A YouTuber has put Apple's claims for the durability of the Apple Watch Ultra to the test by putting it up against a drop test, a jar of nails, and repeated hits with a hammer to test the sapphire crystal protecting the display.
TechRax, a channel popular for testing the durability of products, first tested the Apple Watch Ultra by dropping it from around four feet high. The Apple Watch Ultra was left mostly unscuffed, aside from some minor dents along the titanium casing. Next, the Apple Watch Ultra was mixed around in a jar of nails and was once again left with no visible marks.
TechRax also tested the durability of the Apple Watch Ultra's sapphire crystal display cover by repeatedly hitting it with a hammer. In the test, the watch withstood repeated hits with the hammer until it finally cracked, and only after the table took some damage first.
While the Apple Watch Ultra's display did not initially take damage, the watch did fail to turn on after repeated hits. The failure to power on could indicate that while the sapphire may not have broken at first, some internal components may have suffered damage. Of course, the test is unrealistic in portraying a typical use case of the Apple Watch Ultra, but it may provide some customers reassurance about the strength of the sapphire crystal display cover.
Apple claims the Apple Watch Ultra is its most rugged, durable, and extreme Apple Watch yet, appearing to be aimed to compete directly with Garmin. In response to the Apple Watch Ultra, Garmin said it measures battery life in "months" and not "hours." The Apple Watch Ultra is priced at $799 and began arriving to customers on Friday.
A new report from The Information today reveals much of the internal turmoil behind Apple Intelligence's revamped version of Siri.
Apple apparently weighed up multiple options for the backend of Apple Intelligence. One initial idea was to build both small and large language models, dubbed "Mini Mouse" and "Mighty Mouse," to run locally on iPhones and in the cloud, respectively. Siri's...
Thursday April 10, 2025 4:19 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the MacBook Pro is now several years away, think again.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small...
YouTube channel Front Page Tech is back today with another video that provides a closer look at iOS 19's alleged design changes.
The video contains re-created renders of iOS 19, which are allegedly based on real footage of the software update, provided by sources within Apple. Overall, iOS 19 is expected to have a more glass-like, visionOS-inspired design, with added translucency for user...
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then.
We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025.
iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
Wednesday April 9, 2025 9:56 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple will be permanently closing its store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook on April 26, the company has announced.
Apple has added the following notice to the store's web page:Thank you Northbook. Apple Northbrook is closing on April 26 at 7pm. We're still here for you. Please visit apple.com/retail to find your nearest store.Apple Northbrook opened ...
Wednesday April 9, 2025 8:56 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple employees are testing iOS 18.4.1 for iPhones, according to the MacRumors visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update will likely be released in a week or two, if not sooner.
As the version number implies, iOS 18.4.1 will obviously be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities.
There are no...
Wednesday April 9, 2025 9:09 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple released the first beta of iOS 18.5 last week, and so far the software update includes only two minor changes.
The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps.
In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner.
In the Settings app, there is some new AppleCare+ information.
For ...
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models will feature a redesigned rear camera panel that spans the width of the device, but it will be the same color as the iPhone itself, rather than being part of a two-tone design.
That's according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, the reporter says the iPhone 17 Pro won't have a two-toned back, as some renders have...
Later this year, Apple will introduce the iPhone 17 series, which includes the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max, two new high-end flagship devices that will be sold alongside the regular iPhone 17 and an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air.
If you have been holding out for the iPhone 17 Pro or its bigger sibling, here are five of the biggest changes, informed by the latest reports and...
