Users in the U.S. trying to access Apple’s online store right now are being greeted with a “be right back” message, inviting them to check back soon. Here’s why.

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We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more.

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

Apple TV

Apple is offering an Apple TV promotion for new and returning subscribers for Black Friday this year. Eligible customers can get six months of Apple TV for just $5.99 per month.



After the six-month period, the subscription price will increase to $12.99, which is the regular price for the Apple TV service.

At $5.99 per month, Apple is discounting Apple TV by over 50 percent. The deal will be available through December 1 on the Apple TV website.

Existing subscribers are not eligible for the discount, nor are customers who have subscriptions billed through a third-party service.

It's also worth noting that you can get a bundle of Apple TV and Peacock Premium/Premium Plus at a discounted rate this season.

Disney+ and Hulu

Disney has introduced a new promotion on its streaming service, offering a bundle of Disney+ (with ads) and Hulu (with ads) for $4.99 per month for 12 months, down from $12.99 per month. After your first year ends it will return to the then-current monthly price unless cancelled.



To get the deal, head to the promotion landing page on the Disney+ website and click on the Disney+/Hulu bundle option. This offer is valid only for new and eligible returning subscribers.

Audible

Audible's holiday deal takes the service down to only $0.99 per month for your first three months, plus $20 in Audible credit. This is more than 90 percent off the regular $14.95 monthly price of the service.



After the end of your first three months, the service will auto-renew at the then-current price, unless you cancel. This offer will end on December 1.

Amazon Music Unlimited

In another Amazon-related deal, the retailer is offering three months of its Amazon Music Unlimted streaming service for free. After the end of your first three months, the service will auto-renew at $11.99/month unless you cancel.



Amazon Music Unlimited offers 100 million songs ad-free, podcasts, Audible audiobooks, spatial audio, and more.

Paramount+

The best Paramount+ offer for this Black Friday is a nice discount tied into Walmart+ and its rewards system. If you sign up for Walmart+ at its new discounted rate of $49.00 for your first year (regular $98/year), you'll find multiple streaming service discounts at your disposal.



One of these includes the option to activate a subscription to the Paramount+ Essential plan at no extra cost, so long as you have an active Walmart+ account. This is Paramount's ad-supported tier, and you can upgrade to Paramount+ Premium for an additional monthly or yearly fee.

Peacock

Similar to Paramount+, the best Peacock discount you can find this Black Friday season is bundled with Walmart+. If you take advantage of the 50 percent off Walmart+ offer, you'll gain access to Peacock Premium at no extra cost.



Peacock Premium is the ad-supported tier of the streaming service, and this does not include access to Peacock Premium Plus. It's also worth noting that Walmart+ members have the option to switch between Peacock and Paramount+ once every 90 days.

If you're interested in both Apple TV and Peacock, you can get a bundle of Apple TV and Peacock Premium/Premium Plus at a discounted rate this season.

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.

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This article, "Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products.


Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, and the gift card offer is now live in those countries as expected.

The store is down in the United Kingdom and many other European countries right now, and it will soon go down in the United States and Canada.

Many readers email us about Apple's online store going down ahead of Black Friday, so this is our annual reminder that it does not relate to new products.

In case you missed the earlier announcement, Apple is offering a free gift card with the purchase of an eligible product in select countries, from November 28 through December 1. In the U.S., the gift card values range between $25 and $200.

Black Friday is one of the few occasions per year when Apple directly offers deals on its products, but better deals are often available through resellers like Amazon, so make sure to check out our Black Friday deals coverage for the latest discounts on iPads, Macs, AirPods, Apple Watches, accessories, and more.
This article, "Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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A new report from Counterpoint Research shows that the iPhone’s comeback in China is still going strong. Here are the details.

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If you’ve had Apple Podcasts open randomly to a show you don’t subscribe to, you’re not alone. Here’s what’s going on.

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Happy Thanksgiving Black Friday edition (as usual). Amazon’s Thanksgiving sale is now in full swing with Black Friday deals rolling through holiday Thursday and we have everything waiting for you right here. Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is here though to highlight some of the new and standout offers that went live overnight – the most affordable 24GB Mac mini you can buy just hit the best price ever at $150 off for today only and Apple Pencil (USB-C) is now sitting down at the $49 Black Friday Amazon all-time low. Those offers join the chance to land an Apple Watch today as low as $129, M4 MacBook Air at $250 off, and well about a thousand other things. Check em’ all out below. 

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North Carolina has approved Apple's request to push back the hiring and investment milestones tied to its long-delayed Research Triangle Park campus, effectively restarting the incentive agreement that could be worth up to $845 million to the company, the Herald reports.


North Carolina's Economic Investment Committee voted this week to grant Apple a four-year extension on the timelines originally established when the company secured a rare "transformative" Job Investment Grant in 2021. The move follows Apple's confirmation last year that it had paused construction plans and was seeking to renegotiate the agreement with the state.

Under the original deal, Apple committed to invest $1 billion in North Carolina over a ten-year period, including $552 million for a new corporate campus in Research Triangle Park and $448 million to expand its data center footprint in Catawba County in exchange for up to $845 million in tax benefits if it met strict annual hiring and spending goals.

Apple has still not begun construction on the campus. In June last year, the company formally asked the state to suspend the project for up to four years, noting it had added around 600 employees in the Raleigh area since 2021 but required more time before beginning major development work.

Site plans filed in 2023 showed that Apple expected to build three office buildings, several support structures, and a car park totaling around 900,000 square feet. The latest vote enables Apple to delay hiring requirements until the end of 2027, by which time it will need to add 126 positions to remain eligible for incentives, rising to 1,719 by year five and 2,700 by year ten.

Apple previously said the campus will focus on machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and other related fields.
This article, "Apple Granted Reset on New Campus Deal" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Let’s say you already have the latest and greatest Apple gear, maybe like yours truly. Well, the good news is we still have plenty of Black Friday deals on ways to accessorize your gear. We’re tracking huge savings on Apple’s entire lineup of official accessories for iPhone, Apple Watch, and more. Plus, deals on the best accessories from our favorite accessory makers like Nomad, Twelve South, and Satechi.

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Apple has had quite the rollercoaster ride over plans to scan devices for the presence of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM).

After announcing and then withdrawing its own plans for CSAM scanning, it appeared that it might be legally required to do it anyway. The EU has now backed down on this, but that doesn’t necessarily let Apple off the hook …

more…

Black Friday is finally here, and as always this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon.

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

Specifically, we're sharing all of the Apple products that currently have all-time low prices, or discounts that are at least very close to their record-low prices. Now that Black Friday is here, we expect these to be the best prices of the season, so if you've been holding off on purchasing any of the products listed below, now is definitely the time to do so.

Table of Contents

You can use the links below to jump directly to the section you're shopping for today.

• AirPods


• iPhone


• Mac


• Apple Watch


• iPad


• Accessories


• More Black Friday Sales

Our Top Picks

• AirTag 4-Pack for $64.98 ($34 off)


• AirPods 4 for $69.00 ($60 off)


• Apple Watch SE 3 for $199.99 ($50 off)


• HomePod for $269.99 ($29 off)


• Apple Watch Series 11 for $339.00 ($60 off)


• 13-Inch M4 MacBook Air for $749.00 ($250 off)


• 14-Inch M5 MacBook Pro for $1,399.00 ($200 off)

AirPods

AirPods deals are in abundance this Black Friday season, with best-ever prices on AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, and AirPods Pro 3. You can also find a steep $119 discount on AirPods Max right now, and all of these discounts are available on Amazon.

iPhone

Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season.

AT&T

• iPhone 17: Up to $700 off with eligible trade-in


• iPhone 17 Pro: No cost with eligible trade-in


• iPhone 17 Pro Max: Up to $1,100 off with eligible trade-in

Starting with AT&T, you can get the iPhone 17 Pro at no cost with eligible trade-in, and the iPhone Air for up to $700 off with eligible trade-in. Finally, the iPhone 17 Pro Max will be available at up to $1,100 off with eligible trade-in.



If you switch to AT&T from a different carrier, AT&T will pay off your phone balance at up to $800 off per line. AT&T also has the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3, and Apple Watch Ultra 3 available with an offer. If you buy one, you can get $300 off the second.

Verizon

• iPhone 17 Pro: No cost with new line on Unlimited Ultimate


• iPhone 17: No cost with new line on MyPlan


• iPhone Accessories: Save on iPhone accessories

New and existing Verizon customers on the Unlimited Ultimate plan can get the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro at no cost this Black Friday season. For the iPhone 17, no trade-in is required but you must add a new line to Verizon's MyPlan.



In terms of watches, Verizon is offering the new Apple Watch SE 3 at no cost when you trade-in your old device on select Unlimited plans.

T-Mobile

• iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro: No cost with eligible trade-in


• iPhone Air: No cost with eligible trade-in


• iPhone 17 Pro Max: Up to $1,100 off with eligible trade-in

T-Mobile's offers are nearly identical to AT&T's. You can get the iPhone 17 or iPhone 17 Pro at no cost when you trade in an old device and purchase the new device on an eligible unlimited plan. Otherwise, you can get the iPhone 17 Pro Max for up to $1,100 off with eligible trade-in on unlimited plans.



For Apple Watches at T-Mobile, you can get the Apple Watch SE 3 for $99.00 when adding a new watch line on select Unlimited plans. If you plan on buying two models, you can get up to $300 off the second when adding a new watch line on select Unlimited plans.

Visible

Visible is offering 50 percent off its Visible+ Pro plan this season, with the code BLACKFRIDAY50 at checkout. After entering this deal, you can get the plan for $225/year, down from $450/year.



For Apple specific offers, if you purchase any iPhone this holiday season, you can get the 40mm Apple Watch SE at no cost. To get this deal, you will need to be a new Visible member joining on the Visible+ Pro annual plan and purchase any new iPhone, then enter the code APPLEWATCH at checkout.

Mac

M5 MacBook Pro

Amazon has dropped the price of the new M5 MacBook Pro to $1,399.00, down from $1,599.00. This is the 10-Core model with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD in Space Black, and it's a new all-time low price on the M5 MacBook Pro.

M4 MacBook Air

You can get the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air (256GB) for $749.00, down from $999.00, a new all-time low price on the computer that beats the previous low by about $50. You'll also find many of the 512GB models of the 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air on sale this week.

Mac Mini

Amazon is taking $120 off the 256GB model of the M4 Mac mini in Black Friday deals, as well as $130 off 512GB models.

M4 iMac

Amazon has $150 off a few of Apple's M4 iMac, with prices starting at $1,149.00 for the entry-level model with 8-core, 16GB RAM, and 256GB.

Apple Watch

Series 11

Amazon has introduced the first big discounts on a few Apple Watch Series 11 models, including both GPS and cellular devices. You can get the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 11 for $339.00, down from $399.00, and the 46mm GPS model for $369.00, down from $429.00.

SE 3

The Apple Watch SE 3 has received its first major discount on Amazon, with $50 off both the 40mm and 44mm GPS models.

iPad

M3 iPad Air

We're tracking record low prices across the entire M3 iPad Air lineup for Black Friday, with discounts available at both Amazon and Best Buy. This sale includes savings on both Wi-Fi and cellular models of the tablet, and it's been a few weeks since we last saw these all-time low prices.

Prices start at $449.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch M3 iPad Air, down from $599.00. Across the board these are all $150 discounts on the M3 iPad Air, and each one is a match for the best-ever price seen on these tablets.




Our list below focuses on Wi-Fi models, but you'll also find many cellular models on sale at $150 off right now. The 128GB cellular 11-inch iPad Air is available for $599.00 and the 128GB cellular 13-inch iPad Air is available for $799.00, both representing record low prices.

11-inch M3 iPad Air

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $449.00, down from $599.00


• 256GB Wi-Fi - $549.00, down from $699.00


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $749.00, down from $899.00


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $949.00, down from $1,099.00

13-inch M3 iPad Air

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $649.00, down from $799.00


• 256GB Wi-Fi - $749.00, down from $899.00


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $949.00, down from $1,099.00


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,149.00, down from $1,299.00

M5 iPad Pro

Amazon has the first notable discounts on Apple's brand new M5 iPad Pro, with the entry-level 11-inch model available for $899.00, down from $999.00.




For the larger models, you can save up to $170 on the 13-inch M5 iPad Pro on Amazon this week. If you're shopping for the 2TB Nano-Texture Glass Wi-Fi model, Amazon has this tablet for $2,229.00, down from $2,399.00, as well as a few other 13-inch models between $50 and $151 off.

11-Inch M5 iPad Pro

• 256GB Wi-Fi - $899.00 ($100 off)


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $1,099.00 ($100 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,499.00 ($100 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 1TB Nano-Texture Glass Wi-Fi - $1,584.00 ($115 off)


• 2TB Wi-Fi - $1,859.00 ($140 off)


• 2TB Nano-Texture Glass Wi-Fi - $1,999.00 ($100 off)

13-Inch M5 iPad Pro

• 256GB Wi-Fi - $1,199.00 ($100 off)


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $1,399.00 ($100 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,768.00 ($131 off)


• 1TB Nano-Texture Glass Wi-Fi - $1,861.00 ($138 off)


• 2TB Wi-Fi - $2,148.00 ($151 off)


• 2TB Nano-Texture Glass Wi-Fi - $2,229.00 ($170 off)

iPad mini 7

Amazon this week has low prices on nearly every Wi-Fi model of the iPad mini 7, starting at $399.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi tablet, down from $499.00. You'll also find a few deals on cellular models during this sale.

11th Gen iPad

Amazon this week is taking $75 off Wi-Fi models of Apple's 11th generation iPad. Prices start at $274.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $349.00, an all-time low price on this model.

Accessories

Apple Pencil Pro

You can get the Apple Pencil Pro available for $94.99, down from $129.00.

AirTag

Amazon has Apple's AirTag 4-Pack for $64.98, down from $99.00. This is a match of the all-time low price on the accessory.



If you're shopping for just one AirTag, Amazon has the AirTag 1-Pack for $17.97, which is another all-time low price.

iPhone 17 Cases

Amazon this week brought back big discounts across Apple's Clear, Silicone, and TechWoven Cases for the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air lineup. Items on sale include Clear, Silicone, and TechWoven Cases for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. We're also tracking a few discounts on other accessories like the FineWoven Wallet with MagSafe.


iPhone Air

• Clear Case - $25.00, down from $49.00

iPhone 17

• Clear Case - $25.00, down from $49.00


• Silicone Case - $25.00, down from $49.00

iPhone 17 Pro

• Clear Case - $25.00, down from $49.00


• Silicone Case - $25.00, down from $49.00


• TechWoven Case - $44.00, down from $59.00

iPhone 17 Pro Max

• Clear Case - $25.00, down from $49.00


• Silicone Case - $36.00, down from $49.00


• TechWoven Case - $44.00, down from $59.00

More Black Friday Sales

• Streaming Services


• Twelve South


• Best Buy


• Target


• Samsung


• Sonos


• Nomad


• Sony


• Walmart


• OWC


• Adobe

We're keeping track of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.

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This article, "The 30+ Best Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, iPads, MacBooks, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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My favorite gift picks to make any desk setup even better!

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This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column at 9to5Mac offering a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: iOS 27’s ‘Snow Leopard’ update, iPhone Fold pricing, 2026 product launches, and more Apple rumors.

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Apple today shared its annual holiday season ad, titled A Critter Carol, as well as a behind-the-scenes video showing how it was made.


In the short film, set in a snowy forest, a group of woodland creatures use a lost iPhone 17 Pro to film themselves singing about the gift of friendship. Later, the owner of the iPhone finds the device with help from the Find My app on his Apple Watch, and he then discovers the critters' heartwarming recording.

In an AI world, Apple's ad emphasizes the use of practical effects. The critters — a raccoon, bear, owl, deer, squirrel, and others — are handcrafted puppets.

The short film was shot entirely on the iPhone 17 Pro, according to Apple, although the fine print says that additional hardware and software was used. The behind-the-scenes video shows how the ad was made by puppeteers, and how the typography used throughout the campaign was meticulously handprinted from wood blocks.


Apple says the short film, directed by award-winning Australian filmmaker Mark Molloy, underscores the irreplaceable value of human creativity.

The ad showcases the iPhone 17 Pro's advanced camera capabilities, such as 8× zoom, Center Stage selfies, and Dual Capture with the front and rear cameras.

"I was surprised by the power of the iPhone 17 Pro because it allowed me to capture the story in a truly immersive way," said Molloy.

The ad was released just in time for U.S. Thanksgiving.
This article, "Apple Releases 2025 Holiday Season TV Ad: 'A Critter Carol'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has launched its new holiday ad A Critter Carol, which features a misplaced iPhone 17 Pro being used by woodland critters to record themselves singing a Christmas carol.

Apple simultaneously released a making of video that shows how the company also used iPhones in the making of the film, as well as how all the hand-crafted puppetry was animated and brought to life.

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I have an AirTag on my keychain to keep track of my keys, but obviously an AirTag is too big and bulky to fit inside a wallet. That’s what the SwitchBot Wallet Finder is for, currently discounted to just $9.99 for Black Friday, a rare 60% discount.

Disguised inside a thin, credit-card form factor, the SwitchBot Wallet Finder connects to the Find My app on your iPhone, so you can follow its location, and it even houses a speaker so you can make it beep to help you find your wallet when it inevitably gets lost somewhere in your home. Read on for my review …

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We have now collected all of the best Black Friday Apple deals live for this year’s festivities. While loads of deals went live early than ever this year, the best prices tend to culminate on Thanksgiving Day and we are here to make sure everything is on your radar. From the best prices ever on AirPods 4 at $69 and AirPods 4 with ANC at $100 to a new all-time low on AirPods Pro 3, don’t let anyone convince you the Black Friday Apple deals aren’t seriously great this year. We also have new lows on M4 MacBook Air and $200 price drops on M5 MacBook Pro, as well deep discounts on M4 Mac mini from $479 and the best prices to date on Apple Watch 11, just to name a few highlights. Everything, along with a massive collection of accessories and deals across every major product category, awaits below.

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Apple TV has pulled its upcoming French thriller series "The Hunt" just days before its scheduled December 3 debut, after allegations emerged that the show plagiarized a 1973 novel and its film adaptation.


Production company Gaumont confirmed the postponement in a statement, saying it is "conducting a thorough review to address any questions related to our production." The company added that it takes "intellectual property matters very seriously."

Creator and director Cédric Anger is accused of copying the plot from late author Douglas Fairbairn's novel "Shoot" and the 1976 film of the same name. French media journalist Clément Garin was first to make the allegations, according to Variety.

The similarities between the two stories look fairly substantial. Both narratives follow a group of hunters who encounter rival hunters in the wilderness, leading to violent consequences. In each story, one hunter is shot and the attacker is killed in retaliation. The survivors then return home while keeping the incident secret, but they soon grow paranoid about the potential for revenge.

"The Hunt" was set to premiere with two episodes on December 3, followed by weekly releases through December 31, but Apple has since removed all promotional materials for the series from its website. Apple has yet to comment on the controversy.

It's the second time this year Apple TV has pulled a completed series at the last minute. Jessica Chastain's "The Savant" was postponed days before its September premiere and still has no release date.
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If you receive a notification from ChatGPT provider OpenAI that one of its partners has suffered a data breach, it’s likely that your own data is safe. Only those who have an API account may have been affected

The company says it is being transparent by notifying all subscribers, even though only a small subset of them will have been impacted …

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The Plex personal media server had long allowed remote streaming for free users. The company announced back in March that this would in future require a paid Plex Pass subscription, which was set to come into effect from the end of April.

The company initially hadn’t appeared to enforce the new rule, but it appears that it is now starting to do so, with the Roku app first in the firing line …

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It’s widely believed that sales of the iPhone Air have been disappointing and that Apple has either massively reduced or even suspended manufacturing altogether.

A new report says that several Chinese brands have responded by canceling their own plans for similar ultra-slim phones …

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Kagi, best known for its telemetry-free search engine, has released version 1.0 of Orion, its privacy-focused browser for Mac. After a long beta period, the WebKit-based browser is aimed at users who want Safari's speed without the data collection that comes with most other options.


For users who want an alternative to Chromium browsers like Chrome, Edge, and Brave, without sacrificing speed or extension support, Orion could be worth a look. Moreover, unlike some recent browser launches, there's no integration of AI features, and Kagi says it collects no telemetry or usage data of any kind.

For a browser claiming zero-bloat, there are some notable features, too. Focus Mode strips away the browser interface to turn any website into a distraction-free app, while Link Preview lets you peek at links from mail or notes without actually opening a new tab. You can set up separate profiles that keep work, personal browsing, and everything else completely isolated. Not only that, the browser also works with Chrome and Firefox extensions.

Orion is free to download and use, and also comes with 200 free searches on Kagi's premium search engine, while an optional Orion Plus subscription at $5 per month unlocks floating windows that stay on top of other apps, custom icons, and offers early access to new features.

Kagi's six-person team developed Orion over five years (the first two years handled by a single developer). The company plans to expand documentation and add new features over the coming year. You can grab it over on the Orion website, while iPhone and iPad versions can be downloaded from the App Store.
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Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia.


Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production.

Apple supplier Foxconn has reportedly dismantled all of its production lines for the ‌iPhone Air‌, while Luxshare, another supplier, stopped production at the end of October.

As a result of the device's poor reception among consumers, rival smartphone manufacturers including Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and others have either canned or adjusted their development plans for Air-style models, and reallocated eSIM solutions intended for the devices to other production lines.

Xiaomi reportedly planned a "true Air model" to rival Apple's offering, while Vivo targeted thinness within its mid-range S series. Both companies are now said to have halted related projects but have yet to officially comment.

Apple relied on the iPhone Air's new look to generate excitement – it's the first major redesign of the iPhone since the iPhone X introduced Face ID and an all-display front in 2017. However, achieving a super-thin 5.6 mm profile required trade-offs. The iPhone Air uses a smaller battery and a single rear camera, yet still carries a premium price.

Starting at $999, it seems too expensive for what many buyers view as style over substance. It sits only $100 below the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro, which offers a triple-lens camera system and far better battery life.

The tepid consumer response is also said to have forced Apple back to the drawing board: a report from The Information claims Apple has delayed the second-generation iPhone Air while it redesigns the device to potentially fit in a second camera and improve battery life.

Apparently it's been a similar story for Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge, the Korean company's equivalent ultra-thin offering. Samsung has reportedly cancelled the Galaxy S26 Edge and halted the production of the Galaxy S25 Edge, owing to poor sales.

(Via DigiTimes.)
This article, "iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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In case you missed it: Spotify has been rolling out a new built-in playlist-transfer feature for its mobile app, so now you can import playlists from other streaming services directly, without the need for third-party tools.


Announced by the company a week ago, the feature is powered by TuneMyMusic, and it supports all the major services including Apple Music, Amazon Music, SoundCloud, TIDAL, Pandora, and Deezer. Spotify said the tool would roll out to all users "over the coming days."

You should be able to find the new tool in the "Your Library" section of the Spotify app – swipe to the bottom of the list, then tap on the new option to "Import your music" and follow the prompts to connect with the service.

You can then choose the platform you'd like to transfer playlists from. Missing tracks can still happen when services' catalogs don't align, but for most users the process now takes only a few taps.

The rollout removes one of the biggest barriers to switching platforms. Until now, users had to rebuild playlists manually or rely on third-party apps to do so. It's a nice bonus too, since the online version of TuneMyMusic only lets you transfer 500 tracks for free – unlimited transfers require a paid plan.

Apple Music rolled out its own transfer tool globally in September, allowing users to import their playlists and libraries from competing services.
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It's only been two months since iOS 26 launched, but rumors don't take breaks. We're already hearing details about the next-generation iOS 27 update, which Apple will introduce in June 2026 before launching it in September 2026.


We've rounded up all of the rumors that we've heard so far.

Foldable Features

In 2026, Apple plans to launch the first foldable iPhone, a device that could be called the ‌iPhone‌ Fold. Rumors suggest that it will feature a 5.5-inch display when folded, and a 7.8-inch display when it's opened up like a book.

An ‌iPhone‌ with a larger display that also folds will require some major updates to iOS, and iOS 27 will focus on building new interfaces and experiences made for a larger display.

We haven't heard specifics on how Apple will tweak iOS to accommodate the ‌iPhone‌ Fold, but we could see some iPad-like options such as side bars and perhaps even multitasking views with support for multiple windows.

Bug Fixes

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has described iOS 27 as a "Snow Leopard" update, suggesting that Apple will focus on improving underlying performance and quality rather than introducing major new functionality. Apple engineers are reportedly going through ‌iOS 26‌ to look for bloat, bugs, and any other issues impacting performance.

Liquid Glass

iOS 27 might include refinements for the Liquid Glass design that Apple introduced with ‌iOS 26‌. There have already been some changes in the iOS 26.1 and iOS 26.2 updates, but iOS 27 will provide Apple with the opportunity to make larger adjustments.

Apple Intelligence

We're supposed to get the much smarter version of Siri in an iOS 26.4 update planned for spring 2026, but it's likely even more Apple Intelligence capabilities will follow in iOS 27.

We don't know specifics yet, but ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features could expand to additional apps.

Apple is working on a "World Knowledge" Siri search feature that would provide information on general search queries, which will likely be included in ‌Siri‌'s iOS 26.4 update. If it's not in iOS 26.4, the add-on ‌Siri‌ feature could instead come in iOS 27.

Siri

With iOS 27, Apple could update Siri's design. ‌Siri‌ will get its major overhaul in iOS 26.4, but a new visual look is supposedly planned for iOS 27. There are no specifics about what the redesign might entail, but rumors linked to Apple's upcoming tabletop robot suggest that the company might introduce a version of ‌Siri‌ that's more animated, similar to the Mac Finder logo. That more animated version of ‌Siri‌ could also come to the ‌iPhone‌ and iPad.

Health+

Apple is rumored to be developing a paid Health+ service with nutrition planning and medical suggestions, and we could see that introduced as part of iOS 27.

The medical tool would explain different health metrics and trends from the Health app, offering up personalized guidance for health improvement.

New Satellite Features

Apple is working on several new satellite features for the ‌iPhone‌, and it's possible some features could be introduced as soon as 2027. Timing on Apple's satellite improvements is unclear, though, and behind-the-scenes updates from Apple's satellite partner Globalstar are required.
Rumored features:

• Apple Maps via satellite


• Photos in Messages via satellite


• Satellite API framework for third-party apps


• Satellite over 5G


• Satellite connectivity without the need for a view of the sky

Some of these features might require new hardware, but options like ‌Apple Maps‌ via satellite would not require components beyond what's available now.

Launch Date

New versions of iOS, macOS, and Apple's other software platforms will be previewed in June at WWDC before launching in September just ahead of when new ‌iPhone‌ models come out.
This article, "iOS 27: All the Rumors About Apple's Next Big iPhone Software Update" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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