Apple's progress toward under-display Face ID and a fully uninterrupted iPhone display is encountering ongoing challenges, with a new report indicating that the company is likely to focus on incremental reductions to the Dynamic Island rather than major front-facing design changes in the near term.
A new post from Weibo user "Fixed Focus Digital" suggests that Apple's development of under-display technologies is not advancing as smoothly as previously anticipated, casting doubt on expectations for significant front-facing design changes in upcoming iPhone models. According to the leaker, Apple's near-term approach is expected to prioritize refining existing solutions rather than introducing a fully hidden front camera and Face ID system.
The latest information aligns with a growing body of mixed reports surrounding the iPhone 18 Pro models. Earlier claims from multiple sources, including Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and display industry analyst Ross Young, indicated that Apple would reduce the size of the Dynamic Island, likely by relocating some Face ID components beneath the display.
Other sources have cast doubt on the extent of these changes. Weibo leaker "Digital Chat Station" recently claimed that the iPhone 18 Pro models may reuse much of their existing front-facing design, with Face ID and the Dynamic Island remaining "largely unchanged" and more ambitious under-display implementations pushed to a later generation.
In the same series of posts, Fixed Focus Digital also commented on Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone, describing the device as "ultra-flat, moderately sized, and affordably priced," and claimed that supply chain expectations for production volumes are relatively high.
Ultra-flat, moderately sized, and affordably priced—there is simply no reason for the iPhone Fold to fail. At least on the supply side, inventory expectations are quite substantial. However, if sales do end up flopping... Apple's stock price is going to take a nosedive.
The iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple's first foldable iPhone are expected to be announced in the fall.
"Mac OS X is the future of the Mac, and we hope it will delight our customers with its unrivaled power and ease of use," said Steve Jobs, in 2001. "The Public Beta has generated incredible feedback and support from Mac users and developers, which has helped us to make Mac OS X the most advanced operating system ever."
Mac OS X was a next-generation, UNIX-based operating system for the Mac, succeeding the classic Mac OS operating system. It ushered in Apple's iconic "Aqua" interface, the Dock, an improved Finder app with hierarchical navigation, and more.
"Mac OS X is the most important software from Apple since the original Macintosh operating system in 1984 that revolutionized the entire industry," said Jobs.
In the U.S., Mac OS X was priced at $129. Apple stopped charging for macOS releases in 2013, when OS X Mavericks was released free of charge.
Mac OS X was renamed to OS X in 2012 and to macOS in 2016:
Mac OS X 10.0 (2001): "Cheetah"
Mac OS X 10.1 (2001): "Puma"
Mac OS X 10.2 (2002): Jaguar
Mac OS X 10.3 (2003): Panther
Mac OS X 10.4 (2005): Tiger
Mac OS X 10.5 (2007): Leopard
Mac OS X 10.6 (2009): Snow Leopard
Mac OS X 10.7 (2011): Lion
OS X 10.8 (2012): Mountain Lion
OS X 10.9 (2013): Mavericks
OS X 10.10 (2014): Yosemite
OS X 10.11 (2015): El Capitan
macOS 10.12 (2016): Sierra
macOS 10.13 (2017): High Sierra
macOS 10.14 (2018): Mojave
macOS 10.15 (2019): Catalina
macOS 11 (2020): Big Sur
macOS 12 (2021): Monterey
macOS 13 (2022): Ventura
macOS 14 (2023): Sonoma
macOS 15 (2024): Sequoia
macOS 26 (2025): Tahoe
Mac OS X was a big part of Apple's renaissance, which began when Jobs returned to the company in the late 1990s. Big hits in those first few years after his return included the iMac in 1998, the iBook in 1999, and Mac OS X and the iPod in 2001. In this sense, it is poetic that this milestone comes just a week ahead of Apple's 50th anniversary.
A coalition of Europe's biggest broadcasters is pushing the EU to bring smart TV platforms like Apple TV and virtual assistants like Siri under the bloc's toughest tech regulation, reports Reuters.
The Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT), whose members include Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount+, and Sky, sent a letter on Monday to EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera arguing that smart TV operating systems from Google, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung should be designated as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Under the DMA, any platform with more than 45 million monthly active EU users and a market valuation above €75 billion is presumed to be a gatekeeper, subject to obligations designed to curb self-preferencing and increase interoperability.
To evidence their claim, the broadcasters cited market data showing Android TV's share grew from 16 percent to 23 percent between 2019 and 2024, while Amazon Fire OS climbed from 5 percent to 12 percent. Samsung's Tizen holds 24 percent, but Apple TV's share was not referenced.
The ACT also wants virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri brought under the DMA, arguing that the current lack of regulation has left AI assistants free to act as de facto gatekeepers for media content across phones, smart speakers, and car infotainment systems.
The European Commission confirmed it received the letter and is reviewing it. So far, Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung have not commented.
Apple's App Store, iOS, and Safari are already classified as DMA gatekeepers. A separate review into whether Apple Maps and Apple Ads meet the threshold was concluded last month, with regulators ruling that neither qualified due to low usage in Europe.
Notably, the broadcasters' letter asks the Commission to apply the DMA based on "qualitative criteria," even where platforms don't hit the usual quantitative benchmarks outlined in the regulations.
The request may sound like it's on shaky ground, but the DMA does actually have a provision for this circumstance – the EC can designate a company as a gatekeeper even if it doesn't meet the hard numeric thresholds stated above. It can look instead at factors like the platform's size, number of business users, network effects, lock-in, and structural market characteristics. In fact, this is how the Commission designated iPadOS as having gatekeeper status, even though it didn't meet the quantitative threshold.
In practice, though, the Commission is likely to be cautious about using this approach because it's messier than quantitative rules and easier to challenge in court. Apple is very likely to contest it, especially given that Apple TV's market share appears to be relatively small. Whether the same will apply to Siri is another matter, since it's tied to the iPhone and the EU already considers that a gatekeeper platform.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple is moving more decisively to reduce its reliance on Chinese manufacturers ahead of the launch of a wave of new products with OLED panels, DigiTimes reports.
Apple has apparently accelerated efforts to diversify its OLED sourcing away from Chinese suppliers such as BOE, which have historically played an important role in the company's display supply chain. The impact on BOE has already been substantial. DigiTimes says the company's dedicated Apple OLED production line in Mianyang, Sichuan saw utilization rates fall from approximately 82% in 2024 to 48% by February 2026.
Shipments to Apple have also declined sharply, dropping by more than 40% compared to initial expectations. OLED panel shipments from Sichuan to Apple's assembly partners in Vietnam fell by over 50% year over year in February, underscoring the speed of the transition.
In place of Chinese suppliers, Apple is increasingly depending on reliable South Korean display manufacturers such as Samsung Display and LG Display. DigiTimes says future Apple devices, including the iPhone 18 Pro, the first foldable iPhone, and upcoming MacBook Pro and iPad mini models, are expected to depend predominantly on OLED panels sourced from these companies. All of these products are expected to launch this year, with OLED coming to the MacBook Pro and iPad mini for the first time.
The realignment reflects a broader shift in Apple's component sourcing strategy that has been underway for several years, as the company seeks to mitigate supply chain risk. Apple has already diversified final assembly across countries such as India and Vietnam.
Anthropic are out with yet another update to Claude AI: the company's Claude Code and Cowork tools can now remotely control your Mac on your behalf.
When Claude lacks a direct connector for a given app like Slack or Google Calendar, it falls back to controlling the computer like a human, using the screen to navigate.
In Claude Cowork and Claude Code, you can now enable Claude to use your computer to complete tasks. When Claude doesn't have access to the tools it needs, it will point, click, and navigate what's on your screen to perform the task itself. It can open files, use the browser, and run dev tools automatically – with no setup required.
The capability pairs with Dispatch (released last week) which lets you assign Claude tasks from your iPhone and return to finished work on your desktop. In the YouTube video embedded below, Anthropic's demo shows a user asking Claude to export a pitch deck as a PDF and attach it to a meeting invite, all while the user is away from their Mac.
"Computer use is still early compared to Claude's ability to code or interact with text," notes Anthropic. "Claude can make mistakes, and while we continue to improve our safeguards, threats are constantly evolving. We recommend starting with the apps you trust and not working with sensitive data."
The new feature is essentially Anthropic's version of OpenClaw, the open-source AI agent that went viral earlier this year. OpenClaw runs locally and connects to messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, using a plugin-based "skills" system to execute tasks ranging from file management to browser automation. It's powerful, but notoriously tricky to configure safely.
In contrast, Claude's version is more locked down. The system uses a permission-first approach, and requests user access before touching a new app. It's currently also Mac-only, whereas OpenClaw supports macOS, Windows, and Linux.
The new feature is now available in research preview for Claude Pro and Max subscribers.
Earlier this month, Claude was updated with support for inline visual content that aims to help provide clearer answers. Anthropic also rolled out a memory import tool that allows users to import conversations and memories from other AI providers into Claude, so new users don't need to start from scratch when they switch.
Lock maker Kwikset today added CarPlay integration to the Kwikset app, which means iPhone owners can lock or unlock Kwikset smart locks directly from the car's dashboard.
The feature works with Kwikset locks that are controlled with the Kwikset app, and it allows locks to be accessed without the need to open the app on an iPhone. When arriving home or leaving, vehicle owners can use CarPlay to unlock or lock their home's doors.
When an iPhone is connected to CarPlay, the Kwikset app is shown alongside other third-party apps, so users can choose their home and lock or unlock their home door with a tap.
Kwikset new CarPlay functionality is designed for Kwikset locks that include the Halo Touch, Halo Keypad, Halo Touchscreen, Halo Select, and Halo Select Plus. The feature does not work with Kwikset Halo locks that are set to Matter mode. Kwikset is also adding the same integration for Android Auto.
Apple is planning to include ads in Apple Maps search results as soon as this summer, reports Bloomberg. Apple is aiming to earn more money from its services division, and it could announce plans for Maps ads as early as this month.
Ads in Apple Maps will be similar to ads in Google Maps. Retailers and brands will be able to bid for ads associated with search categories. Starbucks, for example, might display an ad when someone searches for coffee. Restaurants will be able to bid for search terms, and the highest bidder's ads will appear at the top of the results for a given term.
Apple plans to display ads in the iPhone app, Mac app, iPad app, and on the web. We first started hearing about ads in the Maps app last year, but now the feature is nearing completion.
Revenue from ads could make up for current and future changes to the App Store that could limit the money that Apple earns, or from the loss of any search deals with Google due to ongoing regulatory issues.
In January, Apple said that it would show additional ads in App Store search results starting on March 3, expanding the number of ad slots in search. App Store searches previously showed just one ad, but Apple is rolling out multiple ad slots. Apple expanded App Store ads in the UK and Japan first, and will bring them to other markets like the U.S. by the end of March.
Apple also rebranded its ad business from "Search Ads" to "Apple Ads" last year as part of its plan to show ads in more places.
Apple plans to open a store at the Mítikah shopping mall in the south of Mexico City, according to a recently-deleted page on real estate company Allux's website.
Apple Vía Santa Fe in Mexico City
The page listed Apple as a future tenant in the mall, which is set to expand into an adjacent area previously occupied by the older Centro Coyoacán shopping mall. It is unclear when Apple's store would open, and the plans could change.
It is unclear why the page was deleted, but Apple has a culture of secrecy.
Apple has two other stores in Mexico City — one is inside the Vía Santa Fe shopping mall, and the other is at the Antara open-air shopping center.
Govee today introduced its newest lighting product, Matter-enabled string lights with chromatic bulbs that have multiple LEDs inside. The Govee Chromatic String Lights feature large, pill-shaped bulbs that can display multiple colors at once, creating unique lighting effects.
Priced starting at $170, the Chromatic String Lights come in a 32.8-foot strand with 10 bulbs or a 65.6-foot strand with 20 bulbs. I was able to test out the lights ahead of launch, and I haven't seen string lights quite like them before.
Govee put 55 RGB LEDs inside each bulb, and the LEDs can be controlled semi-individually, with combinations of colors, shadows, and patterns able to make visually attractive scenes. The lights support millions of colors, and three layered cycling effects can be added per bulb. Patterns control how the lights change, and there are a lot of different options to choose from. Govee has tons of pre-installed scenes to select from, but there are also options to create your own with custom colors and patterns, or use AI to come up with something based on a text-based suggestion.
The lights have rich colors and the multi-color effect works well, but some colored LED lights struggle with certain shades. Govee's orange colors are more yellow than orange, and purple is more pink. I can get a truer orange by choosing a shade of red or setting a gradient that shifts between different colors, but most of the "orange" shades in Govee's app aren't true orange. The same goes for purple. It's not easy to photograph colored lights, so I don't have an example, but purple in particular is a color some RGB lights often struggle with.
The bulbs are large for string lights, and I'd say they're similar to a large egg. The top is black, the cord is black, and the bottom is a dual-layer shell with a diffusing layer covered by clear plastic. The shape and the multi-layer shell produce some aesthetic lighting combinations, though I didn't like how much cord there is to deal with.
10 bulbs spread across 33 feet is around one bulb per three feet (or 20 for 65 feet). I would have liked a shorter strand with more closely situated bulbs, or more bulbs on the longer strand. That said, these are large bulbs, and just 10 can put off enough light for a small patio. At full brightness in a shade of white, they put off a surprising amount of light. Govee says they're 240 lumens, which sounds about right. With the diffusion layer, they aren't hard to look at even at max brightness. I did test these at night and during the day. They look great at night, but the colors are visible during the day, and indoors with other lights on.
Outdoors at night, it'd be the perfect amount of light for eating dinner or just chilling on a deck. I don't have these permanently outside because I'm not sure how to arrange 10 lights over my deck without it looking unusual. The 20 bulb strand is probably the better fit for most outdoor spaces, unless the area is small. You can connect multiple strands together, but that would get expensive quickly.
Govee added T-shaped clips for each light, so you can decide how far you want them to hang down. You can clip the strands between two of the lights together to establish the length, and if you make them long, it can eat up some of the cord so there's less to deal with. I tested them at about three inches, but they can be longer or shorter. It was a hassle getting the clips on, but worth it for the length customization.
I wish I had a more sophisticated way to say this, but with the 55 LEDs in each bulb, Govee's lights have effects that are just plain cool. There's a "bubbles" effect that combines bubbles of one color with another base color, "ghost" that uses shadow to make it look like something is moving in the bulbs, and a whole range of gradients in different colors. Each bulb can have a gradient of colors, or colors can be set to shift between bulbs. Govee goes above and beyond with pre-set scenes. There are around 120 scene options, and most of those have a dozen color palettes to choose from. There are scenes for every holiday, plus some that are nature or planet-themed or aimed at waking up or going to sleep.
The Govee app has so much going on that I find it confusing. There's too much to choose from, and too many different tools to experiment with. You can choose a Scene from the Scene tab, but there's also a color tab where you can pick one color or paint colors on each bulb, and the DIY section is separate from the color section, even though it has a somewhat similar purpose. I'm still not entirely sure what Finger Sketch does, and AI is also its own tab. Govee also has a random color feature, an Effects lab, and a Color Slider that's distinct from the Color section. Some of these options could be combined into something that's more user-friendly to use and less chaotic.
Since there are so many scenes, it's easiest to use those, but I did like choosing colors for each bulb. I think most people will get used to the app interface after using the lights for a short period of time, but it takes experimentation. Kids will love playing with these lights, since there are so many colors and patterns to play with. I don't think these are the lights that are appropriate for a sophisticated outdoor dinner party, but they'd be ideal for a night time pool party. You can do soft, elegant scenes with fewer colors, or choose nice white light effects, but if you're not planning to go all out taking advantage of the multi-color ability, there are better lights to get.
I haven't had these lights long enough to test how they hold up over time, but they do have IP67 waterproofing and Govee says they can be used outdoors year-round. They're supposed to last for "more than 10 years" under typical outdoor conditions.
You can use the Chromatic String Lights with HomeKit, because they're Matter-enabled. You can turn the lights on, turn them off, or set them to a single color with the Home app or with Siri, but for most color options, you're going to need the Govee app. HomeKit is useful for automations with other HomeKit devices, so you can have the Govee lights come on with other HomeKit-enabled lights or when motion is detected, but I otherwise haven't used HomeKit for much. You can also connect them to other Matter platforms, including Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
The lights are priced at $169.99 for the 33-foot strand or $299.99 for the 66-foot strand, and they can be purchased from Amazon or the Govee website as of today.
Note: Govee provided MacRumors with the 33-foot Chromatic String Lights for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
As part of its WWDC 2026 announcement, Apple said that it plans to announce this year's Swift Student Challenge Winners on Thursday, March 26.
Apple's Swift Student Challenge tasks students with creating an original coding project using Swift Playgrounds or Xcode. This year's event began on February 6, and Apple accepted submissions through Saturday, February 28 before judging began.
Apple plans to choose winners based on submissions that demonstrate "excellence in innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity."
All Swift Student Challenge Winners in 2026 will be eligible to enter the lottery process to attend Apple's June 8 WWDC Special Event at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California.
Apple will also recognize Distinguished Winners whose submissions are "truly exceptional." Distinguished Winners will be invited to Cupertino for a three-day experience that will include the Special Event keynote viewing along with other activities, and these winners will not need to enter the lottery to visit Apple Park.
Students who entered the challenge can expect to receive an email notifying them about their status later this week.
WWDC 2026 is set to begin on Monday, June 8, and the event will highlight Apple's "AI advancements." Apple included the tidbit in its WWDC 2026 announcement.
WWDC26 will spotlight incredible updates for Apple platforms, including AI advancements and exciting new software and developer tools.
Since iOS 18, we've been waiting for Apple to introduce a more intelligent version of Siri, and that might finally happen with iOS 27. We are expecting the Apple Intelligence version of Siri that includes personal context with support for new, deeper search capabilities, onscreen awareness so Siri can answer questions about what you're looking at, and the ability to do more in and between apps.
Apple is also working on a chatbot version of Siri that will rival ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, and we could potentially get a chatbot Siri preview at WWDC.
Apple's AI advancements wording hints at the inclusion of new Siri features, plus it suggests we could get other new AI capabilities as well. We have a full iOS 27 roundup on all of the iOS 27 rumors we've heard so far, which is worth checking out if you want a refresh on what could be coming.
Apple today said that its 37th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to begin on Monday, June 8 and end on Friday, June 12. Like WWDC 2025, WWDC 2026 will be a primarily online event open to all developers, with no associated cost.
WWDC always begins with a keynote that happens on the first day of the event, and this year's keynote will take place on June 8 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Apple will unveil iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, tvOS 27, watchOS 27 and visionOS 27.
Apple does plan to hold an in-person component for select developers and students, with the event set to take place on June 8 at the Apple Park Campus in Cupertino, California. Attendees will be invited to watch the keynote and State of the Union at Apple Park, as well as meet with Apple employees and tour the campus.
Current Apple Developer Program members, Apple Entrepreneur Camp alumni, prior Swift Student Challenge winners, and current Apple Developer Enterprise Program members can enter to attend the June 8 Apple Park event, and Apple will choose participants through a random lottery. Submissions will be accepted will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. PT on Monday, March 30.
Apple accepted submissions for its Swift Student Challenge in February, and winners will be announced soon. Those who are named Distinguished Winners will be invited to Cupertino for a multi-day experience.
WWDC 2026 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about all of the new software features and how to incorporate new capabilities into their apps. The keynote and online sessions will be available on the Apple Developer app, Apple website, and YouTube.
Apple will provide more information about WWDC 2026 through the Apple Developer app and the Apple Developer website as June approaches.
In his Power On newsletter over the weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman opined that most of Apple's product announcements this month "were as incremental as ever."
For example, he said the latest AirPods Max being named "AirPods Max 2" is a "massive stretch" given the headphones received the H2 chip and little else.
AirPods Max 2 did gain many new features overall, including increased active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation, but many of these capabilities were enabled as a result of the headphones finally getting the H2 chip from 2022.
"The real issue is putting a '2' in the name," he argued. "It means that Apple is treating a maintenance update as if it were a new generation. Historically, this branding would signal meaningful hardware changes." With the AirPods Max 2 name, however, he said it "implies a leap forward that isn't present."
AirPods Max 2 do not have any design changes compared to the previous generation, and the Smart Case carrying case has the same unpopular design.
"Like the earlier USB-C refresh, this update feels designed to sustain sales rather than push the product forward," he added.
While the MacBook Neo is impressive in the sense that it is easily Apple's most affordable new MacBook ever, and the Studio Display XDR checks a lot of boxes, many other products unveiled this month received faster chips and little else, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, iPhone 17e, and the regular Studio Display.
Nevertheless, Gurman acknowledged that customers continue to purchase Apple products, with the company reporting an all-time revenue record last quarter.
"Imagine if the recent product updates themselves were as impressive as the advertising," he concluded.
Here's an interesting tidbit from Mark Gurman's profile of John Ternus for Bloomberg: Apple is apparently working on a smart home sensor.
The article said Ternus is leading development of a trio of new home products, including a tabletop robot with a swiveling screen, a smart home hub with Apple Intelligence and facial recognition, and "a small sensor for managing home security."
The sensor has an internal codename of J450, according to Gurman. In his previous reporting, he has referred to this J450 product as a security camera, but in his Ternus profile he opted to describe the accessory as a "small sensor."
Ultimately, it sounds like it will be both a HomeKit camera and a sensor.
Last August, Gurman reported that the camera was "designed for home security" and "has facial recognition and infrared sensors to determine who is in a room." It will be powered by a battery, he added, so it will probably be wireless.
In addition to security, Gurman said the accessory will be designed for "automating tasks."
"Apple believes users will place cameras throughout their home to help with automation," wrote Gurman. "That could mean turning lights off when someone leaves a room or automatically playing music liked by a particular family member."
Indeed, many third-party HomeKit sensors offer all-in-one functionality for motion and people detection, indoor temperature and humidity measurement, the level of light in a room, and more. These sensors are typically part of a home's broader HomeKit ecosystem, working in unison with smart lightbulbs, door locks, thermostats, and more.
Apple is planning to develop an entire lineup of smart home cameras and security products, according to that August report, and that might even include a video doorbell with Face ID. These accessories will likely be sold as optional add-ons to the company's long-rumored smart home hub, which is currently expected to launch in September.
While it certainly has its critics, the iPhone Air appears to have validated Apple's decision to retire the iPhone Plus, if new results from an independent analysis are anything to go by.
Crowdsourced Speedtest data published by Ookla suggests the iPhone Air captured 6.8 percent of iPhone 17 generation samples in the U.S. during the fourth quarter of 2025, up from the 2.9 percent share the iPhone 16 Plus managed in the same launch window a year earlier.
However, the gains seem to have come at the iPhone 17 Pro's expense. The latter model's share fell from 34.9 percent to 30.6 percent year over year, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max remained essentially flat at 55.5 percent. The figures suggest that roughly 4 percent of buyers were willing to trade the better camera and processing power of the smaller iPhone 17 Pro model for the Air's thinner chassis.
Apple has had several attempts at making a differentiated fourth iPhone model work. The iPhone mini under-performed over two iterations, while the iPhone 14/15/16 Plus – with its larger screen but without the Pro Max's premium features – fared worse, and neither carved out anything more than a niche fan base. In contrast, the iPhone Air has done what those models couldn't, at least in its opening months of availability.
Based on Ookla's data, adoption of Apple's ultra-thin device was even stronger abroad, with the Air taking 11.2 percent share in South Korea, 8.9 percent in Japan, and 8.4 percent in Singapore.
Separately, Ookla's testing found that Apple's in-house C1X modem in the iPhone Air has reached effective download parity with the Qualcomm X80 in the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and beat it on latency in 19 of 22 analyzed markets. Upload speeds are still Qualcomm's advantage, however, with the X80 holding up to a 32 percent lead in some regions – a gap Ookla attributes to more mature Uplink Carrier Aggregation (UL-CA).
For all the details, check out Ookla's full report.
Apple's free Sports app received another update today with three improvements: probable starting pitchers for MLB games, car numbers in NASCAR leaderboards, and the ability to turn off sports betting odds directly within the app.
These enhancements were added in version 3.9 of the app, available now in the App Store. Turning off betting odds previously required using the Settings app.
Launched in 2024, the Apple Sports app is available on the iPhone in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and many countries in Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The app shows scores, stats, standings, and more for a variety of leagues and events, including the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, F1, Premier League, PGA TOUR, and more.
Apple's first-generation AirTag 4-Pack has dropped to $59.99 this week on Amazon, down from the original price of $99.00. Free shipping options have a delivery estimate around March 28, while Prime members should be able to get it delivered a few days sooner.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Overall, this is a new all-time low price on the AirTag 4-pack. Amazon's stock on the first generation AirTag 1-Pack has begun dwindling now that the new second generation models are here, so anyone interested in this low price on the first gen 4-Pack should pick it up while it's still around.
Apple recently debuted the all-new AirTag, featuring longer range for tracking items and a louder speaker. We haven't tracked any notable discounts on the new second generation models as of yet, so anyone who wants to save money should keep looking into the original models.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
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A newly surfaced internal 1999 Apple campus video of Steve Jobs provides a rare, unfiltered look at the company's post-turnaround strategy.
The video is a recording of a July 27, 1999 employee gathering at Apple's Cupertino campus, uploaded by former Apple software engineer Akira Nonaka, who worked at Apple from 1991 to 2000. The 15-minute talk appears to have been recorded informally, likely by an employee present at the event, and has apparently not previously been shared online.
The remarks come just two years after Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, when the company was struggling financially and had a fragmented product lineup. The speech directly followed Apple's Macworld New York 1999 appearance, where it unveiled the iBook G3, its first consumer laptop in years. Jobs said the event drew nearly 50,000 attendees and received extensive media coverage, and he credited teams across the company for delivering the product.
We introduced our iBook and everybody loved it and the show was amazing. It was the biggest New York Macworld ever... you should be really proud of this. Everybody's just going nuts over it, including our competitors.
The talk outlines Apple's product strategy at the time, centered on its four-quadrant lineup of consumer and professional desktops and portables. With the iBook, Jobs said the matrix was complete alongside the iMac, Power Mac G3, and PowerBook G3, and noted that several of these products were already on their second or third iterations.
A significant part of the talk focuses on AirPort, Apple's then-new wireless networking system developed with Lucent. Jobs described it as a long-awaited breakthrough, especially for education, and emphasized Apple's role in making it affordable and easy to use through integration with its other products.
This is something that people have been dreaming about for over a decade... we were able to work with Lucent... to make it a very low-cost product... and do all of the software work to make it all transparent... it just works.
Jobs said Apple could bring technologies like wireless networking and FireWire to market more effectively because it controlled the whole product, unlike competitors such as Dell and Compaq that had to coordinate across multiple companies.
And the reason now, the strategic reason that we have that shot is because we're the last company in this business to make the whole widget... let's go for it and align behind that and bring innovation to the marketplace in a way that when you have to convince five companies, it's very hard.
[...]
We can break through those things and bring innovation to customers because we control enough.
[...]
... we're the last people in this business who give a shit about making great computers.
The talk also includes commentary on Apple's financial performance and internal transformation, but he rejected the idea that the company's primary goal had been financial recovery.
The reason I came back here had nothing to do with turning Apple around... what we love even more is putting these great products out into the world and seeing people use them... the reason I came back... is to make Apple great again, right?
This reflects a broader shift at Apple during the period, as the company moved beyond crisis management and began focusing on long-term product development and growth.
Jobs said the previous two years had been spent rebuilding key capabilities across the business, from operations to engineering and design, adding that Apple had achieved "the best operational excellence in the business now, even better than Dell." Jobs' successor, Tim Cook, joined Apple just a year earlier as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations.
The video also shows Jobs deliberately avoiding direct competition in enterprise markets, which were dominated by Windows systems and large corporate IT deployments, with Jobs instead reaffirming the company's focus on creative professionals, education, and consumers.
We're not going to go make a frontal assault on the enterprise... we're going to go and sell to creative professionals... regain our leadership position in education... and come back in the consumer market with a vengeance.
He also expressed confidence in Apple's future product pipeline, stating that the company had multiple upcoming releases that he described as "the best stuff I've ever seen in my life." This likely alluded to the introduction of Mac OS X and the iPod just two years later.
Mac OS X 10.0 screenshot 
Apple Vía Santa Fe in Mexico City
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