By news@appleinsider.com (William Gallagher) Apple has quietly acquired another AI firm involved in reducing the size of Large Language Modules for the iPhone, this time Paris-based Datakaleb.Before moving to AI compression, Datakaleb worked extensively in AI-based image analysisFollowing news that Apple secretly bought the Canadian AI firm DarwinAI at the start of 2024, it has now been revealed that shortly before then, it acquired a Parisian company. French publication Challenges says it bought Datakaleb in December 2023.Just as DarwinAI works on making deep neural networks smaller and more efficient, so Datakaleb is now focused on the compression of algorithms. The smaller a process algorithm can be, the less energy it uses — and Apple has repeatedly been shown to be working on Large Language Modules (LLM) that are made small enough to run entirely on device. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Sponsored Content) Silicone straps, plastic leather, and Apple’s introduction of FineWoven accessories aimed at reducing its carbon footprint have left those looking for a solid luxury Apple Watch band without many options — until now.Buckle and Band’s Apple Watch bands are made to last.Buckle and Band meets that demand with a vast catalog of designer watch bands made from quality materials, such as stainless steel and genuine leather. These Apple Watch bands don’t cut corners and are ideal for those looking for a sophisticated solution that will last years.Shop Buckle and Band and discover how to transform your Apple Watch into a fancy piece of jewelry meant to be worn daily. From sleek to soft (and surprisingly durable), Buckle and Band turns your tech into everyday wear that you can match with any event. Continue Reading on AppleInsider
By news@appleinsider.com (Charles Martin and Malcolm Owen) Decades ago, Apple started down a path that has revolutionized both its own products and the entire technology industry. Here’s where Apple Silicon began, and where it’s going.Apple’s M-series chips rejuvenated the Mac rangeFrom the very beginning of Apple Computer, the company has relied on core parts made by other firms. The Apple I had a MOS Technology 6502 chip at its heart, though co-founder Steve Wozniak designed most of the other original hardware, including the circuit boards.Apple continued to invent and patent many technologies as it grew, but it was always reliant on other companies to provide the primary chip powering the machines, the CPU. For many years, Apple’s chip supplier was Motorola, and later Intel. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (William Gallagher) Before the expected 12.9-inch iPad Air has even been confirmed, ESR has launched a range of case models for it.A 12.9-inch iPad Air on an ESR magnetic caseESR already makes a range of Qi2 charging devices for the iPhone, and its lower-cost alternative to the Apple Pencil has been praised. Now it’s released a case for a product that officially doesn’t exist yet, and it’s a gamble for both ESR and for customers.It is as close to certain as it possibly can be that Apple will shortly release a 12.9-inch iPad Air. It’s also close to certain that Apple will have already released information about it to at least some accessory makers — and ESR is a long-standing third-party manufacturer. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Mike Wuerthele) As of late, the rumor mill has been quiet on the topic of all of the mechanical buttons on the iPhone 16 family being replaced by capacitive ones, but a new report claims a supplier has been picked to do just that.iPhone 16 Pro may have larger screensCapacitive buttons were said to replace all of the mechanical ones in the iPhone 15 series, but that obviously didn’t pan out. However, if a new report on Monday morning can be believed, Apple has picked a long-time partner in its supply chain to fulfill the ordersThe report from Economic Daily on Monday claims that Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) has been awarded a massive order for the component. Again, the technology is rumored to finally replace all of the buttons in the iPhone 16 family across the board. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Charles Martin) NBA superstar LeBron James was spotted at Saturday’s playoff game in Denver sporting what appears to be a unreleased Pill speaker from Apple’s Beats subsidiary.James was seen carrying a new version of the Pill speaker which features a lanyard. At present, the company doesn’t have a single speaker featured on its website, having discontinued the last of its Pill models in early 2022.The Pill line of Bluetooth speakers was first introduced in 2012. The Pill+ released in in 2015. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Charles Martin) Apple appears to be planning to skip an M3 revision to the Mac mini in favor of a more significant update featuring the M4 chip.Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has previously reported that Apple would update the Mac mini line with M4 and M4 Pro chips towards the end of 2024 or early 2025. In a report on Sunday, he’s amplified that, and said that there probably won’t be a M3 Mac mini at all.The Mac mini was last updated in January of last 2023 with the M2 and M2 Pro.That Mac mini M2 Pro update also came with more Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 6E, HDMI 2.1 for the M2 Pro model, and updates to Bluetooth. It isn’t clear if the next Mac mini will sport any further hardware changes, beyond the M4. Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Mike Wuerthele) A new rumor claims that Apple has shut down the FineWoven production lines for good, possibly spelling the doom of the controversial accessory material.Apple’s FineWoven iPhone caseApple put a big marketing push behind its leather alternative FineWoven. The material debuted during the iPhone 15 event, and looked good — when brand new.It just never lived up to the hype. And now, Apple appears to be done with the material. Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Charles Martin) The US House of Representatives has passed a combination bill related to sanctions on other countries, such as Russia — but includes language that could force the sale or divestiture of TikTok by its parent company, ByteDance.Legislators have framed the measure in such a way as to downplay concerns about a ban on the popular social service. Instead, the move aims to force Chinese company ByteDance to divest itself from TikTok, or sell it to another entity.Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said the bill was “not really about TikTok, it’s about ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok and is indisputably controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.” ByteDance has repeatedly disputed that claim.A previous measure along the same lines was passed last year. Both the Trump and Biden administrations have also proposed various measures to put pressure on ByteDance to sell the social media service. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
By news@appleinsider.com (Christine McKee) April’s MacBook Air sales are in full swing, with Best Buy having limited inventory of a Geek Squad Certified Refurbished M1 model for $599 and M2 models in new, factory sealed condition up to $400 off.Best Buy continues to offer trending deals on Apple’s MacBook Air, and today we’re tracking the $599 M1 MacBook Air in Geek Squad Certified Refurbished condition. Inventory is limited to the Silver and Gold color options, both of which have the line’s 7-core GPU, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD.For those looking for the latest design over the retired wedge shape, Best Buy also has deals on M2 models, delivering up to $400 in savings. MacBook Pro models and M3 MacBook Air laptops are on sale as well, with a full list of discounts available in our Mac Price Guide. Continue Reading on AppleInsider
