M5 Mac mini and Mac Studio launch timing revealed in new report
Last week we learned that Apple plans to release new M5 Mac mini and Mac Studio models next year, but now thanks to a new report we have a much better idea of when to expect each launch. more…

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AirPods 4 fall to record low $84.99 at Amazon before Black Friday
After launching a sale on AirPods 4 this weekend, Amazon has gone one step further and slashed the price to an all-time best $84.99 as the countdown to Black Friday begins.Amazon has dropped AirPods 4 to the lowest price ever before Black Friday.Early Black Friday deals are heating up on Apple gear, and today we're following a steeper price drop on AirPods 4 to the tune of 34% off.Buy AirPods from $84.99 Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Bundle Hunt Black Friday 2025 up to 90% off: 35+ Mac apps – build your own bundle from $2.50
The 2025 Bundle Black Friday deals is now live. This offer can make for a notable chance to shore up your macOS (or Windows) setup at some seriously discounted prices – you’re looking at a collection of 35 apps (more on this below) from developer tools and a host productivity helpers to analytic suites for power users, and PDF editors, just for starters, many of which at giant price drops. Get a closer look below.  more…

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Three reasons you might have to wait for Car Key support
Apple’s Car Key might seem like a no-brainer. Ditch your bulky and expensive-to-replace car fob and instead simply use your iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock your car. But while you might expect iPhone owners to be eager to use it, and car makers keen to meet this demand, a new report suggests that there are three barriers to wider adoption … more…

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Apple’s 20th Anniversary iPhone to feature front-facing camera hidden under display
A Chinese leaker claimed today that Apple will hide the front-facing camera under the display in its 2027 iPhone, supporting reports that… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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iOS 27 will have three major new AI features, per report
Apple is already hard at work preparing iOS 27 for release next year, and a new report highlights three major new AI features coming in the update. more…

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Apple preps major new satellite connectivity features for iPhones and Apple Watches
Apple introduced Emergency SOS via Satellite with the iPhone 14 in 2022, enabling users without cellular coverage to reach emergency… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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China forces Apple to remove the most popular gay dating apps
Apple has removed two of the most popular gay dating apps in China from its App Store there to comply with a government order. The company gave the usual statement it makes in such circumstances, but did provide little more detail in this particular case … more…

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Best Black Friday iPad deals: What’s live now and what to expect
Macworld Best iPad Deals Available Now! Black Friday isn’t here yet but we are already seeing lots of deals, including these top deals on iPads: $100 off the 11-inch M4 iPad Pro (512GB) at Amazon. $200 off the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (256GB) at Amazon. We also have U.K. deals below. Black Friday is nearly here, and if you’ve been waiting for just the right time to buy a new iPad, there’s never been a better time. We’re expecting huge savings on Apple’s tablet this Black Friday, with all-time-low prices likely across the entire product lineup. The savings won’t just be during the four-day Black Friday event. We’re already seeing discounts on iPads, including the newest M5 iPad Pro. We’ll be tracking all the latest deals right here, so be sure to bookmark this page and check back all month long to grab the best Black Friday deal on the model you want. Want a list of all the best Apple deals? Check out our round-up of the best Black Friday deals on Apple products. Best early Black Friday 2025 iPad deals In the run up to Black Friday, Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers in the U.S., U.K., and elsewhere are already slashing prices. Here are the best prices we’ve found so far: U.S. Amazon, iPad (A16, 128GB): $299 ($50 off, MSRP $349) Amazon, iPad mini (A17 Pro, 128 GB): $474 ($25 off, MSRP $499) Amazon, 11-inch M3 iPad Air (128GB): $549 ($50 off, MSRP $599) Amazon, 13-inch M3 iPad Air (128GB): $749 ($50 off, MSRP $799) Amazon, 11-inch M5 iPad Pro (128GB): $949 ($50 off, MSRP $999) Amazon, 13-inch M5 iPad Pro (128GB): $1,249 ($50 off, MSRP $1,299) Amazon, 11-inch M4 iPad Pro (512GB): $1,099 ($100 off, MSRP $1,199) Amazon, 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (256GB): $1,099 ($200 off, MSRP $1,299) U.K. Amazon, iPad (A16, 128GB): £299 (£30 off, RRP £329) Amazon, iPad mini (A17 Pro, 128GB): £461 (£38 off, RRP £499) KRCS, 11-inch M5 iPad Pro (128GB): £979 (£20 off, RRP £999) KRCS, 13-inch M5 iPad Pro (128GB): £1,273 (£26 off, RRP £1,299) Amazon, 11-inch iPad Air (M3, 128GB): £560 (£39 off, RRP £599) Amazon, 13-inch iPad Air (M3, 256GB): £849.97(£50 off, RRP £899) Amazon, 11-inch M4 iPad Pro (512GB): £1,079 (£120 off, RRP £1,199) How to get the best iPad deals for Black Friday 2025: Our Advice  Britta O’Boyle If you’re not sure which model is right for you, read our in-depth iPad buying guide. iPad: Apple updated its cheapest iPad in 2025 with an A16 chip and twice the storage (128GB) of the previous model. At $349, it’s already a fantastic value, but we regularly see prices drop to $300. For Black Friday, we’re looking out for anything under $280, which would be an all-time low sale. iPad mini: The iPad mini was updated in October 2024 with an A17 Pro processor, 8GB of RAM, and twice the storage (128GB). It regularly drops to $399, so we’re hoping to see prices hit a new all-time low of $375 for Black Friday. iPad Air: Apple updated the iPad Air with an M3 processor in 2024, but left it otherwise unchanged. It still comes in two sizes, 11 inches and 13 inches, and has the same gorgeous design. We saw price cuts as high as $150 off for the Prime Day sale, so we’re hoping for even deeper savings over Black Friday. iPad Pro: The iPad Pro was updated in October with an M5 processor, but we’ll spotlight any deals on the M4 model as well, since it’s still fantastic tablet. iPad Accessory Black Friday 2025 deals Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Black Friday is also a great time to find deals on iPad accessories, including the Apple Pencil. To check if the Apple Pencil works with your iPad read: Apple Pencils compared: Which Apple Pencil works with your iPad? U.S. Amazon, Apple Pencil Pro: $99 ($30 off, MSRP $129) Amazon, Apple Pencil USB-C: $70 ($9 off, MSRP $79) Amazon, Magic Keyboard for 11-inch iPad Air(M2/M3): $249 ($20 off, MSRP $269) Amazon, Magic Keyboard for 13-inch iPad Air(M2/M3): $300 ($19 off, MSRP $319) Amazon, Magic Keyboard for 11-inch iPad Pro (M4/M5): $289 ($10 off, MSRP $299) Amazon, Magic Kayboard for 13-inch iPad Pro (M4/M5): $340 ($9 off, MSRP $349) Amazon, Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad: $200 ($49 off, MSRP $249) Amazon, Apple USB-C Charge Cable (2m): $25 ($4 off, $29) Amazon, Apple 35W Dual USB-C compact Port Power Adapter: $39 ($20 off, MSRP $59) Amazon, Apple MagSafe Charger (2m): $45 ($4 off, MSRP $49) Amazon, Apple 35W Dual USB-C Power Adapter: $59 ($0 off, MSRP $59) Amazon, Apple MagSafe Charger (2m): $44 ($5 off, MSRP $49) Amazon, Magic Keyboard with Touch ID & Numeric Pad: $170 ($9 off, RRP $179) U.K. Amazon, Apple Pencil Pro: £119 (£10 off, RRP £129) Amazon, Apple Magic Keyboard case (13-inch iPad Pro): £329 (£20 off, RRP £349) Amazon, Magic Keyboard: £84 (£15 off, RRP £99) Amazon, Magic Keyboard with Touch ID: £129 (£20 off, RRP £149) Amazon, Magic Keyboard with Touch ID & Numeric Pad: £170 (£9 off, RRP £179) Amazon, Magic Mouse (white): £75.98 (£3 off, RRP £79) Amazon, AirTag (4-pack): £92 (£27 off, RRP £119) Amazon, AirTag (single): £28 (£7 off, RRP £35) Does Apple discount iPads for Black Friday? Every year Apple holds a shopping event from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. However, Apple rarely discounts its products and the event consists of gift card offers rather than actual savings. While the Apple Black Friday shopping event is yet to be announced for 2025, we can get an idea of what will be included based on prior years’ sales. For example, we expect that the M5 iPad Pro won’t be included this year because it was just released in October. Get Apple's Black Friday offer (U.S.) Get Apple's Black Friday offer (U.K.) It’s not a bad deal if you want to buy more than one Apple product, as you can use your voucher to make a second purchase, or credit it to your account and pay for all your subscriptions for a few months. If you are looking for bigger deals though you will need to look elsewhere. Here’s how the amounts offered in 2024 compared to previous years. 202420232022iPad Pro$100$50n/aiPad Air$75$75$50iPad mini–$50$50iPad (10th gen.)$50$50n/a Black Friday 2025: Best deals for Apple products Check out these roundups for the best Apple deals: Apple Black Friday sale details Best Black Friday Apple deals Best Black Friday MacBook & Mac deals Best Black Friday AirPods deals Best Black Friday Apple Watch deals Best Black Friday iPad deals Best Black Friday iPhone deals

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Nvidia’s Reign Invites Disruption and an Open-Source Future
Nvidia leads AI today, but open-source challengers and custom chips are rapidly shifting the balance of power in accelerated computing. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

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Are the MacOS 26 Tahoe icons ‘terrible’ and ‘objectively bad’? [Poll]
Apple’s Liquid Glass design language has been controversial, to say the least. But it wasn’t just the glass-themed elements that came under fire. One of the the MacOS 26 Tahoe icons in particular came under fire, with Apple changing the Macintosh HD icon in response. But some suggest the problems go deeper than this, with the macOS 26 icons as a whole described as “terrible” and “objectively bad” … more…

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The front-facing camera will be invisible in a 2027 iPhone, says leaker
It seems a near certainty that Face ID will be embedded into the display of the iPhone 18 Pro, and a new report says that the front-facing camera will likewise be hidden beneath the screen in a 2027 iPhone. That would suggest that a 20th anniversary iPhone could be the first with an all-screen display, free from any form of cutout … more…

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How the Mac’s M1 chip gave it a second life
Macworld Given the choice, Apple would have rolled out its first custom-designed Mac chips on its own terms, probably at a high-profile event in the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park. But given that it was November 2020, the company was forced to release a 45-minute video instead. No amount of in-person theatrics would have upstaged the star of that show, the M1 processor. Five years later, it’s clear that the arrival of Apple silicon has utterly changed the trajectory of the Mac. A careful start In that first event (which you can relive in the YouTube video below), Apple announced its first wave of M1 Macs: the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini. The Macs themselves all used the same design as their Intel predecessors, as Apple wrapped potentially scary new technology in completely familiar shapes. Then the results of the first M1 speed tests arrived, and nothing felt scary anymore. Everything was fast, much faster than Intel, so much faster that even software compiled for Intel running in a code-translation layer via Rosetta ran just fine. In fact, the M1 was such a fast chip that, five years later, Apple’s still selling the M1 MacBook Air. (For $599, at Walmart.) And it’s still a pretty nice computer! Apple’s next trick was rolling out new versions of (almost) every Mac model, redesigned for Apple silicon, as well as an entirely new model, the Mac Studio. The new chips, new designs, and a pandemic-fueled increase in people working from home all sent Mac sales soaring. The five years before the arrival of Apple silicon were the five best years in the history of Mac sales to that point, averaging $25.5 billion a year. It was a pretty scary move to pull the rug out from under the Intel Mac era, but Apple’s move was vindicated: The first five years of Apple silicon are now the five best years in the Mac’s history. Mac sales were up nearly one-third compared to the previous five-year period, to $33.7 billion a year on average. So it went pretty well, especially considering the huge question that hovered over Apple’s entire plan to switch to its own processors: could a chip designed for a phone ever possibly power a Mac?! Pro considerations It’s been five years since the Apple silicon era arrived for the Mac, but of course, Apple had been using its own chip designs for a decade before that in the iPhone and iPad. During that decade, Apple’s chip team made a lot of decisions that made sense for mobile devices, including optimizing for power efficiency and building a tightly integrated shared-memory system into the chips themselves, which itself necessitated also integrating graphics processing into the main chip. How would that scale to the exacting needs of pro-level Mac users? Before the M1, Apple issued A12Z-equipped Mac minis to software developers for writing software to Apple silicon Macs.Wikipedia Apple’s first step was actually to build a better processor for the iPad Pro. Starting with the A8X in 2014, Apple built five generations of iPhone chip variants with extra processor cores and other features that weren’t necessary on an iPhone, but might be required on a high-end iPad. The final one of those chips, early 2020’s A12Z, was not coincidentally the chip put in a Mac mini case and provided to developers in the summer of 2020 as an Apple silicon test environment. Then, after the M1, which perfectly powered an array of Apple’s lower-end Macs, Apple had another shoe to drop: the company added Max and Pro chip designs, which dramatically increased the number of processor cores and available memory. And, it turns out, that if you take a phone-forward chip design and load it up with CPU and GPU cores and speedy integrated memory, it will actually work pretty well in higher-end Macs. (The downside: user-installable RAM and outboard graphics cards are no longer an option.) Varying the playbook After the M1 generation, a lot of us keen observers of Apple figured the company’s chip roll-outs would follow that same pattern. But it hasn’t been so simple. Some chip levels come and go, sometimes all the chips are announced at once, while other times they’re rolled out in batches. On the engineering front, things are also different from generation to generation. One year, Apple might upgrade the CPU or GPU cores, or throw in a new Neural Engine. The M1 Pro and Max designs felt of a kind, but in later generations the Max came into its own while the Pro became more like a mid-tier upgrade to the base-model chips. Maybe it’s not surprising that Apple keeps mixing it up. That decade of iPhone chip design was a great base, but certainly in five years, it’s learned a lot about what needs to be done to satisfy Mac users. Apple has even figured out how to load high-end chips up with enough RAM to satisfy even hungry AI processing loads, despite its choices to keep that memory as tightly integrated into the chip design as possible. The result of all of this is, though every generation has its quirks, Apple has managed to not drop the ball after the gigantic leap from Intel to M1. Every generation of M-series processors has offered impressive speed boosts. Apple’s CPU cores just get 10% to 30% faster every generation. The GPU cores got faster in all but one generation–and in that generation, overall graphics performance still got faster because the chips all had more GPU cores. Jason Snell Through performance improvements and by increasing the number of processor cores, Apple has managed to relentlessly improve the speed of Mac processors to the point where the just-released base-model M5 processor is roughly twice as fast across the board as the first M1. Rectifying an error If there’s one aspect of the future of computing that Apple’s chip designers missed, it’s AI. But even that’s not really accurate, as Apple’s been shipping what is now generally known as an NPU, or Neural Processing Unit, for more than a decade–it’s called the Neural Engine. Apple’s miss was its assumption that the Neural Engine would be enough to handle machine-learning tasks. And while the Neural Engine definitely gets a workout and keeps getting improved, the unexpected rush to AI in the tech industry also meant that a lot of AI software was written to use CPU and (especially) GPU cores rather than a dedicated NPU. Chip design can take a long time, but Apple reacted to the trends in AI pretty quickly. The M4 chip design added “neural accelerators” to improve AI jobs happening on its own CPU cores, and the new M5 design adds those accelerators to GPU cores. Apple’s chip designers knew AI processing would be a thing, but they needed to adapt to where that thing was actually happening–and they did. The victim of Apple silicon There’s one victim of Apple silicon: the Mac Pro. While Apple still ships a Mac Pro, its performance matched the performance of a Mac Studio with the same Ultra-class processor. The Mac Studio recently got an upgrade to the M3 Ultra, but the Mac Pro remains… a product in Apple’s line-up. While most Macs have evolved to be perfect fits for Apple’s chip strategy, the Mac Pro–a traditional PC tower–feels very much like a device from a previous age. It’s unclear if there will ever be another update, or why anyone would choose it over a Mac Studio equipped with a similar Ultra-level processor. The Mac Pro is a misfit in the Apple silicon Mac lineup.Foundry Never say never. If the last five years have taught us anything, it’s that there’s usually another Apple silicon plot twist waiting right around the corner.

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Under-display selfie camera and Face ID pushed back to 2027
The latest rumor concerning the iPhone screen says that that Dynamic Island will finally disappear in the iPhone 20 Pro as Apple introduces an under-display camera and Face ID sensor.We may get to say goodbye to the Dynamic Island with the iPhone 20 ProThere has been a continual back and forth of rumors concerning Apple moving its front-facing selfie camera underneath the iPhone display. Recently, leaker Digital Chat Station claimed that Apple was not going to do this, and instead would have a small hole-punch style design.Now the same leaker is back saying that Apple will get the camera under the display — but in 2027. Writing on the Chinese social media site Weibo, he or she said (in translation) that "the under-screen front-facing plan of Apple's straight board machine is in 2027." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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When we need it the most, Apple is starting to Think Different again
Macworld Welcome to the latest instalment of the popular gameshow “AI, or just crap?” Okay, it’s the first instalment, but stick with me. Our contestant this week is the new illustrated edition of A Feast For Crows by George RR Martin, which has faced a mid-size backlash for the quality of its artwork. The images get important details wrong (or leave them out entirely), in some cases look remarkably similar to actors from the TV show or unofficial fan art, and have the usual anatomical peculiarities, generic expressions, and lighting characteristic of generative AI. Numerous one-star reviews complain about the use of AI, which, given the author’s position on the technology, would seem extraordinarily tone-deaf. (A Redditor has exhaustively detailed the reasoning behind this accusation, but an earlier thread was taken down presumably for legal reasons so apologies if it’s not there any more by the time you read this.) To be clear, we don’t know if AI was used in the making of the book (although, as one reviewer observes, it would almost be worse if it wasn’t). But such arguments are becoming tediously commonplace. Time and time again, companies, thrilled by the idea of saving money and chasing the zeitgeist at the same time, have the brainwave of firing their artists and getting the work done, horribly, by AI. The future of art, not for the first time, is at stake. Which made it particularly interesting last week to hear that Apple took a radically different approach when making a new identity for its rebranded Apple TV (formerly TV+) streaming service. Rather than getting it done by AI or even CGI, the company used a glass model and human ingenuity. How quaint. Compare this Luddite behavior with Coca-Cola, which has again used generative AI to make an awful Christmas ad this year; Nike, which used AI at the start of this year to simulate Serena Williams playing awful tennis against herself; or Vodafone, which earlier this fall employed an AI spokesperson to advertise a promotion awfully. This isn’t just surprising because it bucks the trend of the currently AI-obsessed advertising and marketing industries as a whole. It goes against Apple’s own recent habits, too. The company is just as obsessed with AI as anyone. It might not be doing very well with its efforts in that department, but you can be sure they remain a top priority. The M5 chip was heralded last month not for its superior all-around processing powers but as “the next big leap in AI performance,” and only last week we heard that Apple Intelligence is coming for Apple Maps. So what’s changed? Personally, I’m inclined to wonder how much this decision was influenced by the Crush! ad controversy (or, in my view, total non-controversy) last year. If you’ll recall, Apple was widely criticised for putting art supplies, musical instruments, and similar creative objects into a hydraulic press and, well, crushing them completely flat… until an iPad Pro was left at the end. (It seems pretty clear that at least some CGI was involved, but this wasn’t made clear at the time. who knows, maybe that’s actually how each iPad Pro is made?) This simple symbolic conceit was taken as an insult to the creative professions and, in the words of one British actor, “the destruction of the human experience.” Apple, it was assumed, wanted to get rid of art and artists and replace them with a soulless tech device. And Apple, which makes a lot of money selling soulless tech devices to artists who then carry on being artists, hurried to emphasise that it doesn’t want that at all. And now it’s backing this up by making a high-profile marketing tool without the use of any technology at all. Other than, you know, an extremely high-end camera. So no, this probably doesn’t represent Apple turning its back on AI once and for all. It’s a clever bit of Cupertino marketing magic: a nice new identity for Apple TV that grabs publicity by being talked about for its low-tech creation, while also reminding everyone that the company loves artists and certainly doesn’t want to shove them in a hydraulic press. We shouldn’t read much more into it than that. But I will say this. Art is in a tough spot right now. And in a small way, Apple just made a public statement that the quality of art matters, and that we need to support artists. It’s not much, but it’s more than I would have expected when I first used Genmoji on my iPhone. 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. Have your say: The Liquid Glass debate After last week’s article about the death of Liquid Glass, I received lots of emails defending Apple’s controversial design language. Who knew it was so popular? “I actually like Liquid Glass,” said Patrick. “No plans to modify it.” Jay, meanwhile, said he thinks it’s “really cool” and smiles every time he sees it in effect. “I hope it does not go away,” he adds. Charlie, meanwhile, simply told me: “I LOVE Liquid Glass. Just sayin’.” The strongest defence came from Miro. “I myself, for what it’s worth, like Liquid Glass very much,” he wrote. “It’s a step up from a time-worn, seen-it-all GUI which ran its course some time ago. I’m 66 years old and my eyes are far from their prime, but I have no issues reading Liquid Glass. Give it time, David. It may become another Apple failure, as you’ve proclaimed, but maybe even you will be taken by surprise.” But not everyone was on Team Liquid Glass. One reader who asked to remain anonymous wrote in to say: “You have to wonder why Apple always makes these ‘improvements’ mandatory with subsequent reductions, rather than make them opt-in when they’re developed. I’m just an ordinary (though proficient) computer user, not a real techie, and I could tell from the beginning of this thing that it wasn’t going to be very useful or popular.” John too is less than convinced by the interface, and compared it the pros and cons of Windows Vista. “Liquid Glass brings a nice visual touch to what has mostly been the same old design flare,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, it has also made things visually challenging at times, at least for me, a 62-year-old with vision not exactly the best. I am torn between keeping the visual effects enabled or choosing the slightly reduced effect for my eyes’ sake.” More positively, John adds that he is hoping to adjust to the glass effect, “or maybe Apple will fix it more. Still feels like reading a book on a piece of glass.” Trending: Top stories Alex Blake rounds up 7 macOS Tahoe features you might have missed (but need to try). Apple’s $1B Google AI deal will be great for iPhone users. Until it’s not. Apple might actually be doomed if Siri misses another deadline, reckons the Macalope. Mahmoud Itani has 10 awesome ways to use your iPhone’s USB-C port (other than fast charging). These 7 new features make iOS 26.1 a must-have instant iPhone update. These real-world tests will convince you to switch to the M5 MacBook Pro. Podcast of the week All the latest on Apple’s developments with AI and Apple Intelligence, all 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. Reviews corner iPad Pro (M5) review: Still great, now with boosted graphics and AI performance. Moonlock review: We put MacPaw’s new antivirus suite to work. Lemokey L1 HE review: Premium keyboard that’s built to last. VectoTech Rapid 16TB review: Uber vast, decently fast USB SSD. The rumor mill Report: Low-cost MacBook will arrive in ‘the first half of next year.’ Apple plans mysterious November 12 retail store ‘event.’ Hidden iOS 26.2 code points to mystery Apple smart home accessory. The 2nd-gen iPhone Air might fix one of its biggest shortcomings. Video of the week @macworld.com What’s new in iOS 26.1 #ios #iphone #apple ♬ original sound – Macworld – Macworld Friends, it’s time to update your iPhone again! All is revealed in our latest short. You can enjoy all our short-form video on TikTok or Instagram. Software updates, bugs, and problems Apple TV suffers embarrassing outage as ‘Pluribus’ launches. First iOS 26.2 beta hints at new AirDrop feature for secure sharing. Apple tests customizable power button controls in iOS 26.2 beta. This macOS Tahoe 26.1 setting will eliminate embarrassing Clipboard mishaps. 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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When we need it the most, Apple is starting to Think Different again
Macworld Welcome to the latest instalment of the popular gameshow “AI, or just crap?” Okay, it’s the first instalment, but stick with me. Our contestant this week is the new illustrated edition of A Feast For Crows by George RR Martin, which has faced a mid-size backlash for the quality of its artwork. The images get important details wrong (or leave them out entirely), in some cases look remarkably similar to actors from the TV show or unofficial fan art, and have the usual anatomical peculiarities, generic expressions, and lighting characteristic of generative AI. Numerous one-star reviews complain about the use of AI, which, given the author’s position on the technology, would seem extraordinarily tone-deaf. (A Redditor has exhaustively detailed the reasoning behind this accusation, but an earlier thread was taken down presumably for legal reasons so apologies if it’s not there any more by the time you read this.) To be clear, we don’t know if AI was used in the making of the book (although, as one reviewer observes, it would almost be worse if it wasn’t). But such arguments are becoming tediously commonplace. Time and time again, companies, thrilled by the idea of saving money and chasing the zeitgeist at the same time, have the brainwave of firing their artists and getting the work done, horribly, by AI. The future of art, not for the first time, is at stake. Which made it particularly interesting last week to hear that Apple took a radically different approach when making a new identity for its rebranded Apple TV (formerly TV+) streaming service. Rather than getting it done by AI or even CGI, the company used a glass model and human ingenuity. How quaint. Compare this Luddite behavior with Coca-Cola, which has again used generative AI to make an awful Christmas ad this year; Nike, which used AI at the start of this year to simulate Serena Williams playing awful tennis against herself; or Vodafone, which earlier this fall employed an AI spokesperson to advertise a promotion awfully. This isn’t just surprising because it bucks the trend of the currently AI-obsessed advertising and marketing industries as a whole. It goes against Apple’s own recent habits, too. The company is just as obsessed with AI as anyone. It might not be doing very well with its efforts in that department, but you can be sure they remain a top priority. The M5 chip was heralded last month not for its superior all-around processing powers but as “the next big leap in AI performance,” and only last week we heard that Apple Intelligence is coming for Apple Maps. So what’s changed? Personally, I’m inclined to wonder how much this decision was influenced by the Crush! ad controversy (or, in my view, total non-controversy) last year. If you’ll recall, Apple was widely criticised for putting art supplies, musical instruments, and similar creative objects into a hydraulic press and, well, crushing them completely flat… until an iPad Pro was left at the end. (It seems pretty clear that at least some CGI was involved, but this wasn’t made clear at the time. who knows, maybe that’s actually how each iPad Pro is made?) This simple symbolic conceit was taken as an insult to the creative professions and, in the words of one British actor, “the destruction of the human experience.” Apple, it was assumed, wanted to get rid of art and artists and replace them with a soulless tech device. And Apple, which makes a lot of money selling soulless tech devices to artists who then carry on being artists, hurried to emphasise that it doesn’t want that at all. And now it’s backing this up by making a high-profile marketing tool without the use of any technology at all. Other than, you know, an extremely high-end camera. So no, this probably doesn’t represent Apple turning its back on AI once and for all. It’s a clever bit of Cupertino marketing magic: a nice new identity for Apple TV that grabs publicity by being talked about for its low-tech creation, while also reminding everyone that the company loves artists and certainly doesn’t want to shove them in a hydraulic press. We shouldn’t read much more into it than that. But I will say this. Art is in a tough spot right now. And in a small way, Apple just made a public statement that the quality of art matters, and that we need to support artists. It’s not much, but it’s more than I would have expected when I first used Genmoji on my iPhone. 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. Have your say: The Liquid Glass debate After last week’s article about the death of Liquid Glass, I received lots of emails defending Apple’s controversial design language. Who knew it was so popular? “I actually like Liquid Glass,” said Patrick. “No plans to modify it.” Jay, meanwhile, said he thinks it’s “really cool” and smiles every time he sees it in effect. “I hope it does not go away,” he adds. Charlie, meanwhile, simply told me: “I LOVE Liquid Glass. Just sayin’.” The strongest defence came from Miro. “I myself, for what it’s worth, like Liquid Glass very much,” he wrote. “It’s a step up from a time-worn, seen-it-all GUI which ran its course some time ago. I’m 66 years old and my eyes are far from their prime, but I have no issues reading Liquid Glass. Give it time, David. It may become another Apple failure, as you’ve proclaimed, but maybe even you will be taken by surprise.” But not everyone was on Team Liquid Glass. One reader who asked to remain anonymous wrote in to say: “You have to wonder why Apple always makes these ‘improvements’ mandatory with subsequent reductions, rather than make them opt-in when they’re developed. I’m just an ordinary (though proficient) computer user, not a real techie, and I could tell from the beginning of this thing that it wasn’t going to be very useful or popular.” John too is less than convinced by the interface, and compared it the pros and cons of Windows Vista. “Liquid Glass brings a nice visual touch to what has mostly been the same old design flare,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, it has also made things visually challenging at times, at least for me, a 62-year-old with vision not exactly the best. I am torn between keeping the visual effects enabled or choosing the slightly reduced effect for my eyes’ sake.” More positively, John adds that he is hoping to adjust to the glass effect, “or maybe Apple will fix it more. Still feels like reading a book on a piece of glass.” Trending: Top stories Alex Blake rounds up 7 macOS Tahoe features you might have missed (but need to try). Apple’s $1B Google AI deal will be great for iPhone users. Until it’s not. Apple might actually be doomed if Siri misses another deadline, reckons the Macalope. Mahmoud Itani has 10 awesome ways to use your iPhone’s USB-C port (other than fast charging). These 7 new features make iOS 26.1 a must-have instant iPhone update. These real-world tests will convince you to switch to the M5 MacBook Pro. Podcast of the week All the latest on Apple’s developments with AI and Apple Intelligence, all 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. Reviews corner iPad Pro (M5) review: Still great, now with boosted graphics and AI performance. Moonlock review: We put MacPaw’s new antivirus suite to work. Lemokey L1 HE review: Premium keyboard that’s built to last. VectoTech Rapid 16TB review: Uber vast, decently fast USB SSD. The rumor mill Report: Low-cost MacBook will arrive in ‘the first half of next year.’ Apple plans mysterious November 12 retail store ‘event.’ Hidden iOS 26.2 code points to mystery Apple smart home accessory. The 2nd-gen iPhone Air might fix one of its biggest shortcomings. Video of the week @macworld.com What’s new in iOS 26.1 #ios #iphone #apple ♬ original sound – Macworld – Macworld Friends, it’s time to update your iPhone again! All is revealed in our latest short. You can enjoy all our short-form video on TikTok or Instagram. Software updates, bugs, and problems Apple TV suffers embarrassing outage as ‘Pluribus’ launches. First iOS 26.2 beta hints at new AirDrop feature for secure sharing. Apple tests customizable power button controls in iOS 26.2 beta. This macOS Tahoe 26.1 setting will eliminate embarrassing Clipboard mishaps. 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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Rumor: Apple to incorporate additional satellite-based features into upcoming hardware and software
Apple is betting on satellite access and features for the future. Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and the latest “Power On” newsletter, Apple is looking to incorporate the following satellite-based features into its operating systems: Apple’s current satellite connectivity features are available for free, albeit it’s rumored that Apple will set up subscription-based plans between the […] Source

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Turn your Mac into a PDF command center with this app, now $60 off
Macworld TL;DR: Get lifetime access to PDF Expert Premium for Mac for just $79.99 (MSRP $139.99) and handle every PDF task from editing and signing to converting and merging all in one app. If your digital workspace runs on Mac, there’s no reason PDFs should slow you down. PDF Expert gives your computer the boost it deserves—an all-in-one PDF editor designed to help you edit, sign, annotate, merge, and convert files with effortless precision. Whether you’re updating contracts, signing documents, editing reports, or adding comments to a team presentation, this Mac-exclusive tool makes it all smooth, intuitive, and lightning-fast. Built using Apple’s latest technology, PDF Expert’s minimalist interface hides a seriously powerful engine that handles everything from heavy legal docs to image-heavy files without breaking a sweat. It’s not just about editing—you can fill out forms, secure sensitive data, and even use OCR to turn scanned text into searchable, editable content. And with a one-time payment (no subscriptions), you can finally say goodbye to recurring fees while keeping your productivity high and your workflow simple. Get lifetime access to PDF Expert Premium for Mac for one super-reduced payment of $79.99 (MSRP $139.99). PDF Expert Premium Plan: Lifetime Subscription (Mac)See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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The Apple Watch Series 10 42mm GPS Is $119 Off
Amazon has the Apple Watch Series 10 42mm GPS marked $119 off. The Apple Watch Series 10 features a bigger display that gives the user 30% more screen area with much more comfortable and lighter design. The watch can give you insight on your health allowing you to use the Blood Oxygen App, take an […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple Informed By TSMC On Price Increase
TSMC, a chip maker, has been making it known to their big clients like Apple about increases in price. yeux 1122, an aggregator and leaker, reported that TSMC has started talking to their big clients about price increases that are impending for their advanced processes for fabrication which are less than 5 nanometers like the […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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