Apple's new product releases earlier today have generated a lot of excitement and analysis, as well as comments from those who have managed to get their hands on the new models, and here are some of the tidbits we've seen.
iMac - In its hands-on review, Gizmodo highlights the fact that the expanded chassis compared to the previous 20-inch and 24-inch models allowed Apple to double the number of RAM slots to four, allowing the new iMac to accept up to 16 GB of RAM. - Gizmodo also notes that the larger chassis allowed Apple to upgrade the audio performance on the new models, yielding a "noticeable difference". - The use of quad-core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors at the high end of the 27-inch model marks Apple's first use of desktop class processors in its "thin" iMac designs. Apple has traditionally used mobile processors in its iMac line for their lower thermal output, but the large chassis of the 27-inch model apparently allows for sufficient ventilation to permit the use of desktop processors. - The 27-inch iMac supports video input via its DisplayPort connector, allowing the machine to be used as a display for external sources.
- The 27-inch iMac is wall-mountable via an optional VESA adapter, but the 21.5-inch model is not.
MacBook - Engadget was able to get its hands on the new MacBook and notes that it feels more solid than the previous model. Gizmodo notes, however, that the new design looks and feels "chubbier" than the previous model, despite identical thickness. - The new MacBook comes with a MacBook Air-style MagSafe power connector with the cord exiting from the side of the connector rather than from straight-on. - The new MacBook now utilizes Mini DisplayPort for video output as opposed to the Mini-DVI used on earlier models. It also loses the Firewire 400 port and swaps in a combined audio in/out port for the separate ports present on its predecessor.
Overall Notes - A report from French site Mac4Ever late last month was nearly dead-on in its claims, correctly pegging the inclusion of quad-core processors and an SD card slot in the new iMac, as well as the multi-touch Magic Mouse and the aluminum Apple Remote all announced today.
Thursday January 23, 2025 6:41 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 18.3 should be released to the public next week, following beta testing since mid-December. While the software update is a relatively minor one, it still includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes for iPhones.
Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.3.
Notification Summary Changes
Examples of inaccurate Apple Intelligence notification summaries
Apple Intelligence...
Friday January 24, 2025 1:55 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is set to release iOS 18.3 next week, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a couple of neat new capabilities to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 devices, and bug fixes.
While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.3 still introduces capabilities that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've...
Friday January 24, 2025 8:16 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 18.3 is expected to be widely released next week, and that means the first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner.
Apple has previously implied that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, as that is when it promised to make Apple Intelligence available in even more languages.
Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far.
Apple Intelligence for Siri
Siri ...
Thursday January 23, 2025 7:32 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Walmart still does not accept Apple Pay or other NFC payments at its more than 4,600 stores across the U.S., and it stood firm on its reasoning for that today.
A spokesperson for Walmart today informed MacRumors that its position on contactless payments has not changed since we last reached out about the matter in 2022. The big-box retailer said it remains focused on its own convenient...
Wednesday January 22, 2025 6:01 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year. In this article, we recap rumored features and changes for the device.
The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports Wi-Fi 6E, which would be an upgrade over the current Apple TV's standard Wi-Fi 6 support. Wi-Fi 6E extends the...
Tuesday January 21, 2025 4:31 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 18.3 today, and with it comes release notes confirming what's new. While we knew about several of the features that are in the update, there are some lesser known tweaks and bug fixes.
The update adds new Visual Intelligence features for iPhone 16 models, it tweaks Notification summaries on all...
Friday January 24, 2025 9:09 am PST by Juli Clover
The upcoming iPhone 17 models that Apple plans to release this year will not feature a smaller Dynamic Island, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today.
On social media, he said that he is expecting the size of the Dynamic Island to remain "largely unchanged" across the iPhone 17 lineup. His statement is contrary to prior rumors that we've heard about planned changes for the iPhone 17 models.
...
Saturday January 25, 2025 5:07 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's retail stores will be rolling out "merchandise/floor marketing updates" next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Gurman did not explicitly say if the store updates are related to any upcoming product announcements, but he did mention that next week is around the time that Apple rolls out its annual Black Unity watch band for the Apple Watch.
In each of the past four years, ...
Thursday January 23, 2025 2:48 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
It's also time for Apple's first product announcement of the year.
Last year, Apple said it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and the wireless earbuds are expected to launch very soon.
Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code
In his Power On newsletter last weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the...
