O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: Max

  • Apple adds iPhone 17 model parts, manuals to its self-service repair program, allows for DIY repairs

    Apple adds iPhone 17 model parts, manuals to its self-service repair program, allows for DIY repairs

    If you’re feeling brave and/or entrepreneurial around the new iPhone 17 models, you’re going to like this.

    Apple this week made parts and repair guides available for the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max handsets through its self-service repair store in the United States, Canada, and some European countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, and others.

    The parts cover repairs for the display, battery, cameras, enclosure, speakers, logic board, and more. Apple also lets customers rent an iPhone toolkit for seven days, with U.S. pricing set at $49.

    Manuals are now available for the following devices:

    • iPhone 17
    • iPhone Air
    • iPhone 17 Pro
    • iPhone 17 Pro Max

    Apple’s self-service repair program, which launched in 2022, offers genuine parts, tools, and manuals to repair select iPhones, iPads, Macs, Studio Displays, and Beats Pill speakers. Apple has also stated that the program is “intended for individuals who are experienced with the complexities of repairing electronic devices,” so be careful before you dive in, and good luck.

    Via MacRumors and Apple

  • Rumor: Apple looking to include vapor chamber cooling feature into M6 iPad Pro

    Rumor: Apple looking to include vapor chamber cooling feature into M6 iPad Pro

    The next-generation iPad Pro could gain vapor chamber cooling.

    Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and the Power On newsletter, the M6-based iPad Pro could gain this feature, which would allow it to stay fanless as well as incredibly thin.

    With the M4 iPad Pro last year, Apple overhauled the cooling system, bringing a copper heatsink that dissipates heat through the Apple logo on the back of the tablet. This may not be enough, as Apple could be looking to add the feature to the M6 iPad Pro in order to push performance even further.

    Apple debuted its first vapor chamber cooling system on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, which essentially eliminated overheating on the iPhone during normal tasks. It particularly helps out in gaming.

    The difference can also be seen in the base model M5 14-inch MacBook Pro, which approaches thermal throttling before it can reach its peak.

    It’s also thought that Apple may be working to include a vapor chamber in the iPad Air. Apple is now working on the feature, with plans to integrate it as soon as the next round of updates. The company is on an 18-month upgrade cycle for the iPad Pro, suggesting that the vapor chamber could be added around spring 2027.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and Bloomberg

  • Rumor: Apple to cut iPhone Air production by 80 percent following disappointing sales

    Rumor: Apple to cut iPhone Air production by 80 percent following disappointing sales

    Apple’s iPhone Air experiment may not have turned out the way the company wanted it to.

    Per noted supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new handset failed to meet Apple’s expectations. As such, the company’s supply chain is scaling back shipments and production.Suppliers are expected to reduce capacity by more than 80 percent between now and the first quarter of 2026, and some components with longer lead times will be discontinued by the end of 2025.

    Kuo stated that the iPhone Air’s poor performance suggest that the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models currently “cover the majority of high-end user demand,” leaving little room for the device to cover new market segments.

    Several reports have suggested that the iPhone Air has failed to catch on with consumers. Last week, Japan’s Mizuho Securities said that Apple would reduce iPhone Air production by a million units because of underwhelming sales performance, and earlier today, Nikkei said that there is “virtually no demand” for the ‌iPhone Air‌, and that Apple would “drastically” cut production.

    On the Android side of the fence, Samsung has reportedly seen the same response with its new super-thin smartphone, the Galaxy S25 Edge. Reports suggest that Samsung canceled development of a next-generation model after disappointing sales.

    This is similar to past occasions wherein Apple has struggled to find a home for its fourth wildcard sport in the iPhone lineup. Apple experimented with a smaller 5.4-inch ‌iPhone‌ mini that did not sell well, and then moved to a larger ‌iPhone‌ Plus that served as a more affordable version of the large-sized Pro Max. That too failed, leading Apple to try a 5.6mm build that compromised on features for a lightweight and thin design.

    It’s been rumored that Apple could release a foldable iPhone in 2026 or beyond, which may fill the niche, although no concrete details as to expected features or a release date have been made public.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and @mingchikuo

  • Apple announces 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro, unit arrives without Pro or Max chip options

    Apple announces 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro, unit arrives without Pro or Max chip options

    Following up on Apple VP of marketing Greg Joswiak tease about a forthcoming M5 MacBook Pro in the near future, Apple on Wednesday announced its first M5 Mac in the form of an updated 14-inch MacBook Pro.

    The updated notebook offers the M5 chip without the Pro or Max variants available from launch, the chip itself offering a 10-core CPU with four performance cores and six efficiency cores, the M5 is also accompanied by a 10-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine.

    Similar to the iPhone 17 range’s A19 Pro chip, the GPU benefits from a change in architecture, with each GPU core gaining Neural Accelerators. This means the GPU works with the Neural Engine on AI models and graphics work, improving performance further. Apple, in turn, has claimed that this results in 3.5 times faster AI performance than the M4 chip, and up to six times faster than the M1. Other benchmarks include CPU performance that’s 20 percent faster for multi-core tasks versus the M4, as well as up to 1.8 times faster for AI video enhancements in Topaz Video, 1.7 times faster for Blender renders, and 1.2 times faster for Xcode compiles.

    Graphical performance is also up approximately 1.6 times, thanks to the GPU changes. The unified memory bandwidth has also swelled to over 150GB/s.

    Other new features include the fact that the M5 MacBook Pro starts at 16GB of unified memory, with options for 24GB or 32GB. Storage options have expanded to four, with the 512GB to 2TB range increased to include a 4TB capacity.

    The case of the computer remains similar to its previous versions, and the MacBook Pro remains 0.61 inches thick when closed, with a footprint of 12.31 inches by 8.71 inches, and a weight of around 3.4 pounds.

    The 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display has a resolution of 3,024 by 1,964, giving it a pixel density of 254 pixels per inch. ProMotion supports adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz, with the screen also having a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a peak brightness of 1,600 nits for viewing HDR content outdoors, Wide-Color P3 support, and TrueTone. Customers can also add a Nano-texture display treatment to help minimize environmental reflections.

    Apple has stated that the battery life now offers up to 24 hours of video streaming given the notebook’s 72.4-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery.

    Where external supports are concerned, the unit offers three Thunderbolt connections that support USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4. A MagSafe 3 connection, HDMI, SDXC memory card slot, and a headphone jack.

    Wireless networking includes Wi-Fi 6E support, with Bluetooth 5.3 for connecting to accessories. A 12MP Center Stage camera is located in the notch, while a six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers and a “studio-quality” three-mic array handles audio duties.

    The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 starts from $1,599. Preorders start on Wednesday, with availability starting October 22.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Apple

  • Apple announces expansion of Emergency SOS via satellite feature into Mexico later this year

    Apple announces expansion of Emergency SOS via satellite feature into Mexico later this year

    If you’re heading south of the border, this might come in handy.

    Apple on Thursday announced a significant expansion of its Emergency SOS via satellite feature for iPhone and Apple Watch Ultra. The company says the feature will launch to users in Mexico later this year, joining the existing availability of Find My via satellite and Messages via satellite in the country.

    The Emergency SOS via satellite feature is currently available in the following countries:

    Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S.

    In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple explained that the feature will be present in the iPhone 14 and later models, and will also be available on the new Apple Watch Ultra 3.

    The feature itself kicks in when a user is in an area with no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage and tries to call or text emergency services. The user will be presented with a questionnaire that gathers information about their emergency. iOS then guides users through the process of where to point their iPhone or Apple Watch to connect to a satellite. Once connected, the responses are sent to an Apple-trained relay center that contacts emergency services on the user’s behalf.

    The Emergency SOS via satellite feature is free for two years after the activation of an iPhone 14 or later or Apple Watch 3 smartwatch. Apple once again extended that free period last month for iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac