O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: Sunday

  • Rumor: Apple’s AI efforts in iOS 18 to include on-device elements to help preserve privacy

    Rumor: Apple’s AI efforts in iOS 18 to include on-device elements to help preserve privacy

    iOS 18 is en route and is rumored to feature privacy-focused AI with processing done directly on the iPhone without connecting to cloud-based services.

    Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in the Sunday edition of his PowerOn newsletter, the AI-related functions in iOS 18 “will work entirely on device.” In practice, these AI features would be able to function without an internet connection or any form of cloud-based processing.

    A number of anonymous sources familiar with the matter have confirmed that Gurman’s claims are accurate. Apple is currently working on an in-house large language model, or LLM, known internally as “Ajax.”

    While more advanced features will ultimately require an internet connection, basic text analysis, and response generation features should be available offline.

    It’s also thought that there will be AI-based improvements in apps such as Messages, Safari, Spotlight Search, and Siri. Apple has been testing on-device text-based response generation for a while, meaning this feature will most likely be among those first previewed or released.

    The more advanced AI features will still require an internet connection, and Apple has reportedly discussed licensing Google and OpenAI’s AI technology for use in iOS 18 rather than developing its own online LLM.

    On-device processes could help eliminate certain controversies found with server-side AI tools. For example, these tools have been known to hallucinate, meaning they make up information confidently.

    The hallucination issue has only gotten worse, as AI models feed on content generated by other AI models.

    Apple will reveal its AI plans during WWDC, which begins on June 10.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Bloomberg

  • Rumor: Apple could ship next-gen iPads in April

    Rumor: Apple could ship next-gen iPads in April

    Apple’s updated iPad Pro models, complete with OLED displays, could begin shipping to customers as early as April, according to information shared by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants.

    This rumor has also been somewhat confirmed by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who stated that the new tablets might not ship until “deeper” into April via his recently Power On Newsletter on Sunday:

    “I’ve repeatedly said that new software for the iPad Pro — a variant of iPadOS 17.4 designed for the updated models — won’t be complete until the end of March or even sometime in April. Once the OS is finished, Apple needs to send it off to the factories to be installed on the new hardware. That process could last a couple weeks, probably taking us deeper into next month.”

    Young stated that the new iPad Pro tablets could be announced in “late March or early April,” and would allow for an unveiling later in March.

    Young reiterated that Apple plans to launch a larger 12.9-inch iPad Air as well, and it will likely be announced alongside the new iPad Pro models.

    The following iPad-related announcements are expected either this month or in April:

    • Two new iPad Pro models with the M3 chip, OLED displays, a thinner enclosure, a landscape-oriented front camera, a redesigned rear camera bump and other design tweaks, and possibly MagSafe wireless charging
    • Two new iPad Air models with the M2 chip and a landscape-oriented front camera, including a first-ever 12.9-inch model
    • A new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro with a larger trackpad, a partially-aluminum enclosure, and other design tweaks
    • A new Apple Pencil


    Young has also stated that Samsung will be the exclusive supplier of OLED displays for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, while Samsung and LG will apparently split orders for the 11.1-inch model.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors, displaysupplychain.com, and Bloomberg

  • Rumor: Apple to release updated iPad Air, iPad Pro, and MacBook Air models towards the end of March

    Rumor: Apple to release updated iPad Air, iPad Pro, and MacBook Air models towards the end of March

    Apple seems likely to launch new iPad Air, iPad Pro, and MacBook Air models “around the end of March,” according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, which was published on Sunday.

    The iPad Air models are expected to gain a new 12.9-inch display size as well as an updated 10.9-inch model. Other expected features include an M2 chip for faster performance, a redesigned rear camera bump, Wi-Fi 6E support, and Bluetooth 5.3. No major external design changes are expected.

    The current fifth-generation iPad Air with the M1 chip was released in March 2022.

    Apple is also thought to be working on the next-gen iPad Pro models, complete with 11-inch and 13-inch units that will be the first iPad equipped with OLED displays. As mentioned before, OLED technology would offer increased brightness, more vivid colors, higher contrast ratio, lower power consumption, and other benefits compared to existing models with LCD panels. Apple currently uses OLED displays for the latest iPhone and Apple Watch models, excluding the lower-end iPhone SE. Unfortunately, OLED panels are a bit pricier, and the next-gen iPad Pro models could be a bit more expensive as a result.

    Other rumored features for the next-gen iPad Pro models include Apple’s latest M3 chip for faster performance, MagSafe wireless charging, a redesigned Magic Keyboard with a larger trackpad and an aluminum top casing, and a landscape-oriented front camera. There may also be rear camera design changes, as seen on the next-gen iPad Air models. The current iPad Pro models with the M2 chip were released in October 2022.

    Finally, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air notebooks, which launched a year apart given production delays, are expected to be updated simultaneously this March. The key new feature for the laptops will be Apple’s latest M3 chip.

    With the M3 chip, the next MacBook Air models will gain hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading for improved graphics rendering in games, including more accurate lighting, reflections, and shadows. Apple already updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and 24-inch iMac with the M3 chip last year.

    While no major design changes are expected for the M3 MacBook Air, the notebook could gain support for Wi-Fi 6E like other Macs. Apple last updated the 13-inch MacBook Air in July 2022, while the first-ever 15-inch MacBook Air was released in June 2023.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Bloomberg

  • Rumor: Apple has begun testing an M3-based Mac mini due for release this fall

    Rumor: Apple has begun testing an M3-based Mac mini due for release this fall

    Apple is rumored to have begun testing a Mac mini with an M3 chip, which is anticipated to debut this fall.

    According to Mark Gurman’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg on Sunday, Apple has been seen testing out the base model of the M3 chip.

    Gurman noted that the chip is the same configuration as its M2 counterpart, and consists of four efficiency cores and four performance cores for the CPU as well as a ten-core GPU. The version caught being tested also apparently offers configurations of up to 24 gigabytes of memory.

    It’s thought that this could indicate the development of a next-generation Mac mini. Gurman previously wrote on July 23 that an M3-equipped Mac mini and updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models probably won’t ship in the fall and that a 2024 launch was more plausible.

    The M3 chip is thought to feature a fairly similar configuration to the M3, but will outpace its predecessor thanks to a 12-core CPU as well as 18 graphics cores. A high-end M3 Max is estimated to offer a 14-core CPU and over 40 graphics cores.

    Gurman has also stated that he believes Apple’s testing includes an M3 13-inch MacBook Pro, 15-inch MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Air, M3 iMac, and M3 Pro and M3 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Bloomberg

  • Burglars snag over $500,000 worth of equipment in Alderwood Mall Apple Store heist

    Burglars snag over $500,000 worth of equipment in Alderwood Mall Apple Store heist

    You can’t say whoever did this wasn’t determined.

    In an organized operation, burglars recently cut through a wall of an adjoining shop to steal $500,000 from the Alderwood Mall Apple Store in Washington.

    The thieves made off with hundreds of iPhones, as well as iPads, and Apple Watches on the evening of Sunday, April 2. There were no injuries given that the store was closed, and it wasn’t until the following morning that Apple staff learned the full scale of the heist.

    The thieves had used an unconventional method and cut through a bathroom wall in the neighboring espresso machine store as their entry point. The business owner said they hadn’t experienced anything like this in their five years at the mall.

    “Our front door was locked. They pried our front door open,” Seattle Coffee Gear Regional Manager Eric Marks explained to Komo News.

    “[It was a] 24 by 18 hole cut in the wall into what appears to be the back room of the Apple store,” he continued. “I’m surprised we were the conduit for them to get to the Apple store, I had no clue we were so close or adjacent to them.”

    According to LPD Communications Manager Maren McKay, the burglars stole approximately 436 iPhones and an unspecified number of iPads and Apple Watches. In total, they took about $500,000 worth of merchandise.

    Based on the surveillance footage, Lynnwood police believe it to have been a well-organized operation. “From the masks that the folks were wearing, that there were no fingerprints left behind,” McKay added.

    Seattle Coffee Gear has since changed its locks and says the incident cost them an estimated $1,800 in damages.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Komo News