Scanners
- Monday February 17
- 04:17 pmiPhone 17 design will be dramatically different, says leaker
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.A render of the front of the iPhone 17, which isn't expected to change so dramaticallyWith 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. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums04:11 pmToday in Apple history: Apple introduces ‘world’s fastest’ PowerBook
On February 17, 1997, Apple introduced the PowerBook 3400, a laptop the company labeled the most powerful portable computer on the market. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)03:40 pmWill Apple’s new iPhone fix this big limitation?
The iPhone SE 4 will pack many changes when it launches this week, including a dramatic redesign, an A18 chip, and full Apple Intelligence support. However, one lingering question in my mind is whether Apple will finally upgrade the iPhone SE’s base storage from the current measly 64GB. more…03:20 pmReddit paywall plans now confirmed by Huffman
Plans for a Reddit paywall of some kind have now been confirmed by CEO Steve Huffman, after hints about it last summer. Huffman confirmed the plan for paid subreddits during a pre-recorded Ask Me Anything video shown during the company’s earnings call … more…03:20 pmApple Weighs Adding Paid Business Listings To Maps App
Apple is exploring ways to monetize its Maps app by introducing paid business listings and prioritized search results, Bloomberg News reports, citing an internal company meeting with the Maps team. The initiative would allow businesses to pay for higher placement in search results and more prominent display on maps, similar to Google Maps' advertising model. While no timeline has been set and no active development is underway, the move would mark Apple's first attempt to generate direct revenue from its mapping service. The potential Maps monetization comes as Apple expands its advertising business across other services. The company has previously increased its focus on search ads in the App Store and recently added advertising to its News and Stocks apps, as well as its sports content. Read more of this story at Slashdot.03:12 pmiStat Menus 7.1
Maintenance release for the menu bar system monitoring utility. ($11.99 new, free update, 19.9 MB, macOS 11+)03:10 pmMellel 6.3
Improves footnote and endnote functionality. ($69.99 new, free update, 105.9 MB, macOS 10.13+)03:05 pmLightroom Classic 14.2
Brings a new image adjustment feature and performance enhancements. ($9.99/$19.99/$59.99 monthly Creative Cloud subscription, free update, macOS 13.1+)03:01 pmTransmit 5.10.8
Maintenance update for the file transfer app with improvements and bug fixes. ($45 new, free update, 37.4 MB, macOS 12+)02:59 pmGet Apple’s sleek and stunning M4 iMac with a big $149 discount
Apple's sleek and stylish, M4 iMac, is available with a big $149 discount, dropping it to a lifetime low price of $1,150. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)02:59 pmGet Apple’s sleek and stunning M4 iMac with a big $149 discount
Apple's sleek, stylish computer is available with a big discount. This M4 iMac deal drops the all-in-one to a lifetime low price of $1,150. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)02:58 pmMoneydance 2024.3
Personal finance management app improves performance of iCloud Drive syncing. ($65 new, free update, 153.4 MB, macOS 12+)02:56 pmX is blocking Signal links, likely over DOGE whistleblowers
Social network X is blocking links to shared contact details on encrypted messaging app Signal. Links to signal.me are blocked even in direct messages … more…02:52 pmFantastical 4.0.5 and Cardhop 2.3.4
Improvements and fixes for the bundled calendar and contact apps. ($56.99 annual subscription new, free update, various sizes, macOS 12+)02:46 pmMicrosoft Office for Mac 16.94
Maintenance update focused on improvements and bug fixes for Outlook. ($149.99 new for one-time purchase, $99.99/$69.99 annual subscription options, free update, macOS 12+)02:14 pmApple humanoid robot could have one huge advantage, as Meta announces its project
A new report suggests that Apple and Meta could end up competing in the humanoid robots field. The social media company is said to be making “significant investment” in this product category, with a focus on household chores. But if Apple does proceed with its own reported domestic robot plans, the Cupertino company could have a huge advantage … more…01:30 pmGet ready to be annoyed: Apple wants to put ads in Maps
Macworld Open the App Store app on your iPhone and pretty soon you’ll spot an ad: I’m seeing one for Temu on the front page, and a search for “monster hunter” surfaces another for Honkai: Star Rail before we get to any games of that name. This is mildly annoying and makes it slightly harder to find the apps you want, but including ads makes Apple money. Like it or loathe it, this strategy appears to be part of Apple’s future. It’s already expanded to include ad placements in Apple News and the Stocks app. And according to the latest instalment of Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, the company is “exploring” a plan to monetize its Maps app by accepting advertisements there too. This could take the format, as is most prominent in the App Store, of paid-for entries at the top of search listings, presumably distinguished from organic results by a colored background and a small label saying “Ad.” Or it could, as Gurman explains, “make certain locations appear more prominently on the map.” Swipe across your local area and you might find that branches of Starbucks catch the eye more than you’d otherwise expect. This is how search ads work in the App Store. The ad is clearly labelled, but it takes up space.David Price / Foundry While this isn’t unprecedented–Google Maps already does something similar–Apple fans are unlikely to be pleased to hear about this plan, which prioritizes advertisers’ interests over those of the user. But it fits with the company’s larger strategic direction at the moment, which is to look for ways to diversify its revenue streams beyond a small number of hardware lines and particularly to build its services income. Apple needs the services division to be ready to fill the shortfall when the iPhone stops being such a lucrative cash cow. In any case, we don’t need to worry about the plan just yet. Gurman reports that “there is no timeline or active engineering work being done.” So far the project has taken the form of speculative planning and an all-hands meeting for the Maps team.01:27 pmDockcase 7-in-1 USB-C Hub with SSD Enclosure review: Best of both worlds
Dockcase has combined its USB-C hub and SSD enclosure prowess to make a formidable all-in-one USB-C accessory.Dockcase 7-in-1 USB-C Hub with SSD Enclosure reviewSSD 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. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums01:27 pmAfter Wednesday, the iPhone will never be the same
Macworld All signs point to this being another big week for Apple. That’s unusual for February, generally a bleak and cold month for Cupertino watchers. Apple loves to launch in the spring, summer, and fall, but ever since Apple abandoned Macworld San Francisco, it generally hibernates during the winter months. There’s been precisely one February event in Apple’s history and that, inauspiciously, was the launch of the iPod Hi-Fi 19 Februaries ago. Of course, this week’s launch isn’t an Apple event in the usual sense of hype and hyperbole, skits and specs, and bento grids showing off the new features. All we have to go on is a brief and cryptic tweet posted last week by Tim Cook: “Get ready to meet the newest member of the family. Wednesday, February 19. #AppleLaunch” That’s hashtag AppleLaunch, not hashtag AppleEvent as he tweeted last spring ahead of the Let Loose bash. Hashtag BigDifference. Rather than a weirdly early spring event, then, the newest member of Apple’s family will probably be announced via a press release and an update to the company’s website. One of the company’s lower-key launches, but still teased almost a week in advance. It’s the same sort of canny compromise–build anticipation, without raising expectations beyond what can be met–that we saw last year when Greg Joswiak advised us to ‘Mac’ our calendars for a week of event-free announcement action. Is this a model for how Apple will launch more of its products in the future? Maybe. In any case, as with the week of Mac, the likely absence of a conventional press event should not be taken as an admission of insignificance. We’re pretty sure, despite the AirTag-resembling artwork, that the family member in question is the latest iPhone SE (or 16e if one rumor proves to be correct), and as we’ve explained on numerous occasions, this is an important and valuable addition to the Cupertino ecosystem—one that will change the iPhone lineup in major ways. In one sense it helps to close out a departing era, with the new handset’s USB-C port likely to solve a big headache in the EU and marking the end of the Lightning port in the U.S. And in another, it helps to usher in a new one: Apple Intelligence on a sub-$500 phone would be something of a game-changer in driving the adoption of an AI platform that’s playing a desperate game of catch-up and starting to limp. We don’t know how much Apple will ask for the new SE. But if it’s anywhere close to the $429 previous model, we could be looking at a real bargain: a true budget phone we can recommend wholeheartedly. The 4th-gen SE is going to boast a killer set of specs, not because Apple is feeling generous, but because it needs the SE to support Apple Intelligence. So we’re looking at an A17 Pro chip and 8GB of RAM, minimum. On that level at least it’s going to be punching the same weight as an iPhone 15 Pro. That’s comparing the device to a phone that was state of the art as recently as late 2023. But compared to the 3rd-gen SE, which came out in early 2022 and was underwhelming even then, the SE 4 should be a massive step forward. Its screen will grow, lose the obstruction of a Home button, and see an upgrade from LCD (the last in Apple’s iPhone lineup) to OLED. The rear camera will get a lot more powerful (48MP is expected). The baseline storage is likely to jump from an inadequate 64GB to 128GB. We even think Apple’s long-awaited in-house 5G modem, bringing power and battery improvements, will make its debut on this phone, a solid six months before it lands on a flagship iPhone in the fall. For those who’ve been waiting three years for this update, it should represent an almost irresistible buy. For understandable reasons, Apple loves to talk about its top-end products. They’re the ones it’s most proud of, and the ones most likely to win over Android or Windows waverers. A budget phone is never going to get the same red-carpet treatment as a flagship. But a substantive upgrade to the SE will affect far more people in far more profound ways than a redesign to the camera module on the iPhone 17 Pro. This is about raising the baseline offering and delivering a high standard of design and processing power to those who can’t afford to pay silly money for a new smartphone every fall. Starting Wednesday, the clunky older iPhones still on the Apple Store will start to be phased out. Apple fans on a budget won’t have to settle anymore; they’ll be able to afford a phone with a relatively new design, top-notch components, and access to all the software features on the way in the next few years. This is huge. Event or no event, I’m really excited. Unless, you know, it just turns out to be a new AirTag. Foundry Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too. Trending: Top stories Could it be that the era of the Apple event is over? Mahmoud Itani explains how a single Apple Watch alert changed his life. Apple Intelligence’s biggest problem isn’t the Intelligence–it’s Apple. Apple’s magic robot lamp is coming to save us all, reports a cheerful Macalope. iCloud encryption explained: How secure is your data? Any case can protect your iPad. This one protects you when you die. You can get extra cash for your Mac trade-in until April 2. Podcast of the week Apple’s smallest products are actually some of the biggest in its lineup. The latest Macworld Podcast discusses the state of Apple’s AirPods lineup, the new Powerbeats Pro 2, and more. You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site. Reviews corner Powerbeats Pro 2 review: The best fitness earbuds groove to their own (heart) beat. Malwarebytes Free Antivirus review: Good at removing malware, but bugs don’t help. Surfshark VPN review: A great option for families. Best antivirus for Mac 2025: Top security software compared. Best Mac cleaner software: Boost performance and disk space. The rumor mill Apple’s going to unveil the “newest member of the family” on February 19! (Our money’s on a new iPhone.) Talking of new iPhones… Leak ‘reveals’ iPhone 17 Pro’s bizarre redesigned camera module. 2025 iPad Air: Everything you need to know about Apple’s next mid-range tablet. Apple research video offers a glimpse into its tabletop robot tech. Apple still chasing the AR glasses dream… but fears another flop. Software updates, bugs, and problems U.K. demands backdoor to Apple’s encrypted cloud storage, putting everyone at risk. iOS 18.3.1 released to fix ‘extremely sophisticated’ security flaw. PSA: Apple’s latest updates turn on Apple Intelligence even if you had switched it off. U.S. iPhone users can no longer find the Gulf of Mexico on Apple Maps. And with that, we’re done for this week’s Apple Breakfast. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters, including our new email from The Macalope–an irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, or X for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.01:00 pmThe Ride-Sharing and Robotaxi Revenue Model Problem No One Talks About
The problem with both social media and ride-sharing is that the people paying for the service aren’t treated as the primary customers, which creates a decoupled revenue model. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.