MacRumors

Samsung plans to rival Apple silicon by developing its own custom processors for future smartphones and personal computers in an effort to develop more advanced chips.

According to Business Korea, Samsung has already formed an internal team dedicated to CPU core development and has recruited Rahul Tuli, a former AMD developer, to lead the group.

Samsung has traditionally relied on British chip company Arm for its Exynos advanced processors, but developing the chips in-house would allow it to take full control of the design and optimization process, similar to Apple's transition away from Intel.

The first application processor (AP) is said to be dubbed Galaxy Chip, and could be available in 2025. However, this chip will likely have a CPU based on Arm technology, since Samsung has only just initiated development of its own CPU core.

"Samsung Electronics will be able to boost completion level of its Galaxy Chip if it successfully develops a CPU core," Korean outlet Pulse News quoted an unnamed industry official as saying. "It will be able to load its own CPU in 2027 if development is carried out as planned."

This isn't the first time that Samsung has developed its own CPU. The company has been building its own development team and investing in technology since the early 2010s to build its own design capabilities.

However, Samsung folded the project because its CPU cores were deemed inferior to those of competitors such as Qualcomm in terms of power efficiency, heat generation, and multi-core efficiency. In 2019, the company officially scrapped the project and laid off more than 300 developers at the Samsung Austin Research Center (SARC).

Since 2020, Apple has been working to transition away from Intel chips, instead using its own Apple silicon chips. Apple's custom chips are Arm-based and are similar to the A-series chips used in iPhones and iPads, and Apple unveiled the first Apple silicon Macs in November 2020.

Apple's chips bring a whole new level of performance with more powerful Macs that are also more energy-efficient. With Apple designing its own chips for iOS devices and Macs, there is a common architecture across all Apple product lines, which also makes it easier for developers to write and optimize software that runs on all Apple products.

Apple has almost completed its transition away from Intel to Apple silicon, with one Intel Mac computer still waiting to be updated: The Mac Pro. Apple is said to be testing a new Mac Pro with Apple silicon, with a view to releasing it in the summer.

Apple partner BOE will supply the OLED displays for the fourth-generation iPhone SE, which is expected to be released next year, according to The Elec.

China-based BOE reportedly missed the initial volume of OLED panels destined for this year's iPhone 15 series due to production issues, with Samsung and LG claiming the majority of orders. Now it is looking to make up for it by focusing on OLED panel production for the low-cost iPhone SE 4. The volume of OLED panels for the iPhone SE 4 is estimated to be around 20 million next year.

Rather than applying new specifications, the iPhone SE 4 is expected to use OLED inventory originally put in place for 2021's iPhone 13 or 2022's iPhone 14. "It makes sense for Apple to optimize by leveraging component inventory, as it is an entry-level product," adds the machine language-translated Korean report.

Apple has restarted development of a fourth-generation iPhone SE with a 6.1-inch OLED display and an Apple-designed 5G chip, according to the information shared by reputable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last month.

Kuo said the new iPhone SE will be similar to the standard iPhone 14, which features a 6.1-inch OLED display with thinner bezels. The current iPhone SE is equipped with a 4.7-inch LCD display with thicker bezels.

Following the report on Kuo, reputable display analyst Ross Young said he had heard that the iPhone SE 4 will use an OLED panel from BOE, and today's report corroborates this information.

iPhone case and Apple Watch band color options are often refreshed on a seasonal basis, and it appears that trend will continue this spring.

Twitter account Majin Bu today claimed that Apple plans to make its Leather Case available in two additional colors for the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max, as part of an upcoming spring collection. The added colors would be Deep Violet and Golden Brown, both of which Apple has offered in the past. Existing color options for the case include Umber, Forest Green, Ink, Midnight, and Orange.

Deep Violet was a color option for the iPhone 12 series of Leather Cases, while Golden Brown remains an option for the iPhone 13 series of Leather Cases. Apple also offered the iPhone Leather Wallet and AirTag Leather Key Ring in Golden Brown.

Apple has recycled iPhone case colors in the past, so this rumor is plausible. For example, one of the current iPhone 14 Leather Case color options is Forest Green, which was previously available for the iPhone 11 Leather Case. Majin Bu has accurately leaked some iPhone case colors in the past, although their track record is not perfect.

Apple introduced new spring color options for iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands on Tuesday, March 8 last year, so new color options could be announced as early as this week if Apple sticks to the same schedule this year.

A rumored Yellow edition of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus could be announced around the same time as the new cases and bands.

While the iPhone 15 lineup is still around six months away, front glass panels for the devices were allegedly leaked today in a pair of videos shared on Chinese websites Bilibili and Douyin. The videos were later posted to Twitter by ShrimpApplePro and Unknownz21.

As previously rumored, the videos appear to confirm that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature even thinner bezels around the display compared to the previous generation, but the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus bezels do not appear to have any noticeable changes. The bezels on all four iPhone 15 models are also expected to be slightly curved around the edges, similar to the iPhone 11 series.

The videos also appear to confirm that the Dynamic Island will be expanded to all four iPhone 15 models, marking the end of the notch on Apple's higher-end iPhones. The Dynamic Island is currently limited to the iPhone 14 Pro models.

ShrimpApplePro said they were able to confirm with a source that the front glass panels are authentic parts for the iPhone 15 lineup.

With even thinner bezels around the display, the iPhone 15 Pro models could have a similar appearance as the Apple Watch Series 7 and Series 8. Rumors suggest the Pro models will also feature a titanium frame instead of stainless steel, and solid-state volume, mute, and power buttons that do not physically move when pressed.

Apple is expected to announce its next iPhone lineup in September as usual. For the latest rumors, read our iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro roundups.

Apple will likely launch both an updated 13-inch MacBook Air and a larger 15-inch MacBook Air "between late spring and summer," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. However, he said the chips these models will use is a "big remaining question."

Gurman said it is "plausible" that at least the next 13-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with the as-yet-unannounced M3 chip, which will reportedly be manufactured based on TSMC's latest 3nm process for improved performance. The current 13-inch model was released in July 2022 and is powered by the M2 chip, which is based on a 5nm process.

Gurman did not reveal if the 15-inch MacBook Air will also be equipped with the M3 chip. He said a 15-inch model with an M2 chip "may still excite consumers," but would "quickly become outdated" given the M3 chip is on the horizon. Last month, Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes claimed the 15-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with the M2 chip, but the website has a mediocre track record with Apple rumors.

Apple's supply chain started production of display panels for a new 15.5-inch MacBook Air in February, according to display industry analyst Ross Young, who has a solid track record with display-related rumors. This model would be the largest-ever MacBook Air, as the notebook has only ever been offered in 13-inch and 11-inch sizes.

All in all, there is still chip uncertainty surrounding the new MacBook Air models, but it is noteworthy that Gurman expects both 13-inch and 15-inch models to be released by the summer. He also continues to expect a new Mac Pro desktop tower with an M2 Ultra chip and the same design as the 2019 model to launch by the summer, and an updated 24-inch iMac to be released in the second half of this year at the earliest.

Apple's next iMac has reached an "advanced stage of development," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his newsletter today, Gurman said the new iMac will have the same 24-inch display size and color options as the current model.

The new iMac will likely include Apple's upcoming M3 chip, internal design changes, and a new manufacturing process for the stand, according to Gurman. The M3 chip will reportedly be manufactured based on Apple chipmaking partner TSMC's latest 3nm process for additional performance and power efficiency improvements.

Apple last updated the iMac in April 2021 with the M1 chip and an ultra-thin enclosure available in seven colors, including green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. It is currently the only iMac in Apple's lineup, as the Intel-based 27-inch iMac and iMac Pro were both discontinued within the past two years. Gurman previously claimed that a larger iMac could return, but he did not share any new info about that possibility today.

Gurman expects the new iMac to be released in the second half of 2023 at the earliest.

It looks like we could be seeing another Apple product introduction as soon as next week, and based on rumors and the timing, it appears it might be a new iPhone color.

We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 15 lineup coming later this year and even a fourth-generation iPhone SE, so read on for all the details on these stories and more!

Sources: Apple Planning Product Briefing Next Week as iPhone 14 Rumored to Launch in Yellow

A rumor from Chinese microblogging site Weibo claims that Apple is intending to launch the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in yellow as a mid-cycle addition, and we've heard that Apple is planning media briefings next week, so it's possible those could be for the launch.

For reference, Apple launched its mid-cycle green iPhone 13 colors on March 8 last year, so the timing does line up for a new iPhone color, but the subject of next week's briefing has yet to be revealed.

Kuo: New iPhone SE With 6.1-Inch OLED Display and Apple's 5G Chip Planned

On-again, off-again rumors about the future of Apple's budget iPhone SE are back on, with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claiming Apple has restarted development of an upcoming fourth-generation model, though it's unlikely it will be released until next year.

According to Kuo, the next-generation iPhone SE will be similar to the current iPhone 14, including a 6.1-inch OLED display. It could also adopt Apple's in-house 5G chip that has been under development for a number of years as Apple has sought to break free from Qualcomm as its cellular chip supplier.

iPhone 15 USB-C Cables Without MFi Badge May Have Data Transfer and Charging Speed Limits

While Apple is expected to replace the Lightning port with a USB-C port on the iPhone 15 lineup later this year, the company may still limit the functionality of cables and accessories that aren't certified under its MFi program.

Apple's MFi program uses a special authentication chip in approved accessories to ensure their authenticity and reassure customers that the products are safe to use with their Apple devices. The authentication could, however, also be used to limit the functionality of non-MFi accessories such as with data transfer and/or charging speeds.

According to leaker "ShrimpApplePro," Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn is already moving forward with mass production on USB-C cables and accessories under Apple's MFi program.

Everything New in iOS 16.4 Beta 2: Apple Books Changes, Apple Music Classical Mentions, Apple Pay in South Korea and More

Apple this week released the second developer and public beta versions of an upcoming iOS 16.4 update, and we've discovered some additional changes since the first beta.

One of the most notable changes is a return of the "curl" page-turning animation in Apple Books that was removed in iOS 16.0. Code in the new beta also hints that Apple is getting closer to launching its promised Apple Music Classical app, while there are some additional tweaks in the Settings app under AppleCare device coverage and Always On Display.

iPhone 15 Pro Max Could Have Thinner Camera Bump and Smaller Footprint

The iPhone 15 Pro Max will be thicker than its predecessor despite having a slightly reduced height and width, but it could offer a less protrusive camera rear array, according to newly shared CAD renders and dimensions.

According to dimensions from leaker "Ice Universe," the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ Max's footprint is approximately 1 mm smaller both in terms of height and width compared to the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max, but it is 5% thicker. The CAD renders and accompanying dimensions suggest that the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ Max will have a less protrusive camera bump than previously expected, being 0.59 mm shallower than that of the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max.

Apple Reportedly Has Secretive 'Startup' Team Working on Experimental Technologies for Future Devices

While we learned last week that a secretive "Exploratory Design Group" within Apple has had success with non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week shared more information about how this group known as "XDG" operates.

XDG includes only a few hundred people and operates as a "startup" working on a number of different projects. Group members are organized by skill set and may work on multiple projects simultaneously, but XDG members are not permitted to discuss their work with others in the group who are not working on that specific project.

The group is said to be working on next-generation display technology, artificial intelligence, low-processor technologies, next-generation batteries for smartphones, and health features for headset devices to help people with eye diseases.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

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The calendar has turned to March and Apple is rumored to have at least three product announcements planned between now and the end of April, including a 15-inch MacBook Air, a new Mac Pro tower, and a new iPhone 14 color option.

Below, we have recapped what to expect from Apple this March and April based on rumors. This story was originally published in February and has been updated with new information based on the latest rumors and reporting.

15" MacBook Air

Apple's supply chain started production of display panels for a new 15.5-inch MacBook Air in February, according to display industry analyst Ross Young, who has a very good track record with rumors about future Apple products over the past few years.

Young expects the new MacBook Air to launch in early April, but an announcement and pre-orders could certainly take place sooner. Apple often announces new products in March at an event or with press releases on the Apple Newsroom website, but it did hold an April event in 2021 to introduce a new iMac, iPad Pro, Apple TV, and the AirTag, along with a new Purple color option for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.

A new 15-inch display size option would be the largest ever for the MacBook Air. The current MacBook Air has a 13.6-inch display, and the laptop was offered in an 11-inch size many years ago. The new MacBook Air is still expected to be equipped with an LCD panel, as the first model with an OLED display is not expected to launch until 2024.

Like the 13-inch MacBook Air, the 15-inch model will reportedly be available with the M2 chip. Apple says the M2 chip has up to an 18% faster CPU, up to a 35% faster GPU, and up to a 40% faster Neural Engine compared to the M1 chip.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last year claimed that a 15-inch MacBook with M2 and M2 Pro chip options would be released in the second quarter of 2023 or later. Interestingly, Kuo said this MacBook might not have Air branding. On a purely speculative basis, it is possible that Apple could release a 15-inch MacBook that is positioned between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, but Apple's plans remain to be seen.

New Mac Pro

The next Mac Pro will be available with Apple's upcoming M2 Ultra chip, which would make it the fastest Mac ever, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He expects the new Mac Pro to have the same design as the 2019 model, but lack user-upgradeable RAM. A higher-end "M2 Extreme" chip for the computer was apparently cancelled.

In January, Gurman said Apple was internally testing a new Mac Pro running macOS 13.3, which will be publicly released this spring, according to Apple. Given this, it is possible that Apple could release both the Mac Pro and macOS 13.3 around March or April, but there is still no definitive timeframe for the computer's release this year, so there remains a chance that the new Mac Pro is announced at WWDC 2023 in June or later in the year.

New iPhone Color

Apple often releases at least one new iPhone color in March or April, and a recent rumor suggests that tradition could continue this year.

Apple plans to make the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus available in Yellow this spring, according to a Weibo post shared by Japanese blog Mac Otakara. Apple last offered a Yellow color option for the iPhone 11 in 2019 and the iPhone XR in 2018. It's unclear if Apple plans to release a new color for the iPhone 14 Pro models.

At its March 2022 event, Apple introduced a new Alpine Green color for the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, and a new Green color for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini. In April 2021, Apple made the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini available in Purple.

In earlier years, Apple released a new (PRODUCT)RED color for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 series.

Apple's vice president of cloud engineering Michael Abbott plans to leave the company in April, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The report notes that Abbott oversees Apple's cloud infrastructure for services like iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime, and others.

Abbott joined Apple in 2018 and was previously an executive at tech companies such as Twitter, Microsoft, and Palm. The report claims that his team at Apple had invested heavily in building out the company's in-house cloud infrastructure, but scaled back the efforts in favor of using servers hosted by Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud.

Apple's vice president of services Peter Stern, who oversaw iCloud as a whole, also left the company earlier this year. Stern worked at Apple for over six years and was viewed as a potential successor to Apple's longtime services chief Eddy Cue.

Update: The role will be taken over by Jeff Robbin, a longtime Apple engineering VP known as the creator of iTunes, according to Gurman.

OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot offers a new generation of conversational AI functionality that promises to fundamentally change the technological landscape and the way people work. Here's how to access it directly from your Mac's menu bar.

ChatGPT is a next-generation language model that's designed to understand and generate human-like response to natural language input. Using a form of AI called deep learning, ChatGPT generates text that's similar to what a human might say.

ChatGPT is trained on a large corpus of text corralled from the internet, which allows it to answer a wide variety of questions and generate coherent responses to many different types of prompts.

That's why Microsoft has added its Bing GPT chatbot to the Taskbar with the latest Windows 11 update, and why Google plans to integrate its Bard experimental conversational AI service to Google Search.

Sadly, Apple doesn't have a chatbot service similar to ChatGPT, and there's no indication that the company will launch one soon, so macOS integration is likely some ways off. However, thanks to one developer, it is possible to interact with ChatGPT right from your Mac's menu bar.

Developed by Jordi Bruin, MacGPT is a free download that reproduces all of the options found on the ChatGPT website and makes them accessible inside a tidy little Mac app. From within the MacGPT interface you can start new conversations with the chatbot and resume old ones.

In the app's settings, there's an option to make the MacGPT window always on top, so it floats over other windows. You can also record a keyboard shortcut that launches the chat window.

The app even adds a convenient brain icon to your Mac's menu bar, so you can have another app in fullscreen mode and still be able to access ChatGPT, ensuring the rich information resource remains just a click away, whatever you're doing.

MacGPT and the ChatGPT website aren't the only ways to access conversational AI chatbots on your Apple devices. Microsoft recently rolled out new Bing, Skype, and Edge apps for the iPhone and the iPad, all of which feature the chat-based AI-powered search capabilities. However, as of writing, these apps are available only in a preview capacity for those who are on the Bing preview experience, and there is a waitlist.

The best Apple deals this week focused on the first-ever discounts appearing for Apple's M2 Mac mini, as well as a return of all-time low prices on the 2022 iPad and iPad Air. Additionally, you'll find solid deals on Beats Fit Pro still available this week, and a discount code for a 3-in-1 iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods charging station.

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.

M2 Mac Mini

• What's the deal? Take $50 off Mac mini
• Where can I get it? B&H Photo
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

This week saw one of the first notable markdowns on Apple's new M2 Mac mini, with B&H Photo offering $50 discounts on both the 256GB and 512GB computer. Prices start at $549.00 for the 256GB model and rise to $749.00 for the 512GB model, and right now only B&H Photo is offering these deals with decent shipping dates.

iPad

• What's the deal? Take $50 off 2022 iPad
• Where can I get it? Amazon

Amazon has one model of the 2022 10.9-inch iPad on sale for an all-time low price as we close the week. You can get the Blue tablet for $399.00, down from $449.00.

iPad Air

• What's the deal? Take $99 off 2022 iPad Air
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Over at Amazon, we tracked a sale on every model of the 2022 iPad Air this week. Today, many of these discounts can still be found, including the all-time low price on the entry-level 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air at $499.99, down from $599.00.

Beats Fit Pro

• What's the deal? Take $40 off Beats Fit Pro
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Late last week we saw the first discount on the new colors of Beats Fit Pro, and now this week we are tracking an even better discount on these new earbuds. You can get them in all regular colors for $159.95, down from $199.95. If you want the Beats Fit Pro x Kim Kardashian line of colors, you'll spend $169.95-$179.95.

ESR HaloLock 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Set

• What's the deal? Take $20 off wireless charger
• Where can I get it? ESR

Accessory company ESR is discounting its HaloLock 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Set to $59.99 this week, down from $79.99. You'll need to enter the code DASH25 at checkout to see this discounted price.

The HaloLock is a MagSafe-compatible stand with places to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. The Apple Watch section of the charger can be detached and used as a standalone charger via USB-C.

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

Goldman Sachs this week updated its Apple Card Customer Agreement to provide additional clarity about the upcoming Daily Cash savings account feature. The changes in the agreement are minor, but suggest that the feature's launch is approaching.

"The Daily Cash section of your Apple Card Customer Agreement has been updated to provide additional clarity related to making a Daily Cash Election and use of accrued but unredeemed Daily Cash," reads an email sent to Apple Card holders this week.

Apple first announced the savings account option in October and said it would be available "in the coming months," but the company has not commented on the plans since. The feature will allow Apple Card users to open a high-yield savings account from Apple's financial partner Goldman Sachs and earn interest on the Daily Cash deposited, with no fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements.

Like the Apple Card, the savings account will be managed through the Wallet app on the iPhone. Apple has yet to reveal what the account's APY will be, but Goldman Sachs' existing Marcus savings account currently starts at 3.75%.

The savings account was initially listed in the release notes for the iOS 16.1 Release Candidate, but it did not end up launching with that update and is still not available. Apple continues to lay the groundwork for the feature in iOS 16.4 beta code.

Apple's credit card launched in 2019 and remains available in the U.S. only.

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss some of the top features and changes we would like to see in iOS 17.

Apple is expected to unveil iOS 17 at WWDC in June this year, offering a range of enhancements and new features, such as a next-generation CarPlay experience, changes to Siri, support for sideloading and alternate app stores, support for Apple's mixed-reality headset, and more. We talk through some of the areas where we feel Apple could bring meaningful changes and improvements to the iPhone, with particular attention to generative AI, Spotlight, Siri, Shortcuts, notifications, Apple Music, the Health app, Apple Fitness+, and Control Center.

We also discuss some of the latest news, including the rumored "in-air" typing experience on Apple's mixed-reality headset, the two second-generation headset models that seem to be in the pipeline, and the gradual transition to under-display technologies on the ‌iPhone‌.

Listen to The MacRumors Show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, Google Podcasts, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player. Watch a video version of the show on the MacRumors YouTube channel.

If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion on the state of AirPods, HomePod, and ‌Apple Music‌ in 2023 and where they could go in the next few years with YouTuber and audio aficionado David Lewis.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for more episodes, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by exciting guests like Andru Edwards, Tyler Stalman, Jon Prosser, Sam Kohl, Quinn Nelson, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Sara Dietschy, Luke Miani, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, iJustine, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, Jon Rettinger, Rene Ritchie, and Mark Gurman. Remember to rate and review the show, and let us know what subjects you would like the podcast to cover in the future.

We're tracking a collection of discounts on Apple's MagSafe charging accessories, as well as an all-time low price on the Apple Pencil 2, today on Amazon.

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.

Starting with the MagSafe Charger, this accessory is on sale for $31.00, down from $39.00. This is about $4 higher than the all-time low price on the charger, making it a solid second-best price.

Amazon also has the MagSafe Battery Pack for $79.00, down from $99.00. This is another second-best price on Amazon, but it's one of the first times we've tracked a deal on the accessory in 2023 and still a good sale at $20 off.

Lastly, the Apple Pencil 2 has returned to $89.00 on Amazon, down from $129.00. This one is an all-time low price on the stylus accessory, and Amazon is estimating a delivery date for as soon as March 6.

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

Apple plans to make the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus available in Yellow this spring, according to a Weibo post shared by Japanese blog Mac Otakara. However, we cannot independently confirm if the Weibo account has a proven track record.

Multiple sources informed MacRumors that Apple's PR team is planning a product briefing next week. Apple announced new Green colors for the iPhone 13 series on Tuesday, March 8 last year, so there is a chance the briefing is related to a new iPhone color being announced, but the subject of the briefing has yet to be determined.

Apple often adds new iPhone colors in the spring to boost sales midway through the product cycle. Last March, Apple introduced a new Green color for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, and a new Alpine Green color for the iPhone 13 Pro models. In April 2021, Apple made the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini available in Purple.

Apple last offered a Yellow color option for the iPhone 11 in 2019 and the iPhone XR in 2018. It's unclear if Apple is planning a new color for the iPhone 14 Pro models, but Yellow might be too similar to the existing Gold option for those devices.

Amazon has discounted numerous configurations of the Apple Watch Ultra today, offering these devices for $749.00, down from $799.00. Unlike previous sales, today's discounts do not require any coupon codes of any kind, as they are automatically applied on the Amazon product page.

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.

Overall, this is a second-best price on the Apple Watch Ultra. We tracked lower markdowns in February, but those all-time low prices have not returned and today's deals are still offering solid savings on the high-end Apple Watch Ultra. There are also far more configurations on sale this time around, with nearly every color and style on sale save one or two models.

Configurations include:

• Black/Gray Trail Loop (Medium/Large)
• Black/Gray Trail Loop (Small/Medium)
• Blue/Gray Trail Loop (Medium/Large)
• Blue/Gray Trail Loop (Small/Medium)
• Yellow/Beige Trail Loop (Medium/Large)
• Yellow/Beige Trail Loop (Small/Medium)
• Green Alpine Loop (Large)
• Green Alpine Loop (Medium)
• Green Alpine Loop (Small)
• Orange Alpine Loop (Large)
• Orange Alpine Loop (Medium)
• Orange Alpine Loop (Small)
• Starlight Alpine Loop (Large)
• Starlight Alpine Loop (Small)
• Midnight Ocean Band
• White Ocean Band
• Yellow Ocean Band

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

Multiple rumors have indicated that a handful of design changes are coming to the iPhone 15 Pro and ‌‌iPhone 15‌ Pro‌ Max, but one that until now has gone under the radar is the possibility that the volume controls on the side of the device will be a single unified rocker button.

As noted by YouTuber ZoneOfTech on Twitter, Apple typically uses two pins to attach each button to the chassis, but in the latest renders based on leaked ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro CAD drawings, only two pins are shown in a single indentation where the volume buttons usually sit. In contrast, CAD-based renders of the regular ‌iPhone 15‌ show two separate slots with four pins in total.

In the course of making their own ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro concept based on the leaked CADs, ZoneOfTech has become "100% sure" the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro will feature one long unified volume button rather than two separate ones. In addition, ZoneOfTech is just as certain that "the mute switch will also switch to a singular press button, rather than the up and down switch that we have now."

Rumors suggest Apple is adopting solid-state buttons with haptic feedback for the power and volume controls on its upcoming ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models, and it's beginning to look like a single unified solid-state volume button will detect touch on the top ("up") and bottom ("down") ends, and a haptic mute button will replace the classic switch.

It's unclear how the new haptic buttons will work through cases, especially if they require direct touch contact. Likewise, there will need to be solutions to accommodate device recovery in situations the ‌iPhone‌ may not be working as expected. On the plus side, solid-state button technology can improve protection against dust and water, since it doesn't need a physical depressing mechanic, but it does require extra hardware inside the ‌iPhone‌.

Apple is rumored to be adding two additional Taptic Engines to the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models to power the solid-state buttons. (Current ‌iPhone‌ models have a single Taptic Engine for haptic feedback.) The regular ‌iPhone 15‌ models are expected to retain mechanical buttons.

The original ‌iPhone‌ featured an externally unified volume rocker, or one long button raised at both ends. This button design remained on the ‌iPhone‌ 3G and ‌iPhone‌ 3GS. For the ‌iPhone‌ 4, the rocker was replaced by two circular buttons, which were eventually changed to longer separate pill-shaped buttons on the ‌iPhone‌ 6. Variations on the pill shape have been used right up to the ‌iPhone‌ 14.

Do you have a button preference? Let us know in the comments. And for more on what to expect from the ‌‌iPhone 15‌ Pro‌ models, check out our dedicated roundup with all of the rumors.

Update: 9to5Mac cites a source who confirmed the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models will have a unified volume rocker and a mute button instead of a mute switch.

Apple today announced that its revamped Maps app is rolling out in Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

The new experience provides more detail, improved navigation, custom-designed 3D models of popular landmarks, immersive turn-by-turn walking directions powered by augmented reality, and more.

Look Around, which was first introduced in iOS 13, is also expanding to all of these countries starting today. Look Around provides 3D street-level imagery in cities where it is available, and it is similar to Google's Street View.

Apple users in the above countries received notifications of the rollout this morning, and Apple Maps expert Justin O'Beirne also catalogued the expansion.

This is the seventeenth time that Apple has expanded its new map data since its public launch in September 2018. It has since expanded to the U.K., Ireland, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, France, Germany, and select other countries and territories.