We're finally coming out of Apple's slower holiday season for news and rumors, and it looks like we've got some hardware and software updates arriving in the fairly near future to kick off what's expected to be a busy year for Apple.
The iPhone 17 lineup will be the big launch of the year as usual, but there's plenty more on the docket that should keep our attention all year long. Apple TV+ is also starting the year off with a bang with the highly anticipated season two premiere of Severance, the season two finale of popular sci-fi show Silo, and more, so read on below for all the details!
iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features
While the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max won't launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Among the more recent reports have been claims that the main camera sensor will be smaller than the one on the iPhone 16 Pro models and that all three rear cameras on both the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will feature 48-megapixel resolution.
Meanwhile, Apple is preparing to launch an all-new "iPhone 17 Air" model that will be the thinnest iPhone ever, measuring as little as 5.5 mm at its thinnest points.
MacBook Air Likely Apple's First Product Update of 2025: What to Expect
We're expecting several product announcements from Apple over the next few months, but it sounds like an updated MacBook Air may be the first out of the gate in just a few weeks.
We're not expecting major upgrades for Apple's cheapest laptop, but it will get the latest M4 chip and potentially some additional upgrades like an additional Thunderbolt port and an improved camera with Center Stage support.
Hearing a Mysterious Chime From Your AirPods Pro Case? It's a Feature
If you've been hearing a chiming sound from your AirPods Pro 2 case when the AirPods are charging, it's a feature that Apple added with the launch of Hearing Health last year.
In a support guide, Apple says that the AirPods Pro may play a sound every so often while in the case to ensure the microphones and speakers are working as intended.
Apple Promotes Severance Season 2 Premiere With Lumon Industries Pop-Up and Visits From Actors
With the highly anticipated second season of Apple TV+ series Severance debuting this week, Apple has been hyping things up across its social media channels and even brought cast members and producer Ben Stiller to a special pop-up event at Grand Central Terminal in New York.
The pop-up event featured a glass cube with computer workstations as seen in the series, with Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Patricia Arquette, Britt Lower, and Tramell Tillman showing up as their characters to spend time in the office setting as their "innies."
Popular sci-fi series Silo also saw its season two finale released this week, adding to the flurry of Apple TV+ activity.
Apple Focusing on These Eight New Low-Cost Devices in 2025
While Apple looks to be planning upgrades across a broad array of products in 2025, the lower ends of the lineups may receive some special attention this year as there are at least eight products on the cheaper end of the scale that we're hoping to see this year. That's among the more than 20 total product launches we're expecting to see across 2025.
In addition to updates for major lower-end products like the iPhone SE, Apple Watch SE, standard iPad, and MacBook Air, we may also see smaller products like the HomePod mini, AirTag, and Apple TV receiving updates, plus the introduction of an all-new "command center" for the home.
Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3
iOS 18.3 is currently in beta for developers and public beta testers, with a public release expected as soon as later this month.
The upcoming iPhone software update appears to be relatively minor in scope, although the latest beta released this week includes some notable changes to Apple Intelligence Notification Summaries to address complaints about inaccuracies. For the time being, Apple has turned off Notification Summaries for the News and Entertainment category entirely while it works on improvements.
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