Apple

The Raptor Lake Intel Core i9-13980HX and i9-13900HX processors have knocked the crowd of Apple M2 chips off their PassMark perch in terms of single-thread CPU performance. The Dragon Range AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX has yet to make an appearance on this benchmark, but the i9-13980HX’s Turbo Power of 157 W gives it a muscular advantage.

Those with their hearts set on a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Apple's first ever in-house M-series processor and a Touch Bar may find that it is available as a renewed model more often than not. OWC's Valentine's Day sale includes just such a unit at nearly 50% of its starting price, described as a factory-sealed refurbished unit from the OEM in an as-new condition.

Soon Apple will be forced to sell the AirPods Pro with a USB Type-C port like the iPhone 15 series, eschewing the evergreen Lightning connector. In the meantime, an engineer has modified the existing AirPods Pro charging case to support USB Type-C charging and is selling replacement parts or complete units.

The iPhone 14 could easily be mistaken for its vanilla 13 forebear; however, according to a new rumor, the next-gen 15 will have a better chance of distinguishing itself in 2023. It will allegedly join the 15 Plus in developing a new kind of camera hump, thought to accommodate new upgrades found in the current Pro and Pro Max variants.

Apple is rumoured to have the iPhone 15 Ultra planned for later this year with a titanium case to distinguish it from previous Pro and Pro Max models. Concept images now imagine how Apple's next-generation flagship iPhone could look if it adopted the design of the Apple Watch Ultra.

The first Apple silicon-powered Mac Pro remains on the horizon, albeit without the allegedly now cancelled M2 Extreme chipset. Now, the Mac Pro is rumoured to effectively replace the Mac Studio, which Apple will leave languished on M1 chipsets until at least the M3 or M4 series arrives.

The iPhone 15 series is thought to go Ultra for the first time in 2023, in a way that may or may not replace the current Pro Max top-end option. The new type of Apple flagship is also projected to debut with periscope zoom lenses; however, if there are those looking forward to an iPhone 16 Pro with the same spec, they can apparently forget it. Keeping the feature exclusive to the "16 Ultra" is predicted to make suppliers as unhappy as consumers through to 2024.

Samsung has released its Galaxy S23 Ultra and there will be many wondering if the smartphone is worth its US$1,199 price tag, especially when the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max can be had for US$1,099. A popular tech tipster has offered up 10 differences between the two flagships that arguably leave the S23 Ultra looking like a better buy even at the higher price.

iFixit has disassembled the new 14-inch MacBook Pro. While the latest MacBook Pro 14 is visually unchanged from its predecessor, iFixit has revealed the extent of internal changes, including using a smaller heatsink.

The arguably best bang-for-the-buck options in Apple's current MacBook lineup has now returned to its lowest price yet as the 2020 MacBook Air with the fast Apple M1 SoC has been put on sale for US$799 at Best Buy.

Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will launch its first-ever foldable iPad in 2024. However, not much is known about it besides the fact that it will feature a carbon fibre kickstand.

Apple is projected to get into the mixed-reality hardware game for the first time this year with the "Reality Pro". A prolific tech correspondent has critiqued the Cupertino giant's alleged decision ahead of time, speculating that the headset may not prove the iPhone-esque instant hit the OEM might wish for.

Apple had reportedly planned to release iPhone 16- or 17-series devices with their own in-house Wi-Fi chips to go with their next-gen proprietary processors. However, according to a leading industry analyst, these aspirations have just gone the same way as the Cupertino giant's custom 5G baseband dreams. Meanwhile, the unusually high pressure to make A16 Bionic and M2-series successors instead mounts.

The new Apple M2 Max and M2 Pro chips have become the latest chart champions in PassMark’s laptop CPU single-thread benchmark. The previous leader, the Apple M2, is pushed down to third, and it is just ahead of a trio of Alder Lake-HX parts. The M2 Max and M2 Pro produced decent results but still have to face-off against Intel’s Raptor Lake-HX mobile processors.
Update: Another M2 chip has appeared near the top of the chart.

A new leak says only the iPhone 15 Pro models will support Wi-Fi 6E. The plain iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be limited to Wi-Fi 6, further widening the feature gap between the Pro and non-Pro models.

New information about Apple iOS 17 has been leaked by a noted source, with Cupertino’s focus going forward apparently resting on “stability and efficiency” for the iPhone operating system. Visual alterations to iOS will be downplayed for the 17th iteration, with multiple changes headed by improvements to the Music app and Home app.
Update: Another well-known Apple observer has disputed the alleged leak.

The new M2 Pro-powered MacBook Pros seem to suffer from significantly reduced SSD performance compared to corresponding equivalent M1 Pro models. Independent reviews show between 15% to 40% reduced SSD scores with the M2 Pro-based MacBook Pro 14. This is being attributed to the use of fewer, higher-density NAND chips in the M2 generation unlike what we've seen before in M1.

Reputedly, Apple may skip the Watch Series 9. In its place is rumoured to be the Watch Series X or Watch X, a smartwatch that will celebrate ten Apple Watch generations. Major hardware changes may not be due until 2024, though.

The new Mac mini may stay true to its 2010 roots, but Apple has updated its internals with Apple M2 and Apple M2 Pro chipsets. While there are some internal changes, the latest Mac mini also looks remarkably similar from the inside.

It has been stated that different models in the Apple iPhone 15 series will support differing data transfer speeds, despite the expectation that the 2023 lineup will finally be made up of four USB-C iPhones. It looks like the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus may still be lumbered with traditional Lightning port speeds while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra get a massive boost.

Apple’s first mixed reality headset is rumored to release this year. According to the latest report by Bloomberg, the device will feature an interface that is practically identical to iOS/iPadOS, advanced hand and eye tracking, a breath of video calling features, and up to 2 hours of runtime on a single charge.

Apple has released new major updates for various iPhone, iPad, Mac and Watch Series devices. The new updates introduce several new features, as well as new wallpapers and watch faces, among other things. Apple is distributing iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, macOS Ventura 13.2 and watchOS 9.3 now as OTA updates.

Apple may launch the MacBook Air 13 and MacBook Air 15 sometime in the second half of 2023, according to supply chain information. The upcoming MacBook Airs will be powered by the Apple M3 SoC, which will be fabbed on TSMC's considerably expensive N3E process.

According to a new leak, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro phones will arrive later in the year with quite a few design changes. The vanilla iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are said to receive Dynamic Island and curved edges, while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are tipped to sport thinner bezels in addition.

Apple launched the new MacBook Pro line-up with M2 Pro and M2 Max, but we only got a short introduction video instead of a launch event. In addition to new processors, you get Wi-Fi 6E, TB4 and HDMI 2.1, but also higher prices in many regions around the world. Is it worth upgrading or should you just get the previous model at a discount?

Apple's surprise launches this week keep coming, with the company having already introduced new MacBook Pro 14, MacBook Pro 16 and Mac mini models this week. The trio are now joined by the HomePod 2, which Apple claims offers 'breakthrough sound'. The HomePod 2 does not necessarily contain upgrades over the original HomePod across the board, though.

A Mac Mini powered by Apple's shiny new M2 Pro SoC has shown up on Geekbench. It scores 1,952 and 15,013 points on the single and multi-core benchmark, outperforming its last-gen counterpart by a significant margin and even punches above its weight class by besting the M1 Max.

ESR's latest offerings with its MagSafe-ready charging technology includes a new version of the kind of wireless charger reduced to a disk that can snap onto the back of an iPhone for continual use while charging. This HaloLock Mini "faster charging" accessory is rated to charge has a thicker "reinforced" braided cable rated to bear more weight, and has landed alongside new AirPod 2 Pro cases and something to make any iPhone or newer Samsung Galaxy S-series case MagSafe.

Apple’s ruthless Trade In service has come under the spotlight after a tech journalist discovered that a Mac Pro that cost US$52,199 three years earlier was given a current trade-in value of just US$970. Disconcertingly, the same Mac Pro was apparently still available via the Apple store at the identical original price of US$52,199.

Official-looking promotional material for the Samsung Galaxy S23 series in Europe has now leaked online. The leak reveals what appears to be an interesting pre-order offer for the Galaxy S23 lineup in Germany, while essentially confirming storage options for the premium phones.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is projected to launch with a new rear camera that may or may not be based on the latest, most compact, zoom technology. Now, Apple has reportedly tipped LG, the OEM responsible for this breakthrough, for components that could make such a camera module for an upcoming flagship smartphone. Then again, another parts company has also secured a piece of this pie.

Allegedly, the launch of a second-generation HomePod is imminent. According to a typically well-informed source, the revived HomePod will be available with hardware upgrades and a cheaper launch price.

Apple officially unveiled the 5 nm M2 Pro and M2 Max SoCs today. The M2 Pro is available with 10-core and 12-core CPU options and comes with a 19-core GPU and 32 GB of 200 GB/s unified memory. The M2 Max uses the same 12-core CPU as the M2 Pro but ups the GPU core count to 38 and 96 GB of 400 GB/s unified memory.

Apple has upgraded its flagship pair of laptops. The MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 are now available with the M2 Pro and M2 Max, which add HDMI 2.1, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity and slightly better battery life, among other minor changes.

Apple has refreshed the Mac mini. Now based on the Apple M2 generation, the Mac mini comes with up to the Apple M2 Pro that also offers four Thunderbolt 4 ports. Other upgrades include Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity.

The Windows Task Manager in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25276 allows creation of live kernel memory dumps from the System process apart from the already existing memory dump creation from user mode processes. The new Windows Insider Preview build also offers previews of Apple TV and Apple Music apps in the Microsoft Store, although these can be downloaded to public versions of Windows 11 localized in the US as well.

Flamboyant leaker Jon Prosser has hinted at Apple launching some new products tomorrow (January 17). The mystery product will get a silent launch via a press release. Scattered rumours suggest the product could be an M2-powered iMac.

The current vanilla iPhone 14 flagship is projected to become supplanted by a newer model with Apple's latest Dynamic Island display type in 2024. Now, according to the latest leaks, this 15-series device may be on the cusp of entering mass production. These rumors are now accompanied by renders showing how this new kind of base-model might look with its new screen.

The inaugural Apple Watch Ultra is now tipped to be succeeded by a newer model in 2024. Not only could this product be touted as a second-gen premium 'adventurer-grade' smartwatch, but one with the first-even display from its own manufacturer. The panel in question is said to be based on advanced microLED technology and to be the first in a long line of Apple devices with proprietary displays.

A number of iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max owners have taken to Reddit with complaints that their new top-end handset had developed the tendency to exhibit display flickering or momentary green or yellow lines on waking or booting up. Now, a blog claims to be party to new communications on the subject, and now seeks to reassure these users that these issues are fixable with a simple software update.

Apple's M2 MacBook Air is a solid choice for a portable, all-around laptop. Currently, Best Buy is selling both the 256 GB and 512 GB models for $200 off, a savings of 17% and 13%, respectively.

According to a leading industry analyst, Apple has found a partner to help with alleged plans to make iPhones that ditch conventional physical side buttons for those that are "solid-state", or pressure-sensitive, in the near future. This potentially interesting hardware update may be exclusive to the upcoming 15 Pro series at first, yet may be quickly adopted by Android flagships thereafter.

The demand for Apple's well-performing laptops could drop off rather dramatically in the first quarter of 2023, also because the highly anticipated MacBook Pro refresh with the improved Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max chipsets has allegedly been pushed back once again.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has learned that Apple is working on a touch-enabled MacBook Pro. It is expected to feature an OLED panel and could be unveiled in 2025, at the earliest.

According to new reports, Apple has no plans to release a new generation of any AirPods model this year. Instead, the AirPods 4 and AirPods Max 2 will likely debut in late 2024, and could be joined by an all-new AirPods model—the AirPods SE, maybe—seemingly planned to arrive with an MSRP around US$99.

Going by word on the grapevine, Apple's Dynamic Island is set to undergo an evolution starting with the iPhone 16 Pro models. Instead of a dual cutout design as seen on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple is set to move Face ID hardware underneath the display, essentially leaving the selfie camera as the sole display cutout.

The United States' administration has ruled that Apple has infringed on the intellectual property of another company. Masimo asserts that the Cupertino giant appropriated their trade secrets in making the pulse oximeter found in Apple Watches since the 6 series. Now, the deliberations that might see the popular wearables banned from the market are slated to begin.

BestBuy currently has the brand new 64 GB Apple iPad 10.2 (2021) on sale for US$80 off in both Space Gray and Silver colors. The device is extremely well-reviewed with an average rating of 4.9 stars out of 5 from more than 10,500 reviews on the site.