Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams has visited Taiwan to secure supply of TSMC's upcoming 2nm chips, Economic Daily News reports.


The visit apparently involved a meeting between Williams and TSMC President Wei Zhejia to discuss custom AI chips and ensure that Apple will be able to access the chipmaker's 2nm manufacturing process, which is set to begin production in 2025.

The iPhone 15 Pro is powered by the A17 Pro chip, which is manufactured with TSMC's 3nm process. This process allows for more transistors to be packed into a smaller space, delivering improvements in performance and efficiency. Apple's M4 chip, which just debuted in the new iPad Pro, uses an enhanced version of this ‌3nm‌ technology. The transition to 2nm chips should bring further improvements, with projected performance gains of 10 to 15 percent and power consumption reductions of up to 30 percent compared to the ‌3nm‌ process.

Securing an early supply of 2nm chips is critical for Apple, as TSMC remains the only company capable of manufacturing them at the scale and quality required. This exclusivity is vital for Apple to meet the high demand for its products while limiting competitors' access to these more advanced chips. For its ‌3nm‌ chips, Apple booked all of TSMC's available chipmaking capacity. The company's 2nm chips could first appear in 2025's iPhone 17 lineup.
This article, "Apple COO Jeff Williams Reportedly Visits Taiwan to Secure 2nm Chips" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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With Chinese brand Huawei having risen from the ashes, a new report describes Apple heavily discounting iPhones in the country, offering up to $318 off the iPhone 15 Pro Max as it seeks to compete.

The latest round of discounts are much higher than those offered back in February, and really throws into contrast the US offer of slightly better trade-in values on older phones …

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Samsung is hosting new "Discover Samsung" sale this week, which includes discounts on multiple product lines sitewide. The popular ViewFinity S9 5K Smart Monitor and Smart Monitor M8 are both discounted during this sale, but you'll also find sales on storage, audio, TVs, smartphones, and home appliances.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

As with previous sales, the highlight of the new event is the 27-inch ViewFinity S9 5K Smart Monitor for $899.99, down from $1,599.99. At $700 off this is an all-time low price on the 2023 display, which has a matte display, modular 4K SlimFit camera, and support for Thunderbolt 4.



Samsung's 27-inch Smart Monitor M8 is also being discounted during this sale, available for $349.99 in Warm White, down from $699.99. This is a 4K smart monitor with a design that looks similar to the iMac line, and this is another record low price.



The Discover Samsung Summer Sale is set to run through this Sunday, May 26, so be sure to browse all of the deals this week before anything expires. We've rounded up a few more discounts below on TVs, monitors, and Galaxy products, but remember that this sale is sitewide and you can save on many more devices, including household appliances and more.

Monitors

• 34-inch Odyssey HDR Gaming Monitor - $369.99, down from $549.99


• 34-inch ViewFinity HDR10 Curved Monitor - $549.99, down from $699.99


• 49-inch Odyssey G9 Curved Gaming Monitor - $799.99, down from $1,299.99


• 34-inch OLED Curved Smart Gaming Monitor - $799.99, down from $1,199.99


• 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 Curved Gaming Monitor - $1,199.99, down from $1,799.99

TVs

• The Frame TV - Save up to $1,000


• 70-inch QLED 4K QE1C TV - $879.99, down from $1,799.99


• 55-inch Neo QLED 4K Smart TV - $1,099.99, down from $1,499.99


• 55-inch Samsung Neo QLED 4K TV - $999.99, down from $1,999.99


• 65-inch OLED S90C TV - $1,599.99, down from $2,599.99


• 85-inch Samsung Neo QLED 4K Smart TV - $2,199.99, down from $4,799.99

Galaxy Products

• Galaxy S24+ - Save up to $750 with participating carriers


• Galaxy S24 Ultra - Save up to $1,100 with participating carriers


• Galaxy Z Fold5 - Save up to $900 with participating carriers


• Galaxy Z Flip5 - Save up to $575 with participating carriers


• Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra - Get $200 off


• Galaxy Book4 360 - $999.99, down from $1,349.99

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.
This article, "Samsung Launches New Summer Sale With Major Savings Sitewide, Including Smart Monitor M8 for $349.99" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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A new report says that there was a “secret meeting” between Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams and the company’s exclusive chipmaker TSMC.

It’s being speculated that the meeting may have been to agree a deal for Apple to reserve all of TSMC’s 2nm capacity, in the same way it reportedly did with 3nm tech …

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A TikTok buyout by an American company appears to be the only way for the app to survive in the US, and potentially in Europe too. But potential buyers could find themselves paying a lot of money and not getting the one thing they really want: the algorithm.

Real-estate billionaire Frank McCourt and former Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin are among those who have confirmed they are planning bids for the app …

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Curious how much storage Apple has put in its iPads over the years or how much storage your current iPad has? Read along for a look at the complete iPad storage list for what capacities come with every iPad model.

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A forged eBay listing of an alleged pass for employee #10, together with a hand-drawn map of Apple’s first campus, seemed superficially convincing, until some started questioning a few of the details. The question of its authenticity was then resolved by a man who really ought to know …

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Apple has launched another round of steep discounts on iPhone 15 models in mainland China, in a bid to boost sales in its biggest smartphone market and counter a strong showing by Huawei.


The discounts run from May 20 to May 28 and are steeper than the price cuts that Apple introduced in February.

For example, on its official store on Alibaba Group's Tmall site, Apple is offering discounts of up to 2,300 yuan ($318) on select models. A top-of-the-line 256GB iPhone 15 Pro Max can now be bought for 7,949 yuan ($1,199), compared to its 9,999 yuan price tag when the device was released in September.

Meanwhile, an entry-level 128GB ‌iPhone 15‌ model is currently being offered at the discounted price of 4,599 yuan ($636), down from its previous price of 5,999 yuan.

Apple has become dependent on discounts to shift ‌mid-cycle ‌iPhone 15‌‌ stock, with strong competition from Huawei's latest high-end series of Pura 70 phones said to be partly behind the most recent drop in sales. Apple's previous discounts in February were thought to be a response to growing interest in Huawei's homegrown Mate 60 series, which launched last August.

Apple sales in China dropped 13 percent to $20.8 billion in the quarter ended December, falling short of the $23.5 billion predicted by analysts.

However, despite a gloomy outlook for 2024, Apple's previous promotions in February are believed to have helped counteract its sales slowdown in China. Reuters reports that Apple's shipments in the country increased by 12% in March, a significant improvement from the first two months of 2024, when the company experienced a 37% slump in sales.
This article, "Apple Responds to Huawei Threat by Slashing iPhone 15 Prices in China" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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We’re expecting the first stage of the Vision Pro international rollout to happen soon after WWDC, and there have been pointers to some specific countries. Canada and the UK are now said to be includedm after some earlier uncertainty.

There have so far been a number of clues to Apple’s plans for the next countries in line for launch, after the US …

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Apple is targeting a sub-$500 starting price for its upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE model despite a raft of rumored upgrades coming to the more affordable device.


According to leaker Revegnus on X, the U.S. launch price of the fourth-generation iPhone SE will either remain at the same $429 starting price as the current model, or will see an increase of around 10%. Either way, Apple's intention is to keep the price below $500.

Last week, The Information reported that Apple plans to release a redesigned iPhone SE in the spring of 2025 that will remain the "cheaper" option in Apple's iPhone lineup. The design is said to be similar to the standard iPhone 14, which means Touch ID and the Home button will be replaced by Face ID and a display notch.

Along the same lines, the iPhone SE 4 could have an OLED display rather than LCD, and the display size will increase from 4.7 inches to 6.1 inches. Other rumored features for the next iPhone SE include a USB-C port and an Action button.

The panel prices for the iPhone SE 4 are said to be a lot lower than suppliers charge for the OLED displays used in the iPhone 15, since the panels for the SE will use legacy parts identical to those used in the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, so the suppliers won't need to make new investments in R&D. Display manufacturers are believed to have been bidding to supply the panels since at least last August.

The third-generation iPhone SE was released in March 2022, so there is likely to be pent-up demand for a new model that includes some of the latest features of Apple's flagship iPhone models. For everything else we know about the iPhone SE 4, check our dedicated roundup.
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Apple today launched a limited-time promotion that increases the trade-in values for select iPhone models in the United States when customers buy a new iPhone.


The promotion lasts from today until June 3, and means anyone trading in their existing iPhone 11 or newer will get more money knocked off the price of a new iPhone. As you can see from some of the new trade-in values below, the adjustments are slight, but the promotion still means more credit toward an upgrade than customers would have gotten yesterday:

• iPhone 14 Pro Max: Up to $650 (vs. $630)


• iPhone 14 Pro: Up to $530 (vs. $520)


• iPhone 14 Plus: Up to $430 (vs. $420)


• iPhone 14: Up to $380 (vs. $370)


• iPhone 13 Pro Max: Up to $460 (vs. $450)


• iPhone 13 Pro: Up to $380 (vs. $370)


• iPhone 13: Up to $320 (vs. $300)


• iPhone 13 mini: Up to $300 (vs. $270)


• iPhone SE (3rd generation): Up to $170 (vs. $160)

Over the weekend, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman shared news of the promotion ahead of time. However, Gurman said the better trade-in values would only apply to customers purchasing one of Apple's latest iPhone 15 models, and that's not the case.

On the contrary, the boosted values listed above apply to any series model in Apple's current smartphone lineup, including the iPhone 14, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE.

Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website or at an Apple Store, and the credit can be applied towards the purchase of a new Apple product, or placed on an Apple gift card for later use. Apple's trade-in page offers a complete list of values for devices.
This article, "Apple Promotion Boosts iPhone Trade-In Values for a Limited Time" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has launched a limited time promotion, offering boosted trade in values when buying a new iPhone. From now until June 3, customers trading in their iPhone 11 or newer at the Apple Store can get extra credit towards the purchase of their new phone.

The value of the promotion isn’t that dramatic, however. Depending on model, the trade-in amounts have increased by approximately $10-$30 as part of this promotion.

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It’s been three years since Apple introduced , its item tracker that integrates with Apple devices. However, little has been heard about Apple’s plans for a new generation except that it should arrive by 2025. Now we have more details on what to expect from the second-generation .

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Apple is poised to unveil an auto-summarization feature for notifications as part of a series of new artificial intelligence features in iOS 18, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


In today's edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman provided more detail about what to expect from Apple's first major move into generative AI at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference:

As part of the changes, the company will improve Siri's voice capabilities, giving it a more conversational feel, and add features that help users with their day-to-day lives — an approach it calls "proactive intelligence."

That includes services like auto-summarizing notifications from your iPhone, giving a quick synopsis of news articles and transcribing voice memos, as well as improving existing features that auto-populate your calendar and suggest apps. There will also be some enhancements to photos in the form of AI-based editing, but none of those features will impress people who have used AI in Adobe Inc.'s apps for the last several months.

Gurman added that while Apple will mainly rely on on-device processing to support its AI features, it will also deliver them via the cloud in data centers that contain high-end Apple silicon chips designed for the Mac. He also noted that a ChatGPT-like chatbot will be noticeably absent from Apple's upcoming AI features. Apple executives are said to have admitted that they're "playing catch-up" internally.

Apple's inaugural push into AI is widely expected to be revealed as part of previews of its next-generation software updates at WWDC, which begins on June 10.
This article, "iOS 18 to Use AI to Summarize Notifications, Add to Calendar, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today outlined his expectations for the iPhone 16 lineup's color options, revealing that two new colors should replace two of the existing shades.


Kuo outlined his expectations in a post on X (formerly Twitter) earlier today. He believes that the iPhone 16 Pro and ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max will be available in black, white or silver, gray or "Natural Titanium," and rose. This effectively means that the iPhone 15 Pro's Blue Titanium option will be discontinued and replaced with a new rose color. This mirrors an earlier rumor originating in China, which claimed that the existing Blue Titanium color will be dropped from the ‌‌iPhone 16 Pro‌‌ lineup in favor of a new "rose" titanium color.

On the other hand, the ‌iPhone 16‌ and ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus will apparently be offered in black, green, pink, blue, and white. The iPhone 15 and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus are available in black, green, pink, blue, and yellow. This means that white will replace yellow, with the colors remaining the same.

Kuo noted that Apple may rename some of the existing colors, such as when it changed the iPhone 12's "White" to the iPhone 13's "Starlight." Likewise, where color names are not changed, the actual tone and appearance may still look different. The ‌iPhone 16‌ lineup is expected to be announced in the fall.
This article, "iPhone 16 Lineup Rumored to Come in These Two New Colors" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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It is a long-standing misconception that Macs are impervious to malware. Unfortunately, this has never been the case. While Apple might hope people continue to overlook the severity, Mac users continue to be caught off guard by cybercriminals’ advanced attack methods. Below, you can find the most common macOS malware in 2024 so far…

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Corroborating previous reports, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today tweeted his expectations for the iPhone 16 color lineup. For the Pro series, the blue titanium is being replaced by a new rose color.

In sum, that would make the new Pro lineup composed of black, white/silver, rose and natural titanium options. For the base iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, Kuo expects black, white, green, pink, and blue colorways.

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Apple's next-generation AirTag item tracker is on track to launch in mid-2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.


In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman discussed Apple's work on the next-generation version of the ‌AirTag‌, codenamed "B589." Apple is currently completing manufacturing tests with partners in Asia and the new item tracker is still timetabled to launch around the middle of next year. The new model will apparently feature an upgraded chip and enhanced location tracking capabilities.

In October 2023, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said mass production of the second-generation ‌AirTag‌ had been postponed from the fourth quarter of 2024 until some point in 2025. He believes the new ‌AirTag‌ will have some kind of integration with Apple's Vision Pro headset, but he has not shared any more specific details. See our AirTag 2 guide for more information.
This article, "AirTag With New Chip and Improved Location Tracking Due Next Year" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple will not refresh the Mac Studio and Mac Pro with next-generation high-end chips until the middle of 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple's current schedule does not include the launch of new ‌Mac Studio‌ and ‌Mac Pro‌ models until the middle of next year. Apple last updated the ‌Mac Studio‌ and ‌Mac Pro‌ with M2-series chips at WWDC in 2023, meaning that they could go around 24 months without an update, even though the iPad Pro now contains the M4 chip.

All other Macs with the exception of the MacBook Air should be available with M4-series chips by the end of 2024, but Gurman does not anticipate any new models being unveiled at WWDC in June, making 2022 and 2023 exceptions for recent mid-year Mac releases.
This article, "Gurman: No New Mac Studio and Mac Pro Until Mid-2025" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Thanks to teardowns and durability (bend) testing, we’re learning a lot about the new ultra-thin iPad Pro’s design. Now, the folks at iFixit have performed their in-depth teardown, revealing a big internal change that could save “hours on repair times.” The video also offers our first look inside the new Apple Pencil Pro.

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It’s a great time to be an iPad Pro user. The newest iPad Pro model comes equipped with Apple’s most advanced chip ever, the M4, plus its best display in the Ultra Retina XDR, not to mention a thinner, lighter industrial design, and more.

The iPad Pro is the most versatile device Apple makes, with a host of accessories that can upgrade your day-to-day experience using the product.

Here are 10 accessories that can elevate your iPad Pro game.

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