Monday’s best deals have a fitting spring discount as a headliner, dropping Apple Watch SE 2 styles down to $189 just in time for warm weather workouts. You can also score a rare deal on Apple’s original Leather MagSafe Wallet at $25, while 14-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pro now starts from $1,605. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

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Currently, Apple Vision Pro has a few different options for text input, including a virtual keyboard, Siri, or using a separate Bluetooth keyboard. A new rumor today says that Apple could bring Apple Pencil support to Vision Pro as a new way of interacting with visionOS.

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Two senators who have received classified TikTok national security briefings say that the information revealed to them has left them “deeply troubled.”

They are calling for the information to be declassified, as they say it is “critically important” that the American people can consider the issues for themselves – especially if they currently use the Chinese-owned app …

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Read about the DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple: Sponsored by DirecTV Stream: The best way to watch every single NCAA March...

Chinese media is reporting that Apple is buying AI services from local tech giant Baidu. The WSJ had earlier reported that the iPhone maker had been in discussions with the company, to use its AI smarts in iOS 18.

Baudi operates a ChatGPT-style LLM known as ERNIE Bot, which claims to “comprehend human intentions and deliver accurate, logical, and fluent responses approaching human level” …

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One element of the DOJ antitrust lawsuit against Apple addresses iMessage, and Apple’s decision to keep the app exclusive to iPhone. But it goes further than arguing that this is anti-competitive, and attacks the use of green chat bubbles for Android users as creating “social stigma.”

A lawyer commenting on this claim says that it effectively amounts to the Department of Justice complaining that people think the iPhone is cooler than Android phones …

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We noted recently that Apple was beginning to roll-out firmware updates to AirTags. That roll-out was supposed to be a gradual one, completing on April 9 – but that’s not what happened …

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Both Neil Young and Joni Mitchell have allowed their music to return to Spotify, some two years after they pulled their entire catalogs in protest at COVID disinformation, and Apple Music trolled the service …

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The EU has today announced that it is not satisfied that Apple’s App Store changes comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and the company is now officially under investigation for non-compliance.

If that investigation confirms that Apple failed to comply with the antitrust law, then the iPhone maker could be fined up to 10% of its worldwide turnover – increasing to 20% for repeat infringements …

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In this episode of Visioneers, Zac Hall of 9to5Mac sits down with Geert Bevin, the Director of Software Development at Moog Music, for an insightful conversation. Together, they delve into the fascinating world of music technology, focusing on Moog Music’s latest creation, Animoog Galaxy for Apple Vision Pro. Additionally, Bevin sheds light on his innovative app, MIDI Widgets; his history with computers and music creation; and how Apple Vision Pro is meshing with work life and leisure so far.

Sponsored by Things 3: Zac’s all-time favorite task manager for iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro! Try it today!

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Apple is about to roll out a big change to its retail stores in the United States: “Presto within Apple.” This system will let Apple Store employees wirelessly update iPhone software while the phone is still in the box, using a pad-like device. Here’s how it works.

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According to a new analyst note from Jeff Pu at Haitong International Tech Research, seen by 9to5Mac, Apple is planning changes to the A18 Pro chip specifically for on-device artificial intelligence. Pu also writes that Apple is ramping up A18 Pro chip production earlier than usual.

The news comes as we continue to learn more about Apple’s plans for AI features this year, including how it will balance on-device versus cloud-based solutions.

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Apple Vision Pro is currently only available in the United States, but Apple has promised that it will come to other markets before the end of the year. During a visit to China this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook offered confirmation that China is one of the countries in which Vision Pro will launch this year.

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