Amazon's Presidents Day MacBook Air sale discounts the ultraportable laptops to as low as $749, with Best Buy offering flash deals today only as well.


Amazon is offering shoppers a bonus $50 discount on top of a $200 instant rebate on Apple's standard M2 MacBook Air 13-inch with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, bringing the price down to $749 for Presidents Day.

Buy for $749


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A new report about Spotify's plans for a more expensive premium tier claims that Apple is considering doing the same, but Apple Music has no reason to ever copy its streaming rival.


The days of Spotify being the most popular streaming music service in the world and yet constantly losing money, may be over. The days of Spotify trying to get the EU to force Apple into giving it an unreasonably better deal, may never change.

But a new report says that amongst Spotify's plans for the near future, there is the likelihood that it will introduce a new and more expensive subscription tier. Bloomberg says the new tier would, for a start, offer better quality audio — which Apple Music already does as standard.


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On this episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, we break down the latest in smart home news such as more rumors on Apple's smart display, new devices, and smart robots.


We have even more rumors on Apple's smart home display this past week. One report reiterated a possible timeline, putting a launch at April at the earliest.

Ming Chi Kuo also gave his analysis on the robot lamp that was demoed from Apple's machine learning group. Based on supply chain, the personal robot is still in the proof of concept stage and won't start production until 2028 at the earliest.


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A lot of damage can be done with a person's phone number, from endless spam calls to fraud and scams. Surfshark Alternative Number can protect you.


Phone numbers may not seem like a potential attack vector since users can just hang up on spam, but it's not as simple as that. Companies have begun relying on phone numbers to verify identity, send temporary passwords, and other aspects of account security that scammers seek to exploit.

If you're using your personal phone number on online accounts, it can be trivial for bad actors to exploit it and gain access to that account. Whether they use SIM swapping, phishing, or other techniques, access to a phone number can lead to data loss, bank account hacks, and identity theft.


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The latest in a series of leaks about the physical chassis design of the iPhone 17 range says that it will be a significant departure from previous models.


With Apple rumors, there is quite often smoke without any fire, but a new leak backs up sporadic previous claims about the design of the iPhone 17 range. Previous rumors have said, for instance, that at least the iPhone 17 Pro will feature a new camera bar layout.

Now according to leaker "Digital Chat Station" on Chinese social media site Weibo, the design changes will be significant. Depending on which machine translation is used, the poster describes the change as varying from greatly, to significant, and even dramatic.


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Dockcase has combined its USB-C hub and SSD enclosure prowess to make a formidable all-in-one USB-C accessory.


SSD enclosures are useful for extra storage, and USB-C adapters let you connect to monitors and other acessories. This hub and enclosure combo shows how much you can get away with, allowing you to be connected to the storage and peripherals you'd need for work or recreation.

As a company, the 7-in-1 is Dockcase's 14th successful Kickstarter after 8 years of making USB-C products. I've reviewed their USB-C hub and more recently their SSD enclosure, both of them standing out for their LCD screens that convey important technical information.


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Amazon's steeper Beats deals deliver price cuts of up to 50% off over-ear headphones and earbuds.


On the heels of the Powerbeats Pro 2 launch, Amazon has issued fresh price drops on other models from the Beats line, including Studio Pro over-ear headphones.

Grab Beat deals


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The Boox Note Air 3 C is the best color e-ink tablet we've tried. Just don't expect to get an iPad, even though you're paying iPad prices.


The $499 Boox Note Air 3 C is, broadly speaking, a cross between an e-book reader and a tablet. It's billed as having some functionality similar to a tablet but with an ePaper screen.

The main difference is the 10.3-inch Kaleido 3 Carta 1200 glass ePaper screen, which is designed to offer a paper-like appearance. It's similar to the previous Note Air 3, but the C stands for its 4,096 hues of color, instead of a greyscale version.


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When consumers will see the debut of M5-based devices from Apple is coming into focus, and the shift will likely start with Apple's MacBook Pro lineup.


A new report from Bloomberg suggests that Apple will start releasing Macs with the M5 processor beginning in the fall of 2025. Ahead of that, the company is expected to launch M4-based MacBook Air models as soon as March, followed by M4 updates to the Mac Studio and Mac Pro.

Those latter products seem likely to be announced around the time of Apple's WWDC event in June. Following that event, the transition to the M5 chip will likely begin in the fall.


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Apple is once again considering adding advertising to Apple Maps, a move that could help bump up its growing Services revenue even more.


Apple's advertising business already serves ads for the App Store, as well as switching to an internal team for ad sales on Apple News in November. However, it may grow the ad business more by turning its attention to Apple Maps.

In Sunday's "Power On" newsletter, Bloomberg claims Apple is now thinking about ways to monetize its Maps app. In a recent Maps group all-hands meeting, Apple management confirmed that it was exploring the possibility of monetizing the app.


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Ahead of the expected February 19, 2025 launch of the iPhone SE 4, there are signs that previous claims of it being renamed may be true.


In early January 2025, a seemingly unlikely leak claimed that the iPhone SE 4 would be renamed the iPhone 16E. It was chiefly considered doubtful because of the source of the leaks, but there was also that "iPhone SE' has been a successful brand since 2016.

Now Bloomberg is backing up the claim of a rebrand, and doing so chiefly because of the phrasing Tim Cook used in his teaser tweet about a February 19 launch.


Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible


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Apple's rumored update to the Apple Studio Display may not arrive in 2025 after all, with a release in 2026 now expected for the premium Mac display.


On Thursday, a report claimed an update for the Apple Studio Display is in development, which could bring an improved miniLED backlight to the design. However, a few days later, another report states that the timeline is a bit longer than first offered.

According to Bloomberg's "Power On" newsletter on Sunday, the claim of a new 27-inch Apple Studio Display is repeated. The new model is said to have a similar design to the 2022 original, and "roughly" the same size of screen.


Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible


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Apple has now confirmed long-standing rumors that it will open an Apple Store in downtown Detroit, potentially as early as this summer.


The previous rumor from June 2024, has now been confirmed through a general recruitment notice on the store's new website.

No specific job positions have been listed yet, and neither the opening date nor the exact location of the store has not been confirmed. Apple says only that the new store is "coming soon," with no address details.


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According to a new rumor, Apple Vision Pro will finally get Apple Intelligence in an upcoming update alongside a new spatial media app.


Apple Vision Pro launched in February 2024, and very little native content or apps have been released in the year since. Apple Intelligence was revealed later in 2024, but it hasn't come to the headset, but that may change soon.

Bloomberg has said that Apple will bring Apple Intelligence features, such as including Genmoji, writing tools, and Image Playground, to the $3,500 headset, expanding the technology beyond recent Mac, iPad, and iPhone models. If true, it would help flesh out the feature set of the Apple Vision Pro.


Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely


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Closeout deals offer up to $1,000 off two loaded M3 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations exclusively for AppleInsider readers.


Two powerful M3 Max MacBook Pro 16-inch configurations are heavily discounted for AppleInsider readers at Apple Premier Partner Expercom. These MacBook Pro deals feature the top-of-the-line M3 Max chip with a 16-core CPU and 40-core GPU that was part of the Late 2023 line.

It's been widely reported that Apple's Siri advancements promised for 2025 would arrive in April with iOS 18.4 but a new report casts some doubt on that timeline.


Apple has yet to officially announce when the advancements were coming, beyond a 2025 timeframe. The features were announced at WWDC 2024 and were said to be coming to iOS 18.

But, according to a new report by Bloomberg on Friday, Apple's work has hit some snags. Some features that were said to be planned for iOS 18.4 are said to have been pushed back to May, or even later.


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As quickly as it came, support for Netflix in the Apple TV app has been removed, and it turns out it wasn't supposed to exist at all.


Earlier we saw what appeared Valentine's Day truce between Netflix and Apple, but unfortunately, that isn't the case.

On Friday morning, US Netflix subscribers were prompted to connect their Netflix account to the Apple TV app. For a short time, Netflix series such as "Squid Game" are showing up in the Apple TV app's Watchlist and Continue Watching sections.


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With the iPhone SE 4 launch imminent, one analyst predicts that the upcoming model should outsell its previous iterations — and could cause drama between Apple and Qualcomm.


On Friday, Ming-Chi Kuo posted on X, saying he believes the fourth-generation iPhone SE move more units than previous budget models. He estimates that Apple will ship 12 million units in the first half of the year and 10 million units in the second half. Previously, the iPhone SE lineup was believed to ship 20 million annually, though Apple does not publicly share sales numbers.

He also anticipates that this could help offset the usual post-holiday slump in sales. It would also help boost the adoption of Apple Intelligence, as the iPhone SE 4 will be compatible with Apple's collection of AI-driven features.


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After discounting the Silver finish to $1,749.99, Amazon has matched the $250 discount on the Space Black 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 Pro chip.


We're following the new markdown on the standard M4 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, with both Space Black and Silver down to $1,749.99 thanks to an instant rebate stacked with an on-page coupon.

Grab the $1,749.99 deal


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Apple's M4 MacBook Air may be out as soon as the week of February 17. Here's what to expect from Apple's first Mac release of 2025.


While it's previously been rumored to be launched any time from January 2025 onwards, it is known that Apple has been testing an M4 MacBook Air ahead of a presumably imminent release. While the iPhone 4 SE may be the major launch for February 2025, the new MacBook Air may debut very soon as well.

That would also make it about a year since the last update. March 2024 saw the MacBook Air gain the M3 processor, and various improvements including Wi-Fi 6E and the ability to use two external displays.


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TimePorter is the easiest way we've found to store your Apple Watch bands with a wall-mounted bar that mimics Apple's minimalist aesthetic.


If the TimePorter name sounds familiar, I'd because it isn't the first time Twelve South has used the moniker. It was previously used for a folding box, similar to a large glasses case, that could hold your Apple Watch bands and a spot to mount to your charging puck.

While many loved the original TimePorter, Twelve South discontinued the product, freeing up the name years later for this new incarnation. The original product seemed more fitting, but can't argue with how good this product is.


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The NBA's 3D tabletop mode for Apple Vision Pro is an early glimpse at how mixed reality could reshape sports, concerts, museums, and education.


The update brings a 3D, diorama-style court to the NBA app, giving viewers a miniature, real-time look at the action alongside the standard 2D livestream. While the main broadcast stays the same, the added perspective makes the game feel more immersive.

Powered by motion capture technology from NBA arenas, the feature has a slight delay — around half a second — compared to the live feed, according to Upload.


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Apple has shown us a peek into the long term future with its Pixar-like robot, a peek into the very near future with the iPhone SE 4, and just maybe an alternative future where it makes all its apps work on Android, on the AppleInsider Podcast.


Apple researchers have unveiled an anthropomorphic lamp — think how Pixar's logo lamp is so human — and while it's a demonstration of general research, it does also suggest a new direction for the company, following the cancellation of the Apple Car. Host Wesley Hilliard will buy an Apple robot the minute it's released, but see if he convinces you any more than he does co-host William Gallagher.

Both, though, are looking forward to the iPhone SE 4 which is now expected to be launched on February 19. If all the rumors about it are true, this could be the phone that brings Apple Intelligence to most people — and it looks certain to be a very good buy.


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After years of holding out, Netflix appears to be thawing toward Apple TV as certain shows began appearing in the TV app's "Continue Watching" selection — before being removed again.


Netflix did recently update its iPhone app to allow full-season downloads. However, on Apple TV 4K set top boxes, Netflix has long insisted on remaining solely its own app, instead of allowing it to be included in Apple's own TV app.

Now, however, Apple TV 4K users in the US are being prompted to "Connect Netflix to the Apple TV app," and then at least some Netflix titles start appearing there. Just as with Amazon Prime, Paramount+, and many others, selected Netflix series such as "Squid Game" are showing up in the Apple TV app's Watchlist and Continue Watching sections.


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Apple Intelligence is still in its infancy, but not everyone wants to use it. Here's how to disconnect from Apple Intelligence on iOS and macOS.


While artificial intelligence is gaining in popularity at an accelerated rate, some users have found they prefer to turn off Apple's AI, Apple Intelligence, on their iOS and macOS devices.

In iOS 18.3 Apple made Apple Intelligence be on by default. You may want to turn it off.


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Apple will finally be able to launch Apple Intelligence in China, but the cost is allowing Alibaba to manipulate AI output to be acceptable to the Chinese government.


Apple Intelligence is an Apple-built artificial intelligence system that runs on devices and in the cloud through Private Cloud Compute. The ChatGPT chatbot can be called via Siri, and Visual Intelligence allows users to search Google, but all the iPhone AI features are built from the ground up with privacy in mind.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple's ability to bring Apple Intelligence to China relies solely on giving the government the ability to censor the output. So, in an unprecedented move, Apple has partnered with multiple AI companies in China to help ensure its customers can use a sanitized version of Apple Intelligence.


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New renders of an iPhone 17 Pro Max with a massive camera bar are going around, and not only are they an incredible departure from Apple design, they're from unreliable sources.


Apple is out of space for its camera system, so a camera bar that reaches across the back of the device may help provide more needed space. The idea of a camera bar isn't new, as Google Pixel employs one, and there's no way of knowing if Apple will actually implement one.

That said, the current renders show an impractically large camera bar that is just an extended version of the camera bump. The latest hail from Jon Prosser and his current render artist Asher Dipprey.


Rumor Score: 💩 B#$&(*it


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Apple has finally returned TikTok to the App Store after receiving a letter from US Attorney General Pam Bondi.


Apps controlled by Chinese company ByteDance were banned on January 19 due to failing to meet requirements set by a law. On January 20, newly inaugurated President Trump signed an executive order that aimed to restore TikTok's operation in the United States for 75 days.

The President doesn't have the authority to stop the Department of Justice from enforcing laws, so companies like Apple and Google were cautious and didn't restore the app to their app stores. According to a report from Bloomberg, the newly appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Apple, which has resulted in the promised return of TikTok.


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With the release of the Rugged SSD Pro5, LaCie becomes one of the very first to release a Thunderbolt 5 device. We got one in our studio and we test it out with the latest Macs.


This new pro-level portable storage device was first shown off at CES 2025. Fortunately, it was only a short time before it went up for order.

Apple was quick on the uptake of Thunderbolt 5 as the latest MacBook Pro and Mac mini support the stand. We had one of the latter on hand to test this out with.


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Apple could make a change to its relatively small screen collection, with claims it is working on an updated Apple Studio Display for release later in 2025.


Aside from Apple's Mac models with displays, consisting of the 24-inch iMac and the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lineups, the company does offer a few external screens. That selection is rather limited at the moment, consisting of the Apple Pro Display XDR and the Apple Studio Display, both of which have yet to have any updates.

If a claim from Display Supply Chain Consultants' Ross Young is correct, Apple could be upgrading the Apple Studio Display for the first time.


Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible


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While a public Wi-Fi hotspot can be convenient, it may still be a security risk. Here's why you should use one of the best VPNs for Mac while on public Wi-Fi.


Access to the Internet is crucial to modern life, to a level where it's very easy to get online wherever you are in a variety of ways. One common method is through public Wi-Fi hotspots, which are offered by businesses and municipalities as a convenience to customers and visitors.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a coffee shop that doesn't offer customers free Wi-Fi while they sip their drinks.


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A loaded 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple's top-of-the-line M4 Max chip and 64GB RAM is $250 off with coupon (and units are in stock and ready to ship).


To pick up the high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro configuration, head over to Apple Authorized Reseller Adorama.com and enter promo code APINSIDER during Step 4 of checkout.

Use code APINSIDER


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In a post on X on Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook says that Wednesday, February 19 is the debut of "the newest member of the family" which is likely the iPhone SE.


Cook sometimes teases events like WWDC or the like in X, but it's not often that a posting from the man is the first indication of a release date. The post is simple, and included below.

Get ready to meet the newest member of the family.


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The new Apple Titanium Milanese Loop's high price seemingly hasn't put off Apple Watch Ultra owners. We've been testing it out for a few months now that Apple finally managed to get them in stock.


In the absence of a true Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple looked to spur sales of its high-end wearable with a new color and new bands, including a revised Milanese Loop. A rugged alternative to the existing model.

It's available in both black and natural silver and can be picked up on its own or paired with a new Apple Watch Ultra. After weeks of trying, we got our hands on a silver one to test out.


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US lawmakers want Britain to drop its demand for a backdoor into iOS, and say that if they don't, America should cut down intelligence sharing with the country.


Both Republican and Democrat committee members claim that Britain's demand for Apple to give it full access to user data imperils Americans. Even if other bad actors were somehow unable to use the backdoor, the UK government would be able to read previously encrypted data from any user, including ones in the US.

According to The Washington Post, bipartisan members of congressional oversight committees have written to Tulsi Gabbard, the new National Intelligence Director about the issue. Ron Wyden, a Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Andy Biggs, a Republican on the House Judiciary committee, have asked her to demand that the UK rescinds its order.


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AirPods Pro 3 are coming soon. Here are what the latest rumors tell you to expect — and if they're worth waiting for.


The original AirPods Pro popped into our ears on October 30, 2019. It was in 2022 when the first upgrade arrived with better audio, improved ANC, and Find My.

A small revision happened a year after that in 2023 when Apple finally ditched the Lighting port for USB-C and added lossless audio for Vision Pro users.


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Apple could be updating the TrueDepth Camera in the iPhone 17 Pro Max, with a reconfiguration rumored to make the size of it and the Dynamic Island much smaller.


The front-facing camera on the iPhone is actually multiple elements in a row, which led to the wide design of the notch and the Dynamic Island. However, in a continuing bid to shrink down its hardware, Apple is apparently planning something new for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

In a Thursday Weibo post by serial leaker "Digital Chat Station," it is claimed that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a "metal meta-lens." It is a component described as integrating both the receiver and transmitter required for Face ID depth mapping, so it uses one smaller aperture instead of two.


Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible


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The rumored collaboration between Apple and Alibaba to get Apple Intelligence in China has now been confirmed, sending Alibaba shares rising to a new high.


China has regulatory rules regarding the use of AI models, with the practical effect that a US company effectively has to find a Chinese partner. It was previously rumored that Apple was in talks with Alibaba, and according to Reuters, that company's chair has now announced the collaboration.

"They talked to a number of companies in China," Alibaba chair Joseph C. Tsai said at the 2025 World Government Summit in Dubai. "In the end they chose to do business with us."


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Image Capture is Apple's image acquisition app for grabbing pictures from your camera or scanner. Here's how to use it in a variety of settings.


While Apple's iPhone, iPad, and the Photos apps in iOS and macOS are the standard for image acquisition and processing today, there's another way to get images into your Mac: Apple's Image Capture app.

Image Capture has been around in macOS for decades and it's fairly easy to use.


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The ShiftCam SnapSeries lineup has evolved to include a more powerful battery pack, a larger studio light, and a much taller tripod — all connected via MagSafe. Here's how it all fits together.


ShiftCam offers an increasingly varied range of equipment for content creators and photographers that work from iPhone. When I reviewed the original SnapGrip, I was excited by the prospect of an evolving MagSafe accessory ecosystem, and ShiftCam continues to deliver with the latest SnapSeries products.

ShiftCam also offers a lens set for iPhone called LensUltra, which I found to be a strong competitor to other attachable lens options. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is compatible with this set via a new case, so I'll discuss the set alongside SnapSeries here in this roundup.


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