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- Tuesday February 10
- 02:31 pmJony Ives’ AI hardware is delayed to 2027 and won’t be called io
The mysterious AI hardware device designed by Jony Ive for OpenAI has been delayed, according to a new court filing. It had originally been scheduled to launch later this year but now won’t ship any earlier than February 2027. The same court paperwork also reveals that the company is no longer planning to use the name io for the upcoming device … more…02:30 pmBought a guitar, learned 3 chords, then stopped? Try this.
Learn the modern way with structured guitar lessons, visual guidance and hundreds of songs with a one-year Fret Zealot All Access Pass. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)02:28 pmiPhone battery life test shows just how much power 5G drains compared to WiFi
It is common knowledge that communicating over WiFi is more efficient than using the 5G cellular network, but by how much exactly? That’s exactly what PhoneBuff set out to measure in its latest battery life benchmark test. Using an iPhone 17 Pro Max, the test simulated general phone usage including texting, web browsing, streaming video, Instagram and FaceTime. Once on 5G, once on WiFi. The final timings are perhaps closer than you’d think. more…02:17 pmThe iPhone is a hit in China, and all it took was a new color
Macworld Apple’s been making an awful lot of money lately, and it’s no secret that the iPhone 17 Pro was a key part of that success. (The less said about the iPhone Air, the better.) But only now are we starting to understand why that handset sold so well, at least in one crucial market. According to the Financial Times, Apple’s record-breaking recent sales in China are in large part due to what might seem like a small and cosmetic change. It’s all to do with the Cosmic Orange finish. “A new vivid orange device has attracted thousands of online posts and videos from fans showing off their new phones,” the publication reports. The latest generation’s design bolstered the iPhone’s value as a status symbol in China by making new handsets more recognisable, the site adds, and the eye-catching color is a key part of that. Aside from being a clear indicator that someone has bought not just a new iPhone but one of the two most expensive models, it’s been dubbed “Hermès orange” because it resembles the signature color used by a luxury brand Apple has worked with many times in the past. There’s even potential for neat wordplay, given that the Mandarin words for “orange” and “success” sound similar. The paper cites the example of Xiao Mei, a model and influencer who made a video posing with the iPhone 17 Pro. “I was instantly drawn to the color,” she said. “It felt very special. Who doesn’t like Hermès orange? The more I look at it, the more I love it.” The new Cosmic Orange finish struck us as surprising and slightly silly (it’s really very orange) when it was first announced last fall, but it appeared to strike a chord with customers. Accessory makers were quick to get in on the act. Just be careful it doesn’t turn pink.02:10 pmHow OpenClaw turns your Mac into an action-based AI agent
OpenClaw lets you run an action-based AI agent directly on your Mac. We walk through installation, setup, and practical ways to use it. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)02:00 pmYouTube TV offers customizable, lower-priced subscription plans
YouTube TV is shaking up the live TV streaming landscape by introducing a suite of customizable, lower-priced subscription options that let… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.01:44 pmAirPods cameras could mean support for Vision Pro-style hand gestures
One of the more persistent and long-standing Apple rumors has been the launch of new AirPods models with built-in cameras. Another leaker added their support for this idea just yesterday. Exactly what role these cameras would perform has been the subject of much speculation, with some suggesting they will be used to support Apple Intelligence visual features. While that is certainly possible, I can’t help wondering whether the reports point to support for hand gestures similar to those used with Vision Pro … more…01:23 pmCosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro really helped China sales
Apple's resurgence in China after a three-year slump was supposedly helped by a color, with the iPhone 17 Pro's bright orange option compared to the hue of luxury brand Hermes.Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro MaxDuring Apple's blockbuster Q1 2026 results, revenue from China reversed a three-year slump in sales, increasing 38% year over year. If analysts are to be believed, it may have had something to do with Apple's color selection.Prominently featured in marketing, the Cosmic Orange colorway for the iPhone 17 Pro line certainly catches the eye. But apparently, in China at least, it has been linked to another luxury brand. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums01:03 pmSorry folks, Liquid Glass isn’t going anywhere
Macworld Reports of Liquid Glass’s death were, it seems, greatly exaggerated. According to a new report, Apple has no plans to move on from the divisive software design for at least another year. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman discusses Apple’s plans for iOS 27 this year, and concludes that, other than a new chatbot version of Siri, it will focus on fixes rather than features. And later in the newsletter he clarifies that this means we shouldn’t expect a new look. In the Q&A segment, Gurman responds to a question about recent personnel changes in Apple’s design team and whether that means the company will rethink its user interfaces. (It’s been speculated that Alan Dye’s departure in December was related to Liquid Glass’s mixed reception.) He argues that it does not. “When [Dye] left for Meta at the end of last year, there was a lot of ink spilled over whether or not this would lead to major UI changes,” he writes. “Perhaps even a shift away from the new Liquid Glass interface. My sense is that this is extremely unlikely.” Gurman’s rationale is that Apple doesn’t make decisions lightly or on the whim of a single employee, and that on a corporate level there is still enthusiasm for Liquid Glass. “[Dye] didn’t develop the iOS 26 interface himself or unilaterally decide to go in that direction,” he explains. “The company still loves it.” As unpopular as Liquid Glass has proved in some quarters, with users complaining that its transparency effects are distracting and can make text more difficult to read, it was always unlikely that Apple would get rid of it completely after just one year. Going back to the iOS 18 style would be an admission of defeat, and producing yet another visual aesthetic so soon would be an enormous ask. (Such radical changes are very rare for iOS. Before iOS 26, the last was iOS 7 in 2013, which also wasn’t universally liked.) As with the initially disastrous Apple Maps, it would be far more characteristic to make a few small concessions or even a mea culpa, and then work to gradually improve rather than start from scratch. Many disgruntled users are more annoyed by iOS 26’s bugs and performance issues than the way it looks, and a stability update, as we’re now expecting this year, might go a long way to getting those users back on side. iOS 27 will be announced and demonstrated at WWDC in June, and then rolled out to the public in the fall. For all the latest news and rumors, bookmark our regularly updated iOS 27 superguide.12:27 pmApple makes four promises to developers about fairer treatment
Apple has responded to complaints that it abuses its dominant position in the iPhone app market by making four promises to third-party developers about fairer treatment. Developers and others are being asked for their comments on the proposals, and the UK’s antitrust regulator says it will be closely measuring the effectiveness of the measures … more…12:15 pmWe need this ‘1984’ MacBook case to be real
Macworld One of the reasons why we’re Apple users is the iconic designs the company uses. For example, the current MacBook lineup has a beautiful design with a distinguished look that’s instantly recognizable and often imitated. Apple has a long history of iconic design, many of which are just beloved today as they were decades ago. Case maker Spigen is looking towards those past designs for inspiration. In an X post on Monday, the company posted a concept image of a MacBook case that takes its cues from the classic Macintosh from 1984. The beige case features an impression that symbolizes the floppy drive, and the bottom of the case has Apple’s classic script “hello” etched into the center. The case also has Spigen’s logo, but portrayed in the six colors of the original Apple logo. The company also posted another concept image of the same case, but with a Bondi Blue design from the original iMac that looks just as cool. a classic concept. should we mac it? pic.twitter.com/7FaM2KPmG4— Spigen (@spigen) February 9, 2026 This is a concept design by Spigen, but if you don’t think it’ll ever see the light of day, you don’t know Spigen. The company has already released an iPhone 17 Pro case with retro styling earlier this year, and it makes iMac-inspired cases and stands as well. So if you’re interested in seeing it as a real product, let Spigen know on its X feed.12:01 pmUK gets Apple and Google to agree to easy App Store changes
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has extracted promises from Apple and Google over their App Stores, really just bringing over the same features already in place in Europe.UK Parliament - image credit: ParliamentWhile the UK is no longer part of the European Union, its regulators have been slowly copying the EU's initiatives regarding Big Tech. In October 2025, for instance, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) designated Apple and Google as having "strategic market status."That's a synonym for the EU's gatekeeper term, and just as with the European Commission, the UK's CMA has given itself the right to regulate Apple and Google. According to Reuters, the CMA has announced that the two firms will now comply with its demands over making app stores fairer. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums11:59 amTwo reasons helped Apple hit record iPhone sales, and they’re both orange
Apple recently reported the best iPhone sales in the company’s history in the final quarter of last year. While the long-term trend has of course been upward, the company revealed a dramatic boost to the numbers. We’ve already seen analysts describe some of the reasons for this, but a new report suggests two additional factors – and both of them are the color orange … more…11:30 amIt’s over. The iPad won
Macworld Harken, if you will, back to a simpler time. A time when the Macalope’s columns were mostly concerned with dunking on people who said ridiculous things about Apple or Apple products. What happened to those days, Carol? We were so young. So full of life. Did you ever finish making that dating app? It was for people in open relationships in gated communities. What a terrible idea. But such was our pie-eyed optimism! The future was spread out before us like a cruise ship buffet, but without the botulism. And we didn’t have to talk about AI all freakin’ day long. Maybe it was all the AI ads the Macalope was forced to watch during the Super Bowl, featuring actual actors embarrassing themselves and the AI-rendered likenesses of actors virtually embarrassing themselves, that put the Macalope in a nostalgic frame of mind. Or maybe it was seeing this bit of current news: iPad Demand Surges as Apple Strengthens Grip on Tablet Market. Here we are 16 years into the iPad’s existence, and Apple’s device that’s “just a big iPhone!” still owns the tablet market that, while it didn’t create, it made a real thing. Omdia says that Apple shipped 19.6 million iPads in the fourth quarter of 2025, representing a 16.5 percent year-over-year increase…The fourth-quarter results increased Apple’s market share to 44.9 percent. Of course, the standard caveats about how good analysts’ estimates are apply (spoiler: not very good), but when you try to think about the last time you saw someone using an Android tablet, you realize these numbers are at least directionally correct if not precise. The fact that Apple continues to have the most market share and surely far more profit share is all wryly amusing to the horny one as he recalls roundly being told how the iPad was doomed because Android tablets were set to surpass it, the same way Android phones surpassed the iPhone.In 2010, one firm said the iPad “failed to convince buyers” after its unveiling because the number of people who said they were uninterested in the iPad nearly doubled. Small footnote to that survey that somehow didn’t make the headline: the number of people who said they _would_ like to buy an iPad tripled. The Macalope’s favorite pundit gag of 2011 was lauding the Motorola Xoom because it had 4G connectivity and the iPad 2 did not. Case closed! Advantage: Xoom! Oh, well, except, ha-ha, small note, just a tiny thing, really: the Xoom didn’t actually have it, either. It was simply promised that, at some point in the future, you’d be able to mail your Xoom in to add 4G to it. And that didn’t happen for seven months. 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 Somehow, despite clearly being a better product in the eyes of pundits, Motorola sadly does not make the Xoom anymore. Or exist, because the company was sold for parts to Google and Lenovo. In 2012, we were told that Android tablets were “beating out the iPad in business and IT.” Oh, no! How did Android fans know? Because of the companies that had not already bought iPads, 44 percent said they were going to buy Android-based tablets. That… um… okay. That’s some real faith-based mathematical analysis, but… You do you. Apart from these people simply reading what they wanted to see in survey results, it’s important to point out that surveys of buying intent are notoriously garbage. So there’s that, too. The Macalope could go on for hours about how wrong pundits were about the iPad (and often does, be glad you don’t know him in real life). But as the numbers above show, this battle is largely over. And the iPad won. This year’s updates will likely be incremental because tablets as a whole are a mature market, and while Apple will wow us every few years by making them even thinner and more capable, the company’s not likely to get huge growth from the category in the future. Don’t fret, though. If you want real innovation in tablets–all sloppy and wet with weird results, like when Chicago invented deep dish pizza — a host of wacky companies are doing some craaazy things with e-ink screens. None are likely to hit the big time like the iPad, but the Macalope has found it fun to watch.11:00 amApple @ Work Podcast: Zero Trust is really a little trust
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, Avery Pennarun joins the show to discuss zero trust in the age of AI, building for technologies that don’t yet exist, and more. more…08:00 amThis lifetime deal brings the modern Microsoft Office experience without the monthly bill — now 60% off | MacworldThis lifetime deal brings the modern Microsoft Office experience without the monthly bill — now 60% off
Macworld TL;DR: This lifetime Microsoft Office 2024 license works for Mac or PC, and it’s on sale for $99.97 for a limited time. The main reason many people stick with Microsoft 365 is access to newer features, especially AI tools — but that advantage is gone. Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business delivers the latest versions of Microsoft’s apps with modern AI integrations, without locking you into a subscription. Instead of paying at least $99.99 every year, you can pay $99.97 once for lifetime access (MSRP $249.99). What’s included: Word Excel PowerPoint Outlook This version provides the latest updates for the core apps. In Word, that includes Focus Mode, which hides extra toolbars, and Smart Compose, which uses AI to suggest text as you write. PowerPoint adds built-in presentation recording with voice, video, and captions. Excel supports dynamic arrays and AI-driven data insights that can pull trends from large spreadsheets and suggest chart types. Outlook improves search and includes an updated accessibility checker that flags unclear language, formatting issues, and missing elements. If you don’t want to pay every month for productivity software you can own, don’t miss this deal. Right now, it’s only $99.97 to get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2024 for Mac or PC. Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC Lifetime LicenseSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.07:26 amChatGPT just crossed a big line by introducing ads
ChatGPT has begun showing ads to Free and Go users in the US, marking the first time a major AI chatbot has embraced advertising. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)04:01 amSpotlight got a huge upgrade in macOS Tahoe, here's how to use it
Apple's Spotlight feature has been around for a long time, but with macOS Tahoe, it enjoyed its biggest update in years. Here's how to make the most of its powerful new features.Spotlight has had a revamp with macOS TahoeSpotlight, never further than a keyboard shortcut away, has long been a quick and easy way to open apps and find files. But some Mac users chose to use more capable alternatives like Alfred and Raycast.Yet now with macOS Tahoe, Spotlight offers many of the same power user features of those apps, without the need to install anything. And because it's built into macOS, it's absolutely free. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums02:13 amDuckDuckGo adds free, encrypted real-time AI voice chat to Duck.ai
For those who choose to use AI as part of their search workflow, the feature is rolling out for free with daily limits, with higher caps for DuckDuckGo subscribers. Here are the details. more…12:17 amA new Apple Watch app for Rivian electric vehicles is in the works
A dedicated Apple Watch application from automaker Rivian is set to enable vehicle locking, unlocking, window adjustment, and much more, even on cars from 2021.Rivian is set to launch a dedicated Apple Watch app.Apple's Car Key feature has let iPhone and Apple Watch owners unlock and start their cars using mobile devices since 2020. The capability is built into iOS and is supported by more than 30 car companies, including Cadillac and other GM brands.However, certain car manufacturers, like Tesla, offer proprietary mobile apps that facilitate the same vehicle locking and unlocking functionality. Now, Rivian is set to be the next brand to introduce a vehicle-related application for the Apple Watch, with added functionality. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums