Rumors from Apple’s next big iPhone event, which might include an iPhone 11 Pro, new Apple Watch ceramic and titanium models, an update to the cheaper iPhone XR, and more.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman posted that a launch of the Mac Studio with an M4 Max chip and, oddly, an M3 Ultra “appears to be imminent.” Gurman speculates that this will help Apple differentiate the Studio from a future M4 Ultra-powered Mac Pro. Both have been rumored for later this year, with the Pro coming in as late as the fall.
Apple’s retail stock of last year’s iPad Air is drying up, a sign that Apple could announce new versions of the tablet soon, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman writes in today’s Power On newsletter. That’s a rare turnaround for the iPad Air, which Apple tends to take longer to replace.
Gurman adds that the M4 MacBook Air’s launch is “imminent,” with Apple making “a Mac-related announcement as early as this coming week.”
Apple has introduced code referencing “Google” as a third-party model choice for Apple Intelligence to leverage, according to a backend change spotted by Aaron Perris, who often shares info gleaned from Apple firmware code, following the release of the first iOS 18.4 beta last week.
Apple executive Craig Federighi specifically named Gemini when he suggested last year that Apple Intelligence could leverage more third-party AI models than just ChatGPT, as 9to5Mac notes.
The company plans to use these combined chips by “2028 at the earliest,” according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in today’s Power On newsletter. The move could cut costs and make its devices more energy-efficient, he notes. I imagine it would help save space in the cramped confines of something like the rumored iPhone Air, too.
Apple’s first in-house modem chip, dubbed the C1, debuts in the iPhone 16E in just a few days.
[bloomberg.com]
In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman writes that the PowerBeats Pro 2 earbuds are preparing to launch on February 11th, with heart-rate monitoring as previously rumored, and also about a new iCloud feature.
Apparently called Confetti internally, it’s an invite service for events like parties and meetings, which could be tied to a “broader” reworking of Apple’s calendar app. It certainly sounds easier than working out the issues with launching AR glasses.
Sonny Dickson is doing his annual thing of leaking non-working iPhone “dummy units” used by case and accessory makers. This is the fourth-generation of the budget iPhone SE that should have an improved OLED display amongst other improvements. Importantly, it’s also expected to have a USB-C jack so it can once again be sold in the EU.
The next version of Apple’s item-tracking device will feature an Ultra Wideband chip that’s “on par with the one introduced in the iPhone 15,” Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman writes in Power On today.
He says that would effectively triple its range from the current model, which he notes has up to a 30-meter range. The AirTag successor is expected to come in 2025.
The “Default Apps” section that Apple added to the iOS 18.2 beta in October now lets you pick a contactless payment default besides Apple’s Wallet app.
The new option, which Apple promised in August, is there in the just-released iOS 18.2 public beta 3. But 9to5Mac notes the change was present in the second beta, as well.
In addition to iPad-like smart home displays and tabletop robots, Apple’s smart home future could include a television set, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman writes in Power On today.
The company is only “evaluating” the idea, but I’m so curious what it would call an actual TV in a world with Apple TV (the app), Apple TV (the set-top box) and Apple TV Plus (the service).
Apple’s wireless tracker’s rumored follow-up next year will have improved range, a better wireless chip, and a harder-to-remove speaker, according to Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg.
Would-be stalkers often remove AirTag speakers to prevent victims from finding the device by playing sound on it when they’re alerted that it’s traveling with them, Gurman writes — hence that last change.
[Bloomberg.com]
Apple’s smallest computer is about to get way smaller, if all the rumors about an almost Apple TV-sized M4 refresh in the coming week of Mac announcements are to be believed.
It might also be a gaming powerhouse, as the diminutive machine will get ray-tracing capability, according to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter for Bloomberg today.
That’s according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who writes today that he is “certain these machines are the real deal.” The machines from last week’s leaks seem to be base model M4 MacBook Pros with 16GB of memory and 10-core CPUs and GPUs, he adds.
Apple is expected to announce the laptops along with a smaller Mac Mini, a refreshed iPad Mini, and more soon.
Gurman said it would come in 2025 or 2026 and now 9to5Mac is citing a trusted source saying it’ll make its debut inside the iPhone SE 4 coming next year:
Codenamed “Centauri,” the modem is quite ambitious and will also handle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS [...] The new modem will drastically reduce battery consumption, especially when users switch on Low Power Mode on the iPhone.
This one’s been rumored forever given Apple’s dislike of Qualcomm, desire to control its own destiny, and purchase of Intel’s modem business in 2019.
This time from 9to5Mac, citing unnamed sources who say that the “HomeAccessory” device referenced in code is a smart home accessory with an A18 chip, that’s capable of handling Apple Intelligence features, apps, and acting as an AirPlay receiver.
They also report a camera for gesture control and that the “current” J490 device has a square display instead of a rectangular one.
Long live the HomeScreenPod.
