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

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

Samsung

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


• Where can I get it? Samsung


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

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

AirTag

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


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

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

MacBook Air

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


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

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

iMac

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


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

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

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

---

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

Discuss this article in our forums

Meta has officially started testing ads on its Threads micro-blogging social network. The company says this is a “small test” for the time being with a handful of different brands across the United States and Japan.

more…

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

Apple is expected to release iOS 18.3 next week, so we will find out for sure soon.
This article, "iOS 18.3 Might Have a Last-Minute Change, Here's Why" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

iOS 18 adoption is on pace with iOS 17 adoption last year, according to ‌iOS 18‌ adoption statistics provided by Apple. ‌iOS 18‌ is installed on 76 percent of iPhones introduced in the last four years, while 63 percent of iPads from the last four years are running iPadOS 18.


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple has shared the first details on user adoption of iOS 18 so far. The company says that iOS 18 is currently installed on 68% of all iPhones and on 76% of iPhones introduced in the last four years.

These numbers show that iOS 18 adoption is on the same trajectory as iOS 17 adoption last year.

more…

Apple is making an internal staffing change that it hopes will improve Siri and its artificial intelligence offerings, reports Bloomberg. Kim Vorrath, a 37-year Apple veteran, will join the AI team to work under AI chief John Giannandrea.


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

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss this article in our forums

One rumored change for the iPhone 17 might not come to fruition after all. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today says that the size of the Dynamic Island across the iPhone 17 lineup to be “largely unchanged” compared to the iPhone 16 models.

more…

The upcoming iPhone 17 models that Apple plans to release this year will not feature a smaller Dynamic Island, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today.


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

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

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

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

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

This article, "Kuo: iPhone 17 Models Won't Have Smaller Dynamic Island" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Intelligence has arrived, but Siri and Apple’s AI suite of features are nowhere near the level of rivals OpenAI, Anthropic, and others — especially with the absence of an Apple chatbot. For that reason, the company has recruited an internal software veteran to help course correct the path for Apple’s AI efforts. Mark Gurman at Bloomberg has the report:

more…

The is one of the most advanced smartphone gimbals on the market. We’ve had a chance to play with it for a few weeks, and these are five things we really love about the new gimbal.

more…

Immersive Video on the Vision Pro is one of the product’s must-try experiences, and Apple’s first new release of the year—Man Vs. Beast—arrives next week to take you on a bull-riding adventure.

more…

Friday has arrived and so has a surprisingly extensive list of fresh new Apple gear deals along with it. First up, and perhaps most notable of all, Apple’s 16GB M4 MacBook Pro in Space Black or Silver has now fallen back to the $1,399 all-time low at $200 off – this is the most affordable model in the M4 lineup. From there we move over to the latest Apple Watch lineup – all of the GPS-only Series 10 configurations have now dropped back to Black Friday prices with deals starting from $329 – and the M2 iPad Air configurations with just about all of the most affordable models now seeing straight up $99 drops on Amazon. All of that and more awaits down below. 

more…

iOS 18.3 is expected to be widely released next week, and that means the first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner.


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

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

Apple Intelligence for Siri

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

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

Apple Intelligence in More Languages

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

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

Improved News Summaries

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

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

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

New Emoji

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

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

Default Map and Translation Apps in EU

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

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

Robot Vacuum Support in Home App

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

Here is how Apple describes the feature:

The Home app now supports the core functionality of robot vacuum cleaners, such as power control, cleaning mode, vacuum, mop, and charge status. They can also participate in automations and scenes, and respond to Siri requests. So you can add them to your cleaning routines — or tell Siri to do some spot cleaning in the living room.

There were references to the feature added in iOS 18.3's code, but the functionality does not appear to be live yet. Perhaps it will come with iOS 18.4.
This article, "iOS 18.4 Beta Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Ulysses: The ultimate writing app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Learn more and get started today for free.

more…

On this day 41 years ago, Apple’s first Macintosh went on sale, just two days after being introduced to the world during a commercial break in the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. Although “1984” became a cultural phenomenon and a watershed moment for product launches, Apple’s Board of Directors was against it from the start. Here’s how the legendary ad almost didn’t air…

more…

Apple is launching three new Home products this year: ‘HomePad,’ a new Apple TV 4K, and HomePod mini 2. At least two of these devices will come with a key upgrade that could make a big difference for the smart home’s future.

more…

9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

---

Last weekend, Google was found again serving a malicious website at the top of Search as a sponsored result. This isn’t the first time Google Ads has approved websites with embedded malware; in fact, the first instance of this goes back to 2007 when the platform (then called Google AdWords) was promoting fake antivirus software widely referred to as “scareware” at the time. But how, in 2025, can Google, with its DeepMind and deeper pockets, still allow this to happen? How are hackers outsmarting it?

This week, I want to briefly discuss this new campaign and how they were likely able to pull it off.

Security Bite is a weekly security-focused column on 9to5Mac. Each week, I share insights on data privacy, discuss the latest vulnerabilities, and shed light on emerging threats within Apple’s vast ecosystem of over 2 billion active devices.

more…

The hit Apple TV+ workplace thriller "Severance" returned for a second season last week, and Apple continues to heavily market the show.


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

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


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

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

Discuss this article in our forums

Tim Cook has officially revealed his innie, Tim C., in the latest of many Severance promos for Apple TV+.

more…

Apple Watch bands are safe to wear, says the company, after concerns were expressed about the presence of PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) in a number of smartwatch bands.

PFAS has been linked to a number of health concerns, and is known as a “forever chemical” as it doesn’t break down in the body or the environment …

more…

Scheduled Threads posts are now available to all, after the company first began rolling it out to a small number of users last month. Additionally, users in a few countries can now highlight and annotate parts of other people’s posts when sharing them …

more…

Sony could be close to launching the successor model to its popular WH-1000XM5 over-ear noise-canceling headphones, if a new FCC filing is anything to go by.


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

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

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

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


With so much going for the current model, it's difficult to know what improvements Sony is aiming for in the XM6's, but anticipation for their release is likely to be high nevertheless. Comparing the filing's short term confidentiality (STC) date to the XM5 filing, The Walkman Blog believes we can expect the headphones to be announced around late April to early May, 2025.
This article, "Unreleased Sony WH-1000XM6 Headphones Appear in FCC Filing" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

The newly-launched Samsung Galaxy S25 copied more than a dozen iPhone features, argues Macworld, pointing to everything from the slab-sided design to Siri’s glowing border.

The piece acknowledges that both companies copy from each other, but suggests that Samsung is a little less subtle in its approach …

more…

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



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

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


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


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

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

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

Discuss this article in our forums