
Apple just dropped a new iPad Air, MacBook Air and Mac Studio: here's what you need to know
March has already been a busy month for Apple, which unveiled a handful of new editions to its most popular products in the last week. Apple fans can now get a new version of the MacBook Air and the iPad Air, both with brand-new, high-powered chips for a faster user experience. The company also announced its most powerful Mac ever, the Mac Studio.
MacBook fans can get the newest MacBook Air with an M4 chip. The chip makes all the tasks users complete on their laptop faster and more efficient. Users also get up to 18 hours of battery life, and they can choose Apple's all-new color, sky blue, in addition to the classic midnight, starlight and silver options.
"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," Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said in an announcement.
"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," Joswiak added.
The iPad Air also got a major makeover this year, mainly thanks to the new M3 chip with Apple Intelligence. Nearly two times faster than the iPad Air with M1 and 3.5 times faster than the iPad Air with A14 Bionic, the newest Apple Air model delivers on performance.
Users can choose from two sizes — the 11-inch or 13-inch — and four different finishes. Apple kept the starting price for the 11-inch at $599 and $799 for the 13-inch model, so users get even more features without having to pay more.
"iPad Air is so popular because of its unmatched combination of powerful performance, portability, and support for advanced accessories, all at an affordable price," said Bob Borchers, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "For everyone from college students taking notes with Apple Pencil Pro, to travelers and content creators who need powerful productivity on the go, iPad Air with M3, Apple Intelligence, and the new Magic Keyboard take versatility and value to the next level."
Mac Studio, Apple's desktop computer that pairs with Apple monitors, just got its best upgrade yet. It has more advanced graphics, a more powerful CPU, a large memory capacity and is one of Apple's fastest systems to date.
"The new Mac Studio is the most powerful Mac we've ever made," said John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. "A complete game-changer for pros around the world — powering both home and pro studios — Mac Studio sits in a class of its own, offering a staggering amount of performance in a compact, quiet design that fits beautifully on your desk."
Mac Studio is also home to Apple Intelligence, Apple's AI that offers an elevated user experience. Studio users can find Writing Tools that help them rewrite, proofread or summarize even faster than before. The Notes app also got an upgrade thanks to AI, and now gives users a live transcription option.
Siri has also been improved and can now answer thousands of questions about Mac features, offering step-by-step instructions on how to perform various tasks. ChatGPT is also integrated into Siri, making it easy to utilize the AI's knowledge when needed.
Apple's newest version of the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16e, is a more affordable option. It has the same durable aluminum design, but it's faster than other iPhone versions. The battery life also lasts up to six hours longer than previous generations. You also get Apple Intelligence built in to your iPhone 16e.
Original price: $399
Apple's thinnest and lightest watch is the Apple Watch Series 10. It has advanced health features like the ability to take an ECG and the ability to track your nightly sleeping activity. Through the Workout app, you can also take your fitness goals to the next level. You can track the intensity of your workouts and use the depth and water temperature sensors for any swimming activities.
Original price: $349
The newest version of the classic iPad is just as impressive as its Air cousin. The 11th generation of the iPad is great for everyday use, with its 11-inch screen and powerful A16 chip. Touch ID is also built in to the top and bottom of the iPad, so it's easier to unlock.
Original price: $129
Apple redesigned the AirPods and recently released the Apple AirPods 4. The new design makes them more comfortable to wear and ensures they won't fall out. They also have a new voice isolation feature that improves call quality when your surroundings are loud. Apple also made the AirPods 4 and the charging case dust-, sweat- and water-resistant.
Original price: $549.99
You can now get over-the-ear headphones from Apple with the AirPods Max. You get to choose from 10 beautiful colors, and you'll get a matching case included. The headphones are noise-canceling, but there's also a transparency mode when you want to hear your surroundings.
For more Deals, visit www.foxnews.com/category/deals
Original price: $99.99
One of Apple's most helpful products is the AirTag. Just put one on your phone, wallet, keys or any other valuables, and you can easily track them if they get lost. You can play a sound on the built-in speaker to help find your things, or you can ask Siri for help.
AirTags also have Lost Mode, which allows you to be automatically notified when it's detected on the Find My network. Should you lose your luggage while traveling, you can share an AirTag's location with the airline to help recover your items.
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Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Apple's Quiet MacBook Air Discounts
Brand new redesigned MacBook Air laptops are displayed during WWDC (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty ... More Images) Apple may have launched macOS 26 Tahoe during last week's Worldwide Developer Conference, but it is a relatively quiet time for the MacBook Air laptops. While the new M5 chipset is expected to debut in an iPad Pro over the next few weeks, the first MacBook Pro upgrades will have to wait until the fourth quarter of 2025, with M5 Airs perhaps in early 2026. Yet there is one MacBook Air change this week that many will welcome. The latest consumer-focused macOS laptops have picked up a significant discount as the first M4 MacBook Air laptops arrive in the US Apple Store. In general, Apple's refurbished devices come with a fifteen percent discount. That will take the entry-level M4 MacBook Air to $849, $150 off the sticker price. It's not a slam dunk to get the model you want. There are more than thirty configurations of the current MacBook Air models, and Apple can only stock the configurations that have been refurbished. If you want something specific, you'll need to keep checking back over the next days and weeks to watch for your favorite. The price cuts come due to their appearance in the refurbished section of the Store. This is where Apple offers hardware that has been returned, refurbished and fully tested before going back on sale. Importantly, these refurbished units come with a one-year limited warranty and are eligible to receive the AppleCare extended warranty. There's also no artificial limitation on the software support window. A refurbished MacBook Air will have the same operating system updates and security patches as one purchased new. With the latest version of macOS announced at June's Worldwide Developer Conference still supporting 2020's M1-powered MacBook Air, you can expect at least five years of ongoing support from Apple, and the expectation is that the seven years offered to the last Intel-powered MacBooks will be the minimum offered the Apple Silicon MacBook Air laptops. You can find Apple's refurbished MacBook Air models and more here… Now read more about the updates to the MacBook Air and macOS 26 in Forbes' weekly Apple news digest…


CNET
3 hours ago
- CNET
Liquid Glass, New Photos App and All the Other iOS 26 Features Coming to Your iPhone
Your iPhone will soon look a lot different when iOS 26 (named for 2026) comes out in the fall, but there's more to see under the frosted glass facade. Announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, the latest version of the iPhone's operating system incorporates some features iPhone owners have watched their Android friends enjoy, plus plenty of other enhancements. For instance, the Camera and Photos apps are gaining long-awaited functional redesigns; the Messages and Phone apps are taking a firmer stand against unwanted texts and calls; and Apple Intelligence contributes some improvements in a year when Siri has been delayed. Here are the updates you can expect to see on the iPhone soon. The next version of the operating system is due to ship in September or October (likely with new iPhone 17 models), but developer betas are available now, with a public beta expected in July. Watch this: Introducing iOS 26 at WWDC25 04:37 Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET Transparent new Liquid glass design After more than a decade of a flat, clean user interface -- an overhaul introduced in iOS 7 when former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive took over the design of software as well as hardware -- the iPhone is getting a new look. The new design extends throughout the Apple product lineup, from iOS to WatchOS, TVOS and iPadOS. The Liquid Glass interface also now enables a third way to view app icons on the iPhone home screen. Not content with Light and Dark modes, iOS 26 now features an All Clear look -- every icon is clear glass with no color. Lock screens can also have an enhanced 3D effect using spatial scenes, which use machine learning to give depth to your background photos. The new All Clear icon look in iOS 26 is part of the Liquid Glass design. Apple/Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET Dynamic and adaptable lock screen Translucency is the defining characteristic of Liquid Glass, behaving like glass in the real world in the way it deals with light and color of objects behind and near controls. But it's not just a glassy look: The "liquid" part of Liquid Glass refers to how controls can merge and adapt -- dynamically morphing, in Apple's words. In the example Apple showed, the glassy time numerals on an iPhone lock screen stretched to accommodate the image of a dog and even shrunk as the image shifted to accommodate incoming notifications. The dock and widgets are now rounded, glassy panels that float above the background. As notifications fill the bottom of the screen, the subject in the background image is pushed up and the time numerals resize to accommodate. Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET Watch this: I'm Impressed With iOS 26. Apple Just Made iPhones Better 05:40 Camera and Photos apps go even more minimal The Camera app is getting a new, simplified interface. You could argue that the current Camera app is pretty minimal, designed to make it quick to frame a shot and hit the big shutter button. But the moment you get into the periphery, it becomes a weird mix of hidden controls and unintuitive icons. The Camera app has fewer distractions. Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET Now, the Camera app in iOS 26 features a "new, more intuitive design" that takes minimalism to the extreme. The streamlined design shows just two controls: Video or Camera. Swipe left or right to choose modes. Swipe up for settings such as aspect ratio and timers, and tap for additional preferences. With the updated Photos app, viewing the pictures you capture should be a better experience -- a welcome change that customers have clamored for since iOS 18's cluttered attempt. Instead of a long, difficult-to-discover scrolling interface, Photos regains a Liquid Glass menu at the bottom of the screen. The Photos app gets a welcome redesign. Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET The Phone app gets a revamp The Phone app has kept more closely to the look of its source than others: a sparse interface with large buttons as if you're holding an old-fashioned headset or pre-smartphone cellular phone. iOS 26 finally updates that look not just with the new overall interface but in a unified layout that takes advantage of the larger screen real estate on today's iPhone models. The Phone app's unified layout should make for less switching between screens when dealing with calls. Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET It's not just looks that are different, though. The Phone app is trying to be more useful for dealing with actual calls -- the ones you want to take. The Call Screening feature automatically answers calls from unknown numbers, and your phone rings only when the caller shares their name and reason for calling. Or what about all the time wasted on hold? Hold Assist automatically detects hold music and can mute the music but keep the call connected. Once a live agent becomes available, the phone rings and lets the agent know you'll be available shortly. Messages updates The Messages app is probably one of the most used apps on the iPhone, and for iOS 26, Apple is making it a more colorful experience. You can add backgrounds to the chat window, including dynamic backgrounds that show off the new Liquid Glass interface. Enliven your daily chats with backgrounds and more group features. Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET In addition to the new look, group texts in Messages can incorporate polls for everyone in the group to reply to -- no more scrolling back to find out which restaurant Brett suggested for lunch that you missed. Other members in the chat can also add their own items to a poll. A more useful feature is a feature to detect spam texts better and screen unknown numbers, so the messages you see in the app are the ones you want to see and not the ones that distract you. Safari gets out of its own way In the Safari app, the Liquid Glass design floats the tab bar above the web page (although that looks right where your thumb is going to be, so it will be interesting to see if you can move the bar to the top of the screen). As you scroll, the tab bar shrinks. Web pages occupy the entire screen and the address bar shrinks to get out of the way. Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET FaceTime focuses on calls, not controls FaceTime also gets the minimal look, with controls in the lower-right corner that disappear during the call to get out of the way. On the FaceTime landing page, posters of your contacts, including video clips of previous calls, are designed to make the app more appealing. FaceTime minimizes its controls into one corner. Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET New Music app features Do you like the sound of that song your friend is playing but don't understand the language the lyrics are in? The Music app includes a new lyrics translation feature that displays along with the lyrics as the song plays. And for when you want to sing along with one of her favorite K-pop songs, for example, but you don't speak or read Korean, a lyrics pronunciation feature spells out the right way to form the sounds. AutoMix blends songs like a DJ, matching the beat and time-stretching for a seamless transition. And if you find yourself obsessively listening to artists and albums again and again, you can pin them to the top of your music library for quick access. Keep the beat going with intelligence-based song transitions using AutoMix. Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET New Games app is a reminder that yes, people game on iPhone The iPhone doesn't get the same kind of gaming affection as Nintendo's Switch or Valve's Steam Deck, but the truth is that the iPhone and Android phones are used extensively for gaming -- Apple says half a billion people play games on iPhone. Trying to capitalize on that, a new Games app acts as a specific portal to Apple Arcade and other games. Yes, you can get to those from the App Store app, but the Games app is designed to remove a layer of friction so you can get right to the gaming action. The new Games hub has a simple control screen to let you navigate all of your Apple games on any device. Apple/Screenshot by CNET Live translation enhances calls and texts Although not specific to iOS, Apple's new live translation feature is ideal on the iPhone when you're communicating with others. It uses Apple Intelligence to dynamically enable you to talk to someone who speaks a different language in near-real time. It's available in the Messages, FaceTime and Phone apps and shows live translated captions during a conversation. Live translation during a voice call Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET Maps gets more personal Updates to the Maps app sometimes involve adding more detail to popular areas or restructuring the way you store locations. Now, the app takes note of routes you travel frequently and can alert you of any delays before you get on the road. A Maps widget shows a frequently-used route. Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET It also includes a welcome feature for those of us who get our favorite restaurants mixed up: visited places. The app notes how many times you've been to a place, be that a local business, eatery or tourist destination. It organizes them in categories or other criteria such as by city to make them easier to find the next time. New CarPlay features Liquid Glass also makes its way to CarPlay in your vehicle, with a more compact design when a call comes in that doesn't obscure other items, such as a directional map. In Messages, you can apply tapbacks and pin conversations for easy access. Widgets are now part of the CarPlay experience, so you can focus on just the data you want, like the current weather conditions. And Live Activities appear on the CarPlay screen, so you'll know when that coffee you ordered will be done or when a friend's flight is about to arrive. The new CarPlay interface with Liquid Glass. Screenshot by CNET Wallet improvements The Wallet app is already home for using Apple Card, Apple Pay, electronic car keys and for storing tickets and passes. In iOS 26, you can create a new Digital ID that acts like a passport for age and identity verification (though it does not replace a physical passport) for domestic travel for TSA screening at airports. The app can also let you use rewards and set up installment payments when you purchase items in a store, not just for online orders. And with the help of Apple Intelligence, the Wallet app can help you track product orders, even if you did not use Apple Pay to purchase them. It can pull details such as shipping numbers from emails and texts so that information is all in one place. The Wallet app supports legal state IDs and national IDs for age and identity verification. Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET New features powered by Apple Intelligence Although last year's WWDC featured Apple Intelligence features heavily, improvements to the AI tech were less prominent this year, folded into the announcements during the WWDC keynote. As an alternative to creating Genmoji from scratch, you can combine existing emojis -- "like a sloth and a light bulb when you're the last one in the group chat to get the joke," to use Apple's example. You can also change expressions in Genmoji of people you know that you've used to create the image. Combine existing emoji using Apple Intelligence. Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET Image Playground adds the ability to tap into ChatGPT's image generation tools to go beyond the app's animation or sketch styles. Visual Intelligence can already use the camera to try to decipher what's in front of the lens. Now the technology works on the content on the iPhone's screen, too. It does this by taking a screenshot (press the sleep and volume up buttons) and then including a new Image Search option in that interface to find results across the web or in other apps such as Etsy. Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET This is also a way to add event details from images you come across, like posters for concerts or large gatherings. (Perhaps this could work for QR codes as well?) In the screenshot interface, Visual Intelligence can parse the text and create an event in the Calendar app. Some iOS 26 updates Apple didn't mention Not everything fits into a keynote presentation -- even, or maybe especially, when it's all pre-recorded -- but some of the more interesting new features in iOS 26 went unremarked during the big reveal. For instance: If you have AirPods or AirPods Pro with the H2 chip, you can use AirPods Camera Remote to start recording video on your iPhone by pressing and holding one of the AirPods. You can choose your own snooze duration of between 1 and 15 minutes for alarms. Audio recording options have expanded, enabling high-quality recording during conference calls and high-definition recording in the Camera app with AirPods and AirPods Pro that contain the H2 chip. Accessibility features include an "all-new experience designed with Braille users in mind," more options for the Vehicle Motion Cues feature to avoid motion sickness and "a more customizable reading experience." Reminders uses Apple Intelligence to "suggest tasks, grocery items and follow-ups based on emails or other text on your device." The Journal app supports multiple journals, inline images and a map view that tracks where journal entries were made. Parental controls have been updated in unspecified ways, including "enhancements across Communication Limits, Communication Safety and the App Store." Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET iOS 26 availability The finished version of iOS 26 will be released in September or October with new iPhone 17 models. In the meantime, developers will get access to the first developer betas starting on Monday, with an initial public beta arriving in July. (Don't forget to go into any beta software with open eyes and clear expectations.) Follow the WWDC 2025 live blog for details about Apple's announcements. iPhone models compatible with iOS 26 iOS 26 will run on the iPhone 11 and later models, including the iPhone SE (2nd generation and later). That includes:
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Week in Review: WWDC 2025 recap
Welcome back to Week in Review! We have lots for you this week, including what came out of WWDC 2025; The Browser Company's AI browser; OpenAI's partnership with Mattel; and updates to your iPad. Have a great weekend! The Apple experience: We kicked the week off with WWDC 2025, Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, where the company showed off a newly designed iOS 26, new features across its products, and much more. There was considerable pressure on Apple this year to build on its promises and to make amends to developers as it lags behind in AI and faces continued legal challenges over its App Store. Snack hack: U.S. grocery distribution giant United Natural Foods (UNFI) was hit by a cyberattack, the company confirmed Tuesday. Much of UNFI's external-facing systems were offline, including web systems used by suppliers and customers, as well as the company's VPN products. Whole Foods was one of the victims, and it told staff that the cyberattack was affecting UNFI's 'ability to select and ship products from their warehouses' and that this will 'impact our normal delivery schedules and product availability.' Public debut: Chime's much-anticipated public debut finally arrived, with the company raising $864 million in its IPO. Iconiq was one of Chime's many backers taking a victory lap at its graduation to become a public company. This is TechCrunch's Week in Review, where we recap the week's biggest news. Want this delivered as a newsletter to your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here. Not to be outdone: Google rolled out Android 16 to Pixel phones, adding group chat to RCS, AI-powered edit suggestions to Google Photos, and support for corporate badges in Google Wallet. Cabs are here: Elon Musk has spent years claiming that Teslas would be able to drive themselves. Apparently the time has come — maybe? Musk said this week that Tesla will start offering public rides in driverless vehicles in Austin, Texas, on June 22. An AI browser: The Browser Company said last year that it's going to stop supporting and developing its Arc browser, which, although popular, was never able to reach scale. The startup has since been busy developing an AI-first browser called Dia. And another one: OpenAI released o3-pro, which is a version of o3, a reasoning model that the startup launched earlier this year. As opposed to conventional AI models, reasoning models work through problems step by step, allowing them to perform more reliably in domains like physics, math, and coding. In other news, Sam Altman posted on X to say that his company's first open model in years will be delayed until later this summer. Desperately seeking: Now that people can ask a chatbot for answers — sometimes generated from news content taken without a publisher's knowledge — there's no need to click on Google's blue links. And that's hurting publishers. Cool? Mattel and OpenAI are teaming up to create an 'AI-powered product,' whatever that is. As part of the deal, Mattel employees will also get access to OpenAI tools like ChatGPT Enterprise to 'enhance product development and creative ideation.' 'A privacy disaster': Reporter Amanda Silberling tried out the Meta AI app and found that it's publicly sharing people's queries. 'Meta does not indicate to users what their privacy settings are as they post, or where they are even posting to. So, if you log into Meta AI with Instagram, and your Instagram account is public, then so too are your searches about how to meet 'big booty women,'' she writes. iPad for work: iPadOS 26 will bring new features to the 15-year-old device that might actually make it usable for a full day of work. A wave of recent headlines and posts has raised questions about Bluesky, from concerns about slowing growth to claims that the platform is turning into a left-leaning echo chamber and that its users are too serious. While those critiques capture part of the conversation, they don't reflect the full picture of what Bluesky is working toward. But if left unchecked, those perceptions could pose a real challenge to the platform's future growth. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data