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FineWoven Accessories May Get One Last Outing Before Apple Pulls Plug

Over the weekend, Apple leaker and prototype collector Kosutami claimed that Apple has decided to halt production of FiveWoven accessories over durability concerns. In a further update, the leaker has now suggested we might yet see one more round of FineWoven products in a season of new colors before Apple finally says farewell to the material for good. Last September, Apple stopped selling genuine leather accessories in favor of a more environmentally friendly "FineWoven" material. The company describes FineWoven as "luxurious and durable microtwill," and sells FineWoven iPhone cases at $59, MagSafe Wallets at $59, AirTag holders at $35, and Apple Watch bands at $99. Many customers consider FineWoven products to be subpar compared to the leather Apple cases they replaced, and claim that the fabric is prone to scratches , stains, and discoloration . If today's update is correct, Apple may have to brace itself for more unhappy FineWoven customers. Kos

iPad Air Stock Running Low Ahead of New Model Introduction

Retail stock of the current iPad Air is starting to dwindle ahead of the widely anticipated arrival of new models early next month, Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman reports. Citing sources at multiple retail stores in the latest "Power On" newsletter , Gurman said that inventory levels of the ‌iPad Air‌ are diminishing in Apple stores, a typical indicator that new versions are soon to be released. Unlike the ‌iPad Air‌, the iPad Pro apparently remains abundantly available, which suggests that Apple might be planning to sell through its current stock even after introducing an upgraded model. Historically, Apple has managed its inventory to align with the release cycles of its products, reducing shipments of older units to make room for the latest offerings. Expected changes coming to the next-generation ‌iPad Air‌ include the more powerful M2 chip and an additional 12.9-inch display size option, while the ‌iPad Pro‌ is rumored to receive OLED display technology, the M3 ch

Best Buy Takes $100 Off Every Model of the 13-Inch M3 MacBook Air

Best Buy today is taking $100 off across the entire 13-inch M3 MacBook Air lineup, starting at $999.00 for the 256GB model. For every version of the laptop these are all-time low prices, and they're available in all four colors of Midnight, Silver, Space Gray, and Starlight. 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. In addition to the entry-level 256GB laptop, Best Buy also has the 8GB RAM/512GB SSD 13-inch M3 MacBook Air for $1,199.00 and the 16GB RAM/512GB SSD model for $1,399.00 . Both of these are also $100 discounts and record low prices on the just-released M3 MacBook Air. $100 OFF 13-inch M3 MacBook Air (256GB) for $999.00 $100 OFF 13-inch M3 MacBook Air (8GB RAM/512GB SSD) for $1,199.00 $100 OFF 13-inch M3 MacBook Air (16GB RAM/512GB SSD) for $1,399.00 These MacBook Air models just launched last month, coming in both 13-inc

Apple Orders Capacitive Button Components Allegedly for iPhone 16

Apple has ordered a large number of capacitative button components from a Taiwan supplier that are allegedly for use in the upcoming iPhone 16 series, claims a new report out of Asia. Image credit: Unbox Therapy According to the Economic Daily News , Advanced Semiconductor Engineering won the order, which is said to include system-in-a-package (SIP) modules that will be used to integrate capcative components with two Taptic Engine motors, one on either side of the iPhone . The claim in the report is that Apple will replace the existing physical buttons on both sides of the iPhone 15 with capacitive versions that will provide ‌iPhone 16‌ users with haptic feedback. The latter type of button detects pressure and emulates the press of a physical button via a haptic (or Taptic) engine which generates vibrations. Apple may well have ordered the buttons in preparation for future production plans, but this does not necessarily mean that they are destined for use in this year's

Apple Vision Pro Customer Interest Dying Down at Some Retail Stores

Apple Vision Pro , Apple's $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman . Writing in his latest Power On newsletter , Gurman reports a marked decline in the demand for retail demos and sales, based on the Apple Stores he has spoken to: Demand for demos is way down. People who do book appointments often don't show up, and sales — at least at some locations — have gone from a couple of units a day to just a handful in a whole week. Apple also has had to step up the marketing on its online homepage. There's a huge promo for the Vision Pro at the top of the website — the most aggressive pitch since the device went on sale in early February. The trend that ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ appears

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as " Kosutami ." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed accurate information about FineWoven accessories in the past. The leaker unveiled Apple's plans to introduce new Apple Watch bands made of a "woven fabric material" over a month before they debuted, as well as matching iPhone cases . Kosutami also revealed the very first images of FineWoven accessories shortly before the event in which they were officially announced. MacRumors understands the source of this latest information regarding the cessation of production to be the same as these previous FineWoven rumors that were ultimately accurate, so it should be taken serio

Gurman: Apple Working on On-Device LLM for Generative AI Features

Apple is developing its own large language model (LLM) that runs on-device to prioritize speed and privacy, Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman reports. Writing in his "Power On" newsletter , Gurman said that Apple's LLM underpins upcoming generative AI features. "All indications" apparently suggests that it will run entirely on-device, rather than via the cloud like most existing AI services. Since they will run on-device, Apple's AI tools may be less capable in certain instances than its direct cloud-based rivals, but Gurman suggested that the company could "fill in the gaps" by licensing technology from Google and other AI service providers. Last month, Gurman reported that Apple was in discussions with Google to integrate its Gemini AI engine into the iPhone as part of iOS 18 . The main advantages of on-device processing will be quicker response times and superior privacy compared to cloud-based solutions. Apple's marketing strategy for