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Apple may be forced discontinue these 3 iPhone models in Europe

In September, Apple released the new iPhone 16 lineup. With that, the company finally stopped selling the 2021 iPhone 13 and only offered customers the following options through its store:

  • iPhone SE 3 (2022)
  • iPhone 14 (2022)
  • iPhone 14 Plus (2022)
  • iPhone 15 (2023)
  • iPhone 15 Plus (2023)
  • iPhone 16 series

However, the French Apple blog iGeneration reports that Apple will discontinue all Lightning iPhone models in Europe at the start of 2025.

Since European legislation requires all smartphones to have a universal USB-C port, the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone SE 3 won’t follow the rule, as they have a Lightning port.

There’s always the possibility that Apple could tweak those smartphones with a USB-C port, as the company has done with the AirPods Max. However, it doesn’t seem Cupertino will follow that path.

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Of course, a fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected to launch early next year, which means the current generation will soon be discontinued anyway. Besides that, when Apple introduces the iPhone 17 line, it will also stop selling the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.

In other words, Apple is set to discontinue all three of these old iPhone models anyway in 2025. Still, if you’re not in Europe, you don’t need to worry about any of this, as Apple will continue to sell them until new models are introduced over the course of the year.

The new iPhone SE 4 is expected to feature a design like the iPhone 14 with a single camera, the A18 processor, and Apple’s new 5G modem. By the second half of 2025, Cupertino is rumored to launch the iPhone 17 lineup, including an all-new iPhone 17 Air, which will be the thinnest iPhone to date with some high-end features but hardware that’s not as good as an iPhone Pro.

BGR reached out to Apple but did not hear back at the time this story was published. We’ll update it if we hear from the company.

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iPhone 17 Air will feature ProMotion, but I’d buy it either way

I’m ready to buy the iPhone 17 Air, even if that means dealing with several compromises Apple will have to make to create a thinner iPhone than ever before. By that, I mean I’m ready for a single-lens camera, potentially worse battery life than what you’d expect from a typical 6.6-inch iPhone, and a single speaker on the bottom.

I’d even be ready to use a 60Hz display rather than one that supports ProMotion. After all, I did that for two years with the iPhone 14 Pro. That actually might have helped me get used to the iPhone 16 Plus’s 60Hz screen. I had no problem transitioning to a non-ProMotion screen during my two-month stint with the iPhone 16 Plus.

However, it looks like the iPhone 16 will be the last generation in which the non-Pro iPhones lack 120Hz refresh rate support. We have already seen a series of reports saying that Apple will bring LTPO tech to all iPhone 17 models, including the iPhone 17 Air, and there’s another story out that seemingly confirms this development.

LTPO is a key display tech that allows Apple to offer dynamic refresh rates on ProMotion devices with OLED panels. The refresh rate adapts to what’s showing on the screen, dropping as low as 1Hz in some instances rather than staying at 120Hz, regardless of what you might be doing. The benefit of dynamic refresh rate screens is that they conserve battery life.

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On that note, that’s probably one way I improved battery life on the iPhone 14 Pro, as my refresh rate moves between 1Hz and 60Hz rather than the full 120Hz.

My display preferences aside, plenty of iPhone users have rightly called out Apple for restricting the ProMotion displays to the Pro models. Meanwhile, many Android vendors ship mid-range phones that support 120Hz refresh rates.

Thankfully, all iPhone models will get ProMotion screens, starting with the iPhone 17 series. Korean website DT penned the latest report that says Apple suppliers are preparing to meet Apple’s OLED panel needs for the iPhone 17.

The report says that all four iPhone 17 models will use LTPO OLED panels, which implies that the iPhone 17 Air will support 120Hz refresh rates. The story doesn’t single out the ultra-thin iPhone or the other three models, instead focusing on the suppliers.

If the information is accurate, LG Display will be the big winner of Apple’s iPhone 17 screen orders. The Korean company had a 10% share of orders last year, which grew to 30% this year. LG’s share will continue to rise next year when it will account for 40% of Apple’s OLED panel needs.

Chinese company BOE is apparently the big loser, as it is unable to manufacture the LTPO panels Apple wants for the iPhone 17.

Samsung will continue to get the lion’s share of OLED panels for the iPhone, likely accounting for 60% of orders.

M4 iPad Pro Home Screen running iPadOS 18M4 iPad Pro OLED display. Image source: José Adorno for BGR

The inability of OLED panel vendors to meet Apple’s production needs might explain why Apple has kept using LTPS 60Hz OLED panels in non-Pro handsets so far, but that’s just speculation from this iPhone user. Apple sells over 200 million iPhones every year, so its display needs dwarf those of rivals.

The DT story implies that supply is an issue, as it explains that LG will not build new manufacturing lines to accommodate a larger influx of orders from Apple. Instead, LG will retool its iPad Pro OLED screen production line to manufacture iPhone displays.

Apple’s M4 iPad Pro hasn’t been selling as well as expected, so LG’s move makes sense. While the Korean company won’t confirm such changes, it did say during the Q3 earnings report that it plans to adapt its production infrastructure to market conditions.

LG adapting to Apple’s needs will have an unwanted side effect. The report says LG’s investments in a next-gen supply facility of OLED panels for tablets and laptops will be slightly delayed. Interestingly, Apple is expected to use OLED panels in more products, including the iPad mini, MacBook Air, and a foldable Mac/iPad set to launch sometime in the next four years.

Back to the iPhone 17, the report doesn’t mention screen sizes for the four phones. I’d expect Apple to stick with the 6.1-inch, 6.3-inch, and 6.9-inch screen sizes for the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max, respectively. Rumors say the iPhone 17 Air should feature a 6.6-inch display.

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How to share lost AirTag location with an airline

iOS 18.2 has just been released, and it’s full of Apple Intelligence features. However, there’s one feature available to everyone that might greatly improve their next trip.

The new Share Item Location feature lets iPhone and iPad users share their AirTag or third-party item tracker location with another person or an airline. It was first available as part of the iOS 18.2 beta and is now rolling out to everyone.

According to Apple, over 15 airlines are planning support for this Find My feature: Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling.

Suppose you lose your keychain in a restaurant. You can send the manager a link using Share Item Location, and they can track your AirTag using their iPhone 11 or newer with Precision Find.

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Additionally, you can already share your AirTag location with friends and family members using the Find My network.

How to share a Lost AirTag using Find My

If you have an AirTag and your iPhone is updated to iOS 18.2, follow the steps below:

  • Open the Find My app and open the “Items” tab.
  • Select the lost AirTag and scroll down the menu.
  • Tap “Show Contact Info” so people can contact you when they find your item.
  • Lastly, tap “Share Item Location” so you can create a link that people can click to see your AirTag location for a limited time.

Apple says the “Show Contact Info” feature lets others hold your AirTag close to the top of their phone to open a website with more information, including your phone number or email address, so they can contact you to let you know they found your device.

Below, you can learn more about the latest iOS 18.2 features.

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8 iOS 18 features that Apple has delayed to 2025

With the launch of iOS 18.2 just around the corner, Apple has a few more iOS 18 features that have now been delayed until 2025.

As excited as we are about all of the new features Apple is bringing to iOS 18, the wait for many of them has been longer than we expected. With that in mind, here are all the features iPhone owners are going to receive sometime next year:

  • Personal context understanding: With Apple Intelligence’s on-device semantic index, Siri can understand emails, messages, photos, calendar events, files, and more and can provide answers to personal questions.
  • In-app actions: Siri can take hundreds of new actions on your behalf in both first- and third-party apps, such as editing a photo, adding a note, and more.
  • Onscreen awareness: Siri will be able to understand and take action with things on your screen, so when a friend texts you recommending a new coffee shop in the neighborhood, you can ask Siri how long it will take to get there.
  • Apple Intelligence expansion: Apple promises Apple Intelligence support will expand to new countries and languages in 2025, most likely around iOS 18.4.
  • Sketch style: With Image Playground, Apple offers animation and illustration styles. However, the Sketch style will likely be delayed. It’s currently available as an option in Image Wand but not for the Image Playground app.
  • Integration with other LLMs: Currently, Apple only offers support for ChatGPT integration with Writing Tools. In the future, the mobile platform is expected to work with other LLMs, such as Google’s Gemini and more.
  • New emoji: Apple usually releases new emojis a few months after its main iOS release. If the company follows the trend, iOS 18.4 could bring new emojis. These are the possible new additions.
  • Robot vacuum cleaners will be compatible with the Home app, so they can participate in automation and scenes and can be activated by a user’s voice using Siri.

iOS 18.1 Apple Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro all-new Siri designiOS 18.1 Apple Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro: The all-new Siri design Image source: José Adorno for BGR

While the robot vacuum cleaners feature will likely be released early in 2025 with iOS 18.3, all of these new features will likely be part of iOS 18.4 in the spring.

That being said, it’s possible that most of the Apple Intelligence features related to Siri could be delayed to iOS 19 and beyond. In a previous newsletter, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman wrote:

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These upcoming upgrades will make Siri easier to use on a day-to-day basis, but it’s not the brain transplant that the service really needs. Siri is still based on an outdated infrastructure — AI models that have been overtaken by the technology used by ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. Siri hasn’t yet been rebuilt for the generative AI age, even if Apple is trying to create the impression that it has.

Wrap up

iOS 18 still has several delayed features that might take a long time to become available. Below, you can learn more about what features iOS 18.2 will bring.

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Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be just as thin as the Fold SE, insider claims

As soon as the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition (SE) foldable came out a few weeks ago, I said that Samsung has no choice but to use the same ultra-thin design for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 next year. Any other option would be admitting that it can’t manufacture thin, foldable phones in large numbers or that it can’t keep up with Chinese foldable smartphone vendors.

The Galaxy Z Fold SE isn’t just thinner than any of its predecessors; it also features larger displays. The best part about the Galaxy Z Fold SE design is that Samsung managed to almost eliminate the crease. The phone is routinely sold out in Korea but is not widely available elsewhere. China is the only market that has a model of the Galaxy Z Fold SE.

Ross Young, a well-connected display analyst, said a few days ago that Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 will not look like the Galaxy Z Fold SE. But there will be a Galaxy Z Fold 7 SE from Samsung next year. A few days later, the same analyst corrected his previous stance. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 will inherit the Galaxy Z Fold SE design, and that’s amazing news.

Young is the CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), which just released a report saying that Apple’s first foldable iPhone could hit stores in the second half of 2026. The handset will revitalize foldable phone sales, which are currently experiencing a slump.

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The DSCC hinted that Samsung will use the Galaxy Z Fold SE design for next year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, without naming the latter:

Samsung is expected to introduce a second clamshell model in 2025, more aggressively priced as well as a larger infolding model that resembles its recently introduced Z Fold 6 Special Edition.

However, Young clarified those comments on X after the report was released. He said the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will have the same display sizes as the “Fold 6 SE.” The Special Edition phone “will basically become the Fold 7.”

That’s what I was suspecting all along. Samsung has the design of a thinner Fold-type phone ready. All it needs is to update the Galaxy Z Fold 7 specs. I’d expect the 2025 Samsung foldables to feature the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chip as the Galaxy S25 series.

Young also addressed the Flip 7, saying the next-gen clamshell will feature larger displays. We’re looking at a 6.85-inch foldable panel and a 4-inch cover screen.

Also, as seen in the quote from the DSCC report, Samsung should launch a cheaper Galaxy Z Flip 7 next year, a phone Young mentioned a few days ago.

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New iPad Pro won’t be Apple’s first product with an M5 chip

Apple won’t follow the trend of introducing a brand new chip with its best new iPad models, as it did with the M4 iPad Pro. According to the latest reports, the M5 iPad Pro won’t arrive before late 2025 or even early 2026.

Top insider Ming-Chi Kuo wrote a blog post on Medium saying the M5 iPad Pro is expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2025. “The iPad Pro equipped with the M5 processor is expected to enter mass production in 2H25,” he wrote. “The company’s business momentum in 2H25 is anticipated to benefit significantly from Apple’s new product launches.”

While this might not mean much, Kuo is likely talking about the significant refreshes expected by this time of the year, such as the iPhone, Apple Watch, and possibly a new version of the Apple Vision Pro. That said, users shouldn’t be that worried about their M4 iPad Pro becoming an obsolete product in the near future.

If rumors are accurate, the iPad Pro with the M4 processor could be almost two years old before Apple introduces a new variant. Even when that happens, we don’t expect significant changes. Based on what we’ve heard so far, it seems that the iPad Pro will only get a specs bump with the M5 processor, and the next-generation chip won’t even be such a big deal.

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Image source: Apple Inc.

While the M4 greatly improves over the M3, Apple has apparently canceled the M5 with the newer 2nm process developed by TSMC due to cost concerns. According to The Elec, the M5 chip will adopt a new System On Integrated Chip technology, which enhances thermal management and reduces electrical leakage.

With that, we could see enhancements in performance and efficiency and a broader focus on Neural Engine tasks for AI and Apple Intelligence. While knowing that Apple has moved on to producing its newer processors, we still have several months with M4 products, including some new ones that need to be unveiled.

When will Apple start introducing new M5 products?

If the company follows the schedule analysts predict, the M5 family won’t be available before the end of next year. Here’s what we expect:

  • Late 2025: Apple should unveil at least new M5 MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max options; the company could also update the Mac mini and iMac, although it’s unclear at this moment;
  • Late 2025/Early 2026: Apple introduces the M5 iPad Pro;
  • Early 2026/Mid 2026: Cupertino unveils new MacBook Air models with the M5 processor;
  • Mid 2026/Late 2026: Apple expands the M5 chips for the Mac Studio and potentially to Mac Pro, depending on the upgrades expected for this processor.

It’s important to note that bigger changes are expected to start appearing by 2026 or 2027, when Apple will unveil a new OLED display technology for the MacBook Pro, followed by an improved display on the iPad Pro. In the next couple of years, we could also see Apple unveiling its first foldable products as well.

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ChatGPT might get ads

I’ve been a ChatGPT Plus subscriber for a while now, and I don’t plan on switching to the Free tier anytime soon. ChatGPT Plus gives me access to the newest models and features much sooner than the Free tier. Also, the limits with the chatbot are higher on the Plus plan, so you won’t run into interruptions.

Still, the ChatGPT Free option gives you quick access to OpenAI’s chatbot, letting you explore some of its best features to determine whether you’d even want to consider the Plus subscription in the first place.

Also, ChatGPT Free is truly free, as you don’t have to deal with any ads that would help OpenAI pay for your interactions with the AI. You don’t have to agree to have your chats train the AI, either. That’s why it has limits in place.

Unsurprisingly, OpenAI is considering a switch to an ad-based model in ChatGPT at some point in the future. It won’t happen anytime soon, but the company confirmed it’s looking at inserting ads in ChatGPT.

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OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar told The Financial Times that the company is considering showing ads to non-paying ChatGPT users in the future. Ads could help cover the rising costs of AI servers and even increase profits. OpenAI is no longer a non-profit, after all, so it’ll be chasing revenues like any other tech giant.

We didn’t really need any confirmation from a company that launched a Google Search alternative and is considering a web browser of its own. It goes without saying that ads could be part of the ChatGPT Free experience.

Hopefully, however, OpenAI will not go the same route as Google. The latter made the web discoverable to the world with its Google Search product. But Google also made us hate online ads over the years, and Google Search along with it, because it tracked us everywhere on the web, creating profiles of user preferences for better ad-targeting.

The good news is that OpenAI will not start running ads on ChatGPT Free anytime soon. The company has many concerns about ads, and that’s great to hear. Friar told the Times that OpenAI needs to be “thoughtful about when and where” ads will be implemented.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reportedly warming up to the idea of ads, though he has previously said he’s not a fan of them.

Friar’s remarks aren’t just answers to hypothetical scenarios. OpenAI hired former advertising talents from Meta and Google earlier this year. The only thing they could be working on at OpenAI is ad tech for ChatGPT.

I’ll also remind you of other reports detailing OpenAI’s plans for monetizing ChatGPT in the future that called for much more expensive subscription tiers. Placing ads in the free version of ChatGPT makes even more sense in that context, assuming those reports were accurate.

On the same note, it’ll be interesting to see what comes first: Ads in ChatGPT Free or a Plus subscription increase for premium users.

I will point out that OpenAI might get an influx of extra ChatGPT users in the near future as ChatGPT becomes available through Siri on the iPhone. In turn, iPhone users will be able to buy a Plus subscription from the iPhone’s settings app.

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This is the closest we’ve come to Tim Cook confirming Apple Glasses

While I haven’t bought the Apple Vision Pro, I’m still a fan of what Apple is doing here because I think the spatial computer debuted key technologies that will lead to the actual head-worn wearable I want: A pair of AR Apple Glasses that might eventually replace the iPhone.

Rumors say that we have a long wait ahead of us before true Apple Glasses become a reality. Apple needs tons of progress with the tech involved before it can create the product it wants. Meta recently showcased the bulky Orion concept of AR glasses that cost $10,000 to make. That’s another clear hint that Apple Glasses will take a while to get here. We need a pair of AR glasses that look much more like regular glasses before consumers will actually adopt them.

Other rumors say that Apple is studying the possibility of developing smart glasses that look like Meta’s Ray-Ban. Those aren’t AR glasses, however. Intead, they just have a camera and Meta AI support. Samsung is expected to unveil a similar gadget in the coming months.

Apple will never confirm work on future products, though it might tease that’s where we’re heading. That’s what Tim Cook did in a recent interview when asked whether Apple Glasses are coming after the Vision Pro.

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Here’s the actual exchange between Tim Cook and Wired’s Steven Levy:

Wired: Meta and Snap are leading us to mixed-reality glasses that we’d wear continually. Is the bigger, heavier Vision Pro ultimately headed that way?

Tim Cook: Yes, it’s a progression over time in terms of what happens with form factors. AR is a huge deal. With Vision Pro, we’ve progressed to what is clearly the most advanced technology we’ve ever done, and I think, the most advanced technology in the world in terms of electronics problems. We’ll see where it goes.

Tim Cook did not confirm that the tech inside its Vision Pro will eventually shrink down to fit inside Apple Glasses. He offered the obvious answer any CEO would have given, considering the question. Yes, the Vision Pro is a stepping stone towards something better. His “we’ll see where it goes” is the hedge you’d expect from an exec dealing with this question.

Meta Rayban SunglassesRay-Ban Meta smart glasses. Image source: Jonathan S. Geller

I’ve included the question in full because of how it’s framed. Levy asks Cook whether smart glasses like the ones Meta and Snap sell are leading us to mixed-reality glasses that we’d wear continuously. But neither Meta nor Snap have such products. Instead, the two social networks sell smart glasses that are significantly less sophisticated than the Vision Pro. They’re not mixed-reality devices.

Put differently, Apple has developed the tech it needs for Apple Glasses with the Vision Pro. Apple now has to shrink it down to fit inside a pair of normal glasses.

Apple developing a smart glasses product that would support genAI, like Meta’s glasses, would allow Apple to work on the glasses chassis that might one day feature more advanced capabilities that would trickle down from the Vision Pro. There’s no telling how long it’ll take for Apple to come out with Apple Intelligence-ready Apple Glasses.

Cook also addressed questions about lower-than-expected Vision Pro sales in the same interview saying the device is a success.

“It’s an early adopter product, for people who want tomorrow’s technology today,” Cook said. “Those people are buying it, and the ecosystem is flourishing. The ultimate test for us is the ecosystem. I don’t know if you’re using it very much, but I’m on there all the time. I see new apps all the time.”

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Tim Cook says Apple Intelligence was always going to be free

If you own an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any of the four iPhone 16 models, you can use Apple Intelligence for free. The same goes for iPads and Macs that feature Apple M-series chips. Apple Intelligence is available for free as part of the respective iOS, iPadOS, and macOS updates.

At the same time, Apple Intelligence, in its current state, is incomplete compared to what Apple showed at WWDC 2024. It’ll take several more months to get that full Apple Intelligence functionality on the iPhone. And even then, work on Apple Intelligence will not stop as the company should add new capabilities year after year.

In its current state, Apple Intelligence can only be free. Will Apple ever charge for it? Tim Cook addressed the question in an interview, saying that the tech is as similar and pivotal as the iPhone’s multitouch feature, which you also get for free with your iPhone purchase.

Apple Intelligence was one of the main topics in Wired’s wide-ranging interview with Tim Cook. That’s when the question about Apple Intelligence’s potential price came up:

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Wired: Some companies charge for AI-enhanced services. Did you consider that?

Tim Cook: We never talked about charging for it. We view it sort of like multitouch, which enabled the smartphone revolution and the modern tablet.

That’s a great way to frame the answer. Cook is practically saying that Apple Intelligence will be a key tech for Apple products, including the iPhone, just like multitouch is. The latter is a key innovation that made touchscreen devices like the iPhone and iPad possible.

We hardly talk about multitouch support in iPhone or Android products because that’s a feature we take for granted. They’re all touch-first devices. That’s how we interact with them.

Cook’s answer is somewhat misleading because the comparison is valid up to a point. While I’m sure multitouch gets innovations that go under the radar, Apple Intelligence and genAI, in general, will see tremendous progress in the coming years that will not go under the radar.

Apple’s Apple Intelligence innovations will take the spotlight year after year. Some of those features might require extra costs, which might be passed on to the buyer.

As a user, I’ll want to pay for a secure, private, ad-free AI experience, whether Apple’s or someone else’s.

That said, Cook’s take on Apple Intelligence being free is in line with what I’m expecting for Apple’s AI in the near future. I explained earlier this year why Apple Intelligence should always be free. Well, make that “free,” because iPhone users will always be paying for it by paying a premium price for the iPhone.

I still think that’s going to be true for several years, even after Apple catches up with its rivals. Cook’s remark above further reinforces my line of thinking.

Then again, even if Apple is developing premium Apple Intelligence plans, don’t expect Cook to confirm anything years in advance. Some rumors say paid Apple Intelligence features will come in 2027 at the earliest.

As for the more distant future, if Apple can ship a multi-device Apple-Intelligence-first operating system similar to the movie Her, that operating system might be worth paying a subscription.

Speaking of a more distant future of AI, Cook also addressed AGI questions. That’s the advanced general intelligence holy grail that OpenAI and others are trying to achieve. AGI will be able to reason and approach any problem as a human would, though it’ll have a far vaster knowledge database.

The CEO suggested AGI isn’t necessarily a priority for Apple, but the company is certainly looking at where the future might lead. For now, AI is “good enough where we can deliver it to people and change their lives, and that’s what we’re focused on.”

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iPhone 17 Air may ditch these 5 Pro features to achieve its ultra-thin design

Following the report of a redesigned iPhone 17 Pro, The Information‘s Wayne Ma details Apple’s efforts to release the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air next year. According to the journalist, Cupertino will remove several features to make this innovative iPhone that thin.

Ma reports that iPhone 17 Air prototypes are between 5 and 6 millimeters thick, which could possibly make it thinner than the iPhone 6, released a decade ago. While the iPhone 16 is 7.8mm thick, this could make the iPhone 17 Air as thin as the new M4 iPad Pro.

Unfortunately, not everything is good news. Apple will have to sacrifice several crucial features to achieve this ultra-thin design. For example, The Information says Apple engineers are “finding it hard to fit the battery and thermal materials into the device,” which means Cupertino will likely have to add a smaller battery to this iPhone.

Besides, a major compromise on the iPhone 17 Air might be a single earpiece speaker. According to Ma, “the iPhone will only have a single speaker in its earpiece because there’s no room for a second speaker at the bottom, which is standard in other models.”

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The journalist also confirms another rumored change: the iPhone 17 Air will have a “large, centered camera bump.” That said, forget about one of the iPhone’s most widely-used camera features, the optical zoom.

While Apple’s in-house 5G modem is expected to be available with this iPhone, the chip doesn’t perform as well as Qualcomm’s. The report says it’s more efficient, but it won’t be as fast, and it will lack a feature some US users benefit a lot, the mmWave 5G technology, which Apple’s future processor won’t have.

Finally, Apple engineers couldn’t figure out how to add a physical SIM tray to the iPhone 17 Air. While iPhone users in the US are used to that, Apple will have issues, at least in China, which requires phones to be sold with a SIM card. Without this market, sales of this upcoming iPhone might not be as enticing as they could.

Wrap up

Considering all that, I wonder if these trade-offs are worth it for an all-new iPhone design. I still think Pro users will keep buying Pro phones, while regular iPhone users won’t be enticed to pay extra for this new design. So, who might be this new iPhone for?

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