MacRumors

Following the introduction of the iPhone 16e in February, along with new iPads and Macs in March, what will Apple's next product announcement be? Based on rumors, a second-generation AirTag item tracker is potentially next up.

Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that a new AirTag would be released around the middle of 2025. More recently, a leaker known as Kosutami claimed that Apple plans to release a new AirTag in May or June this year. Both of those timeframes suggest that the next AirTag is up to a month or two away from launching.

Three upgrades have been rumored for the AirTag 2 so far:

• A second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, for up to 3× longer range compared to the current AirTag. The chip debuted in the iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. On the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, there is a Precision Finding for People feature that can help you to find your friends in crowded places, and it offers a range of up to 200 feet (approximately 60 meters).
• A more tamper-proof speaker, as a safety measure to reduce stalking.
• Improved integration with the Apple Vision Pro.

No major design changes are expected.

The original AirTag was announced during an Apple Event in April 2021. In the U.S., an individual AirTag costs $29, and a set of four costs $99.

New Siri lead Mike Rockwell is overhauling the ‌Siri‌ management team in order to step up development on Apple Intelligence features, reports Bloomberg. He is demoting or replacing the managers who previously worked on ‌Siri‌ after the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features demonstrated at WWDC 2024 failed to launch as expected.

Rockwell, who worked on the Vision Pro software, took over the Siri team in March, with former ‌Siri‌ chief John Giannandrea being reassigned to artificial intelligence research. Rockwell is replacing ‌Siri‌ managers with members of the Vision Pro software group, while also restructuring ‌Siri‌ teams that handle speech, understanding, performance, and user experience.

Longtime Vision Pro engineering lead Ranjit Desai will oversee ‌Siri‌ engineering, including the platform and systems groups. Vision Pro senior director Olivier Gutknecht will lead the team that designs the ‌Siri‌ user experience, and Vision Pro engineering director Nate Begeman and Core OS senior director Tom Duffy will work on ‌Siri‌'s underlying architecture.

Employees were told that the management overhaul would help Apple reach its ‌Siri‌ development goals, as the additions to the team are considered some of Apple's top software engineering talent, according to Bloomberg.

Rockwell is still overseeing the development of visionOS while he works on ‌Siri‌, while the Vision Pro hardware team continues to report to John Ternus. Teams that were led by the executives moving to the ‌Siri‌ team will be overseen by Geoff Stahl, who has worked for Rockwell for years.

Under Rockwell's lead, Apple is rearchitecting ‌Siri‌ to use an LLM-based system that will streamline the personal assistant's underlying technology and outward-facing capabilities. To ensure that ‌Siri‌'s planned functionality for integrating more extensively with apps is ready to go on time, Apple plans to work with third-party app developers.

Woot today has brought back its sale on Apple Watch Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop bands, but with a twist. This time, when you buy any Solo Loop or Braided Solo Loop at a discount on Woot, you'll get up to two extra bands for free.

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

The way it works is when you purchase any Solo Loop band for the discounted price of $19.99 ($29 off), you will get two additional Solo Loop bands for free. When you purchase any Braided Solo Loop for the discounted price of $29.99 ($69 off), you will get one additional Braided Solo Loop band for free.

The catch here is that you won't be able to pick out the color of the bands. You start by selecting the size of the band and Apple Watch model, then Woot will randomly select three Solo Loop bands or two Braided Solo Loop bands to send to you.

Woot guarantees that each band will be a unique color and there will be no duplicate colors in each box. These are also in new condition and come individually packaged in their original Apple retail packaging, as well as with a one year Apple manufacturer limited warranty.

Although there's a bit of risk at play in Woot's new sale, these are massive discounts on the Apple Watch bands, and it's a great way to expand your band collection and try out new colors. This sale will run through April 25 at 11:59 p.m. Central 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.

---

Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be.

The ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ is expected to be around 5.5mm thick (with a thicker camera bar area), making it the thinnest ‌iPhone‌ to date. With the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models rumored to be around 8.725mm thick, there will be a notable difference between the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ and the rest of the ‌iPhone 17‌ models.

Hilsenteger was impressed by the thinness of the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌, speculating on whether it would bend because of the minimal casing. Rumors suggest that Apple will use a titanium and aluminum chassis for the ‌iPhone‌, with the aim of ensuring it's strong enough not to bend. Back in 2014, Apple dealt with "bendgate" after some users found that the ‌iPhone‌ 6 Plus started bending from being tucked inside a pocket. Hilsenteger's YouTube channel even went viral after he did one of the original iPhone 6 bend test videos.

Apple also decided to keep the display size to 6.6 inches because of fears that a larger display would make the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ too susceptible to bending. Originally, Apple wanted to use a 6.9-inch display, which would put sizing on par with the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max. That Apple tweaked display size during development suggests it took the potential for bending into account while creating the super thin ‌iPhone‌.

Hilsenteger also questioned what the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌'s battery life will be like because of the thinness of the design, but Apple is eliminating features like extra camera lenses in order to ensure enough room for the battery, as well as using a more efficient Apple-designed C1 modem and optimizing through software. Battery life is expected to be on par with current ‌iPhone‌ models.

More on what's expected from the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ models can be found in our iPhone 17 Air roundup.

Apple today seeded the second public betas of upcoming iOS 18.5, iPadOS 18.5, and macOS Sequoia 15.5 updates, allowing the public to test the updates ahead of when they see an official launch. The public betas come a day after Apple provided the third betas 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.

iOS 18.5 and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.5 are relatively minor updates, and few new features have been discovered. The iOS Mail app has options for toggling off Contact Photos and Group by Sender for a look that's more like the iOS 17 Mail app, and there are some minor changes to how AppleCare info is displayed.

The software likely focuses on bug fixes and security improvements that are not outward facing. We're expecting Apple to release iOS 18.5, iPadOS 18.5, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.5 sometime in May.

Upon the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple discontinued the iPhone 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Plus. Despite arriving two and a half years apart, the ‌iPhone 16e‌ actually borrows a large number of features from the ‌iPhone‌ 14. Many ‌iPhone‌ 14 users may now be considering an upgrade to Apple's latest ‌iPhone‌, so is it worth it?

The ‌iPhone 16e‌'s frame is the same shape and size as that of the ‌iPhone‌ 14, and it also carries over its notch, display, and more. Yet there are 35 notable differences between the devices. Here's everything that's different between the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone 16e‌:

‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Plus (2022)	‌iPhone 16e‌ (2025)
Aluminum chassis with squared-off edges	Aluminum chassis with contoured edges
Glossy glass back	Color-infused frosted glass back
6.1- or 6.7-inch display	6.1-inch display
Available in Yellow, Blue, Purple, (PRODUCT)RED, Starlight, and Midnight	Available in White and Black
Ring/Silent switch	Action button
12-megapixel main camera with ƒ/1.5 aperture	48-megapixel main camera with ƒ/1.6 aperture
	24- and 48-megapixel super-high-resolution photos
12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera
0.5x or 1x optical zoom options	1x or 2x optical zoom options
Sensor-shift optical image stabilization	Optical image stabilization
Smart HDR 4	Smart HDR 5
Macro photography
Night mode and Night mode portraits	Improved Night mode and Night mode portraits
Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps)
Action mode
	Improved audio quality on phone calls
	Wind noise reduction
	Audio Mix
Stereo recording	Spatial Audio and stereo recording
A15 Bionic chip with 5-core GPU	A18 chip with 4-core GPU
	Apple Intelligence support
	Visual intelligence
Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 modem	Apple C1 modem
mmWave 5G connectivity
Thread connectivity
Ultra Wideband chip for Precision Finding
	Precision Finding for Find My friends
20- or 26-hour battery life	26-hour battery life
Lightning port	USB-C port
MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W with 20W adapter or higher
	Setting to prevent charging above 80%
	Battery manufacture date, first use, and cycle count information in Settings
Compatible with ‌MagSafe‌ cases, wallets, wireless chargers, and more
Now discontinued	Starts at $599
Released September 2022	Released March 2025

The ‌iPhone 16e‌ represents a good move for ‌iPhone‌ 14 users, with significant enhancements such as the Action button, 48-megapixel camera, A18 chip, ‌Apple Intelligence‌ support, Visual intelligence, and much longer battery life. However, the ‌iPhone‌ 14 should continue to be useable for a while longer. As a result, it may be better to wait for when the iPhone 16 drops in price upon the launch of the iPhone 17 lineup if you want a more substantial upgrade, or even a future "‌iPhone‌ 17e" model.

The only substantial losses when upgrading from the ‌iPhone‌ 14 to the ‌iPhone 16e‌ are the Ultra Wide camera, ‌MagSafe‌ connectivity, mmWave 5G connectivity, the Ultra Wideband chip, and fewer color options. If you feel these features are vital, you should consider purchasing an ‌iPhone 16‌ instead of an ‌iPhone 16e‌, although this will add to the price. The iPhone 15 is also a good option, since it offers all of these features that are missing on the ‌iPhone 16e‌, but at the expense of features like ‌Apple Intelligence‌ support and prolonged battery life.

Apple Intelligence features are no longer marketed as being "available now," following a U.S. National Advertising Division (NAD) inquiry.

In a press release today, the NAD said it recommended that Apple discontinue or modify the "available now" text on the Apple Intelligence page, given it falsely conveyed that all of the features listed on the page were available at the time the text was first added. Apple disagreed, but it chose to respect the recommendation.

"While we disagree with the NAD's findings related to features that are available to users now, we appreciate the opportunity to work with them and will follow their recommendations," said Apple, in a statement shared in the press release.

Apple added the "available now" text to the Apple Intelligence page shortly after iOS 18.1 was released on October 28. Only some promised Apple Intelligence features launched in iOS 18.1, with others like Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT integration in Siri, and Priority Notifications not available until iOS 18.2 through iOS 18.4. In addition, the personalized Siri features listed on the page were delayed until the coming year.

Apple first updated the page in mid-March to indicate that the personalized Siri features are coming in a future software update.

Apple then removed the "available now" text from the Apple Intelligence page in the U.S. on March 31, according to the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.

The "available now" text did have an asterisk that led to fine print indicating that some of the Apple Intelligence features would be coming over the course of the next year, but the NAD said this footnote was not "sufficiently clear."

The NAD said the advertising claims on the page are now adequate.

The NAD, part of the independent, non-profit organization BBB National Programs, oversees the truthfulness of U.S. advertising. While its decisions are not legally binding, advertisers often comply with its recommendations, to avoid negative press or potential enforcement action from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). When an advertiser does not comply with the NAD's recommendation, the NAD will refer the case to the FTC for review.

This news was first reported by The Verge.

Apple devices support a relatively unknown three-finger gesture that lets you share a photo across your devices in super-quick time. It's a neat trick to fall back on if AirDrop is playing up or your iCloud Photos are taking ages to sync.

Universal Clipboard is usually associated with copying and pasting text, but by using this gesture, you can make it work really well for sharing images between your devices too.

It can be used to quickly copy images across nearby devices for pasting into Messages, Notes, emails, Pages, and other apps with input fields.

For the following steps to work, you'll need to have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on and your devices signed into the same Apple Account and connected to the same network.

1. Make sure Handoff is enabled on your devices: On Mac, select System Settings ➝ General ➝ AirDrop & Handoff and toggle on the switch next to Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices. On iPhone/iPad, turn on Settings ➝ General ➝ AirDrop & Handoff, then toggle on the switch next to Handoff.
2. On iPhone or iPad, perform a three-finger pinch gesture on a photo. On Mac, use the Command+C keyboard shortcut.
3. Switch to the device you want to share the photo with, and then pinch outward with three fingers to paste it into a text field. If on a Mac, you can perform this gesture on the trackpad or use the Command+V.

That's all there is to it. You will know that your three-finger gestures have been recognized when "Copy" and "Paste" appear at the top of the device's screen.

Tip: You can also cut images to Universal Clipboard using the same three-finger pinch gesture by performing it two times in rapid succession. Just remember to paste your content within a short period of time, as it won't be available for ever.

Amazon has a few discounts on Apple's 11th generation iPad this week, including a return of the all-time low price on the entry level model. Prices start at $319.99 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $349.00.

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.

This sale is available in Blue and Yellow, while the Silver model is at a second-best price on Amazon. Although this is just a $29 discount, it remains the lowest price we've ever tracked for the new iPad, and right now only Amazon has these record low prices.

You can also get the 512GB Wi-Fi iPad for $609.00, down from $649.00. There are also a few discounts on cellular models, the best of which is the 512GB cellular iPad for $750.00, down from $799.00.

The 11th generation iPad is mainly a spec bump for the tablet line, now featuring the A16 chip and more storage, with the same design as the 10th generation iPad. The new ‌iPad‌ starts with 128GB of storage, and is also available in 256GB and a new 512GB configuration. The previous model was only available in 64GB and 256GB configurations.

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.

---

Today is Earth Day, and Apple is celebrating the occasion in five ways.

First, Apple has updated its home page to highlight its ongoing Apple 2030 initiative. Apple is aiming to become carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 2030. Last week, Apple announced that it surpassed a 60% reduction in its global greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2015 levels. More details are available in the company's 2025 Environmental Progress Report.

Second, Apple recently launched an Earth Day promotion that offers customers 10% off eligible Apple accessories when they recycle eligible devices at participating Apple Stores. The offer is available through May 16 in the U.S. and many other countries. For more details about the promotion, read our earlier coverage.

Third, the annual Earth Day Activity Challenge has returned. Apple Watch users who complete any workout for 30 minutes or longer today will receive a 2025 Earth Day award in the Activity app, along with animated iMessage stickers.

Fourth, Apple plans to enable Clean Energy Charging on iPhone and iPad demo units in U.S. stores. With this feature, the devices will charge at times of the day when the electric grid is relatively cleaner, as much as possible.

Finally, Apple is celebrating Earth Day with content across some other apps and services. For example, Apple Fitness+ subscribers can listen to a new Time to Walk episode featuring actress and climate advocate Shailene Woodley.

A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect.

As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory changes that make it easier to sideload apps on iOS and iPadOS devices. Under the DMA, users can now download third-party app stores like "AltStore Classic," which enables the installation of UTM with JIT (Just-In-Time) compilation support.

UTM is the technology that makes it all possible, and emulates Windows 11 inside iPadOS by translating Windows code into ARM instructions as it runs. Technically, iPadOS restricts direct virtualization for third-party apps, but JIT compilation allows Windows 11 to boot and function smoothly without requiring jailbreak access. NTDev credits AltStore's StikDebug helper app for enabling JIT compilation in the background.

NTDev improved performance by using Tiny11, a stripped-down version of Windows 11 that removes bloatware and reduces system requirements. This optimized version requires less RAM and storage than standard Windows 11. The developer says it runs "quite decently," although judging by the video, the performance isn't good enough for it to be a PC replacement.

This isn't the first time Windows 11 has been demoed running on a tablet. As Windows Latest notes, Microsoft's operating system has previously been successfully booted on OnePlus and Xiaomi Android devices.

Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 Pro in a new Sky Blue color, the same color that debuted on the latest M4 MacBook Air models Apple released in March. That's according to the leaker Majin Bu.

Writing on his website, Bu claims that "sources close to the supply chain confirm that several iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been made in various colors, with Sky Blue currently the frontrunner." Bu goes on to say that it "looks even more stunning than the much-loved Sierra Blue of the iPhone 13 Pro, with a brightness and refinement that make it irresistible."

The Sky Blue finish on the MacBook Air is not very saturated, and the color's appearance can vary based on lighting conditions. Apple describes it as "a beautiful, metallic light blue that creates a dynamic gradient when light reflects off of its surface."

Apple has stuck to muted colors for its recent iPhone "Pro" models made from titanium, and it offered a new Desert Titanium color for the iPhone 16 Pro, which also comes in Natural Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium.

Majin Bu accurately revealed the "Desert Titanium" color name for iPhone 16 Pro models seven months before the devices launched. However, some of his information has been wrong, including a rumor about an iPad 11 being imminent in 2023.

This is the first rumor about iPhone 17 colors that we've covered. Assuming for now its accuracy, would you be interested in an iPhone 17 in the Sky Blue color Apple has already used for the MacBook Air? Let us know in the comments.

Apple's next-generation iPhone 17e is nearing the trial production stage, with the mid-range device tentatively scheduled for a May release, according to a proven leaker with sources in Apple's Chinese supply chain.

WeChat-based leaker Fixed Focus Digital shared the claims on Tuesday, adding that the iPhone 17e release date is currently understood to be late May 2026, although the exact date is unconfirmed.

The leaker also suggested that the iPhone 17e could go head-to-head for market share with another mid-range device from a rival smartphone vendor that typically releases new models around the same time. Possible rivals in China include Xiaomi, Redmi, and vivo.

Starting at $599, the iPhone 16e was released in late February. The iPhone 16e offers a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, an A18 chip, and a USB-C port, positioning it as a more affordable alternative within the iPhone 16 family.

A day before the iPhone 16e was launched, Fixed Focus Digital claimed to have learned of the existence of a "new project codename" in Apple's supply chain, and suggested there was a "high chance" it related to next year's iPhone 17e. Fixed Focus Digital was the first leaker to mention the "iPhone 16e" nomenclature back in December, when everyone else still assumed Apple would simply release a new device in its established entry-level "iPhone SE" series.

A February report by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) said Apple was expected to release an iPhone 17e next year, but the report suggested another February launch window for the device.

Introducing a more affordable mid-cycle "e" model could help Apple refresh its flagship lineup and generate more consumer interest than simply re-releasing the standard iPhone in a new color – a strategy the company has used in the past. Buyers would also have a better idea of when to expect the next entry-level device, in contrast to the non-linear roadmap that succeeding iPhone SE models followed.

According to recent data from Counterpoint Research, Apple took the number one position in global smartphone sales during the first quarter of 2025, with Apple benefiting from the iPhone 16e launch and strong performance in emerging markets. It's the first time Apple has taken the top spot during a first quarter, capturing 19% of the global market.

Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes.

The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps.

In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner.

In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more prominent.

iOS 18.5 will likely be released to the general public in May.

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Sequoia 15.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple released the second ‌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.

Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple released the second betas.

iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update.

So far, iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 are relatively minor updates, introducing just a few new design changes. There are more options for reverting the Mail app back to the prior design, including removing contact photos, and AppleCare info is easier to find.

The update also likely has behind the scenes bug fixes and performance improvements.

Apple is transitioning to iOS 19 and iPadOS 19, which are set to be previewed in June at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Apple today provided developers with the third betas of upcoming visionOS 2.5, tvOS 18.5, and watchOS 11.5 updates for testing purposes. The software is available a week after Apple seeded the second betas.

The betas are available to registered developers, and can be downloaded from the Settings app on each device.

No notable new features have been found in any of the software updates so far, suggesting Apple is focusing on under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes.

Apple today shared a new ad for the Clean Up feature in the Photos app, which can identify and remove distracting objects from the background of a photo.

In the video, a man flexes his muscles in front of a mirror, while a woman takes photos of him with an iPhone. Later, the man realizes that the woman is visible in the mirror in the background of the photos, so he uses the Clean Up tool to remove her. The ad emphasizes the ease of using the feature, but in reality it does not always work perfectly.

Clean Up is an Apple Intelligence feature, meaning that it is only available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model. It was one of the first Apple Intelligence features to roll out, as part of iOS 18.1 last year.