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.
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).
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 latest apple rumors 2024.
Update: This is now confirmed, as Apple unveiled the M3-powered MacBook Air on Monday via a press release.
Apple could reportedly rebrand Apple ID to Apple Account. The change could go live later this year, presumably when iOS 18 drops in September.
It’s unclear why Apple is considering renaming Apple ID to Apple Account.
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!
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’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.
Apple reportedly hasn’t given up on the idea of a HomePod smart speaker with a built-in display. It’s supposedly still in development in Cupertino.
There have been leaks and rumors of such a smart home device since at least 2021.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest iPhone 16 Pro rumor comes with a mockup that looks like a fidget spinner. Will Apple really do that? On the other hand, the latest iPad rumors sound totally believable.
Also on The CultCast:
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.
Apple’s rumored OLED iPad Pro will reportedly be significantly thinner than existing models. The switch to slimmer Organic Light-Emitting Diode panels will make this possible.
Besides the thinner chassis, the 2024 OLED iPad Pros will have slightly bigger dimensions than its predecessors.
The latest iPhone 16 Pro camera rumor comes with an image that shows a radically redesigned lens module. It looks like a fidget spinner, or an 18th-century tricorn hat seen from above, and would represent a striking departure from Apple’s current design language.
If the iPhone 16 Pro actually looks like this, it would instantly put to bed perennial complaints that the new iPhone looks just like the old one.
Apple is reportedly working on a major Xcode update with artificial integration. This functionality will apparently emulate Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot, generating code based on text input.
Work on the tool has been ongoing since last year, and its testing is now expanding internally inside Apple.
One of the design goals of a folding iPhone is a unit no thicker than one of Apple’s current handsets when folded closed, according to information leaking out of the company. In fact, a pair of incredibly thin folding iPhone prototypes already exist, according to a new report.
Cupertino’s efforts in this area have supposedly been going on since 2018, but available components haven’t been up to making the device the company wants to build.
Early reports may have overstated the cost increase resulting from adding an OLED display to the first iPad Pro. New information indicates the price jump will be less than half of what had been previously rumored.
The high-end tablet is expected to launch in March/April.
The iPhone 16 camera bump will shrink considerably, according to new CAD renders that supposedly show the future device. The customizable Action button from the iPhone 15 Pro models will appear on entry-level iPhones as well.
In addition, simulated images based on the renders show possible color options for the upcoming handset.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: A new round of Apple Vision Pro reviews gives us greater insight into what to expect from the high-priced headset. Is it utterly mind-blowing? Clunky and weird? So addictive that we’re doomed to a flat life in the boring 2D world when we take it off? Some might compare the experience to a sci-fi vision, much like James Cameron’s addictive Apple Vision Pro experience.
Sounds like all of the above!
Also on The CultCast:
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.
The first foldable device from Apple could be a 7-inch or 8-inch iPad, according to an unconfirmed report coming from Asia.
The potential tablet would be an iPad mini that could fold down small enough to easily slip into a pants pocket.
iPhone’s lack of two key features — generative AI and a foldable design — could cause a significant decline in shipments in 2024. TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says without these advances, the iPhone will fall behind amid a “new paradigm in high-end mobile phone design.”
Kuo cites supply chain sources to back up his predictions. However, there are numerous reasons to doubt his opinion.
The updated iPad Pro expected in spring 2024 could make a change tablet users have wanted for years: move the front-facing camera for better horizontal use.
Modified wording in the just-released iPadOS 17.4 beta suggests the camera move is on the way.
Apple still plans to put a car on the road, but the release date for the Apple car is sometime in 2028, according to a new report.
Designers had to slam the brakes on hopes for full self-driving capabilities. The electric vehicle allegedly will offer some driver-assistance capabilities but these will fall far short of full autonomy. Still, with the downgraded feature set, the product has a better chance of hitting its deadline than before.
The sleek MacBook Air will get upgraded with the recently released M3 processor this spring, according to a trusted source of insider info.
The Apple M3 is also supposedly coming to the iPad Pro, probably at the same event.
Rumors indicate Apple is working on a 12.9-inch iPad Air due to launch later this year. A new leak shows off alleged design renders of the upcoming tablet.
The CAD renders show that the 12.9-inch iPad Air will resemble its 10.9-inch sibling. However, it apparently will feature a redesigned rear camera module.
Apple could equip its entire 2024 iPhone lineup with 8GB of RAM and Wi-Fi 6E support. Currently, only the iPhone 15 Pro models enjoy these features.
Additionally, the company might exclusively use Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon X75 5G modem on the iPhone 16 Pro. The non-Pro variants would stick to the X70 modem used by current-gen iPhones.
Apple reportedly already started shipping the Vision Pro headset in small quantities to its U.S. warehouses. From there, the AR headset will reach the company’s retail stores.
All these preparations suggest a February launch, ensuring Apple will stick to its promised “early next year” timeframe for releasing its next major product.
2024 looks like a big year for Apple Watch. The world’s most popular wearable could get the biggest redesign in its 10-year history in the form of a device potentially called “Apple Watch Series X” or simply “Apple Watch X.”
That’s excellent news, because 2023 was not a great year for Apple Watch. Sure, we got a fresh new look with watchOS 10. But on the hardware side, the updates to Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 seem pretty minor. And then there’s the looming U.S. ban on Apple Watch imports and exports due to a patent dispute.
So, what should we expect from the Apple Watch 2024 lineup?