Apple this week revealed its annual New Year Sale in Japan, offering Apple Gift Cards worth up to ¥38,000 alongside a free limited-edition AirTag for qualifying iPhone purchases.


The ‌AirTag‌ features a special engraving of a Daruma, a traditional Japanese talisman commonly associated with perseverance, good fortune, and the achievement of goals. The ‌AirTag‌ offer is limited to 65,000 units in total and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.



Customers can receive gift cards worth up to ¥12,000 for eligible ‌iPhone‌ purchases, up to ¥38,000 for Mac purchases, and up to ¥15,000 for iPad purchases. Apple Watch purchases qualify for gift cards worth up to ¥8,000, while AirPods purchases are eligible for gift cards valued at up to ¥12,000.

The promotion will run from January 2 through January 5 and is available through Apple retail stores and the Apple Online Store in Japan. The New Year Sale has become a recurring annual event for Apple in Japan, where holiday retail traditions differ from those in the United States and Europe.
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2025 was a significant year of advancement for Apple's software, with a noticeable focus on visual design, productivity, and communication.


While Apple introduced and continued to iterate on a wide range of features throughout the year, several additions stood out for their scope and practical impact across multiple devices. As the year comes to an end, these five new features provide a useful lens for weighing up what the company focused on this year and how far its platforms evolved in 2025.

Liquid Glass

This year's most immediately visible change is the introduction of Liquid Glass, a new system-wide visual design language applied across Apple's operating systems. Liquid Glass replaces many of the flat, opaque UI elements introduced over the past decade with layered translucency, subtle refraction, and motion-responsive surfaces that react to underlying content.


Navigation bars, sidebars, control panels, and system overlays now appear as semi-transparent sheets that blend into their surroundings rather than sitting on top of them. Apple framed this as a unifying material across platforms rather than a purely aesthetic refresh, with the same visual logic appearing on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.

In practice, it is one of Apple's biggest visual redesigns since the original iOS 7 shift away from skeuomorphism, and it signals a renewed focus on making the interface feel fresh, spatial, playful, and responsive rather than static.

Revamped iPad Multitasking

On the ‌iPad‌, the most consequential change is the introduction of an all-new multitasking system with windows and a macOS-style Menu Bar and cursor in iPadOS 26.


Apps can now run in freely resizable windows rather than being constrained to fixed split-screen layouts, allowing multiple overlapping windows to coexist on screen. Alongside this, a Menu Bar appears at the top of the display when invoked, exposing app commands in a structured, searchable format similar to macOS.

Instead of asking users to adapt desktop workflows to a touch-first model, Apple has now explicitly imported desktop interaction styles into iPadOS, addressing a significant number of user complaints about the software limitations of the ‌iPad‌. For users who want to use the ‌iPad‌ with true multitasking and desktop-style workflows, this is one of the most substantive capability upgrades the platform has ever received.

More Powerful Mac Spotlight

On the Mac, Spotlight received its most extensive overhaul to date, transforming it from a passive search tool into an actions-first command interface, similar to third-party apps like Alfred or Raycast.


Spotlight in macOS Tahoe can now execute hundreds of actions directly from the search field. Users can create and edit notes, send emails and messages, start timers, run Shortcuts, adjust system settings, and perform app-specific commands, without opening the corresponding app.

Apple also redesigned Spotlight's results presentation with richer, more structured browsing views. Instead of returning a flat list of matches, Spotlight now surfaces grouped results for files, applications, actions, and suggestions, allowing users to scan and refine results more quickly.

Spotlight now includes a built-in clipboard history, allowing users to view and reuse previously copied text or images directly from the Spotlight interface. Apple also integrated an app library-style view, providing a centralized, searchable overview of all installed applications.

Live Translation

Another major addition is Live Translation. Real-time translation now operates inside Messages, FaceTime, and the Phone app, translating both text and spoken audio during conversations.



In Messages, incoming and outgoing text can be translated inline. In ‌FaceTime‌, Live Translation provides real-time translated captions during video calls, allowing participants to speak naturally while reading translations as the conversation unfolds. In phone calls, spoken dialogue can be translated in near real time, with translated audio and on-screen text presented during the call.

Apple also extended Live Translation to AirPods, enabling real-time spoken translation directly through the earbuds during in-person conversations. When Live Translation is active, speech from another language can be translated on the paired ‌iPhone‌ and played back in the user's AirPods, while the user's responses can be translated and spoken aloud by the ‌iPhone‌ for the other participant.

Communication Screening and Hold Assist

Call Screening allows the ‌iPhone‌ to automatically answer calls from unknown numbers on the user's behalf. The system asks the caller to identify themselves and explain the reason for the call, then presents the user with a live transcript of the response before the call is connected.

With Hold Assist, when a user is placed on hold during a phone call, the ‌iPhone‌ can remain in the queue on their behalf and monitor the call until a live agent becomes available. Once the system detects that the call has resumed, it notifies the user to return to the conversation.

In Messages, Apple introduced more aggressive screening for unknown senders. Messages from numbers that are not in the user's contacts are automatically routed into a separate area, keeping potential spam and scam attempts out of the main conversation list.
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Apple has asked the UK Court of Appeal to overturn a £1.5 billion ($1.76 billion) antitrust ruling that found the company overcharged millions of App Store users, escalating one of the most significant competition cases ever brought against the company in the country (via The Guardian).


The application follows a decision in October by the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), which concluded that Apple abused its dominant position by charging excessive commissions on ‌App Store‌ purchases between 2015 and 2024. The tribunal found that Apple's control over app distribution on iPhones and iPads allowed it to impose commission rates of up to 30% that were higher than would have prevailed in a competitive market, resulting in consumer harm estimated to be worth £1.5 billion.

The case was raised as a collective action on behalf of approximately 36 million British consumers. Under UK collective proceedings law, eligible consumers are automatically included unless they opt out, meaning that anyone in the UK who made ‌App Store‌ purchases during the relevant period could be entitled to compensation if the ruling stands.

In its judgment, CAT said Apple should have charged lower commissions, estimating that rates of around 17.5% on app sales and 10% on in-app purchases would have been more appropriate. The tribunal acknowledged that this assessment relied on "informed guesswork" based on the evidence presented.

Apple strongly disputes that approach. After the October ruling, the company sought permission from CAT to appeal, but the tribunal refused in November, concluding that Apple had not met the legal threshold to challenge its decision. Apple has now applied directly to the Court of Appeal, which has the authority to grant permission even where CAT has declined.

Apple said it disagrees with the ruling and argues that the tribunal took a flawed view of the app economy. In a previous statement responding to the decision, the company said the ‌App Store‌ operates in a "thriving and competitive app economy" and provides developers and consumers with security, privacy protections, and access to a large marketplace. Apple also noted that most developers now pay a reduced 15% commission and that the ‌App Store‌ facilitated more than $55 billion in sales in the UK last year.

If Apple's appeal is rejected and the ruling is upheld, the £1.5 billion award will be distributed among eligible UK consumers, with individual payouts likely to be relatively small but collectively significant.
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Apple now has additional time to allow for tariffs on Chinese semiconductors, thanks to a delay on any actual cost impact until June 2027.


While the United States will still apply new tariffs on semiconductor imports from China, the effective tariff rate will be set at zero for approximately 18 months, according to a Federal Register filing (via CNBC). The tariff rate will increase on June 23, 2027, with the specific percentage to be announced at least 30 days in advance.

For Apple, the decision removes the near-term risk of higher import costs on a wide range of chips used across its products. While Apple designs its own A-series and M-series processors, which are manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company in Taiwan, the company continues to rely on China-based suppliers for many other semiconductor components, including power management integrated circuits, display driver chips, connectivity controllers, and various supporting logic chips embedded throughout its devices. Many of those components would fall within the scope of the China-specific semiconductor tariff once the rate increases in 2027.

Although the tariff is technically being imposed immediately, the zero percent rate functions as a delay mechanism rather than a suspension. This preserves the legal and regulatory framework needed to raise tariffs at a later date, reducing immediate trade friction while retaining leverage in future negotiations, and provides clarity to firms like Apple amid long-term supply chain decisions.

The timing is particularly significant for Apple because of its ongoing efforts to diversify manufacturing and sourcing beyond China. Apple previously faced concerns about a potential 100% semiconductor import tariff. In August, Apple committed $600 billion toward domestic manufacturing and infrastructure efforts.
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Apple's costly Detroit-based Developer Academy program relies heavily on taxpayer funding while delivering mixed job outcomes, according to WIRED.


The Apple Developer Academy in Detroit launched in 2021 in partnership with Michigan State University. The tuition-free program offers a 10-month course focused on building apps for Apple platforms, providing students with MacBooks, iPhones, mentorship, and monthly stipends intended to cover living costs. The academy has welcomed over 1,700 students since 2021, with about 600 completing the 10-month program.

An investigation by WIRED found that nearly $30 million has been spent on the academy over four years, equating to roughly $20,000 per student. Previously undisclosed records show Apple contributed about $11.6 million, while more than $8.5 million came directly or indirectly from Michigan taxpayers, including state funding used to provide student stipends. Additional funding was supplied by private philanthropy, including the Gilbert Family Foundation.

Academy officials told WIRED that about 71% of graduates from the past two years moved into full-time employment across various industries, a figure broadly in line with many coding boot camps but below outcomes reported by some traditional computer science degree programs. Apple and the university declined to release detailed graduate employment data, despite requirements from one funder that such data be collected.

Student experiences have varied. Some graduates credited the academy with exposing them to technology careers and building confidence, while others said the Apple-centric curriculum and limited stipends left them struggling financially and unprepared for the broader job market. One former student told WIRED that many participants relied on food assistance, while another said recent stipend reductions forced students to juggle multiple side jobs.

A senior director at Apple who oversees the Detroit program and 17 other Apple Developer Academies worldwide, said increasing student financial support is a continuing priority and that the academy is designed to build broadly applicable skills such as teamwork, research, and technology literacy rather than train students for a single job outcome. The academy takes credit for 62 apps and 13 businesses.

He added that the curriculum is frequently adjusted in response to student demand and technological change, noting that workshops were added when students expressed interest in developing apps for the Apple Vision Pro and Apple TV, and that generative AI tools are now incorporated into coursework, provided students can fully explain the code they produce, with alumni also able to access ongoing virtual instruction focused on AI.
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One of Apple's Chinese assemblers suffered a significant cyberattack earlier this month, DigiTimes reports.


The cyberattack may have compromised sensitive production-line information and manufacturing data linked to Apple, and the scope of the breach and its operational impact is unclear. Sources quoted by DigiTimes indicate that the issue has been addressed, but that internal evaluations are ongoing to determine whether there were losses or disruptions tied to the incident. The specific company targeted has not been disclosed.

Clients such as Apple typically initiate internal risk assessments to determine the severity of such breaches, the type and volume of data exposed, and whether remediation measures implemented by the supplier are sufficient. Decisions about whether to adjust production orders are said to depend on the outcome of those assessments rather than being automatic responses to an incident due to supply chain complexity. The report added that, in most cases, companies prefer to require suppliers to strengthen cybersecurity infrastructure and tighten internal controls instead of immediately reallocating production.
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Support for Apple Car Keys may now be more likely to come to Tesla vehicles, amid new evidence that the automaker is embracing native, system-level digital car keys.


According to Not a Tesla App, 4.52.0 of Tesla's mobile app contains multiple code references to Harmony Wallet Key Cards. The discovery is notable because it represents a shift in how Tesla appears to be approaching mobile device integration.

Tesla's current Phone Key relies on Bluetooth communication between the vehicle and the Tesla app running in the background on a smartphone. By contrast, a native wallet key is stored at the operating system level and uses secure hardware elements, often making it more reliable and accessible.

The code strings identified in Tesla app version 4.52.0 specifically reference integration with Huawei's HarmonyOS, suggesting that the initial implementation is designed for Huawei Wallet on HarmonyOS devices. HarmonyOS is widely used in China, where Huawei is a dominant presence in the smartphone market. Tesla has historically used the Chinese market as a testing ground for new software capabilities before expanding them globally.

Although the references do not mention Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, the underlying functionality closely mirrors how Apple implements native digital car keys on the iPhone. Apple introduced Car Key support in Apple Wallet in 2020, allowing compatible vehicles to be unlocked, locked, and started using NFC, Bluetooth, or ultra wideband. ‌Car Keys‌ are stored in the Secure Enclave on the ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch, enabling features such as Express Mode, which allows a vehicle to be unlocked without Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, and even functionality even when the device battery is almost totally depleted.

Earlier this month, Rivian announced native support for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet digital car keys as part of its 2025.46 software update. In recent weeks, Porsche, Toyota, and General Motors all appear to be following suit.
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Apple reportedly tested a version of the first-generation AirPods with bright, iPhone 5c-like colored charging cases.


The images, shared by the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami," claim to show first-generation AirPods prototypes with pink and yellow exterior casings. The interior of the charging case and the earbuds themselves remain white.

They seem close to some of the color options offered for the ‌iPhone‌ 5c, which came in blue, green, pink, yellow and white. Apple has only ever released AirPods in white.



In 2023, Kosutami shared images of AirPods in pink. Apple apparently developed five different color options for AirPods to approximately match the ‌iPhone‌ 7, but decided not to move forward with the idea.

Some users have sought after AirPods in different color options for several years. While Apple was seemingly only ever considering offering the charging case in different color ways, it is interesting to know that the company got as far as prototyping distinct color options for the device to match various ‌iPhone‌ models. Today, the AirPods Max are the only AirPods to have been offered in different color options.

Kosutami previously shared images of various Apple prototypes, including all-black Vision Pro parts, an earlier version of the MagSafe charging puck, FineWoven Apple Watch bands, a functional AirPower charging mat, an unreleased "Magic Charger" accessory, and more.
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Apple Gift Cards are one of the most common Apple-related gifts given during the holidays, so if you've received one today, here are all of the things you can and cannot use it for.


After redeeming an Apple Gift Card, the value is added to the Apple Account balance and automatically applies at checkout when making eligible purchases. It can be spent on a wide range of Apple products, services, and digital content.

Apple Gift Cards are marketed as a single, flexible balance that works across Apple's ecosystem, but there are clear limits on what they can and cannot be used for once redeemed to an Apple Account.

What Apple Gift Cards Can Be Used For

• Purchasing Apple hardware and accessories on apple.com, in the Apple Store app, or in an Apple retail store.


• Using the balance toward Apple hardware when checking out, with any remaining cost paid using another payment method.


• Buying apps and games on the App Store, including in-app purchases.


• Paying for digital media, including movies, TV shows, and books through Apple's digital storefronts.


• Covering subscriptions to Apple services such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+ storage, as well as eligible third-party app subscriptions billed through the ‌App Store‌.

What Apple Gift Cards Can't Be Used For

• Making purchases outside Apple's ecosystem, such as goods or services from non-Apple retailers.


• Starting certain recurring payments, such as AppleCare+ plans, without an additional credit or debit card on file.


• Redeeming or using balances across different countries or regions, as gift cards are typically region-locked.


• Transferring to or purchasing other gift cards.


• Exchanging for cash or cash equivalents.

While Apple Gift Cards are intentionally designed to be more versatile than older ‌App Store‌ or ‌Apple Store‌–only gift cards, they still come with some limits. For users, the key distinction is that Apple Gift Cards work best for Apple-direct purchases and subscriptions, but they can't replace a traditional payment method for gifting or non-Apple spending.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook disclosed a roughly $3 million open-market purchase of Nike shares this week (via Reuters).


According to a regulatory filing published yesterday, Cook purchased 50,000 Class B shares of Nike on December 22 at an average price of $58.97 per share, for a total investment of approximately $2.95 million. The filing shows that Cook now holds about 105,000 Nike shares, a position valued at nearly $6 million.

Nike shares rose following the disclosure, gaining between about 2% and 5% in premarket and early regular-session activity, after the stock had fallen sharply in the days following the company's most recent earnings report, which highlighted ongoing challenges in its business, particularly in China. Nike is currently in the early stages of a turnaround effort under CEO Elliott Hill, who returned to the company last year after retiring.

Cook has served on Nike's board of directors since 2005 and is its lead independent director, a role he assumed in 2016 after Nike co-founder Phil Knight stepped down as chairman. In addition to his position at Apple, Cook also chairs Nike's compensation committee, placing him in a central governance role at the apparel maker. The December 22 transaction represents Cook's largest open-market purchase of Nike shares in years and comes at a time when the company is under pressure from investors following a prolonged decline in its stock price.
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Brazilian regulators have approved a settlement that will require Apple to change how the App Store operates on iPhone in the country, including allowing alternative app stores, expanded payment options, and a defined new fee structure.


In a press release, Brazil's Administrative Council of Economic Defense (CADE), said its court has approved a Term of Commitment to Cease proposed by Apple to resolve an investigation into the company's ‌App Store‌ rules on iOS. The case began in 2022 and examined whether Apple's restrictions on app distribution and payments limited competition in Brazil.

CADE said the investigation focused on Apple's prohibition of third-party app stores on iOS, the requirement that developers use Apple's in-app purchase system for digital goods and subscriptions, and restrictions that prevented developers from informing users about alternative payment options.

Under the settlement, Apple will be required to allow developers in Brazil to link to external payment options and promote offers that take place outside their apps. Developers will also be permitted to offer third-party payment methods within their apps alongside Apple's own in-app purchase system, with CADE requiring that these options be presented next to Apple's payment option.

Apple will also have to allow third-party app stores in Brazil. CADE specified that Apple may still display warnings or informational messages to users, but those messages must be neutral, objective, and limited in scope, and must not introduce extra steps or barriers that make alternative options harder to use.

According to Brazilian technology site Tecnoblog, which said it obtained the details directly from CADE, purchases made through the ‌App Store‌ will remain subject to a 10% or 25% commission under standard terms. Developers who use Apple's payment system would also pay a 5% transaction fee.

If an app directs users to pay outside the app using only static text, with no clickable link or button, Apple will not charge a fee. If the app includes a clickable button or link that sends users to an external website for payment, Apple will charge a 15% fee. Third-party app stores will be subject to a 5% Core Technology Commission.

CADE said Apple will have up to 105 days to implement the required changes once the new rules become binding.
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Apple's next-generation iPhone Air could still launch in the fall of 2026, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital."


The leaker claims to have been told by sources that the second-generation ‌iPhone Air‌ will launch in the fall. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17e is said to already be in mass production ahead of unveiling at a spring product launch event.

The rumor comes in contrast to an array of corroborated reports that the second-generation ‌iPhone Air‌ has been delayed until March 2027, where it is expected to launch alongside the standard iPhone 18 and a lower-end ‌iPhone‌ 18e. The second-generation ‌iPhone Air‌ was originally rumored to launch alongside the ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro, ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max, and foldable ‌iPhone‌ in the fall of 2026, but poor sales of the debut model apparently led Apple to delay the launch.

The second-generation ‌iPhone Air‌ is rumored to address complaints about the device by adding a second rear camera and lowering its price. A lighter weight, vapor chamber cooling, and a larger battery capacity are also among the rumored new features.

It is still possible that a new ‌iPhone Air‌ could launch in the fall of next year, especially if Apple has expedited development of new features, since this was the original scheduled launch time frame. Nevertheless, it would be surprising if the multitude of rumors indicating a delayed launch were mistaken.
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Samsung is preparing to supply Apple with advanced image sensors for the iPhone in Austin, Texas, according to The Elec.


The sensors will reportedly be made by Samsung at its existing facility in Austin. The company is expected to install production equipment for the project in the near future and has posted job listings for mechanical and electrical technicians, engineers, and managers to work on set up.

Samsung is expected to make the ‌iPhone‌'s image sensor with a three-stack design, which enables higher pixel density and improved low-light performance by vertically stacking multiple sensor layers. Stacked sensor architecture also allows for faster readout speeds, reduced power consumption, and higher dynamic range. This manufacturing process has not previously been deployed at a commercial scale.

Earlier this month, Samsung notified the city of council of Austin of its intention to spend $19 billion on its Austin facility. The new image sensor production line is expected to begin operation in March at the earliest.

The new sensor is believed to be destined for the iPhone 18, which is expected to launch in the first half of 2027. Apple reportedly reached a deal with Samsung in August for supply of the component.

This will be the first time Apple will move away from Sony as the sole supplier for ‌‌iPhone‌‌ image sensors and make the component in the United States. Today, Sony is the sole supplier of ‌‌iPhone‌‌ image sensors; they are produced in Japan and delivered via TSMC.
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