Intel’s Russian operations resulted in nil profit last year as a result of sanctions and restrictions imposed within the country by Western governments following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, according to a recent Abachy report.
In a similar vein to its rocky year globally, the company’s two Russian entities, Intel AO and Intel Technologies, operated at a loss last year.
More broadly, the entire Intel business saw revenue drop by 14% to $54.2 billion in its financial year 2023, down from $63.1 billion in 2022.
Intel in Russia may as well not exist
Having boasted 741 employees in 2022, Intel AO reported just one employee and director last financial year – Alina Klushina. Intel Technologies, previously operating with 47 employees on the books, also ended up with just Klushina remaining.
In the weeks and months that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Intel started to wind down operations in the country to support affected citizens and adhere to newly imposed sanctions. However, more recently the company started to offer certain driver downloads on its Russian site, which it said was in line with fulfilling its warranty obligations.
Besides being a commercial opportunity for the California-based company, Russia also served as an important home for its Nizhny Novgorod research and development center – a site that became known for its work in software, AI, machine vision, 5G and IoT. After a 2020 revamp, the site alone employed around 1,000 workers.
Moreover, Intel’s cessation of trade in the country has not had the effect the company and sanctioning governments had hoped, with Russian customers still largely able to import from countries that have not imposed such sanctions.
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Have you used Bing search lately? There’s now a better chance than ever that some small contingent of your coworkers, friends, and family are tapping into the Copilot AI-infused Bing to answer life’s most mundane and important questions.
Since then, Microsoft rechristened it as AI Copilot and spread its artificial intelligence-enhanced search and generative AI response goodness across most of Microsoft’s core products including Windows 11, Edge, Teams, and Office.
The level of integration is so complete that it can be difficult to separate Bing from Copilot in any meaningful way. If you complete a Bing search, you’ll get a column of results below your query and a fast-typing, chatty Copilot on the right offering enhanced insight on your initial search. Compared to Google, which has yet to integrate Google’s new Gemini AI into the search experience, Bing search results can feel a little over-stuffed.
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Google results(Image credit: Future)
Bing results(Image credit: Future)
Information-wise, Google still does a better job of getting to the point than Bing but I can’t say that the results on the former are always superior.
When I searched for “I need the best pool cleaner for a kiddy pool” both search engines front-loaded commerce links for a wide variety of pool cleaners ranging in price from $59 to hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars. Bing followed with best of lists for pool vacuum reviews, but Google put useful instructions on how to use Clorox to clean my kiddie pool.
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Bing results(Image credit: Future)
Google results(Image credit: Future)
When I asked how to save my dying orchid, Bing listed a The Spruce article with its instructions at the top. On the left was some commiseration from Copilot and more natural language instructions. Google found the same article but below it listed step-by-step rescue instructions.
Again, deciding which is better may be a matter of taste. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? If Bing isn’t wildly better than Google, why would people switch? And, to be clear, most people have not switched.
Statcounter Search Engine Global Market Share (Image credit: StatCounter)
This StatCounter Search Engine Global market share chart (above) best illustrates my point. The red line living in the stratosphere is Google. Now, look down until you see the blue line. That’s Bing. Yes, it’s ticking up compared to Yahoo and Baidu (and, yes, Google is trending ever-so-slightly down), but it’s still in the single digits when it comes to market share.
140 million is a lot of people, but if Google handles a reported 8.5 billion queries per day and the average person searches 3-to-4 times a day, that means Google has at least 2.1 billion daily active users. That’s a guestimate, obviously, but it also puts Bing’s progress in perspective.
Search the meaning of winning
The search engine is headed in the right direction but it has a long way to go before people start talking about “SEO” and “Bing” in the same sentence. What Google does to its search algorithm can change the fortunes of entire industries. Bing does not enjoy that kind of power, at least not yet.
Things could change and they could take a sharp turn if and when Google integrates Gemini into its core search. Some are already frustrated that you have to scroll through what are essentially ads before you get to your core Google search results. How will they feel when Gemini inserts its generative AI answers before that precious result? At least Bing has not put Copilot responses on top of its core results, at least not yet.
I’m happy to celebrate Bing’s milestone but no one should be confused about who is still king of Search Mountain and its name does not start with a B.
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter.
iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple’s annual developers conference WWDC on June 10.
The lack of an official Calculator app on the iPad has been a long-running meme on social media, as users have waited for its arrival. In the meantime, iPad users have relied on calculator apps in the App Store, such as PCalc and Calcbot.
AppleInsider last week reported that macOS 15 will feature a revamped Calculator app with integration with the Notes app, a resizable window, a sidebar that lists recent calculations, and more. While we have not independently confirmed those details, it is possible that the updated Mac app will be based on the new iPad app.
The first beta of iPadOS 18 is expected to be released immediately following the WWDC keynote, and the update should be widely released in September.
Now, if only we could get Instagram and WhatsApp for the iPad…
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as “Kosutami.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed…
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of “Let Loose” and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more …
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU…
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has “fallen sharply beyond expectations.” As a…
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, SEGA Genesis,…
Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the Apple Vision Pro has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On…
The best OLED TVs are about to get a whole lot better. A new panel technology known as eLEAP will officially go into production later this year, according to FlatpanelsHD. Although it won’t be going into any big-name TVs at first, the new screen technology promises to deliver brightness in excess of 3,000 nits and improved durability, which means that it could make screens last longer, helping to cut down on e-waste.
eLeap was developed by Japan Display (JDI), which is a firm that was created by the merger of the display businesses of Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi. And while we first started reporting on it in 2022, it’s only just starting to ramp up production with plans to expand this to the mainstream market in late 2024.
Although no consumer brands have yet announced plans to use the new tech, the panels are likely to appear in laptops first, with one of the first panels being a 14-inch OLED for portable computers. That’ll deliver peak brightness of 1,600 nits, but even brighter panels are imminent.
What is eLeap OLED?
eLeap – it’s an extremely tenuous acronym for “environment positive lithography with maskless deposition, extreme long life, low power and high luminance” – uses light to transfer patterns in the manufacturing of integrated circuits, a process that can deliver increased brightness and increased durability too, which is great news for cutting down on e-waste.
This is the first OLED technology to use such a process, and according to Japan Display the production process is currently six months ahead. In the eight months before launch, JDI says it’s already achieving production yields of 60%. The higher the yield the more efficient the production and the lower the cost.
According to JDI, it will supply eLeap panels “for use in a wide array of end-use applications, including smartwatches and wearables, smartphones, notebook PCs, and automotive displays”. TVs are currently conspicuous by their absence, however. That’s because the manufacturing capacity isn’t there yet to produce larger panels: JDI’s plant for that is not expected to be online until 2027.
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Nikon’s Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 is one of two lightweight, inexpensive prime lenses for the Z-mount – the other being the wider 28mm f/2.8.
At 40mm, it’s currently the closest match to the ‘nifty fifty’ lenses of old, aiming to provide a lightweight lens with a compact footprint, flexible focal length, and a relatively fast aperture. Above all, it’s cheap – really cheap for a proprietary lens sitting at just £259 / $289 /AU$310 new. Compared to the Nikon S 50mm f/1.8 or the S 35mm f/1.8, the 40mm comes in at under half the price while still offering some form of weather sealing and excellent performance.
Optically, this lens has a few idiosyncrasies – namely corner sharpness and coma – but the 40mm is innately usable in a wide range of situations. It’s wide enough for some landscapes and close enough for most portraits. Personally, I find the 40mm focal length more usable than 50mm for a walkabout lens – and f/2 is plenty outside of extreme situations.
Nikon Z 40mm f/2 specs
Type: Prime Sensor: Full-frame Focal length: 40mm (60mm APS-C) Max aperture: f/2 Minimum focus: 11.8in / 30cm Filter size: 52mm Dimensions: 2.8 x 1.8in / 70 x 45.5mm Weight: 6oz / 170g
I tested on a full-frame Nikon Z6 but the lens is also compatible with the ‘DX’ APS-C Nikon Z-mount cameras. In this case, the focal length becomes 60mm. It’s getting into portrait lens territory for APS-C here although it would also be a good choice for a shy street photographer who wants some distance from their subject.
Nikon Z 40mm f/2: design
The Nikon Z 40mm f/2 features an entirely plastic build that feels well engineered and deceptively robust in the hand. Overall, it’s a solid and well put together lens but the plastic thread and mount do cheapen the overall feel somewhat. You’re never tricked into thinking this is a premium lens, even though its output is excellent.
The Nikon Z 40mm f/2 is, however, extremely light – weighing just 6oz / 170g. Pairing this lens up with my Nikon Z6 results in a package that weighs just over 21oz / 600g, which rivals crop sensor setups for sheer portability. While I’d never call this pairing ‘pocketable’, it’s a featherweight combination for a full-frame system and perfect for every day shooting.
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(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
And, I have to say – the 40mm pairs nicely with the Z6’s relatively minimalist, being workmanlike in its design since there are no external AF switches, custom control rings, or any other kind of outward flare to speak of. I’d say it looks decent enough on one of Nikon’s more modern bodies. Is it boring? Maybe, but it doesn’t look out of place.
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(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
It’s worth noting here that the Nikon Z 40mm f/2 comes in two variations – the standard version that I tested and a more retro-themed ‘SE’ variant. If you’re looking for a prime to pair up with the much more old-school-looking Nikon Zf or Nikon Zfc then you’ll want to make sure you’re checking out the SE for maximum retro effect.
Neither variant ships with a first-party lens hood but both are dust and drip-resistant, which is a major selling point for a lens this inexpensive. In recent years, third-party manufacturers (most notably Viltrox) have started to offer compelling budget alternatives to entry-level first-party lenses but weather sealing is one area where most are severely lacking. And, I can personally attest that the splash resistance of this lens is fantastic – having been soaked from head to toe on Dartmoor during field testing.
Nikon Z 40mm f/2: performance
Thanks to built-in lens corrections on Z-mount bodies, you’ll get extremely good results out of camera with the 40mm. For the price, the lens is impressively sharp even at f/2 and exhibits minimal chromatic aberration or vignetting. Flare is also controlled – despite this lens likely not featuring Nikon’s higher-end coatings.
I’ve shot thousands of images with the 40mm and I’ve come to appreciate how it renders a scene. I’ve read some describe this lens as ‘classic’ in character and while its sharpness is certainly more akin to a modern lens, colors certainly do pop under the right circumstances. Bokeh-wise, the 40mm is also relatively circular/puffy in the center but becomes less bloomier and more defined around the edges.
As with most lenses, the sharpness sweet spot for the 40mm is around f/5 to f/8 but even at these optimal apertures the 40mm is notably sharpest in the centre. Depending on what you’re shooting the 40mm will exhibit some softness at the extreme corners – as with this sample image of a dock leaf taken at f/5.6.
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Full image taken at f/5.6(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
Cropped image of bottom left corner(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
Despite having a minimum focus distance of 11.8in / 30cm the lens is also quite soft when close focusing. You can narrow down the aperture for more sharpness but you’ll miss out on that creamy DoF (depth of field) up close, which means the 40mm can suffer for specialized applications like floral photography. Just below you can see a specific example of a flower taken at around a foot distance, where the focus point was set directly on the central bud.
The Nikon 40mm f/2 exhibits some softness up close, even central in the frame. (Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
The 40mm also exhibits some coma, which can result in noticeably smeared lights during night photography towards the extreme edges of the frame. In real-life testing, I found this to be an incredibly minor issue that only cropped up on a few niche cases such as the attached scene just below. Astrophotographers will likely skip this lens over in favor of the wider (and similarly priced) 28mm but note that this lens does feature some astigmatism if you’re deadset on edge-to-edge clarity.
The Nikon 40mm f/2 renders some coma on the extreme edges of the frame. (Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
That’s where my criticisms end, however. In practical use the 40mm performs admirably. Autofocus is extremely quick and minimal focus breathing means this is a versatile lens that can also handle video. Note, however, that my lens has a slight whirring sound when focusing – an absolute non-issue for me as a photographer but videographers may notice. I wouldn’t rule out copy variation here since it’s not a widely reported issue, though.
Nikon Z 40mm f/2: sample images
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(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
(Image credit: Future / Alex Whitelock)
Should I buy the Nikon Z 40mm f/2?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
How I tested the Nikon Z 40mm f/2
Regular use for over a year and counting
Used in fair and inclement weather
Day and nighttime use
I’ve had the Nikon Z 40mm f/2 in my kit for over a year now; in which time I’ve used it extensively for general purpose photography both home and abroad. Subsequently, I’ve been able to thoroughly test the lens in a variety of situations to determine its strengths and weaknesses.
Since Nikon openly advertises this lens as weather-sealed, I’ve made sure to test this lens in adverse conditions, particularly in rainy environments. I’ve also extensively tested this lens at night, making use of its wide aperture of f/2.
Today’s Wordle is the most difficult we’ve had so far in 2024, but that doesn’t come close to describing how tough it is. ‘Wordle 1,037 X’ is trending high on Twitter, which is always a sign of a hard puzzle, and some 13% of players have failed it so far.
Solving it in six guesses or fewer and preserving your Wordle streak will be a challenge, that’s for sure. But there are ways to play it to avoid heartache (or the Wordle equivalent; this is only a game, after all). These strategies might be too late to help you now, but they could save you next time a game like this crops up. And it will.
To explain what they are, I’ll need to include SPOILERS FOR TODAY’S WORDLE, GAME #1,037, ON SUNDAY, 21 APRIL 2024. So please don’t read on if you haven’t already completed it. Just bear in mind that you might want some hints for Wordle today before doing so.
How hard?
OK, so let’s talk about today’s Wordle word and exactly how hard it was.
The answer to game #1,037, assuming you’ve played by now **FINAL SPOILER ALERT**, is JOLLY – and it really is causing a lot of problems.
The way I assess the difficulty of each Wordle is to consult WordleBot, the New York Times’ AI-powered helper tool. Each day, WordleBot analyzes the games of everyone who plays and reports an average score for it. And today, it says people are solving it in an average of 5.4 guesses. That’s based on a random sample of 1,778,346 Wordlers who have so far played it – so it’s a pretty sizeable survey.
I’ve recorded the WordleBot average scores every day since the tool launched in April 2022, meaning I now have a list of 749 games ranked by difficulty. By that measure, JOLLY is the hardest Wordle so far in 2024, comfortably beating the previous holder of that title, PIPER, which was a 5.2 game in February.
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But that only tells half of the tale, because JOLLY is in fact the toughest Wordle since June 2023, and is actually the equal fourth worst ever. Only PARER (average score 6.3), MUMMY (5.8) and JAZZY (5.5) have been harder, while FOYER, RIPER and JOKER all had the same 5.4 average.
Unsurprisingly, many players are struggling. Some 233,791 Wordlers have failed to solve it as of the time of writing, which is 13% of the total. That’s a super-high failure rate.
Turn to Twitter and you can see the reaction, with scores of players posting their games and bemoaning their luck:
A quick glance is enough to see one of the main causes of this glut of failures – namely the too-many-answers problem. But it’s far from the only one.
Too many answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
Lots of the hardest Wordles ever share a common theme, namely too-many-answers. In other words, the solution is one that could have been another word if you just changed one (or sometimes two) letters.
There are several of these traps, for instance -IGHT, -OUND and -ATCH. The first of those has nine possible solutions: WIGHT, EIGHT, RIGHT, TIGHT, LIGHT, FIGHT, SIGHT, MIGHT and NIGHT. The second has eight – WOUND, ROUND, POUND, HOUND, FOUND, SOUND, MOUND and BOUND – while the third has seven (WATCH, PATCH, LATCH, HATCH, MATCH, BATCH and CATCH).
The -OLLY trap, meanwhile, is on a par with -ATCH, because it has seven definite answers: LOLLY, JOLLY, HOLLY, GOLLY, FOLLY, MOLLY and DOLLY. It’s up there with the worst possible formats.
These kind of games are a nightmare if you play on hard mode, where you can easily get stuck with four green letters and be forced to randomly guess letters in the search of the right one. So my first tip is simply not to play on hard mode! Or, if you do, you need to bear in mind that this kind of thing might happen, and guard against it from the very start,
Worse still here, the eventual answer was JOLLY, which begins with the least common letter in the game. This is something I prove in my analysis of every Wordle answer; J only appears in 27 of Wordle’s 2,309 original solutions, and it’s therefore not a letter most people use very often.
Add to that the fact that JOLLY also includes a repeated letter – which itself is a less common occurrence than getting five individual letters – and you have a game that’s set up to make life difficult for you.
How to play one of these games and win
The key to beating a game like JOLLY – unless you play on hard mode – is to narrow down your options as early as possible.
What this means is not chasing a high score, because that way lies disaster. Let’s say you established this was an -OLLY word as early as the third guess, which isn’t unreasonable depending on what your start word was. In that scenario, it can be tempting to guess common words such as FOLLY, say, or HOLLY, in the search of that average-beating 4/6 score.
DO NO DO THIS.
Instead, the second you realize that there are more answers left than guesses, the only way to consistently beat Wordle is to find a narrowing-down word that eliminates as many options as possible. In my example above, it was MIGHT – because that ruled out MOLLY, GOLLY and HOLLY in a single guess, leaving me with only JOLLY left to play next time.
This goes against many people’s instincts, because it involves leaving out green letters, which just feels wrong. But it’s what WordleBot does, and the ‘bot is far smarter than you or I.
In some cases, you might even need to play two such words, and in fact I kind of did that; LOWLY, which I played the guess before MIGHT, was chosen partly to rule out LOLLY as an option. The important thing is to establish what all of the options are, draw up a list of all those possible letters (in this case F, H, G, L, M, D and J), then think of words that contain as many of them as possible.
You could consider this an overly cautious and maybe cowardly way to play Wordle, but if you value your streak then it’s the only approach that makes sense.
As anticipation builds for Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 series, the rumor mill has highlighted some potential camera upgrades that could change how we use our iPhones for photography.
The camera system has always been a cornerstone of Apple’s iPhone, and this year Apple appears set to push the envelope even further. As the iPhone 16 launch in September approaches, all eyes will be on how the following changes might maintain Apple’s competitive edge in an increasingly crowded market. 1. Vertical Camera Layout
iPhone 16 & iPhone 16 Plus
Apple’s iPhone 16 base models will feature a vertical camera arrangement with a pill-shaped raised surface, instead of a diagonal camera arrangement like the iPhone 15. The new camera bump features two separate camera rings for the Wide and Ultrawide cameras. The vertical camera layout is expected to enable Spatial Video recording, which is currently limited to the iPhone 15 Pro models. 2. Ultra Wide Lens Upgrade
iPhone 16 Pro & iPhone 16 Pro Max
The iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to feature an upgraded 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera lens, which would allow it to capture more light, resulting in improved photos when shooting in 0.5× mode, especially in low-light environments. This also means that iPhone 16 Pro models should be able to shoot 48-megapixel ProRAW photos in Ultra Wide mode. These photos retain more detail in the image file for more editing flexibility, and can be printed at large sizes. 3. Super Telephoto Camera
iPhone 16 Pro Max
The iPhone 16 Pro Max could be the first iPhone to feature a super telephoto periscope camera for dramatically increased optical zoom. “Super” or “ultra” telephoto usually describes cameras with a focal length of over 300mm. The current telephoto lens is equivalent to a 77mm lens, so if accurate, there could be a notable increase in zoom capabilities. Super telephoto cameras are often used for sports and wild animal photography, but the extremely soft backgrounds they create also make them useful for portrait photography, providing there is enough distance between the subject and the photographer. 4. Tetraprism Lens
iPhone 16 Pro
Both iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to feature 5x optical zoom, which is currently exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple’s tetraprism lens system has a “folded” design that allows it to fit inside the smartphone, enabling up to 5x optical zoom and up to 25x digital zoom. In contrast, the current smaller iPhone 15 Pro is limited to up to 3x optical zoom, which is in line with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. 5. Reduced Lens Flare
All iPhone 16 Models
Apple is said to be testing a new anti-reflective optical coating technology for its iPhone cameras that could improve the quality of photos by reducing artifacts like lens flare and ghosting. Apple plans to bring new atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment into the iPhone camera lens manufacturing process to apply the coating. ALD-applied materials can also protect against environmental damage to the camera lens system without affecting the sensor’s ability to capture light effectively. 6. Capture Button
All iPhone 16 Models
All iPhone 16 models will have a new camera-based “Capture Button” dedicated to quickly triggering image or video capture. The button will add features like the ability to zoom in and out by swiping left and right on the button, focus on a subject with a light press, and activate a recording with a more forceful press. The Capture Button will be located on the bottom right side of the iPhone 16, and will take the place of the mmWave antenna on U.S. iPhone models, with the antenna relocating to the left side of the device below the volume and Action buttons.
Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman recently reported that the first Macs with M4 series chips will be released later this year, with more models to follow next year. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman shared a more specific roadmap for these Macs.
1. A low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4, coming around the end of 2024. 2. A 24-inch iMac with the M4, also expected around the end of the year. 3. New 14-inch and 16-inch high-end MacBook Pros with M4 Pro/Max chips, due between the end of 2024 and early 2025. 4. A Mac mini in both M4 and M4 Pro configurations, coming between the end of 2024 and early 2025. 5. New 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs, slated for around spring 2025. 6. A Mac Studio with a high-end M4 chip, coming around the middle of 2025. 7. A Mac Pro with an M4 Ultra chip, due in the second half of 2025.
Gurman reiterated that Apple has internally tested an M3 Ultra chip, which would be suitable for the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro, but he said it is “all but assured that at least some of Apple’s high-end desktops” will skip the M3 chip series.
Gurman said that Apple will emphasize the artificial intelligence capabilities of the M4 chip series.
iOS 18 is expected to be the “biggest” update in the iPhone’s history. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. iOS 18 is rumored to include new generative AI features for Siri and many apps, and Apple plans to add RCS support to the Messages app for an improved texting experience between iPhones and Android devices. The update is also expected to introduce a more…
Apple’s iPhone 16 Plus may come in seven colors that either build upon the existing five colors in the standard iPhone 15 lineup or recast them in a new finish, based on a new rumor out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker Fixed focus digital, Apple’s upcoming larger 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus model will come in the following colors, compared to the colors currently available for the…
Apple will begin updating its Mac lineup with M4 chips in late 2024, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The M4 chip will be focused on improving performance for artificial intelligence capabilities. Last year, Apple introduced the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips all at once in October, so it’s possible we could see the M4 lineup come during the same time frame. Gurman says that the entire…
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Google One VPN will be discontinued later this year, according to a customer email seen by Android Authority. The service was rolled out for Android in October 2020, before coming to iOS devices and Macs in 2022.
When it originally launched it was part of Google One’s Premium 2TB storage plan, priced at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Last year, availability was expanded to all Google One plans, including the cheapest offering for $1.99 per month, making it significantly more affordable.
The company told 9to5Google that it is killing the service because “people simply weren’t using it.” Existing users will be directed to third-party VPN alternatives instead.
Google will continue to offer VPN functionality through its Google Fi cellular service. Google says Pixel users will also still be able to access its VPN features via Pixel settings if they have a Pixel 7 or newer model.
It has been nearly a year and a half since the current Apple TV was released, so the device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade. Below, we recap rumors about the next Apple TV, including potential features and launch timing. The current model is the third-generation Apple TV 4K, announced in October 2022. Key new features compared to the previous model from 2021 include a faster A15…
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 lineup will feature bigger battery capacities compared to previous-generation models with the exception of the iPhone 16 Plus, which will have a smaller battery than its predecessor. That’s according to the Chinese Weibo-based leaker OvO Baby Sauce OvO, a relatively new source of supply chain leaks with an as-yet unproven track record for accuracy. The iPhone 16 …
Apple’s iPhone 16 Plus may come in seven colors that either build upon the existing five colors in the standard iPhone 15 lineup or recast them in a new finish, based on a new rumor out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker Fixed focus digital, Apple’s upcoming larger 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus model will come in the following colors, compared to the colors currently available for the…
Apple is “unlikely” to hold an event to announce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, according to sources cited by Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman already said Apple was not planning to hold an event for the new iPads, but he made this claim back in early March, before it was reported that the devices were postponed due to manufacturing delays. With the…
Apple will begin updating its Mac lineup with M4 chips in late 2024, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The M4 chip will be focused on improving performance for artificial intelligence capabilities. Last year, Apple introduced the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips all at once in October, so it’s possible we could see the M4 lineup come during the same time frame. Gurman says that the entire…
iOS 18 will apparently feature a new Safari browsing assistant, according to backend code on Apple’s servers discovered by Nicolás Álvarez. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris confirmed that the code exists, but not many details are known at this time. Álvarez said it seems like the browsing assistant will use iCloud Private Relay’s infrastructure to send relevant data to Apple in a…
Apple’s usual strategy of introducing a new mid-cycle iPhone color in the spring is unlikely to be replicated for the iPhone 15 this year, if a new rumor out of Asia is anything to go by.
Apple usually introduces new iPhone color options in the spring to boost sales midway through the device’s product cycle, keeping the device top-of-mind for consumers at a time when the next iPhone launch is still another six months away.
Apple has used the tactic frequently in recent years. In 2017 and 2018, it released red mid-cycle versions of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 lines, respectively. Then in 2021, Apple added a purple color to the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini models for the spring season in late April.
In March 2022, the iPhone 13 lineup received new green finishes, and in the same month last year, Apple released the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in a new yellow color. Each new color launch has been accompanied by a significant ad campaign to attract new customers and upgraders who did not make a purchase when the latest iPhone series was originally launched in the fall. This year could be different, however.
According to Chinese Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital, there is no new spring color scheme on the cards for the iPhone 15. It’s also worth noting that Apple has already launched several iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands in refreshed color options. The refreshed accessories arrived when Apple released the new MacBook Air in early March. In previous years, such a move has often been accompanied by a new iPhone color.
Why Apple would forego the opportunity to boost sales in the middle of an iPhone cycle is not entirely clear, so it is worth taking the latest rumor with a pinch of salt for now. Production delays have reportedly pushed the release of new iPads into May, and Apple is not expected to hold a launch event to announce the devices, but the debut of a new iPhone color could always come separately in the form of a press release, which Apple has opted for in the past.
While rumors have been focused on new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, some Apple customers are wondering when the next iPad mini will be released. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said new iPad mini and entry-level iPad models will be released in late 2024 at the earliest. “The company is also working on new versions of the low-end iPad and iPad mini, but those…
Following a few notable discounts on MacBooks yesterday, Best Buy today introduced a sale on the 10th generation iPad, including numerous all-time low prices on the tablet. Prices start at $349.00 for the 64GB Wi-Fi model, and include $100 markdowns on both Wi-Fi and cellular devices. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may…
Apple will likely launch new iPad Pro and iPad Air models during the second week of May, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. “For those looking for more specific timing, I’m told the launch will probably happen the week of May 6,” said Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. “Another data point to that end: Apple retail stores are preparing to receive new product marketing materials…
While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are still months away from launching, there are already over a dozen rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped new features and changes expected for the devices so far. These are some of the key changes rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models as of April 2024:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with large…
Microsoft will advertise that its upcoming Windows laptops with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processor are faster than the MacBook Air with Apple’s latest M3 chip, according to internal documents obtained by The Verge. “Microsoft is so confident in these new Qualcomm chips that it’s planning a number of demos that will show how these processors will be faster than an M3 MacBook Air for CPU…
Apple agreed to pay up to $14.4 million (CAD) to settle a class action lawsuit in Canada that alleged the company secretly throttled the performance of some iPhone models (“batterygate”), and eligible customers can now submit a claim for payment. Apple’s settlement received court approval on March 4, and the claims period began today, according to law firm Rochon Genova LLP. To submit a…
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 lineup will feature bigger battery capacities compared to previous-generation models with the exception of the iPhone 16 Plus, which will have a smaller battery than its predecessor. That’s according to the Chinese Weibo-based leaker OvO Baby Sauce OvO, a relatively new source of supply chain leaks with an as-yet unproven track record for accuracy. The iPhone 16 …
