Apple is preparing to update its Vision Pro headset lineup with two new models. The first one, known inside the company as Vision Pro 2, will use Apple's upcoming M5 chip, which should boost performance and improve battery life. Apple also plans to make this model lighter and less expensive than the current version, which starts at $3,499 for 256 GB of storage in the US. Although Apple has not shared exact numbers, the goal is to address feedback about the headset feeling front-heavy, as it currently weighs between 600 g and 650 g, depending on the headband setup. Apple engineers are experimenting with lighter alloys and a revised seal and cushion design that should be more comfortable during long sessions to reach those weight targets. The aim is to bring the Vision Pro closer to the weight of competitors like Meta's Quest 3, which is about 515 g. Lowering the price will be another challenge, especially since the Vision Pro is built entirely in China, where supply chain pressures have been growing.

Alongside Vision Pro 2, Apple is developing a second headset specifically for wired connection to a Mac. This version will likely use a high-bandwidth cable such as Thunderbolt or a custom connector to stream the Mac's display with low latency. The current Vision Pro can already extend a Mac screen over Wi-Fi. Still, professionals in areas like surgical planning and flight simulation need consistent performance, which only a wired link can provide. Apple's enterprise team positions this model as a niche tool for pro users rather than a consumer device. However, Apple's big dream remains true: augmented reality glasses that overlay graphics on transparent lenses. CEO Tim Cook has made this a top priority, believing it is essential to stay ahead in spatial computing. The company is focused on shrinking the optics and improving light transmission, two key issues on the path to making real AR glasses a reality.

President Trump announced late Friday that a range of electronics imported from China will not be hit by his new reciprocal tariffs, according to a US Customs and Border Protection notice. The exemption, which applies to items arriving in the United States or leaving bonded warehouses on or after April 5, covers smartphones, computer monitors, semiconductors, various electronic parts, and, importantly, high-performance GPUs. Tech companies were bracing for big cost increases. Apple, for example, assembles about 90 percent of its iPhones in China and holds roughly six weeks of inventory in US warehouses. Without this exemption, consumers would likely have seen higher prices once that stock ran out. Framework, the modular laptop maker, has already paused US sales of some Laptop 13 models and discounted others by up to 12 percent after a new 10 percent tariff on Taiwanese parts squeezed their margins.

The GPU market got another break thanks to a clever workaround in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. A research firm SemiAnalysis pointed out that graphics cards made in Taiwan can still enter the US tariff-free if they undergo final assembly in Mexico or Canada. That loophole applies to digital processing units and related circuit boards, which means companies relying on NVIDIA's top-tier accelerators for AI won't see an immediate price jump. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said these steps are part of a two-pronged plan: offering short-term relief to keep consumer prices down while at the same time pushing major tech firms like Apple, TSMC, and NVIDIA to invest billions in US manufacturing. However, many experts warn that high-precision components are still largely made in Asia, so building up domestic production capacity could take months or even years and may remain more expensive in the meantime.

Update: President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social the following: "There was no Tariff "exception" announced on Friday. These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff "bucket."We are taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations."

Since its summer 2023 launch, Apple's pricey Vision Pro mixed reality headset has not exactly attracted a mainstream audience. Roughly a year later, rumors of a (then) recently canceled successor appeared online—insiders posited that company engineers had pivoted onto the development of a cheaper alternative model. Vision Pro "Version 1.0" arrived with an intimidating $3499 price tag; thus eliminating interest from a wide swath of potential AR/VR headset enthusiast customers. Industry insiders reckon that Apple had "abruptly reduced production" of the current-gen model last October, with further whispers suggesting a complete cessation of manufacturing activities by the end of 2024. Yesterday, an ITHome article cited compelling claims made by supply chain insiders—the initiation of mass production for a speculated second generation "Apple XR/Vision Pro" device.

The online report stated that: "multiple independent sources (have) confirmed that the panels, shells and other key components of the second-generation Apple XR headset are already in production." Very specific leaked information indicates Lens Technology being the exclusive supplier of glass panel pieces, and Changying Precision tasked with the making of the next-gen model's casing. Additionally, several contract circuit manufacturers are supposedly "rushing to complete orders." Secretive figures posit that Apple will release its sequel mixed reality headset later on in 2025. Differing "expert opinions" have not determined whether this incoming set of fancy goggles will be the predicted "cheaper" model, or a proper "M5 SoC-powered" successor.

At some point in 2023, Sam Altman founded a new AI hardware device firm: io Products. Last September, Jony Ive confirmed his involvement in this startup tech company. Industry whispers suggest that Open AI's CEO (Altman) and the former Apple chief designer (Ive) were collaborating on the making of voice-enabled smart AI assistant household products. According to a (paywalled) The Information news article, this fledgling operation attracted an "undisclosed amount of funding" from wealthy benefactors. The "small team" is reportedly working on some type of "revolutionary" screenless AI phone, but this rumored project is likely in a very early stage of development—so moles have not disclosed exact details.

The report posits that Ive has recruited Tang Tan and Evans Hankey—both high-level ex-Apple industrial leads, with long-term iPhone design experience. The Information's anonymous inside sources believe that Ive's LoveFrom boutique agency will determine the visual setup for forthcoming io Products smart devices. Additionally, the report extends to a potential takeover bid—valued at around $500 million (USD)—coming from Altman's main gig. Open AI's leadership is supposedly weighing up its options. The Information disclosed an alternative avenue; a simple partnership—rather than a comprehensive takeover.

Mark Gurman—Bloomberg's resident soothsayer of Apple inside track info—has disclosed predictive outlooks for next-generation M5 chip-based MacBooks. Early last month, we experienced the launch of the Northern Californian company's M4 MacBook Air series—starting at $999; also available in a refreshing metallic blue finish. The latest iteration of Apple's signature "extra slim" notebook family arrived with decent performance figures. As per usual, press and community attention has turned to a potential successor. Gurman's (March 30) Power On newsletter posited that engineers are already working on M5-powered super slim sequels—he believes that these offerings will arrive early next year, potentially reusing the current generation's 15-inch and 13-inch fanless chassis designs.

In a mid-February predictive report, Gurman theorized that Apple was planning a major overhaul of the MacBook Pro design. A radical reimagining of the long-running notebook series—that reportedly utilizes M6 chipsets and OLED panels—is a distant prospect; perhaps later on in 2026. The Cupertino-headquartered megacorp is expected to stick with its traditional release cadence, so 2025's "M5" refresh of MacBook Pro models could trickle out by October. Insiders believe that Apple will reuse existing MacBook Pro shells—the last major redesign occurred back in 2021. According to early February reportage, mass production of the much-rumored M5 chip started at some point earlier in the year. Industry moles posit that a 3 nm (N3P) node process was on the order books, chez TSMC foundries.

MagStor, an industry leader in advanced data storage solutions, proudly announces the launch of the world's first Thunderbolt 5 LTO drive, marking a monumental step forward in data storage technology. This groundbreaking innovation continues MagStor's tradition of trailblazing advancements, following its historic introduction of the patented world's first Thunderbolt 3 LTO drive. Designed with cutting-edge Thunderbolt 5 technology, the new LTO drive offers unprecedented speed, reliability, and compatibility for professional data backup and archival needs.

"At MagStor, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in data storage," said Tim Gerhard, VP of Product at MagStor. "After revolutionizing the market with the first-ever Thunderbolt 3 LTO drive, we're excited to raise the bar again with Thunderbolt 5, ensuring our customers have access to the most powerful and flexible storage solutions available."

Earlier in the week, Apple specialist press outlets picked up on a noted industry analyst's technological forecast for a future iPhone processor design. Jeff Pu—of GF Industries, Hong Kong—predicted that the next-generation A20 SoC would be produced via a TSMC 3 nm (N3P) nodes process. Despite rumors of Apple gaining front row seats at the "2 nm ballgame," the partnership between fabless chip designer and foundry could potentially revisit already covered ground. The A19 chipset was previously linked to N3P (by insiders), with Pu expressing the belief that A20 would utilize the same fundamental lithographic underpinnings; albeit enhanced with TSMC's Chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology (for AI improvements).

This morning, MacRumors followed up on their initial news article—they reported that "wires were crossed" at GF Industries, regarding projections for the (2026) iPhone 18 generation. The publication received direct feedback from the man of the hour: "Jeff Pu (lead Apple analyst) has since clarified that he believes the A20 chip will be manufactured with the N2 process, so the information about the chip using the N3P process should be disregarded. Earlier reports had said the A20 chip would be 2 nm, so rumors align again. This is ultimately good news, as it means the A20 chip should have more substantial performance and power efficiency improvements over the A19 chip." Cutting-edge smartphone processor enthusiasts expressed much disappointment when A20 was (regressively) linked to N3P; the latest revisement should instill some joy. According to industry moles, TSMC is making good progress with its cutting-edge 2 nm node process—mass production is expected to start at some point within the second half of 2025.

Over a year ago, industry watchdogs posited that Apple was patiently waiting in line at the front of TSMC's 2 Nanometer GAA "VVIP queue." The securing of cutting-edge manufacturing processes seems to be a consistent priority for the Cupertino, California-headquartered fabless chip designer. Current generation Apple chipsets—at best—utilize TSMC 3 nm (N3E) wafers. Up until very recently, many insiders believed that the projected late 2026 launch of A20 SoC-powered iPhone 18 smartphones would signal a transition to the Taiwanese foundry's advanced 2 nm (N2) node process. Officially, TSMC has roadmapped the start of 2 nm mass production around the second half of 2025.

According to Jeff Pu—a Hong Kong-based analyst at GF Securities—the speculated A20 (2026) chipset could stick with N3P. Leaks suggest that aspects of Apple's next in line "A19" and "A19 Pro" mobile SoCs could be produced via a 3 nm TSMC process. MacRumors has picked up on additional inside track whispers; about Apple M5 processors (for next-gen iPad Pro models) being based on N3P—"likely due to increased wafer costs." Pu reckons that Apple's engineering team has provisioned a major generational improvement with A20's AI capabilities, courtesy of TSMC's Chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology. This significant upgrade is touted to tighten integration between the chip's processor, unified memory, and Neural Engine segments. Revised insider forecasts have positioned A21 chip designs as natural candidates for a shift into 2 nm GAA territories.

TSMC is still considering a strategic joint venture to operate Intel's manufacturing capacity, according to four sources close to Reuters that are familiar with the discussions. The proposed arrangement would limit TSMC's ownership to less than 50% and potentially distribute stakes to major American chip designers, including AMD, Broadcom, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm. The initiative emerged following direct intervention from the Trump administration, which has prioritized revitalizing domestic semiconductor manufacturing while maintaining American control of critical technology infrastructure. Under the proposed framework, Intel would spin off its Intel Foundry division, with TSMC acquiring a minority stake and bringing in partner companies as co-investors.

Apple, TSMC's largest customer, is absent from these preliminary discussions, suggesting careful strategic positioning within the competitive ecosystem—however, significant technical and operational challenges are facing the potential joint venture. Intel's manufacturing and real estate assets are valued at approximately $108 billion, requiring substantial capital commitments from prospective partners. More fundamentally, the technological integration presents massive obstacles, as Intel and TSMC utilize fundamentally different manufacturing processes with distinct equipment configurations and material requirements. However, the complex negotiations remain in the early stages, with significant technical, financial, and regulatory hurdles to overcome before any formal agreement materializes. Intel is still not giving the clear green light to spin off rumors.

According to Digital Chat Station—a repeat leaker of unannounced Qualcomm hardware—unnamed Android smartphone manufacturers are considering an eSIM-only operating model for future flagship devices. Starting with the iPhone 14 generation (2022), Apple has continued to deliver gadgets that are not reliant on "slotted-in" physical SIM cards. According to industry insiders, competitors could copy the market leader's homework—Digital Chat Station's latest Weibo blog post discusses the space-saving benefits of eSIM operation; being "conducive to lightweight and integrated design." Forthcoming top-tier slimline Android mobile devices are tipped to utilize Qualcomm's rumored second-generation "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2" (SM8850) chipset.

Digital Chat Station reckons that: "SM8850 series phones at the end of the year are testing eSIM. Whether they can be implemented in China is still a question mark. Let's wait and see the iPhone 17 Air. In order to have an ultra-thin body, this phone directly cancels the physical SIM card slot. Either it will be a special phone for the domestic market, or it will get eSIM." The phasing out of physical SIM cards within the Chinese mobile market could be a tricky prospect for local OEMs, but reports suggest that "traditionally-dimensioned" flagship offerings will continue to support the familiar subscriber identity module standard. Physical SIM card purists often point out that the format still provides superior network support range.

Software redesigns are often a polarizing affair. No matter how a company approaches the task, the final product will always please some people, while displeasing others. However, this fact has hardly ever hindered tech giants from tinkering - or 'innovating', as they call it - and the same is expected for this year's iOS 19 and macOS 16 operating systems. As multiple sources have pointed out, including the reliable Mark Gurman, iOS 16 is likely to receive a major redesign this year, which will include design elements borrowed from Apple's VisionOS - the operating system that powers the Vision Pro.

The same applies to the upcoming macOS 16, internally code-named "Cheer", which is also borrow inspiration from VisionOS. We have witnessed hints of this in iOS 18 already, which includes round icons in the control center, as opposed to its predecessor's square icons with rounded edges. Interestingly, Gurman did not confirm whether all app icons will switch to a round shape, which will be quite interesting since older macOS and OS X versions, all the way to Catalina, boasted round app icons. Of course, design changes are often cyclic, especially in the case with Apple. Moreover, increased translucency should also be prevalent throughout macOS 16 and iOS 19 - yet another design choice that is likely to be divisive in nature. Either way, both iOS 19 and macOS 16 are expected to debut in the summer at WWDC 25, which means we don't have much waiting to do before being granted a sneak peek into the future of macOS and iOS.

Apple's recent unveiling of refreshed Mac Studio models—in "mismatched" M3 Ultra and M4 Max forms—was greeted with a lukewarm reception from press and public. The absence of an M4 Ultra option has disappointed many folks within the high-end Mac buying populace—rumors of a delayed development of Apple's "Mac Studio M4 Ultra model" emerged online last October. The M3 Ultra processor serves as a somewhat dissatisfying stopgap—prior to last week's official announcement, insiders were still actively questioning the existence of said chip. Last week, Apple representatives reportedly informed Ars Technica and Numerama about their "Ultra" tier not reaching "every chip generation." Follow-up articles have suggested that the M4 Max chip design does not feature an UltraFusion connector; thus cutting off a main path to potential M4 Ultra routes.

Based on previous-gen history, Mac-specialist news sites propose the upcoming M3 Ultra chipset being—in effect—the result of two M3 Max chips joined together via Apple's UltraFusion connection system. Further speculation points to the company's engineering department having to start with a blank canvas; involving a speculative monolithic die design. Noted Apple leaker—Mark Gurman—has disclosed additional theories via his paywalled Bloomberg "Power On" newsletter. As interpreted by MacRumors: "Apple is reluctant to develop an M4 Ultra chip from scratch due to production challenges, costs, and the relatively small sales volume of its desktop computers, like the Mac Studio. So, that seems to rule out the only other way in which Apple could have released an M4 Ultra chip." Several media outlets posit that Apple will skip a generation, and instead focus on getting UltraFusion connections working with next-gen "M5" processors. A refreshed Mac Pro lineup is reportedly on the cards; mid-January reports linked the next-gen workstation series to a very powerful "Hidra" chip design.

It would be incredibly hard to argue that Apple's recently unveiled M4-equipped MacBook Air is the company's best value laptop in quite a while. With a lower starting price and twice the memory, the refreshed MacBook Air sure does a great job enticing students and casual users. The system has recently made its debut on the popular benchmarking platform Geekbench, boasting CPU and GPU performance that is right around what one might expect from the M4 SoC, which we have seen previously in the iPad Pro as well as multiple Macs. In single-core, the M4 MacBook Air managed a score of 3,680 points, and in multicore, the M4 raked in 14,924 points. Of course, the fanless MacBook Air will almost certainly struggle to keep up with its actively cooled siblings in sustained workloads.

In GPU performance, the MacBook Air raked in 54,864 points in Geekbench's Metal GPU benchmark, which is marginally lower than the M4 SoC's average of 57,000 points in the Mac mini and MacBook Pro, both of which are actively cooled. Considering the starting price of $999, the M4 MacBook Air with 16 GB of unified memory is plenty performant for the vast majority of laptop users. Of course, the entry-level storage of a paltry 256 GB is a borderline deal-breaker in 2025, compounded by the fact that Apple refuses to grace its products with user upgradeable storage. For those who can look past it, the M4 MacBook Air sure has a lot going for it.

Just recently, Apple somewhat stunned the industry with the introduction of its refreshed Mac Studio with the M4 Max and M3 Ultra SoCs. For whatever reason, the Cupertino giant decided to spec its most expensive Mac desktop with an Ultra SoC that is based on an older generation, M3, instead of the newer M4 family. However, the M3 Max, which the M3 Ultra is based on, was no slouch, indicating that the M3 Ultra will likely boast impressive performance. However, if a collection of recent benchmark runs are anything to go by, it appears that the M3 Ultra is a tad too closely matched with the M4 Max in CPU performance, which makes the $2000 premium between the two SoCs rather difficult to digest. Needless to say, a single benchmark is hardly representative of real-world performance, so accept this information with a grain of salt.

According to the recently spotted Geekbench result, the M3 Ultra managed a single-core score of 3,221, which is roughly 18% slower than the M4 Max. In multicore performance, one might expect the 32-core M3 Ultra to sweep the floor with the 16-core M4 Max, but that is not quite the case. With a score of 27,749, the M3 Ultra leads the M4 Max by an abysmal 8%. Of course, these are early runs, which may suggest that future scores will likely be higher. However, it is clear as day that the M3 Ultra and the M4 Max, at least in terms of CPU performance, will be close together in multithreaded performance, with the M4 Max continuing to be substantially faster than the far more expensive M3 Ultra variant in single-threaded performance. It does appear that the primary selling point for the M3 Ultra-equipped Mac Studio will be the massive 80-core GPU and up to 512 GB of unified memory shared by the CPU and the GPU, which should come in handy for running massive LLMs locally and other niche workloads.

On Monday (March 3), Qualcomm introduced its Dragonwing FWA Gen 4 Elite model—advertised as the world's first 5G Advanced-capable FWA platform. Inevitably, the company's brand-new Snapdragon X85 5G modem will be compared to a rival design—Apple's proprietary C1 chip launched last month; as featured in the A18 SoC-powered iPhone 16e series. The two companies were closely intertwined for a number of years; with a longer than anticipated co-development of 5G solutions for multiple iPhone product generations. Cristiano Amon—the CEO of Qualcomm—believes that his team's X85 5G design will end up as the victor, when pitched against Apple's C1. In a CNBC-conducted interview, he boasted: "it's the first modem that has so much AI, it actually increases the range of performance of the modem—so the modem can deal with weaker signals. What that will do will set a huge delta between the performance of premium Android devices, and iOS devices, when you compare what Qualcomm can do versus what Apple is doing."

Smartphone industry watchdogs reckon that Apple's C1 model will leverage superior power efficiency; courtesy of the contained modem and receiver being based on TSMC 4 nm and 7 nm processes (respectively). Qualcomm has not revealed the fundamental aspects of its new Snapdragon X85, so it is difficult to project its power consumption habits. Official press material concentrates on two big selling points: downlink speeds up to 12.5 Gbps, and 40 TOPS of NPU processing power. Insiders have posited that the in-house designed C1 modem will make its way into next-gen iPads and Apple wearables—additionally, the development of a successor is rumored. Despite doing less business with Apple, Amon thinks that the future is peachy: "if modem is relevant there's always a place for Qualcomm technology. In the age of AI, modems are going to be more important than they have ever been. And I think that's going to drive consumer preference about do they want the best possible modem in the computer that's in their hand all the time." Qualcomm's chief expects that the supply of Snapdragon 5G Modem‑RF Systems—to Apple—will end in 2027.

The refreshed Mac Studio is here, and it appears that Mark Gurman's reports were accurate once again. The system was updated with the M4 Max and the M3 Ultra SoCs - and once again, that is not a typo. For whatever reason, Apple refused to fit the Mac Studio with an M4-flavored Ultra SoC, instead settling for an undeniably confusing product lineup. The M4 Max, with up to 16 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores, will undoubtedly have the upper hand in single-core performance by as much as 30%, whereas the M3 Ultra will have superior multithreaded and GPU performance, courtesy of its 32 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores. Moreover, the price gap between the base M3 Ultra and M4 Max SKUs will remain the same, despite the former being based on an older generation.

However, the M3 Ultra will allow the system to be configured with up to a whopping 512 GB of unified memory, with memory bandwidth of 819 GB/s. While that number is not particularly mind-bending for a workstation-class system, the fact that the M3 Ultra's 80-core GPU will have access to over half a terabyte of fast-enough memory is a game changer for select few ultra-high-end workloads. Of course, this amount of VRAM is not intended for the average Joe, but the Ultra SoCs were always meant to be a halo product. The M3 Ultra variant can also be equipped with up to 16 TB of storage - at Apple's ridiculous pricing, of course. Needless to say, Apple's performance claims are as vague as always, and interested customers will have to wait for independent reviews and benchmarks to make sense of Apple's confusing SoC strategy with the new Mac Studio.

Apple today announced the new MacBook Air, featuring the blazing-fast performance of the M4 chip, up to 18 hours of battery life, a new 12MP Center Stage camera, and a lower starting price. It also offers support for up to two external displays in addition to the built-in display, 16 GB of starting unified memory, and the incredible capabilities of macOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence—all packed into its strikingly thin and light design that's built to last. The new MacBook Air now comes in an all-new color—sky blue, a metallic light blue that joins midnight, starlight, and silver—giving MacBook Air its most beautiful array of colors ever. It also now starts at just $999—$100 less than before—and $899 for education, making it an incredible value for students, business professionals, or anyone looking for a phenomenal combination of world-class performance, portability, design, and durability. With two sizes to choose from, the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air are available to pre-order today, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 12.

"MacBook Air is by far the world's most popular laptop, and today we're giving everyone even more reasons to love it, including a big boost in performance with the M4 chip, a new Center Stage camera, and a beautiful new sky blue color," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Combined with its thin and light, fanless design, all-day battery life, and the incredible capabilities of macOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence, MacBook Air is unlike any other laptop. And with a new lower starting price of $999, MacBook Air delivers more value to consumers than ever before, making this the perfect moment to upgrade or experience the Mac for the first time."

Apple's Mac Studio is in desperate need of a spec bump. The system is still powered by the M2-era SoCs, whereas the MacBook Pros are already two generations ahead. According to a fresh tidbit shared by comparatively reliable tipster Mark Gurman, Apple is set to announce a much-needed upgrade for the Mac Studio in the coming days, although the upgrade in question is sort of a confusing one. Basically, the report states that the Mac Studio will soon be available with the M4 Max, and the M3 Ultra SoCs - and that is not a typo. Apple apparently has not done the homework for an M4 Ultra chip, and will be shipping the Mac Studio with the M3 Ultra instead.

This is particularly confusing because the industry had widely believed that an M3 Ultra SoC never existed in the first place, and that Apple will be jumping straight to the M4 Ultra chip for the Mac Studio. What's even more confusing, is that Apple's 'Ultra' chips traditionally consisted of two 'Max' chips connected via the 'UltraFusion' die-to-die interconnect tech. However, the M3 Max simply does not have this feature, which means that whatever the M3 Ultra is set to be, it is likely that it won't be two M3 Max dies fused together. It will certainly be quite interesting to see how Apple manages to position the M3 Ultra, or whatever it is named, considering that the 'lower-tier' M4 Max SoC will undoubtedly have superior single-core performance. That said, the M4 Ultra is still in development, which, according to Mark Gurman, will be featured in the future Mac Pro revision, setting it apart from the Mac Studio.

Apple today introduced the faster, more powerful iPad Air with the M3 chip and built for Apple Intelligence. iPad Air with M3 brings Apple's advanced graphics architecture to iPad Air for the first time—taking its incredible combination of power-efficient performance and portability to a new level. iPad Air with M3 is nearly 2x faster compared to iPad Air with M1, and up to 3.5x faster than iPad Air with A14 Bionic. Users will feel the speed of M3 in everything they do, from creating engaging content faster than ever to playing demanding, graphics-intensive games. Available in two sizes and four gorgeous finishes that users love, the 11-inch iPad Air is super portable while on the go, and the 13-inch model provides an even larger display for more room to be creative and productive. Designed for iPad Air, the new Magic Keyboard enhances its versatility and delivers more capabilities at a lower price. With iPadOS 18, support for Apple Intelligence, advanced cameras, fast wireless 5G connectivity, and compatibility with Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), the new iPad Air offers an unrivaled experience.

With the same starting price of just $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model, the new iPad Air is a fantastic value. And for education, the 11-inch iPad Air starts at just $549, and the 13-inch model starts at just $749. Customers can pre-order the new iPad Air with M3 and Magic Keyboard for iPad Air starting today, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 12.

Just recently, we covered a report shared by a reliable industry insider that stated Apple is readying a launch event, or press release, for the M4-powered MacBook Air lineup. Now, Apple CEO Tim Cook has borderline confirmed the same, with a social media post that reveals a new product carrying the 'Air' moniker is set to be revealed sometime this week. Judging by the short teaser video accompanying the tweet, it can be foreseen that the product in question is none other than the MacBook Air, which is now almost certain to be updated with the M4 SoC later this week.

The M4 SoC is an excellent performer, boasting commendable CPU and GPU capabilities without sacrificing on the efficiency that the industry has come to expect from Apple Silicon. Unfortunately, however, no major changes are expected this time around, especially regarding the exterior. The MacBook Air is currently in the third year of its lifecycle, and a redesign can only be expected once it reaches its fourth birthday. Despite that, the M4 SoC alone is a welcome upgrade for those planning on purchasing a MacBook Air anytime soon. Students, in particular, have always been the MBA's target audience, and a decent spec bump will surely help the product hold its own against AMD's Krackan Point and Intel's Lunar Lake-powered offerings.

Apple's new budget-friendly iPhone 16e model was introduced earlier this month; potential buyers were eyeing a device (starting at $599) that houses a selectively "binned" A18 mobile chipset. The more expensive iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models were launched last September, with A18 chips on-board; featuring six CPU cores, and five GPU cores. Apple's brand-new 16E smartphone seems to utilize an A18 sub-variant—tech boffins have highlighted this package's reduced GPU core count: of four. The so-called "binned A18" reportedly posted inferior performance figures—15% slower—when lined up against its standard 5-core sibling (in Geekbench 6 Metal tests). The iPhone 16E was released at retail today (February 28), with review embargoes lifted earlier in the week.

A popular portable tech YouTuber—Dave2D (aka Dave Lee)—decided to pit his iPhone 16E sample unit against older technology; contained within the iPhone 15 (2023). The binned A18's 4-core iGPU competed with the A16 Bionic's 5-core integrated graphics solution in a 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited head-to-head. Respective tallies—of 2882 and 3170 points—were recorded for posterity's sake. The more mature chipset (from 2022) managed to surpass its younger sibling by ~10%, according to the scores presented on Dave2D's comparison chart. The video reviewer reckoned that the iPhone 16E's SoC offers "killer performance," despite reservations expressed about the device not offering great value for money. Other outlets have questioned the prowess of Apple's latest step down model. Referencing current-gen 3DMark benchmark results, Wccftech observed: "for those wanting to know the difference between the binned A18 and non-binned variant; the SoC with a 5-core GPU running in the iPhone 16 finishes the benchmark run with an impressive 4007 points, making it a massive 28.04 percent variation between the two (pieces of) silicon. It is an eye-opener to witness such a mammoth performance drop, which also explains why Apple resorted to chip-binning on the iPhone 16e as it would help bring the price down substantially."

Apple today announced its largest-ever spend commitment, with plans to spend and invest more than $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years. This new pledge builds on Apple's long history of investing in American innovation and advanced high-skilled manufacturing, and will support a wide range of initiatives that focus on artificial intelligence, silicon engineering, and skills development for students and workers across the country.

"We are bullish on the future of American innovation, and we're proud to build on our long-standing U.S. investments with this $500 billion commitment to our country's future," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "From doubling our Advanced Manufacturing Fund, to building advanced technology in Texas, we're thrilled to expand our support for American manufacturing. And we'll keep working with people and companies across this country to help write an extraordinary new chapter in the history of American innovation."

On Wednesday (February 19), Apple announced the upcoming launch of its "budget-friendly" iPhone 16e smartphone model. The Cupertino, California-based company has refreshed its entry level product tier—starting at $599—with modernized internals. Apple's new design houses an A18 chipset, as well as their much-discussed debut modem design. The C1 is a custom 5G part; fully developed in-house. Previously, modern iPhone product ranges have been fitted with Qualcomm 5G modems. As expected, Apple contracted with TSMC for the production of A18 and C1 silicon—the A-type SoC is based on a 3 nm process node (TSMC N3E). Their proprietary modem baseband design utilizes 4 mm, while the receiver uses a 7 nm process—according to insiders.

Taiwan's Commercial Times reckons that TSMC will be the "biggest beneficiary" from the aforementioned agreement with Apple. Ctee TW's latest report cites industry analysis; soothsayers estimate annual shipments reaching roughly 22 million units annually. Additional whispers suggest that the C1 modem will turn up in non-iPhone devices—namely next-gen Watches and iPads, by next year. The report also mentions that upcoming Mac products are slated for C1 upgrades. Further leaks have linked project "Ganymede" to a "C2" custom 5G modem design—inside sources believe that a 3 nm TSMC process is on the cards. Another codename—"Prometheus"—was leaked by insiders; possibly referencing a future "C3" model.

Apple's unannounced M4 MacBook Air family is likely reaching market availability status at some point next month. Last December, slimline notebook enthusiasts started hearing about an updated lineup; macOS's Sequoia 15.2 update reportedly referenced upcoming MacBook Air M4 13-inch and 15-inch models. An early sample unit—named "Mac16,12"—has participated in a Geekbench 6.4.0 (macOS AArch64) gauntlet; results appeared online yesterday. The alleged "MacBook Air 13" candidate posted an overall Metal score of 54,806, and an overall OpenCL tally of 36,305. The two separate Geekbench Browser entries confirm that the sampled device makes use of a 10-core M4 processor, with Cluster 1 containing four performance cores. Cluster 2 consists of six power efficiency-oriented cores. Base frequency is listed at 4.41 GHz; reportedly the highest recorded for an M4 SoC. Said chip accessed 24 GB of unified memory, during its macOS 15.2 (Build 24C2101)-based test session.

Notebookcheck and Wccftech compared the aforementioned data points with slightly older M4-equipped hardware, including a premium model. Both outlets observed a "measly" five percent performance difference. Elaborating on their findings, Notebookcheck stated: "as always, we would recommend taking early benchmark results with a healthy amount of skepticism for the time being. With that being said, the MacBook Air 13 benchmarked falls about 5% short of the median Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Metal results we achieved so far when benchmarking the M4 versions of Apple's Mac Mini and MacBook Pro 14." The rumored next-gen MacBook Air is expected to operate with a fan-less cooling system—press outlets reckon that the MacBook Pro's air-cooled operation puts it at a slight advantage (in benchmarks).

The $3,499 Apple Vision Pro AR/VR headset is certainly not the kind of device that Apple expects to be mass-adopted. Since its launch in 2023, the luxurious gadget is yet to witness a single hardware refresh. The gadget's aging M2 SoC paired with 16 GB of memory is almost three years old, but despite that, respected analyst Mark Gurman expects the device to soon sport Apple Intelligence features alongside the upcoming VisionOS 2.4 update that is scheduled for April. Considering that a hardware update is not expected to hit the scene for at least the rest of the year, a major software update is welcome news for the select few of us who have invested in the product.

The fact that the Vision Pro will support Apple Intelligence features is actually not much of a shocker, since Macs as old as the M1-generation also boast support for Apple's AI features. As such, the Vision Pro will soon receive support for Apple's writing tools with ChatGPT-integration, genmoji, image playground, as well as a bunch of other features with debatable efficacy. Moreover, the report also adds that the device will also get a new app for spatial experiences - which was undoubtedly one of the key selling points of the device. A 'revamped' guest mode is also on the cards, which will allow buyers to share the device with their family and friends - a factor that Apple considers important in order to drive sales. That said, the Vision Pro had abysmal sales to begin with, which indicates that a lower-end variant with a reasonable price tag might be the only way to make even the most ardent of Apple disciples to hop on the VR/AR hype train.