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  • iPhone 17 to stay cool with new tech and slim iPhone 17 Air details

    iPhone 17 to stay cool with new tech and slim iPhone 17 Air details

    Fresh news about the iPhone 17 suggests at least one model will stay cooler with a fancy liquid cooling system called a vapor chamber. This is the third time we’ve heard this, but it’s still unclear which models will get it.

    Apple’s chips keep getting stronger every year, but they heat up when you push them hard—like when playing heavy games. When they get too hot, the phone slows down to avoid damage. This is called thermal throttling. It happens when the chip hits its heat limit, and the phone cuts back power until it cools off.

    Big devices like the MacBook Pro use fans to blow heat away, but iPhones rely on a simple metal or graphite block to soak up heat and pass it to the phone’s body. A vapor chamber is a smarter version of this. It has liquid inside that turns into vapor when part of the phone gets hot. The vapor moves to cooler areas, turns back into liquid, and lowers the temperature. It’s like how a wet towel cools your head when you’re sick.

    Who Said What About iPhone 17 Cooling?

    Last summer, Apple expert Ming-Chi Kuo said only the iPhone 17 Pro Max would get this vapor chamber upgrade paired with graphite sheets. Other models would stick to just graphite. Then, the Chinese site MyDrivers claimed all iPhone 17 models would have it. Now, a trusted leaker, Instant Digital, says both Pro models—iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max—will use this cooling trick.

    iPhone 17 Air: Super Thin and Sleek

    Apple’s also swapping the “Plus” model for a new iPhone 17 Air, and everyone’s talking about how thin it’ll be. Reports vary: some say 6mm, others 5.5mm at its slimmest. Leaker Ice Universe adds that the camera bump is 4mm, making the thickest part 9.5mm. It’ll have one camera, a microphone, and a flash in a long bump, like on Google Pixel phones.

    Size and More

    The iPhone 17 Air might have a 6.6- or 6.7-inch screen—bigger than the iPhone 17 (6.3 inches) but smaller than the Pro Max (6.9 inches). Expect Apple to show off the whole iPhone 17 lineup around mid-September 2025.

  • iPhone 17 Pro to get a cool new trick for better speed

    iPhone 17 Pro to get a cool new trick for better speed

    Apple’s next iPhone 17 Pro models will come with a fancy cooling system called vapor chamber technology, says a Chinese tipster known as Instant Digital. This upgrade promises to keep the phone running smoothly by handling heat better.

    Lots of top Android phones already use vapor chamber cooling. It spreads heat over a bigger area, stopping the phone from slowing down when it gets too hot. This is super helpful for slim devices like the iPhone that need to stay fast and reliable.

    Rumors about Apple adding this cooling tech to the iPhone 17 lineup aren’t new. Back in January, a Chinese tech site, MyDrivers, said all models—iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max—might get it. But Instant Digital thinks only the Pro and Pro Max versions, powered by the new A19 Pro chip, will have it. “With the A19 Pro and better heat control, these phones will stay fast even during tough tasks,” the tipster explained.

    In a separate update on Weibo, Instant Digital said not to expect big changes to the iPhone 17’s front. “This year’s upgrades are mostly inside and on the back. The front, like the notch and edges, will likely stay the same,” they noted.

    There’s some debate about the Dynamic Island, though. Last month, a rumor hinted that the iPhone 17 Pro Max might get a smaller one, thanks to a new Face ID lens. Analyst Jeff Pu, who’s often right about Apple, agrees. But another expert, Ming-Chi Kuo, says it’ll stay the same size. Apple first added the Dynamic Island with the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, and it’s on most newer models, unchanged so far.

    On the back, Apple’s shaking things up. The iPhone 17 Pro models will swap the old square camera bump for a sleek aluminum bar stretching across the phone. The new iPhone 17 Air, replacing the Plus model, will also get this horizontal bar but with just one camera. The regular iPhone 17, however, will stick to the iPhone 16’s camera style. Look out for these phones next September!

  • Apple Watch avoids import ban after winning legal fight against AliveCor

    Apple Watch avoids import ban after winning legal fight against AliveCor

    Apple recently won a big legal victory against AliveCor, a company that sued it in 2021. A federal appeals court agreed with a decision to cancel three patents AliveCor said Apple broke with its Apple Watch. This means the court also threw out a ruling from the International Trade Commission (ITC) that could have stopped Apple Watches from being brought into the U.S.

    In a message to MacRumors, Apple thanked the court and said it would keep working on new health tools for the Apple Watch. “We’re grateful to the Federal Circuit for their thoughtful review. Our teams have spent years creating top-notch health, wellness, and safety features that help people, and we’re excited to keep going,” Apple shared.

    The trouble started when AliveCor took Apple to court, claiming Apple misused its heart rate and ECG tech ideas. At first, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) said Apple was in the wrong. But after Apple asked the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board to take another look, the board decided those patents weren’t valid, hurting AliveCor’s case.

    Even so, the ITC had suggested banning some Apple Watch sales, which Apple fought since the patents were no longer valid. While both sides appealed, the ban was paused. Now, the appeals court has backed the decision to cancel the patents, so no import ban will happen in this case.

    AliveCor told MacRumors they’re upset with the ruling and feel the court ignored key details the ITC found convincing. “This won’t stop our business or our drive to keep creating for our millions of customers,” they said. They argue this fight is about protecting small companies and future ideas from big players like Apple. AliveCor plans to keep exploring legal steps to prove their patents are valid and that Apple crossed a line.

    Last year, AliveCor lost another lawsuit against Apple about unfair competition, and they’re appealing that too. Meanwhile, Apple’s facing a separate challenge with Masimo over blood oxygen tech, where an import ban still affects U.S. Apple Watch sales. For now, Apple has turned off that feature in watches sold here and is working to fix it.

  • Could Apple bring back its old Wi-Fi routers in a new way?

    Could Apple bring back its old Wi-Fi routers in a new way?

    For years in the 2000s and 2010s, Apple sold Wi-Fi routers called AirPort base stations. They came in three types: the basic AirPort Express, the fancier AirPort Extreme with extra networking tricks, and the AirPort Time Capsule, which also worked as a backup drive for Macs using Time Machine. Apple stopped making these routers in 2018, but there’s a chance they might come back in a surprising form.

    In December, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman shared that Apple is working on a new Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip. This chip will show up in updated Apple TV and HomePod mini devices later this year. He says it’s so powerful that it could turn these gadgets into Wi-Fi hotspots. But don’t get too excited yet—it’s not certain Apple will go that route.

    Apple seems eager to grow in the smart home world. Rumors suggest they’re building a brand-new smart home hub for release this year. There’s also talk of a HomeKit smart camera that pairs with the hub, creating a simple home security setup. If future Apple TVs or HomePods could act as Wi-Fi routers, too, that’d be another win for Apple in the smart home game.

    Gurman says this new chip will support Wi-Fi 6E, a step up from the Wi-Fi 5 in the last AirPort models. However, analyst Jeff Pu thinks it might even handle Wi-Fi 7, which is even faster. For now, it’s unclear if Apple TV and HomePod will turn into routers. Still, Apple is cooking up tech that could make it happen. Whether they bring back the AirPort idea in this fresh way, only time will tell.

  • All the cool Apple Intelligence features you can use now

    All the cool Apple Intelligence features you can use now

    Apple Intelligence is the name for a bunch of smart, AI-driven tools that work on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and soon Vision Pro. These features have popped up in updates like iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, making your devices work in fresh, exciting ways. Here’s a simple rundown of what’s available now, plus a peek at what’s on the way.

    First Up: iOS 18.1 Brings Writing Help, Photo Tricks, and More

    • Writing Help: Fix mistakes, rephrase sentences, or tweak your text anywhere on your device.
    • Photo Clean-Up: Easily erase stuff you don’t want in your pictures.
    • Memory Movie Maker: Tell it what you want, and it’ll whip up a video from your photos.
    • Smart Photo Search: Find the exact pics or videos you need with better search.
    • Notification Highlights: Get short, useful summaries of your alerts.
    • Siri Boost: Siri’s smarter now—better answers, a fresh look, a smoother voice, and you can even type to it.
    • Top Emails First: Your most urgent emails jump to the top.
    • Quick Replies: Get handy reply suggestions in Mail and Messages.
    • Email and Chat Summaries: See short recaps of conversations instead of scrolling forever.
    • Focus Mode Upgrade: Block distractions but let big stuff through with smarter alerts.

    Next: iOS 18.2 Adds Fun Stuff Like Genmoji and Image Tools

    • Genmoji: Create your own emojis for any app.
    • ChatGPT with Siri: Siri teams up with ChatGPT for extra smarts, or you can ask ChatGPT directly.
    • Image Playground: Make cool AI pictures in cartoon or drawing styles.
    • Visual Smarts: Point your camera at something and get info about it.
    • Image Wand: Turn doodles into pretty artwork in Notes.
    • ChatGPT Writing: Let it write fresh text for you in any app.

    Coming in iOS 18.3: Smarter Visual Tools

    • Poster to Calendar: Snap a flyer and add the event to your schedule.
    • Nature ID: Figure out what plants or animals you’re looking at.

    Soon in iOS 18.4 and Beyond

    The iOS 18.4 beta (out in April) might tweak these, but here’s what’s testing now:

    • Key Alerts: Important notifications stand out on your Lock Screen.
    • More Image Styles: Add a sketch look to your AI-made pics.
    • Vision Pro Joins In: Apple Intelligence hits Vision Pro with visionOS 2.4.

    Final Thoughts

    Apple’s just warming up with these AI goodies. Expect more surprises at WWDC in June for iOS 19. Love it or not, these tools will keep changing how you use your gadgets as they grow smarter and blend into your daily life.

  • Apple solves a big CarPlay problem

    Apple solves a big CarPlay problem

    Apple rolled out the iOS 18.4 beta on Friday, bringing some fresh and exciting updates. Among them are Priority Notifications powered by Apple Intelligence, a new Food category in the Apple News app, and a few other goodies. But there’s one smaller tweak that didn’t grab much attention—a change to CarPlay, especially for cars with bigger screens.

    A user named Jace noticed on Threads that CarPlay in iOS 18.4 now shows three rows of app icons instead of just two. This update makes better use of larger car screens, giving you more apps at a glance. Not every car gets this upgrade, though. The extra row only pops up on bigger displays, but it’s not clear exactly how big the screen needs to be.

    For example, MacRumors pointed out that it works on the Toyota Tundra, which can have a screen up to 14 inches. So, if your car’s screen is on the smaller side, you might not see this change yet. This update is a big win for drivers. Car screens keep getting larger, but CarPlay hasn’t always kept up, leaving some space on the display.

    With CarPlay 2 still not here, this fix is a nice in-between solution. It makes things more convenient, especially for people with big screens, by showing more apps at once. That means less swiping through home screen pages while you’re on the road. Overall, it’s a simple but smart move by Apple. For those with the right setup, it makes using CarPlay feel smoother and less cluttered.

  • Apple’s edge in the race for home Robots as Meta joins the game

    Apple’s edge in the race for home Robots as Meta joins the game

    A recent report hints that Apple and Meta might soon be rivals in the world of humanoid robots. Meta, known for social media, is reportedly pouring a lot of money into building robots that can help with tasks around the house. If Apple moves forward with its home robot plans, it could have a big upper hand over Meta.

    Apple’s Robot Dreams

    When most people hear “robot,” they picture a sci-fi helper that looks human and handles chores—a sort of robotic assistant. Apple is said to be working on something like this. Last year, Bloomberg called it a “skunk-works project,” meaning a small team is experimenting with it, separate from Apple’s usual products. I’ve said before that this kind of robot might take ten years or more to become real. A recent update suggests even a simple tabletop robot could be years away, despite cute designs like a table lamp.

    Meta’s Push into Humanoid Robots

    According to Bloomberg, Meta is excited about AI-driven humanoid robots and sees them as a major focus. The company is investing heavily in this area, aiming to create robots that act like humans and assist with physical tasks. Meta is starting with household chores and has already begun talks with robotics firms like Unitree Robotics and Figure AI. On Friday, Meta told its staff about the new robot team. Interestingly, the first robots might not carry Meta’s name. Instead, Meta wants to supply the AI brains for robots made by other companies, though Meta-branded robots could come later.

    Could Apple and Meta Clash?

    I still think fully capable home robots are a long way off. But if multiple companies start competing, things could speed up. Meta’s entry might push Apple to take its robot project more seriously, moving it from a side experiment to a bigger priority.

    Apple’s Big Advantage

    Having a humanoid robot at home might feel strange or even creepy for many people. It could be like having a stranger in your house—one with cameras everywhere. Apple’s strong focus on privacy and its trusted reputation could give it a major edge in winning over customers.

  • Linux developer for Apple Silicon Macs steps down

    Linux developer for Apple Silicon Macs steps down

    Yesterday, Hector Martin announced his resignation as the leader of the Asahi Linux project, which began shortly after Apple introduced its Silicon chips in early 2021. The team had successfully released an alpha version for M1 and M2 Macs in 2022, making significant strides in the project.

    Background

    Bringing Linux to Apple Silicon was a challenging task, but with overwhelming community support, Martin achieved what many thought was impossible. For the first couple of years, the project turned the platform from zero to one of the best Linux experiences on any laptop. Despite some hardware features still missing, the overall performance was impressive, especially considering there was no direct support or documentation from Apple.

    However, the journey wasn’t all smooth. Martin faced burnout due to constant complaints from some users and opposition from parts of the Linux community. He particularly criticized Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel, for not being actively involved enough in supporting the integration of new technologies like Rust into Linux. This lack of leadership, according to Martin, was detrimental to the project’s progress.

    What’s Next?

    Despite stepping down, Martin is optimistic about the project’s future. He plans to hand over leadership to the existing Asahi Linux team, who aim to continue the project with several goals for 2025. These include merging all necessary drivers for M1 and M2 Macs into the main Linux kernel, known as upstream.

    The team also plans to enhance testing processes and introduce new features like DisplayPort alt mode, DirectX 12 support, and support for internal microphones, which might be available in just a few days. However, support for newer hardware like M3 and M4 Macs won’t be a priority for now, as the focus is on strengthening the current foundation.

    Martin’s departure raises questions, but the team’s dedication suggests that Asahi Linux will persist, though perhaps not immediately on the newest Apple hardware. Here’s hoping for continued advancements and success for the Asahi Linux project.

  • Apple’s budget iPad gets a small update after 2.5 years, but don’t expect much

    Apple’s budget iPad gets a small update after 2.5 years, but don’t expect much

    It’s been over two years since Apple last updated its most affordable iPad, back in October 2022, when they introduced the 10th generation model. Now, after a significant wait, the 11th generation iPad is on its way, but don’t hold your breath for big changes.

    The Main Upgrade: A New Chip

    Just like the iPad mini 7 that came out last autumn, the new iPad 11 is expected to be more of a performance boost than a redesign. The big news is the upgrade from the A14 Bionic chip, which was introduced with the iPhone 12 in 2020, to the A17 Pro chip from the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023. This change should offer around a 40% increase in CPU speed.

    Also, the memory is set to double from 4GB to 8GB, which should make handling several apps at once smoother.

    New AI Features

    The iPad 11 is expected to include Apple Intelligence, bringing AI-driven features like Genmoji, Image Playground, support for ChatGPT, and an updated Siri to the cheapest iPad for the first time.

    Possible Small Changes

    Unfortunately, there aren’t many exciting new features rumored. There might be minor color updates, and possibly some improvements in connectivity like Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. There’s also a whisper about introducing Stage Manager, a feature from iPadOS 16 that’s currently limited to iPads with more advanced chips. Given the new iPad’s specs, it might finally support this multitasking tool.

    Conclusion

    Despite the long wait, this update to the iPad lineup is shaping up to be pretty modest. One of the more significant changes in recent iPad models was moving the camera to a landscape position, but that’s already in place for this model since 2022.

    Here’s hoping Apple might at least bump the storage from 64GB to 128GB. We should see this new model hit the market this spring.

  • Apple now sells parts for easy home repairs on new M4 Macs

    Apple now sells parts for easy home repairs on new M4 Macs

    Apple has recently started selling parts for its latest M4 Macs right in their self-service repair shop across the U.S. and several European countries. This new addition includes parts for MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini that come with M4, M4 Pro, or M4 Max chips.

    Since opening its doors in 2022, Apple’s repair program has allowed people to buy the exact parts, tools, and guides that Apple’s technicians use. Now, with the M4 series, you can find repair guides on Apple’s official site.

    What can you fix? Well, for the M4 Macs, you can get screens, mainboards, speakers, touchpads, top cases that include keyboards and batteries, storage drives, USB-C ports, cooling fans, Wi-Fi parts, and more.

    The self-repair store doesn’t stop at Macs; it also has parts for different iPhone models and the Studio Display, plus new batteries for the Beats Pill speaker. Apple makes it clear that these repairs are best for folks who know their way around electronics, providing detailed safety guidelines in their repair manuals.

    This move by Apple makes it easier for tech-savvy individuals to keep their devices running smoothly without needing professional help, enhancing the DIY repair culture.

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