MacRumors

Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the original Apple Watch launching in the United States and eight other countries around the world.

The original Apple Watch launched in stores and began arriving to customers on April 24, 2015, after being announced in September 2014.

"Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology and we think our customers are going to love it," said Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a press release announcing availability of the device. "We can't wait for people to start wearing Apple Watch to easily access information that matters, to interact with the world, and to live a better day by being more aware of their daily activity than ever before," he added.

"Apple Watch merges hardware and software like never before," said Apple's former design chief, Jony Ive, in the same press release.

Impressively, the Apple Watch has helped to save countless lives over the past decade, thanks to health and safety features like heart rate measuring, the ECG app, fall detection, sleep apnea notifications, Emergency SOS, crash detection, and more. These features have alerted many people to conditions like atrial fibrillation, sleep apnea, and even cancer, allowing them to seek medical attention earlier than they would have otherwise.

In several interviews over the years, Cook has said that Apple's greatest contribution to the world will be in the health space, and the Apple Watch is a testament to that. Over the next decade, we can expect even more health features on the Apple Watch, such as blood pressure measuring and potentially even non-invasive blood glucose monitoring.

It is not marketing hype to say that the Apple Watch has made a profound impact on humankind, and it is exciting to think about what the next decade holds.

Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports.

The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of so-called "gatekeeper" companies. According to the Commission, Apple violated the DMA by restricting developers from informing users about alternative payment options outside the App Store and by preventing the distribution of iOS apps through competing app marketplaces.

Speaking to Reuters, a spokesperson for the White House condemned the EU's actions, signaling growing transatlantic tensions over regulation of U.S. technology firms:

This novel form of economic extortion will not be tolerated by the United States. Extraterritorial regulations that specifically target and undermine American companies, stifle innovation, and enable censorship will be recognized as barriers to trade and a direct threat to free civil society.

Apple said it plans to appeal the decision. The company called it "another example of the commission unfairly targeting the company" with actions that are "bad for the privacy and security of our users." The penalties represent approximately 0.1% of each company's annual revenue, which is significantly below the potential maximum fine of 10% allowed under the DMA.

The ruling comes amid ongoing trade negotiations between the EU and the U.S., which could potentially add another layer of complexity to transatlantic tech regulations.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

New data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) suggests Apple's iPhone 16e is off to a strong start, capturing 7% of U.S. iPhone sales in its first partial quarter of availability. The new mid-range offering outperformed the iPhone SE's share from the same quarter last year.

The entire iPhone 16 lineup, now consisting of five models with the addition of the 16e, accounted for 74% of total U.S. iPhone sales in the March 2025 quarter. It's a marked increase from the 68% share held by the four iPhone 15 models during the same period in 2024.

While the 16e drove much of this growth, CIRP's data shows some surprising shifts across the lineup. The standard iPhone 16 saw a decent boost, climbing to 20% of sales compared to just 14% for the iPhone 15 in the previous year's quarter.

Meanwhile, Apple's high-end models had an unexpected decline. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max together accounted for 38% of iPhone sales, down from 45% for the iPhone 15 Pro models a year earlier. The iPhone 16 Pro specifically dropped from 22% to 17% market share.

The numbers suggest Apple's strengthening of its mid-range offerings may be working overall, with more buyers choosing the standard iPhone 16 over the pricier Pro models. At the same time, the 16e appears to be wooing customers who previously might have opted for older models.

Legacy iPhones – defined as models more than a year old – fell to 26% of U.S. sales, down from 32% the year before. The decline coincides with Apple's streamlining of its iPhone lineup, which included discontinuing the iPhone SE and the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus during the quarter.

Apple chipmaker TSMC at the North America Technology Symposium has teased its next-generation A14 process node that will enter planned production in 2028.

The cutting-edge A14 node will allow for highly advanced 1.4nm chips that are likely to be utilized for future generations of Apple silicon. Compared to TSMC's N2 node, A14 promises up to 15% faster performance at the same power or up to 30% power savings at the same performance. A14 also boasts over 20% logic density improvement.

TSMC said it is also evolving its TSMC NanoFlex standard cell architecture to NanoFlex Pro, enabling greater performance, power efficiency, and design flexibility. From the company's press release:

"Our customers constantly look to the future, and TSMC's technology leadership and manufacturing excellence provides them with a dependable roadmap for their innovations," said TSMC Chairman and CEO Dr. C.C. Wei. "TSMC's cutting-edge logic technologies like A14 are part of a comprehensive suite of solutions that connect the physical and digital worlds to unleash our customers' innovation for advancing the AI future."

It's not known which of TSMC's clients will stand to benefit first from the new 1.4nm chips, but given the close partnership between the company and Apple, it's a good bet that the latter will be at the front of the queue to place orders.

TSMC's industry-leading 2nm process is set to enter volume production later this year. Apple is not expected to introduce devices using TSMC's 2nm (N2) process node until 2026, suggesting that the iPhone 18 series will be first to adopt the technology in Apple's A20 chip.

Both the iPhone 17 and the upcoming M5 chip for Macs and iPads are expected to continue to utilize TSMC's 3nm process, specifically the third-generation N3P node. This decision is primarily due to the high costs and limited production capacity associated with the 2nm process at this time.

Perplexity has updated its iOS app with a new Voice Assistant feature, bringing conversational AI capabilities to Apple devices, including older iPhones and iPads that don't support Apple Intelligence. The update allows iPhone users to interact with Perplexity's AI assistant through voice commands even when navigating away from the app.

The Voice Assistant can perform various tasks such as the following, given the requisite user permissions:

• Drafting and sending emails
• Sending messages and making calls
• Controlling smart home devices
• Providing Apple Maps directions and traffic updates
• Setting reminders
• Booking Ubers
• Scheduling and editing Calendar events
• Playing Podcasts, including search and subscribe
• Playing music and videos
• Answering general knowledge questions
• Making reservations via booking sites

Voice Assistant can browse the web and perform multi-app actions to complete these functions directly from the Perplexity iOS app.

The update includes a shortcut for Voice Assistant that can be added to the Lock Screen or assigned to an iPhone's Action button, making Perplexity a viable substitute for some of Apple Intelligence's delayed conversational AI enhancements for Siri, which are still likely months away from release.

Perplexity leverages the power of large language models like OpenAI's GPT-4.1, Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro, Anthropic's Claude 3.7 Sonnet, and xAi's Grok-2. The iOS app currently lacks the screen sharing capability found in the Android version of Perplexity, where the assistant can see and interact with content on the user's screen. Perplexity syncs across devices and is a free download with in-app subscriptions from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Apple is testing an iOS 18.5 update with developers and public beta testers, and we've had three betas so far. There aren't any notable changes so far, but the update will still bring important bug fixes and security improvements. So when can we expect it?

Based on historical release timelines for x.5 updates, iOS 18.5 and its sister updates are likely to launch in May. Here's when we saw updates in prior years:

• iOS 17.5 - May 13
• iOS 16.5 - May 18
• iOS 15.5 - May 16
• iOS 14.5 - April 26
• iOS 13.5 - May 20

Many of Apple's x.5 updates are released around the middle of the month, so the week of May 12 is a solid guess, though the week of May 19 is also a possibility.

Though we've only had three betas so far, there are so few new features in iOS 18.5 that we probably won't need too many more betas for it to be ready to launch.

Apple's x.5 updates have historically had fewer features than earlier releases, because Apple is often already transitioning much of its new development to the next-generation version of iOS. We're just a couple of months way from when iOS 19 will be introduced at WWDC, so Apple is working to get it ready to go.

iOS 18.5 won't be the last update to iOS 18, and we'll likely see at least one more major point update before iOS 19 rolls out this fall.

Following in the footsteps of Netflix and Disney+, streaming service Max is starting to crack down on password sharing between multiple households.

Max this week debuted a new Extra Member Add-On feature, which is designed to allow users to pay a fee to share a Max subscription with someone who does not live in the same home. Extra Member Add-On is priced at $7.99 per month, on top of the base subscription price. Max with ads is $9.99 per month, while the Standard plan is $16.99 per month and the Premium plan with 4K streaming is $20.99 per month.

Extra members are provided with their own account, password, and single profile, and add-on members can only watch Max on one device at a time. Max subscribers are only able to add one additional member to an account.

Only those who subscribe to Max through WarnerMedia are able to access the Extra Member Add-On feature, and it is not available to those who have the Disney+, Hulu and Max bundle, or those who subscribe through third-party providers like app stores and TV providers.

$7.99 per month for the Extra Member Add-On is only $2 cheaper than an ad-supported plan, but the Extra Member feature has the benefit of sharing the plan of the main subscriber. So if the main subscription is the 4K Premium plan, the Extra Member can access 4K streaming and other Premium benefits for the $7.99 price.

Max will likely prohibit password sharing between multiple households in the near future, and will prompt users who attempt to use an account from more than one location to sign up for the Extra Member feature or to pay for a separate subscription.

Apple is no longer signing iOS 18.4, a little over a week after releasing the iOS 18.4.1 update. Since iOS 18.4 is not signed anymore, iPhone users who have upgraded to iOS 18.4.1 are not able to downgrade to iOS 18.4.

It is not unusual for Apple to stop signing an older version of iOS after releasing an update, and the process keeps ‌iPhone‌ users from installing outdated versions of iOS. "Signing" refers to a server-side verification check that's done when versions of iOS are downloaded onto an ‌iPhone‌. Only software that passes the verification check is able to be installed.

Preventing downgrading ensures that customers have the latest security improvements and are not vulnerable to known attacks or security holes.

The iOS 18.4.1 update addresses an issue with wireless CarPlay and fixes several security updates, including one known to be actively exploited, so it is a good idea to install the software if you have not done so already.

To celebrate YouTube's 20th anniversary, the YouTube team today announced that YouTube TV is getting an interface update in the near future.

Starting in the next few weeks, YouTube TV members will be able to build their own multiview with select non-sports content. A small group of popular channels will be available to begin with, though access will be expanding in the coming months.

Later this year, the YouTube app for TVs will be redesigned, with YouTube aiming to introduce easier navigation, playback, quality tweaks, and streamlined access to comments, channel info, and subscribing. The YouTube app for TV sets hasn't seen notable updates for several years now, but a sneak peek suggests that YouTube is aiming for a more Netflix-like design with rows of shows and content from paid services.

YouTube says the YouTube app for TVs will be updated sometime this summer.

Other YouTube changes available as part of YouTube's 20th anniversary celebration include 4x playback speed for YouTube Premium members, a new temporary YouTube logo, and birthday-themed animations.

Meta today announced that it is rolling out a new live translation feature to all Ray-Ban Meta glasses users, providing wide access to functionality that was previously only available to early access users in a beta capacity.

Live translation supports English, French, Italian, and Spanish, allowing users to translate between those languages in real-time while having a conversation. As long as a particular language pack has been downloaded in advance, no Wi-Fi or cellular connection is required to use the feature.

When you're speaking to someone in one of those languages, you'll hear what they say in your preferred language through the glasses in real time, and they can view a translated transcript of the conversation on your phone. To get started, just say, "Hey Meta, start live translation."

Live translate will translate what the person speaking in another language is saying, while responses can be seen on a connected smartphone.

In the near future, Meta plans to introduce live AI, a feature where the Meta smart glasses can see whatever the wearer sees through the built-in camera, allowing for real-time AI conversations.

Meta says the glasses will be able to provide hands-free help with meal prep, gardening, exploring, and more. Questions can be asked without the need to say a wake word, and the AI can understand context between requests for referencing prior queries.

Meta's smart glasses should be of interest to Apple users because they provide some insight into what we might see from Apple in the future. Rumors suggest that Apple is considering developing smart glasses that are similar to Meta's Ray-Bans. Apple glasses could feature AI, microphones, and cameras, though there wouldn't be augmented reality capabilities.

Apple engineers have offered to contribute Vision Pro support to the Godot engine, which is a free, open source game engine that's available to game creators as an alternative to Unity and Unreal. Godot is cross-platform and supports PCs, mobile devices, the web, and more at the current time, but with Apple's contributions, games made with Godot could run natively on the Vision Pro.

On GitHub, a member of the visionOS engineering team said that Apple wants to help bring Vision Pro integration to Godot, with the aim of developing a visionOS VR plugin. Apple engineers have already started contributing to the project, and have pledged to continue development based on community feedback.

First, I'd like to mention that we're really excited to be working with the Godot community on adding visionOS support. We've attempted to follow Godot's coding standards and a high-quality bar for our contributions. We hope that our contributions align with Godot's goals. Lastly, even though we have tried to split the changes into smaller self-contained PRs, we acknowledge that some of these PRs can be of considerable size.

We're very happy to iterate on our PRs after receiving feedback and suggestions from the community.

The Vision Pro has so far seen lackluster sales and waning interest from Apple users, both due to the high cost and the lack of content. By providing free tools that would let Godot developers create immersive visionOS experiences, Apple could grow the number of games on the platform.

Apple is working on future versions of the Vision Pro, so laying the groundwork for development early will benefit the headset's longer term prospects.

Threads users in more than 30 countries will start seeing ads on the social network as of today, according to Instagram lead Adam Mosseri. Threads parent company Meta is rolling ads out to additional locations after testing them with a limited number of users in the United States.

On Threads, Mosseri said that ads are expanding more broadly, and that the company's goal is for them to "enhance your overall experience."

Ads will show up in the Threads feed between posts on Threads, and will be delivered in select markets to begin with, before rolling out to additional markets in the future. Meta has so far tested ads with a limited number of advertisers, but now all advertisers globally will be able to display ads on Threads.

"People come to Meta's apps for a personalized experience that helps them discover businesses and content they love—ads are an essential part of enabling this. To help people deepen connections with businesses they love, we are expanding ads in Threads to all eligible advertisers globally," reads Meta's blog post on the ad expansion.

Amazon today introduced a few new all-time low prices across Apple's M4 MacBook Air lineup, offering up to $112 off select models of the computer. Additionally, anyone who's preparing to stay up tonight to pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 can find more information in our dedicated section on the console below.

M4 MacBook Air

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 $102 off all three of the new configurations of this notebook. Prices start at $912.00 for the 256GB model, then raise to $1,097.00 for the 16GB/512GB model and $1,307.00 for the 24GB/512GB model.

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 $1,297.00 and the 24GB/512GB model is on sale for $1,487.00.

Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Orders

Nintendo's newest console, the Nintendo Switch 2, is going up for online pre-orders in the United States at 12 a.m. Eastern Time on April 24 at select retailers. If you plan to stay up for pre-orders, we've got all the information you need to purchase the new console shared below.

All of the usual U.S.-based retailers will have the console available for pre-order tonight, including Walmart, Target, and Best Buy. You can also head to Nintendo's website and enter your email to register for a chance to purchase the console. Customers aren't expected to get responses from Nintendo until early May, so if you want to guarantee yourself a Switch 2, your best bet will still be shopping at a retailer below as soon as possible.

Walmart

• Nintendo Switch 2 System - $449.00
• Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle - $499.00
• Donkey Kong Bananza - $69.00
• Mario Kart World - $79.00
• Nintendo Switch 2 Camera - $54.00
• Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller - $84.00
• Joy-Con 2 (left and right) - $94.00

Target

• Nintendo Switch 2 System - $449.99
• Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle - $499.99
• Donkey Kong Bananza - $69.99
• Mario Kart World - $79.99
• Nintendo Switch 2 Camera - $54.99
• Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller - $84.99
• Joy-Con 2 (left and right) - $94.99

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.

---

Apple hasn't introduced a major update for the AirPods Max since the headphones came out in 2020, but last year there was a minor refresh with new color options and an upgrade to USB-C charging. With no additional new features on the horizon, we thought we'd take a look at whether the ‌AirPods Max‌ are worth picking up in 2025.

The transition to USB-C didn't upgrade any other internal hardware, so reviews from 2020 about Active Noise Cancellation and sound quality are still valid. The ‌AirPods Max‌ sound great even after five years, but nothing has improved in terms of the overarching listening experience, and with no design updates, the ‌AirPods Max‌ are still on the heavy side for ANC over-ear headphones, and some people find them uncomfortable.

USB-C charging is definitely more convenient than the Lightning-based charging from the prior model, but there is one other change that could draw audiophiles to the ‌AirPods Max‌. With a USB-C wired connection, the ‌AirPods Max‌ support 24-bit 48kHz lossless audio and ultra-low latency, which means you can listen to music the way the artist intended it to sound in the studio.

The latency improvement is notable if you want to use your ‌AirPods Max‌ for things like gaming or editing with a Mac, because there's no longer a Bluetooth listening delay. Unfortunately, you need the USB-C version of the ‌AirPods Max‌ to use these new features, so if you have older Lightning-based ‌AirPods Max‌ that you bought sometime in the last five years, you won't get the lossless and latency improvements.

‌AirPods Max‌ are still stylish and you get Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos, which go a long way toward improving the listening experience, plus the ANC is still competitive with other brands. If you can get the ‌AirPods Max‌ on sale so you're not shelling out over $500, the USB-C model is worth considering, but make sure you like the fit.

Netflix recreated an Apple Store from the ground up for its newly released thriller "iHostage," a dramatization of the real-life hostage crisis that took place at Apple's Leidseplein retail store in Amsterdam in 2022.

Since filming inside an actual ‌Apple Store‌ was not possible, Netflix and the production team behind "iHostage" reconstructed a full-scale replica of the Amsterdam location. The recreation was designed to match the original ‌Apple Store‌'s layout and architecture, using advanced virtual production techniques to replicate the store's surrounding environment.

To build the replica, the production team constructed the interior set on a soundstage, surrounded by a high-resolution LED wall. This display allowed the filmmakers to render a photorealistic virtual version of the Leidseplein area in real-time, simulating outdoor lighting, reflections, and movement visible through the store's large glass façade. This technique has been popularized by productions such as Disney's "The Mandalorian," enabling dynamic camera movement and lighting changes without requiring location shooting. Apple's store design and branding were faithfully recreated based on publicly available references, floorplans, and photographs.

The real-life incident occurred on February 22, 2022, when a 27-year-old armed man entered the Amsterdam ‌Apple Store‌ and took a customer hostage with a firearm, claiming he had explosives. The perpetrator demanded €200 million (approximately $227 million at the time) in cryptocurrency and a safe exit. Dutch authorities responded by cordoning off the area and deploying special police units. Over 70 people were evacuated from the building during the five-hour standoff, including customers and employees who had concealed themselves in storage spaces and other rooms. "iHostage" is available to watch on Netflix now.

Last week, Apple introduced a special offer on Apple TV+, allowing customers a chance to get the service for just $2.99 per month for three months. This offer is still live today, but it will expire for good tomorrow, April 24.

Only new and qualified returning customers can gain access to this offer. After the three month period ends, your subscription will return to the regular pricing of $9.99 per month.

The offer is available in the Apple TV app, and at tv.apple.com, through April 24. Unfortunately, existing subscribers are not eligible to receive the discount.

The promotion is running in other countries, too. In Canada, for example, the special price is set at $3.99 per month. In the U.K., it is set at £2.99.

With an Apple TV+ subscription, you can watch all of Apple's original shows and films. You can also watch select MLB and MLS games with weekly Friday Night Baseball and Sunday Night Soccer doubleheaders, at no additional cost.

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.

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.

---

Apple shipped significantly more MacBooks during the first quarter of 2025, outpacing the broader PC market, according to new estimates from Counterpoint Research.

While the overall PC market grew 6.7% compared to the same period in 2024, Apple led major vendors with a 17% increase in unit shipments. However, the report attributes much of the industry's first-quarter gains to accelerated shipments as manufacturers moved to avoid new tariffs expected to be implemented by the United States later in the year.

Temporary exemptions on tariffs for certain electronic products allowed companies to front-load shipments during the exemption window. As a result, the increase in shipped units does not necessarily translate to higher sales to end users, and many of the products delivered in the first quarter are expected to remain in inventory throughout the coming months.

For Apple, the launch of the M4 MacBook Air in March 2025 also contributed to its shipment volume. Despite Apple touting the M4 chip's AI capabilities, the report notes that the shipment gains are not necessarily a sign of growing consumer interest in AI PCs.

Apple reportedly increased its share of global PC shipments from approximately 9% in the first quarter of 2024 to 10% in the first quarter of 2025. Lenovo retained the largest market share overall. Apple typically reports product revenue rather than unit shipments, making third-party estimates an indirect measure of market activity.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Whisky, a popular open-source front-end for Wine that made Windows gaming on Mac more accessible, has ceased development. The project's 18-year-old creator, Isaac Marovitz, announced the shutdown and encouraged users to switch to the paid CrossOver app instead.

In offering the reasons for his decision, Marovitz expressed concern that Whisky was potentially harming the Wine ecosystem by competing with CrossOver, a commercial product from CodeWeavers that helps fund Wine development.

"Whisky, in my opinion, has not been a positive on the Wine community as a whole," he wrote on the project's website. He said that Whisky contributed "practically zero" to Wine development while potentially threatening CrossOver's financial viability.

Marovitz is also a full-time student currently attending Northeastern University, and so he has had to balance the increasing demands of the project with his academic responsibilities. "I lost interest in the project," he admitted. "And as I'm still a student and also not being paid for work on Whisky, it becomes hard to justify working on it if I no longer enjoy it." He said that occasional updates to Whisky may still come if macOS "fundamentally breaks the main app," which happened with macOS Sequoia 15.4.

Writing on the Codeweavers blog, CEO James B. Ramey said in response that he appreciated Marovitz's work. "We 'tip our cap' to Isaac and the impact he made to macOS gaming," Ramey wrote, acknowledging that Whisky, like CrossOver, was "a labor of love built by people who care deeply about giving users more choices."

During its run, Whisky gained popularity for its user-friendly interface that simplified running Windows games on macOS. The project highlighted the potential of Apple's own Game Porting Toolkit, which is based on the same Wine technology that powered both Whisky and CrossOver.

Despite stepping away from Whisky, Marovitz told Ars Technica he isn't done with Mac gaming: "Right now I'm working on the recompilation of Sonic Unleashed and bringing it fully to Mac."