Apple

apple-enables-rcs-messaging-for-google-fi-subscribers-at-last

Apple enables RCS messaging for Google Fi subscribers at last

With RCS, iPhone users can converse with non-Apple users without losing the enhanced features to which they’ve become accustomed in iMessage. That includes longer messages, HD media, typing indicators, and much more. Google Fi has several different options for data plans, and the company notes that RCS does use mobile data when away from Wi-Fi. Those on the “Flexible” Fi plan pay for blocks of data as they go, and using RCS messaging could inadvertently increase their bill.

If that’s not a concern, it’s a snap for Fi users to enable RCS on the new iOS update. Head to Apps > Messages, and then find the Text Messaging section to toggle on RCS. It may, however, take a few minutes for your phone number to be registered with the Fi RCS server.

In hindsight, the way Apple implemented iMessage was clever. By intercepting messages being sent to other iPhone phone numbers, Apple was able to add enhanced features to its phones instantly. It had the possibly intended side effect of reinforcing the perception that Android phones were less capable. This turned Android users into dreaded green bubbles that limited chat features. Users complained, and Google ran ads calling on Apple to support RCS. That, along with some pointed questions from reporters may have prompted Apple to announce the change in late 2023. It took some time, but you almost don’t have to worry about missing messaging features in 2025.

Apple enables RCS messaging for Google Fi subscribers at last Read More »

apple-updates-all-its-operating-systems,-brings-apple-intelligence-to-vision-pro

Apple updates all its operating systems, brings Apple Intelligence to Vision Pro

Apple dropped a big batch of medium-size software updates for nearly all of its products this afternoon. The iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS 15.4, tvOS 18.4, and visionOS 2.4 updates are all currently available to download, and each adds a small handful of new features for their respective platforms.

A watchOS 11.4 update was also published briefly, but it’s currently unavailable.

For iPhones and iPads that support Apple Intelligence, the flagship feature in 18.4 is Priority Notifications, which attempts to separate time-sensitive or potentially important notifications from the rest of them so you can see them more easily. The update also brings along the handful of new Unicode 16.0 emoji, a separate app for managing a Vision Pro headset (similar to the companion app for the Apple Watch), and a grab bag of other fixes and minor enhancements.

The Mac picks up two major features in the Sequoia 15.4 update. Users of the Mail app now get the same (optional) automated inbox sorting that Apple introduced for iPhones and iPads in an earlier update, attempting to tame overgrown inboxes using Apple Intelligence language models.

The Mac is also getting a long-standing Quick Start setup feature from the Apple Watch, Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad. On those devices, you can activate them and sign in to your Apple ID by holding another compatible Apple phone or tablet in close proximity. Macs running the 15.4 update finally support the same feature (though it won’t work Mac-to-Mac, since a rear-facing camera is a requirement).

Apple updates all its operating systems, brings Apple Intelligence to Vision Pro Read More »

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France fines Apple €150M for “excessive” pop-ups that let users reject tracking

A typical ATT  pop-up asks a user whether to allow an app “to track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites,” and says that “your data will be used to deliver personalized ads to you.”

Agency: “Double consent” too cumbersome

The agency said there is an “asymmetry” in which user consent for Apple’s own data collection is obtained with a single pop-up, but other publishers are “required to obtain double consent from users for tracking on third-party sites and applications.” The press release notes that “while advertising tracking only needs to be refused once, the user must always confirm their consent a second time.”

The system was said to be less harmful for big companies like Meta and Google and “particularly harmful for smaller publishers that do not enjoy alternative targeting possibilities, in particular in the absence of sufficient proprietary data.” Although France’s focus is on how ATT affects smaller companies, Apple’s privacy system has also been criticized by Facebook.

The €150 million fine won’t make much of a dent in Apple’s revenue, but Apple will apparently have to make some changes to comply with the French order. The agency’s press release said the problem “could be avoided by marginal modifications to the ATT framework.”

Benoit Coeure, the head of France’s competition authority, “told reporters the regulator had not spelled out how Apple should change its app, but that it was up to the company to make sure it now complied with the ruling,” according to Reuters. “The compliance process could take some time, he added, because Apple was waiting for rulings on regulators in Germany, Italy, Poland and Romania who are also investigating the ATT tool.”

Apple said in a statement that the ATT “prompt is consistent for all developers, including Apple, and we have received strong support for this feature from consumers, privacy advocates, and data protection authorities around the world. While we are disappointed with today’s decision, the French Competition Authority (FCA) has not required any specific changes to ATT.”

France fines Apple €150M for “excessive” pop-ups that let users reject tracking Read More »

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EU will go easy with Apple, Facebook punishment to avoid Trump’s wrath

Brussels regulators are set to drop a case about whether Apple’s operating system discourages users from switching browsers or search engines, after Apple made a series of changes in an effort to comply with the bloc’s rules.

Levying any form of fines on American tech companies risks a backlash, however, as Trump has directly attacked EU penalties on American companies, calling them a “form of taxation,” while comparing fines on tech companies with “overseas extortion.”

“This is a crucial test for the commission,” a person from one of the affected companies said. “Further targeting US tech firms will heighten transatlantic tensions and provoke retaliatory actions and, ultimately, it’s member states and European businesses that will bear the cost.”

The US president has warned of imposing tariffs on countries that levy digital services taxes against American companies.

According to a memo released last month, Trump said he would look into taxes and regulations or policies that “inhibit the growth” of American corporations operating abroad.

Meta has previously said that its changes “meet EU regulator demands and go beyond what’s required by EU law.”

The planned decisions, which the officials said could still change before they are made public, are set to be presented to representatives of the EU’s 27 member states on Friday. An announcement on the fines is set for next week, although that timing could also still change.

The commission declined to comment.

© 2025 The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be redistributed, copied, or modified in any way.

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Apple loses $1B a year on prestigious, minimally viewed Apple TV+: report

The Apple TV+ streaming service “is losing more than $1 billion annually,” according to The Information today.

The report also claimed that Apple TV+’s subscriber count reached “around 45 million” in 2024, citing the two anonymous sources.

Ars reached out to Apple for comment on the accuracy of The Information’s report and will update this article if we hear back.

According to one of the sources, Apple TV+ has typically spent over $5 billion annually on content since 2019, when Apple TV+ debuted. Last year, though, Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly cut the budget by about $500 million. The reported numbers are similar to a July report from Bloomberg that claimed that Apple had spent over $20 billion on Apple TV+’s library. For comparison, Netflix has 301.63 million subscribers and expects to spend $18 billion on content in 2025.

In the year preceding Apple TV+’s debut, Apple services chief Eddy Cue reportedly pushed back on executive requests to be stingier with content spending, “a person with direct knowledge of the matter” told The Information.

But Cook started paying closer attention to Apple TV+’s spending after the 2022 Oscars, where the Apple TV+ original CODA won Best Picture. The award signaled the significance of Apple TV+ as a business.

Per The Information, spending related to Apple TV+ previously included lavish perks for actors and producers. Apple paid “hundreds of thousands of dollars per flight” to transport Apple TV+ actors and producers to promotional events, The Information said, noting that such spending “is common in Hollywood” but “more unusual at Apple.” Apple’s finance department reportedly pushed Apple TV+ executives to find better flight deals sometime around 2023.

In 2024, Cook questioned big-budget Apple TV+ films, like the $200 million Argylle, which he said failed to generate impressive subscriber boosts or viewership, an anonymous “former Apple TV+ employee” shared. Cook reportedly cut about $500 million from the Apple TV+ content budget in 2024.

Apple loses $1B a year on prestigious, minimally viewed Apple TV+: report Read More »

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Apple reportedly planning executive shake-up to address Siri delays

The Vision Pro was not exactly a smash hit for Apple, but no one expected a $3,500 VR headset to have the same impact as the iPhone. However, the Vision Pro did what it was supposed to do, and there is apparently a feeling inside the company that Rockwell knows how to leverage his technical expertise to get products out the door. The effort to release the Vision Pro involved years of work with a large team of engineers and designers, and several of the key advances required for its completion involved artificial intelligence.

Apple Siri AI

Credit: Apple

Apple’s work on Siri will remain under the ultimate purview of Craig Federighi, the senior vice president of software engineering. He’s responsible for all development work on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. He was also deeply involved with the launch of Apple Intelligence alongside Giannandrea.

While one of his primary projects is being reassigned, Giannandrea will reportedly remain at the company for now. However, Apple may simply want him around for the optics. The abrupt departure of a senior AI figure during the troubled rollout of Apple Intelligence, which is now enabled by default, could further affect confidence in the company’s AI efforts.

For good or ill, generative AI features are key to the strategy at most large technology firms. Apple aggressively advertised Apple Intelligence during the iPhone 16 launch. It also cited the AI-enhanced Siri as a selling point, making the recent delay all the more awkward. Even if this shake-up gets Siri back on track, the late-to-arrive feature will be under intense scrutiny when it does finally show up.

Apple reportedly planning executive shake-up to address Siri delays Read More »

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Apple and Google in the hot seat as European regulators ignore Trump warnings

The European Commission is not backing down from efforts to rein in Big Tech. In a series of press releases today, the European Union’s executive arm has announced actions against both Apple and Google. Regulators have announced that Apple will be required to open up support for non-Apple accessories on the iPhone, but it may be too late for Google to make changes. The commission says the search giant has violated the Digital Markets Act, which could lead to a hefty fine.

Since returning to power, Donald Trump has railed against European regulations that target US tech firms. In spite of rising tensions and tough talk, the European Commission seems unfazed and is continuing to follow its more stringent laws, like the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This landmark piece of EU legislation aims to make the digital economy more fair. Upon coming into force last year, the act labeled certain large tech companies, including Apple and Google, as “gatekeepers” that are subject to additional scrutiny.

Europe’s more aggressive regulation of Big Tech is why iPhone users on the continent can install apps from third-party app markets while the rest of us are stuck with the Apple App Store. As for Google, the European Commission has paid special attention to search, Android, and Chrome, all of which dominate their respective markets.

Apple’s mobile platform plays second fiddle to Android in Europe, but it’s large enough to make the company subject to the DMA. The EU has now decreed that Apple is not doing enough to support interoperability on its platform. As a result, it will be required to make several notable changes. Apple will have to provide other companies and developers with improved access to iOS for devices like smartwatches, headphones, and TVs. This could include integration with notifications, faster data transfers, and streamlined setup.

The commission is also forcing Apple to release additional technical documentation, communication, and notifications for upcoming features for third parties. The EU believes this change will encourage more companies to build products that integrate with the iPhone, giving everyone more options aside from Apple’s.

Regulators say both sets of measures are the result of a public comment period that began late last year. We’ve asked Apple for comment on this development but have not heard back as of publication time. Apple is required to make these changes, and failing to do so could lead to fines. However, Google is already there.

Apple and Google in the hot seat as European regulators ignore Trump warnings Read More »

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RCS texting updates will bring end-to-end encryption to green bubble chats

One of the best mostly invisible updates in iOS 18 was Apple’s decision to finally implement the Rich Communications Services (RCS) communication protocol, something that is slowly helping to fix the generally miserable experience of texting non-iPhone users with an iPhone. The initial iOS 18 update brought RCS support to most major carriers in the US, and the upcoming iOS 18.4 update is turning it on for a bunch of smaller prepaid carriers like Google Fi and Mint Mobile.

Now that Apple is on board, iPhones and their users can also benefit from continued improvements to the RCS standard. And one major update was announced today: RCS will now support end-to-end encryption using the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol, a standard finalized by the Internet Engineering Task Force in 2023.

“RCS will be the first large-scale messaging service to support interoperable E2EE between client implementations from different providers,” writes GSMA Technical Director Tom Van Pelt in the post announcing the updates. “Together with other unique security features such as SIM-based authentication, E2EE will provide RCS users with the highest level of privacy and security for stronger protection from scams, fraud and other security and privacy threats. ”

RCS texting updates will bring end-to-end encryption to green bubble chats Read More »

2025-ipad-air-hands-on:-why-mess-with-a-good-thing?

2025 iPad Air hands-on: Why mess with a good thing?

There’s not much new in Apple’s latest refresh of the iPad Air, so there’s not much to say about it, but it’s worth taking a brief look regardless.

In almost every way, this is identical to the previous generation. There are only two differences to go over: the bump from the M2 chip to the slightly faster M3, and a redesign of the Magic Keyboard peripheral.

If you want more details about this tablet, refer to our M2 iPad Air review from last year. Everything we said then applies now.

From M2 to M3

The M3 chip has an 8-core CPU with four performance cores and four efficiency cores. On the GPU side, there are nine cores. There’s also a 16-core Neural Engine, which is what Apple calls its NPU.

We’ve seen the M3 in other devices before, and it performs comparably here in the iPad Air in Geekbench benchmarks. Those coming from the M1 or older A-series chips will see some big gains, but it’s a subtle step up over the M2 in last year’s iPad Air.

That will be a noticeable boost primarily for a handful of particularly demanding 3D games (the likes of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Resident Evil Village, Infinity Nikki, and Genshin Impact) and some heavy-duty applications only a few people use, like CAD or video editing programs.

Most of the iPad Air’s target audience would never know the difference, though, and the main benefit here isn’t necessarily real-world performance. Rather, the upside of this upgrade is the addition of a few specific features, namely hardware-accelerated ray tracing and hardware-accelerated AV1 video codec support.

This isn’t new, but this chip supports Apple Intelligence, the much-ballyhooed suite of generative AI features Apple recently introduced. At this point there aren’t many devices left in Apple’s lineup that don’t support Apple Intelligence (it’s basically just the cheapest, entry-level iPad that doesn’t have it) and that’s good news for Apple, as it helps the company simplify its marketing messaging around the features.

2025 iPad Air hands-on: Why mess with a good thing? Read More »

apple’s-$349-ipad-11-is-missing-a-lot,-but-it’s-still-all-the-ipad-most-people-need

Apple’s $349 iPad 11 is missing a lot, but it’s still all the iPad most people need


apologies to the ipad pro

Other iPads are nicer and faster, but I end up using all of them the same way.

The basic iPad’s Apple Pencil situation is most charitably described as “sub-optimal.” Credit: Andrew Cunningham

The basic iPad’s Apple Pencil situation is most charitably described as “sub-optimal.” Credit: Andrew Cunningham

Apple released a new version of the basic $349 iPad this week, though you could be forgiven for not noticing. The new 11th-generation iPad (also known as the “iPad (A16)” or just plain-old “iPad”) looks identical to the previous version, it was introduced in a single paragraph buried in the middle of an iPad Air announcement, and the company didn’t offer to send any to reviewers. The one I have I bought myself for our 5-year-old, whose hand-me-down 2019 iPad Air 3 is slightly older than he is and a little worse for wear.

There’s nothing exciting or even particularly interesting about this tablet. The design is recycled from 2022’s 10th-generation iPad, which was itself a lower-rent version of the 2020 iPad Air design. It’s powered by a variant of the Apple A16, originally an iPhone chip from 2022. It still doesn’t support the regular Apple Pencil or Pencil Pro or the same keyboard accessories as other iPads. It still doesn’t have an anti-reflective screen coating, and the screen doesn’t feel as nice to use as an iPad Air’s or Pro’s.

But for all that, this is still probably the purest expression of what the iPad is: a cheap Internet-connected screen for reading and watching things. I say this as someone who has tried every new piece of hardware and software that Apple has introduced to try and make the iPad a powerful and versatile laptop replacement—it still feels like trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole. The more expensive iPads are nice, but I don’t end up using them much differently from how I use this bare-bones tablet.

Features and limitations

Apple’s 11th-generation iPad, with a USB-C Apple Pencil and a cheap case/cover. Credit: Andrew Cunningham

The A16 iPad is a typical post-Home-button iPad design, with a slim-ish symmetrical bezel running all the way around a 10.86-inch screen. Apple used to round this up to 10.9 inches, and now it rounds it up to 11 inches, but what has changed is the rounding and not the screen size.

A Touch ID fingerprint reader is embedded in the power button; the headphone jack is gone; the iPad branding has been removed from the back; and there’s a USB-C port on the bottom (one benefit of upgrading for me—the old iPad Air was the last Lightning device in the house, give or take a Magic Trackpad or Apple TV remote). The design hasn’t changed at all, which means any accessory made for the 10th-gen A14 iPad should fit this one without issue.

This screen ends up feeling like the biggest downgrade from an iPad Air, not because of its size or quality but because of the air gap between the front glass and the actual LCD panel. Other iPads have “laminated” screens, which means that the LCD panel and the glass are fused. This slightly improves color and contrast at the expense of repairability—with a laminated screen, cracked glass means you’re replacing the screen and the glass, not just the screen—but mainly, it makes the tablets feel more solid, and when you’re touching and drawing, it helps your fingers and Pencil feel closer to what you’re interacting with on screen. The air gap between the glass and the screen makes the iPad feel hollow. Along with the lack of anti-reflective coating, it’s the downgrade you’ll feel the most.

Apple’s reliance on older and slower internal hardware also means that the 11th-gen iPad is missing some of the features present on more expensive iPads, though I don’t currently view any of these features as essential. One is Stage Manager, the updated (and widely panned) multitasking experience introduced in iPadOS 16. One component of Stage Manager is actual multi-display support that can run iPad apps on an external screen; without Stage Manager, the iPad is limited to the traditional “video playback and display mirroring only” support.

A basic, flash-less, single-lens 12 megapixel camera and power button-mounted Touch ID sensor. Credit: Andrew Cunningham

Apple Intelligence is also missing here, even though it’s a feature Apple has gone out of its way to include on every device it has launched since last fall (including the iPhone 16e). Again, none of these features are especially great, and some of them are actually kind of bad, so I don’t feel their absence here. If anything, some people might consider it a plus not to have Apple Intelligence flipping itself back on every time you install a security update. If and when Apple ever releases its delayed Siri update, maybe you’ll be sorry your iPad doesn’t support Apple Intelligence, but for now, there’s not much to miss.

One thing that remains frustrating is the Apple Pencil situation. Apple offers two options: the $79 USB-C Apple Pencil, which attaches to the side of the iPad magnetically but doesn’t pair or charge magnetically and doesn’t offer pressure sensitivity, or the $99 first-generation Apple Pencil, which does support pressure sensitivity but is a decade-old design that is less comfortable to hold, doesn’t attach to the tablet at all, and can’t even pair or charge without an adapter. A USB-C Apple Pencil with pressure sensitivity would be an acceptable compromise here; using the deeply flawed first-gen Apple Pencil to fill that gap is just unacceptable at this point.

Apple has removed the “iPad” text and regulatory markings from the back of this iPad, making it a blank aluminum slab aside from the camera bump and Apple logo. Credit: Andrew Cunningham

Accessory pricing is another sore point. All of Apple’s cases and accessories run a bit expensive for my taste, but it’s particularly egregious for a budget tablet. The iPad does have a Smart Connector for Apple’s Magic Keyboard Folio, which at its normal retail price adds a staggering $249 to the price of your $349 iPad. Apple also has a regular Smart Folio case for the iPad, offering a foldable screen-cover-turned-stand and basic back protection for $79.

Luckily, third-party accessories can step in here and keep your total price close to or below $500, even if you’re trying to use the iPad as a computer. Logitech’s Combo Touch keyboard case adds a keyboard and trackpad for $160 and goes on sale with some regularity. Logitech also has separate Bluetooth keyboards like the $30-ish Pebble Keys 2 (formerly the K380s) or $50-ish Pop Icon Keys that can turn the iPad into a good writing machine for less money. MoKo’s iPad cases are decent and cheap and can add a touch of color or personalization. The best feature of the iPad is the price—don’t let expensive accessories mess that up.

Performance: A16 non-Bionic, plus more storage and RAM

Look at the “Chip” section on Apple’s spec pages for the iPhone 15 and the iPad 11, and you’ll note that the iPad’s A16 is missing the word “Bionic.”

Originally used to denote a chip with a mix of large high-performance CPU cores and small high-efficiency CPU cores, Apple has been dropping this label for new A-series processors for a while now (the A17 and A18 don’t use it at all). But in the new iPad’s case, it seems meant to denote that this is a slightly cut-down iteration of the A16, with five CPU cores instead of six and four GPU cores instead of three.

Benchmarks for the 10th-gen iPad have been pulled from publicly available numbers in each benchmark’s official results database.

Geekbench 6 doesn’t distinguish between the performance and efficiency cores, but it does say that the iPad has one cluster of two cores and one cluster of three cores. That means it’s likely one of the four efficiency cores that have been disabled, so the impact on the day-to-day user experience should be pretty minimal.

Performance in benchmarks is “faster, but not by much.” In our testing, the new iPad is still substantially slower than the M1 iPad Air from 2022. And using benchmarks pulled from public databases, it looks like a measurable but modest upgrade over the A14 Bionic in the 10th-generation iPad: a 20 percent-ish improvement in single- and multi-core CPU performance and between 15 and 30 percent faster graphics performance (depending on the benchmark). It’s good enough to be a kid’s Roblox machine, but it might struggle a bit with newer or more intensive games and apps.

The new iPad’s best spec upgrades are measured in gigabytes—the base model jumps from 64GB to 128GB of storage, and RAM increases from 4GB to 6GB. While still short of the unstated 8GB RAM requirement for Stage Manager or Apple Intelligence, that’s two extra gigabytes of memory the iPad can use for apps and Safari tabs before it has to start ejecting things from RAM to make more room. If you’re upgrading from something older, like 2021’s 9th-gen iPad or the iPad Air 3 we’ve been using, you’re doubling your memory from 3GB to 6GB. Not exciting, but not too shabby.

Still the default iPad

A cheap cover and Bluetooth keyboard can still turn the cheap iPad into a solid writing machine (not this keyboard, which is a Logitech MX Keys S I bought for something else, but an inexpensive Logitech Pebble Keys 2 or Pop Icon Keys are both good fits). Credit: Andrew Cunningham

The next time I buy an iPad for myself, I will still probably manage to talk myself into some kind of iPad Air. I occasionally need to test and write about the full range of iPad features, including Stage Manager and Apple Intelligence, and the laminated screen and anti-reflective coating are quality-of-life upgrades I’m pretty attached to. Sometimes, you spend a little more money on a nice thing because it is nice, even if it’s not strictly necessary.

But for just over half the price? For people who are just reading or doodling or watching TV, or for a kid who needs something basic but reliable for games and school and chatting? The basic iPad makes a strong case for itself. That was already kind of true of the 10th-generation iPad, which debuted at a who-is-this-for price of $449 before gradually falling to a more sensible $349 last year. This new iPad is just that one with a faster chip, 50 percent more memory, and 100 percent more storage.

It is a little frustrating that Apple couldn’t at least give people the option to use Apple Intelligence since the cheap iPad only sees an update once every couple of years—if there ever actually is a killer Apple Intelligence feature, this iPad won’t see it. But don’t let the tablet’s whisper-quiet, nothing-to-see-here launch or low price fool you—it still does pretty much all of the stuff that people actually enjoy doing on their iPads.

The good

  • A reliable, functional multi-purpose computer for $349
  • More RAM and double the storage of the previous-generation model
  • Decent performance and a nice-looking screen for this price
  • iPadOS has a solid library of games, productivity apps, and other software that Android and Windows tablets have never successfully replicated
  • Compatible with the same ecosystem of accessories as the 10th-generation model

The bad

  • You have two Apple Pencil options, and neither is ideal
  • Still slower than a 3-year-old M1 iPad Air
  • Apple’s accessories can drive the price way up
  • No Apple Intelligence, I guess? You’re not missing anything now, but you might one day miss out on a feature you actually want

The ugly

  • The gap between the glass and the screen gives it a hollow feeling and makes drawing less satisfying

Photo of Andrew Cunningham

Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. Andrew lives in Philadelphia and co-hosts a weekly book podcast called Overdue.

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Apple patches 0-day exploited in “extremely sophisticated attack”

Apple on Tuesday patched a critical zero-day vulnerability in virtually all iPhones and iPad models it supports and said it may have been exploited in “an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals” using older versions of iOS.

The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-24201, resides in Webkit, the browser engine driving Safari and all other browsers developed for iPhones and iPads. Devices affected include the iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 13-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 7th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later. The vulnerability stems from a bug that wrote to out-of-bounds memory locations.

Supplementary fix

“Impact: Maliciously crafted web content may be able to break out of Web Content sandbox,” Apple wrote in a bare-bones advisory. “This is a supplementary fix for an attack that was blocked in iOS 17.2. (Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 17.2.)”

The advisory didn’t say if the vulnerability was discovered by one of its researchers or by someone outside the company. This attribution often provides clues about who carried out the attacks and who the attacks targeted. The advisory also didn’t say when the attacks began or how long they lasted.

The update brings the latest versions of both iOS and iPadOS to 18.3.2. Users facing the biggest threat are likely those who are targets of well-funded law enforcement agencies or nation-state spies. They should install the update immediately. While there’s no indication that the vulnerability is being opportunistically exploited against a broader set of users, it’s a good practice to install updates within 36 hours of becoming available.

Apple patches 0-day exploited in “extremely sophisticated attack” Read More »

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M4 Max and M3 Ultra Mac Studio Review: A weird update, but it mostly works

Comparing the M4 Max and M3 Ultra to high-end PC desktop processors.

As for the Intel and AMD comparisons, both companies’ best high-end desktop CPUs like the Ryzen 9 9950X and Core Ultra 285K are often competitive with the M4 Max’s multi-core performance, but are dramatically less power-efficient at their default settings.

Mac Studio or M4 Pro Mac mini?

The Mac Studio (bottom) and redesigned M4 Mac mini. Credit: Andrew Cunningham

Ever since Apple beefed up the Mac mini with Pro-tier chips, there’s been a pricing overlap around and just over $2,000 where the mini and the Studio are both compelling.

A $2,000 Mac mini comes with a fully enabled M4 Pro processor (14 CPU cores, 20 GPU cores), 512GB of storage, and 48GB of RAM, with 64GB of RAM available for another $200 and 10 gigabit Ethernet available for another $100. RAM is the high-end Mac mini’s main advantage over the Studio—the $1,999 Studio comes with a slightly cut-down M4 Max (also 14 CPU cores, but 32 GPU cores), 512GB of storage, and just 36GB of RAM.

In general, if you’re spending $2,000 on a Mac desktop, I would lean toward the Studio rather than the mini. You’re getting roughly the same CPU but a much faster GPU and more ports. You get less RAM, but depending on what you’re doing, there’s a good chance that 36GB is more than enough.

The only place where the mini is clearly better than the Studio once you’ve above $2,000 is memory. If you want 64GB of RAM in your Mac, you can get it in the Mac mini for $2,200. The cheapest Mac Studio with 64GB of RAM also requires a processor upgrade, bringing the total cost to $2,700. If you need memory more than you need raw performance, or if you just need something that’s as small as it can possibly be, that’s when the high-end mini can still make sense.

A lot of power—if you need it

Apple’s M4 Max Mac Studio. Credit: Andrew Cunningham

Obviously, Apple’s hermetically sealed desktop computers have some downsides compared to a gaming or workstation PC, most notably that you need to throw out and replace the whole thing any time you want to upgrade literally any component.

M4 Max and M3 Ultra Mac Studio Review: A weird update, but it mostly works Read More »