Since 2015, Daring Fireball's John Gruber has hosted a special live episode of his The Talk Show podcast from WWDC each year, with senior executives from Apple routinely participating as guests for the episodes. While the executives typically do not break major news during these appearances, the lively conversations have offered some interesting insights and perspectives on various topics surrounding Apple's WWDC announcements.


In announcing ticket sales for this year's live episode going live today, Gruber has revealed that Apple declined his invitation for executives to appear on this year's episode, for the first time in the decade of this tradition.

Gruber did not share a reason for Apple declining this year's invitation, and Apple likely did not provide one to him, but it's easy to surmise that it was probably due to Gruber's recent comments sharing his belief that "Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino" in the wake of Apple Intelligence Siri delays.

In his March blog post, Gruber faulted himself for not seeing the "red flags" that were appearing as early as last year's WWDC, with Apple apparently showing off planned ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features that were not actually functional at the time and some of which may not even yet be functional.

He faulted Apple for showing off what amounted to vaporware at last year's WWDC, a significant departure from Apple's history over the past several decades of almost always shipping features close to their suggested timelines even when they have been pre-announced before they are fully ready.

Gruber's comments were notable given his status as one of the most well-known Apple pundits, not to mention the fact that Apple had chosen him to be the one to share the news days earlier that the Apple Intelligence-powered ‌Siri‌ revamp had been delayed.

It's hard not to view Apple's move as a form of retribution for Gruber's criticism, and also potentially an acknowledgement that Gruber would be liable to ask Apple executives some difficult questions about what occurred to force the ‌Siri‌ delay and where things go from here.
This article, "Apple Executives Won't Be Appearing at This Year's WWDC Episode of The Talk Show Live" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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AI-powered search tool Perplexity today gained Perplexity Labs, a feature that provides subscribers with a way to create reports, spreadsheets, web apps, and dashboards that are backed by "extensive research and analysis."


The company says that if Perplexity Search is a 24/7 answer machine, Perplexity Labs is akin to having an entire team available for help.

Perplexity Labs can work on its own for 10 minutes or more, using tools for deep web browsing, code execution, chart creation, and image generation. It is able to complete what would have "taken days of work" in a 10 minute period, developing marketing plans, analyzing finances, creating meal plans, and more. Perplexity has examples of what Perplexity Labs is able to do in its Projects Gallery.

Perplexity Pro subscribers have access to Labs as of today, and it can be selected from the mode selector interface on the web or in the iOS app. Mac app support is coming soon. Perplexity Pro is priced at $20 per month.
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With the next-generation version of iOS and other 2025 software updates, Apple is planning to change its numbering scheme. Rather than iOS 19, which would logically follow iOS 18, Apple is instead going to call the update iOS 26. Apple plans to use 26 across all of its platforms (the number representing the upcoming year), which will presumably be less confusing than having iOS 19, macOS 16, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3. But what does the change mean for the iPhone?


If Apple is looking to streamline naming, it could make sense for future ‌iPhone‌ models to follow the same year-based numbering. An ‌iPhone‌ 26 or ‌iPhone‌ 26 Pro that launches with iOS 26 would be more logical than an iPhone 17 that runs ‌iOS 26‌, at least until that ‌iPhone‌ 26 needs to be updated to iOS 27 or iOS 28.

Year-based numbering for iPhones would make it clear to consumers when an ‌iPhone‌ came out. The average ‌iPhone‌ user that doesn't upgrade on the regular probably can't tell you the year that their ‌iPhone‌ launched, because there's no obvious link between the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and 2022, or the iPhone 16 and 2024.

Apple may already have a naming conundrum in the works where some kind of transition will make sense. This year, we're on track to get the ‌iPhone 17‌. In 2026, the ‌iPhone‌ 18, and in 2027, the ‌iPhone‌ 19. But 2027 is the 20th anniversary of the ‌iPhone‌, so will Apple want its 20th anniversary device to be the ‌iPhone‌ 19? Apple didn't make that choice in 2017 at the ‌iPhone‌'s 10th anniversary, and we never ended up with a ‌iPhone‌ 9 because we got the ‌iPhone‌ X instead.

Apple uses year-based numbering for its Macs, though not overtly. The MacBook Air is just the ‌MacBook Air‌, but when you're looking for tech specs or comparison info on Apple's site, you'll find that the latest model is in fact the ‌MacBook Air‌ (M4, 2025). iPhones could also just be "‌iPhone‌" and appended in the same way.

There is a disconnect in Mac naming and the way Apple is doing software update naming going forward, though. Macs are named for the year they're released, but iOS and its sister updates are going to be named for the coming year on launch. ‌iOS 26‌ in September 2025, iOS 27 in September 2026, iOS 28 in September 2027, and so on. Mac-like numbering for the ‌iPhone‌ would be the sensible choice instead of the year-ahead numbering, but it's doubtful that Apple will want to launch an ‌iPhone‌ (2025) running ‌iOS 26‌.

Apple could also go with iPad numbering for the ‌iPhone‌ in the future. iPads aren't named like iPhones, and have historically used generations. The low-cost ‌iPad‌, for example, was the ‌iPad‌ (5th generation) and then (6th generation) and (7th generation) and so on. More recently, Apple is using chips to differentiate between different generations of the ‌iPad‌. So there's the M2 iPad Air, and the M3 ‌iPad Air‌, along with the A16 ‌iPad‌ (11th generation) and the A17 Pro iPad mini. Chip-based naming probably won't work for the ‌iPhone‌ like it does for the ‌iPad‌ and some Macs because there are multiple iPhones that use the same chip. Apple would need to do something like ‌iPhone‌ (A19), ‌iPhone‌ Air (A19), ‌iPhone‌ Pro (A19), and ‌iPhone‌ Pro Max (A19), which is no better for marketing.

Apple might not change ‌iPhone‌ numbering at all, given that naming across iPads, Macs, iPhones, and other devices has never exactly been straightforward. Whether Apple intends to streamline device names going forward may become clearer at the June 9 Worldwide Developers Conference. We'll hear about the plan to go from ‌iOS 18‌ to ‌iOS 26‌ at the keynote event, and the way that Apple frames it might just provide some insight into whether we can expect a similar change for the ‌iPhone‌ to match.
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Apple has announced that its Den Haag store in the Netherlands will be temporarily closed for renovations starting this Sunday, June 1.


The store is located in The Hague, the capital city of South Holland.

First opened in 2014, Apple Den Haag is one of the company's flagship stores, located in a covered walkway with historical architecture. The remodeled store will likely feature an Apple Pickup station for online orders, improved accessibility, and more.

Apple has not indicated when the store will reopen, but remodeling often takes months.

Apple has two other stores in the Netherlands, in Amsterdam and Haarlem.

Thanks, Filip Chudzinski!
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Apple's iPhone 17 lineup will include four iPhones, and two of those are going to get all-new display sizes. There's the iPhone 17 Air, which we've heard about several times, but the standard ‌iPhone 17‌ is also going to have a different display size.


We've heard a bit about the updated size before, but with most rumors focusing on the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌, it's easy to forget. Display analyst Ross Young today reiterated the screen sizes expected for the entire ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup, and it serves as a good reminder about what to expect from Apple's lowest-priced flagship.

The ‌iPhone 17‌ will feature a larger 6.27-inch display, which will make it the same size as the current iPhone 16 Pro display. With the 16 Pro and Pro Max, Apple introduced larger displays, while the 16 and 16 Plus stayed the same size as the 15 and 15 Plus.

• ‌iPhone 17‌ - 6.27-inch display, up from 6.12 inches.


• ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ - 6.55 inches.


• iPhone 17 Pro - 6.27-inch display, identical to ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌.


• ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max - 6.86-inch display, no change from ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max.

Apple rounds 6.27 to 6.3 inches and 6.86 to 6.9 inches, so basically, we're going to get an ‌iPhone 17‌ and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ that are 6.3 inches, and the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max at 6.9 inches. The ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ has a new display size that Apple will likely round to 6.6 inches. It will be slightly smaller than the 6.7-inch display of the iPhone 16 Plus it replaces.

Aside from that new display size, the ‌iPhone 17‌ is shaping up to be the iPhone with the fewest changes in 2025. The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models and the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ are rumored to have a new horizontal rear camera bar, but the ‌iPhone 17‌ camera will look the same as the ‌iPhone 16‌ camera.

There are features to look forward to though, such as the 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate that's rumored to be expanding to the entire ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup, an improved 24-megapixel selfie camera, and a faster A19 chip.
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I've taken a look at several of Alogic's 4K displays over the past couple of years, but the company has taken things to the next level with its new 27-inch Clarity 5K Touch display. Announced nearly a year ago, the Clarity 5K Touch recently began shipping to deliver not only a high-quality display experience with sufficient pixel density of 218 pixels per inch for full Retina support, but also touchscreen functionality via both stylus and fingers.


I've been testing out the Clarity 5K Touch for a few weeks, and I've come away impressed with the display quality and overall functionality, though the regular $1,600 price tag may give some potential customers pause when weighing it against other non-Apple 5K display options.

Alogic's Clarity 5K Touch offers a resolution of 5120 × 2880, and packing that many pixels into a 27-inch display means it can show a 2560 × 1440 HiDPI desktop in excellent true Retina quality at typical viewing distances. This yields crisp text and graphics without potential performance penalties and visual artifacts that can result from non-pixel-perfect scaling at lower pixel densities.

Display quality on the Clarity 5K Touch was excellent in my testing, essentially indistinguishable from my MacBook Pro (aside from ProMotion support) or my usual LG UltraFine 5K external displays running in Retina mode. Text and images appear super-sharp on the display, with individual pixels not visible until I get quite close to the display, as you'd expect at this pixel density. The display offers a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and up to 400 nits of typical brightness, which is a bit lower than Apple's notebooks and the Studio Display which can offer 500–600 nits of typical SDR brightness indoors, but the Clarity 5K Touch was plenty bright enough in my workspace.


Color calibration appeared excellent out of the box, with everything looking vibrant yet natural and closely matching the other displays in my setup. The Clarity 5K Touch supports 100% of the sRGB gamut and 99% of the Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 gamuts, and it features HDR400 support.

The Clarity 5K Touch is a glossy display, and while Alogic says it features an anti-reflective finish, the glossiness is very evident if you use it in an environment where there is any significant amount of glare such as direct lighting or nearby windows. Depending on the relative locations and angles of those lighting sources and your seating position, the glare can interfere with visibility at times, so that's something to be aware of as you consider where you're planning to use the display.


The display's construction feels solid, with the stand made primarily of silver aluminum for good heft and stability. A hole in the stand neck helps route cables to minimize their visibility. In addition to adjustable height over a range of 145 mm, the Clarity 5K Touch also supports tilt (5º forward to 20º back), swivel (up to 25º left or right), and pivot adjustments for maximum flexibility. You can pivot the display all the way to 90 degrees if you prefer to use the display in portrait orientation, while tilt and swivel help you get the display in just the right position, which is especially helpful in trying to mitigate glare. Support for 100×100 VESA mounts is also included if you prefer a different mounting solution.

The display body features a silver plastic enclosure on the rear with ventilation holes toward the top and bottom, which is perfectly adequate in my opinion considering I'm hardly ever going to look at the rear of it. Even so, it's a simple and clean design, just without the high-quality aluminum you'd find on an Apple display.

Around the screen itself, the black bezels aren't the thinnest I've encountered, with uniform size around the top and sides and a slightly chunkier bottom bezel, some of which no doubt going toward housing the touchscreen hardware. The bezels are essentially entirely underneath the display glass aside from a very narrow plastic strip around the perimeter, which does help hide them a bit, especially if using a dark desktop and/or dark mode.


One area where the Clarity 5K Touch tops the Apple Studio Display is in the connectivity department, with Alogic's display offering not only a USB-C connection option but also a pair of HDMI 2.0 ports and a DisplayPort 1.4 port, allowing you to hook up multiple devices and easily switch the display between them or even show multiple sources simultaneously with picture-in-picture modes. The USB-C and DisplayPort ports support up to 5K resolution at 60 Hz, while the HDMI ports support up to 5K resolution at 30 Hz, so while you're not going to get the sharpest gaming response out of this display, I've found it to be perfectly acceptable for less demanding daily work.


Other than some resolution and orientation options managed through the Settings app on your Mac, the various inputs and other display settings are handled through an on-screen display menu system, which is a bit lacking in the visuals department as is par for the course on these types of controls. Buttons hidden along the bottom right edge of the display allow you to move through the various settings, and you'll need to use these buttons to adjust speaker volume and display brightness, as native Mac keyboard control for these is not supported.

In addition to those various connectivity options for display sources, the Clarity 5K Touch also includes a USB-B 3.0 port for upstream data, and the display includes a pair of USB-A 3.0 ports (5 Gbps data, 7.5W charging) to serve as a hub for connecting wired accessories as long as there is either a USB-C or USB-B connection to the computer to facilitate data transfer. There's also a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting headphones or a speaker system, though it is output-only, so microphone input is not supported.

When connected over USB-C, the Clarity 5K Touch can support up to 65 watts of charging to a connected computer, but this drops to 45 watts when the display is in HDR mode. That's enough to keep something like a MacBook Air, or potentially even a 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, charged up, but it may not be able to keep up if you start getting into demanding workflows on more powerful machines, especially on a 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌. And you certainly won't be able to fast charge a depleted ‌MacBook Pro‌ battery via the display. That said, it was able to keep up with my 16- inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ just fine in daily work.

Then there are the unique touchscreen capabilities of the Clarity 5K Touch, as Alogic claims it's the world's first 5K touchscreen display and we've yet to see anything to dispute this among the small number of 27-inch 5K displays on the market. I've already covered much of this functionality in my reviews of Alogic's earlier 4K touchscreen display, and the idea remains essentially the same here.

Install a Mac driver from the Alogic product page (Windows machines should support the functionality out of the box) and grant the appropriate permissions, and you'll be able to interact with macOS via up to 5-point multitouch or any active stylus supporting Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP) 2.0, such as Alogic's Clarity Active Stylus Pen.


The UPDD Commander app provided as part of the driver installation isn't the prettiest Mac app you'll ever see, but it offers an array of customization settings to help optimize the touchscreen experience, including setting up functions for a wide variety of tap, press, swipe, and drag gestures with varying numbers of fingers. For example, you can set up a one-finger tap as a traditional mouse click and a two-finger tap as a right click, swipes in various locations can do things like show or hide the Dock, invoke Mission Control, or minimize windows. Two-finger rotation and pinch gestures can also be configured to manipulate on-screen content, and you can even set up different actions for gestures depending on which app you're in.

As with my previous reviews of this family of displays, I still find the touch functionality to be more appropriately used as a secondary input method, as it is not very efficient (not to mention tiring on the arm) to try to use touch input as a full-time control and it is a bit clunky to be constantly shifting from mouse to keyboard to touch. So if you're looking to turn your Mac, into a full touch experience, you'll likely be disappointed.

That's not to say the functionality doesn't come in handy though, and the most useful scenario for touch input in my opinion is in a multi-display setup where the Clarity 5K Touch serves as a secondary monitor. I keep Mail, Slack, and a few other apps perpetually open on a display off to the side of my main display, and it's nice to be able to reach over and quickly tap or swipe to look at emails or scroll through my feeds without having to move my mouse cursor back and forth across multiple displays. Everyone's situation is different, however, so consider how you might use a touch-capable display in both your workflow and your physical setup.

The glossy display will pick up fingerprints over time as you touch it, but it's generally not a big deal as you long as you keep the glare of bright lighting away from the screen. Otherwise, an occasional wipe down with a microfiber cloth cleans it right up.

The built-in 5-watt speakers provide a good amount of volume and provide a surprisingly immersive sound that I think comes from their rearward-firing orientation reflecting off the wall behind my desk, though overall the sound is a bit hollow as is common with integrated display speakers housed in plastic enclosures.

The Clarity 5K Touch does not include a built-in webcam, but Alogic does sell an illuminated light bar with 12-megapixel 4K autofocus webcam that connects via USB-C and features touch controls and a magnetic remote control dial to help light up your workspace.

The Clarity 5K Touch is normally priced at $1,599.99, though it's currently on sale for 10% off, bringing the price down to $1,439.99. That's just a bit cheaper than the starting price of Apple's Studio Display, though Alogic does give you a much more adjustable stand at no additional charge.

And while Alogic's display lacks the tight macOS integration and built-in webcam found on the ‌Apple Studio Display‌, Alogic of course delivers the unique touchscreen functionality, so that will likely be a major consideration for potential customers. If you think the touchscreen functionality might be useful, then the Clarity 5K Touch is your only option currently on the market. If not, you might want to consider the ‌Apple Studio Display‌ or potentially one of the few other 27-inch 5K displays that are currently available at sometimes significantly lower prices.

Note: Alogic provided MacRumors with the Clarity 5K Touch display for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Alogic. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
This article, "Review: Alogic's Clarity 5K Touch Delivers a Sharp High-Resolution Display With Touchscreen Support" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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MacRumors readers have a few days left to get 20 percent off a collection of Anker's best charging accessories before our exclusive code expires on May 31. 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 have until May 31 to take advantage of this promotion, so be sure to browse Anker's best products on its website before the end of the month.

It's also worth noting that Anker is hosting a new "on-the-go" summer sale, and some of the discounts in that event are steeper than our 20 percent sitewide discount. Be sure to check and compare both discounts in your cart before you place your order to ensure you have the best deal.

Portable Chargers

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


• Prime 20,000 mAh Power Bank - $104.00, 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 - $74.99, down from $110.99


• 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe - $104.00, down from $129.99

Hubs

• 200W 6-Port Prime Charger with USB-C Cable - $83.20, down from $103.99


• 250W 6-Port Prime Charger - $119.99, 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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As it faces increasing legal pressure in the United States, Apple today shared the results of a commissioned study that delves into the success of the App Store ecosystem and the money that it's earned developers large and small through digital and physical purchases.


Prepared by Professor Andrey Fradkin from Boston University Questrom School of Business and economist Dr. Jessica Burley from Analysis Group, the study suggests that the U.S. ‌App Store‌ facilitated $406 billion in developer billings and sales in 2024, and for 90 percent of those sales, developers paid no commission to Apple.

That figure incorporates both digital and physical sales, and for the latter category, Apple has never collected a commission. $277 billion of the total includes sales of physical goods and services, while $53 billion is from digital goods and services (some of which are subject to Apple's fees), and $75 billion is attributed to in-app advertising. Apple counts sales of physical goods, digital goods, services, and advertising made through its ‌App Store‌ apps.

"For more than 15 years, the App Store has created incredible opportunity for app developers, entrepreneurs, and businesses of all sizes," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "That includes the many U.S. developers who are innovating, building their businesses, and finding exceptional success on the App Store. We'll continue to invest in powerful tools, technology, and resources to help developers in the U.S. and around the world take their apps to new heights and create transformative experiences for users."

The size of the ‌App Store‌ ecosystem has tripled since 2019, when it was responsible for $142 billion in billings and sales, and the study indicates that earnings for U.S.-based developers have more than doubled in the same amount of time. For small developers in particular (those earning less than $1 million annually), earnings have increased 76 percent between 2021 and 2024. Nine of the top 10 apps in the U.S ‌App Store‌ were made by U.S. developers, and there were 12.4 billion app downloads worldwide in 2024, a 36 percent increase compared to 2019.

Spending on physical goods more than tripled between 2021 and 2024, and spending on digital goods and services and in-app advertising more than doubled. General retail spending and grocery delivery drove much of the increase in spending on physical goods, and in the digital category, games saw the highest earnings.

The study touts several ‌App Store‌ benefits for developers:

• App distribution and the ability to list apps on storefronts in 175 countries and regions.


• Xcode and Swift for creating apps.


• TestFlight for testing apps.


• Seamless payment and commerce system for app monetization.


• App review process that prevents fraudulent transactions.


• ‌App Store‌ Connect for tracking app performance and engagement.


• Over 250,000 APIs and frameworks including HealthKit and Metal.


• Online and in-person programs for app development.


• Integrated hardware and software technology.


• App discovery and engagement.

And benefits for consumers:

• Lower malware and fraud due to ‌App Store‌ review process.


• Privacy control with features like App Tracking Transparency and Privacy Nutrition Labels.


• Purchase management and protection for apps and subscriptions.


• Tools for families and kids, such as Family Sharing and Ask to Buy.


• Screen Time for managing app and online activity.

The study that Apple commissioned comes as Apple is fighting a major U.S. ‌App Store‌ rule change that was implemented earlier this year as part of its ongoing legal fight with Epic Games. Apple was ordered to allow developers to add links and buttons in their apps that direct customers to purchase options available outside of the ‌App Store‌, which provides developers with a way to sell digital goods and services to consumers without in-app purchases and without paying Apple a fee. Apple does not have control over how links and buttons look, nor can it collect fees from those out-of-app purchases at this time.

Apple has appealed the decision, but while the appeals process plays out, the ‌App Store‌ rule change is in effect in the United States. Apple uses commissioned studies like this to share its position in the court of public opinion and with the court that will have the final legal say on how the ‌App Store‌ will run.

The full study is available through Apple's Newsroom article.
This article, "U.S. App Store Ecosystem Facilitated $406 Billion in Sales in 2024, Up From $142 Billion in 2019" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Amazon today has a few models of Apple's M4 Mac mini on sale at record low prices, starting at $488.63 for the model with 16GB RAM/256GB SSD, down from $599.00. Discounts reach up to $122 off in these sales, and this time around there isn't a discount on the M4 Pro model.

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.

In terms of the 16GB/256GB SSD model, this is a new record low price. You can also get the M4 Mac mini with 16GB RAM/512GB SSD for $689.99 with the on-page coupon, down from $799.00, and the model with 24GB RAM/512GB SSD for $876.22, down from $999.00.





Apple updated the Mac mini back in October 2024, introducing a redesigned computer that's smaller than the previous generation and featuring the M4 and M4 Pro chips. 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 TV+ series "The Morning Show" is returning later this year.


Apple announced that a 10-episode fourth season of the show begins September 17, with new episodes to follow each Wednesday through November 19.

"The Morning Show" was one of the first shows available on Apple TV+ when the streaming service launched in 2019, and it involves fictional journalists who work for a TV news station. The fourth season of the show will open in spring 2024, and it will explore topics like the rise of misinformation, according to Apple:

With the UBA-NBN merger complete, the newsroom must grapple with newfound responsibility, hidden motives and the elusive nature of truth in a polarized America. In a world rife with deepfakes, conspiracy theories and corporate cover-ups — who can you trust?

The award-winning drama series stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, who also serve as executive producers. The star-studded ensemble cast has also included the likes of Steve Carell, Billy Crudup, and Jon Hamm.

Apple's announcement offers more details about the show's return.

In the U.S., Apple TV+ costs $9.99 per month, or $99 per year. The streaming service is available through the Apple TV app on a wide variety of devices, and on the web at tv.apple.com, with a free seven-day trial available.
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It looks like Apple really will be jumping to iOS 26 this year.


Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was first to report that Apple was planning to start tying the version numbers of its software platforms to release years. For example, Gurman expects Apple to announce iOS 26 at WWDC next month, instead of iOS 19.

The rumor has since been corroborated by AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic.

"I can independently confirm that Apple's '26' version branding is real," he said, in a post shared on X on Wednesday.

Yes, iOS 26, not iOS 25. Even though iOS 26 is likely to be released in September 2025, it would be the current version for the majority of 2026. Gurman said Apple will be using a year-ahead naming convention, similar to car makers. For example, the 2025 Honda Civic began arriving to dealerships in late 2024, even though it has 2025 branding.

This naming convention is expected to extend to all of Apple's major operating systems, including macOS. Zivkovic said that internal versions of macOS tested this week were still labeled macOS 16 in some places, but macOS 26 in others.

The names of Apple's next operating systems, according to Gurman:

• iOS 26


• iPadOS 26


• macOS 26


• watchOS 26


• tvOS 26


• visionOS 26

The names that were expected before this rumor:

• iOS 19


• iPadOS 19


• macOS 16


• watchOS 12


• tvOS 19


• visionOS 3

Apple should announce all of the software updates during its WWDC 2025 keynote, which begins Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.
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The next major version of macOS, now dubbed "macOS 26," is rumored to drop support for several older Intel-based Mac models currently compatible with macOS Sequoia.


According to individuals familiar with the matter cited by AppleInsider, the following Macs will not be supported by the next version of macOS:

• MacBook Pro (2018)


• iMac (2019)


• ‌iMac‌ Pro (2017)


• Mac mini (2018)


• MacBook Air (2020, Intel-based)

These Macs were the oldest supported by ‌macOS Sequoia‌, and their omission in development builds suggests they are likely to be excluded from ‌macOS 26‌'s official compatibility list.

This would mark the second consecutive year that Apple has narrowed support for Intel-based Macs, while continuing to deliver the full feature set primarily to Apple Silicon devices. ‌macOS 26‌'s compatibility list is expected to be as follows:

• ‌MacBook Pro‌ (2019 and later)


• ‌iMac‌ (2020 and later)


• Mac Pro (2019 and later)


• ‌Mac mini‌ (M1 and later)


• Mac Studio (all models)


• ‌MacBook Air‌ (‌M1‌ and later)

‌macOS 26‌'s first developer beta is expected to exceed 17GB in size—approximately 2GB larger than the initial beta of ‌macOS Sequoia‌. The update is expected to borrow heavily from the design language of visionOS with 3D translucent materials and rounded window elements. The design changes are said to be among the most significant visual updates to macOS in years.

Apple is rumored to be shifting the naming system used by its software platforms toward consistent year-adjacent numerical titles. As a result, we are expecting the next major version of macOS to be "‌macOS 26‌" rather than "macOS 16."

‌macOS 26‌ will be officially introduced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which starts on June 9, with the first developer beta expected to be released immediately following the keynote address. Public beta testing typically follows in July, with a full public release in the fall.
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A federal court has ruled that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority in attempting to impose sweeping tariffs on imported goods, including Apple products, halting plans that could have dramatically raised iPhone prices across the United States (via CNET).


The U.S. Court of International Trade yesterday issued a unanimous decision blocking a series of tariff orders that the Trump administration attempted to implement using emergency executive powers. The panel of three judges determined that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 does not permit the president to unilaterally impose duties on foreign goods without Congressional approval. The case specifically affects tariff proposals that would have significantly impacted Apple.

The Trump administration threatened to apply a 25% tariff on all iPhones produced outside the United States. The administration cited IEEPA as justification for imposing these and other related tariffs in recent times. In its opinion, the court found that such an interpretation would constitute "an improper abdication of legislative power" and would render the president's trade authority effectively unlimited.

An unlimited delegation of tariff authority would constitute an improper abdication of legislative power to another branch of government. Regardless of whether the court views the president's actions through the nondelegation doctrine, through the major questions doctrine, or simply with separation of powers in mind, any interpretation of IEEPA that delegates unlimited tariff authority is unconstitutional.

The decision invalidates a set of executive tariff orders issued in April as part of the Trump administration's "Liberation Day" initiative, which intended to reset the balance of trade through a broad set of import duties. The full set of proposed tariffs had not yet gone into full effect but had already introduced substantial market uncertainty, particularly for Apple, which depends heavily on international manufacturing.

The tariffs could have raised the retail price of the most expensive ‌iPhone‌ model—the iPhone 16 Pro Max with 1TB of storage—from $1,599 to more than $4,300 in a worst-case scenario, according to CNET. Similarly, the base ‌iPhone‌ 16E with 128GB of storage could have reached $1,617 under the most aggressive tariff schedule.

The projections were based on a combination of existing and proposed tariffs: a 30% duty on Chinese goods rising to 145% in August, along with a separate 25% Apple-specific tariff proposed by the administration. CNET estimates that a price increase of $50 to $130 was already likely for the iPhone 17 lineup, regardless of the tariff issue; Apple has not raised ‌iPhone‌ prices since 2020.

The U.S. Court of International Trade ruling came in response to two lawsuits filed by the Liberty Justice Center on behalf of five U.S. businesses and another filed by a coalition of 12 states led by Oregon.
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During the first quarter of 2025, Apple's iPhone 16 was the best selling smartphone in the world, according to estimates provided by Counterpoint Research. After the ‌iPhone 16‌, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌, and the iPhone 15 were the other top four smartphones. Samsung's Galaxy A16 5G took the fifth spot in the rankings.


Last year, it was Apple's Pro iPhone that was the best seller. In Q1 2024, the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max was the top selling smartphone, narrowly beating out the ‌iPhone 15‌.

Apple has narrowed the gap between its standard smartphones and its Pro lineup in terms of performance and feature set. The ‌iPhone 16‌ has an A18 chip that's almost as fast as the A18 Pro in the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max, and it also has the same Action button and Camera Control button.

Of the top 10 best selling smartphones in Q1 2025, Apple secured five of them. The top four, and then the 10th spot with the ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus. Samsung's flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, took the 7th spot, while the other smartphones on the list are lower cost options.

The $600+ iPhone 16e was only on sale for part of the quarter, but it did take the sixth spot in Counterpoint's top 10 list for March 2025, which was the first full month that it was available for purchase. The ‌iPhone 16e‌ is expected to sell better in its first year than the ‌iPhone‌ SE did during its first year thanks to its higher-end feature set.

Counterpoint's report focuses on rankings rather than unit sales, and while it does not break down sales by country, it does say that the ‌iPhone 16‌ sold particularly well in Japan and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) market. In China, the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ and Pro Max suffered because of government subsidies favoring lower-cost devices and competition from Chinese companies like Huawei.
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Google is updating the Google Photos app with a redesigned AI-powered editor that's designed to simplify photo editing. The updated editing tool provides AI suggestions to combine multiple effects for quick but eye-catching edits, plus it has a feature for tapping into specific parts of an image to get specific editing tips.


The updated interface will feature AI tools like Reimagine and Auto frame alongside standard controls like brightness and contrast. The updated editor in Google Photos is rolling out to Android users first, but Google plans to bring it to iOS users later this year.

Google is also making it easier to share albums from Google ‌Photos‌ with others, by allowing users to generate a QR code for an album. The QR code can be shared with people nearby, printed for group events, or sent digitally. Anyone with the QR code can view or add photos to an album.

The new features are coming in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Google ‌Photos‌. Since it launched in 2015, Google ‌Photos‌ has become one of the most popular photo storage options. Google says that more than 1.5 billion people use Google ‌Photos‌ each month, with more than nine trillion photos and videos stored.
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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 220 includes fixes and updates for CSS, DOM, JavaScript, Media, Rendering, Web Animations, Web API, Web Inspector, and WebRTC.

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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The creators of Shortcuts, an app that was acquired by Apple and deeply integrated into iOS and macOS, today unveiled their latest project, Sky. Sky provides an AI helper that can assist you with everything that you do on your Mac.


Sky is designed to float unobtrusively over what you're doing, so AI is just a click away. It understands what's on your Mac's screen, and is able to take actions using the apps that you have installed. It's able to help with answering questions, writing, planning, coding, and much more, and it can be customized with prompts, scripts, and shortcuts.

Sky knows what apps you have open, what you're doing, and what actions are possible based on that information. Sky has built-in integrations for Calendar, Messages, Notes, Safari, Finder, Mail, and screenshots, so it is able to do things like make a calendar event for a dinner based on a conversation you've had, and look up an ideal place to go. Custom prompts and tools integrate natively with Sky, and the AI can take into account everything it's been given when performing tasks.

MacStories' Federico Viticci was able to test Sky, and he said that it's an app that's going to "fundamentally change" his macOS workflow and the way he uses automation day-by-day. Viticci provided an example of the way Sky can simplify a task.

Sharing a link to an article in Safari requires a multi-step process, but rather than going through the Share Sheet and sending a message, you're able to tell Sky to send a link and a summary to [person]. Sky gets the link, summarizes the webpage, and sends an iMessage to the specified person in natural language, all with one command. There are a wide range of tasks that Sky can complete thanks to deep integration with any app, including Finder.

Sky works with either GPT 4.1 or Claude, but with its deep macOS integration, it is able to do more than one of the LLMs alone. The app supports creating custom tools with natural language, which makes it accessible to anyone. Sky is also able to use Claude to create customized tools using shell scripts and AppleScripts.

Sky is set to launch this summer, and those interested can sign up to join the waitlist. Pricing has not yet been announced, but the app is expected to have a free component.
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Meet the pico-mac-nano, a super tiny yet functional Macintosh replica created by 1-bit rainbow, a website that sells parts for vintage Apple products.


Inside the miniature 3D-printed Macintosh 128K case is a small Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller, along with a 2-inch LCD screen. The replica Macintosh is actually usable, as it runs an emulated version of the classic Mac operating system, and it has USB keyboard and mouse support with an included USB splitter cable.

1-bit rainbow is selling the pico-mac-nano for £56, but it has gone out of stock after it received attention on tech blogs. The website says orders will resume "soon," and you can enter your email to be notified. Or, you could create one yourself, as the pico-mac code and 3D-printable case files are freely available on GitHub.

1-bit rainbow's Nick Gillard shared more details about the pico-mac-nano in a blog post.
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With the design overhaul that's coming this year, Apple plans to rename all of its operating systems, reports Bloomberg. Going forward, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS will be identified by year, rather than by version number. We're not going to be getting iOS 19, we're getting iOS 26.


‌iOS 26‌ will be accompanied by iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26 instead of iPadOS 19, macOS 16, tvOS 19, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3.

Changing the name of the operating systems will introduce consistency across the lineup, rather than having several disparate numbers that don't match up. Apple is using vehicle-style numbering for operating systems and choosing the number of the upcoming year, so it'll be ‌iOS 26‌ instead of iOS 25 because the update will be available across both 2025 and 2026.

The names will reflect a new effort by Apple to provide a more unified design across operating systems on different devices. The refreshed visionOS-like design update is coming to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.

Apple plans to announce the new naming scheme at the Worldwide Developers Conference that's set to begin on Monday, June 9.
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Apple released the Studio Display in March 2022, alongside the first Mac Studio, and it has not received any hardware upgrades since.


The current Studio Display features a 27-inch LCD screen with a 5K resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, up to 600 nits brightness, a built-in camera and speakers, one Thunderbolt 3 port, and three USB-C ports. In the U.S., the monitor starts at $1,599.

Below, we recap rumors about a potential Studio Display 2.

Mini-LED by Early 2026

Apple plans to release a new Studio Display in late 2025 or early 2026, according to Ross Young, a display industry expert and VP at Counterpoint Research.

In a subscriber-only post shared on X in February, Young said the new Studio Display would feature the same 27-inch screen size as the current model, but add mini-LED backlighting. This upgrade would result in increased brightness and higher contrast ratio compared to the current model, which has traditional LED backlighting.

Young did not share any further details, so it is unclear if any other Studio Display specifications would change, such as the refresh rate.

Young has a respectable track record with display-related information for future Apple products. For example, he was the first source to reveal the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max would feature 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively, over a year before the devices launched. He is the founder and former CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, a research firm that was acquired by Counterpoint Research in late 2023.

A new Studio Display with mini-LED backlighting has been rumored by a few other sources, including Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The display will likely launch in 2026, according to Gurman.

90Hz Rumor

In November 2024, an anonymous listener of the Relay FM tech podcast "Upgrade" claimed that Apple was developing 90Hz display technology that could be used for the next Studio Display. This higher refresh rate would make content like videos and text while scrolling look smoother to the eye, but 90Hz would stop short of the 120Hz refresh rate that iPhones and Macs with ProMotion support can achieve. It is not clear to us if this individual has any established track record with Apple-related rumors, so keep that in mind.
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Apple today announced that DIRECTV customers can watch Apple's weekly Sunday Night Soccer production at no additional cost, for the remainder of the 2025 Major League Soccer season. This includes both residential customers at home, as well as commercial customers, such as sports bars and restaurants that subscribe to DIRECTV.


Sunday Night Soccer consists of a weekly Major League Soccer match every Sunday evening during the 2025 season, with enhanced production and studio programming from Apple. Sunday Night Soccer was already available to Apple TV+ subscribers at no extra cost, and now that perk has been extended to both DIRECTV and Xfinity customers.

To watch MLS matches on other days of the weeks, an MLS Season Pass subscription is still required. Starting on Sunday, June 8, DIRECTV satellite customers can subscribe to MLS Season Pass for the remainder of the 2025 season for $69, down from $99 currently. The matches are played on channels 480 through 495.

For customers who prefer to watch Sunday Night Soccer via Apple TV+, the streaming service is available through the Apple TV app on a wide variety of devices, and on the web at tv.apple.com. A free seven-day trial is available.

2025 marks the third year of a 10-year partnership between Apple and Major League Soccer.
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Astropad today introduced the third-generation version of its Rock Paper Pencil kit, which is designed to provide iPad users with an experience that's like writing on paper instead of a slick glass display.


The Rock Paper Pencil kit includes a microtexture screen protector that goes on the ‌iPad‌, and an accompanying Apple Pencil tip to use along with it. The latest version of the Rock Paper Pencil has a reengineered NanoCling screen protector that's thinner and more papery, so it feels more like writing on a stack of paper rather than just a single sheet. Compared to the prior version, it has a softer and smoother feel when writing.

Astropad also improved the durability of the screen protector with a new coating, and it is able to hold up to wear and tear 3x better than before. The company says that it is up to 6x more durable than a similar product from Paperlike, and it is able to withstand heavy duty writing and drawing.

For the ‌Apple Pencil‌, Astropad designed an upgraded solid stainless steel tip that won't wear down or chip over time, unlike the prior version with a copper alloy core. The tip size has also been increased from 0.75mm to 1mm for more balanced friction and improved durability.


In lab testing, Rock Paper Pencil had no scratches after 50 daily writing sessions, and no wear with the stainless steel tips. Comparatively, Paperlike had permanent scratches after 40 daily writing sessions, and 0.05mm wear after 50 writing sessions. In a pressure test, the Rock Paper Pencil screen protector had a partial scratch after six pressure tests, while it only took a single test to scratch up the Paperlike screen protector.

Astropad is running a promotion to celebrate the new version of Rock Paper Pencil, and customers can get a $20 credit for replacing their existing screen protector. ‌iPad‌ users who buy Rock Paper Pencil and share a video of themselves replacing an existing screen protector with the new screen protector will receive $20 back. The promotion is valid for Rock Paper Pencil kits purchased directly from Astropad, and it applies to any purchases made by May 30, 2025.

Rock Paper Pencil will typically be priced at $44.99, but Astropad is running a 2-day launch sale that knocks 15 percent off, bringing the price down to $37.99.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Astropad. 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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Peacock is offering new subscribers a chance to get a full year of its premium plan for just $24.99 for your first year, down from the regular price of $79.99 per year. This is only a $5 difference when compared to Peacock's Black Friday discount from last year, making it one of the service's best offers so far in 2025.

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

Peacock's premium annual plan is the ad-supported tier of the streaming service. This offer excludes current paying subscribers of Peacock, and after it ends the service will return to the regular $79.99 per year price (or then-current price, if a price hike happens).



If you do already have a Peacock account, but you're not a paid subscriber, you can sign in and enter the code SPRINGSAVINGS to redeem this offer. This sale will run through the end of the month and expire on May 30.

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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Tesla updated its iPhone app on Tuesday with Live Activities support on iOS 17.2 and later, allowing you to view your vehicle's live Supercharging status on the Lock Screen, and in the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models and newer.


Supercharging status updates will begin automatically, as soon as your charging session begins, according to the release notes for the latest version of the Tesla app.

Within the Live Activity widget on the Lock Screen, you can view your Tesla vehicle's current battery percentage, the time remaining until the charging session is completed, the charging output in kilowatts, and more. You can also view the charging time remaining at a glance in the Dynamic Island on newer iPhone models.

The update was brought to our attention by Tesla news aggregator Sawyer Merritt, and our image is based on a screenshot from Deandawiz.
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Apple today expanded the Messages via Satellite and Find My via Satellite features to Mexico, allowing iPhone users in Mexico to take advantage of Globalstar satellites for communication when cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity options are unavailable.


To use satellite connectivity in Messages and ‌Find My‌ in Mexico, an ‌iPhone‌ 14 or later with satellite capabilities is required, as is iOS 18.4 or later. The person on the receiving end of an iMessage sent using a satellite connection needs iOS 18 or later, while SMS messages require iOS 17.6 or later or a non-Apple device.

With Messages via Satellite, iMessages and SMS messages can be sent using a satellite connection, while location information can also be updated in the ‌Find My‌ app using satellite connectivity.

Using Messages and ‌Find My‌ without Wi-Fi or cellular will require users to hold their iPhones up to the sky to establish a connection. Open spaces with no trees or buildings make it easier to connect, and speed up message sending and receiving. Emoji and Tapback responses are supported, but images, videos, audio messages, stickers, and group messages do not work over satellite.

The option to use satellite connectivity for Messages will display automatically when Wi-Fi and cellular connections are not available, and users will be able to tap to connect by following Apple's instructions.

Messages via Satellite is now available in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The functionality continues to be free for all ‌iPhone‌ users with a compatible device.
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Satechi today added a range of new accessories to its line of FindAll products, all of which integrate with Apple's Find My app. Satechi is debuting a new FindAll Luggage Tag, a FindAll Keychain, a FindAll Card, and a FindAll Glasses Case. Satechi's FindAll products work like Apple's AirTags, but come in different shapes and sizes that are more convenient than the $29 AirTag.


The FindAll Keychain, priced at $30, is an alternative to the ‌AirTag‌. It is made from a vegan leather material and can be attached to keys or any other item with the included keyring. The battery lasts for up to 12 months before it needs to be recharged.


Satechi's FindAll Luggage Tag is $44.99 and also made of the same vegan leather material as many of the FindAll products. It is designed to attach to a suitcase, and it includes a name card slot that's protected with a privacy flap and an adjustable strap. Since it looks like a regular luggage tag, it is more covert than an ‌AirTag‌. Its battery lasts for up to eight months before needing to be recharged.


For wallets, the FindAll Card is $34.99. It is sized to fit inside a wallet, and it is made from aluminum and tempered glass. To ensure that it can withstand any conditions, it features IP67 water resistance.


To keep glasses or sunglasses safe and easy to find, Satechi offers the $49.99 FindAll Glasses Case. The Glasses Case has a collapsible design that folds out to accommodate a pair of glasses, with a microsuede lining to prevent scratches and a magnetic closure. The battery in the case lasts for up to eight months before it needs to be recharged.


The FindAll devices can be purchased in black, white, or desert rose, and they recharge wirelessly with a Qi, Qi2, or MagSafe charger. All of the products can be added to the Items tab in the ‌Find My‌ app, and can be tracked alongside Apple devices. Apple's ‌Find My‌ network is able to leverage nearby Apple devices owned by other people to get location information when a device is out of Bluetooth range.

The new FindAll products can be purchased from the Satechi website as of today.
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In the United States, the Apple Card offers a high-yield savings account option, allowing you to earn far more interest on your money compared to the average bank's basic savings account. However, the account's interest rate was lowered this week, with the annual percentage yield (APY) dropping from 3.75% to 3.65%.


If you deposited $1,000 into the account, and maintained that balance for one year, you would earn $36.50 in interest based on the current APY.

The chart below compares the Apple Card savings account's APY to some other popular high-yield savings accounts in the United States.

Provider	APY*
Ally	3.60%
Discover	3.60%
American Express	3.60%
Capital One	3.60%
Apple Card Savings	3.65%
Marcus by Goldman Sachs	3.65%
Citizens Bank	3.70%
SoFi	3.80%
Barclays	3.80%
PNC Bank	3.95%
Synchrony	4.00%
Betterment	4.00%
Wealthfront	4.00%
UFB Direct	4.01%
Fierce	4.25%
Openbank by Santander	4.40%
Pibank	4.60%

* Advertised APYs as of May 28, 2025, excluding promotional rates and affiliate bonuses. Minimum balance requirements and other conditions vary per account. APYs can change at any time, so we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the rates listed above.

Apple launched its savings account in April 2023, in partnership with Goldman Sachs. The account can be opened and managed in the Wallet app on the iPhone, and it has no fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements. To open an account, you must have an Apple Card, be a U.S. resident, and be at least 18 years old.

The account allows Apple Card holders to earn interest on their Daily Cash cashback balance, and on funds deposited via a linked bank account or an Apple Cash balance. The maximum balance allowed is $1 million, up from $250,000 originally.

When the account launched, Apple and Goldman Sachs offered an APY of 4.15%, but the rate has fluctuated, often in line with U.S. Federal Reserve benchmark rate changes. The APY peaked at 4.5% in early 2024, and the current 3.65% is an all-time low.

To open a savings account in the Wallet app, tap on your Apple Card, tap on the circle with three dots in it, tap Daily Cash, and select Set Up next to Savings.

Goldman Sachs may end its consumer lending partnership with Apple early, but it is unclear if this will have any impact on Apple Card holders. According to a report earlier this year, there were at least three companies vying to replace Goldman Sachs as the Apple Card's financial partner, including Barclays, Synchrony, and JPMorgan Chase. Meanwhile, Visa or American Express may succeed Mastercard as the Apple Card's payment processor.
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Apple today announced that it recently launched a Genuine Parts Distributor program in the U.S. and Europe, broadening access to genuine repair parts.


The program allows repair shops that do not have a direct relationship with Apple to order genuine Apple parts via third-party distributors, including MobileSentrix and Mobileparts.shop. Currently, these distributors are offering display, battery, camera, and charging port components for the iPhone 12 series and newer, and SIM card trays are available for the iPhone X and newer. Apple said that iPad parts will be available starting tomorrow.

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 include a new Repair Assistant feature for completing post-repair configuration on a device, if necessary.

This new program has fewer limitations compared to Apple's existing Independent Repair Provider program. Repair shops do not need to apply to be part of the program, technicians do not need to be certified by Apple, and repairs are not limited to devices with expired warranty coverage. On the other hand, the Independent Repair Provider program provides access to parts for select Macs and a wider range of iPhone models.

Apple now provides both repair shops and customers with access to genuine parts, tools, and repair manuals through a variety of programs, including the Self-Service Repair program, the Independent Repair Provider program, and now the Genuine Parts Distributor program. As always, customers can also take their devices to the Genius Bar at an Apple Store or to an Apple Authorized Service Provider for repairs.

Earlier today, Apple announced that the Self-Service Repair program now covers select iPad models, and it will be launching in Canada this summer.

All three programs launched amid mounting "Right to Repair" legislation in the U.S. and other countries over the past several years.
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Amazon today has low prices across nearly the entire M4 MacBook Air lineup, with up to $223 off both 13-inch and 15-inch models. Some of the notebooks in this sale are seeing delayed delivery estimates, with most arriving in early or mid June, but if you're interested you can lock in these deals now ahead of those delivery dates.

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.

Starting with the 13-inch models, Amazon has up to $182 off all three of the new configurations of this notebook. Prices start at $867.88 for the 256GB model, then raise to $1,037.19 for the 16GB/512GB model and $1,216.87 for the 24GB/512GB model. While the 256GB model is a solid second-best price, the latter two models are new record low prices for the M4 MacBook Air.





Moving to the larger display models, Amazon has both 512GB versions of the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air on sale this week, as well as the 256GB model. The 16GB/512GB model is available for $1,236.59 and the 24GB/512GB model is on sale for $1,375.85. Across the board, these are all new all-time low prices on the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air.





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 announced that it has updated its professional music-making app Logic Pro with several new features on the Mac and iPad.


First, a new Flashback Capture feature lets you recover a performance that otherwise may have been lost because you forgot to set Logic Pro to record.

Next, there are enhancements to the Stem Splitter feature that allows you to extract stems from an audio track for vocals, bass, drums, and other instrumental parts. With today's update, Apple says Stem Splitter now supports guitar and piano, and the feature now offers even greater audio fidelity. Stem Splitter requires a Mac with an M1 chip or newer, or an iPad with an A12 Bionic chip or newer running iPadOS 18.4 or later.

The new version of Logic Pro also includes a new Dancefloor Rush sound pack for the Mac and iPad, offering drum-and-bass sounds with over 400 dynamic loops and punchy drum kits. Two more sound packs added to the Mac app include Magnetic Imperfections with analog tape sounds, and Tosin Abasi with progressive metal guitar sounds.

On the Mac, Logic Pro's built-in notepad now supports Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools.

Logic Pro version 11.2 for Mac and version 2.2 for iPad are available now in the App Store, as free updates for existing users. In the U.S., Logic Pro costs $199.99 on the Mac for new users, and $4.99 per month or $49 per year on the iPad.

For a list of all new features and changes introduced today, read Apple's full release notes for the latest versions of the Mac app and iPad app.
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The interest rate on Apple Card's savings account was today lowered from 3.75% to 3.65%—an all-time low.


The drop follows the last interest rate cut in March, where it reduced from 3.9% to 3.75%. If you deposited $1,000 into the account, and maintained that balance for one year, you would earn $36.50 in interest based on the current annual percentage yield (APY).

Apple introduced its high-yield savings account in April 2023 in partnership with Goldman Sachs. Available in the Wallet app on the iPhone, the account features no fees, no minimum deposit, and no minimum balance requirements. To be eligible, users must have an ‌Apple Card‌, reside in the U.S., and be at least 18 years old.

The account enables ‌Apple Card‌ users to earn interest on both their Daily Cash rewards and any additional funds deposited via a linked bank account or Apple Cash. The balance cap was raised to $1 million, up from the previous limit of $250,000.

At launch, the APY was set at 4.15%, but it has varied in response to U.S. Federal Reserve rate changes. It reached a peak of 4.5% in early 2024, while the current rate sits at a record low of 3.65%.

In an email to ‌Apple Card‌ users, Apple explains the reason for the adjustment and highlights that the rate remains well above that of standard savings accounts:

Why did the APY on Savings change?

The APY on Savings is variable, and we may change rates at any time. Rates are influenced by many factors, including the Federal Reserve Funds Rate. When this rate is lowered, it affects all US financial institutions and we evaluate potential adjustments to our rates.

Our current APY remains 8X the national average and we will continue to strive to keep it competitive.

To get started with Apple's savings account, open the Wallet app, select your ‌Apple Card‌, tap the three-dot icon, go to Daily Cash, and tap "Set Up" next to Savings.

While Goldman Sachs is reportedly looking to exit its partnership with Apple early, it remains unclear whether this will impact current ‌Apple Card‌ users. Recent reports indicate that Barclays, Synchrony, and JPMorgan Chase are among the contenders to become the new financial partner.
This article, "Apple Card Savings Account's Interest Rate Lowered Again" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has been given until June 22 to bring the App Store into full compliance with the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) or face recurring financial penalties following a €500 million fine imposed in April.


The European Commission yesterday published its complete 67-page ruling outlining Apple's violations of the DMA's anti-steering provisions. The Commission concluded that Apple's business terms continue to restrict developers' ability to inform users about alternative payment methods outside the ‌App Store‌ and to facilitate transactions through external platforms.

The Commission determined that Apple's remaining restrictions contravene Article 5(4) of Regulation (EU) 2022/1925, which mandates that designated gatekeepers must allow app developers to communicate freely with their users and offer competing payment systems without being subject to unfair conditionsg or excessive fees.

The Digital Markets Act came into force in November 2022 and became applicable to designated gatekeepers in 2023. It prohibits platform owners like Apple from using its market position to impose anti-competitive limitations on how developers operate within or outside their ecosystems. The law explicitly requires that gatekeepers enable developers to inform users about more favorable offers available outside the gatekeeper's platform, to include links to external payment methods, and to do so free of charge.

Apple previously argued that its newly introduced business terms, which allow developers to add one external link per app to direct users to their own websites, met the DMA's requirements. Under these rules, developers are required to follow a standardized Apple-designed flow, which includes an interstitial warning screen that appears before users are redirected to external sites. In addition, Apple prohibits developers from pre-filling user-specific data such as login credentials or purchase details into the URL used for redirection.

Despite these changes, the Commission found that Apple's implementation falls significantly short of the law's intent and legal requirements. According to the ruling, developers are still unable to promote alternative payment systems within their apps in a meaningful way, and the structure imposed by Apple continues to create friction and discourage user redirection. Furthermore, Apple still imposes a 27% commission on any digital purchases made through external websites linked from within an app, which is only slightly lower than the 30% standard in-app purchase commission and allegedly undermines the concept of allowing free steering.

The Commission rejected Apple's interpretation of the DMA, in which the company claimed it was only required to "allow" steering, not to "facilitate" it. In its ruling, the Commission said that Apple's technical and procedural barriers had the effect of discouraging developers from directing users to external purchasing options and therefore violated the law. It added that Apple had "not put forward any convincing arguments calling into question the serious gravity of the non-compliance." The ruling also criticized Apple's claim that its measures were designed to protect user security and privacy.

In a statement provided to 9to5Mac following the publication of the full ruling, Apple said:

There is nothing in the 70-page decision released today that justifies the European Commission's targeted actions against Apple, which threaten the privacy and security of our users in Europe and force us to give away our technology for free. Their decision and unprecedented fine came after the Commission continuously moved the goalposts on compliance, and repeatedly blocked Apple's months-long efforts to implement a new solution. The decision is bad for innovation, bad for competition, bad for our products, and bad for users. While we appeal, we'll continue engaging with the Commission to advocate on behalf of our European customers.

Apple has until June 22 to rectify the issues or face "periodic penalty payments." These ongoing fines would be determined based on the seriousness of the infringement and the company's revenue. Apple must also pay the initial €500 million fine by July 23 or begin accruing interest.
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Apple today announced that its Self Service Repair program is expanding to the iPad lineup for the first time.


The program will provide ‌iPad‌ owners with manuals, genuine Apple parts, Apple Diagnostics troubleshooting sessions, tools, and rental toolkits to conduct their own repairs. It will now support the iPad Air (M2 and later), iPad Pro (M4), iPad mini (A17 Pro), and ‌iPad‌ (A16) starting tomorrow for display, battery, camera, and charging port repairs.

Apple launched the ‌Self Service Repair‌ program in 2022 to support individuals who are comfortable with undertaking their own device repairs, with the same resources used by Apple. ‌Self Service Repair‌ now supports 65 Apple devices, including the iPhone 16e, MacBook Air, and Mac Studio. The program is set to expand to Canada this summer, becoming the 34th country to offer it.

Apple also today revealed more details about its Genuine Parts Distributor program, which allows businesses who do not have a direct service relationship with Apple to order genuine Apple service parts and components. iPhone and ‌iPad‌ displays, batteries, and charging ports can be ordered from MobileSentrix in the U.S., and MobileSentrix and Mobileparts.shop in Europe.
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Apple's upcoming iOS 19 update could make it easier for iPhone users to transfer an eSIM to an Android smartphone, according to a report from Android Authority.


The site found strings in the Android 16 beta version of Google's SIM Manager that reference a new "Transfer to Android" feature. The setting would include an option for wirelessly transferring an eSIM from an ‌iPhone‌ to an Android phone.

While it is simple to transfer an eSIM from ‌iPhone‌ to ‌iPhone‌, that is not true when trying to transfer an eSIM from an ‌iPhone‌ to an Android device as of right now. Moving from an ‌iPhone‌ to an Android phone typically requires contacting a carrier, but that might not be the case in the future.

Transfer to Android could be added to the "Transfer or Reset ‌iPhone‌" interface that's located under the General section of the Settings app. Apple may expand the eSIM Quick Transfer feature for swapping an eSIM between iPhones to Android devices, plus it looks like there may be a QR code backup in case a wireless connection fails.

Code in the Google SIM Manager suggests that ‌iOS 19‌ will be required to initiate a transfer, hence why it may be an ‌iOS 19‌ feature.

On your other device, go to Settings app > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Transfer to Android >

"Still can't connect wirelessly?"" Make sure your other device is running iOS 19 or later versions."

We could perhaps hear more about the eSIM transferring feature at WWDC, though it may also be something that's quietly introduced. Google could also be working on a reciprocal feature that would make it easier for an Android user to transfer to an ‌iPhone‌.
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott today signed into law the App Store Accountability Act, which will require Apple and Google to verify the age of App Store and Play Store users, respectively. The law will require users who are under the age of 18 to receive parental consent to download apps or make in-app purchases, according to Reuters.


Apple CEO Tim Cook had reportedly asked Abbott to veto the legislation on a phone call, but evidently his attempt was unsuccessful.

The bill had already passed both the Senate and House of Representatives in Texas, and now that it has been signed by Abbott, it will take effect on January 1, 2026. Texas is the second U.S. state to pass a child safety law of this kind, following Utah in March. Utah's law took effect earlier this month, but it will not be fully enforced until next year.

Apple already announced several new child safety measures in February, after these bills were proposed. While setting up an iPhone or iPad running iOS 18.4 or iPadOS 18.4 or later, the person who will be using the device must select their age range, with the available options including 12 or younger, 13 to 18, and 19 or older. If the account is for a child under the age of 13, there is a Connect to Family option. A parent needs to provide consent for a child to use the ‌App Store‌ and other features, with Face ID or Touch ID authentication required.

It remains to be seen if Apple's expanded age-verification measures will be enough to fully satisfy the laws in Texas and Utah, and others that may follow.

Apple and Google both opposed these age verification laws, citing privacy concerns related to having to collect age information for all users.

"If enacted, app marketplaces will be required to collect and keep sensitive personal identifying information for every Texan who wants to download an app, even if it's an app that simply provides weather updates or sports scores," said Apple.
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Apple is working on a standalone multi-platform app for games, reports Bloomberg. The app will let Apple users launch games, plus it will have sections for in-game achievements, leaderboards, editorial content, and communication.


Apple plans to preinstall the app on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV later this year, which corresponds with the launch timing of iOS 19, macOS 16, and tvOS 19. The gaming app will debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference that's set to take place on June 9.

The upcoming app is set to replace Game Center, which Apple has long used for inviting friends to play mobile games and tracking achievements. While Apple plans to use the new gaming app to promote Apple Arcade, it will include all of the third-party games that are currently located in the Games section of the App Store.

It sounds like Apple is aiming to split out the ‌App Store‌'s gaming, making it easier for customers to find and download games on their devices. On the Mac, the app will also "tap into" games that are downloaded outside of the Mac App Store.

While the gaming app will be previewed at WWDC, it will roll out to iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs in September when the operating systems launch to the public.
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Apple has purchased game studio RAC7, according to a report from Digital Trends. RAC7 is a small, two-person company that developed Apple Arcade game Sneaky Sasquatch, and the acquisition was confirmed by an Apple spokesperson.


From Digital Trends:

We love Sneaky Sasquatch and are excited that the 2-person RAC7 team has joined Apple to continue their work on it with us. We will continue to deliver a great experience for Apple Arcade players with hundreds of games from many of the best game developers in the world.

RAC7 will become an internal game studio within Apple, and Apple purchased the company to help Sneaky Sasquatch continue to grow on ‌Apple Arcade‌. Sneaky Sasquatch was one of the first games to launch on ‌Apple Arcade‌ when the service went live, and it has continued to be popular with subscribers.

Apple already works with developers and game companies to create titles for ‌Apple Arcade‌, but this is the company's first game studio acquisition. Digital Trends notes that Apple does not appear to be implementing a new gaming strategy, describing the RAC7 acquisition as a unique situation.

‌Apple Arcade‌ is Apple's subscription gaming service, priced at $6.99 per month. ‌Apple Arcade‌ has hundreds of games, with no additional subscription fees or in-app purchases.
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Apple's next Apple Watch activity challenge is set to take place on June 4 to celebrate Global Running Day. Apple started hosting an activity challenge for running day last year.


To complete the challenge, Apple Watch owners will need to record a running workout of at least five kilometers (aka a 5K run) on June 4.

Let's run this one together. On June 4, record a running workout and go at least 5K (3.1 mi) to earn this special badge. Record it with any app that adds workouts to Health.

Completing the challenge will provide Apple Watch users with a dedicated award in the Fitness app along with animate stickers that can be used in the Messages app.








Last month, Apple provided a limited-edition pin to celebrate Global Close Your Rings day, which Apple introduced to highlight the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch.
This article, "You Can Earn a Running Day Apple Watch Activity Award on June 4" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today updated the Invites app to introduce a new option to add a link to an invitation. Event creators can use the feature to send important details to invitees.


Apple says that links can be used for things like planning a trip, adding a gift registry, or working out who is bringing what to a potluck. Links are open ended, so any website can be added to an invite that you create.

Links are located in a new "Tiles" section in the Invites app. Tapping on "Add Tile" at the bottom of the app allows for link insertion, with users able to include the link, a link title, and a link description.

Introduced earlier this year, Invites is an event planning app designed by Apple. It supports creating custom invitations with unique background images, fonts, and relevant information like directions and weather. Today's 1.2 app update is the first feature update that Invites has received.

Invites is an iCloud+ service, and an ‌iCloud‌+ subscription is needed to create an event. ‌iCloud‌+ is Apple's paid ‌iCloud‌ storage upgrade option, with plans that start at $0.99 per month.

While an ‌iCloud‌+ subscription is needed for creating an event, anyone can respond to an invitation through an RSVP feature. Invitations can be sent to iPhone users and Android users alike, with the app facilitating planning and RSVPs.

The Invites app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
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A new Cellular Insights report commissioned by Qualcomm has found that two unnamed Android smartphone models equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X75 and Snapdragon X80 modems achieved faster 5G speeds compared to the iPhone 16e, which is equipped with Apple's first-ever, custom-designed C1 modem.


Testing was conducted with T-Mobile's sub-6GHz 5G network in New York City, across a variety of real-world environments, according to Cellular Insights.

The report found that the Android devices "consistently outperformed" the iPhone 16e in terms of 5G connectivity, especially indoors. Specifically, the Android devices achieved up to 35% faster download speeds compared to the iPhone 16e, and up to 91% faster upload speeds. The report also found that the iPhone 16e frequently became hot to the touch during testing, but it could not confirm if this directly impacted performance.

The two Android smartphones were priced at $619 and $799 in the U.S., the report said, while the iPhone 16e starts at $599.

Based on its findings, Cellular Insights concluded that the Qualcomm-powered devices "hold a clear edge" over the iPhone 16e for individuals seeking "consistent, high-throughput 5G performance." Qualcomm's PR department is now touting the favorable results, which they relayed to us in an email sent earlier today.

The full report is available as a PDF.

Apple's C1 modem achieved equal to faster performance than some Qualcomm modems in some earlier tests, but a Qualcomm spokesperson said this study is the "only comprehensive, scientific" comparison completed on a U.S. network so far.

Performance is not the only metric that matters for a smartphone modem, with power efficiency also being an important factor. Apple has advertised the C1 modem as being the most power-efficient iPhone modem ever, which contributes to the iPhone 16e offering the longest battery life of any 6.1-inch iPhone model ever. With its next-generation C2 and C3 modems, Apple hopes to continue to close the gap on the performance front.
This article, "Android Phones With Qualcomm Modems Top iPhone 16e in New 5G Test" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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