MacRumors

Google is working on a multi-year project to fully migrate Chrome OS to Android as part of an effort to better compete with Apple's iPad, according to a new report from Android Authority citing an internal source at the company.

The initiative would apparently see future Chromebook devices shipping with a desktop-optimized version of Android rather than Chrome OS, which would be a major shift in Google's operating system strategy. Google announced in June 2024 that Chrome OS would begin incorporating portions of Android's technical foundation, but the reported plans go much further toward a complete merger of the two platforms.

Google is already laying groundwork for the transition by developing a new version of Chrome for Android with extension support and a Terminal application for running Linux apps. The company is also working on improved keyboard, mouse, and external display support for Android, along with features like multiple desktop spaces.

The consolidation aims to create a more unified platform that can better challenge Apple's dominance in the high-end tablet market while allowing Google to more efficiently manage its development resources. Currently, neither Chrome OS nor Android has successfully competed with iPad, despite the multitasking shortcomings of iPadOS.

The report notes that the strategy could also benefit the Android ecosystem by expanding its user base and making it more attractive to developers. Meanwhile, a separate report from Android Headlines suggests Google is developing a high-end Pixel-branded laptop, which could potentially showcase the new desktop-oriented Android platform.

Google has not officially confirmed plans to phase out Chrome OS in favor of Android, and the company declined to comment on the report when contacted by Android Authority.

Corsair has announced Mac-compatible versions of its K65 Plus Wireless keyboard and M75 Wireless mouse, offering both peripherals in exclusive "Glacier Blue" and "Frost" color options designed to complement Apple devices.

The K65 Plus Wireless is a 75% mechanical keyboard featuring pre-lubricated MLX Red v2 linear switches with integrated sound dampening for quieter typing. It includes Mac-specific Command and Option keys and supports connectivity via Bluetooth or 2.4GHz wireless, with battery life rated at up to 266 hours on a single charge.

Meanwhile, Corsair's M75 Wireless mouse features an ambidextrous design weighing 89 grams and includes a 26K DPI Marksman optical sensor. The mouse connects via Bluetooth or Corsair's proprietary Slipstream wireless technology.

Both peripherals can be customized through Corsair's iCUE software, which is now available for macOS, allowing users to adjust key assignments, lighting effects, and other settings. However, according to Gizmodo, the keyboard requires the use of a bundled USB-C to USB-A converter from Anker to connect it to new Macs that don't come with legacy USB-A ports, so that's something to keep in mind.

The Frost versions of the K65 Plus Wireless keyboard and M75 Wireless mouse are available now through Apple's online store, priced at $179.95 and $129.95 respectively. The Glacier Blue variants will be available at a later date.

Apple has significantly raised its proposed investment in Indonesia to $100 million, a tenfold increase from its initial $10 million offer reported earlier this month. The new proposal aims to convince Indonesian authorities to lift their ban on iPhone 16 sales.

According to Bloomberg, the increased investment would be spread over two years. However, Indonesia's Ministry of Industry is reportedly now pushing Apple to direct more of the investment toward smartphone research and development within the country.

Indonesia blocked iPhone 16 sales in October after determining that Apple had not met the country's 40% domestic content requirement for smartphones. The government also claims Apple has invested only 1.5 trillion rupiah ($95 million) through developer academies, falling short of a promised 1.7 trillion rupiah commitment.

The ministry has yet to make a final decision on Apple's enhanced proposal. Recent attempts by Apple executives to meet with industry minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita in Jakarta are said to have been unsuccessful, with the executives meeting a director-general instead.

Indonesia represents a significant market for Apple, with the country's population of 280 million operating some 354 million active mobile phones.

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.

Aqara today announced two new smart home safety products – a Smoke Detector for European markets and a Valve Controller T1 for global release. Both devices expand the company's home safety lineup with Matter compatibility and Apple HomeKit integration.

The Valve Controller T1 is designed to prevent water damage by retrofitting onto existing household water valves. It can automatically shut off water flow when linked to leak sensors and supports common pipe sizes from 1/2" to 1". The controller runs on four AA batteries with an estimated two-year battery life.

The new Smoke Detector, available exclusively in Europe, features an 85-decibel siren and smartphone notifications for smoke detection. When paired with Aqara cameras, homeowners can visually verify alarms remotely. The detector can also trigger other Aqara hub sirens and grouped smoke detectors for whole-home alerts.

Both products work with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home through Matter-over-Bridge support. This enables automated routines like flashing smart lights red during smoke detection or shutting down HVAC systems to prevent smoke circulation.

The Smoke Detector utilizes Zigbee protocol for efficient power usage, offering up to 10 years of battery life. Both devices can be managed through the Aqara Home app for configuration and monitoring.

The Valve Controller T1 is available now through Aqara's Amazon stores in the US and Europe. The Smoke Detector can be purchased from Aqara's European Amazon stores and select retailers.

There is an ongoing but infrequent Photos bug that some iPhone users have been experiencing since upgrading to iOS 18. The issue occurs when attempting to save edits on an image, with users seeing the following message: "There was an error saving this photo. Please try again later."

As the message suggests, edits are not able to be saved, and hitting "Cancel" and discarding changes is the only way to get out of the editing interface.

A lot of the complaints about the problem have been from users who have an iPhone 16 model, but it also appears to be impacting some older iPhones as well. We've run into this bug several times at MacRumors, and it seems to be impacting every version of ‌iOS 18‌ to date.

Reports about the bug started in September, and have continued since then. Most recently, several beta testers running iOS 18.2 have reported seeing the popup. It is worth noting that this is an error that some people ran into before ‌iOS 18‌, but it appears to be much more frequent now.

It's not clear what's causing the problem, and it does not seem to impact all users or even every photo. It could be linked to Live Photos, or it could be an issue with iCloud Photos. Some users have all photos from a specific day bugged, indicating a problem with photo capture or saving.

There is no complete fix, but duplicating a broken image with a "still photo" allows the edits to be saved, but it removes Live Photo and Photographic Styles. Apple is aware of the issue and is working on a fix.

The United States Department of Justice wants Google to sell off its Chrome browser as part of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit, reports Bloomberg. Earlier this year, Google was found to have a search monopoly, and antitrust regulators have since been deciding on the actions that should be taken to address Google's anticompetitive practices.

The DoJ plans to ask the court to force Google to sell Chrome, which is the most popular web browser in the world by a wide margin. Chrome's integration with Google Search and other Google products has been cited as one of the factors limiting search competition.

Regulators also want Google to uncouple the Android operating system from other products like Google Search and the Google Play Store, both of which are apps installed on Android devices by default. It's not clear how unbundling Android from Google Play would work as Google Play is the Android app store. he DoJ initially wanted Google to sell off Android entirely, but has since backed off of that suggestion.

The DoJ will recommend that Google be required to license data and syndicate results from Google Search without restrictions. Bloomberg suggests that syndication would allow rival search engines and AI startups to improve their quality, while the data feed would let others build their own search indexes. Google could also be required to share more data with advertisers, with advertisers given more control over where their ads appear.

Google will be prevented from entering into exclusive deals such as the deal that it has with Apple to make Google the default Safari search engine. Google paid Apple $20 billion in 2022 to be the Safari default.

Google is appealing the antitrust, while the judge overseeing the case plans to hold a two-week hearing in April 2025 to go over what changes Google has to make to address anticompetitive search behavior. From there, a final ruling is set to be issued in August 2025.

Apple's next-generation A19 chip for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air and A19 Pro chip for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will be manufactured with TSMC's latest, third-generation 3nm process called "N3P," analyst Jeff Pu said today, in a broader tech-related research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong.

The current A18 and A18 Pro chips for the iPhone 16 lineup are manufactured with TSMC's second-generation 3nm process "N3E," while the A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro models is manufactured with TSMC's first-generation 3nm process "N3B."

"N3P" is considered a process "shrink" compared to N3E, meaning that chips manufactured with the newer process will have increased transistor density. While this comes as no surprise, it means that next year's iPhone 17 models should have modestly improved performance and power efficiency compared to iPhone 16 models.

Previous reports indicated that TSMC would begin mass production of chips built with the N3P process in the second half of 2024.

In 2026, Apple is expected to use TSMC's first 2nm process for A20 chips in iPhone 18 models.

In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick.

"We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote.

If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be a few noteworthy aspects. First, the iPhone 17 Air would become the thinnest iPhone ever, coming in under the current 6.9mm record held by the iPhone 6. Second, the iPhone 17 Air would be around three quarters as thick as any of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models.

While some customers may have hoped that the iPhone 17 Air would be even thinner, there is obviously a limit to how thin the battery and other components can be. If the device comes in around 6mm, it would still be impressively thin and light compared to the increasingly bulkier models released over the past few years.

Here is how the iPhone 17 Air's thickness could compare to other models:

• iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max: 8.25mm
• iPhone 16 and 16 Plus: 7.8mm
• iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max: 8.25mm
• iPhone 15 and 15 Plus: 7.8mm
• iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max: 7.85mm
• iPhone 14 and 14 Plus: 7.8mm
• iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max: 7.65mm
• iPhone 13 and 13 mini: 7.65mm
• iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max: 7.4mm
• iPhone 12 and 12 mini: 7.4mm
• iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max: 8.1mm
• iPhone 11: 8.3mm
• iPhone XS and XS Max: 7.7mm
• iPhone XR: 8.3mm
• iPhone X: 7.7mm
• iPhone 8 Plus: 7.5mm
• iPhone 8: 7.3mm
• iPhone 7 Plus: 7.3mm
• iPhone 7: 7.1mm
• iPhone 6s Plus: 7.3mm
• iPhone 6s: 7.1mm
• iPhone 6 Plus: 7.1mm
• iPhone 6: 6.9mm
• iPhone 17 Air rumor: 6mm

All models prior to the iPhone 6 were between 7.6mm and 12.3mm thick.

While the iPhone 17 Air could be the thinnest iPhone ever, it would not be the thinnest Apple product ever. That record is held by the 2024 version of the 13-inch iPad Pro, which is just 5.1mm thick. In addition, the last iPod nano was 5.4mm thick.

For those who have not been following iPhone 17 Air rumors, several credible sources have claimed that Apple plans to release a redesigned, significantly thinner iPhone 17 model next year. The device's name is not yet known, so we are referring to it as the iPhone 17 Air for now. Pu has gone with the nickname "iPhone 17 Slim" instead.

There have been conflicting rumors about the design and specifications for the device, but most sources have agreed that it will have around a 6.6-inch display. In July, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expects the device to have a standard A19 chip, a Dynamic Island, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G modem.

Last month, Pu agreed the iPhone 17 Air will have a 6.6-inch display. He also expects the device to feature an aluminum frame, Face ID, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, a 24-megapixel front camera, and 8GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence.

Apple will likely unveil the iPhone 17 Air in September 2025, so the device is still far away from launching, and rumors could change over time.

The third beta of tvOS 18.2 that Apple provided to developers today adds a selection of new Snoopy screen savers that can be set as an alternative to the aerial, memory, and portrait screen saver options.

Apple first announced the Snoopy screen savers way back in June when tvOS 18 was first unveiled, but there had been no sign of them since then. With tvOS 18.2, Snoopy fans will finally be able to set Snoopy as their screen saver.

Apple has an existing partnership with Peanuts, and there is already a Snoopy watch face available on the Apple Watch. Peanut specials and classic episodes are also available on Apple TV+.

Starting next month, making a device backup over iCloud will require iOS 9 or later, Apple has informed some customers via email. New backups for iPhones and iPads running iOS 8 or earlier will no longer be supported, and Apple will delete all existing ‌iCloud‌ backups of those devices as well.

Apps and data stored on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 8 or earlier will not be affected, and Apple says that customers can still manually back up their devices to a Mac or a Windows PC.

These ‌iCloud‌ backup changes will be made on December 18, 2024, so customers who have a device running iOS 8 or earlier should update to the latest available version of iOS if possible in order to continue to be able to back up their devices.

According to Apple, ‌iCloud‌ backups for older devices are being discontinued in order to "more closely align" with Apple's "published minimum software requirements." With iOS 9, Apple adopted CloudKit for ‌iCloud‌ backups rather than the prior system, and it seems that the company is now discontinuing the old backup system.

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 18.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a week after second tvOS 18.2 beta.

Registered developers are able to download the tvOS 18.2 update by opting in to the beta through the Settings app on the Apple TV. A registered developer account is required.

tvOS 18.2 adds improved support for projectors with a 21:9 aspect ratio and several other aspect ratio options to choose from. The update allows the ‌Apple TV‌ to automatically detect the aspect ratio of your device, selecting the correct setting.

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming visionOS 2.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a week after the second visionOS 2.2 beta.

visionOS 2.2 can be installed by going to the Software Update section of the Settings app on the Vision Pro and opting into Beta Updates.

The visionOS 2.2 update adds a new feature for the Mac Virtual Display option, allowing it to be set to Wide and Ultrawide. The Ultrawide setting is equivalent to two 4K displays side-by-side, and it is a notable improvement over the current Mac Virtual Display that's available in visionOS 2.1.

The Mac Virtual Display allows the Vision Pro to be connected to a Mac with the Vision Pro serving as the display for the machine. The virtual Mac desktop works just like a standard desktop with an external display, but Vision Pro does not support multiple displays. As a solution, Apple has added the option for a wider display to maximize space.

DoorDash today announced that its iPhone app now lets users import their grocery lists from the Reminders app, making it quicker to add items to a cart.

Since the release of iOS 17 last year, Apple's built-in Reminders app on the iPhone can automatically sort groceries into categories, such as produce and baked goods. And now those lists can be synced with the DoorDash app for grocery delivery.

Once a grocery list has been imported to DoorDash, the app surfaces various items from the list that are available for delivery, for faster and easier shopping.

An update to the DoorDash app is available on the App Store today.

If you're running out of space on your Mac's internal drive, macOS Sequoia 15.1 includes a handy new feature that lets you install large apps directly to external storage. Here's how to use it to preserve space on your boot drive.

Apple is known for charging customers a very high markup for additional storage when buying a new Mac. Given that internal storage usually can't be upgraded after purchase, it's no wonder that external drives are a popular solution for many Mac users who want the extra space but don't want to pay a premium for the privilege.

Until recently, macOS automatically installed new apps downloaded from the Mac App Store to a Mac's boot drive, which was not particularly helpful to users with dwindling internal storage. In macOS Sequoia 15.1, however, Apple has added a new option that lets you download and install apps that require more than 1GB of storage to an external drive. Anyone working with large apps like Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro, or gamers with space-consuming titles, will surely welcome this ability to download and install large apps to a separate disk.

Installing Mac Apps to External Storage

1. Connect your external drive to your Mac.
2. Open the App Store.
3. Click App Store in the menu bar and select Settings....
4. Check the box next to "Download and install large apps to a separate disk."
5. Select your external drive from the dropdown menu.

Some considerations to keep in mind: The feature only works with apps larger than 1GB, and your external drive must be connected when enabling the setting. (Make sure the drive you connect is APFS formatted.) Additionally, while apps will install to your external drive, bear in mind that, depending on the app, some app data may still be stored on your main drive.

It's also worth noting that you can't choose installation locations using this method on a per-app basis – it's an all-or-nothing setting for qualifying apps. Lastly, for the best experience, use a fast external SSD (or an internal SSD in an external enclosure) to ensure optimal app performance.

Black Friday is next week, and today Amazon has numerous all-time low prices across the 2024 24-inch M4 iMac lineup ahead of the shopping holiday. You'll find as much as $149 off select computers during this sale, and all of them require you to clip an on-page coupon to see the discounts.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

The cheapest M4 iMac available is the 8-core/16GB RAM/256GB 24-inch iMac at $1,149.99, down from $1,299.00. Similar to the other models available on sale, you'll find multiple colors at this record low price, with varying delivery estimates between each option.

• 8-core/16GB RAM/256GB - $1,149.99 with on-page coupon, down from $1,299.00
• 10-core/16GB RAM/256GB - $1,349.99 with on-page coupon, down from $1,499.00
• 10-core/16GB RAM/512GB - $1,549.99 with on-page coupon, down from $1,699.00
• 10-core/24GB RAM/512GB - $1,749.99 with on-page coupon, down from $1,899.00

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2024.

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New M4-based Macs are reportedly unable to run virtual machines of older macOS versions prior to macOS Ventura 13.4, according to user reports and developer findings.

According to an in-depth write-up by the Eclectic Light Company's Howard Oakley, security researcher Csaba Fitzl highlighted the issue, which has been documented in Apple Feedback and affects popular virtualization software including UTM. When attempting to run a virtual machine with an earlier version of macOS on M4 Macs, users encounter a black screen, and the VM fails to boot entirely.

The limitation appears to occur during early kernel boot processes, as indicated by Activity Monitor showing only one active virtual core despite multiple cores being allocated. This suggests the failure happens before the VM kernel can initialize additional cores.

The limitation is not an issue on M1, M2, and M3 Macs, all of which can successfully run VMs of macOS Monterey (12.0.1) and later versions (with some limitations), though Big Sur virtualization was never supported on Apple silicon Macs.

For users who rely on older macOS versions in virtual machines for testing or compatibility purposes, this limitation may be an important consideration before upgrading to M4-based Macs. Currently supported macOS versions for virtualization on M4 Macs include:

• macOS Ventura 13.4 and later
• macOS Sonoma 14
• macOS Sequoia 15

Given the nature of the issue occurring early in the boot process, Oakley reports that a fix would likely require Apple to release updated IPSW files for older macOS versions, which would be unprecedented for the company, perhaps making it unlikely.

The restriction adds to existing virtualization limitations on Apple silicon Macs, such as the inability to run App Store applications in VMs. Apple did however introduce a notable enhancement to its virtualization framework in macOS Sequoia by enabling Mac users to sign into iCloud within macOS VMs.

Apple in October unveiled new M4 powered versions of its iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro models. For more information on the virtualization issue, be sure to read Oakley's informative write-up.

While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false.

The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that day, Davis said he mostly used the MX Master 3, but sometimes switched to a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.

In other words, it was Davis who said he himself used a Logitech mouse, not Cook.

Unfortunately, The Mac Observer misinterpreted The Verge's article and ran a since-deleted story claiming that Cook prefers the MX Master 3 over the Magic Mouse. Mistakes happen, but the false claim has since gained traction on Reddit multiple times, so hopefully this helps to clear up the situation before wrong information continues to spread.

It would be great if Cook did use the MX Master 3, though. Maybe he would love using a mouse with a front-facing USB-C port so much that he would make the Magic Mouse's port finally not be on the bottom. Hey, we can dream!

It appears that Apple is discontinuing the Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter that it released alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in 2016.

The adapter was recently listed as "sold out" on Apple's online store in the U.S. and most other countries, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The adapter remains available from Apple in only a handful of countries, such as France, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, but likely only until remaining inventory is depleted. The same situation played out with the SuperDrive earlier this year, with the USB-powered CD drive selling out on Apple's online store first in the U.S. and eventually worldwide.

Apple included the adapter in the box with all iPhone 7, iPhone 8, and iPhone X models at no additional cost, but all models since the iPhone XS have not come with one. Apple continued to sell the adapter on its online store, with U.S. pricing set at $9, but it appears that the accessory is on its way out after an eight-year run.

The adapter allows users to connect wired headphones with a 3.5mm plug to iPhone models without a headphone jack via the Lightning port. However, the only iPhone models with Lightning ports that Apple still sells new are the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone SE, and all three of those devices are expected to be discontinued next year. All of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models are equipped with USB-C ports, and Apple continues to sell a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter.

Alongside the wireless AirPods lineup, Apple continues to sell wired EarPods in USB-C, Lightning, and 3.5mm headphone plug variations.

Update: Various other Lightning adapters and cables are sold out on Apple's online store in some countries. In the U.S., this includes the Lightning to VGA adapter for home delivery.