Apple today updated its vintage products list to add the 2018 Mac mini and the iPhone 6s, devices that will get more limited service and repairs now that they are considered vintage.
The iPhone 6s initially launched in 2015, but Apple kept it around as a low-cost device until 2018, which is why it is only now being added to the vintage list. The iPhone 6s had Apple's A9 chip, and it was equipped with a strengthened aluminum chassis to fix the iPhone 6 "bendgate" design flaw. It was also the first iPhone with 3D Touch, and the last flagship iPhone with a headphone jack.
The 2018 Mac mini came out before Apple transitioned to Apple silicon, and it was actually the last Mac mini that had Intel chips inside. It was equipped with Intel's "Coffee Lake" chipset with 4-core and 6-core options, plus it had Intel UHD Graphics 630.
A device is considered "vintage" five years after it was last distributed for sale. For vintage products, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) are still able to offer repairs, but only if the required parts are available.
At the seven year mark after a device's last date of sale, it is considered "obsolete." Apple Stores and AASPs generally do not repair products that are obsolete, and parts are no longer provided by Apple.
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will likely cost around 10% more than Samsung's rival device, according to a known Weibo leaker.
According to a new post from the Weibo user known as "Instant Digital," Apple's first foldable iPhone will likely cost between $2,100 and $2,300—just a little more than Samsung's high-end foldable.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 starts at $1,899.99, while the Galaxy Z Flip6 starts at $1,219.99. Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to have a book-like design that folds horizontally, just like the Z Fold. The rumored pricing would make Apple's foldable around $200–$400 more expensive than Samsung's equivalent offering.
For comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,199, but when configured with 1TB of storage that increases to $1,599. This means that Apple's first foldable will still be around $1,000 more expensive than the current flagship iPhone.
Ahead of Earth Day on April 22, Apple plans to launch an in-store promotion that offers customers 10% off select Apple accessories when they bring in old electronics for free recycling, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Apple has long offered to recycle older devices, cables, cases, and accessories for free, as part of its environmental initiatives. Starting this Wednesday, customers who recycle electronics that are not eligible for trade-in credit at an Apple Store will temporarily qualify for up to $20 off select Apple accessories, including the AirTag, AirPods, Apple Pencil, Apple Watch bands, iPhone cases, and the Magic Mouse/Trackpad/Keyboard trio for Macs.
Apple even accepts certain electronics from other brands for free recycling, so it will be interesting to see what qualifies for this promotion.
The promotion will run for one month, according to Gurman. It is unclear if the offer will be available in the U.S. only, or in multiple countries.
While a 10% discount is not significant, Apple rarely offers direct savings on its products beyond its annual Back to School and Black Friday events.
Best Buy this week kicked off a new Spring Sale, including major discounts on computers, TVs, headphones, smartphones, video games, LEGO sets, and much more. This also includes a collection of Apple product discounts on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. 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 Apple products, Best Buy is offering a huge collection of discounts on the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro. You'll find nearly every Wi-Fi and cellular model on sale at Best Buy during this event, with as much as $200 off these tablets.
Most of the deals shared below are available to all shoppers, but some do require a My Best Buy Plus/Total membership. These start at $49.99/year for My Best Buy Plus, and grant access to exclusive discounts and more.
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 first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update.
Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September.
Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors so far.
New Design With Floating Tab Bar
iOS 19 is expected to introduce a new design that looks more like the visionOS operating system on the Apple Vision Pro headset.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also expects iOS 19 to have a visionOS-like design, and he believes the design changes will be the biggest since iOS 7.
End-to-End Encryption for RCS
Last month, Apple said that it plans to add support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to the Messages app in future iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS software updates. That likely means iOS 19, macOS 16, and other corresponding updates.
Apple promising end-to-end encryption for RCS messages indirectly confirms that it will be adopting the RCS Universal Profile 3.0 specification, which also includes several iMessage-like enhancements that were originally introduced in version 2.7 of the specification. iOS 18 supports RCS Universal Profile 2.4.
End-to-end encryption, which will prevent Apple and any other third party from being able to read messages and attachments while they are being sent between devices
In-line replies
Edit messages
Unsend messages
Full-fledged Tapback support for RCS messages, ensuring they always work
iMessage conversations with blue bubbles have supported end-to-end encryption by default since iOS 5. In addition, iMessage has supported in-line replies since iOS 14, while the options to edit and unsend iMessages were introduced with iOS 16.
Apple has not indicated which iOS version will upgrade RCS, but iOS 19 or a follow-up update like iOS 19.1 or iOS 19.2 seems like a safe bet.
Live Translate With AirPods
At least some AirPods models will be getting a new live translation feature with iOS 19 and an accompanying firmware update, according to Gurman.
Here is how that feature will work, according to his report last month:
The capability will work like this: If an English speaker is hearing someone talk in Spanish, the iPhone will translate the speech and relay it to the user's AirPods in English. The English speaker's words, meanwhile, will be translated into Spanish and played back by the iPhone.
Google already offers a similar Live Translate feature.
He also said iOS 19 will have bolstered translation capabilities, which likely means improvements are coming to the Apple Translate app.
Apple plans to offer a new AI-powered health coaching feature that offers personalized health recommendations, according to Gurman. The information provided by the coaching feature would be accompanied by videos from health experts that inform users about various health conditions and ways to make lifestyle improvements. For example, if the Apple Watch tracks poor heart-rate trends, a video could explain the risks of heart disease.
Food tracking will be another big part of the revamped Health app, which could compete with the MyFitnessPal app, according to Gurman.
Personalized Siri
Apple recently delayed the more personalized version of Siri that it previewed at WWDC last year. The company said it anticipates rolling out the Siri upgrades at some point "in the coming year," so the features could launch as part of iOS 19 later this year, although they could also arrive as part of a later update, such as iOS 19.1 through iOS 19.4.
Whenever they launch, the Siri upgrades will include understanding of a user's personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper per-app controls. For example, during its WWDC 2024 keynote, Apple showed an iPhone user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation plans based on info from the Mail and Messages apps.
The more personalized Siri features will require an iPhone model that supports Apple Intelligence, so you will need an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, any iPhone 16 model, or any iPhone 17 model launching later this year.
EU Changes
The European Commission last month announced a long list of changes that Apple is legally required to implement in future iOS 19 and iOS 20 updates.
The announcement clarifies interoperability requirements that Apple is required to adhere to in the EU, under the Digital Markets Act, which has been fully enforced since March 2024. The changes will further open up the iPhone and its technologies to competing companies and devices, and Apple is not happy about it.
Here are some of the key requirements:
Third-party smartwatches must be able to display and interact with iOS notifications by the end of 2025, which likely means iOS 19.2 or earlier.
Apple must make its automatic audio switching feature available to third-party headphones by June 1, 2026, which likely means iOS 19.4 or earlier. This is the feature that allows most AirPods and select Beats to automatically switch connection between Apple devices, such as a Mac and an iPhone.
Apple must make changes to iOS that allow for third parties to offer equivalent AirDrop alternatives by June 1, 2026.
Apple must make changes to iOS that allow for third parties to offer equivalent AirPlay alternatives by iOS 20, or the end of 2026. iOS 20 is expected to be released to the general public in September 2026.
All three cable types are available in 1.5-meter (5-foot) and 20-centimeter (8-inch) lengths and both lengths are priced at $18.99 for a single cable. The 1.5-meter versions of USB-C to USB-C and USB-A to USB-C are also available in 2-packs for $34.99.
The 1-pack versions of the 1.5-meter cables are available in Bolt Black, Surge Stone, and Rapid Red, though the Rapid Red versions of the USB-A to USB-C and USB-C to Lightning won't be available until summer. The USB-C to USB-C cable is also available in a Nitro Navy color.
The 2-pack versions of the 1.5-meter USB-C to USB-C and USB-A to USB-C cables, as well as the three 20-centimeter cables, are available only in Bolt Black.
The new Beats cables are made with a woven design for increased durability and to prevent tangles, with the USB-C to USB-C cables supporting charging at up to 60 watts while the USB-A to USB-C cables support charging at up to 15 watts. Data speeds on both are limited to USB 2.0 rates. The USB-C to Lightning cables support fast charging on select iPhone and iPad models, though Beats did not specify an exact wattage limit.
To promote the launch, the Beats "Pill People" have returned in a brief ad spot voiced by comedians Ben Marshall, Desi Banks and Megan Stalter.
The new cables are available to order starting today at apple.com in the United States, with on-shelf availability starting this Thursday, April 17.
The debut of the new cables from Beats follows the launch of cases for the iPhone 16 series back in September and December as the brand has worked to expand its product portfolio into new accessory categories.
Taiwan's China Airlines and Air India now support Apple's iPhone feature that makes it easier to share the location of AirTag-equipped baggage at airports, according to localmedia.
With iOS 18.2, Apple introduced a new Find My feature that lets you temporarily share the location of an AirTag-equipped item – such as a bag – with others, including participating airline staff, to help track it if it's lost or delayed.
Users running iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, or macOS Sequoia 15.2 and later can generate a "Share Item Location" link in the Find My app. Recipients can view the item's location on a live-updating web map.
Apple says it collaborated with airlines to enable private and secure access to these links. Only a small number of people can view each link, and airline staff must authenticate using an Apple ID or a verified partner email to gain access.
China Airlines said that as soon as customers find their item, location sharing is disabled. The owner can also stop sharing their location at any time, and the sharing link automatically expires after 7 days to ensure the privacy of passengers.
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone (aka "iPhone Fold") will use OLED panels exclusively supplied by Samsung Display, reports Business Korea.
Apple's decision to rely exclusively on Samsung Display is noteworthy, as it marks a departure from Apple's usual strategy of sourcing components from multiple suppliers to reduce costs and ensure consistent quality.
Apple's decision to use Samsung as the sole supplier of the OLED panels, leaving out LG Display and China's BOE, was reportedly down to Samsung's "technological edge in minimizing screen creases."
"For Apple, which prioritizes quality over price when selecting component suppliers, Samsung was the only viable choice," stated an industry insider quoted in the report.
Based on previous reports, when the device is folded, users will interact with a 5.5-inch outer display that is similar to a typical iPhone screen, while unfolding it will reveal a larger 7.8-inch iPad-style screen with a punch-hole camera. The inner display is said to be virtually crease-free, and the screen dimensions have been corroborated by two reputablesources. Instead of Face ID, Apple is said to be using Touch ID integrated into the side button to save internal space.
According to Business Korea, the supply volume for Apple's foldable iPhone, expected to launch late next year, has not yet been finalised. However, industry expectations suggest it could exceed its initially projected annual level of 9 million units, and potentially reach over 15 million units.
Apple's rumored foldable iPhone currently in development features an under-screen camera integrated into the folding display, but the module is unlikely to include TrueDepth components that make up Face ID. That's according to Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station who has sources within the Chinese supply chain.
On Monday, the leaker revealed the alleged screen resolutions for the 7.76-inch inner display and the 5.49-inch outer display of Apple's book-style foldable device, and they also claimed that the inner display uses "under-screen camera technology." However, it was not clear whether this meant the TrueDepth system that underlies Face ID would be integrated beneath the screen along with the selfie camera.
The latest tidbit of information clears this up, and suggests that the display will have a single punch-hole camera. It also aligns with industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's claim that Apple's foldable iPhone will forgo Face ID authentication, instead using a Touch ID side button as a means to save precious internal space. Apple already integrates Touch ID into the side button on some iPads, so there's precedent for this.
Integrating Face ID under the screen is difficult because the core components that make up the TrueDepth camera system – like the dot projector and infrared camera – need a clear, unobstructed view to accurately scan your face. Current display layers block or distort infrared light, which degrades the system's ability to create a secure 3D facial map. Fully under-display Face ID will remain a technical hurdle until displays can transmit infrared light cleanly.
That said, it's possible that Apple has already made advances toward achieving such a feat. Apple is also developing a larger 18.8-inch foldable device, and according to Digital Chat Station, one of Apple's engineering prototypes features a "metal superstructure lens" that integrates the receiver and transmitter components of Face ID for under-display facial recognition.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested the "giant" foldable tablet will launch in 2028. Whether the new Face ID technology makes it into the finished device is unknown.
Apple will launch its long-rumored foldable iPhone late next year with a ~$2,000 premium price tag attached, according to Gurman.
Apple is canceling popular comedy series Mythic Quest after a four season run, with the show to wrap up after a re-released season 4 finale that's coming later this week.
Mythic Quest starred Rob McElhenney, Charlotte Nicdao, Danny Pudi, and David Hornsby, all of whom played characters that worked at the fictional Mythic Quest Studios creating, designing, and running a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. The show provided a satirical and humorous look at the inner workings of video game development.
Season four was not initially meant to be the show's final season, so the season four finale has been updated with a new ending that will provide Mythic Quest fans with closure. In a statement to Deadline, series producers Megan Ganz, David Hornsby and Rob McElhenney said they wanted to be able to say goodbye.
Endings are hard. But after four incredible seasons, Mythic Quest is coming to a close. We're so proud of the show and the world we got to build -- and deeply grateful to every cast and crew member who poured their heart into it. To all our fans, thank you for playing with us. To our partners at Apple, thank you for believing in the vision from the very beginning. Because endings are hard, with Apple's blessing we made one final update to our last episode -- so we could say goodbye, instead of just game over.
Mythic Quest was one of the first shows that launched on Apple TV+, debuting in February 2020. There have been four seasons and two special episodes, including one that was filmed remotely on iPhones during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Apple's decision to cancel Mythic Quest follows reports of Apple TV+ losses. Apple TV+ is losing as much as $1 billion per year as Apple works to lure subscribers and add more content to the streaming service.
Mythic Quest has spawned a spinoff show called Side Quest, a four episode miniseries that explores the lives of Mythic Quest employees and players. The final episode of season four aired on March 26 and ended with a cliffhanger. The re-edited final episode with a new ending will be available this week.
Apple will not be exempt from tariffs after all, with U.S. President Donald Trump working on new semiconductor levies that will likely impact Apple devices, chips from companies like Nvidia, and other electronics.
Over the weekend, the U.S. Customers and Border Protection agency shared a long list of electronic devices excluded from the current tariffs, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, the Apple Watch, and more. Apple scored a reprieve from the 145 percent tariff impacting goods imported from China and the 10 percent tariff on goods imported from other countries, but it doesn't sound like it's going to last.
On his Truth Social network, Trump said that no one is "getting off the hook" and there "was no tariff exception." Apple and other tech companies are "just moving to a different tariff bucket," with the 20 percent "Fentanyl Tariffs" still in place, and additional tariffs coming.
Trump said that his administration will be "taking a look" at semiconductors and the electronics supply chain in the National Security Tariff Investigations. He also reiterated that "we need to make products in the United States." Trump is expected to announce some kind of semiconductor tariff in the coming days.
Trump has suggested that Apple could manufacture the iPhone and other products in the United States, but even if such a move were not wildly expensive, Apple would not be able to find enough people with the necessary skillset to assemble devices in the quantities needed. U.S. manufacturing would also drive the cost of the iPhone up significantly.
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.
Chipolo today introduced a series of new Bluetooth-enabled item trackers that are compatible with Apple's Find My network. Called the Pop, these trackers come in a range of bright colors, including blue, yellow, red, and green, along with black and white.
The Chipolo Pop item trackers work with Apple Find My, so you can use them just like AirTags. The Pop can be added to your Items tab in the Find My app, and once added, it is trackable over Bluetooth and can be placed on an item like a bag or a suitcase for tracking purposes.
When the item is out of range, the Pop is able to connect to the Find My network to leverage the iPhones of other people to locate your item and relay its location.
Like an AirTag, the Chipolo Pop is equipped with a CR2032 battery that lasts for up to a year before it needs to be replaced. The Pop is 6.6mm thick (so a little thinner than an AirTag) and it has a 300 ft range, plus it comes with a loop at the top for attaching a keyring or strap.
Compared to prior-generation Chipolo trackers, the Pop has a louder sound when the Play Sound option is selected in Find My, a longer range, and IP55 dust and water resistance.
Chipolo is selling the Pop for $29, and it can be purchased from the Chipolo website. Four Pops are priced at $89, and six Pops are priced at $121, or a little over $20 per tracker.
OpenAI today announced the launch of three new GPT models that are available through the OpenAI API. Called GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano, the models are not available for ChatGPT at the current time.
GPT-4.1 includes major improvements in coding, instruction following, and long context, according to OpenAI. The models outperform GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini in all tasks, especially coding tasks. The new models support up to one million tokens of context, and can use that for better long-context comprehension.
On SWE-bench Verified, GPT-4.1 showed a 21.4 percent improvement over GPT-4o for coding, and a 26.6 percent improvement over GPT-4.5. The slimmed down GPT-4.1 mini matches or exceeds GPT-4o with reduced latency and an 83 percent lower cost. GPT-4.1 nano is OpenAI's fastest and cheapest model, ideal for classification, autocompletion, and similar tasks.
OpenAI says that many of the improvements in GPT-4.1 have already been incorporated into the ChatGPT version of GPT-4o, with more functionality to be added in the future. All GPT-4.1 models have a cutoff date of June 2024, which means they are up to date on events that took place before then.
With the introduction of GPT-4.1, OpenAI is deprecating GPT-4.5 in the API, as GPT-4.1 offers much of the same functionality at a lower cost.
GPT-4.1 costs $2 per million input tokens and $8 per million output tokens, while GPT-4.1 mini costs $0.40 per million input tokens and $1.60 per million output tokens. GPT-4.1 nano is just $0.10 per million input tokens and $0.40 per million output tokens. Customized models are available at a higher price.
Dio is a small company focused on delivering a single product for the Apple ecosystem: a low-cost AirPlay speaker system known as Dio Node. Initially launched as a crowdfunded Indiegogo campaign back in 2022, the Dio Node began shipping to backers later that year before later opening up to all customers.
The Dio Node is intended to be a low-cost option for users looking to develop a network of AirPlay speakers scattered throughout their homes, with a single speaker priced at $89.95 and 3-pack and 5-pack options bringing the per-speaker cost down to just under $80. That's just a bit cheaper than a HomePod mini, and I've spent some time with a 3-pack of the Dio Node to understand how the two small speakers compare and what the value proposition of the Dio Node is for users deep in the Apple ecosystem.
From a design perspective, the Dio Node is a pretty simple unidirectional speaker made of dark gray plastic with a light gray or silver speaker grille covering the entire front of the device. It measures around 4 inches (102 mm) square by 1.5 inches (38 mm) deep with a slight taper from front to back, and it weighs just under half a pound (222 grams). The rear of the Node has some very large Dio branding in white, but fortunately this shouldn't be visible in most setups. A soft pad on the bottom edge of the Node helps protect surfaces from potential scratches.
The top of the Node features three subtle rectangular buttons, with the left and right buttons serving to decrease and increase the volume respectively, while the middle one serves as a play/pause button for audio being AirPlayed to the speaker. Holding down multiple buttons in various combinations performs functions such as updating the speaker's firmware, resetting the Wi-Fi connection of the speaker, and conducting a full factory reset.
The speaker is powered through a small 5V2A power adapter with a barrel connector that plugs into the back of the speaker. The integrated cord on the adapter measures about 1.5 meters (59 inches) long, so it does give you some flexibility in terms of placement with respect to an electrical outlet.
Setup is dead simple, with the Node entering a pairing mode as soon as you plug it in for the first time. Once the small LED on the rear of the Node is flashing red, head to the Wi-Fi section of the Settings app on your iOS device, where the Node will appear in a "Set Up New AirPlay Speaker" section.
Tap the Node, select the Wi-Fi network you want to add it to, and give it a useful name to help you identify it in your list of AirPlay destinations. All-in-all, it takes about a minute to get the Node up and running on your network and you can use it just like any other AirPlay destination including accessing it from Control Center or from within compatible apps, using it in combination with additional Dio Nodes or other AirPlay speakers for multi-room audio, and more.
If you want to take your integration a bit further, you can also add your Dio Node to your Apple Home setup. That's also a simple process, requiring you to simply tap the "+" button in the Home app and select "Add an Accessory," choose the "more options" text to see the Node pop up as an available device on your network, tap it, and select which room in your home you want to add it to. The Home app will suggest an automation to automatically pause audio playing to the speaker when you leave your home, but the automation is turned off by default and you can quickly skip past that step to finalize setup.
Once the speaker is set up in the Home app, you can use it as a speaker for the Intercom feature in Apple Home, include the speaker in various other automations and shortcuts, and use Siri to control playback on the Node via the device you're playing from. You can also set up speaker group presets that include the Node.
There's no limit to the number of Dio Nodes that you can link together, which means you can easily scatter them all over your house for a whole-home audio experience, and once they're set up anyone on your network can stream audio to them. The Node offers mono sound rated to 85 dB, so it can get fairly loud for most room sizes, and I would describe its sound quality as adequate but not outstanding.
Compared to the HomePod mini, the Dio Node doesn't have as much bass punchiness, and overall I do prefer the HomePod mini sound. Stepping up to a full-size HomePod obviously offers even better sound, but that's a separate class of speaker.
Dio says the equalization of the Node is tuned to accentuate voices, making it ideal for playing podcasts or audiobooks throughout your home as you move from room to room. It can also certainly handle a decent range of music, but it does lack some of the fullness of sound you get with a few other speaker options. The AirPlay protocol running over Wi-Fi delivers improved sound quality including support for Lossless compared to wireless speakers running over Bluetooth, but you won't be able to capture that full quality here due to the small size of the speaker.
The buttons on the Node are simple but work relatively well, with the play/pause commands taking effect almost immediately across all speakers when the middle button on any of the Nodes is pressed. The buttons are on the clicky side, which makes it obvious when they've triggered but potentially a bit disruptive if being used in a quiet environment. Adjusting volume from iOS or within an app on your source device does incur a bit of lag before it changes on the speaker, more so than I see with a HomePod mini in the same setup.
With its singular focus on AirPlay to keep things simple, the Dio Node lacks several features seen on the HomePod mini and a number of other lower-cost speakers, with the most obvious being a microphone. With no microphone on board the Dio Node, it's not able to directly support Siri requests, for example, and it can't support phone calls and other types of two-way communication.
Apps that classify their sound output as audio calls won't be able to send their audio to the Node at all, but you shouldn't have any trouble with playback-focused audio sources. Dio unsurprisingly markets the lack of a microphone as a privacy feature, given concerns about voice-enabled devices potentially being able to listen in on conversations.
While you can pair the Dio Node to an Apple TV, it's not intended to be used as a stereo or home theater system as it can't pair directly to a TV and doesn't support stereo pairing. There is limited support on Mac and iTunes for Windows, though you can expand its Mac capabilities by using something like Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil app. But even without that, I had no problem sending audio from the Music app on a Mac to multiple Dio Nodes, and I experienced no issues with audio sync.
Range appeared to be solid in my testing, with no audio dropouts on any of the Nodes regardless of where in my 1,800-square-foot house my source devices were in relation to the speakers.
Overall, the Dio Node is a reasonable option if you're looking to set up multi-room AirPlay audio across your home and aren't looking to spend a ton of money. It's hard to recommend a single Dio Node over the HomePod mini for a cost savings of only around $10 given the HomePod mini's better overall sound, larger feature set, and tighter ecosystem integration with things like audio handoff. But if you're looking deploy to something like five or even ten or more of these all around your house, the savings becomes more substantial, and if AirPlay to a set of Dio Nodes is sufficient for your needs, then it's a product worth considering.
Dio offers free shipping anywhere in the U.S. and offers 60-day free returns, so you have ample opportunity to give them a try to see if they'll work for your situation. The Node has also been certified for use in Canada and Europe, and Dio is hoping to expand distribution to those regions in the near future.
The Dio Node can be ordered from the Dio website or via Amazon (which still ships from direct from Dio), with a 1-pack priced at $89.95, a 3-pack priced at $239.00 ($79.66 per unit), or a 5-pack priced at $395.00 ($79.00 per unit).
Note: Dio provided MacRumors with a 3-pack of Dio Nodes for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. 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.
With its uncompromising focus on user privacy, Apple has faced challenges collecting enough data to train the large language models that power Apple Intelligence features and that will ultimately improve Siri.
To improve Apple Intelligence, Apple has to come up with privacy preserving options for AI training, and some of the methods the company is using have been outlined in a new Machine Learning Research blog post.
Basically, Apple needs user data to improve summarization, writing tools, and other Apple Intelligence features, but it doesn't want to collect data from individual users. So instead, Apple has worked out a way to understand usage trends using differential privacy and data that's not linked to any one person. Apple is creating synthetic data that is representative of aggregate trends in real user data, and it is using on-device detection to make comparisons, providing the company with insight without the need to access sensitive information.
It works like this: Apple generates multiple synthetic emails on topics that are common in user emails, such as an invitation to play a game of tennis at 3:00 p.m. Apple then creates an "embedding" from that email with specific language, topic, and length info. Apple might create several embeddings with varying email length and information.
Those embeddings are sent to a small number of iPhone users who have Device Analytics turned on, and the iPhones that receive the embeddings select a sample of actual user emails and compute embeddings for those actual emails. The synthetic embeddings that Apple created are compared to the embedding for the real email, and the user's iPhone decides which of the synthetic embeddings is closest to the actual sample.
Apple then uses differential privacy to determine which of the synthetic embeddings are most commonly selected across all devices, so it knows how emails are most commonly worded without ever seeing user emails and without knowing which specific devices selected which embeddings as the most similar.
Apple says that the most frequently selected synthetic embeddings it collects can be used to generate training or testing data, or can be used as examples for further data refinement. The process provides Apple with a way to improve the topics and language of synthetic emails, which in turn trains models to create better text outputs for email summaries and other features, all without violating user privacy.
Apple does something similar for Genmoji, using differential privacy to identify popular prompts and prompt patterns that can be used to improve the image generation feature. Apple uses a technique to ensure that it only receives Genmoji prompts that have been used by hundreds of people, and nothing specific or unique that could identify an individual person.
Apple can't see Genmoji associated with a personal device, and all signals that are relayed are anonymized and include random noise to hide user identity. Apple also doesn't link any data with an IP address or ID that could be associated with an Apple Account.
With both of these methods, only users that have opted-in to send Device Analytics to Apple participate in the testing, so if you don't want to have your data used in this way, you can turn that option off.
Apple plans to expand its use of differential privacy techniques for improving Image Playground, Memories Creation, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence in iOS 18.5, iPadOS 18.5, and macOS Sequoia 15.5.
Amazon today has the USB-C AirPods Max on sale for $479.99 in every color, down from $549.00. This beats the price we tracked last week by about $20, and it's an overall second-best price on the headphones.
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.
Colors available on sale include Blue, Midnight, Orange, Starlight, and Purple. All colors are still available to be delivered in April, with most providing a delivery estimate around April 19 for free shipping options. Prime members in certain cities should be able to see same-day delivery options.
It's also worth noting that Amazon has the AirPods Pro 2 on sale for $189.99, down from $249.00. This is another second-best price, but it's been a few weeks since we've seen the AirPods Pro 2 down to their all-time low price, and this is a solid discount for anyone looking to purchase the accessory this week.
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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Apple today provided developers with the second betas of upcoming visionOS 2.5, tvOS 18.5, and watchOS 11.5 updates for testing purposes. The software is available two weeks after Apple seeded the first betas.
The betas are available to registered developers, and can be downloaded from the Settings app on each device.
With the first betas, no notable new features were found in any of the software updates, suggesting Apple is focusing on under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Sequoia 15.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after Apple released the first macOS Sequoia 15.5 beta.
Registered developers can opt-in to the macOS Sequoia beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. An Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta.
macOS Sequoia 15.5 appears to be a minor update so far, and no notable new features were found in the first beta.
Work on new features for macOS Sequoia is winding down, as Apple will soon transition to macOS 16. The next-generation version of macOS is set to be unveiled at WWDC in June.
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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.
