A new AiO LCS from Corsair has surfaced, the Corsair Nautilus 360 RS. It is designed to be easy to use and install, so it would be a good choice for someone…
The world has a password problem that is getting worse by the second. With hordes of apps now requiring you to create a unique account to access them, with a unique password…
Apple is bringing in Anthropic's Claude AI to help its engineers code faster, marking a quiet but telling shift in its approach to artificial intelligence.
Xcode
Apple has long resisted leaning on outside help for core technologies, preferring to build its tools in-house. But that wall is starting to crack. The company is now partnering with Anthropic to integrate its Claude Sonnet model into an upgraded version of Xcode, Apple's software development platform.
While it'll probably look very familiar, the iPhone 17 is set to bring some performance increases and new features. Here's everything the rumor mill thinks is coming in the fall of 2025.
Apple's iPhone 17 will look almost identical to the current iPhone 16.
The standard iPhone 17, however, won't benefit from the same visual treatment. Based on alleged leaked CAD files and dummy units, the base model iPhone 17 will be virtually indistinguishable from its predecessor, the iPhone 16. Apple has already made test units of the iPhone 17, and the device is reportedly moving toward mass production.
Apple iPhone 16e (starts at $699, as reviewed $899) The iPhone 16e is Apple’s new entry-level smartphone. It’s a great phone that’s simply too expensive, considering it lacks an ultrawide camera and high refresh-rate display. Clean, simple design Beautiful display Nice cameras Excellent speakers Solid performance Good battery...
Apple's 2025 15-inch MacBook Air equipped with the M4 chip has dropped to $1,049 as retailers compete for your business in a May price war.
Grab a 15-inch MacBook Air for $1,049 this weekend.
The 15-inch M4 MacBook Air (2025) features a 10-core GPU, with the standard model also equipped with 16GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD. Apple resellers B&H and Amazon are both discounting the standard spec in all four colorways to $1,049, the lowest price in 30 days and a 13% markdown off MSRP.
Both by getting an exemption, and by toiling for seven years to diversify its iPhone manufacturing efforts outside of China, the $900 million estimate of tariff impacts in the third quarter is paltry compared to what it could have been, and is for other companies.
Part of Apple's current iPhone 16 range
An unusual part of Apple's latest earnings call was when Cook broke off from recounting the quarter in question, and instead offered what he called color on the future. Really he was speaking about tariffs, which were introduced in Q2 but sufficiently anticipated in Q1 that it had an impact on Apple sales.
Cook had already said that Apple used a "build ahead" approach, to get more imports done before the tariff announcement for the third quarter. While he didn't comment on the unexpectedly higher severity of Trump's tariffs, he said that Apple estimates that "the tariffs will add $900 million to our costs for the third fiscal quarter."
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero is dripping with features and an edgy, head-turning design, but for once the fault lays not with the board or manufacturer, but with the lack of attractive CPU options, although as usual this high-end ASUS board is still prohibitively expensive for most.
Just days after rumours suggesting AMD might be reconsidering or even cancelling the 8GB variant of their upcoming Radeon RX 9060 XT desktop graphics card, a new report refutes those claims. According to this new report, citing reputable sources close to AMD board partners, the 8GB RX 9060 XT is, in fact, still very much on schedule.
According to Benchlife (via VideoCardz), the initial rumour about the 8GB model's potential cancellation stemmed from the poor market and review reception of Nvidia's competing RTX 5060 Ti 8GB. As seen by various media outlets and independent reviewers, that card struggled with VRAM limitations in some modern titles.
Countering this, Benchlife's sources reportedly indicate that the 8GB RX 9060 XT variant is not only still planned, but production is already underway. However, while the variant itself isn't cancelled, the report does claim that the 8GB version of the RX 9060 XT may not get a traditional rollout to the wider DIY PC market and may end up being reserved for OEMs and system integrators.
KitGuru says: With games nowadays demanding more and more VRAM, we would like to see the industry push for more 12GB+ GPUs, particularly in the £200 to £400 market segment.
Evil Dead: The Game only just came out in 2022 but this week, the game mysteriously began disappearing from store fronts. At this point, the game is no longer available to purchase on Steam, PlayStation and Xbox. Now, publisher and developer, Saber Interactive, has spoken out.
Saber Interactive did not comment on the game's removal earlier this week when fans first found the game missing from the PSN, Epic Games and Steam Stores. Now with the game's delisting completed, Saber has finally confirmed that yes, the game is going away.
Here is Saber Interactive's full statement on the matter (via VGC):
“We can confirm we’ve begun the process of removing the game from digital storefronts. Anyone who has purchased the game will still be able to play it as we plan to keep our servers online for everyone. We want to extend a sincere thank you to our community, to those who have been part of the game from the very beginning, and those who have recently joined us. We appreciate all of your support.”
Typically when a game is going to be delisted, developers will give fans a heads up, leaving the door open for last-minute purchases before a game disappears for good. Saber unfortunately did not take that approach here, keeping its licensing details secret until the very end.
KitGuru Says: The handling of this has been abysmal, but it wouldn't be the first time that Saber Interactive has failed to communicate with its audience effectively.
KitGuru was first introduced to the Lian Li Lancool 217 at CES this year and our first impressions were excellent. Happily the time has now come for a full review of this chassis which is landing at £110 here in the UK. Is it just another airflow-focused case in an already crowded market, or has Lian Li managed to deliver something special? We find out today.
Specification:
Motherboard support: SSI-EEB, E-ATX up to 280mm wide, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX.
Power supply support: ATX, SFX-L, SFX.
Expansion slots: 7.
Included fans: 2x 170mm 1,550rpm front intake, 1x 140mm 1,800rpm rear exhaust, 2x 120mm 1,900rpm on PSU shroud.
Fan mounts: 2x 170mm front, 3x 120mm/2x 140mm roof, 1x 120mm/140mm rear, 3x 120mm on PSU shroud.
Radiator mounts: 360mm/280mm roof.
5.25-inch optical drive bays: None.
Internal drive bays: 2x 3.5-inch, 3x 2.5-inch.
Front I/O ports: 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, audio.
Dimensions: 503mm H x 482mm D x 238mm W.
Testing
To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D processor, Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card and an SSD. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Lian Li Lancool 217's cooling capabilities.
Test System:
Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X 3D
CPU Cooler: Lian Li Hydroshift LCD 360 Fanless + 3x Uni Fan TL Wireless 120
Motherboard: ASRock X870E Taichi
Memory: 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000
Graphics card: PowerColor Red Devil RX 9070 XT 16GB
Power supply: Seasonic Focus GX-1000 Gold
SSD: Crucial T700 M.2 NVMe
OS: Windows 11
Cooling Performance Overview
The Lian Li Lancool 217 does a good job and our advice would be to run the fans low and slow to keep noise levels to a minimum. You certainly can turn them up and slightly help the cooling but the noise levels rapidly get unbearable.
Closing Thoughts
The Lancool 217 continues Lian Li's habit of getting pretty much everything correct while avoiding errors with a product that caters for a mass market at a very acceptable price. Clearly some PC builders would prefer glass on four sides to mesh, while others want stacks of ARGB lighting bling, and no doubt those people will be disappointed by the Lancool 217.
On the other hand we are confident a large swathe of the buying public wants a spacious case that is populated with high quality fans and which flows air with ease. The fact the UK price is lower than the US dollar price adds to our delight and makes it even easier for us to strongly recommend this case for your next PC build.
You can buy the Lian Li Lancool 217 for £109.99 from Scan (from May 5th) HERE.
Pros:
Immaculate quality of components and white finish.
Impressive emphasis on cable management and neatness.
PWM and ARGB fan hub is included.
Accessories include rails to swap the 170mm fans for 120mm or 140mm.
Good air flow.
Supports E-ATX and SSI-EEB motherboards.
Cons:
Top panel can easily come loose when you move your PC
Front panel IO is down low and awkward if your PC is on the floor.
KitGuru says: The Lian Li Lancool 217 is packed with goodness.
Since seeing the trailer in December 2023, fans around the world have been eagerly awaiting the release date for GTA 6. Today, Rockstar finally made that announcement, pushing the game out of 2025 and landing on a May 2026 launch date. While this news is being celebrated around the industry, it has made some investors skittish.
At the time of writing, since dropping the news that GTA 6 has been delayed, Take-Two shares have dropped by just shy of 7 percent. In a statement published on the Take-Two Investor Relations website, CEO, Strauss Zelnick, backed the decision to delay the game, adding that leadership is confident in Rockstar's ability to deliver a hit when GTA 6 does release next year.
“We support fully Rockstar Games taking additional time to realize their creative vision for Grand Theft Auto VI, which promises to bea groundbreaking, blockbuster entertainment experience that exceeds audience expectations. While we take the movement of our titles seriously and appreciate the vast and deep global anticipation for Grand Theft Auto VI, we remain steadfast in our commitment to excellence.”
While GTA 6 is not coming out this year, Take-Two still has a very strong line-up ahead for 2025, including the likes of Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country.
KitGuru Says: Some investors are going to be very upset with themselves when May 2026 rolls around, as GTA 6 projects to be the biggest video game launch in history.
It has been a while since Valve's new multiplayer game, Deadlock, made headlines. That changed this week thanks to the discovery of a secret new build of the game – one that looks to be much closer to a 1.0 launch build.
When the masses learned about Valve's secret Deadlock alpha last summer, it didn't take long for Valve to open the floodgates, inviting hundreds of thousands of testers to try out the game. It turns out that there is a secret build not shared to all Deadlock alpha testers.
The new build was revealed by Deathy, a prominent Deadlock livestreamer who accidentally launched the wrong version of the game on Steam. The original livestream was deleted, as was the VOD version of the stream, but eagle-eyed gamers were quick to save screenshots.
The new build of Deadlock includes a much larger roster of playable characters, as well as redesigned versions of heroes already announced for the game. In general, it looks to be a much more polished version of the game, indicating that despite the public alpha, Valve has continued to work away on the game in secret.
With this new build now discovered, it seems that Valve will be making new announcements around Deadlock in the coming months.
KitGuru Says: Deadlock had its viral moment in 2024 but we still have no idea when the game will come out. With this new build of the game surfacing, it would seem that official announcements from Valve are now imminent.
G.Skill is bringing ultra high-speed and high-capacity DDR5 memory kits to AMD Ryzen based systems. The new G.Skill DDR5-8400 128GB kit is available starting this month, packing high-performance DDR5 ICs from SK-Hynix.
The new DDR5-8400 128GB (2x 64GB) RAM kit was tested and validated on a system using an Asus ROG Crosshair X870E APEX motherboard, paired with an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU. This speed is achieved via the high-performance SK-Hynix ICs, allowing G.Skill to crank the speeds higher on larger capacity modules.
This latest overclock achievement showcases G.Skill's continued pursuit for high speeds. The company has continually raised the bar for high-speed RAM in the past and G.Skill has not slowed down at all during the DDR5 era.
Just recently, G.Skill memory was used to set the world record for DDR5 overclock speeds and with the annual OC World Cup taking place at Computex, we may see more world records broken in just a few weeks.
The era of the Lian Li Lancool 216 is over. This year, Lian Li is introducing the Lancool 217, a direct successor featuring design and aesthetic tweaks to suit new PC builds.
The new LANCOOL 217 is available in Dark Walnut or Light Beech colour options, with real wood accents a touch of warmth to the colour scheme. The chassis is designed with thermal performance in mind, with five pre-installed fans out of the box, including two unique 170mm fans in the front of the case, bringing in fresh air to cool all of your components.
You can find the full specs for the Lian Li LANCOOL 217 below:
Behind MB Tray: 2 x 2.5″ SSD or 1 x 2.5” SSD(When using Back-connect Micro-ATX motherboard)
2 x Hard Drive Cage: Each cage support 1 x 3.5″ HDD + 1 x 2.5″ SSD + ( 1 x 3.5″ HDD or 1 x 2.5″ SSD)
PSU Cover: 1 x 2.5” SSD
Front: 170mm x 2 (pre-installed) or 140mm x 3 or 120mm x 3
Top: 120mm x 3 or 140mm x 2
Above PSU Shroud: 120mm x 3 (2 x pre-installed)
Or Under PSU Shroud: 120mm x 2
Rear: 140mm x 1 (pre-installed) or 120mm x 1
Radiator Support
(Top) 360 / 280 / 240
I/O PORTS
USB 3.0 x 2
USB 3.2 Gen2x2 20G Type C x 1
Audio x 1
Power Button x 2
Dust Filters
Front x 1
Bottom x 1
Fan Hub
ARGB/FAN Hub with 6 x PWM Fan Headers and 4 x 5V ARGB Headers x 4
The Lian Li Lancool 217 will be available priced at $119.99 for the Dark Walnut version, or $124.99 for the Light Beech version. We have one in house at the KitGuru labs, so expect a review soon.
KitGuru Says: Are you planning a new PC build for 2025? Are you considering a Lian Li case?
Intel's latest generation of Arc graphics cards, codenamed Battlemage, might soon receive a new entry. The G31 GPU has been the subject of numerous rumours, with some suggesting that Intel had either abandoned or significantly changed its plans since late 2024. However, new information sourced from leaked shipping manifests contradicts those cancellation whispers.
According to the shipping manifest found by Haze, the hardware labelled ‘Battlemage G31' or ‘BGM-31' is still being transported between Intel labs. Specifically, shipments from late March were reportedly sent to Intel Vietnam, the facility previously responsible for producing Intel's Limited Edition (reference) Arc cards like the B580 and B570. This could hint that Intel is working on a new Limited Edition design for an upcoming Battlemage desktop GPU based on the G31 die.
Despite this apparent confirmation of ongoing development, the exact release timing for G31 remains unknown.
In addition to the BMG G31 GPU, there are rumours of an Arc GPU with 24GB of VRAM. It's unclear if this GPU is targeting gamers or professionals, but the sheer amount of VRAM suggests the latter.
KitGuru says: Do you think Intel will still launch a higher-end Battlemage GPU? If so, how would it compare with AMD and Nvidia graphics cards?
Intel's next-generation mobile platform, Panther Lake, is officially confirmed to launch this year. While Intel has reiterated a 2025 debut multiple times, they haven't specified the exact scope of this initial rollout, and new reports suggest it might be quite narrow.
According to Meng (via VideoCardz), only a single Panther Lake variant is set to arrive this year, with remaining versions pushed back to 2026. This configuration is rumoured to feature 4 P-cores and 8 E-cores but will not include low-power cores. Instead, it's said to come equipped with four Xe 3 graphics cores. The platform is predicted to have a 45W TDP, indicating a significantly higher power envelope compared to Lunar Lake's typical 17W-28W range.
This rumoured variant lacking low-power E-cores hasn't been mentioned in previous reports, suggesting it's a new configuration developed more recently. Without the low-power E-cores, this configuration is likely aimed at gaming laptops, where a powerful integrated GPU is less important. Meanwhile, the other Panther Lake variants expected to be released later are likely targeting premium laptops without discrete graphics.
Panther Lake succeeds Lunar Lake in Intel's roadmap, although it won't feature the same memory-on-package design due to associated costs.
KitGuru says: What are your expectations for Intel Panther Lake?
Apple's App Store has been around for 17 years, and there's a rich history and a wealth of apps to discover. Here's what you need to know, and how to get started with it.
Image Credit: Apple
While the iPhone first hit the market in June 2007, the iOS App Store was not released until July 10, 2008. At launch, it featured 500 applications, which included landmark titles for the time like Bejewled and social media apps like FaceBook and MySpace Mobile.
Apple would later launch the Mac App Store, with it first surfacing on January 6, 2011, as part of a free Mac OS X 10.6.6 update.
As Apple again earns more in a quarter than predicted, it's also been hit by a punishing legal ruling. There are also new iPhone 17 dummies, and a "portable" Mac mini, all on the AppleInsider Podcast.
A current iPhone showing images of dummy models for the forthcoming iPhone 17 range
Apple did reveal that it's earned more in the last quarter than expected, though Tim Cook is a little inconsistent over whether there was any affect from how buyers then expected tariffs that were due to be a little steep. He also did not say directly that the tariffs turned out to be calamitously high, but he has predicted a $900 million cost to the company in the next quarter.
While that's more money than you earn in a dozen lifetimes, it's not going to put Apple out of business. Nor will the firm be finished after it took its near total victory over Epic Games and this week found a new way to lose anyway.
Apple's Tim Cook attended President Trump's gathering of business CEOs via satellite, and committed the company to working with the administration.
Tim Cook speaking at a Trump press call via satellite — image credit: Fox
Cook has continued his political handling of Trump that's previously included conversations and meetings, which led to the president granting Apple a tariff exemption, despite then immediately denying that he had. This time, Cook appeared by satellite at a publicity meeting between Trump and around 20 business leaders, on April 30, 2025, according toFox Business.
After apologizing that he couldn't be present in person, Cook repeated his regular remark that, "Apple could only have been created in the United States."
We've been waiting months for Rockstar to give an update on GTA 6. The game was officially announced last year, with a record-breaking trailer garnering hundreds of millions of views. At the time, Rockstar has a 2025 release window in mind, but today's announcement has pushed GTA 6 to 2026.
Grand Theft Auto VI is no longer releasing this year but Rockstar has narrowed down a date – May 26th 2026. In a statement, Rockstar thanked fans for their patience and said that the delay would aid in achieving “the level of quality” fans expect from a Rockstar game.
“We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game. With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.”
The GTA 6 release date has been a hot topic of debate recently. As Rockstar announced a 2025 release window for the game, many publishers have been holding off on announcing release dates for their own games. Now with the GTA 6 release date confirmed, we can expect to see a flurry of release date announcements as we head towards Summer Game Fest in June.
KitGuru Says: GTA 6 is coming to consoles in May. Hopefully by this time next year, we'll start to hear rumblings about the PC version.
Each month, those who are subscribed to Amazon Prime are able to acquire a wide range of ‘free’ games as part of the company’s Prime Gaming initiative. Over the course of May, subscribers will be able to claim 22 different titles, including but not limited to LEGO Star Wars; Wolfenstein II; Saints Row and more.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus Digital Deluxe Edition [Microsoft Store]
Amnesia: Rebirth [EGS]
Hypnospace Outlaw [GOG]
Doors — Paradox [EGS]
Available on the 15th
Saints Row: Gat out of Hell [GOG]
ENDLESS Legend Definitive Edition [Prime]
Golf with Your Friends [GOG]
Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 [GOG]
Mail Time [GOG]
Dropping on the 22nd
FATE [GOG]
Thief 2: The Metal Age [GOG]
Everdream Valley [Prime]
Chessarama [EGS]
The Lost Ashford Ring [Legacy Games Code]
29th of May
Samurai Bringer [Prime]
Trinity Fusion [Prime]
Masterplan Tycoon [Prime]
Liberté [EGS]
Though it would be preferable that more games be given away through Steam, having almost two dozen new games to play is certainly not worth complaining about – especially as a decent number of them are GOG codes.
KitGuru says: Are you subscribed to Amazon Prime? Do you like the current system or would you rather they offer fewer-but-higher-quality games? Which title are you most looking forward to playing? Let us know down below.
2025 has been pretty good for Xbox Game Pass so far, with the service seeing a number of major day-one additions including the highly-anticipated Oblivion Remaster and GOTY contender Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Given that they are both GP titles, it’s not surprising to see that a majority of players so far have utilised the service. Interestingly, Game Pass players have also put significantly less time into these titles compared to other platforms.
As reported by Ampere Analytics (via TheGameBusiness) the recent influx of day-one Game Pass releases seems to be sparking the interest of its subscribers.
According to the report, so far, 47% of all Oblivion players did so through Game Pass (PC and Xbox) with 45% of Clair Obscur players also using the service. The second biggest ‘platform’ for the GOTY contender was PlayStation, with 30% of the Clair Obscur market – followed by Steam with 25%.
Interestingly, it seems those who purchased the game had more of an incentive to play though it, as Game Pass subscribers have put far less time into both titles compared to the other platforms.
For Oblivion, Game Pass subscribers have so far played for 2.2 hours on average. This represents just over half the time of the other consoles, with PlayStation at 3.8 hours and Steam with 3.6.
Offering similar results, Clair Obscur also saw roughly double the playtime on non-Game Pass platforms, with 4.4 hours on average for both Steam and PlayStation – compared to just 2.2 hours on Game Pass.
Of course, Game Pass is positioned as the Netflix of games, and so it perhaps makes sense that subscribers are putting in roughly as much time into each title as they would a standard film. It will be interesting to see how these figures evolve as more people get the chance to check out either of these two games.
KitGuru says: Have you been playing either of these titles? Which platform are you using? How many hours have you put into these games so far? Let us know down below.
A couple days ago Nintendo released one of the biggest firmware updates the Nintendo Switch has seen in its 8 years on the market – adding a ton of welcome additions while preparing the system for the upcoming Switch 2. Though a solid update overall, a number of users have encountered major issues while trying to install the patch – causing some systems to be bricked.
Earlier this week we reported on update 20.0.0 for the Nintendo Switch, preparing it for the upcoming Switch 2 by adding the likes of Game Chat; digital game keys and more. Unfortunately, the update has not been without its issues, with some users reporting that their systems have been bricked following the update – showcasing the error code ‘2206-1015’.
Fortunately, Nintendo is already aware of the issue, taking to Twitter to write: “We are currently receiving inquiries from some customers about the occurrence of ‘Error Code: 2206-1015’ after updating to Nintendo Switch system version 20.0.0. We are currently investigating how to deal with this issue. We apologize for the inconvenience, and ask that you wait for further information.”
While certainly a massive issue, it appears to be far from a permanent problem. Hopefully Nintendo will be able to resolve this through a simple over-the-air update – or at the very worst a USB-based installation.
KitGuru says: Have you updated your Switch? Did it brick your console? What do you think of the new digital game card menu? Let us know down below.
Forza Horizon 5 remains one of the few games today which publicly lists just how many players have tried the game out at any given time. Right ahead of the game’s launch on PS5, Horizon 5 was confirmed to have surpassed 45 million total players. Since the arrival of the game to PS5 mere days ago however, player counts have risen by almost 1 million.
In going to the main menu on Forza Horizon 5, it can be seen exactly just how many people have signed-in / registered to play the game (a requirement before gaining full access).
Since then, as reported by ResetEra user ‘Theorry’ the total number of players has increased to 45,984,734 players – an increase of around 850,000 players.
Of course, during this time, Forza Horizon 5 would have seen new Xbox and PC players also and so the exact figure for PS5 players is not quite set in stone.
Still, it is interesting to see some early stats for how the game is likely performing on PS5. It will be curious to see whether Microsoft releases any concrete sales figures at some point.
KitGuru says: Have you picked up Forza Horizon 5 on PS5? What do you think so far? Are you more of an arcade or sim-cade racer? Let us know down below.
After a judge ordered Apple to remove all barriers to links and external purchases, the company has updated its guidelines to reflect the ruling while it appeals.
Developers are ready to take advantage of external purchases
It's been a rough 24 hours for Apple, as earnings results were second-guessed by analysts and Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple's external purchase rules were a willful violation of an injunction. Epic Games has also been doing rounds celebrating the ruling, coaching others on how to bypass Apple's commission.
The new guidelines were first discovered by 9to5Mac, highlighting the updated language around external payments and links. Apple promised it would comply with the order while it appeals.
Despite calling Apple's Q2 earnings solid, which did beat Wall Street expectations, some analysts are suggesting customers rushing to beat tariffs helped keep numbers up in uncertain conditions.
iPhone pricing could change to help with tariff costs
Apple CEO Tim Cook got ahead of its earnings with a statement to CNBC suggesting that it didn't see a significant pull-forward in demand in Q2 2025. The company beat Wall Street estimates with $95.4 billion in revenue.
Some analysts, however, aren't buying that narrative from Apple. Each report viewed by AppleInsider insists that pull-forward demand caused by panic buying before the extreme tariffs in April buoyed the quarter.
Apple CEO Tim Cook says the company avoided any early financial impact of the expected tariffs during Q1 2025 — but he predicts a $900 million hit in its next quarter.
Apple CEO Tim Cook — image credit: Apple
Apple's latest earnings call covered the quarter ending March 31, 2025, which was before Trump announced his tariff plan and sent technology stocks collapsing. The quarter was also one in which Apple launched multiple significant products, from the updated Mac Studio and MacBook Air, to the brand-new iPhone 16e.
Consequently, the results reported in the call show the benefits of the product launches, and none of the figures were affected by the tariffs. However, in reports ahead of the call, Cook did comment on the question of whether panic buying had set in among consumers, prior to the tariff announcement.
Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that half of iPhones are coming from India, everything else from Vietnam, and the bare minimum from China when shipping to the United States.
iPhone shipments will be split between India and China
There have been a lot of questions around how Apple will deal with the Trump administration's extreme tariffs, and there are finally some answers — at least for the short term. Since China has been hit with 125% tariffs, Apple will maneuver around this by minimizing products going from China to the United States.
According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, in response to an analyst question on the Q2 earnings call, devices delivered to the United States will originate primarily from Vietnam except for iPhones. Half of iPhone shipments will come from India, while the other half will continue to come from China.
Apple has reported the fiscal results for the second quarter of 2025, with the financials revealing Apple may have benefited a little but perhaps not as much as expected from consumer tariff fears, earning $95.4 billion in the quarter.
Apple CEO Tim Cook [left], CFO Kevan Parekh [right]
Following the blockbuster Q1 quarter and the benefits of holiday sales to Apple's bottom line, Q2 is usually a fair bit lower in comparison. However, at Apple's scale, the figures are still very important to the company.
In the second quarter, Apple's revenue of $95.4 billion is up 5% year-on-year from the $90.75 billion reported in Q2 2024. This is also above the Wall Street Consensus, which believed Apple would haul in $94.42 billion as an average.
With escalating U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports and mounting supply chain pressures, Tim Cook has made it clear that Apple is intensifying its manufacturing shift to India to sustain its iPhone supply.
iPhone 16e
Foxconn, Apple's largest assembly partner, plans to double iPhone production in India by the end of 2025, aiming to produce 25-30 million units, up from approximately 12 million in 2024. Tata Electronics has also commenced operations at new facilities, including one in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, supporting increased output of older iPhone models.
"If you look at the quarter that we're now inif you look at the US, over half of the U.S. sales of iPhone come from India," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a May 1 interview with CNBC, highlighting the scale of Apple's India manufacturing shift.
It is a tumultuous time for Apple investors, but some good news came from Apple's earnings on Thursday as stock buybacks continue unabated at $100 billion, and dividends are rising to $0.26 per share.
Apple's $100 billion in buybacks arrive at a good time in the market
While these numbers may seem significant given the current uncertainty provided by extreme tariffs, they're in line with what Apple announced in May 2024. That year-ago buyback was set at $110 billion and also had a 4% raise in dividends.
An announcement made live on CNBC with information provided by Apple revealed the buyback program. It is set at $100 billion this time around.
Following Apple's sanctioning for violating an injunction to remove anti-steering measures, Epic Games is launching Webshops to make it easier for third-party developers to handle out-of-app purchases for iOS apps.
The Epic Games Store is available in the EU.
Epic is seemingly having a very good Thursday, with Apple smarting from a ruling by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers that it didn't do enough to meet the terms of an injunction issued in 2021. Capitalizing on the ruling, Epic says it will help iOS developers introduce alternative purchase methods to apps, without needing to pay Apple's 27% commission fee.
In a post to the Epic Games Store, Epic Games says that it is making two changes that affects developers in June. The first is the introduction of Epic Games Store Webshops, a way for developers to launch their own webshops hosted by the Epic Games Stores.
SanDisk's Extreme Pro SSD has been recently updated, adding USB4 connectivity. It's a good, but expensive, external option for Mac owners assuming you never need to connect it to Windows.
SanDisk Extreme Pro with USB 4
It's safe to say that content creators and others who work in video are very familiar with SanDisk's range of external drives. The SanDisk Extreme range is well known, in part for having its built-in lanyard attachment point in the corner for hooking to a carabiner or a keychain.
The range also includes a Pro line, which offered a very similar concept, but with considerably faster storage — just not really for Mac.
The UK's Court of Appeal has declared Apple's payment to patent troll Optis Cellular for standard-essential 4G payment royalties is too low, with the iPhone maker now on the hook for $502 million.
4G patents have been expensive for Apple
In 2022, the UK's High Court determined that Apple had infringed on standard essential patents concerning 4G technology, and therefore had to pay Optis royalties. While there was the prospect of Apple paying out billions in royalties to Optis, the High Court decided on a much lower charge of $56.43 million, plus interest.
Based on a challenge on the amount from Optis, the Court of Appeal agreed that it was too low, and Apple should pay more. According toReuters, Apple has to pay Optis $502 million for the use of the 4G patents in iPhones and other cellular devices.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is once again accusing Apple of shutting out competition, framing open-source AI as the latest move in a long-running fight over who controls the future of mobile platforms.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Policies enacted by Apple for iPhone have long banned embedded app frameworks from third parties, affecting companies like Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. Apple says these restrictions are necessary to protect user privacy and system integrity.
In a new interview with Stratechery, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed those iOS policies stifled Facebook's early platform vision. He said Apple blocked the company's mobile platform plans over a decade ago, killing a key part of its business.
Following the ruling that Apple has willfully violated the anti-steering aspect of the Epic vs Apple trial, the company must make specific changes to the App Store. Here's what it must immediately do, and what this all means for Apple, developers, and users.
App Store icon on an iPhone
Apple won the trial against Epic Games, which was started by the games company intentionally violating its App Store agreements. But Apple did lose on one count regarding how developers can and can't direct users away from the App Store.
Epic Games pressed on this point and has now won a victory with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers agreeing that Apple violated an anti-steering injunction. Describing Apple's subsequent actions as "gross insubordination," Judge Rogers not only repeated the anti-steering injunction, but specified steps in particular detail to prevent Apple being able to do anything but comply.
When Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was announced last year, it came out of nowhere and immediately captured the attention of role-playing game enthusiasts. With traditional party-based role-playing games finding less and less representation in the AAA space, the debut game from Sandfall Interactive looked like the game that could bring the genre into the spotlight without being a nostalgia-fueled experience, as the setting, story and main cast of characters looked very unique, and far removed from those we are now used to see in similar games. In the end, the game's dark fantasy Belle Époque setting, the members of Expedition […]
Connexion
Apple iPhone 16e (starts at $699, as reviewed $899) The iPhone 16e is Apple’s new entry-level smartphone. It’s a great phone that’s simply too expensive, considering it lacks an ultrawide camera and high refresh-rate display. Clean, simple design Beautiful display Nice cameras Excellent speakers Solid performance Good battery... 
