O'Grady's PowerPage

Category: Mac

  • Analyst points out that Apple’s deal with Google could be short-term, allowing the company to buy itself development time in the AI marketplace

    Analyst points out that Apple’s deal with Google could be short-term, allowing the company to buy itself development time in the AI marketplace

    Following up on Apple’s announcement that the company will use Google’s Gemini AI for its next-generation version of Siri as well as handle a large amount of its Apple Intelligence tasks, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that this may be a short-term partnership intended to buy soe time.

    In a post on X, Kuo noted that Apple is preparing to mass-produce its own AI-focused server chips in the second half of 2026, and that the company is facing mounting short-term pressure in AI that’s shaping its current strategy.

    Kuo explained that Apple has encountered two immediate challenges in its in-house AI development that have effectively pushed it toward partnering with Google. The first is the need for a credible AI showing at WWDC later this year after previously announcing Apple Intelligence and significant Siri upgrades that have yet to materialize. The second is the rapid pace of improvement in cloud-based AI systems, which has raised expectations to a level where simply delivering on earlier promises may no longer be enough.

    Kuo argued that as AI capabilities have advanced, so have user perceptions of what constitutes a competitive assistant or system-level AI. As such, even a fully delivered version of Apple Intelligence, as it had been previously presented, would have a hard time standing out, particularly without access to more powerful large-scale models. This has apparently driven an urgent need for Apple to supplement its current approach with more capable AI models from other companies.

    Kuo went on to describe Apple’s AI deal with Google as a way to ease short-term pressure, rather than a long-term strategic shift. He said that while on-device AI is unlikely to drive hardware sales in the near term, the partnership with Google buys Apple time to manage expectations across its platform while continuing its own AI development. Kuo stated that AI is expected to become central to hardware differentiation, operating system design, and the overall user experience, making ownership of core AI technologies increasingly important.

    Kuo concluded that Apple’s in-house server chips are expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2026, and that Apple-operated data centers will coexist online in 2027, allowing for the company to service both on-device and hybrid AI workloads via its server-side computing and infrastructure.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and @mingchikuo

  • Apple confirms partnership with Google, will use Gemini to power next-generation of Siri and other Apple Intelligence functions later this year

    Apple confirms partnership with Google, will use Gemini to power next-generation of Siri and other Apple Intelligence functions later this year

    Apple will be going with Google’s Gemini engine for a fair portion of its AI functionality, including powering the next generation of Siri as well as a range of future Apple Intelligence features.

    In a statement shared with CNBC on Monday, Apple offered the following:

    “After careful evaluation, we determined that Google’s technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we’re excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users.”

    The report stated that Google Gemini will power Siri, which had been expected. This should allow the revamped version of Siri to be more capable and advanced than it has been as Gemini’s large language model is significantly larger than Apple’s own model.

    The next-generation version of Siri is expected to be introduced with iOS 26.4, which will likely be released to the general public in March or April.

    Apple first announced its goal of creating more personalized Siri features during its WWDC 2024 keynote, but as of 2025, the upgrade had been delayed. The new features should offer a better understanding of a user’s personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper per-app controls.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and CNBC

  • Photos Backup Anywhere goes live, allows for Photos libraries to be backed up to an expanded series of local and online locations

    Photos Backup Anywhere goes live, allows for Photos libraries to be backed up to an expanded series of local and online locations

    This could come in handy.

    Developer Benjamin Neil Gerdemann has released Photos Backup Anywhere, a utility designed to back up an entire photo library to any storage location, including external drives and network devices such as NAS units. The utility supports iCloud and all media types , such as videos, live photos, portraits, slo-mo, and more, and preserves all non-destructive edits, albums, locations, and timestamps. In addition to this, backups can be restored directly into a photo library while maintaining all metadata.

    The app retails for $9.99 on the Mac App Store and requires macOS 15.1 Sequoia or later to install and run.

    If you’ve had a chance to try Photos Backup Anywhere, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via Ycombinator, photosbackup.app, and the Mac App Store

  • Apple confirms that JPMorgan Chase will take over management of the Apple Card from Goldman Sachs, offers new details

    Apple confirms that JPMorgan Chase will take over management of the Apple Card from Goldman Sachs, offers new details

    Following up on yesterday’s story that Goldman Sachs is rumored to hand off management of the Apple Card to JPMorgan Chase, Apple has confirmed that this is true and that the transition will occur “in approximately 24 months.”

    Apple offered the following comment:

    “During this transition, Apple Card users can continue to use their card as they normally do,” Apple says. “Additional details regarding the transition will be shared with all Apple Card users as the transition date approaches.”

    Apple has also published a new page on its website with answers to frequently asked questions about Apple Card’s transition to JPMorgan Chase, including the following tidbits:

    • Existing Apple Card users do not need to reapply.
    • You will continue to earn up to 3 percent unlimited Daily Cash back on every purchase.
    • Mastercard will continue to be the payment network.
    • You should continue to pay your balance as you do today. Once the transition is complete, Apple Card balances for open accounts will be with Chase.
    • You will continue to have access to Savings.
    • Further information regarding Savings will be communicated as the transition date approaches.
    • You can continue to manage your Apple Card account in the Wallet app.
    • You can continue to use your existing physical Apple Card as normal.
    • Any changes or additional information regarding new physical cards will be shared as the transition date approaches.
    • You can continue to purchase Apple products with Apple Card Monthly Installments when you choose to check out with ACMI at Apple Store locations, apple.com, and the Apple Store app.
    • Apple Card will continue to have no fees: no annual fees, no late fees, no foreign transaction fees.
    • Once the transition takes place, your credit reports will update to show Chase as the new issuing bank of Apple Card.

    As of right now, Apple says there is nothing Apple Card users need to do to complete the migration to JPMorgan Chase.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and Apple

  • Apple resumes testing of its Background Security Improvement feature for upcoming iOS, iPadOS, and macOS updates

    Apple resumes testing of its Background Security Improvement feature for upcoming iOS, iPadOS, and macOS updates

    Apple has resumed testing its new Background Security Improvement feature, which first debuted with its release of the iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 updates. Following a previous test earlier this week, developers and public beta testers who are running iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, or ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.3 can now install a second Background Security Improvement update for testing purposes.

    The company has stated that the feature offers additional security protections between software updates for its Safari, WebKit, and other system libraries.

    If you’re curious about trying them out, you can install them via the following steps, per MacRumors:

    “Background Security Improvements can be installed by going to the Privacy and Security section of the Settings app, scrolling down to Background Security Improvements, and selecting the “Install” option. If “Automatically Install” is toggled on, Background Security Improvements will be automatically installed when they come out with no need to manually install them.”

    Apple has also stated that users who choose not to install the Background Security Updates will receive the updates as part of standard software updates.

    Apple had previously used a Rapid Security Response update feature for delivering security improvements, although this wasn’t used often after its introduction in iOS 16. The feature was ultimately phased out in favor of the newer Background Security Improvements feature. At one point in 2023, there was a Rapid Security Response bug that prevented some websites from displaying properly.

    Finally, Apple has also warned that Background Security Updates can result in “rare instances of compatibility issues.” In these cases, the updates may be temporarily removed and enhanced in a subsequent software update.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and support.apple.com