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- Tuesday March 17
- 1 hour agoApple’s real intelligence? Winning the waiting game
Macworld Apple is behind on AI! We all know it! It was in all the papers. But Horace Dediu wonders if Apple didn’t pull off the most brilliant move in corporate history. That move? Not dumping hundreds of billions into AI. Just tens of billions. The Macalope has been suggesting much the same thing for a while now and Dediu questions the spend Apple’s competitors are making on AI. Amazon is spending $200 billion this year on AI data centers. Google, $185 billion. Microsoft, $114 billion. Meta, $135 billion. Combined: $650 billion. Well, surely it’s all going swimmingly, though: “Meta planning sweeping layoffs as AI costs mount” We’ve gone from “AI does everything so we can now lay off all our staff!” to “We have to lay off all our staff because AI is sucking all our resources.” It’s almost as if AI is being as an excuse for layoffs. Ha-ha! That would be silly! Because, in reality, we know that there really is no problem that cannot be solved by laying off vast swaths of the people who have devoted their careers to you. It’s just math. Speaking of math, it seems Apple’s spreadsheets are coming up with different numbers than everyone else’s. Dediu notes: …Apple’s capital budget is still a modest $14 billion… It’s not nothing, but it’s not close to the vast sums these other companies are throwing at it. And who is the big beneficiary of all this spending? Nvidia. Apple is refusing to transfer its cash flow to Nvidia. Curiously, it believes that its cash flow belongs to its shareholders, not to Nvidia’s. It’s weird how many recent tech trends have relied on Nvidia’s chips: crypto, NFTs, the blockchain, and now AI. Two years ago, the Macalope joked: The Macalope doesn’t consider himself someone prone to conspiracy theories, but he would not be surprised to find out years from now that Nvidia has been running a powerful psychological ops campaign that dreams up technologies that require its boards to run and then convince venture capital firms to invest in them. Was it a joke? He’s not even sure anymore. Dediu notes: The hyperscalers are now spending 94 percent of their operating cash flows on AI infrastructure. Eeeyow. There are places where AI is reaping some real gains in productivity and utility, such as programming, data analysis, and accessibility. And then there are all the other places where these companies are trying to jam it like a slippery herring into a carburetor. If you’d like to receive regular news and updates to your inbox, sign up for our newsletters, including The Macalope and Apple Breakfast, David Price’s weekly, bite-sized roundup of all the latest Apple news and rumors.Foundry Why are you trying to put it in there, Phil?! It doesn’t belong in there! You’re a terrible mechanic! The Macalope doesn’t know why he brings his car to you! Examples: Customer support? Customers don’t want it. Virtual assistants? Enhanced Siri may be late but enhanced Alexa is out there stumbling around looking for someone to hold its beer. A study showed that in the workplace, far from helping, AI is causing “brain fry”. The Macalope doesn’t really know what that is but it doesn’t sound good. And then there’s generative AI. At least that’s all fun and games, right—oh nooo… “Teens sue Elon Musk’s xAI over Grok’s AI-generated CSAM” (Grok and X, by the way? Still on the App Store, in case you were wondering.) Ultimately, however, Apple seems to be mostly taking the same stance with AI that it took with Dropbox. “You’re a feature, not a product.” So far, that seems 100 percent correct. Every attempt to make AI a product has failed or is having a lot of trouble getting off the runway. “OpenAI, Jony Ive AI hardware faces reported delays” “Uh, so far every prototype we’ve made has exploded inside the hangar. One of them exploded before we had even made the device. The artist’s rendering exploded. I don’t even know how that happens.” The one thing Apple definitely did do wrong was promising Apple Intelligence features it could not deliver and may not be able to any time soon. If Apple had simply said “Our devices are ready to fully support on-device models from whatever vendors want to work with us to retain privacy. Our software will also hook into cloud-based AI for customers who want more.” it might have saved itself some trouble. Apple didn’t miss the AI revolution. It just bet that the winners won’t be the ones who build the infrastructure. All this spending is predicated on big demand for AI products in the future and right now that’s a real uncertainty. On the plus side, can you imagine the first Spirit Halloween that sets up shop in a former AI data center? Just epic.10:16 amHomeKit Weekly: Aqara releases its first Matter camera alongside a new Apple Home enabled wired doorbell | 9 to 5 MacHomeKit Weekly: Aqara releases its first Matter camera alongside a new Apple Home enabled wired doorbell
Aqara just announced two major additions to its smart home security lineup today. They have released the Camera Hub G350, which is the company’s first Matter-certified camera, along with the Doorbell Camera G400. I always look forward to seeing what Aqara does next, as they have been a great way to build out a low-cost smart home for years. These two devices bring so many needed features to the Apple Home ecosystem. more…10:00 amApple @ Work Podcast: Native apps with a cloud backing
Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple. In this episode of Apple @ Work, AJ from Daylite joins the show to talk about native macOS apps, local AI compute, and the future of macOS software. more…08:00 amVisual Studio Pro 2026 is only $43 with this coupon code
Macworld TL;DR: Use code MARCH15 to get Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 for $42.49 through March 29 (MSRP $499.99). Macs are fantastic machines for development, but if you build software that has to run everywhere—Windows, Linux, cloud containers, enterprise environments—you’ve probably crossed paths with Visual Studio at some point. A new version just dropped with deeper AI integration, improved performance, and more powerful collaboration tools. What’s new in Visual Studio 2026? Visual Studio Professional 2026 is a 64-bit development environment, designed to handle massive codebases and complex projects without slowing you down. You can build everything from mobile apps to web platforms and containerized cloud services. Some highlights include: AI-assisted coding with IntelliCode: suggests code based on patterns in your project, helping you write faster and reduce repetitive boilerplate. Cross-platform development tools: build and debug .NET or C++ apps targeting Windows, Linux, and containers, making it useful for mixed-device teams. Live Share collaboration: jump into real-time coding sessions without teammates needing to clone repos or install dependencies. CodeLens insights: see commit history, tests, and authors directly in your editor so you understand your codebase faster. Get Visual Studio Pro 2026 for $42.49 with code MARCH15 (MSRP $499.99). Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026See Deal Want to see more deals? Visit our shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply. StackSocial prices subject to change.06:18 amApple retires a legendary iPhone
The iPhone 5 joins Apple’s obsolete products list. It was a landmark device that introduced the Lightning port and a new design. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)01:27 amYouTuber upgrades MacBook Neo to 1TB, posts ASMR video of the process
YouTube creator DirectorFeng is back with another ASMR-themed video in which they attempt to upgrade the storage on a new Apple device. Watch it below. more…Monday March 1611:26 pmApple’s new AI model recreates 3D objects with realistic lighting effects from a single image | 9 to 5 MacApple’s new AI model recreates 3D objects with realistic lighting effects from a single image
Apple researchers have created an AI model that reconstructs a 3D object from a single image, while keeping reflections, highlights, and other effects consistent across different viewing angles. Here are the details. more…11:03 pmApple has announced 8 new products this month
Apple unveiled and launched seven new products in the first half of March, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, and more. Two weeks after the first product news, Apple returned with one more surprise announcement. more…10:32 pmMimestream 1.9.15
Makes a few adjustments to the Private Bush beta notification feature. ($49.99 annual subscription, free update, 12.5 MB, macOS 12+)10:28 pmChronoSync 12.0.1
Maintenance update with improvements and bug fixes for the synchronization and backup tool. ($49.99 new, free update, 102.7 MB, macOS 10.14+)10:10 pmLittleBITS: Why You Got Multiple Copies Last Week
Adam Engst recounts what went wrong when some subscribers received up to 10 copies of TidBITS last week. Unfortunately, we don’t know why it happened and can only hope it doesn’t recur.09:20 pmApple’s $599 MacBook Neo just broke the laptop market
Apple has just unleashed its most disruptive laptop in over a decade with the MacBook Neo, a strikingly affordable $599 machine… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.09:07 pmWhatsApp is working on ‘guest chats’ for people without accounts
After months of testing on Android, Meta is bringing guest chats to beta testers on iOS and the web. Here’s how it will work. more…08:57 pmiOS 26’s new Phone app has a feature I don’t ever want to go without
Apple overhauled the Phone app in iOS 26 with a new design and added several powerful features, including a new call screening option that I don’t ever want to go without. more…08:51 pmAirPods Max 2 Gain H2 Chip and AirPods Pro Features
After more than five years, Apple has updated its premium over-ear headphones with the H2 chip, bringing features like Adaptive Audio and Live Translation to the AirPods Max while maintaining the $549 price point.08:51 pmProtect all your devices from hackers, trackers and other online creeps
Get a three-year subscription to Surfshark VPN for $67.20 (reg. $430). It covers unlimited devices on macOS, iOS, Windows, Android and more. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)08:42 pmSeverance season 3 gets timing update, new characters teased
Today Deadline shared video from an interview with Severance star Adam Scott in which the actor provided updates on season 3 filming, teased new characters coming, and confirmed the incoming director. more…08:26 pmNew iPhone game controller brings Hall effect precision
Boasting made-for-iPhone certification, the new Serafim S3 Universal Mobile Game Controller boasts console-level control and precision. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)08:19 pmMimms Museum to celebrate Apple’s 50th anniversary with immersive exhibition
Formerly known as the Computer Museum of America, Roswell’s Mimms Museum of Technology and Art will officially open “iNSPIRE: 50 Years of Innovation from Apple” to the public on April 1st. Here are the details. more…08:03 pmApple Watch Ultra 2 dips below $500 in substantial deal
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has seen its price drop to under $500 for the first time since its 2023 debut, offering adventure enthusiasts and… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.