O'Grady's PowerPage

  • Apple announces iPhone 17e handset, adds A19 chip, MagSafe charging, other internal features over the iPhone 16e

    Apple announces iPhone 17e handset, adds A19 chip, MagSafe charging, other internal features over the iPhone 16e

    As anticipated, Apple announced its new iPhone 17e handset on Monday. Just one year after the introduction of the iPhone 16e, the device enters the market for users on a budget.

    Per AppleInsider, the new model adds moderate upgrades, with the overall design remaining unchanged and the device retailing a 6.1-inch OLED screen. The overall design is also unchanged, with flat sides, the Action Button, and a single camera on the back sans bump as before. However, the main changes are internal.

    The iPhone 17e offers an A19 processor, matching the chip used in the base version of the iPhone 17. The A19 chip itself offers two performance cores and four efficiency cores for the CPU, while the GPU has four cores. This is one GPU down from the five-core version in the iPhone 17’s version, but the Neural Accelerators added to each GPU core will give a significant boost to machine learning tasks.

    The handset now offers the C1X cellular modem, which doesn’t support mmWave, but is an improved version of Apple’s C1 modem, which is also capable of features such as Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages, and Find My via Satellite are. Other new features include MagSafe charging, which was missing from the iPhone 16e, despite its inclusion of Qi wireless charging support. The handset will work with MagSafe charging accessories, and will work at up to 15W, up from 7.5W support.

    The iPhone 17e offers a single camera, as seen in the previous model, and sports a 48MP Fusion Camera with Deep Fusion computational photography, Portrait Mode with Portrait Lighting, Photographic Styles, Night Mode, and a 10x digital zoom. Video capabilities extend to 4K Dolby Vision at 60fps, 1080p Slo-mo at 240fps, Cinematic Stabilization, and a 6x digital zoom.

    The battery life is cited at 26 hours of video playback, 21 hours when streamed, and up to 90 hours of audio playback and the iPhone 17e continues to be made available in a choice of Black and White finishes, plus a new soft pink.

    Pre-orders begin on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, and the iPhone 17e will be shipping from March 11, 2026. The iPhone 17e starts from $599 for the base 256GB model, and $799 for 512GB.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Apple

  • Apple announces M4-based iPad Air

    Apple announces M4-based iPad Air

    Apple’s mega-week of announcements has begun, the company introducing a new iPad Air model on Monday, complete with an M4 chip, 12GB of RAM, the N1 wireless networking chip, Wi-Fi 7 support, and the custom C1X modem for cellular models.

    The new iPad Air has the same overall design as the previous-generation model, which is equipped with the M3 chip, 8GB of RAM, and Wi-Fi 6E support.

    With the M4 chip, Apple has cited that the new iPad Air offers up to 30 percent faster CPU performance compared to the M3-based iPad Air. In the iPad Air, the M4 chip has an 8-core CPU, a 9-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Memory bandwidth increased from 100GB/s to 120GB/s, according to Apple’s tech specs.

    The inclusion of the N1 chip in the iPad Air offers Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support. Apple has also cited improved wireless performance on 5GHz Wi-Fi networks as well as improvements to features such as AirDrop and Personal Hotspot. Apple introduced the N1 chip last year, across the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, and iPad Pro.

    The C1X chip, which is now found on the cellular models, offers support for 5G and LTE networks. Apple, in turn, has stated that this offers 50 percent faster cellular performance while using up to 30 percent less power compared to the previous iPad Air model, which used a Qualcomm modem.

    The new iPad Air can be per-ordered on Apple.com and in the Apple Store starting Wednesday, March 4, and will be available for retail sales on Wednesday, March 11.

    In the U.S., pricing continues to start at $599 for the 11-inch model, and at $799 for the 13-inch model. Color options remain Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray and the tablet will be available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities.

    iPad Air continues to feature an LCD screen with up to 500 nits of brightness, a 12-megapixel front camera with Center Stage support, a 12-megapixel rear camera, Apple Intelligence support, a Touch ID power button, a USB-C port stereo speakers, two microphones, Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro support, and more.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Apple.com

  • Rumor: Two additional Display Studio 2 models hinted at in internal code references

    Rumor: Two additional Display Studio 2 models hinted at in internal code references

    Apple may have two new Studio Display models in the works.

    According to Macworld, and code references to “internal Apple files” that were found in a macOS Tahoe Kernel Debug Kit that leaked online last year, both of the new Studio Display models will feature ProMotion, enabling up to a 120Hz refresh rate, as well as HDR support for increased brightness and dynamic range.

    The higher-end Studio Display could feature two more potential upgrades, including superior speakers and more and/or higher-spec ports. Apple says the current Studio Display has a “high-fidelity six-speaker system” that supports Spatial Audio, and the monitor has one Thunderbolt 3 port that connects to and charges a Mac, and three USB-C ports for connecting accessories.

    The new model could feature at least one Thunderbolt 5 port, which could ensure enough bandwidth for both 5K resolution at 120Hz as well as accessories. Somewhat contrary to this, a recent leaker has claimed that at least one of the new Studio Display models will max out at 90Hz, so customers will have to see which rumor is correct.

    It’s also been rumored that the higher-end Studio Display could feature a 32-inch screen, while the lower-end model would remain at a 27-inch screen. A 32-inch screen would not allow for 5K resolution to be Retina quality, so the resolution would have to increase to 6K like on Apple’s higher-end Pro Display XDR.

    Per noted display industry expert Ross Young, at least one of the new Studio Display models would feature mini-LED backlighting. This could indicate that Apple might discontinue its Pro Display XDR with full-array LED backlighting and instead offer both lower-end and higher-end Studio Display configurations, albeit this is just speculation.

    Finally, it’s been rumored that at least one of the new Studio Display models could feature an A19 or A19 Pro chip, which would be a substantial upgrade from the A13 Bionic chip in the current model. This would contribute to improved performance, camera enhancements, and more. Other new features could include a higher 120Hz refresh rate, HDR support for increased brightness and contrast ratio, improved speakers, performance, and camera enhancements, and hopefully a larger 32-inch screen.

    No major design changes are expected.

    Apple is reportedly planning to release the new Studio Display models in the first half of 2026. The company first launched the Studio Display in March 2022, alongside the first Mac Studio desktop.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Macworld

  • Rumor: After years-long negotiations, Apple Pay could launch in India around the middle of this year

    Rumor: After years-long negotiations, Apple Pay could launch in India around the middle of this year

    Apple Pay could finally be arriving in India around the middle of this year.

    Per AppleInsider and Bloomberg, a new report has backed up claims that India will finally gain access to Apple Pay after years of negotiations.

    Apple is said to be in talks with three of the largest banks operating in the country:

    • ICICI Bank
    • HDFC Bank
    • Axis Bank

    The Bloomberg report, which cited unspecified sources, says that Apple is aiming to launch Apple Pay by mid-2026.

    All of this comes on the heels of intense negotiations with both Visa and Mastercard, as well as the local government. This has caused delays in implementation nto the Indian marketplace since Apple Pay first launched in the U.S. in 2014.

    For India, the absolutely dominant payment system is the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and companies have to apply to support it. App Store and Apple Music users in India can reportedly use UPI, but so far Apple has not applied for it to support Apple Pay.

    Another part of the lengthy delay comes down to how to work with India’s Aadhaar biometric ID system, which doesn’t work on-device, as Apple’s Touch ID or Face ID do. Reportedly, this meant on-device systems could not be used, although both Google Pay and Samsung Wallet have been supported in India for several years.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Bloomberg

  • Apple begins teasing “a big week ahead” for next week’s product announcements

    Apple begins teasing “a big week ahead” for next week’s product announcements

    Apple has begun releasing teaser material citing “a big week ahead” next week, complete with CEO posting to social media with an #AppleLaunch hashtag with a colorful Apple logo, along with a short video that ultimately shows an Apple logo on the lid of a Mac.

    The company is reportedly planning a three-day stretch of product announcements beginning Monday, March 2, through Wednesday, March 4. It’s rumored that up to five new products could be unveiled, including a lower-cost MacBook, an iPhone 17e, and more.

    Other possible product introductions could include an M4-based iPad Air, an iPad 12 with an A18 chip and Apple Intelligence support, a MacBook Air with the M5 chip, and MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. There’s also some expectation of updated Apple TV and HomePod mini models, which have been some time since they were updated.

    Apple already invited selected journalists and content creators to an “Apple Experience” in New York, London, and Shanghai on Wednesday, March 4 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. During these in-person gatherings, attendees will likely receive hands-on time with the new products that Apple unveils between Monday and Wednesday next week.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and @tim_cook