Apple Releases iOS 18.2.1 With Bug Fixes Apple today released iOS 18.2.1 and iPadOS 18.2.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems. iOS 18.2.1 and iPadOS 18.2.1 come almost a month after Apple released iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According…

Apple Says Siri Data Has Never Been Sold or Used for Marketing No Siri data has ever been used for marketing purposes or sold to a third-party company for any reason, Apple said today in response to accusations that conversations ‌Siri‌ has captured were used for advertising. A lawsuit that Apple has agreed to settle alleged that Apple provided information obtained from accidental ‌Siri‌ recordings to thir…

Satechi’s New Mac Mini Hub Solves the Power Button Problem The power button on the latest Mac mini is located on the bottom of the computer. If that bothers you, an upcoming accessory offers a solution. At the CES 2025 tech show in Las Vegas today, Satechi shared more details about its previously-announced new Mac mini hub. Notably, the hub has a cutout in the back-left corner that makes it easy to pre…

Get $70 Off Apple’s 10th Gen iPad at Amazon, Starting at $279 Amazon this week has a huge collection 10th generation iPads on sale, with the sole exception of a few colors of the cellular models not being discounted. These deals have been automatically applied and do not require an on-page coupon to be clipped. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, …

Aqara Unveils New HomeKit-Compatible Panels, Sensors, and More Aqara has announced a new lineup of smart home devices at CES 2025, emphasizing tighter integration with Apple HomeKit and the Matter protocol. The flagship Panel Hub S1 Plus features a 6.9-inch touchscreen and dual-band Wi-Fi, enabling centralized management of up to two wired light fixtures. As a Zigbee hub and Matter bridge, the device simpl…

What to Expect From iOS 18.2.1, iOS 18.3, and iOS 18.4 Apple plans to release at least three iOS versions before the end of April, including iOS 18.2.1, iOS 18.3, and iOS 18.4. Below, we outline what to expect from each of these updates. iOS 18.2.1 Last month, we reported that Apple has been internally testing iOS 18.2.1, which is expected to have a build number of 22C161. The software update’s pr…

Apple Using Shazam to Predict 50 Breakthrough Music Artists This Year Apple today launched a new Shazam Fast Forward 2025 website that will spotlight 50 music artists who are poised to have a breakthrough year. The list of artists will be revealed on a genre-by-genre basis over the next five days, starting with dance/electronic artists today. Rising artists in the Latin, Country/Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop, and R&B genres…

India Plans Subsidies to Boost Apple’s Production Efforts India is set to implement a series of subsidies and tariff reductions designed to lower production costs for Apple and other smartphone manufacturers as part of its broader effort to become a global electronics manufacturing hub (via Bloomberg). India is proposing $2.7 billion in financial incentives and tariff adjustments targeting the electro…

OWC Debuts 40Gbps USB4 Cables Up to 15 Feet Long OWC has introduced two new active optical USB4 cables offering extended lengths and high-speed connectivity at more competitive prices than Apple’s only long Thunderbolt 4 cable offering. The cables are available in 3-meter (approximately 10 feet) and 4.5-meter (15 feet) lengths, priced at $98.99 and $129.99 respectively. Both cables support da…

Weak OLED iPad Pro Demand Forces Panel Supplier to Pivot to iPhone Apple supplier LG Display is adjusting its main OLED production line over concerns about lower-than-expected OLED iPad Pro demand, with the company now planning to repurpose the facility to manufacture iPhone displays, according to The Elec. The production line currently manufactures OLED panels for tablets and PCs, but has been experiencing re…

iPhone 17 Design to Feature Smoother Edge-to-Rear Material Transition The design of this year’s next-generation iPhone 17 will allegedly feature a smoother transition between the edges of the device and the back cover, owing to Apple’s use of a new glass-and-metal splicing material process. That’s according to the Weibo-based leaker Fixed Focus Digital. In a post on Monday, the Chinese leaker claimed that suppli…

Apple Fitness+ Progressive Strength Training Program Now Available Apple Fitness+ introduced new workout programs today. The previously announced lineup of content includes a new progressive strength training program designed to take the guesswork out of putting together the perfect routine, along with a conditioning program for pickleball. Apple describes the new strength training course in its press release …

CES 2025: Lutron Debuts HomeKit-Compatible Caséta Smart Shades Lutron today announced the launch of new Caséta Smart Shades that are able to integrate with HomeKit and other smart home platforms. Priced at $399, the Caséta shades can be controlled using schedules, in-wall controls, remotes, the Lutron app, the Home app, or Siri voice commands. These are the first smart shades that are available under the C…

CES 2025: Belkin Debuts New Chargers, Audio Products and Content Creation Tools Popular accessory maker Belkin today introduced several upcoming products that will launch in the early months of 2025. There are three new charging options, including the affordable $20 Qi2 BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Wireless Charging Pad. The Charging Pad is able to charge an iPhone at up to 15W, and it comes with a pop-up kickstand and a 2.2m …

Get the AirTag 4-Pack for the All-Time Low Price of $69.99 on Amazon Today we’re tracking the return of an all-time low price on Apple’s AirTag 4-Pack, which has hit $69.99 on Amazon, down from $99.00. This deal was first introduced during Black Friday back in November, and we’ve only seen it return twice so far since then. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purc…

Apple to Hold Q1 2025 Earnings Call on January 30 Apple plans to hold its first earnings call of 2025 on Thursday, January 30, according to the company’s Investor Relations website. During the call, Apple CEO Tim Cook and new chief financial officer Kevan Parekh will provide insight into Apple’s performance during the 2024 holiday quarter spanning from October to December. Apple’s Q4 2024 earn…

Here’s What’s Changing With Siri in 2025 Apple started making Siri more capable with Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2, but there are additional ‌Siri‌ updates that are set to come in 2025 with iOS 18 and iOS 19. By this time next year, ‌Siri‌ should be much smarter, if Apple’s planned changes live up to what the company says is coming. Features Coming in iOS 18 The…

Apple CEO Tim Cook to Donating $1 Million to Trump’s Inaugural Fund Apple CEO Tim Cook plans to donate $1 million to Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, reports Axios. The donation will be a personal donation directly from Cook rather than a donation from Apple. Following Trump’s win, Cook congratulated him on social media site X, and in December, Cook had dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Cook aimed to maintain a…

Reminder: You Can Watch Apple TV+ Shows and Movies for Free This Weekend Apple TV+ will be available to stream for free starting on Friday, January 3, with the promotion set to last through Sunday, January 5. For the first time, Apple is providing unlimited access to its catalog of TV shows and movies with no subscription fee. The ‌Apple TV‌+ streaming service can be accessed from any web browser and on any device t…

Review: Apple’s M4 Mac Mini is the Best Desktop Mac Apple refreshed the Mac mini back in November, adding M4 chips and increasing the base storage. We did a hands-on impressions video at the time, but we thought we’d follow that up with a more in-depth review now that we’ve had more time to spend with Apple’s cheapest desktop machine. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. P…