By news@appleinsider.com (Andrew O’Hara) On the latest episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, your host goes hands on with two recent product launches, and discusses more of best home automation news.HomeKit Insider PodcastIn our hands-on portion, we have both the ThorBolt X1 deadbolt and the Brilliant second-generation smart wall panel to check out.The ThorBolt X1 is affordable and supports Apple Home Key, making it immediately of interest. It seems to have solid construction, is fast to respond, and is easy to install. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Brian Patterson) The MelGeek O2 is a low-profile mechanical keyboard that manages to stick the landing when it comes to user experience for Mac users — at least from a hardware perspective.MelGeek O2Throughout 2024 and into 2025, I’ve been on a quest to find a low-profile mechanical keyboard. One to replace my Mac Magic Keyboard for day-to-day use in my workspace.The world of third-party keyboards is a wild and wonderful place for consumers. But often, Mac users are considered an afterthought. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Malcolm Owen) The iPad has been credited with helping a concert pianist get over her stage fright, with the presence of the tablet making her feel more confident during a performance.Keys on a piano – Image credit: Alan Morris/PixabayArtists of all kinds often suffer from stage fright, an anxiety that occurs when a person is about to perform to an audience. People deal with stage fright in various ways, but for one musician, it was simply having an iPad nearby.In a Monday interview with NPR to promote her new album, concert pianist Simone Dinnerstein explained that she had to deal with decades of performance anxiety. Being onstage caused her to have panic attacks, which affected her confidence and ability to play. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Andrew Orr) Europe welcomed the iPhone 16e into its top 10 sellers in March, but Apple’s midtier offering appears to still not be cheap enough for the local market.iPhone 16e debuts in Europe’s top 10Apple’s new iPhone 16e secured a spot in Europe’s top 10 smartphone rankings during its first full month on the market. But the midtier model underperformed compared to the company’s earlier iPhone SE launches and may face headwinds from internal competition and economic pressures.Launched at the end of February 2025, the iPhone 16e was the ninth best-selling smartphone in Europe in March, according to data from Counterpoint Research. It accounted for 8% of Apple’s sales and 2% of total smartphone sales during the month. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (William Gallagher) As expected, Apple has formally filed an appeal against the European Union’s ruling on interoperability, saying that it constitutes a massive privacy risk.An EU flag with the App Store logoIn December 2024, Apple made public its objections to the EU’s interoperability plans in a white paper, centering on what it described as the Digital Markets Act’s (DMA) security and privacy implications. Now as first spotted by Axios, the company’s official appeal filing against the EU’s fine repeats the points, and in particular stresses how other firms are set to exploit the ruling.”These requirements will also hand data-hungry companies sensitive information, which poses massive privacy and security risks to our EU users,” an Apple spokesperson said. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (William Gallagher) As Jony Ive’s AI startup is bought by OpenAI, he and investor Laurene Powell Jobs talk about collaboration, and how technology has damaged society as well as benefited it.Jony Ive (center) and Laurene Powell Jobs (right) in 2022 — image credit: RecodeJony Ive and Sam Altman’s startup “io” was bought in May 2025 by Altman’s OpenAI company, and is working on a new AI device. Prior to being bought, Laurene Powell Jobs invested in “io,” and in a new Financial Times interview with both of them, Ive reveals that she has been crucial to his post-Apple work, including forming his own LoveFrom company.”If it wasn’t for Laurene,” said Jony Ive, “there wouldn’t be LoveFrom.” Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Charles Martin) Like its previous OS versions that denoted significant changes, Apple is rumored to give the upcoming macOS 26 the name of a particularly notable California location.The next macOS is rumored to be called ‘Tahoe’Apple is reportedly overhauling the look of its various OSes with its next set of releases, expected to arrive in the fall of this year. Adopting the nomenclature of vehicle models, the company is set to jump from version numbers to reflecting the year ahead of release.According to a new report from Bloomberg, macOS 26 will adopt the name Tahoe, after California’s Lake Tahoe resort area. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (William Gallagher) A new report claims that internally, Apple has already been testing Large Language Models for Siri that are vastly more powerful than the shipping Apple Intelligence, but executives disagree about when to release it.Internally, Siri us close to ChatGPT level accuracy.Backing up AppleInsider’s position that Apple is not behind on AI, the company has regularly been publishing research showing its progress moving the field forward. Now according to Bloomberg, Apple has already been working with AI systems considerably more power than the on-device Apple Intelligence it has shipped so far.Specifically, the report says that internally, Apple is using multiple different models with ever greater complexity. Apple is said to be testing models with 3 billion, 7 billion, 33 billion, and 150 billion parameters. Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Malcolm Owen) The upcoming WWDC keynote may not help raise the profile and functionality of Apple Intelligence much, with a report claiming Apple’s AI announcements will be sparse, and disappointing.Apple Intelligence shown off at WWDC 2024 – Image Credit: AppleFollowing the introduction of Apple Intelligence at WWDC in 2024, the AI effort at Apple has endured an agonizingly slow and rocky rollout. While the 2025 event offers an opportunity for Apple to turn things around, a report offers little hope that Apple will do just that.According to Sunday’s “Power On” newsletter from Bloomberg, sources within Apple believe that WWDC will be a disappointment form an AI perspective. In the wake of the Google I/O keynote offering massive new AI features and advancements, WWDC could make Apple seem like it is falling behind the rest of the industry. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Stephen Silver) Shawn Kemp agrees to a plea deal in iPhone-related shooting, iCloud evidence is used in crypto indictment, and a stolen iPhone ends up in China in this week’s Apple Crime Blotter.The Apple Store in Beavercreek, OhioThe latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
