Leaks tell us Apple is prepping a super-slim version of next year’s iPhone 17 without all the features of the Pro models but with a price that’ll make it the most expensive in the lineup. These reports left many of us skeptical. Would anyone pay more for a slim-but-stripped-down iPhone?
But let’s change the rumor slightly — what if Apple is prepping a super-slim iOS handset that folds? If the recent leaks are actually about the iPhone 17 Fold, they make a lot more sense.
Add Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong to the list of people who think his company’s new smartwatch and wireless earbuds are much too similar to Apple’s. He reportedly got angry at executives of Samsung’s mobile (MX) division for approving such copycat devices.
One company executive allegedly admitted his company’s new wearable products are “Apple design plagiarism.”
The first over-ear headphones with solid-state micro speakers are almost here, AMPACS said Tuesday. It noted reference-design prototypes with xMEMS solid-state micro speakers are now available. That brings us one big step closer to headphone makers putting it in their new headphones. That could start after the production version of the design becomes available to them in September. Before now, the new micro speakers were limited to earbuds.
xMEMS Labs’ patented 2-way module architecture uses solid-state micro speakers for mids and highs and a dynamic driver for bass. It improves spatial audio accuracy and reduces weight for gamers compared to conventional single-driver cans, AMPACS said. The new reference design is a cost-effective advance that could figure into multiple audio brands’ headphones.
Ahead of the latest news, Cult of Mac conducted an interview with folks behind the development from xMEMS Labs in May. After all, you have to wonder if some future AirPods Max or Beats cans might incorporate the technology (for the record, xMEMS told Cult of Mac it’s open to working with all partners, but confirmed none).
Apple CEO Tim Cook says he uses his Vision Pro headset every day and explains why he thinks the device is “very revolutionary,” in an interview published Thursday.
“I think it delivers stunning entertainment,” Cook told The Sun in an interview tied to the AR/VR headset’s U.K. launch. “It unleashes this infinite canvas for productivity. It gives you new ways to connect and collaborate. These are just huge ideas that affect all of the things that we do every day, so I’m a huge believer in it.”
Apple’s next new product should be a smart ring. No, not so you can scroll through Instagram on a teeny-tiny display. The Apple Ring would be packed with health sensors that allow wearers to track their exercise and fitness goals while carrying no other device.
It wouldn’t even require developing new technology. All that’s needed is for Apple CEO Tim Cook to make the decision to offer a new type of health tracker.
Samsung unveiled Galaxy Ring on Wednesday, showing that this type of wearable is going mainstream. It’s time for Apple to step in and show its rivals how it should be done.
The upcoming Apple Watch Series 10 could sport a thinner design with a bigger display, but it sounds like new health sensors won’t arrive this year. Apple also plans to use a faster processor on its next-gen wearable, possibly laying the groundwork for new AI features.
Judging by the reaction to Tim Cook’s post on X about Apple Intelligence, the internet is not ready for Siri integrated with ChatGPT. After Monday’s WWDC24 keynote, the Apple CEO posted a link to X about the new AI capabilities coming to Apple devices.
Immediately, dozens of critics — including Elon Musk — piled on. They slammed Apple for working with ChatGPT, which the vast majority of the commenters don’t trust.
“You’ve just ensured that no member of my family will EVER buy another Apple product,” wrote one. “Enjoy your spyfest!”
However, the hailstorm of surprisingly vitriolic and emotional comments seems based on a basic misunderstanding of how Apple Intelligence will work. As privacy-focused as ever, Apple put tons of work into making sure Apple Intelligence will keep your data secure, even from the prying eyes of AI companies it works with.
Here’s why it looks like Apple is doing AI right.
After Cupertino confirmed rumors that it would integrate ChatGPT into iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia as part of its Apple Intelligence framework, Elon Musk threatened to ban iPhones and other Apple devices from his company’s offices over security concerns.
“If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies,” Musk — who runs Tesla, X and SpaceX, among other things — said on the platform formerly known as Twitter. “That is an unacceptable security violation.”
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: With Apple’s big Worldwide Developers Conference hurtling at us like an AI-powered hype train, we once again put our professional reputations on the line. That’s right, it’s time to make our WWDC24 predictions.
We’ve got a special wild-card question this time around. And you can play along, if you’ve got the nerve!
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 Watch shipments dropped almost 20% year over year in the first quarter of 2024. Market analysts blame some of the decline on Apple being temporarily forced to halt sales of its most recent wearables in a patent dispute over blood oxygen monitoring in units sold in the United States.
AirPods sales also declined in Q1 2024 but for a different reason.