While there are some who view Vision Pro as a solution in search of a problem, there are at least as many of us who are very attracted to the idea but deterred by the price and comfort issues. I’ve said that if Apple could produce a lighter Vision Air model at $2,000 or less, I would likely find it hard to resist.

Samsung’s Galaxy XR headset has just demonstrated that this is a very realistic prospect. The specs are impressively close to those of Vision Pro, but it’s gone on sale at just $1,800 …

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A few days ago, Apple published documentation for a new framework designed to simplify the transfer of third-party app data between iOS and Android. Here’s how it’ll work.

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Back in the summer, Adobe launched the Indigo camera app in response to complaints about the artificial look of typical smartphone photos, including those from Apple’s stock Camera app. Indigo uses far less aggressive processing in order to give a more natural look, with users saying the results look more like those from a DSLR.

However, weeks after the launch of the iPhone 17, the latest iPhone models still don’t support the app. Adobe has now briefly explained the reason why, and how the company plans to proceed …

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There’s been a lot of doubt about the number of iPhone Air orders being placed by customers, given that delivery times have never slipped between launch and today..

A Nikkei report today adds fuel to the fire, suggesting that Apple has slashed its own orders to suppliers to levels normally only seen as a product winds down to the end of production …

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The iPhone Air has surprisingly good battery life for users with light-to-medium daily usage habits. But if you are going to be away from a charger for a long time, especially going travelling like on a plane, you’ll probably want to carry some extra juice with you.

Apple has made its custom MagSafe Battery for iPhone Air, that fits precisely beneath the camera plateau on the back of the phone. But another big competitor in this space is Anker, with the Anker Nano Power Bank in a similar size promising 5,000 mAH capacity at half the price of Apple’s offering. But how much extra battery life should you actually expect to get from these power banks, and which is best?

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Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports.


The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to ‌iPhone Air‌ production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the ‌iPhone Air‌ selling out within hours of launch in China, the overall reception has apparently been lukewarm in the region.

Combined with weak demand in other markets, sales projections have dropped significantly. Although Nikkei declined to disclose the full extent of the production cut or which suppliers will be affected, it says that the changes may be seen in Apple's supply chain in the coming months.

A new KeyBanc Capital Markets survey for investors reveals "virtually no demand for ‌iPhone Air‌, and limited willingness to pay for a foldable." Demand for other ‌iPhone 17‌ models is said to be healthy but measured, with the mix "continuing to shift toward Pro and Pro Max models." Moreover, AI features have yet to meaningfully influence buying decisions.

Last week, Japan's Mizuho Securities said that Apple will reduce iPhone Air production by one million units this year. Meanwhile, Apple apparently plans to increase production of ‌iPhone 17‌ models by two million units. A separate report claimed that Samsung has canceled plans to release a successor to its own ‌iPhone Air‌ rival, the Galaxy S25 Edge, due to low sales.
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Apple's new Vision Pro with the M5 chip and the Dual Knit headband are assembled in Vietnam, Bloomberg reports.


The original Vision Pro with the M2 chip was manufactured in China by Luxshare, which also makes some AirPods models. The move demonstrates Apple's increasing shift away from China. While it still makes most iPhones in the country, many of its other devices sold in the United States are being produced elsewhere.

Apple's upcoming wave of new smart home devices, including a smart home display, indoor security camera, and tabletop robot, will also be made in Vietnam, according to Bloomberg.

With the iPhone 17 lineup, most models sold in the United States are made in India. Most AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads, and HomePods are now made in Vietnam. An increasing number of Macs are now made in Thailand and Malaysia. Earlier this year, Apple announced plans to make the cover glass for all iPhones and Apple Watches in the United States.



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Samsung today announced the launch of the Galaxy XR, a new mixed reality headset that will compete with the Apple Vision Pro. At $1,800, the Galaxy XR is $1,700 cheaper than the new M5 Vision Pro, but it is much more expensive than Meta's Quest VR devices.


Samsung says that its headset was created with a "human-centric design" that's meant to provide long-term comfort. The headset has a frame design that is supposed to distribute pressure across the forehead and the back of the head, providing support and minimizing facial discomfort. A detachable light shield offers deeper immersion by blocking out light, but the headset can be used without it. The headset weighs 545 grams (1.2 pounds) with the forehead cushion, so it is lighter than the Vision Pro. The Vision Pro with Dual Knit Band weighs between 750 and 800 grams.


Samsung included 4K micro-OLED screens with a resolution of 3,552 x 3,840 and a 109-degree horizontal field of view. There are 29 million total pixels with a 6.3-micron pixel pitch and 96 percent DCI-P3. There's a 72Hz default refresh rate, with 60Hz and 90Hz also available. Included cameras and sensors add support for hand and eye tracking.

The XR is powered by a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip from Qualcomm. There are two high-resolution passthrough cameras, six world-facing tracking cameras, four eye-tracking cameras with iris recognition used for authentication, and a 6.5-megapixel camera for taking 3D photos and videos. The headset also includes five Inertial Measurement Units, a depth sensor, and a flicker sensor. Samsung is selling optical inserts for vision correction separately.

Other features include two 2-way speakers and a six microphone array, Wi-Fi 7 support, Bluetooth 5.4 integration, 16GB memory, and 256GB storage. Like the Vision Pro, the Galaxy XR has a separate battery pack with two hours of runtime (2.5 hours for video watching), but the headset can also be used while the battery is being charged.


The Galaxy XR headset runs the Android XR platform, which Samsung developed alongside Google and Qualcomm. Google's Gemini AI is integrated at a system level, so it can understand the user's surroundings with the Galaxy XR cameras and microphones. According to Samsung, Gemini in the Galaxy XR is designed to feel like a "new type of AI companion."

Here's some of what Samsung says the headset can do:

• Gemini in Google Maps can be used to navigate to any location and users can ask for personalized suggestions about nearby places.


• Users can use natural language to ask Gemini to find the content they want to see on YouTube and get more information about the video they're watching.


• With a passthrough mode, users can see the physical world and draw a circle with their hand to search for information about any object in their field of view.


• 2D photos and videos can be auto-spatialized to add depth and dimension, similar to Apple's spatial photos and videos.


• Shows can be streamed on a 4K screen that feels like a personal theater.


• Sports fans can watch multiple games at the same time.


• With XR games, Gemini offers real-time coaching and tips.

Samsung is working on multiple form factors for future products, including AI glasses. Alongside Google, Samsung has teamed up with Warby Parker for its future smart glasses products, and it is also working with South Korean glasses brand Gentle Monster.


The Galaxy XR is available for purchase in the U.S. starting today from the Samsung website and Samsung Experience Stores. It is priced at $1,799.99, and Samsung has a 24-month financing option.

Early adopters will receive 12 months of access to Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium, and Google Play Pass. Samsung is also selling a Galaxy XR Travel Case and Galaxy XR Controller for $250 each.
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When the updated Apple Vision Pro lands in stores tomorrow with the M5 chip and the new Dual Knit Band, its box label will also feature a key change from the original version: the words “Product of Vietnam”. Here are the details.

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YouTube today began rolling out a new AI likeness detection feature, which lets creators detect, manage, and request the removal of unauthorized videos that use AI to generate or alter the creator's facial likeness.


According to YouTube, the feature is meant to safeguard identities and prevent audiences from being misled by deepfakes.

The likeness detection tool is available in YouTube Studio under a content detection tab. After completing an identity verification process that requires a photo ID and a selfie video, creators will be alerted if there are any AI-generated videos that use their likeness. YouTube Studio will show a list of videos with titles, channel, views, and dialogue, along with an option to request a removal.

The tool supports likeness removal requests for AI videos, and copyright removal requests in case someone has used copyright-protected content without permission.

YouTube creators that are members of the YouTube Partner Program will get access to the likeness detection tool over the next few months. In a statement to TheWrap, YouTube said that the first creators selected to use the feature are those that "may have the most immediate use for the tool." All monetized creators will have access by January 2026.
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Aura, known for its digital photo frames, today announced the launch of the $499 Ink Frame. The Ink Frame is Aura's first color e-paper display, with all other models using LCD displays. According to Aura, the Ink Frame is meant to show photos with a softly lit, vintage look that more closely resembles a printed picture than a digital screen.


The 13.3-inch frame features an E Ink Spectra 6 display with a resolution of 1600 x 1200. Spectra 6 supports six colors, but Aura uses a dithering algorithm to create the appearance of millions of tones. Like Aura's other frames, the Ink Frame supports uploading an unlimited number of photos to Aura's cloud service. Aura users can also have friends and family members send photos directly to a frame with the Aura app.

Because the Ink Frame uses e-paper, it uses little battery, so this is also the first Aura frame that is cordless. The Ink Frame provides up to three months of battery before it needs to be recharged with the included USB-C port and cable. The Ink Frame does not have a backlight, and it instead includes a built-in front light that adjusts to the ambient lighting in the room and turns off in the dark.

Aura says that the Ink Frame automatically transitions to a new photo overnight to maximize battery life, and when rendering each photo, the frame rearranges millions of capsules, causing the screen to flash. It is meant to show just one photo per day, and more frequent updates will impact battery life. Photo transitions take approximately 30 seconds.

The 0.6-inch frame is much thinner than Aura's other frames. It has paper-textured matting and a glossy finish for the image that's displayed, which Aura says makes it look like a classic frame and not a piece of tech. Brightness adjusts automatically to match the ambient lighting of the room that the frame is in.

The Ink Frame can be positioned in portrait or landscape orientation, and it comes with hardware for tabletop or wall mounting. It features a graphite frame with a white paper-like mat.

Aura's Ink Frame is available from the Aura website for $499.
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A few days ago, Apple doubled down on its accusations that Epic Games is trying to undermine the App Store model and profit from Apple’s ecosystem without contributing to it. Today, the company returned to court to try to make its case.

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Streaming prices for HBO are increasing for the third year in a row, with prices increasing by $1 to $2 per month depending on the plan.


The Basic with Ads plan is $1 more expensive at $10.99 per month, while the Standard plan is now $18.49 per month, a $1.50 increase. The Premium plan is $22.99 per month, up from $20.99 per month.

Yearly prices are also going up. The ad-free plan is $110 per year (up from $100), the Standard plan is $185 per year (up from $170), and the Premium plan is $230 per year (up from $210).

Price increases are effective immediately for new subscribers, and existing subscribers will see price hikes when their plans renew.

Warner Bros. Discovery previously increased the price of HBO Max in January 2023 and June 2024, back when the service was still called Max. Before all of the price increases, HBO Max had been priced at $14.99 per month for a Standard plan when it launched in 2020.

Along with the price increase, HBO Max is aggressively cracking down on password sharing. Starting in September, the streaming service began requiring a one-time code for logins from different locations, with users encouraged to pay $7.99 per month to add extra viewers.

HBO Max uses account information, IP address, device ID, and user activity to determine if accounts are used by people in more than one household.

Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix have all seen price increases this year.
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Apple TV has its fair share of strong thrillers, but one of my all-time favorites is easily Hijack, starring Idris Elba. And Apple has just announced the release date for Hijack season 2.

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Curious about the new M5 Apple Vision Pro? Chance Miller spent the last week with the upgraded hardware, including the new strap, which you can read about in his review for 9to5Mac.

Separately, I’ve spent the last few hours using my M2 Apple Vision Pro with the Dual Knit Band, which you can purchase separately from Apple for your existing Apple Vision Pro.

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One of the flagship new features of Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11 is hypertension notifications. But in a welcome surprise, watchOS 26 brings the new hypertension feature to select older Apple Watch models too. Here’s how to set it up, and which models are compatible.

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iOS 26 is a huge update for iPhone, with a Liquid Glass design and lots of new features for built-in apps like Wallet, Messages, and Music. One popular app—Apple Calendar—mostly got overlooked this year, but it did gain one key new advantage: event creation via screenshots.

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Last month, Beats launched several exclusive color options in partnership with select retailers across the US, the UK, and Australia. Now, two more have arrived in the US.

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Apple's updated M5 iPad Pro is set to launch tomorrow, and we were able to test out the new tablet ahead of its launch to provide some early first impressions for those thinking about upgrading.


The 2025 ‌iPad Pro‌ comes in 11-inch and 13-inch size options, with no changes to the design. Updates are purely internal, with Apple adding an M5 chip and faster SSDs. Base model ‌iPad Pro‌ options with 256GB or 512GB storage have an M5 chip with a 9-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 12GB RAM, while the higher-end 1TB and 2TB models feature a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16GB RAM.

We tested the 13-inch model with a 512GB SSD, so it has a 9-core CPU and 12GB RAM. Multithreaded CPU performance is up about 15 percent compared to the M4 model, and GPU performance is up to 30 percent faster. SSD performance is up to 2x faster.

Other features include the N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and the C1X modem that offers 5G speeds 2x faster than Apple's C1 modem.

If you have an M4 ‌iPad Pro‌, there's no reason to upgrade, because all you'll get is a modest performance boost. For those with an older ‌iPad Pro‌ or who are thinking about getting an iPad to replace a Mac, the M5 ‌iPad Pro‌ is going to be able to do almost anything.

Make sure to watch our video for full details.
This article, "M5 iPad Pro First Impressions" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Reviews arrived today for Apple’s M5 iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, and new Vision Pro. When comparing the new M5 iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models especially, one historic trend is clearly continuing: iPad hardware innovation keeps outpacing the Mac.

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Last week on Reddit, a user posted an image of their cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro that had apparently shifted to a pinkish, rose gold-like color.

Another example posted to TikTok similarly shows an iPhone 17 Pro in cosmic orange turning pink on the camera plateau and around the edges. Even though there are a few examples of this gaining traction on social media, it’s not remotely close to a widespread phenomenon.

Here’s what’s likely causing the discoloration, and what you can do to prevent it from happening to your iPhone 17 Pro.

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In July, Apple filed a lawsuit against Jon Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti over alleged theft of the company's trade secrets. The complaint alleged the pair coordinated to break into former Apple software engineer Ethan Lipnik's development iPhone, in order to access and profit off details about iOS 19, which ended up being called iOS 26.


Prosser leaked various details about what is now known as iOS 26, in videos shared on his YouTube channel Front Page Tech. The videos revealed some details about iOS 26's new translucent design, which Apple ended up calling Liquid Glass, months before Apple announced the software update at WWDC 2025 in June.

Earlier this month, Apple's lawyers said Prosser missed his deadline to respond to the complaint. As a result, they filed a request for a default judgment against Prosser, which was entered by the court last week. Apple is seeking monetary damages, and an injunction to prevent Prosser and Ramacciotti from further disclosing any of the company's confidential information that was allegedly illegally obtained.

Prosser has since provided an update on the matter — he said he is not ignoring Apple.

"All I can tell you is that regardless of what is being reported, and regardless of what the court documents say — I have, in fact, been in active communications with Apple since the beginning stages of this case," said Prosser, in a statement published by The Verge. "The notion that I'm ignoring the case is incorrect. That's all I am able to say."

What happens next remains to be seen.
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The first reviews of the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday. Apple began accepting pre-orders last week.


Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the new 14-inch MacBook Pro already surfaced prior to today, revealing that the M5 chip is up to around 20% faster in the laptop, compared to the equivalent previous-generation model with the M4 chip.

GPU improvements are more substantial, with the M5 chip offering up to 35% faster graphics compared to the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results.

Beyond the M5 chip, there is only one notable change. The new 14-inch MacBook Pro supports PCIe 5.0 storage technology, and Apple says this results in up to 2× faster SSD read and write speeds compared to the previous-generation model.

The Verge's Antonio G. Di Benedetto ran the AmorphousDiskMark benchmark tool on the new 14-inch MacBook Pro, and the results he shared in the chart below confirm that SSD read and write speeds are actually a little more than twice as fast compared to the equivalent previous-generation model. However, the speeds are roughly on par with the higher-end 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 Pro chip.



PetaPixel's Jeremy Gray achieved similar results for SSD speeds.

There is little else to say about the new 14-inch MacBook Pro.
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Last month, 70W highly compact Nano charger. I’ve been testing them out for a handful of weeks now, and they’ve proven to be quite useful.

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