While we are still tracking big-time price drops on just about every M3 MacBook Air configuration, today’s deals are headlined by a massive discount on premium renewed iPhone 15 Pro units at up to $476 off the launch prices as well as select M4 iPad Pro models at up to $300 off. From there we move over to the accessory space with the return of all-time lows on the Find My Twelve South wall charger as well as the official 4-pack of Apple Pencil Tips at just $7, Philips Hue gear, and one of the thinnest MagSafe power banks we have ever seen at just $20. All of that and more is waiting for you below. 

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Apple TV+ has been on a roll with its TV shows lately, but movies remain a struggle for the streamer. Today’s newly unveiled Oscar nominations confirm that, as a grand total of zero nominations were received by Apple.

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Photo editing app Luminar Mobile is delivering two highly requested user features today. Full RAW image editing support and iCloud sync between devices arrives in Luminar Mobile 2.2.

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India remains Apple’s largest market opportunity after China. Growing the business in India, however, has always required a bit of compromise with the local government. In 2019, it was a small investment of $1 billion that helped unlock iPhone exports from India. More recently, India has pressured Apple to put its government-backed app store on the iPhone.

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Walmart still does not accept Apple Pay or other NFC payments at its more than 4,600 stores across the U.S., and it stood firm on its reasoning for that today.


A spokesperson for Walmart today informed MacRumors that its position on contactless payments has not changed since we last reached out about the matter in 2022. The big-box retailer said it remains focused on its own convenient payment technologies available in the Walmart app, including Walmart Pay and Mobile Scan & Go.

Walmart Pay allows customers to scan a QR code displayed at checkout to pay for their purchase with a payment card stored in the Walmart app. Scan & Go allows Walmart+ members to save time by scanning barcodes on items while they shop, rather than having to scan all of the items at a self-checkout register later.

The spokesperson said the following statement still stands:

We do not accept NFC and instead have implemented convenient solutions, such as Walmart Pay, that provide our customers easy, touchless payments on any smartphone. We have also invested in innovative technologies that go beyond payments, such as Scan & Go, which allow Sam's Club and Walmart+ members to bypass the checkout altogether, providing a truly touchless shopping experience.

Apple Pay launched more than 10 years ago, and it was accepted at more than 90 percent of U.S. retailers as of 2022, according to Apple. Some other major Apple Pay holdouts in the U.S. have reversed course and started accepting it over the past few years, including The Home Depot, Lowe's, Kroger, and Texas grocery store chain H-E-B, leaving Walmart as one of the country's only major retailers not to accept Apple Pay.

Walmart has accepted Apple Pay in Canada since 2020.
This article, "Walmart Stands Firm on Why It Doesn't Accept Apple Pay in the U.S." first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple introduced the LaserWriter 40 years ago today, forming a cornerstone of what became known as the desktop publishing revolution.


The LaserWriter was Apple's first laser printer and among the first on the market to incorporate Adobe's PostScript technology, a page description language that allowed for precise and scalable rendering of text, layouts, and graphics. It was a significant departure from the dot-matrix printers of the time.

The LaserWriter was powered by a Motorola 68000 microprocessor—the same processor used in the Macintosh. With a built-in programming language, its own RAM, and a CPU that ran at a higher speed than the Macintosh, the LaserWriter printer had the most processing power of any Apple product of the time.

With a resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi), the LaserWriter delivered print quality previously achievable only with expensive professional typesetting equipment. The printer was priced at $6,995 upon its release (almost $24,000 today).

Apple's introduction of the LaserWriter coincided with the launch of the AppleTalk networking protocol, which allowed multiple Macintosh computers to share a single printer, which was unprecedented at the time and revolutionized printing in offices.

Paired with the Macintosh and software such as Aldus PageMaker, the printer enabled users to design and print professional-quality materials, such as brochures, newsletters, and advertisements, directly from their desktops. This effectively democratized publishing by making tools that were once exclusive to large printing firms accessible to small businesses, educators, and independent creators.

Apple evolved the LaserWriter product line into a range of models, including the high-performance LaserWriter Pro series and the more affordable Personal LaserWriter. As competitors like HP and Canon introduced more cost-effective laser printers with comparable features, and third-party printers became increasingly compatible with Apple systems, the LaserWriter lost its competitive edge. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, peripheral products like printers were deemed non-essential and the LaserWriter was discontinued.
This article, "Apple Introduced the LaserWriter 40 Years Ago Today" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Not every music streaming service pays artists equally, and a new report highlights the breadth of disparities from one streamer to the next—including Apple Music paying more than double Spotify’s average rates.

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The never-ending saga of the TikTok ban continues, with a ByteDance board member suggesting that a compromise would be possible.

The remark was made by William E. Ford, an American businessman who is one of the directors of parent company ByteDance …

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iOS 18.3 should be released to the public next week, following beta testing since mid-December. While the software update is a relatively minor one, it still includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes for iPhones.


Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.3.

Notification Summary Changes

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

Starting with iOS 18.3, notifications that have been summarized have italicized text, which makes them stand out visually compared to regular notifications. Apple also promised that improvements to notification summaries are coming in a future iOS update.

Last, iOS 18.3 lets you easily manage settings for notification summaries from the Lock Screen.

Visual Intelligence Upgrades

All four iPhone 16 models are equipped with a Camera Control button that enables Visual Intelligence, a new feature that can provide information about items or places in a person's surroundings. For example, Apple says users can click and hold the Camera Control to bring up the hours or ratings for a restaurant that they pass by.

iOS 18.3 includes a few Visual Intelligence upgrades for all iPhone 16 models. First, you can now add an event to the Calendar app from a poster or flyer. Second, Visual Intelligence can now identify animals and plants.

Visual Intelligence is not available on any other iPhone models.

Calculator App Enhancement

iOS 18.3 reintroduces a small but useful Calculator app function that had been removed in an earlier software update. Now, when you tap the equals sign a second time, the Calculator app repeats the last mathematical operation. This functionality is useful for calculating compound interest or other repeat operations.

Black Unity (Possibly)

In the tvOS 18.3 Release Candidate for the Apple TV, MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris uncovered a "UNITY25" reference in the update's code. In each of the past four years, Apple announced a Black Unity campaign, and this has typically included a new Apple Watch band, watch face, and a matching iPhone wallpaper.

It is unclear what Apple may be planning for Black Unity in 2025. While the tvOS 18.3 code suggests something might be coming, the iOS 18.3 Release Candidate notes did not mention anything. An announcement is likely by next week, if one is made.

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iOS 18.3 fixes these two bugs related to Siri and Apple Music:

• Fixes an issue where the keyboard might disappear when initiating a typed Siri request


• Resolves an issue where audio playback continues until the song ends even after closing Apple Music

Apple also added references to robot vacuum support in the Home app to iOS 18.3's code, but it seems this functionality never went live. Apple's website says the feature is coming in a future update, so perhaps we will see it with iOS 18.4.

We previously shared Apple's full iOS 18.3 release notes.
This article, "Apple Expected to Release iOS 18.3 Next Week With These New Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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AI chatbot ChatGPT is down for many users in the US and the UK, with a variety of errors being reported – including gateway errors, login failures, and chats not loading …

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A Subaru security vulnerability allowed millions of cars to be remotely tracked, unlocked, and started. A full year’s worth of location history was available, and was accurate to within five meters …

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Ookla, the firm behind Speedtest, just published its semi-annual U.S. connectivity report covering the second half of 2024. One takeaway is that 5G performance is improving. However, this raises one key question: can anyone notice?

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More than two dozen subreddits have banned X links, including those with millions of users. Hundreds more of the Reddit groups are currently discussing following suit …

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Used iPhones with TikTok installed on them are being listed for sale on eBay for thousands of dollars, as people try to cash in on the ban. One listing even asks $50,000 for an unlocked iPhone 12 Pro Max “with TikTok app.”

Although Trump has issued an executive order claiming to shield companies from liability for breaking the law, Apple, Google and others continue to comply by keeping TikTok out of their US app stores …

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A judge has ruled that there is a “reasonable possibility” that Apple illegally paid women less than men, meaning that a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of 12,000 current and former female employees will proceed.

Apple admits that the pay disparities exist, but claim that these can be justified by the individual circumstances …

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UK regulators on Thursday launched an investigation into Apple and Google's smartphone ecosystems to assess whether they have "strategic market status" (SMS), a designation that if imposed would subject the companies to specific conduct requirements set by the Competition and Markets authority (CMA) to improve competition.


The investigation will look at the companies' operating systems, app stores and browsers that operate on mobile devices, and the impact they have on users and on businesses developing content and services such as apps for iOS and Android devices. According to the CMA's press release, the issues that will form part of the CMA's investigations include:

• The extent of competition between and within Apple's and Google's mobile ecosystems. The CMA will assess how competition is working across Apple's and Google's mobile ecosystems and what barriers may be preventing other competitors from offering rival products and services on Apple's and Google's platforms.


• Possible leveraging of Apple's and Google's market power into other activities. This will include investigating whether Apple or Google are using their position in operating systems, app distribution or browsers to favour their own apps and services, which often come pre-installed and prominently placed on iOS and Android devices.


• Potential exploitative conduct. This will include investigating whether Apple or Google are requiring app developers to sign up to unfair terms and conditions as a condition of distributing their apps on Apple's and Google's app stores; and whether users may be presented with 'choice architecture' which makes it difficult to make active choices about which apps they are using on mobile devices.

If deemed to have SMS designation, the potential conduct requirements the companies would have to comply with could include, for example, requiring Apple or Google to open up access to key functionality needed by other apps to operate on mobile devices, or making it possible for users to download apps and pay for in-app content more easily outside of Apple's and Google's own app stores.

Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said:

"The operating systems, apps and browsers installed on our phones and tablet devices act as our gateway into the digital world – whether that is communicating with our friends and loved ones, buying from businesses or accessing creative content.

"More competitive mobile ecosystems could foster new innovations and new opportunities across a range of services that millions of people use, be they app stores, browsers or operating systems. Better competition could also boost growth here in the UK, with businesses able to offer new and innovative types of products and services on Apple's and Google's platforms."

This is the second announced SMS investigation in as many weeks, the first of which is looking into Google Search's approximately 90% market share. The CMA said at the time that a second one would be coming this month, and now we have it. The CMA can impose significant fines for non-compliance, including up to 1% of a firm's annual worldwide turnover, with additional penalties for continued noncompliance. Individuals in senior management positions may also face fines or disqualification from serving as directors.

The probe will take no more than nine months, and the statutory deadline for both investigations is October 22, 2025. The investigations are separate to the CMA's ongoing market investigation into mobile browser and cloud gaming restrictions put in place by both Apple and Google.
This article, "Apple, Google Face UK Antitrust Probe Into Mobile Ecosystem Power" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The UK government today announced that the Competition and Markets Authority has launched strategic market status investigations into mobile ecosystems, specifically the App Store models of iPhone and Android.

The report says it will assess Apple’s market power, and potential exploitative conduct. This includes options for app distribution to customers, and the terms app developers must agree to to be listed in the App Store in the first place.

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Apple and other smartphone makers are being pressed by India to pre-install government-developed apps on devices before sale, echoing a similar 2021 demand from Russia that Apple ultimately complied with.


The request came during a meeting last month where government officials outlined plans for expanding access to state digital services, according to Bloomberg.

The initiative would require manufacturers to include the government's GOV.in app store and related apps on smartphones sold in India. When Apple faced similar requirements in Russia, the company agreed to show users a prompt during device setup to install government-approved apps.

The move was a rare exception to Apple's strict control over pre-installed software, coming some years before a barrage of regulatory demands from the likes of the EU that have since forced Apple to open up its platforms.

Both Apple and Google are showing resistance to India's proposal, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by the media outlet. Google, whose Android operating system powers more than 90% of India's roughly 700 million smartphones, is actively pushing back against the initiative.

During the discussions, government officials explored implementing policy mandates or legal measures to ensure compliance. Beyond pre-installation, they also requested that their apps be available for download outside the company's app stores from third-party sources without triggering "untrusted source" warnings.

The push comes as India seeks greater regulatory control over global tech companies. The situation is particularly complex given India's growing importance to both companies. Apple has significantly expanded iPhone production in India, which now accounts for more than 14% of global output, while Google has plans for major investments in smartphone assembly in the country.
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Apple Watch users regularly credit the device with helping save their life during health scares and emergency situations. For the founder of Whole Foods, however, it was insight gained from the that helped him improve his life.

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I love my , but I can’t say the same about every “intelligent” feature Apple has added over the years. If you want to roll with your AirPods Pro as straightforward as possible, these are the features to disable.

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There’s a new app called “People” coming soon to the iPhone that looks promising. Like Cardhop and other Contacts app alternatives, People wants to modernize your address book with important context.

This is the pitch from indie developer Andrew Theis:

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I’ve played guitar as a hobby since I was in junior high. While the instrument hasn’t changed, the tools I use to make it possible have — sort of. In addition to the built-in GarageBand app, these are the two must-have iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps I use for for fun.

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TikTok’s deactivation for US users may have been short-lived, but the app is still missing from the iPhone’s App Store. Here’s why one lawyer says Apple can’t bring it back yet.

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Apple launched the original Mac mini 20 years ago today, kickstarting a trend of small but powerful computers.


The ‌Mac mini‌ was originally designed as a gateway for users to enter the Apple ecosystem without the expense associated with the company's higher-end offerings of the time, such as the Power Mac G5 and iMac G5, and costly peripherals. Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs described the ‌Mac mini‌ as "the most affordable Mac ever" during its unveiling at Macworld Expo 2005, noting that its $499 starting price was intended to appeal to PC users looking to switch to the Mac platform. Today's base model ‌Mac mini‌ with the M4 chip costs just $599.

The original ‌Mac mini‌ featured a PowerPC G4 processor available in 1.25 GHz and 1.42 GHz configurations, an ATI Radeon 9200 GPU, 256MB of DDR SDRAM (expandable to 1GB), and 40GB or 80GB of HDD storage. Connectivity included two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 400 port, and DVI output. It shipped with Mac OS X Panther and iLife '05. The ‌Mac mini‌'s aluminum and polycarbonate casing measured just 6.5 x 6.5 x 2 inches—far smaller than the bulky tower PCs and even many contemporary Macs of the time.

Today's ‌Mac mini‌ has evolved considerably from the model introduced in 2005, featuring an even smaller casing, recycled aluminum, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, and Apple's custom silicon for a massive leap in performance and efficiency. While the first-generation ‌Mac mini‌ was powered by the PowerPC architecture, Apple transitioned to Intel processors in 2006 and its own custom silicon in 2020. Today's high-end version can be equipped with the M4 Pro chip and up to 64GB of memory, offering a super-compact workstation that rivals even the Mac Studio.
This article, "Apple's Mac Mini Turns 20 Today" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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