MacRumors

In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19.

"Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag.

The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle.

Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so his post is a bit of a mystery. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes the post is a teaser for Apple announcing a new iPhone SE. He previously said the device would be unveiled by next week, with rumored features including an A18 chip, a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, a USB-C port, Apple Intelligence support, and more.

Will any other new products be announced next week? Rumors suggest new MacBook Air, iPad Air, and entry-level iPad models will be launching in the coming weeks, and other devices expected to launch this year include a new AirTag, an all-new smart home hub, and more. We shall find out exactly what Apple has planned in six days from now.

Cook's post seems to be more of a teaser rather than an event invite, so it seems likely that any announcements would be shared in press releases on the Apple Newsroom website. But, there could be YouTube announcement videos too, like we saw when Apple announced new iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro models with M4 chips last October.

Apple today published a new support document outlining steps to try if your Apple Watch's microphone or speaker is not working as expected.

Apple says the steps can also be followed if the Apple Watch speaker's audio is "crackling, distorted, muffled, or intermittent."

The potential solutions listed include updating your Apple Watch to the latest watchOS version, restarting the Apple Watch, un-pairing and re-pairing the Apple Watch to an iPhone, checking whether Silent Mode or Do Not Disturb is turned on, cleaning the Apple Watch's microphone and speaker, and drying the Apple Watch with a microfiber cloth to ensure there is no water in the microphone and speaker areas.

Apple has published the support document just a few days after we reported about a potential Apple Watch Series 10 speaker issue, with some users experiencing quiet or muffled audio after extended use of the device. We cannot guarantee that the document was published in response to the issue, but the timing is certainly suspect.

The support document was spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.

Apple has not commented on the speaker complaints, and it is possible that the support document is merely an interim solution while the company internally investigates the matter. If a software issue is identified, it should be fixed in a future watchOS update. If a hardware issue is identified, Apple could launch a service program offering free repairs.

If and when any further information surfaces regarding the potential Apple Watch Series 10 speaker issue, we will be sure to report it.

Apple this week began selling refurbished Mac mini models with the M4 chip for the first time, but this has led to a pricing conundrum.

In the United States, Apple is offering a refurbished Mac mini with the base M4 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $509, down from $599 new. This is the standard 15% discount that Apple offers on refurbished Macs.

The issue is that Apple continues to offer a refurbished Mac mini with the base M2 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $559. This means a refurbished Mac mini with an M2 chip is currently $50 more expensive than a refurbished Mac mini with an M4 chip, despite other key specs being equal. That's a bad buy.

The underlying reason for this situation is that Apple increased the minimum amount of RAM included in Macs from 8GB to 16GB last year, at no additional cost. When new, the Mac mini with the M2 chip started at $799 when upgraded to 16GB of RAM, whereas the latest Mac mini now comes with 16GB of RAM by default for just $599. Apple has not revised its refurbished Mac mini prices enough to account for this difference.

Members of key congressional oversight committees have called on the United States' new top intelligence director to pressure the United Kingdom to withdraw its controversial demand for Apple to create a backdoor into encrypted user data stored in iCloud, according to The Washington Post.

Last week The Post revealed that a secret UK order, issued under the Investigatory Powers Act last month, demanded Apple to provide access to data protected by its Advanced Data Protection feature, which offers end-to-end encryption for iCloud storage. The mandate would apply globally, potentially affecting users worldwide, including Americans.

But in a letter sent Thursday to national intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard, senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) warned that the British order poses significant risks to Americans' privacy and security. The bipartisan pair suggested that if the UK doesn't back down, the US should consider limiting intelligence sharing and cybersecurity cooperation between the two countries.

"If Apple is forced to build a backdoor in its products, that backdoor will end up in Americans' phones, tablets, and computers," the lawmakers wrote, going on to express concerns about the security of sensitive data stored by government agencies on Apple devices.

The legislators also pointed to recent Chinese hacking campaigns as evidence that backdoors intended for law enforcement could be exploited by malicious actors. They referenced the "Salt Typhoon" attacks, which targeted phone networks by exploiting systems designed for law enforcement surveillance.

"The US government must not permit what is effectively a foreign cyberattack waged through political means," the lawmakers wrote. "If the UK does not immediately reverse this dangerous effort, we urge you to reevaluate US-UK cybersecurity arrangements and programs as well as US intelligence sharing with the UK."

• Could Apple Pull iCloud Services From the UK Market?

Apple has long opposed the UK's plans to demand access to iCloud encrypted content, or indeed any form of backdoor in its encrypted services. By contrast, US law enforcement has historically resisted end-to-end encryption, but recent major cyber attacks have led to increased support for stronger security measures.

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 Maps now has expanded coverage for cycling directions in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The expansion, first spotted by a Reddit user, means cyclists can plan a journey on the app from, say, Land's End to John o' Groats, if they're that way inclined.

Cycling directions have been available in the UK and Ireland for a few years, but until now, support didn't cover the whole of the region. Cycling directions in Apple Maps provide specific directions for bike riders with bike lanes, bike paths, and bike-friendly routes that highlight steep inclines, stairs, and other obstacles.

Cycling directions came to ‌Apple Maps‌ in iOS 14, and are available across the United States, Australia, China, France, Germany, and Japan, as well as in select major cities around the world, such as London, Barcelona, and Toronto. Apple maintains a list of all of the areas where cycling directions are available on its website.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced plans to streamline the company's AI offerings and provided details on the upcoming releases of its GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 large language models.

GPT-4.5 will be OpenAI's final non-chain-of-thought model, said Altman in a post on X (Twitter). "After that, a top goal for us is to unify o-series models and GPT-series models by creating systems that can use all our tools, know when to think for a long time or not, and generally be useful for a very wide range of tasks," he added.

To achieve this, GPT-5 will integrate multiple OpenAI technologies, including o3, which will no longer be available as a standalone model. Meanwhile, the free tier of ChatGPT will get unlimited access to GPT-5 at a "standard intelligence setting," and Plus and Pro subscribers will gain access to higher intelligence levels with additional features like voice, canvas, search, and deep research capabilities.

"We want AI to 'just work' for you," said Altman. "We realize how complicated our model and product offerings have gotten. We hate the model picker as much as you do and want to return to magic unified intelligence."

Currently, Apple Intelligence's ChatGPT integration, which doesn't require a ChatGPT account, uses the GPT-4o model. When users who aren't signed into an account reach daily limits, the system switches to a basic mode, likely powered by the GPT-4o mini model. Given OpenAI's roadmap, Apple device users who make use of Apple's suite of AI tools should benefit from the new models when they're rolled out.

• Everything Your iPhone Can Do With ChatGPT

Altman didn't provide specific release dates for GPT-4.5 and GPT-5, but he suggested in a follow-up post that they should arrive within "weeks / months," respectively.

Apple's largest high-end model in the upcoming iPhone 17 series this year will feature a smaller Dynamic Island, according to Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station.

The leaker claims that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will adopt a "metalens" for Face ID that integrates the transmitter and receiver components, which will reduce the size and thickness of structural elements, resulting in a smaller Dynamic Island on the device. The technology will also be applied to the next iPad Pro and a rumored foldable iPad, reckons the leaker.

Unlike traditional iPhone cameras, which use curved lenses to bend light toward the image sensor, a metalens is an ultra-thin, flat lens with microscopic nano-structures that precisely control and focus light.

Conflicting Reports

Today's rumor goes against a January report by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that claimed the upcoming iPhone 17 models will not feature a smaller Dynamic Island. However, Kuo's report contradicts analyst Jeff Pu's prediction last year that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will adopt a metalens for Face ID that results in a "much narrowed" Dynamic Island on the device. Pu in 2024 reiterated the claim several times, and he has a fairly good track record with Apple rumors.

• 14 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

As for Digital Chat Station, they accurately revealed that the ‌iPhone 15‌ and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus would feature a slightly smaller 48-megapixel sensor than the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max, as well as the display panel design of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 back in 2020.

Apple introduced the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022, and it is also available on all iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, but the size has not changed in successive models. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series next September.

Apple will partner with Alibaba to offer AI features in China, the Chinese company's chairman said on Thursday, resolving months of speculation around Apple's strategy in the region.

"They talked to a number of companies in China," said Joe Tsai at the World Government Summit in Dubai. "In the end they chose to do business with us. They want to use our AI to power their phones. We feel extremely honoured to do business with a great company like Apple."

Alibaba stocks surged as much as 8.6% on a report by The Information that Apple is working with the e-commerce giant to roll out AI features in China. Apple has not yet rolled out its full suite of AI features in the country because of regulations that require it to partner with a local company.

Apple devices outside of the country use a combination of proprietary Apple Intelligence and OpenAI's ChatGPT to provide AI features. The Information reports that both Alibaba and Apple have already submitted materials to authorities for approval.

Today's development follows news earlier in the week that Apple "passed over" the Chinese AI company DeepSeek, which recently made waves in the industry for being developed at a significantly lower cost than rivals. Today's report says that Apple initially considered Baidu as its primary AI partner last year, but its AI models did not meet Apple's requirements.

The AI partnership comes at a crucial time for Apple, which faced a significant setback in China in 2024, relinquishing its position as the country's top smartphone vendor. According to market research firm Canalys, Apple's annual shipments in the country declined by 17%, creating an opportunity for domestic manufacturer Vivo to take the lead.

Apple this month started advertising on X for the first time in more than a year. The company had stopped advertising on the social media platform in November 2023 following controversial remarks made by its owner Elon Musk.

For example, the @Apple account is running an ad promoting Safari's privacy features. The ad was spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The @AppleTV account has also been running ads for the Apple TV+ show Severance.

A report last month indicated that Apple was considering advertising on X again, and evidently it has decided to do so, at least for now.

Apple is one of many major brands that have paused advertising on X at least once, with others including Disney, Coca-Cola, Sony, IBM, Comcast, and more. Disney and many other brands have cautiously returned to advertising on the platform since.

Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, and rebranded the platform as X the following year. Under his ownership, X has taken a softer approach to content moderation, allowing extremist views to proliferate on the platform. Also, disgraced rapper Kanye West made a series of racist and sexist posts on X last week, before deactivating his account.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook, and other senior executives at the company like marketing chief Greg Joswiak, have maintained a presence on Twitter-turned-X ever since Musk acquired the platform. Apple's former marketing chief Phil Schiller decided to leave the platform, however, and moved to other platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky.

Apple today announced the release of an Apple TV app for Android smartphones and tablets. The app is now available on the Google Play store.

With the Apple TV app, Android smartphone and tablet users have a more convenient way to access the Apple TV+ streaming service, instead of having to rely on tv.apple.com on the web. Apple TV+ includes a variety of original TV shows and films, MLB's Friday Night Baseball, and more. The app also provides access to MLS Season Pass, a subscription service that provides access to the entire MLS regular season and playoffs.

Android users can access Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass by signing into their Apple Account, or subscribe directly through Google Play's billing system.

In the United States, Apple TV+ is priced at $9.99 per month or $99 per year, while MLS Season Pass costs $14.99 per month or $99 per season. Apple TV+ is also included in all Apple One subscription bundles with other Apple services.

Unlike on Apple platforms, the Android app does not provide access to the iTunes Store for renting or purchasing TV shows and movies on an à-la-carte basis. The app also does not show a user's library of media that they have already purchased.

Apple already offered its TV app on Android TV/Google TV devices, but not for Android smartphones and tablets until now. Starting today, users of the Android TV/Google TV version of the app can subscribe to Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass directly through Google Play's billing system too, rather than needing an Apple Account.

Android joins a long list of platforms where the Apple TV app is available, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, PlayStation, Xbox, Roku and Amazon Fire TV streaming sticks, select smart TVs, and more.

There aren't too many 5K displays on the market that can compete with Apple's Studio Display, but ASUS recently came out with the ASUS ProArt Display 5K, which is a solid competitor. The ProArt Display 5K features a 27-inch 5K screen with 218 pixels per inch, aka retina quality.

ASUS sells the ProArt Display 5K for $799, so it's actually half the price of the Studio Display, and much, much cheaper than the Pro Display XDR. The ProArt Display is more generic looking than Apple's monitors, so you're not getting Apple style, but if you're used to looking at a 5K Retina display and you need a second monitor, you can get that same general screen quality at a cheaper price.

In our testing, the ProArt Display 5K was color accurate, sharp, and very similar to the Studio Display. Make sure to watch our video for our full hands-on review that goes into more detail on why you might want to opt for the ProArt over Apple's options.

If you're interested in the ProArt Display, you can get it from the ASUS website or from Amazon.com.

Apple today added MacBook Pro and Mac mini models with M4 series chips to its certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland for the first time since the computers were introduced in October 2024.

Some refurbished MacBook Pro models with M4 chips are also available in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and select other European countries.

As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's refurbished inventory changes often, and the order button is still grayed out for some configurations in some countries, so keep checking back if you are eyeing a particular model.

Apple has yet to make refurbished iMac models with the M4 chip available in any countries.

All of the usual accessories are included in the box with refurbished Macs. For the MacBook Pro, this includes a USB-C power adapter and a USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable. For the Mac mini, this includes the power cord.

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.

Apple plans to release an Apple TV+ Android app as soon as today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The app will allow Android smartphone and tablet users to watch ‌Apple TV‌+ content in a native app rather than having to rely on watching through a web browser.

Apple has long offered an ‌Apple TV‌ app for iOS devices, and it also has dedicated ‌Apple TV‌ apps for various Android-based smart TVs and set-top boxes. The new ‌Apple TV‌ Android app will be installable on Android smartphones, and it is aimed at increasing ‌Apple TV‌+ subscriber numbers.

The new ‌Apple TV‌+ for Android app will join other Android apps that Apple has created, such as Apple Music and ‌Apple Music‌ Classical for Android.

‌Apple TV‌+ is priced at $9.99 per month, but new Android subscribers will be able to get a free trial.

iPhone users are upgrading their devices at a slightly faster rate, reversing a long-term trend of increasingly long upgrade cycles, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) reports.

According to data from the quarter ending in December 2024, more ‌iPhone‌ buyers retired their devices at an earlier point compared to previous years. Specifically, 36% of those who purchased a new ‌iPhone‌ during the period had owned their previous device for two years or less. This marks an increase from the 31% reported in the same quarter a year earlier. Meanwhile, the percentage of users who kept their previous ‌iPhone‌ for three years or more declined slightly, falling to 33%.

This shift represents the first notable deviation in upgrade cycles since CIRP began tracking the data in 2014. While a long-term trend toward extended ownership remains, recent factors appear to be accelerating upgrades among a segment of users. CIRP says that the proportion of users upgrading after two years has returned to levels last seen in 2020.

The firm attributes this change to a variety of factors, including ongoing carrier promotions and incentives that encourage earlier upgrades. A major factor influencing upgrade behavior may also be the introduction of Apple Intelligence, the company's suite of AI-powered features.

The timing of this shift coincides with Apple's recent financial performance, which has indicated some weakness in ‌iPhone‌ sales. CIRP speculates that the composition of Apple's customer base could be influencing the trend.

If ‌iPhone‌ sales are slowing overall, those who are upgrading may be the most engaged segment of Apple's user base—individuals who are more likely to adopt new hardware sooner than more casual users. CIRP suggests that slower upgraders may be delaying their purchases even further, waiting for a more compelling reason to replace their current devices.

Today we're tracking a handful of Apple accessory discounts on Amazon, including all-time low prices for both the Apple Pencil Pro and AirTag 4-Pack. Neither deal requires a coupon code this time around, as both have been applied automatically by Amazon.

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.

Starting with the Apple Pencil Pro, you can get this accessory for $99.00, down from $129.00. This is a match for the record low price on the Apple Pencil Pro, and it's a deal that doesn't typically stick around long on Amazon, so if you've been waiting for it to return, be sure to check it out soon.

Secondly, Amazon has the AirTag 4-Pack for $69.99, down from $99.00. This is another best-ever price, and you can find the 1-Pack on sale as well on Amazon, available for $22.99, down from $29.00.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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Apple is exploring both humanoid and non-humanoid robots as future smart home products, according to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. However, he does not expect the robots to launch for several more years, if ever.

Kuo today said Apple's robot projects remain in the proof-of-concept stage within the company. In the event that Apple decides to move forward with launching the robots, Kuo believes that mass production likely won't begin until 2028 or later.

Kuo's prediction comes after a team of robotics researchers at Apple designed and prototyped a lamp-like robot with lifelike movements.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last year reported that Apple was developing a tabletop robot with an "iPad-like display" attached to a "robotic limb." Barring any setbacks, he said Apple was aiming to announce the device as early as 2026 or 2027. As mentioned above, though, Kuo's current prediction for the robots is 2028 or later.

The tabletop robot would be primarily controlled with Siri and Apple Intelligence, according to Gurman. He said the device could respond to commands such as "look at me," which would position the screen on the user's face during a FaceTime video call. The device would also understand different voices, he said.

The tabletop robot could become a higher-end version of Apple's rumored smart home hub, which is expected to launch this year. Apple is aiming for a price of around $1,000, according to Gurman, but the plans could change.

Woot today introduced a new sale on earbuds and headphones, including solid discounts on a few Beats products. Every accessory in this sale is in new condition, and all of the Beats headphones come with a one year Apple/Beats manufacturer limited warranty.

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.

You can get the Beats Studio Buds+ for $99.99 during this event, down from $169.95. Woot also has the Beats Fit Pro on sale for $129.95, down from $199.95, and both of these deals represent all-time low prices on each accessory.

Other brands in the sale include Samsung, Skullcandy, LG, JBL, Google, Bowers and Wilkins, Sennheiser, and more. Woot says that this event will run through February 19, or until stock sells out, so be sure to check out the sale soon if you're interested.

• JBL Endurance Peak 3 - $39.95, down from $99.99
• Skullcandy Hesh ANC Over-Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones - $54.99, down from $134.99
• Beats Studio Buds+ - $99.99, down from $169.95
• Powerbeats Pro - $109.99, down from $249.99
• Beats Fit Pro - $129.95, down from $199.95
• Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro - $134.99, down from $199.99
• Bowers and Wilkins Over-Ear Headphones - $189.99, down from $399.99

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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