MacRumors

Apple has temporarily increased its iPhone trade-in values in select countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K., and China. Apple says the extra credit towards a new iPhone is available through June 18.

In the U.S., the maximum estimated trade-in values increased by only $5 to $30, with the full changes in that country outlined below.

iPhone Model	New Values	Old Values
iPhone 15 Pro Max	Up to $650	Up to $630
iPhone 15 Pro	Up to $520	Up to $500
iPhone 15 Plus	Up to $450	Up to $440
iPhone 15	Up to $410	Up to $400
iPhone 14 Pro Max	Up to $460	Up to $450
iPhone 14 Pro	Up to $400	Up to $380
iPhone 14 Plus	Up to $310	Up to $300
iPhone 14	Up to $300	Up to $290
iPhone SE (3rd generation)	Up to $120	Up to $100
iPhone 13 Pro Max	Up to $380	Up to $370
iPhone 13 Pro	Up to $310	Up to $300
iPhone 13	Up to $270	Up to $250
iPhone 13 mini	Up to $210	Up to $200
iPhone 12 Pro Max	Up to $300	Up to $280
iPhone 12 Pro	Up to $250	Up to $220
iPhone 12	Up to $200	Up to $170
iPhone 12 mini	Up to $130	Up to $120
iPhone SE (2nd generation)	Up to $60	Up to $50
iPhone 11 Pro Max	Up to $200	Up to $180
iPhone 11 Pro	Up to $160	Up to $150
iPhone 11	Up to $150	Up to $130
iPhone XS Max	Up to $130	Up to $120
iPhone XS	Up to $95	Up to $90
iPhone XR	Up to $105	Up to $100
iPhone X	Up to $65	Up to $60
iPhone 8 Plus	Up to $65	Up to $60
iPhone 8	Up to $50	Up to $45

iPhone trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. Visit the trade-in page on Apple's website to learn more.

President Donald Trump escalated his trade rhetoric Friday, targeting Apple with a potential 25% tariff unless the company manufactures iPhones domestically rather than anywhere else.

The warning came via Truth Social after CEO Tim Cook announced earlier this month that Indian facilities would handle the majority of U.S. iPhone sales. Apple's pivot to India was widely seen as a strategy to sidestep Chinese manufacturing amid ongoing trade tensions.

"I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else," Trump wrote. "If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S. Thank your [sic] for your attention to this matter!"

The U.S. president brought up the issue just last week during his Middle East trip. "I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday," Trump said during his state visit to Qatar. "He is building all over India."

Apple had reportedly planned to source all 60+ million annual US iPhone sales from India by late 2026. Meanwhile, key supplier Foxconn is investing $1.5 billion to expand Indian production, including a display module facility near Chennai.

The threat sent Apple shares tumbling 3% in pre-market trading Friday.

Trump's demand would force a major shift from Apple's current manufacturing strategy, which relies heavily on Asian suppliers for cost efficiency and established supply chains. Moving iPhone production to the U.S. would likely require massive infrastructure investments and could substantially increase device costs, but there's simply no way Apple could pull off the transition. According to Wedbush, producing iPhones in the U.S. could push prices to ~$3,500 and take 5–10 years to implement, making it unfeasible.

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.

British fintech company Curve has launched contactless payments for iPhone users in the European Union, becoming the second third-party payment service after PayPal to take advantage of Apple's newly opened NFC interface (via iphone-ticker.de).

The Curve Pay app allows users to make tap-to-pay purchases without using Apple Pay or the Wallet app, following PayPal's debut of similar functionality in Germany earlier this month. The feature was made possible by Europe's Digital Markets Act, which forced Apple to open its NFC chip to third-party developers.

Unlike traditional wallet apps, Curve Pay operates as an independent payment authority rather than simply passing through stored card data. Users can reassign purchases to different cards after completing transactions and link various payment sources including PayPal accounts.

The app also provides real-time spending analytics and automated cashback programs. Its "staged wallet" architecture also gives users more control over the payment process compared to conventional digital wallets.

Curve claims more than six million users across its platform, which was previously available only on Android devices. The company joins PayPal in offering European iPhone users alternatives to Apple Pay, with German cooperative banks also planning to introduce their own NFC payment solution through their banking app this September.

NFC access is available for banking and wallet apps in the European Economic Area, which includes the 27 European Union countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

A new Apple job listing has provided more evidence that the company is working on a major overhaul of its Calendar app.

A senior software engineer position for "Calendar Experience," spotted by Macworld's Filipe Espósito, explicitly states that Apple seeks candidates to join a team that will "reimagine what a modern calendar can be across Apple's platforms." Listed on April 29, the posting is surely the clearest acknowledgment yet of Apple's Calendar ambitions.

The job listing provides further context for Apple's acquisition of Mayday Labs in April 2024. Per our report earlier this month, the Canadian startup had developed an AI-powered calendar app that automatically scheduled events and tasks at optimal times.

Mayday's features included a "Calendar Shield" that blocked overbooked schedules and AI-powered task scheduling that would suggest ideal focus times. The app could also identify scheduling conflicts and provide rescheduling recommendations.

The Mayday app was shuttered shortly after the acquisition, suggesting the startup's AI capabilities could surface within Apple's own Calendar app under the Apple Intelligence umbrella.

Over a year has passed since the acquisition, so perhaps some of these changes will debut as early as iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16, which will be unveiled at Apple's annual developers conference WWDC next month.

Mozilla today said that it is shutting down Pocket, the read-it-later service that allows users to save articles, videos, and webpages to view later. The company also plans to end work on Fakespot, a browser extension and website that analyzes the authenticity of online product reviews.

Pocket is a well-known service that streamlines articles, offering a distraction-free reading experience. It includes offline access, text-to-speech options, and tagging capabilities. Pocket has been integrated in Firefox since 2015, and Mozilla bought the service in 2017.

Fakespot is an online review checking website that Mozilla bought two years ago and integrated into Firefox, but Mozilla said Fakespot "didn't fit a model [it] could sustain."

Pocket is no longer available for download as of today, and there is no longer an option to purchase a Pocket Premium subscription. The Pocket shutdown will happen on July 8, 2025, and users will have until October 8, 2025 to export Pocket data before they are permanently deleted.

Pocket Premium monthly and annual subscriptions will be canceled automatically, and annual subscribers will receive refunds after July 8. Access to the Pocket API will end on October 8, and data will need to be exported before then.

Mozilla is shutting down the Fakespot extensions, mobile apps, and websites on July 1, 2025 and the Fakespot Review Checker in Firefox will shut down on June 10, 2025.

According to Mozilla, while Pocket is popular and has over 10 million users, "the way people save and consume content on the web has evolved." As a result, the company plans to focus time and resources on Firefox, and develop projects that better match current browsing habits.

Pocket users who are looking for an alternative have a number of options to consider, including Instapaper, Wallabag, and Raindrop.io.

Verizon wants to lock subscribers to its network for a longer period of time, and has asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission [PDF] to extend how long customers must wait before a Verizon smartphone can be unlocked and transferred to another carrier.

Back when Verizon purchased 700MHz spectrum for its network in 2008, it agreed to unlock smartphones after a 60-day period. Verizon now wants the FCC to waive that requirement, allowing it to change its phone unlocking policy.

Verizon claims that the 60-day unlocking requirement it is subject to leads to fraud and device trafficking. Verizon said it lost an estimated 784,703 devices to fraud in 2023, costing it "hundreds of millions of dollars." From Verizon's filing:

The Unlocking Rule applies only to particular providers -- mainly Verizon -- and distorts the marketplace in a critical U.S industry. The rule has resulted in unintended consequences that harm consumers, competition, and Verizon, while propping up international criminal organizations that profit from fraud, including device trafficking of subsidized devices from the United States. These bad actors target and harm American consumers and U.S. carriers like Verizon for their own profit, by diverting unlocked trafficked devices to consumers in foreign countries.

Verizon suggests that consumers will benefit from the waiver because it will allow the company to better compete with other carriers by "offering subsidies and other mechanisms to make phones more affordable, lower upfront costs, and enable customers to obtain the latest and most innovative devices."

Going forward, Verizon wants to be able to lock phones to its network for at least six months, putting it on par with other U.S. carriers. AT&T locks prepaid devices to its network for six months and requires postpaid devices to be paid in full before they're unlocked, while T-Mobile locks prepaid devices to its network for 12 months, and also requires postpaid devices to be paid in full. Verizon is required to unlock prepaid and postpaid devices after 60 days.

Under Biden, the FCC was considering a proposal that would require all carriers to unlock smartphones within a 60-day period, but as Ars Technica notes, that effort might be dead under new FCC Chairman Brendan Carr because of his focus on deregulation.

Apple is no longer planning to release an Apple Watch that includes a camera, reports Bloomberg. Apple was developing Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra models that had a camera to view the wearer's surrounding environment, but work on those projects ended this week.

The camera in the Apple Watch would not have been used for features like FaceTime or snapping photos, but instead would have allowed Apple Watch owners to get information about objects and places near them.

An Apple Watch might have been able to do things like provide hours when pointed at a restaurant or store, identify a plant, describe an object, or offer language translations. The wearable camera functionality would have worked much like Visual Intelligence, an AI iPhone feature that lets users point their camera at something to get more information.

Apple planned to release the camera-equipped Apple Watch models in 2027, but the plans are off. It's possible Apple could bring the technology back in the future, and it's not known why development ended.

Though Apple is no longer planning for an Apple Watch with a camera, it's still developing AirPods with tiny cameras inside. The AirPods cameras may be infrared sensors to enable features like enhanced spatial audio, in-air gesture control, and AI capabilities.

Apple is planning to launch a set of smart glasses by the end of 2026, reports Bloomberg. The glasses will be comparable to the Meta Ray-Bans and the Android XR glasses that Google showed off earlier this week.

Apple's smart glasses are expected to include cameras, microphones, and AI capabilities, much like the Meta Ray-Bans. The glasses will be able to take photos, record video, provide translations, give turn-by-turn directions, play music, facilitate phone calls, offer feedback on what the wearer is seeing, and answer queries, but there won't be augmented reality capabilities included. Siri will be a key part of the glasses experience, with Apple planning to improve the personal assistant ahead of when the product launches.

With Apple targeting a late 2026 launch, work on the smart glasses has ramped up. Apple plans to produce "large quantities" of prototypes by the end of this year, giving the company time to test before mass production and a public unveiling.

According to Bloomberg, an Apple employee said that the glasses are similar to Meta's glasses, "but better made." The Meta Ray-Bans use Meta Llama and Google Gemini, but Apple will rely on its own AI models.

Apple's longtime goal has been a pair of lightweight augmented reality glasses, and the smart glasses that it is working on for 2026 will serve as a stepping stone. True augmented reality glasses are still years away as components like chips and batteries need to come down in price and size.

AI company Anthropic today announced the launch of two new Claude models, Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4. Anthropic says that the models set "new standards for coding, advanced reasoning, and AI agents."

According to Anthropic, Claude Sonnet 4 is a significant upgrade to Claude Sonnet 3.7, offering improved coding and reasoning along with the ability to respond to instructions more precisely. Claude Opus 4 is designed for coding among other tasks, and it offers sustained performance for complex, long-running tasks and agent workflows.

Claude Opus 4 is Anthropic's most powerful model to date, and it is the world's best coding model with a 72.5 percent score on SWE-bench and 43.2 percent score on Terminal-bench. It can provide sustained performance over several hours on tasks that have thousands of steps.

Claude Sonnet 4 is designed to balance performance and efficiency. It doesn't match Opus 4 for most domains, but Anthropic says that it is meant to provide an optimal mix of capability and practicality.

Both models have a beta feature for extended thinking, and can use web search and other tools so that Claude can alternate between reasoning and tool use. Tools can be used in parallel, and the models have improved memory when provided with access to local files. Claude is able to save key facts to maintain continuity and build knowledge over time.

Anthropic has cut down on behavior where the models use shortcuts or loopholes for completing tasks, and thinking summaries condense lengthy thought processes.

Claude Code, an agentic coding tool that lives in terminal, is now widely available following testing. Claude Code supports background tasks with GitHub Actions and native integrations with VS Code and JetBrains, and it is able to edit files and fix bugs, answer questions about code, and more.

Subscribers with Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise Claude plans have access to Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4 starting today, while Sonnet 4 is available to free users. The models are available to developers on the Anthropic API, Amazon Bedrock, and Google Cloud Vertex AI.

Satechi, known for its range of accessories for Apple products, recently came out with a new series of OntheGo Wireless Chargers that are perfect for bringing along on trips due to their compact size.

There are two models, a 3-in-1 charger and a 2-in-1 charger. The 3-in-1 option has a Qi2 charging surface for an iPhone, an AirPods charger, and an Apple Watch charging puck. The 2-in-1 model drops the AirPods charger, so it has just the Qi2 charging platform and the Apple Watch charger. Depending on the AirPods you have, you can charge them via Qi2 or with an Apple Watch charger anyway.

Each of the charging surfaces is a little bigger than Apple's MagSafe charger, with the same circular shape. There's a small band connecting each one, and they stack on top of each other. The end result is a fold out multi-device charger that's super portable. It's under an inch and a half tall when folded up, and two and a half inches wide. The bands that connect each of the chargers feel sturdy and well-attached, and I wasn't able to budge them when pulling on them with force. I think they will hold up decently over time with regular use.

The chargers are covered in a vegan leather material that seems to resist dust and is soft to the touch, so it won't scratch your devices. The Qi2 and Apple Watch chargers are flat, but the Apple Watch has a pop-up puck so it can charge flat or raised up for Nightstand mode.

With the 3-in-1 model, the AirPods charger and the Qi2 charger can be folded upright with the Apple Watch charger as a base, forming a stand that can hold an ‌iPhone‌ upright while also providing space for charging the Apple Watch. This orientation is useful for StandBy Mode, but you'll need to fold it flat if you want to charge three devices at once. In any orientation, it works well on a hotel nightstand or an office desk.

The ‌iPhone‌ charger is Qi2, so it charges an ‌iPhone‌ at up to 15W, the same as the original ‌MagSafe‌ charging speed. The iPhone 16 models support faster 25W charging, so Qi2 is a slower wireless charging speed. There are no third-party ‌MagSafe‌ 2 chargers on the market yet, so 25W charging is only available with a standalone ‌MagSafe‌ charger from Apple.

The middle charger for the AirPods is standard Qi and it is 5W, while the Apple Watch charger offers fast charging for compatible Apple Watch models. In testing, the Qi2 charger was able to charge my iPhone 16 Pro Max to 41 percent in an hour, starting from around two percent, which is in line with what I expect from 15W wireless chargers. Wireless charging speeds are variable due to heat restrictions, so charging speeds can fluctuate if an ‌iPhone‌ gets warm or the room that it's charging in is warm. My ‌iPhone‌ did get warm when using the Satechi charger, but not hot.

Satechi is selling the chargers in three colors, including black, sand, and desert rose. Each comes with a matching USB-C cable that's a meter long, but there is no USB-C power adapter included, so you will need to supply your own. Satechi says that the charger needs a 36W power adapter at a minimum to charge devices at the maximum speeds. Along with the USB-C cable and the charger, Satechi includes a little travel pouch so you can tuck the folded charger in a bag, backpack, or suitcase.

Bottom Line

At $100, the 3-in-1 OntheGo Charger from Satechi is reasonably priced for its compact size and its versatility. It can be used folded in multiple ways, and it provides reasonable overnight charging speeds for an ‌iPhone‌, plus fast charging for an Apple Watch. The price is competitive with similar travel chargers from notable brands, as it's cheaper than Belkin's $120 3-in-1 Travel Charger, and Mophie's $150 3-in-1 Travel Charger.

I do wish that Satechi had included a USB-C power adapter. The 36W charger that it requires is a little bit bigger than what you'd get with a MacBook Air or an iPad, so it might not be a size that people just have on hand.

Given how small it folds up, this is a great option for those who are looking for a travel charger or even something to bring between work and home. The 2-in-1 model works the same, but it seems worth spending an extra $20 for the AirPods charger and the stand functionality unless you want something even more compact.

How to Buy

The OntheGo 3-in-1 Charger can be purchased from the Satechi website for $100. The 2-in-1 model is also available for $80.

Note: Satechi provided MacRumors with 3-in-1 and 2-in-1 OntheGo Chargers for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

The next generation of CarPlay is finally starting to roll out, and it includes a new feature that solves one of regular CarPlay's longstanding limitations.

Apple last week announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, and it offers a Radio app, allowing you to control AM and FM radio stations within CarPlay. With regular CarPlay, you must switch between CarPlay and your vehicle's built-in software interface to control the radio, so CarPlay Ultra will be more convenient for this purpose.

CarPlay Ultra's built-in Radio app can also be used to control satellite radio stations, but this is less notable given that SiriusXM already offers a CarPlay app.

Apple shared an image of the SiriusXM experience within the Radio app, but unfortunately it did not provide a look at the AM/FM side of the app.

Apple did preview the FM radio controls when it first announced next-generation CarPlay in 2022, but the design of the app has slightly changed since then.

CarPlay Ultra also has a Climate app with climate controls, allowing you to adjust your vehicle's temperature and fan speeds within CarPlay.

CarPlay Ultra is rolling out in new and select existing Aston Martin vehicles in the U.S. and Canada, so it is currently limited to one luxury brand. Apple promised that many other automakers around the world will offer CarPlay Ultra over the next year, with the list of committed brands including Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, and others.

To learn more about CarPlay Ultra, read our earlier coverage of Apple's announcement.

On Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Series 6 and later models running watchOS 9 and newer, you can use the Compass app's Backtrack feature to track your route and then help you retrace your steps in case you get lost.

Backtrack uses the GPS on your Apple Watch to create a virtual breadcrumb trail of your route so you don't have to worry about keeping track of where you're going. According to Apple, Backtrack is designed to be used in remote settings, away from familiar places like your home or workplace, and outside densely populated areas without Wi-Fi, but there's nothing stopping you from using it anywhere you need it.

The following steps show you how to use the feature. Note that Backtrack doesn't account for external conditions, such as changes in elevation or objects in the environment.

1. Open the Compass app on your Apple Watch.
2. Tap the Backtrack button in the bottom-right of the screen, then tap Record Path to begin recording your route.
   
   

3. When you're ready to retrace your steps, tap the now-highlighted Backtrack button in the bottom-right of the screen, then tap Retrace Steps.
4. The path back to the location where you first tapped the Backtrack button will appear on the screen, while the initial location appears as a white dot at the beginning of the path. Follow the path back to return to where you first turned on Backtrack.
   
   

5. When you've arrived at your starting location, tap the Backtrack button again, then tap Delete Path.

If you have an Apple Watch Ultra, you can start Backtrack with the Action button: Go to the Settings app on your watch and tap Action Button ➝ Action ➝ Backtrack, then tap the chevron to return to the list of actions. Then simply press the Action button to start Backtrack and tap Record Path. You can press the Action and side buttons at the same time to switch between recording your path and retracing your steps.

The Compass app also lets you create Compass Waypoints while you're on the move, which you can also use in combination with Backtrack. Click the link to learn more.

Amazon is offering numerous discounts on Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch SE, including both GPS and cellular models. These deals have been dwindling since they first kicked off a few weeks ago, so if you're interested be sure to place your order soon.

Apple Watch Series 10

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Amazon has the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 10 for $299.00, down from $399.00, as well as the 46mm GPS model for $329.00, down from $429.00. Both of these are record low prices on the Apple Watch Series 10, and they're available in just a few case colors this time around.

Apple Watch SE

In addition to Series 10 deals, Amazon is discounting the 40mm GPS Apple Watch SE to $189.00 today, down from $249.00. This is the second-best price we've tracked so far in 2025, and it's available in Starlight, Silver, and Midnight Aluminum color options.

Additionally, you can get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE for $219.00 today on Amazon, down from $279.00. This one is also available in Midnight, Silver, and Starlight Aluminum colors, and multiple band sizes.

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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The big news in the technology world this week is that ChatGPT maker OpenAI is working more closely with Apple's former design chief Jony Ive on a futuristic AI device. The company is remaining tight lipped about the device, but Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared some alleged details about its design.

In a social media post today, Kuo said the device will be "slightly larger" than Humane's discontinued AI Pin. He said the device will look "as compact and elegant as an iPod Shuffle," which was Apple's lowest-priced, screen-less iPod. The design of the iPod shuffle varied over the years, going from a compact rectangle to a square.

Like the iPod shuffle, Kuo said OpenAI's device will not have a screen, but it would connect to smartphones and computers. The device will be equipped with microphones for voice control, and it will have cameras that can analyze the user's surroundings.

He said that users will be able to wear the device around their necks, like a necklace, whereas the AI Pin can be attached to clothing with a clip.

Kuo expects OpenAI's device to enter mass production in 2027, and the final design and specifications might change before then.

It remains to be seen if the device will be a success, or if it will go the way of the AI Pin and other attempts at going beyond the smartphone. OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman is certainly confident, as he has tested the device at home and believes it will be "the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen." Quite the claim.

Chinese Apple competitor Xiaomi today announced the "Xring O1," a custom 3nm chip designed to rival Apple silicon (via Bloomberg).

The company plans to switch its devices to custom silicon chips, just like Apple. The Xring O1 chip will be included in three devices to begin with, including the Xiaomi Tablet 7 Ultra–a newly announced 14-inch tablet.

Like the latest-generation Apple silicon chips, the Xring O1 is made with a ‌3nm‌ fabrication process. The company explicitly said that it asked itself:

We also want to become one of the top chipmakers, with our phones targeting iPhones, can our chips also be compared against those of Apple's?

The Xring O1 will lag behind Apple's latest chips in some respects, such as processor clock speed, but the company still stressed its design achievement.

At a special event to announce the chip and tablet in Beijing, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said that the company plans to invest 200 billion yuan ($27.8 billion) in research and development over the next five years. At least $7 billion will be invested in developing and enhancing its own chip technology over the next decade.

Vivaldi has released version 7.4 of its iOS browser, introducing background audio playback that lets users continue streaming music, podcasts, and videos even when switching apps or locking their screen.

We've tested the feature, and it works seamlessly with YouTube and other streaming services, eliminating interruptions during multitasking. Combined with a new setting that prevents links from automatically opening external apps, users can stay within Vivaldi while consuming media content.

Tab management upgrades include the addition of pinning and stacking capabilities. Users can pin frequently accessed sites like email or news feeds to the left side of the tab bar for quick access, while tab stacking allows grouping related sites together, with customizable names and colors to differentiate between stacks.

Elsewhere, the browser's history controls have been refined with new settings for search and typed history in the address bar. Users can now choose how much browsing data the browser remembers, offering either suggestion-based browsing or a fresh start.

There are also visual improvements including a redesigned tab bar featuring "floating tabs" inspired by Vivaldi's desktop version. Vivaldi says the cleaner design aims to make it easier to distinguish between open tabs while giving the browser a more modern appearance.

• Keep YouTube Playing in the Background on Your iPhone

Vivaldi has an employee-owned structure without external investors, and sees itself as a privacy-focused alternative that prioritizes user experience over data collection. Vivaldi 7.4 is available now through the App Store for iPhone and iPad users. [Direct Link]

Details have leaked about the device that OpenAI is developing with former Apple designer Jony Ive. OpenAI is acquiring io, the hardware-based AI startup co-created by Jony Ive, and the first product is one of a family of devices the company intends to launch.

Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed details about the project in an internal staff call reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. According to the report, the device isn't a pair of glasses, given that Ive has been skeptical about building something you have to wear. It's not a phone either, since Ive and Altman want to help wean people off of screens.

Rather, it's described as a "third core device" after a MacBook Pro and an iPhone. From the report:

The product will be capable of being fully aware of a user's surroundings and life, will be unobtrusive, able to rest in one's pocket or on one's desk, and would be a third core device a person would put on their desk after a MacBook Pro and an iPhone.

According to the WSJ report, Altman told OpenAI staff that stealth will be important for their ultimate success to avoid competitors copying the product before it's ready. Ive's team is said to have been in touch with suppliers who will be able to ship the device at scale.

According to Altman, OpenAI is "not going to ship 100 million devices literally on day one." But he believes the company will ship that amount of high-quality devices "faster than any company has ever shipped 100 million of something new before." The goal is to release the first device by late next year.

Ive gave Altman a prototype of the first device to take home to test, said the OpenAI CEO. "I've been able to live with it, and I think it is the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen," he said.

OpenAI's acquisition of io is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed this summer. It is OpenAI's biggest acquisition to date, with the ChatGPT-maker reportedly paying $6.5 billion for io.

Just hours after Fortnite returned to the U.S. App Store, the game made it to the top of the App Store charts. As of right now, Fortnite is the number one free game.

Apple allowed Fortnite back on the U.S. ‌App Store‌ last night, ending a five year ban on the game that started when the legal battle between Apple and Epic Games kicked off. ‌Epic Games‌' original developer account continues to be banned, but it was able to offer the game in the U.S. through the ‌Epic Games‌ Sweden subsidiary that it created to distribute Fortnite in the European Union.

Apple didn't want to bring Fortnite back to the ‌App Store‌, but ‌Epic Games‌ filed a complaint when Apple refused, and the judge overseeing the case suggested that Apple figure it out or face more time in court.

Because Apple had to change its ‌App Store‌ rules to allow developers to link to purchase options outside of the ‌App Store‌, Fortnite includes in-game purchases that do not use in-app purchase. Fortnite gives players the option to purchase currency and items directly from the Fortnite website, with no cut of the payment going to Apple.

Apple is still appealing the court's ruling that forced it to change its ‌App Store‌ rules, and it has asked for a stay while the appeals process plays out. Several companies today filed amicus briefs in support of ‌Epic Games‌, and against the stay. Spotify said that it is already seeing a substantial increase in the number of iOS users that have upgraded to Premium in the last two weeks, while Microsoft said increased choice, innovation, and competition will be "best served" by enforcing the injunction through Apple's appeal.