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Apple and the University of Michigan have released new results from the Apple Hearing Study highlighting the increase in noise levels seen around recent Super Bowl games. The results come just ahead of Super Bowl LIX taking place in New Orleans on Sunday, February 9.

apple hearing study blue
Based on data collected from over 115,000 users via the Noise app on Apple Watch in the Apple Hearing Study, researchers found that study partipicants were exposed to noise levels about 1.5 to 3 decibels higher over the past four Super Bowl games compared to the following Sundays.

While the study's authors note that a 3 dB increase may be "barely noticeable," given the logarithmic nature of the decibel scale it equates to up to a doubling of sound energy that can be detrimental to hearing health.

apple hearing study super bowl
Noise levels were significantly higher for users in states where the Super Bowl was played and whose teams participated in the game each year, compared to those in other states, likely representing a higher number of users in those states gathering for the game, potentially in larger groups and louder environments.

Alongside the results, Apple has highlighted some of the hearing health features offered through the company's devices, including the Noise app on Apple Watch that can alert you to high environmental sound levels and the Hearing Protection feature of AirPods Pro 2 that can reduce your sound exposure in loud environments.

Samsung this week introduced a new sitewide sale with big discounts on TVs, monitors, storage accessories, and home appliances. You can also still save up to $1,250 when pre-ordering the new Samsung Galaxy S25 smartphone lineup, which includes the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra.

samsung new orangeNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

In terms of TVs, the highlight of this sale is up to $1,300 off The Frame TVs, with the popular 65-inch model available for $1,299.99, down from $1,999.99. Another steep TV discount is on Samsung's 85-inch Neo QLED 4K TV for $1,749.99, down from $3,999.99.

TVs

Monitors and Storage

Check out the full list of Samsung monitors on sale for more deals.

Refrigerators

Galaxy Products

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.


Deals Newsletter

Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2025? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

Apple has been ranked as Fortune's Most Admired Company for the 18th consecutive year.

Apple Logo Top Half
The Fortune rankings are based on a survey of 3,380 business leaders across a range of industries, who assess companies on nine criteria, including innovation, investment value, social responsibility, and the ability to attract talent. Apple once again secured the top spot, followed by Microsoft and Amazon, both of which have consistently ranked among the top three in recent years.

The 2025 rankings highlight the continued dominance of the technology sector, most notably with Nvidia making a significant rise to fourth place for the first time, driven by its growing influence in artificial intelligence and GPU development. The company has benefited considerably from the explosive growth of AI, with its chips serving as the backbone for generative AI models developed by OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft.

While technology companies continue to dominate the upper ranks, other industries remain well represented, with Berkshire Hathaway, Costco, and JPMorgan Chase rounding out the top seven. Meanwhile, ServiceNow, Taiwan Semiconductor, and Novo Nordisk made their debuts in the top 50. Another notable trend in this year's Fortune rankings is the increasing consolidation of American corporations at the top, with all ten of the most admired companies based in the U.S. for the second year in a row.

Tag: Fortune

TSMC founder Morris Chang has revealed that Apple CEO Tim Cook rejected Intel as an iPhone chip manufacturing partner in 2011, and told him that "Intel just does not know how to be a foundry."

tsmc founder morris chang
In a new YouTube interview with Acquired, Chang recounts how Apple briefly paused discussions with TSMC in February 2011 when Intel's CEO approached Cook about manufacturing Apple's iPhone chips. At the time, Intel was already supplying processors for Apple's Mac lineup.

Despite the existing relationship, Cook ultimately chose TSMC over Intel after just two months of consideration. According to Chang, Cook's decisive comment about Intel's foundry capabilities came during a private meeting at Apple's headquarters in March 2011.

"I wasn't too worried," Chang said, explaining that TSMC had advantages over Intel in manufacturing capabilities and customer trust. "I knew a lot of Intel's customers in Taiwan, and none of them liked Intel. Intel always acted like they were the only guy for microprocessors."

Chang said that TSMC's success was built on its responsive approach to customer needs. "When the customer asks a lot of things, we have learned to respond to every request," he explained. "Some of them were crazy, some of them were irrational, but we respond to each request courteously. Intel has never done that."

The decision proved pivotal for both companies. TSMC went on to become Apple's exclusive chip manufacturer, producing all Apple silicon chips, including those for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Meanwhile, Intel's foundry business struggled for years to gain traction with external customers. Only recently did the company revamp its manufacturing strategy with the establishment of Intel Foundry, set up to produce integrated circuits for external clients. In September 2024, for example, Intel's foundry business secured Amazon’s AWS cloud services unit as a customer for custom AI chips.

Tags: Intel, TSMC

Microsoft has announced an update to Windows 11 that allows iPhone users to access their devices directly from the Start menu, bringing feature parity with its existing Android phone integration.

windows 11 iphone start menu
The new functionality lets you view your device's battery status, cellular connectivity, and recent activities without leaving the Windows environment. You can also access messages, calls, and file sharing capabilities directly from the Start menu interface.

Setting up the integration is straightforward. Just open the Start menu and select "iPhone" from the right-side pane, then follow the on-screen instructions to establish the connection between your iPhone and PC.

The feature is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders in both Dev and Beta channels. To access the new functionality, you must be running Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 4805 or higher in the Beta Channel, or Build 26120.3000 or higher in the Dev Channel. Additional requirements include Phone Link version 1.24121.30.0 or higher and a PC with Bluetooth LE capability.

Note that not all Windows 11 users will have immediate access to the feature. Microsoft says the integration is not supported on PCs running Windows 11 Pro Education or Education SKUs.

On January 27, Apple released iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3, which means we're now ready for a new round of beta testing. The next betas are rumored to have important new Siri Apple Intelligence features, so when can we expect the software?

Generic iOS 18
There are typically few pauses between beta updates, and Apple often seeds a new beta just a day or two after new software comes out. That's not always the case, though, and sometimes we're left waiting for a couple of weeks. With significant features coming in iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4, there's a possibility that there could be a delay before the betas are introduced.

In past years, there have also been some .4 updates with key features, and historical release cycles can give us some insight into when we might see the .4 betas this year.

  • iOS 17.3 release to iOS 17.4 beta - 3 days
  • iOS 16.3 release to iOS 16.4 beta - 24 days
  • iOS 15.3 release to iOS 15.4 beta - 1 day
  • iOS 14.3 release to iOS 14.4 beta - 2 days
  • iOS 13.3 release to iOS 13.4 beta - 57 days

Expected iOS 18.4 Features

Given that we're still waiting on some of the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features that Apple announced at WWDC in June, and that Apple has already mentioned that some new capabilities will be coming in April, it's not too hard to figure out what could be included in iOS 18.4.

Apple Intelligence

Apple plans to add new functionality to ‌Siri‌, which should make ‌Siri‌ more capable.

‌Siri‌ Personal Context

‌Siri‌ will be able to keep track of your emails, messages, files, photos, and more, learning more about you to help you complete tasks and keep track of what you've been sent.

  • Show me the files Eric sent me last week.
  • Find the email where Eric mentioned ice skating.
  • Find the books that Eric recommended to me.
  • Where's the recipe that Eric sent me?
  • What's my passport number?

‌Siri‌ Onscreen Awareness

‌Siri‌ will be able to tell what's on your screen and complete actions involving whatever you're looking at. If someone texts you an address, for example, you can tell ‌Siri‌ to add it to their contact card. Or if you're looking at a photo and want to send it to someone, you can ask ‌Siri‌ to do it for you.

This is separate from the feature where you can have ‌Siri‌ capture a screenshot and send it to ChatGPT.

Deeper App Integration with ‌Siri‌

‌Siri‌ will be able to do more in and across apps, performing actions and completing tasks that are just not possible with the personal assistant right now. We don't have a full picture of what ‌Siri‌ will be capable of, but Apple has provided a few examples of what to expect.

  • Moving files from one app to another.
  • Editing a photo and then sending it to someone.
  • Get directions and also sharing the ETA with someone at the same time.
  • Sending an email draft.
More Countries

Apple is planning to expand ‌Apple Intelligence‌ to additional countries, with the feature set to be available in languages that include English (India), English (Singapore), Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Emoji

Apple's .4 updates typically introduce new emoji characters. Right now, we're waiting on the Unicode 16 emoji, which includes face with bags under eyes, fingerprint, leafless tree, root vegetable, harp, shovel, and splatter.

Unicode 16 Emoji Feature

Digital Markets Act Changes in EU

iPhone users in the European Union may get the option to change their default navigation and translate apps as Apple is planning to add support for this functionality in spring 2025.

iOS 18.4 Release Date

After a beta testing period that spans through March, Apple will likely release iOS 18.4 in April. Previously, the company said that ‌Apple Intelligence‌ will be available in new languages in an update coming in April 2025, which aligns with the iOS 18.4 testing period and subsequent launch date.

Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Apple Pay now supports Citi Flex Pay, allowing U.S. Citi credit card holders to pay for ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases over time with the Flex Pay option.

Apple Pay Citi Flex
Citi Flex Pay is available for ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases over $75. The default payback period is three months, but there are longer payback durations available with a monthly fee. Flex Pay can be used when making purchases on websites or in apps.

To use Citi Flex Pay, an eligible Citi credit card needs to be added to ‌Apple Pay‌. When making a purchase, select the Citi credit card and then tap on "Pay Later." From there, select a Citi Flex Pay option.

Apple previously had its own buy now, pay later service called ‌Apple Pay‌ Later, but it was discontinued last year. Apple now partners with third-party providers for pay over time options. Apple's other U.S. partners include Affirm, Klarna, and Synchrony.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Apple and Major League Soccer today introduced Sunday Night Soccer. Apple TV+ subscribers will be able to watch a featured MLS match every Sunday evening during the upcoming 2025 season, at no additional cost. In the U.S., Apple TV+ is priced at $9.99 per month or $99 per year, and it is also included in all Apple One subscription bundles.

Apple TV Plus MLS Sunday Night Soccer
Apple TV+ now offers Friday Night Baseball for MLB and Sunday Night Soccer for MLS, as part of its growing professional sports portfolio.

The 2025 regular season kicks off with the MLS is Back weekend on Saturday, February 22 and Sunday February 23, with all 30 clubs set to take the field.

Sunday Night Soccer will spotlight the most compelling MLS matchups, with enhanced production and studio programming, according to Apple. The inaugural matchup will see the league's newest franchise, San Diego FC, make its debut against the reigning MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy, on Sunday, February 23 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

Sunday Night Soccer will also be included with an MLS Season Pass subscription, which is now available for the 2025 season. In the U.S., MLS Season Pass is priced at $14.99 per month, or $99 for the full season, and this subscription also lets you watch select preseason matches, all regular season matches, the MLS Cup playoffs, and more. MLS Season Pass is available in the Apple TV app on Apple devices, most smart TVs, and many other streaming devices and game consoles, as well as on the web at tv.apple.com.

T-Mobile is offering qualified customers complimentary access to MLS Season Pass this season. The offer can be redeemed in the T-Life app, starting Tuesday, February 18. MLS Season Pass is also available through Comcast Xfinity and DIRECTV this season.

2025 marks the third year of a 10-year partnership between Apple and Major League Soccer.

Netflix has introduced a new "Season Download" button for iPhone and iPad users, making it possible to download an entire season of a series with a single tap for offline viewing (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Netflix Smaller 2

The feature was previously only available to Android users. To date, Netflix subscribers using iOS or iPadOS were required to download each episode individually, which could be time-consuming. Now, full seasons can be downloaded directly from a show's display page, where the option is available next to the Share button. Subscribers can continue to manage their downloaded content through the My Netflix tab.

Netflix first introduced offline viewing in 2016. Over the years, the company expanded the feature with improvements such as Smart Downloads, which automatically replaces watched episodes with the next available installment in a series.

As part of the announcement, Netflix revealed the most-downloaded series on its platform, which include "Squid Game" seasons one and two, "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story," "One Piece," and "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story."

The timing of the update coincides with Netflix's latest round of price increases. The company recently increased the cost of its premium ad-free plan to $24.99 per month, while the standard ad-free plan now costs $17.99. The ad-supported tier was raised to $7.99 per month. Subscribers on ad-free plans can store up to 100 active downloads per device, while those on ad-supported plans face stricter limits, allowing only 15 total downloads per month.

Tag: Netflix

Amazon and Best Buy are discounting Apple's 13-inch M2 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 256GB SSD storage down to $799.00 in every color. This is a $200 discount on the M2 MacBook Air, and the sale does not require any coupon code in order to see the final deal price.

macbook air blue imageNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Compared to past sales, this is a match of the all-time low price on this model of the M2 MacBook Air. Although this is a previous generation device, it remains in Apple's current lineup and will work great for anyone who doesn't need the performance gains introduced with the M3 chip, especially at this discounted price.

If you're looking for a deal on the M3 MacBook Air, you can get the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD storage for $1,099.99 with an on-page coupon on Amazon, down from $1,299.00. There are three colors available at this record low price on Amazon.

Note: You won't see the deal price until checkout.

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.


Deals Newsletter

Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2025? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

OpenAI says it has uncovered evidence that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek used its proprietary models to train a competing open-source model, potentially violating the company's terms of service.

deepseek ai app
The discovery centers around a technique called "distillation," where developers use outputs from larger AI models to train smaller ones. The practice is common in AI development, but OpenAI claims DeepSeek crossed a line by using it to build a rival model.

"The issue is when you take it out of the platform and are doing it to create your own model for your own purposes," a source close to OpenAI told the Financial Times.

DeepSeek's R1 reasoning model has attracted widespread attention in the tech industry for achieving comparable results to leading US models at a remarkably low cost. The company claims it spent just $5.6 million on development, which is a fraction of what companies like OpenAI and Google typically invest. The app this week reached the number one position on Apple's App Store free charts in multiple countries, including the US.

Asked about OpenAI's allegations in an interview with Fox News, White House AI czar David Sacks didn't mince his words.

"There's substantial evidence that what DeepSeek did here is they distilled knowledge out of OpenAI models, and I don't think OpenAI is very happy about this," he said.

The controversy has already had market implications. Nvidia saw its shares drop 17% on Monday, wiping a one-day record $589 billion off its market value, as investors questioned whether expensive AI hardware investments might be unnecessary if companies can achieve similar results with fewer resources.

According to Bloomberg, OpenAI and Microsoft reportedly investigated and blocked accounts in August for suspected terms of service violations, and they now believe these accounts were associated with DeepSeek. Both companies have declined to provide specific details about their evidence.

Tags: China, OpenAI

WhatsApp has released version 25.2.3 for iOS devices to patch a significant privacy vulnerability that affected its "View Once" feature. The bug allowed users to access photos and videos that were meant to disappear after a single viewing.

Whatsapp Feature
The security flaw, which only impacted iPhone users, allowed anyone to view supposedly ephemeral content by navigating to Settings ➝ Storage and Data ➝ Manage Storage and sorting media by "Newest." This completely bypassed the privacy protection that View Once was designed to provide.

Security researcher Ramshath first documented the vulnerability in a Medium post, prompting WhatsApp to acknowledge the issue and develop a fix. This isn't the first time View Once has faced security challenges – a similar bug was discovered and patched on WhatsApp Web last December.

The latest update also introduces several new features, including the ability to make calls without saving phone numbers first and enhanced group calling capabilities.

Given the privacy implications, WhatsApp users on iOS should update their app immediately through the App Store to ensure their View Once media remains ephemeral as intended. [Direct Link]

As of iOS 18.3, T-Mobile subscribers with a compatible iPhone and Starlink beta access are able to connect to Starlink satellites, reports Bloomberg. Apple quietly worked with SpaceX and T-Mobile to add support for Starlink to its ‌iPhone‌ lineup, and T-Mobile's website confirms the new integration.

tmobile starlink
T-Mobile announced a partnership with Starlink in 2022, and in December 2024, the carrier opened up a beta program allowing subscribers to use Starlink satellites for texting in areas without cell towers. At the time, the T-Mobile Starlink beta program was limited to Samsung smartphones, and iPhones weren't supported.

Following the release of iOS 18.3, T-Mobile has invited a small number of ‌iPhone‌ users to take advantage of the Starlink beta, and those users have a new toggle to enable the satellite connectivity feature. T-Mobile customers who were selected received the following message:

You're in the T-Mobile Starlink beta. You can now stay connected with texting via satellite from virtually anywhere. To start experiencing coverage beyond, please update to iOS 18.3.

With Starlink integration, a T-Mobile ‌iPhone‌ without T-Mobile cellular service available will be able to pair automatically with Starlink satellites for connectivity. Starlink is limited to texting at the current time, but T-Mobile and SpaceX plan to support data and voice in the future.

Apple did not respond to Bloomberg's request for comment on the feature, but T-Mobile said that Starlink connectivity will eventually be available on the "vast majority of modern smartphones."

The ‌iPhone‌ 14 and later already support satellite connectivity for text messages through Apple's partnership with Globalstar, so ‌iPhone‌ users who are able to use Starlink can also opt to text with Apple's built-in satellite service. Both Apple's service and Starlink are only available when there is no nearby cellular network.

Starlink beta access is limited right now, but T-Mobile eventually plans to expand the beta test to additional subscribers. T-Mobile customers can sign up to join the beta on the T-Mobile website. Starlink is only available in the U.S., and it is free during T-Mobile's beta testing period.

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.

The upcoming iPhone SE 4 will feature a notch instead of the Dynamic Island, respected display analyst Ross Young said today. The device will have a "notch like the ‌iPhone‌ 14," according to Young, which contradicts a recent leak that depicted a ‌Dynamic Island‌.

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1
Earlier this month, leaker Evan Blass shared images said to feature the ‌iPhone‌ SE 4's design, but those images featured an ‌iPhone‌ with a ‌Dynamic Island‌ rather than the notch that had been previously rumored for new low-cost ‌iPhone‌. A sketchy leak from February 2024 also suggested that the ‌iPhone‌ SE 4 would get the ‌Dynamic Island‌, but most other information has suggested that Apple will go with the notch design.

Multiple rumors have indicated that the ‌iPhone‌ SE 4 is modeled after the ‌iPhone‌ 14, and will therefore have an ‌iPhone‌ 14-style design. The ‌iPhone‌ 14 had a notch and not a ‌Dynamic Island‌, so the notch makes more sense if Apple is using an ‌iPhone‌ 14 body for the ‌iPhone‌ SE 4. Alleged screen protectors for the ‌iPhone‌ SE 4 also appear to have a design for a notch rather than the ‌Dynamic Island‌.

iphone se 4 screen protector

Image via Sonny Dickson

With the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ SE 4, Apple will sunset Touch ID in the ‌iPhone‌ lineup, and all iPhones will have Face ID. The ‌iPhone‌ SE 4 is also expected to feature a 6.1-inch display, a single-lens rear camera, 8GB RAM, and an A17 Pro chip capable of supporting Apple Intelligence.

Current rumors suggest that the ‌iPhone‌ SE 4 will be introduced in the spring, likely in April.

Related Forum: iPhone

Samsung just recently announced the Galaxy S25 Ultra, its latest flagship smartphone that's designed to compete with the iPhone. We did a hands-on video last week, but this week we're back with an in-depth camera comparison.


In this article and our accompanying video, we've included blind photos from the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max so you can judge for yourself which smartphone camera you prefer, but we'll let you know which is which at the very end of the video.

s25 ultra vs iphone 16 pro 1
The ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max has a 50-megapixel Main lens (which is wide angle), a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide lens, and a 12-megapixel Telephoto lens. In sheer specs, Samsung wins because the S25 Ultra has a quad camera setup with a 200-megapixel wide lens, a 50-megapixel ultra wide lens, a 50 megapixel telephoto lens, and an extra 10-megapixel telephoto lens. The extra telephoto lens allows for more versatility with different optical zoom options.

s25 ultra vs iphone 16 pro 2
Adding more megapixels lets you crop in more and it can preserve detail when doing so, but smartphone cameras these days are advanced enough that you're going to get fantastic pictures regardless of whether you have an ‌iPhone‌ or a Samsung device.

s25 ultra vs iphone 16 pro 10
That said, there are notable differences in under-the-hood processing techniques, plus some areas where Apple has an edge and some areas where Samsung excels.

s25 ultra vs iphone 16 pro 3
The ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max simply cannot compete with the Galaxy S25 on optical and software-enhanced digital zoom. The Galaxy S25 has 5x optical zoom like the ‌iPhone‌, but 10x "optical quality" zoom that uses AI, and it works well.

s25 ultra vs iphone 16 pro 9
Further, Samsung has a 100x zoom feature that's been getting better every year. Apple's digital zoom is limited to 25x, and there's so much noise that 25x images are unusable, but Samsung's comparable 30x images look decent.

s25 ultra vs iphone 16 pro 4
Comparing zoomed in photos is where you'll see the biggest difference between the S25 Ultra and the 16 Pro Max.

s25 ultra vs iphone 16 pro 5
When it comes to everyday photos, there are some areas where the S25 Ultra struggled. Low-light and night photos in particular showed some significant light flare and blur, and the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max performed better in these scenarios. Apple's image processing tends to be high contrast with vivid color, and that's clear here. Shots from the S25 Ultra tend to be a little more washed out, but which you like better is a matter of preference.

s25 ultra vs iphone 16 pro 6
Portraits were similar with both smartphones, and both did a good job separating the subject from the background and applying attractive blur.

s25 ultra vs iphone 16 pro 27
To match the ‌iPhone‌'s video recording capabilities, Samsung added a new LOG video recording mode for pros, along with an Expert RAW mode that lets you adjust aperture before capturing a shot. Apple still has an edge when it comes to video, including stabilization.

s25 ultra vs iphone 16 pro 8
Make sure to watch the video to see which smartphone is which, and let us know in the comments below whether you prefer the images from the Galaxy S25 Ultra or the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Tag: Samsung

There are two new speculative execution attacks that impact recent Apple chips, according to data shared today by Georgia Tech students that discovered the vulnerabilities.

slap flop vulnerabilities
Named SLAP and FLOP, the two security flaws could allow an attacker to use a malicious webpage to spy on the contents of other webpages, giving attackers remote access to browsing history, credit card data, emails, location information, and more. Physical access to a device is not required, and the attack can be executed through a malicious site that bypasses Apple's browser protections.

Several Apple A-series and M-series chips are affected, including the M2 and later and the A15 and later, which are in the following devices:

  • 2022 and later Mac notebooks
  • 2023 and later Mac desktops
  • 2021 and later iPad models
  • 2021 and later iPhones

SLAP and FLOP were disclosed to Apple in May 2024 and September 2024, respectively, and while the attacks have not yet been patched, the researchers who reported the issue were told that Apple plans to address the vulnerabilities in an upcoming security update.

Apple told Bleeping Computer that it has not yet patched the flaws. "We want to thank the researchers for their collaboration as this proof of concept advances our understanding of these types of threats," Apple said. "Based on our analysis, we do not believe this issue poses an immediate risk to our users."

SLAP affects Safari, while FLOP affects Safari and Chrome. Other browsers like Firefox could be affected too, but have not been tested. There is no evidence that SLAP and FLOP have been executed in the wild.

Details on how SLAP and FLOP work can be found on the website dedicated to explaining the vulnerabilities.

CVS is testing a new feature that is designed to allow iPhone and Android users to unlock product cabinets to retrieve an item without the need to summon an employee, reports The Wall Street Journal (via The Verge).

iphone 16 pro pro max
Many stores like CVS use locked cabinets for items that are often shoplifted, cutting down on retail theft. Locking items up, though, inconveniences shoppers because an employee has to be summoned to retrieve items for customers. CVS Health's chief technology officer Tilak Mandadi told The Wall Street Journal that people "really, really dislike locked cabinets," which is why the chain is testing a new procedure.

CVS shoppers who have the CVS app (with CVS account), activate Bluetooth, and connect to in-store Wi-Fi can unlock locked product cabinets with an ‌iPhone‌.

CVS is testing the smartphone-based product unlocking in three of its retail locations, but it will soon be expanded to 10 to 15 stores. If the trial is successful, CVS plans to roll it out to all retail locations.

Tag: CVS

Apple is continuing to promote the Beats Pill speaker, today sharing a new Valentine's Day-themed short ad that uses the cute anthropomorphized "Pill People" characters to highlight battery life.


The spot features the red Beats Pill holding up a be mine sign and playing music in a Say Anything-esque scene. The white Beats Pill walks by and asks how long the red Beats Pill has been outside playing music. "17 hours," replies the speaker, before an end tag comes up that points out the device's 24-hour battery life.

"Nobody ❤️s a 24-hour battery life like we do. And did you know 2 Beats Pills can be paired together for increased volume? Sounds like a sign to us," reads the ad's description.

Apple's Beats brand introduced the new version of the Beats Pill in June of last year, after the prior Pill+ version was discontinued in early 2022. The updated Beats Pill is priced at $150 and it offers a redesigned speaker system, a removable lanyard for portability, USB-C charging, IP67 water resistance, and 24 hours of battery life.