Following last year’s introduction of a ban on social media apps for teenagers, Australia is now tightening age-verification requirements for AI apps. Here are the details.

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Apple has unveiled the iPhone 17e, with key upgrades over the iPhone 16e including the A19 chip, MagSafe, and the Ceramic Shield 2 for a more scratch-resistant screen. The device also has Apple's latest C1X modem for faster 5G, a doubled 256GB of base storage, and a new Soft Pink color option alongside White and Black.


In addition to those headline changes, we uncovered four smaller iPhone 17e details:

• A19 chip limitation: While the A19 chip in the iPhone 17 has a 5-core GPU, the chip has a reduced 4-core GPU in the iPhone 17e. This limitation will result in slightly slower graphics performance while gaming, but many customers are unlikely to notice a major difference in real-world usage. This is not a downgrade, either, as the A18 chip in the iPhone 16e also has a 4-core GPU.


• eSIM-only in more countries: iPhone 16e was eSIM-only in the U.S. only, but the iPhone 17e lacks a physical SIM card slot across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the other countries and territories listed next to "Model A3575" of the iPhone 17e on Apple's cellular page.


• Same battery capacity: Like the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17e has a 4,005 mAh battery capacity, according to a product label on Apple's website in the EU. Apple's advertised battery specs for the iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e are identical.


• Next-generation portraits: With next-generation portrait support, Apple says the "iPhone 17e recognizes people, dogs, and cats, and automatically saves depth information, allowing users to turn photos into beautiful portraits with background blur after capture and to adjust the focus point in the Photos app."

We are still working to confirm the amount of RAM included in the iPhone 17e, but it is very likely 8GB, matching the amount in the iPhone 16e and the regular iPhone 17. The next beta of Xcode 26.4 should confirm this information, so stay tuned.

In the U.S., the iPhone 17e starts at $599, just like the iPhone 16e did. You can pre-order the iPhone 17e on Apple.com starting Wednesday, March 4 at 6:15 a.m. Pacific Time, with availability set to begin Wednesday, March 11.
This article, "iPhone 17e: Smaller Details You Might Have Missed" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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I miss the iPhone 13 mini. I just prefer smaller iPhones. If you are using an iPhone 17 Pro Max, holding it with one hand for extended periods can get uncomfortable. A lot of people rely on permanent grips, but sticking something directly to the back of your phone ruins the ability to use wireless chargers. The SUPERONE MagSafe phone grip solves this by giving you a secure hold and an impromptu stand that you can easily remove whenever you need to. Read on to learn more.

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Apple just flipped the script and updated its entry-level iPhone after just one year. Here’s everything that’s new between the just-announced iPhone 17e and last year’s iPhone 16e.

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Apple launched a new iPad Air today featuring an M4 chip. It has a lot in common with its predecessor, but some key upgrades too. Here’s everything new with the M4 iPad Air compared to last year’s M3 iPad Air.

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Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple provided the second beta to developers.


Registered developers can download the betas from the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad by going to the General section and selecting Software Update.

iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 add multiple new features to the ‌iPhone‌ and the ‌iPad‌, but the first beta contained no sign of new Siri capabilities.

A Playlist Playground feature in Apple Music lets you generate songs for any idea, mood, emotion, or activity using a text-based prompt. There's also a Concerts Near You feature for finding local shows, and a redesigned look for albums and playlists with full-page artwork.

Apple Podcasts is getting native video podcasting capabilities that will make it easier to create, distribute, and monetize video podcast content through the Podcasts app. Video episodes will integrate with existing Apple podcasts features, like personalized recommendations and editorial suggestions.

Apple is testing end-to-end encryption for RCS, which will eventually bring full encryption to text conversations between Android and ‌iPhone‌ users. Apple is testing ‌RCS‌ with iPhone-to-iPhone conversations and iPhone-to-Android conversations.

The first two betas didn't include new emojis, but we saw signs of them in the code so we might get them in the third beta. The new update is also expected to new emoji characters will include trombone, treasure chest, orca, landslide, and Bigfoot.

Stolen Device Protection is enabled by default, there's a new ambient music widget, new average bedtime metrics in the sleep app, and plenty more. All of the features in iOS 26.4 can be found in our iOS 26.4 beta features guide.
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Apple has just released a new lineup of beta software, with developer beta 3 arriving for iPadOS 26.4, watchOS 26.4, visionOS 26.4, and more

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Apple has released the third iOS 26.4 beta version for iPhone. iOS 26.4 includes a number of exciting new features and changes, including AI-powered Apple Music updates.

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Apple today provided developers with the third betas of upcoming watchOS 26.4, tvOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4 betas for testing purposes. The software comes a week after Apple released the second betas.


The software updates are available through the Settings app on each device, and because these are developer betas, a free developer account is required.

watchOS 26.4 adds a new Average Bedtime metric to the sleep features that sync to the health app, so you can better keep an eye on how bedtime impacts overall sleep quality.

tvOS 26.4 eliminates the iTunes Movies and iTunes TV Shows apps on the Apple TV. These apps haven't worked for some time and have directed users to the ‌Apple TV‌ app for purchases, but Apple is finally phasing them out entirely. Apple also added a Continuous Audio Connection option for HDMI output.

visionOS 26.4 includes support for foveated streaming for apps and games. Foveated streaming allows video to be streamed to the precise area where a user is looking, and peripheral areas are compressed. It allows for higher visual quality and lower latency.

This article, "Apple Releases Third watchOS 26.4, tvOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4 Betas" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple announced the iPhone 17e today with a handful of key updates, including increased base storage, the A19 chip, and the C1X modem.

For me, however, one update stands out from the rest: MagSafe.

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Apple has asked Google to investigate setting up servers in its data centers to run a future version of Siri powered by Gemini, The Information reports.


Currently, Apple sends its more complex AI queries to Private Cloud Compute, a system that runs on Apple servers using Apple silicon chips. Today, only 10% of Apple's Private Cloud Compute capacity is said to be in use on average. The usage is low enough that some servers intended for Apple's AI cloud system are still in warehouses and have not yet been installed. This could change rapidly upon the launch of the next-generation version of ‌Siri‌, which could spike Apple's demands for cloud computing.

Apple has reportedly suffered from a cultural reluctance to bolster its cloud infrastructure for years, leading to the departure of some key cloud experts from the company, such as Patrick Gates. Gates pioneered the idea of bringing Apple chips to data centers, which later formed the basis of Private Cloud Compute. The company still strongly focuses on hardware devices and consumer features rather than their supporting cloud technologies, despite the growth of services, resulting in a neglect of the need for additional capacity.

At the time Apple realized it needed to use the cloud to support its AI efforts, its internal AI infrastructure was "beginning to decay." The company was amid the process of decommissioning old Nvidia-powered servers. Combined with financial pressure, this led the company to increasingly turn to third-party providers like Amazon.

For years, Apple banned its AI engineers from Google's cloud technologies because of privacy concerns. Apple software chief Craig Federighi repeatedly vetoed Google Cloud as an option for its AI computing requirements. In 2023, Google made changes to its security systems that satisfied Apple's privacy concerns. Apple then started to adopt Google's cloud infrastructure for artificial intelligence.

The issue has been exacerbated by problems with Private Cloud Compute, which takes longer to update than other servers. Moreover, the chips currently used in Private Cloud Compute servers were designed for consumer devices and are not optimized for AI workflows, meaning that they are not well equipped to run large models like Gemini.

Apple now wants to be prepared for a potential surge in AI use on its devices when the more powerful, Gemini-based version of ‌Siri‌ debuts later this year, motivating the request for Google to run ‌Siri‌ directly on its servers. See The Information's full report for more.

This article, "Report: Apple Asks Google to Run Siri on Its Servers" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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A seasonal color refresh arrived today for a variety of Apple accessories, including iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands, and the Crossbody Strap. All of the accessories in the latest colors are available to order on Apple.com starting today.


Apple's Silicone Case for the standard iPhone 17 model has three new color options, including Bright Guava, Vanilla, and Electric Lavender.

Bright Guava and Vanilla extend to the Silicone Case for iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but the Pro models did not get Electric Lavender treatment.

Apple has a Silicone Case for the new iPhone 17e too, and it comes in Bright Guava, Vanilla, Soft Pink, and a handful of other colors.

Apple also has a MagSafe Clear Case for the iPhone 17e.

If you prefer an iPhone 17e case from Apple's Beats brand, there is a new MagSafe case with hard plastic. It comes in Bedrock Blue and Lime Stone.

As for Apple Watch bands, the Sport Band now comes in Bright Guava, Clementine, and Soft Pink, while the Sport Loop gained Bright Guava, Blue Mist, and Cantaloupe options. There are also some new colors for luxury Apple Watch Hermès bands.

Finally, the Crossbody Strap is now available in Bright Guava and Soft Pink. The accessory attaches to select Apple cases, allowing you to wear your iPhone.

For everything new, head to Apple's store page for new accessories.
This article, "Apple Releases iPhone Cases, Apple Watch Bands, and Crossbody Strap in New Colors" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is headlined by AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation back down at one of the lowest prices: $119 shipped (35% off). But we also have all of the standard GPS Apple Watch Series 11 case options back to all-time lows from $299 ($100 off) as well as the latest iPad mini on sale from $399 (also $100 off). Those deals join Twelve South’s upgraded 4-port PlugBug charger with Find My at the $56 Amazon all-time low and some solid deals across the M3 iPad Air lineup just after the reveal of the new M4 model. Head below for a closer look.

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Paramount is acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery after beating Netflix’s purchase offer, and CEO David Ellison just shared what that means for the companies’ two streaming platforms: HBO Max and Paramount+.

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March will be a big month for Apple TV. Not only will the streamer air ongoing episodes of major series like Monarch and Shrinking, but it also has the kickoff of the Formula 1 season, a highly anticipated new psychological thriller series, the return of its longest-running sci-fi show, and a lot more. Here’s everything new coming to Apple TV in March.

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Amazon this week has all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with $100 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. We first started tracking the return of these deals about a week ago, but this sale has now expanded with many more options on both 42mm and 46mm GPS models.

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.

You can get the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 11 for $299.00, down from $399.00, and the 46mm GPS model for $329.00, down from $429.00. On Amazon, you'll find four of the 42mm GPS models on sale at this all-time low price, and four of the 46mm GPS models on sale as well.




If you're shopping for cellular models, you can find record low prices on multiple models this week on Amazon. The 42mm cellular Apple Watch Series 11 has hit $399.00, down from $499.00, and the 46mm cellular model has hit $429.00, down from $529.00.




Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

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This article, "Apple Watch Series 11 Hits $299 Low Price on Amazon, Get $100 Off Nearly Every Aluminum Model" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has just launched iPhone 17e, the latest member of the iPhone 17 family. Here’s what’s the same and different between iPhone 17e and iPhone 17.

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The M4 iPad Air and new iPhone 17e aren’t the only Apple product announcements happening today. Apple also just refreshed its Apple Watch band and iPhone case lineup with a variety of spring colors.

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As expected, Apple has today announced the new iPhone 17e with some worthwhile upgrades over its predecessor.

The new model gets full support for MagSafe wireless charging and storage has been doubled to 256GB for the same price. There is, however, one very surprising thing about the upgrade …

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Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that Apple was looking to host the much-delayed new Siri models on Google servers, rather than Apple’s Private Cloud Compute. The Information is reporting a similar story this morning, saying that Google has been tasked with running Siri servers inside its data centers, while adhering to Apple’s privacy standards.

The Information goes on to detail how Private Cloud Compute is not up to task. As well as being underpowered, it is also reportedly underutilized in its current state, with the company only using about 10% of its capacity on average, leading to some already-manufactured Apple servers to be sitting dormant on warehouse shelves.

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Apple's just-announced iPhone 17e comes with doubled base storage compared to last year's predecessor while remaining at a $599 starting price.


The iPhone 17e now comes with 256GB base storage, up from 128GB in the iPhone 16e. The change is especially notable, given the surge in price of DDR memory in recent months owing to the AI server build-out.

The more affordable iPhone in Apple's lineup also now comes with MagSafe and Qi2 for fast wireless charging up to 15W, compared to 7.5W Qi wireless charging on iPhone 16e. The addition means MagSafe chargers, stands, cases, wallets, and camera accessories snap easily to the back of iPhone 17e, providing seamless alignment.

The iPhone 17e will be available for pre-order beginning Wednesday, March 4, with availability starting Wednesday, March 11.
This article, "iPhone 17e Now Features 256GB Base Storage" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today announced the iPhone 17e, featuring the A19 chip, MagSafe connectivity, faster charging, and more.



The ‌iPhone‌ 17e contains the A19 chip introduced in iPhone 17. It features a 6-core GPU and a 4-core GPU. Apple pointed out that this makes it up to 2x faster than the ‌iPhone‌ 11. The new 16-core Neural Engine is optimized for large generative models. The ‌iPhone‌ 17e also contains Apple's latest-generation C1X modem from the iPhone Air, delivering up to 2x faster cellular performance than the iPhone 16e.

The front of the device now features Ceramic Shield 2, offering 3x better scratch resistance than the previous generation along with added anti-reflective properties for reduced glare.
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Addressing a noticeable omission from its predecessor, the ‌iPhone‌ 17e now features ‌MagSafe‌ connectivity, allowing it to work with snap-on magnetic accessories.

With ‌MagSafe‌, the ‌iPhone‌ 17e supports wireless charging up to 15W with 20W adapter or higher. The ‌iPhone 16e‌ only supported 7.5W wireless charging. The ‌iPhone‌ 17e also supports faster wired charging, achieving up to 50% in around 30 minutes. Battery life remains at 26 hours.

The rear camera now features an improved Portrait mode image pipeline that automatically detects objects, with support for next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control.

The ‌iPhone‌ 17e starts with 256GB of storage, but with the same $599 price as the 128GB ‌iPhone 16e‌. It is available in black, white, and soft pink. Pre-orders start on Wednesday, March 4, with availability starting a week later on Wednesday, March 11.
This article, "Apple Announces iPhone 17e With A19 Chip, MagSafe, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today introduced a new iPad Air, with key upgrades including Apple's M4 chip for faster performance, an increased 12GB of RAM, Apple's N1 wireless networking chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, and Apple's custom C1X modem in cellular models.


The new iPad Air has the same overall design as the previous-generation model, which is equipped with the M3 chip, 8GB of RAM, and Wi-Fi 6E support.

With the M4 chip, the iPad Air now has up to 30% faster multi-core CPU performance compared to the model with the M3 chip, according to Apple. In the iPad Air, the M4 chip has an 8-core CPU, a 9-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Memory bandwidth increased from 100GB/s to 120GB/s, according to Apple's tech specs.

Apple's custom N1 chip has come to the iPad Air, enabling Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Apple says the N1 chip delivers improved wireless performance when the device is connected to 5GHz Wi-Fi networks, and it improves the overall performance and reliability of features like AirDrop and Personal Hotspot. Apple introduced the N1 chip last year, across the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, and iPad Pro.

Cellular models are now equipped with Apple's custom C1X modem for 5G and LTE. Apple says this chip unlocks up to 50% faster cellular performance, while using up to 30% less power compared to the previous iPad Air with a Qualcomm modem.

You can pre-order the new iPad Air on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app starting Wednesday, March 4, with availability set to begin Wednesday, March 11. In the U.S., pricing continues to start at $599 for the 11-inch model, and at $799 for the 13-inch model. Color options remain Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray.

Storage capacity options remain 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.

iPad Air continues to feature an LCD screen with up to 500 nits of brightness, a 12-megapixel front camera with Center Stage support, a 12-megapixel rear camera, Apple Intelligence support, a Touch ID power button, a USB-C port stereo speakers, two microphones, Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro support, and more.
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Apple has kicked off its big product launch week today, and one of the unveilings is a new iPad Air with M4 chip. Here are the details.

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