic silver, light green, and light yellow as their colors, but it is unlikely that all the colors mentioned will be released. Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple analyst, reported that the budget-friendly device is going […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Word, Excel & PowerPoint at your service for $30
Macworld TL;DR: Classic Office apps on your Mac for $29.97 — buy once, skip monthly fees forever. It’s the same old story with those free apps. Formatting breaks, spreadsheets behave weirdly, or a file someone sends you just doesn’t look right. Suddenly, you’re exporting, re-exporting, and wishing you were using the real thing. Right now, Microsoft Office Home & Business 2019 for Mac is $29.97 (MSRP $229) — which makes the usual “subscription vs ownership” debate a lot easier. This is the full desktop version: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Teams Classic. Installed locally, works offline, and doesn’t care if Wi-Fi is cooperating that day. Your files stay predictable because they’re built in the format most workplaces still rely on. It also plays nicely with macOS — Retina support, full-screen views, smooth scrolling — so it feels like a Mac app rather than a port. The big appeal, though, is psychological: you install it once and forget about billing cycles. No reminders, no renewal math, no “trial ending soon” banners. For students, freelancers, side-projects, or anyone tired of juggling compatibility quirks, this is basically a return to normal computing — software that just exists on your computer and keeps working. Don’t miss getting MS Office 2019 for Mac for just $29.97 (MSRP $229). Microsoft Office Home & Business 2019 for MacSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Apple Music 5.2 for Android beta adds iOS 26.4’s Playlist Playground, album redesign
Following the first iOS 26.4 preview, Apple Music 5.2 entered beta earlier this week with three new features. more…

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