O'Grady's PowerPage

Category: Take Apart

  • macOS Tahoe 26.4 beta hints at much-anticipated battery charge limit feature

    macOS Tahoe 26.4 beta hints at much-anticipated battery charge limit feature

    This is going to come in handy.

    Following up on the macOS Tahoe 26.4 beta Apple released to the developer community on Monday, the company has finally added the ability to set the charge limit for the battery in a MacBook. With the new slider, you can set the limit to 80 percent, to 100 percent, or to an increment (in fives) in between.

    The feature, dubbed “Optimize Battery Charging” under macOS Catalina, uses machine learning to limit charging. With the forthcoming update, users can manually set the charge limit to below 100 percent. This feature had been present in iPhone since iOS 18, and is now en route for the Mac.

    This is important given that every time you charge and deplete the battery, it puts wear and tear on it, and over time, the battery carries less of a charge than it used to. Charging to 100 percent and depleting completely accelerates this process. The lower the upper limit you can manage, the better this is for the health of the battery.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via Macworld

  • Rumor: Apple to announce low-cost, colorful MacBooks at March 4 media event

    Rumor: Apple to announce low-cost, colorful MacBooks at March 4 media event

    Following Apple’s announcement that Apple will be holding a media event in New York, London, and Shanghai on March 4, the rumor train has gone into motion and the word on the street is that Apple’s low-cost MacBook will be announced at the event.

    Per MacRumors and a leaker known as “Instant Digital” on Weibo, Apple is said to be using the color scheme of the Apple logo graphic used for the upcoming “Apple Experience,” which should match the colors of the new entry-level Mac. The invite graphic shows a 3D Apple logo made up of transparent discs in yellow, green, and blue. The post effectively constitutes a claim that the device is set to arrive at the event.

    According to noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a June 2025 post, the budget MacBook could come in silver, blue, pink, and yellow finishes, which would match the entry-level iPad. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has also noted in his latest Power On newsletter that Apple has tested a range of playful color options for its upcoming low-cost MacBook, going well beyond the muted tones available on its current notebook lineup.

    Gurman has stated that the colors tested so far include light yellow, light green, blue, pink, classic silver, and dark gray. He’s noted that it’s unlikely that all of these colors will ship, even though these would be the most colorful notebooks Apple has offered since the iBook G3 era in the late 90s, which included Tangerine, Blueberry, Indigo, Graphite, and Key Lime.

    The low-cost machine is expected to feature a 12.9-inch display, an aluminum chassis, and an iPhone chip, likely the A18 Pro, rather than an M-series processor. It will likely retail for well below $1,000.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Bloomberg

  • Rumor: Apple’s iPad Pro line could go several years without a major upgrade

    Rumor: Apple’s iPad Pro line could go several years without a major upgrade

    Per noted Weibo-based leaker “Instant Digital,” Apple’s iPad Pro could go several years without a major update.

    While the leaker didn’t cite specific criteria for this, it’s thought that the cost of the OLED panel now used in the device is unlikely to come down in price and the last major redesign apparently did not significantly stimulate sales growth. In turn, while Apple may maintain a. regular iteration cycle with the devices, it apparently has no intention of pursuining significant upgrades such as ultra-slim borders around the display, the likes of which are available on rival high-end tablets.

    Apple offered the first major redesign of the device since 2018 in 2024 with changes to its overall design. The company would later add the M5 chip to it in October 2025, along with minor connectivity upgrades.

    The ‌iPad Pro‌ is likely to gain the M6 chip and iPhone 17 Pro-style vapor chamber cooling at some point toward the end of 2026 or in 2027, but there have been no other rumors about the future of the product line.

    Staytuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors

  • iPhone 17e, iPad 12 tech specs, features leaked in two new reports

    iPhone 17e, iPad 12 tech specs, features leaked in two new reports

    Some interesting specs as well as a near-term release date may be in store for the iPhone 17e and iPad 12.

    Per Japanese blog Mac Otakara, which leaked product details on Thursday, both the iPhone 17e and iPad 12 are expected to be released within the next few months.

    As of February 2025, Apple discontinued the iPhone SE and released a new entry-level iPhone 16e. The device features a 6.1-inch OLED display, an A18 chip, Apple Intelligence, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, an Action button, a USB-C port, and more. The iPhone 17e would be the follow-up, spec-bumped model.

    Per the leak, which cites “reliable sources,” the iPhone 17e will feature a similar overall design as the iPhone 16e, the report defying previous rumors that the Dynamic Island feature would be removed. Instead, the device will continue to have a notch like the iPhone 16e.

    The publication expects three key upgrades for the iPhone 17e:

    A19 chip: This one is no big surprise, but the iPhone 17e is expected to be powered by Apple’s A19 chip, up from the A18 chip in the iPhone 16e. This upgrade will result in faster performance and power efficiency improvements.

    C1X modem: Apple says its second-generation C1X modem for 5G and LTE is up to twice as fast as its first-generation C1 modem in the iPhone 16e. Apple also says the C1X is the most power-efficient modem in an iPhone to date.

    N1 chip: Like the iPhone Air, the report said the iPhone 17e will be equipped with Apple’s N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread. In the iPhone Air, the N1 chip supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and Apple says the chip improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.

    The report indicated that the iPad 12 will likely feature a similar design as the iPad 11, but feature a newer A18 chip that would support Apple Intelligence. The tablet would also offer 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB in the iPad 11.

    Per Macwelt, Apple is looking to announce the iPhone 17e with a press release on an unusual date: Thursday, February 19. The publication agreed that the iPhone 17e will not have a Dynamic Island, but they do expect the device to feature MagSafe, as previously rumored.

    For fans of MagSafe, unlike the iPhone 16e, it’s rumored that the iPhone 17e will feature MagSafe for up to 20W-25W magnetic wireless charging. The iPhone 16e is limited to Qi wireless charging at up to 7.5W speeds. Users will also be able to magnetically attach accessories such as Apple’s MagSafe Wallet to the back of the iPhone 17e. The handset is also rumored to offer a single rear camera.

    It’s unknown what the iPhone 17e’s price point will be, and if it will be similar to the iPhone 16e, which starts at $599.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors, Mac Otakara, and Macwelt

  • iPhone Fold design details leaked, hint at camera layout, etc.

    iPhone Fold design details leaked, hint at camera layout, etc.

    The iPhone Fold leaks continue, as Tuesday marked the release of a number of new details via noted leaker Instant Digital on Weibo yesterday.

    In the post, Instant Digital outlined the following, which are available via Google Translate:

    The volume buttons are not on the left side, but are instead placed directly on the top right side of the device (similar to the volume button placement on the iPad mini), which will challenge users’ phone usage habits.

    The power button (integrated with Touch ID) and the AI ​​button (camera button) are still on the right side.

    Why this placement? The motherboard is on the right side, and they didn’t want to run wires across the screen to the left side for the buttons, so the left side is completely free of physical buttons, with almost all the space dedicated to the screen structure and battery. This also results in the iPhone with the largest battery capacity ever.

    Single punch-hole front camera design, with a smaller and cleaner active area cutout.

    In short, the iPhone Fold features an extreme, yet reasonable and elegant internal stacking structure that is expected to shock the industry.

    The rear dual cameras, microphone, and flash are arranged horizontally on the right side. The module “appears” to have a completely black base, not matching the body color.

    Currently, only white is confirmed, but two color options are expected to be released.

    The details sound fairly similar to the changes that were introduced with the introduction of the iPhone Air, with some iPad mini elements blended in.

    As always, time will tell as to exactly how accurate this leak turns out to be, but there are definitely some interesting elements at work here.

    Please let us know what you think in the comments.

    Via 9to5Mac and Weibo