New Apple Studio Display rumors: MiniLED, ProMotion, and more
The Apple Studio Display is expected to get an upgrade in the not-too-distant future. Here's what the rumor mill has claimed will be coming.Apple Studio DisplayThe Apple Studio Display was launched back in early 2022, making it almost three years old at the time of publication. After a stumbling start, the display has received many firmware updates, improving its capabilities over time.However, the rumor mill constantly believes that there will be a hardware update on the horizon for the model. One that will bring more features to the premium monitor in its second-gen release. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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X Premium+ subscription doubled, though company is confused about its own pricing
We reported yesterday the launch of the Grok 3 chatbot, which is only available if you have an X Premium+ subscription. That cost $22/month at the time, but that’s now been more than doubled to $50/month – though X seems a little confused about its own prices … more…

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Zelle scams lead Chase Bank to block payment to social media contacts
A high rate of Zelle scams originating from social media contacts has led JPMorgan Chase Bank to block payments made through social media networks and messaging apps. Chase said that Zelle was intended as a method of transferring money to family, friends, and other trusted contacts, and should never be used to make online purchases … more…

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Questionable iPhone 17 Pro Max render in better light looks almost tolerable
A new render of a rumored but doubtful design of iPhone 17 Pro Max is doing the rounds, one that proves that lighting can make things look a bit better.Renders of a large camera bump concept for the iPhone 17 Pro Max - Image Credit: @Asherdipps/XApple has been rumored to be including a new design of camera bump in the iPhone 17 Pro models for a while. On February 14, those rumors reached a point where renders of an absurdly large camera bump were featured in a video.While the shots in the video were tough to believe, a new render of the design makes it look more tolerable as a concept, if not much more believable. Rumor Score: 💩 B#$&(*it Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Best Mac data recovery software 2025
Macworld It’s a nightmare scenario: your Mac has been playing up for weeks and you’ve been ignoring it, or just haven’t been able to figure out how to fix it. Then it refuses to start up. Why didn’t you make that backup? Is there any way you can get back the lost data from your Mac? Luckily there are apps that can recover your lost photos and damaged files from your failed Mac’s hard drive. There are a few techniques you can try before you spend money on an app though, as you’ll see in our How to recover data from a damaged Mac article. Also, prevention is better than a cure and we recommend adopting a regular backup routine going forward, so you’ll avoid this kind of situation again. For more tips on this, take a look at the best backup software for Mac and How to use Time Machine to back up a Mac. If these tips prove to be of no avail, there are apps that can rescue your files from a deleted, corrupted or crashed drive. Data recovery apps, like the ones we have reviewed below, work in a similar way: if the directory indicating where files were originally stored is salvageable, recovering the files is relatively easy. If that isn’t the case, the software will scan the data for familiar patterns that would denote a file type. Once it finds a file type, there’s a good chance that there will be data in that file. PROMOTIONData recovery software for Mac – EaseUS Recover lost data in 3 simple steps: automated scan, preview, and one-click recovery. Cover any file format and deal with data loss issues. Undelete files from the Mac-based hard drive, fusion drive, SSD, USB drive, memory card, digital camera, and more. Macworld recommended, and a great choice for both Mac and Windows users.Now 25% OFF Exclusive Code: MACWORLD25Get It Now l Windows Get It Now | Mac But expect it to be a time-consuming process to piece the bits of files back together. With patience, most files that haven’t been overwritten should, in theory, be saveable. Some drives can take days to fully scan, and the higher capacity they are, the longer the process. But if it’s irreplaceable photos or important documents that are lost, you can afford to wait. Unfortunately, this sort of software is pretty much always going to have a high price associated with it before you can recover what you need–but if you’ve lost hundreds of treasured photos or the first 1,000 pages of your novel, then no price is too high, probably. Sometimes you can pay for the software for a month, do what you need to do and then cancel. Sometimes you must subscribe for a year. Other options allow you to buy it outright, but pay extra for future updates. Your own circumstances will influence which option is best for you. Additionally, many of these tools offer a trial so you can at least see what you should be able to recover before you spend your money. Whether you’re a casual user scrambling to recover your lost files, or a full-time tech shop doing everything it can to retrieve a client’s most critical documents from a dying hard drive, these are the data recovery apps that get our recommendation. Looking to recover data from a iPhone? Read: Best data recovery apps for iPhone. Best data recovery software for Mac 2025 Here’s our pick of the best data recovery apps for Mac. Recoverit, Wondershare Pros Clean, inviting user interface Good set of tools Good performance Cons Problem with USB boot drive creation module Price When Reviewed: 1 month/2 Macs: $79.99 (usually $109.99); 1 year/2 Macs: $89.99 (usually $139.99); perpetual license/2 Macs: $139.99 (usually $169.99) Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Wondershare (annual) $89.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $89.99 at Wondershare (annual) Recoverit by Wondershare is centered around the usual modules that you might see in this kind of suite: Hard Drives and Locations and SD Card for file recovery, Enhanced Recovery and Corrupted Video Repair for video and photo restoration and System Crashed Computer and NAS and Linux for additional recovery features.  There’s a friendly home screen and user interface and the modules work as expected. Data recovery for hard drives, locations, and SD cards is simple and reliable, with Recoverit executing both a quick scan and diving into a deep scan. The video and photo repair modules work well with damaged files. The SD Card module was able to sift through a damaged 8GB SD card, pull some video data thought lost, and deliver the data back cleanly to a recovery folder without issue. Remote-based utilities allow for network-based drives to be located or accessed manually to have data recovered from them. The program can also save recovered data to a NAS drive or Google Drive, which is a nice feature. We had some problems with the USB boot drive creation module, but this might be due to Apple’s complications.  Wondershare Recoverit presents an excellent data recovery package at a not-unreasonable, price. The package is currently on offer for $79.99/£63.99 (usually $109.99/£93.97) a month for unlimited recovery for two Macs, or $89.99/£66.99 (usually $139.99/£113.97) for a one year license for unlimited recovery for two Macs. There’s also a $139.99/£118.97 (usually $169.99/£144.97) perpetual license for two Macs. The company also offers discounts for students and educators, and small and medium businesses. While no trial version exists, the free version allows for all of Recoverit’s features to be used, with data recovery capped at 100 megabytes. Read our full Wondershare Recoverit review Stellar Data Recovery for Mac Pros Quick, clean interface Good data recovery tools and modules Impressive net-based data recovery module Cons Repeated crashes for the Clean Up Junk Files module Recent Items and serial number activation bugs Price When Reviewed: Standard edition: $79.99 (currently $69.99) a year, or $129.99 (currently $99.99) for a lifetime license. Professional version: $129.99 (currently $99.99) a year, or $199 (currently $149) for a lifetime license. Premium edition: $209.99 (currently $99.99) a year, or $319 (currently $199) for a lifetime license. Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Stellar Info (annual) $79.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $79.99 at Stellar Info (annual) Stellar Data Recovery for Mac focuses on recovering data via standard scans, deep scans, drive image creation, and other recovery tools. It is available as a free trial, with standard, professional, and premium editions available on yearly or lifetime contracts. The software supports both HFS+ and APFS volume formats and can be installed easily. Stellar Data Recovery’s main strength is its extensive data recovery engine, which supports hundreds of file formats and allows users to search and recover by file type, headers, and attributes. It also features a good scan management engine that allows users to save and work from previous scans, and an image creation feature that allows users to create a byte-for-byte image of a volume that can be restored later. One interesting feature is the Recover Non Booting Mac module, which allows users to log into their Mac’s recovery partition, load Terminal, and enter a command to open a remote version of Stellar Data Recovery (more details in our full review). Other modules such as Search Large Files and Search Duplicate Files perform well and provide a comprehensive look at your drive. The complete array of modules worked well with test drives, recovering data as needed, and snagging as much as possible. Unfortunately, we did experience some problems. Stellar’s Clean Up Junk Files crashed the application repeatedly and had to be force quit under macOS Sonoma 14.6.1.  Other issues included activating the serial number, which took several days and multiple calls and emails to sort out. Additionally, Stellar Data Recovery refused to appear in the macOS Recent Items menu, preventing it from being quickly launched. Even after activating a Professional tier account, the software still presents an “Upgrade” button on its main menu, which seems to be asking for more money to be thrown in the company’s general direction. Despite these failings, Stellar Data Recovery for Mac is a good program able to dig deep to help reconstruct and recover deleted data. There’s also Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone. Read our full Stellar Data Recovery for Mac review Data Rescue, Prosoft Engineering Pros Excellent toolset and recovery system Helpful Scan Management system Cons High subscription-based price Last update (v6) was in 2023 Inadequate tech support No means of creating a macOS Sonoma recovery drive Price When Reviewed: Standard license: $79 for a 30-day; Professional license: $399 for one year Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Prosoft Engineering (30-day license) $79 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $79 at Prosoft Engineering (30-day license) Data Rescue, currently version 6.0.8, offers some excellent drive management and data recovery features, albeit at a steep price for occasional users. The software supports older versions of macOS and requires macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or later. Users can download the software and assign full drive access, with a trial offering up to 1GB of data recovery for free. The company charges $19 per individual for non-licensed data retrieval, $79 for a standard license, and $399/year for a professional license. The hefty fee covers only one Mac or PC. The auto-renew option needs to be turned off via the web-based Prosoft account. The software has a compelling toolset, including Quick Scan or Deep Scan, view hex tables, secure erase, set drive parameters, manage virtual RAID setup, and work with numbered sectors on drives and allocation blocks. It allows users to work with up to 15 scans, pausing and resuming as needed – handy if you’re several hours into a Deep Scan. The software runs well in the background. Data Rescue 6 can create clone and recovery drives, handling different data strategies such as Straight, Reverse, Bisect, and Segment. However, it does not offer an option to create a macOS Sonoma recovery drive as of July 2024. There are other limitations. If the drive is mechanically failing, it’ll be harder for data to be pulled and reconstructed.  Technical tools in Data Rescue 6 offer plenty to work with, but can get you in trouble if you aren’t familiar with them. For example, setting the wrong drive parameters or boot point can require troubleshooting. Overall, Data Rescue 6 offers excellent tools, but Prosoft should address issues like lack of customer responsiveness, the lengthy time between updates, the high, subscription-based price tag, and a lack of a tutorial system.  Read our full Data Rescue review Disk Drill Pro, CleverFiles Pros Friendly interface Helpful YouTube videos Good data recovery performance Data Shredder utility Cons Occasional crashes Failed to create a viable boot drive Price When Reviewed: Basic: Free; Pro: $89; Enterprise: $499 (pay extra for lifetime upgrades) Best Prices Today: Retailer Price CleverFiles $89 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $89 at CleverFiles Disk Drill Pro from Cleverfiles is designed to recover data and rebuild deleted files on Macs and various other platforms and devices. It works with standard macOS file formats like HFS+, Mac OS Extended, and APFS.  The basic version is available for free and can recover up to 500 megabytes of data. There’s a Pro version that supports one user and up to three simultaneous activations, paid for once with an additional expense for lifetime upgrades. The Enterprise edition has a similar extra expense for lifetime upgrades and supports 10 users and infinite activations with priority technical support and DFXML forensic data support. At the time of our review Cleverfiles was offering a 50% discount from past versions, 20% discount for education, non-profit, and government customers, and a 50% competitive upgrade. Disk Drill Pro requires macOS 10.15 Catalina or later and offers several new features, including a RAID utility, NAS & Linux via SSH utility, tools for recovering data from iPhones, iPads, and Time Machine volumes, a scan session manager, S.M.A.R.T. monitoring, a macOS boot drive creator, a backup utility, a Clean Up utility to map drive storage, a duplicate file remover, a data shredder, and a free space erasure tool. YouTube-based tutorial videos are available. Devices can be scanned over a Wi-Fi network, and the S.M.A.R.T. function provides data about drive temperatures, drive condition, and life percentage left. Disk Drill Pro runs the scan in the background and can bypass file permission errors on the data being erased. During our data recovery scans, more than 90% of deleted files were readily recovered.  Disk Drill Pro has some issues, such as the macOS Installer utility failing to produce a bootable volume after multiple tests, the Recent Sessions scan manager only sporadically working, and Disk Drill Pro crashing into the spinning rainbow wheel if a process is interrupted. However, it offers reliable data recovery from a wide variety of devices. Read our full Disk Drill Pro review EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pros Free version (up to 2GB) Great data recovery tools and file organization and categorization Video Repair tool Cons High price Unbootable Mac module failed to locate and work with drives Unable to log into some cloud-based services Price When Reviewed: $89.95 a month for one Mac, $119.95 a year for one Mac, $169.95 for a lifetime upgrade plan for one Mac Best Prices Today: Retailer Price EaseUS (monthly) $89.95 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $89.95 at EaseUS (monthly) EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, at version 17.2.0 at the time of our review, is a Mac port of the Windows recovery software. There is a free version with a 2GB recovered data cap as well as a paid version, which offers additional features such as 1-on-1 remote assistance, is available as a free trial, and requires Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) or later to run. The paid version offers one license for one Mac paid monthly, yearly or as a lifetime upgrade plan that covers one Mac. The monthly and annual license payments auto-renew. The software supports over 1,000 file types and offers specific modules for SD cards, cloud-based recovery, and storage. It supports APFS, HFS+, HFS, XFAT, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS, making it useful for working with drives from Windows and Linux machines. The core functionalities of data recovery, reconstruction, and organization are its strongest points. A friendly interface guides users in choosing the volume to recover from and designating the target restoration drive or folder. The program organizes recovered and restored data logically into categories such as All Types, Pictures, Documents, Audio, Videos, Emails, Archives, and Others. The SD Card function is useful, and the iCloud module makes it easy to log into iCloud (requiring Two Factor Authentication). The Video Repair module is enjoyable for exporting cleaner copies of old videos. However, some issues need attention, including the Unbootable Mac module, which has the user shut down their Mac, boot into Recovery Mode, then boot off an external server run by EaseUS. While this is a good idea in theory, the tool went into a continuous loop of being unable to mount my M2 Mac internal and external drives. I allowed this process to run overnight, and when I woke up in the morning, the drives had still not mounted and the tool could not be worked with.  The cloud tool was unable to successfully log into Dropbox for recovery, and the application required an administrator password every time the user launched it. Additionally, the software presented a customer feedback survey every time the user exited the program, which was infuriating. In conclusion, Data Recovery Wizard for Mac excels at its core functions and presents an attractive means of recovering data from Mac, Windows, and Linux volumes with a nice array of platform and file format support. However, the high price point, Unbootable Mac module failures, constant need for an administrator password, and repeating customer feedback survey window let it down. Read our full EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac review DiskWarrior Pros Good user interface Good performance Great at locating and sorting out file and directory errors Customization and configuration options Cons Lack of APFS support puts the future of DiskWarrior in doubt High price Time Machine volumes can’t be repaired without booting off included USB flash drive Price When Reviewed: $119.95 (plus $8.95 for shipping flash drive) Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Alsoft $119.95 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $119.95 at Alsoft Alsoft has been producing high-quality utility software for over 20 years. DiskWarrior, a popular application for recovering damaged hard drives, has been in use since 1998. However, the latest version of DiskWarrior 5.3.1, released in 2024, seems to be falling behind in software and file system support.  The software still supports the HFS+ format, FireVault 1 and 2, Core Storage for Fusion dries, RAID configurations, and disk images and sparse bundles, but it has not been upgraded to support the APFS format, which is increasingly prevalent on new Macs and Apple’s push towards this file system standard. DiskWarrior is available as a bootable USB flash drive that can boot Macs running HFS+ format volumes. Its ease of use remains unchanged, making it easy to mount and unmount drives and volumes, perform quick tests, access technical specifications, set up automated diagnostics, and receive notifications through alerts, emails, AppleScript programs, or text messages. However, there’s bad news: DiskWarrior 5.3.1 still lacks support for the APFS standard. As more drives are moving towards this file system, the company’s silence on this matter is concerning. A representative within the company confirmed that Alsoft is working on version 6.0, which will offer full APFS support. However, changes from Apple’s side, such as not allowing third-party kernel extensions and other technical changes, have made the development process more difficult and created more roadblocks than previous versions of DiskWarrior. The lack of a free trial version of DiskWarrior 5.3.1 raises concerns about the steep new user price and upgrade price, especially when the software lacks APFS support and can only work with certain volumes. Sometimes a great utility gets stuck in development. There’s still a great application to be had here, but Alsoft needs to put itself in a position where it can readily announce that an updated version will be out at a given date and that it will offer APFS support. Read our full DiskWarrior review For more advice about accessories and software for your Mac, iPad or iPhone see all our Best Picks.

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Render claims to show iPhone 17 Pro design, in silver and Space Black
A new render aims to visualize a potential iPhone 17 Pro design, with a full-width camera module replacing the current offset square. 3D artist and developer Asher Dipprey previously shared the renders in a video, which was restricted to his Patreon members … more…

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Logitech MX Creative Console review: Dream toolkit for creatives
Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros High-quality finish Customizable Cons A few software driver errors Keypad only has nine fields Our Verdict The MX Creative Console will delight beginners and intermediates with its excellent price-performance ratio. Whether video editing or image processing, the dialpad in particular feels good in the hand and the software allows simple and flexible customization to your needs. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When Reviewed$199.99 Best Prices Today: Logitech MX Creative Console Retailer Price $169.95 View Deal $199.99 View Deal $199.99 View Deal $199.99 View Deal Logitech $200 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket For creative professionals, the standard keyboard and mouse/trackpad configuration isn’t a model that promotes efficiency. The need to frequently access options and to fine-tune settings in creative pro software means these input devices aren’t ideal. What works are knob controllers and keypads that allow for precise control and quick access, like Logitech’s MX Creative Console. The MX Creative Console consists of two parts plus configuration software. The most striking part is the dialpad with a large rotary knob, four buttons, and a roller. Depending on the application, the dial can be used to set volume or adjust exposure. The roller can be used to scroll through documents. For a quick start, the setup wizard already configures the buttons for some programs and the Finder. These settings can be adopted, customized, or extended later. A large number of commands for each individual program are available in a library, and profiles can be downloaded later from the Marketplace. There is already a large selection to start with, which should increase over time. For example, there are profiles with commands for Ableton Live, Adobe Photoshop, Capture One, Twitch, and Zoom Meeting. Predefined key commands for important creative apps, free programming of the keys, the creation of new programs, and the direct transfer of text passages to ChatGPT are just some of the practical functions. For beginners, however, I would like to see more ready-made profiles that make it easier to get started. A rotary control like this is only useful if it runs smoothly– that’s exactly what the dial on the dialpad does. The lack of overtravel is a little unusual. Both dials, the large round one and the small roller, stop immediately when released. This is unusual when scrolling, but is an advantage when selecting and controlling. The fact that the dialpad has no cable also has a positive effect, allowing it to be used more flexibly when editing, for example. Thomas Bergbold The action ring is a very special function. It is called up by pressing a button and organizes eight commands around the mouse pointer position. By default, it is easily accessible for each program on the button to the right below the rotary knob. For example, eight commands from image optimization are displayed. If you move the cursor over the “Brightness” command, the brightness value can be adjusted directly using the rotary knob. This is a practical function for quick editing, especially in image processing. A real highlight that sets the MX Creative Console apart from its competitors is the Action Ring. This now works in most programs and is particularly helpful when optimizing images in Adobe Lightroom and Capture One. Unfortunately, there are still a few bugs in Capture One: instead of changing the values, it can happen that turning the wheel jumps to the next image. The second part of the MX Creative Console is the keypad with nine illuminated buttons and two buttons for changing pages. Up to 15 pages can be created in the configuration software. The buttons are complemented by large graphics that show either the command such as play/pause or the program icon. There is a stand for the keypad, which improves the legibility of the keys. When using the keypad, you first have to struggle with the stubborn cable. That is, until you insert the stand mount. The cable guide allows the keypad to be positioned better and the keys are also easier to read. The large, rubberized base provides reliable protection against slipping. Thomas Bergbold The MX Creative Console is available in light grey and graphite. A small contribution to environmental protection is the use of low-carbon aluminum, recycled plastic, and environmentally friendly paper packaging. Should you buy the Logitech MX Creative Console? All in all, Logitech has created an excellent tool that can be recommended to digital creatives. It is more affordable than other control knobs and keypads, which makes it appealing to aspiring image and video editors.

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Deciding when to buy a Mac is about to get a lot easier
Macworld When Apple released the M4 iPad Pro last May, it threw an already uncertain schedule into upheaval. Half of Apple’s Mac lineup was still running M2 chips, and Apple had only just updated the MacBook Air to an M3 just two months prior. For the first time ever, an iPad had a faster chip than the entire Mac range. It would be another six months before the first Mac received an M4 chip, and two months into 2025, two M2 models, the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, are still using 2023 chips, the MacBook Air has an M3, and three have M4s (the Mac mini, iMac, and MacBook Pro). Buying a Mac right now requires intimate knowledge of spec sheets, timelines, and rumors, lest you get a model that’s essentially obsolete before you walk out of the Apple Store. But it looks like that’s about to change. According to Mark Bloomberg’s latest Power On newsletter, Apple will update the MacBook Air with an M4 chip in a few weeks, followed closely by the Mac Studio and Mac Pro with the M4 Ultra. That will bring the whole Mac lineup up to date with the latest generation of chips, and prepare the ground for the transition to the M5. It will also mark the first time since the Apple silicon transition arrived that every Mac is running a version of the same chip. The Mac Pro skipped the M1; the iMac skipped the M2; the Mac Studio, Mac mini, and Mac Pro skipped the M3. But apparently, the fourth time’s the charm for Apple silicon. Gurman reports that, unlike the M4, the M5 transition will begin with the Mac rather than the iPad Pro: “And once those are released, the M5 chip transition will begin—alongside new MacBook Pro models in the fall. Then we should get an M5 iPad Pro by the first half of 2026. In other words, the M4 and M5 chip transitions will see their release orders flipped, with the M5 coming to the Mac before the iPad Pro.” By debuting the M5 in the Mac, Apple is setting up an annual cadence that could look something like this: November: MacBook Pro/Mac mini March: MacBook Air/iMac June: Mac Studio/Mac Pro Not every model needs to be updated every year, but establishing a proper timeline for Mac updates and expectations for releases will make choosing when to buy a Mac much easier for consumers. The Mac is the only product that doesn’t have a clear identifier to let people know what generation it is, so a schedule will help give the lines some much-needed predictability.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: How did Parallels bring x86 emulation to Apple Silicon?
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 Kamal Srinivasan from Alludo about Parallels gaining the ability to emulate x86 on Apple Silicon. more…

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Apple’s political turn is leading it down a sketchy road
Macworld In a clearing in a forest, near the magical river where the gnomes harvest mushrooms and the fairies argue over an editorial in the latest issue of Teen Vogue, sits a Macalope on a stump, hunched over a keyboard. Is it ergonomic? No. It’s a forest. How is it going to be ergonomic? Magic? Magic is surprisingly un-ergonomic. There isn’t even a power outlet. Thank god for the M-series processors’ low power consumption. There is Wi-Fi, though, because the centaurs set up an open network for their late-night MMORPG sessions. They are loud and anger the nymphs, who have to be up early to dance in the glade. It’s a whole thing. But let’s return to the lone Macalope. He’s trying to think of what to write for this week’s column. There’s going to be an Apple event this week. He could write about that. But it’s probably just the new iPhone SE, maybe with a new name. Nice, but it’s not exactly huge news. He could write about Apple Intelligence and the company’s rumored struggles getting Siri to be smarter. But there’s only so many times you can write about AI without your head exploding. The thing is, he knows what he should write about, he just doesn’t want to. The Macalope doesn’t want to write about politics. These days, he doesn’t even want to think about politics. Have you seen politics? Ugh. Blech. It was never good on a good day. But now… And writing about politics on a technology website is the very definition of a Kobayashi Maru. Except without the Klingons. And spaceships. So, not the very definition, but you know what the Macalope means. People will yell “Stay in your lane, mythical beast! Just shut up and be funny about Apple!” First of all, that’s an oxymoron. Unless the Macalope is supposed to do a funny interpretive dance about Apple and he wouldn’t even know where to start with something like that. Julliard? Could he even get in at his age? Second, though, believe the Macalope when he says he would love to just be funny about Apple. But it’s getting harder and harder to do. IDG And the Macalope isn’t the one who started it. Apple was conspicuously non-political for years, not having its own political action committee while almost all of its U.S.-based competitors did. Okay, sure, it hired a few famous former members of Democratic administrations. But it also took on the Department of Justice during a Democratic administration over privacy concerns. The first thing that drew attention to Apple’s new game was in January when Tim Cook made an unprecedented $1 million donation to the incoming administration’s inaugural fund. The Macalope says “unprecedented” because he’d never done it before. All of a sudden he’s really into the transition of power. Sure, Tim. Now, Apple has decided to resume advertising on the platform formerly known as Twitter. Let’s remember the reason Apple stopped advertising on that site in the first place: The move follows Musk’s endorsement of antisemitic conspiracy theories as well as Apple ads reportedly being placed alongside far-right content. Axios, November 17, 2023 And it’s not like he’s apologized. Still, at least since then, he’s stayed out of the spotlight and only gone on to… [pretends to put on glasses and read a piece of paper]… be the unelected, unconfirmed, unqualified auditor-in-chief of the entire U.S. government. Huh. Don’t remember that in that Schoolhouse Rock song. Guess he got the gig by doing such a bang-up job with Twitter. It’s little wonder that people are upset with Apple. The company has clearly decided to buy itself access, no matter what the cost to its reputation and, yeah, gonna say it, the rest of us. You picked a really bad time to start being political, Apple. And we see you. Plus, you’re apparently never going to make a phone in a size the Macalope likes again, either. So there’s also that. If you’d like to receive regular news and updates to your inbox sign up for our newsletters, including The Macalope and Apple Breakfast, David Price’s weekly, bite-sized roundup of all the latest Apple news and rumors.

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Rumor: Next-gen iPhone SE could be renamed “iPhone 16E”
Apple may be throwing its customer base a bit of a curveball, with the iPhone SE 4 being renamed the “iPhone 16E.” Per an unlikely leak that surfaced in January and backed up by Bloomberg, Apple could be doing something of a rebrand, as noted via a Tim Cook teaser tweet. “Get ready to meet […] Source

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Rumor: Apple may debut M5 chip via MacBook Pro this fall
Apple may introduce its upcoming M5 chip not in the next-gen iPad Pro, but in the MacBook Pro this fall. Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple could drop the M5 chip in its upcoming next-gen notebook before its other devices. The company surprised the computing last year when it introduced the M4 chip in the iPad […] Source

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Purported iPhone 17 Air design shows off ultra-thin sides and rear camera bar
After releasing a video on their expected iPhone 17 Pro design, Jon Prosser at FrontPageTech returns with another video depicting what they believe the upcoming ‘iPhone 17 Air’ will look like, the radically new addition to the iPhone family. The Air is expected to replace the in the lineup, a mid-range model with an all-new ultra-thin chassis design. Many publications have indicated that one of the compromises will be the fact that the phone features a single rear camera. However, these renders suggest that single lens will still be housed inside a full-width protruding bar shape. more…

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Waited too long to book your trip? This app finds the best options fast
Macworld You had every intention of booking early for your next trip, but life got in the way (again). Now, flights and hotels are sky-high — unless you have this secret travel deals app. OneAir gives you lower prices than sites like Expedia and Hotels.com, and a lifetime subscription is at its lowest price ever with this deal: $69.99 with code FLY30 until March 30. Let’s start with that airline ticket. You can find a cheap last-minute flight for $50 to $150 less than free websites, which pretty much pays for the OneAir subscription after your first trip. You’ll find deals from economy up to first-class by search, or you can set destination-specific deal alerts powered by an AI engine that finds the best prices online. You can also save $20 to $150 per night on hotel stays if you need it! When you book right on the OneAir app, you also earn 10% in cash rewards for future purchases, helping you double down on the savings. Save on your travels with a OneAir lifetime subscription at $69.99 with promo code FLY30.   OneAir Elite: Lifetime Subscription (Book Unbeatable Hotel and Flight Deals + Earn Up to 10% in Cash Rewards on Most Bookings) – $99.99 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Subscriptions are out, lifetime Office for your Mac is in
Macworld Let’s be real — subscription fees are the worst. If you’re tired of shelling out cash every month just to use basic apps like Word or Excel (or you’re missing them on your Mac!), it’s time to switch things up with Microsoft Office 2019. For $39.99, you’ll get lifetime access to the full suite of Office apps on your Mac computer — only pay once. No subscriptions, no sneaky renewal charges, just the tools you need to get stuff done. With this deal, you’re getting the full lineup: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Teams Classic. Whether you’re drafting proposals, crunching numbers, or firing off emails, you’ll have everything you need to stay on top of your game. Plus, since it’s built specifically for Mac, it looks sharp with features like Retina display support and full-screen view for a smoother experience. Just make your one-time purchase, download the software, and you’re good to go. And because the license is tied to your Microsoft account (not your device), you won’t lose access if you upgrade your Mac in the future. Skip the subscriptions and get the tools you need without the hassle. Grab your lifetime license to Microsoft Home and Business 2019 for Mac on sale for $39.99 for a limited time.   Microsoft Office Home & Business 2019 for Mac – $39.99 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Here’s your first look at the iPhone 17 Air’s alleged design
A video reveals the final design of Apple's rumored 5.5mm slim iPhone 17 Air in all its glory, highlighting the Pixel-like rear camera bar. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Golfo del Gringo Loco
Much serious thought and consideration, from very smart people in Mountain View and Cupertino, went into determining how to respond to a profoundly silly and thoughtless executive order.

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Yes, using Low Power Mode slows down your iPhone
The iPhone’s Low Power Mode is not a new feature. In fact, it was introduced with iOS 9 back in 2015. But from time to time I see someone on the web complaining about how their is running slowly. What do some of these cases have in common? Screenshots or videos showing that Low Power Mode is on. Read on as I detail how exactly this feature affects iPhone performance. more…

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DeepSeek to be removed from App Store in South Korea due to local ban
Bad news for DeepSeek users in South Korea. The country’s regulator announced on Monday that the Chinese AI app is now banned in South Korea under allegations that it fails to comply with local data protection laws. As a result, both Apple and Google will have to remove the app from their respective app stores. more…

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Save on Dollar Flight Club, then save on air travel for the rest of your life
Turn your dream vacation into reality with discounted flights, via a lifetime subscription to Dollar Flight Club Premium Plus+. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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