Apple’s upcoming M3 Ultra chip won’t consist of two M3 Max processors merged together, according to information leaking out of Cupertino. The change from its predecessors would free up designers to make the next-gen Apple silicon even more powerful.
It even raises the possibility of an M3 Extreme, a workstation-level processor that would give the Mac Pro a reason to exist.
Apple Maps could receive a pair of big updates this year: “Custom routes” and topographic maps. A developer from Argentina spotted the two new features recently in Apple code, saying they could arrive in iOS 18 and macOS 15.
If true, the changes will make Apple’s navigation application more useful for both drivers and hikers.
Apple will allow for greater iPhone Home Screen customization in iOS 18, including the ability to place app icons anywhere on the screen, according to a new report.
iPhone owners also supposedly will gain the flexibility to create blank rows and columns, though the icons will still snap to a grid.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest rumors indicate 2024 will bring big changes to the AirPods lineup. In fact, Apple’s ramping up for “the biggest AirPods launch to date.”
But even this fantastic news can’t cheer us up after the Department of Justice files a wide-ranging antitrust lawsuit against Apple. We recorded this episode of The CultCast right after news of the DOJ’s suit broke, and some of us are fuming!
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Apple is reportedly still working on the version of iPadOS needed for the first iPad Pro with a OLED screen. The software development process might delay the launch until well into April.
Previous leaks previously pointed at a March debut, and that’s still possible. But those eager for Apple’s next premium tablet should also be prepared to wait as much as another month.
And apparently the launch date won’t be March 26, despite a recent rumor.
All the people eagerly waiting for the 2024 iPad Pro — which is expected in the coming weeks — can console themselves with a concept video depicting the upcoming tablet in all its magnificence.
Check it out.
Apple could give the iPhone 17’s display a big anti-reflective update. A new rumor says the 2025 iPhone might feature a “super-hard anti-reflective layer,” which is also more scratch-resistant.
Seemingly, Apple will use a new layer of coating on the glass to reduce the reflection and increase scratch resistance.
Apple could use Google Gemini to power the generative AI features reportedly coming this year in iOS 18. Apple and Google are reportedly in “active negotiations” about the possibility, but have not yet finalized a deal. If it happens, it would be the first time in years that the two tech giants have collaborated so closely.
Apple also held talks with OpenAI and considered using ChatGPT, according to Bloomberg’s report.
A new report says Apple is on track to build into Apple Watch Series 10 a feature that been a bit of a holy grail for the wearable: blood pressure monitoring.
But the feature reportedly will be limited at first, and require new hardware.
Apple suppliers are reportedly preparing for “the biggest AirPods launch to date.” The company is supposedly planning to produce between 20 million and 25 million units of AirPods 4, a significant jump from previous models.
Apple could launch the AirPods 4 in two flavors later this year: one with ANC and another without. Alongside updated internals, the new earbuds purportedly will sport a sleeker new design.
While the first iPad Pro with an OLED display is expected any day now, iPad Air fans will have a much longer wait. Possibly until 2028. That’s what an analyst predicted, anyway.
However, this contradicts a previous report that said an OLED iPad Air would be out in 2026.
AirPods Pro might be able to act more like a hearing aid with the release of iOS 18, according to an Apple tipster.
The additional audio function would benefit those with slight hearing loss who aren’t ready for more serious hearing assistance.
Apple reportedly ordered 8.5 million OLED screens for the iPad Pro models it’s expected to launch soon. More of these panels are for the 13-inch version of the tablet than they are for the 11-inch one.
Leaks indicate the next generation iPad Pro will reach store shelves later this month. Possibly even next week.
Apple continues to work on a MacBook with a 20-inch folding screen, according to a reliable source of insider information. It could set a new pattern for notebooks for the coming decade.
The product has been on the drawing board for quite some time, but isn’t scheduled for release until 2027.
The history of the Apple car is littered with wild prototypes, astonishing hubris and a deadly dose of crippling indecision, according to a damning report that offers the best picture yet of the secretive Project Titan.
It sounds like many Apple employees — and even key execs — viewed the self-driving car project as a doomed effort nearly from the start.
“The big arc was poor leadership that let the program linger, while everyone else in Apple was cringing,” said an anonymous Apple executive who worked on Project Titan.
If you want to know how a massive research and development project can crash and burn, this new behind-the-scenes account of Project Titan will show you how. It’s filled with gory details of unachievable goals, chaotic management, bad decisions (and sometimes no decisions at all).
Apple is preparing to launch new M3 iPads and MacBooks this month. But don’t expect an Apple March event for their unveiling. Instead, the company reportedly will announce the devices through a “series of online videos and marketing campaigns.”
Update: This is now confirmed, as Apple unveiled the M3-powered MacBook Air on Monday via a press release.
Apple could reportedly rebrand Apple ID to Apple Account. The change could go live later this year, presumably when iOS 18 drops in September.
It’s unclear why Apple is considering renaming Apple ID to Apple Account.
Very few Vision Pro units are being returned to Apple, according to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He pegs the Vision Pro return rate at less than 1%, which flies in the face of previous reports that many of the headsets bought by early adopters would wind up in the refurbished bins.
The reason Kuo states for a large percentage of those Vision Pro returns is even more surprising!
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus will have the same type of screen as the Pro versions, according to a new report. That means all four 2025 iOS handsets will offer 120Hz ProMotion, always-on displays.
If true, it means Apple will have to come up with new ways to differentiate its top-tier models.
Apple’s industrial design team reportedly proposed working on a smart ring a few years ago. The ring would have apparently packed all the health-tracking features of the Apple Watch.
Additionally, Apple engineers recently discussed working on smart glasses like the Meta Ray-Bans. In both cases, though, the devices are just an idea, with the company not actively working on them.
Apple reportedly hasn’t given up on the idea of a HomePod smart speaker with a built-in display. It’s supposedly still in development in Cupertino.
There have been leaks and rumors of such a smart home device since at least 2021.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest iPhone 16 Pro rumor comes with a mockup that looks like a fidget spinner. Will Apple really do that? On the other hand, the latest iPad rumors sound totally believable.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Apple’s rumored OLED iPad Pro will reportedly be significantly thinner than existing models. The switch to slimmer Organic Light-Emitting Diode panels will make this possible.
Besides the thinner chassis, the 2024 OLED iPad Pros will have slightly bigger dimensions than its predecessors.
The latest iPhone 16 Pro camera rumor comes with an image that shows a radically redesigned lens module. It looks like a fidget spinner, or an 18th-century tricorn hat seen from above, and would represent a striking departure from Apple’s current design language.
If the iPhone 16 Pro actually looks like this, it would instantly put to bed perennial complaints that the new iPhone looks just like the old one.
Apple is reportedly working on a major Xcode update with artificial integration. This functionality will apparently emulate Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot, generating code based on text input.
Work on the tool has been ongoing since last year, and its testing is now expanding internally inside Apple.