A new rumor today reiterates the expectation that iOS 18 will be compatible with all the same devices as iOS 17. For iPadOS 18, however, Apple is planning to drop support for several older generation devices.

These deals are no joke. You can bring home a 15-inch M2 MacBook Air with 16GB of memory at the all-time low of $1,499 – or $400 off today. Apple’s iPhone 14 Plus is an even better value as it falls to $540, and the beloved Lutron Aurora smart bulb dimmer switch is finally on sale for the first time in ages at $33. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

Siri launched with the iPhone 4S in October 2011, replacing Voice Control with a more capable virtual assistant. A dozen years later, Siri has evolved into the primary way we interact with our Apple products.

Wait, no, I’m being told Siri sounds more natural but the core technology is roughly the same. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence now means generative AI and chat bots are based on large language models.

Siri and the rest of iOS 18 will join the AI revolution in June, ending our long national nightmare of Siri being somewhere between hot garbage and kinda useful sometimes. At least that’s what’s being reported, but we don’t really have a great sense of what to expect yet.

Apple will soon release iOS 17.5 with build number 21F5048f, according to information shared on social media by a private account with a strong track record.

This account generally posts this information just before an update is released, so it’s possible iOS 17.5 beta 1 is released sometime this week. 9to5Mac has also seen growing evidence of iOS 17.5 in our Google Analytics data.

During an analysis of various splinter samples of a noteworthy macOS stealer, security researchers at Moonlock discovered one with an alarming level of sophistication. Under the disguise of the unreleased video game GTA 6, once installed, the malware executes rather clever techniques to extract sensitive information, such as passwords from a user’s local Keychain.

In typical Security Bite fashion, here’s the breakdown: how it works and how to stay safe.

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Apple Card has been available for several years at this point, and it’s proven to be a very popular credit card. Despite its popularity, however, there are a few things to keep in mind before signing up for Apple Card. Here’s what you need to know.

Apple is offering its employees a deep discount on two of the most expensive Apple Watch bands. According to a new report today, the Link Bracelet for Apple Watch can be had for $209 (down from $349), while the Milanese Loop price has been cut to $59 (down from $99).

Jeff and Fernando discuss WWDC and iOS 18, Home Screen customization, Siri AI, and the biggest feature that still has yet to come to iOS. We also chit-chat about Jeff’s Studio walkthrough, and the best travel tech items.

AT&T is resetting customer account passcodes after acknowledging a 2019 data leak. As reported by TechCrunch, the leak included customer records affecting 70 million current and former AT&T users. This marks the first time that AT&T has “acknowledged that the leaked data belongs to its customers.”

The leaked data includes customer names, home addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and social security numbers.

More details here

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A few weeks ago, an IT manager I know called me out of the blue to chat. Our conversation naturally led to the state of his Apple fleet, their management challenges, and what they were working on for the future. Outside of security challenges and concerns, he came back to an issue that I think many companies are dealing with: tool sprawl.

iOS provides developers with an API to lock apps with Face ID or Touch ID. However, not every app has this option, and there’s no way to completely hide apps from your device. Luckily, “App Lock” is a simple but powerful app that helps users protect and even hide any apps on their iPhone and iPad. Read on as we detail how the app works.

As WWDC 2024 approaches, Apple this week launched a new webpage with tutorials for developers learning the first steps on how to develop using Xcode, Swift, and Swift UI. Named “Develop in Swift Tutorials,” the webpage is now live with guides showing new developers how to install Xcode and start their first Swift project.

Apple Vision Pro is currently only available in the US, but there have been a lot of rumors recently about the international expansion of the new headset. Now a report from WatchGeneration claims that Apple has been inviting employees from its retail stores in France for Vision Pro training this summer.

Aqara makes some really fantastic smart home (that are usually HomeKit compatible) accessories at really incredible prices. Last year, they launched the Aqara Smart Lock U100 with Home Key support. They’ve long supported HomeKit and, more recently, Matter. This week, Aqara introduced a new HomeKit/Matter-compatible Smart Ceiling Light.

The current-generation iPad mini was introduced back in September 2021 and hasn’t been updated since. What’s next for the iPad mini? Rumors suggest an update could come later this year with an improved display, faster performance, and more.

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The iPhone 16 is widely expected to feature vertically-aligned cameras on the back, likely in order to enable spatial video recording. Newly-leaked images today give another look at this design, showing one of the first iPhone 16 cases.

Authorities in Vermont are warning residents to check for hidden AirTags after traveling to Canada. According to law enforcement, there have been multiple cases of people in the northeast finding hidden AirTags on the car after road tripping it to Canada, a scheme that is believed to play a role in criminals eventually stealing those cars.

A recent report suggested we might be seeing some form of Apple Pencil for Vision Pro, and that idea appears to be supported by an Apple patent application published this week.

The lack of a physical surface to press against means that things like drawing and handwriting can be tougher in a virtual environment, and Apple describes a couple of interesting solutions to this …

iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are Apple’s latest high-end smartphones that come with a range of new capabilities. But are they worth the upgrade if you already have an iPhone 13 Pro? Read along for an in-depth look at the iPhone 13 Pro vs 15 Pro for everything new and different.

A new supply-chain report suggests that Apple is seeking to be an early player in what some believe will be the next big thing in chip development: printed circuit boards (PCBs) made from glass substrates.

While that might not sound exciting, it offers the prospect of an entirely new way of mounting and packaging chips, which could offer much better thermal performance, allowing processors to run at maximum power for longer periods …

Redditors who took advantage of their privileged access to stock ahead of the IPO have seen Reddit share value rocket from $34 to $59.80 by yesterday’s close – an 86% increase.

Update: Subsequent share sales by the company’s CEO and COO – coupled to a report describing the stock as “grossly overvalued” – saw the price fall to $49.32, below the closing price on the day of the IPO …