Apple’s big Siri upgrades are expected to ship as part of iOS 26.4, and a new report indicates they might come with a very convenient new feature for Apple Notes users.

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Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is now ready to roll starting off with Apple’s mid-range M4 Mac mini at $110 off the list price. We also have the most affordable 13-inch M5 iPad Pro at $150 off alongside a new all-time low on the official Apple Milanese Loop in black and a solid discount on its latest green Ultra Trail Loop. From there, we spotted Anker’s impressive display-equipped 3-in-1 Qi2 25W MagSafe Charging stand at 30% off and the ULTRALOQ Bolt NFC smart lock with Apple Home Key down at $132. Get a closer look down below. 

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While the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro was updated with an M5 chip in October, we are still waiting for higher-end MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and there are some signs that might point towards a late January launch this year.


First, Apple's new Creator Studio bundle of creative apps launches on Wednesday, January 28. Given that Creator Studio includes many professional Mac apps, such as Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro, Macworld speculated that the week of January 28 would be a fitting time for Apple to release new MacBook Pro models too.

Second, Apple's next quarterly earnings call is scheduled for Thursday, January 29, and the company has introduced new products shortly before these calls on numerous occasions over the years and touched on them in the opening remarks.

Third, there is precedent, as Apple unveiled MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips with a press release in January 2023.

Again, all of this is speculation, so do not set your expectations too high. But, sometimes where there is smoke there is fire.

Beyond the M5 chip, the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro received only one notable change last year: PCIe 5.0 storage. Apple says this results in up to 2× faster SSD read and write speeds compared to the previous-generation model.

The higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are likewise expected to have few other changes.

Bigger changes to the MacBook Pro are expected with the two-generations-away models, in either late 2026 or at some point in 2027. Rumored upgrades include an OLED display with touchscreen capabilities, a thinner design, built-in cellular connectivity, and M6 chips manufactured with TSMC's advanced 2nm process, for even greater year-over-year performance gains. For that reason, it will probably be wise to skip the MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips unless you really need to upgrade.
This article, "Will Apple Announce New MacBook Pros This January?" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Google’s goal with Gemini is to make a “personal, proactive, and powerful” assistant. The Gemini app today is adding “Personal Intelligence” in beta. This lets Gemini use the data Google already has about you to “supercharge” and personalize responses.

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Best Buy kicked off a new Winter Sale this week, with notable markdowns on Apple devices, TVs, headphones and speakers, monitors, appliances, and much more. This sale is set to last through January 19, and you don't need to be a My Best Buy Plus or Total member to see the deals.

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

In terms of Apple devices, you can find solid deals on MacBook Air, AirPods Max, iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, Beats accessories, and more. In most cases Best Buy is offering same day pick-up on these products, and there are several free shipping options as well.



Some of the biggest discounts you'll find in Best Buy's Winter Sale are on TVs, with as much as $1,300 off select models. Best Buy has Samsung's popular line of The Frame TVs on sale, including the 65-inch 2025 model for $1,199.99 ($600 off) and the 65-inch The Frame Pro for $1,899.99 ($300 off), both of which match the low prices we tracked over the holidays at Samsung's own website.

Apple

• 20W USB-C Power Adapter - $14.99 ($4 off)


• AirPods Max - $449.99 ($100 off)


• 13-inch M4 MacBook Air - $799.00 ($200 off)


• 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro - $1,449.00 ($150 off)


• 13-inch M5 iPad Pro (1TB Nano-Texture) - $1,799.00 ($200 off)

TVs

• 55-inch Toshiba C350 4K Smart Fire TV - $199.99 ($200 off)


• 65-inch Samsung U7900 4K Smart TV - $329.99 ($140 off)


• 65-inch LG UA7050 4K Smart TV - $329.99 ($160 off)


• 75-inch LG LED 4K Smart TV - $449.99 ($240 off)


• 65-inch Samsung OLED 4K Smart TV - $899.99 ($1,100 off)


• 98-inch Hisense QLED 4K Smart Google TV - $999.99 ($1,300 off)


• 65-inch Samsung The Frame TV (2025) - $1,199.99 ($600 off)


• 65-inch LG OLED 4K Smart TV - $1,399.99 ($1,300 off)


• 65-inch Samsung The Frame Pro - $1,899.99 ($300 off)

Monitors

• 27-inch LG 120Hz Monitor - $104.99 ($145 off)


• 27-inch Samsung Curved 100Hz Monitor - $139.99 ($60 off)


• 34-inch LG UltraWide 100Hz Monitor - $199.99 ($100 off)


• 27-inch Alienware OLED Monitor - $479.99 ($70 off)


• 49-inch Samsung Odyssey OLED Curved Monitor - $999.99 ($700 off)

Audio

• Beats Pill - $99.99 ($50 off)


• Beats Solo 4 Headphones - $149.99 ($50 off)


• Beats Studio Pro Headphones - $249.99 ($100 off)


• Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones - $279.00 ($150 off)


• Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 - $499.99 ($200 off)

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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This article, "Best Buy's Winter Sale Includes Big Discounts on Apple Devices, TVs, Monitors, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Arcade will be adding another four games on Thursday, February 5, with complete details about each game outlined in Apple's announcement.


Retrocade will allow Apple Vision Pro users to play classic arcade games like Asteroids, PAC-MAN, Breakout, Galaga, and Space Invaders in an immersive 3D environment, complete with leaderboards, daily challenges, and more.

Retrocade will also be available on the iPhone and iPad.

An arcade edition of the popular PC game Sid Meier's Civilization VII is also coming to Apple Arcade next month, across the Mac, iPad, and iPhone. The award-winning strategy game tasks players with building the greatest empire in the world.

The other two games coming to Apple Arcade next month are I Love Hue Too+, in which you arrange colorful tiles, and rhythm game Felicity's Door.

Apple Arcade is a subscription service that provides access to hundreds of games across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. All of the games are free of ads and in-app purchases. In the U.S., Apple Arcade costs $6.99 per month, and it is also bundled with other Apple services in all Apple One plans.

Apple Arcade can be accessed through the App Store and the Apple Games app.
This article, "Apple Arcade Adding These Four Games in February" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Last week Apple confirmed what had long been rumored: Chase is becoming the new issuer of Apple Card. Per The Wall Street Journal, the move is already making an impact on JPMorgan Chase’s bottom line—and not in a good way.

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Apple is planning to use advanced liquid metal and improved titanium alloys for its first foldable iPhone, according to new supply-chain information.


According to the Korean Naver user known as "yeux1122," citing a material company source, the hinge used in Apple's first foldable ‌iPhone‌ will be made from liquid metal, an "amorphous" material Apple has been exploring for over 15 years. The main body of the device will apparently use a revised titanium material that improves strength while reducing overall weight when compared with existing titanium ‌iPhone‌ frames, despite having virtually the same surface area.

Apple's relationship with liquid metal goes back years, tracing back to a 2010 deal with Liquidmetal Technologies. Apple received a "perpetual, worldwide, fully-paid, exclusive license" to commercialize Liquidmetal-related intellectual property in the field of consumer electronic products.

Around the same time, Apple started using the material in small ‌iPhone‌ and iPad parts such as the SIM ejector tool. In subsequent years, Apple repeatedly renewed or extended aspects of its arrangement with Liquidmetal Technologies, but the material remained difficult to scale for high-volume structural components and it has never seen significant use. Liquid metal has continued to surface in Apple patent filings and rumors over the years.

Liquid metal lacks a crystalline structure, meaning that it offers high strength, resists permanent bending, and holds up well under repeated mechanical stress. Those characteristics have led Apple to repeatedly explore liquid metal in patents covering hinges and other moving parts, especially for foldable devices where the material's fatigue resistance and spring-like behavior are essential to hinge durability.

For the body of the device, titanium provides a stronger strength-to-weight ratio than aluminum or stainless steel, but foldable designs add further constraints because of their larger size and the need to manage weight around the hinge. Changes to both the titanium alloy itself and the manufacturing process to increase strength while reducing weight for a given surface area could help remedy this. The foldable ‌iPhone‌ is likely to be Apple's fourth attempt at a titanium ‌iPhone‌, so it has had several generations to iterate on the alloy's composition to optimize particular properties.

Apple's first foldable ‌iPhone‌ is expected to debut in the fall of this year alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max. It is rumored to feature a wide, book-style folding design with a 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch outer display, a crease-free display, the A20 chip and Apple's C2 modem, two rear cameras, Touch ID, and more.
This article, "Apple's Foldable iPhone Rumored to Be Built With Liquid Metal and Improved Titanium" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has just announced the latest new games coming to Apple Arcade, and there’s a big AAA title among them: Sid Meier’s Civilization VII. Here are the details.

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While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around nine months away, a leaker has shared some alleged details about the devices.


In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, the account Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Consistent with previous rumors, the leaker claimed that both of the models will have a breakthrough new feature: under-screen Face ID.

Last month, The Information also reported that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max would be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and it said the front camera would be moved to the top-left corner of the screen on the devices. As a result, the report said the devices would no longer have a pill-shaped cutout in the screen.

If under-screen Face ID does finally materialize this year, it is unclear if the iPhone 18 Pro models would have a Dynamic Island. Even if the TrueDepth sensor cutouts for Face ID are hidden under the screen, perhaps the Dynamic Island would still pop up at least briefly for things such as low battery alerts and Live Activities.

As for the standard iPhone 18 and the iPhone Air 2, the leaker expects those devices to have a Dynamic Island, and the same 6.3-inch and 6.5-inch display sizes as the equivalent previous-generation models, respectively.

All in all, here is what the leaker expects:

• iPhone 18: 6.3-inch display (120Hz/LTPO) and Dynamic Island


• iPhone Air 2: 6.5-inch display (120Hz/LTPO) and Dynamic Island


• iPhone 18 Pro: 6.3-inch display (120Hz/LTPO) and under-screen Face ID


• iPhone 18 Pro Max: 6.9-inch display (120Hz/LTPO) and under-screen Face ID

The display sizes above are rounded.

Apple is expected to release the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in the typical September timeframe this year, but rumors suggest the standard iPhone 18 and the iPhone Air 2 will not launch until around March 2027.

Digital Chat Station has more than three million followers on Weibo, and the account has accurately leaked some Apple information in the past. Of course, rumors do not always pan out, so nothing is official at this point.
This article, "New Leak Reveals iPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes, Under-Screen Face ID, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iPhone Air users, your MagSafe Battery pack has a new firmware update available now. Here are the details.

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You can get the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air (256GB) for $799.00 today on Amazon, down from $999.00. You'll find similar $200 discounts across nearly the entire M4 MacBook Air lineup, and all of these deals are being matched at Best Buy.

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.

If you're looking for the larger model, you can get the 15-inch 256GB computer for $999.00, down from $1,199.00. You'll also find many of the 512GB models of the 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air on sale this week.




These prices are solid second-best prices on the M4 MacBook Air, and we haven't tracked record low prices since before Christmas. If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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This article, "Get $200 Off Apple's M4 MacBook Air, Available From $799" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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We’re eight months away from the iPhone 18 lineup being unveiled, and today a reputable leaker has detailed screen sizes and Dynamic Island plans for Apple’s forthcoming models.

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It’s been close to a decade since I first started being grumpy about subscription apps. I did acknowledge the benefits right from the start, including giving many developers a more sustainable income, but expressed my unease about where we were headed.

A few years later, I voiced doubts as to whether it was a sustainable business model. But the trend has continued to grow, with Apple Creator Studio the latest example …

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Apple this week released another firmware update for the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery, but there are no specific details about what it includes.


The latest iPhone Air MagSafe Battery firmware has a version number of 8B32, up from 8B25. In the Settings app on the iPhone Air, the new firmware is listed as version 101.0, while the previous firmware was listed as version 99.0 in the app.

• New Firmware: 101.0 (Version) / 8B32 (Build)


• Previous Firmware: 99.0 (Version) / 8B25 (Build)

Apple does not share release notes for iPhone Air MagSafe Battery firmware updates, so it is unclear what is new. However, it would be reasonable to assume the update includes performance and stability improvements, and/or bug fixes.

iPhone Air MagSafe Battery firmware updates automatically install in the background over time, while the accessory is charged and actively being used.

You can check the version number of the ‌MagSafe‌ Battery's firmware by attaching it to an ‌iPhone Air‌, opening the Settings app on the device, and tapping on General → About → ‌iPhone Air‌ ‌MagSafe‌ Battery. If you see 101.0, it is up to date.
This article, "Apple Releases New Firmware Update for iPhone Air MagSafe Battery" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The popular thriller Hijack starring Idris Elba returns today with season two on Apple TV. Whereas the first season saw negotiator Sam Nelson trapped on a plane, season two uses a different mode of transport for its setting, namely a train on the Berlin underground.

Like much of Hijack, you have to suspend your disbelief at the circumstances, but if you can, there’s a thrill ride of action ahead. The eight-episode second season starts today, January 14, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday.

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At this point, I kind of have to feel sorry for Roblox. The company came under increasing criticism for failing to adequately protect children, and then courted even greater controversy when it started requiring children as young as nine years old to submit a video selfie for age verification.

The latest development in the saga is that the age verification process appears to be failing badly, with the company saying that you can’t expect everything to work on day one …

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Apple is confronting a newly intensified supply-chain challenge for future chips as the AI boom has created a global shortage of a key material, Nikkei Asia reports.


Apple is said to be struggling to secure sufficient supplies of high-end glass cloth fiber, a material that plays a critical role in the printed circuit boards and chip substrates used in iPhones and other devices. The most advanced forms of this glass cloth are apparently produced almost entirely by one supplier, Nitto Boseki.

Apple began using Nittobo's premium glass cloth in chips years before AI computing drove widespread demand for similar materials. As AI workloads have expanded, however, companies such as Nvidia, Google, Amazon, AMD, and Qualcomm have moved aggressively into the same supply pool, placing unprecedented pressure on Nittobo's limited capacity.

In response, Apple has taken several unusual steps to protect its supply chain. The company reportedly sent staff to Japan last autumn and stationed them at Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, which produces substrate materials and relies on Nittobo's glass cloth. Apple is also believed to have approached Japanese government officials for assistance in securing supply.

Apple is additionally working to qualify alternative suppliers, though progress has been slow. Apple has engaged with smaller Chinese glass fiber producers, including Grace Fabric Technology, and asked Mitsubishi Gas Chemical to help oversee quality improvements. Other potential entrants from Taiwan and China are attempting to scale production, but industry sources said achieving consistent quality at the required level remains difficult.

Each glass fiber must be extremely thin, uniform, and free of defects, as the glass cloth is embedded deep inside the chip substrate and cannot be repaired or replaced after assembly. Because of this, major chipmakers have been reluctant to adopt lower-grade materials, even temporarily.

Apple has discussed using less-advanced glass cloth as a stopgap, but doing so would require extensive testing and validation and would not significantly ease supply constraints for 2026 products. Similar concerns are affecting other chipmakers.
This article, "Apple Struggling With Key Material Shortage as AI Chips Drain Supply" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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I still have affectionate feelings about the original Macintosh I owned back in 1984, and if you feel the same, you can now give your iPhone 17 Pro a nostalgic makeover …

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The first M5-powered MacBook Pro launched in October of last year. Apple described the chip as offering “the next big leap in AI for the Mac.”

There was no update for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, however, and we are expecting this to happen soon – including M5 Pro and M5 Max options. Apple may now have hinted that the launch date for these will be January 28 …

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Apple and Google this week announced that Gemini will help power a more personalized Siri, and The Information has provided more details.


As soon as this spring, the report said the revamped version of Siri will be able to…

• Answer more factual/world knowledge questions in a conversational manner


• Tell more stories


• Provide emotional support


• Assist with more tasks, such as booking travel


• Create a document in the Notes app with information, such as a cooking recipe

The report said Apple plans to announce additional Siri capabilities at WWDC in June, including…

• Knowledge of past conversations


• Proactive suggestions based on information from apps, such as Calendar

Apple already announced that the personalized Siri would have better understanding of a user's personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper per-app controls, so a lot of the specific capabilities that the report said are coming would align with that.

For example, Apple showed an iPhone user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation plans based on info from the Mail and Messages apps.

The report said that the latest prototype of the more personalized Siri does not have any Google or Gemini branding, and Apple will be able to fine-tune Gemini's model to ensure that Siri responds to queries in a way that the iPhone maker prefers.

More details are available in The Information's paywalled report.

Apple first previewed the more personalized Siri at WWDC 2024, and the revamped assistant is finally expected to launch as part of iOS 26.4 in March or April. However, according to the report, some capabilities will not arrive until iOS 27.
This article, "Google Gemini-Powered Siri Will Reportedly Have These 7 New Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Nikkei Asia reports that Apple has been scrambling to solve a glass cloth shortage, with the supply crunch projected to last until at least the second half of 2027. Here’s what that means.

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The Information has published a report with interesting tidbits about Apple’s partnership with Google, which will have Gemini serve as the foundation for its AI features, including the new Siri. Here are the details.

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Apple TV confirmed today that it is working on a “multi-part documentary series on the incredible life” of tennis icon Andre Agassi. Here are the details.

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