MacRumors

Dell on Monday announced an overhaul of its PC branding strategy with a simplified naming scheme that bears a striking resemblance to Apple's iPhone nomenclature.

The computer manufacturer is retiring its long-standing product names like XPS and Inspiron in favor of three straightforward tiers: Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max – a clear copy of Apple's iPhone naming convention, which has used "Pro" and "Pro Max" to distinguish its higher-end models since the iPhone 11 was introduced in 2019.

The announcement reportedly raised eyebrows at Dell's press briefing ahead of CES. "Your branding sounds a lot like Apple. Aren't you just following them?" one audience member asked Dell executives, according to Bloomberg.

"Customers really prefer names that are easy to remember and easy to pronounce," Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke responded to reporters. Buyers shouldn't have to spend time "figuring out our nomenclature, which at times has been a bit confusing," he said.

Clarke went on to claim that the new naming strategy was supported by research involving "tens of thousands of customers," and argued that no company owns common words like "pro" or "max." The new naming system will "make it easier for our customers to do business with us," added Dell founder and CEO, Michael Dell.

Kevin Terwilliger, a vice president of Dell's PC business, explained that the rebrand aims to simplify product recognition for customers, similar to Apple's approach of anchoring products to a single brand name. The gaming-focused Alienware brand, which Dell acquired in 2006, will retain its existing branding.

The Dell CEO framed the rebranding as part of a broader strategy to capitalize on the aging PC market, particularly as AI capabilities become more important in computing. Many of the new Dell-branded devices will include neural processing units optimized for AI tasks.

PC manufacturers are seeking to reinvigorate sales following a post-pandemic slump, with Dell, HP, and Lenovo all exploring various strategies to encourage upgrades. For what it's worth, Apple isn't the only consumer electronics company to use "pro" in its product names. Microsoft has its Surface Pro tablets, for example, but it's hard to imagine the latter attempting to justify the introduction of a "Surface Pro Max" while maintaining a straight face.

Apple plans to scale up its News app by adding new countries to the platform beyond the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia, according to the Financial Times.

The plans reportedly include building its locally focused news coverage in the UK, as well as bringing its puzzles section to the country which is currently limited to the US and Canada.

Apple News and Apple News+, the app's free and subscription-based versions, provide a blend of curated and personalized content, including stories from magazines and newspapers, as well as games, podcasts, and newsletters. The free service makes money purely through advertising, while the subscription service costs $12.99 a month in the US and £12.99 in the UK.

The renewed push comes alongside Apple's efforts to improve its advertising effectiveness, and aims to grow Apple's role as a source of revenue for publishers. Apple News currently reaches about 125 million people every month and feeds into the company's growing services business that includes Apple TV+ and Apple Pay, which is collectively worth about $96 billion a year.

The move comes amid significant drops in digital revenues across media groups, following Meta's decision to downplay news coverage as well as changes to Google's algorithms, which has decreased traffic from search, alongside the impact of AI summaries of news and search requests.

According to FT's sources, Apple's own research has shown that Apple News reaches a different audience to the readers for most publishers. The audience tends to trend towards a more wealthy demographic, one media boss told the newspaper, adding that it was "well read in the corridors of power in Westminster and Washington."

But the impact of Apple News has been a mixed blessing for publishers. Some groups have received significant business through the platform. However, attempts to monetise articles have been made more difficult by Apple's strict data protection rules that prevent advertisers from targeting readers using third-party data or IP addresses.

Samsung today announced that it will hold its next major "Unpacked" smartphone event on Wednesday, January 22 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. The company claims that it will introduce the "next evolution" of Galaxy AI, which will change the way people interact with the world, setting a new bar for mobile AI experiences.

Samsung first showed off Galaxy AI in July when it introduced the Galaxy ZFold6 and the ZFlip6, demoing features like a sketch feature that turns drawings into images, a Notes app with translation and compose features, Google Gemini integration, text suggestions, real-time call translation, and AI photo tools like Portrait Studio for creating portrait styles for images.

The Unpacked event will see the launch of new S series smartphones that are designed to compete with Apple's flagship iPhone 16 models. This year, Samsung will debut the Galaxy S25 series with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chips.

Rumors suggest the new smartphones will have larger displays and a more curved design with rounded edges, though much of the focus is expected to be on AI features. Samsung is also working on an Android-based mixed reality headset that will run Google's Android XR operating system, and it's possible Samsung will show it off at the event. Samsung's upcoming headset will compete with the Apple Vision Pro, but it is not expected to be as expensive.

Birdfy, a company that makes smart cameras for bird watching, today introduced several updated products that give bird lovers new, more advanced views of the birds in their yard.

The Birdfy Feeder 2 Duo is an upgrade to the current Birdfy feeder options, offering a three-lens camera setup that can capture visiting birds from multiple angles, rather than just a single angle. The Birdfy camera connects to Wi-Fi and images that are captured are sent to an iPhone app for viewing anywhere. The app is able to identify and catalog different bird species, providing real-time notifications when there are visits.

There's a dual-lens front camera able to capture wide-angle views and bird portraits, and a side camera that provides another angle. The cameras offer 1080p quality with auto-tracking and full color night vision.

Birdfy's new multi-camera feeder is made from recycled ABS plastic for durability, and it has a solar panel that allows it to be placed anywhere in the yard without needing to be regularly recharged. IP66 waterproofing keeps it safe even in rain.

There's also a Birdfy Bath Pro, which provides a water source for birds while also capturing images of birds bathing and playing. There's a wide-angle camera that can take photos and video clips, and the lens is able to zoom in to take close-up portraits. An integrated solar panel allows for a continuous power source, and there's an optional stand that can be purchased.

For hummingbird fans, there's a new Hum Feeder, a more compact, lightweight, and affordable version of the company's original hummingbird feeder. The Hum Feeder has a flower-shaped design with a swivel feeding port, a 14oz nectar capacity, and a built-in 1080p camera.

The Birdfy Feeder 2 Duo is priced at $360 and it is available for pre-order now. It is set to be delivered to customers starting on January 22. The Birdfy Bath Pro is priced at $200, and it is also available for pre-order with orders set to arrive in March 2025.

Schlage today unveiled a new Sense Pro Smart Deadbolt that's able to connect to smart home platforms like HomeKit using Matter-over-Thread. The device has no key hole as it is exclusively designed to be unlocked with a smartphone.

The Sense Pro Smart Deadbolt supports hands-free unlocking over NFC and it integrates Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology. The lock is able to unlock right when a user reaches their door by measuring distance, speed, and trajectory with UWB.

Schlage's lock will be one of the first to support hands-free unlocking using the Ultra Wideband chip in the iPhone. Apple added an "Express Mode" hands-free unlocking feature to iOS 18, but it requires smart locks to have a UWB chip and there are no locks on the market with the functionality as of right now.

The lock also supports tap to unlock over NFC and it includes a keypad for access with an entry code.

To go along with the Sense Pro Smart Deadbolt, Schlage is working on a new Schlage Home app that has a more user-friendly interface and allows for remote lock management.

Schlage has not provided pricing for the Sense Pro Smart Deadbolt, but it will be available for purchase later in 2025.

The creators of Bird Buddy, a camera-equipped bird feeder, today showed off two products that are designed for watching insects, flowers, birds, and other flora and fauna.

Under a new "Wonder" brand, Bird Buddy's creators have introduced the Petal camera and Wonder Blocks, which are designed to "capture wondrous moments of nature" in a backyard.

Petal is described as a versatile, biomorphic camera that takes images and video, much like the Bird Buddy. Captured photos are sent to an app and can be viewed on the iPhone. A built-in AI feature called Nature Intelligence interprets the "sights and sounds of nature," to show birds hatching, butterflies flitting by, bees visiting flowers, and more.

The camera has a flexible stem and universal clip so it can be positioned anywhere outdoors, and it can be purchased with an optional solar roof.

Wonder Blocks are designed to be used alongside Petal, and can be used to create habitats for wildlife. With a pedestal base, users can personalize Wonder Blocks with plants, seed trays, bee hotels, bug hotels, and a butterfly feeder.

The Petal camera and Wonder Blocks will be available as part of a Kickstarter campaign in spring 2025.

Smart vacuum company Roborock this week showed off its latest vacuum, the Roborock Saros z70. The vacuum is Matter-enabled, which means when it launches, it should be able to connect to an Apple HomeKit setup.

Apple promised to add support for robot vacuums in iOS 18, and it looks like that functionality is going to come in iOS 18.3, an update that's on track to be released later this month. There are a few Matter-enabled robot vacuums already on the market, but the Roborock Saros z70 has a unique feature -- an arm that's able to pick up and move objects out of its path.

The foldable, five-axis mechanical arm pops out of the robot's housing and can be used to pick up items less than 300g like shoes, trash, and dirty laundry to allow the floor underneath to be vacuumed. It can move the items to their designated household locations, putting shoes away, for example.

There are built-in cameras that are able to detect objects and obstacles, along with several other bells and whistles. The vacuum can track down pets and send photos, it can lift itself over small bumps and thick carpet, and it has FlexiArm side brushes to get dirt out of corners. There's also a mopping feature, so it can both vacuum and wash floors.

With the Roborock app, the Saros z70 can be manually controlled for a view of the house, to interact with pets, and so the user can pick up and move objects using the built-in arm.

Pricing on the Roborock Saros z70 hasn't been announced, but high-end robot vacuums can cost upward of $1,500, so it would not be surprising to see an even higher price tag. Roborock plans to release the vacuum this spring.

Apple is working on an update for Apple Intelligence that will cut down on confusion caused by inaccurate summaries of news headlines, Apple told BBC News. In a statement, Apple said software coming soon will clarify when notifications have been summarized by ‌Apple Intelligence‌.

Apple Intelligence features are in beta and we are continuously making improvements with the help of user feedback. A software update in the coming weeks will further clarify when the text being displayed is summarization provided by Apple Intelligence. We encourage users to report a concern if they view an unexpected notification summary.

The statement comes following a BBC News complaint over a pair of false notification headlines generated by ‌Apple Intelligence‌ on Friday. One notification claimed Luke Littler won a darts championship before the tournament had even begun, and another falsely suggested former tennis player Rafael Nadal had come out as gay. BBC News called on Apple to take action because the ongoing ‌Apple Intelligence‌ issue threatens consumer trust in news organizations.

Available on compatible devices in iOS 18.1 and later, ‌Apple Intelligence‌ notification summaries are designed to group multiple notifications from the same app together, providing a one-sentence overview of the content. These short summaries can cause problems when AI pulls the wrong details from news stories.

There have been several prior events where ‌Apple Intelligence‌ provided incorrect details from incoming news app notifications. In November, ‌Apple Intelligence‌ suggested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been arrested, incorrectly interpreting a story from The New York Times. Last month, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged Apple to disable the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ notification feature after a misleading headline suggesting murder suspect Luigi Mangione had shot himself. RSF said that "generative AI services are still too immature to produce reliable information for the public."

‌Apple Intelligence‌ notification summaries are an opt-in feature and they can be disabled.

It's time for the annual CES event where all kinds of tech products and accessories are being debuted, and we sent MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera to check out what's new this year. While CES officially begins tomorrow, there are pre-show events like CES Unveiled, plus Samsung shared highlights.

Samsung often uses CES to show off new TV technology, and 2025 was no exception. There's a new NEO 8K flagship TV, plus a new Frame Pro. The Frame Pro has better brightness and contrast, and an option to wirelessly display whatever output is connected to a One Connect Box, which gives more flexibility for the location of Apple TVs, consoles, sound bars, and more.

Select Samsung Smart TVs are set to gain Live Translate, an AI-powered feature that offers real-time translations as subtitles, even when subtitles aren't available as built-in content. AI is being used for generating wallpapers and some new personalization features, too.

Samsung has a new OLED Smart Monitor M9, a Studio Display competitor that has a sleek design. It offers an AI Picture Optimizer for adjusting display parameters to fit what's on-screen, and there is 4K AI upscaling. For gamers, Samsung showed off an OLED display with a 500Hz refresh rate and a 27-inch 4K OLED display.

LG was also showing off new TV and display technology. The company had a new Evo OLED TV that's much brighter than prior models, plus there's also a connect box for peripherals so you don't need them by the TV.

At CES Unveiled, Belkin showed off the Stage Power Grip, a 10,000mAh MagSafe powerbank that works as a camera grip for iPhone photography. Lexar had a tiny USB-C SSD that connects to an ‌iPhone‌, and Sharge had a Qi2 power bank with active cooling and an integrated kickstand.

Atmos Gear demoed electric roller skates that can go up to 18 miles an hour, and there was a clever salt spoon that's supposed to zap your tongue in a specific area to make you taste salt without actually adding salt to your dish.

Make sure to watch the full video to see the products in action, and stay tuned to MacRumors because we'll be sharing CES videos and articles for the next few days.

No Siri data has ever been used for marketing purposes or sold to a third-party company for any reason, Apple said today in response to accusations that conversations ‌Siri‌ has captured were used for advertising.

A lawsuit that Apple has agreed to settle alleged that Apple provided information obtained from accidental ‌Siri‌ recordings to third-party companies for the purpose of marketing products. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit claimed that they were shown ads for Air Jordan shoes and Olive Garden after ‌Siri‌ recorded them speaking privately about those companies.

Apple said that did not happen because that's not the way that ‌Siri‌ works. ‌Siri‌ data that Apple uses is anonymized and not linked to a specific user, plus ‌Siri‌ data is not sold. Apple does use ‌Siri‌ information to improve the personal assistant, but the use of audio recordings is now opt-in and turned off by default. Apple's full statement:

Siri has been engineered to protect user privacy from the beginning. Siri data has never been used to build marketing profiles and it has never been sold to anyone for any purpose. Apple settled this case to avoid additional litigation so we can move forward from concerns about third-party grading that we already addressed in 2019. We use Siri data to improve Siri, and we are constantly developing technologies to make Siri even more private.

The lawsuit was initially filed in 2019 after contractors working for Apple said that they overheard private conversations from accidental ‌Siri‌ activations. At the time, Apple's privacy terms did not explicitly state that it was using human oversight for ‌Siri‌, and the contractors were concerned customers were unaware that accidental recordings were being listed to.

The customers who filed the lawsuit claimed that they were "regularly recorded without consent" and that they would not have purchased their iPhones had they known about this ‌Siri‌ feature. A judge initially threw out the lawsuit because the plaintiffs did not provide evidence of Apple recording their conversations, so it was refiled with the accusation that ‌Siri‌ data collected had been used for targeted advertising.

Apple says that it settled the lawsuit for $95 million to avoid additional costly litigation. As part of the settlement, Apple said that it "continues to deny any and all alleged wrongdoing and liability, specifically denies each of the Plaintiffs' contentions and claims, and continues to deny that the Plaintiffs' claims and allegations would be suitable for class action status."

The settlement already received preliminary approval from the court. All current or former owners or purchasers of a ‌‌Siri‌‌ device in the United States whose confidential or private communications were obtained by Apple between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024 are considered class members and could be eligible for a payment of up to $20.

Lawyers will set up a settlement website and eligible class members will be contacted.

Apple today released iOS 18.2.1 and iPadOS 18.2.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems. iOS 18.2.1 and iPadOS 18.2.1 come almost a month after Apple released iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2.

The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

According to Apple's release notes, iOS 18.2.1 addresses important bugs, and it is recommended for all users.

Apple is also testing iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3, updates that we expect to see launch sometime in late January.

The power button on the latest Mac mini is located on the bottom of the computer. If that bothers you, an upcoming accessory offers a solution.

At the CES 2025 tech show in Las Vegas today, Satechi shared more details about its previously-announced new Mac mini hub. Notably, the hub has a cutout in the back-left corner that makes it easy to press the computer's raised power button.

Satechi said the hub will cost $99.99 in the U.S., with limited availability set to begin in mid-February ahead of a wider release in March.

The hub enhances the Mac mini in a variety of ways.

First, the hub adds three USB-A ports to the Mac mini, after Apple went all-in on USB-C and Thunderbolt ports on the latest models. Two of the USB-A ports offer up to 10 Gbps speeds, while the third is limited to 480 Mbps.

Second, the hub gives the Mac mini an SD card slot, which is something it otherwise lacks. Just like on the Mac Studio, it is a front-facing slot. It is a UHS-II slot, capable of read and write speeds of up to 312 MB/s.

Third, the hub includes an NVMe enclosure that allows you to add an SSD with up to 4TB of storage to the Mac mini. This can both expand the Mac mini's storage and allow you to avoid Apple's expensive storage upgrade prices.

And, as mentioned, the power button becomes easier to access.

The hub is made out of aluminum and looks similar to the Mac mini. Satechi ensures that the hub will not impact airflow or Wi-Fi connectivity.

You can sign up on Satechi's website to be alerted about the hub's launch.

Aqara has announced a new lineup of smart home devices at CES 2025, emphasizing tighter integration with Apple HomeKit and the Matter protocol.

The flagship Panel Hub S1 Plus features a 6.9-inch touchscreen and dual-band Wi-Fi, enabling centralized management of up to two wired light fixtures. As a Zigbee hub and Matter bridge, the device simplifies the integration of Aqara's Zigbee accessories with ‌HomeKit‌ and third-party Matter-compatible devices. The panel also supports real-time camera streaming, including footage from Aqara's doorbells.

The new Touchscreen Dial V1 builds upon the Panel Hub S1 Plus's capabilities by introducing a rotary dial and a smaller 1.32-inch round display. It allows for granular control of both wired lights and connected smart devices while maintaining compatibility with Apple ‌HomeKit‌ and Thread.

The Doorbell Camera Hub G410 introduces several notable upgrades, including a 2K resolution sensor for sharper video, a 176-degree field of view, and built-in mmWave presence detection to reduce false alerts. It supports dual-band Wi-Fi, Thread, and HomeKit Secure Video, as well as options for secure storage via iCloud, local microSD, or NAS. It supports both battery-powered and wired setups.

The Presence Multisensor FP300 combines PIR, ambient sensing, and mmWave technology to accurately detect human presence while monitoring light, temperature, and humidity. Similarly, the Climate Sensor W100 provides precise monitoring of temperature and humidity, with an e-ink display for secondary data and additional buttons for smart device control. Both sensors support Thread and Matter.

The company also introduced the Light Switch H2 and the Dimmer Switch H2 with Thread and Zigbee support. They are designed to accommodate a wider range of home wiring configurations, including setups without a neutral wire. Thread compatibility ensures faster response times and more reliable connectivity, particularly in ‌HomeKit‌ environments where Thread is already widely utilized.

The first wave of products, including the Panel Hub S1 Plus (EU version) and Touchscreen Dial V1 (EU version), are set to launch this month, with additional models and U.S. versions rolling out throughout 2025.

Amazon this week has a huge collection 10th generation iPads on sale, with the sole exception of a few colors of the cellular models not being discounted. These deals have been automatically applied and do not require an on-page coupon to be clipped.

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.

Prices start at $279.00 for the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $349.00. You can also get the 256GB Wi-Fi tablet for $429.00, down from $499.00. These $70 discounts are solid second-best prices on the iPad and all four colors are available on sale for each model.

If you're shopping for cellular models, Amazon has the 64GB cellular iPad for $429.00 and the 256GB cellular iPad for $579.00. These are also $70 discounts, but this time they're all-time low prices on the iPad. If you prefer shopping at Best Buy, you'll find many of these prices on the iPad are being matched at the retailer 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 plans to release at least three iOS versions before the end of April, including iOS 18.2.1, iOS 18.3, and iOS 18.4.

Below, we outline what to expect from each of these updates.

iOS 18.2.1

Update: Apple has released iOS 18.2.1 with "important bug fixes."

Last month, we reported that Apple has been internally testing iOS 18.2.1, which is expected to have a build number of 22C161. The software update's presence in our analytics logs continues to ramp up, so it could be released as early as this week.

iOS 18.2.1 will be a minor update that fixes bugs and/or addresses security vulnerabilities, but it is unclear which specific issues might be resolved.

There are no developer or public betas for minor updates like iOS 18.2.1.

iOS 18.3

iOS 18.3 has been in beta for developers and public beta testers since mid-December, and so far it is shaping up to be another minor update.

The only potential new feature coming to iPhones with iOS 18.3 so far is robot vacuum support in the Home app, but this functionality is not yet live. Apple is laying the groundwork for the feature, according to new lines of code added in the iOS 18.3 beta, but it is unclear if it will be available by time iOS 18.3 is released to the public.

When available, this feature will allow you to control key functions of your robot vacuum in the Home app, and with Siri voice commands.

Here is how Apple describes the feature:

The Home app now supports the core functionality of robot vacuum cleaners, such as power control, cleaning mode, vacuum, mop, and charge status. They can also participate in automations and scenes, and respond to Siri requests. So you can add them to your cleaning routines — or tell Siri to do some spot cleaning in the living room.

Beyond that, iOS 18.3 only has very minor change so far, such as a slightly tweaked Image Playground icon and bug fixes.

Apple has only seeded one beta of iOS 18.3 so far, so additional new features and changes could be added in later betas. However, it is typical for Apple software updates that are in beta testing during the holiday season to be minor, as Apple's software engineers are off from work for many days and critical issues need to be avoided.

iOS 18.3 will likely be released in late January or early February.

iOS 18.4

Things will finally get more interesting again with iOS 18.4, which is expected to include several new Apple Intelligence enhancements for Siri.

Apple has been internally testing iOS 18.4 for many months, and the update should be a big one. On the iPhone 15 Pro models and all iPhone 16 models, Siri is expected to gain several new capabilities, including on-screen awareness, deeper per-app controls, and better understanding of personal context. However, a truly conversational ChatGPT-like version of Siri is not expected to launch until iOS 19.4 in March or April of 2026.

To learn more, read our article titled Here's What's Changing With Siri in 2025.

Over the next year or so, Apple Intelligence will eventually be available in additional languages, including Chinese, English (India), English (Singapore), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, and others. Support for some of these languages could be added starting with iOS 18.4.

Apple's website suggests that iOS 18.4 will be released in April.

India is set to implement a series of subsidies and tariff reductions designed to lower production costs for Apple and other smartphone manufacturers as part of its broader effort to become a global electronics manufacturing hub (via Bloomberg).

India is proposing $2.7 billion in financial incentives and tariff adjustments targeting the electronics sector, particularly benefiting smartphone makers such as Apple. The measures are intended to bolster the production of critical components like batteries, camera modules, and microprocessors, which are currently largely imported from countries such as China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government previously rolled out several initiatives, including the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which drew major companies like Apple and Samsung to set up or expand their production facilities in India. The focus of the new proposal is more granular, specifically targeting the establishment of a domestic supply chain for components.

Apple has been steadily increasing its production footprint in India. The company began assembling iPhones in India in 2017, initially focusing on older models. More recently, Apple has ramped up its operations, with India-produced iPhones now accounting for roughly 15% of the company's global output. Notably, the iPhone 16 saw its production in India commence just weeks after its global launch.

The proposed subsidies could further accelerate Apple's plans to localize production, potentially enabling simultaneous launches and production of future models, such as the iPhone 17, in both India and China. A final decision on the measures is expected to be announced during the upcoming federal budget in February.

Apple today launched a new Shazam Fast Forward 2025 website that will spotlight 50 music artists who are poised to have a breakthrough year.

The list of artists will be revealed on a genre-by-genre basis over the next five days, starting with dance/electronic artists today. Rising artists in the Latin, Country/Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop, and R&B genres will follow later this week.

"With more than 300 million global monthly users and over 100 billion global song recognitions since its launch, Shazam's unique ability to accurately predict the next breaking artist is unparalleled," said Apple, in an email.

Artists are selected based on Shazam's "uniquely predictive data and algorithms," coupled with the "expertise of Apple Music's global editorial team."

Apple said two-thirds of the artists who were in Shazam's predictions list last year went on to be in Apple Music's Daily Top 100 list in 150 countries.

A variety of Shazam playlists are available on Apple Music.

OWC has introduced two new active optical USB4 cables offering extended lengths and high-speed connectivity at more competitive prices than Apple's only long Thunderbolt 4 cable offering. The cables are available in 3-meter (approximately 10 feet) and 4.5-meter (15 feet) lengths, priced at $98.99 and $129.99 respectively.

Both cables support data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps, matching the maximum throughput of Thunderbolt 4. The 3-meter version delivers up to 240W of power delivery, while the 4.5-meter cable supports up to 60W charging capabilities, according to OWC.

Intel only guarantees Thunderbolt 4 performance over cables up to 2 meters in length, so while these cables aren't officially certified as Thunderbolt 4, they do maintain compatibility with Thunderbolt 3 and 4 devices, including docks and hubs.

OWC says it achieves the extended length capabilities through fiber optic technology, which provides better immunity to electromagnetic interference compared to traditional copper cables. The technology is reminiscent of the Light Peak project that Intel and Apple initially developed before settling on copper-based Thunderbolt solutions.

The release presents a more affordable alternative to Apple's 3-meter Thunderbolt 4 cable, which is priced at $159. Like Apple's offering, the OWC cables feature a braided nylon covering for durability and flexibility.

Also from today, OWC's previously announced Thunderbolt 5 hub is now available to purchase, having been on pre-order since November. Priced at $189.99, OWC's hub is one of the first accessories to support Intel's latest Thunderbolt standard, and offers Thunderbolt 5 compatibility with Apple's latest Mac mini and MacBook Pro Models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips. The new cables and hub are available to order directly from the OWC website.