MacRumors

Today marks 18 years since Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the original iPhone and Apple TV at Macworld Expo 2007.

Standing on stage, Jobs introduced the ‌iPhone‌ as a product that combined three revolutionary functions: "an iPod with touch controls, a phone, and a breakthrough internet communications device." He emphasized that these were not three separate devices, but one, and said, "Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone."

This vision materialized as a device that broke away from industry conventions, featuring a sleek aluminum and plastic body, a 3.5-inch multi-touch display that precluded the need for a physical keyboard, a 2-megapixel camera, and ‌iPhone‌ OS—a mobile operating system that provided unprecedented functionality compared to the feature phones of its time. The ‌iPhone‌ consolidated multiple devices into one and laid the groundwork for future innovation.

While the ‌iPhone‌ dominated headlines, Apple also formally introduced the ‌Apple TV‌, a product that had initially been previewed as "iTV" during a previous event in September 2006. ‌Apple TV‌ was presented as a set-top box designed to bring iTunes content to the television. The device allowed users to wirelessly stream movies, TV shows, music, and photos from their Mac or PC directly to their TV. It featured a 40GB hard drive for local content storage and supported 720p HD resolution, offering both HDMI and component video output, and was priced at $299.

Another notable announcement was Apple's decision to change its corporate name from "Apple Computer, Inc." to simply "Apple Inc." Jobs said that Apple was no longer just a computer company, signaling its intention to dominate multiple sectors.

Grok, the AI chatbot built into the X (Twitter) social network, is now available as a standalone app in the United States. X owner Elon Musk rolled out Grok in 2023 after developing it under his xAI company, and it has been described as a chatbot that's more casual and "funny" than other chatbots like ChatGPT.

The Grok app description says that Grok is "designed to be maximally truthful, useful, and curious."

xAI has been beta testing Grok as a standalone iOS app in Australia since December, and the app is now expanding to additional countries. Grok will also be available as a web app.

The Grok app features Grok 2, the latest version of the Grok chatbot. App capabilities include image generation and up-to-date information for queries using current X and web data, with xAI suggesting that it is useful for creating images, improving writing, and studying. Grok can be downloaded from the App Store for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]

Apple could be developing a new app that's designed to help users organize meetings and in-person events, if code discovered in the latest iOS 18.3 beta is anything to go by.

References in iOS 18.3 beta 2 spotted by 9to5Mac suggest the app is called "Invites," and it will show users a list of people invited to an event and indicate those who have confirmed their attendance. The code also suggests that the app will integrate with iCloud, with a web version on iCloud.com also a possibility.

The app apparently taps into Apple's previously unused GroupKit daemon, which handles database models for groups of people. Little else is known about the app – it could be standalone, or it could be an integration with existing apps. Whatever it is, the Invites app sounds like it will offer more event-related features than those found in Calendar, which currently manages event invites through a rather simplistic interface.

The beta code references reportedly first appeared in one of the iOS 18.2 betas, before being removed from the final release. Now they're back in iOS 18.3 beta 2, but that doesn't guarantee that Apple will release the app. The company could just be experimenting with an idea that is ultimately nixed from iOS 18.3, or Apple could decide to hold it over for a succeeding software update.

Apple seeded the second betas of iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 to developers on Tuesday for testing purposes. There are no new Apple Intelligence features in the updates, which will likely focus primarily on bugs and small software refinements. Additional Apple Intelligence functionality is coming in later iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 updates.

Apple today reiterated its commitment to Siri privacy, making it clear that ‌Siri‌ data has never been used to build marketing profiles, nor has any ‌Siri‌ information been made available to advertisers or sold for any purpose.

Apple's newsroom post comes after it settled a class action lawsuit related to ‌Siri‌ for $95 million. Plaintiffs accused Apple of recording conversations captured after accidental ‌Siri‌ activations, and then sharing information from those conversations with third-party advertisers.

Two plaintiffs claimed that after speaking about products like Air Jordan shoes and Olive Garden, their Apple devices showed ads for those products, while another said he received ads for a surgical treatment after discussing it privately with his doctor.

There has never been any indication that Apple shared ‌Siri‌ recordings, and Apple told MacRumors in a statement earlier this week that the lawsuit was settled to avoid additional litigation.

In its full privacy overview, Apple goes into detail on the ‌Siri‌ privacy protections that are in place to keep user data safe. Apple uses on-device ‌Siri‌ processing wherever possible, and minimizes the amount of data that's collected as much as possible.

‌Siri‌ searches and requests are not associated with an Apple Account and cannot be linked to an individual user, with Apple instead using a random identifier to keep track of data as it's processed.

Apple says that it does not retain audio recordings of ‌Siri‌ interactions unless users explicitly opt in to help improve ‌Siri‌, and even then, recordings are used just for that purpose.

SanDisk this week introduced the SanDisk Creator Phone SSD, a small, portable SSD that's designed to be used with Apple's MagSafe iPhones. The SSD has ‌MagSafe‌ compatibility, and it attaches to the back of an iPhone magnetically.

An included USB-C cable then connects the SSD to the ‌iPhone‌, allowing the setup to be used while on-the-go. SanDisk's SSD is compatible with Apple ProRes recording.

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models can be connected to an external storage device over USB-C, and recorded ProRes files can be stored directly on the SSD. Requirements include write speeds of at least 220MB/s for 4K60 ProRes, and 440MB/s for 4K120 ProRes and a USB-C cable that supports 10Gb/s transfer speeds at a minimum.

SanDisk's Creator Phone SSD supports read speeds of up to 1000MB/s, and write speeds of up to 950MB/s, so it is fast enough to be used for ProRes recording.

The SSD has a durable silicone shell, three-meter drop protection, and IP65 water and dust resistance, which means it is able to handle some moisture exposure. SanDisk is offering it in 1TB and 2TB capacities.

The 1TB model is priced starting at $110, and it will be available for purchase this spring. The 2TB model will be priced at $170.

Lacie this week introduced the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5, an SSD that uses the latest Thunderbolt 5 technology for faster transfer speeds. Apple's newest M4 Macs are equipped with Thunderbolt 5 ports that are able to take advantage of the speeds of Thunderbolt 5 accessories.

According to LaCie, the SSD is aimed at filmmakers, photographers, and audio specialists. The SSD delivers read speeds of up to 6700MB/s, and write speeds up to 5300MB/s. It can be purchased in capacities up to 4TB.

The Rugged SSD Pro5 features IP68 dust and water resistance, which means it can withstand submersion in water. The durability makes it ideal for workflows that involve travel, and it can withstand drops from up to three meters high.

While designed for Thunderbolt 5 machines, the SSD Pro5 works with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, and USB 10/20/40Gb/s USB-C hosts on Macs, the iPad Pro, and Windows machines.

A 2TB version of the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 is available for $400, while a 4TB model is priced at $600.

AT&T today announced a new AT&T Guarantee customer service initiative that offers "an elevated experience" with connectivity customers can depend on, with a promise to "make it right" if there are issues.

Customers received emails about the new guarantee this morning, with AT&T offering credits for service interruptions and downtime. AT&T says that a fiber outage lasting for 20 minutes or more or wireless downtime lasting 60 minutes or more will result in a credit for a full day of service. For cellular customers, an outage needs to impact 10 or more towers to count. Weather-related events, natural disasters, and outages caused by third parties will not be eligible for a credit.

AT&T Fiber customers must be using an AT&T-provided gateway to be eligible for downtime compensation, and again, outages caused by weather-related events and natural disasters are not included. AT&T also does not count outages caused by downed or cut cable wires at a customer residence, issues with wiring inside a customer's home, and outages resulting from planned maintenance.

Customers who experience an outage will be notified of an upcoming bill credit via email or text, with AT&T providing these credits proactively.

AT&T also says promises that there will be no hidden fees or equipment charges with fiber, and it plans to offer reward cards for customer service failures. If a wait time for technical support exceeds five minutes and a customer is not offered a callback or does not receive the callback, AT&T will provide a reward card.

Delta today announced that it is partnering with YouTube for a new in-flight Delta Sync entertainment experience. Delta SkyMiles members who log into their accounts will be able to watch their favorite creators, podcasts, and music artists ad-free while on board most Delta flights.

YouTube will provide "fresh, dynamic, ad-free content" that is tailored to and personalized for each passenger. YouTube videos will be available on the Delta Sync seatback units. From Delta CEO Ed Bastian:

Whether through Delta Sync Wi-Fi or Delta Sync seatback, Delta prides itself on giving customers something new to discover every time they travel and is committed to continuously offering customers content that is relevant to them - that feels personal and meets them where they are. A multi-layered YouTube partnership gives customers access to the most premium source of content in the industry for free, supported by Delta's fast, free Wi-Fi.

Delta is debuting new seatback hardware starting in 2026 that features a 4K HDR QLED display with a theatre-like viewing experience, Bluetooth capabilities for connecting earbuds, a recommendation engine tailored to customer preferences, and options for features like a Do Not Disturb mode for communicating with Delta employees.

T-Mobile has been sued a second time over a 2021 data breach that impacted 80 million T-Mobile users. The consumer protection lawsuit comes from Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who says that T-Mobile had years to "fix key vulnerabilities" that could have prevented the data breach.

According to Ferguson, T-Mobile knew that its systems had certain cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and the company did not do enough to address them. T-Mobile is also accused of misleading customers about its security practices, not notifying Washingtonians of the data breach in a timely matter, and downplaying the severity of the breach.

For years prior to August 2021, T-Mobile did not meet industry standards for cybersecurity and knew about these vulnerabilities. These included insufficient processes for identifying and addressing security threats and a systemic lack of oversight. In some cases, T-Mobile used obvious passwords to protect accounts that had access to customers' sensitive personal information. The 2021 breach was enabled, in part, when the hacker guessed obvious credentials to gain access to T-Mobile's internal databases.

T-Mobile's systems were breached in March 2021, but T-Mobile did not learn of the attack until August 2021. Hackers were able to obtain names, phone numbers, addresses, birth dates, social security numbers, driver's license and ID info, IMEI numbers, and IMSI numbers from T-Mobile customers, and that data was sold.

The hacker behind the attack said that T-Mobile's security was "awful" and that the breach occurred when an unprotected T-Mobile router was discovered, which led to access of T-Mobile's Washington data center.

T-Mobile apologized for the data breach and promised to prevent a future attack by establishing long-term partnerships with cybersecurity experts.

The lawsuit is seeking restitution for Washingtonians that were harmed in the data breach, along with injunctive relief to require improvements to T-Mobile's cybersecurity practices.

T-Mobile already paid $350 million to settle a class action lawsuit over the data breach in 2022, and it was fined $60 million by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) for failing to prevent or disclose unauthorized access to sensitive customer data.

CES is continuing on, and MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been wandering the show floor to find interesting products, some of which are Apple related and some of which are just neat.

Cars might not be the main focus of CES, but there are definitely vehicles to check out. Sony and Honda teamed up for the Afeela, a $90k car with a futuristic design and a whole glut of screens inside, plus a built-in gaming system. It's an EV that can go up to 300 miles, and it has some autonomous driving features.

As for more traditional tech, the Displace is a truly wireless TV that can run off of batteries, so it technically doesn't need to be plugged in except when it's charging. It comes in 27-inch and 55-inch models, and has an OLED display. There are attachments for HDMI inputs, a browser for watching any internet-based content, and apps, and it can apparently be mounted in 10 seconds using an active suction system.

Pricing starts at $2,499. While there's a 10,000mAh battery and extra battery accessories available, Displace didn't share details on how long the battery lasts in the standard models. The company's website suggests that the more expensive Pro model lasts for up to 60 hours when included speakers and soundbar are attached.

Other highlights from the show floor so far included the tri-fold ultra portable projector from Aurzen, multi-camera bird feeder from Birdfy, a couple of robot lawnmowers, and the Hypershell Exoskeleton.

Dan will be checking out more products today, so make sure to stay tuned to see tomorrow's CES roundup video. We're also covering announcements from CES, which you can check out at our CES 2025 hub, plus we did a Day 1 CES video and a Day 2 CES video.

Apple today seeded the second public betas of upcoming iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3 updates, allowing the public to test the software ahead of when it launches later this month. The public betas come three weeks after the first public betas. Apple has also seeded new public betas of tvOS 18.3 and watchOS 11.3.

Public beta testers can download the updates from the Settings app on each device after opting into the beta through Apple's public beta testing website.

While there are no new Apple Intelligence features for the iPhone or iPad, ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.3 brings Genmoji to the Mac for the first time, so Mac users are now able to create custom emoji characters that can be used in place of standard emoji.

In iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.3, code suggests that the Home app is set to gain support for robot vacuums, which means Matter and HomeKit vacuums will be able to integrate with Apple's smart home platform in the future.

We are expecting iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.3 to be released to the public toward the end of January.

Today we're tracking a collection of discounts on Apple's M4 MacBook Pro at Amazon, including as much as $400 off select models of the computer. All of these deals have been applied automatically on Amazon and do not require an on-page coupon in order to see the final sale price.

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.

Deals include both 14-inch and 16-inch models, and the biggest savings will be found on the latter group. The steepest discount is on the 16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Max 48GB RAM/1TB), available for $3,599.00, down from $3,999.00. At $400 off this is a match of the all-time low price on the high-end model.

For the 14-inch models, you'll find up to $220 off these computers on Amazon this week. You can get the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro (16GB RAM/512GB) for $1,449.00, down from $1,599.00, which is a solid second-best price on the computer.

14-inch MacBook Pro

• M4 10-Core/16GB RAM/512GB - $1,449.00 ($150 off)
• M4 10-Core/16GB RAM/1TB - $1,629.00 ($170 off)
• M4 10-Core/24GB RAM/1TB - $1,799.00 ($200 off)
• M4 Pro 12-Core/24GB RAM/512GB - $1,819.00 ($180 off)
• M4 Pro 14-Core/24GB RAM/1TB - $2,179.00 ($220 off)

16-inch MacBook Pro

• M4 Pro 14-Core/24GB RAM/512GB - $2,249.00 ($250 off)
• M4 Pro 14-Core/48GB RAM/512GB - $2,629.00 ($270 off)
• M4 Max 14-Core/36GB RAM/1TB - $3,149.00 ($350 off)
• M4 Max 16-Core/48GB RAM/1TB - $3,599.00 ($400 off)

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

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Apple has expanded its production footprint in the United States, with its S9 chip for the Apple Watch now reportedly being manufactured at TSMC's facility in Arizona.

According to technology columnist Tim Culpan, TSMC has now started producing Apple's S9 System-in-Package (SiP) chip near Phoenix, Arizona at its Fab 21 plant. The company commenced production of the A16 Bionic chip for the iPhone 15 and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus at the facility last year.

The S9 debuted in the Apple Watch Series 9 in late 2023, based on processing features derived from the A16 Bionic chip. Both products are produced using TSMC's 4-nanometer process technology, known simply as "N4." This shared technological foundation reportedly allowed TSMC to efficiently adapt its Arizona production line to accommodate the S9 alongside the A16. While the Apple Watch Series 9 is now out of production, the S9 chip is still used in the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which was introduced at the same time.

While the A16 Bionic has been in production at Fab 21 since September 2024, the addition of the S9 SiP reflects an accelerated ramp-up in operations at the Arizona facility. The Arizona plant represents TSMC's first major semiconductor manufacturing site outside Taiwan, but production capacity at the facility has remained in its early stages.

The current operational phase (Phase 1A) has a monthly output of approximately 10,000 wafers. These wafers are shared between the Apple A16 and S9 chips, and other clients such as AMD. Each wafer can yield hundreds of chips, depending on die size, design, and production efficiency. The completion of Phase 1B is expected to double the facility's capacity to 24,000 wafers per month early this year.

iOS 18.4 is expected to be released in April with several new Apple Intelligence enhancements for Siri, including on-screen awareness, deeper per-app controls, and better understanding of a user's personal context. However, an even bigger upgrade planned for Siri is still more than a year away, according to a recent report.

A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said iOS 19 will introduce a "more conversational" version of Siri powered by "more advanced large language models." He said this upgrade will make Siri more like ChatGPT, allowing the assistant to "handle more sophisticated requests" and better respond to "back-and-forth conversations."

Apple will likely preview the more conversational version of Siri when it announces iOS 19 at WWDC 2025 in June, but Gurman said it will not be available until as early as spring 2026. That suggests the feature will be released as part of an iOS 19.4 update, which is likely to be released in March or April next year.

Siri was already inferior to competing voice assistants like Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant, and the rise of chatbots like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini set Siri even further behind. With the enhancements coming between the iOS 18.4 and iOS 19.4 updates, Siri should finally see some meaningful improvements.

The revamped Siri will require an iPhone 15 Pro or newer due to Apple Intelligence compatibility.

It was recently reported that new Apple TV and new HomePod mini models will launch this year, and the devices are expected to have one thing in common.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last month reported that the new Apple TV and the new HomePod mini will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip. Gurman said the chip supports Wi-Fi 6E, so that could end up being a key upgrade for both devices. Wi-Fi 6E extends the capabilities of Wi-Fi 6 to the 6 GHz band, enabling faster wireless speeds and reduced signal interference with a compatible router.

The current Apple TV from October 2022 supports Wi-Fi 6, and the upgrade to Wi-Fi 6E seems likely. It is unclear if the Wi-Fi 6E capability will be enabled in the next HomePod mini, however, as Apple has generally kept its HomePod speakers on older Wi-Fi versions. For example, the current HomePod mini supports outdated Wi-Fi 4.

Unsurprisingly, the next Apple TV is also expected to be equipped with a newer A-series chip for faster performance. The current Apple TV is equipped with the A15 Bionic chip that debuted in the iPhone 13 models in 2021. Apple has released several newer A-series chips since then, including the A16 Bionic, A17 Pro, A18, and A18 Pro.

The next Apple TV could have lower pricing. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that the next model could have a sub-$100 starting price. In the U.S., the current Apple TV is available with 64GB or 128GB of storage for $129 and $149, respectively.

No major design changes have been rumored for the next Apple TV, but Gurman said Apple has considered adding a built-in camera to a future model. tvOS 17 added a FaceTime app to the Apple TV, allowing for users to have video calls by using the rear camera on a connected iPhone or iPad. If the Apple TV gained a built-in camera, users would no longer need to rely on an external device for video calls on the TV.

As for the HomePod mini, likely upgrades for the next model include a newer "S" chip, improved sound quality, a newer Ultra Wideband chip for a lower-latency Handoff experience, and fresh color options. The current HomePod mini was released in November 2020 and uses the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip.

In addition to a new HomePod mini, Apple reportedly plans to release an all-new smart home hub at some point this year. The hub is expected to feature around a six-inch display that can be mounted on a wall, or attached to a tabletop base with a speaker, so the device could be similar to the HomePod mini in some ways.

Apple is still barred from selling iPhone 16 models in Indonesia despite agreeing to build a local production facility there, as it has not met domestic content rules, the country's industry minister said on Wednesday (via Reuters).

Indonesia's minister of industry, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, reportedly met with Apple's VP of global government affairs, Nick Ammann, on January 7 to discuss Apple's investment proposal. However, Agus later implied that the company's proposal was not yet adequate. "If it is $1 billion, then that is not enough," he told reporters after the meeting.

Last year, Indonesian authorities banned iPhone 16 sales after they determined Apple had failed to meet the country's requirement for 35% domestic content in smartphones. Apple has since offered a $1 billion investment in the country that includes building an AirTag factory. Apple's offer is a significant increase from its previous offers of $10 million and $100 million, which were rejected by the government.

Agus confirmed Apple had agreed to build a facility producing AirTag tracking devices on Indonesia's Batam island, close to Singapore, but that still would not count as a locally-made iPhone part.

"There is no basis for the ministry to issue a local content certification as a way for Apple to have the permission to sell iPhone 16 because (the facility) has no direct relations," he said, adding the ministry would only count phone components.

Indonesia's investment minister on Tuesday said the factory would start operations next year. The agreement will be seen as a success for President Prabowo's efforts to attract foreign investment while demonstrating the effectiveness of Indonesia's strategy to pressure international companies into developing products locally. The country remains a significant market for Apple, with over half of its 278 million residents under the age of 44.

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.

Razer today introduced Project Arielle, a next-generation conceptual gaming chair that it is developing. The mesh gaming chair has integrated heating and cooling functions thanks to a bladeless fan system located at the base of the backrest.

The chair offers three adjustable fan speeds for personalized cooling, and Razer says that the heat dissipation offered by the airflow can reduce perceived temperatures by up 2°C to 5°C in dry environments.

When it's cooler, there's a built-in heating system that uses energy-efficient PTC heatings delivering up to 30°C of warm air. According to Razer, the chair's noise level is as "soft as a whisper," with the various functions able to be controlled through a touch panel on the chair's arm.

Razer also demoed Project Ava, a conceptual AI gaming copilot designed to provide real-time insights from esports coaches and information on hardware optimizations to improve gaming performance.

As for products that are actually available, Razer debuted PC Remote Play for streaming full-resolution games from PCs to mobile devices, and a new Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop. Razer says that the new Razer Blade 16 is its thinnest gaming laptop to date, with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU and AMD Ryzen 9 AI processors. The Razer Blade 16 will launch in Q1 2025.

The Philips Hue app will soon be updated with new functionality that will let users generate different light scenes using AI, Hue parent company Signify announced today.

A text phrase will be able to be used to generate a lighting scene with AI, offering more customization than the built-in scenes or scenes created from photos. Hue users will be able to generate scenes based on moods, styles, occasions, and more. A release date isn't available for the feature, but it is coming in 2025.

Hue Secure, which incorporates security cameras and features, is set to gain smoke alarm sound detection, iOS widgets, and integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Nest Hub.

Signify also updated the Philips Hue Sync TV app to support LG TVs, adding dynamic light synchronization for content from streaming apps to gaming consoles. The feature used to be limited to Samsung TVs, but it will launch on LG TVs in early 2025. The app is priced at $130.

Previously announced Impress outdoor lights and Datura ceiling panels will be coming to the United States in the near future, while the 8K Play HDMI Sync Box and Solo lightstrip will be expanding to additional countries. The Impress outdoor lights will be priced at $160 and will launch in mid-February, while the Datura ceiling panels are set to launch in March at a $300 price point.