MacRumors

During the first quarter of 2025, Apple's iPhone 16 was the best selling smartphone in the world, according to estimates provided by Counterpoint Research. After the ‌iPhone 16‌, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌, and the iPhone 15 were the other top four smartphones. Samsung's Galaxy A16 5G took the fifth spot in the rankings.

Last year, it was Apple's Pro iPhone that was the best seller. In Q1 2024, the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max was the top selling smartphone, narrowly beating out the ‌iPhone 15‌.

Apple has narrowed the gap between its standard smartphones and its Pro lineup in terms of performance and feature set. The ‌iPhone 16‌ has an A18 chip that's almost as fast as the A18 Pro in the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max, and it also has the same Action button and Camera Control button.

Of the top 10 best selling smartphones in Q1 2025, Apple secured five of them. The top four, and then the 10th spot with the ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus. Samsung's flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, took the 7th spot, while the other smartphones on the list are lower cost options.

The $600+ iPhone 16e was only on sale for part of the quarter, but it did take the sixth spot in Counterpoint's top 10 list for March 2025, which was the first full month that it was available for purchase. The ‌iPhone 16e‌ is expected to sell better in its first year than the ‌iPhone‌ SE did during its first year thanks to its higher-end feature set.

Counterpoint's report focuses on rankings rather than unit sales, and while it does not break down sales by country, it does say that the ‌iPhone 16‌ sold particularly well in Japan and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) market. In China, the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ and Pro Max suffered because of government subsidies favoring lower-cost devices and competition from Chinese companies like Huawei.

Google is updating the Google Photos app with a redesigned AI-powered editor that's designed to simplify photo editing. The updated editing tool provides AI suggestions to combine multiple effects for quick but eye-catching edits, plus it has a feature for tapping into specific parts of an image to get specific editing tips.

The updated interface will feature AI tools like Reimagine and Auto frame alongside standard controls like brightness and contrast. The updated editor in Google Photos is rolling out to Android users first, but Google plans to bring it to iOS users later this year.

Google is also making it easier to share albums from Google ‌Photos‌ with others, by allowing users to generate a QR code for an album. The QR code can be shared with people nearby, printed for group events, or sent digitally. Anyone with the QR code can view or add photos to an album.

The new features are coming in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Google ‌Photos‌. Since it launched in 2015, Google ‌Photos‌ has become one of the most popular photo storage options. Google says that more than 1.5 billion people use Google ‌Photos‌ each month, with more than nine trillion photos and videos stored.

The creators of Shortcuts, an app that was acquired by Apple and deeply integrated into iOS and macOS, today unveiled their latest project, Sky. Sky provides an AI helper that can assist you with everything that you do on your Mac.

Sky is designed to float unobtrusively over what you're doing, so AI is just a click away. It understands what's on your Mac's screen, and is able to take actions using the apps that you have installed. It's able to help with answering questions, writing, planning, coding, and much more, and it can be customized with prompts, scripts, and shortcuts.

Sky knows what apps you have open, what you're doing, and what actions are possible based on that information. Sky has built-in integrations for Calendar, Messages, Notes, Safari, Finder, Mail, and screenshots, so it is able to do things like make a calendar event for a dinner based on a conversation you've had, and look up an ideal place to go. Custom prompts and tools integrate natively with Sky, and the AI can take into account everything it's been given when performing tasks.

MacStories' Federico Viticci was able to test Sky, and he said that it's an app that's going to "fundamentally change" his macOS workflow and the way he uses automation day-by-day. Viticci provided an example of the way Sky can simplify a task.

Sharing a link to an article in Safari requires a multi-step process, but rather than going through the Share Sheet and sending a message, you're able to tell Sky to send a link and a summary to [person]. Sky gets the link, summarizes the webpage, and sends an iMessage to the specified person in natural language, all with one command. There are a wide range of tasks that Sky can complete thanks to deep integration with any app, including Finder.

Sky works with either GPT 4.1 or Claude, but with its deep macOS integration, it is able to do more than one of the LLMs alone. The app supports creating custom tools with natural language, which makes it accessible to anyone. Sky is also able to use Claude to create customized tools using shell scripts and AppleScripts.

Sky is set to launch this summer, and those interested can sign up to join the waitlist. Pricing has not yet been announced, but the app is expected to have a free component.

Meet the pico-mac-nano, a super tiny yet functional Macintosh replica created by 1-bit rainbow, a website that sells parts for vintage Apple products.

Inside the miniature 3D-printed Macintosh 128K case is a small Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller, along with a 2-inch LCD screen. The replica Macintosh is actually usable, as it runs an emulated version of the classic Mac operating system, and it has USB keyboard and mouse support with an included USB splitter cable.

1-bit rainbow is selling the pico-mac-nano for £56, but it has gone out of stock after it received attention on tech blogs. The website says orders will resume "soon," and you can enter your email to be notified. Or, you could create one yourself, as the pico-mac code and 3D-printable case files are freely available on GitHub.

1-bit rainbow's Nick Gillard shared more details about the pico-mac-nano in a blog post.

With the design overhaul that's coming this year, Apple plans to rename all of its operating systems, reports Bloomberg. Going forward, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS will be identified by year, rather than by version number. We're not going to be getting iOS 19, we're getting iOS 26.

‌iOS 26‌ will be accompanied by iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26 instead of iPadOS 19, macOS 16, tvOS 19, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3.

Changing the name of the operating systems will introduce consistency across the lineup, rather than having several disparate numbers that don't match up. Apple is using vehicle-style numbering for operating systems and choosing the number of the upcoming year, so it'll be ‌iOS 26‌ instead of iOS 25 because the update will be available across both 2025 and 2026.

The names will reflect a new effort by Apple to provide a more unified design across operating systems on different devices. The refreshed visionOS-like design update is coming to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.

Apple plans to announce the new naming scheme at the Worldwide Developers Conference that's set to begin on Monday, June 9.

Apple released the Studio Display in March 2022, alongside the first Mac Studio, and it has not received any hardware upgrades since.

The current Studio Display features a 27-inch LCD screen with a 5K resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, up to 600 nits brightness, a built-in camera and speakers, one Thunderbolt 3 port, and three USB-C ports. In the U.S., the monitor starts at $1,599.

Below, we recap rumors about a potential Studio Display 2.

Mini-LED by Early 2026

Apple plans to release a new Studio Display in late 2025 or early 2026, according to Ross Young, a display industry expert and VP at Counterpoint Research.

In a subscriber-only post shared on X in February, Young said the new Studio Display would feature the same 27-inch screen size as the current model, but add mini-LED backlighting. This upgrade would result in increased brightness and higher contrast ratio compared to the current model, which has traditional LED backlighting.

Young did not share any further details, so it is unclear if any other Studio Display specifications would change, such as the refresh rate.

Young has a respectable track record with display-related information for future Apple products. For example, he was the first source to reveal the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max would feature 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively, over a year before the devices launched. He is the founder and former CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, a research firm that was acquired by Counterpoint Research in late 2023.

A new Studio Display with mini-LED backlighting has been rumored by a few other sources, including Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The display will likely launch in 2026, according to Gurman.

90Hz Rumor

In November 2024, an anonymous listener of the Relay FM tech podcast "Upgrade" claimed that Apple was developing 90Hz display technology that could be used for the next Studio Display. This higher refresh rate would make content like videos and text while scrolling look smoother to the eye, but 90Hz would stop short of the 120Hz refresh rate that iPhones and Macs with ProMotion support can achieve. It is not clear to us if this individual has any established track record with Apple-related rumors, so keep that in mind.

Apple today announced that DIRECTV customers can watch Apple's weekly Sunday Night Soccer production at no additional cost, for the remainder of the 2025 Major League Soccer season. This includes both residential customers at home, as well as commercial customers, such as sports bars and restaurants that subscribe to DIRECTV.

Sunday Night Soccer consists of a weekly Major League Soccer match every Sunday evening during the 2025 season, with enhanced production and studio programming from Apple. Sunday Night Soccer was already available to Apple TV+ subscribers at no extra cost, and now that perk has been extended to both DIRECTV and Xfinity customers.

To watch MLS matches on other days of the weeks, an MLS Season Pass subscription is still required. Starting on Sunday, June 8, DIRECTV satellite customers can subscribe to MLS Season Pass for the remainder of the 2025 season for $69, down from $99 currently. The matches are played on channels 480 through 495.

For customers who prefer to watch Sunday Night Soccer via Apple TV+, the streaming service is available through the Apple TV app on a wide variety of devices, and on the web at tv.apple.com. A free seven-day trial is available.

2025 marks the third year of a 10-year partnership between Apple and Major League Soccer.

Astropad today introduced the third-generation version of its Rock Paper Pencil kit, which is designed to provide iPad users with an experience that's like writing on paper instead of a slick glass display.

The Rock Paper Pencil kit includes a microtexture screen protector that goes on the ‌iPad‌, and an accompanying Apple Pencil tip to use along with it. The latest version of the Rock Paper Pencil has a reengineered NanoCling screen protector that's thinner and more papery, so it feels more like writing on a stack of paper rather than just a single sheet. Compared to the prior version, it has a softer and smoother feel when writing.

Astropad also improved the durability of the screen protector with a new coating, and it is able to hold up to wear and tear 3x better than before. The company says that it is up to 6x more durable than a similar product from Paperlike, and it is able to withstand heavy duty writing and drawing.

For the ‌Apple Pencil‌, Astropad designed an upgraded solid stainless steel tip that won't wear down or chip over time, unlike the prior version with a copper alloy core. The tip size has also been increased from 0.75mm to 1mm for more balanced friction and improved durability.

In lab testing, Rock Paper Pencil had no scratches after 50 daily writing sessions, and no wear with the stainless steel tips. Comparatively, Paperlike had permanent scratches after 40 daily writing sessions, and 0.05mm wear after 50 writing sessions. In a pressure test, the Rock Paper Pencil screen protector had a partial scratch after six pressure tests, while it only took a single test to scratch up the Paperlike screen protector.

Astropad is running a promotion to celebrate the new version of Rock Paper Pencil, and customers can get a $20 credit for replacing their existing screen protector. ‌iPad‌ users who buy Rock Paper Pencil and share a video of themselves replacing an existing screen protector with the new screen protector will receive $20 back. The promotion is valid for Rock Paper Pencil kits purchased directly from Astropad, and it applies to any purchases made by May 30, 2025.

Rock Paper Pencil will typically be priced at $44.99, but Astropad is running a 2-day launch sale that knocks 15 percent off, bringing the price down to $37.99.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Astropad. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Peacock is offering new subscribers a chance to get a full year of its premium plan for just $24.99 for your first year, down from the regular price of $79.99 per year. This is only a $5 difference when compared to Peacock's Black Friday discount from last year, making it one of the service's best offers so far in 2025.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Peacock. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Peacock's premium annual plan is the ad-supported tier of the streaming service. This offer excludes current paying subscribers of Peacock, and after it ends the service will return to the regular $79.99 per year price (or then-current price, if a price hike happens).

If you do already have a Peacock account, but you're not a paid subscriber, you can sign in and enter the code SPRINGSAVINGS to redeem this offer. This sale will run through the end of the month and expire on May 30.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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Tesla updated its iPhone app on Tuesday with Live Activities support on iOS 17.2 and later, allowing you to view your vehicle's live Supercharging status on the Lock Screen, and in the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models and newer.

Supercharging status updates will begin automatically, as soon as your charging session begins, according to the release notes for the latest version of the Tesla app.

Within the Live Activity widget on the Lock Screen, you can view your Tesla vehicle's current battery percentage, the time remaining until the charging session is completed, the charging output in kilowatts, and more. You can also view the charging time remaining at a glance in the Dynamic Island on newer iPhone models.

The update was brought to our attention by Tesla news aggregator Sawyer Merritt, and our image is based on a screenshot from Deandawiz.

Apple today expanded the Messages via Satellite and Find My via Satellite features to Mexico, allowing iPhone users in Mexico to take advantage of Globalstar satellites for communication when cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity options are unavailable.

To use satellite connectivity in Messages and ‌Find My‌ in Mexico, an ‌iPhone‌ 14 or later with satellite capabilities is required, as is iOS 18.4 or later. The person on the receiving end of an iMessage sent using a satellite connection needs iOS 18 or later, while SMS messages require iOS 17.6 or later or a non-Apple device.

With Messages via Satellite, iMessages and SMS messages can be sent using a satellite connection, while location information can also be updated in the ‌Find My‌ app using satellite connectivity.

Using Messages and ‌Find My‌ without Wi-Fi or cellular will require users to hold their iPhones up to the sky to establish a connection. Open spaces with no trees or buildings make it easier to connect, and speed up message sending and receiving. Emoji and Tapback responses are supported, but images, videos, audio messages, stickers, and group messages do not work over satellite.

The option to use satellite connectivity for Messages will display automatically when Wi-Fi and cellular connections are not available, and users will be able to tap to connect by following Apple's instructions.

Messages via Satellite is now available in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The functionality continues to be free for all ‌iPhone‌ users with a compatible device.

Satechi today added a range of new accessories to its line of FindAll products, all of which integrate with Apple's Find My app. Satechi is debuting a new FindAll Luggage Tag, a FindAll Keychain, a FindAll Card, and a FindAll Glasses Case. Satechi's FindAll products work like Apple's AirTags, but come in different shapes and sizes that are more convenient than the $29 AirTag.

The FindAll Keychain, priced at $30, is an alternative to the ‌AirTag‌. It is made from a vegan leather material and can be attached to keys or any other item with the included keyring. The battery lasts for up to 12 months before it needs to be recharged.

Satechi's FindAll Luggage Tag is $44.99 and also made of the same vegan leather material as many of the FindAll products. It is designed to attach to a suitcase, and it includes a name card slot that's protected with a privacy flap and an adjustable strap. Since it looks like a regular luggage tag, it is more covert than an ‌AirTag‌. Its battery lasts for up to eight months before needing to be recharged.

For wallets, the FindAll Card is $34.99. It is sized to fit inside a wallet, and it is made from aluminum and tempered glass. To ensure that it can withstand any conditions, it features IP67 water resistance.

To keep glasses or sunglasses safe and easy to find, Satechi offers the $49.99 FindAll Glasses Case. The Glasses Case has a collapsible design that folds out to accommodate a pair of glasses, with a microsuede lining to prevent scratches and a magnetic closure. The battery in the case lasts for up to eight months before it needs to be recharged.

The FindAll devices can be purchased in black, white, or desert rose, and they recharge wirelessly with a Qi, Qi2, or MagSafe charger. All of the products can be added to the Items tab in the ‌Find My‌ app, and can be tracked alongside Apple devices. Apple's ‌Find My‌ network is able to leverage nearby Apple devices owned by other people to get location information when a device is out of Bluetooth range.

The new FindAll products can be purchased from the Satechi website as of today.

In the United States, the Apple Card offers a high-yield savings account option, allowing you to earn far more interest on your money compared to the average bank's basic savings account. However, the account's interest rate was lowered this week, with the annual percentage yield (APY) dropping from 3.75% to 3.65%.

If you deposited $1,000 into the account, and maintained that balance for one year, you would earn $36.50 in interest based on the current APY.

The chart below compares the Apple Card savings account's APY to some other popular high-yield savings accounts in the United States.

Provider	APY*
Ally	3.60%
Discover	3.60%
American Express	3.60%
Capital One	3.60%
Apple Card Savings	3.65%
Marcus by Goldman Sachs	3.65%
Citizens Bank	3.70%
SoFi	3.80%
Barclays	3.80%
PNC Bank	3.95%
Synchrony	4.00%
Betterment	4.00%
Wealthfront	4.00%
UFB Direct	4.01%
Fierce	4.25%
Openbank by Santander	4.40%
Pibank	4.60%

* Advertised APYs as of May 28, 2025, excluding promotional rates and affiliate bonuses. Minimum balance requirements and other conditions vary per account. APYs can change at any time, so we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the rates listed above.

Apple launched its savings account in April 2023, in partnership with Goldman Sachs. The account can be opened and managed in the Wallet app on the iPhone, and it has no fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements. To open an account, you must have an Apple Card, be a U.S. resident, and be at least 18 years old.

The account allows Apple Card holders to earn interest on their Daily Cash cashback balance, and on funds deposited via a linked bank account or an Apple Cash balance. The maximum balance allowed is $1 million, up from $250,000 originally.

When the account launched, Apple and Goldman Sachs offered an APY of 4.15%, but the rate has fluctuated, often in line with U.S. Federal Reserve benchmark rate changes. The APY peaked at 4.5% in early 2024, and the current 3.65% is an all-time low.

To open a savings account in the Wallet app, tap on your Apple Card, tap on the circle with three dots in it, tap Daily Cash, and select Set Up next to Savings.

Goldman Sachs may end its consumer lending partnership with Apple early, but it is unclear if this will have any impact on Apple Card holders. According to a report earlier this year, there were at least three companies vying to replace Goldman Sachs as the Apple Card's financial partner, including Barclays, Synchrony, and JPMorgan Chase. Meanwhile, Visa or American Express may succeed Mastercard as the Apple Card's payment processor.

Apple today announced that it recently launched a Genuine Parts Distributor program in the U.S. and Europe, broadening access to genuine repair parts.

The program allows repair shops that do not have a direct relationship with Apple to order genuine Apple parts via third-party distributors, including MobileSentrix and Mobileparts.shop. Currently, these distributors are offering display, battery, camera, and charging port components for the iPhone 12 series and newer, and SIM card trays are available for the iPhone X and newer. Apple said that iPad parts will be available starting tomorrow.

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 include a new Repair Assistant feature for completing post-repair configuration on a device, if necessary.

This new program has fewer limitations compared to Apple's existing Independent Repair Provider program. Repair shops do not need to apply to be part of the program, technicians do not need to be certified by Apple, and repairs are not limited to devices with expired warranty coverage. On the other hand, the Independent Repair Provider program provides access to parts for select Macs and a wider range of iPhone models.

Apple now provides both repair shops and customers with access to genuine parts, tools, and repair manuals through a variety of programs, including the Self-Service Repair program, the Independent Repair Provider program, and now the Genuine Parts Distributor program. As always, customers can also take their devices to the Genius Bar at an Apple Store or to an Apple Authorized Service Provider for repairs.

Earlier today, Apple announced that the Self-Service Repair program now covers select iPad models, and it will be launching in Canada this summer.

All three programs launched amid mounting "Right to Repair" legislation in the U.S. and other countries over the past several years.

Amazon today has low prices across nearly the entire M4 MacBook Air lineup, with up to $223 off both 13-inch and 15-inch models. Some of the notebooks in this sale are seeing delayed delivery estimates, with most arriving in early or mid June, but if you're interested you can lock in these deals now ahead of those delivery dates.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Starting with the 13-inch models, Amazon has up to $182 off all three of the new configurations of this notebook. Prices start at $867.88 for the 256GB model, then raise to $1,037.19 for the 16GB/512GB model and $1,216.87 for the 24GB/512GB model. While the 256GB model is a solid second-best price, the latter two models are new record low prices for the M4 MacBook Air.

Moving to the larger display models, Amazon has both 512GB versions of the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air on sale this week, as well as the 256GB model. The 16GB/512GB model is available for $1,236.59 and the 24GB/512GB model is on sale for $1,375.85. Across the board, these are all new all-time low prices on the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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Apple today announced that it has updated its professional music-making app Logic Pro with several new features on the Mac and iPad.

First, a new Flashback Capture feature lets you recover a performance that otherwise may have been lost because you forgot to set Logic Pro to record.

Next, there are enhancements to the Stem Splitter feature that allows you to extract stems from an audio track for vocals, bass, drums, and other instrumental parts. With today's update, Apple says Stem Splitter now supports guitar and piano, and the feature now offers even greater audio fidelity. Stem Splitter requires a Mac with an M1 chip or newer, or an iPad with an A12 Bionic chip or newer running iPadOS 18.4 or later.

The new version of Logic Pro also includes a new Dancefloor Rush sound pack for the Mac and iPad, offering drum-and-bass sounds with over 400 dynamic loops and punchy drum kits. Two more sound packs added to the Mac app include Magnetic Imperfections with analog tape sounds, and Tosin Abasi with progressive metal guitar sounds.

On the Mac, Logic Pro's built-in notepad now supports Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools.

Logic Pro version 11.2 for Mac and version 2.2 for iPad are available now in the App Store, as free updates for existing users. In the U.S., Logic Pro costs $199.99 on the Mac for new users, and $4.99 per month or $49 per year on the iPad.

For a list of all new features and changes introduced today, read Apple's full release notes for the latest versions of the Mac app and iPad app.

The interest rate on Apple Card's savings account was today lowered from 3.75% to 3.65%—an all-time low.

The drop follows the last interest rate cut in March, where it reduced from 3.9% to 3.75%. If you deposited $1,000 into the account, and maintained that balance for one year, you would earn $36.50 in interest based on the current annual percentage yield (APY).

Apple introduced its high-yield savings account in April 2023 in partnership with Goldman Sachs. Available in the Wallet app on the iPhone, the account features no fees, no minimum deposit, and no minimum balance requirements. To be eligible, users must have an ‌Apple Card‌, reside in the U.S., and be at least 18 years old.

The account enables ‌Apple Card‌ users to earn interest on both their Daily Cash rewards and any additional funds deposited via a linked bank account or Apple Cash. The balance cap was raised to $1 million, up from the previous limit of $250,000.

At launch, the APY was set at 4.15%, but it has varied in response to U.S. Federal Reserve rate changes. It reached a peak of 4.5% in early 2024, while the current rate sits at a record low of 3.65%.

In an email to ‌Apple Card‌ users, Apple explains the reason for the adjustment and highlights that the rate remains well above that of standard savings accounts:

Why did the APY on Savings change?

The APY on Savings is variable, and we may change rates at any time. Rates are influenced by many factors, including the Federal Reserve Funds Rate. When this rate is lowered, it affects all US financial institutions and we evaluate potential adjustments to our rates.

Our current APY remains 8X the national average and we will continue to strive to keep it competitive.

To get started with Apple's savings account, open the Wallet app, select your ‌Apple Card‌, tap the three-dot icon, go to Daily Cash, and tap "Set Up" next to Savings.

While Goldman Sachs is reportedly looking to exit its partnership with Apple early, it remains unclear whether this will impact current ‌Apple Card‌ users. Recent reports indicate that Barclays, Synchrony, and JPMorgan Chase are among the contenders to become the new financial partner.