After briefly taking down its European education stores earlier today, Apple has officially launched its 2025 Back to School promotion across the continent.

Like in the U.S., this year’s offer includes a free pair of AirPods or other accessories with the purchase of a qualifying Mac or iPad through the Apple Store for Education website. Here are the details.

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Apple's annual Back to School offer for university students and educational staff is now available in many European countries, after initially launching in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Singapore, India, and the United Arab Emirates last month.


Apple's online educational store is now showing the limited-time promotional offer in a long list of countries. With the purchase of an iPad, MacBook, or iMac, students can receive an accessory such as the Apple Pencil Pro, AirPods 4, or ‌AirPods 4‌ with Active Noise Cancellation for free. Alternatively, for a fee, customers can upgrade to a pricier accessory while retaining their overall saving.

The available accessories, savings, and supplementary costs are as follows (UK pricing):

iPad

• ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro (£119.00 savings)


• ‌AirPods 4‌ (£129.00 savings)


• ‌AirPods 4‌ with Active Noise Cancellation (£129.00 savings, after paying additional £50.00 fee)


• AirPods Pro 2 (£129.00 savings, after paying additional £100.00 fee)


• Magic Keyboard for iPad Air 11-inch (£119.00 savings, after paying additional £130.00 fee)


• Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Air‌ 13-inch (£119.00 savings, after paying additional £160.00 fee)


• Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 11-inch (£119.00 savings, after paying additional £160.00 fee)


• Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Pro‌ 13-inch (£119.00 savings, after paying additional £210.00 fee)

MacBook

• ‌AirPods 4‌ with Active Noise Cancellation (£179.00 savings)


• ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 (£179.00 savings, after paying additional £50.00 fee)


• Magic Mouse (£79.00–£99.00 savings)


• Magic Trackpad (£129.00–£149.00 savings)


• Magic Keyboard with Touch ID (£179.00–£199.00 savings)

iMac

• ‌AirPods 4‌ with Active Noise Cancellation (£179.00 savings)


• ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 (£179.00 savings, after paying additional £50.00 fee)

The offer is now live in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and a few other countries and territories in Europe, as well as in Türkiye.

The free accessory is included in addition to Apple's standard year-round 10% educational discount on select Mac and ‌iPad‌ models. In Europe, the promotion ends on October 21. In the U.S., it ends on September 30.
This article, "Apple's 'Back to School' Offer Now Available Across Europe" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Following the introduction of Samsung's latest foldables yesterday, Apple today began accepting three new flagship Android devices for trade-in.


The three devices are previous-generation flagship models. As indicated on Apple's trade-in webpage, their values are as follows:

• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Up to $405


• Samsung Galaxy S24: Up to $290


• Google Pixel 8 Pro: Up to $205

Prices for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy S23, Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, and Google Pixel 7 Pro remain the same at up to $330, $180, $135, and $120, respectively.
This article, "Apple Now Accepting Three New Android Devices for Trade-In" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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OpenAI is planning to introduce a web browser that would be available as an alternative to Safari and Google Chrome, reports Reuters. The AI-powered web browser is "close" to being ready to launch, and it will debut in the coming weeks.


The OpenAI browser will use artificial intelligence to change how consumers browse the web, and it will give OpenAI access to the very web search data that has allowed Google Chrome to remain the top browser option. OpenAI has asked for Google's search data to improve SearchGPT in the past, but Google refused.

Google parent company Alphabet uses information sourced from its Chrome browser to better target ads to customers, plus Chrome is a quick way to ensure that people use Google Search. OpenAI already has SearchGPT, so a browser that integrates its search product is a next logical step.

The browser that OpenAI is developing will keep some user interactions inside a ChatGPT-style interface rather than directing users to click through to websites. It could also include OpenAI's AI agent products like Operator, allowing the browser to complete tasks like making reservations or filling out forms at the direction of the user.

Back in April, an OpenAI executive said that the company would be interested in purchasing the Chrome browser if Google is forced to sell it as part of an antitrust remedy.
This article, "OpenAI to Launch AI Web Browser" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Since at least July 4, Apple Maps has failed to treat the privately-owned Highway 407 ETR in the Toronto, Canada area as a toll road, according to complaints from affected users. This issue is not limited to any particular device or software version, with users experiencing the problem across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and web.


As a result of this issue, local Apple Maps users who have turned on the "Avoid Tolls" setting may still be routed onto the Highway 407 ETR when using turn-by-turn directions. This can prove to be a very costly mistake, as the highway is notoriously expensive, with rates of up to 85 cents (CAD) per kilometer traveled for passenger vehicles.

MacRumors was able to reproduce the issue, and alerted Apple to the matter shortly before publishing, so hopefully a fix is implemented soon.

As of June 1 this year, the Ontario government stopped collecting tolls on the provincially-owned segment of Highway 407, which runs immediately east of the privately-owned ETR segment, as one continuous highway. Apple likely updated its Maps app to reflect this change, but mistakenly treated the entire Highway 407 as a toll-free road.

With the issue now receiving media coverage, it should be in the rearview mirror soon enough.

Thanks, John Naismith!
This article, "Apple Maps Suddenly Failing to Treat Highway 407 ETR in Toronto Area as Toll Road" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Synology is synonymous with NAS, or network-attached storage, and there’s good reason for that. The DiskStation line of products is reliable and robust with a great community that supports consumer and professional use cases. More recently, DiskStation DS925+, a traditional NAS with a familiar product name to us at 9to5. Both are great in their own way. Here’s how they perform and compare.

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Earlier this week, Ruoming Pang, the executive who until recently led Apple’s AI models team, left the company to join Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Superintelligence Labs, or MSL. Now, as reported by Bloomberg, we know just what it took to lure him away.

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Apple is able to wirelessly update iPhones that are still in the box using a proprietary system called "Presto," and now 9to5Mac claims that the technology is going to be expanded to the Mac.


With Presto, Apple Store employees can place a sealed iPhone box on the Presto shelf. The ‌iPhone‌ then turns on, and the software the ‌iPhone‌ is running is updated to the latest available version. The process takes between 15 and 30 minutes, and it allows iPhones be updated to Apple's newest software before being sold to a customer.

There are hints of a similar Presto option for the Mac in the third beta of macOS Tahoe. As with the ‌iPhone‌, Macs could be updated to the newest software ahead of when they're sold, which would prevent customers from having to do day-one updates after purchasing a product.

It's not clear how a Presto for Mac feature would work, given that the ‌iPhone‌ version relies on NFC and Macs don't have an NFC chip inside, nor is it known when the functionality could roll out to Apple's retail stores.
This article, "Apple's 'Presto' Wireless Update Tech May Soon Reach the Mac" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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 223 includes fixes and updates for CSS, JavaScript, Rendering, SVG, Text, Web API, Web Extensions, and Web Inspector.

The current ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release is compatible with machines running macOS Sequoia and macOS Tahoe, the newest version of macOS that's set to launch this later this year.

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.
This article, "Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 223 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has rolled out official support for Firefox in the latest update to its iCloud for Windows app, allowing users to autofill and access their iCloud Passwords directly in Mozilla’s browser for the first time.

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U.S. trade director Peter Navarro took aim at Apple again today, causing the company's stock to briefly drop. In an interview with Fox Business, Navarro said that Apple thinks that it is "too big to tariff," suggesting that Apple might be expecting a tariff exemption that won't be coming.


Earlier this week, Navarro targeted Apple in a CNBC interview criticizing Tim Cook for failing to move Apple manufacturing from China to the United States. Navarro accused Cook of delaying the manufacturing shift, and called it "the longest-running soap opera in Silicon Valley." Navarro claimed that Cook is not moving fast enough to meet Trump's demands for U.S.-based manufacturing.

Navarro went on to say that it is "inconceivable" that Apple is not able to manufacture the iPhone elsewhere.

Going back to the first Trump term, Tim Cook has continually asked for more time in order to move his factories out of China. I mean, it's the longest running soap opera in Silicon Valley. And my problem with Tim Cook is he never takes the steps to actually do that. And with all these new advanced manufacturing techniques and the way things are moving with AI and things like that, it's inconceivable to me that Tim Cook could not produce his iPhones elsewhere around the world and in this country.

Apple is facing steep tariffs in China and other countries as the Trump administration renegotiates trade deals. This week, Trump has been announcing tariffs on various countries. The Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia are facing 25 percent tariffs, while tariffs in Indonesia are at 32 percent and tariffs in Thailand are at 36 percent. Vietnam tariffs are 20 percent. The tariffs announced this week are set to go into effect on August 1, a new extended deadline Trump implemented on Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said several times that Apple is capable of manufacturing its iPhones and other devices in the U.S., but industry experts suggest that it's next to impossible. Disregarding the expense of the move and the cost of building up new factories with advanced machinery, it would be unlikely that Apple and its suppliers would be able to find enough people with the necessary skillset to make iPhones. Cook maintains that Apple manufactures its devices in China because China has specialized expertise in advanced manufacturing.

Apple sources components from more than 50 countries around the world, and it gets rare earth minerals from 79 countries. There is no feasible way for Apple to source all of the ‌iPhone‌'s components from a single country. Even if Apple were only assembling the ‌iPhone‌ in the U.S., and it had the skilled employees available, the cost of living and wages in the U.S. would raise the price of the ‌iPhone‌ significantly.

Back in May, Trump threatened Apple with a 25 percent tariff if Apple does not manufacture and build iPhones sold in the United States in the U.S. Trump also complained that he has had a problem with Cook "building all over India," and he went as far as demanding that Apple stop expanding in India.
This article, "Apple Remains in Trump's Crosshairs as Trade Advisor Again Criticizes China Reliance" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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A new M4 Vision Pro is reportedly launching later this year, and even though not a lot sounds like it’s changing, I’m cautiously hopeful that the most needed fix might be on the way.

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Using 1Password to remember every username and password that accumulates is easily one of the best quality-of-life improvements you can make in your digital world. In addition to saving all your passwords and secure information, 9to5Mac readers can also try 1Password free for 14 days and take home a $20 credit as a Prime Day exclusive! 1Password is hands-down the best fix for fumbling with passwords because it’s private, cross-platform, and the absolute leader in password management features.

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Linda Yaccarino has announced that she’s stepping down as CEO of X, a little over two years after being tapped by Elon Musk to lead the platform formerly known as Twitter. Here’s what she had to say.

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Nvidia today became the first public company to hit a $4 trillion market value as shares briefly rose to $164. Stock has dropped back to around $163 per share, so the company is now hovering at the $3.9T mark.



Apple became the world's first $3 trillion company in January 2022, and it was at one point the
world's most valuable public company, but it has been unable to maintain that position with competition from Nvidia and Microsoft.

Nvidia first hit the $3 trillion mark in June 2024, and it's at the $4 trillion mark just over a year later. Nvidia is now the world's most valuable publicly traded company, with Microsoft taking second place and Apple coming in third.

Microsoft has a market value of $3.74T, while Apple has a $3.14T market value. Microsoft is expected to hit the $4T mark ahead of Apple. Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta have market values of $2.36T, $2.15T, and $1.84, respectively.

Nvidia's value has soared over the last few years due to demand for its AI server chips.
This article, "Nvidia Beats Apple to $4 Trillion Market Value" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Busy day for AI-based browsing. Just as Reuters reported that OpenAI is just weeks away from releasing a browser, Perplexity, the company behind the famous AI-powered “answer engine,” launched Comet, its own take at what browsing looks like in the age of AI. Here’s what it looks like.

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In March, Apple said that it planned to add support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to the Messages app in future iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS software updates, and we are still waiting for that to happen. As of the third developer beta of iOS 26 released this week, the upgrade has yet to be implemented on iPhones.


End-to-end encryption for RCS was announced in March, as part of version 3.0 of the RCS Universal Profile, a global standard for RCS features and specifications. This means that Apple has indirectly confirmed that it will support RCS Universal Profile 3.0, which includes not only end-to-end encryption for RCS, but several other iMessage-like enhancements for RCS that were originally introduced in RCS‌ Universal Profile 2.7.

Apple has to wait on carriers to implement RCS Universal Profile 3.0 too, so it is understandable why the process is taking time.

Here are five new capabilities to expect for RCS conversations on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, once Apple rolls out support for RCS Universal Profile 3.0:

• End-to-end encryption, which will prevent Apple and any other third party from being able to read messages and attachments while they are being sent between devices, as has always been the case with iMessage


• In-line replies


• Edit messages


• Unsend messages


• Full-fledged Tapback support for RCS messages, with no special workarounds

RCS support as a whole was added to the iPhone with iOS 18, which supports ‌RCS‌ Universal Profile 2.4. It is effectively a modernized version of the SMS standard, which remains available as a fallback option for text messages over a cellular network.

RCS will be playing catch up with iMessage in many ways. iMessage conversations with blue bubbles have already supported end-to-end encryption by default since iOS 5. In addition, iMessage has supported in-line replies since iOS 14, while the options to edit and unsend iMessages were introduced with iOS 16.

It seems likely that Apple will roll out these RCS upgrades at some point during the iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and watchOS 26 software cycle.
This article, "Apple's Promised RCS Upgrade Still Not Implemented in iOS 26 Beta" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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OpenAI has completed its acquisition of Jony Ive's AI startup io Products, OpenAI said today in a letter from CEO Sam Altman and Ive.


The io Products team has now officially merged with OpenAI, though Jony Ive and his LoveFrom design firm remain independent. Ive and LoveFrom have taken over "deep design and creative responsibilities" at OpenAI. OpenAI paid an estimated $6.5 billion for io.

OpenAI first announced plans to purchase Jony Ive's startup back in May, and at the time, the two shared a video on their future plans. Ive and Altman are creating a new family of AI devices. "The products that we're using to deliver and connect us to unimaginable technology, they're decades old," said Jony Ive in the acquisition announcement. "It's just common sense to at least think surely there's something beyond these legacy products."

Ive will design the AI device that OpenAI will eventually launch, and several former Apple design employees who co-founded io with Ive are also moving to OpenAI. While Ive provides design, OpenAI will handle the AI expertise.

Recent information indicates that Ive and Altman's first device won't be an in-ear device or wearable, and will instead sit in a pocket or on a desk alongside a Mac and an iPhone. Other rumors suggest that the pocket-sized product will be contextually aware of the wearer's surroundings and life, providing insight screen-free.
This article, "OpenAI Finalizes Deal for Jony Ive's 'io' AI Hardware Company" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Google Chrome has long dominated the web browser space, despite many Apple users opting to stick with Safari. But a major new player is reportedly about to launch its own web browser: OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT.

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Apple's annual Back to School offer for university students and educational staff is about to begin in many European countries, after initially launching in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Singapore, India, and the United Arab Emirates last month.


Apple's online educational store is currently showing a "we'll be right back" message in a long list of countries, and this is typically an indicator that the Back to School offer is incoming. The offer should begin in these countries within a matter of hours.

We did a quick check of Apple's website, and it appears the offer will be going live in the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and a few other countries and territories in Europe, as well as in Türkiye.

In countries where the offer is already live, eligible students can receive free AirPods 4 when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. AirPods Pro 2 are also available at a discount. Aside from AirPods, the promotion also offers various other accessories for free or at a discount, such as the Apple Pencil Pro or a Magic Keyboard.

The free AirPods or other accessory are included in addition to Apple's standard year-round 10% educational discount on select Mac and iPad models.

In the U.S., the promotion ends on September 30.
This article, "Apple's Back to School Offer With Free AirPods About to Begin in Europe" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple made an interesting omission in yesterday’s chief operating officer transition announcement. Design, which previously reported to COO Jeff Williams, will soon report to CEO Tim Cook, but the press release stopped short of explaining where Williams’ other product responsibility will go when he leaves.

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macOS Tahoe brings a lot of exciting updates to the Mac, like a supercharged Spotlight, Liquid Glass design, and three brand new apps. One of my personal macOS Tahoe favorites: Control Center is getting a lot of great upgrades. Here’s what’s new.

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Prime Day is in full swing this week, offering massive savings on everything from AirPods to MacBook Air and much more. We've been keeping an eye on these Apple-related Prime Day discounts all week, but now we're also tracking great sales on other categories, including TVs.

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

Below we've collected some of the best TV deals you can find during Prime Day, including those from Samsung, Sony, Hisense, LG, Panasonic, Toshiba, and more. Shoppers should remember that Prime Day sales are typically time sensitive, so purchase quickly if you're interested.



It's also worth noting that some deals require an Amazon Prime membership to get Prime Day deals. You can sign up for a free 30-day trial of Prime on Amazon if you're a new customer; afterwards the service runs for $14.99/month or $139/year.

Special for 2025, Amazon is also offering a free six month trial to Prime for Young Adults right now. Prime for Young Adults is a discounted Prime membership for anyone age 18-24 that offers all of the Prime benefits at $69.00 per year, half of the price of regular Prime.

50-Inch TVs

• 55-inch Roku Smart TV - $249.00, down from $349.99


• 55-inch LG 4K Smart TV - $326.99, down from $376.99


• 50-inch Vizio 4K Smart TV - $398.00, down from $629.99


• 55-inch Hisense Mini-LED 4K Smart Fire TV - $447.99, down from $799.99


• 55-inch Amazon Fire TV - $699.99, down from $819.99


• 55-inch Samsung The Frame QLED Smart TV (2025 Model) - $1,097.99, down from $1,297.99

60-Inch TVs

• 65-inch 4K UHD Amazon Fire TV - $449.99, down from $719.99


• 65-inch Panasonic 4K Ultra HD Smart Fire TV - $479.99, down from $549.99


• 65-inch Sony 4K Ultra HD Bravia Smart TV - $698.00, down from $799.00


• 65-inch Sony 4K Ultra HD TV - $1,698.00, down from $3,499.00


• 65-inch Samsung The Frame Pro QLED Smart TV (2025 Model) - $1,897.99, down from $2,197.99


• 65-inch LG G3 OLED 4K TV - $2,530.09, down from $2,799.99

70-Inch TVs

• 75-inch Toshiba LED 4K UHD Smart Fire TV - $429.99, down from $649.99


• 75-inch Hisense QLED 4K Smart TV - $529.99, down from $699.99


• 75-inch Hisense 4K UHD Fire TV - $599.99, down from $799.00


• 75-inch Samsung QLED 4K TV - $877.99, down from $997.99

80-Inch TVs

• 85-inch Hisense QLED 4K Smart Fire TV - $799.99, down from $1,099.99


• 86-inch LG Smart TV - $899.99, down from $1,096.99


• 85-inch Samsung QLED Smart TV - $989.97, down from $1,697.99

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.

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This article, "Prime Day TV Deals Include Year's Best Prices on Popular Smart TVs" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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With iOS 26, Apple has made a key strategy shift: it’s no longer pre-announcing major new features that won’t be available for months to come.

Here’s why I think that’s a great decision by Apple, and why it could make for an exciting 12 months.

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