Tech Talk

Ahead of Earth Day on April 22, Apple has added a banner to its website that reminds customers they can recycle their Apple devices "for free" with the company's recycling partners. The process can be initiated on Apple's trade-in page in many countries, with customers able to submit a form to receive a prepaid shipping label for their devices. "We'll recycle your Apple devices, cables, cases, accessories, and other similar electronics for free," says Apple. "You'll help protect the earth's precious resources and reduce waste as we work toward a better future for the planet." On a related note, Apple today shared a new "Recycling Robots" video on its YouTube channel in the U.K. that says Apple's recycling robots are now able to recover recyclable materials from a total of 23 different iPhone models. "Our custom recycling robot Daisy can disassemble 23 different iPhone models to recover crucial materials li

Spotify's elusive lossless music experience is being teased again, this time based on code uncovered by The Verge in recent builds of the Spotify app for Android. More than three years have elapsed since Spotify announced its intention to offer a "HiFi" premium option that would give users access to a catalog of CD-quality music tracks. Originally the company said the tier would go live by the end of 2021, but a shift in the wider streaming market upended that idea. Apple Music has since rolled lossless listening into its standard subscription price, while Amazon stopped charging extra for its lossless music library. The moves effectively kiboshed Spotify's original strategy of marketing an exclusively lossless HiFi tier. That said, it doesn't sound as if lossless is coming as a free perk. The latest rumors suggest that Spotify now aims to offer lossless audio playback in an optional "Music Pro" add-on that will also include new DJ remix feature

Apple will allegedly offer both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max with a minimum 256GB of storage, doing away with the 128GB starting option on its smaller Pro model for the first time. Currently, Apple's 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 and comes with the minimum 128GB of storage, while the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199 with a minimum 256GB of storage. However, according to a post on X (Twitter) by LeaksApplePro , Apple will bump up the base storage of the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro to 256GB to match the minimum capacity of the larger iPhone 16 Pro Max, while the starting price of Apple's smaller Pro model will remain at $999. The X account has no recent track record for accurate Apple leaks or rumors, so we are filing this one under sketchy. Having said that, the claim is not outside the realm of possibility. Is 128GB Enough iPhone Storage? If Apple drops 128GB as the base on the iPhone 16 Pro, that will leave three Pro storage options across

Adobe today debuted several new AI features for Premiere Pro, software designed for professional video editing. Adobe's Premiere Pro is set to gain useful editing functions powered by generative AI, which will let video editors do more with less work. With a Generative Extend feature, Premiere Pro will be able to add frames to make video clips longer, allowing for properly timed edits and smooth transitions by extending a scene. Objects in videos will also be able to be added or removed through smart selection and tracking tools. Adobe says that video editors can do things like remove an unwanted item, change an actor's wardrobe, or add set dressings like paintings on the wall or plants on a desk. Perhaps the most interesting new feature is an option to create new video footage directly within Premiere Pro using a text to video feature. Users will be able to type text into a prompt or upload images to create video, and the resulting clips can be used for B-roll, creati

Apple's recently-launched Sports app for the iPhone was updated today ahead of the NBA and NHL playoffs, which both begin this weekend. Apple says fans will be able to "follow every matchup with added details on each series and more," but we have not noticed any immediate changes in the app after updating to the new version. The first NBA and NHL playoff series begin on Saturday, April 20, so the extra details will presumably become visible then. Some info like playoff matchups and conference standings was already available in the previous version of the app. Released in February, the Apple Sports app shows scores, schedules, stats, and more for a variety of leagues, such as the NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and Premier League. The app also displays real-time play-by-play information for ongoing games. Apple Sports is available for free on the App Store . Tag: Apple Sports This article, " Apple Sports App Updated for NBA and NHL Playoffs " first appeared on MacR

Apple's iPhone shipments decreased by nearly 10% globally in the first quarter of 2024, hit by rapid growth in shipments by rival Chinese vendors, based on data provided by the International Data Corporation (IDC). According to the IDC report , Apple's shipments fell 9.6% to 50.1 million units in the first quarter, down from 55.4 million units in the same quarter the previous year. Apple experienced the most significant annual decline among the top five smartphone brands covered in the report. Samsung reclaimed its position as the market leader, which it had lost to Apple the previous year , by capturing a 20.8% market share with shipments of about 60.1 million units, roughly the same as last year. Last year, its market share was 22.5% during the same period. In contrast, after having last year overtaken Samsung to become the top smartphone manufacturer for the first time, Apple experienced a decline in market share from 20.7% to 17.3%. "While IDC expects these t

Apple is testing a new anti-reflective optical coating technology for future iPhone cameras that could improve the quality of photos by reducing artifacts like lens flare and ghosting, claims a rumor out of Korea. According to the news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Naver blog , citing a company source within Apple's supply chain, Apple is looking at introducing new atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment into the iPhone camera lens manufacturing process. ALD involves depositing materials one atomic layer at a time onto a substrate, allowing for extremely precise control over thickness and composition. Its use allows manufacturers to apply very thin layers of materials onto semiconductor devices, including camera components. In terms of camera lenses, ALD can be used to apply anti-reflective coatings, which can help to reduce photographic artifacts like streaks of light and halos that can occur in the final image when a bright light source such as the sun shi

Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman recently reported that the first Macs with M4 series chips will be released later this year , with more models to follow next year. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman shared a more specific roadmap for these Macs. Here is the order in which Gurman expects the Macs to launch: 1. A low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4, coming around the end of 2024. 2. A 24-inch iMac with the M4, also expected around the end of the year. 3. New 14-inch and 16-inch high-end MacBook Pros with M4 Pro/Max chips, due between the end of 2024 and early 2025. 4. A Mac mini in both M4 and M4 Pro configurations, coming between the end of 2024 and early 2025. 5. New 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs, slated for around spring 2025. 6. A Mac Studio with a high-end M4 chip, coming around the middle of 2025. 7. A Mac Pro with an M4 Ultra chip, due in the second half of 2025. Gurman reiterated that Apple has internally tested an M3 Ultra chip, which would be suitable for

Apple's first set of new AI features planned for iOS 18 will not rely on cloud servers at all, according to Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman . "As the world awaits Apple's big AI unveiling on June 10, it looks like the initial wave of features will work entirely on device," said Gurman, in the Q&A section of his Power On newsletter today. "That means there's no cloud processing component to the company's large language model, the software that powers the new capabilities." Apple will probably still offer some cloud-based AI features powered by Google's Gemini or another provider, according to Gurman. Apple has reportedly held discussions with companies such as Google, OpenAI, and China's Baidu about potential generative AI partnerships. iOS 18 is not expected to include Apple's own ChatGPT-like chatbot , but it is unclear if Gemini or other chatbot will be directly integrated into iOS 18. It is possible that Apple could offer s

Samsung this weekend has the 27-inch ViewFinity S9 5K Smart Monitor at a steep discount, available for $899.99 , down from $1,599.99. In addition to this $700 discount, you'll find deals on 4K and 5K Samsung monitors , including the Smart Monitor M8, as well as storage, audio, TVs, smartphones, and home appliances. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Overall, the ViewFinity S9 5K Smart Monitor is at a very solid second-best price this weekend, just $50 higher compared to the previous record low price. This monitor has a matte display, modular 4K SlimFit camera, and support for Thunderbolt 4. $700 OFF 27-inch ViewFinity S9 5K Smart Monitor for $899.99 Samsung's 27-inch Smart Monitor M8 is also being discounted during this sale, available for $399.99 in Warm White, down from $699.99. This is a 4K smart monitor with a design that looks si