MacRumors

With iOS software releases, it is typical for Apple to be constantly iterating. When a new version of iOS comes out, a new iOS beta almost always follows the day after. iOS 17.4 was released on Tuesday, March 5, and no iOS 17.5 beta followed as is typical. So when might Apple provide the first iOS 17.5 beta?

It's now been more than three weeks since the launch of iOS 17.4, and pauses like this are unusual, but not unheard of. Sometimes there are droughts because of major features, or holidays, and in this case, it could be both.

Apple is still navigating the app ecosystem changes that were introduced in iOS 17.4, and there are tweaks coming. Apple planned to allow third-party apps to be downloaded only from alternative app marketplaces, but now alternative apps will be provided directly from websites too. The option to download an app from a website has not been introduced as of yet, and it is an unexpected change, so it likely requires some behind the scenes work. There are also other potential changes that Apple must make in the EU as the European Commission investigates its compliance, another factor that may be eating up resources.

This weekend marks the Easter holiday, and holidays can sometimes cause betas to be pushed back too.

When considering these factors, it makes some sense that we haven't yet had an iOS 17.5 beta. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Thursday that Apple's "beta 1 development finishes next week," which suggests that we could see a beta release next week or the week after.

Here are the wait times between .4 public releases and .5 first developer betas from prior years:

• iOS 13 - 7 days
• iOS 14 - 6 days
• iOS 15 - 22 days
• iOS 16 - 1 day

If iOS 17.5 is released on April 2, it will be 28 days between the prior release and the beta software, and if it comes a week after that, it will have been 35 days.

After the beta does go out, we'll likely see a release sometime during the month of May. Prior .5 public releases have happened on May 18, May 16, April 26, and May 20.

Update: Apple released the first beta of iOS 17.5 to developers on Tuesday, April 2.

Thieves in Montreal, Canada have been using Apple's AirTags to facilitate vehicle theft, according to a report from Vermont news sites WCAX and NBC5 (via 9to5Mac). Police officers in Burlington, Vermont have issued a warning about AirTags for drivers who recently visited Canada.

Two Burlington residents found Apple AirTags in their vehicles after returning from trips to Montreal, and these are not the first reports that officers have encountered. One man, Ethan Yang, said he was coming from Montreal after visiting family, and he was alerted that there was an AirTag traveling with him. He was able to use his phone to make the ‌AirTag‌ beep, and he was able to locate the device, which had been placed in the front grille of the vehicle.

Ryan McLiverty, a cyber analyst at the Vermont Intelligence Center, said that while these incidents have been happening for some time, there has been a new spike in activity. Criminals in Montreal are using AirTags to track cars, steal them, and then sell them abroad. There's also a possibility that the AirTags are being used to tag cars as part of an effort to move drugs across the border.

Travelers who are concerned about being tracked via an ‌AirTag‌ should know that there are built-in safety features. An ‌AirTag‌ will send an alert if it is not within distance of the person that owns it, and this alert will show up on iPhones. Android phones are also able to detect unknown Bluetooth trackers, including AirTags, plus Apple has a Tracker Detect app that scans for them.

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss all of the rumors surrounding WWDC 2024 and iOS 18.

Earlier this week, Apple announced that its 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place between June 10 and June 14. The event is almost certain to see the introduction of ‌iOS 18‌ and all of Apple's other major upcoming software updates.

‌iOS 18‌ is expected to focus on artificial intelligence features, likely powered by Google's Gemini. New AI capabilities are rumored to come to Siri, Messages, Shortcuts, Spotlight, Health, Apple Music, Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, but the company is expected to stop short of offering a full-fledged AI chatbot.

Beyond AI, ‌iOS 18‌ will reportedly bring more flexible Home Screen customization, custom routes and topographic maps in the Maps app, "scenes" in the Freeform app, RCS support, new accessibility features such as a hearing aid mode for the AirPods Pro, and potentially a slight redesign inspired by visionOS.

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The first ever discount on Apple Vision Pro headlines this week's best Apple deals, and it's still available at Woot. You'll also find great discounts on the new M3 MacBook Air models, second generation Apple Watch SE, and an all-time low price on the AirTag 4-Pack.

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 Vision Pro

• What's the deal? Get $200 off Apple Vision Pro
• Where can I get it? Woot
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

The most notable deal of the week came from Woot, which still has the first discount that we've ever seen on Apple Vision Pro. Woot offers small and medium sizes for the solo knit band and dual loop band, as well as the 21W light seal. The headset is in new condition and comes with a one year Apple Manufacturer Limited Warranty.

MacBook Pro

• What's the deal? Get $300 off 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro
• Where can I get it? Amazon

Amazon has a new record low discount on Apple's 14-inch 1TB M3 MacBook Pro, available for $1,499.00, down from $1,799.00. This is a massive $300 markdown on the computer, and the best price that we've ever tracked on this 8GB RAM/1TB model.

MacBook Air

• What's the deal? Get up to $125 off 13-inch and 15-inch M3 MacBook Air
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

We saw Apple's 13-inch and 15-inch M3 MacBook Air hit multiple new all-time low prices this week, and they're all still available on Amazon. Prices start as low as $999.00 for the 256GB 13-inch M3 MacBook Air, and for 15-inch models this sale has expanded since we originally posted, now including two 512GB models.

Apple Watch SE

• What's the deal? Get $60 off Apple Watch SE
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Next, the Apple Watch SE hit second-best prices at Amazon this week, available for $60 off both the 40mm and 44mm GPS models. Compared to previous sales, these are just $10 higher than all-time low prices, so they're still great deals for anyone shopping for a cheaper Apple Watch this Spring.

AirTag

• What's the deal? Get $24 off the AirTag 4-Pack
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Finally, Amazon has a record low price on the AirTag 4-Pack this week, available for $74.99, down from $99.00. This is one of the only times we've tracked the AirTag 4-Pack at this low price in 2024, so we definitely recommend purchasing if you've been waiting for a great deal.

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.

In November, Apple announced that the iPhone would support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the Messages app starting "later" in 2024, and Google has now revealed a more narrow timeframe.

In a since-deleted section of the revamped Google Messages web page, spotted by 9to5Google, Google said that Apple would be adopting RCS on the iPhone in the "fall of 2024." This timeframe suggests that RCS support will be added to the iPhone with iOS 18, which should be available in beta in June and released in September. At the latest, support should be added in iOS 18.1, which is likely to be released in October.

RCS support should result in the following improvements in the Messages app for conversations between iPhones and Android smartphones:

• Higher-resolution photos and videos
• Audio messages
• Typing indicators
• Read receipts
• Wi-Fi messaging
• Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation that includes Android users

These modern features are already available for iMessage, and in many third-party messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram. RCS support on the iPhone will extend the features to green bubbles in the Messages app.

A $3 third-party app can now record spatial video on iPhone 15 Pro models in a higher resolution than Apple's very own Camera app.

Thanks to an update first spotted by UploadVR, Spatialify can now record spatial videos with HDR in 1080p at 60fps or in 4K at 30fps. In comparison, Apple's native Camera app is limited to recording spatial video in 1080p at 30fps.

Shortly after Apple's Vision Pro headset launched in February in the United States, Apple released iOS 17.2, which brought the new spatial video recording format to iPhone 15 Pro models.

When viewed on iPhone, spatial videos appear as normal videos, but viewed on Vision Pro they provide an immersive viewing experience on Vision Pro that is almost three-dimensional.

Combined with advanced computational videography techniques and HEVC compression, spatial videos filmed at 30fps in 1080p take up around 130MB of storage space for one minute of video, so bear that in mind when shooting using Spatialify's higher resolution options, which will take up substantially more storage.

Spatialify first made headlines back in November, before Apple Vision Pro had been launched, when a TestFlight version of the app became available. This allowed iPhone 15 Pro users running the iOS 17.2 beta to record spatial video in a format that could be played back on Meta Quest 3 and other 3D headsets and TVs.

Spatialify is available to download on the App Store. The app costs $3 and requires an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to shoot spatial video.

Photos of the first iPhone 16 cases have been shared online, offering another preview of the rumored new vertical rear camera arrangement on the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.

Over the last few months, Apple has been experimenting with different camera bump designs for the standard iPhone 16 models, all of which have featured a vertical camera arrangement.

The latest prototype features the same arrangement with two separate camera rings for the Wide and Ultra Wide cameras, housed within a pill-shaped raised surface, suggesting Apple has drawn inspiration from older iPhone models, such as the ‌iPhone‌ X. The microphone sits next to the lenses, while the camera flash is located on the back of the device outside of the bump.

With the vertical camera layout, Apple is expected to bring spatial video recording to the standard ‌iPhone 16‌ and ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus models. Current iPhone 15 models have a diagonal camera arrangement and are not able to capture spatial video, a feature that is limited to the iPhone 15 Pro models and the Vision Pro headset.

• How to Record Spatial Video on iPhone 15 Pro

In addition to the updated camera bump design, recent ‌iPhone 16‌ prototypes have also featured an Action Button similar to the one used on ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌, and a pressure-sensitive Capture button for shooting horizontal video that sits flush with the frame of the device. Indeed, an opening for the Capture button can be seen in the latest cases.

The existence of cases at this early stage does not necessarily confirm that Apple has settled on this design for the iPhone 16. Third-party case makers also often base their initial case designs for upcoming iPhones on leaks and rumors, so the images may not be true representations. That said, the recent consistent trickle of leaks suggest Apple now has this year's iPhone 16 design nailed down.

Apple is expected to launch its iPhone 16 series sometime in September. For additional details on Apple's next-generation 2024 smartphones, check out our dedicated rumor roundups for iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.

OLED panel supply issues may be partly behind Apple's iPad Pro launch delay, based on reports coming out of Korea.

Apple's original plan was to rely on different OLED display suppliers for the upcoming iPad Pro models, with Samsung Display exclusively producing ~11-inch panels and LG Display responsible for the required ~13-inch panels.

The division of labor was reportedly due to changes in Apple's demand outlook for OLED iPad Pro models, as well as the unstable production capacity and yield of the two suppliers, which are both still getting to grips with Apple's requirement for new panel technologies.

Early reports suggested the new models could arrive as soon as this month. However, according to Korean news site hankooki.com, Samsung has recently faced poor yields of the ~11-inch OLED panels, and it has been unable to meet Apple's order quantity. The shortfall has led Apple to transfer some orders for the smaller panel to LG Display. The latter is subsequently expected to increase its order by hundreds of thousands of units going into next month.

Given the reallocation, LG Display is now likely to supply 60% of the panels for the upcoming iPad Pro models. The company has invested millions of dollars into its sixth-generation small- and medium-sized OLED production line, and has now passed Apple's quality control standards for the smaller panels, enabling it to take up the slack from Samsung.

Apple earlier this month ordered an initial 8.5 million OLED display panels from the South Korean suppliers. Apple's latest shipments forecast is said to have been a decrease from the 10 million units that were projected for 2024 last year.

Apple is rumored to be aiming for "unrivaled" display quality with the new iPad Pro models, which will use a tandem OLED structure. The tandem structure is a method of stacking two layers of OLED light-emitting layers. It is superior to the luminance (screen brightness) and lifespan of a single OLED structure with one light-emitting layer. The iPhone currently uses a single stack OLED display with one light-emitting layer.

Apple will now introduce new iPad Pro models alongside new iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is apparently working to "finish software for the new devices," and the iPad Pro models also need "complex new manufacturing techniques," which Gurman says has contributed to the delay.

Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 Pro models will use an improved process for finishing and coloring titanium, claims a new rumor out of Korea.

According to news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Naver blog, the new process will make the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max look more polished than the iPhone 15 Pro models, which have a brushed finish.

The improved manufacturing process will allegedly result in a glossy appearance that is more akin to the heavily polished stainless steel material used in previous Pro iPhones. However, the new titanium finish will be less prone to scratches compared to stainless steel.

The ‌‌brushed finish on ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models‌‌ is considerably less reflective than the finish of previous Pro iPhones. It is less prone to fingerprints and also reduces scratch visibility. Apart from looks though, Apple's use of a titanium frame for its ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro devices also cut down the weight of the devices. The ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max are approximately nine percent lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max.

In addition, the titanium frame and aluminum substructure also provides better heat dissipation than any previous-generation Pro models with stainless steel frames, according to Apple.

A rumor earlier this week claimed that the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ models will come in new "space black" and "rose" titanium colors. The "rose" is a gold shade, while "space black" could replace the black titanium option. Apple is expected to release the iPhone 16 series in the fall.

Oregon this week signed a Right to Repair bill into law, and it is notable because it is the first such law that puts a stop to the practice of parts pairing. Manufacturers like Apple are not able to require customers to use Apple-sourced parts that then have to be authenticated, with the bill giving Apple device owners the right to use new parts, used parts, or third-party parts.

Apple has launched repair tools for both independent repair shops and consumers, but repair components must be purchased directly from Apple. Components must be paired with a device serial number after being installed, which prevents unauthorized repairs that use third-party components. The bill states that companies cannot reduce the performance of a device or display misleading warnings for parts that are not properly paired.

According to repair site iFixit, Oregon's Right to Repair law is the strongest that has been passed to date. It does have consumer protections, such as requiring independent repair shops to have a "valid and unexpired certification" ensuring the person doing the repair has the "technical capabilities and competence necessary" to make a successful fix.

The elimination of the parts pairing restriction will allow independent repair shops to make more repairs without having to rely solely on components from Apple.

In addition to preventing manufacturers from requiring components to be free from pairing restrictions, the law requires companies to make parts, tools, documentation, and software available for smartphones produced in 2021 or later. For other electronics like computers, it is applicable to devices produced in 2015 and later.

Apple did not support Oregon's Right to Repair bill, and the company has said that it will result in safety and security issues for consumers. Apple will need to comply with the parts pairing portion of the bill for products made after January 1, 2025.

Amazon today launched the Amazon One app, which is designed to allow customers to scan their palms to make device-free purchases at Whole Foods, Panera Bread, and 150 third-party locations in stadiums, airports, fitness centers, and convenience stores.

Prior to the launch of the app, signing up for Amazon One had to be done in a physical location with an Amazon One device. The app lets customers create a profile, take a photo of their palm, and add a payment method. Finishing sign-up will still require an initial interaction with an Amazon One machine.

Amazon One can be used for payment, entry to venues, age verification, and loyalty rewards. The service uses generative AI to match a camera phone photo of a person's palm to near-infrared imagery from an Amazon One scanner.

The AI system is able to pair palm and vein imagery to create a unique, numerical vector representation that is used for identity matching. Amazon says that it is 99.99 percent accurate.

Palm images taken with the app are encrypted and sent to a secure Amazon One domain in the AWS cloud. Amazon says the service is convenient for consumers and businesses, and that it sees many repeat users at Whole Foods. Amazon One can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

A lawsuit targeting Apple's refusal to allow apps to support cryptocurrency transactions was today tossed out by a San Francisco judge, reports Reuters. The lawsuit, which was filed by Venmo and Cash App customers, claimed that Apple drove up the fees charged by Venmo and Cash App by not letting payment apps facilitate cryptocurrency transactions.

The plaintiffs alleged that Apple curbed competition in the mobile peer-to-peer payment market with its App Store guidelines. No option for cryptocurrency has supposedly caused Venmo and Cash App to raise prices for transactions and services due to "no competitive check." A payment app that is based on decentralized cryptocurrency technology would let iPhone users "send payments to each other without any intermediary at all."

According to the lawsuit, Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, and other payment providers agreed to an ‌App Store‌ guideline that does not allow for cryptocurrency transactions, which constitutes an "unlawful agreement." Apple asked for the case to be thrown out because the plaintiffs were not able to demonstrate illegal app rules or business agreements, and the judge agreed.

Apple's ‌App Store‌ rules allow cryptocurrency wallets that store virtual currency, and apps can facilitate cryptocurrency transactions on an approved exchange in countries where the app has licensing and permission to operate a crypto exchange.

The judge overseeing the case called it "speculative" and said it "suffers from several fatal problems." The plaintiffs have been given 21 days to submit an amended complaint, but the judge does not believe the case can be saved.

Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again.

Apple is working on updates to both the ‌iPad Pro‌ and ‌iPad Air‌ models. The ‌iPad Pro‌ models will get OLED display technology and the new M3 chips, while the ‌iPad Air‌ will come in the standard 10.9-inch size and a larger 12.9-inch size.

According to Gurman, Apple's suppliers are ramping up production of the new iPads at the current time. Apple initially planned to launch the iPads in March or early April, but is apparently working to "finish software for the new devices." The OLED ‌iPad Pro‌ models also need "complex new manufacturing techniques," which Gurman says has contributed to the delay.

Apple this month sued its former employee Andrew Aude in California state court, alleging that he breached the company's confidentiality agreement and violated labor laws by leaking sensitive information to the media and employees at other tech companies. Apple has demanded a jury trial, and it is seeking damages in excess of $25,000.

Aude joined Apple as an iOS software engineer in 2016, shortly after graduating college. He worked on optimizing battery performance, making him "privy to information regarding dozens of Apple's most sensitive projects," according to the complaint.

Leaks

The lawsuit alleges that over a five-year period, Aude used his Apple-issued work iPhone to leak information about more than a half-dozen Apple products and policies, including its then-unannounced Journal app and Vision Pro headset, product development policies, strategies for regulatory compliance, employee headcounts, and more.

In April 2023, for example, Apple alleges that Aude leaked a list of finalized features for the iPhone's Journal app to a journalist at The Wall Street Journal on a phone call. That same month, The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley published a report titled "Apple Plans iPhone Journaling App in Expansion of Health Initiatives."

Using the encrypted messaging app Signal, Aude is said to have sent "over 1,400" messages to the same journalist, who Aude referred to as "Homeboy." He is also accused of sending "over 10,000 text messages" to another journalist at the website The Information, and he allegedly traveled "across the continent" to meet with her.

Other leaks relate to the Vision Pro and other hardware:

As another example, an October 2020 screenshot on Mr. Aude's Apple-issued work iPhone shows that he disclosed Apple's development of products within the spatial computing space to a non-Apple employee. Mr. Aude made this disclosure even though Apple's development efforts were confidential and not known to the public. Over the following months, Mr. Aude disclosed additional Apple confidential information—including information concerning unannounced products, and hardware information.

Apple believes that Aude's actions were "extensive and purposeful," with Aude allegedly admitting that he leaked information so he could "kill" products and features with which he took issue. The company alleges that his wrongful disclosures resulted in at least five news articles discussing the company's confidential and proprietary information. Apple says these public revelations impeded its ability to "surprise and delight" with its latest products.

Apple Finds Out

Apple said it learned of Aude's wrongful disclosures in late 2023, and the company fired him for his alleged misconduct in December of that year.

In a November 2023 interview, Apple alleges that Aude denied leaking confidential information to anyone. However, during that interview, Apple alleges that Aude went to the bathroom and deleted "significant amounts of evidence" from his work iPhone, including the Signal app that he used to communicate with "Homeboy."

During a follow-up interview in December 2023, Apple alleges that Aude admitted to some of his wrongful disclosures, but claims he only provided "narrow admissions limited to the information he had not been able to destroy."

Apple attempted to resolve this matter out of court, but it said Aude was uncooperative:

Apple does not bring suit against its former employees lightly. As a result of Mr. Aude's willful destruction of evidence, however, Apple cannot know the universe of what he disclosed to whom and when. Before filing this lawsuit, Apple reached out to Mr. Aude to potentially resolve this matter. Over a month ago, Apple contacted Mr. Aude to understand the full scope of his leaks and ask for his full cooperation in resolving this matter without litigation. Mr. Aude, however, did not commit to cooperating.

Aude has also allegedly refused to divest of the restricted Apple stock units that he received as part of his compensation package.

Apple said that Aude poses an "ongoing threat" to the company due to his "long and extensive history of disclosing [confidential information] to third parties intentionally and without authorization, his continued relationships with individuals at other technology companies, and journalists, and his attempts to conceal his misconduct."

Apple is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages in an amount to be determined at trial, and it is also seeking other legal remedies.

The full complaint can be viewed in this PDF file.

Students who entered the WWDC 2024 coding challenge can today sign in to Apple's Swift Student Challenge website to find out if they've won. Apple has selected 350 winners, who are eligible to attend the WWDC 2024 special event at Apple Park on Monday, June 10.

There are 50 Distinguished Winners who will be invited to Cupertino for a three-day ‌Apple Park‌ event that will include the keynote meetup and two additional days of opportunities to interface with Apple engineers.

Those who are not selected as Distinguished Winners can enter Apple's lottery for a chance to be able to be selected to go to the ‌Apple Park‌ keynote event. Apple is inviting developers and students to apply, but because space is limited, selections are made through a random process. Lottery winners will be notified on Thursday, April 4.

• How to Sign Up to Attend Apple's Special Event

Swift Student Challenge winners who are not picked to go to the ‌Apple Park‌ event can follow along with Apple's announcements on the Apple Developer website, the Apple Developer app, and YouTube. Winners will also be eligible to enter to attend future WWDC events for the next two years.

Lottery winners selected for Apple's event will need to fund their own travel to Cupertino, California, purchasing plane tickets and hotel accommodations.

Apple's annual Swift Student Challenge tasks students with creating an innovative coding project using the Swift Playgrounds app. Projects are judged based on technical accomplishment, creativity of ideas, and the content of the written responses that explain the project.

In addition to being eligible to attend the WWDC 2024 special event, Swift Student Challenge winners also receive a one year membership in the Apple Developer Program and exclusive merchandise. This year's winners are receiving free AirPods Max headphones.

WWDC 2024 is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14.

Apple today plans to release an Apple Immersive Video that features the best of the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. It is the first-ever sports film captured in Apple Immersive Video, and it will be available on the Vision Pro headset.

Apple in February said that the MLS Playoffs were recorded in 8K 3D with a 180-degree field of view and Spatial Audio, giving viewers the opportunity to feel "every heart-pounding moment" of the playoffs.

As Jason Snell from Six Colors points out, Apple's video is being released 110 days after the 2023 MLS Cup Final, which is quite the wait. The video is also just five minutes long.

The MLS documentary is set to premiere on the Vision Pro at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time or 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time tonight.

The company behind the new "Clicks" physical keyboard accessory for the iPhone says it will soon start shipping for a few more models.

In an email shared by Parker Ortolani on Threads this week, the company said the iPhone 15 Pro version of the keyboard will begin shipping to customers worldwide by April 15. And on the Clicks website, the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max versions of the keyboard are estimated to ship by April 30 and in May, respectively.

Clicks started shipping the iPhone 14 Pro version of the keyboard in February, and this is the only model that has arrived to customers so far. The keyboard was first announced in early January, ahead of the annual CES tech conference.

Inspired by the once-popular BlackBerry smartphone, Clicks is both a physical keyboard and a case for the iPhone. The keyboard connects to the iPhone's USB-C or Lightning port, and it features dedicated keys for emoji and dictation, backlit keys, and a pass-through charging port. Wireless charging is still supported through the case.

One advantage of using a physical keyboard with an iPhone is a full-screen experience, as the on-screen keyboard does not appear. There are also keyboard shortcuts, such as CMD-H to return to the Home Screen and CMD-Space to open Spotlight.

The obvious downsides of the keyboard are the added size and weight, but there is a niche market of physical keyboard fans who are willing to put up with these compromises to have an old-school BlackBerry-like typing experience.

Clicks was co-founded by well-known tech personalities "MrMobile" and "CrackBerry Kevin." The keyboard starts at $139 in the U.S., and it is offered in London Sky and BumbleBee color options. It has silicone on the front, and vegan leather on the back. The keyboard is currently sold out, with the company accepting reservations for future availability.

Apple's M3 Ultra chip may be designed as its own, standalone chip, rather than be made up of two M3 Max dies, according to a plausible new theory.

The theory comes from Max Tech's Vadim Yuryev, who outlined his thinking in a post on X earlier today. Citing a post from @techanalye1 which suggests the M3 Max chip no longer features the UltraFusion interconnect, Yuryev postulated that the as-yet-unreleased "M3 Ultra" chip will not be able to comprise two Max chips in a single package. This means that the M3 Ultra is likely to be a standalone chip for the first time.

This would enable Apple to make specific customizations to the M3 Ultra to make it more suitable for intense workflows. For example, the company could omit efficiency cores entirely in favor of an all-performance core design, as well as add even more GPU cores. At minimum, a single M3 Ultra chip designed in this way would be almost certain to offer better performance scaling than the M2 Ultra did compared to the ‌M2‌ Max, since there would no longer be efficiency losses over the UltraFusion interconnect.

Furthermore, Yuryev speculated that the M3 Ultra could feature its own UltraFusion interconnect, allowing two M3 Ultra dies to be combined in a single package for double the performance in a hypothetical "M3 Extreme" chip. This would enable superior performance scaling compared to packaging four M3 Max dies and open the possibility of even higher amounts of unified memory.

Little is currently known about the M3 Ultra chip, but a report in January suggested that it will be fabricated using TSMC's N3E node, just like the A18 chip that is expected to debut in the iPhone 16 lineup later in the year. This means it would be Apple's first N3E chip. The M3 Ultra is rumored to launch in a refreshed Mac Studio model in mid-2024.