Amazon this week has a massive sale across the MacBook Air lineup, including both the M2 and M3 MacBook Air models. We tracked many of these deals from Best Buy last week, but Amazon's sales this week don't require any exclusive membership, and in some cases they're even beating the low prices from last week.
13-Inch M2 MacBook Air
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Starting with the M2 MacBook Air, Amazon is offering up to $254 off these models, including a new all-time low price on the 512GB model. Prices start at $799.00 for the 256GB M2 MacBook Air in all colors, and increase to $944.16 for the 512GB MacBook Air in Midnight.
For the newer models, Amazon is taking $249 off the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air with multiple all-time low prices. You can get the 256GB 13-inch M3 MacBook Air for $849.98 in every color, down from $1,099.00. Both 512GB models are on sale as well with best-ever prices.
Finally, Amazon also has the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air for $249-$250 off every model. These start at $1,049.98 for the 256GB 15-inch M3 MacBook Air, down from $1,299.00, and again include both 512GB models. Overall, every 15-inch M3 MacBook Air deal from Amazon this week represents new all-time low prices on each model, beating the deals we saw just last week by about $50.
Apple's Car Keys feature appears to be coming to future Lynk & Co models, based on code changes discovered by MacRumors in Apple's Wallet app backend.
Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch with NFC capabilities to unlock a vehicle through the Wallet app. A digital version of a car key is stored in Wallet, and unlocking can be done simply by holding an Apple Watch or iPhone near a compatible vehicle's NFC reader.
2021 - 2024 Lynk & Co 01 vehicles already support Apple CarPlay. However, cars do not have NFC functionality by default, so this is a feature that would need to be implemented by the automobile manufacturer in future models.
The Z20 is believed to be Lynk & Co's next car launch – and the company's first electric vehicle – so support for Car Keys could well be introduced with this model, which is expected to launch in various European markets.
What can be done with Car Keys may vary by car manufacturer, but at a minimum, Car Keys can be used to unlock your car, lock your car, and start your car, which are the features available with a physical key.
Apple introduced Car Keys in 2022, and car manufacturers like BMW, Rivian, Kia, and Hyundai have all implemented support for Car Keys. Apple maintains a full list of vehicles that support Car Keys on its CarPlay model availability webpage.
With iOS 18, Apple overhauled the Home Screen, introducing design changes that allow for more customization and personalization. One of the changes is the freedom to arrange icons and widgets with space between them, opening up a variety of new layout options.
In iOS 17, new apps added to the Home Screen automatically occupy the next available spot, and there is no way to space out icons on the same page. But with iOS 18, you have more flexibility in arranging your Home Screen.
You can now choose the exact location for new apps, allowing for app icon-sized gaps between apps, entire empty rows, or entire empty columns. However, due to the invisible grid system, icons and widgets cannot be placed with uneven spacing, so this should be considered when arranging your Home Screen.
This design enables a variety of layouts: For example, you can place a single app in the center of a page, create a row of apps at the top and bottom, form a column of apps, and more. Apple's goal here is to let you organize apps and widgets around wallpapers and create more functional and visually appealing layouts.
Here's how to place your icons where you want in iOS 18.
Long press an empty space on the Home Screen to enter jiggle mode.
Move your app icons into the desired positions within the invisible grid.
Apple reportedly plans to turn some Apple Intelligence features into paid subscription services, and some analysts believe the company could charge users up to $20 per month for the privilege.
Last month, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman said that while Apple Intelligence will be free to start, Apple's long-term plan is to launch something like "Apple Intelligence+," with extra features that users pay monthly fees to access, similar to iCloud+.
Speaking to CNBC, Counterpoint Research's Neil Shah said Apple could offer the features as part of a modified Apple One subscription, and he believes an additional figure of between $10 and $20 is a realistic possibility.
"Software and services makes it more lucrative for Apple to pass it on with the Apple One subscription model," Shah told CNBC in an interview last week.
Apple One costs $19.95 a month and gives users access to various Apple services like Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Fitness+, additional cloud storage, and more.
"Apple is one of the few connected devices companies that has successfully monetized the value-added services it offers," Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, told CNBC.
"As a result, it has set a precedent with its users that they have to pay for more premium services. On this basis, it can't be ruled out that Apple may choose to charge for more advanced features within its Apple Intelligence offering."
Wood added that Apple Intelligence could give the company an option to launched a bundled subscription service with various services under a single price, akin to a new Apple One tier.
Apple in the June quarter saw a steep increase in services revenue at $24.2 billion, up from $21.2 billion a year ago and a new all-time revenue record. Analysts believe that making its own AI features another services revenue stream could allow Apple to compensate for the slower pace of hardware upgrades and also enable the company to pass the high cost of its investment in AI onto customers.
Apple has reportedly started building its own AI servers that use the M2 Ultra chip, and it is said to be developing its own AI server processor using TSMC's 3nm process for use as soon as 2025, which could enhance the performance of its data centers and future AI tools that rely on the cloud.
Apple is expected to spend several billion on hardware to support its artificial intelligence development in 2024, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo said he expects Apple to spend "at least" $620 million on servers in 2023 and $4.75 billion on servers in 2024.
Apple suppliers have ramped up mass production of iPhone 16 OLED panels ahead of the smartphone's launch in September, reports ETNews.
Both Samsung Display and LG Display began initial production of iPhone 16 OLED panels in June, and significantly ramped up production last month, according to the report.
Apple's iPhone 16 shipment forecast for this year is around 90 million units, while it's estimated that the number of OLED panels produced will be approximately 30% higher, at around 120 million units.
By the end of the year, Samsung Display is expected to supply about 80 million OLED panels, while LG Display is projected to supply around 43 million panels. Both companies are on track with their production schedules to meet these targets.
The panels are being sent off to the factories in Apple's supply chain that will assemble the finished iPhone 16 models in time for shipping. Going on previous year's, Apple will release the new models around mid-September, with Tuesday, September 10 being floated as a possible announcement date.
The iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max will look similar to the iPhone 15 models, but Apple is increasing the size of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
The iPhone 16 Pro will have a 6.3-inch display (up from 6.1 inches) while the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a 6.9-inch display (up from 6.7 inches). Display sizes for the standard iPhone 16 models will not change, and the iPhone 16 will measure in at 6.1 inches while the iPhone 16 Plus will have a 6.7-inch display.
Other new features rumored for the iPhone 16 lineup include a new "Capture" button for taking images and videos in landscape mode, faster A-series chips, camera updates, and Wi-Fi 7 and faster 5G modems for some models.
More on what to expect from the iPhone 16 can be found in our dedicated roundup.
iPad Pro models accounted for the majority of Apple's iPad sales in the June quarter, up from the same quarter a year ago, based on the latest report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).
Apple updated the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models in May 2024 with the M4 chip, OLED display technology, and a thinner, lighter design. Pricing on the 11-inch OLED iPad Pro starts at $999, and pricing on the 13-inch OLED iPad Pro starts at $1,299.
In contrast, the "iPad" is Apple's low-priced mainstream iPad, last updated in October 2022 with a complete redesign, larger display, USB-C port, A14 Bionic chip, 12-megapixel camera, and more. The iPad starting price is $349, but the pricey M4 iPad Pro models are proving to be more popular, and even appear to have cut into iPad mini and iPad Air sales.
According to CIRP, in the June 2024 quarter, iPad Pro (both the 11-inch and 13-inch models) accounted for 43% of total iPad sales, an increase from 38% in the year-ago June 2023 quarter. Meanwhile, the iPad remained at 35% compared to the previous year. In the same time periods, iPad Air accounted for 12% of all iPad sales, down from 15% a year ago, and the iPad mini accounted for 10%, down from 12% in the June 2023 quarter.
It's worth noting that the iPad mini has not been updated by Apple since September 2021, yet the iPad Air was updated in May alongside the M4 iPad Pro.
Commenting on the figures, CIRP suggests early adopters are driving the strong iPad Pro sales: "As we've seen with many other Apple product launches, the first-acting consumers appear to have gravitated to the high-end, most expensive models available, in this case the iPad Pros." iPad users: Does that align with your own purchase decisions? Let us know in the comments.
Apple will choose Samsung Display as the main supplier of OLED panels for a new iPad Air, primarily due to its large production capacity compared to rival LG Display, reports The Elec.
Samsung already supplies Apple with OLED panels for the new M4 iPad Pro, which features a tandem design for improved brightness and power efficiency. Today's report adds that Apple will bring an OLED panel to the iPad Air alongside the iPad mini in 2026.
Samsung Display's A3 line, which mass-produces OLED panels for the iPhone and iPad Pro, has a production capacity of 135,000 units per month. In comparison, LG Display's E6-1~3 lines, which produce OLED for the iPhone, have a capacity of only 45,000 units per month, and the E6-4 line, which produces OLED for the iPad, has a capacity of just 15,000 units per month.
Apple's plans to transition the iPad mini and iPad Air to OLED displays are now widely rumored. According to research firm Omdia, the iPad Air is expected to adopt an OLED display in 2026, with the iPad mini following in 2027. However, Korea's ET News and ZDNET Korea both suggest that the two models will be updated with OLED displays simultaneously in 2026, though there's a possibility that Apple might delay the 13-inch iPad Air's OLED upgrade until 2027. While the OLED iPad Air is expected to retain its 11-inch display, the iPad mini's screen could increase in size from 8.3 inches to 8.7 inches.
Unlike the latest iPad Pro models, which use two-stack LTPO (Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) OLED panels, the iPad mini and iPad Air are expected to feature single-stack LTPS (Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Silicon) panels. As a result, these displays may be dimmer and continue to lack ProMotion technology, but the lower specifications reduce manufacturing costs.
LG Display has an edge in the mass production of tandem OLED, but this advantage is unlikely to carry over to the iPad Air. Today's Korean report cited an industry source speculating that since Apple needs to increase sales of the OLED iPad Air, it will likely prefer Samsung Display, which can reliably produce large quantities of single-stack OLED panels.
Late last year, former Apple designer Imran Chaudhri and former Apple software manager Bethany Bongiorno launched one of the first AI wearables under their Humane brand. The $699 Humane AI pin did not go over well, and many reviews criticized its poor performance.
Humane is continuing to struggle, and now, returns are outpacing sales. According to The Verge, more AI pins were returned than purchased during the period between May and August. So many pins have been returned that there are only around 7,000 units still in the hands of consumers, with around 10,000 initially shipped out.
The company only sold around $9 million worth of AI Pins in total, and it is trying to deal with $1 million in returns. Humane cannot refurbish returned AI Pins due to a technical limitation with the cellular connectivity, and returned units are simply e-waste at this point.
Humane also faced a problem with the Charge Case for the device, which was found to pose a fire risk. Humane sent out emails to customers telling them to stop using the Charge Case Accessory. Refunds were not provided, but customers were given two free months of the Humane subscription service.
Humane raised more than $200 million from investors, and had planned to sell around 100,000 pins during its first year, but poor performance seems to have sunk the device. The Verge claims that pre-launch family and friends reviewers raised concerns about the functionality of the AI Pin, but it was launched despite the feedback.
A Humane spokesperson told The Verge that there were "inaccuracies" in the financial data that the site obtained, but specifics were not provided. Humane said that the company remains "committed to unlocking a new era of ambient and contextual computing," and that there have been software updates to address user feedback.
Disney plans start seriously cracking down on password sharing for the Disney+ streaming service in September, Disney CEO Bob Iger said in during today's earnings call (via The Verge).
Iger said that Disney would begin eliminating password sharing "in earnest" next month. Disney has actually been talking about getting rid of password sharing since last September, but the timeline has shifted a few times. Disney started rolling out a ban on password sharing in some countries in June, but it sounds like the company's efforts will expand to the U.S. and other countries in September 2024.
According to Iger, Disney wants to end password sharing to turn Disney+ into a growth business.
Cracking down on password sharing was successful for Netflix. Netflix stopped allowing multi-household password sharing in 2023, and saw strong subscriber growth in subsequent quarters. In April, Iger said that he admired what Netflix had done, calling the company the "gold standard in streaming."
"I actually have very, very high regard for what they've accomplished," said Iger. "If we can only accomplish what they've accomplished, that would be great." As for customers that have already been told they can't share their passwords anymore, Iger said that the company has had "no backlash at all."
Like Netflix, Disney plans to allow subscribers to pay extra to share their plans with someone outside of their household, but pricing has not yet been announced.
Disney this week also announced plans to raise prices for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ in October. Disney+ with ads will be priced at $9.99 per month, up from $7.99, and Disney+ ad free will be priced at $15.99 per month, up from $13.99.
Disney+ initially launched in 2019, right around the time that Apple TV+ launched. When the service debuted, Disney was charging $6.99 per month.
Social network Reddit could monetize by tucking some subreddits behind paywalls, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman suggested during the company's Tuesday earnings call (via Engadget).
Huffman said that Reddit plans to "unlock the door" for subreddits that could have "exclusive content or private areas."
I think the existing, altruistic, free version of Reddit will continue to exist and grow and thrive just the way it has. But now we will unlock the door for new use cases, new types of subreddits that can be built that may have exclusive content or private areas, things of that nature.
Huffman did not outright confirm that Reddit is going to charge for access to subreddits in the future, but that seems to be what he was hinting at.
Reddit also plans to test AI-powered search results later in 2024, with AI used to summarize and recommend content. Huffman said that the search tools would help "users dive deeper into products, shows, games and discover new communities on Reddit." Huffman believes that search could be a major source of advertising revenue going forward.
Reddit has already established deals with Google and OpenAI to allow the companies to train their AI models using Reddit content, and OpenAI's ChatGPT is now able to surface Reddit conversations in ChatGPT. Reddit attempted to reach a deal with Microsoft, but failed to do so, and later blocked Bing from accessing Reddit content.
Last year, Reddit started charging developers for accessing its API, which led to the shutdown of several popular Reddit clients, including Apollo. Apollo developer Christian Selig said that he would need to pay $20 million per year in fees to keep the app up and running, which was not feasible, and Reddit was not willing to work with him or provide a reasonable timeline to make changes.
Reddit began charging for API access ahead of when it became a public company in March 2024, and it continues to seek new ways to monetize content from its user base.
Earlier this week, a federal court ruled that Google's lucrative default search engine deal with Apple violates antitrust law. Google plans to appeal the decision and the court hasn't provided insight into how it plans to address Google's monopoly, but there is a chance Google will no longer be able to pay to be the default search engine on Apple devices.
Google's Payments to Apple
For many years, Google has paid Apple billions to be the primary search engine on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. When you use the Safari browser, Google Search is the default option, and that's because Google pays for the privilege. You can pop into the Settings app and swap to a different search engine like Bing or DuckDuckGo, but most people don't bother with that.
It's a deal that's lucrative for both Apple and Google. In 2022, for example, Google paid Apple $20 billion, which is around 36 percent of the total revenue that it earns from Safari searches. So Apple gets a big payout each year, and Google gets major reach from Apple's huge install base.
In its antitrust ruling, the court suggested that Apple has the "financial, technological, and human resources" to develop its own search engine, but has not done so because of the money that it receives from Google. The court acknowledges that Apple would have to take on other risks like risking brand reputation for an inferior product, but states that the revenue share payments "unquestionably" keep Apple "on the sidelines of search."
Apple Search Engine Rumors
So if Apple's deal with Google goes away, will Apple enter the search market?
Past rumors indicate that Apple has worked on a search engine. In November 2022, The Information said that Apple had been working on a web search engine since 2022, but Apple was still at least four years away from launching such a product. That report suggested Apple could use its own search product work as leverage during renegotiations with Google.
Apple has a dedicated search team because there are robust search tools for Spotlight, Siri Suggestions, and content provided by Siri to answer user queries. It's possible that Apple could spin some of its Spotlight technology into a web search feature in the future, or that it could leverage Apple Intelligence. With AI and the changes coming to Siri in 2024 and 2025, iPhone, iPad, and Mac users may start to transition away from traditional web searches anyway, relying more on other search tools.
Apple definitely has the money to enter into the search engine market, and the background is there too with Safari, but there are alternatives.
Other Search Engines
During the antitrust case, documents revealed that Microsoft tried for years to get Apple to switch over to Bing as the default search engine on Safari. Microsoft even pushed for a sale of Bing to Apple, but Apple did not think that Bing could compete with Google in "quality and capabilities."
Microsoft even offered to share 100 percent of Bing's revenue with Apple, but it was a no go. Apple's services chief Eddy Cue testified that there "wasn't a valid alternative" to Google, and that Apple has stuck with Google because "we've always thought it was the best." Trial documents further revealed that Cue believed that there was "no price that Microsoft could ever offer [Apple] to make the switch," with Cue blaming Bing's "inferior quality" and the "business risk of making a change."
Apple executives also discussed DuckDuckGo, specifically as the default for private browsing mode, but said it is "not a great search engine" and "not good enough."
Possible Search Solutions
Google could be told that it is not allowed to pay to be the default search engine on Safari, removing Apple's financial incentive to prioritize Google's search engine.
In Europe, the Digital Markets Act requires Apple to allow iPhone users to select a browser as their default during the device setup process, providing alternatives to Safari. The U.S. court could require a similar setup process for search engines, allowing users to choose a search engine from a list when activating a device for the first time.
In this situation, rather than Apple automatically setting Google Search as the default search engine, users would make the selection themselves at device setup. There would be no need for the extra step of opening the Settings app and finding the Safari options to swap search engines.
The lawsuit targets Google, so it's unlikely that the court would force Apple to provide search engine choice in this situation, but Apple might be willing to offer that option if it doesn't have a financial reason not to do so.
Appeals
Google is going to appeal the court's decision, so the deal between Apple and Google isn't in immediate danger because the rest of the lawsuit needs to play out.
Wrap Up
If the United States Justice Department and courts are correct that Apple's deal with Google is holding Apple back from developing its own search engine, putting a stop to payments could spur Apple to develop a search product.
It's clear that Apple is unlikely to establish a partnership with another company like Bing or even purchase a search engine because it sees all of the non-Google options as not good enough. Based on what we know right now, Apple's best move without Google revenue could be to get into search on its own.
Apple's projections (per the lawsuit) estimate that it could lose more than $12 billion in revenue during the first five years after a separation from Google, plus it would cost billions to build and maintain a search engine. Apple would need to create an ad platform and work to monetize searches, and Apple would need to make sure that it developed a search engine able to rival what Google can do.
Anker today launched a new lineup of "Prime" accessories, including chargers, power stations, portable batteries, and USB-C cables. Alongside the launch, Anker is also providing a few discounts on the new devices.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
The only straight cash discount is on the Prime Chager (250W, 6 Ports) for $139.99, down from $169.99. This charger features a 2.26-inch LCD to provide visual feedback on charging status of connected devices, as well as four USB-C and two USB-A ports.
The rest of this event is focused on a bundle deal, that nets you 15 percent off your order when you buy any two products in the launch lineup. This discount will be applied automatically and can not be combined with any other coupon on Anker's website. All of the products compatible with this bundle offer can be found below.
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.6.1, a minor update to the macOS Sonoma operating system that Apple launched last year. macOS Sonoma 14.6.1 comes a week after the release of macOS Sonoma 14.6, an update that added security fixes.
The macOS Sonoma 14.6.1 update can be downloaded for free on eligible Macs by opening up System Settings and going to the Software Update section. Apple has also released a macOS 13.6.9 update for those unable to upgrade to Sonoma.
According to Apple's release notes, macOS Sonoma 14.6.1 fixes an issue that prevented the enabling or disabling of Advanced Data Protection. Apple says there are also other "important bug fixes."
Apple today released iOS 17.6.1 and iPadOS 17.6.1, minor updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating system updates that came out last year. Apple is making iOS 17.6.1 and iPadOS 17.6.1 available a week after the launch of iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6.
iOS 17.6.1 and iPadOS 17.6.1 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released an iOS 16.7.10 update for devices that are unable to be upgraded to iOS 17.
According to Apple's release notes, the iOS 17.6.1 update addresses an issue that could prevent the enabling or disabling of Advanced Data Protection.
This update includes important bug fixes and addresses an issue that prevents enabling or disabling Advanced Data Protection.
The Advanced Data Protection bug impacted a small number of users. Those who tried to turn Advanced Data Protection on and weren't able to get it enabled saw an error message and it was clear it wasn't active. Affected users who tried to turn it off saw it disabled in the interface, though it was actually still active for iCloud data.
Both of those bugs have been fixed in the update. iPhone users who had the bug that prevented Advanced Data Protection from properly turning off will see a notification that asks them to confirm the decision to turn the feature off after installing iOS 17.6.1. Apple says that the few users who experienced this bug had an expected level of security or more, in the situation where ADP did not turn off as expected.
Apple plans to block websites from attempting to send malicious requests to the IP address 0.0.0.0 on macOS Sequoia, according to Forbes. The means the change will be part of Safari 18, which will also be available for macOS Sonoma and macOS Ventura.
This decision comes after researchers from Israeli cybersecurity startup Oligo Security said they discovered a zero-day security vulnerability that allows a malicious actor to access private data on a user's internal private network. The researchers will present their findings this weekend at the DEF CON hacking conference in Las Vegas.
"Exploiting 0.0.0.0-day can let the attacker access the internal private network of the victim, opening a wide range of attack vectors," said Avi Lumelsky, a researcher at Oligo Security.
The researchers responsibly disclosed the vulnerability to Apple, Google, and Mozilla. More details are available on the AppSec Village website.
macOS Sequoia and Safari 18 are currently in beta and will be widely released later this year.
Amazon today is offering up to $100 off the 9th generation and 10th generation iPads, starting as low as $229.00 for the former model. Most of the iPads in this sale can be delivered as soon as the end of this week for Prime members, and by early next week for everyone else.
9th Gen iPad
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Starting with the 2021 9th generation iPad, Amazon has introduced a new all-time low price on this tablet. You can get the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad for $229.00, down from $329.00, and the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad for $379.00, down from $479.00.
This is the iPad generation from before the design overhaul of the 10th generation, so it features a Home Button with Touch ID, A13 Bionic chip, and a 10.2-inch Retina display. Anyone looking for a simple and cheap iPad model to have for daily Internet browsing should be satisfied with this one.
10th Gen iPad
Moving to the more recent 10th generation iPad from 2022, Amazon also has a few solid low prices on these models. You can get the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad for $299.00, down from $349.00, and the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad for $449.00, down from $499.00.
Apple released these iPads in October 2022 with a complete redesign, introducing a larger display, USB-C port, A14 Bionic chip, and slim bezel design similar to the iPad Pro lineup. Although we're expecting an update to these iPads later this year, anyone looking for an iPad now who doesn't want to wait should definitely take advantage of Amazon's low prices.
Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.
In iOS 18, currently in beta, Apple has broadened the customization options for the Home Screen on iPhone, and thanks to a new setting it is now possible to make app icons and widgets bigger by hiding their labels.
With the setting enabled in iOS 18, the names of apps are removed from the grid, which increases the size of the icons and widgets on your Home Screen with the space saved. With larger icons, you still get a maximum of six icon rows with four icons each, the same that you're limited to when icon names are turned on.
If you're familiar enough with your favorite apps that you don't feel the need to see the names underneath the icons, then it's worth giving it a try. With the labels removed, the design of your app icons takes center stage, resulting in a cleaner look for your Home Screen. Note that this setting is universal, so you cannot have small icons on one app page and large icons on a different app page.
The following steps show you how it's done.
Press on an empty space on your Home Screen to enter jiggle mode.
Tap the Edit button in the top-left corner, then choose Customize.
Tap the Large option in the customization panel.
Tap on an empty space to hide the customization panel.
That's all there is to it. If you decide you want to see app labels again, simply repeat the steps, but choose the Small option in the customization panel instead. iOS 18 is currently in public beta and will be officially released to iPhone users in the fall.
Google has announced the Google TV Streamer, a new device that replaces the Chromecast and directly rivals the Apple TV 4K.
The discontinuation of the Chromecast marks the end of an era for Google's original streaming dongle, which has been a staple in the market since its launch in 2013. Over 100 million Chromecast devices were sold during its 11-year run. The Google TV Streamer is positioned as a high-end replacement for the Chromecast, promising to deliver a next-generation, AI-powered streaming experience while also functioning as a central hub for smart home devices.
The Google TV Streamer provides access to over 700,000 movies and shows through popular streaming apps like YouTube TV, Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV, as well as live TV with over 800 free channels. One of the standout features is the AI-powered content recommendation system, which uses Google's Gemini technology to curate personalized watchlists and provide detailed summaries, reviews, and season-by-season breakdowns of content.
The Google TV Streamer features a faster processor, double the memory, and 32GB of storage. It supports 4K HDR with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
The Google TV Streamer is available in two colors: Porcelain and Hazel, with the latter being exclusive to the U.S. Google Store. The device is intended to sit in front of the TV, rather than behind it, to improve connectivity with smart home devices. The Google TV Streamer supports Matter and includes a built-in Thread border router, which enhances the connectivity and response times of smart home devices like locks and motion sensors.
The redesigned voice remote features improved ergonomics with a textured back for better grip and an optimized button layout. It includes a customizable button that can be programmed to open a favorite app, switch inputs, or launch the Google Home panel. The remote also has a built-in "find my remote" feature, allowing users to locate it by voice command or by pressing a button on the back of the device.
The Google TV Streamer is positioned to rival high-end streaming devices such as the Apple TV 4K. While the Apple TV 4K offers similar features like 4K HDR and Dolby Vision support, the Google TV Streamer is priced more competitively at $99.99 compared to the Apple TV 4K's starting price of $129. The Google TV Streamer includes Ethernet connectivity as standard, but it lacks the additional storage options that the Apple TV 4K provides, with Apple offering both 64GB and 128GB models.
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Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
