A billion dollars later, the iPhone 16 is still banned in Indonesia, for a bizarre reason
The iPhone 16 is still banned from sale in Indonesia, despite Apple promising to invest a billion dollars in the country’s economy. Apple had initially had offers of first $10M and then $100M rejected by the Indonesian government, before offering a cool billion dollars’ worth of manufacturing – which is exactly what the country demanded … more…

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This docking station lets you connect five screens to your MacBook
Macworld Even with 14-inch and 16-inch screens, many MacBook users have already upgraded to two larger desktop screens at home or in the office—often using a laptop docking station to benefit from the extra video ports required for such a setup, plus extras such as multiple USB ports and Ethernet. Some hook up three monitors and there are even docks that support up to four external screens. At CES, accessory maker Plugable unveiled the first docking station that can support five external monitors. Through the use of DisplayLink technology this expanse of screen real estate is available even to owners of the plain M1 and M2 MacBooks previously limited by Apple to just the solitary one external display. The UD-7400PD is a hybrid docking station that uses two technologies to drive the connected displays: USB-C Alt Mode Video and DisplayLink (third-party software that the user downloads before setting up the dock). For more details, see our explainer on how to connect multiple external displays to a Mac using DisplayLink. Up to five high-resolution displays can be added: three 6K screens, or one 6K plus four 4K displays. For Windows PCs, the 6K screen can be upgraded to a full 8K one. This mega multi-screen support is made possible by the dock’s use of the DisplayLink DL-7400 chipset. Plugable Do you need five screens? Probably not. Very few people actually need or desire five monitors, but the UD-7400PD dock offers flexibility. Users can choose from the five video options—one HDMI 2.1 for the highest 6K resolution, one HDMI 2.0 for 4K at 60Hz, and three 10Gbps USB-C ports with DisplayLink enabled for 4K at 60Hz—with any unused USB-C ports free for other devices with full data, video and power potential (up to 15W). Having the same and full USB-C options available for each port makes usage simple for the user, rather than having to select a particular one for video and others for power or data. The UD-7400PD dock offers PD 3.1 140W Power Delivery, meaning it can be used to fast-charge even the top-end 16-inch MacBook Pro. Plugable The top-end specs continue with a 2.5Gb Ethernet port, which will dramatically speed up a network supported at the same speed. At the front is another USB-C port capable of outputting 30W of power, enough to fast-charge any iPhone. Two legacy but speedy 10Gbps USB-A ports (7.5W) and a combo 3.5mm audio socket round out the front ports. The UD-7400PD dock is expected to be available in March for approximately $265. For more options, check out our roundups of the best docking stations for Mac and best DisplayLink docks. Plugable Plugable USB-C Quad HDMI Graphics Adapter Plugable also announced a smaller video-only solution using the same DisplayLink DL-7400 chipset that supports four independent high-resolution displays via one USB-C cable but without the extra ports boasted by the fuller five-display docking station. The compact USB-C Quad HDMI Graphics Adapter (USBC-7400H4) uses the same DisplayLink technology as the UD-7400PD dock to drive four 4K 60Hz HDMI outputs from a single USB-C port, and allowing for up to 100W USB-C PD pass-through charging.  The USBC-7400H4 will cost $125.

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Why the Mac Pro is still the king of computers
Macworld The Mac Pro has garnered staunch criticism from the crowd that would usually buy one–in most cases, it’s warranted. The Mac Studio is alarmingly good for much cheaper. I, too, bought into the critique of the Mac Pro being a bad buy. But the Mac Pro does have value–a lot of it. As a fan of the 2019 Intel Mac Pro, I tried the M2 Max MacBook Pro and Mac Studio but found that the Mac Pro has advantages that can’t be overlooked. Hidden costs of other Macs When I tried to switch over to a MacBook Pro as my primary Mac, the problems started almost immediately as I attempted to mimic the hefty storage and port options that I had on my 2019 Mac Pro. I need more than the three Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports on the MacBook Pro so I required a Thunderbolt dock. The Mac Studio has more ports, so I fared better with it, but I still needed a Sonnet Thunderbolt 4 Dock to support all the external devices I use. The cost savings of the Mac Studio quickly start to dwindle when accounting for the expense of the external devices needed. There’s the hub, all the cables needed to connect to the hub, and the enclosures I had to buy to house the items that were internally installed in my Mac Pro. If no enclosure was available, I had to buy external replacements.  The Mac Studio may be as fast as the Mac Pro, but it comes with a few extra friends on your desk.Thiago Trevisan/Foundry Those external replacements are where it really hits your wallet and the cost benefit of the Mac Studio shrinks substantially. More affordable USB-C external drives do not play nicely with Macs–USB performance is capped at lower speeds due to Macs not supporting USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 speeds. You’ll be limited to USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds of about 10Gbps, roughly half the theoretical speed on a PC with the same drive. That means that if you want faster performance, you must opt for more expensive Thunderbolt 4 external drives that can offer up to 40Gbps. (I cover the performance issues later in this article.) You’ll likely need a Thunderbolt Dock to support more devices without a Mac Pro.Thiago Trevisan/Foundry Granted, if you’re not a previous Mac Pro user and you’re upgrading from an older MacBook Pro or a desktop Mac and already have an external device setup, your expense for setting up may be limited. Clutter- and noise-free (mostly) The Mac Studio and MacBook Pro may not occupy a lot of space, but they need a symphony of devices to replicate the capabilities of the Mac Pro on a desk. The horizontal space needed is multiplied by the heavy usage of raid arrays, docks, and PCIe external enclosures.  MacBook Pro M3 Max is great, but it needs a supporting cast of devices Thiago Trevisan/Foundry In addition to all the space the external devices take up, there’s also cable management–even if you’re a pro at it, it’s a mess to deal with. You can daisy chain Thunderbolt devices to each other, but you will always have a large cacophony of cables–most external devices need at least a power cable and their own Thunderbolt connection. Think of the Mac Pro like a large skyscraper, fitting most of these devices internally and vertically–no cable mess. The Mac Studio and MacBook Pro are silent machines, but the accompanying external devices can remove that magic because of their noisy fans for cooling. Most external Thunderbolt enclosures come packed with fans–I have chased down Noctua fans to replace the stock fans in some external enclosures, adding to both cost and wasted time in trying to make a less-noisy workstation setup. With the Mac Pro, the large fans keep PCIe cards cool, and you rarely hear even a whimper from this elegant cheese-grater masterpiece. Cables quickly add up across needed devices. Thiago Trevisan/Foundry Appreciating PCIe You don’t have to be an audio engineer or YouTuber to benefit from the Mac Pro’s PCIe slots. You can skip many external Thunderbolt devices and use an internal PCIe-compatible option, instead. The Mac Pro has six PCIe gen 4 slots–it’s enough to free up the Mac Pro’s external ports, and suddenly the need for a pricey Thunderbolt 4 dock goes away.  Beefy heatsinks on PCIe cards equates to silence, with only the Mac Pro fans needed.Thiago Trevisan/Foundry A minor win for the Mac Pro is that its internal Apple SSDs are upgradable, whereas the Mac Studio’s are not. If you bought 1TB and later want 8TB, you can have it. You may want to add PCIe cards for a better price-to-performance ratio, but the option is there. If you do need to connect external devices, the Mac Pro has eight Thunderbolt 4 ports and two USB-A ports. It also has two HDMI ports, two gigabit-ethernet ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack. You won’t need to buy a dock. The Mac Pro has six PCIe slots.Thiago Trevisan/Foundry If you only need a few terabytes of storage that can be accomplished with a simple external SSD and no PCIe cards, then the Mac Pro has no real benefit to you. If you do need more storage, using the Mac Pro’s PCIe slots can make a lot of sense.  Mac Pro PCIe performance While cost, noise, and clutter are important for many, the real bread-and-butter is in the hardware performance. While the Mac Pro does have its bandwidth limitations with its PCIe lanes, it still beats out external devices. You can use external devices on the Mac Pro–it also makes for a great shelf.Thiago Trevisan/Foundry With a fast Thunderbolt 4 external drive, such as the SanDisk Pro G40, you will hit rated speeds of about 3000MBps read and 2500MBps write. Even with an external RAID 0 NVMe setup such as the SanDisk Pro-Blade Station, the limitations of Thunderbolt limit the speed. You don’t have to rely on Apple’s PCIe offerings, either. You can get an $800 Sonnet M.2 8×4 Silent Gen4 PCIe Card and then add 32TB of very fast NVMe storage, and it will be about the same price as the $2,800 Apple 8TB SSD Upgrade Kit that fits into a PCIe slot. Spend more on NVMe storage and you can fit 64TB onto the Sonnet card. The Sonnet card in one of the Mac Pro’s 16x PCIe slots can theoretically reach a whopping 30,000MBps read and 18,000MBps write. All of this comes in a silent package that relies on the fans of the Mac Pro to quietly keep it cool. Blackmagicdesign’s Disk Speed Test benchmark of four Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe SSDs in a Raid 0 array on a Sonnet PCIe card. IDG Even a more mundane PCIe Gen 3 raid 0 of four Samsung 970 EVO NVMe SSDs results in an impressive 12,632MBps write and 9,634MBps read.  An OWC Accelsior 4M2 NVMe RAID 0 array with four Samsung 980 Pros installed in an 8x lane on the Mac Pro still reached 6,622MBps write and 5,558MBps read. Do you want SSD and hard drive raid arrays for backup? You can have them, but you’ll pay more per terabyte for external Thunderbolt enclosures marketed toward MacBook Pro and Mac Studio users. They will typically be much slower than internal PCIe cards, too. PCIe Gen 3 performance can still be impressive with the OWC Accelsior 4M2 card Foundry There are limits to the PCIe bandwidth of the 2023 Mac Pro, of course. Even with this in mind, the overall utility and performance can make this cheese grater a potent sleeper workstation. Nuances of PCIe on the Mac Pro While the numbers are impressive, there are some very important caveats to know about how the Mac Pro handles its PCIe lanes. An OWC Accelsior 4M2 NVME PCIe card in an 8x lane.Thiago Trevisan/Foundry Here’s a list of PCIe hardware that I moved over from a 2019 Mac Pro to a 2023 model. Everything below works and is visible in macOS when installed. I simply moved it over from my new Mac Pro and it all worked–that’s a big bonus. This includes: Sonnet 4×4 NVME PCIe card in the bottom 16x lane Sonnet 8×4 NVME PCIe card in the top 16x lane OWC Accelsior 4M2 NVME PCIe card in an 8x lane Sonnet Fusion SSD PCIe card in 8x lane number 6 Apple supplied I/O Card in the top slot The PCIe lanes are shared and limited so you cannot use them all at once and expect uncompromised performance. I use multiple large arrays for sequential backups (such as with Time Machine), so drops in theoretical speed are acceptable. They’re still faster than any external Thunderbolt drive. It looks scary, but it still works and automatically adjusts bandwidth.Foundry The built-in Expansion Slot Utility in macOS shows my Pool A Allocation at a whopping 181 percent, and Pool B at 59 percent. It dynamically adjusts bandwidth between each pool for the best performance. You can also manually assign different PCIe cards to different Pools, but I found that keeping it the “Automatic Bandwidth Configuration” worked best. It may look scary, but it all functions fine, just with reduced speeds if you attempt to use more than one lane at a time. The 2019 Intel Mac Pro had a more generous allotment of bandwidth, but it also had to accommodate lane-hungry GPUs in its 16x slots, such as the Radeon W6800X Duo. The 2019 Mac Pro also only supported PCIe Gen 3; the 2023 Mac Pro supports Gen 4 speeds. This helps to balance some of the bandwidth differences, but the limits remain on Apple silicon. Thunderbolt connectivity is independent now with this Apple silicon Mac Pro, whereas in the 2019 Mac Pro Thunderbolt also shared available bandwidth. That is why I keep at least a single Thunderbolt SanDisk Pro-Blade Station with four NVMe drives, to balance the internal PCIe slots bandwidth out. Even 2.5-inch SSD drives can be added to a Mac Pro. With the Sonnet J3i or Promise Pegasus J2i, it is a simple drop-in upgrade. Hard drives with massive amounts of storage are likewise easy to add. Some PCIe cards, such as this Sonnet Fusion card with two WD Blue SSDs, must be used in specific PCIe slots.Thiago Trevisan/Foundry A Sonnet Fusion Dual 2.5-inch SSD RAID card works but only in the number 6 8x PCIe in the 2023 Mac Pro. (This is noted by Sonnet, who guides users to install it in this specific slot only for this Fusion card.) It played nicely with the other installed NVMe PCIe cards in both the 16x and 8x slots. Don’t overlook the Mac Pro On paper, the Mac Pro seems like a bad deal. But for users who need tons of storage, it’s a sleeper pick. Adding PCIe cards is still cheaper per terabyte than adding external Thunderbolt solutions. You’ll appreciate the noise reduction, the practicality, and the fast performance that fits neatly inside a Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is an excellent combination of power and beautiful design.

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Apple’s 2025 Swift Student Challenge to begin accepting entries on February 3
If you’re a student looking to code your way to greatness, you’ve got a deadline approaching. Students looking to participate in Apple’s 2025 Swift Student Challenge can start submitting their app playground project on February 3, where 350 winners will be chosen — 50 of whom get to visit Apple Park. The contest was originally […] Source

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Apple’s new iPads and the iPhone SE 4 are ‘on the iOS 18.3 train’
Macworld With Samsung announcing Unpacked for January 22 and every other tech company announcing major new products this week, a rumor began circulating Tuesday that Apple was planning on getting in on the January fun.  But almost as soon as it started, the rumor that Apple was planning to launch the iPhone SE successor later this month was debunked as “completely untrue” by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. However, Gurman does offer some clarification, explaining that while “the new iPads and iPhone SE replacement are being developed on the iOS 18.3 train,” they won’t launch when the update arrives later this month. It’s not clear whether Apple will hold an event to launch the new products, which are expected to include an 11th-gen iPad and possibly a new AirTag. Apple held a spring event in May 2024 to launch the M4 iPad Pro, 13-inch iPad Air, and Apple Pencil Pro, but hadn’t previously held a spring event since the Peek Performance event in 2022 when the Mac Studio and M1 Ultra chip debuted. Gurman and others have reported that Apple is likely to launch new products in March or April, which should be several weeks after the release of iOS 18.3. Apple began testing the update in December and released the second beta this week. The iPhone SE 4, now expected to be called the iPhone 16E, will reportedly be a complete overhaul of Apple’s budget phone with a modern design based on the iPhone 14. 

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Apple to collaborate with NVIDIA, offer GeForce NOW cloud streaming support for Vision Pro headset
Whatever feelings you have about Apple’s Vision Pro headset, you can’t deny that Apple’s trying to make a go of it on the gaming front. On Tuesday, NVIDIA announced at CES 2025 that it is collaborating with Apple to bring its GeForce NOW cloud gaming platform to Apple’s wearable headset using Safari, with updates to […] Source

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Turns out, the best scanner has been in your pocket all along
Macworld You know that clunky scanner that’s taking up half your desk? Yeah, it’s about to go extinct. There’s a new sheriff in town, and it’s called iScanner. This document-scanning app does everything your scanner can do and more, and it only takes up as much space as your iPhone or iPad. Just point your camera at any document or receipt and boom — you have a digital copy in seconds. AI tools automatically align borders and straighten pages for a perfect scan every time. Use the app’s built-in PDF editor to sign contracts, mark up documents, add text, or rearrange pages. It can even recognize text in over 20 languages, so you can turn those old paper files into searchable PDFs. iScanner also has some seriously cool tricks up its sleeve. Need to count a pile of coins? Done. Want to measure the dimensions of a room? No problem. It’s like having a whole toolbox of handy features, all in one app. Get an iScanner lifetime subscription for $27.99 using code FESTIVE30 at checkout until January 12 at 11:59 p.m. PT.    iScanner App: Lifetime Subscription – $27.99 with code FESTIVE30 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. 

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iPhone SE 4 and iPad 11 to launch “by April”
If all goes according to "plan," Apple will only launch the iPhone SE 4 and iPad 11 by April, and not with iOS 18.3 this month. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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How to automate iPhone reboots to improve performance & security
Regularly restarting your iPhone clears temporary files, refreshes system processes, and enhances security — and you can automate it all with the Shortcuts app.How to automate iPhone rebootsA smooth-running iPhone doesn't happen by accident — it requires some care, like regular reboots to clear temporary files and refresh system processes.One easy yet often overlooked way to boost iPhone performance is through regular reboots. Automating this process saves time and ensures your device stays efficient and responsive. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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When will Apple Intelligence arrive on Apple TV and Apple Watch?
Google recently announced that it’s bringing the Gemini AI assistant to Google TV. At the same time, our sister site 9to5Google found evidence of Gemini coming soon to Wear OS – Google’s operating system for smartwatches. On the Apple side, devices like Apple TV and Apple Watch don’t have Apple Intelligence support, and some people are starting to wonder when that will change. more…

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ESR launches an affordable Apple Pencil alternative with Find My support
At CES 2025, ESR unveiled the new , an affordable iPad stylus. It supports the Find My network, allowing you to locate your pencil virtually anywhere if it gets lost, similar to the new Apple Pencil Pro unveiled early last year. more…

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iPhone SE 4 and new iPads expected to be launched ‘by April’
Different sources have already reported on the possible launch of new iPads and iPhone SE 4 in the first half of 2025. While Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman previously said that these products will be launched in the spring, he has now specified that Apple expects to launch the new iPads and iPhone SE 4 “by April.” more…

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Nanoleaf wants you to put these LED lights right on your face
Nanoleaf pushed boundaries Tuesday at CES with an odd new LED Light Therapy Face Mask as well as its first smart floor lamp. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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After Years of Moderation-Heavy Zagging, Zuckerberg Announces That Meta Is Going to Back to Moderation-Light Zigging Across Its Platforms
Don’t get distracted by blather. Let’s see what happens.

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iPad 11, iPad Air, iPhone SE 4 expected in April, despite January launch rumors
Rumors spread on Tuesday that Apple would release the new iPhone SE and iPads alongside iOS 18.3 later in January, but they have been quickly dismissed by a more reliable source.iPhone SE 4 could resemble the iPhone 14 with a single rear cameraApple is expected to have a packed early 2025 lineup spread from now until WWDC, however, recent rumors have assumed an even faster timeline for some products. That has all been put to bed thanks to an insight from a reliable source making better sense of the available data.According to a post from Mark Gurman, Apple is indeed developing the iPhone SE 4 and new iPads with iOS 18.3 in mind for the launch. However, he states that Apple would release these products "by April if all goes to plan." Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple to clarify that its bad notification summaries are provided by Apple Intelligence
Apple will soon release OS updates to improve clarity around when notifications have been summarized by its Apple Intelligence software… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Apple continues prepping next-gen CarPlay after missing 2024 deadline
Apple in 2022 announced a new CarPlay experience that became known as “CarPlay 2.0.” However, this new version of CarPlay has yet to see the light of day – and many wonder if Apple quietly scrapped the project as the company missed the deadline twice. But 9to5Mac has found evidence that Apple is still working on it. more…

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Next year’s MacBook Pro could be Apple’s biggest Mac upgrade ever
Apple’s MacBook Pro just received an , and there’s an M5 version expected in late 2025. But it’s the model coming in late 2026 that sounds especially compelling. This new MacBook Pro could even be the biggest Mac upgrade ever. Here’s what’s coming. more…

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2025 Swift Student Challenge submissions open February 3
Those participating in Apple's 2025 Swift Student Challenge can start submitting their app playground project on February 3, where 350 winners will be chosen — 50 of whom get to visit Apple Park.Apple's Swift Student Challenge emblemApple started the Swift Student Challenge in 2020 as a way to encourage up-and-coming developers to learn and get involved in the development community. Eligible challengers submit an interactive scene in an app playground and are judged based on demonstrations of excellence, innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity.The 2025 Swift Student Challenge submission window was previously revealed to open in February, but now an official start date of February 3 has been shared. Challengers have three weeks to submit their project, and winners are announced sometime before WWDC, usually in May. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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iOS 19: Everything we know so far
Believe it or not, we’re just six months away from the announcement of iOS 19. Ahead of that launch, rumors have started to surface on things like new iOS 19 features, supported devices, and more. more…

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