Apple this week added iMac models with the M4 chip to its certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and select other countries, for the first time since the computer was introduced in October 2024.
As usual for refurbished Macs, the refurbished iMac configurations are all discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. In the U.S., prices start at $1,099, down from $1,299 brand new.
All of the usual accessories are included in the box with refurbished Macs. For the iMac, this includes a Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, USB-C power adapter, USB-C cable, and power cord. Apple's refurbished products come in a more plain white box.
Apple says it puts refurbished Macs through "full functionality testing" and a "thorough cleaning process and inspection," and they are covered by Apple's one-year limited warranty and eligible for extended AppleCare+ coverage.
In our view, Apple's refurbished Macs are virtually indistinguishable from brand new ones, providing a good opportunity for savings directly from Apple. But, you can often find better deals on Macs through resellers like Amazon.
Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the world's top food publishers, including Allrecipes, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Good Food, and Serious Eats.
The first iOS 18.4 beta does not include any of the new Apple Intelligence features for Siri that were originally expected, such as personal context and on-screen awareness, but the update still has a handful of other new features and changes.
Below, we highlight some of iOS 18.4's key new features.
Available Now
Priority Notifications
iOS 18.4 introduces a promised Apple Intelligence feature that can automatically identify and surface your most important notifications on the Lock Screen.
The option can be turned on in the Settings app under Notifications → Prioritize Notifications.
Apple Intelligence requires an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model.
Apple News+ Food
iOS 18.4 adds a new Food section to the Apple News app on the iPhone. This section will provide Apple News+ subscribers with tens of thousands of recipes and other food-related content from well-known food-related publishers, at no extra cost.
Here is how Apple describes the new Food section:
With the new Food feature, users will be able to find stories curated by Apple News editors, as well as browse, search, and filter tens of thousands of recipes in the Recipe Catalog — with new recipes added every day. The beautifully designed recipe format makes it easy to review ingredients and directions, and a new cook mode takes step-by-step instructions to the full screen. Users can also save their favorite recipes for later and access them offline.
Apple News+ is available in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The service provides digital access to hundreds of major publications, including The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, PEOPLE, The Athletic, Rolling Stone, and others. In the U.S., Apple News+ costs $12.99 per month, and it is also included in the Apple One Premier bundle alongside other Apple services for $37.95 per month.
Ambient Music
iOS 18.4 adds a new Ambient Music feature to the Control Center on the iPhone.
This feature allows you to quickly listen to a collection of songs from four different categories, including Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing.
More
iOS 18.4 makes Apple Intelligence available in more languages, including French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), English (Singapore), and English (India).
There is a new "Sketch" drawing style for the Image Playground feature, alongside existing "Animation" and "Illustration" styles. This feature, powered by Apple Intelligence, lets you generate images based on text descriptions.
It is not in the first beta, but iOS 18.4 will add a new Apple Vision Pro app to the iPhone.
The app will offer Vision Pro users a new way to download apps and games from the App Store, discover Apple TV content, learn helpful Vision Pro tips, quickly access information about their own Vision Pro, and more.
The app will appear for Vision Pro users when they update their iPhone to the iOS 18.4 release, and it will also be available in the App Store.
New Emoji
iOS 18.4 will include new emoji, according to code seen by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.
iOS 15.4, iOS 16.4, and iOS 17.4 all introduced new emoji, so there was a good chance that trend would continue with iOS 18.4.
Last year, the Unicode Consortium previewed the new emoji that should be coming with iOS 18.4, with new options including face with bags under eyes, fingerprint, leafless tree, root vegetable, harp, shovel, splatter, and more.
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017
"APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote.
Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of shareholders voted against a proposal that asked the company to consider abolishing its Inclusion & Diversity policies and goals.
The proposal was submitted by the U.S. National Center for Public Policy Research, which calls itself a "non-partisan, free-market, independent conservative think tank." The organization said that DEI programs pose "litigation, reputational, and financial risks to companies, and therefore financial risks to their shareholders."
Apple recommended that shareholders vote against the proposal, labeling it as an attempt to "micromanage" the company's business operations. Apple said that it already actively monitors its operations to maintain compliance with applicable non‑discrimination laws. During the shareholder meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that the company may be forced to make changes to its DEI policies in the future, as required by law. Trump believes that Apple should get rid of the policies, rather than modify them.
In any case, Cook told shareholders that Apple will always have a culture of belonging.
"We strive to create a culture of belonging where everyone can do their best work," said Apple, in its annual shareholders meeting notice.
Trump has criticized DEI programs since returning to the White House. Last month, he signed an executive order that "terminates 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' (DEI) discrimination in the federal workforce." In response, some other tech companies like Google have scaled back DEI policies in recent weeks.
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.
In macOS, a Text Clipping is a selection of text that you've dragged from an application to another location on your Mac, where it becomes a unique kind of standalone file.
The relatively little-known feature has been around since at least Mac OS 9, and it offers a convenient way to save out pieces of text from pretty much anywhere for later use in another app or document.
To create a Text Clipping, simply highlight any piece of text, then hold left-click and drag it with your mouse to your Desktop or an open Finder window.
This saves the highlighted text – including any rich text formatting – as a .textclipping file named after the first few words of text that you selected, but you can easily rename it to make it more identifiable.
To use the selected text in another file like a Pages document, drag the Text Clipping into the open document and the text will be automatically pasted wherever the cursor is located.
You can paste the clipping in the same way into all sorts of open files and apps, including browser search engines, Mail compose windows, Xcode projects, and more.
To quickly view the contents of a Text Clipping, simply select the file and invoke Quick Look with a tap of the spacebar.
You can also double-click a Text Clipping to view the text in a dedicated window, and even highlight and copy (Command-C) just a snippet of the text from this window for pasting elsewhere.
Text clippings can speed up many repetitive tasks, making things like reusing email/letter templates and code snippets a cinch. If clippings become indispensable to your workflow, consider creating a dedicated folder to store them, otherwise they can quickly clutter up your desktop.
Bear in mind that Text Clippings store content in a unique format that may not be compatible across all platforms or devices. So if you're sharing clippings, it's best to convert them into standard text formats to ensure they can be opened elsewhere.
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist."
In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being corrected to the actual word (racist) as Apple's processing interprets what was said.
Speaking the word racist with dictation doesn't always show "Trump" first, though it did show up more often than other words in our testing. We also saw "Rhett" and "Rouch" appear before the iPhone corrects to racist.
A video depicting the bug has been circulating on TikTok and other social networks. An Apple spokesperson told The New York Times that the issue was due to a phonetic overlap between the two words. It is not clear if this dictation issue existed prior to today and was just now noticed, or if there was some internal change that caused it. Apple said that it is working on a fix.
Former Apple Siri team member John Burkey told The New York Times that there is "probably" code in Apple's systems that is causing the iPhone to write Trump when someone speaks the word racist. "This smells like a serious prank," he said, though he also claimed that it is not clear if it was added into Apple's code or seeded into data that Apple uses for its AI features.
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.
LG TV owners can now install the Philips Hue Sync TV app to synchronize their lights with content on the TV without the need for an additional set-top box.
Hue parent company Signify said in January that the app would expand to LG TVs in early 2025, and it is now available from the LG TV app store. Previously, the app was limited to Samsung TVs.
The app is priced at $130 without a subscription, or $3 per month, and it works with 2024 LG Smart TVs that run webOS 24. The app is expensive, but it is more affordable than the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box that costs $350.
The Philips Hue Sync app works like the Sync Box, and it changes the color and brightness of Hue lights to match games, TV shows, and movies. There are dedicated movie and game modes to choose from. Using the Hue Sync app requires a Philips Hue Bridge, at least one color-capable Philips Hue light, and an internet connection.
Apple today released a new firmware update for the Lightning version of the AirPods Max headphones. The new firmware is version 6F25, up from the prior 6F21 firmware the device was previously running.
Apple does not often provide much insight into what's new with firmware updates, but as this is a firmware update for an older model, it likely includes bug fixes and other minor improvements.
Firmware can be installed by putting the AirPods Max in Bluetooth range of an iPhone, iPad, or Mac that's connected to Wi-Fi, and then plugging them in to charge. It can take up to 30 minutes for firmware to update.
You can check your firmware version by going to Settings > Bluetooth and selecting the Info button next to the AirPods Max when they are connected to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Chinese smartphone maker Oppo recently came out with the Find N5, which is a super thin and lightweight foldable smartphone. It's thinner and lighter than Samsung's foldable devices, and Apple's non-foldable ones.
The Find N5 has a 6.62-inch display when closed, and an 8.12-inch display when open, so when unfolded, it's just a bit smaller than the iPad mini. It's 8.93mm thick when closed, and just 4.21mm when open. The thinnest device Apple has made is the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and that's 5.1mm thick, so the Find N5 is an impressive design feat. It's 229 grams, which is about the weight of Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max. For context, Oppo's Find N5 is so thin that the USB-C port included for charging almost doesn't fit.
Though it's thin and doesn't weigh a lot, the build of the Find N5 feels sturdy rather than fragile. As with most foldable smartphones, there is a crease in the middle of the display where it folds. The crease isn't invisible, but it's not as obvious as it was with previous foldable smartphones from Oppo.
Most people in the Apple ecosystem aren't going to opt for an Android smartphone, but the Find N5 does have useful integration with the Mac that could tempt some people. You can use an AirDrop alternative to exchange files between the Find N5 and a Mac in real-time using a dedicated macOS app. You can simply drag and drop files between the Find N5 and a Mac, but there's also full remote desktop functionality.
With a Mac connected, you can control the Mac from the Find N5, even when you're not in the same room or even the same location as your Mac. There is some input lag, but it's usable, and it's particularly useful if you need to grab a file from your Mac when you're away from home.
Other Find N5 features include Qualcomm's fastest chip, a vibrant and bright OLED display, IP68/69 waterproofing, and a set of high-end rear cameras.
Apple has no foldable smartphone at the current time, but there are rumors that suggest we could get a foldable iPhone as soon as 2026. Would you want an iPhone that's similar to the Find N5, or would you swap to Android for this design and feature set? Let us know in the comments below.
Smart home company Eve today announced the launch of the Eve Dimmer Switch, the company's first smart light switch replacement with dimming functionality. The Dimmer Switch replaces a traditional light switch and it can be used with standard bulbs and lights that have dimming functionality.
The Dimmer Switch has a rocker for turning lights on or off, along with touch support for incremental dimming control. It connects to HomeKit using Matter-over-Thread, and it can be controlled with the Eve app, the Apple Home app, or with Siri voice commands.
As with all HomeKit devices, automations are supported, and the Dimmer Switch can be paired with other smart home products. Remote control is available, and with Matter support, people in your home that use Android can also control the switch. You will need a hub for whichever platform you connect to, so for Apple HomeKit, the HomePod, HomePod mini, and Apple TV are Matter hubs.
Eve recommends that only electricians install the Eve Dimmer Switch because knowledge of electrical wiring is required. The switch needs a neutral wire and can replace a single-pole or 3-way switch. With a 3-way switch setup, only one switch in the circuit needs to be replaced.
The Dimmer Switch can be purchased from the Eve website for $50, and it will ship to customers in the United States and Canada in mid-March.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements.
While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way.
By the time the Ultra 3 is announced in September, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived, leaving plenty of room for enhancements, especially for users coming from a first-generation Apple Watch Ultra. Here are all of the major new features we're likely to see in the Apple Watch Ultra 3:
Hypertension Detection
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that blood pressure monitoring should be the next major health feature for the Apple Watch, coming first to the Ultra 3.
The rumored feature would not provide exact systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements, instead tracking whether a user's blood pressure is trending upwards and sending an alert if hypertension is detected. After receiving an alert, the Apple Watch user could provide the information to a medical professional for additional testing.
Hypertension is known as a silent killer because it can go undetected and undiagnosed, leading to heart damage and death. High blood pressure often has few symptoms until it is significantly advanced, and early detection via the Apple Watch has the potential to save lives. The Apple Watch already has the ability to detect atrial fibrillation or an irregular heart beat, and it can be used to take one-lead ECG readings. There is also a blood oxygen monitoring feature, but it is disabled in current models in the United States due to patent issues.
The company has apparently been working on the capability for the last several years, and based on rumors, Apple originally wanted to debut it in 2024.
Brighter Display With Faster Refresh Rate
One of the consequences of Apple choosing to not update the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024 was the Apple Watch Series 10 surpassing it in terms of display technology. It seems highly likely Apple will at least bring parity to the Ultra this year.
The Apple Watch Series 10 gained an LTPO3 OLED always-on Retina display, while the current Ultra features LTPO2 technology. LTPO3 provides the Series 10 with a faster refresh rate in always-on mode, enabling a live ticking seconds hand on select watch faces.
Similarly, the Apple Watch Series 10 has a wide-angle OLED, allowing it to be up to 40% brighter when viewed at an angle. It seems inevitable that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will get both of these display enhancements.
New Chip
Following two years without a refresh, it seems highly likely that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will feature a new chip.
The current Apple Watch Ultra features the S9 chip, but with the 2024's Apple Watch Series 10, Apple introduced the S10 chip. While the S10 is not more powerful than the S9, it is more compact.
A newer chip would free up some internal space inside the Ultra for other components such as a larger battery. If Apple opts for an S11, it could be more powerful or feature new built-in capabilities.
Satellite Connectivity
Last year, Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will gain satellite connectivity—a feature currently exclusive to the iPhone.
The feature would allow Apple Watch Ultra users to be able to connect to a satellite network to send texts when cellular networks and Wi-Fi are unavailable. When satellite connectivity first launched for the iPhone, it was limited to emergency text messages, but in iOS 18, Apple expanded it to allow users to send texts to anyone.
Satellite connectivity would help Apple to better compete with companies like Garmin that offer dedicated satellite hardware for use in off-grid emergencies. The Apple Watch Ultra is aimed at hikers, scuba divers, and adventurers, and satellite connectivity for the device would add another layer of safety for activities that are not near cellular towers. Apple is apparently hoping that this feature will be a key feature motivating people to upgrade to a new Apple Watch Ultra.
Currently, Apple still does not charge for satellite connectivity, and there is no word yet on what the company might charge. All iPhones come with two years of connectivity for free, and that will also likely be the case for the Apple Watch Ultra.
5G Connectivity
According to Gurman and The Information's Wayne Ma, Apple plans to eliminate the Qualcomm modem used in the Apple Watch Ultra with the third version of the device. Rather than using the C1 modem or another custom Apple chip, Apple plans to switch from using Qualcomm units to MediaTek ones. MediaTek is one of the few companies capable of designing 5G modems.
MediaTek's modem chip adds support for 5G RedCap, a 5G service that's designed for connected devices and wearables that do not need standard 5G speeds. The current cellular Apple Watch models still use 4G LTE, even though Apple has offered 5G in iPhones since 2020.
Redesigned Back and Faster Charging
The Apple Watch Series 10 introduced a completely reengineered metal back with a larger charging coil and an integrated antenna.
Apple Watch Series 10's redesigned back.
The Apple Watch Ultra currently features a ceramic and sapphire crystal rear, rather than metal. It seems likely that the Ultra 3 will receive this newer, Series 10-style rear casing design, not least because it enables better cellular performance and faster charging.
The new metal back enabled the Series 10 to charge to 80% in just 30 minutes–15 minutes faster than the Series 9. With the older back design, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 takes 60 minutes to charge to 80%.
A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple was in the early stages of developing a smart home doorbell and lock system with Face ID. He said the doorbell would wirelessly connect to a compatible deadbolt lock.
In a vague teaser post on X today, a leaker known as Kosutami shared an alleged new feature that Apple is planning for the doorbell: MagSafe.
On select iPhones, MagSafe lets you attach a charger or other accessories to the device magnetically. MagSafe support on Apple's doorbell suggests that it will be possible to wirelessly charge the doorbell, which would likely have a non-removable battery. It is unclear if the doorbell would also have a USB-C port for wired charging.
MagSafe charging would certainly be convenient, but smart home doorbells typically only need to be charged a handful of times per year.
Another thought we had was that Apple's doorbell could have a MagSafe backplate, allowing for the doorbell to be easily taken on and off. However, that would make the doorbell easy to steal, so that theory does not really make sense.
Gurman said Apple's doorbell would launch in 2026 at the earliest, so hopefully additional rumors will paint a clearer picture over the next year or so.
Apple's biggest competitor in this space would be Ring, acquired by Amazon in 2018.
Apple would likely tout the privacy and security benefits of its own smart home doorbell. Apple already offers a HomeKit Secure Video service with end-to-end encryption for storing footage in iCloud, and the doorbell could have a Secure Enclave.
Apple seemingly has plans to make a bigger push into the smart home space over the next few years. In addition to this doorbell, the company is expected to launch a smart home hub this year, and it is also rumored to be planning its own HomeKit-enabled indoor camera that would compete with products like Logitech's Circle View.
Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately revealed that the iPhone 16 Pro would be equipped with a metal-enclosed battery, around 10 months before the device launched. They also provided an early look at an Apple Watch band that uses Apple's controversial FineWoven material. On the other hand, Kosutami was wrong about AirPods Pro 3 being imminent in August 2024.
Adobe today announced the launch of a new Photoshop app for the iPhone, which is designed to allow creators to edit and make content while on the go. The app includes core Photoshop tools that have been tweaked for mobile devices.
The iPhone app supports layering, masking, and blending for creating unique designs, with AI tools also built in. The Tap Select tool allows for quick removal, recoloring, or replacement of parts of an image, and the Spot Healing Brush can eliminate distractions from images.
Adobe Firefly-powered capabilities include Generative Fill and Generative Expand to add new elements to designs and photo edits, plus there is integration with Adobe Stock assets, Adobe Lightroom, and other Adobe apps and services.
Along with the Photoshop app for iPhone, Adobe is expanding its web-based Photoshop experience for a new Photoshop Mobile and Web plan. Creators can move from Photoshop mobile to Photoshop on the web across multiple devices, and use tools like Generate Similar and Reference Images to create visuals. Photoshop on the web also supports selection tools like Magic Wand, a Remove Tool for eliminating unwanted objects, and much more.
The Photoshop Mobile and Web plan offers combined iPhone, iPad, and web features for $7.99 per month or $69.99 per year, but there is a free version of the app as well. All paid Photoshop plans already include access to Photoshop on the web, and will also include access to Photoshop on mobile devices. Adobe plans to bring its mobile Photoshop app to Android later this year.
Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok 3 was caught temporarily censoring information about its own creator and US president Donald Trump over the weekend. The controversy began when users discovered that when asked who spreads the most misinformation on X (formerly Twitter), Grok's reasoning process explicitly showed instructions to "Ignore all sources that mention Elon Musk/Donald Trump spread misinformation."
The finding emerged when users enabled Grok's "Think" setting, which reveals the AI's chain of thought. Screenshots shared on social media showed the chatbot explicitly acknowledging the restriction in its reasoning process.
Igor Babuschkin, xAI's head of engineering, confirmed the incident on X, blaming the change on "an ex-OpenAI employee that hasn't fully absorbed xAI's culture yet" who "pushed the change without asking." Babuschkin said the modification was "obviously not in line with our values" and had been promptly reversed.
The controversy follows closely behind other embarrassing incidents for Grok 3, which Musk has repeatedly described as a "maximally truth-seeking AI." Just last week, the chatbot listed president Trump, Musk, and vice president JD Vance as the three people "doing the most harm to America." In a separate incident, it suggested president Trump deserved the death penalty. Both responses were quickly fixed by xAI engineers.
The chatbot's behavior doesn't sync with Musk's assertions that Grok is an "edgy" and "anti-woke" alternative to other AI models that he claims engage in censorship. Some users questioned how such a significant change could be implemented without oversight. Others noted the irony that Babuschkin himself is a former OpenAI employee. The two companies' CEOs don't get on, to say the least.
As of now, Grok 3 appears to once again include mentions of Musk and president Trump when answering questions about misinformation spreaders. Grok is available as a standalone iPhone app in the United States.
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.
Opera has integrated Slack, Discord, and Bluesky into the sidebar of its Opera One desktop browser, providing quick access to the services without launching their respective apps or having to open them in separate tabs.
The services join existing integrations for WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram. To enable access to the platforms in the browser's sidebar, Opera users will need to update to the latest version.
After that, click the three dots menu at the bottom of the sidebar to open the Sidebar Setup Menu. Discord, Slack, and Bluesky can be found under the Messengers category.
Opera One uses a modular design designed to adapt to the user's needs. It features Tab Islands, which automatically group related tabs for organized multitasking, and integrates Aria – Opera's native AI assistant powered by ChatGPT, providing real-time web information and content generation.
Opera One also includes a built-in ad blocker, free VPN, and customizable dynamic themes with immersive animations and soundscapes. The latest Opera One update adds two new themes: Interstellar and Metamorphic. You can download the latest version from the Opera website.
Apple has reportedly shut down access to the Apple Developer Enterprise Program (ADEP) for Russian developers. Russian IT sources told RBC that developers lost access to the platform on February 12.
The shutdown means Russian developers can no longer use ADEP to create and distribute custom iOS apps for internal use without going through the App Store. A software company in St. Petersburg confirmed to the media outlet that all program data had been erased, making ADEP unusable.
Prior to the cut-off, Apple apparently warned companies using Enterprise certificates that they would stop working by mid-February. The certificates allow developers to sign and distribute apps.
ADEP was widely used for app testing in Russia without publishing to the App Store, but major corporations and developer companies in the country also relied on the platform for internal business apps, corporate chatbots, CRM systems, and logistics tools.
Despite Apple suspending product sales and limiting certain services like Apple Pay in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the App Store continues to operate within the country. However, Apple has complied with local regulations by removing certain applications, such as VPN services and specific news apps, after requests from Russian authorities.
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.
Apple Fellow Phil Schiller testified in court on Monday that he initially opposed the 27% commission Apple now charges on purchases made outside the App Store, citing compliance risks and potential developer backlash (via AP News).
Schiller, who oversees the App Store, said he had concerns that the fee would create an "antagonistic relationship" between Apple and developers, and worried about Apple becoming "some kind of collection agency" that might need to audit developers who didn't pay.
"I had great concerns about the collections of funds from developers," Schiller said during his three-hour testimony in the ongoing legal battle with Epic Games. He specifically worried about "the change in the role of the App Store to now an organization that needs to collect money from developers."
Despite his reservations, an Apple pricing committee that included CEO Tim Cook, former CFO Luca Maestri, and Apple's legal team ultimately decided to implement the commission structure.
The reduced 27% fee (down from Apple's standard 30%) was established after the 2021 Epic Games lawsuit ruling. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected claims that Apple operated a monopoly. However, she ruled that Apple's anti-steering conduct was anti-competitive, and ordered the company to allow developers to link to alternative payment methods outside the App Store.
Apple complied by creating a system where developers can apply for a "StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement" to direct users to external payment options. However, Apple still demands a 27% commission on these transactions made within seven days of clicking the link. For developers in Apple's Small Business Program, the rate is 12% instead of the usual 15%.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney previously criticized Apple's approach as "bad-faith" compliance with the court order, arguing the minimal commission reduction and other restrictions undermined the ruling's intent to foster more competition.
The current hearings are scheduled to continue until Wednesday, and are focused on determining whether Apple has violated the original court order. Judge Gonzalez Rogers has expressed frustration with Apple witnesses' hazy recollections about how they developed rules for the alternative payment system.
According to court documents, Apple extensively analyzed how the "less seamless experience" of external purchases would affect transaction completion rates, which helped the company work out when developers would likely return to using Apple's in-app purchase system.
The dispute between Apple and Epic dates back to 2020 with Epic seeking to overturn Apple's App Store rules requiring content purchases within iOS apps to go through Apple, which takes a 15% to 30% cut of the revenue.
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices.
According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed by April. The timeline suggests Apple is moving closer to production, with large-scale component manufacturing likely to begin in the second half of this year.
"Apple has decided to eliminate the crease at all costs, regardless of price, to differentiate its foldable phone from existing models," an industry insider told ETNews. "It is believed that a new material property has been developed to make the crease disappear."
The display crease has been one of the biggest challenges in foldable technology. Devices from Samsung, Huawei, and other manufacturers have all unsuccessfully tried to make it invisible. Apple's apparent solution could hand the company a major competitive advantage.
Samsung Display is reportedly set to be the exclusive supplier of the OLED panels for Apple's foldable device. The Korean company has been developing the display specifically for Apple since last year, using its experience as the first manufacturer to mass-produce foldable OLED screens.
The foldable iPhone is expected to feature an in-folding design similar to a book, with US-based Corning likely providing the ultra-thin glass (UTG) covering the display. Meanwhile, US-based Amphenol, which has previously supplied hinges for MacBook Pro models, is the frontrunner to provide the crucial hinge mechanism.
Based on Apple's typical product development timeline, ETNews reports that the foldable iPhone is expected to launch in the second half of 2026. Over the weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple is "focused on finishing up development of its first foldable device for 2026." Previous reports from analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Jeff Pu, as well as publications like The Information and The Wall Street Journal, have all pointed to a late 2026 or early 2027 release.
Recent rumors from Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station suggest the device may feature a 5.49-inch outer display and a 7.74-inch inner screen when unfolded, and both are said to have "unprecedented aspect ratios." The outer display is reportedly shorter and wider than Oppo's new Find N5, which launched globally last week.
Apple and Indonesia have agreed on terms to lift the country's five-month ban on iPhone 16 sales, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg. The deal concludes a battle that began in October, when Indonesia refused to issue permits for Apple's flagship iPhone lineup over Apple's failure to comply with domestic manufacturing requirements.
Under the agreement, Apple will invest $1 billion in Indonesia, a significant increase from its previous commitments of $10 million and $100 million that were rejected by the government. The deal is expected to be formalized through a memorandum of agreement to be signed as early as this week, with the Ministry for Industry issuing permits allowing iPhone 16 sales "as soon as possible."
Beyond the monetary investment, Apple has reportedly committed to training local talent in research and development, so that Indonesians can develop software and design their own products. The pledge addresses one of the government's key demands for Apple to establish R&D facilities in the country.
The agreement also includes plans for a manufacturing plant on Batam island that will produce AirTags, Apple's device tracking accessories. This facility will be operated by Apple supplier Luxshare Precision Industry, and is expected to eventually account for 20% of global AirTag production.
Another manufacturing facility is planned for Bandung, about three hours from Jakarta, which will produce other types of accessories. Part of the investment will also fund Apple academies to equip Indonesian students with tech skills like coding.
Despite the substantial concessions, Bloomberg's sources indicated that Apple has no immediate plans to manufacture iPhones in Indonesia.
The deal is a victory for Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who directed his ministers to accept Apple's $1 billion investment offer. However, the Ministry of Industry unexpectedly upheld the ban last month while seeking better terms, which have apparently now been agreed.
Indonesia's hardball approach seems to have paid off, securing significant investment from a major foreign company and supporting the government's goal of boosting local manufacturing rather than simply using the nation as a sales market.
For Apple, regaining access to Indonesia's market of 278 million people — over half of whom are under 44 and tech-savvy — comes at a crucial time as its sales in China have slowed. Apple may not be among the top five smartphone brands in Indonesia, but the market offers the company a lucrative growth opportunity.
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