Apple is reportedly planning a design overhaul for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS
Apple plans to significantly redesign the look of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS later this year, Bloomberg reports. The changes, which are set to arrive with iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16, will touch many parts of the operating systems, including “updating the style of icons, menus, apps, windows and system buttons,” Bloomberg says. The […]
Apple announces MacBook Air with M4 chip and a price cut
Apple just updated the MacBook Air with an M4 processor, a new sky blue color option, and — most surprising of all — a lower price. The 13-inch starts at $999, while the 15-inch begins at $1,199. They’re available to order now and launch on March 12th. Both 13- and 15-inch models of the MacBook […]
Apple’s M4 MacBook Air could be here in just a few weeks
We may see the M4 MacBook Air as soon as March. In the Power On newsletter this weekend, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is readying itself for the launch of the upgraded laptop next month. The company is “preparing its marketing, sales and retail teams for the debut,” according to Gurman’s sources, and it’s letting inventory of the existing models wind down. The M4 MacBook Air is expected to come in two sizes, 13-inch and 15-inch, like the previous model.
Apple introduced the M3 MacBook Air last March, and unveiled its new M4 chip a few months later, bringing that first to the iPad Pro. In October, it refreshed the iMac, Mac mini and MacBook Pros with the M4 family of chips. The MacBook Air is now due for its turn. While the laptop didn’t get the M4 chip in the fall, Apple did announce a long-awaited memory boost for the lineup at that time, with the M2 and M3 now starting at 16GB of RAM.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apples-m4-macbook-air-could-be-here-in-just-a-few-weeks-153004599.html?src=rss
Apple just unveiled the iPhone 16e, here’s how it compares to the competition
The new iPhone 16e is designed to get Apple Intelligence into as many hands as possible. The company recently began activating its AI features by default during iOS setup, suggesting a harder push to spur adoption and establish iOS as an AI-first platform. But since Apple Intelligence has up till today only been available on the iPhone 16 series (and just the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max before that), there hasn’t been a sub-$600 iPhone that can run the latest suite of tools. So the addition of the $599 iPhone 16e to Apple’s lineup isn’t surprising.
What was slightly unexpected was the framing. The iPhone 16e’s arrival was heralded by feverish speculation about a new iPhone SE, which was last released three years ago for a starting price of $429. Though the iPhone 16e is cheaper than the rest of the iPhone 16 family, its price certainly isn’t what we might consider "budget" or "entry-level."
Apple Intelligence’s arrival on a lower-cost iPhone is thanks to one of its biggest upgrades from the SE: the A18 chip (the same processor from the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus). That makes it Apple’s cheapest AI-equipped model by $300. However, that’s quite a bump up from the (now-retired) iPhone SE’s $429.
Fortunately, there’s no skimping on the Apple Intelligence features for the cheaper model; you get all the AI goodies found in the more expensive iPhones. That includes AI writing tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, ChatGPT integration and notification summaries.
Apple
The phone has a much bigger display than its predecessor: 6.1 inches, up from the 2022 iPhone SE’s mere 4.7 inches. It’s also the first entry-level model to adopt modern iPhones’ full-screen design with Face ID. (Pour one out for the now-retired home button.) However, it doesn’t have the Dynamic Island found on recent higher-end models.
It also gets the Action button, the customizable physical shortcut on the phone’s side. It debuted in the iPhone 15 Pro series and is found in all iPhone 16 models.
The iPhone 16e also complies with EU standards by switching from Lightning to USB-C, which is probably the least surprising thing about it. It also lacks MagSafe charging, sticking with standard Qi wireless charging at up to 7.5W.
A list of geeky tech specs doesn’t tell the whole story but can still serve as a starting point. Here’s how the new entry-level iPhone compares to Apple’s previous model and its two biggest Android-running rivals: the Google Pixel 8a and Samsung Galaxy A35 5G. (Although the A35 isn’t quite in the same price range, it serves a similar niche in Samsung’s lineup.)
iPhone 16e
iPhone SE (2022)
Google Pixel 8a
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
Price
$599 / $699 / $899
$429 / $479 / $579
$499 / $559
$400
Dimensions
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm (5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches)
138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm (5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 inches)
152.1 x 72.7 x 8.9mm (6 x 2.9 x 0.4 inches)
161.7 x 78 x 8.2 mm (6.37 x 3.07 x 0.32 inches)
Weight
167g (5.88 ounces)
144g (5.09 ounces)
188 g (6.7 oz)
209 g (7.37 oz)
Screen size
6.1 inches
4.7 inches
6.1 inches
6.6 inches
Screen resolution
2,532 x 1,170 (460 ppi)
1,334 x 750 (326 ppi)
1,080 x 2,400 (430 ppi)
2,340 x 1,080 (389 ppi)
Screen type
OLED
Retina HD LCD
60Hz
Super AMOLED
up to 120Hz
SoC
Apple A18
Apple A15 Bionic
Tensor G3
Exynos 1380
RAM
N/A
4 GB
8 GB
6 / 8* GB
* Non-US only
Battery
"up to 26 hrs video playback"
2,018mAh
4,492 mAh
5,000 mAh
Storage
128 / 256 / 512GB
64 / 128 / 256 GB
128 / 256 GB
128 / 256* GB
MicroSD up to 1TB
* Non-US only
Rear camera(s)
48MP, f/1.6
Wide: 12 MP, f/1.8
Wide: 64 MP, f/1.89
Ultrawide: 13MP, f/2.2
Wide: 50MP, f/1.8
Ultrawide: 8MP, f/2.2
Macro: 5MP, f/2.4
Front camera
12MP, f/1.9
7 MP, f/2.2
13MP, f/2.2
13MP, f/2.2
Water / dust rating
IP68
IP67
IP67
IP67
Wi-Fi
Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax)
802.11ax
Wi-Fi 6E
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
v5.3
v5.0
v5.3
v5.3
OS
iOS 18
iOS 18
Android 15
Android 14
One UI 6.1
Colors / finish
Black / White
Aluminum
Midnight / Starlight / (Product)Red
Aluminum
Obsidian / Porcelain / Aloe / Bay
Navy / Lilac
Update, February 19 2025, 1:46PM ET: This story has been updated to add more context about the iPhone 16e in the intro, covering the speculation that Apple was planning to launch a new model of the iPhone SE.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-just-unveiled-the-iphone-16e-heres-how-it-compares-to-the-competition-171306637.html?src=rss
Here’s when and where you can preorder the new iPhone 16E
Following months of rumors, Apple has finally announced the iPhone 16E, a spiritual successor to the last-gen iPhone SE that’s set to launch on February 28th. Preorders for Apple’s forthcoming handset start at $599 with 128GB of storage and began Friday, February 21st. Like the most recent iPhone SE models it’s replacing, the iPhone 16E offers […]
Apple will introduce its ‘newest member of the family’ on February 19
It seems Apple is ready to show off something new. In a tweet on Thursday, CEO Tim Cook told Apple aficionados to "get ready to meet the newest member of the family." What that product is remains a slight mystery, though we won’t have to wait too long to find out what Apple has up its sleeve. The reveal will take place on Wednesday, February 19. In case there was any ambiguity, Cook’s tweet included an #AppleLaunch hashtag.
Cook’s tweet also featured an animated image of a shimmering Apple logo on what appears to be the outline of an AirTag. It’s been rumored for a while that Apple would introduce a second-gen tracker sometime this year. The purported AirTag 2 is expected to have a longer range and a speaker that’s more difficult to remove, as well as Apple Vision Pro integration.
Get ready to meet the newest member of the family.
Wednesday, February 19. #AppleLaunch pic.twitter.com/0ML0NfMedu
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) February 13, 2025
In addition, reports suggest that Apple will reveal a new iPhone SE very soon. The unveiling was initially believed to be happening sometime this week. However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said on Tuesday that the "new iPhone SE is still imminent and should be announced by next week, when the company is holding product briefings." He added that an Apple Vision Pro announcement appears to be in the offing, while the M4-powered MacBook Air is slated to arrive "within weeks."
It seems that Apple has a lot of irons in the fire at the minute. As such, the company has a bunch of different options for what to reveal next week.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apple-will-introduce-its-newest-member-of-the-family-on-february-19-162056946.html?src=rss
Here’s some cool stuff you can do with Bluesky
(Yes, Bluesky has lore, and that’s probably the most classic Twitter thing about it.) It’s also got a number of features and settings you won’t find on X or Threads, like the ability to choose your own algorithm or moderation tools.
Bluesky hasn’t made Starter Packs searchable yet, so the only way you’ll find them is by searching outside of the platform (I like this directory ), spotting them when they’re posted by other users, or having them sent to you.
Apple’s iPhone 16 event: the 8 biggest announcements
While the iPhone 16 was the headliner of today’s showcase, Apple had several other announcements to share, including some exciting new additions to its smartwatch and AirPods lineups.
Yet Apple is also outfitting the iPhone 16’s Camera Control button with a new feature, called Visual Intelligence, which will automatically search for things you take photos of.