Apple said to choose Alibaba as China Apple Intelligence partner
Apple stock rose sharply Tuesday on a report that the company has partnered with e-commerce firm Alibaba to bring Apple Intelligence… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Compact USB-C travel charger powers your computers in 200 countries [Review] ★★★★☆
Say goodbye to bulky international chargers. Compact but powerful, the Rolling Square Pocket Travel Charger is the perfect travel companion. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Apple Watch Series 10 may have a defective speaker issue, some users report
The Apple Watch Series 10 launched in September as , and there’s a lot to love about it. Since then, however, a growing number of reports have highlighted a potential hardware issue with some units that affects the built-in speaker. Here’s what you should know. more…

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Finding a perfectly sized Apple Watch band may get easier in the future
There's got to be a better way to find the right Apple Watch band size for your wrist than trying out countless ones, or printing out paper guides — and Apple thinks it has the answer.How it used to be when finding the right size Apple Watch band was complicatedThe Apple of today is very different from when it used to stick to Steve Jobs's famous quadrant of laptop, desktop, consumer, and professional computers. And perhaps the single clearest indicator of that is the single most confusing choice buyers have to make — which Apple Watch band to get.Apple's online store has seemingly countless combinations of Apple Watch Series, Apple Watch types, and Apple Watch bands, and that's probably never going to go away. But there is one thing that Apple thinks it can improve, and that's the confusion over which size band you need for your wrist. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Redesigned PowerBeats Pro 2 earbuds feature heart-rate monitoring
Sporty PowerBeats Pro 2 wireless earbuds get a redesign, updated specs and a first for Apple audio -- heart rate monitoring. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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iOS 18.3.1 update fixes security flaw used in “extremely sophisticated attack”
Updates may also re-enable Apple Intelligence for those who turned it off.

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Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review: Heart Beats
Announced on Tuesday, Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 improve massively on the original, with heart beat monitoring the biggest and most important feature addition to Apple's audio lineup in years. And, we've been using them for a while.Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review: The new, updated modelInitially introduced in May 2019, the Beats Powerbeats Pro offered many of the useful elements you'd find in AirPods, but in a package made for high-intensity workouts. Made with an ear hook, they could be securely mounted to the user's ear with little fear that they'd fly off during a particularly vigorous workout.Over five years later, and after some pre-launch teasing, Apple subsidiary Beats has brought out a brand new version. One that not only makes refinements to the existing form, but one that also takes a massive step towards being a multi-purpose wearable device. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Powerbeats Pro 2 review: The best fitness earbuds groove to their own (heart) beat
Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Lighter and smaller with the same secure ear hook design Greatly improved sound quality Heart rate monitor Impressive battery life Cons Missing some AirPods Pro features it should have Heart rate monitor is limited if you use an Apple Watch Our Verdict These are now our hands-down favorite earbuds for exercising and athletics. Our only reservations are that the heart rate monitor always defers to Apple Watch if you have both and that AirPods Pro features like conversation awareness, personalized volume, and adaptive audio should be supported. Software updates could fix all of this. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When Reviewed$249 The Powerbeats Pro have been a tremendously successful product, arguably the most popular fitness-oriented earbuds of all time. The iconic ear hooks and “b” logo are found in gyms and tracks everywhere. After five years it’s time for an upgrade. What has Beats done for an encore? They’ve improved just about every aspect of these buds, and even thrown in a brand-new technology not even found on Apple’s latest AirPods Pro. There are a few items on my software update wishlist if these are to reach their full potential, but the Powerbeats Pro 2 are easily my new favorite earbuds for working out. PowerBeats Pro 2: Smaller, lighter, sleeker It’s not as if the original Powerbeats Pro were large, but they’re showing their age. Powerbeats Pro 2 are significantly sleeker, without giving up the physical controls we love from the last model. You can still press the “b” for standard play/pause/back or press and hold it to toggle noise canceling and transparency mode. And the little physical rocker switch along the top edge is a much easier way to tune your volume than running your finger along an AirPods stem hoping it registers without knocking the earbud out. Of course, the earhook is what makes a Powerbeats product what it is. The hooks are 50 percent smaller now, but certainly keep everything locked in place while out for a run or working out at the gym just as well as before. The earhook is the signature Powerbeats thing, and the new smaller hook is an improvement.Foundry Compared to something like AirPods, it’s always a little tricky to put on a pair of Powerbeats as you try to position the hook behind your ear and nestle the tip into your ear canal. The smaller hooks have made that process just a tiny bit more frustrating, but once you’ve got them on, they’re more comfortable. Wearing them with glasses is improved as well, though still not ideal. We noted that the charging case on the original Powerbeats Pro was too big to pocket easily, but it had to be that way to fit the ear hooks. With smaller hooks comes a smaller case; 33 percent smaller, in fact, which makes it still considerably bigger than an AirPods case but much easier to stuff in your pocket. Smaller hooks mean a smaller case, but they added wireless charging, too.Foundry In total, the lighter weight, smaller size, and sleeker build make for an overall more comfortable experience that’s less likely to snag on your clothes when, say, taking off your hoodie. You also get IPX4 water resistance, which means they’re not going to be bothered by some sweat or a run in the rain. PowerBeats Pro 2: Better specs, new features Powerbeats Pro were pretty advanced back in 2019 with Apple’s H1 chip, and that’s true once again in 2025. Upgraded with the H2 chip, you get a lot of the same improvements and features you find on AirPods Pro 2. There’s better sound quality (from the chip’s processing as well as a slew of other acoustic improvements), greatly improved noise reduction, and a transparency mode that sits right up there with AirPods Pro 2 as the most natural-sounding on the market. These ‘buds support ultra-low-latency lossless audio when used with Apple Vision Pro, just as the newer USB-C AirPods Pro 2 do. You get personalized spatial audio and Adaptive EQ, too. The charging case gets a few upgrades too, including USB-C, wireless charging (Qi, but not MagSafe or Qi2), and a speaker for pairing and Find My sounds. True to the Beats line, Android users get a much better set of features than they would with AirPods: One-touch pairing, firmware updates in the Beats app, switching listening modes, and Find My Beats location service.) Naturally, you get all the expected basic Apple stuff—one-touch pairing, Find My, quick pairing with other devices through iCloud, automatic firmware updates and integration into your iPhone/iPad/Mac settings, and hands-free Siri. But with the H2 chip and all the other improvements in drivers and mics, it’s a wonder why the Power Beats Pro 2 are missing some of the best features you find on AirPods Pro 2. There are no hearing health features (hearing test/aid, hearing assistance, hearing protection). No personalized volume. No conversation awareness. No adaptive audio (the self-adjusting transparency/ANC mode). No head gestures for accepting or declining notifications. Surely the hardware is there to do nearly all of this? I can see regularly approval being a reason why the hearing aid and related features would be absent at launch, but they haven’t been announced for a later date. And there’s no real reason why conversation awareness or adaptive audio, two of my favorite AirPods Pro 2 features, shouldn’t be there. The cynic in me feels like these were intentionally withheld by Apple because they “belong” only on AirPods branded products—which is silly, because Beats is an Apple brand, and they’re using lots of other Apple hardware and software features. Powerbeats Pro 2: Fitness first with great battery life After a few workouts, a run, and some indoor listening sessions, I’m ready to proclaim Powerbeats 2 as my favorite fitness-oriented earbuds, even if I’m not quite ready to ditch my AirPods Pro 2 yet. Music playback quality is not quite on par with AirPods Pro 2, sounding perhaps a little too bright (a strange criticism to make of famously bass-heavy Beats headphones, but it’s what I hear). Still, they sound appropriate clear, and punchy for earbuds in this price range. You can certainly find better-sounding earbuds, but you usually have to stretch to higher prices for them. Voice quality on phone calls is better too, thanks to improved microphones and voice isolation. Powerbeats Pro 2 comes with five tip sizes (Medium are pre-installed).Foundry Battery life is greatly improved over the old Powerbeats Pro, and quite respectable for modern wireless earbuds. Beats claims 10 hours for the buds in normal playback, which gets cut down to 8 hours if you use ANC or transparency mode. The charging case holds another 3.5 full charges worth of power, and offers, fast charging, now standard in this class of earbuds. Five minutes of charging is said to give dead earbuds enough juice to run for 1.5 hours (without ANC or transparency). I didn’t time out multiple full charge/discharge cycles, but judging from the power drain I experienced over several days, the specs from Beats seem fairly accurate. PowerBeats Pro 2: (Limited) heart-rate monitoring There have been rumors for quite a while of a new AirPods Pro 3 coming as early as this year, with heart rate monitoring as a major new feature. Imagine our surprise when Apple introduced it first in its Beats line! It’s a real feat of engineering to miniaturize an optical heart rate sensor to fit in earbuds this small, and Beats made a big deal in its marketing materials about just how incredibly accurate it is. The inside of your ear is highly vascular with thin skin and is relatively close to your heart and major arteries. It makes sense as a prime location for measuring heart rate with an optical sensor. But there are certainly some tradeoffs. That little thing is an optical heart rate sensor!Foundry The first is battery life, which drains a lot faster when using the heart rate monitor. That’s to be expected, of course. Your Apple Watch has a much bigger battery. It takes sporadic heart rate measurements throughout the day, and then continuously when you’ve started a workout (on the watch itself or in a supported app). To preserve battery life, Powerbeats Pro 2 only measures your heart rate when you’ve started an active workout in a supported app. The bigger issue is that whole “supported app” thing. Beats has worked with Nike Run Club, Runna, Open, Slopes, Ladder, Peloton, and YaoYao to integrate support for heart rate monitoring. For those apps, it basically works as though you had one of those third-party chest-strap Bluetooth heart rate monitors on. Support in other apps will likely come over time. The same goes for select gym cardio equipment. If you go to a fancy gym, you may have bikes or treadmills that can connect to Bluetooth heart rate monitors, and you can press and hold the “b” button on Powerbeats Pro 2 to sync up. Unfortunately, if you have an Apple Watch, your iPhone and its apps will always prefer heart rate data from that. And while you can start a Fitness+ workout video in the Fitness app on your iPhone without an Apple Watch, all of the other regular workout types (running, biking, hiking, strength training) are initiated from Apple Watch. Heart rate monitoring works with third-party apps, but not if you’re using your Apple Watch at the same time.Foundry So for iPhone users to use the heart rate monitoring of their new Powerbeats Pro 2, you have to not wear your Apple Watch, and start your workout in a supported third-party app or play a Fitness+ workout video. The Fitness app will not display your metrics during a Fitness+ workout as it does with the Apple Watch, but your heart rate will be recorded in your Health app. This feels like a huge own goal by Apple. A simple options toggle in Settings or in the Watch app to prefer heart rate data from the Watch or Powerbeats Pro 2 during workouts would let you get the allegedly more accurate data from Powerbeats Pro while still using your Watch. For Android users, the heart rate monitor does not directly interface with Google Fit, but it does work in all the aforementioned apps just as a chest trap monitor would. Should you buy the PowerBeats Pro 2? For all the great things the Powerbeats Pro 2 do, it feels like they’re missing some features they should probably have. You get all the basic Apple stuff: one-touch pairing, audio sharing, Find My, Personalized Spatial Audio, pairing with multiple devices through iCloud, and hands-free Siri. You even get the low-latency lossless audio pairing with Apple Vision Pro. And of course, if you’re into actual color, you won’t find it on AirPods, but you can get Powerbeats Pro 2 in Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple, and Electric Orange. The price is $249, the same as the launch price of the original Powerbeats Pro and the current AirPods Pro 2. As much as I love wearing these to work out, and I have no reservations recommending them to Apple users who want fitness- or sports-tailored earbuds, I think they’re a couple of software updates away from true greatness. Letting those with an Apple Watch choose to use the Powerbeats Pro 2 heart rate monitoring at will is a no-brainer, and adding features like adaptive audio and conversation awareness are obvious areas for improvement.

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Review: Powerbeats Pro 2 tick all the boxes with heart rate monitoring, slimmer design, H2 chip, more
When Powerbeats Pro were first released in 2019, we described them as “the ultimate sport earphones.” They set a new standard for workout-focused headphones with a truly wireless design, an ultra-secure ear-hook fit, and impressive durability. Now, Beats has officially unveiled Powerbeats Pro 2 — and they’re better in every way. Plus, they have a first-of-its-kind fitness feature: built-in heart rate monitoring. I’ve been using Powerbeats Pro 2 for the past two weeks, and here’s everything you need to know. more…

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Apple Intelligence is coming China thanks to a partnership with Alibaba
Apple's push to bring Apple Intelligence to China has taken a big step forward, with it working with Alibaba to produce AI features for the country's iPhone users.Apple Intelligence isn't available in China yetApple is in the middle of a slow rollout of Apple Intelligence to its iPhone, iPad, and Mac users, with it currently only available in a small number of English-speaking countries. There is the intention to bring it to China among other territories, but regulatory issues have been the stumbling block so far.To operate in China, Apple has to abide by the country's regulatory rules concerning AI models. While it is a difficult prospect to do so by itself, the easier path is to partner with a tech company in the country working on AI, which can quickly be turned into a regional and regulation-meeting version of Apple Intelligence. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Only read this if you’re up-to-date with Apple TV+’s ‘Severance’ thru Season 2 Episode 4 (SPOILERS GALORE)
Warning: Multitudinous spoilers follow for the hit Apple TV+ series "Severance." If you haven't yet watched "Severance" season 2 episode 4… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Trump plan to kill CHIPS Act threatens US-made iPhone processors
The future of TSMC plants in Arizona and US chip production hangs in the balance as President Trump threatens to cancel the CHIPS Act. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Apple is considering adding a small display to the Apple Vision Pro headband
Apple has been researching how to work a display into the headband of the Apple Vision Pro, maybe to save users having to put it on to see if updates are done or perhaps give info to outside observers.A display could be added into the fabric of an Apple Vision Pro headbandThe headband on an Apple Vision Pro is of course used to keep the device on a user's head, but Apple has long been rumored to want more from it, such as charging. Now a newly-granted patent shows that Apple has worked extensively on adding a display to the headband, to benefit both the wearer and people around them."Notifications in headbands" also considers how a display could personalize an Apple Vision Pro. You know, for those times dozens of Apple Vision Pro users get together in person. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Reclaim the night with these noise-blocking sleep earbuds
These earbuds are the tiny but mighty sleep game-changers designed to block out distractions and lull you into deep, uninterrupted sleep. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Report: Apple strikes deal to bring AI to China, rejects DeepSeek option
iPhone sales have been struggling in China, where Apple has been unable to launch Apple Intelligence features yet. But per a new The Information report, the company has just partnered with a major Chinese player to bring AI features to China. more…

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Apple’s latest OS updates re-enable Apple Intelligence on some devices
Some Mac, iPhone, and iPad users are reporting that Apple’s latest operating system updates re-enable Apple Intelligence features… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Bug in macOS and iOS updates re-enables Apple Intelligence for some who’d opted out
While most of us are have welcomed Apple Intelligence and are impatiently waiting for it to do more, there are some who’ve opted out. Some of these users are reporting that the latest macOS and iOS updates have re-enabled the feature. While it’s clearly a bug, it’s not clear at this point what causes the unintended behavior, nor how widespread it is … more…

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This $12 Baseus MagSafe battery pack will double your iPhone’s battery life
Macworld When you’re out and about for long hours and your phone battery levels start giving you anxiety, the last thing you want to do is find a plug and an outlet. That’s why one of these tiny Baseus MagSafe power banks will be just what you need, especially when you can get one for just $12, a savings of 40 percent off the MSRP. (To claim this deal, you can with either click the “Redeem” button or apply promo code 74XFLB4J at checkout.) This isn’t a power bank with an absolutely massive capacity, but it’s still perfectly capable of recharging your iPhone fully once. With 6,000mAh, you can definitely get through a full heavy day of use with this battery in your pocket. As soon as you snap it on it’ll start charging wirelessly at 7.5W or you can plug in a a USB-C cable for 20W charging. This deal is only available on the white model, but since it’s tiny, thin, and magnetic, you’ll still want to leave it on all day. So go ahead and get your own 6,000mAh MagSafe Baseuse power bank for just $12 while the deal is still available over at Amazon. Buy now at Amazon

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25 years of Apple's innovation with the iTunes Music Store
The fourth of Apple's top 10 major areas of innovation in the last 25 years is 2003's iTunes Music Store. Here's how Apple transformed the music industry and created an entirely new digital media marketplace.25 years of Apple Innovation — iTunes Music StoreThe first segment discussed Apple's 2000 release of Mac OS X Public Beta, its first important area of innovation in the last 25 years. The second segment focused on Apple's reinvented retail operations. The third segment introduced iPod. The fourth details how Apple brought retail to digital media within iTunes."Innovation" brings to mind the explosive new creations of the iMac, iPod and iPhone. But the greatest potential opportunity for change can also come from a devastating destruction of the status quo, paving the way for something really new. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Trump may renege on CHIPS Act, jeopardizing plans for Apple chips in the US
TSMC agreed to build a series of chip plants in the US, with Apple a key customer, using subsidies provided by the bipartisan CHIPS Act. Trump has now called the Act “ridiculous” and wants to renege on the promised funding. If he followed through on the threat, it could throw into doubt the viability of the US chipmaking plants, and lead to cancellation of TSMC’s expansion plans … more…

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