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- Thursday February 26
- 03:07 pmToday in Apple history: iTunes becomes No. 2 music retailer in US
On February 26, 2008, the iTunes Music Store became the second-largest U.S. seller. It proves Apple transformed the music industry. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)03:07 pmApple TV unveils first look at ‘Star City,’ the new space-race drama from the creators of ‘For All Mankind’ | Mac Daily NewsApple TV unveils first look at ‘Star City,’ the new space-race drama from the creators of ‘For All Mankind’
Apple TV on Thursday unveiled a first look at “Star City,” the new, highly anticipated drama from award-winning creators Ben Nedivi… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.03:00 pmHow to move and delete apps on Apple CarPlay
Ever wish you could rearrange or delete apps from CarPlay? It turns out you can, although it works differently than rearranging your iPhone Home screen. The trick is in the Settings app on iPhone. Just don’t try to do this while driving. You don’t even need to be connected to CarPlay for it to work. more…02:46 pmTim Cook takes to X to tease a big week of launches
Tim Cook has posted to X a tantalizingly brief message about the start of March, saying that at long last, there will be multiple products debuting.Tim Cook at Apple ParkEver since selected people were sent invitations to an "Apple Experience" taking place on March 4, 2026, it has been presumed that the company is about to make at least five announcements. Now Tim Cook appears to have confirmed this, with a post to X using the hashtag #AppleLaunch.A big week ahead. It all starts Monday morning! #AppleLaunch pic.twitter.com/PQ9gM2Gl2r— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) February 26, 2026 Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums02:45 pmHive AI’s collaborative tools handle writing, research and more, all in one place
Hive AI is part workspace, part AI-integrated project manager, and a lifetime subscription is on sale for $79. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)02:23 pmEver heard of a concrete keyboard for Mac? Well, now you have.
New Keychron K2 HE concrete or resin keyboards should turn a few heads. Yes, one's housing is concrete. And the resin one might top it. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)02:08 pmApple in talks with banks to bring Apple Pay to India
Apple is currently in talks with major Indian banks and international card networks to introduce Apple Pay in India, with a potential launch… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.02:05 pmNew Apple product launch starts Monday, Tim Cook confirms
Apple CEO Tim Cook just confirmed that the company will announce new products starting “Monday morning.” This will be the start of a release cycle that includes a hands-on “experience” on Wednesday. 9to5Mac’s Chance Miller will be in attendance in New York City. more…01:53 pmSamsung’s equivalent of Apple Intelligence in the Galaxy S26 seems very underwhelming
Samsung loves to launch new features before Apple, and it has partly done so with the new AI capabilities in the Galaxy S26. The latest version of Galaxy AI seeks to perform many of the same functions as Apple Intelligence. As our sister site 9to5Google notes, however, the experience seems set to prove very underwhelming … more…01:33 pmSamsung’s Privacy Display is the best iPhone feature Apple never made
Macworld At a time when our smartphones store banking apps, passwords, personal messages, and other sensitive data, privacy screen protectors have become a must for many users. These third-party add-ons rely on micro-louver technology to restrict the viewing angle of the display, limiting visibility from the sides. This makes it difficult for bystanders to see on-screen content at an angle, as the light emits in a controlled, forward-facing direction. During its Unpacked event earlier this week, Samsung revealed its Galaxy S26 line. As you’d expect from phone manufacturers at this point, the keynote heavily revolved around performance gains and AI features. Perhaps the most jaw-dropping highlight, however, was the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s new Privacy Display, which mimics the aforementioned screen protectors natively. If Apple truly cares about iPhone users’ privacy, it needs to steal this ingenious invention as soon as possible. How Privacy Display works So, did Samsung just pre-install a privacy screen protector on the Galaxy S26 Ultra to save its customers $20? Far from it. Privacy Display does not rely on an external layer or filter to achieve the intended goal. It has been engineered on the pixel level, dictating how the screen emits light in the first place. Smartphone displays are typically made up of wide pixels, which emit light outward in multiple directions. This enables you to view on-screen content even when you’re not strictly facing the device. Here’s where Samsung applied its magic. Samsung’s Privacy Display limits the field of view for sensitive content on your phone.Samsung The Galaxy S26 Ultra is the first smartphone to feature what Samsung calls the Black Matrix. Marketing lingo aside, the technology essentially narrows a pixel’s light path using a ring, directing more of the light forward—rather than allowing it to scatter outward. This produces a narrow pixel that behaves in a restricted manner. To make the feature dynamic, Samsung had to incorporate both wide and narrow pixels in its latest flagship phone. When Privacy Display is on, narrow pixels become the primary source of light, reducing visibility from an angle. Toggling it off enables both pixel types to work in tandem, restoring regular light emission. To see it in action is truly mind-blowing. Why Privacy Display wins Now, you may be wondering why iPhone users should care about Privacy Display when screen protectors can seemingly achieve similar results for just a few bucks. Mainly, Samsung’s implementation is neither permanent nor universal. You can toggle the feature on or off using the Quick Panel (Samsung’s Control Center) or tie it to daily schedules or routines. For example, the screen can behave normally when you’re at home and switch to private mode when you’re out and about. More importantly, you can have Privacy Display conceal specific portions of the screen, such as incoming notifications, banking apps, password fields, etc. This maintains your phone’s proper illumination while still blocking others from viewing private content of your choosing. The S26 Ultra can customize when Privacy Display appears.Samsung It is also worth noting that privacy screen protectors come with a few caveats. For starters, they make the screen a little thicker and tend to dim the brightness and alter the colors’ accuracy. They can also make the screen less responsive to touch input and interfere with some features. Samsung’s implementation achieves similar results while maintaining the image quality and the phone’s functionality. Once it becomes a default on all smartphones in the coming years, no one will want to look back. The innovation race Apple’s unwillingness to take risks is slowing down its innovation. Even as an iPhone enthusiast, I can’t help but acknowledge how mundane Apple’s product launches have generally become. Despite maintaining its status as a trendsetter, Apple has been lagging behind its competitors in terms of breakthrough technology and features. Sure, it is doing wonders with its silicon, but performance means little when the rest of the device is so tediously uninspiring. Privacy Display is objectively an actual, transformative screen innovation in a way the iPhone 18 Pro’s smaller Dynamic Island won’t be.01:24 pmApple continues to casually dominate gaming
Macworld Apple might not always seem to understand PC gamers, but it remains a hugely dominant force in that market. Newly published research shows that in 2025, the App Store made significantly more money from games than the other two major platforms combined. According to SensorTower’s State of Gaming 2026 report, which recounts key findings from the previous year and predicts what we can expect in this one, the App Store made gross revenue of $52.5 billion in 2025, compared to just $30 billion for Google’s Play Store and $11.7 billion for Valve’s Steam platform. Steam is doing its best to catch up–its revenue was up 13 percent on the previous year, whereas Google and Apple saw growth of just 2.8 percent and 0.6 percent respectively—but Apple retains its massive lead in the market. (Just as a note on methodology: SensorTower says its revenue figures for the App Store and Google Play are based on IAPs within games rather than the cost of the games themselves, presumably because the vast majority of apps sold are free. They include both the money made by the games publisher and the percentage skimmed off by the platform holder.) Interestingly, while Apple is ahead on revenue, it’s a long way behind on volume. SensorTower reports that a whopping 81 percent of downloads in 2025 were on Google Play (that’s all games, not just mobile), compared to 15 percent for Apple’s App Store. The difference is that iPhone owners are far more likely to spend money. Services, the category of revenue which includes the App Store along with subscription services such as Apple Music and, relevantly to this discussion, Apple Arcade, is a cherished source of income for Apple because it scales so efficiently. There aren’t supply issues when the product is purely digital, and as such, Services is the company’s second-largest revenue generator after the iPhone, and topped S30 billion in the last quarter. All of which should explain why Apple is so reluctant to allow developers to direct users through their own payment systems in order to reduce or avoid the App Store revenue cut. A few years back a court ordered the company to allow “buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to [external] purchasing mechanisms,” but its response was to place a fee on purchases made outside the App Store as well as on those made within. This policy, which calls to mind an old Onion article about American Airlines charging non-passengers, did not go down well with the judge. But you can kind of see why they were tempted to try.01:15 pmRAM supply is so tight, Samsung may be charging Apple double
Apple has reportedly agreed to pay Samsung double what it used to for DRAM chips, the memory used in iPhones and Macs — even though it may not have needed to just yet.Examples of older DRAM modules — image credit: SamungMassive worldwide demand for AI servers has meant all manufacturers having a hard time securing what they need in memory, storage, and processors. It's also meant Apple losing its previous ability to negotiate low prices and long-term deals.The latest example of the pressures Apple and others are under concerns buying DRAM supplies from Samsung. DRAM is used as RAM in the iPhone and Apple Silicon Macs, and according to Dealsite, a South Korea financial news publication, Apple has just agreed to pay double what it has before. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums01:08 pmApple Home Key comes to everyone, everywhere with Aliro launch
After years in development, the Connectivity Standards Alliance has announced the release of the 1.0 version of Aliro, bringing an Apple Home Key-like experience to everyone.Aliro brings the Apple Home Key experience to other ecosystems with this new open standardThe Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) is a member-driven organization that develops the Matter smart home standard. Matter was designed to enable smart home devices to work across different ecosystems, and Aliro is a new specification within that framework.Not much has been shared about Aliro since the original announcement. Recently, interest has increased as manufacturers prepare Aliro-compatible products, such as those showcased at CES 2026. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums01:03 pmInstagram will notify parents if their child searches for self-harm content
Instagram has said that it will begin notifying parents if their teenage child “repeatedly” searches for content related to self-harm or suicide. The announcement follows Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifying in court in response to claims that Instagram content had led to self-harm by children … more…01:00 pmBacked by Apple, Aliro 1.0 aims to do for enterprise access control what Matter did for the smart home | 9 to 5 MacBacked by Apple, Aliro 1.0 aims to do for enterprise access control what Matter did for the smart home
Enterprise access control is what I would consider “legacy” technology. A lot of the systems are Windows-based and look like a fancy Access database. On top of that, you are still dealing with physical cards. It is a fragmented mess for users and an onboarding nightmare for IT departments as well. Today, the Connectivity Standards Alliance is stepping in to fix that with the official release of the Aliro 1.0 specification aiming to create a standard for how mobile devices unlock doors, badge in, etc. more…12:39 pmSketchy report claims Apple fell for Samsung negotiating ploy on memory
Apple almost always gets the better part of any negotiation with its suppliers, but a sketchy report claims that this wasn’t the case when it came to buying RAM from Samsung. The report says Samsung had asked for a 100% increase in price, expecting to negotiate down to 60%, but Apple’s desperation was such that it agreed to the first demand … more…12:26 pmBMX SolidSafe Air 5K Review: The thinnest Qi2 magnetic power bank we’ve tested
Macworld At a glance Pros Super slim Impressive battery power Our Verdict The SolidSafe Air is easily the slimmest semi-solid-state 5K Qi2 power bank you can buy—indeed, in our experience, it’s the slimmest magnetic wireless power bank full stop. And it impressed us in our iPhone recharging tests. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When Reviewed$59.99 Best Prices Today: BMX SolidSafe Air 5K Solid-State Qi2 Power Bank Retailer Price BMX $59.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket I still own power banks that I struggle to grip in one hand. Such items lurk in the bottom of a cupboard awaiting only the end of days rather than a long train journey or city break vacation. Batteries have been getting smaller for years, but recent advances have slimmed phone power banks to shirt-pocket size. Solid-state electrolytes are replacing flammable liquid electrolytes with more stable, efficient materials that allow for smaller, more compact, and safer battery designs. While we haven’t tested any fully solid-state power banks, we have been seeing semi-solid-state cells where flammable liquid is reduced to a fraction of that found in standard lithium-ion batteries. It’s not all about size—these batteries are safer and should last significantly longer with a greater number of cycles before the battery degrades. BMX Size matters: How thin is it compared to other Qi2 power banks? But size does matter when you’re carrying the power bank in your pocket or backpack. BMX, not the little trick bicycle ridden by kids and hipsters but a company called Better Mobile Xperience, has just released a new magnetic wireless power bank that it claims is the “world’s thinnest” 5,000mAh Qi2 power bank. The SolidSafe Air 5K doesn’t stray far from the usual length and width of today’s magnetic wireless power banks (4.1 x 2.8 inches / 103 x 70mm), but when it comes to depth (or height, however you look at it) it is truly tiny at just 0.27 inches (6.8mm). In comparison, the iPhone Air is only slightly thinner at 5.6mm, with a 3149mAh (12.4Wh) battery capacity. While we haven’t tested every single wireless power bank model that exists, we pride ourselves in checking out all those from our most trusted power brands, including Anker, Ugreen, Belkin, EcoFlow, Baseus, Kuxiu, ESR, Statik and more. The margin might be coming down in size, but the SolidSafe Air 5K does indeed live up to BMX’s claim. The closest we have measured in terms of slimness are: BMX SolidSafe Air 5K: 6.8mm Anker Nano 5K MagGo Slim: 8.6mm Vonmählen Evergreen Mag 5000mAh: 8.6mm PhoneSuit Elite Mag Slim 5K: 8.9mm Baseus PicoGo Ultra-Slim 5K: 8.9mm Kuxiu S2 5K (also semi-solid state): 10mm Infinacore M3 Mini 5K: 10.6mm Clearly, the SolidSafe Air is the thinnest 5K magnetic wireless power bank that we have tested. Simon Jary Weight matters too What about its weight? When it’s on your person or in the bag you are carrying, weight is as important as size; if not more. The SolidSafe Air weighs 4.1oz (116g); to compare, the iPhone Air weighs 165g. Let’s compare that to our other slim power banks mentioned above. BMX SolidSafe Air 5K: 4.1oz (116g) Anker Nano 5K MagGo Slim: 4.3oz (122g) Vonmählen Evergreen Mag 5000mAh: 4.34oz (123g) PhoneSuit Elite Mag Slim 5K: 3.88oz (110g) Baseus PicoGo Ultra-Slim 5K: 3.77oz (107g) Kuxiu S2 5K (also semi-solid state): 6.14oz (174g) Infinacore M3 Mini 5K: 3.88oz (110g) The SolidSafe Air is therefore not the lightest power bank we’ve tested. That honor goes to the Baseus PicoGo Ultra-Slim. However, we don’t think 0.32oz or 9g is going to be noticeable by anything other than a set of precision scales. BMX Design: Does the slim design affect battery life or charging speed? The SolidSafe Air is so thin that the magnetic coil must be raised a little from the otherwise flat surface of the power bank. Looking at the distance between the USB-C charging port and the sides makes me think it will be nearly impossible to get any thinner—but, fear not, someone will. BMX It’s available in a choice of three colors: Titanium Gold, Titanium Black, and Titanium Silver. Add in a Sky Blue model and the iPhone Air models would all be matched. BMX has certainly tried to create a power bank thin enough for the iPhone Air users. The battery indicator is the standard set of four LEDs to let you know how much power is left in the power bank’s battery. One of the thinnest power banks we’ve reviewed is the PhoneSuit Elite Mag Slim 5K, and this boasts a digital percentage display, which is far more accurate, but such display on a 5K power bank is are, and to its credit, the SolidSafe Air’s LEDs are brighter than most. The SolidSafe Air is reinforced with titanium to make it more durable against impact. That combined with the safer semi-solid electrolytes should make the power bank inherently safer than most power banks. Semi-solid-state cell technology reducing flammable liquid content improves thermal stability and lowers fire risk compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries. It should also mean the SolidSafe Air can be charged, discharged and recharged many more times than a traditional lithium-ion power bank. Performance also matters The 5000mAh (milliamp hour) battery is rated at 18.5Wh (watt hours). This is the sweet spot for a power bank that is lightweight and slim but still has enough capacity to offer a decent iPhone recharge. Remember the iPhone Air’s battery capacity is 3149mAh (12.4Wh). The closer match is the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 5088mAh (20Wh) battery. Find out your iPhone’s battery capacity in our long list. We test power banks by running down an iPhone 16 Pro to 0% and seeing to what percentage the power bank can take the phone’s battery. In this test the BMX SolidSafe Air 5K achieved an impressive score of 89%, among the highest of all the magnetic wireless power banks we have had in the Macworld Labs. Simon Jary The SolidSafe Air employs the Qi2 magnetic charging technology, so can supply up to 15W of power wirelessly. Some larger 10K power banks—such as the Kuxiu K1, Baseus PicoGo 25W 10K, Ugreen MagFlow and Sharge Icemag 3—use the newer Qi2.2 tech that can handle 25W for compatible iPhones (iPhone 16 and later). 25W should charge an iPhone (16 or later) from 0-50% in around half an hour, while 15W takes about 45 minutes. We are still waiting for a 5K power bank that is as fast as 25W. Use the charging port with a cable (USB-C to USB-C for iPhone 15 and later, USB-C to Lightning for older iPhones) to gain a little faster 20W of power. A neat function is simultaneous wired (using a cable in the power bank’s charging port) and wireless charging. Via this method you get 10W wired plus 12W wireless for 22W power—not so far off the 25W that Qi2.2 would have supplied. The power bank itself is charged at up to 15W, which is quite slow in comparison to others that have input speeds of between 18-30W. if charging overnight or not in a hurry, this shouldn’t matter. A full recharge of the power bank should take around 2 hours. Price The SolidSafe Air 5K Solid-State Qi2 Power Bank is available on the BMX website for $59.99, with Amazon sales starting at the end of March. For alternatives check our reviews of the best magnetic wireless power banks. Should you buy the BMX SolidSafe Air 5K Solid-State Qi2 Power Bank The titanium SolidSafe Air is wafer-thin and can slip into a shirt pocket without worrying the stitching. You can charge your iPhone (12 and later) wirelessly at 15W or 22W when using both wired and wireless outputs, which is fast. There are power banks that recharge themselves faster, and power banks with smarter battery displays, but the BMX SolidSafe Air is easily the slimmest semi-solid-state 5K Qi2 power bank you can buy—indeed, in our experience, it’s the slimmest magnetic wireless power bank full stop.12:03 pmApple Pay set for biggest ever expansion, likely to boost iPhone sales
Apple Pay has reportedly grown to become the second largest payment processing service in the world after Visa, handling 9.5 trillion transactions for more than 800 million customers. Those numbers now look set for a significant boost as Apple prepares for its biggest ever expansion of its mobile wallet service … more…12:00 pmIndia may finally get Apple Pay by mid-2026
A new report backs up recent claims that India is shortly to get Apple Pay after years of complex negotiations.Apple Pay may finally come to IndiaIn January 2026, it was rumored that Apple was in talks to get Apple Pay in India. Now Bloomberg is reporting which banks Apple is in discussions with, and when it may launch.Apple is said to be in talks with three of the largest banks operating in the country: Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums11:30 amA cheap MacBook is the shakeup Apple’s laptop lineup needs
Macworld Everything we know about the MacBook is about to change. There have been widespread rumors that Apple is about to shake up its laptop range in the most significant way since it introduced the failed 12-inch MacBook in 2015. And after many months of speculation, it now feels like a near-certainty that a budget MacBook powered by an iPhone chip will appear as part of Apple’s March 4 “experience” event. So far, almost all of the focus has been on this laptop itself, and understandably so—Apple has never released a sub-$1,000 MacBook, after all. But the impact of such a device won’t just be limited to the budget market. It will likely spur changes elsewhere in the MacBook lineup as well. Indeed, the new budget MacBook gives Apple the opportunity to rethink the MacBook Air and bring some much-needed upgrades to its mid-range MacBook options, creating space between it and the new budget model while also further distinguishing the Air and Pro lines. Gasping for Air For years, the MacBook Air has occupied the low-end slot among Apple’s portable Macs. It’s got the cheapest price, the lowest-end chips, and the least advanced display. For the majority of consumers, it’s more than enough, and it’s absolutely the best MacBook for most people. But the arrival of a cheaper MacBook will change that perception. Based on rumors, this new MacBook will have a significantly slower chip than the Air, but many of the same characteristics people want in a laptop: price, portability, and battery life. The Air has long checked all of those boxes, but now that something significantly cheaper will be available, Apple needs to reposition the Air as a mid-range device by addressing some of its shortcomings. The MacBook Air is a solid machine for $999, but it’s starting to feel stale.Foundry Primary among those quibbles is the display. Compare the Air’s 13-inch LED display to what you get with the MacBook Pro and the differences are stark. Even if you opt for the larger model, the MacBook Pro offers far superior resolution: 3024 by 1964 pixels in the 14-inch MacBook Pro versus 2560 by 1664 pixels in the 13-inch MacBook Air, or 254 pixels per inch (ppi) compared to 225 ppi. You also get much more in the way of brightness. While the MacBook Air is stuck at 500 nits in all situations, the MacBook Pro can ramp up to 1,000 nits outdoors and 1,600 nits for HDR content. That’s complemented by the Pro’s use of mini-LED technology, which provides much-improved colors and contrast. And finally, there’s the refresh rate. The MacBook Pro’s display is kitted out with Apple’s ProMotion feature, which dynamically adjusts the refresh rate up to 120Hz, depending on what’s on screen, resulting in much smoother motion during gaming, movie watching, and scrolling. Like the non-Pro iPads, the MacBook Air is locked to 60Hz. That all means that the MacBook Air is a categorically budget choice with a display that’s clearly inferior to the one you find in the MacBook Pro, but you get a concession in the form of the price. At $999 compared to the 14-inch MacBook Pro’s $1,599, the MacBook Air is much more affordable, and the tradeoffs are understandable. The M5 MacBook Pro could be redundant with the launch of the low-cost MacBook.Foundry A breath of fresh Air Once the new MacBook arrives, the MacBook Air will no longer be the budget laptop choice. It starts at $999, whereas the new MacBook is expected to cost somewhere around $699. With a price difference like that, the MacBook Air will suddenly become one of Apple’s mid-range Macs. Since Apple already differentiates its laptops with their screens, one way Apple could give the MacBook Air some mid-range attention is by upgrading the Air with ProMotion.That would make a significant difference in day-to-day usage, as higher refresh rates are instantly noticeable and give the Air a much-needed upgrade, not unlike how Apple handled the iPhone 17. And with the MacBook Pro already rumored to get an OLED Ultra Retina XDR display later this year, an Air with a ProMotion LED is an upgrade that steps up the MacBook Air without bringing it too close to the MacBook Pro. Apple’s new MacBook could impact the entire lineup.Eugen Wegmann This realignment of the MacBook lineup comes with another quandary: What should happen to the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro? Right now, this model features a similar M5 chip to the upcoming Air with a Pro display and a few more ports for $1,599, hundreds of dollars more than even the 15-inch Air. With the introduction of the new MacBook, Apple’s laptop roster will start looking a little bloated, especially if the Air gets ProMotion. The entry-level Pro is already a cut-rate machine compared to its Pro- and Max-powered siblings, and the shift in the lineup will only highlight its flaws. And with the rumors of an OLED touchscreen coming later this year, it’s likely the model gets axed, leaving a much clearer lineup. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Apple shuffles the Air lineup, possibly eliminating the low-end chip or bumping the entry-level storage to 512GB for higher price points. So the lineup could look something like: MacBook: $699 13-inch MacBook Air: $1,099 15-inch MacBook Air: $1,299 14-inch MacBook Pro: $1,999 16-inch MacBook Pro: $2,499 With the high-end and low-end all but secured, this is an important time for the MacBook Air. It’s started to feel a little stale, with few exciting improvements since its 2022 redesign. Its lower price has helped it become the go-to MacBook for most people, but with an even cheaper MacBook breaking onto the scene, the MacBook Air will have to work even harder to justify its existence.