Apple’s launching three new Home products next year, here’s what’s coming
The year is almost over, and Apple’s planning for 2025 to bring a big new push into Home products. Here are three Home devices expected to launch in the new year. more…

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This M4 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro with 128GB RAM is $200 off with delivery by Christmas
A loaded 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple's top-of-the-line M4 Max chip is $200 off and in stock now, with delivery by Christmas.Save triple digits on a loaded 16-inch MacBook Pro.To pick up the premium Late 2024 16-inch MacBook Pro configuration, head over to Adorama.com and enter promo code APINSIDER during Step 4 of checkout.Use code APINSIDER Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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You can now buy Severance on Blu-Ray disc
The Apple TV+ streaming hit Severance is now available on physical media: you can now . The physical release has arrived a month ahead of the season two premiere, so if you have friends who haven’t watched the show yet, this might be a great little last-minute gift idea to get them all caught up before season two kicks off on January 17. more…

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Gene Munster predicts Apple and Tesla will receive tariff waivers from President Trump in 2025
Deepwater Asset Management's Gene Munster got several of his 2024 predictions regarding Apple correct, including… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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No, iOS Photos isn't telling you who last looked at your messages
A TikTok trend makes an astounding claim that the iOS Photos widget displays who is reading your messages and may be looking back at your photos, and it is not based in reality at all.Photos widgets in iOS 18.2Social media users often make posts about Apple products and features, either to teach followers or to warn them of potential issues. Sometimes, these involve claims that are just false.One new trend is to accuse Apple of spying on users, in a way that doesn't make sense for a variety of reasons. It's apparently doing so via the Photos widget in iOS. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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AirPods work even better with Mac, thanks to AirBuddy
With the AirBuddy app for Mac, you can make enhanced connections to AirPods and other earbuds. It's the best way to connect AirPods to Mac. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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How to figure out if your iPhone charger sucks
iOS 18.2 tells you if you’re using an old, rubbish, slow iPhone charger. Here’s how to find the new warning, and what to do about it. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Congo files criminal complaints against Apple in France and Belgium over conflict minerals
The Democratic Republic of Congo has accused Apple subsidiaries in France and Belgium of using conflict minerals in their supply chain… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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macOS Sequoia 15.2 isn't allowing third-party utilities to make bootable backups
The developer of SuperDuper! says what they think is a bug in macOS Sequoia 15.2 has inadvertently broken how the app can create bootable backups — however, it may not be accidental at all.SuperDuper! app icon amidst hard drives and a Mac keyboardIt's some years since Apple took steps to at least make it harder for people to start up their Macs using external drives. That was a privacy issue, a security issue, and a bit of a pain for anyone who remembers Mac drives failing.Now according to developer Dave Nanian, Apple has gone further, maybe unintentionally. Nanian is the developer of backup app SuperDuper! and says that since macOS Sequoia 15.2 has changed a feature called the Replicator, his app has been unable to create a bootable backup. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Best Apple deals still shipping in time for the holidays: M4 MacBook, MacBook Air, iPad, Apple Watch Series 10, more
We are now officially one week out from Christmas Eve 2024 and shipping times on Apple gear are starting to slip beyond the big day. If you’re still looking to score a sweet Apple gift for you or a special someone, we have decided to put together a running list of the best Apple deals you can still get wrapped up in time this year, and save some cash in the process.  more…

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Apple accused of covering up war crimes by willfully using Congo conflict minerals
Apple has been formally accused by Congo of covering up war crimes by using conflict minerals in its supply chain, and criminal complaints have been filed in France and Belgium.Apple has been asked to verify that it doesn't use "conflict minerals" in the iPhoneApple and at least most Big Tech manufacturers have long been accused of sourcing tin, tungsten, and tantalum — the 3T materials — from regions where that means funding violent groups. And now, Apple has picked up two criminal complaints, lodged by the Congo government.The complaint alleges that conflict minerals are laundered through multiple sales and shell companies before hitting Apple suppliers. Therefore, according to the filing spotted by Reuters early Tuesday morning, Apple is directly responsible, is complicit, and should be held accountable for crimes against humanity taking place in Congo. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple faces criminal complaints over Congo conflict minerals and customer deception
Apple is facing criminal complaints by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which accuses the company of illegally using conflict minerals, also known as “blood minerals.” The terms refer to minerals sourced from illegal sources who employ child labor and use the proceeds to buy weapons for armed conflicts. The charges have been filed in Belgium and France because those countries have a strong judicial record in corporate accountability cases … more…

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Threads could become as popular as X, as latest user numbers revealed
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has for the first time revealed the daily number of Threads users, stating that there are now more than 100 million daily active users. It’s also been suggested that the current trajectory means that the app could catch up with the social network formerly known as Twitter. Zuckerberg is likely aiming to fight back against the growing popularity of Bluesky, also citing a new milestone in monthly active users … more…

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TikTok ban: Supreme Court asked for emergency injunction; Trump meeting
The TikTok ban is once again in doubt, despite an appeals court rejecting the company’s argument that it was protected by the First Amendment. Parent company ByteDance has applied to the US Supreme Court for an emergency injunction against the law requiring it to sell TikTok to a US company or be banned … more…

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Frost Punk 2 review: When the snowman brings the snow
Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Challenging society-survival game Exciting story mode Replayable Utopia mode Cons Complex game mechanics Needs a simpler tutorial for beginners Doesn’t run on Intel Macs Our Verdict It’s more demanding than a conventional strategy game, but this society-survival game will present a rewarding challenge for ‘Stewards’ who want to guide their snowy dystopia through the hardships of a new ice age. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When Reviewed$44.99 Best Prices Today: Frost Punk 2 Retailer Price Steam $43 View Deal Mac App Store $44.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The original Frost Punk was a surprise hit when it was launched a few years ago, largely because it took a different approach from most conventional strategy games – in fact, the developers at 11bit Studios refer to it as a ‘society survival game’ instead. Rather than pitting you in combat against rival armies, Frost Punk told the story of an alternate 19th century world that has been plunged into a new ice age by a vast, global blizzard called the Great Frost. Instead of pitting your wits against an enemy army, the game challenged you to fight mother nature herself, as you battle the blizzards to find food and fuel for the last survivors, and establish a home in a city called New London. For more Mac games recommended by us read: Best Games for Mac. Frost Punk 2 is set 30 years later, when New London has grown dramatically in size. As the ‘Steward’ of the city, it’s your task to find new sources of food and fuel for the growing population. There are other threats too, as the restless population struggles with hunger, crime and factional rivalries. And, of course, there’s the ever-constant threat of snowy ‘whiteouts’ that can strike New London at any time. Like its predecessor, Frost Punk 2 is quite a challenging game, even for people who have played strategy games before and are used to the standard techniques of resource management and developing new weapons and technologies. This sequel does have a Prologue that introduces the story for new players, and also acts as a tutorial, in which you struggle through the icy ‘frostlands’ to reach a wrecked train and scavenge its resources. However, even basic tasks such as gathering resources can prove to be quite complex. Rather than simply chopping wood or collecting metal and other components, as you might do in an ordinary strategy game, you first have to ‘frostbreak’ a path, picking your way across the rocky terrain to reach to the train’s overturned wagons. You then have to construct an ‘extraction district’ – a small factory – that can retrieve the supplies from the train, followed by housing districts for your workers, and food districts to keep them fit and healthy. This means that Frost Punk 2 is a little more abstract than its predecessor, as the Steward needs to step back and take more of an overview of the structure of this society, rather than just rolling up your sleeves and digging up some coal. However, the scale of New London and its complex society provides a rich tapestry for the story that unfolds under your stewardship. The main story campaign provides several difficulty levels, where you can adjust economic conditions, such as the scarcity of food and fuel. You can also modify the weather, choosing the frequency and severity of the whiteout storms, and even adjust social factors, such as the levels of crime and political unrest, to maintain the city’s ‘zeitgeist’. There are also rival factions within the city, whose demands and aims must be managed, such as the Icebloods who believe that only the strong can survive in the wintry wastelands, and the Machinists who prefer to rely on technology to keep the people safe and warm. Once you’ve finished the main game there’s also an ‘endless’ Utopia mode that allows you to start a new city by choosing from a variety of locations, with different terrain and weather conditions. The game also looks great, with dramatic and imposing 3D graphics that look like Blade Runner with added snow. You can zoom out to get an overview of the wintry landscape, or zoom in to explore the districts of the city in more detail. The game only runs on Macs with Apple Silicon, but it ran at a smooth 45fps using medium graphics settings on my MacBook Pro with an M2 Pro chip. An M1 might struggle a little, but you should be able to adjust the graphics settings for a basic M2 processor if you need to. Frost Punk 2 is available on both Steam and the Mac App Store, but the Steam version of the game is slightly cheaper, and Steam also has a Deluxe Edition that includes some additional DLC if you want to keep the story going. Should You Buy Frost Punk 2? The Frost Punk games aren’t as approachable as strategy games such as the Civilization series, focusing as the developers say, on their ‘society survival’ mechanics, rather than just building a big army to overwhelm your opponent’s forces. But the challenge of balancing all the demands of this complex dystopia will appeal to many people and it’s a game that you can continue to play long after the main story has finished.

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iPhone in 2025: The upgrades we’ve been waiting for are finally coming
Macworld Apple is diversifying its products and services more than ever, but there’s no question that iPhone is still king. No other Apple product, and perhaps not other product from any company, has a greater single cultural and economic impact. The iPhone updates in 2024 were mostly more of the same—a new processor, improved cameras, and better battery life. The Camera Control button is maybe the biggest hardware innovation and it’s really just a new way to access the camera that isn’t always an improvement. We still think they’re great phones, but it has been years since Apple changed up the design of its flagship iPhones, and the lower-cost iPhone SE is getting really old. In 2025, we expect both issues to be addressed. An all-new, super-slim iPhone (which many are calling “iPhone Air” in absence of an announced name) will be the biggest change to the iPhone’s look and feel in ages. And the new 4th-generation iPhone SE should address many of the missed opportunities in the 2022 model, bringing modern standards to Apple’s most affordable phone. Here’s a look at what the latest rumors tell us to expect from Apple’s new iPhones in 2025. iPhone SE 4 The first new iPhone of 2025 is likely to be the 4th-generation iPhone SE. (Most people call it the iPhone SE 4, and Apple may adopt that nomenclature as well it moved away from historical “generation” identifiers for most products in 2024, including the iPad and AirPods.) Apple has traditionally released the iPhone SE in the spring and we expect a similar launch next year. The iPhone SE 3 was a bit of a disappointment when it was released in March of 2022. It had a speedy processor but stuck with the same tired iPhone 8 body, with an aging display and cameras. Three years later, it’s downright ancient and in need of a major overhaul. In 2025 it will get one. The iPhone SE 4 will finally bring Apple’s mid-tier phone to modern standards. It should look roughly like an iPhone 14, with and edge-to-edge display and a notch. The home button will be gone in favor of Face ID (sorry Touch ID diehards, but that button takes up a LOT of space that Apple would rather use for a larger display). The iPhone SE 4 will finally dump the home button.IDG It will probably have an A18 processor with 8GB of RAM so it supports Apple Intelligence. There is no firm word on storage, but we hope the base model offers 128GB, not 64GB like the iPhone SE 3. The iPhone SE 4 is also said to be the first product to use an Apple-designed 5G modem, which will support only sub-6 frequencies and perform about as well as a Qualcomm modem from two years prior. There will be one rear camera, upgraded to a 48MP sensor, so it will probably enjoy a 12MP “optical” 2x zoom. The front camera is expected to be the same 12MP camera you find in the iPhone 16. So expect the iPhone SE 4 to be very similar to the iPhone 16, but without the ultra-wide camera, no Camera Control button, and a mute switch instead of an Action button. Will it get a price hike as well? We think it’s very possible that Apple will raise the starting price to $449 or even $499, a slight increase from its current $429. But it’ll still be cheaper than the iPhone 14, which starts at $599. iPhone 17 and 17 Pro/Pro Max Next fall (in September as usual), we expect Apple to once again release four new iPhones. However, the matric will be different. There will be an iPhone 17, an iPhone 17 Pro, and an iPhone 17 Pro Max, but the current rumors suggest that the iPhone 17 Plus will be replaced in the lineup by something totally new: an ultra-slim phone many are calling iPhone 17 Air. More on that phone in a moment. Most notably, the iPhone 17 line may include the first major change to Apple’s rear camera layout ever. Rumors point to at least some models, or maybe all of them, moving to a centered, wide camera bump that runs along the entire top back of the phone, similar in style to Google’s Pixel line. It’s also been rumored that the iPhone 17 Pro models may shift away from titanium and switch to aluminum, but that would be a surprising move just two years after Apple introduced titanium and used the new material as a main selling point. The iPhone 17 models will reportedly have a horizontal camera array for the first time.Chris Martin / Foundry For the standard iPhones, we expect an A19 for the regular model and A19 Pro for the Pro and Pro Max, offering better performance and perhaps a boost to 12GB of RAM. There are conflicting reports about whether or not the regular iPhone 17 will get ProMotion and an always-on display for the first time in 2025, a feature that has been exclusive to the Pro phones since 2021. Apple has always made these Pro-only features, but most competing phones that cost $800 have had equivalent features for years. The front camera on all models is supposed to get an upgrade to 24 megapixels. The iPhone 17 Pro Max should have 48MP cameras for the wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto cameras. At least one iPhone 17 model is rumored to feature a mechanical aperture on the main camera, though we’re not sure which model yet. iPhone 17 Air The biggest iPhone surprise next year will probably be a new ultra-slim model we have taken to calling iPhone 17 Air (or perhaps just iPhone Air). At around 6 mm thick, it will be the slimmest iPhone of all time, even thinner than the old iPhone 6 (6.9mm). It should be a larger phone, with a display just a little bit smaller than what you’d find on a “Plus” model—figure around 6.5 inches. It will likely support ProMotion and always-on, but that may be coming to the entire iPhone 17 line anyway. There will have to be a few compromises to achieve this device’s thin design—the battery may not be as big as expected, there is said to be only a single speaker (where the earpiece is), and there may not be room for a SIM tray. That’s been gone from U.S. models for some time but is still required in places like China. This model will likely have the same processor as the regular iPhone 17 (the A19 rather than the A19 Pro), and may include Apple’s own 5G modem as well, while the other iPhone 17 models to retain Qualcomm modems. Like the other iPhone 17 models, we’re told to expect a top-center-aligned camera on the back of the phone rather than over in the upper left corner. It’s rumored that it will only have a single 48MP camera like the iPhone SE, a somewhat significant downgrade from the other models.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: Mac enterprise growth continues to surge
Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple. In this episode of Apple @ Work, I talk with Weldon Dodd about Kandji’s new survey about how IT professionals are thinking about Apple in the enterprise. more…

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The iPhone is doomed because Apple Intelligence isn’t smart enough
Macworld The year is quickly running out but there is time enough for the Macalope to look at another survey from online used smartphone outlet SellCell. What should we expect from this survey? Well, in 2022 SellCell said 40 percent of iPhone users were going to buy the iPhone SE, which is a tad high. Then, in 2023, it said Apple adding USB-C would tempt 44 percent of Android users to switch to the iPhone 15. Again, that seemed to wildly overestimate how many people might buy that phone. Or even how many people do the recommended full two minutes of brushing their teeth twice a day. To be clear, the Macalope doesn’t doubt that people said the things that SellCell said they said. People say all kinds of wacky stuff. “I think I could win a fight with a bear.” “Pop Rocks killed that kid from the cereal commercial.” “I’m going to learn how to make Shakshouka.” Rod, you failed Instant Ramen 101. Which was a class you took at the community college. It is doubtful you will ever be able to make Shakshouka. Anyway, just take it as a writ that surveys of buying intent are not worth the pixels on your screen that they appear on. No matter how crappy your monitor is. IDG That said, SellCell is back with another block-rocking beat that may just be the exception that proves the rule. “iPhone vs. Samsung AI Survey: AI Features Fall Short: 73% of iPhone Users and 87% of Samsung Users Say They Add Little or No Value” Speaking of rock-blocking beats, a number of times while the Macalope was writing this column he was calling the company “Soft Cell” in his head instead of “SellCell.” His writing is almost certainly “tainted” by his lack of “love” for AI, but the horny one is inclined to believe these numbers, which represent the broad consumer antipathy toward AI which is why we’re not seeing the much-ballyhooed supercycle in smartphone purchases this year. If anything stands out as fatuous here it’s SoftCell’s over-generous comments about AI. (See, the Macalope called it “SoftCell” not “SellCell” there and you didn’t even notice.) …the Artificial Intelligence (AI) era ushered in by OpenAI’s ChatGPT has fundamentally changed the way we interact with technology. It really hasn’t. That’s exactly why no one cares about it. Read your own survey. As for sample size, it’s not exactly huge. The survey included more than 2000 smartphone users including 1000+ iPhone users with an AI-supported model… Who are these 1,000 iPhone users? I didn’t elect them. Among the most popular AI features are ‘Writing Tools’ (72%)… The Macalope has a strong suspicion this is “most recognized” rather than, strictly speaking, “most popular,” but that’s probably what people said, sure. These survey results often have a real “Billy on the Street” vibe if you read them in a certain way. “Oh, yeah, all the… AI and stuff. Yeah. Yeaaah, I know whatcha talkin’ ‘bout.” iPhone users showed relatively higher interest in mobile AI than Samsung users as almost half (47.6 percent) of iPhone users reported AI features as a “very” or “somewhat” important deciding factor when buying a new phone, versus 23.7 percent of Samsung users who said the same. The Macalope will just point out that AI could be an “important deciding factor” if you’re thinking “I would like to avoid phones with AI with all the vigor I use to avoid getting cornered by cousin Gus who makes his own IPAs and wants to talk about nothing but making his own IPAs at the family holiday party.” The Macalope wonders if Soft… nope… SellCell used an AI to write up these survey results because in a section titled “1-in-6 iPhone users would switch brands for better AI” we see that the actual question appears to be “Would Galaxy AI features ever encourage you to switch from an iPhone?” The Macalope’s doctor frequently “encourages” him to get more exercise and drink less. Guess how much that’s worked. Despite the fervent desires of venture capitalists, AI has so far not taken the world by storm. If Apple concentrated its AI efforts more on improving Siri, these survey results might turn around a bit.

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Rumor: Next-gen AirTag to debut in 2025, offer longer range and Ultra Wideband chip
Apple’s AirTag could become that much better in 2025. Rumors persist that Apple will introduce a next-gen AirTag in 2025, bringing more precise tracking to the device with a new and longer-ranged Ultra Wideband chip. The AirTag has had Ultra Wideband from the start, and while it represents the core of the AirTag’s functionality, it […] Source

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Rumor: iPhone 17 Air could be cheaper than expected, Apple working on foldable iPhone and notebook devices
Apple could be working on two new foldable devices for 2026 and beyond, and the rumored ultra-slim iPhone 17 could be cheaper than you thought. Per the Wall Street Journal, the paper has corroborated many of the key details of the iPhone 17 Air, calling it a “bid to revive growth” after many years of […] Source

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