Apple will need to walk a tightrope if it keeps pushing subscriptions
The list of Apple subscription services keeps growing. iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, MLS Season Pass, Apple One … The company of course also takes a cut of subscriptions sold through the App Store, Apple Books, and Apple Podcasts. Then there are the hardware-related subscriptions, AppleCare+ and the iPhone Upgrade Program. Most recently, we’ve had the launch of Apple Creator Studio, and a new report says that we can expect to see even more subscriptions to come … more…

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Two years after release, Apple still hasn't decided what to do with Apple Vision Pro
After an eight month wait, the Apple Vision Pro debuted on February 2, 2024. It's still an immature product.The Apple Vision Pro still seems like its under construction long after its launch. I decided to write a retrospective on the Apple Vision Pro release early last week for today's February 2 anniversary. It hasn't gone well.If you're of a certain age, you remember a Sesame Street bit, where a piano player couldn't quite figure out the alphabet order. He'd smash his head on the piano, and Grover, or Kermit, or somebody would help him out, and the piano player would happily hammer along, in the proper order, no longer atonal. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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3 reasons to watch suspenseful Apple TV spy thriller Tehran
In our "Tehran" Apple TV series review, we find the Israeli spy thriller eminently binge-able. Here are three reasons to watch it. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Integrating home automations & Shortcuts with Matthew Cassinelli on this week's HomeKit Insider
On this week's episode of the HomeKit Insider podcast, guest Matthew Cassinelli joins to talk about Shortcuts and home automations.HomeKit Insider PodcastCo-hosting this week is Matthew Cassinelli. He previously worked at the app Workflow, prior to Apple's acquisition.He joined the Apple team as the Workflow app was converted into Shortcuts, before eventually setting out on his own. He's now known as one of the biggest proponents of Shortcuts in the tech space. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple may be planning a folding throwback that you’ll flip over
Macworld Apple hasn’t even launched its first foldable device–the iPhone Fold is strongly expected to launch this fall, more than seven months away–but reports indicate the company is already working on the follow-up. The latest report says this will be something rather different: a clamshell-style flip phone. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says Apple “is already thinking about what comes next.” At one stage, that was expected to be what he describes as a giant foldable iPad, clocking in at a whopping 18 inches when unfolded, but in October it was reported that this project had hit a serious roadblock in its development. That leaves space for something new. Whereas the iPhone Fold is rumored to open like a book, with a vertical design like the Galaxy Fold series of handsets, this latest product will be squarer with a horizontal fold like the Galaxy Flip. In other words, it will use the folding function for the opposite purpose to the iPhone Fold: instead of taking a standard-size smartphone and offering the ability to double its screen space, it halves the chassis size when not in use. Clamshell-style phones are not a new idea, and were extremely popular in the early part of this century before smarphone took over. Motorola’s Razr V3 was the top-selling phone in the U.S. between 2005 and 2007, and the company revived the line in 2019. It’s an appealingly practical way of getting a lot of functionality into a small and pocketable chassis. This far out from launch, we must inevitably warn that a lot can change. In fact Gurman says the iPhone Flip “is far from guaranteed to reach the market,” and may depend on the success or failure of the iPhone Fold. But his sources indicate that Apple is feeling bullish. “Apple is betting that its first foldable iPhone will be successful enough to generate real demand for the category,” he writes, “and that customers will want additional shapes and sizes, much as they have with traditional slab-style iPhones.” If that happens, the company’s foldable portfolio could explode. On top of the clamshell device, Gurman speculates that Apple could also, eventually, make a larger book-style foldable too. This makes sense, he argues, since the iPhone Fold will be smaller than equivalent devices currently offered by Samsung. But before we get anywhere near that reality, Apple needs to stick the landing with its foldable debut this fall.

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MSP360 Backup Review: A powerful Time Machine alternative for advanced Mac users
Macworld At a glance Pros Competitive pricing with a generous 15-day full-feature trial Highly customizable feature set with strong encryption, scripting, scheduling, and detailed logs Fast, reliable performance for both local and cloud backups, even with large data sets Cons Windows-style interface with missing Mac-friendly UI elements and no time-remaining indicator Steep learning curve, thin documentation, and vague error messages 5TB local and cloud storage cap until a subscription is activated Our Verdict MSP360 Backup steps far beyond what Apple’s Time Machine and some of its competitors offer, providing strong performance, deep customization, scripting support, and broad cloud storage support at a good price. Yes, its Windows-like interface, vague error messages, and thin tutorial support make things harder than they should be for some new Mac users, but for technically confident users there’s a powerful set of tools to be taken advantage of here. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When ReviewedMSP360 Free (single workstation); MSP360 Pro: $19.99 Best Prices Today: MSP360 Backup Retailer Price MSP360 $19.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best for: Technically confident Mac users, IT admins, power users managing multiple backup targets Not for: Beginners, users who just want Time Machine-style simplicity There are times when your backup methodology needs to move beyond the easy convenience of Apple’s free Time Machine backup, wherein the software will shoot everything over to a copy of everything in incremental backups to an external hard drive, iCloud, or NAS drive. In these cases, you’re going to start looking into a wider array of cloud services to back up to, complete with more customization to begin to handle things at a near-system administrator level. This is where MSP360 Backup (formerly Cloudberry) comes in, taking the next step beyond Time Machine and more consumer-level backup software, but bringing some of its Windows port kludge with it. MSP360 Backup enables secure backup and recovery of files, servers, and applications, supporting local and cloud storage (like AWS and Azure) with encryption, automation, and centralized management. To its credit, there isn’t a lot of overhead involved with MSP360 Backup, which requires only macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or later to install and run, is available as a 15-day free trial with no credit or debit card needing to be sent along to create a trial account. The software, which is available in both free and subscription tiers, offers an impressive layer of features, including backup support to assorted cloud storage platforms such as AWS S3, Wasabi, or Backblaze B2. And while the free version offers limited total capacity cap of 5TB across both local and cloud storage as well as limited support and single machine management only, you don’t feel as if you’re being entirely shorted by not signing up for a paid account off the bat. What MSP360 does well Foundry As expected, MSP360 Backup installs easily, prompting you to allow it full access to all the files on your hard drive. From there, it begins to offer a fairly massive range of customization and options, including AES 128, AES 192, and AES 256-bit encryption, password protection and compression, customizable scheduling, support for pre-backup and post-backup scripts to be run, as well as restoration options. MSP360 Backup drops you into a more technical world of backup and restoration and it works well. The scheduling feature worked like a charm, and quick tests to gauge local and online backup went well, the copies moving briskly between both rotational drives as well as solid-state media. Pushing up to online/cloud-based media went quickly, the software handling a 70+ GB test archive well, even as it created both its own backup image format yet kept the archive accessible so files could be entered via the Finder and retrieved as needed. The functionality is there, and once you enter the container login and password for your cloud service of choice, you’re up and running with a powerful tool that can be readily configured to handle scheduling, security, and network protocols as needed. The local and cloud-based storage account formats it handles, such as AWS, Wasabi, and Backblaze B2, are genuinely impressive. Screenshot Foundry Add copious log files and task history descriptions, and you have a backup utility that puts aspiring high-end consumer users and aspiring system administrators in hog heaven. What MSP360 could improve on Still, there are some caveats to sort out. For all its capabilities, MSP360 Backup looks and feels like a Windows utility that’s undergone only the most marginal effort to be ported over to macOS. Yes, the customization and tools are there, but UI elements such as an estimated time remaining counter for tasks are missing that could readily accompany the existing elapsed time counter. The interface feels vague, and placing the mouse over an icon fails to explain what that function does. A help guide is available online (Read Guide), but the MSP360 Backup YouTube channel feels more geared towards marketing than offering a meaningful help or tutorial guide. What’s present takes some learning, and improved tutorials as well as quick links to better tutorials and guides could only help. Finally, MSP360 Backup’s error messages feel vague when things do go wrong, and instead of being something that can be quickly looked up and noodled out, they leave you feeling as if you’re going through more trial and error than should be necessary. Foundry The tools are there, but the user interface and help system could use some thought and some updates, especially for new users and users who are moving beyond the consumer realm and into something more technical and more customization and configuration-heavy, which MSP360 Backup is. Should you buy MSP360 MSP360 might suit power users who are looking to move beyond Apple’s Time Machine and other consumer-focused backup and recovery utilities. MSP360 dives into local, script-based, and cloud-based backups and restorations and does it well. It also benefits from strong encryption, scripting support, and good performance. The price point is right, even the free version is admirably powerful, and the 15-day free trial offers an impressive feature set that’s worth exploring. However, it isn’t for the faint of heart. MSP360 Backup would benefit from a Mac-like UI, clearer error messaging, beginner-friendly documentation and/or YouTube tutorial videos. For more backup options see our round up of the Best Mac backup software and cloud backup for Macs.

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Apple Intelligence on the edge: How privacy shapes its AI features
In a rapidly developing AI landscape full of fear, find out how privacy shapes Apple Intelligence features. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Apple explores square, clamshell-style foldable iPhone
Apple is already exploring a successor to its inaugural foldable iPhone that's expected to arrive later this year: a more compact, square… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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How terrible – the insanely wealthy are confounded by Call Screening
The rich and the powerful demand immediate access to their lawyers and each other at all times — but apparently they just haven't figured out how to have their assistants turn off Call Screening on their iPhones.Call Screening is off by default, so who knows what these lawyers are doing.If you've noticed that you're getting fewer spam calls on your iPhone lately, it's because Apple added new screening tools in iOS 26. It's also why you now more often see notifications with a transcription of call messages.Given how phone lines are dominated by spam and it's only getting worse with AI impersonating voices, this is overall a welcome feature. And if you need to take calls from unknown numbers, you can switch it off: Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Here’s everything new Apple TV has coming in February
The early theme of Apple TV’s 2026 is new seasons of existing shows. January was packed with five such series, and now a couple more are coming in February—including a big-budget sci-fi epic. Here’s everything new coming to Apple TV in February. more…

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Adobe Firefly offers unlimited image and video generations, third-party models included
Adobe is removing generation limits from Firefly, giving subscribers unlimited image and video generations across both its own models and supported third-party AI models, but you have to act quick. Here are the details. more…

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Speechify adds celebrity voices to its AI Voice Assistant
Speechify’s AI Voice Assistant can now sound like celebrities, including Snoop Dogg, Gwyneth Paltrow, and MrBeast. Here are the details. more…

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Apple scores big in India as government removes tax risk on foreign-funded manufacturing equipment
India's government on Sunday delivered a significant victory for Apple by allowing foreign companies to supply machinery to their contract… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Subscriptions like Creator Studio are the future of Apple's revenue
The Apple Creator Studio is the latest in a long line of subscriptions for Apple products and services. You can guarantee Apple will do it more in the future.Apple Creator Studio iconsApple's introduction of the Apple Creator Studio provided a way for consumers to gain access to Apple's Pro tools like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro across both Mac and iPad. While it's certainly a good value package for users, it's only part of its overall strategy to charge subscriptions for everything it offers.Responding to a query about Apple subscriptions, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg mused on Sunday that subscriptions are the future of the company. It's also a situation where it will try to increase its profits further by adding more to the packages. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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The Trillionaire’s Paradox: Why Elon Musk Wants to Kill Money
Elon Musk argues AI-driven abundance will eventually make money irrelevant, but betting your financial future on that vision today assumes a smooth transition that history suggests is anything but guaranteed. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

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Steve Jobs memorabilia auction sees first ever Apple check sell for $2.4M [U]
A Steve Jobs memorabilia auction included the first check the two Steves ever signed, and it sold for a mind-boggling $2,409,886. The auction also included Steve’s desk and a set of bow ties he wore at school, as well as a wide range of general Apple memorabilia … more…

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Tim Cook didn’t rule out price rises for Apple products, and here’s why
Apple CEO Tim Cook declined to comment on repeated questions during Thursday’s earnings call about how the company would respond to rising memory costs. The decision on whether to absorb rising costs or pass them on to customers in the form of higher prices is not going to be an easy one, and a look at the numbers makes it clear why Cook was unwilling to rule out the latter possibility … more…

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AI demand forcing Apple to look for alternatives to TSMC
Apple is no longer the biggest client for chip foundry TSMC, and as it loses its stranglehold on the global supply chain, Tim Cook may have to turn to other manufacturers to meet demand for the iPhone and Mac.Apple wouldn't return to Intel-designed processors, but it could get Intel to manufacture its Apple Silicon designsAs previously reported, Nvidia is now the single largest client for TSMC, but losing that top spot is causing problems for Apple. Specifically, it no longer has the buying power to commandeer TSMC's entire output.According to the Wall Street Journal, this means Apple is therefore having to compete for capacity with firms such as Nvidia, and it is not getting what it needs. Tim Cook alluded to this in Apple's latest earnings call, dismissing questions about memory shortages by saying the company is more concerned with processors. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Creator Studio vs. Creative Cloud: Can Apple’s new suite take on Adobe?
Macworld Apple Creator Studio is now available, and it provides a good alternative for creators who want professional image, audio, and video editing software at more affordable prices. Its direct competitor, of course, is Adobe’s Creative Cloud, which still dominates the market with a suite of powerful tools. If you’re a Mac user, you’re probably wondering which one is worth subscribing to, whether you are someone who already works with Adobe apps or are just starting your journey as a creator. This guide breaks down both suites, what apps they include, how those apps compare to each other, and which creators benefit the most from each ecosystem. Apple Creator Studio: Overview Although Apple Creator Studio was announced in January, the apps in the bundle have been around for quite some time and are well known among independent and professional creators. Those who subscribe to the bundle will get access to a variety of apps, including Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro, as well as Motion, Compressor, and MainStage. An interesting detail about Apple Creator Studio is that it also provides access to extra features and a Content Hub with “high-quality photos, graphics, and illustrations” in Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform. Apple’s simple Creator Studio interfaces are deceptively powerful.Foundry All of these apps are still available on the App Store as individual purchases, but the Creator Studio version comes with exclusive templates and even some AI features to help you generate new projects. Apple Creator Studio costs $12.99 per month or $129 per year, with a free one-month trial. Students and teachers can subscribe for just $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. The subscription can be shared with up to five other people through iCloud Family Sharing. Apple Creator Studio Price When Reviewed: $12.99 per month or $129 per year Best Prices Today: $129 at Apple (Annual) The bundle offered by Apple is an excellent deal considering the individual price of each of these apps. The Mac version of Final Cut Pro alone costs $299, which is already more expensive than paying for a whole year’s subscription to Creator Studio. Add them all up, and you’d pay nearly $700 and lose out on some features and the benefits of the Content Hub. It’s also worth noting that Apple Creator Studio is available for both Mac and iPad users, although some features are exclusive to macOS. Adobe Creative Cloud: Overview Adobe Creative Cloud has established itself as the industry standard for creators, especially among professionals working in agencies or team environments. Unlike Apple, Adobe offers multiple plans with access to various combinations of apps and features. You can’t buy any of Adobe’s apps separately, although you can subscribe to any of them individually if you want. Adobe’s most affordable monthly plans are based on a 12-month commitment, and there are hefty cancellation fees. Adobe’s Creative Cloud has powerful tools aimed at audio and video professionals.Foundry The basic Adobe Creative Cloud plan costs $54.99 per month if you choose to subscribe for a year or $599.88 per year. It includes Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Acrobat Pro, and InDesign. If you want the plan with all Adobe apps (including Audition for audio editing), it will cost you $69.99 per month or $779.88 a year. Adobe Creative Cloud Read our review Price When Reviewed: Annual plan paid monthly: $59.99 | Annual plan paid upfront: $659.88 Best Prices Today: $59.99 at Adobe (monthly) | $82.99 at Amazon | $659.88 at Adobe (annually) There’s also a cheaper plan for photographers, which includes Photoshop and Lightroom for $19.99 per month. That’s cheaper than getting Photoshop alone ($22.99). Adobe has apps available for both Mac and iPad. The apps are also compatible with Windows PCs, and there are some mobile apps for the iPhone as well. However, you can’t share your subscription with others. If you opt to get all of Adobe’s apps, you’ll pay more than $50 a month.Foundry How do the main apps compare? As you can see, both Apple Creator Studio and Adobe Creative Cloud come with a bunch of apps. But for this comparison, let’s focus on the main apps in each suite, which are those designed for editing video, images, and audio. Video editing with Final Cut Pro vs Adobe Premiere Final Cut Pro has become popular among many independent creators due to its intuitive and easy-to-use interface. One of its most popular features is the magnetic timeline, which allows users to compose their videos with ease. Even if it’s your first time using the software, you’ll be able to quickly start editing videos in no time. If you’re a Mac user, Final Cut Pro has a significant performance advantage over Premiere. Since Final Cut is built by Apple, it takes full advantage of macOS and Apple’s own chips to render videos in much less time. You won’t see any slowdowns when editing 4K videos. Adobe Premiere has an iPhone app, but Final Cut Pro doesn’t.Foundry Adobe Premiere, on the other hand, trades simplicity for more advanced features related to color grading and refinement. Adobe’s video editor also comes with built-in generative AI tools. For instance, you can generate extra frames based on your existing videos or even transcribe audio into subtitles. As a result, the interface may seem more complex for beginners. However, Premiere excels when it comes to group work, as the software integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud for easy collaborative workflows. It’s also worth noting that Premiere is available for both macOS and Windows. Final Cut Pro, on the other hand, is exclusive to macOS. Both apps have mobile versions that let you start projects on the go and finish them on the desktop version. Premiere Mobile even works on the iPhone, while Final Cut is limited to the iPad.   Image editing with Pixelmator Pro vs Adobe Photoshop Pixelmator Pro has an Apple-like interface, but it wasn’t originally developed by Apple. Rather, it was recently acquired by the company and is part of the Apple Creator Studio bundle. The software is essentially an image editor that competes with Adobe Photoshop and also offers some vector features like Illustrator. When it comes to available features, Pixelmator Pro has the requisite tools most creators need for color correction, retouching, compositing, and filters. The interface is also very clean and easy to use, even if you don’t consider yourself a professional. Like Photoshop, you can edit photos and create new illustrations using layers, and use a variety of vector tools and brushes. Pixelmator Pro is a Photoshop alternative, but it can’t rival all of its features.Foundry Pixelmator Pro comes with some great templates for social media posts, posters, and even device mockups. And most importantly, Pixelmator Pro integrates deeply with the Apple ecosystem, providing a seamless experience for Mac and iPad users. Photoshop, meanwhile, is considered the industry standard when it comes to image editing, and is probably one of the most powerful software programs in this segment, with advanced tools for masks, filters, plugins, and RAW editing. It also works with many third-party plugins that extend its capabilities even further. Photoshop also lets users fill or generate images with AI, which you can’t do with Pixelmator Pro. Similar to Premiere, Photoshop also has a more complex interface for those who aren’t familiar with image editing software. And because it has many more features than Pixelmator Pro, the learning curve is also much steeper. If you’re a professional photographer or artist, Photoshop remains the best option on the market. Not only because of its more advanced tools, but also because it allows users to easily collaborate and share projects. However, if you’re an independent creator and just want good, easy-to-use software, Pixelmator Pro is more than capable of getting the job done. While Pixelmator Pro is exclusive to Mac and iPad, Photoshop is available for the Mac, Windows PCs, and the iPad, with a mobile version available for the iPhone as well. Audio editing with Logic Pro and Audition Finally, both suites have audio editing software for podcasters and musicians. Apple’s Logic Pro is one of the most popular audio editing software programs among music producers and is widely used by major artists. It lets you edit recorded audio and also work with instruments, samples, and effects with advanced mixing tools. Logic Pro is a favorite app among professional music producers and artists.Apple Adobe Audition is also a powerful piece of software, but it’s more aimed at basic audio editing, mixing, and restoration. It’s widely used by video creators and podcasters, especially since it has a powerful feature for removing background noise with AI. Although both are audio editors, they’re not exactly direct competitors. If you want to produce music, Logic Pro is definitely the best choice. But if you just need to edit audio for video or podcast projects, Audition is probably a better bet. Logic Pro is available for macOS and iPadOS, while Audition is available for macOS and Windows, with no iPad app. Which one should you choose? If you work in a team or often collaborate on projects, Adobe Creative Cloud is probably still the best option available. It’s geared toward professionals who need the most advanced tools and have familiar yet powerful interfaces. Although Adobe apps are not exactly optimized for the Mac, they offer tools that no other software has. In addition, they’re perfect for people working cross-platform and seeking integration between Adobe’s own apps. Adobe’s apps are more powerful with complex interfaces.Foundry Of course, Adobe Creative Cloud prices are much higher than Apple’s, and Adobe’s cancellation policies are still a common point of criticism among users. But there’s a reason why so many people continue pay for it. Apple Creator Studio, on the other hand, is more focused on independent creators and beginners who want to get started without learning complex interfaces. This doesn’t mean that the software is bad, far from it. Final Cut Pro is one of the best video editors available, and one of the easiest to use as well. Likewise, Logic Pro is extremely popular among musicians. As for Pixelmator Pro, it can’t rival Photoshop for creating art projects, but it works decently for most people who just need to retouch images and create artworks. If you’re deeply immersed in the Apple ecosystem, especially if you have a Mac, and want good, reliable software, you should definitely consider giving Apple Creator Studio a try. At just $12.99 per month, it’s an extremely compelling option. And even if you already use Adobe software, switching to Apple Creator Studio may be worth it if you want to save money and don’t need everything that Adobe apps offer.

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New Mac configurator may point to separate CPU and GPU options
Apple last week changed the way you buy a Mac online, removing the previous lineup of customizable pre-configured options and instead putting you straight into configuring your spec from scratch. While at first glance this seems a somewhat strange thing to do, arguably making it a little more complicated for a non-tech buyer to choose their Mac, the change could provide support for a theory that Apple will allow you to separate CPU and GPU options when buying an M5 Pro or Max Mac … more…

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Ugreen Nexode 200W Charging Station Review: Eight ports, serious desktop power
Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros 8 ports in compact body 3x 100W PD 3.0 ports Stand included Cons Won’t fast-charge 16-inch MacBook Pro: no 140W PD 3.1 port 200W max output may limit Our Verdict You won’t find a desktop charger with this number of USB ports and certainly none that we’d trust at a price this competitive. It lacks a 140W PD 3.1 port so isn’t for owners of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, but is fine for 14-inch Pro or MacBook Air users, and of course iPad and iPhone charging. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When Reviewed$99.99 Best Prices Today: Ugreen Nexode 200W USB-C 8-Port Desktop Charger Retailer Price $69.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Desktop chargers make tiny wall-based plugs look puny, although there are some wall-charger beasts available, such as the Anker Charger (140W, 4 Port) or Ugreen Nexode 100W USB-C GaN 4-Port Charger. Anything bigger would likely just fall out of the power socket. While wall chargers are more portable, nothing beats a bruising desktop charger boasting a long array of charging ports connected to a power socket with its own solid cable and plug. Check out the most powerful: the 6-port Ugreen Nexode Desktop Charger behemoth with a maximum output of 500W. Nothing, that is, aside from a USB-C power extender that adds new AC power sockets into the port mix. Again, Ugreen has our favorite of these: the 100W Power Strip DigiNest Pro that hosts four USB ports and three AC sockets. The company has another multi-device charger to satisfy all our desktop power needs, the Nexode 200W GaN USB-C Charging Station that bristles with an incredible eight ports. The desktop charger comes with a detachable stand for vertical placement. Simon Jary Multiple powers: What you can charge 3x USB-C (100W PD 3.0) 2x USB-C (30W) 2x USB-C (15W) 2x USB-A (15W) Eight is a lot of ports, but we have seen more on a charger. The Plugable PS-10CC has ten, but with a maximum output of 100W, compared to the Ugreen’s 200W. That Plugable charger is a clever so and so, intelligently prioritizing real-time device charging in order of need. With twice the max output the Ugreen desktop charger can spread its power between ports with maybe less agility but with more force. The first three USB-C ports (USB-C-C1, C2 and C3) can each output 100W. USB-C C4 and C5 have a top power rating of 30W each, while USB-C C6 and the two USB-A ports A1 and A2 can individually output 15W. 100W (Power Delivery 3.0) is enough to fast-charge every MacBook except the top-end 16-inch MacBook Pro. That laptop can operate well on a 100W charge but not power up to 100% as quickly as it would with 140W (Power Delivery 3.1) pumping in. If you are going to frequently use a desktop charger with the 16-inch MacBook Pro, we suggest you look for one with a 140W port. 30W is easily enough to fast-charge any iPhone or iPad or keep a MacBook Air going while in use. 15W will charge the iPhone or iPad, although at a more sedate pace than 30W. 15W is more than enough to fast-charge an AirPods case or Apple Watch. Simon Jary All eight ports can be used at the same time, but remember that the total output can’t exceed 200W. For more than that, you’ll need a 300W or 500W charger. 200W seems a lot until you try filling all eight ports at the same time. The six-port 500W Ugreen desktop charger is a bit of a misnomer as the first port hogs 240W of power and few desktop-based devices can take that amount of charge—as such, it’s more of a 400W charger in real terms, due to 100W of the 240W realistically not being used or released to the other ports. With all eight ports in use at the same time you could achieve 65W in C1 and 45W each in C2 and C3, and then C4 and C5 sharing 15W and C6+A1+A2 sharing another 15W. That could be a great combination for one MacBook Pro, two MacBook Airs, an iPad and an iPhone. If you just need to give power to a couple of MacBooks, use C1 at 100W and C2 at 85W. You could even keep four MacBooks going with 65W+45W+45W+30W. Ugreen lists all the possible configurations in the user manual. The five-port 300W Ugreen Desktop Charger is the sweet spot for 16-inch MacBook Pro users. That could power configurations such as 140W+100W+60W or 140W+65W+65W+30W. But if your needs stretch to eight devices, you won’t find more USB ports on a desktop charger. Simon Jary Compact design The benefit of one mega-powered desktop charger is that you no longer need so many power points or individual wall chargers in use at the same time. This reduces desk clutter and eliminates writhing cable snakes slithering off the table to find a power outlet. The Nexode 200W itself is more compact than you expect from an eight-port power unit. It measures 4.3 x 4.2 x 1.5 inches (10.9 x 10.6 x 3.8cm) and weighs 1.55lbs (702g). That compares to the Ugreen Nexode 300W Desktop Charger that has dimensions of 4.6 x 3.75 x 2.1 inches (11.6 x 9.5 x 5.3cm) and 1.85lbs (839g). Simon Jary You can lie it flat or place it vertically in the included stand. The base has anti-slip feet for added stability. The power cord is 6.6 feet (2m) long. There’s no flashy real-time smart display telling you how many watts are being delivered to devices, but you probably don’t need one. If you want a desktop charger with a digital display showing charging status and speed we’d recommend the $169 Anker Prime Charger that also boasts six ports but has a higher max power output of 250W. Price and competition The Ugreen Nexode 200W GaN USB C Charging Station is competitively priced at $99.99 in the U.S., £79.99 in the U.K., and €79.99 in the E.U. It’s half the price of the 5-port Ugreen Nexode 300W Desktop Charger ($199 / £149), and $150 cheaper than the Nexode 500W Desktop Charger ($249 / £219). If the 200W max configurations work for you, it’s a great deal for eight ports of power. If you need to simultaneously fast-charge three MacBook Pros or own a 16-inch MacBook Pro, look to the 300W model. Rather than three or four MacBooks, a more likely scenario is a couple of MacBooks, iPads and iPhones plus an Apple Watch and AirPods. This Ugreen charger can cope with that scenario with ease. The $149.99 Satechi 200W USB-C 6-port PD GaN Charger is the closest alternative (direct / Amazon). It boasts 140W PD 3.1 charging so will appeal to owners of the 16-inch Pro and has the same 200W maximum and six USB-C ports but lacks the Nexode’s two USB-A ports. The Satechi’s two MacBook configuration (100W+100W) compares to the Nexode 200W’s 100W+85W; its three-MacBook configuration (100W+45W+45W) compares to the Ugreen’s 65W+65W+45W, so the Ugreen works best if you have two MacBook Pros and one Air but the Satechi works fine on one Pro and two Airs. If you don’t need USB-A ports, the Satechi looks the better deal, although it’s priced at half as much again as the Nexode. That’s a lot extra to pay not to have two USB-A ports but certainly worth it if you need the 140W PD 3.1 port. The $129 Plugable PS-10CC desktop charger has ten USB-C ports and clever priority charging but is limited to just 100W of total simultaneous output. Check out all our best USB-C charger recommendations. Should you buy the Ugreen Nexode 200W GaN USB-C Charging Station? You won’t find a desktop charger with this number of USB ports and certainly none that we’d trust at a price this competitive. The Satechi 200W 6-port PD Charger is its closest rival, but if you don’t need that charger’s 140W port, the Ugreen Nexode 200W represents remarkable value.

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Apple keeps winning today by betting on tomorrow
Macworld Apple, the beleaguered tech giant so far behind in the AI race that it had to ask a rival for help, nevertheless announced startlingly healthy financial results last week, thereby suggesting that, in the tech sector as in Hollywood, nobody knows anything. Maybe customers, who happily spent a record $85 billion on iPhones in late 2025, don’t care about AI as much as we thought. Aside from the eye-watering numbers, however, the most striking thing about Tim Cook’s triumphant earnings call may have been his unwillingness to dwell on the present. Acknowledging that Q1 2026 was “in so many ways a remarkable quarter for Apple,” he went on to stress that the company is “excited for all the opportunities we’ll have in the year ahead to deliver innovations that have never been seen before, and enrich the lives of users every step of the way.” We can debate whether Apple’s priority is truly enriching the lives of its users (the increasing presence of in-software advertising suggests it is at least equally interested in enriching shareholders). Still, it’s certainly true that 2026 is a big year and an inflection point for Apple’s future well-being. One might almost describe the situation as sink-or-swim if the company’s prosperity didn’t make that sound so ridiculous. Right now, Apple isn’t so much swimming as floating above the ocean in an airship made of money. At the risk of repeating the mistakes that led so many of us to underestimate Apple’s prospects during the most recent quarter, one important factor will be the success or failure of the Apple/Google AI partnership. Yes, Apple Intelligence has been a disappointment so far. No, the vast majority of iPhone buyers don’t seem to care… yet. But Apple can’t rely on that remaining the case forever. While AI’s importance–not to mention the value of AI companies–has undoubtedly been exaggerated by interested parties, the technology is filtering through to the mainstream and becoming more of a priority to the average smartphone customer with every passing month. If Gemini-powered Siri, expected to launch within weeks, is a success, then that feeds directly into the success of the iPhone. If it’s a failure… well, people will still buy iPhones, as we’ve seen. But at some point, having no AI tech worth the name will start to eat into those sparkling revenue figures. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Talking of iPhones, we’re also looking forward to a pair of key hardware launches in 2026: the iPhone Fold and the iPhone 17e. And these too represent areas where, incredibly, Apple could achieve even more than it has already. While secondary sources suggest that the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro models did the heavy lifting for Apple last quarter, the company will be hoping for a bigger contribution from other parts of the range. The iPhone 16e and iPhone Air were, in very different ways, unappealing options because they made so many compromises without offering much in return; the 16e is a mid-market rather than a true budget phone, and the Air’s superficially impressive slimness has little actual functional benefit. Don’t expect the 17e to be cheaper, but it’s likely to have a better feature set for the same money. And the Fold should give us a usefully radical design. These are just the tip of the iceberg for a year that could, as I’ve written elsewhere, be a wild ride for Apple fans and shareholders alike. I certainly won’t say that it’s make or break, but it does represent a huge opportunity that the company will not wish to squander. Because Apple knows quarters like this aren’t guaranteed to last. The iPhone 17 was an excellent smartphone, and it’s not surprising that lots of people bought it. But it’s excellent in a very traditional way. In the years to come, customers will have different priorities: they may be looking for the ability to run AI, or a foldable, or something far cheaper, or more customisable, or with a better battery life. They may be looking for an entirely different class of device, such as smart glasses or an AI pin. Apple doesn’t know the future, but it knows the future is uncertain. That’s why it spends so much of its resources trying to prepare for the opportunities of tomorrow, rather than congratulating itself on successfully solving the problems of today. Although there were probably some congratulations last week. And deservedly so. 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 Intel’s latest chip proves again that Apple made the right decision. Does Tim Cook even care about Apple’s image anymore, asks a faintly horrified Macalope. AI is forcing Alex Blake to buy a new MacBook Pro. Apple doesn’t want AirTag 2 tracking pets. Why not? Why buy a Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold when you can get all this Apple gear instead? The road to the next insanely great Mac is paved with AI. Podcast of the week The latest episode of the Macworld Podcast covers Apple’s new releases: a new AirTag, Apple Creator Studio, and more. You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site. Reviews corner Journey ALTI Lift: A smart desk mat with 15W Qi2 wireless charging. Nektony App Cleaner & Uninstaller: Smart cleanup, friendly experience. The rumor mill We round up 5 iPhone 18 rumors that will make you hate the phone you have now. The next round of M5 Macs is reportedly ‘ready to go.’ Apple just weeks from unveiling Google-powered Siri makeover, report claims. Sorry Apple fans, Mac prices might be going up this year. Video of the week @macworld.com AirTags: New and Improved #apple #airtag #news ♬ original sound – Macworld – Macworld Apple just announced new AirTags! All is revealed in our latest short. Enjoy our video on TikTok and Instagram. Software updates, bugs, and problems ‘Harmful’ Google ads masquerading as how-tos are tricking Mac users. Apple pulls four iPhone updates following network issues. And then swiftly rolls out a patch. Apple updates iOS 12 for the first time since 2023. 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 Anker 140W 4-Port GaN USB-C Charger is $35 Off
Charge 4 different devices at the same time with the Anker GaN charger block, equipped with advanced GaN Technology for optimal performance to accommodate your charging needs.  The charger features advanced safety technology like the advanced Activeshield 4.0 system that monitors the temperatures of your device around 10 million times a day for enhanced safety […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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No iPhone Air 2 This Year, according to Latest Report
We may not be getting an iPhone Air 2 this year, since the company plans to launch the foldable iPhone alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models in the second half of this year, and then the base iPhone 18 model to follow in the first half of next year. Credible sources like […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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New Report Corroborates Split iPhone Release Dates
The rumored plan that Apple will be switching up their launch cycle for the iPhone seems to be more credible with additional sources. A new report from Nikkei Asia corroborates claims made earlier by Ming-Chi Kuo, Bloomberg, and The Information. The company will reportedly prioritize the first foldable iPhone with the iPhone 18 Pro and […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple Losing More Researchers As They Plan To Release 2 Siri Versions
Apple will be losing about 4 more researchers in the AI department, on top of a Siri executive in the higher ranks, as the company is planning to launch 2 different versions of the virtual assistant. Apple announced that they plan to launch a revamped, more personalized Siri that will be powered by Gemini. It’s […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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The Anker 3-in-1 Charging Cube is $50 Off
Amazon has a $50 discount for the Anker 3-in-1 charging cube. The charger features 30W and 15W of ultra fast charging in a compact solution capable of meeting your charging needs. It is MagSafe compatible so you can charge your iPhone wirelessly. You can charge 3 devices simultaneously, your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch without […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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2026 Q1 Earnings Announced By Apple
The first fiscal quarter financial results for this year have been announced by Apple. During Q1, the company has posted a $143.8 billion revenue with a quarterly net profit of $42.1 billion, or a per diluted share of $2.83. A $124.3 billion revenue and $36.3 billion net profit, or per diluted share of $2.40 was […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple Acquires Q.ai for Nearly $2 Billion
Apple has acquired Israeli startup Q.ai, a startup that is developing audio AI technology. The company paid about $2 billion for the acquisition, making this the second largest that Apple has ever done, next to the Beats deal in 2014 that amounted to $3 billion. Q.ai has created technology capable of analyzing facial expressions that’s […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple Unprepared with the Popular Demand for AirPods Pro 3 
Demand for the AirPods Pro 3 was high during its September launch, and with the strong sales, Apple was apparently caught off guard. The AirPods Pro 3 features better sound quality, enhanced ANC, 5 different ear tips for the users to choose from, better water resistance and heart rate monitoring. The CEO stated that they […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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