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  • Latest MacBook Air and Mac Studio need a first-day update

    Latest MacBook Air and Mac Studio need a first-day update

    People getting the new MacBook Air or Mac Studio this week will have to update their devices right away. A fresh software update will bring them to the newest macOS Sequoia version.

    macOS Sequoia Update Details

    The M4 MacBook Air, plus the M4 Max and M3 Ultra Mac Studio models, come with older macOS versions already installed. The MacBook Air starts with macOS Sequoia 15.2, while the Mac Studio has macOS Sequoia 15.3.

    Apple rolled out macOS Sequoia 15.3.1 on February 10, but these new devices were ready before that update dropped. Right now, macOS 15.3.1 isn’t ready for these machines, but Apple is expected to launch a special version, called 24D2072, just for them before the official release date.

    Pre-orders for the M4 MacBook Air, M4 Max Mac Studio, and M3 Ultra Mac Studio kicked off last week. The first batch of deliveries will reach buyers on Wednesday, March 12.

  • Ford drivers can now use Tesla chargers with Apple Maps

    Ford drivers can now use Tesla chargers with Apple Maps

    Ford has exciting news for Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning owners! If you use Apple Maps EV Routing through CarPlay, you can now find routes that include Tesla Superchargers and other chargers using the North American Charging Standard (NACS). This update makes charging on the go even easier.

    Before this change, Apple Maps EV Routing didn’t include Tesla’s Superchargers. Now, Ford drivers can enjoy this perk without needing a software update. All you need is an iPhone running iOS 17 or higher connected to CarPlay. To make it work, go to Apple Maps Settings and choose NACS chargers as your preferred network. You’ll also need a Fast Charging Adapter that works with NACS stations.

    Apple launched its EV Routing feature in 2023 to help electric vehicle drivers plan trips. However, it’s only available for a few models, like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Porsche Taycan. Car companies must add support for it to function with their vehicles.

    This handy tool uses real-time info from your car to suggest the best route. It looks at things like hills on the road and your battery level to decide when you’ll need to stop and charge. If your battery runs low, Apple Maps will guide you to the closest compatible charger, so you’re never stuck.

    People first noticed hints of NACS support in iOS 18.4, but Ford says you don’t need to wait for that update. Apple made this change remotely, so it’s ready to use right now. With this update, Ford drivers can hit the road with more confidence, knowing they’ve got access to Tesla’s charging network alongside other options.

  • Apple’s new Foldable iPad Pro may have hidden Face ID

    Apple’s new Foldable iPad Pro may have hidden Face ID

    There’s exciting news about Apple working on a foldable iPad Pro! A fresh rumor says one of their test models has a special Face ID feature tucked under the screen. According to a tip from Digital Chat Station on Weibo, this test version boasts an 18.8-inch foldable display. It uses a “metal frame lens” to hide the Face ID parts, letting it unlock with facial recognition without needing a visible sensor. No extra details were shared, but it’s a cool hint at what’s coming.

    For a while, people have whispered about Apple creating a foldable gadget—maybe an iPad or even a MacBook. It’s still unclear which one it’ll be, but it depends on the software Apple chooses.
    Under-screen Face ID has been talked about for iPhones for years, but it hasn’t happened yet. This is the first time we’ve heard it tied to Apple’s foldable ideas.

    Experts at Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) predict that Apple will release an 18.8-inch foldable iPad Pro with a bright OLED screen in 2027. Meanwhile, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says LG might start making screens for a foldable MacBook—either 20.2 or 18.8 inches—by late 2025.

    A December story from The Wall Street Journal also mentioned Apple designing a bigger foldable device meant to work like a laptop, unfolding to around 19 inches. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman adds that a giant foldable iPad is in the works, possibly launching in 2028. He says Apple wants it to look smooth, like one solid piece of glass with no fold line.

    On another note, Apple is reportedly building a book-shaped foldable iPhone for next year. Instead of Face ID, it might use Touch ID on a side button—like the latest iPad Air and mini—because of limited space inside.

  • What we know about the iPhone Air’s new look

    What we know about the iPhone Air’s new look

    Apple is gearing up to launch its slimmest phone ever, the iPhone 17 Air, sometime later this year. People have been buzzing about how thin it might be compared to the 6.9mm iPhone 6. Now, fresh leaks are giving us a clearer picture of what’s coming.

    For months, guesses about the iPhone 17 Air’s size have bounced around. A recent tip from leaker Ice Universe says it could be just 5.5mm thick—a number analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also mentioned back in January. Another expert, Jeff Pu, thought it’d be closer to 6mm. Screen size rumors vary, too. Kuo suggested a 6.6-inch display, but Ice Universe claims it’ll match the 6.9-inch screen of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, sharing the same shape and edges as the iPhone 16 Pro Max. They even shared a video showing a possible sneak peek of the phone.

    Last Friday, YouTuber iDeviceHelp teamed up with leaker Majin Bu—who’d shown similar designs earlier—to drop a video. They say their mockups of the standard, Pro Max, and Air models come from secret Apple papers. Watching it, I couldn’t help but notice how the Air’s super-thin edge reminded me of the 5.1mm M4 iPad Pro—the thinnest Apple gadget so far.

    One cool detail stands out: the mockups show a camera bar running across the back, kind of like a Google Pixel. It’s unclear if it’s just for looks or does something special, but I like it. My iPhone 15 Pro wobbles on my desk, and this bar—shown on the 17 Pro Max mockup—seems to fix that a bit. The cameras still poke out, though, so it’s not a total win.

    The rest of the design looks familiar—buttons in the usual spots (except for the iPhone 16E, missing its Camera Control button), plus a USB-C port and speakers on the bottom. Up front, expect the Dynamic Island and Face ID. We’ll have to wait until September—Apple’s big reveal time—to see how close these guesses are.

  • How Apple can improve its smart summary feature

    How Apple can improve its smart summary feature

    At WWDC24 last summer, Apple introduced a bunch of Apple Intelligence features, and one that’s been stirring up some debate is notification summaries. People have spotted mistakes in these summaries, which led Apple to tweak their look and even turn them off for news updates. While these summaries won’t ever be flawless, there’s a simple way Apple could make them better. I’d love to see this idea show up in iOS 19.

    What Notification Summaries Do

    The goal of notification summaries is to help you skim your alerts. The feature scans all the notifications in a group, sums them up, and does it all right on your device. Sounds handy, right? But there’s a big catch: Apple Intelligence can only work with what’s in the notification itself.

    This might seem obvious, but here’s the issue: Notifications are already super short. They’re designed to fit in a tiny bubble for quick reading. Plus, the system has to be small enough to run on a chip like the A17 Pro, so it doesn’t have much wiggle room to figure things out.

    Why Summaries Miss the Mark

    Take group chats in iMessage, for example. People often reply to different things at once in busy threads. That’s fun, but Apple Intelligence doesn’t get the full picture. It ends up mixing everything into one messy, wrong summary.

    Right now, it just sums up short notifications in the order they come in. That doesn’t always work well. Here’s my fix: let app makers give Apple’s system some extra info to work with. For iMessage, Apple could tell the system what a new message is replying to.

    My Hope for Apple’s Next Step

    If apps could share a bit more background info—stuff users wouldn’t see—it’d help Apple’s system make smarter summaries. Back in December, Apple Intelligence botched a BBC News summary about Luigi Mangione. It was way off, and Apple ended up turning off news summaries altogether.

    But imagine if the BBC could share the story’s opening paragraph as extra info. That’d give Apple Intelligence more to chew on, leading to better summaries. Big language models will always have quirks, especially ones tiny enough to run on a phone with just 8GB of RAM. Still, Apple can’t keep news summaries off forever. Adding background information from apps could be the answer they need.

  • Apple’s MacBook Air gets a fresh look and fixes an annoying issue

    Apple’s MacBook Air gets a fresh look and fixes an annoying issue

    Apple recently unveiled its latest MacBook Air, and it’s turning heads for the right reasons this time. Before the new sky blue M4 MacBook Air arrived, there was another color that grabbed attention—but not in a good way.

    Back in July 2022, the M2 MacBook Air debuted with a dark, almost-black shade called midnight. Its sleek aluminum finish was the closest thing to a black laptop Apple had ever made. But it came with a big downside: the surface picked up fingerprints and skin oils like a magnet.

    Even if you handled it with care, the midnight M2 MacBook Air quickly ended up covered in smudges. For many, it was a trade-off worth making for such a stylish, dark design. Fast forward nearly two years, and Apple tackled the issue. With the M3 MacBook Air, they announced a special “anodization seal” to cut down on fingerprints for the midnight color. It worked pretty well—for that model, at least.

    The catch? The fix didn’t cover every MacBook Air. Apple kept selling the older midnight M2 version for $100 less than the M3. If smudges drove you crazy, that cheaper option was still a headache. Now, things have changed. This week, Apple stopped offering any midnight MacBook Air without the fingerprint-fighting seal.

    Messy, smudge-covered laptops are mostly history. In their place, Apple rolled out the M4 MacBook Air. It comes with a cool new sky-blue shade, an improved midnight finish, and a starting price of $999. The new lineup replaces both the M2 and M3 models, giving fans a cleaner, fresher choice.

  • What new Apple gadgets to look forward to this summer

    What new Apple gadgets to look forward to this summer

    Apple recently shared news about its budget-friendly iPhone 16e, along with fresh MacBook Air and Mac Studio models powered by M4 and M3 Ultra chips. With those out of the way, let’s take a peek at what else might pop up from Apple this summer.

    Apple’s Summer 2025 Highlights

    We’re crossing our fingers for updates in at least three product areas before summer ends. Nothing’s set in stone, but here’s what’s on our radar.

    Smart Home Hub

    Apple’s cooking up a new gadget to control your smart home, kind of like a central command station. Picture an iPad-style device that could hit shelves as early as 2025, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. That said, he’s hinted that delays might push it later into the year, tied to updates in iOS 18.4 or iOS 19. Another expert, Kuo, predicts a release between April and September 2025. Gurman added in February that it’s still a few months off.

    Mac Pro

    The Mac Pro is due for a summer 2025 refresh, per Gurman. Originally, folks thought it’d get the shiny new M4 Ultra chip, but the recent M3 Ultra launch in the Mac Studio has people second-guessing. Apple’s M4 Max chip doesn’t support a beefier Ultra version down the road, so the next Mac Pro might stick with the M3 Ultra—Apple’s fastest chip yet, they say.

    AirTag 2

    Apple’s planning a new AirTag for mid-2025, Gurman reports, though another source bets on May or June. This upgraded tracker will boast a better chip for pinpointing locations, possibly the second-gen Ultra Wideband chip from the iPhone 15. To tackle stalking concerns, the speaker will be harder to yank out. The look won’t change much, but its range might stretch further for sharper tracking.

    iOS 19

    Apple will show off iOS 19 at its June 2025 developer event, with a full rollout in September alongside the iPhone 17. The word is that iOS 18 work is slowing iOS 19 down, so new features might trickle out like they did this year. One rumor hints at a Camera app redo with a visionOS-inspired style—think see-through buttons and a focus on content. A smarter Siri is in the works, too, but it might not arrive until iOS 20, says Gurman.

  • iPhone 17 Pro Max to get thicker for a bgger battery

    iPhone 17 Pro Max to get thicker for a bgger battery

    Apple is making the iPhone 17 Pro Max a bit thicker than the current iPhone 16 Pro Max, according to a Chinese tipster named Ice Universe. The new iPhone 17 Pro Max is said to measure 8.725mm thick, compared to 8.25mm for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. That’s a small jump of 0.475mm. The leaker believes this extra space is “definitely” for a larger battery. Other than the thickness, the phone’s body is expected to stay the same as the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

    So far, there haven’t been any whispers about better battery life or size changes for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. If Ice Universe is right, this could be fresh news for Apple fans. The iPhone 17 Pro models are also rumored to sport a big rectangular camera bump with rounded edges. However, Apple seems to be keeping the triangle setup for the back camera lenses.

    For its high-end phones, Apple might switch to an aluminum frame instead of the titanium one used in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro. The back of these devices could also feature a new look, blending aluminum and glass. Ice Universe added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the super-slim iPhone 17 Air will have the same size, except for their thickness, which will differ. This tweak in design could mean longer battery life for users, something many iPhone lovers would welcome. We’ll have to wait and see if these rumors hold true when Apple reveals the iPhone 17 lineup!

  • iPhone 17 Air and 17 Pro Max: Same size, different thickness

    iPhone 17 Air and 17 Pro Max: Same size, different thickness

    Apple’s upcoming super-slim iPhone 17 Air is said to match the iPhone 17 Pro Max in size, except for how thick each phone is, according to a tip from leaker Ice Universe.

    Comparing iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 17 Air

    On their Weibo page, the Chinese leaker shared that the iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max have the same length, width, screen size, and edges. “The only thing that’s different is the thickness,” they explained. “The iPhone 17 Air is just 5.5mm thick, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max is 8.725mm thick.”

    If this is true, it also means the iPhone 17 Pro Max will be quite a bit thicker than the current iPhone 16 Pro Max. We’ve heard about the iPhone 17 Air’s slim 5.5mm body before, but Ice Universe’s info shakes things up compared to older rumors. Last year, screen expert Ross Young said the iPhone 17 Air would have a 6.55-inch display, or about 6.6 inches when rounded up.

    However, YouTube creator Jon Prosser disagreed last month, saying the iPhone 17 Air will come with a bigger 6.7-inch screen. (Young later stuck to his 6.55-inch prediction.) If Prosser’s right, that still doesn’t match the 6.9-inch screen expected for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple bumped up the screen sizes for the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max last year, and they’re likely staying the same for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Ice Universe added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s frame is unchanged, “just like the iPhone 16 Pro Max.”

    iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 17 Air

    • Thickness: 8.73mm vs. 5.55mm
    • Height: 163mm vs. 163mm
    • Width: 77.6mm vs. 77.6mm
    • Screen: 6.9″ (174mm) vs. 6.9″ (174mm)
    • Edge: 1.15mm vs. 1.15mm

    Ice Universe has a good track record, correctly leaking iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max sizes in the past. Still, we’re keeping a cautious eye on this rumor until more people back it up. Apple should reveal the iPhone 17 family around mid-September, as usual.

  • Why the iPhone 16e could be a gamble for Apple, according to a survey

    Why the iPhone 16e could be a gamble for Apple, according to a survey

    Apple’s iPhone 16e is fresh on the scene, but it’s not what many fans hoped for. It’s not called an iPhone SE, and its price isn’t budget-friendly either. A new survey about how Apple customers—and especially iPhone SE fans—shop for phones shows why this new model might be a tricky move for Apple.

    The survey from CIRP digs into what iPhone SE owners owned before their current phone. It turns out these folks don’t usually jump to fancy, high-end iPhones. This could make it tough for Apple to sell them on the iPhone 16e.

    Experts Michael Levin and Josh Lowitz point out that SE buyers tend to stick with simple, low-cost phones. They don’t often upgrade to pricier models. 26% of SE owners had an older SE before buying a new one. They didn’t see a need to get anything fancier—just the latest SE. Meanwhile, only 3% of people buying other iPhones came from an SE. Even more surprising? About 45% of SE buyers used to have a regular “number” iPhone (like an iPhone 12 or 14) but chose to switch to the cheaper SE instead.

    This shows that price matters a lot to SE fans. With the iPhone 16e starting at $599, way up from the SE’s $429, these shoppers might look elsewhere—like at Androids or used iPhones. Here’s the problem for SE owners ready for a new phone: They can either spend more on the 16e or hunt for a cheaper option.

    Apple’s betting they’ll pick the 16e, and phone company deals might sweeten the price. But SE fans often use smaller, budget carriers that don’t offer big discounts, making the jump to $599 feel steep. Dropping a true budget phone is a bold choice for Apple. It’s a risk that could push some loyal fans away, and only time will tell if it pays off.

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