MacRumors

Apple today announced refreshed Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra Apple silicon chips, and when configured with the highest specs, the faster M3 Ultra costs $14,099, which is $10,100 more than the starting price.

Starting at $3,999, the Mac Studio with M3 Ultra comes with an Apple M3 Ultra chip with 28-core CPU, 60-core GPU, and 32-core Neural Engine, 96GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. When configuring the machine with the following highest specifications possible, the pricing breakdown is as follows:

• Apple M3 Ultra chip with 32-core CPU, 80-core GPU, and 32-core Neural Engine: +$1,500
• 512GB of unified memory: +$4,000
• 16TB of storage: +$4,600

Customers can also purchase Final Cut Pro ($299.99) and/or Logic Pro ($199.99) at Apple's checkout, which if chosen would result in a cost totaling $14,598.98.

Apple says the M3 Ultra is the fastest Mac chip it has ever released, thanks to its strategy of fusing two M3 Max chips together using the company's "UltraFusion" technology. This makes the chip's specs double that of the M3 Max. The new Mac Studio is available to pre-order starting today, and it launches on Wednesday, March 12.

Amazon is back with an all-time low price on Apple Studio Display, available for $1,299.99, down from $1,599.00. This is the standard glass version of the Studio Display with the tilt adjustable stand, and right now it's the only model on sale at Amazon.

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.

The Apple Studio Display pairs perfectly with the Mac Studio, so anyone looking to purchase the updated Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chip options might be interested in Amazon's low price on the Studio Display.

The Studio Display features a 27-inch 5K Retina display with a 5120 x 2880 resolution and up to 600 nits of brightness. Apple says that the standard display is engineered for "extremely low reflectivity," but for rooms where there is a lot of glare, Apple suggests the nano-texture glass option with even less reflectivity.

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 announced the next of its M4 Mac models, but how much better really is the M4 chip over its predecessor?

The M4 chip debuted in the iPad Pro last year, promising around 20% faster performance than the M3 chip in both single and multi-core tasks. All of the key differences between the two chip generations are listed below:

M3 Chip (2023–2025)	M4 Chip (2024–2025)
Made using TSMC's 3nm technology (N3)	Made using TSMC's enhanced ‌3nm‌ technology (N3E)
Based on iPhone 15 Pro's A17 Pro chip (2023)	Based on iPhone 16's A18 chip (2024)
25 billion transistors	28 billion transistors (+12%)
8-core CPU (4 performance + 4 efficiency cores)	Up to 10 CPU cores (4 performance + 6 efficiency cores)
4.05 GHz CPU clock speed	4.3 GHz CPU clock speed
16-core Neural Engine, 18 trillion operations per second	16-core Neural Engine, 38 trillion operations per second (+111%)
LPDDR5 memory	LPDDR5X memory
100 GB/s memory bandwidth	120 GB/s memory bandwidth (+20%)
	Dedicated display engine
GPU with standard power efficiency	More power-efficient GPU: Maintains performance with significantly less power

Most of these upgrades, with the exception of core counts and memory bandwidth, apply to the entire selection M3 and M4 chips. Using Geekbench benchmarks, these are the approximate performance gains you can expect from the M4 chip:

Benchmark Type	M3 Chip Performance	M4 Chip Performance (Improvement)
Single-core CPU	3,088	3,864 (+25.1%)
Multi-core CPU	11,711	15,288 (+30.5%)
Metal GPU	47,466	57,603 (+21.4%)

While the M4 chip features notable enhancements over the M3, such as increased CPU and GPU performance and improved efficiency, the practical differences for users upgrading from an M3 system may not be as radical as the specifications suggest. The M3 chip already delivers impressive performance and efficiency, making it a formidable contender in its own right.

The 25.1% improvement in single-core performance and 30.5% in multi-core performance highlight technical advancements, but for many users, especially those already equipped with M3-based devices, the everyday experience will likely not feel dramatically different. Tasks that benefit from single-core speeds, like launching apps and light productivity work, will be snappier, but for those accustomed to the M3's capabilities, this difference may not significantly impact their workflow.

Similarly, the 21.4% increase in GPU performance means better graphics rendering and gaming capabilities, yet users who have enjoyed the M3's performance may find these enhancements less noticeable in routine tasks. The improvements in gaming and creative applications will benefit users who are heavily engaged in graphics-intensive work, but those using the M3 might not feel compelled to upgrade solely for these reasons.

The 111% boost in the Neural Engine is a standout figure, demonstrating the chip's impressive artificial intelligence and advanced machine learning capabilities. However, for many users, especially with less demanding requirements, the difference might not justify the upgrade, especially as both the M3 and M4 chip support Apple Intelligence. That being said, the M4 chip's significantly improved Neural Engine makes it more likely to support and effectively run new ‌Apple Intelligence‌ and AI features as they emerge over the years.

In terms of memory bandwidth, the 20% increase allows for faster data transfer, which is beneficial for data-heavy applications. Yet, again, for users already using the M3, this improvement may not translate into a dramatic change in performance.

Ultimately, while the M4 chip certainly pushes the boundaries of what is possible with Apple silicon, it may not represent a radical shift for those already using the M3. Instead, the M4 is likely aimed at users looking to upgrade from M1 chips or older Intel systems, where the jump in performance is far more pronounced. It is telling that Apple primarily compares the M4 to the ‌M1‌ rather than the M2 or M3.

For existing M3 users, the decision to upgrade may hinge more on specific needs and applications rather than a broad expectation of enhanced performance. For example, M3 Max chip users who push their system to the limit with highly intensive tasks may have good reason to upgrade. Likewise, if your current M3 or M3 Pro system seems to be insufficient for your workflow, you could consider upgrading to an M4 Pro or M4 Max device, but these upgrade paths will be unusual.

Apple yesterday announced the new M3 iPad Air, and Best Buy is already offering $50 off to My Best Buy Plus/Total members when pre-ordering. This marks the first official deal on the latest iPad Air, and we aren't tracking any similar discounts on the new 11th generation iPad yet.

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.

If you're a My Best Buy Plus/Total member, prices now start at $549.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch M3 iPad Air, down from $599.00. Best Buy has all models of the 11-inch M3 iPad Air at $50 off for members, including both Wi-Fi and cellular models.

Similarly, Best Buy has every model of the 13-inch M3 iPad Air on sale for $50 off if you're a My Best Buy Plus/Total member. Prices for these models start at $749.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi 13-inch M3 iPad Air, down from $799.00, and also include cellular tablets.

These tablets feature up to 20 percent faster performance compared to the previous generation iPad Air. Apple also introduced a redesigned Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air, featuring a larger built-in trackpad, 14-key function row, and new aluminum hinge.

The M3 iPad Air will officially launch on March 12. You can also pre-order the 11th generation iPad on Best Buy, but there are no discounts for members at this time.

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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Following the introduction of new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models with M4 chips, Apple has discontinued the M2 and M3 variants on its online stores. Both models were available to buy new from Apple up until today.

Apple launched the ‌M2‌ ‌MacBook Air‌ in July 2022, and the M3 ‌MacBook Air‌ became available in March 2024. Both laptops will likely remain available to buy from Apple through its online Refurbished store in the months to come.

Apple does not provide a like-for-like performance comparison for the new M4 ‌MacBook Air‌ versus the ‌M2‌ or M3 models. Instead, it compares the new version with ‌MacBook Air‌ models powered by Intel and Apple M1 chips. However, when the M4 chip debuted in the iPad Pro last year, Apple promised around 20% faster performance than the M3 chip in both single and multi-core tasks.

The M4 provides up to 23x faster performance than equivalent Intel-based ‌MacBook Air‌ models, and up to double the performance than the ‌M1‌ model, according to Apple. The new ‌MacBook Air‌ models also support up to two external displays with the lid open, versus two with the lid closed on the M3 models.

The new ‌MacBook Air‌ with M4 chip starts at $999, and is available to pre-order today, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 12.

Apple today unveiled the M3 Ultra chip, its fastest Mac chip ever released. It is available in the new Mac Studio that was also announced today.

Apple says the M3 Ultra chip is essentially two M3 Max chips fused together with its "UltraFusion" technology, so the chip's specs are all doubled compared to the M3 Max. There was speculation last year about the M3 Max chip lacking UltraFusion technology, but Apple's announcement today has proven that rumor was false.

Apple:

Apple's custom-built UltraFusion packaging technology uses an embedded silicon interposer that connects two M3 Max dies across more than 10,000 signals, providing over 2.5TB/s of low-latency interprocessor bandwidth, and making M3 Ultra appear as a single chip to software.

The M3 Ultra chip features up to a 32-core CPU, with 24 performance cores and eight efficiency cores. Apple says the M3 Ultra chip is up to 1.5x faster than the M2 Ultra chip, and up to 1.8x faster than the M1 Ultra chip.

In addition, the M3 Ultra chip can be configured with up to an 80-core GPU. Apple says the M3 Ultra chip offers up to 2x faster graphics performance than the M2 Ultra, and up to 2.6x faster graphics than the M1 Ultra chip.

The chip has a 32-core Neural Engine, and it supports up to 512GB of unified RAM, with up to 819 GB/s memory bandwidth.

Like the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, the M3 Ultra chip supports Thunderbolt 5 for up to 120 GB/s data transfer speeds on Macs with Thunderbolt 5 ports.

Apple says the M3 Ultra chip has industry-leading power efficiency in its class.

Apple today announced refreshed 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models, now featuring the M4 chip, an upgraded camera, and a new "Sky Blue" color option.

"Sky Blue" is an all-new blue finish that joins Midnight, Starlight, and Silver. Apple describes it as a "beautiful, metallic light blue that creates a dynamic gradient when light reflects off of its surface." Space Gray is no longer available. All ‌MacBook Air‌ models come with a color-matched MagSafe charge cable.

The M4 chip features a 10-core CPU, an up to 10-core GPU, and support for up to 32GB of unified memory. Apple says the new ‌MacBook Air‌ is up to 2x faster than the M1 model. Neural Engine tasks are up to 3x faster. The M4 chip debuted in the iPad Pro last year, promising around 20% faster performance than the M3 chip in both single and multi-core tasks.

With a new display engine, the ‌MacBook Air‌ now offers support for up to two external 6K displays in addition to the built-in display.

The new ‌MacBook Air‌ introduces a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, which automatically keeps users centered in the frame as they move around during video calls. It also supports Desk View, which simultaneously displays the user and a top-down view of their desk.

The ‌MacBook Air‌ now features a lower starting price of $999. Education pricing starts at $899. It is available to pre-order today, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 12.

Apple today announced that it has updated the Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chip options, Thunderbolt 5 ports, and more.

The M4 Max chip was already released last year in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. It can be configured with up to a 16-core CPU, up to a 40-core GPU, and up to 128GB of unified RAM. Geekbench 6 benchmark results indicate that the M4 Max is up to 75% faster than the M2 Max chip available in the previous-generation Mac Studio.

The all-new M3 Ultra chip features up to a 32-core CPU, with 24 performance cores and eight efficiency cores. Apple says the M3 Ultra chip is up to 1.5x faster than the previous Mac Studio's M2 Ultra chip, which has up to a 24-core CPU.

"The new Mac Studio is the most powerful Mac we've ever made," said Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus.

On the graphics side, the new Mac Studio can be configured with up to an 80-core GPU. Apple says graphics performance is up to 2x faster than the previous Mac Studio with the M2 Ultra chip, which is available with up to a 72-core GPU. And with the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips, the Mac Studio catches up to other newer Macs by gaining hardware-accelerated ray tracing for the first time. This technology enables improved graphics rendering in games.

In addition, the Mac Studio can now be configured with up to 16TB of SSD storage, up from the previous model's 8TB maximum. And the M3 Ultra chip supports up to 512GB of unified RAM, whereas the M2 Ultra maxed out at 192GB of unified RAM.

Following in the footsteps of MacBook Pro and Mac mini models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, the Mac Studio now supports Thunderbolt 5. There are four Thunderbolt 5 ports on Mac Studio configurations with the M4 Max chip, and six Thunderbolt 5 ports on configurations with the M3 Ultra chip. Thunderbolt 5 provides up to 120 Gb/s data transfer speeds.

This is the first Mac Studio refresh since the desktop computer was updated with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chip options in June 2023.

The overall design of the Mac Studio has not changed. The front of the computer has two Thunderbolt 5 or USB-C ports depending on the configuration, and an SD card slot, while the rear side has four Thunderbolt 5 ports, an HDMI port, a 10-Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, a headphone jack, a power cord connector, and a power button.

Like the previous Mac Studio, the new model supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

The new Mac Studio can be used with up to eight 6K displays, such as Apple's Pro Display XDR. The previous model supports up to six 6K displays.

Apple Intelligence is supported on any Mac with the M1 chip or newer.

The new Mac Studio is available to pre-order starting today in many countries, and it will launch on Wednesday, March 12. In the U.S., pricing continues to start at $1,999 for configurations with an M4 Max chip, and at $3,999 for configurations with an M3 Ultra chip.

Qualcomm believes its latest X85 5G modem will set a "huge delta" between the performance of high-end Android devices and Apple devices, largely thanks to its AI-powered features.

Announced at this year's ongoing Mobile World Conference 2025 in Barcelona, Qualcomm's next-generation X85 modem supports 5G mmWave, 400MHz download bandwidth in the Sub-6GHz spectrum with 1024-QAM modulation for better data speeds, and Satellite connectivity.

The X85 can deliver peak download speeds of up to 12.5Gbps and peak upload speeds of up to 3.7Gbps, according to Qualcomm. In addition, the modem can combine multiple frequencies from different carriers to deliver better performance.

In terms of AI features, its AI-powered Data Traffic Engine is said to be able to reduce latency and improve speed and efficiency.

"It's the first modem that has so much AI, it actually increases the range of performance of the modem so the modem can deal with weaker signals," Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told CNBC.

"What that will do will set a huge delta between the performance of premium Android devices, and iOS devices, when you compare what Qualcomm can do versus what Apple is doing."

Apple claims its new C1 modem, which recently debuted in the entry-level iPhone 16e, is the most power-efficient iPhone modem ever, contributing to the iPhone 16e having the longest battery life of any 6.1-inch iPhone ever. The company also says the C1 is up to 25% more power efficient than Qualcomm modems in other iPhones. Third-party scientific testing appears to back up Apple's claims.

The C1 modem lacks support for ultra-fast mmWave 5G technology. This means users won't have access to the exceptionally fast speeds that mmWave technology can provide in specific locations such as stadiums, airports, and dense urban areas. However, Apple says the C1 is just the "start" and that it is going to keep improving the technology with each successive generation. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said the iPhone 17 Air will also be equipped with the C1 modem.

Apple's current agreement with Qualcomm extends through 2026, giving Apple ample time to perfect its modem technology while it has access to Qualcomm's modems for its premium iPhone models. The Qualcomm X85 5G modem is likely to debut on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 chip, which is expected to arrive in October 2025.

The second beta of iOS 18.4 expands RCS messaging support to more carriers in the United States and other countries, according to multiple reports on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and other social media sites.

After installing iOS 18.4, iPhone users with Mint Mobile, Google Fi, Ultra Mobile, Tello, and US Mobile are able to toggle on RCS messaging, and the functionality appears to be rolling out for all T-Mobile Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).

iPhone users with a T-Mobile MVNO can be enabled through the Messages section of the Settings app. It appears that ‌RCS‌ access is only available for those running the second iOS 18.4 developer beta, not the public beta.

In France, Orange and Sosh also have ‌RCS‌ available with iOS 18.4 beta 2, according to iPhoneSoft, so ‌RCS‌ may also be rolling out worldwide for other carriers.

‌RCS‌ was enabled for major carriers with the launch of iOS 18, and it stands for Rich Communication Services. ‌RCS‌ is a communication protocol that improves messaging between iPhone and Android users, offering support for higher resolution photos and videos, larger file sizes, audio messages, Wi-Fi messaging, real-time typing indicators, read receipts, and more.

In the latest beta of tvOS 18.4, there are new hints of Apple's work on a smart home hub accessory that's rumored to be coming as soon as this year. MacRumors found that Apple has added ChatKit framework to the tvOS code, which is curious as there is no Messages app available on the Apple TV or the HomePod.

The ChatKit framework added to tvOS 18.4 includes reactions and notifications for tapback reactions added to iMessages, like "[person] disliked this" or [person] reacted with [emoji]," which would not be applicable to Apple's current devices that run tvOS.

Both the ‌Apple TV‌ and the ‌HomePod‌ are built on tvOS, and the upcoming smart home hub will be as well. While the ‌Apple TV‌ and ‌HomePod‌ would not work with the ChatKit code features added to tvOS 18.4, Apple's home accessory likely will.

The smart home "command center" that Apple is developing is expected to have built-in Apple apps, and it's possible that one of those apps will include Messages.

It is worth noting that there is a shared codebase for tvOS and iOS, so this addition could mean nothing, but these ChatKit features were already included in iOS and have just been added to tvOS with the tvOS 18.4 beta.

Apple's upcoming device will serve as a central hub for smart home management, but it will also support video calls, viewing photos, browsing the web, listening to music, getting news, and more. It is said to look something like an iPad with an all-display design, but it will be smaller, coming in at only six inches square.

Users will likely be able to set it on a table or mount it on a wall, and the expectation is that there would be multiples throughout the house. It will include some sensors for features like sensing the temperature or detecting nearby people.

There is no concrete word on when Apple's smart home hub will launch, but it could come in the second or third quarter of 2025.

The seventh-generation iPad Air arrives just ten months after the previous model. Last year, the biggest change was the introduction of an all-new 13-inch model. With the latest refresh, the most significant upgrade is the move to the M3 chip.

The ‌2024 ‌iPad Air‌ models have now been discontinued by Apple, but they may still be found refurbished and with third-party resellers for lower prices. As such, some customers may be weighing up whether to buy the 2024 ‌‌iPad Air‌ or the new 2025 models. The iPad Airs from 2024 and 2025 share most of their key features, so should you consider buying or sticking with the older model to save money?

‌iPad Air‌ (2024)	‌iPad Air‌ (2025)
Introduced in May 2024	Introduced in March 2025
M2 chip (2022)	M3 chip (2023)
Made with TSMC's 5nm (N5P) process	Made with TSMC's 3nm (N3B) process
20 billion transistors	25 billion transistors
	All-new GPU architecture with dynamic caching, mesh shading, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing
	Support for AV1 video decode

Every other aspect of the device is the same between the two models. The upgrade from the 2022 to 2024 ‌iPad Air‌ was more significant, headlining with a larger size option for the first time, bringing it in line with devices like the iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro, which are available in two sizes. For a deeper dive on the specific differences between the ‌M2‌ and M3 chips, see our other guide.

Given the iterative nature of a single, generation-to-generation chip upgrade, with no enhancements to design, cameras, or display technology, it is almost certainly not worth upgrading from the ‌M2‌ to the M3 ‌iPad Air‌. Likewise, if the ‌M2‌ ‌iPad Air‌ can be found at significantly lower price than the M3 model, this device is still a worthwhile buy. The M3 ‌iPad Air‌ is primarily aimed at those with an A14-based fourth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ or older.

All of the iPhone and iPad models that are currently part of Apple's lineup now start with at least 128GB of storage, marking the end of the 64GB era.

Aside from refurbished devices, the final iPhone and iPad models that Apple offered with 64GB of base storage were the third-generation iPhone SE and the iPad 10. Both of those devices are now discontinued, having been replaced by the iPhone 16e and the new iPad with the A16 chip, which are each available with a minimum of 128GB of storage.

This is not the first end of an era for Apple's tech specs in recent months. Since October, all Macs sold by Apple have been configured with at least 16GB of RAM, again with the exception of refurbished models. Previously, the minimum was 8GB.

The first iPhone models with 64GB of base storage were the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X in 2017, while the first iPad Pro models to be configured with at least 64GB of storage were released in that same year.

Assassins's Creed Shadows is set to be released for the Mac on Thursday, March 20, Apple announced today. The game will launch on Mac at the same time as it is released for PlayStation 5, Windows machines, and the Xbox.

Ubisoft first announced plans to bring the game to the Mac in May 2024, and at that time, it was supposed to be released in November. The game has been delayed multiple times since then, but it seems it will finally be ready to go later this year.

Set in 16th century Japan, the action roleplaying game is part of the main Assassin's Creed gaming lineup, and it is the successor to Assassin's Creed Mirage. The game focuses on the dispute between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order, and players can take on the role of Fujibayashi Naoe, a shinobi assassin, or Yasuke, a samurai.

Each character offers different controls and gameplay styles, with separate progression paths, skills, weapon options, and stats. While Naoe uses stealth skills, Yasuke excels at combat.

The game has a vast open world to explore, and players will experience a variety of landscapes with evolving weather and seasons. There are castle towns, bustling ports, pastoral landscapes, and peaceful shrines.

Ubisoft executive producer Marc-Alexis Côté said that Assassin's Creed Shadows is his team's "most ambitious" game to date.

Playing Assassin's Creed Shadows on an Apple device requires a Mac with an Apple silicon chip, with real-time ray tracing available on M3 and M4 Macs. Ubisoft also plans to bring it to iPads with M-series chips.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is priced at $70 and it can be pre-ordered from the Mac App Store ahead of its March 20 release.

While the headline feature of Apple's new lowest-cost iPad is an A16 chip, the device has some other new features and changes.

Apple's official name for the new entry-level iPad is iPad (A16), but we are referring to the device as the iPad 11 in this article.

Below, we recap eight smaller iPad 11 details you might have missed.

• In the iPad 11, the A16 chip has a 5-core CPU and a 4-core GPU, whereas the A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Plus has a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU.
• The iPad 11 does not support Apple Intelligence.
• The iPad 11 is the first entry-level iPad with a 512GB storage option.
• The iPad 11 supports Smart HDR 4, up from Smart HDR 3 on the previous model. Smart HDR 4 makes photos look "even more detailed and vivid."
• The iPad 11 supports Bluetooth 5.3, up from Bluetooth 5.2 for the previous model.
• While cellular iPad 10 models have a SIM card slot in all countries, the iPad 11 relies entirely on eSIM technology worldwide.
• The iPad 11 is still compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil.
• Apple says the iPad 11 has an 11-inch display, while the iPad 10 is listed as having a 10.9-inch display. However, Apple is simply rounding up more with the iPad 11, as both devices actually have a 10.86-inch display.

Apple makes no mention of the iPad 11 having its custom C1 modem, so cellular models might still have a Qualcomm modem. We await teardowns.

It is also unclear how much RAM is in the iPad 11, but we are working to confirm this detail as soon as possible. iPhones with the A16 Bionic chip have 6GB of RAM, but the iPad 11 has a regular A16 chip with reduced CPU and GPU specifications, so it is unclear if the iPad 11 has 6GB of RAM. The iPad 10 has 4GB of RAM.

The new iPad can be pre-ordered now, and it will launch on Wednesday, March 12. In the U.S., the Wi-Fi model starts at $349.

Apple today seeded the second public betas of upcoming iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 updates, allowing public beta testers to try out the new features in the software ahead of its public launch. The public betas come a day after Apple provided the beta updates to developers.

Public beta testers can download the updates from the Settings app on each device after opting into the beta through Apple's public beta testing website.

The new software for iPhone and iPad includes Priority Notifications, an Apple Intelligence feature designed to show you your most important notifications first, plus it adds a new Sketch style for Image Playground on all ‌Apple Intelligence‌ devices.

There is a new Apple News+ Food section for ‌Apple News‌+ subscribers that aggregates recipes, food stories, and tips for healthy eating, plus an Ambient Music feature for playing chill music from Control Center. On the ‌iPad‌ and Mac, the new updates introduce Mail Categorization, a feature that was previously limited to the iPhone.

In beta 2, Apple added new emoji characters and debuted the Vision Pro app for iPhone. The update also brings Visual Intelligence to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

An outline of all of the new features in iOS 18.4 can be found in our iOS 18.4 features guide.

Apple today filed a legal complaint with the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal in an attempt to quash the UK government's demand for backdoor access to encrypted data, reports Financial Times.

Earlier this year, the UK government ordered Apple to give it secret access to encrypted user data uploaded to iCloud worldwide, through the creation of a backdoor. The UK used its Investigatory Powers Act to justify the demand, but Apple has not complied.

Instead, Apple removed Advanced Data Protection from the UK so that it would not have to provide the government with access to encrypted data. Advanced Data Protection is designed to provide end-to-end encryption to iPhone, iPad, and Mac users for data stored in ‌iCloud‌.

Apple will undoubtedly fight the UK every step of the way in order to protect user privacy, and the legal challenge that the company filed today could be heard as soon as this month. Apple is not able to discuss the order made by the UK in public due to the terms of the law, so the court case could be heard without public notice.

Apple previously made it clear that it would pull ‌iCloud‌ features from the UK rather than compromise its user security, and while that only extends to Advanced Data Protection right now, it could lead to key features like FaceTime and iMessage being removed in the country. The UK wants backdoor access to ‌iCloud‌ data to fight terrorism and investigate child sex abuse.

Apple fights vehemently against calls for backdoor access to user data, which we saw in 2016 when the U.S. government demanded that Apple unlock the iPhone of a shooter in San Bernardino, California. That led to a long legal battle that did not see Apple compromise its security. The U.S. has lately reversed course on encryption, and has been promoting end-to-end encryption for mobile devices to protect against foreign cyber campaigns.

The U.S. government is now looking into whether the UK's demand has violated the CLOUD act, which keeps the UK from asking for data from U.S. citizens, and vice versa.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple's new iPad Air contains the M3 chip, upgraded from the M2 chip in the previous generation, so how much better really is M3?

With the introduction of the M3 series in 2023, encompassing the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips, Apple once again set new benchmarks in performance, efficiency, and hardware-accelerated capabilities. The transition from ‌‌M2‌‌ to M3 is marked by Apple's move to a 3nm process, among other key architectural improvements such as a completely redesigned GPU.

When unveiling the M3 chips, Apple mainly focused on how they compare to the M1 series of chips, rather than their direct predecessors from the ‌‌M2‌‌ series. Even so, the M3 chip represents an advancement over its predecessor, with the headline upgrade being the transition to a more advanced fabrication process that is just ‌‌3nm‌‌ in size, down from 5nm on the ‌‌M2‌‌ series of chips. This is evident in the M3's increased transistor count, jumping from 20 billion in the ‌‌M2‌‌ to 25 billion, a 25% increase that contributes to its enhanced capabilities.

Benchmark tests underscore this progression, with the M3 outperforming the ‌‌M2‌‌ by about 17% in single-core tasks and approximately 21% in multi-core tasks. In GPU performance measured by Metal benchmarks, the M3 exhibits a notable improvement of around 15% over the ‌‌M2‌‌.

The M3 chip introduces an all-new GPU architecture. This architecture includes Dynamic Caching, a breakthrough feature that optimizes GPU memory allocation and utilization, adapting in real-time to varying task demands. This enhancement not only boosts graphics performance for intensive applications but also bolsters the chip's overall energy efficiency. This is particularly beneficial for graphics-heavy tasks like advanced video editing, 3D rendering, and gaming. It also features support for AV1 video decode to provide more efficient and higher-quality video from streaming services.

Both chips support Apple Intelligence. Despite similarities in the 16-core Neural Engine between the ‌‌M2‌‌ and M3, the M3's adoption of a ‌‌3nm‌‌ process leads to more efficient execution of machine learning and AI tasks. Additionally, the M3 maintains up to 24GB of unified memory (in Macs only), just like the ‌‌M2‌‌, but leverages the new process for more efficient memory bandwidth utilization.

One other notable difference between the ‌‌M2‌‌ and M3 chips is their energy efficiency. The ‌‌3nm‌‌ fabrication process enables the M3 to achieve higher performance without a proportional increase in power consumption, making the chip particularly appealing for iPad users who value a balance between power and battery life.

Overall, the M3 chip is a notable upgrade from the ‌‌M2‌‌, distinguished by its higher transistor count, improved performance in CPU and GPU tasks, and superior energy efficiency. While the M3 offers clear advancements, the extent of its superiority does not necessitate an immediate upgrade for ‌‌M2‌‌ users, especially if their existing workflows are still completed comfortably. For new buyers or those upgrading from older models, the M3's improvements in performance and efficiency will be much more pronounced.