Top Stories: AirTag 2 Rumors, Black Friday Deals, and More

2024 may be winding down, but things are still busy in the Apple universe as the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear with massive deals while we're also tracking a number of rumors about upcoming Apple products.

top stories 23nov2024
This week also saw several operating system updates from Apple to address some security issues, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

It's been over three years since Apple debuted its AirTag item tracker, and it looks like the company is gearing up to launch a next-generation version around the middle of next year.

airtag purple
Among the changes we're expecting or hoping to see are a new chip for improved location tracking and better range, as well as design changes that will make it harder to remove the speaker, making it more difficult for those who might try to silence an AirTag to use it for stalking purposes.

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now: AirPods, iPads, and More

Black Friday is quickly approaching, and deals are already in full swing. Keep an eye on our Apple Black Friday roundup and our ongoing news coverage to be alerted about the best deals as they drop.

General Black Friday Deals 24 Green Tinsel
We're already seeing record-low prices on a number of Apple products, as well as major sales from Anker, Sonos, and Samsung.

Apple will also be running its traditional Black Friday/Cyber Monday gift card promo, though better deals can usually be found through other retailers.

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

In a research note this week, Barclays analysts said they have "confirmed" with suppliers that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previous rumors, that time frame suggests the new iPhone SE will be announced in March, just like the current model was in 2022.

iPhone SE 4 Single Camera Thumb 3
The fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected to have a similar design as the base iPhone 14, with rumored features including a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, a newer A-series chip, a USB-C port, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, 8GB of RAM to enable Apple Intelligence support, and the previously-mentioned Apple-designed 5G modem.

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Apple this week released several software updates, including iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1.

ios 18 1 1 security
Users are encouraged to update their devices, as these versions include fixes for security issues that have been actively exploited on Intel-based Macs, though the vulnerabilities exist on other platforms.

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

iPhone thicknesses have been growing over the years as Apple has packed more hardware and battery into the devices, but Apple is rumored to be taking things in the other direction with at least one model next year, a device being informally called the "iPhone 17 Air."

iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux
Apple analyst Jeff Pu this week said he agrees with rumors indicating the iPhone 17 Air could be as thin as 6mm, compared to the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus at 7.8mm and the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max at 8.25mm.

Hide iPhone Find My Location Without Raising Suspicion

Ever need a moment of privacy without raising suspicion? If you're secretly shopping for a holiday gift or planning a surprise party, you might want to temporarily obscure your actual location in Apple's Find My app on your iPhone without completely turning off location sharing.

FindMy Feature
Check out a clever trick that lets you keep sharing enabled while displaying a different location – all by using another Apple device you own.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
ios 19 messages app

Here's What Apple's iOS 19 Messages App Might Look Like

Tuesday March 25, 2025 11:52 am PDT by
Leaker Jon Prosser today shared a mockup of what he says the Messages app will look like in iOS 19, demoing an interface with rounded, translucent bubble-shaped navigation buttons at the top and softer, rounder corners for the keyboard and word suggestions. Jon Prosser's Messages app mockup The return button, a button for going back to the Messages list, and the FaceTime button have a deeper...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
airpods max 2024 colors

Don't Buy Into Apple's Hype About AirPods Max Gaining Lossless Audio

Monday March 24, 2025 4:24 pm PDT by
Apple today announced that AirPods Max with a USB-C port will be gaining support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio with a firmware update next month, alongside the release of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4. For context, audio files are typically compressed to keep file sizes smaller. There are lossy compression standards like MP3 and AAC (Advanced Audio Codec), which...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

Gurman: Jon Prosser's iOS 19 Mockups 'Aren't Representative' of Redesign

Tuesday March 25, 2025 4:47 pm PDT by
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media. According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June." Gurman made the same comment ...

Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
18 weeks ago

iPhone thicknesses have been growing over the years as Apple has packed more hardware and battery into the devices, but Apple is rumored to be taking things in the other direction with at least one model next year, a device being informally called the "iPhone 17 Air."
The iPad Air is thicker then iPad Pro. It seems the "Air" name is meaningless now, more like it would work better then continuing the use of the confusing "Plus" with the next iPhone 17 line. For the iPad line the "Air" is lower priced then the "Pro". its also lower priced on the MacBooks product line.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)