Apple to employ AI cloud servers using its own processors
Macworld A new Bloomberg report details a project code-named ACDC, for Apple Chips in Data Centers, in which Apple will use its own silicon to provide cloud AI services. Apple is going big on AI with iOS 18 and macOS 15, and while on-device processing will be a big differentiator for the company, more advanced tasks will require the resources of big server infrastructure. According to the report, the plan to use Apple’s own chips for cloud infrastructure began three years ago but has been accelerated due to the need to quickly bring to market advanced AI features. The first AI server chips will be M2 Ultra processors, it says, but there are already plans to upgrade to chips based on the M4 series in the future. Apple is expected to perform relatively simple generative AI tasks (like summarizing your missed text messages) on-device, especially those that use your private data which Apple will surely want to ensure stays on your iPhone. The cloud would be used for more intensive gen-AI tasks like image generation or composing lengthier emails. According to the report, the upgraded version of the Siri voice assistant would use cloud processing as well, though we expect simple answers and tasks that use the information contained on your iPhone to still be processed and executed entirely on-device as they are now. The company is expected to use its own data centers at first, but just as it does with iCloud, will augment that with third-party data centers from Google or other partners. We’ll hear more about Apple’s AI plans and products in about one month at WWDC. Apple Inc, iOS, Mac

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Is the Era of Stickers In Apple Boxes Coming To an End?
Citing a memo distributed to Apple Store employees, 9to5Mac reports that the new iPad Pro and iPad Air lineups will not include Apple stickers in the box -- "a key piece of memorabilia" that dates back as far as 1977's Apple II, notes Ars Technica. While the company says that this is part of its environmental goals to completely remove plastic from its packaging, it begs the question: is the era of stickers in Apple boxes coming to an end? 9to5Mac reports: The M3 MacBook Air that launched in March includes stickers in the box, but Apple Vision Pro (which launched in February) does not. Will the iPhone 16 include stickers in the box? Only time will tell. Ars' Andrew Cunningham writes about the origins of the Apple stickers: Apple has included stickers with its products at least as far back as the Apple II in 1977 when the stickers still said "Apple Computer" on them in the company's then-favored Motter Tektura typeface (I couldn't track down a vintage Apple II unboxing, but I did find some fun photos of Apple enthusiast Dan Budiac opening a sealed-in-box mid-'80s-era Apple IIc, complete with rainbow pack-in stickers). I myself became familiar with them during the height of the iPod in the early to mid-2000s when Apple was still firmly a tech underdog, and people would stick white Apple logo stickers to their cars to show off their non-conformist cred and/or Apple brand loyalty. As Apple's products became more colorful in the 2010s, the Apple logo stickers would sometimes be color-matched to the device you had just bought, a cute bit of attention to detail that has carried over into present-day MagSafe cables and color-matched iMac keyboards and trackpads. The report notes that you can still request an Apple sticker at Apple Stores at the time of your purchase; however, Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers don't appear to have them available. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Monitor light bar’s inventor launches ScreenBar Pro
BenQ unveiled the world's first monitor light bar in 2017. Now it's back with an upgraded BenQ ScreenBar Pro and a way to win one. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Apple needed a little bit of help to shoot its ‘Let loose’ event on iPhone
Apple’s “Let loose” special event this week was shot on iPhone, much like last October’s “Scary fast” event. This time around, however, Apple appears to have gotten some help by attaching additional lenses to the iPhones. Apple has confirmed to Stu Maschwitz that this week’s event was shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max, with lenses from Panavision attached for certain scenes. more…

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Everything you need to create the ultimate iPad Pro desk setup
The M4 iPad Pro is capable of being used by many as their primary computer. Maybe you just want the best iPad for PDFs, spreadsheets, note-taking, and other simple tasks. Or perhaps you’re a creative professional who truly pushes the performance of the iPad with video editing work, AI-driven photo edits, and more. If you rely on the iPad to get things done, you may be interested in building an iPad-centric desk setup for your primary workspace. Sure, the iPad’s portability and versatility make it a great computer for lounging outdoors or taking to a coffee shop. But if you can build a true workstation at home or in the office, you’ll need some key accessories to go with it. Here are some of the best accessories to create the ultimate iPad Pro desk setup. more…

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Following Apple’s lead, Big Tech embraces a hallmark of pre-internet stocks
Shareholders aren't just seeing their stock prices swell, they are getting paid too. The dividend, its importance demoted over the past… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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The Apple Pencil 2 is $50 Off
Get a nice deal and a professional-grade stylus in the process. Today, the Apple Pencil 2nd generation is down to just $79 from its original price of $130 on Amazon. The Apple Pencil 2 is the gold standard when it comes to stylus accessories, boasting pixel-perfect precision and the lowest latency around. It’s versatile enough […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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iTunes gets Windows update for new iPad models
The iTunes software for Windows has been updated to 12.13.2 along with support for the newly-released iPad Air and iPad Pro models. The iTunes 12.13.2 update came in recently and had software for recognizing the new iPad Air and iPad Pro models. For the Mac, iTunes has been phased out and replaced with the TV […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple Pencil Pro to have five unique box designs
Apple’s newest Pencil device will have five different box designs. Five different iterations of the word ‘Pro’ will be emblazoned on top of the packaging that comes with the Apple Pencil Pro. It’s said that customers will receive one of the five different designs at random. Pre-orders for the Apple accessory have begun, with customers […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Marvel immersive story heading to Apple Vision Pro
Streaming service Disney+ will be producing exclusive immersive content for the Apple Vision Pro. Marvel Studios recently announced an immersive Disney+ story coming to the Vision Pro. It will be an hour long and connected to the platform’s ‘What If?’ animated series. Furthermore, the exclusive story will be an app for the headset. What If? […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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iPad lineup could have more clarity with one change
With 48 individual iPad configurations available from Apple, there are more choices in the lineup than ever. When simplified, though, the iPad line is divided into four models: iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. As Logan Spurgeon points out, however, there’s one thing Apple could do to really bring clarity to the iPad line. more…

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Apple to power some AI features with via data centers using Apple Silicon
This year, Apple will power some of its upcoming artificial intelligence features via data centers equipped with its own Apple Silicon chips… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Apple’s plastic-free packaging means pack-in logo stickers are going away
Pack-in Apple stickers go back at least as far as 1977’s Apple II.

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New iPad Pro, iPad Air, and M4 chip Apple event reactions
Benjamin and Chance react to all the announcements out of the spring ‘Let Loose’ event, including the radically thin new iPad Pro, the new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air lineup, what to expect from the M4 chip, and how the event compared to their expectations going in overall. And in Happy Hour Plus, Benjamin and Chance reflect on how they feel the video event format is performing for Apple, and whether it makes sense for the company to return to the live keynote style, sometimes. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join. Sponsored by Shopify: Grow your business no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a $1 per month trial at shopify.com/happyhour. Sponsored by Zocdoc: Go to Zocdoc.com/happyhour and download the Zocdoc app to sign up for free and book a top-rated doctor. Many are available as soon as today. Sponsored by iMazing 3: The world’s most trusted tool to manage Apple devices and transfer data from a Mac or PC. Redesigned for the future.  more…

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Apple To Power AI Tools With In-House Server Chips This Year
Apple will deliver some of its upcoming AI features this year via data centers equipped with its own in-house processors, part of a sweeping effort to infuse its devices with AI capabilities. From a report: The company is placing high-end chips -- similar to ones it designed for the Mac -- in cloud-computing servers designed to process the most advanced AI tasks coming to Apple devices, according to people familiar with the matter. Simpler AI-related features will be processed directly on iPhones, iPads and Macs, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plan is still under wraps. The move is part of Apple's much-anticipated push into generative artificial intelligence -- the technology behind ChatGPT and other popular tools. The company is playing catch-up with Big Tech rivals in the area but is poised to lay out an ambitious AI strategy at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10. Apple's plan to use its own chips and process AI tasks in the cloud was hatched about three years ago, but the company accelerated the timeline after the AI craze -- fueled by OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini -- forced it to move more quickly. The first AI server chips will be the M2 Ultra, which was launched last year as part of the Mac Pro and Mac Studio computers, though the company is already eyeing future versions based on the M4 chip Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Comcast launches ‘NOW’ affordable home internet, mobile plans, and more [U]
Comcast is out with some new prepaid connectivity offerings today. The new internet plans are simple and affordable with speeds up to 200 Mbps for home internet and unlimited 5G data for the mobile plans. Meanwhile, NOW TV includes access to 40+ networks for live and on-demand content. more…

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The iPad has come so incredibly far since 2010, and fulfills Steve Jobs' vision perfectly
It's still a sheet of glass, has no serious competitors, and uses radically different technology as you'd expect for a product more than a decade old, but the 2024 iPad still conforms to Steve Jobs' original vision for the product.Steve Jobs demonstrating the original iPadThere is an argument that the new iPad Air and iPad Pro models are merely spec-bump ones, that they are the same as ever, just a bit faster. That does ignore the new screens, or at least the larger one that's been brought to the iPad Air for the first time.It's not an unreasonable criticism, though, until you look back. Comparing the new 13-inch iPad Pro to the iPad Steve Jobs so proudly showed off at the original launch is eye-opening. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Bloomberg: iOS 18 AI features will be powered by Apple silicon-equipped data centers
Coming on the heels of a Wall Street Journal report that Apple was developing its own chips geared toward powering AI-focused data centers, today Mark Gurman at Bloomberg effectively confirmed the report while adding new details of his own. more…

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Apple drops three macOS release candidates in one day
Arriving two days after the rest of the operating systems, the release candidate of macOS 14.5 is now available alongside two older versions for testing ahead of full release.macOS on an iMac and MacBook ProOn Tuesday, Apple handed out the release candidates for iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5, tvOS 17.5, and watchOS 10.5. Two days later, the RC for macOS Sonoma 14.5 has finally showed up.Developers participating in Apple's beta program can secure the latest builds from the Apple Developer Center or by updating hardware already running the betas, using the Settings app. Public beta versions are typically out shortly after the developer variants, and can be signed up to from the Apple Beta Software Program website. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Ahead of new iPads, Apple took 35.2% share of worldwide tablet market in Q1
Apple faced a bit of a lull last year due to the poor economy and the absence of new iPad models and declined 8.5% year over year. The… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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