MacRumors

WhatsApp is receiving a refreshed design on iPhone and Android, the first interface overhaul of its kind since 2021.

The new design rolling out for the Meta-owned social media platform is meant to be fresh, approachable, and simple, according to WhatsApp.

WhatsApp says that sending photos and videos on iOS is now easier, thanks to a new attachment layout. Instead of a full screen menu, there's an expandable tray for accessing features when sending media, documents, polls, and more.

Icons have been updated to a rounded, outlined style, and there are new illustrations with added animations for a "more playful" aesthetic.

There's also a new "consistent" green color palette throughout the app, as well as a new dark mode that's one shade darker, which aims to reduce eye strain in low-light environments.

The new changes are rolling out to WhatsApp users on ‌iPhone‌ and Android now, according to the company.

When introducing the new M4 iPad Pro models, Apple showed a video of a hydraulic press crushing all manner of creative tools, including musical instruments, electronic equipment, arcade games, paint and brushes, computers, cameras, and more, with the aim of demonstrating how the iPad represents all of the tools condensed into a single device.

The ad was a play on the popular hydraulic press videos that are popular across social media sites, but creatives found the concept to be in poor taste. Actor Hugh Grant referred to the ad as the "destruction of the human experience," director Reed Morano told Apple to "read the room" and called it "actually psychotic," and Basecamp CTO David Heinemeier Hansson said it "symbolizes everything everyone has ever hated about digitization."

The upset over the Crush ad led Apple to issue an apology. In a statement to Ad Age, Apple marketing vice president Tor Myhren said that the video ultimately "missed the mark."

Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it's incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world. Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we're sorry.

Apple left the Crush video on its YouTube channel, but the ad won't be running on television.

Benchmarks for the new M4 iPad Pro models have popped up on Geekbench, giving us an idea of how much faster Apple's second-generation 3-nanometer chips are compared to the M3, M2, and other prior-generation Apple silicon chips.

The 10-core variant of the M4 chip earned an average single-core score of 3,695 and an average multi-core score of 14,550 across 10 benchmarks. When it comes to single-core performance, the M4 is faster than the M3 Max MacBook Pro, and it's comparable to the ‌M2‌ Max in multi-core performance.

For context, here are the single-core and multi-core scores of prior chips (all max CPU/GPU variants):

• M4 - 3,695/14,550
• A17 Pro - 2,908/7,234
• M2 - 2,540/9,360
• M2 Pro - 2,651/14,295
• M2 Max - 2,802/14,800
• M1 - 2,272/8,208
• M3 - 3,087/11,702
• M3 Pro - 3,112/15,286
• M3 Max - 3,128/20,957

Compared to the ‌M2‌ in the prior version of the ‌iPad Pro‌, the M4 is 46 percent faster when it comes to single-core performance, and 55 percent faster in multi-core performance. Apple didn't use the M3 in an iPad, but it is up to 24 percent faster than the M3.

Apple said that the M4 delivers up to 1.5x faster CPU performance than the ‌M2‌ in the prior-generation ‌iPad Pro‌, which is accurate based on the benchmarks we've seen so far.

Apple plans to bring the M4 chip family to all of its products across 2024 and 2025, with the first M4 Macs slated for later this year.

The new 13-inch iPad Air has a max display brightness of 600 nits, which is 20% higher than the 11-inch iPad Air, according to Apple's tech specs for the devices.

This means the 13-inch iPad Air's peak brightness is equal to the previous-generation iPad Pro models with the M2 chip for standard dynamic range (SDR) content, but the new iPad Pro models have brighter OLED displays that can reach up to 1,000 nits for SDR content, and up to 1,600 nits for high dynamic range (HDR) content.

Peak brightness levels (SDR) for recent iPad Pro and iPad Air models:

• 13-inch iPad Pro (M4): 1,000 nits
• 11-inch iPad Pro (M4): 1,000 nits
• 12.9-inch iPad Pro (M2): 600 nits
• 11-inch iPad Pro (M2): 600 nits
• 13-inch iPad Air: 600 nits
• 11-inch iPad Air (M2): 500 nits
• 10.9-inch iPad Air (M1): 500 nits

The brightness change for the 13-inch iPad Air was spotted by Saran, who runs the tech-focused YouTube channel SaranByte.

The new iPad Air models are available to order now and launch May 15. Key new features include the M2 chip, the front camera moved to the landscape edge, Wi-Fi 6E support, Apple Pencil Pro support, and new color options.

Today we're tracking multiple record low prices across the M1 iPad Air on Amazon, with $150 off every configuration of these now-discontinued tablets. This comes just a few days after Apple announced the new M2 iPad Air, which start at $599.

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.

Prices on the M1 models start at $449.00 for the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air, down from $599.00, and increase to $599.00 for the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad Air, down from $749.00. Both of these have estimated delivery dates for May 14-16 for most residences in the United States.

For cellular models, you can get the 64GB cellular iPad Air for $599.00, down from $749.00, and the 256GB cellular iPad Air for $749.00, down from $899.00. With both Wi-Fi and cellular configurations, you'll find all colors on sale at these record low prices.

There are numerous differences between the M1 and M2 iPad Air, mainly including display sizes and the various internal upgrades that the M2 chip introduced in the 2024 models. Our buyer's guide has a more detailed breakdown of these two iPad Air models and should help make any buying decision a bit easier.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

With the iPad Pro, Apple introduced an overhauled version of the Magic Keyboard to add new features that make using an ‌iPad Pro‌ feel more like using a Mac. If you’re thinking about buying one of the new ‌iPad Pro‌ models and don’t know if you should get a keyboard, this article walks through all of the new features.

Design

Apple hasn’t changed the underlying look of the Magic Keyboard, and it continues to use the floating cantilever design introduced with the prior version.

A magnetic back connects to the iPad, allowing for multiple viewing angles by adjusting the amount of tilt. The ‌iPad‌ hovers over the keyboard and palm rest, which is now made from aluminum, much like the MacBook.

The keys are backlit and use a scissor mechanism with 1mm of travel, the same as the prior-generation model. The outer cover provides front and back protection to keep the ‌iPad‌ safe when traveling.

Function Keys

The updated Magic Keyboard has a dedicated row of function keys for increasing and lowering brightness, changing the volume, controlling media playback, locking the display, initiating a search, turning on Do Not Disturb, starting dictation, and more.

The function row is similar to the function row on the Mac.

Trackpad

Apple made the trackpad from glass and increased the size, making it easier to work with. The trackpad supports haptic feedback, allowing for multi-touch gestures and improving precision-based tasks like editing spreadsheets and selecting text.

Colors

The Magic Keyboard comes in black and white.

Passthrough Charging

While the Magic Keyboard uses the Smart Connector on the ‌iPad‌ to connect, there is an included USB-C port that can be used for passthrough charging.

Compatibility

The new Magic Keyboard is compatible with the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ models, and it comes in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. It does not work with other ‌iPad‌ models, and the prior version of the Magic Keyboard does not work with the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ models.

Price

The 11-inch version of the Magic Keyboard is priced at $299, and the 13-inch model is $349.

Apple plans to power some of its upcoming iOS 18 features with data centers that use servers equipped with Apple silicon chips, reports Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

M2 Ultra chips will be behind some of the most advanced AI tasks that are planned for this year and beyond. Apple reportedly accelerated its server building plans in response to the popularity of ChatGPT and other AI products, and future servers could use next-generation M4 chips.

While some tasks will be done on-device, more intensive tasks like generating images and summarizing articles will require cloud connectivity. A more powerful version of Siri would also need cloud-based servers. Privacy has long been a concern of Apple’s, but the team working on servers says that Apple chips will inherently protect user privacy.

Gurman previously claimed that all of the coming iOS 18 features would run on-device, but it sounds like some capabilities coming this year will in fact use cloud servers. Apple plans to use its own servers for now, but in the future, it may also rely on servers from other companies.

Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming macOS Sonoma 14.5 update to developers, with the software coming a week after Apple released the fourth beta.

Registered developers can opt in to the beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. Note that an Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta.

We don't yet know what is included in macOS Sonoma 14.5, and no new features were found in the first four developer betas.

Popular accessory maker Logitech this week announced new keyboard case options that are designed for Apple's iPad Air and iPad Pro models, offering an alternative to the more expensive Magic Keyboard options from Apple.

The Logitech Combo Touch is compatible with both sizes of the ‌iPad Air‌ and the two thin and light ‌iPad Pro‌ models. Logitech says that the Logitech Combo Touch is its lightest keyboard to date, improving portability and limiting the bulk added to a tablet setup.

The Combo Touch comes with a detachable keyboard and flexible kickstand for multiple use modes. It can be used for typing in the standard keyboard mode, or folded in a way that allows for sketching, reading, and Apple Pencil use.

There is a multi-touch trackpad, which Logitech says offers intuitive and precise input and navigation. There are auto-backlit keys in a standard layout with sixteen brightness levels. Shortcut keys allow easy access to volume control, media playback, screenshots, and more, plus there is a Smart Connector for connectivity so there's no need for Bluetooth.

The Combo Touch for the 11-inch ‌iPad Air‌ is $200, while the Combo Touch for the 13-inch model is $230. The ‌iPad Pro‌ versions are priced at $230 and $260, respectively, for the 11-inch and 13-inch models. The keyboards can be purchased from the Logitech website.

Apple this week debuted the Apple Pencil Pro, marking the first major revision to the ‌Apple Pencil‌ lineup since the 2018 launch of the ‌Apple Pencil‌ 2. There are some major changes that were introduced with the new accessory, including new gestures and capabilities.

Squeeze

The squeeze gesture allows the ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro to sense when pressure is applied to the sides of the device. Using squeeze brings up a palette so that you can do things like switch tools, line weights, and colors.

Developers can customize how apps react to the squeeze gesture so it can bring up custom controls in each app.

Barrel Roll

There is a gyroscope in the ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro that allows the rotation of the barrel to change the orientation of certain tools. It basically offers much more precise control of shaped pen and brush tools, similar to how a real pen or brush would function when you tilt it while drawing or sketching.

Haptic Feedback

A built-in haptic engine offers haptic feedback when using the ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro's gestures. A light haptic pulse will respond when using a squeeze or double-tap gesture, plus there is feedback when using the snap to a Smart Shape feature.

Find My

Find My is available for the ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro so it can be tracked right alongside the iPad and other devices in the ‌Find My‌ app.

Charging and Pairing

The ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro attaches to the side of the iPad Pro or the iPad Air, and the magnetic connection enables automatic pairing and charging. There is a new magnetic interface that is available on the 2024 ‌iPad Pro‌ models.

Existing Features

Current ‌Apple Pencil‌ features like ‌Apple Pencil‌ hover and double tap are supported. Hover lets you preview where the ‌Apple Pencil‌ will touch down on the display before a mark is made, while double tap can be used for swapping between tools.

Low latency, tilt sensitivity, and pressure sensitivity are all included features.

Compatibility

The ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro is compatible with the M2 ‌iPad Air‌ models and the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ models, so it only works with the May 2024 iPads.

Price

The ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro is priced at $129, which is also the cost of the ‌Apple Pencil‌ 2.

Adobe this week is offering first-time subscribers of the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan a 40 percent discount on the service. With this sale, you'll pay $35.99 per month for the plan, down from $59.99 per month, and this price will last through your first year.

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

You can also choose to pay for the entire year upfront at the price of $395.93 per year, down from $659.88 per year. After your first year ends, your subscription will automatically renew at the standard rate unless you change or cancel the subscription. This sale ends May 13.

When signing up for Creative Cloud All Apps, you gain access to more than 20 creative apps, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects, InDesign, and Acrobat. You also get templates, cloud storage, and thousands of Adobe Fonts.

These programs can be subscribed to individually as well for a monthly fee, but the new offer is only for Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps. Adobe is not discounting individual services. Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

Best Buy has the first discounts we've tracked on the brand new M4 iPad Pro, available exclusive to My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members. If you are a member, you'll find $50 off nearly every model of these new tablets at Best Buy.

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

With this discount, the 256GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Pro is available for $949.00, down from $999.00. The 256GB Wi-Fi 13-inch iPad Pro is available for $1,249.00, down from $1,299.00. You'll also find the same $50 discounts on higher storage models with the Nano-texture glass option.

Shoppers should note that these are pre-order prices at Best Buy, and the M4 iPad Pro is set to launch next Wednesday. If you're looking for more details about the M4 iPad Pro, be sure to check out our recap article of this week's Apple event. Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Apple finally refreshed the iPad Pro, and the new feature set was worth the wait. From new OLED display technology to the M4 chip, the 2024 iPad Pro is undeniably impressive. We've rounded up some of the most notable changes worth considering when deciding rather to upgrade.

• OLED display - Both the 11-inch and 13-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ models have an Ultra Retina XDR display that uses tandem OLED technology, which is basically two displays stacked on top of one another. You can expect brighter highlights, deeper true blacks, and better detail in shadows and low light content, plus there's an option for matte nano-texture to cut down on glare.
• M4 chip - The M4 is built using a second-generation 3-nm process with three or four performance cores and six efficiency cores. CPU performance is up 1.5x compared to the M2, and the GPU has hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing. The M4 also has the most powerful Neural Engine ever that's capable of 38 trillion operations per second.
• Thin design - Measuring in at 5.1mm, the 13-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ is the thinnest device that Apple has made to date, thinner even than the iPod nano. The 11-inch model isn't much thicker at 5.3mm, and both have slim bezels for maximum screen space. The 11-inch model weighs under a pound, and the 13-inch model is just over.
• Camera - Apple moved the front camera to the landscape side of the ‌iPad Pro‌, so it's in the right position for FaceTiming and video calls when it's attached to a keyboard.
• Accessories - There's a new Magic Keyboard and an Apple Pencil Pro that go along with the ‌iPad Pro‌. The keyboard has a larger trackpad with haptic feedback, an aluminum palm rest, and a function row for brightness and volume control. The Apple Pencil Pro has a squeeze gesture for selecting tools, haptic feedback, and a gyroscope that adds support for rolling the ‌Apple Pencil‌ for more precise control.
• Removed features - Apple did drop some options from the latest ‌iPad Pro‌ models. There's no more mmWave 5G chip and it's limited to sub-6GHz, plus there's no SIM slot so it's eSIM only for cellular models. Apple also removed the Ultra Wide camera, so there's just a single-lens 12-megapixel camera and LiDAR sensor in the new models. Sticker fans are out of luck too, because Apple isn't including them in the box.

If you have an ‌M2‌ ‌iPad Pro‌, the M4 probably isn't worth the update, but for anything older, it's a major upgrade that adds a slew of new features.

Apple today released an iTunes 12.13.2 update for Windows users, with the software introducing support for the new iPad Air and iPad Pro models.

iTunes for Windows is typically updated every few months, and this update follows a December release that added security fixes.

iTunes has been phased out on the Mac for several years now and it has been replaced with Finder and the TV app, but Apple has continued to keep the Windows version available.

iTunes for Windows can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store or from Apple's website.

The new iPad Pro and iPad Air models unveiled this week do not include Apple stickers in the box, as a result of Apple's commitment to removing all plastic from its product packaging, according to an Apple Store memo obtained by 9to5Mac.

If you really want a sticker, the report said you can still ask an employee for one while purchasing a new iPad Pro or iPad Air at an Apple Store.

Apple also does not include stickers with the Vision Pro headset, but the new MacBook Air models released in March do come with them, so it appears that Apple is still in the process of gradually phasing out Apple stickers in the box for its latest products.

Apple previously announced that it aimed to achieve plastic-free packaging by 2025.

Apple today seeded the a second release candidate version of an upcoming watchOS 10.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a day after Apple seeded the first RC.

To install the ‌watchOS 10.5 update, developers need to open the Apple Watch app, go to the Software Update section under "General" in Settings, and toggle on the watchOS 10 Developer Beta. An Apple ID linked to a developer account is required.

Once beta updates have been activated, watchOS 10.5 can be downloaded under the same Software Update section. To install software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life and it must be placed on an Apple Watch charger.

According to Apple's release notes, the update includes support for the new Pride watch face.

watchOS 10.5 includes new features, improvements and bug fixes, including a new Pride Radiance watch face to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture.

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

The final version of watchOS 10.5 is likely to see a release next week.

In addition to new features like a squeeze gesture, gyroscope, and Find My support, it turns out that the Apple Pencil Pro has a fun packaging twist.

As noted by Arun Maini and Nikias Molina, Apple has created five different box designs for the Apple Pencil Pro, each with the word "Pro" in a unique style. When you buy an Apple Pencil Pro, you will receive one of the five boxes at random.

Key new features of the Apple Pencil Pro include the ability to squeeze the accessory to bring up a tool palette, a gyroscope that allows users to roll the Apple Pencil Pro for precise control of shaped pen and brush tools, haptic feedback for certain actions, and the ability to find the Apple Pencil in the Find My app if it is misplaced.

Priced at $129, the Apple Pencil Pro is only compatible with the new iPad Pro and iPad Air models announced this week. The first-generation Apple Pencil, second-generation Apple Pencil, and lower-cost Apple Pencil with a USB-C port all remain available, making the Apple Pencil lineup more complex than ever for the time being.

You can order the Apple Pencil Pro now, and it launches May 15.

An hour-long interactive and immersive Disney+ story is coming to the Apple Vision Pro in the near future, according to an announcement from Marvel Studios. The Disney+ original is connected to the "What If…? animated series and it will be released as a new app for the Vision Pro.

What If…? reimagines events from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in unexpected ways, and with the Vision Pro experience, fans are able to step into the leading of an immersive story that transforms the space around them as they journey across realities.

There are multiversal variants of key Marvel characters, chances to learn mystic arts, and an opportunity to harness the power of the Infinity Stones. Marvel says that users will “cross between augmented and virtual reality” while going through the narrative adventure, interacting with the world using their hands and eyes.

The experience includes “breathtaking environments” of new and iconic MCU locations, with stunning visuals and support for spatial audio. There is no specific release date for “What If…? An Immersive Story,” but Marvel says that more information will be coming soon.