Apple is believed to be working on “the biggest overhaul yet” to the Apple Watch’s design. A new rumor today indicates that the next-generation Apple Watch could include a design change that frees up more space inside for other components – or that makes the device thinner.

Apple was hit with a $2 billion fine in the European Union last month for “abusive” App Store rules for music streaming services. In addition to the fine, the European Commission also said Apple must relax its anti-steering rules.

As reported by TechCrunch, Spotify has submitted a new update to its app that includes pricing information for users in the EU. Spotify also says that it is not planning to opt into Apple’s new business terms in the European Union offered in response to the Digital Markets Act.

President Joe Biden has officially signed off on a bill that requires TikTok parent company to divest the app within the next nine months. Should ByteDance fail to do so, TikTok would effectively be banned in the United States and removed from Apple’s App Store.

Ahead of iOS 18’s debut at WWDC in June, Apple has released a family of open-source large language models. Called OpenELM, Apple describes these as: a family of Open-source Efficient Language Models.

In its testing, Apple says that OpenELM offers similar performance to other open language models, but with less training data.

Starting in May, Apple is launching a new Today at Apple series at its retail stores focused on small business owners and entrepreneurs. Apple says that these sessions will offer “free opportunities to learn how Apple products and services can support their growth and success.”

Another stolen car has been recovered thanks to a hidden AirTag, this time in California. Speaking to NBC News, Philip Obando said that he woke up and walked out of his house to find that his BMW was gone.

Thanks to the hidden AirTag and dashcam video, Obando was able to get a pretty clear idea of when the car was stolen, who stole it, and what the thief did with it.

Last week, Apple was forced by the Chinese government to pull four apps from the App Store in China: Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Threads.

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has now responded to the situation, arguing that Apple was the real target of China’s request. There are more than a few problems with this spin, though…

Our wait for new iPads is nearly over. Apple today announced a special event for May 7, with the tagline “Let loose.” The event will almost certainly focus on new iPad hardware and accessories, and we want to know: what are you most excited to see?

In addition to new artificial intelligence features, Apple’s next round of OS updates will reportedly offer some big new features for the … Calculator app. Multiple rumors over the last week say that Apple is planning to make the Calculator app more powerful, add math features to Apple Notes, and bring the Calculator app to the iPad for the first time.

Apple has slashed its shipping estimates for Vision Pro, according to a new Ming-Chi Kuo analyst report. Kuo says that Apple is now targeting shipments between 400,000 and 450,000 units for Vision Pro this year. This is down from the initial market consensus of between 700,000 and 800,000 units.

The changes have reportedly prompted Apple to revisit its overall strategy for the headset market…

Apple has announced a special event for May 7, teasing “Let Loose.” The event will be online and take place at 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET. It’s expected to focus on new iPad hardware and accessories, with a new iPad Pro, iPad Air, Apple Pencil, and Magic Keyboard all rumored.

Over the weekend, it was rumored that Apple had ended production of FineWoven cases and watch bands. As it turns out, Apple does apparently still have one more iteration of the oft-maligned FineWoven accessories coming soon in new colors, but the end is near.

One of the best features of the Apple TV is its robust collection of Aerial screen savers. When your Apple TV sits idle for a few minutes, tvOS switches to these soothing Aerial videos while it awaits your return.

YouTube, however, thinks you’d rather see random slideshows of images and video thumbnails instead…

Our friends at GRID Studio are running an Earth Day sale this week with some impressive discounts on their iconic deconstructed wall art. The Grid 4, for example, showcases a deconstructed iPhone 4 and is available for just $99 (down from $170).

Apple is doubling down on soccer as an integral part of its sports strategy for Apple TV. According to a new report from The New York Times, FIFA is nearing a deal with Apple for the worldwide television rights to a new World Cup-style tournament being played in the United States next year.

Back in January 2022, Apple discontinued the years-old Beats Pill+ without announcing a replacement of any sort. It looks like that could be about to change, at least based on a teaser this week.

Apple has reportedly acquired Datakalab, a Paris, France-based startup specializing in artificial intelligence compression and computer vision technology. According to French business magazine Challenges, the acquisition was finalized in December.

Datakalab described itself as “experts in low power, runtime efficient, and deep learning algorithms” that work on device.

Rumors that Apple is hoping to switch a future iPhone model from physical to capacitive buttons persist. Now, a new supply chain report suggests that Apple has placed a supply chain order for a new capacitive button system that will replace the physical buttons on the iPhone 16.

One of the many great benefits of Apple Silicon is the ability to run iPhone and iPad apps on the Mac. For baseball fans, this meant support for using the iPad version of the MLB app on macOS.

Sadly, the 2024 MLB season is off to a rocky start for Mac users (just like it is for Cincinnati Reds fans).

As I’ve written in the past, Soulver is one of my must-have apps on the Mac and iPad. It’s essentially a smart notepad calculator, with live data, natural language calculations, and more. Starting this week, Soulver is now available on the iPhone.

In a new report today, analyst Ross Young says that Apple has an interesting twist planned for next year’s iPhone 17 lineup. According to Young, the iPhone 17 Plus will actually feature a smaller screen than the ‘Plus’ model does now.

Benjamin and Chance discuss the latest in Apple news, including Web Distribution for EU users launching in iOS 17.5 beta 2, we get our first sense of the M4 Mac release scheduled and the company opens up its third-party repair policies further. Also, the Humane Ai Pin debuts to a very mixed critical response.

And in Happy Hour Plus, we talk about our multitasking and window management habits on macOS. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

Note from Chance: We had some technical difficulties this week, so the audio quality isn’t up to our normal standards. We apologize and will be back to normal next time!

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The iPhone 16 Pro lineup will bring new features such as larger displays, a dedicated Capture button, and more. We’re also expecting multiple noticeable improvements to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max camera hardware. Here are four things to look forward to this year…

Last month, Apple announced a new Web Distribution offering for developers in the European Union. With today’s launch of iOS 17.5 beta 2, that feature is now available.

Web Distribution gives developers in the EU the ability to offer their apps for download directly from their website. Here’s how it works.

When WWDC kicks off on June 10, there will be a lot of attention on Apple’s plans for new artificial intelligence features. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reiterates that one of Apple’s primary focuses will be on privacy and on-device intelligence.

In a 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus members-only episode, Benjamin and Chance watch BlackBerry, the 2023 film covering the “story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world’s first smartphone.” 

Subscribe at 9to5Mac.com/join to listen and support the show directly! You’ll also get ad-free episodes, post-show content every week, and more.

• BlackBerry (2023) on Letterboxd

Earlier this month, Apple revised its App Store Guidelines to permit game emulator apps for the first time. On Saturday, one of the first such apps was approved: iGBA. This app allowed users to import and play ROMs download from the internet. On Sunday, however, the app was pulled from the App Store without full explanation.

Apple has now provided more clarity on why iGBA was removed from the App Store after initially being approved.

Apple is rolling out a new update to the Apple Sports app today ahead of NHL and NBA playoffs kicking off. The update brings additional details and information on NHL and NBA games for the playoffs, Apple says.

Apple is quickly moving ahead with its next-generation Apple Silicon plans. According to new reports this week, the first M4 Macs are expected as soon as later this year. Here’s what to expect.

Apple first introduced iCloud at WWDC 2011, with Steve Jobs touting it as the best way to store documents, mail, backups, and more in the cloud. One thing that has infamously stayed the same since that 2011 launch: Apple gives you just 5GB of iCloud storage for free.

Nearly 13 years later, how does iCloud’s free storage offer – and paid upgrade plans – compare to the competition?

While the iPhone 16 garners most of the attention, Apple also has another new iPhone model in the works. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to be a dramatic update to Apple’s most affordable iPhone, with an all-new design, USB-C for charging, and more.

Here are four things to expect from the iPhone SE 4.

I can’t run a marathon (and I don’t plan on trying), but new data from the Apple Heart and Movement Study offers some insight into the training habits of people who do.

Published by Brigham and Women’s Hospital on Friday, the data reveals that more than 1,500 participants of the Apple Heart and Movement Study ran an estimated 2,623 marathons over the course of the study period (November 2019 – January 2024).

In a new report today, Bloomberg offered information on what’s next for the Mac with the advent of M4 processors. The details about Apple’s plans for the future of the Mac Pro and Mac Studio specifically stood out to me. Here are the takeaways.

Apple announced big changes to its repair policy today, saying that select iPhone repairs can be completed with used genuine parts for the first time. One controversial repair practice that remains in place, however, is parts pairing.

In a new interview with TechCrunch today, John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, defended the practice as something that “is not evil.”

Benjamin and Chance delve into the latest rounds of iOS 18 rumors, including a curious discovery of a new ‘Safari browser assistant’ in development. Apple has also changed the rules surrounding game emulators in the App Store, with somewhat unclear implications. Apple News+ adds a new Quartile word puzzle, and the wait for the new iPad Pro continues.

And in Happy Hour Plus, Chance considers his smart home strategy ahead of the move to his new house. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

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Apple is planning a major overhaul to its Mac lineup with the advent of the M4 family of chips. According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple is planning a “new family of in-house processors designed to highlight artificial intelligence.”

Apple has once again acknowledged an ongoing “false touch” problem affecting Apple Watch users. Oftentimes referred to as “ghost touches,” this issue causes the Apple Watch to act as if the display is being tapped, even when it isn’t.

Apple’s WebKit team has published a new blog post this week detailing how they’ve made significant upgrades to Safari’s performance over the last several months. The improvements come following the debut of Speedometer 3.0 in March, described as a “major step forward in making the web faster for all.”

While the iPhone 16 won’t feature any dramatic design changes, Apple is allegedly planning to shake up the color choices. According to a new rumor today, the iPhone 16 will be available in two additional colors compared to the iPhone 15 lineup.

Following the addition of crosswords in iOS 17, Apple News+ is expanding its catalog of games as part of iOS 17.5. Starting with iOS 17.5, there is a new game called “Quartiles” available in the News app, which prompts players to select from a grid of tiles to form words.

iOS 18 is rumored to include a number of new artificial intelligence features spread across the entire operating system. A new rumor today suggests that one of those features could be “Safari browsing assistant.”

As for what that means, we are left to speculation for now…

This year’s Apple Watch Series 10 could offer a notable improvement in battery life. A new supply chain report this week says that the Apple Watch Series 10 will use a new display technology that lowers power consumption and improves efficiency. In turn, this could improve battery life across the board.

A new iPad Pro is coming, and it’s been described as the biggest refresh since 2018. With these improvements, however, will reportedly come a price increase. How much more expensive will the new iPad Pro models be, and how much of an increase would be too much? Here’s everything we know.

Apple has officially started beta testing iOS 17.5 with developers and public beta users. The update brings a handful of new features and changes, and is expected to be released sometime next month. Head below for everything we know right now.

A new non-destructive teardown published today offers an incredible look inside Apple Vision Pro. Created using an industrial CT scanner, the images give us a look at the precise engineering that went into cramming all the cameras, sensors, and other technology inside Vision Pro.

Automattic, the company that operates WordPress.com, has acquired Beeper. As you may recall, Beeper is the company that briefly brought iMessage to Android, much to the chagrin of Apple. The move comes as Automattic aims to become an all-in-one solution for cross-platform messaging.

A new leak today claims to offer details on iPhone 16 battery sizes. According to this sketchy rumor, the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max will feature larger batteries than their iPhone 15 counterparts. The iPhone 16 Plus, however, will reportedly take a step back…

While Apple just launched the new M3 MacBook Air, Microsoft is apparently convinced that its upcoming family of Arm laptops will offer even better performance.

“Microsoft is confident that a round of new Arm-powered Windows laptops will beat Apple’s M3-powered MacBook Air both in CPU performance and AI-accelerated tasks,” according to a new report from The Verge.