Tech Talk

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

A week after Apple updated its App Review Guidelines to permit retro game console emulators, a Game Boy emulator for the iPhone called iGBA has appeared in the App Store worldwide. The emulator is already one of the top free apps on the App Store charts. It was not entirely clear if Apple would allow emulators to work with any games, but iGBA is able to load any Game Boy ROMs that users download from the web and open via the Files app on the iPhone. Accordingly, it seems like there are no game restrictions for emulators, unless Apple mistakenly approved iGBA on the App Store. iGBA works with Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games. It is important to note that it can be illegal to possess certain ROMs from game developers, but homebrew Game Boy games are typically in the clear. iGBA appears to be a copy of Riley Testut's open-source GBA4iOS emulator , but with ads that can track users. GBA4iOS is the predecessor to Testut's current Nintendo game emulato

Best Buy this weekend has a big sale on Apple MacBooks and iPads , including new all-time low prices on the M3 MacBook Air, alongside the best prices we've ever seen on MacBook Pro, iPad, and more. Some of these deals require a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total membership , which start at $49.99/year. In addition to exclusive access to select discounts, you'll get free 2-day shipping, an extended 60-day return window, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. 9th Gen iPad Starting with the cheapest iPad in this sale, you can get the 64GB Wi-Fi 9th generation iPad at $249.99 , down from $329.00. My Best Buy Plus/Total members can also get a low price on the 256GB Wi-Fi model this weekend at $379.99. $80 OFF 64GB Wi-Fi iPad for $249.99 $100 OFF 256GB Wi-Fi iPad for $379.99 10th Gen iPad For a more recent model, Best Buy