Apple is canceling popular comedy series Mythic Quest after a four season run, with the show to wrap up after a re-released season 4 finale that's coming later this week.


Mythic Quest starred Rob McElhenney, Charlotte Nicdao, Danny Pudi, and David Hornsby, all of whom played characters that worked at the fictional Mythic Quest Studios creating, designing, and running a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. The show provided a satirical and humorous look at the inner workings of video game development.

Season four was not initially meant to be the show's final season, so the season four finale has been updated with a new ending that will provide Mythic Quest fans with closure. In a statement to Deadline, series producers Megan Ganz, David Hornsby and Rob McElhenney said they wanted to be able to say goodbye.

Endings are hard. But after four incredible seasons, Mythic Quest is coming to a close. We're so proud of the show and the world we got to build -- and deeply grateful to every cast and crew member who poured their heart into it. To all our fans, thank you for playing with us. To our partners at Apple, thank you for believing in the vision from the very beginning. Because endings are hard, with Apple's blessing we made one final update to our last episode -- so we could say goodbye, instead of just game over.

Mythic Quest was one of the first shows that launched on Apple TV+, debuting in February 2020. There have been four seasons and two special episodes, including one that was filmed remotely on iPhones during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apple's decision to cancel Mythic Quest follows reports of ‌Apple TV‌+ losses. ‌Apple TV‌+ is losing as much as $1 billion per year as Apple works to lure subscribers and add more content to the streaming service.

Mythic Quest has spawned a spinoff show called Side Quest, a four episode miniseries that explores the lives of Mythic Quest employees and players. The final episode of season four aired on March 26 and ended with a cliffhanger. The re-edited final episode with a new ending will be available this week.
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Apple will not be exempt from tariffs after all, with U.S. President Donald Trump working on new semiconductor levies that will likely impact Apple devices, chips from companies like Nvidia, and other electronics.


Over the weekend, the U.S. Customers and Border Protection agency shared a long list of electronic devices excluded from the current tariffs, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, the Apple Watch, and more. Apple scored a reprieve from the 145 percent tariff impacting goods imported from China and the 10 percent tariff on goods imported from other countries, but it doesn't sound like it's going to last.

On his Truth Social network, Trump said that no one is "getting off the hook" and there "was no tariff exception." Apple and other tech companies are "just moving to a different tariff bucket," with the 20 percent "Fentanyl Tariffs" still in place, and additional tariffs coming.

Trump said that his administration will be "taking a look" at semiconductors and the electronics supply chain in the National Security Tariff Investigations. He also reiterated that "we need to make products in the United States." Trump is expected to announce some kind of semiconductor tariff in the coming days.

Trump has suggested that Apple could manufacture the iPhone and other products in the United States, but even if such a move were not wildly expensive, Apple would not be able to find enough people with the necessary skillset to assemble devices in the quantities needed. U.S. manufacturing would also drive the cost of the ‌iPhone‌ up significantly.
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Chipolo today introduced a series of new Bluetooth-enabled item trackers that are compatible with Apple's Find My network. Called the Pop, these trackers come in a range of bright colors, including blue, yellow, red, and green, along with black and white.


The Chipolo Pop item trackers work with Apple ‌Find My‌, so you can use them just like AirTags. The Pop can be added to your Items tab in the ‌Find My‌ app, and once added, it is trackable over Bluetooth and can be placed on an item like a bag or a suitcase for tracking purposes.


When the item is out of range, the Pop is able to connect to the ‌Find My‌ network to leverage the iPhones of other people to locate your item and relay its location.

Like an AirTag, the Chipolo Pop is equipped with a CR2032 battery that lasts for up to a year before it needs to be replaced. The Pop is 6.6mm thick (so a little thinner than an ‌AirTag‌) and it has a 300 ft range, plus it comes with a loop at the top for attaching a keyring or strap.


Compared to prior-generation Chipolo trackers, the Pop has a louder sound when the Play Sound option is selected in ‌Find My‌, a longer range, and IP55 dust and water resistance.

Chipolo is selling the Pop for $29, and it can be purchased from the Chipolo website. Four Pops are priced at $89, and six Pops are priced at $121, or a little over $20 per tracker.
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OpenAI today announced the launch of three new GPT models that are available through the OpenAI API. Called GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano, the models are not available for ChatGPT at the current time.


GPT-4.1 includes major improvements in coding, instruction following, and long context, according to OpenAI. The models outperform GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini in all tasks, especially coding tasks. The new models support up to one million tokens of context, and can use that for better long-context comprehension.

On SWE-bench Verified, GPT-4.1 showed a 21.4 percent improvement over GPT-4o for coding, and a 26.6 percent improvement over GPT-4.5. The slimmed down GPT-4.1 mini matches or exceeds GPT-4o with reduced latency and an 83 percent lower cost. GPT-4.1 nano is OpenAI's fastest and cheapest model, ideal for classification, autocompletion, and similar tasks.

OpenAI says that many of the improvements in GPT-4.1 have already been incorporated into the ChatGPT version of GPT-4o, with more functionality to be added in the future. All GPT-4.1 models have a cutoff date of June 2024, which means they are up to date on events that took place before then.

With the introduction of GPT-4.1, OpenAI is deprecating GPT-4.5 in the API, as GPT-4.1 offers much of the same functionality at a lower cost.

GPT-4.1 costs $2 per million input tokens and $8 per million output tokens, while GPT-4.1 mini costs $0.40 per million input tokens and $1.60 per million output tokens. GPT-4.1 nano is just $0.10 per million input tokens and $0.40 per million output tokens. Customized models are available at a higher price.

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Dio is a small company focused on delivering a single product for the Apple ecosystem: a low-cost AirPlay speaker system known as Dio Node. Initially launched as a crowdfunded Indiegogo campaign back in 2022, the Dio Node began shipping to backers later that year before later opening up to all customers.


The Dio Node is intended to be a low-cost option for users looking to develop a network of ‌AirPlay‌ speakers scattered throughout their homes, with a single speaker priced at $89.95 and 3-pack and 5-pack options bringing the per-speaker cost down to just under $80. That's just a bit cheaper than a HomePod mini, and I've spent some time with a 3-pack of the Dio Node to understand how the two small speakers compare and what the value proposition of the Dio Node is for users deep in the Apple ecosystem.

From a design perspective, the Dio Node is a pretty simple unidirectional speaker made of dark gray plastic with a light gray or silver speaker grille covering the entire front of the device. It measures around 4 inches (102 mm) square by 1.5 inches (38 mm) deep with a slight taper from front to back, and it weighs just under half a pound (222 grams). The rear of the Node has some very large Dio branding in white, but fortunately this shouldn't be visible in most setups. A soft pad on the bottom edge of the Node helps protect surfaces from potential scratches.


The top of the Node features three subtle rectangular buttons, with the left and right buttons serving to decrease and increase the volume respectively, while the middle one serves as a play/pause button for audio being AirPlayed to the speaker. Holding down multiple buttons in various combinations performs functions such as updating the speaker's firmware, resetting the Wi-Fi connection of the speaker, and conducting a full factory reset.

The speaker is powered through a small 5V2A power adapter with a barrel connector that plugs into the back of the speaker. The integrated cord on the adapter measures about 1.5 meters (59 inches) long, so it does give you some flexibility in terms of placement with respect to an electrical outlet.


Setup is dead simple, with the Node entering a pairing mode as soon as you plug it in for the first time. Once the small LED on the rear of the Node is flashing red, head to the Wi-Fi section of the Settings app on your iOS device, where the Node will appear in a "Set Up New ‌AirPlay‌ Speaker" section.

Tap the Node, select the Wi-Fi network you want to add it to, and give it a useful name to help you identify it in your list of ‌AirPlay‌ destinations. All-in-all, it takes about a minute to get the Node up and running on your network and you can use it just like any other ‌AirPlay‌ destination including accessing it from Control Center or from within compatible apps, using it in combination with additional Dio Nodes or other ‌AirPlay‌ speakers for multi-room audio, and more.


If you want to take your integration a bit further, you can also add your Dio Node to your Apple Home setup. That's also a simple process, requiring you to simply tap the "+" button in the Home app and select "Add an Accessory," choose the "more options" text to see the Node pop up as an available device on your network, tap it, and select which room in your home you want to add it to. The Home app will suggest an automation to automatically pause audio playing to the speaker when you leave your home, but the automation is turned off by default and you can quickly skip past that step to finalize setup.


Once the speaker is set up in the Home app, you can use it as a speaker for the Intercom feature in Apple Home, include the speaker in various other automations and shortcuts, and use Siri to control playback on the Node via the device you're playing from. You can also set up speaker group presets that include the Node.

There's no limit to the number of Dio Nodes that you can link together, which means you can easily scatter them all over your house for a whole-home audio experience, and once they're set up anyone on your network can stream audio to them. The Node offers mono sound rated to 85 dB, so it can get fairly loud for most room sizes, and I would describe its sound quality as adequate but not outstanding.


Compared to the ‌HomePod mini‌, the Dio Node doesn't have as much bass punchiness, and overall I do prefer the ‌HomePod mini‌ sound. Stepping up to a full-size HomePod obviously offers even better sound, but that's a separate class of speaker.

Dio says the equalization of the Node is tuned to accentuate voices, making it ideal for playing podcasts or audiobooks throughout your home as you move from room to room. It can also certainly handle a decent range of music, but it does lack some of the fullness of sound you get with a few other speaker options. The ‌AirPlay‌ protocol running over Wi-Fi delivers improved sound quality including support for Lossless compared to wireless speakers running over Bluetooth, but you won't be able to capture that full quality here due to the small size of the speaker.


The buttons on the Node are simple but work relatively well, with the play/pause commands taking effect almost immediately across all speakers when the middle button on any of the Nodes is pressed. The buttons are on the clicky side, which makes it obvious when they've triggered but potentially a bit disruptive if being used in a quiet environment. Adjusting volume from iOS or within an app on your source device does incur a bit of lag before it changes on the speaker, more so than I see with a ‌HomePod mini‌ in the same setup.

With its singular focus on ‌AirPlay‌ to keep things simple, the Dio Node lacks several features seen on the ‌HomePod mini‌ and a number of other lower-cost speakers, with the most obvious being a microphone. With no microphone on board the Dio Node, it's not able to directly support ‌Siri‌ requests, for example, and it can't support phone calls and other types of two-way communication.

Apps that classify their sound output as audio calls won't be able to send their audio to the Node at all, but you shouldn't have any trouble with playback-focused audio sources. Dio unsurprisingly markets the lack of a microphone as a privacy feature, given concerns about voice-enabled devices potentially being able to listen in on conversations.

While you can pair the Dio Node to an Apple TV, it's not intended to be used as a stereo or home theater system as it can't pair directly to a TV and doesn't support stereo pairing. There is limited support on Mac and iTunes for Windows, though you can expand its Mac capabilities by using something like Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil app. But even without that, I had no problem sending audio from the Music app on a Mac to multiple Dio Nodes, and I experienced no issues with audio sync.

Range appeared to be solid in my testing, with no audio dropouts on any of the Nodes regardless of where in my 1,800-square-foot house my source devices were in relation to the speakers.


Overall, the Dio Node is a reasonable option if you're looking to set up multi-room ‌AirPlay‌ audio across your home and aren't looking to spend a ton of money. It's hard to recommend a single Dio Node over the ‌HomePod mini‌ for a cost savings of only around $10 given the ‌HomePod mini‌'s better overall sound, larger feature set, and tighter ecosystem integration with things like audio handoff. But if you're looking deploy to something like five or even ten or more of these all around your house, the savings becomes more substantial, and if ‌AirPlay‌ to a set of Dio Nodes is sufficient for your needs, then it's a product worth considering.

Dio offers free shipping anywhere in the U.S. and offers 60-day free returns, so you have ample opportunity to give them a try to see if they'll work for your situation. The Node has also been certified for use in Canada and Europe, and Dio is hoping to expand distribution to those regions in the near future.

The Dio Node can be ordered from the Dio website or via Amazon (which still ships from direct from Dio), with a 1-pack priced at $89.95, a 3-pack priced at $239.00 ($79.66 per unit), or a 5-pack priced at $395.00 ($79.00 per unit).

Note: Dio provided MacRumors with a 3-pack of Dio Nodes for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
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With its uncompromising focus on user privacy, Apple has faced challenges collecting enough data to train the large language models that power Apple Intelligence features and that will ultimately improve Siri.


To improve ‌Apple Intelligence‌, Apple has to come up with privacy preserving options for AI training, and some of the methods the company is using have been outlined in a new Machine Learning Research blog post.

Basically, Apple needs user data to improve summarization, writing tools, and other ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features, but it doesn't want to collect data from individual users. So instead, Apple has worked out a way to understand usage trends using differential privacy and data that's not linked to any one person. Apple is creating synthetic data that is representative of aggregate trends in real user data, and it is using on-device detection to make comparisons, providing the company with insight without the need to access sensitive information.

It works like this: Apple generates multiple synthetic emails on topics that are common in user emails, such as an invitation to play a game of tennis at 3:00 p.m. Apple then creates an "embedding" from that email with specific language, topic, and length info. Apple might create several embeddings with varying email length and information.

Those embeddings are sent to a small number of iPhone users who have Device Analytics turned on, and the iPhones that receive the embeddings select a sample of actual user emails and compute embeddings for those actual emails. The synthetic embeddings that Apple created are compared to the embedding for the real email, and the user's ‌iPhone‌ decides which of the synthetic embeddings is closest to the actual sample.

Apple then uses differential privacy to determine which of the synthetic embeddings are most commonly selected across all devices, so it knows how emails are most commonly worded without ever seeing user emails and without knowing which specific devices selected which embeddings as the most similar.

Apple says that the most frequently selected synthetic embeddings it collects can be used to generate training or testing data, or can be used as examples for further data refinement. The process provides Apple with a way to improve the topics and language of synthetic emails, which in turn trains models to create better text outputs for email summaries and other features, all without violating user privacy.

Apple does something similar for Genmoji, using differential privacy to identify popular prompts and prompt patterns that can be used to improve the image generation feature. Apple uses a technique to ensure that it only receives ‌Genmoji‌ prompts that have been used by hundreds of people, and nothing specific or unique that could identify an individual person.

Apple can't see ‌Genmoji‌ associated with a personal device, and all signals that are relayed are anonymized and include random noise to hide user identity. Apple also doesn't link any data with an IP address or ID that could be associated with an Apple Account.

With both of these methods, only users that have opted-in to send Device Analytics to Apple participate in the testing, so if you don't want to have your data used in this way, you can turn that option off.

Apple plans to expand its use of differential privacy techniques for improving Image Playground, Memories Creation, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence in iOS 18.5, iPadOS 18.5, and macOS Sequoia 15.5.
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Amazon today has the USB-C AirPods Max on sale for $479.99 in every color, down from $549.00. This beats the price we tracked last week by about $20, and it's an overall second-best price on the headphones.

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

Colors available on sale include Blue, Midnight, Orange, Starlight, and Purple. All colors are still available to be delivered in April, with most providing a delivery estimate around April 19 for free shipping options. Prime members in certain cities should be able to see same-day delivery options.



It's also worth noting that Amazon has the AirPods Pro 2 on sale for $189.99, down from $249.00. This is another second-best price, but it's been a few weeks since we've seen the AirPods Pro 2 down to their all-time low price, and this is a solid discount for anyone looking to purchase the accessory this week.



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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Apple today provided developers with the second betas of upcoming visionOS 2.5, tvOS 18.5, and watchOS 11.5 updates for testing purposes. The software is available two weeks after Apple seeded the first betas.


The betas are available to registered developers, and can be downloaded from the Settings app on each device.

With the first betas, no notable new features were found in any of the software updates, suggesting Apple is focusing on under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes.
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Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Sequoia 15.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after Apple released the first ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.5 beta.


Registered developers can opt-in to the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. An Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta.

‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.5 appears to be a minor update so far, and no notable new features were found in the first beta.

Work on new features for ‌macOS Sequoia‌ is winding down, as Apple will soon transition to macOS 16. The next-generation version of macOS is set to be unveiled at WWDC in June.
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Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after Apple released the first betas.


iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update.

So far, iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 are relatively minor updates, introducing just a few new design changes. There are more options for reverting the Mail app back to the prior design, including removing contact photos, and AppleCare info is easier to find.

The update also likely has behind the scenes bug fixes and performance improvements.

Apple is transitioning to iOS 19 and iPadOS 19, which are set to be previewed in June at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
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In iOS, the Control Center can be used to quickly take a picture, jot down a note, turn on the lights, control your Apple TV, and much more. It's useful and convenient because you don't even have to unlock your iPhone or iPad to use it.


However, with that convenience comes a potential security issue. If you use Control Center to create Instant Notes, for example, you might not want anyone to be able to get at them just by picking up your device and swiping on the Lock screen.

If you're concerned about such a possibility, don't be. Fortunately, there's an option in iOS that enables you to disable access to the Control Center from the Lock screen, it's just hidden away in your device's settings. Here's how to find it.

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.


2. Tap Face ID (or Touch ID) and Passcode.


3. Enter your passcode if prompted.


4. Scroll down and turn off the switch next to Control Center.
   

Of course, finding the right balance between convenience and security is a personal preference, but disabling Control Center on the Lock screen is less of an issue now that most new iPhones have Face ID, which makes unlocking your device as easy as picking it up. Thankfully, anyone who isn't you won't be afforded the same luxury.
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MacRumors readers have a chance to get 20 percent off a collection of Anker's best chargers, power banks, cables, hubs, and docks this week. In order to get this deal, head to Anker's website and add an accessory to your cart, then enter the code Ankermacrumors2025 at checkout to see the discount.

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

Our exclusive 20 percent off code works on most accessories sitewide, including Anker's new "high power" charging accessories. This exclusive discount code does not stack with existing discounts on Anker's website, but it can be used on multiple items in the same cart.



In the lists below, we've collected a few examples of the best products available at a discount with our exclusive promo code, but remember that it works sitewide. You'll have until April 30 to take advantage of this promotion, so be sure to browse Anker's best products on its website before the end of the month.

Portable Chargers

• MagGo 10,000 mAh Power Bank - $60.00, down from $74.99


• 25,000 mAh Power Bank - $88.00, down from $109.99


• Prime 20,000 mAh Power Bank - $100.00, down from $129.99

Wall Chargers

• 67W 3-Port Wall Charger - $48.00, down from $59.99


• 140W 4-Port Charger with USB-C Cable - $80.00, down from $99.99

Charging Stations

• MagGo 3-in-1 Foldable Charging Station - $72.00, down from $89.99


• MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Stand - $84.80, down from $110.99


• 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe - $100.00, down from $129.99

Hubs

• 200W 6-Port Prime Charger with USB-C Cable - $79.20, down from $103.99


• 250W 6-Port Prime Charger - $128.00, down from $169.99

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

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Apple has confirmed that it will be permanently closing its retail store in the heart of Bristol, England, and there is no replacement in sight.


Apple Bristol will be closing its doors on Saturday, August 9, due to redevelopment plans at the Cabot Circus Shopping Centre, and the adjacent Bristol Shopping Quarter. According to news reports, and a building application, the owner of the property is planning to reconfigure the retail space along Philadelphia Street, where Apple is located. The plans call for a mix of residential buildings, medical facilities, restaurants, and more.

Ahead of redevelopment, the shopping area has faced increasing vacancy rates. A few years ago, Cabot Circus lost a large movie theater.

In a statement shared with MacRumors, Apple said employees impacted by the store closure will be able to continue their roles at the company.

"At Apple, we're always focused on providing an exceptional experience for all of our customers," said Apple. "Due to the redevelopment plans at Cabot Circus Shopping Centre, which include the closure of the section where our store is located, Apple Bristol will close on August 9, 2025. We've loved serving the Bristol community for over 15 years, and our valued team members will continue their roles at Apple."

Apple Bristol first opened in 2008, with the location formerly known as Apple Cabot Circus. The two-floor store still had a classic design that was due for a facelift. The lower level serves as a product sales area, while the upper level provides space for Genius Bar appointments and Today at Apple creative sessions.


The company has two other stores in the surrounding areas, including Apple Cribbs Causeway on the outskirts of Bristol, and Apple SouthGate in Bath.

Apple is also permanently closing its store at a dying mall in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook later this month, and it permanently closed its Infinite Loop and Royal Hawaiian stores last year. On the other hand, Apple continues to open new stores, including in Miami, the Los Angeles area, China, Spain, Malaysia, and soon in Downtown Detroit. Apple is also hiring for retail positions in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, after it announced plans to expand its retail presence in those countries last year.
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To celebrate 10 years of the Apple Watch's Activity ring feature this month, Apple today revealed a limited-edition "Global Close Your Rings Day" award.


Apple wants users to "do something they love, push themselves further, or try something new" with an Apple Watch workout, and share what they did using the hashtag #CloseYourRings.

The original Apple Watch launched on April 24, 2015; Activity rings were a feature from day one. Apple's press release today highlights the impact of the Apple Watch on health and fitness over the past decade. Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams said:

Apple Watch has changed the way people think about, monitor, and engage with their fitness and health. A decade ago, we introduced Activity rings — and since then, Apple Watch has grown to offer an extensive set of features designed to empower every user. People write to us almost every day sharing how Apple Watch has made a difference in their life, from motivating them to move more throughout the day, to changing the trajectory of their health.

To obtain the exclusive digital award, users must close all three of their Activity rings on April 24. 10 animated stickers for the Messages app will also become available.

Customers can also obtain a special physical pin inspired by the award at Apple Stores around the world starting April 24, while supplies last.
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Apple took the number one position in global smartphone sales during the first quarter of 2025, according to new data from Counterpoint Research. It's the first time Apple has taken the top spot during a first quarter, capturing 19% of the global market.


The iPhone maker's success came despite economic uncertainties, with Apple benefiting from the iPhone 16e launch and strong performance in emerging markets. Starting at $599, the iPhone 16e was released by Apple in March to replace the iPhone SE, the most affordable device in the company's lineup.

Samsung followed in second place with 18% market share, continuing its gradual decline from 21% in Q1 2023. The Korean manufacturer experienced a slow start due to the late launch of its S25 series, but saw sales improve in March.

Xiaomi kept tight to its growth trajectory to secure third position with 14% of the market, up from 13% a year earlier. The Chinese company's expansion benefited from growth in its domestic market, where its entry into electric vehicles has enhanced its brand presence. Meanwhile, vivo and OPPO rounded out the top five.

The global smartphone market grew 3% year-over-year in Q1 2025, but Counterpoint has revised its annual forecast and now expects a slight decline for the full year. The adjustment is due to rising economic uncertainties, particularly related to tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.


Counterpoint believes that economic volatility could lead consumers to postpone smartphone purchases, which could potentially disrupt the supply chain and increase trade risks.

Apple's performance was notably regional in nature. While sales remained flat or declined in the U.S., Europe, and China, the company achieved double-digit growth in Japan, India, Middle East and Africa, and Southeast Asia.
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The next major Apple Watch software update arriving this year will only feature some of the new UI design changes that Apple is preparing for iOS 19, but watchOS 12 won't get a complete interface overhaul like Apple's iPhone software, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.


Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that the Apple Watch will receive "new interface elements here and there," but the changes won't be on the same scale as what's coming in iOS 19. The latter is said to be inspired by visionOS, which has an emphasis on translucency, glassy UI elements, subtle lighting effects, and includes rounded icons and buttons.

The Verifier previously reported that watchOS will eventually have "elements" of visionOS, including a look that is bolder, slightly transparent, and with a floating aesthetic. Buttons, menus, icons, and other user interface elements will reportedly also be refreshed, and Apple is said to be "working on several ideas" for the Home Screen. The report did not say when the changes would be implemented, but Gurman seems confident that they will arrive as part of watchOS 12 later this year.

Gurman reports that Apple is also planning to bring a new set of features to Apple Watch that it is branding as "powered by Apple Intelligence." Unlike iOS 18, Apple Watch does not currently have Apple Intelligence because of the high amount of local storage required by the underlying large language models, and Apple is set to keep it that way – with the watch relying on the paired iPhone to deliver AI features. Gurman did not specify what the new features are.

Apple typically releases new versions of its software for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV in the fall, around September, when new products in these categories are launched.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook is "hell bent" on bringing true augmented reality glasses to market before Meta can achieve the same feat, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that upcoming new versions of Apple's Vision Pro mixed reality headset are a "stepping stone" towards Cook's ultimate decade-long goal of making AR glasses – lightweight spectacles that users can wear all day and which overlay graphics on the real world.

Cook has apparently made the glasses a "top priority" for the company. "Tim cares about nothing else," Gurman quotes a person with knowledge of the matter as saying. "It's the only thing he's really spending his time on from a product development standpoint."

Meta is currently developing true AR glasses, and has already prototyped a version of the device it envisions bringing to mass market, dubbed Orion.

Gurman notes that it will take "many years" for true AR glasses to be ready, with several technologies still needing to be perfected, including high-resolution displays, a high-performance chip, and a tiny battery that can provide all-day power.

Meta's non-AR Ray-Ban glasses have reportedly been a surprise hit. These glasses are for taking pictures and conversing with an AI assistant. Apple is said to have discussed the possibility of making similar glasses to compete in the same space. Apple's rationale seems to be that creating smart glasses could be a precursor to developing true AR glasses further in the future.

Apple is also said to be adding AI-enabled cameras to the Apple Watch and AirPods over the next couple of years.

There have been rumors about Apple's work on AR glasses – aka Apple Glass – for almost 10 years now, and the Vision Pro headset is what Apple built because the technology doesn't yet exist for the kind of augmented reality glasses that Apple is aiming for.

Gurman has previously reported that Apple is conducting user studies at its offices to gauge the appeal of features and interfaces, and that the company is working on a version of visionOS that will run on glasses. Codenamed "Atlas," the studies are being led by Apple's Product Systems Quality team, part of the hardware engineering division.
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Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold") will feature two screens as part of its book-style design, and a Chinese leaker claims to know the resolutions for both of them.


According to the Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station, the inner display, which is approximately 7.76 inches, will use a 2,713 x 1,920 resolution and feature "under-screen camera technology." Meanwhile, the 5.49-inch outer display will use 2,088 x 1,422 resolution, and this screen will allegedly have a punch-hole camera.

Digital Chat Station previously claimed that the inner folding display will have a 4:3 aspect ratio, and they also earlier revealed the alleged display dimensions of the iPhone Fold. Reputable Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has since corroborated these dimensions, additionally describing the inner screen as "crease-free." However, talk of the device using under-screen camera technology has not been claimed up until now.

That said, rumors have suggested Apple is also working on a foldable iPad, and Digital Chat Station has previously claimed that this device will use under-display Face ID technology, so it could be that Apple is seeking design parity between the two foldable devices. Additionally, Kuo believes the rear-facing camera on the foldable iPhone will use dual lenses and that the device will forgo Face ID authentication, instead using a Touch ID side button as a means to save precious internal space.

Apple will launch its long-rumored foldable iPhone next year with a ~$2,000 premium price tag attached, expects well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. According to analyst Jeff Pu, the device recently entered the New Product Introduction (NPI) phase at Foxconn, with mass production slated to begin in the second half of 2026.

• Foldable iPhone: All the Rumored Features So Far

According to Gurman, the device will take advantage of the display, battery, modem, and chip advances that Apple has made in its development of the iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to replace the "Plus" model in Apple's smartphone lineup this year.
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Amazon and Best Buy are both discounting numerous models of Apple's M4 iPad Pro this weekend. This time around, deals at both retailers have been applied automatically and are available to all shoppers, so you won't need to clip any on-page coupons or be a My Best Buy Plus/Total member.

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.

In total, there are more 13-inch iPad Pro tablets on sale than 11-inch models during this sale. We've collected every device being discounted in this lists below, and they include a few models with Nano-Texture Glass options as well.




These iPad Pro models feature Apple's M4 chip, OLED displays, and support for the Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard.

11-Inch iPad Pro - Wi-Fi

• 256GB Wi-Fi - $899.00 ($100 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $1,099.00 ($100 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,499.00 ($100 off) [matched at Best Buy]

13-Inch iPad Pro - Wi-Fi

• 256GB Wi-Fi - $1,099.00 ($200 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $1,299.00 ($200 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,699.00 ($200 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 1TB Wi-Fi with Nano-Texture Glass - $1,799.00 ($200 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 2TB Wi-Fi - $2,099.00 ($200 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 2TB Wi-Fi with Nano-Texture Glass - $2,199.00 ($200 off) [matched at Best Buy]

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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While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.


Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025:

• Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a stainless steel frame. The back of the devices will supposedly have a new "part-aluminum, part-glass" design.


• Rectangular camera bump: iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to have a large rectangular camera bump with rounded corners. Apple apparently plans to stick with a triangular arrangement for the rear camera lenses.


• More scratch-resistant display: iPhone 17 Pro screens are rumored to have a new anti-reflective coating that increases scratch resistance compared to previous models.


• Larger battery: The iPhone 17 Pro Max is rumored to have a slightly thicker design that allows for a larger battery.


• A19 Pro chip: iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to use Apple's next-generation A19 Pro chip, which will reportedly be manufactured with TSMC's newer third-generation 3nm process. Like usual, expect modest year-over-year performance gains and power efficiency improvements compared to the current iPhones.


• Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip: All four iPhone 17 models are rumored to get a Wi-Fi 7 chip designed by Apple rather than Broadcom.


• 24-megapixel front camera: All four iPhone 17 models are said to feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, whereas all iPhone 16 models are equipped with a 12-megapixel front-facing camera.


• 48-megapixel rear Telephoto camera: An upgraded 48-megapixel Telephoto camera is rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models, up from the 12-megapixel Telephoto camera on iPhone 16 Pro models.


• Dual video recording: According to Jon Prosser, of the YouTube channel Front Page Tech, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will allow users to record video with the front and rear cameras simultaneously in the Camera app.


• 8K video recording: Apple allegedly tested 8K video recording on the iPhone 16 Pro models, but such functionality is still not available. With the iPhone 17 Pro models expected to have entirely 48-megapixel rear cameras, perhaps 8K video recording will debut on those devices.


• 12GB of RAM: An increased 12GB of RAM was initially rumored exclusively for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but later the iPhone 17 Pro as well. This upgrade should help to improve the performance of Apple Intelligence and multitasking. All four iPhone 16 models have 8GB of RAM.


• Improved cooling: All four iPhone 17 models are rumored to feature internal design changes that result in better heat dissipation. A vapor chamber cooling system has been rumored for the Pro models.

Bookmark our iPhone 17 Pro roundup to stay up to date with more rumors.
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Apple is working on a new version of the Vision Pro with two key advantages over the current model, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Specifically, in his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is developing a new headset that is both lighter and less expensive than the current Vision Pro, which starts at $3,499 in the U.S. and weighs up to 1.5 pounds.

Gurman said Apple is also working on another version of the Vision Pro that can have a wired connection with a Mac, for an ultra-low-latency experience.

"The idea is to create an ultra-low-latency system for streaming a user's Mac display or for connecting to high-end enterprise applications," said Gurman. "Some customers have been using the Vision Pro for things like viewing imaging during surgery or for flight simulators. Those are two areas where a user would want the least amount of lag possible — something that can't be guaranteed by a fully wireless system."

It is unclear when Apple plans to release either of these headsets. The current Vision Pro was released in February 2024.

Gurman added that one of Apple CEO Tim Cook's top priorities remains true augmented reality glasses, but such a product likely remains "many years" away.
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A common complaint about the iPad Pro is that the iPadOS software platform fails to fully take advantage of the device's powerful hardware.


That could soon change.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS."

Gurman said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like a Mac" in three ways:

• Improved productivity


• Improved multitasking


• Improved app window management

"I'm told that this year's upgrade will focus on productivity, multitasking and app window management — with an eye on the device operating more like a Mac," said Gurman, in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter. "It's been a long time coming, with iPad power users pleading with Apple to make the tablet more powerful."

Gurman did not provide any specific details.

iPadOS 19 will be announced alongside iOS 19, macOS 16, and other software updates during the WWDC 2025 keynote on Monday, June 9.
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Apple and other electronics manufacturers have received a break from Trump's reciprocal tariffs, with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency sharing a long list of products excluded from the levies last night.


iPhones, Macs, iPads, Apple Watch, and other Apple devices will not be subject to the 125 percent tariffs that have been put in place on imported Chinese goods, nor will Apple have to pay the 10 percent reciprocal tariffs that are in place for goods from other countries.

All manner of electronic devices have been exempted, including computer components such as GPUs from Nvidia, semiconductors and the equipment used to make them, SSDs, displays, many TVs, and more. Some other electronic devices including video game consoles like the Nintendo Switch 2 are still subject to the tariffs.

As Bloomberg points out, the exemptions could be temporary and the Trump administration could be planning for new, lower tariffs on electronics and other goods from China. The order also does not exempt companies from the 20 percent "fentanyl" fee imposed on China, which was an earlier penalty, so there is still a fee that Apple will need to pay.

With the back and forth over tariffs and the 90-day pause Trump put in place in some countries, Apple stock has been volatile for the last week and has dropped more than 20 percent before recovering somewhat. As of market close yesterday, Apple's stock was down 11 percent from early April.

Update: This article previously stated that AirPods and HomePod were not covered by the exemptions, but it appears they in fact are.
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Amazon today has all-time low prices on the new M4 MacBook Air, with up to $70 off the 13-inch version of the computer. Right now these discounts are only available on Amazon, and most of them have estimated delivery windows of mid April.

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

This time around, there are two 13-inch configurations on sale, reaching up to $70 off the original price. You can get the 256GB 13-inch M4 MacBook Air for $949.00, down from $999.00, and the 24GB RAM/512GB 13-inch M4 MacBook Air for $1,329.00, down from $1,399.00. Both of these deals are available in two colors on Amazon.




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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It was a big week for leaks and rumors in the Apple world, with fresh claims about iOS 19, the iPhone 17 Pro, and even the 20th anniversary iPhone coming a couple of years from now.


Sources also spilled the tea on the inner turmoil at Apple around the Apple Intelligence-driven Siri revamp that has seen significant delays, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

iOS 19 Leak Reveals Alleged New Design With Rounder App Icons, Floating Tab Bar, and More

YouTuber Jon Prosser is back with some more claims on his Front Page Tech channel regarding design updates coming in iOS 19, and according to information he's seen, we could be in for some major changes.


Sources within Apple have shown Prosser a more glass-like interface inspired by visionOS, including rounder icons, a new floating pill-shaped tab bar at the bottom of many built-in apps, and some additional design tweaks.

For an overview of everything we've heard so far about potential design changes for iOS 19 with just about two months ago until its official unveiling at WWDC, check out our recap article.

iPhone 17 Pro's New Rear Camera Bar 'Same Color as Rest of Device'

Leaks have shown the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models will have a much larger rear camera bump spanning the entire top of the device, and a new claim from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the bump will be the same color as the rest of the device rather than being a distinct black color seen on some renderings.


On the feature front, Jon Prosser has said the iPhone 17 Pro models will include native support for simultaneous video recording from both front and rear cameras, something that so far has only been available through select third-party apps.

We've also recapped a number of other significant changes rumored to be coming to the iPhone 17 Pro later this year.

Apple Planning 'Bold' New 20th Anniversary Design for 2027 iPhone Pro

We're still a couple of years away from the 20th anniversary of the iPhone's debut, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple is planning something special for the milestone: a "major shake-up" that will include not only the much-rumored foldable iPhone but also a "bold" new look for the Pro-level iPhone models.


Gurman says the 2027 iPhone Pro models will make more extensive use of glass in their construction, but little else is known about what Apple has in the works.

Report Reveals Internal Chaos Behind Apple's Siri Failure

The Apple Intelligence-powered revamp of Siri has hit a number of stumbling blocks, leading to Apple uncharacteristically announcing a delay in some of the upcoming features. An extensive new report from The Information this week reveals details of the turmoil that has gone on behind the scenes at Apple.


According to the report, indecision and repeated changes in direction from Apple leadership about how to deploy Apple Intelligence frustrated engineers working on the project, with Siri in particular being a "hot potato" that bounced between teams without significant progress being made.

Sources indicate that some of the most impressive Siri features demoed in Apple's Intelligence's unveiling at WWDC 2024 were effectively fictitious, with the functionality not even working on test devices at that point. The demo even apparently came as a surprise to members of the Siri team.

Waiting for the Perfect MacBook Pro? 2026 Might Be the Year

We're expecting an update to the MacBook Pro later this year with a new M5 chip and some other upgrades, but for a much more substantial revamp, you might want to wait until 2026.


Rumors indicate the 2026 MacBook Pro could see a design overhaul with OLED displays, a smaller pinhole camera cutout replacing the current notch, and perhaps even a thinner and lighter design and 5G connectivity.

In addition to the MacBook Pro overhaul, 2026 may also see the launch of Apple's rumored large foldable device, which reportedly features an 18.8-inch display when unfolded.

iOS 18.4.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

iOS 18.5 remains in early beta testing, but Apple appears to have an interim iOS 18.4.1 update on the way, and it should be arriving within the next week or two.


It's unclear what fixes will be included in the update, but these updates typically focus on security issues. It's possible it could also address a few problems that popped up in the iOS 18.4 update such as CarPlay connectivity issues some users have been experiencing, though that's merely speculation at this point.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!
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Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then.



We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025.

1. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get new iPhones every September so it's not a surprise that updated models are coming, but this year should be exciting because the rumored iPhone 17 Air will have an all-new ultra-thin form factor, plus the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are getting a new rear camera design.


2. Apple Watch Series 11 - There's an updated Apple Watch coming, and it could get blood pressure monitoring and other health features, though that's not a guarantee yet. An update for watchOS has also been rumored, so it could get a new look.


3. Apple Watch Ultra 3 - Apple didn't update the Apple Watch Ultra last year, but we're supposedly getting a new model this year.


4. Apple Watch SE - We also didn't get an Apple Watch SE in 2024, so Apple's low-cost Apple Watch is due for an update. There were some rumors about a new plastic casing, but that might be scrapped.


5. AirPods Pro 3 - It's finally time for the AirPods Pro to get an update, and it sounds like it'll be a big one. The ‌AirPods Pro‌ will have a new design, and the case could get an update too. We're expecting better audio quality, Active Noise Cancellation improvements, a faster chip, and possibly health features like temperature and heart rate monitoring.


6. Mac Pro - The Mac Pro is Apple's last Mac that doesn't have an M4 chip inside, and it's going to be refreshed before the end of the year.


7. MacBook Pro - The MacBook Pro was last updated in October 2024, but when October 2025 rolls around, it'll be due for another refresh. No major design changes are planned, but it will get a spec boost in the form of the faster M5 chip.


8. Apple TV 4K - It's been quite some time since the Apple TV was refreshed, and a new model is in the works. It'll have a faster processor, perhaps even one that can support Apple Intelligence and console-quality games. No design changes are expected.


9. HomePod mini - The HomePod mini could get its first update with a faster S-series chip, an Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip for improved performance, and new color options.


10. AirTag 2 - There's a new version of the AirTag in the works, and it's slated for launch sometime in 2025. There are no signs of a design update, but it will get a new Ultra Wideband chip for improved range, plus there could be other improvements like a new, louder speaker.

Bonus: New Software

In two months, Apple is going to show off new software at its June Worldwide Developers Conference. We'll see the new features in iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16, tvOS 19, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3.

New software is fun because if you've got a modern Apple device, you don't even need to buy anything new to get the new functionality that Apple will be showing off. While we'll get a June preview, the software updates are slated for September.

Read More

We keep track of all of the products that Apple has coming both in the near future and in the more distant future in our upcoming products guide. It's updated regularly, so it's worth keeping an eye if you're interested in what Apple has in the works.
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ColorWare today introduced a clever new range of custom Apple Pencils that have been designed to look like crayons. ColorWare is known for its custom-painted Apple accessories and products like AirPods, and the company sometimes does unique limited edition designs.


The ColorWare Apple Crayon Pro is available in seven colors, including black, mint, pink, purple, red, white, and yellow. Each one has a custom colored tip and a matching wrapper, all of which is painted on a standard Apple Pencil Pro. ColorWare previously did a custom ‌Apple Pencil‌ designed to look like a number 2 pencil, but the custom crayons in multiple colors are even more fun. With the attention to design, the Apple Crayon Pro does indeed look quite a bit like an actual crayon.


ColorWare has been customizing Apple devices for more than a decade, and it has perfected the process for a lasting finish. ColorWare uses a multi-step coating system, including a primer, a proprietary color formula, and a liquid plastic coating to protect the color. All products are warrantied for 12 months.


Because ColorWare is using a standard ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro, all of the functionality of the ‌Apple Pencil‌ remains intact. The ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro works with the M4 iPad Pro models, the M2 and M3 iPad Air models, and the A17 Pro iPad mini.

ColorWare is selling the Apple Crayon Pro for $215, and all colors are available from the ColorWare website as of today. Orders ship out in about two weeks.
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Chinese company Anker is one of many companies that will be raising prices due to the tariffs put in place by U.S. President Donald Trump, and prices are already starting to go up on Amazon.


As noted by Reuters, Anker has increased pricing on about a fifth of its products since Thursday of last week. Prices are up approximately 18 percent, and there is a possibility for further increases. A power bank that was $88 is now $110, for example, and a charging station that was $250 is now $270.

The tariffs on China are at 145 percent as of yesterday, which means items imported into the United States are significantly more expensive. U.S. customers and companies buying from China need to pay a 145 percent tax on the declared value of an item that is brought into the country. China has also put a 125 percent reciprocal tariff in place on U.S. goods coming to China.

China does not plan to raise its tariffs beyond 125 percent, and in a statement, China's Finance Ministry said that if U.S. tariffs go higher, it no longer makes sense to increase to match. "Even if the U.S. continues to impose even higher tariffs, it would no longer have any economic significance and would go down as a joke in the history of world economics," reads the Finance Ministry's statement.

China also said that the tariffs are an act of bullying, with the country planning to fight "to the end." From the Ministry's statement:

The U.S. side's imposition of excessively high tariffs on China seriously violates international economic and trade rules, runs counter to basic economic principles and common sense, and is simply an act of unilateral bullying and coercion.

Earlier this week, Anker told investors that it was able to raise prices because many of its rivals are Chinese and are facing similar tariff pressure. The company also said that it plans to explore non-U.S. markets like Europe and Southeast Asia.

Anker's prices fluctuate regularly due to the numerous sales that the company offers, but e-commerce site SmartScout says that there has been a "concerted effort" to raise prices since last week. Anker is still offering some discounts, and it has a site-wide sale right now for MacRumors readers. Any product on the Anker website is discounted by 20 percent with the promo code Ankermacrumors2025.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
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Both the iPad Pro and the iPad Air have had fairly recent updates, and there are quite a few similarities between them that might leave you wondering which one is the best to meet your needs. In our latest video, we go over the similarities and differences, and the use cases that might make you choose one over another.


The M3 ‌iPad Air‌ is priced starting at $599, while the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ is $999, so there's a notable difference in terms of cost. There are 11-inch and 13-inch size options for both models, and performance is not too far off between them.

With the ‌iPad Pro‌, you essentially get an improved display, a faster chip, Face ID support, better audio, ProRes video recording, and the option to use the higher-end keyboard case. There are few things you can do on an iPad that stress the M3 chip, and most people won't notice the difference in performance from M3 to M4 for day to day tasks.

Where you might see a small difference is apps that are system intensive, like Final Cut Pro or Photoshop, but both handle those tasks just fine. It's actually the display that's the biggest differentiating factor. The ‌iPad Pro‌ has an OLED display that's much brighter, supports HDR, offers ProMotion, and has deeper blacks and more vivid colors. If you're doing something where color is a factor, or if display quality is important, that's where you would want to consider the ‌iPad Pro‌.

Make sure to watch our full video where we go into much more depth about the differences, and show off the two tablets side-by-side.
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This week's best Apple deals include discounts on AirPods Max, iPad, and Apple Watch SE. We're also tracking a big sitewide sale at OWC, including savings on docks and hubs for your Mac, plus external drives and more.

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.

AirPods Max

• What's the deal? Take $49 off AirPods Max


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Amazon discounted the AirPods Max (USB-C) to $499.99 in every color this week. This is the first time in a few weeks that we've tracked a deal on every color of the AirPods Max.

OWC

• What's the deal? Save on Mac docks, hubs, and more


• Where can I get it? OWC


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

OWC's "Spring Savings Celebration" kicked off this week, offering big discounts on docks, hubs, memory cards, external drives, and more. Many of these deals won't be applied until you add the items to your cart, at which time an automatic coupon will be applied to your order.

Apple Watch SE

• What's the deal? Take $79 off Apple Watch SE


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

You can get $79 off the Apple Watch SE this week on Amazon, starting at just $169.97 for the 40mm GPS model. Overall, these are both the best prices we've seen so far in 2025.

iPad

• What's the deal? Take up to $49 off the new iPad


• Where can I get it? Amazon

Amazon has a few new discounts on Apple's 11th generation iPad this week, including $49 off the 512GB Wi-Fi model of the tablet. Prices start at $327.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $349.00.

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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Your iPhone has multiple touch and gesture capabilities that can enhance how you interact with apps. Some, like pinch and zoom, are well known enough to be considered second nature, but others are less obvious, like the one we're about to explain.

Two-Finger Drag to Select Items

If you have apps where you habitually tap on each individual item in a list to select them – emails in your Mail inbox, for example – it's time to dial in some efficiency and embrace this faster method.

This gestural feature allows you to easily select (or deselect) multiple items in apps like Contacts, Mail, Messages, Voice Memos, Notes, and indeed any Apple app that lists multiple items. Here's how it works.

1. Open an app where multiple item selection is supported.


2. Touch and hold the screen with two fingers at the same time.


3. While keeping both fingers on the screen, drag them down (or up) to select multiple items. As you drag, items will be highlighted to indicate they are selected.


4. Once the desired items are selected, you can perform actions such as moving, deleting, or organizing them.

That's all there is to it. This simple yet powerful feature streamlines your workflow, saving you time and effort when handling multiple items. Looking to speed up your iPhone text editing skills? Check out our favorite hidden trick by following the link.
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On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we catch up on the latest iOS 19 and watchOS 12 rumors, upcoming devices, and more.


Detailed new renders from leaker Jon Prosser claim to provide the best look yet at the complete redesign rumored to arrive in ‌iOS 19‌, showing more rounded elements, lighting effects, translucency, and an all-new pill-shaped tab bar with an elongated search bar. This visonOS-style redesign is also now rumored to come to the Apple Watch, and a sketchy report claims that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will tout exclusive AI features for Genmoji, Siri integration with activity information and sleep tracking, health monitoring, and more.

We look at the first iPhone 17 Pro cases, which emphasize just how large the new full-width camera bump is set to be, as well as exclusive camera features rumored for the device. We also discuss the report about the second-generation Vision Pro now being in mass production, the delay of Apple's smart home hub product to 2026, and Sir Jony Ive's work on a smartphone without a screen for OpenAI. The MacRumors Show also has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.



You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.


If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our in-depth discussion about the announcement of WWDC 2025, key iOS 18.4 features, and more.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Mark Gurman, Kevin Nether, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

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This article, "The MacRumors Show: New iOS 19, iPhone 17, and Apple Watch Ultra 3 Leaks" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple plans to release its delayed Apple Intelligence Siri features in the fall, according to a new report by The New York Times.


In early March, Apple said that it was going to take longer than expected to roll out the more personalized ‌Siri‌ experience, and that these features would be rolled out "in the coming year." Subsequently, Reuters reported that the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ ‌Siri‌ features have been delayed until 2026.

However, NYT reports today that its sources within Apple are still confident of a fall release. From the report:

Apple hasn't canceled its revamped Siri. The company plans to release a virtual assistant in the fall capable of doing things like editing and sending a photo to a friend on request, three people with knowledge of its plans said.

The ‌Siri‌ features in question were demonstrated at WWDC when introducing ‌iOS 18‌, and they were expected to come out in an update to ‌iOS 18‌. The functionality includes personal context, onscreen awareness, and improved app integration. Here's a quick summary:

Personal Context

Siri will be able to track emails, messages, files, photos, and more – learning from your interactions to help you stay organized and complete tasks.

• Show me the files Sam sent me last week.


• Find the email where Sam mentioned ice hockey.


• Find the books Sam recommended to me.


• Where's the recipe Sam sent me?


• What's my passport number?

Onscreen Awareness

Siri will understand what's on your screen and act on it. For example, if someone texts you an address, you can ask Siri to add it to their contact card. Or, if you're viewing a photo, you can ask Siri to send it.

Deeper App Integration

Siri will handle more complex tasks across apps – things it currently can't do. Apple shared a few examples of what to expect:

• Move files between apps.


• Edit a photo and send it.


• Get directions home and share the ETA with Sam.


• Send the draft email to Sam.

Already, Siri has gained Type to Siri, a refreshed interface, ChatGPT integration, and improved natural language understanding.

Apple demonstrated many of the above missing Siri features in WWDC previews, and went on to advertise them on its website. It also promoted them in a since-pulled TV ad for iPhone 16 starring actor Bella Ramsey, as well as elsewhere. Apple has been sued at least three times over the delayed Siri features in California.
This article, "Apple Plans to Release Delayed Apple Intelligence ‌Siri‌ Features This Fall" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's current struggles with Apple Intelligence and Siri began in early 2023 when AI head John Giannandrea sought approval from CEO Tim Cook to purchase more AI chips for development, according to a new report from The New York Times.


Cook initially approved doubling the team's chip budget, but CFO Luca Maestri reportedly reduced the increase to less than half that amount, and instead encouraged the team to make existing chips more efficient.

The lack of adequate GPU resources meant Apple's AI team had to negotiate for computing power from providers like Google and Amazon.

At the time, Apple's data centers had about 50,000 GPUs that were more than five years old – far fewer than the hundreds of thousands of chips being purchased by competitors like Microsoft, Google, and Meta.

The NYT report goes on to cover the leadership conflicts within the company, describing a power struggle between Robby Walker, who oversaw Siri, and Sebastien Marineau-Mes, a senior executive with the software team. The two reportedly battled over who would spearhead Siri's new capabilities, with both ultimately receiving pieces of the project.

Apple Intelligence faced significant delays after internal testing revealed Siri was inaccurate on nearly a third of requests. Apple subsequently admitted that it would take longer than expected to roll out the more personalized ‌Siri‌ experience, and that these features will be rolled out "in the coming year."

However, according to the report, Apple still plans to release its enhanced Siri experience this fall. The functionality includes personal context, onscreen awareness, and improved app integration. Some Apple executives reportedly aren't concerned about the delay, and believe competitors haven't perfected AI either, giving Apple time to get it right.

Following the delay, software chief Craig Federighi reorganized executives, removing responsibility for the new Siri from Giannandrea and reassigning it to Mike Rockwell, who leads the Vision Pro division. The details of Apple's Siri team changes and the delayed Siri revamp were previously reported by Bloomberg and The Information.

For more details on Apple's internal issues, including political infighting, budget constraints, and talent drain, see The New York Times' full report.
This article, "NYT: Apple's AI Struggles Began with 2023 Chip Budget Dispute" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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On a Mac that has a top row of function keys, Apple includes volume and brightness controls that can be used to make adjustments in stepwise increments. However, there may be times when you want to make more fine grained adjustments to these settings than the default increments allow – in which case, read on.


Whenever you tap the volume or brightness controls on your keyboard, you'll see an indicator appear on your Mac's screen with 16 fixed increments separated by lines. With the help of a keyboard modifier, it's actually possible to make more nuanced quarter-step changes to sound volume and screen brightness using a total of 64 increments.


Before you press the volume or brightness controls, hold down the Option and Shift keys together on your keyboard. Now go ahead and make your adjustments, and you should see the onscreen indicator move forwards and backwards in smaller increments (four over each segment).


It's a simple tip, but it's really useful for when just tapping the control on its own feels like too much of a jump, and you'd prefer more accurate control over, let's say, how quiet or loud your headphone audio output is, for example.
This article, "How to Adjust Mac Volume and Brightness More Precisely" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Bluesky is rolling out a new update introducing features that might ease the transition for social media users coming over from X (Twitter).


First up, version 1.100 adds emoji reactions to Bluesky's direct messaging system. Users can now respond to messages with quick emoji reactions by holding down on a message and selecting from common options like hearts, thumbs up, and laughing faces. For those wanting more expression, the three-dot menu provides access to a full emoji keyboard.

The app's search page has also been completely revamped and renamed "Explore." This new discovery hub prominently displays trending topics labeled with tags like "Hot" or "New," along with timestamps showing when topics started gaining traction.


Beyond trends, the Explore page now recommends accounts to follow across various interest categories such as Art, Sports, Music, and Politics. Users can also personalize their experience by selecting specific interests that inform what appears on their Explore page.


Meanwhile, for newcomers, Bluesky has added curated "Starter Packs," or pre-made lists of accounts focused on specific topics that users can follow with a single tap.


The features are designed to make the transition easier for users migrating from other platforms while improving content discovery within Bluesky.

Bluesky has over 34 million active users, according to the company. That's still a lot less than Meta's Threads in total users, but the platform continues to gain popularity as an alternative to X. The update is available now on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone users running iOS 15.1 or later.
This article, "Bluesky Gains Twitter-Like Message Reactions and New Search Page" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Razer today announced the official launch of Razer PC Remote Play, which is designed to allow Razer PC users to stream their games directly to mobile devices like the iPhone and the iPad.


According to Razer, the platform provides ultra-smooth, high-fidelity gameplay on smartphones and tablets, with support for all iOS-compatible gaming controllers for a PC gaming experience on the go. On the ‌iPad‌, there's also support for keyboards, mice, and trackpads.

PC users can browse through, configure, and launch PC games from an ‌iPhone‌ or an ‌iPad‌, as well as customize controls, record and share gameplay, and more. Razer PC Remote Play is able to automatically optimize games to match the maximum resolution and refresh rate of a mobile device without having a fixed aspect ratio.

On an ‌iPhone‌ or an ‌iPad‌ running iOS 18 or iPadOS 18, users will need to install Razer Nexus and Razer PC Remote Play, and on a PC running Windows 11 or later, Remote Play needs to be enabled in Razer Cortex. More information is available on Razer's website.
This article, "Razer Launches PC Remote Play for Streaming Games to iPhones and iPads" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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OpenAI today updated ChatGPT with an improved memory feature that allows the chatbot to remember more about your conversations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says that ChatGPT can "reference all your past conversations," allowing for a more personalized experience.


ChatGPT will remember context from previous conversations, such as preferences and interests, using that information to tailor the responses that it provides. You can add something directly to ChatGPT's memory by telling it to "remember" a fact.

The option to reference saved memories is opt-in, and can be toggled off in the ChatGPT settings under Personalization. There is an option to manage all of the memories that ChatGPT has stored, including deleting them all or deleting just one or two. ChatGPT will save memories indefinitely, but they can be removed at any time.

The updated memory features are rolling out to all Plus and Pro tier users, but the functionality is not available in the EU, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
This article, "ChatGPT Gets Better at Remembering Info About You With Memory Improvements" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple is continuing to add support for carrier-based satellite services, with au customers in Japan and One NZ customers in New Zealand now able to use the satellite connectivity offered by those carriers on compatible iPhone models.


Both au and One NZ have partnered with SpaceX to provide their customers with Starlink Direct satellite service, joining T-Mobile in the U.S. in offering Starlink connectivity as an alternative to the satellite messaging features built into Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 14 and later models. Japan and New Zealand both have large swathes of land where traditional cellular coverage is unavailable due to terrain limitations.

For au customers, Starlink Direct covers all of Japan, providing connectivity in remote areas where cellular towers are not available. au does not charge for the service, which allows users to send and receive text messages, get emergency earthquake alerts, and share their location with friends and family.

In New Zealand, One NZ customers can use Starlink Direct to send and receive texts anywhere in the country, with the functionality included in eligible mobile plans.

Starlink Direct is available when cellular signal is not, as long as there is a clear line of sight to the sky. While an open space not obstructed by buildings helps with connectivity, users do not need to hold their smartphone up to the sky to connect, which is a requirement for Apple's built-in satellite service offered through its partnership with Globalstar.

Carrier-based satellite services are supported on the ‌iPhone‌ 14 models and later, and customers who have access to carrier satellite options can use those in addition to the satellite connectivity that is included in Apple's modern iPhones.

(Thanks, Dhinak!)
This article, "Apple Continues Rolling Out Support for Carrier Satellite Services" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has been hit with at least two more proposed class action lawsuits over its delayed personalized Siri features for iPhones.


In the U.S., a complaint filed in a California federal court this week alleges that Apple violated false advertising and unfair competition laws by marketing Apple Intelligence upgrades for Siri that are still not available. The two named plaintiffs said they never would have purchased or been willing to pay as much for an iPhone 16 had they known that Apple's marketing surrounding the features was false and misleading.

Apple advertised the Siri features in product presentations, on its website, in a TV commercial starring actor Bella Ramsey, and elsewhere.

Apple was already sued over the delayed Siri features in California last month, and the class action lawsuits could eventually be merged if they proceed.

A similar complaint was filed against Apple last week in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Apple first previewed the personalized Siri features during its WWDC 2024 keynote last June, as part of a wide range of Apple Intelligence features that it said would be rolling out over the course of the following year. That gave Apple until WWDC 2025 this June to roll out the Siri features, but last month the company announced that it needed more time and anticipated rolling out the features at some point "in the coming year" from then.

The features were initially expected to launch in iOS 18.4 last week, but they are now expected to arrive at some point during the iOS 19 cycle. Many well-connected Apple reporters and observers believe the features will not be available until 2026.

Whenever they launch, the Siri upgrades will include understanding of a user's personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper per-app controls. For example, during its WWDC 2024 keynote, Apple showed an iPhone user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation plans based on info from the Mail and Messages apps.

The class action lawsuits in the U.S. and Canada are both seeking damages from Apple, in an amount to be proven at trial, so class members who purchased an iPhone 16 in order to use the personalized Siri features could eventually receive a payout from Apple, if the judges presiding over each case find that the company broke the law.

Apple's lawyers have yet to respond to any of the lawsuits.
This article, "Apple Hit With More Class Action Lawsuits Over Delayed Siri Features in U.S. and Canada" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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