It’s been an interesting few months in the realm of streaming service branding. Warner Bros. Discovery reverted Max back to HBO Max after a baffling decision to trim the name in the first place. Disney made Hulu the “global general entertainment brand” on Disney+ when it rebranded the Star hub on the service. Now Apple would like you to know that it’s changing the name of its streaming service too. Going forward, Apple TV+ is now just Apple TV.
The company revealed the news in very lowkey fashion, at the end of a press release about when its F1 movie will land on Apple TV, the streaming service with a monthly subscription (December 12, FYI). “Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity,” the company said without elaborating.
Apple does like to keep things clean, and shearing off the plus sign is one way of doing that. But oversimplification can cause greater confusion.
As Apple states in its own press release, “Apple TV is available on the Apple TV app” and “For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.” Did no one at Apple’s (generally very effective) marketing team spot the problem with this? Buying Apple TV to get free Apple TV sounds like a recursive capitalist fever dream that will never end.
As it stands, you can turn on your Apple TV device to open the Apple TV app to watch Apple TV. There are lots of things in the Apple TV app that aren’t actually Apple TV shows or movies and you may have to pay for those separately. The press release also states that you can watch F1 right now if you buy it on Apple TV through the Apple TV app, so you don’t have to wait for the film to make its “global streaming debut” on Apple TV. What a mess.
Apple hasn’t fully rolled out the change yet, as there are still plenty of references to “Apple TV+” on the streaming service’s website. It’s still referred to as Apple TV+ on the TV app’s listing on the App Store too. I’m interested to see how confusing things really get if, in the coming months, Apple reveals a refreshed Apple TV. You know, that device you can use to watch Apple TV.
Former Apple CEO John Sculley, who famously led the company from 1983 to 1993, believes that ChatGPT creator OpenAI is Apple’s “first real competitor in many, many decades.”
Speaking on a panel at Zeta Live, an annual event hosted by Zeta Global, a marketing technology firm that he cofounded in 2007, Sculley said that he has “huge admiration for the way Tim Cook has run Apple,” but that “AI has not been a particular strength of theirs.”
Sculley explained that in the 80s, Steve Jobs saw personal computing as a medium for empowering office workers with tools that provide rapid access to knowledge. Now, he says, AI agents that can autonomously carry out workflows are handling “more and more of the heavy lifting” that knowledge workers for decades have done in tandem with personal computers.”
Where Apple’s personal computing revolution imbued workers with intelligence, Scully said, agentic AI is the intelligence, capable of doing the work previously entrusted to well-trained humans. “It completely changes the way we do business models,” he added.
An Inc.com Featured Presentation
Going forward, Sculley anticipates more companies moving to subscription-based business models, because instead of selling tools that enhance worker productivity, companies will be selling access to solutions that operate on their own, with very little human interaction. In this “agentic era,” he said, a model in which customers pay for a solution for as long as they need it makes more economic sense.
This waning dependence on individual apps could be a challenge for Apple, which has built a massive app-based ecosystem. The company recently said that the App Store “facilitated $406 billion in developer billings and sales in 2024.”
Acknowledging rumors that Cook is planning to retire soon, Sculley said that whoever becomes the next Apple CEO will need to position the company for an era in which “we don’t need a lot of apps, it could all be done with smart agents working across workflow automation.”
It appears OpenAI is already positioning itself for such an era. At the company’s DevDay conference on October 6, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the introduction of apps within ChatGPT, with early adopters including Figma, Booking.com, and Canva. As Sculley said, this new feature enables consumers to offload some of the “heavy lifting” of using apps to AI.
Another OpenAI-shaped challenge for Apple? Going up against their beloved former head designer, Jony Ive. In May OpenAI announced that it had acquired Ive’s hardware company, io, for $6.4 billion in order to collaborate on an Ive-designed, OpenAI-powered physical device. “If there’s anyone who’s probably going to be able to bring that dimension to the LLM,” said Sculley, “it’s probably going to be Jony Ive working with Sam Altman.”
OpenAI has been on a dealmaking tear recently. This morning, the company announced a deal with chipmaker Broadcom to develop and deploy 10 gigawatts of OpenAI-designed AI accelerator hardware. That deal builds on other recent agreements with fellow chipmakers like Nvidia and AMD that cumulatively have secured over 30 gigawatts of compute capacity just in 2025.
Navigation apps have become an essential part of modern life. Whether you are commuting to work, running errands or exploring a new city, relying on accurate directions and real-time traffic updates can make all the difference. Over the past decade, Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps have emerged as the dominant players in this space, each offering a distinct approach to navigation.
While millions of people rely on these apps daily, choosing the right one can depend on a variety of factors, from interface design to privacy policies. In this article, we compare these three apps across usability, accuracy, features and data handling to help you determine which one best fits your needs.
Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide – free when you join my CyberGuy.com newsletter.
What each app does best
Google Maps is widely regarded as the all-rounder. It combines extensive mapping data with points of interest, public transit information, Street View, Live View AR and detailed business listings. Its versatility makes it a top choice for both daily commuters and travelers.
Google Maps is a great way to explore the world with detailed routes, Street View, and real-time traffic insights.(OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
Waze, on the other hand, is designed primarily for drivers. It thrives on community input, offering live updates about traffic jams, road hazards, accidents and even police presence. Since Google owns Waze, many Waze-style real-time alerts have now begun appearing directly inside Google Maps. While Waze still focuses on driving, this integration blurs the lines between the two apps.
Apple Maps has made major strides in recent years. Once considered the underdog, it’s now a solid choice for iOS users. Its clean interface, privacy-focused design and seamless integration with Siri, CarPlay and Apple Watch make it a convenient pick for those fully in the Apple ecosystem.
When it comes to interface, each app approaches design differently.
Google Maps provides a dense but intuitive layout, giving users access to multiple layers of information, including traffic, satellite imagery and public transit routes. Switching between driving, walking, biking and transit is straightforward, and the search functionality is robust, often displaying detailed business profiles, ratings, and hours of operation.
Waze prioritizes active driving support. Its interface is visually bold, with clear alerts for traffic jams, accidents and road hazards submitted by other users. While some may find the screen slightly cluttered, the focus is entirely on driving efficiency, which makes sense given its target audience.
Waze helps to put you on a faster route with live, community-driven alerts that help you dodge traffic jams and road hazards. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Apple Maps offers a minimalist, streamlined interface that emphasizes simplicity. Searching for locations, initiating navigation, and following turn-by-turn instructions is straightforward. The app works seamlessly with iOS features like Siri and CarPlay, providing a smooth and cohesive experience for Apple users.
Navigation accuracy and performance
Accurate routing and timely traffic updates are critical.
Google Maps remains the most reliable for precise routing and travel time estimates. It combines AI-enhanced predictive routing with historical and live traffic data to suggest the best route. Its consistency holds strong across urban and rural areas alike.
Waze is unmatched for real-time rerouting. Relying heavily on crowd-sourced reports, it often detects slowdowns or hazards before Google Maps does. However, it still struggles when offline or in areas with poor data coverage.
Apple Maps has significantly improved its routing accuracy, especially in cities. Its traffic data is now crowd-sourced from millions of iPhones, processed on-device to protect privacy. In some rural or international regions, though, it can still lag behind Google Maps and Waze.
Apple Maps offers seamless use with your iPhone and CarPlay for smooth and privacy-focused navigation. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Features and ecosystem integration
Beyond basic navigation, each app offers additional tools and integrations.
Google Maps offers offline maps, Live View AR navigation, multi-stop routing, EV charger locations and indoor maps for airports and malls. Integration with Gmail, Calendar and Google Assistant creates a seamless travel experience.
Waze remains focused on social and driving-specific features. You can report hazards or police sightings and even control Spotify, Audible or podcasts directly from the app without switching screens.
Apple Maps leans into privacy and ecosystem benefits. Its “Look Around” feature rivals Street View, while EV routing, cycling paths and Siri integration make it ideal for Apple fans. Apple also uses anonymized “Look Around” imagery to train its AI models, but with strict privacy safeguards like blurring faces and plates.
How these apps handle your personal data matters more than ever.
Google Maps collects detailed location and usage data to power personalization and advertising. That means better recommendations, but less privacy for users who prefer anonymity.
Waze, also owned by Google, gathers anonymized driving data to enhance community reporting. Its functionality depends on sharing your location in real time, which is necessary for crowd-sourced accuracy.
Apple Maps takes a different approach. It processes most data on-device, uses random identifiers instead of personal accounts and does not associate searches with your Apple ID. That makes it the most privacy-conscious option, though even Apple collects anonymized data for traffic and route improvements.
Take my quiz: How safe is your online security?
Think your devices and data are truly protected? Take this quick quiz to see where your digital habits stand. From passwords to Wi-Fi settings, you’ll get a personalized breakdown of what you’re doing right and what needs improvement. Take my Quiz here: CyberGuy.com.
Kurt’s key takeaway
There is no single “best” navigation app, and the right choice depends on your priorities. Google Maps is ideal if you want a feature-packed, versatile app that works well for a variety of transportation modes and travel scenarios. Its global coverage and rich data make it reliable for everyday use and exploration. Waze is best if your main concern is real-time driving efficiency. Its community-driven traffic alerts and dynamic rerouting help you avoid congestion and save time during daily commutes. Apple Maps suits users deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem who value simplicity, clean design and privacy protections. It may not have as many features as Google Maps or the same real-time edge as Waze, but its seamless integration with iOS makes it convenient.
Which navigation app do you rely on most for daily commuting, and why? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide – free when you join my CyberGuy.com newsletter. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.
Those on a tight budget and those who prefer open-ear AirPods will want to check out the latest discount on the AirPods 4. Apple’s entry-level wireless earbuds are down to $89 even now after October Prime Day has come and gone. That’s 30 percent off their normal rate and the lowest we’ve seen them.
When Apple updated its standard AirPods in 2024, it released two models: one with active noise cancellation (ANC) and one without. We consider the non-ANC models to be the best budget AirPods you can get, so they’re an even better buy at this sale price. The ANC versions are also discounted at the moment, so you can pick them up for $119 instead of the usual $180.
Apple
Save 30 percent on Apple’s open-ear wireless earbuds.
The AirPods’ H2 chip brings a bunch of Pro-adjacent features to the standard model. That list includes Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Transparency, Personalized Spatial Audio and wireless charging. For calls, it supports Voice Isolation, which helps filter out background noise and make it easier for you to be heard. And if that call is via FaceTime, it supports Apple’s 48kHz “cinema-quality” audio.
Sound is improved over the AirPods 3. “There’s more low-end tone than the previous model right out of the gate, and the punchier treble opens the sound stage so it’s wider and more immersive,” Engadget’s Billy Steele wrote. “The improved frequency response is on full display with Dolby Atmos content (movies, music, and TV), but the AirPods 4 are also more sonically adept with non-spatial tunes and video.”
You can expect around five hours of battery life on a single charge. With the ANC model, that estimate drops to around four hours with the marquee feature activated. With either version, you can drop them in the charging case to extend their total time to around 30 hours. And hey, it’s good to give your ears a rest now and then anyway.
Just about a month after being accused of using pirated books to train its AI, Apple is facing another similar proposed class action lawsuit. As first reported by Bloomberg Law, two neuroscience professors from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, NY, claimed that Apple used their “registered works without authorization.” The neuroscientists, Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik, said Apple trained its AI models using “shadow libraries” and “web-crawling software” that provide access to pirated, copyrighted books, including two of their own.
In the previous class action lawsuit, a separate pair of authors also alleged that Apple committed copyright infringement when using published works to train Apple Intelligence models without consent. Apple isn’t the only tech giant facing copyright lawsuits related to its AI, as OpenAI is in a similar situation after being sued by The New York Times for similar accusations. While these AI models are relatively new, there’s already a case that may have set some precedent. Earlier this year, Anthropic settled a class action lawsuit by agreeing to pay $1.5 billion to 500,000 authors involved in the case, which revolved around copyright claims.
We may only be a few days away from the big reveal of Apple’s latest chips. According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple is getting ready to release its October lineup of new products powered by the M5 chip as soon as this week. In the latest Power On newsletter, Gurman expects announcements for an upgraded iPad Pro, a refreshed Vision Pro with a revamped strap, and the new base model MacBook Pro, all of which will come with the latest Apple silicon.
Previously, the expected launch for the M5 MacBook Pro flip-flopped between early next year and its typical fall release. Gurman previously reported that Apple was targeting an early 2026 release for the upgraded MacBook Pro, but more recently revealed that the company was “nearing mass production” for its laptops.
Gurman referenced another hint that the entry-level M5 MacBook Pro is on the way, since Apple stores are running low on their M4 MacBook Pro stock, but still have enough inventory with the M4 Pro or M4 Max options. Gurman also noted in a previous edition of his newsletter that the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips wouldn’t be “ready in volume” until early next year. As for the October releases, we’re not expecting another event like Apple did with its iPhone 17 reveal. Instead, Apple will likely reveal its remaining fall lineup with online announcements, like it did with the current MacBook Pro in October of last year.
It seems to be the end of the road for Apple’s Clips app. The company said on a support page that it has stopped updating the video-editing app, and new users can no longer download it from the App Store. Existing users on iOS and iPadOS will continue to have access for the time being, but the company hasn’t said how long that will last. “If you previously downloaded the Clips app, you can still redownload it from your Apple account in the App Store,” the support page notes.
Clips was introduced in 2017 and offers a host of editing tools geared toward creating videos for social media. But Clips never really caught on, and many of the features it boasts are pretty much standard fare on the social apps now. Apple has recommended that Clips users save their videos to their photo libraries or elsewhere, so if you are one of the few users hanging on, you should probably go ahead and do that before it’s too late.
Apple appears to be winding down support of Clips, with the company removing Clips from the App Store and saying it will no longer be making any updates.
In a support page on the Apple website, the company says that as of October 10, Clips is no longer available for new users to download, but existing users can continue to use the app on current or earlier versions of iOS and iPadOS. Existing users can also re-download the app from their Apple account if needed.
Without updates, it will probably become more difficult to use Clips over time, so Apple is encouraging users to download their Clips videos (with or without added effects) to their photo library, so they can watch and edit the videos using other apps.
Launched in 2017, Clips appeared to be Apple’s answer to Snapchat and Instagram Stories — it wasn’t a social network, but it allowed users to stitch together photos and videos with filters, emojis, and music.
Early on, TechCrunch’s Brian Heater described Clips’ video editing capabilities as simple to a fault and suggested that the app could allow Apple to showcase its hardware and software capabilities while offering users a path out of then on-the-rise social ecosystems.
MacRumors reports that while Apple upgraded Clips with new features after launch, updates in recent years have been limited to bug fixes.
Apple fans on Reddit seemed unsurprised by the news, saying they’d only tried the app years ago or never heard of it at all. Plus, an app like Clips — built around real footage shot by real people — might feel a bit old-fashioned when compared to Sora, OpenAI’s generative AI video app that recently hit 1 million downloads.
This week, OpenAI announced that apps can now run directly inside ChatGPT, letting users book travel, create playlists, and edit designs without switching between different apps. Some immediately declared it the app platform of the future — predicting a ChatGPT-powered world where Apple’s App Store becomes obsolete.
An open question was answered today – “what will the AI-native distribution channel be?”
It looks like ChatGPT will be that channel with 800M active users + the Apps SDK.
This is likely as important as Steve Jobs announcing the app store in March of 2008 … pic.twitter.com/6RCbIi0foq
But while OpenAI’s app platform presents an emerging threat, Apple’s vision for an improved Siri — though still seriously delayed — could still play out in its favor.
After all, Apple already controls the hardware, the operating system, and has roughly 1.5 billion iPhone users globally, compared to ChatGPT’s 800 million weekly active users. If Apple’s bet pays off, it could position the iPhone maker in a way that would not only maintain its app industry dominance but also modernize how we use apps in the AI era.
Apple’s plan is to kill the app icon without killing the app itself. Its vision for AI-powered computing — introduced at its developer conference last year — would see iPhone users interact with an overhauled version of Siri and a revamped system that changes the way you use apps on your phone. (Imagine less tapping and more talking.)
Apps are passé, long live apps?
It’s an idea whose time has come.
Organizing little tappable icons on your iPhone’s Home Screen to make online information more accessible is a dated metaphor for computing. Meant to resemble a scaled-down version of a computer’s desktop, apps are becoming a less common way for users to interact with many of their preferred online services.
These days, consumers are just as likely to ask an AI assistant for a recommendation or insight as they are to do a Google search or launch a dedicated, single-purpose app, like Yelp. They’ll talk out loud to their smart speakers or Bluetooth-connected AirPods to play their favorite tunes; they’ll ask a chatbot for business information or a summary of reviews for a new movie or show.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025
The AI, a large language model trained on web-scraped data and more, determines what the user wants to know and spits out a response.
This is arguably easier than scouring through Google’s search results for the right link with the answer. (That’s something Google itself realized over a decade ago, when it startedputtinganswers to user queries right on the search results page.)
AI is also often easier than finding the right app on your now overcrowded iPhone, launching it, and then interacting with its user interface — which varies from app to app — to perform your task or get an answer to your question.
However, ChatGPT’s app system, while seemingly improving on this model, remains locked inside the ChatGPT user experience. It requires consumers to engage in a chatbot-style interface to use their apps, which could require user education. To call up an app, you have to name it as the first word of your prompt or otherwise mention the app by name to get a button that prompts you to “use the app for the answer.” Then, you have to type in an accurate query. (If you mess this up, early tests by Bloomberg indicate you could get stuck on a loading screen with no results!)
We have to wonder: is this the future of apps, or just the future while there’s no other competition? When another solution becomes available — one that’s built into your iPhone, no less — will consumers keep using ChatGPT, or are they still willing to give Siri another try? We don’t know, but we wouldn’t count out Apple yet, even though Siri has quite a badreputation to salvage at this point.
Siri may be an embarrassment as it stands today, but Apple’s overall ecosystem has advantages. For starters, consumers already have the apps they want to use on their phone or know how to find them on the App Store, if not. They’ve used many of these apps for years. Muscle memory goes a long way!
Meanwhile, there are a few roadblocks to getting started with ChatGPT’s app platform.
You have to install the app in question, of course; then you have to connect the app to ChatGPT by jumping through a warning-filled permission screen. This process requires you to authenticate with the app using your existing username and password, and to enter the two-factor authentication code, if applicable.
After this one-time setup, things should be easier. For instance, after you generate a Spotify playlist with AI, it can be launched in the Spotify app with a tap.
However, this experience won’t differ much from Apple’s plans if Apple is able to make things work as promised. Apple says you’ll be able to talk or text Siri to control your apps.
There are other disadvantages to the OpenAI app model. You can only interact with one app at a time, instead of being able to switch back and forth between apps — something that could be useful when comparing prices or trying to decide between a hotel room and an Airbnb.
Using apps within ChatGPT also strips away the branding, design, and identity that consumers associate with their favorite apps. (For those who hate how cluttered Spotify’s app has become, perhaps that’s a good thing. Others, however, will disagree.) And, in some cases, using the mobile app version to accomplish your goals may still be easier than using the ChatGPT app version because of the flexibility the former offers.
Finally, compelling users to switch app platforms could be difficult when there isn’t an obvious advantage to using apps within ChatGPT — except for the fact that it’s neat that you can.
Can Apple save Siri’s reputation with AI features?
In its WWDC 2024 demonstration — which Apple swears was not “demoware” — the company showed how the apps would function under this new system and how they could use other AI features like proofreading.
Most importantly, Apple told developers that they’ll be able to take advantage of some of its AI capabilities without having to do additional work — like a note-taking app using proofreading or rewriting tools. Plus, developers who have already integrated SiriKit into their apps will be able to do more in terms of having users take action in their apps. (SiriKit, a toolkit for making apps interoperable with Siri and Apple’s Shortcuts, is something developers have been using since iOS 10.)
These developers will see immediate enhancements when the new Siri rolls out.
Image Credits:Apple
Apple said it will focus on categories like Notes, Media, Messaging, Payments, Restaurant Reservations, VoIP Calling, and Workouts, to start.
Apps in these categories will be able to let their users take actions via Siri. In practice, that means Siri will be able to invoke any item from an app’s menus. For example, you could ask Siri to see your presenter notes in a slide deck, and your productivity app would respond accordingly.
The apps would also be able to access any text displayed on the page using Apple’s standard text systems. That could make the app interactions feel more natural, without the user having to give specifically worded prompts or commands. For instance, if you had a reminder to wish your grandpa a happy birthday, you could say “FaceTime him” to take that action.
Image Credits:Apple
Apple’s existing Intents framework is also being updated to gain access to Apple Intelligence, covering even more apps in categories like Books, Browsers, Cameras, Document Readers, File Management, Journals, Mail, Photos, Presentations, Spreadsheets, Whiteboards, and Word Processors. Here, Apple is creating new “Intents” that are pre-defined, trained, and tested, and making them available to developers.
That means you could tell the photo-editing app Darkroom to apply a cinematic filter to an image via Siri. Plus, Siri will be able to suggest an app’s actions, helping iPhone users discover what their apps can do and take those actions.
Developers have been adopting the App Intents framework, introduced in iOS 16, because it offers other functionality to integrate their app’s actions and content with other platform features, including Spotlight, Siri, the iPhone’s Action button, widgets, controls, and visual search features — not just Apple Intelligence.
Image Credits:Apple
Also, unlike ChatGPT, Apple runs its own operating system on its own hardware and offers the App Store as a discovery mechanism, the app infrastructure, and developer tools, APIs, and frameworks — not just the AI-powered interface that will help you use your apps.
Though Apple may have to borrow some AI tech from others to do that last bit, it has the data to personalize your app recommendations, and, for the privacy-minded, the controls that let you limit how much information apps themselves can collect. (Where’s the “Do Not Track” option for ChatGPT’s app system, we wonder?)
OpenAI’s system doesn’t work out of the box with all your apps at launch. It requires developer adoption and relies on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a newer technology for connecting AI assistants to other systems. That’s why ChatGPT currently works with only a handful of apps, like Booking.com, Expedia, Spotify, Figma, Coursera, Zillow, and Canva. MCP adoption is growing, but the delay in its becoming broadly adopted could give Apple the extra time it needs to catch up.
What’s more, word is that Apple’s AI system is nearly ready. The company is reportedly already internally testing this, allowing users to take actions in apps by using Siri voice commands. Bloomberg reported that this smarter version of Siri works out of the box works with many apps, including those from major players like Uber, AllTrails, Threads, Temu, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp. And it’s still on track to ship next year, Apple confirmed to TechCrunch.
Apple has an iPhone, OpenAI has Jony Ive
The iPhone’s status as an app platform will also be difficult to disrupt, even from a company as large and powerful as OpenAI.
The ChatGPT maker understands this, too, which is why OpenAI is exploring its own device with Apple’s former head of design, Jony Ive. It wants its AI to become more of a part of consumers’ everyday lives and habits, which could require a hardware device.
KCCI EIGHT NEWS AT TEN. A NORWALK WOMAN WHO LOST HER VOICE TO ALS GOT IT BACK IN AN UNEXPECTED WAY. KCCI ABIGAIL CURTIN SPOKE WITH HER THIS EVENING. ABIGAIL, TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HER STORY. WELL, THIS IS A PRETTY INCREDIBLE STORY, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT PEOPLE CAN STRUGGLE WITH WHEN THEY HAVE ALS. MUSCLE WEAKNESS. DIFFICULTY EATING, EATING, AND COMMUNICATING. THOSE CAN BE HARD. AND THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE STRUGGLES THAT ROBIN LEEPER HAS HAD TO OVERCOME SINCE SHE WAS DIAGNOSED BACK IN 2023. BUT NEW TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN ABLE TO EASE SOME OF THAT STRUGGLE AND GIVE HER A PART OF HERSELF BACK. WHEN ROBIN LEEPER WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ALS IN 2023, IT WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST MOMENTS OF HER LIFE. BUT WHEN SHE LOST HER ABILITY TO TALK, IT WAS EVEN HARDER. I CRIED, AND FOR THE FIRST YEAR I COULDN’T EVEN SAY ALS WITHOUT CRYING. AT THE TIME, SHE WAS THE PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY OF NORWALK. FOR A WHILE, SHE TRIED OTHER FORMS OF COMMUNICATION LIKE TEXT TO SPEECH, SOFTWARE OR SIGN LANGUAGE. BUT THAT’S WHERE THE CITY’S MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST, TY LUE, CAME IN. WE HAVE FIVE SWIMMING POOLS. SHE COMBED THROUGH HOURS OF PUBLIC MEETINGS, RECORDS ISOLATING CLIPS OF ROBIN SPEAKING FROM WHEN SHE STILL COULD. FROM THERE, SHE UPLOADED THEM INTO AN AI SOFTWARE TO RECREATE ROBIN’S VOICE, WHICH SHE USED TO ACCEPT. NORWALK CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD. I AM TRULY, DEEPLY HUMBLED AND GRATEFUL FOR THIS RECOGNITION. IT SOUNDED AS IF SHE WAS JUST STANDING THERE SPEAKING ON HER OWN. IN FACT, I HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE SAY I DIDN’T REALIZE THAT SHE WAS PLAYING A RECORDING OF HER VOICE. BUT FOR LEEPER, IT WASN’T JUST EXCITING TO BE ABLE TO HEAR HER OWN VOICE AGAIN. IT WAS A CHANCE TO FEEL LIKE HERSELF AGAIN. IT’S YOUR IDENTITY. PEOPLE CAN HEAR YOUR VOICE WITHOUT SEEING YOUR FACE, AND THEY KNOW THAT’S YOU. AS FOR WHAT’S NEXT, SHE’S GOT A NEW PRIORITY. FINDING A CURE. BOXHOLM. LIKE I SAID, A PRETTY INCREDIBLE STORY. AND SPEAKING OF FINDING A CURE, LEEPER WILL BE AT THIS SATURDAY’S WALK TO DEFEAT ALS IN ALTOONA. FOR MORE DETAILS ON THAT WALK AND HOW YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT LEEPER. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THIS STORY ON KCCI.COM. FIRST OF ALL, AN AMAZING EXAMPLE OF THE GOOD THAT TECHNOLOGY CAN DO. ABSOLUTELY A CREDIT TO EVERYBODY WHO HELPED THIS HAPPEN. AND ROBIN, YOU KNOW, WE’RE THINKING OF YOU AND ADMIRE YOUR STRENGTH. AND I KNO
Woman who lost her ability to speak due to ALS got it back in an unexpected way
An Iowa woman who lost her ability to speak due to ALS got it back in an unexpected way.Robin Leaper was diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in 2023. Since then, she’s struggled with muscle weakness and difficulty eating, and she’s no longer able to speak. It’s been an adjustment, to say the least.”For the first year, I couldn’t even say ALS without crying,” she said. When she was diagnosed, she was the Parks and Recreation director for the city of Norwalk.Since then, she’s tried to communicate in other ways, like text-to-speech software or sign language, but neither one has allowed her to use her own voice.Until the city’s marketing and communications specialist, Tai Lieu, came in.Lieu combed through hours of public meeting recordings in which Leaper spoke, isolating her vocals and uploading them to an AI voice recreation software.That software allows Leaper to type her words, which are then read aloud in her own voice.”It sounded as if she was just standing there, speaking on her own,” Lieu said of Leaper’s first attempt at using the software when she won Norwalk’s Citizen of the Year Award last year. “I had several people say, ‘I didn’t realize she was playing a recording of her voice.’”But for Leaper, the AI recreation does more than allow her to use her own voice; it allows her to feel like herself again.”It’s your identity,” she said. “People can hear your voice without seeing, and they know it’s you. It gave me back a little piece ALS stole from me.”As for what’s next, Leaper says she has a new priority: finding a cure.She plans to start with Altoona’s Walk to Defeat ALS on Saturday.
An Iowa woman who lost her ability to speak due to ALS got it back in an unexpected way.
Robin Leaper was diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in 2023. Since then, she’s struggled with muscle weakness and difficulty eating, and she’s no longer able to speak.
It’s been an adjustment, to say the least.
“For the first year, I couldn’t even say ALS without crying,” she said.
When she was diagnosed, she was the Parks and Recreation director for the city of Norwalk.
Since then, she’s tried to communicate in other ways, like text-to-speech software or sign language, but neither one has allowed her to use her own voice.
Until the city’s marketing and communications specialist, Tai Lieu, came in.
Lieu combed through hours of public meeting recordings in which Leaper spoke, isolating her vocals and uploading them to an AI voice recreation software.
That software allows Leaper to type her words, which are then read aloud in her own voice.
“It sounded as if she was just standing there, speaking on her own,” Lieu said of Leaper’s first attempt at using the software when she won Norwalk’s Citizen of the Year Award last year. “I had several people say, ‘I didn’t realize she was playing a recording of her voice.’”
But for Leaper, the AI recreation does more than allow her to use her own voice; it allows her to feel like herself again.
“It’s your identity,” she said. “People can hear your voice without seeing, and they know it’s you. It gave me back a little piece ALS stole from me.”
As for what’s next, Leaper says she has a new priority: finding a cure.
She plans to start with Altoona’s Walk to Defeat ALS on Saturday.
Intel’s future has never seemed so uncertain. But most of the company’s roller-coaster ride of a year has been a lead-up to its next-gen CPU launch, announced this week. The chips will be known as Intel Core Ultra Series 3, codenamed Panther Lake, and they’re being manufactured in its new Arizona-based fabrication plant.
Intel claims the first configurations will ship before the end of the year and then more broadly starting in January 2026. We don’t have a complete lineup yet, but Panther Lake will include up to 16-core CPUs with a “more than 50 percent faster CPU” performance over the previous generation. Intel claims that the new integrated GPU with have up to 12 GPU cores that are also 50 percent faster than the prior generation, boosted by a new architecture.
Intel is fighting back against the stiff competition. Qualcomm dramatically entered the Windows laptop race in 2024 with its Arm-based, highly-efficient Snapdragon X chips, doubling the battery life of current Intel-powered laptops in some cases. While Intel was able to respond to the battery-life competition with its Core Ultra Series 2 V-series chips in late 2024, performance took a hit on these laptops, and the efficiency only applied to flagship, thin, and light laptops. Budget-level and high-performance laptops used a different architecture and therefore didn’t get that same bump in efficiency.
That made shopping for a laptop in 2025 even more head-scratching than normal. These next chips will attempt to fix this problem, with the company promising “Lunar Lake–level power efficiency” and “Arrow Lake–class performance.” Intel really needs to achieve that promise, because with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite having just been previewed and the Apple M5 on the way, the stakes keep rising. —Luke Larsen
Apple’s Next Hardware Launch Is Coming Soon
Tim Cook on stage during the Apple Keynote on September 9, 2025.Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
If you’re thinking, didn’t Apple just have an event? Yes, the company debuted new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods just last month. But rumors are heating up that the company will announce more products this month, focused on iPads and MacBooks. That’s not unusual, as the company has held October events for the past few years, usually for the tablet and Mac lineups. It’s unclear whether this will be an actual event or a silent launch via press release. The company has done both in the past.
So what can you expect? The marquee announcement will revolve around the anticipated M5 chipset, which may debut inside a new MacBook Pro and the iPad Pro. The flagship tablet likely won’t look or feel too different from the prior M4 version. MacBooks are a little more up in the air on launch timing; it could be at this event or early in 2026. If they are announced, it’ll be a new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max chip. Apple has also reportedly been gearing up for a budget MacBook launch powered by an iPhone processor, but this may arrive early in 2026 instead.
Other hardware that may debut at this October event includes a new Vision Pro powered by an M4 or M5 chip with a comfier head strap, though it’s otherwise the same as the original headset. There may be a new Apple TV with a faster chipset, the new version of Siri (though this won’t come until 2026), and Wi-Fi 7 support. And we may finally see a second-gen AirTag, with a longer range.
The PlayStation 6 May Arrive in a ‘Few Years’
Sony published a video to its PlayStation YouTube Channel this week featuring Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS5, and Jack Huynh, AMD’s senior vice president. It’s largely technical, digging into graphics technology that the two companies are jointly developing.
Every time there are rumors that a new iPad might be on the way, people get excited about whatever new features might be coming. That makes sense—new things are exciting, even when they’re just new versions of something you already know.
I generally don’t care about rumors, though they are becoming more difficult to ignore. What I do know is true is that Apple will continue to give us new products for a long time to come—iPad included.
When I say I don’t care, I should clarify that I think the iPad is great. It’s one of my favorite Apple devices, and the current M4 iPad Pro is so good I don’t even know what else there is to do to it to make it any better.
I do, however, dream about the day that Apple brings back what I think is the absolute best iPad accessory that Apple has ever made—the Smart Folio Keyboard. For that matter, I’m pretty sure I can make the case it’s the greatest accessory—period—that Apple has ever made.
An Inc.com Featured Presentation
Don’t talk to me about the Apple Pencil, which is fantastic, but most people do not need, nor will they ever use with their iPad. We have a handful of iPads in our house, and I’m the only person who ever thinks about using an Apple Pencil at all. Without question, I could use my iPad Pro just fine without it. It’s great, but extra.
What makes a perfect accessory
The Smart Folio Keyboard, on the other hand, is the Goldilocks of iPad cases. It’s not too small, not too heavy. It’s just right. And yet, Apple killed it off with the latest version of the iPad Pro, and the way I use an iPad has been mostly ruined ever since.
I do like to write using my iPad Pro, and the Magic Keyboard is arguably the best keyboard ever made for a tablet. The trackpad is good and the keys themselves are a delight considering how compact the whole thing is. But if I’m not using my iPad in laptop mode, I’m just stuck with an awkwardly heavy case.
The thing is, right now, if you want to put your iPad in a case, you have basically two vectors on which to choose from. One option is to get a bulky (and heavy) keyboard case that feels great to type on, but is a pain to carry around. Or, you can get a thin, lightweight case to protect your screen, but that offers very little additional functionality.
I guess there’s a third option, which is to get a thick, bulky case meant to protect your iPad from being dropped by children or employees in a retail store. That’s fine, but no one who wants to carry around an iPad on a regular basis wants to use one of those.
Balance of form and function
The Smart Folio Keyboard, on the other hand, was the perfect combination of form and function, which—I always thought—was Apple’s sweet spot. It was a good keyboard experience without being heavy when you just wanted to use it as a case. It wasn’t as thin and light as the Smart Folio, but it was definitely within the margin of “I could carry this all the time.”
Really, it was ideal for people who primarily wanted to use the iPad as a tablet, but wanted the ability to sometimes use it as a laptop with a keyboard. That feels like the perfect balance for a lot of users.
Look, obviously, Apple has a lot more information about how people use iPads, keyboards, and cases than I ever will. My personal experience is just mine. Maybe there really weren’t that many people who were buying Smart Folio Keyboards.
It’s time, Apple
I still can’t figure out why Apple discontinued such a great product. The new generation of iPad Pro is very much not compatible with the previous Smart Folio Keyboard, and Apple hasn’t released a new version that would work. I think it’s time that it did.
My reason is simple: There isn’t anything else that even comes close. You can buy alternatives to the Magic Keyboard—the Logitech Combo Touch is a great option with a solid keyboard and touchpad. There is an even wider range of alternatives to the Smart Folio. The Smart Folio Keyboard, however, was the singular option for a lightweight cover with a very good keyboard.
That’s why I think Apple should bring it back. It fills a need that no one else seems to care enough to fill. Apple is making the very best tablets of any company. It would just be nice if it would bring back the greatest accessory it ever made.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
Apple was hit with a lawsuit in California federal court by a pair of neuroscientists who say that the tech company misused thousands of copyrighted books to train its Apple Intelligence artificial intelligence model.
Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik, professors at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, New York, told the court in a proposed class action on Thursday that Apple used illegal “shadow libraries” of pirated books to train Apple Intelligence.
A separate group of authors sued Apple last month for allegedly misusing their work in AI training.
Tech companies facing lawsuits
The lawsuit is one of many high-stakes cases brought by copyright owners such as authors, news outlets, and music labels against tech companies, including OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms, over the unauthorized use of their work in AI training. Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle a lawsuit from another group of authors over the training of its AI-powered chatbot Claude in August.
An Inc.com Featured Presentation
Spokespeople for Apple and Martinez-Conde, Macknik, and their attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new complaint on Friday.
Apple Intelligence is a suite of AI-powered features integrated into iOS devices, including the iPhone and iPad.
“The day after Apple officially introduced Apple Intelligence, the company gained more than $200 billion in value: ‘the single most lucrative day in the history of the company,’” the lawsuit said.
According to the complaint, Apple utilized datasets comprising thousands of pirated books as well as other copyright-infringing materials scraped from the internet to train its AI system.
The lawsuit said that the pirated books included Martinez-Conde and Macknik’s “Champions of Illusion: The Science Behind Mind-Boggling Images and Mystifying Brain Puzzles” and “Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals About Our Everyday Deceptions.”
The professors requested an unspecified amount of monetary damages and an order for Apple to stop misusing their copyrighted work.
Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Rod Nickel.
Apple is partnering with Spectrum SportsNet to stream select Los Angeles Lakers games directly to the Apple Vision Pro during the 2025-2026 basketball season. The games will be filmed in the Apple Immersive video format, the same VR-friendly filming style the company used to capture the Metallica concert film it released earlier this year.
Beyond giving you a reason to blow the dust off your $3,500 Apple Vision Pro, watching the games in-headset will showcase “perspectives impossible to capture in traditional broadcasts,” Apple claims. Live games will be limited to headset owners living in the Lakers’ regional broadcast territory (Southern California, Hawaii and parts of southern Nevada) and will likely require a subscription to view, but Apple says the full replays and highlights will also be accessible in “select countries and regions from both the SportsNet and NBA apps.” There’s no schedule of games available yet, but Apple and Spectrum say they’ll announce their final plans this fall, with the first games streaming early 2026.
While the general consensus on the Vision Pro is that it makes for a great media consumption device, sports programming that takes advantage of its unique features has been largely missing. Apple makes it easy to watch things like Friday Night Baseball and Major League Soccer, but the NBA is the only mainstream sports league trying to offer an experience that’s specific to the Vision Pro. Beyond playing live games, the NBA visionOS app can display real-time player stats, stream multiple games at once in multiview and show you a tabletop view of games, complete with a 3D court and tiny players.
Now that Apple is reportedly prioritizing smart glasses over a lighter and cheaper version of the Vision Pro, the best thing the company can do is supply existing owners with new things to watch. Not everyone loves the Lakers, but if it opens the door to more live sports in the future, that’s only a good thing.
There are a number of iPad apps that can help you explore and express your creativity. Although the iPad started off as a simple device that could be used to stream content or browse the web on the go, Apple has essentially turned its iPads into powerful machines that can be used to do things like create digital art and edit videos.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the best iPad apps for creativity that are available on the App Store.
Before we get into the list, it’s worth noting that although Adobe’s creative apps are often top choices for creativity on the iPad, this list won’t include them because they are already well-known. The list will instead focus on somewhat lesser-known apps.
Procreate
Image Credits:Procreate
Procreate is one of the most popular drawing apps for the iPad, and for good reason. The app lets you create digital paintings, sketches, and illustrations using dozens of different types of brushes. Procreate is easy to use and features built-in gesture controls, along with a simple interface.
The app allows for high-resolution canvases up to 16K by 8K on compatible iPad Pros. It also lets you create storyboards, GIFs, animatics, and simple animations. Plus, you can import image files such as JPG, PNG, and TIFF. Procreate includes several features that are designed to help you during the creative process on your iPad, such as QuickShape, StreamLine, Drawing Assist, and ColorDrop.
Once you’re finished creating your piece, you can relive your creative journey with the app’s time-lapse “Replay” feature and share a 30-second time-lapse video on social media.
You can access Procreate with a one-time payment of $12.99.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025
LumaFusion
Image Credits:LumaFusion
LumaFusion is a great app for editing videos if you’re ready to graduate from iMovie. The app features numerous user-friendly features that make it perfect for aspiring videographers or indie filmmakers on a budget.
With LumaFusion, you can create multiple layer edits with 4K ProRes and HDR media. You can add different effects, choose from dozens of transitions, and record voice-overs. The app lets you create multilayer titles and import fonts and graphics. Plus, you can fine-tune audio with Graphic EQ, Parametric EQ, Voice isolation, and more.
The app lets you create projects with a variety of aspect ratios, including 16:9 landscape, 9:16 portrait, square, widescreen film, anamorphic, and more.
LumaFusion is available for a one-time payment of $29.99. You can also purchase additional features, such as multicam editing and the ability to send your project to Final Cut Pro for Mac.
Canva
Image Credits:Canva
Canva offers a user-friendly platform that allows anyone to create visual content, even without graphic design experience. You can use it to create presentations, infographics, videos, websites, social media posts, and more with over 250,000 templates.
Canva features tools for editing photos, personalizing content with logos and images, adding audio, and cropping and speeding up video.
The platform also has a series of AI features that are designed to make the creation process easier. For instance, you can extend an image using “Magic Switch” or turn ideas into images with “Magic Media.”
Canva is free but offers a $12.99 monthly subscription if you want unlimited access to its AI features, premium templates, and more.
Affinity Designer 2
Image Credits:Affinity
Affinity Designer 2 is a graphic design app that combines vector design, pixel-based textures, and retouching into a single platform. It’s great for professional illustrators, web designers, game developers, and other creatives.
The app lets you create illustrations, branding, logos, icons, UI/UX designs, typography, posters, labels, fliers, stickers, concept art, digital art, and more. It supports Apple Pencil’s precision, pressure sensitivity, and tilt functionality.
Affinity Designer 2 features gesture controls to speed up your workflow, and it lets you customize keyboard shortcuts. You can also do things like create your own custom font and zoom to over 1,000,000% for absolute precision.
You can access the app through a one-time payment of $18.49.
Concepts
Image Credits:Concepts
Concepts is a great app for exploring your ideas and experimenting with designs. You can use the app to sketch plans, make notes and mindmaps, and draw storyboards and designs.
The app features Nudge, Slice, and Select tools that allow you to easily change any element of your sketch without redrawing it. The app features realistic pens, pencils, and brushes that flow with pressure and tilt.
Concepts gives you access to scale and measurement tools that calculate real-world dimensions, and also features a tool wheel or bar that you can personalize to your liking.
The app’s basic features are free. Concepts offers a $4.99 monthly subscription if you want access to additional features, such as the ability to create your own brushes and premium editing tools.
Tayasui Sketches
Image Credits:Tayasui Sketches
Tayasui Sketches is a good, user-friendly sketching and drawing app. It has several different features such as a realistic watercolor brush, digital acrylic brushes, the ability to blend two colors to get the perfect shade, gradient and depth tools, and more.
The app lets you multitask by opening up another app and dragging lawyers and documents between the two. There’s also a “Zen Mode” that lets you create without distractions.
You can also upload your images to incorporate them into your creations. Tayasui Sketches lets you store your creations into personalized folders.
Tayasui Sketches’s basic features are free. The app offers a $2.99 monthly subscription that unlocks unlimited layers, new brushes and markers, an extended brush editor, the ability to backup your drawings, and more.
Dudel Draw
Image Credits:Dudel Draw
Dudel Draw is a bit different from the other apps on this list: It’s designed to unleash your creativity by giving you a new shape every day that serves as a starting point to sketch on top of.
These daily shapes vary from basic geometrical forms to more complex and abstract designs. Plus, you can explore your creativity further by choosing to view the shape from all angles with the app’s “flip” and “rotate” features.
You can also get your friends in on the creativity with some fun competition by comparing your different creations each day. Dudel Draw offers a great way to sharpen your artistic skills, challenge yourself to create something new everyday, and just simply express yourself.
Dudel Draw is available for free.
This story originally published in December 2024 and is updated regularly with new information.
When Apple announced its thin and light iPhone Air, some people said, “Who asked for a thinner phone?” Moments later, the company went in the other direction and announced a slightly thicker and bulkier iPhone 17 Pro lineup.
With this, Apple did what those people had wanted: it made a phone with a thicker form factor to accommodate a larger battery, leading to better performance. Out of the new iPhones, the Pro phones received more iterative updates (unless you count the new orange color). But people who buy these phones will still reap the benefits.
The build
The first thing that you’ll notice with the iPhone 17 Pro is the new unibody build with aluminium, alongside a new camera bump design on the back with space for MagSafe-based accessories below it. I’ve gotten used to cross-body camera bumps like the one on the Pixel 10, so I don’t mind the new design choice from Apple
Apple said that using this design has made the phone more sturdy. But it has also made the 17 Pro Max heavier at 233 grams as compared to the 227 grams of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. I felt the heft of the phone a bit more as I was juggling between the ultra-light iPhone Air and the 17 Pro Max.
Image Credits: Ivan mehta
The company added Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and the first-gen Ceramic Shield on the back, below the camera plateau. I had shattered the back of my old iPhone 15 Pro Max, which just had a textured glass layer, so I appreciate the extra protection along with the aluminium frame on the back.
I can’t skip the build section without talking about colors. I’ve got a silver colored unit, which I feel is the most boring color out of all three. I personally like the blue a lot more, and don’t mind the orange, which clearly stands out. I usually use my new phone without a case, but I plan to try the new TechWoven blue case that’s made with a custom 100% recycled polyester yarn to change the look of the phone.
And while I’ve seen manyposts and videos about how the new device’s back is susceptible to scratches, I haven’t noticed many on my unit as of yet.
Better battery, better performance
Apple has managed to cram more battery into the iPhone 17 Pro Max thanks to its unibody design. I consistently got more than five hours of screen time, despite varying usage. In terms of sheer numbers, the 17 Pro Max packs a 4,823 mAh battery as compared to 4,685 mAh in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. If you snag an eSIM-only version in countries where it is available, you will get an even bigger 5,088 mAh battery, which might last a bit longer than the device with the physical SIM.
The new design also brings vapor chamber cooling to the iPhones, which means that your phone will get less hot while doing resource-intensive tasks such as gaming. I played War Thunder at 60 FPS for an extended period of time, and as compared to the iPhone Air, the Pro Max ran much cooler.
Image Credits: Ivan Mehta
Small upgrades you’ll appreciate
Another strong upgrade in the battery department is the increased charging capacity.
The phone is compatible with USB-PD 3.2 standards. While it is not reaching the whacky 100W+ charging capacities of some of the Chinese manufacturers, the new iPhone can theoretically charge at 40W as compared to 30W. This means you can charge your phone much faster when using a 40W or higher adapter.
The bigger phone also gained support for higher speed, Qi2-based wireless charging at 25W. If you have an accessory station at your work desk with a wireless stand, this new top iPhone can take advantage of it.
The display size of the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the same as last year’s Pro Max. But the display gets an upgrade as it can achieve a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It also has a new anti-reflective coating, making it easier to use in brighter conditions. Beyond the iPhone, brighter displays have been a trend this year with smartphones like the Pixel 10 Series and Honor V5 Magic, and they’re a welcome addition.
Some of the review videos show that other devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S25, have a better reflective material on the screen, however.
Let’s talk cameras
The Pro iPhone models received two notable camera updates this year.
First, all three rear cameras now have a 48-megapixel sensor. The ultrawide had an upgrade last year, and this year, it’s the telephoto lens getting a boost. (As someone who has three pets in the household, I always appreciate having better zooming capabilities, so I can take candid photos of them without moving, which might result in a lost pose.)
Image Credits: Ivan mehta
Until last year, the Pro Max had zoom options of 2x and 5x. This year, the company has changed its focal lengths a bit. So now you get 2x, 4x, and 8x (which is a 2x crop). You might lose some details in an 8x shot, but the photos are generally good even at that level of zoom.
Phones like the Pixel 10 Series, Xiaomi 15T Pro, and the Honor Magic V5 do offer digital zoom augmented with generative AI to artificially improve the picture. But Apple just offers a digital zoom of 40x without any generative processing. The results aren’t anything to write home about, as the images are noisy and don’t have details.
While the telephoto is a Pro-only update, all iPhones got a selfie camera upgrade with a new 18-megapixel square sensor. Apart from upgraded resolution, the front camera gets a Center Stage feature, which automatically zooms in and out and changes the orientation based on the number of people in the frame — without you having to do it manually. (This is very helpful in the festive season in India, when you meet friends and people want to cram into the frame!)
The device will receive iOS 26 features, like using the full screen as context to ask ChatGPT or Google questions about what is on the screen. But there aren’t any new Apple-native AI features.
The new Pro iPhones are also powered by A19 Pro chips, which have better neural performance, Apple says. This could come in handy for developers who are using Apple’s local AI models. But we may have to wait for next year’s Worldwide Developer Conference to see if Apple gives Siri a much-awaited AI upgrade.
Who is this iPhone for?
For the last few years, Apple has positioned its Pro lines of phones to aid the creative process more, apart from being top-notch devices in its lineup. With the iPhone 17 Pro Max, that is even more so the case.
With a new design, battery, and thermal performance, creators can shoot longer videos. Plus, the company introduced new features like ProRes RAW and Log 2. It also has genlock, which allows creators to use multiple iPhones to take time-locked shots.
If you’re not a creator, iPhone 17 Pro Max is more of an iterative update. Just like a lot of new phone releases every year, it doesn’t scream that you have to update. If your phone is more than two years old, however, you will see substantial gains in all departments, including battery life, performance, screen, and camera. B
ut if you have bought a phone after the iPhone 15 Pro was released, there is not as much reason to update.
Des Moines police have taken a 13-year-old into custody after the teen allegedly stole a delivery van.Police say an investigation began Wednesday afternoon when an Amazon delivery driver reported their van had been stolen from the 600 block of Walker Street. The van was later spotted by officers near Southeast 14th Street and Park Avenue.The stolen van fled from a traffic stop and crashed into a pick-up truck on Southeast 14th Street. Two occupants in the van ran from the crash but were taken into custody, according to police.The driver, a 13-year-old, was referred to juvenile court for charges of first-degree theft, second-degree theft and eluding.The passenger was not charged.
DES MOINES, Iowa —
Des Moines police have taken a 13-year-old into custody after the teen allegedly stole a delivery van.
Police say an investigation began Wednesday afternoon when an Amazon delivery driver reported their van had been stolen from the 600 block of Walker Street. The van was later spotted by officers near Southeast 14th Street and Park Avenue.
The stolen van fled from a traffic stop and crashed into a pick-up truck on Southeast 14th Street. Two occupants in the van ran from the crash but were taken into custody, according to police.
The driver, a 13-year-old, was referred to juvenile court for charges of first-degree theft, second-degree theft and eluding.
We generally consider Apple’s iPads to be the best tablets for most people, but most of them don’t come cheap. To help you get the most value possible, we’re keeping a constant eye on sale prices and rounding up the best iPad deals we can find each week.
This week has been a particularly fruitful time to be in the market for an Apple tablet: Amazon held its latest Prime Day sale on October 7-8, while other retailers like Best Buy, Target and Walmart are still running sweeping sales of their own. A number of Apple device discounts from these events are still available today, including the base iPad (A16) for $279 and a $150 drop for the iPad Air. Beyond iPads, other gadgets like the AirPods 4, MacBook Air and AirTag remain heavily discounted as well. Here are all the top deals on Apple gear we could find this week.
Best iPad deals
Apple
The latest entry-level iPad comes with a faster A16 chip, 2GB more RAM and 128GB of storage by default. It earned a score of 84 in our review — if you only need a tablet for roaming the internet, watching shows and doing some lighter productivity tasks, it should do the job. With the recent iPadOS 26 update, it also has most of the same multitasking features available on the more expensive models. It does lack Apple Intelligence, but to be candid, that isn’t a big loss right now. This discount is only a few bucks off the lowest price we’ve seen for the base model, but other storage configurations are $120 off as well. Also at Best Buy and Walmart.
Apple iPad Air (11-inch, M3) for $449 ($150 off MSRP): The most recent iPad Air is a relatively minor update, as the only major addition is a more powerful M3 chip. However, we still recommend the Air over the base model in our iPad buying guide: Its display is laminated, more color-rich and better at fending off glare (though it’s still 60Hz); its speakers are more robust; it works with Apple’s best accessories and its performance should hold up better in the years ahead. We saw the base model drop as low as $437 during Amazon’s Prime Day sale this week, but this $150 discount ties the best price we’ve seen otherwise. Other configurations are also $150 off. Also at Best Buy.
Apple iPad Air (13-inch, M3) for $649 ($150 off): Engadget’s Nate Ingraham gave the 13-inch iPad Air a score of 89 when it was released in March. It has a bigger and slightly brighter display than its 11-inch counterpart but is otherwise the same. If you plan to keep your iPad hooked up to a keyboard, the extra screen space is lovely for multitasking or just taking in movies. This discount is an all-time low, and it applies to several color options and storage configs. Also at Best Buy.
Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) for $399 ($100 off): The 8.3-inch iPad mini is exactly what it sounds like: the smaller iPad. The newest iteration has an improved A17 Pro chip — which is enough to support Apple Intelligence — alongside 128GB of storage in the base model and Apple Pencil Pro support. You’d buy it if you want a tablet you can more easily hold with one hand. We saw it available for $20 less during Amazon’s Prime Day sale, but this is still a decent drop from its typical going rate. Also at Best Buy.
Best Apple deals
Apple
This version of the AirPods 4 adds active noise cancellation (ANC), a wireless charging case and Find My tracking support. They have the same open-style design, so the ANC isn’t as effective as what you’d get with a pair that fully seals off the ear canal, but it still makes the earbuds a bit more useful in noisy areas. We gave this pair a score of 86 in our review. This deal matches the best price we’ve seen. Also at Walmart.
Apple AirPods 4 for $89 ($40 off): If you don’t need ANC, the standard AirPods 4 are still a good buy for those who hate the feeling of pairs that jut into their ear canal. They lack built-in volume controls, and no open-style earbuds can produce the same level of bass response as traditional in-ear headphones, but they generally sound more pleasant than most pairs of this type, and they still offer a host of Apple-friendly features. This is another all-time low. Also at Walmart, or Best Buy for $1 more.
Apple AirTags (4-pack) for $65 ($34 off): We may see an updated model by the end of the year, but the current AirTags are the best Bluetooth trackers for iPhone owners right now thanks to their vast finding network and accurate ultra-wideband tech that makes it easy to locate nearby items. Just note that you’ll need a separate AirTag holder to attach them to your keys, wallet or bag. This deal comes within a dollar of the lowest price we’ve seen for a four-pack. Also at Best Buy and Walmart. If you just want one, individual AirTags are a bit cheaper than usual at $20 as well.
Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4) for $799 ($200 off): Apple’s latest MacBook Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and it earned a score of 92 in our review. It’s not a major overhaul, but the design is still exceptionally thin, light and well-built, with long battery life and a top-notch keyboard and trackpad. Now it’s a bit faster. (Though we’d still love more ports and a refresh rate higher than 60Hz.) This discount ties the all-time low for the base model with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, but configs with more memory and storage are $200 off as well. Also at Best Buy.
Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M4) for $999 ($200 off): The 15-inch MacBook Air is nearly identical to the smaller version but has better speakers and a more spacious trackpad alongside its roomier display. The notebook very briefly fell as low as $969 earlier this week, but this is a solid drop all the same. Other configs are similarly discounted. Also at Best Buy.
Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off): The top-end option in Apple’s confusing stylus lineup, the Pencil Pro supports pressure sensitivity, wireless charging, tilt detection, haptic feedback and Apple’s double tap and squeeze gestures, among other perks. It’s a lovely tool for more intricate sketching and note-taking, but the catch is that it’s only compatible with the M4 iPad Pro, M2 and M3 iPad Air and most recent iPad mini. We’ve seen this deal fairly often over the course of the year, but it’s a fine discount compared to buying from Apple directly. Also at Best Buy and Walmart.
Apple AirPods Max for $429 ($120 off): The AirPods Max are bulkier and older than Sony’s WH-1000XM6 — the top pick in our guide to the best wireless headphones — plus they rely on a weirdly flimsy case to preserve power, so we only recommend them to hardcore Apple fans. That said, their ANC and warm sound profile still rank among the better options on the market, and they offer most of the same handy features as the in-ear AirPods. This model is virtually the same as the pair we reviewed way back in 2020, only it has a USB-C port and supports lossless audio with a cable. This discount is $30 off the pair’s lowest-ever price, but it’s the biggest drop we’ve seen since July.
Apple iMac (M4) for $1,149 ($150 off): We like the M4 iMac as an all-in-one computer thanks to its powerful performance, standard 16GB of RAM and improved webcam. Just note that it only comes in a 24-inch screen size option. This deal on the base model isn’t quite an all-time low, but it’s roughly $40 lower than the desktop’s usual street price and a decent savings compared to buying directly from Apple. Also at Best Buy.
Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm) for $389 ($10 off): The latest flagship Apple Watch only hit the market last month, but Amazon is already selling it for $10 off. It doesn’t show up as a percentage off, but you’ll see some models listed at $389 instead of Apple’s $399 MSRP. If you’re new to Apple’s wearables or are ready to upgrade from a Series 9 or older, this is a good model to grab. If you’re coming from a Series 10, however, there’s not much need to upgrade as the only major change from last year’s model is a slightly larger battery and a tougher screen.
Apple Watch SE 3 (GPS, 40mm) for $240 ($9 off): There’s a similar stealth discount for the newest budget model, the Apple Watch SE 3, at Amazon. It normally goes for $249 — again, not a big discount, but better than nothing if you’re looking to get onboard early. Apple gave this model some badly needed updates compared to its predecessor, including an always-on display, faster charging, better sensors and the same processor that you’ll find in the new Apple Watch Series 11.
If you prefer open-ear AirPods but still have an older model, this deal could be worth noting. The AirPods 4 are still on sale for $89, or 30 percent off their usual price. That’s also the lowest we’ve seen them and a sale price that’s still hanging on after Prime Day earlier this week.
When Apple updated its standard AirPods in 2024, it released two models: one with active noise cancellation (ANC) and one without. We consider the non-ANC models to be the best budget AirPods you can get, so they’re an even better buy at this sale price. The ANC versions are also discounted at the moment, so you can pick them up for $120 instead of the usual $180.
Apple
Save 30 percent on Apple’s open-ear wireless earbuds.
The AirPods’ H2 chip brings a bunch of Pro-adjacent features to the standard model. That list includes Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Transparency, Personalized Spatial Audio and wireless charging. For calls, it supports Voice Isolation, which helps filter out background noise and make it easier for you to be heard. And if that call is via FaceTime, it supports Apple’s 48kHz “cinema-quality” audio.
Sound is improved over the AirPods 3. “There’s more low-end tone than the previous model right out of the gate, and the punchier treble opens the sound stage so it’s wider and more immersive,” Engadget’s Billy Steele wrote. “The improved frequency response is on full display with Dolby Atmos content (movies, music, and TV), but the AirPods 4 are also more sonically adept with non-spatial tunes and video.”
You can expect around five hours of battery life on a single charge. With the ANC model, that estimate drops to around four hours with the marquee feature activated. With either version, you can drop them in the charging case to extend their total time to around 30 hours. And hey, it’s good to give your ears a rest now and then anyway. There are plenty of other Apple deals to be had at the moment, and there are a few more worthy AirPods deals we’ve collected below.
Truly good Apple deals can be hard to come by, but right now you can save on one of the company’s smallest (and arguably one if its most useful) gadgets. A four-pack of Apple AirTags is down to $65 right now, which is 34 percent off its usual price and a sale hanging on after Prime Day ended earlier this week. That brings each AirTag in the bundle down to $16.25 each. If you’re an Apple user, then the AirTag is the best Bluetooth tracker on the market for you.
Apple
You can put these little discs in your wallet, in a backpack or in your luggage while you’re traveling. Your AirTag’s location will show up in your Find My app, powered by the vast network of iPhones, iPads and other compatible devices that receive the AirTag’s Bluetooth signal. Keep in mind these only work when close enough to participating devices to be located.
You can attach AirTags to just about anything thanks to an abundance of available accessories. Their built-in speakers can play a tone, triggered from your iPhone, to help you find them when the object they’re affixed to is lost. On iPhone 11 and newer models, you can take advantage of the AirTag’s Ultra Wideband capability and have your phone lead you right to your AirTag, complete with directional arrows on your iPhone screen.
