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Aujourd’hui — 26 janvier 2025MacRumors

Gurman: Apple Stores Receiving 'Merchandise' Updates Next Week

26 janvier 2025 à 02:07
Apple's retail stores will be rolling out "merchandise/floor marketing updates" next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Gurman did not explicitly say if the store updates are related to any upcoming product announcements, but he did mention that next week is around the time that Apple rolls out its annual Black Unity watch band for the Apple Watch.

In each of the past four years, Apple has announced a Black Unity campaign in the second half of January, and this has typically included a new Apple Watch band, Apple Watch face, and iPhone wallpaper featuring the colors of the Pan-African flag. We recently discovered that the upcoming tvOS 18.3 update for the Apple TV has a new UNITY25 reference hidden within its code, which suggests that the Black Unity campaign may continue in 2025. If so, it is likely that Apple will make an announcement about it next week.


It is unclear if there will be any other product announcements next week beyond a new Black Unity band. Apple is expected to announce updated MacBook Air models with the M4 chip in early 2025, and Powerbeats Pro 2 are also coming soon, but Gurman did not mention anything beyond a potential Black Unity band in his social media post today.

Apple is expected to release iOS 18.3, macOS 15.3, and other software updates next week, following more than a month of beta testing.

Cross your fingers that the merchandise updates means that Apple will have a busy week ahead, but keep your expectations tempered.
This article, "Gurman: Apple Stores Receiving 'Merchandise' Updates Next Week" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Hier — 25 janvier 2025MacRumors

Get Apple Watch Solo Loop for $19.99 and Braided Solo Loop for $29.99 in Woot's Sale (Up to 70% Off)

25 janvier 2025 à 16:01
Last week, Woot brought back a massive sale on the Braided Solo Loop and Solo Loop bands for Apple Watch, and the sale has now been extended through January 31. All bands are in brand new condition and come with a one year Apple limited warranty.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Woot. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

You can get the Solo Loop for just $19.99 ($29 off) and the Braided Solo Loop for $29.99 ($69 off). Because the sale has been going on for a few weeks now, some colors and sizes of the Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop are selling out, so be sure to place your order soon if you want one of these cheap bands.



Shoppers should note that this sale is focused on colors of the Braided Solo Loop and Solo Loop that Apple has stopped selling, and it doesn't include any of the new band colors. That being said, all of the bands in this sale are in new condition.

The entire sale is focused on Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop Apple Watch bands, so you'll need to know the size that works best for you before you buy. Apple has a measurement tool on its website that you can use to determine your exact size.

Solo Loop



Braided Solo Loop


If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.



Deals Newsletter


Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2025? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!




Related Roundup: Apple Deals

This article, "Get Apple Watch Solo Loop for $19.99 and Braided Solo Loop for $29.99 in Woot's Sale (Up to 70% Off)" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iPhone 14 Pro vs. Rumored iPhone 17 Air: Upgrade or Downgrade?

25 janvier 2025 à 15:40
After hanging on to my iPhone 14 Pro for a few years, I will likely upgrade to an iPhone 17 model this year. Typically, I only consider the Pro models, but the rumored iPhone 17 Air sounds intriguing. After reflecting on rumors, I have realized that upgrading to this device might not have as many compromises as I first thought.


Of course, the iPhone 17 Air is not yet official. Apple should announce the device in September, and rumors could change between now and then. Below, I have compared the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 17 Air as things currently stand.

Display


The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to have a 6.6-inch OLED display, which would be considerably larger than the iPhone 14 Pro's 6.1-inch OLED display.

ProMotion, the feature that enables a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz for smoother video and scrolling, has been limited to the Pro models since it debuted on the iPhone 13 Pro models. However, the iPhone 17 Air is also rumored to support ProMotion, so going down to a non-Pro model would no longer require giving up 120Hz.

Like the iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to have Face ID and a Dynamic Island, so you would not have to settle for a notch again.

A bonus with the iPhone 17 Air: It should have significantly thinner bezels around the screen.

Thickness and Weight


The main selling point of the iPhone 17 Air should be its ultra-thin, aluminum design. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the device will measure just 5.5mm at its thinnest point, which would make it the thinnest iPhone ever.

iPhone 14 Pro models are among Apple's heaviest iPhones, having not yet benefited from the newer titanium design with tapered edges introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro models. Users upgrading from an iPhone 14 Pro to an iPhone 17 Air should notice a remarkable improvement in thinness, lightness, and pocketability.

Battery Life


Okay, but that ultra-thin design means that battery life will take a considerable hit, right?

Not necessarily.

While exact battery life specs remain to be seen, remember that the iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display, which would make the device physically larger than the iPhone 14 Pro. That means more internal space for a larger battery, so the iPhone 17 Air's battery life might not be as bad as one might think.

Also keep in mind that the iPhone 14 Pro is a few years old now. Not only did Apple make power efficiency improvements on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, but even further advancements are likely with the iPhone 17 models.

Cameras


If photography is important to you, the iPhone 17 Air's rear camera system will likely be one of its biggest downsides. The device is rumored to be equipped with only a single 48-megapixel rear camera, with no dedicated Telephoto or Ultra Wide cameras.

That said, upgrading from an iPhone 14 Pro to an iPhone 17 Air might not be all that bad in this department. While it may lack a Telephoto camera, it will likely have Apple's so-called "Fusion" camera, which enables a 2x "optical-quality" Telephoto option. "Optical-quality" is not true optical zoom, but it is meaningfully better than blurry digital zoom.

There will undoubtedly still be a lot of advanced camera features that remain limited to the Pro models, but the iPhone 17 Air will likely be a perfectly fine choice for casual users who mostly take point-and-shoot photos.

One plus is that the iPhone 17 Air is rumored to have a 24-megapixel front camera, whereas the iPhone 14 Pro has a 12-megapixel front camera.

Apple Intelligence


Whether you think Apple Intelligence is useful or overhyped, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to support it, whereas the iPhone 14 Pro does not.

That means you will have access to tools that can help you to write, summarize your notifications, create custom emoji, automatically remove objects from the backgrounds of photos, and more. A variety of Siri enhancements are also coming in iOS 18.4, including on-screen awareness, understanding of personal context, and deeper per-app controls.

Other Specs


Beyond having a larger display and a thinner design, the iPhone 17 Air is rumored to have many other upgraded specs compared to the iPhone 14 Pro:

  • A19 chip (vs. A16 Bionic chip)

  • USB-C port (vs. Lightning port)

  • 8GB of RAM (vs. 6GB)

  • Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 (vs. Wi-Fi 6)
On the other hand, the iPhone 17 Air's single speaker would be a downgrade.

While this has yet to be rumored, the iPhone 17 Air is also likely to have an Action button, in place of the iPhone 14 Pro's Ring/Silent switch. It is less clear if the iPhone 17 Air will have a Camera Control button, but given that the feature is available on all four iPhone 16 models, it seems like there is a decent chance that it will.

One more thing to keep in mind is that the iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be eSIM-only, with no physical SIM card slot. If you purchased your iPhone 14 Pro in the U.S., this won't matter, as that model is already eSIM-only there. In other countries, it is a change to take into consideration, but note that the entire iPhone 17 lineup might be eSIM-only in more countries regardless. It is a change that you will have to face eventually.
Related Roundup: iPhone 17

This article, "iPhone 14 Pro vs. Rumored iPhone 17 Air: Upgrade or Downgrade?" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Top Stories: iPhone 17 and iPhone SE 4 Rumors, iOS 18.3 Incoming, and More

25 janvier 2025 à 15:00
Rumors about upcoming Apple hardware updates continue to circulate, with the iPhone 17 lineup, iPhone SE 4, and new Powerbeats Pro all in the news over the past week.


On the software side, the public release of iOS 18.3 and related updates is right around the corner while we got a potential first glimpse at what could be some design tweaks for iOS 19 later this year, so read on below for all the details!

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be


Apple is rumored to be releasing an ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" later this year, and one recent rumor claims it could be just 5.5mm thick. To provide an idea of just how thin this would be, we've mocked up what such a device would look like compared to the current iPhone 16 Pro Max at 8.25mm and the 13-inch iPad Pro at just 5.1mm.


In other iPhone 17 rumors, an alleged photo of a pair of rear shells for an upcoming iPhone model appeared this week, with the model presumably being the iPhone 17 Air considering it appears to only feature one rear camera. The unique design includes a horizontal bar across the top of the rear shell, so we'll have to see whether or not this turns out to be accurate.

Here Are Apple's Full Release Notes for iOS 18.3


Apple seeded release candidate versions of iOS 18.3 and related updates this week, suggesting a full public release is likely to come next week.


In addition to previously discussed changes around Apple Intelligence notifications summaries, iOS 18.3 brings several other changes including improvements to the visual intelligence feature for the Camera Control on iPhone 16 models.

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name


Noted mobile phone leaker Evan Blass this week shared some information indicating near-term updates for the iPhone SE, iPad, and iPad Air, but the most intriguing tidbits relate to the next iPhone SE.


Despite a recent rumor that Apple could call the new model the "iPhone 16E," code leaked by Blass refers to the device as "iPhone SE (4th Gen)." That could be a placeholder, but it still casts more uncertainty on the 16E naming possibility.

A purported image of the upcoming devices also depicts the fourth-generation iPhone SE as having a Dynamic Island rather than a notch at the top of the display. There have been conflicting rumors about which way the next iPhone SE will go on that front, so we'll have to wait and see on that one as well.

iOS 19 Rumored to Feature Redesigned Camera App Inspired by visionOS


iOS 19 will feature a redesigned Camera app inspired by visionOS, according to a recent video from Jon Prosser, host of the YouTube channel Front Page Tech.


Prosser obtained video of the alleged new Camera app, but he elected to share his own re-created images to protect his sources. The images reveal that the app will allegedly gain translucent menus for various camera controls, with the design of these menus looking very similar to the visionOS interface on the Apple Vision Pro headset.

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'


In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon.


In his Power On newsletter this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is planning to hold product briefings with the media "in a week or so" to go over the new features of the wireless earbuds.

MacRumors Newsletter


Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!
This article, "Top Stories: iPhone 17 and iPhone SE 4 Rumors, iOS 18.3 Incoming, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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À partir d’avant-hierMacRumors

The MacRumors Show: Samsung's 2025 Challenge to Apple

24 janvier 2025 à 19:57
The MacRumors Show is back for 2025! On this week's episode, we look at how Samsung's latest announcements challenge Apple.


Samsung this week announced the Galaxy S25, the Galaxy S25+, and the top-of-the-line Galaxy S25 Ultra. The new devices will directly compete with Apple's iPhone 16 and upcoming iPhone 17 lineup.

Similar to the ‌iPhone 16‌, AI is a major focus for the S25 lineup, with Samsung touting a new "Personal Data Engine" with a Dynamic Island-like "Now Bar" with a "Now Brief" that guides users through their day, Circle to Search, generative photo editing, context-aware searches with suggested actions, improved natural language understanding, third-party integrations via Gemini, Portrait Studio, and more.

Samsung also previewed the all-new "Galaxy S25 Edge," a super-thin variant of the S25 set to launch in the first half of 2025. It appears to be positioned as a direct rival to Apple's upcoming "‌iPhone 17‌ Air," which is expected to be the thinnest iPhone ever at just 6mm and a radical departure from previous devices with a 6.6-inch display with ProMotion, a single speaker, a single rear camera, and Apple's custom 5G modem.

Finally, Samsung unveiled its upcoming "Project Moohan" AR/VR headset, which it has designed in collaboration with Google. It is intended to compete with Apple's Vision Pro and bears a striking similarity to it in terms of design.

The MacRumors Show also has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.



You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.


If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion about all of Apple's expected hardware announcements for 2025.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kevin Nether, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.
This article, "The MacRumors Show: Samsung's 2025 Challenge to Apple" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Best Apple Deals of the Week: AirTag 4-Pack on Sale for $69.99, Plus Pre-Order Discounts on Samsung Galaxy S25 Phones

24 janvier 2025 à 19:24
This week's deals-related headliner is focused on Samsung's new lineup of Galaxy S25 smartphones, with as much as $1,250 in savings when you pre-order these devices before their February launch. Otherwise, you can also still find great all-time low prices on Apple's AirTag 4-Pack, M3 MacBook Air, and M4 iMac.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Samsung



  • What's the deal? Save up to $1,250 when pre-ordering the new Samsung Galaxy S25 smartphones

  • Where can I get it? Samsung

  • Where can I find the original deal? Right here



Samsung announced its new lineup of Galaxy S25 smartphones this week, and you can find multiple pre-order discounts and offers on Samsung's website. This includes up to $1,250 in trade-in credits and Samsung credits when pre-ordering the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra.

AirTag



  • What's the deal? Take $29 off AirTag 4-Pack

  • Where can I get it? Amazon

  • Where can I find the original deal? Right here



Early in the week, Amazon discounted the AirTag 4-Pack to $69.99, and this all-time low price is still available today.


MacBook Air



  • What's the deal? Get up to $250 off M3 MacBook Air

  • Where can I get it? Amazon

  • Where can I find the original deal? Right here




Amazon and Best Buy introduced solid discounts across the M3 MacBook Air lineup this week, starting at $899.00 for the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air, and including a few 15-inch models as well.

iMac



  • What's the deal? Get up to $175 off M4 iMac

  • Where can I get it? Amazon

  • Where can I find the original deal? Right here



M4 iMacs are still available at up to $175 off this week on Amazon, starting at $1,194.00 for the 256GB model in multiple colors.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.




Deals Newsletter


Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2025? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!




Related Roundup: Apple Deals

This article, "Best Apple Deals of the Week: AirTag 4-Pack on Sale for $69.99, Plus Pre-Order Discounts on Samsung Galaxy S25 Phones" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iOS 18.3 Might Have a Last-Minute Change, Here's Why

24 janvier 2025 à 18:56
A private account on social media platform X today leaked the final build number for Apple's upcoming iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 updates: 22D61. That is a very slight change compared to the 22D60 build number for the iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 Release Candidates, which are essentially the final beta versions of each update.


The account has a good track record of sharing iOS-related information, but it has had some occasional misses. We continue to respect the account owner's request to not link to its posts, as they wish to remain anonymous and maintain a low profile.

The change suggests that iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 could include a very minor, last-minute change or two. Exactly what those changes might be remains to be seen, but we can speculate about one possibility: a 2025 Black Unity collection.

In each of the past four years, Apple has announced a Black Unity campaign in the second half of January, and this has typically included a new Apple Watch band, Apple Watch face, and iPhone wallpaper featuring the colors of the Pan-African flag. We recently discovered that the upcoming tvOS 18.3 update for the Apple TV has a new UNITY25 reference hidden within its code, which suggests that the Black Unity campaign may continue in 2025. If so, it is likely that Apple will make an announcement about it next week.

February is Black History Month in the United States, and Apple typically features content from Black creators across apps like Apple Books and Apple Podcasts.

In 2021 and 2022, Apple announced its Black Unity campaign just hours before it released watchOS 7.3 and watchOS 8.3, respectively, with a corresponding Black Unity watch face. Starting in 2023, and continuing in 2024, Apple included a matching iPhone wallpaper as well. As a result, it mentioned the Black Unity wallpaper in its release notes for the iOS 16.3 and iOS 17.3 Release Candidates in those years.

Apple's release notes for the iOS 18.3 Release Candidate made no mention of a Black Unity wallpaper, but perhaps it is something that will still arrive in the final iOS 18.3 release, and this could explain the revised build number.

Apple is expected to release iOS 18.3 next week, so we will find out for sure soon.
Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

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iOS 18 Installed on 76% of iPhones Introduced in the Last Four Years

Par : Juli Clover
24 janvier 2025 à 18:44
iOS 18 adoption is on pace with iOS 17 adoption last year, according to ‌iOS 18‌ adoption statistics provided by Apple. ‌iOS 18‌ is installed on 76 percent of iPhones introduced in the last four years, while 63 percent of iPads from the last four years are running iPadOS 18.


68 percent of all iPhones have ‌iOS 18‌ installed, and 53 percent of all iPads have ‌iPadOS 18‌ installed.

For all iPhones, 19 percent are still running iOS 17 and 13 percent are running an earlier version of iOS. For all iPads, 28 percent are running iPadOS 17 and 19 percent are running an earlier version of iPadOS.

This is the first time that Apple has provided insight into ‌iOS 18‌ adoption numbers since the operating system was released last September.

Last year, iOS 17 was installed on 76 percent of iPhones from the last four years as of February 5, with 66 percent of all iPhones running the update. 61 percent of iPads from the last four years had iPadOS 17 installed, while 53 percent of all iPads were running the software.

‌iOS 18‌ adoption is about the same as iOS 17 adoption, but it is worth noting that Apple is sharing the numbers slightly earlier this year. iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 are expected to see a launch next week, which could push more people to upgrade to the operating system.

Major new Siri features are also coming to Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhones with an iOS 18.4 update that's expected in April, so ‌iOS 18‌ adoption could see another major jump at that time.

‌iOS 18‌ is available to iPhones that are up to six years old, as it is compatible with the iPhone XS/XR and later. Apple Intelligence features are limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, however, which could discourage some ‌iPhone‌ users with older devices from updating.
This article, "iOS 18 Installed on 76% of iPhones Introduced in the Last Four Years" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Brings in New Exec to 'Fix' Siri and Apple Intelligence

Par : Juli Clover
24 janvier 2025 à 18:29
Apple is making an internal staffing change that it hopes will improve Siri and its artificial intelligence offerings, reports Bloomberg. Kim Vorrath, a 37-year Apple veteran, will join the AI team to work under AI chief John Giannandrea.


Vorrath is a program management VP, and has a reputation for meticulously managing software projects at Apple and ensuring employees meet deadlines. She has been described as Apple's "bug wrangler" and as a "powerful force" in the company. For the last few years, she has been working on Apple's AR/VR team developing the Vision Pro headset, but now she is being moved to AI.

The news comes just after a widely circulated story about Siri's failure to accurately provide basic knowledge about Super Bowl results. ‌Siri‌ has long been seen as inferior to other personal assistants, and in recent years, ‌Siri‌ has been unable to measure up to AI-based chatbots.

Apple is also addressing widespread criticism of its Apple Intelligence Notification summary feature, which has on several occasions mistakenly summarized news stories in a way that produced confusing false headlines. To fix the problem, Apple is temporarily removing Notification summaries for news and entertainment apps in iOS 18.3, an update expected next week.

Apple attempted to improve ‌Siri‌ by integrating OpenAI's ChatGPT into ‌Apple Intelligence‌, but there are still serious problems with ‌Siri‌. Additional ‌Siri‌ features are going to be coming in the near future as part of an iOS 18.4 update, and in iOS 19, Apple is rumored to be planning to introduce an LLM version of ‌Siri‌ that will be comparable to ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.

According to Bloomberg, Vorrath's move to the AI team is a signal that the company sees AI as more important than the Vision Pro. Vorrath is known for organizing engineering groups and redesigning workflows with new processes.

In a memo announcing the change, Giannandrea said that Apple plans to focus on improving the ‌Siri‌ infrastructure as well as Apple's in-house AI models.
This article, "Apple Brings in New Exec to 'Fix' Siri and Apple Intelligence" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Kuo: iPhone 17 Models Won't Have Smaller Dynamic Island

Par : Juli Clover
24 janvier 2025 à 18:09
The upcoming iPhone 17 models that Apple plans to release this year will not feature a smaller Dynamic Island, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today.


On social media, he said that he is expecting the size of the ‌Dynamic Island‌ to remain "largely unchanged" across the ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup. His statement is contrary to prior rumors that we've heard about planned changes for the ‌iPhone 17‌ models.

Analyst Jeff Pu said several times last year that Apple would adopt a "metalens" for Face ID on the ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro, resulting in a "much narrowed" ‌Dynamic Island‌, but it sounds like that might not happen after all.

Apple first introduced the ‌Dynamic Island‌ with the 2022 iPhone lineup, and it has changed little since then. There have been persistent rumors suggesting Apple is eventually aiming to have a much smaller cutout that provides more available screen space, but it is not clear Apple will be able to make that hardware change.

While the ‌iPhone 17‌ models might not get a new look for the ‌Dynamic Island‌, Apple is planning to make other design changes. There will be a super slim "‌iPhone 17‌ Air" that features Apple's first redesign in years. Both the ‌iPhone 17‌ Air and the ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro models are rumored to be getting a redesigned horizontal camera setup.

More on what we're expecting for the entire ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup can be found in our iPhone 17 roundup.
Related Roundup: iPhone 17

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iOS 18.4 Beta Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

24 janvier 2025 à 17:16
iOS 18.3 is expected to be widely released next week, and that means the first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner.


Apple has previously implied that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, as that is when it promised to make Apple Intelligence available in even more languages.

Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far.

Apple Intelligence for Siri



Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS 18.4. These upgrades will include on-screen awareness, deeper per-app controls, understanding of the user's personal context, and more.

Apple Intelligence requires an iPhone 15 Pro model or any iPhone 16 model.

Apple Intelligence in More Languages



Apple previously announced that a software update coming in April will make Apple Intelligence available in more languages, and that likely refers to iOS 18.4. Additional languages will include English (India), English (Singapore), Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese, but Apple said only some of these languages will be added in April, with the rest to follow throughout 2025.

Apple Intelligence is currently available in localized English in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Improved News Summaries


Examples of inaccurate Apple Intelligence notification summaries

Apple Intelligence notification summaries for news apps are temporarily unavailable on iOS 18.3, after the feature inaccurately summarized some news stories.

Apple promised that improvements to notification summaries are coming in a future software update, so we will see if that happens in iOS 18.4.

Starting with iOS 18.3, summarized notifications have italicized text, which makes them stand out visually compared to regular notifications. In a future software update, though, hopefully the news summaries will actually become more accurate.

New Emoji



iOS 15.4, iOS 16.4, and iOS 17.4 all introduced new emoji, so there is a good chance that trend will continue with iOS 18.4.

Last year, the Unicode Consortium previewed the new emoji that should be coming with iOS 18.4, with new options including face with bags under eyes, fingerprint, leafless tree, root vegetable, harp, shovel, splatter, and more.

Default Map and Translation Apps in EU



In an October 2024 document related to the EU's Digital Markets Act, Apple revealed that it will allow iPhone and iPad users in the EU to set default navigation and translation apps starting in "spring 2025." That timing likely aligns with iOS 18.4.

For example, users should be able to choose Google Maps, Waze, or other options as their default navigation app, instead of Apple Maps. Likewise, they should be able to choose Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, or other options as their default translation app, instead of Apple's Translate app. These options will be added to the new "Default Apps" section in the Settings app on iPhones that was implemented in iOS 18.2.

Robot Vacuum Support in Home App



Apple's website continues to state that robot vacuum support will be added to the Home app in an unspecified iOS 18 update. When available, this feature will allow you to control key functions of your robot vacuum in the Home app, and with Siri voice commands.

Here is how Apple describes the feature:
The Home app now supports the core functionality of robot vacuum cleaners, such as power control, cleaning mode, vacuum, mop, and charge status. They can also participate in automations and scenes, and respond to Siri requests. So you can add them to your cleaning routines — or tell Siri to do some spot cleaning in the living room.
There were references to the feature added in iOS 18.3's code, but the functionality does not appear to be live yet. Perhaps it will come with iOS 18.4.
Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

This article, "iOS 18.4 Beta Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple CEO Tim Cook Visits Lumon Industries in 'Severance' Promo Video

24 janvier 2025 à 16:00
The hit Apple TV+ workplace thriller "Severance" returned for a second season last week, and Apple continues to heavily market the show.


In a short video shared today by "Severance" executive producer Ben Stiller, Apple CEO Tim Cook visits Lumon Industries. He enters the office's elevator and undergoes the severance procedure, which divides his memories between his work and personal life. Cook arrives to the severed floor as his "innie," wearing a "Tim C." name tag.

A stoic but smiling Tim C. walks down a hallway and enters a room with Milchick, who greets him by calling him the "core of the apple." Cook sits down in front of a TV, which will play a video walking him through his new severed work life.

Was helping this new guy find his office this morning… pic.twitter.com/ldBBvH7AmU

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) January 24, 2025

Episode two of the second season of "Severance" is now available to watch on Apple TV+, which costs $9.99 per month or $99 per year in the U.S. after a seven-day trial. Apple TV+ is also included in all Apple One subscription bundles.

"Severance" was created by Dan Erickson. The first season of the show premiered in 2022 to critical acclaim, becoming one of Apple TV+'s most popular series. In the second season, Apple says the Lumon Industries employees "learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe."
This article, "Apple CEO Tim Cook Visits Lumon Industries in 'Severance' Promo Video" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Unreleased Sony WH-1000XM6 Headphones Appear in FCC Filing

Par : Tim Hardwick
24 janvier 2025 à 13:51
Sony could be close to launching the successor model to its popular WH-1000XM5 over-ear noise-canceling headphones, if a new FCC filing is anything to go by.


The company's WH-1000XM5 cans, which we compared to Apple's AirPods Max back in May 2022, are considered by many to offer some of the best noise-canceling in the business, providing great sound, excellent comfort and long battery life.

Now it appears that Sony wants to go one better, with news that the company has filed for certification for the next model in the series.

First spotted by The Walkman Blog, the filing shows a diagram of the headphones, which appear to feature a new hinge that may or may not indicate a return to the folding design used in the XM4's. Elsewhere are what look like detachable earpads, similar to AirPods Max, and behind them is a "user-visible name plate" showing the model and serial number.

Specs-wise, aside from support for fast charging and Bluetooth 5.3, the filing doesn't reveal much about the "Wireless Noise Canceling Stereo Headset," but they are made in Malaysia and described as an engineering prototype rather than pre-production – just like the XM5 filing, which turned out to be accurate.

Image credit: The Walkman Blog

With so much going for the current model, it's difficult to know what improvements Sony is aiming for in the XM6's, but anticipation for their release is likely to be high nevertheless. Comparing the filing's short term confidentiality (STC) date to the XM5 filing, The Walkman Blog believes we can expect the headphones to be announced around late April to early May, 2025.
Tag: Sony

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Apple Announces New In-App Purchase API

24 janvier 2025 à 13:37
Apple yesterday announced a new API to expand in-app purchase capabilities on the App Store, providing developers with new ways to support large content catalogs, creator-driven experiences, and customizable subscription models.



The new "Advanced Commerce API" addresses three broad use cases:


  • Apps offering extensive libraries of one-time purchase content, such as audiobooks or educational courses, that require frequent updates.

  • Apps that provide access to creator-led content, enabling users to purchase either one-time or renewable subscriptions tied to specific creators or collections.

  • Subscription services that offer optional add-ons, such as additional channels, sports content, or region-specific options, as renewable purchases within a broader subscription framework.


These use-cases can now more flexibly leverage Apple's payment infrastructure, which includes end-to-end payment processing, tax compliance, and customer service integration. Apple details the eligibility criteria for developers applying to use the API in a new support document.

Apple's announcement appears to be part of a broader effort to refine its ‌App Store‌ policies following scrutiny, particularly in the European Union. This particular API appears to be a direct response to challenges faced by apps with unconventional monetization models, such as Patreon, an online platform that enables creators to offer paid memberships to their audiences. In 2022, Apple required Patreon to adopt the ‌App Store‌'s billing system for in-app purchases.
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Apple's Macintosh Turns 41 Today

24 janvier 2025 à 13:15
Apple announced the Macintosh 41 years ago today, introducing the first widely successful personal computer with a graphical user interface.



The Macintosh revolutionized personal computing by popularizing the use of a mouse to control an on-screen pointer. At the time, this point-and-click navigation method was unfamiliar to most, as personal computers primarily relied on text-based command-line interfaces operated with a keyboard. An excerpt from Apple's press release in 1984:

Users tell Macintosh what to do simply by moving a "mouse" — a small pointing device — to select among functions listed in menus and represented by pictorial symbols on the screen. Users are no longer forced to memorize the numerous and confusing keyboard commands of conventional computers. The result is radical ease of use and a significant reduction in learning time. In effect, the Macintosh is a desk-top appliance offering users increased utility and creativity with simplicity.


Apple claimed the Macintosh required "only a few hours to learn" and introduced features that are now fundamental, such as a desktop with icons, multitasking in windows, drop-down menus, and copy-and-paste functionality.

Macintosh easily fits on a desk, both in terms of its style of operation and its physical design. It takes up about the same amount of desk space as a piece of paper. With Macintosh, the computer is an aid to spontaneity and originality, not an obstacle. It allows ideas and relationships to be viewed in new ways. Macintosh enhances not just productivity, but also creativity.


The Macintosh was priced starting at $2,495, equivalent to over $7,000 today. It featured an 8 MHz Motorola 68000 processor paired with 128 KB of RAM (upgradeable to 512 KB), a 400 KB 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, a 9-inch black-and-white CRT display with a resolution of 512x342 pixels, and two serial ports to attach peripherals like the Apple ImageWriter printer or external modems.

It included software such as MacPaint, which allowed users to draw detailed black-and-white graphics with features like pattern fills and brushes that were revolutionary for the time, and MacWrite, a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) word processing application with real-time editing, proportional fonts, and drag-and-drop functionality.

The Macintosh launch was accompanied by one of the most iconic marketing campaigns in history, including the legendary "1984" Super Bowl commercial directed by Ridley Scott. The ad positioned the Macintosh as a revolutionary product that would challenge the conformity of the computing industry, dominated by IBM at the time.

Over 40 years later, the Mac continues to be an essential product for Apple and retains many of the same software features as the original model. Apple's full press release for the original Macintosh is available on Stanford University's website.
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Threads Now Lets You Schedule Posts Up to 75 Days in Advance

Par : Tim Hardwick
24 janvier 2025 à 12:42
Threads, Meta's social network that's meant to rival X, has announced it is rolling out the ability for all users to schedule posts.


Threads can now be created and scheduled to go up at a later date and time. Multiple posts can be scheduled per day, up to 75 days in advance, but it's not possible to schedule replies.

To use the feature, create a post, select the three-dot menu in the top-left corner, and select "Schedule." Once a time and date for posting has been selected, you can view, delete, or edit the post from the drafts folder.

Announcing the feature on Thursday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri added that Threads is also adding a way to "markup" re-shared posts by drawing over, highlighting, or adding arrows to the existing post. The feature is rolling out to a "few countries with more to come soon," said Mosseri.

Threads recently announced a handful of new features, including performance analytics for content creators, and support for writing and saving multiple drafts via Threads for web. Threads is also introducing X-style Community Notes, as part of Meta's broader shift away from fact-checking moderation.
Tag: Threads

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Siri Gives Eagles 33 False Super Bowl Wins in Basic Knowledge Test

Par : Tim Hardwick
24 janvier 2025 à 12:19
In what may not come as much of a surprise, a new test of Siri's knowledge of Super Bowl history has revealed significant accuracy issues with Apple's virtual assistant, suggesting Apple still has some way to go in overcoming challenges with Siri's ability to provide reliable information.


In a methodical experiment, One Foot Tsunami's Paul Kafasis asked Siri who won each Super Bowl from I through LX and documented its responses. The results were strikingly poor, with Siri correctly identifying winners only 34% of the time – just 20 correct answers out of 58 played Super Bowls.

Perhaps most notably, Siri repeatedly and incorrectly credited the Philadelphia Eagles with 33 Super Bowl victories, despite the team having won only one championship in their history. The virtual assistant's responses ranged from providing information about wrong Super Bowls to offering completely unrelated football facts.

While Siri did manage a few streaks of accurate answers, including three consecutive correct responses for Super Bowls V through VII, it also had a remarkable string of 15 consecutive incorrect answers spanning Super Bowls XVII through XXXII.

In one telling instance, when asked about Super Bowl XVI, Siri offered to defer to ChatGPT - which then provided the correct answer. The contrast highlighted the limitations of Siri's own knowledge base compared to more advanced AI systems.

The test was conducted on iOS 18.2.1 with Apple Intelligence enabled, and similar results were found on both the upcoming iOS 18.3 beta and macOS 14.7.2, suggesting the issue extends across Apple's platforms. Kafasis generated a spreadsheet of the results in both Excel and PDF formats, which you can read here.

Separately, inspired by Kafasis' test, Daring Fireball's John Gruber tried some of his own sports queries with Siri and compared its responses to ChatGPT, Kagi, DuckDuckGo, and Google, all of which succeeded where Siri failed.

Perhaps worse for Apple, Gruber found that old Siri (i.e. before Apple Intelligence) did a better job at answering a question by declining to answer it, instead providing a list of web links. The first web result provided an accurate, if only partial, answer to the question, whereas new Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence, fared much worse. Gruber explains:
New Siri — powered by Apple Intelligence™ with ChatGPT integration enabled — gets the answer completely but plausibly wrong, which is the worst way to get it wrong. It's also inconsistently wrong — I tried the same question four times, and got a different answer, all of them wrong, each time. It's a complete failure.
"It's just incredible how stupid Siri is about a subject matter of such popularity," commented Gruber. "If you had guessed that Siri could get half the Super Bowls right, you lost, and it wasn't even that close."

Of course, this isn't the first time Siri has received heavy flak for its all-round performance, but Gruber's criticism about "plausibly wrong" answers to general knowledge questions ties back to the modern problem of hallucinating AI chatbots that spout misleading or flat-out wrong responses with complete confidence.

Apple is developing a much smarter version of Siri that utilizes advanced large language models, which should allow the personal assistant to better compete with chatbots like ChatGPT. A chatbot version of Siri would likely be able to hold ongoing conversations and provide the sort of help and insight as ChatGPT or Claude, but how well the integration will perform may be a concern, going on Siri's abysmal track record.

Apple is expected to announce LLM Siri as soon as 2025 at WWDC, but Apple won't launch it until several months after it's unveiled. That means LLM Siri would come in an update to iOS 19, with Apple planning for a spring 2026 launch.
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5 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.3

Par : Tim Hardwick
24 janvier 2025 à 10:55
Apple is set to release iOS 18.3 next week, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a couple of neat new capabilities to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 devices, and bug fixes.


While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.3 still introduces capabilities that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed five new things your ‌iPhone‌ will be able to do when the update rolls out later this month.

Add an Event to Calendar From a Poster or Flyer



For ‌iPhone 16‌ models, iOS 18.3 adds Visual Intelligence support for adding events to the Calendar app. After installing the software on an ‌iPhone 16‌, long press the Camera Control button to activate ‌‌Visual Intelligence‌‌ when viewing a poster or a flyer, and you will be given the option to add an event to the Calendar app.

Easily Identify Plants and Animals



Apple's latest update also adds a feature for easily identifying plants and animals with ‌‌Visual Intelligence‌‌. You may be familiar with a similar feature in the Photos app that provides insight into plants, animals, and insects when viewing additional image information. Well, with iOS 18.3 installed, you'll be able to reveal these details with Camera Control's ‌Visual Intelligence‌ option, but in real time.

Manage Notification Summaries More Easily



Available on compatible devices in iOS 18.1 and later, ‌‌‌Apple Intelligence‌‌‌ notification summaries are designed to group multiple notifications from the same app together, providing a one-sentence overview of the content. In iOS 18.3, you can now more easily manage individual app settings for notification summaries directly from your ‌iPhone‌'s Lock Screen. A quick swipe leftwards across a summarized notification reveals a new option to turn off summaries for the related app. You can reinstate summaries for the app in question anytime by toggling the associated switch in Settings ➝ Notifications ➝ Summarize Notifications.

Identify Notification Summaries More Easily



In iOS 18.3, notifications that have been summarized now appear in italicized text, with the aim of making them easier to differentiate visually compared to regular notifications. It's also worth noting that Apple has temporarily disabled notification summaries for apps that fall into the News & Entertainment category, following widespread reports of misleading summarized news headlines.

Perform Repeating Operations in Calculator



Apple is using the iOS 18.3 update as a chance to bring repeating operations back to the Calculator app. When you tap the equals sign twice, the app will now repeat the last mathematical operation. For example, if you tap in 10x10 and tap the equals sign to get a 100 result, if you hit equals again, it will multiply 100x10, and will continue multiplying by 10 every time you tap the equals symbol. It's a small but meaningful change that should make it easier to calculate compound interest.
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Apple Watch Bands Are Safe to Wear, Says Apple, After Lawsuit Filed

24 janvier 2025 à 05:43
Following a class action lawsuit that alleges some Apple Watch bands contain toxic "forever chemicals," also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), Apple has ensured that Apple Watch bands are "safe for users to wear."


Apple's full statement today:
Apple Watch bands are safe for users to wear. In addition to our own testing, we also work with independent laboratories to conduct rigorous testing and analysis of the materials used in our products, including Apple Watch bands.
Apple said its efforts to remove potentially harmful chemicals from its products and manufacturing processes often exceed regulatory requirements.

Despite saying Apple Watch bands are safe to wear, Apple plans to phase out PFAS.

In a November 2022 document, Apple detailed its commitment to "completely phase out" its use of PFAS in its products and manufacturing processes. Apple said it would "take time" for this process to be completed, due to various challenges, including identifying and developing non-PFAS alternatives that meet certain "performance needs."

From the white paper:
We started with an assessment of the PFAS class with the highest use volume in our products — the fluoropolymers. While our analysis indicated that these materials are safe during product use, we felt it important to broaden our scope to consider manufacturing along the supply chain. We concluded that our goal needs to restrict the use of all PFAS compounds.

A complete phaseout of PFAS from Apple products and processes will take time. We need to compile a comprehensive catalog of PFAS use in electronics, identify and develop non-PFAS alternatives that can meet the performance needs for certain critical applications, and take into account the time needed for material qualification. Lastly we need to ensure that the non-PFAS alternatives do not result in regrettable substitutions — where alternatives are as harmful as, or even more harmful than, the PFAS being replaced.
The lawsuit cited a recent study that found some smartwatch bands contain "high levels" of PFAS, which can be absorbed through skin and lead to health problems. According to The Guardian, the study tested smartwatch models from Apple, Nike, Fitbit, and Google, but it apparently did not list any specific smartwatch bands containing PFAS by name.

Apple did not immediately respond when we asked which Apple Watch bands contain PFAS, if any. The lawsuit's proposed class is anyone in the U.S. who purchased a Sport Band, Nike Sport Band, or Ocean Band for an Apple Watch.

A judge still has to decide whether to allow the class action to proceed.
Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

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Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 212 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

Par : Juli Clover
24 janvier 2025 à 02:33
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser that was first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to allow users to test features that are planned for future release versions of the Safari browser.


‌Safari Technology Preview‌ 212 includes fixes and updates for Authentication, Canvas, CSS, Forms, JavaScript, Loading, Networking, PDF, Rendering, SVG, Text, Web API and Web Inspector.

The current ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release is compatible with machines running macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia, the newest version of macOS.

The ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences or System Settings to anyone who has downloaded the browser from Apple’s website. Complete release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple’s aim with ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while it is designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download and use.
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Epic Games Store Lures EU Developers With Promise to Pay Apple Fees

Par : Juli Clover
23 janvier 2025 à 23:56
Epic Games is planning to pay the Apple fees that EU developers incur when distributing their apps through the ‌Epic Games‌ Store, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney told The Verge today.


‌Epic Games‌ added almost 20 third-party games to its app store on iOS devices in the European Union, where alternate app stores are allowed to operate. Epic also debuted its free games program, and the company says it will pay the Core Technology Fees for iOS developers in the EU who offer their apps for free on the ‌Epic Games‌ Store.

Developers who bring their apps to the ‌Epic Games‌ Store can get their Core Technology Fee (CTF) paid for one year. The CTF is a 0.50 euro fee that developers must pay for every app install, and that fee applies to apps regardless of how they are monetized. It is worth noting that Apple offers CTF exceptions for small developers that include no CTF for a three-year period if the developer is earning under 10 million euros, plus developers that have under a million annual app installs do not pay fees to begin with. Apple also does not charge a fee for developers with a no revenue business that offer apps without monetization.

Sweeney has criticized Apple's Core Technology Fee and app distribution guidelines many times, and he told The Verge today that the CTF is "ruinous for any hopes of a competing store getting a foothold." He further said that it is "not financially viable" for ‌Epic Games‌ to pay Apple's fees longterm, but it plans to do so while it waits to see if the European Union requires Apple to further tweak its rules for third-party marketplaces under the Digital Markets Act.

‌Epic Games‌ claims that its mobile store can't attract developers because of the fees that Apple charges, with "scare screens" also driving away customers in the EU. "We won't really have app store freedom, even in Europe, and actual user choice and competition, unless the DMA is robustly enforced," Sweeney said.

The ‌Epic Games‌ Store for iOS is only available in the European Union right now because alternative app stores and distribution methods are not allowed in other countries.
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Apple Says Several Car Makers Still Plan to Support Next-Generation CarPlay

23 janvier 2025 à 22:25
Apple today confirmed that "several" car makers still plan to support next-generation CarPlay in future vehicle models. Apple said each car brand will share more details as they near the announcements of these vehicles, but it did not provide a timeframe. Apple previously said next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ would launch in 2024, but that did not happen.


Apple's statement about next-generation ‌CarPlay‌:
The next generation of CarPlay builds on years of success and insights gained from CarPlay, delivering the best of Apple and the automaker in a deeply integrated and customizable experience. We continue to work closely with several automakers, enabling them to showcase their unique brand and visual design philosophies in the next generation of CarPlay. Each car brand will share more details as they near the announcements of their models that will support the next generation of CarPlay.
Apple also remains committed to its current ‌CarPlay‌ platform, and said it is available in over 98% of new cars sold in the U.S. over the past few years.

Apple previously said committed car makers included Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche, Renault, and Volvo. In December 2023, Aston Martin and Porsche previewed next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ designs, but have yet to deliver. It is unclear which car makers are currently working with Apple.

This news comes just minutes after Apple updated its website to remove the missed 2024 timeframe that it had previously stated for next-generation ‌CarPlay‌. Apple first previewed the software system at WWDC 2022.
Related Roundup: CarPlay

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Apple Removes '2024' Timeframe From Next-Generation CarPlay Page

23 janvier 2025 à 21:59
Apple's website said the first vehicle models with support for next-generation CarPlay would "arrive in 2024," but that did not happen. A little more than three weeks into 2025, Apple has now updated its website in the U.S. to remove that 2024 timeframe from the next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ section of its overall CarPlay page.


The fact that Apple did not remove the entire next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ section from the page suggests that the software might still launch at some point in the future, but Apple is no longer providing a timeframe at this point.

It is unclear if Apple, car makers, or both are to blame for the missed 2024 target. We have reached out to Apple for comment.

Apple first previewed next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ at WWDC 2022, and there are still signs that it might eventually launch at some point. First, additional references to next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ were added in the iOS 18.3 beta's code. Second, Apple filed some additional next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ images in a EU database last month.

Apple promised that next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ would have deep integration with the instrument cluster and climate controls, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, a dedicated FM radio app, customizable widgets, and more. The interface would be tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's brand identity.


Here is how Apple describes it:
This next generation of CarPlay is the ultimate iPhone experience for the car. It provides content for all the driver's screens including the instrument cluster. This ensures a cohesive design experience that is the very best of your car and your iPhone — with designs for each automaker that express your vehicle’s character and brand. Vehicle functions like radio and temperature controls are handled right from CarPlay. And personalization options ranging from widgets to selecting curated gauge cluster designs make it unique to the driver.
If it ever launches, next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ is expected to be available in new vehicles only. It is not an update to the standard ‌CarPlay‌ software.

In December 2023, Aston Martin and Porsche previewed next-generation CarPlay instrument cluster designs, but neither brand has rolled out the system. Apple said other committed car makers included Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Polestar, Renault, and Volvo. Given that list is more than two and a half years old, it is unclear if all of those car makers remain committed.

Update: Apple said several car makers still plan to support next-generation CarPlay.

The company's full statement:
The next generation of CarPlay builds on years of success and insights gained from CarPlay, delivering the best of Apple and the automaker in a deeply integrated and customizable experience. We continue to work closely with several automakers, enabling them to showcase their unique brand and visual design philosophies in the next generation of CarPlay. Each car brand will share more details as they near the announcements of their models that will support the next generation of CarPlay.
Apple did not provide an updated timeframe.
Related Roundup: CarPlay

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Apple Releases Beta Firmware Updates for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Par : Juli Clover
23 janvier 2025 à 20:23
Apple today released new beta firmware updates for both AirPods 4 models and the AirPods Pro 2 with both Lightning and USB-C charging cases. The firmware has a build number of 7E5067b, and it is only available to developers at the current time.


It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find out. Non-developers will have 7B21 firmware on the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 and 7B20 firmware on the ‌AirPods 4‌, with no change until the beta firmware sees an official launch.

There is no method for manually forcing the installation of a firmware update on AirPods. Firmware updates are generally installed over-the-air when the AirPods are in a charging case and connected to an iOS device or a Mac.
Related Roundups: AirPods 4, AirPods Pro
Related Forum: AirPods

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