Four unknown iPad models were just approved for release in India. Photo: Cult of Mac
A day after a pair of unknown iPads were found listed on the Bureau of Indian Standards certification website, two more have now turned up. These are almost certainly tablets that have been the topic of many leaks in recent months.
The 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air might have just taken another small step toward release.
The iPhone 16 series might well look like these mockups. Photo: Sonny Dickson
Images of iPhone 16 “dummy” units have been published by a tipster with an established record. They show the redesigned camera hump reportedly coming to the two non-Pro models and other changes.
The pictures are the best look yet at the handsets Apple is expected to launch in autumn 2024.
We have a date for WWDC24, and we know what's on the agenda! Image: Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Now that Apple set a date for WWDC24, it’s time for the speculation to begin. Artificial intelligence undoubtedly will be on the agenda. But what will Apple’s AI push look like?
Join us for a whirlwind discussion.
Also on The CultCast:
Sounds like iOS 18 will give iPhone owners even more control over their Home Screens.
A flaw in Apple’s M-series processors sounds downright disturbing.
Apple’s got a trick up its sleeve to keep you from annoying iPhone upgrades.
And the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple makes some truly ludicrous claims.
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Vision Pro users could someday grab an Apple Pencil for fine drawing. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
A version of Apple Pencil stylus that can be used with the Vision Pro AR headset is in testing, according to an unconfirmed report.
And there’s proof that Apple is at least considering the idea — it filed for a patent on methods of using a stylus to create virtual objects while wearing a headset.
The M3 Ultra could be the high-performance chip that so many professionals need. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple’s upcoming M3 Ultra chip won’t consist of two M3 Max processors merged together, according to information leaking out of Cupertino. The change from its predecessors would free up designers to make the next-gen Apple silicon even more powerful.
It even raises the possibility of an M3 Extreme, a workstation-level processor that would give the Mac Pro a reason to exist. With Apple continuing to push the boundaries of performance, the Apple M3 lineup is expected to redefine computing power—learn more about it in Apple’s unveiling of the M3 Ultra chip.
Useful new features are reportedly coming to Apple Maps in iOS 18. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple Maps could receive a pair of big updates this year: “Custom routes” and topographic maps. A developer from Argentina spotted the two new features recently in Apple code, saying they could arrive in iOS 18 and macOS 15.
If true, the changes will make Apple’s navigation application more useful for both drivers and hikers.
iOS 18 could finally let you create a blank Home Screen row. Concept: Kevin Kall
Apple will allow for greater iPhone Home Screen customization in iOS 18, including the ability to place app icons anywhere on the screen, according to a new report.
iPhone owners also supposedly will gain the flexibility to create blank rows and columns, though the icons will still snap to a grid.
Even the latest AirPods rumors can't cheer us up this week. Image: Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest rumors indicate 2024 will bring big changes to the AirPods lineup. In fact, Apple’s ramping up for “the biggest AirPods launch to date.”
But even this fantastic news can’t cheer us up after the Department of Justice files a wide-ranging antitrust lawsuit against Apple. We recorded this episode of The CultCast right after news of the DOJ’s suit broke, and some of us are fuming!
Also on The CultCast:
So … Apple might lean on Google Gemini to power iOS 18 features? Good luck with that.
iPhone 17 could bring a major upgrade in the display department.
The next-gen Vision Pro headset might drop the price to something much more approachable.
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
An OLED screen should make the 2024 iPad Pro the best-looking ever ... when it finally arrives. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple is reportedly still working on the version of iPadOS needed for the first iPad Pro with a OLED screen. The software development process might delay the launch until well into April.
Previous leaks previously pointed at a March debut, and that’s still possible. But those eager for Apple’s next premium tablet should also be prepared to wait as much as another month.
And apparently the launch date won’t be March 26, despite a recent rumor.
This might be the iPad Pro that Apple announces soon. Screenshot: Volodyk Design
All the people eagerly waiting for the 2024 iPad Pro — which is expected in the coming weeks — can console themselves with a concept video depicting the upcoming tablet in all its magnificence.
You might be able to ditch the screen protector with the iPhone 17 in 2025. Screenshot: Apple
Apple could give the iPhone 17’s display a big anti-reflective update. A new rumor says the 2025 iPhone might feature a “super-hard anti-reflective layer,” which is also more scratch-resistant.
Seemingly, Apple will use a new layer of coating on the glass to reduce the reflection and increase scratch resistance.
Google could power many of iOS 18's AI features. Concept logo/Graphics: Kevin Kall/Google
Apple could use Google Gemini to power the generative AI features reportedly coming this year in iOS 18. Apple and Google are reportedly in “active negotiations” about the possibility, but have not yet finalized a deal. If it happens, it would be the first time in years that the two tech giants have collaborated so closely.
Apple also held talks with OpenAI and considered using ChatGPT, according to Bloomberg’s report.
Apple Watch Series 10 might, at long last, get blood pressure monitoring. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
A new report says Apple is on track to build into Apple Watch Series 10 a feature that been a bit of a holy grail for the wearable: blood pressure monitoring.
But the feature reportedly will be limited at first, and require new hardware.
With ANC, AirPods 4 might be a significant jump up from its predecessor. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple suppliers are reportedly preparing for “the biggest AirPods launch to date.” The company is supposedly planning to produce between 20 million and 25 million units of AirPods 4, a significant jump from previous models, according to recent news airpods.
Apple could launch the AirPods 4 in two flavors later this year: one with ANC and another without. Alongside updated internals, the new earbuds purportedly will sport a sleeker new design.
An iPad Air with an OLED display might be four years away. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
While the first iPad Pro with an OLED display is expected any day now, iPad Air fans will have a much longer wait. Possibly until 2028. That’s what an analyst predicted, anyway.
However, this contradicts a previous report that said an OLED iPad Air would be out in 2026.
Apple expects the larger 2024 iPad Pro model to be the more popular. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple reportedly ordered 8.5 million OLED screens for the iPad Pro models it’s expected to launch soon. More of these panels are for the 13-inch version of the tablet than they are for the 11-inch one.
Leaks indicate the next generation iPad Pro will reach store shelves later this month. Possibly even next week.
This concept could be an early glimpse of the MacBook of the future. Concept: Astro HQ
Apple continues to work on a MacBook with a 20-inch folding screen, according to a reliable source of insider information. It could set a new pattern for notebooks for the coming decade.
The product has been on the drawing board for quite some time, but isn’t scheduled for release until 2027.
One Apple car prototype reportedly looked something like one of Canoo's microbus-style vehicles. Photo: Canoo
The history of the Apple car is littered with wild prototypes, astonishing hubris and a deadly dose of crippling indecision, according to a damning report that offers the best picture yet of the secretive Project Titan.
It sounds like many Apple employees — and even key execs — viewed the self-driving car project as a doomed effort nearly from the start.
“The big arc was poor leadership that let the program linger, while everyone else in Apple was cringing,” said an anonymous Apple executive who worked on Project Titan.
If you want to know how a massive research and development project can crash and burn, this new behind-the-scenes account of Project Titan will show you how. It’s filled with gory details of unachievable goals, chaotic management, bad decisions (and sometimes no decisions at all).
No March Apple event in the pipeline for new iPads and Macs? Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple is preparing to launch new M3 iPads and MacBooks this month. But don’t expect an Apple March event for their unveiling. Instead, the company reportedly will announce the devices through a “series of online videos and marketing campaigns.” For more insights on what’s coming, check out the latestapple rumors 2024.
Update: This is now confirmed, as Apple unveiled the M3-powered MacBook Air on Monday via a press release.
It seems way, way fewer people return Vision Pro than you might think. Screenshot: Apple
Very few Vision Pro units are being returned to Apple, according to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He pegs the Vision Pro return rate at less than 1%, which flies in the face of previous reports that many of the headsets bought by early adopters would wind up in the refurbished bins.
The reason Kuo states for a large percentage of those Vision Pro returns is even more surprising!
Get ready for a screen upgrade in the iPhone 17. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus will have the same type of screen as the Pro versions, according to a new report. That means all four 2025 iOS handsets will offer 120Hz ProMotion, always-on displays.
If true, it means Apple will have to come up with new ways to differentiate its top-tier models.
Apple Ring, AirPods with advanced health sensors, smart glasses — Apple considered working on such smart wearables. Concept: Victor Soto/BluePoly
Apple’s industrial design team reportedly proposed working on a smart ring a few years ago. The ring would have apparently packed all the health-tracking features of the Apple Watch.
Additionally, Apple engineers recently discussed working on smart glasses like the Meta Ray-Bans. In both cases, though, the devices are just an idea, with the company not actively working on them.