MacRumors

With iOS 18.4, Apple added support for robot vacuums to HomeKit, and some of the companies that make robot vacuums have started offering products with Matter integration. Matter-compatible robot vacuums can be added to ‌HomeKit‌ and controlled via Siri voice commands and the Home app.

Roborock is one of the companies that's adopting Matter, and the Roborock Saros 10R now works with ‌HomeKit‌. The Saros 10R is one of Roborock's flagship vacuums and it's relatively new, so like most of these Matter-enabled vacuum options, it does not come cheap. It's $1,600, but it does have Roborock's most advanced feature set.

Design and Size

The Saros 10R is just over three inches tall, so it's compact enough to fit under all of my furniture. I have a TV stand that's about four inches that a different robot vacuum isn't able to fit underneath, but I haven't run into that problem with the Saros 10R.

There are a lot of components in robot vacuums, so the thin build is a feat of engineering, and having a robot that can get under all of my furniture is a major plus. When I manually vacuum with a Dyson stick, I can't reach all of the areas that the Saros 10R can, so my house ends up cleaner when the robot handles the vacuuming and mopping.

While the Saros 10R is thin, it's still on the larger side, measuring in at around 13 inches. If you have a smaller space with a lot of furniture, it might be too large to effectively clean, but I've been impressed with the narrow spaces it can maneuver through. Since it's round, it can get itself into and out of some tight fits.

I mostly use the app to send the Saros 10R off to clean or to resume cleaning after a pause, but there are buttons on the device itself. The power button turns it on or sends it to clean if it's already on, and the dock button sends it home. A long press on the dock button activates a spot cleaning feature.

All of the robot vacuums have base stations, and the Saros 10R base station is fairly large, but it kind of blends into the background, like a vacuum or a mop might. The base station is black plastic and it includes several components. There's a dust bag that collects the dust and hair the robot picks up, a clean water bin for wetting and washing the mop, a section for floor cleaning solution, a dirty water bin for collecting the water used to wash the mop, a dryer for drying the mop, and a ramp that helps the robot get up onto the base to charge.

The dock weighs around 25 pounds, so it's probably not something you're going to want to cart around if you have multiple floors in your home. I'm not sure if people who have multi-story homes purchase more than one vacuum, but carrying the robot and base station upstairs would be a workout. The dock has an LED on it that turns red if there's a problem or white when the robot is charging, and it needs to be placed on a hard surface with about two feet around it to make sure there's space for the robot to dock itself.

Roborock says to use its proprietary cleaning solution because other solutions can damage the internals of the vacuum. Some companies like Bona make cleaning solutions specifically for robot vacuums, and I didn't have an issue using that kind of cleaning fluid.

There are rubber wheels at the bottom of the robot, and they come out far enough to help it get over thresholds and to lift it over carpets. I have a threshold that's about an inch in one spot, and it's able to navigate it fine. The mops are able to lift up enough that it can vacuum rugs while mopping without getting the rugs wet.

Navigation

The Saros 10R has what Roborock calls its "StarSight" autonomous system, which is basically several sensors. It has a front camera and sensor for detecting obstacles, and it has a wall sensor for determining where walls are located.

The first cleaning with the Saros 10R starts off with a mapping feature where the robot maps all of the rooms that it is able to access, and then while cleaning, it continually scans for and identifies pet messes, pets, cords, furniture that's hard to navigate, and other obstacles. You can opt in to have the robot take a picture whenever it encounters an obstacle, so you can see what it's avoiding.

Its sensors do a good job mapping out a room and even identifying the furniture in the room, which helps it determine what a room is. If it sees a dining table, for example, it'll label that room as a dining room.

It's able to identify pet messes so that it doesn't drag a mess around the entire house, and it's also excellent at detecting cables that should be avoided, so it doesn't get tangled up. It doesn't run into walls or furniture, and the extending mops and the side brush let it get into nooks, crannies, corners, and the sides of walls when cleaning even as it's avoiding obstacles.

Cleaning Features

Most of the robot vacuums have the same general vacuuming features, with variations in suction and the roller bar design. The Saros 10R has what Roborock calls a "DuoDivide" anti-tangle brush, and I haven't seen it get tangled. I have wood floors, four cats, and two people with long hair, and there hasn't been clogging or tangling. Hair and fuzz can get wrapped around the bearings of the rubber wheels on the bottom and that's not fun to remove, but it hasn't stopped the vacuum from functioning.

As for suction, it picks up every speck of dust and cat hair from my floors, which are wood. It hasn't damaged my wood floors, which is always a concern with a vacuum, and it does a good job keeping them almost spotless. It also does well with my large rugs, but it can struggle with smaller rugs that get stuck. It's never been entirely tripped up by a rug unlike my other robot vacuum from a different brand, so it's not a problem that requires my interference. There is a side brush that's able to sweep dust from corners, curves, around furniture, and along walls so that it can be vacuumed up, and it's effective.

Of note, I have one large rug that sheds continually and the robot can keep it clean. My Dyson vacuum has a hard time with this rug because the fluff clogs it up. I have another rug in my laundry room that is a lint and fur magnet. The standard hard floor attachment on my Dyson that I use 99 percent of the time can't clean it, but the Saros 10R sucks up all the lint that's become one with the rug with no problem. It's at least on par with my Dyson (a V15 Detect), and better for some areas.

I want to point out that I have all hard flooring with just rugs and no rooms with carpet, so I haven't tested the vacuum on carpet. If you have carpet, check out other reviews too, because I don't want to speak to its carpet performance with just rugs to test with.

The Saros 10R doesn't just vacuum, it also mops, and the mopping functions are what distinguish robot vacuums from one another. Roborock is using a set of dual spinning mops for the Saros 10R, each of which is about-palm sized. The two mops work in unison, and the robot can cover a good amount of floor space with no real gaps, providing a thorough clean.

The mops can clean well around chair legs and other furniture, because they can extend out from the robot somewhat for a closer clean. Dried on stains like ketchup can take a few passes, but everything else comes up immediately. The Saros 10R goes back to the base station to wash the mop, and the default time is 15 minutes.

Noise Levels

The Saros 10R is quiet when mopping, but when it's vacuuming, it sounds like a vacuum. You're not going to want to run it while you're trying to work or watch TV, but noise cancelling headphones like the AirPods Pro block it out enough to run it while you're home.

Roborock App

Robot vacuums seem to have apps with endless settings, and the Roborock app is no exception. Setup is simple, and the app walks you through the steps (basically just connecting to Wi-Fi), and through the mapping, cleaning, and maintenance process.

The built-in sensors in the Saros 10R can map all accessible areas, and can also detect furniture to determine room type. There are also settings that allow it to detect objects on the ground and snap photos, so you can see what it's avoiding and how the AI is working. After a map has been completed, the Saros 10R is ready to clean. There are multiple cleaning modes that combine vacuuming and mopping, and you can select different suction settings for the vacuum and water settings for the mopping. There are also modes for quick, standard, and deep cleaning.

You can follow along on the map to see where the robot has cleaned, the pattern it used, and areas that it might have skipped due to obstacles. It's super detailed, and the feature to show pictures of what the robot noticed and skipped is useful. It detects pets (and can avoid them), cables, furniture where it can become trapped, pet messes, fabric, extra dirty areas, and more. I have rarely had an issue with the Saros 10R getting itself stuck because the AI to avoid cables and other obstacles is excellent.

The Map created by the robot can be edited, so if it doesn't do a great job separating out rooms, it's possible to manually fix it. I have an open floor plan, so I went in and sectioned things out so that I could have it clean specific rooms. If you have multiple floors, you can create more than one map. You can add areas, remove areas, and block areas for customized cleaning.

There is an option in the app to watch the Saros 10R camera live so you can see what it's doing and check in on pets. I didn't have many instances where there were issues, but if it does catch a cord or something, the app sends an alert so it can be addressed.

The app supports setting up a cleaning schedule, so I have assigned it to clean different areas on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, which splits up the cleaning so it doesn't need to be running for hours a day. I also have different cleaning scenarios that group rooms together with variable cleaning parameters that change factors like suction power for rooms without rugs.

HomeKit Integration

Thanks to Matter support, the Roborock Saros 10R can be added to ‌HomeKit‌ and it shows up in the Home app. It can be controlled with the Home app, or with ‌Siri‌ voice commands.

‌HomeKit‌ is more limited than what's possible with the Roborock app, but ‌Siri‌ integration has proven more useful than expected. When the kitchen is messy after eating, I can say "Hey ‌Siri‌, clean the kitchen," and the Saros 10R is able to do that based on the rooms I setup in the Roborock app.

In the Home app, there's support for automations that rely on other ‌HomeKit‌ products. If for some reason I want the Saros 10R to vacuum when I turn on a light, I can set that up. The Home app can also be used to have the robot clean at specific times, when a sensor detects something, or when people leave the home, which is perhaps the most useful option.

For starting a random cleaning, the Home app is less useful. It doesn't include all of the various cleaning modes and settings, but you can choose to vacuum, mop, or vacuum and mop. You can have the robot clean the entire house or specific rooms.

Maintenance

The Saros 10R is a complicated piece of machinery that does require some maintenance, though it hasn't been too overwhelming yet. So far, I've had to empty the dirty water tank, fill the clean water tank, replace cleaning fluid, clean the sensors, and clean the base.

Eventually I'll need to replace the filter and the dust bag (which should be done once a month), and swap in new mop heads. There are estimated lifespans for some of the hardware like the side brush, while others suggest replacing on an as-needed basis. The mop and bristles of the various brushes can wear out over time, with replacements available from Roborock.

Battery and Cleaning Time

The Saros 10R can't clean my entire house on a single charge, and it typically needs to charge at least once if I'm not splitting up the cleaning by room. Cleaning time can vary based on settings, such as suction power and whether it's set to "deep" clean with multiple passes, but here are a couple of scenarios.

Cleaning 1

• Started at 12:30, full cleaning. 150 square meters total.
• Ran out of battery at 14:47 and had to charge.
• Resumed cleaning at 16:59.
• Finished at 20:07. Total cleaning time: 244 minutes, 1 charge.

Cleaning 2

• Started at 10:31. Deep clean, 199 square meters.
• Ran out of battery at 13:21, and had to recharge.
• Resumed at 15:32, finished at 17:49. Total cleaning time: 291 minutes.

Cleaning 3

• Started at 18:23, three main rooms, 81 square meters. Standard clean.
• Finished at 21:49. Total cleaning time: 133 minutes.

Cleaning 4

• Started at 10:00 on schedule. Full clean, 101 square meters.
• Finished at 14:38. Total cleaning time: 164 minutes.

The Saros 10R is not quick unless I have it in the quick mode that leaves more space between passes. It takes a significant amount of time for a clean, and it can and will run almost all day if I set it to clean the entire house and it needs to charge. Cleaning in sections means it doesn't need to charge as often.

It takes around 2.5 hours for it to charge up, but it will always resume when it runs out of battery.

Bottom Line

The Saros 10R is one of Roborock's newest cleaning bots, and of the few that I've tried, it's the most impressive. My floor looks and feels much cleaner, and it takes almost no interaction from me. There have been a few instances where the robot gets itself tangled in cords and loses a mop, but the obstacle avoidance is good enough that it avoids a lot of cable issues, stays away from any pet messes, and knows not to get itself trapped in furniture that's hard to navigate. It doesn't struggle with my rugs, or the thresholds between rooms.

It's the most hands-off cleaning experience that I've had, and that has value. I don't have to spend over an hour a week vacuuming and more when I mop, I don't have to fuss with the robot, and the floor is clean throughout the week. I do wish the battery lasted longer because it can't get through the house on a single charge when it's vacuuming and mopping, but that's manageable by splitting up the areas cleaned each day.

At this price, a robot vacuum needs to be essentially perfect, and able to hold up to longterm daily use. I tested the Saros 10R by using it daily for a little over two months, because I wanted to give it more time than I would the average review. It's so far held up and continues to work well, but I'm going to keep using it to give updates on its longevity.

It definitely cleans super well, navigates almost perfectly, and is easy to use, but I expect something priced this high to work for a long time, and that's not a metric I can judge just yet.

How to Buy

The Saros 10R can be purchased from the Roborock website or from Amazon for $1,600.

Note: Roborock provided MacRumors with a Saros 10R for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Nanoleaf, known for its range of iPhone-connected lighting products, today announced the launch of two new devices. The Nanoleaf Rope Light is a super flexible LED light strip that can be bent into almost any shape.

It is more flexible than Nanoleaf's traditional light strips, and it has a silicone cover that diffuses the light so it does not need to be under or behind a TV, display, or other device. It can be crafted into a specific shape, manipulated into an abstract design, or used to outline furniture and decor.

Each $70 rope light is five meters long (16 feet), and it can display multiple colors at one time. Nanoleaf ships it with mounting clips so that it can be securely mounted to a wall in a myriad of designs. There are 420 total LEDs inside the light, and it is 300 lumens, so more of an ambient lighting product than a lamp replacement.

The Matter Smart Multicolor Rope Light can be controlled via the Nanoleaf app, and it is also able to connect to HomeKit over Matter so that it can be controlled with the Home app and with Siri voice commands. Matter integration also allows it to be controlled alongside other ‌HomeKit‌ products in scenes and automations. More than 16 million colors are supported, with customizable colors and patterns available in the Nanoleaf app.

Nanoleaf's Solar Garden Lights are an affordable solar accent lighting option, priced at $50 for two. Unlike most Nanoleaf products, the Solar Garden Lights do not connect to ‌HomeKit‌ or the Nanoleaf app, and they are instead controlled via an included remote control.

There are eight bulbs per Solar Garden light, along with a solar panel that can be placed in the sun to keep the lights charged up. Alternatively, the lights include a USB-C port and can also be charged that way.

We were able to test out the Solar Garden Lights ahead of launch, and found that they worked well. A quick USB-C charge provided enough power to get them up and running, and charging in the sun kept them powered. The lights are not designed to come on during the day, and like many solar lights, will activate only at night.

While app controls would be nice, the remote cycles through 11 animated scenes with different colors, and eight solid color options. There are also warm and white light settings for those who don't care for multicolored lights. The stems for the bulbs can be manipulated into an ideal shape, and Nanoleaf ships stakes in two sizes so you can adjust height to your liking. The lights look nice positioned around plants given the spray design.

The Solar Garden Lights feature IP65 weatherproofing so they will hold up to rain and the elements, and there are controls to run them for 4, 6, and 8 hour increments. Compared to the inexpensive solar lights that are easy to find at big box stores, Nanoleaf's have a sturdier solar attachment and quality, flexible bulbs with a unique look. Up to 20 lights can be controlled at once, and Nanoleaf has multi-packs available.

Both of the new products can be purchased from Nanoleaf's website starting today. The Solar Garden Lights are priced starting at $50, and the Rope Light is $70.

In addition to introducing new products today, Nanoleaf also announced that it is expanding into 2,500 Walmart retail locations across the United States. Nanoleaf products will be available for purchase at Walmart in addition to Amazon, the Nanoleaf website, Best Buy, and other retailers.

Google today announced that it is adding a dedicated AI Mode to Google Search, which is an expansion of the existing AI Overviews feature that Google provides for standard searches. AI Mode is able to handle longer, harder search queries with multiple facets.

Questions are broken down into different parts, with multiple searches run simultaneously on separate databases to provide a timely answer that takes into account personal context to make results more relevant to each user. It can generate images, including custom charts, and it supports follow-up questions.

AI Mode is rolling out to all users in the United States starting today, and it will be accessible through a new tab in Google Search for desktop and the Google Search apps. It will let users make more complex queries that are designed to leverage AI capabilities.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that AI Mode's predecessor, AI Overviews, has been "one of the most successful launches for search in the last decade." Pichai did not address the impact that AI Overviews have had on publishers. AI Overviews and AI Mode pull content from websites, giving people little reason to click on links to source information directly where it came from. AI Mode will display links, much like AI Overviews, but with detailed summaries that are provided, there's little reason for people to visit websites from the search interface.

AI Mode will incorporate AI agent capabilities, so it will be able to field requests like "find two affordable tickets for this Saturday's Reds game," and it will also work for shopping. AI Mode will be able to help users find specific items, such as a rug, with refinements that take into account factors like children or pets, colors, and more. Google's AI Mode will be able to track prices on items, and let you know when something you want is on sale.

For clothing shopping, AI Mode includes a virtual try-on option. It can use a photo of the user to create a preview of what an item of clothing will look like when worn. The feature works by generating an AI model of the user's body, and displaying how clothing will drape in a realistic way. There's also a "buy it for me" option that can be used for making purchases directly from search. The new shopping features are set to arrive in the coming months, though try on is available in Labs now.

This summer, AI Mode will adopt personal context, aggregating past searches and information from apps like Gmail to provide more customized responses.

AI Mode will now power AI Overviews in the standard search interface, and some of the new AI Mode capabilities will be incorporated into AI Overviews.

Apple today released a new firmware update for the USB-C version of the AirPods Max headphones. The new firmware is version 7E108, up from the prior 7E101 firmware the device was previously running.

There is no word on what's new in the firmware as of yet, if anything. It is likely that the update focuses on under-the-hood performance improvements.

With the prior 7E101 firmware, Apple added support for lossless audio and ultra low-latency audio for the USB-C ‌AirPods Max‌, so there could also be a bug fix related to this capability.

The USB-C ‌AirPods Max‌ now support 24-bit 48 kHz lossless audio, which is designed to allow listeners to experience music the way the artist created it in the studio.

Firmware can be installed by putting the ‌AirPods Max‌ in Bluetooth range of an iPhone, iPad, or Mac that's connected to Wi-Fi, and then plugging them in to charge. It can take up to 30 minutes for firmware to update.

You can check your firmware version by going to Settings > Bluetooth and selecting the Info button next to the ‌AirPods Max‌ when they are connected to an ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, or Mac.

Update: Apple's release notes state only that the update delivers "bug fixes and performance improvements" without providing any detail on what has changed.

Google is bringing a new live view feature to its Gemini apps on iOS and Android, allowing users to live stream their surroundings to Gemini to get feedback on what they're seeing. Integration is rolling out starting today.

In a demo, Gemini identified objects that the user was looking at, corrected wrong assumptions about what an object was, and provided context by answering questions. Gemini's live view can identify objects in real-time, provide assistance with DIY or home improvement projects, help organize spaces, assist with shopping, and more.

You can also share your iPhone or iPad screen with Gemini to get feedback on something that you see online.

Gemini's Live option could be helpful for those who are blind or who have low vision, as it can provide a live vocal feed of a person's surroundings. Live is built on Project Astra, which Google previewed at I/O last year, and it previously rolled out to Pixel devices.

This summer, Google also plans to add personal context to Gemini for features like Gmail's smart reply. Gemini will be able to use relevant information across Google apps to provide a more personalized experience. For example, the AI reply feature in Gmail can sound like you, rather than having a generic voice. It is able to scan past emails to match tone, style, and word choice, plus it can look up notes, documents from Google Drive, and more to add context to emails.

In addition to sharing a complete WWDC 2025 schedule today, Apple has outlined details about developer labs and community events.

Apple will be hosting free group labs from Tuesday, June 10 through Friday, June 13. During these labs, developers will be able to join Apple engineers online to discuss and ask questions about WWDC 2025 announcements. Developers can register starting today, with available topics ranging from Apple Intelligence to SwiftUI.

Developers will also be able to set up one-on-one appointments with Apple experts online for guidance on various topics, such as app design, privacy, accessibility, and more. Apple says one-on-one lab requests will open immediately after the WWDC 2025 keynote on Monday, June 9 via this page and the Apple Developer app.

Apple has shared helpful tips for both the group and one-on-one labs.

During the week of WWDC, Apple's engineers will answer questions and help to solve technical issues in the Apple Developer Forums.

Apple has also listed various community events that will be held around the world leading up to, during, and shortly after WWDC 2025.

Apple will make its artificial intelligence models available to developers to use in their apps, reports Bloomberg. The company plans to introduce a new software development kit (SDK) in iOS 19 that will make it easier for app creators to add AI features.

The SDK will feature the same large language models that Apple is using for Apple Intelligence features like notification summaries, Writing Tools, Genmoji, and Image Playground, but Apple will first focus on the smaller models that are able to run on-device.

Apple has faced criticism for its failure to deliver ‌Apple Intelligence‌ Siri features in a timely manner. Apple announced a new personalized ‌Siri‌ experience at WWDC 2024 and intended to release the new capabilities as part of iOS 18, but the functionality was not ready in time and is now being held until iOS 19.

Some of Apple's other features, like Writing Tools and ‌Image Playground‌, haven't seen widespread adoption. According to Bloomberg, Apple is hoping that opening up its AI models to developers will provide use cases that better attract consumers. Currently, developers can integrate notification summaries, Writing Tools, ‌Genmoji‌, and ‌Image Playground‌ into their apps, but they aren't able to create new AI features using Apple's framework. Instead, developers who want to include AI integrate third-party models, which Apple is aiming to change.

Apple's AI announcements will come at the Worldwide Developers Conference, which is set to take place on Monday, June 9.

Apple has also been working on in-house large language models (LLMs), and eventually the company plans to introduce a version of ‌Siri‌ that relies on LLMs and is more like ChatGPT, Claude, and other chatbots. The LLM version of ‌Siri‌ isn't expected until 2026 at the earliest, and it will likely be part of iOS 20.

Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube.

During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16, watchOS 12, tvOS 19, visionOS 3, and other software updates, along with new Apple Intelligence features. In some years, there are also hardware announcements at WWDC, but there has yet to be any rumors about new devices being unveiled at this year's conference.

Apple has reminded developers that WWDC 2025 is "on the horizon" on its developer news page, where developers can now register for group labs.

The keynote will be followed by the Platforms State of the Union video on June 9 at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. This video will provide a deeper dive into the latest features and tools for developers across Apple's software platforms. Apple says the video will be available to stream via the Apple Developer website, app, and YouTube channel.

Both the keynote and the Platforms State of the Union will be available for on-demand playback after each live stream concludes.

In the past, the WWDC schedule included an in-person Apple Design Awards event, but Apple moved to pre-announcing the winning apps last year.

WWDC 2025 will primarily take place online, with more than a hundred videos to be shared across the Apple Developer website, Apple Developer app, and YouTube for free. There will also be an in-person component, as more than 1,000 developers and students have been invited to attend a special day at Apple Park on June 9 to watch the keynote video together, meet some of Apple's teams, socialize, and more.

If you told someone in the 1960s that one day a flying robot would be able to deliver a computer that fits in their pocket to their backyard, they might think it was a scene from The Jetsons. However, that is now a very real possibility.

Amazon today announced that it recently received approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to offer drone delivery for several new categories of items, including Apple products like iPhones, AirPods, and AirTags.

Amazon launched its Prime Air drone delivery in 2022, promising drop-offs to a backyard or other specified location in less than an hour. However, the service is currently limited to parts of the Phoenix, Arizona and College Station, Texas areas in the U.S., and it is only offered during daylight hours and favorable weather conditions. In addition, drone delivery is only available for a single item that weighs up to five pounds.

The delivery location must be clear of obstacles and reachable by a drone.

While this cutting-edge technology is currently limited to just two cities in the U.S., Amazon promises to expand it to additional cities over time. The company has also promised to launch the service in the UK and Italy, subject to regulatory approval.

Amazon's announcement was earlier reported by The Verge.

Amazon today has the USB-C AirPods Max on sale for $479.99 in every color, down from $549.00. This sale started over the weekend with just one color at this price, but now Amazon has expanded it to include all five colors of the AirPods Max.

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.

All colors are still available to be delivered in May, with most providing a delivery estimate around May 26 for free shipping options. Prime members in certain cities should be able to see same-day delivery options.

Right now this is one of the only notable AirPods discount on Amazon. The AirPods Pro 2 are available for $199.00 this week, down from $249.00, but that's not all that close to the record low price on the model. 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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OWC kicked off a new "Spring productivity event" this week, offering solid discounts on a variety of USB-C docks, memory cards, external drives and enclosures, and Mac accessories. Some of these deals won't be applied until you add the items to your cart, at which time an automatic coupon will be applied to your order.

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

There are a few notable deals in this sale, including the popular 14-Port Thunderbolt Dock for Mac, available for $169.00 once you add it to your cart, down from $279.99. If you purchase a qualifying new or used Mac at the same time as this dock, you can get an additional $20 off the accessory at checkout.

Docks and Hubs

• OWC USB-C Travel Dock - $34.99, down from $49.99
• Thunderbolt Mini Dock - $99.99, down from $129.99
• Thunderbolt Hub - $99.99 when added to cart, down from $129.99
• 14-Port Thunderbolt Dock - $169.00 when added to cart, down from $279.99
• Thunderbolt Go Dock - $199.99 when added to cart, down from $349.99

Memory Cards

• 480GB OWC Atlas Pro - $159.99 when added to cart, down from $199.99
• 960GB OWC Atlas Pro - $329.99 when added to cart, down from $399.99

External Drives and Enclosures

• 2TB OWC Express SSD - $299.99 when added to cart, down from $399.99
• 2TB Envoy Pro FX SSD - $329.99, down from $379.99

Memory

• 32GB Memory Upgrade Kit - $59.99, down from $89.98
• 64GB Memory Upgrade Kit - $119.99, down from $179.96

Miscellaneous

• 2M USB-C to USB-C Charging Cable - $3.99, down from $14.99
• Matias Wireless Multi-Pairing Keyboard - $47.99, down from $69.00

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 last week added iPad Air models with the M2 chip to its refurbished store in the UK, for the first time since the device was released in May 2024.

As usual, the refurbished models are discounted by approximately 15% to 20% compared to Apple's original pricing for the equivalent brand-new models. For example, the 13-inch iPad Air with the M2 chip, 128GB of storage, and Wi-Fi only is currently available for £639, compared to £799 when it was first released last year.

For now, availability is limited to the UK, but inventory should expand to the U.S. and other countries over the next several weeks.

Apple says its refurbished iPads include a new battery and outer shell, a new white box, and all manuals and accessories, including a USB-C charging cable. Apple says it puts refurbished devices through a "thorough cleaning process and inspection," and it performs full functionality testing to ensure that no defective units are sold.

All refurbished iPads are covered by Apple's one-year limited warranty and 14-day return policy, and AppleCare+ coverage is available.

While some savings can be had here, better iPad deals are often available through Amazon.

Apple updated the iPad Air with the M3 chip in March this year.

Cultured Code today announced that it has overhauled the cloud backend of the popular task management app Things 3 using Apple's Swift programming language, with the new system now live across all users' devices.

Cultured Code explained that the transition to the new Swift-based infrastructure occurred seamlessly and without any disruption to users. Although the app's behavior remains unchanged on the surface, the underlying service that synchronizes to-do lists across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro has been rewritten entirely using Swift and deployed in production for over a year.

The legacy system was originally built using Python 2 and Google App Engine, and had served as the foundation for Things Cloud for more than a decade. While the original synchronization algorithms remain intact and are based on a mathematical model capable of resolving offline edits and conflicts, the aging technology stack was increasingly seen as a barrier to future development. According to Cultured Code, challenges included rising infrastructure costs, slow response times, and the risks associated with dynamic typing in Python.

Apple introduced Swift in 2014; it has since been widely adopted for iOS and macOS app development, but has seen limited uptake in server environments. Cultured Code began experimenting with Swift on the server in 2021, initially rewriting isolated components before committing to a full-scale rebuild.

To ensure a seamless migration, the new Swift system was initially run in parallel with the legacy system, receiving and processing the same data but without taking over user-facing operations. This dual-processing arrangement allowed engineers to validate the new implementation under production-like conditions. Once the team was satisfied with the accuracy and performance of the Swift backend, they transitioned all users to the new system in early 2024.

Cultured Code reports that the new system has achieved significant performance improvements. Traffic peaks of up to 500 requests per second are now handled by a Kubernetes cluster consisting of four nodes, each with two virtual CPUs and 8GB of RAM. This setup has led to a more than threefold reduction in compute costs compared to the legacy system. Synchronization response times have also improved substantially, and the new architecture delivers a fourfold increase in sync request processing speed.

Things has won two Apple design awards. The app is highly regarded for its design consistency and reliable syncing experience across the Apple ecosystem. Read more about the change in Cultured Code's full blog post or its post on Apple's Swift.org blog.

Amazon is developing a large-sized foldable device similar to the one Huawei unveiled on Monday, according to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

"My research indicates that Amazon is also internally developing a similar product, which has not yet officially kicked off," said Kuo in a post on X (Twitter). Kuo added that the device is projected to enter mass production in late 2026 or 2027 if development progresses on schedule.

Apple is rumored to be planning a foldable device of a similar vein. Rumors suggest that the dual-screen foldable will be around 13 inches when folded and 18.8 inches when unfolded. Rumors are conflicting on whether it will be an iPad or a MacBook, but the defining factor will be the operating system.

Kuo believes Apple's large-sized foldable is scheduled to enter mass production in late 2027 or 2028. Apple is concurrently developing a foldable iPhone that is expected to launch towards the end of 2026.

Chinese shipments of iPhones and other mobile devices to the United States dropped dramatically in April, hitting their lowest levels since 2011, according to newly released customs data (via Bloomberg).

Smartphone exports from China to the US plummeted 72% to just under $700 million last month, outpacing the overall 21% decline in Chinese shipments to the United States. The sharp decline highlights how the Trump administration's aggressive tariffs campaign – which peaked with 145% levies on Chinese goods – is disrupting tech supply chains and diverting electronics production elsewhere.

Smartphones represented one of the three biggest US imports from China last year, alongside laptops and lithium-ion batteries.

The decline comes as Apple has been actively expanding production in India. In the fiscal year ending March, Apple's iPhone production in India reached $22 billion, a nearly 60% increase compared to the previous year. The company had been planning to import most US-bound iPhones from India by the end of next year.

However, during his recent state visit to Qatar, President Trump revealed he had asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to halt the company's manufacturing expansion in India. "I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday," Trump said. "He is building all over India."

When asked about the supply chain's future during the company's recent earnings call, Cook said: "What we learned some time ago, having everything in one location had too much risk with it. We have, over time, with certain parts of the supply chain, opened up new sources of supply. You could see that kind of thing continuing in the future."

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.

Google has launched iOS and Android apps for NotebookLM, the company's advanced AI-powered research and note-taking tool.

Commenting on the launch in a blog post, Google said:

We've received a lot of great feedback from the millions of people using NotebookLM, our tool for understanding and engaging with complex information. One of the most frequent requests has been for a mobile app — for listening to Audio Overviews on the go, asking questions about sources in the moment, and sharing content directly to NotebookLM while browsing.

Today, we're happy to say it's here, on both Android and iOS! This first version of the app includes many of the core features of NotebookLM — with more refinements and features to come in the months ahead — and is designed to help you understand anything, anywhere.

If you haven't come across it before, NotebookLM functions as an AI research companion that helps users analyze and interact with their documents, websites, and other content. The tool can generate summaries, create FAQ lists, produce timeline views, and even transform research materials into podcast-style audio discussions with AI-generated hosts. Google originally launched it in 2023, and then launched its NotebookLM Plus plan for businesses, schools, organizations, and enterprise customers in December. NotebookLM Plus is also available as a part of a Google One AI Premium subscription.

One of the big additions with the app is offline access to Audio Overviews, the genuinely impressive feature that sees two hosts have a podcast-style chat about your project sources. Users can now download summaries for listening on the go, which should be handy for those looking to conserve data. Whether offline or online, the app also supports background playback, making it easier to catch up on research insights while multitasking.

The iOS version also adds more interactivity. Users can tap "Join" to engage directly with the app's AI-powered hosts, allowing them to ask clarifying questions, change the direction of a summary, or toss in an offbeat query.

Sharing content into NotebookLM is now easier than it was via the web app. If you're viewing a website, a PDF, or a YouTube video, access the share sheet and select NotebookLM to add the material as a source. Google says it plans to expand the range of supported input types over time.

The NotebookLM app is now available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]

iPhone and iPad users can now set Google Translate as their default translation app on iOS, replacing Apple's built-in Translate app as the go-to option.

To change your default app, you'll need to install the latest version of the Google Translate app, which was released today. From there, you can open up the Settings app, select the Apps section, tap on Default Apps, tap Translation, and choose Google Translate instead of Apple Translate.

The default translation app can be changed as long as you're running iOS 18.4 or iPadOS 18.4 or later.

iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 added the ability for users to set a different translation app as their default. Users worldwide can select Google Translate or another translation app as an alternative, and there are also options for changing the default Email, Messaging, Calling, Browser, and Password apps. In the EU, users can also select a different default navigation app, such as Google Maps.

Apple today stopped signing iOS 18.4.1, a week after releasing the iOS 18.5 update. Because iOS 18.4.1 is no longer being signed, iPhone users who upgraded to iOS 18.5 are no longer able to downgrade to the previous version of iOS.

"Signing" is a server-side verification check that Apple does when iOS is downloaded onto an ‌iPhone‌. An update can't be downloaded and installed unless it passes the verification check, and the unsigning process prevents customers from installing outdated versions of iOS that are not as secure.

Apple typically stops signing older software about a week after releasing an update, and doing so ensures that customers have the latest security improvements and are not vulnerable to known attacks.

iOS 18.5 added new wallpaper, a Screen Time password change for parents, and support for carrier-provided satellite features on ‌iPhone‌ 13 models. It also addressed more than 30 security vulnerabilities.

Apple has also stopped signing iPadOS 17.7.6, because it released iPadOS 17.7.8 earlier today as a replacement for the iPadOS 17.7.7 update that was causing issues for some people.