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.

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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Apple announced the Macintosh 41 years ago today, introducing the first widely successful personal computer with a graphical user interface.



The Macintosh revolutionized personal computing by popularizing the use of a mouse to control an on-screen pointer. At the time, this point-and-click navigation method was unfamiliar to most, as personal computers primarily relied on text-based command-line interfaces operated with a keyboard. An excerpt from Apple's press release in 1984:

Users tell Macintosh what to do simply by moving a "mouse" — a small pointing device — to select among functions listed in menus and represented by pictorial symbols on the screen. Users are no longer forced to memorize the numerous and confusing keyboard commands of conventional computers. The result is radical ease of use and a significant reduction in learning time. In effect, the Macintosh is a desk-top appliance offering users increased utility and creativity with simplicity.

Apple claimed the Macintosh required "only a few hours to learn" and introduced features that are now fundamental, such as a desktop with icons, multitasking in windows, drop-down menus, and copy-and-paste functionality.

Macintosh easily fits on a desk, both in terms of its style of operation and its physical design. It takes up about the same amount of desk space as a piece of paper. With Macintosh, the computer is an aid to spontaneity and originality, not an obstacle. It allows ideas and relationships to be viewed in new ways. Macintosh enhances not just productivity, but also creativity.

The Macintosh was priced starting at $2,495, equivalent to over $7,000 today. It featured an 8 MHz Motorola 68000 processor paired with 128 KB of RAM (upgradeable to 512 KB), a 400 KB 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, a 9-inch black-and-white CRT display with a resolution of 512x342 pixels, and two serial ports to attach peripherals like the Apple ImageWriter printer or external modems.

It included software such as MacPaint, which allowed users to draw detailed black-and-white graphics with features like pattern fills and brushes that were revolutionary for the time, and MacWrite, a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) word processing application with real-time editing, proportional fonts, and drag-and-drop functionality.

The Macintosh launch was accompanied by one of the most iconic marketing campaigns in history, including the legendary "1984" Super Bowl commercial directed by Ridley Scott. The ad positioned the Macintosh as a revolutionary product that would challenge the conformity of the computing industry, dominated by IBM at the time.

Over 40 years later, the Mac continues to be an essential product for Apple and retains many of the same software features as the original model. Apple's full press release for the original Macintosh is available on Stanford University's website.
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Threads, Meta's social network that's meant to rival X, has announced it is rolling out the ability for all users to schedule posts.


Threads can now be created and scheduled to go up at a later date and time. Multiple posts can be scheduled per day, up to 75 days in advance, but it's not possible to schedule replies.

To use the feature, create a post, select the three-dot menu in the top-left corner, and select "Schedule." Once a time and date for posting has been selected, you can view, delete, or edit the post from the drafts folder.

Announcing the feature on Thursday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri added that Threads is also adding a way to "markup" re-shared posts by drawing over, highlighting, or adding arrows to the existing post. The feature is rolling out to a "few countries with more to come soon," said Mosseri.

Threads recently announced a handful of new features, including performance analytics for content creators, and support for writing and saving multiple drafts via Threads for web. Threads is also introducing X-style Community Notes, as part of Meta's broader shift away from fact-checking moderation.
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In what may not come as much of a surprise, a new test of Siri's knowledge of Super Bowl history has revealed significant accuracy issues with Apple's virtual assistant, suggesting Apple still has some way to go in overcoming challenges with Siri's ability to provide reliable information.


In a methodical experiment, One Foot Tsunami's Paul Kafasis asked Siri who won each Super Bowl from I through LX and documented its responses. The results were strikingly poor, with Siri correctly identifying winners only 34% of the time – just 20 correct answers out of 58 played Super Bowls.

Perhaps most notably, Siri repeatedly and incorrectly credited the Philadelphia Eagles with 33 Super Bowl victories, despite the team having won only one championship in their history. The virtual assistant's responses ranged from providing information about wrong Super Bowls to offering completely unrelated football facts.

While Siri did manage a few streaks of accurate answers, including three consecutive correct responses for Super Bowls V through VII, it also had a remarkable string of 15 consecutive incorrect answers spanning Super Bowls XVII through XXXII.

In one telling instance, when asked about Super Bowl XVI, Siri offered to defer to ChatGPT - which then provided the correct answer. The contrast highlighted the limitations of Siri's own knowledge base compared to more advanced AI systems.

The test was conducted on iOS 18.2.1 with Apple Intelligence enabled, and similar results were found on both the upcoming iOS 18.3 beta and macOS 14.7.2, suggesting the issue extends across Apple's platforms. Kafasis generated a spreadsheet of the results in both Excel and PDF formats, which you can read here.

Separately, inspired by Kafasis' test, Daring Fireball's John Gruber tried some of his own sports queries with Siri and compared its responses to ChatGPT, Kagi, DuckDuckGo, and Google, all of which succeeded where Siri failed.

Perhaps worse for Apple, Gruber found that old Siri (i.e. before Apple Intelligence) did a better job at answering a question by declining to answer it, instead providing a list of web links. The first web result provided an accurate, if only partial, answer to the question, whereas new Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence, fared much worse. Gruber explains:

New Siri — powered by Apple Intelligence™ with ChatGPT integration enabled — gets the answer completely but plausibly wrong, which is the worst way to get it wrong. It's also inconsistently wrong — I tried the same question four times, and got a different answer, all of them wrong, each time. It's a complete failure.

"It's just incredible how stupid Siri is about a subject matter of such popularity," commented Gruber. "If you had guessed that Siri could get half the Super Bowls right, you lost, and it wasn't even that close."

Of course, this isn't the first time Siri has received heavy flak for its all-round performance, but Gruber's criticism about "plausibly wrong" answers to general knowledge questions ties back to the modern problem of hallucinating AI chatbots that spout misleading or flat-out wrong responses with complete confidence.

Apple is developing a much smarter version of Siri that utilizes advanced large language models, which should allow the personal assistant to better compete with chatbots like ChatGPT. A chatbot version of Siri would likely be able to hold ongoing conversations and provide the sort of help and insight as ChatGPT or Claude, but how well the integration will perform may be a concern, going on Siri's abysmal track record.

Apple is expected to announce LLM Siri as soon as 2025 at WWDC, but Apple won't launch it until several months after it's unveiled. That means LLM Siri would come in an update to iOS 19, with Apple planning for a spring 2026 launch.
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Apple is set to release iOS 18.3 next week, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a couple of neat new capabilities to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 devices, and bug fixes.


While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.3 still introduces capabilities that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed five new things your ‌iPhone‌ will be able to do when the update rolls out later this month.

Add an Event to Calendar From a Poster or Flyer

For ‌iPhone 16‌ models, iOS 18.3 adds Visual Intelligence support for adding events to the Calendar app. After installing the software on an ‌iPhone 16‌, long press the Camera Control button to activate ‌‌Visual Intelligence‌‌ when viewing a poster or a flyer, and you will be given the option to add an event to the Calendar app.

Easily Identify Plants and Animals

Apple's latest update also adds a feature for easily identifying plants and animals with ‌‌Visual Intelligence‌‌. You may be familiar with a similar feature in the Photos app that provides insight into plants, animals, and insects when viewing additional image information. Well, with iOS 18.3 installed, you'll be able to reveal these details with Camera Control's ‌Visual Intelligence‌ option, but in real time.

Manage Notification Summaries More Easily

Available on compatible devices in iOS 18.1 and later, ‌‌‌Apple Intelligence‌‌‌ notification summaries are designed to group multiple notifications from the same app together, providing a one-sentence overview of the content. In iOS 18.3, you can now more easily manage individual app settings for notification summaries directly from your ‌iPhone‌'s Lock Screen. A quick swipe leftwards across a summarized notification reveals a new option to turn off summaries for the related app. You can reinstate summaries for the app in question anytime by toggling the associated switch in Settings ➝ Notifications ➝ Summarize Notifications.

Identify Notification Summaries More Easily

In iOS 18.3, notifications that have been summarized now appear in italicized text, with the aim of making them easier to differentiate visually compared to regular notifications. It's also worth noting that Apple has temporarily disabled notification summaries for apps that fall into the News & Entertainment category, following widespread reports of misleading summarized news headlines.

Perform Repeating Operations in Calculator

Apple is using the iOS 18.3 update as a chance to bring repeating operations back to the Calculator app. When you tap the equals sign twice, the app will now repeat the last mathematical operation. For example, if you tap in 10x10 and tap the equals sign to get a 100 result, if you hit equals again, it will multiply 100x10, and will continue multiplying by 10 every time you tap the equals symbol. It's a small but meaningful change that should make it easier to calculate compound interest.
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Following a class action lawsuit that alleges some Apple Watch bands contain toxic "forever chemicals," also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), Apple has ensured that Apple Watch bands are "safe for users to wear."


Apple's full statement today:

Apple Watch bands are safe for users to wear. In addition to our own testing, we also work with independent laboratories to conduct rigorous testing and analysis of the materials used in our products, including Apple Watch bands.

Apple said its efforts to remove potentially harmful chemicals from its products and manufacturing processes often exceed regulatory requirements.

Despite saying Apple Watch bands are safe to wear, Apple plans to phase out PFAS.

In a November 2022 document, Apple detailed its commitment to "completely phase out" its use of PFAS in its products and manufacturing processes. Apple said it would "take time" for this process to be completed, due to various challenges, including identifying and developing non-PFAS alternatives that meet certain "performance needs."

From the white paper:

We started with an assessment of the PFAS class with the highest use volume in our products — the fluoropolymers. While our analysis indicated that these materials are safe during product use, we felt it important to broaden our scope to consider manufacturing along the supply chain. We concluded that our goal needs to restrict the use of all PFAS compounds.

A complete phaseout of PFAS from Apple products and processes will take time. We need to compile a comprehensive catalog of PFAS use in electronics, identify and develop non-PFAS alternatives that can meet the performance needs for certain critical applications, and take into account the time needed for material qualification. Lastly we need to ensure that the non-PFAS alternatives do not result in regrettable substitutions — where alternatives are as harmful as, or even more harmful than, the PFAS being replaced.

The lawsuit cited a recent study that found some smartwatch bands contain "high levels" of PFAS, which can be absorbed through skin and lead to health problems. According to The Guardian, the study tested smartwatch models from Apple, Nike, Fitbit, and Google, but it apparently did not list any specific smartwatch bands containing PFAS by name.

Apple did not immediately respond when we asked which Apple Watch bands contain PFAS, if any. The lawsuit's proposed class is anyone in the U.S. who purchased a Sport Band, Nike Sport Band, or Ocean Band for an Apple Watch.

A judge still has to decide whether to allow the class action to proceed.
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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 212 includes fixes and updates for Authentication, Canvas, CSS, Forms, JavaScript, Loading, Networking, PDF, Rendering, SVG, Text, Web API and Web Inspector.

The current ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release is compatible with machines running macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia, the newest version of macOS.

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.
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Epic Games is planning to pay the Apple fees that EU developers incur when distributing their apps through the ‌Epic Games‌ Store, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney told The Verge today.


‌Epic Games‌ added almost 20 third-party games to its app store on iOS devices in the European Union, where alternate app stores are allowed to operate. Epic also debuted its free games program, and the company says it will pay the Core Technology Fees for iOS developers in the EU who offer their apps for free on the ‌Epic Games‌ Store.

Developers who bring their apps to the ‌Epic Games‌ Store can get their Core Technology Fee (CTF) paid for one year. The CTF is a 0.50 euro fee that developers must pay for every app install, and that fee applies to apps regardless of how they are monetized. It is worth noting that Apple offers CTF exceptions for small developers that include no CTF for a three-year period if the developer is earning under 10 million euros, plus developers that have under a million annual app installs do not pay fees to begin with. Apple also does not charge a fee for developers with a no revenue business that offer apps without monetization.

Sweeney has criticized Apple's Core Technology Fee and app distribution guidelines many times, and he told The Verge today that the CTF is "ruinous for any hopes of a competing store getting a foothold." He further said that it is "not financially viable" for ‌Epic Games‌ to pay Apple's fees longterm, but it plans to do so while it waits to see if the European Union requires Apple to further tweak its rules for third-party marketplaces under the Digital Markets Act.

‌Epic Games‌ claims that its mobile store can't attract developers because of the fees that Apple charges, with "scare screens" also driving away customers in the EU. "We won't really have app store freedom, even in Europe, and actual user choice and competition, unless the DMA is robustly enforced," Sweeney said.

The ‌Epic Games‌ Store for iOS is only available in the European Union right now because alternative app stores and distribution methods are not allowed in other countries.
This article, "Epic Games Store Lures EU Developers With Promise to Pay Apple Fees" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today confirmed that "several" car makers still plan to support next-generation CarPlay in future vehicle models. Apple said each car brand will share more details as they near the announcements of these vehicles, but it did not provide a timeframe. Apple previously said next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ would launch in 2024, but that did not happen.


Apple's statement about next-generation ‌CarPlay‌:

The next generation of CarPlay builds on years of success and insights gained from CarPlay, delivering the best of Apple and the automaker in a deeply integrated and customizable experience. We continue to work closely with several automakers, enabling them to showcase their unique brand and visual design philosophies in the next generation of CarPlay. Each car brand will share more details as they near the announcements of their models that will support the next generation of CarPlay.

Apple also remains committed to its current ‌CarPlay‌ platform, and said it is available in over 98% of new cars sold in the U.S. over the past few years.

Apple previously said committed car makers included Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche, Renault, and Volvo. In December 2023, Aston Martin and Porsche previewed next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ designs, but have yet to deliver. It is unclear which car makers are currently working with Apple.

This news comes just minutes after Apple updated its website to remove the missed 2024 timeframe that it had previously stated for next-generation ‌CarPlay‌. Apple first previewed the software system at WWDC 2022.
This article, "Apple Says Several Car Makers Still Plan to Support Next-Generation CarPlay" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's website said the first vehicle models with support for next-generation CarPlay would "arrive in 2024," but that did not happen. A little more than three weeks into 2025, Apple has now updated its website in the U.S. to remove that 2024 timeframe from the next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ section of its overall CarPlay page.


The fact that Apple did not remove the entire next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ section from the page suggests that the software might still launch at some point in the future, but Apple is no longer providing a timeframe at this point.

It is unclear if Apple, car makers, or both are to blame for the missed 2024 target. We have reached out to Apple for comment.

Apple first previewed next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ at WWDC 2022, and there are still signs that it might eventually launch at some point. First, additional references to next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ were added in the iOS 18.3 beta's code. Second, Apple filed some additional next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ images in a EU database last month.

Apple promised that next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ would have deep integration with the instrument cluster and climate controls, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, a dedicated FM radio app, customizable widgets, and more. The interface would be tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's brand identity.


Here is how Apple describes it:

This next generation of CarPlay is the ultimate iPhone experience for the car. It provides content for all the driver's screens including the instrument cluster. This ensures a cohesive design experience that is the very best of your car and your iPhone — with designs for each automaker that express your vehicle’s character and brand. Vehicle functions like radio and temperature controls are handled right from CarPlay. And personalization options ranging from widgets to selecting curated gauge cluster designs make it unique to the driver.

If it ever launches, next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ is expected to be available in new vehicles only. It is not an update to the standard ‌CarPlay‌ software.

In December 2023, Aston Martin and Porsche previewed next-generation CarPlay instrument cluster designs, but neither brand has rolled out the system. Apple said other committed car makers included Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Polestar, Renault, and Volvo. Given that list is more than two and a half years old, it is unclear if all of those car makers remain committed.

Update: Apple said several car makers still plan to support next-generation CarPlay.

The company's full statement:

The next generation of CarPlay builds on years of success and insights gained from CarPlay, delivering the best of Apple and the automaker in a deeply integrated and customizable experience. We continue to work closely with several automakers, enabling them to showcase their unique brand and visual design philosophies in the next generation of CarPlay. Each car brand will share more details as they near the announcements of their models that will support the next generation of CarPlay.

Apple did not provide an updated timeframe.
This article, "Apple Removes '2024' Timeframe From Next-Generation CarPlay Page" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today released new beta firmware updates for both AirPods 4 models and the AirPods Pro 2 with both Lightning and USB-C charging cases. The firmware has a build number of 7E5067b, and it is only available to developers at the current time.


It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find out. Non-developers will have 7B21 firmware on the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 and 7B20 firmware on the ‌AirPods 4‌, with no change until the beta firmware sees an official launch.

There is no method for manually forcing the installation of a firmware update on AirPods. Firmware updates are generally installed over-the-air when the AirPods are in a charging case and connected to an iOS device or a Mac.
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A class action lawsuit filed against Apple this week in a California federal court accuses the company of false advertising and violating various consumer laws, by failing to disclose that some Apple Watch bands contain toxic materials.


Specifically, the complaint alleges that Apple misleads customers into thinking the Apple Watch has health and wellness benefits, and is safe to wear daily. The complaint cites a recent study that reportedly found some smartwatch bands contain "high levels" of so-called "forever chemicals," also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These substances can be absorbed through skin and can lead to health problems.

For synthetic rubber, PFAS can help to reduce discoloration and stains from sweat and dirt.

According to The Guardian, the study did not indicate which smartwatch brands were found to be using PFAS, but it said the study tested smartwatch models from Apple, Nike, Fitbit, and Google. Citing the study, the lawsuit alleges that "elevated levels" of the PFAS fluorine were found in the "expensive" category of smartwatch bands, and the complaint alleges that this included some Apple Watch bands. The proposed class is anyone in the U.S. who purchased a Sport Band, Nike Sport Band, or Ocean Band for an Apple Watch.

Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment. A judge still has to decide whether to allow the class action lawsuit to proceed.

Update: Apple Watch bands are safe to wear, according to Apple.

Apple's full statement:

Apple Watch bands are safe for users to wear. In addition to our own testing, we also work with independent laboratories to conduct rigorous testing and analysis of the materials used in our products, including Apple Watch bands.

This article, "Some Apple Watch Bands Contain Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' Per Lawsuit [Updated]" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Big discounts have appeared today on Apple's M3 MacBook Air, with both Amazon and Best Buy offering up to $250 off 13-inch and 15-inch models. At Best Buy, these deals are available to all shoppers with the exception of two 15-inch models, which are only available to My Best Buy Plus/Total members.

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.

Prices start at $899.00 for the M3 13-inch MacBook Air with 256GB SSD, down from $1,099.00, and also include both 512GB models at both Amazon and Best Buy. If you're shopping for the bigger MacBook Air, prices start at $1,099.00 for the M3 15-inch MacBook Air with 256GB SSD, down from $1,299.00, and reach up to $250 off for both 512GB models.

M3 13-inch

• 8-Core GPU, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $899.00 ($200 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 10-Core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $1,099.00 ($200 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 10-Core GPU, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $1,299.00 ($200 off) [matched at Best Buy]

M3 15-inch

• 10-Core GPU, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $1,099.00 ($200 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 10-Core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $1,249.00 ($250 off) [matched at Best Buy for members]


• 10-Core GPU, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $1,449.00 ($250 off) [matched at Best Buy for members]

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, "Amazon's New MacBook Air Sale Has Up to $250 Off M3 13-Inch and 15-Inch Models" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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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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.

More

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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