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Apple revealedmacOS Tahoe 26during its big keynote atWWDC 2025, and it will now be the final major update for Intel-based Macs.
DuringApple’s Platforms State of the Unionevent, it announced that macOS Tahoe will be the final release for Intel Macs. When macOS 27 arrives next year, only Macs with Apple Silicon, its M-series chips, will get the update.
This was inevitable, as every annual macOS update has older Macs drop off, and they’re all packed with Intel chips. This is across all of Apple’s PCs, including MacBook, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro and Mac Studio.
“If you’ve not done so already, now is a great time to help your users migrate to the Apple Silicon versions of your apps,” Apple’s Senior Director of Developer Relations, Matthew Firlik, told developers.
Many Intel Macs are already getting left behind with macOS Tahoe, such as the2020 MacBook Airand2020 MacBook Prowith two Thunderbolt 3 ports. But there are still a few that are getting support (more on this later).
However, these Macs don’t get the full breadth of features as those with Apple Silicon. As the Cupertino tech giant states in the small print, only Macs with M1 or later get access to all the latestApple Intelligence features.
It’s important to note that just because Intel Macs will stop getting support for macOS updates doesn’t mean they’ll be useless, as they will still get security updates.
Macs ending support in 2027
(Image credit: Apple)
Apple is dropping 7 Macs in the move to macOS Tahoe, meaning they’ll be stuck inmacOS Sequoialimbo. If you’ve got these PCs and want to get further updates, you’ll want to think about grabbing one of thebest MacBooksor others as an upgrade.
And, well, judging from the power that these chips deliver, and how MacBooks are some of thebest laptopsaround, it isn’t surprising for Apple to leave Intel behind.
Apple iPad users will soon be able to purchase original spare parts and tools for repairing their tablet directly from Apple, as the tech giant has now just added the first iPad models to its self-service repair program.
Apple will soon sell iPad replacement parts directly to consumers. (Image source: iFixit)
Apple has been offering spare parts for the iPhone and Mac since 2022, which end users can order directly from theApple Self Service Repair Store. The online shop also provides access to the tools required to carry out repairs, which can be purchased or rented depending on the tool. Repair manuals and diagnostic tools are designed to further simplify repairs.
The repair program is finally being expanded to include the Apple iPad, starting with the iPad Air with Apple M2 and newer, the current iPad Pro with Apple M4, the iPad mini with A17 Pro, and the iPad with Apple A16. Some of the most important components, such as the battery, display, cameras, and USB-C ports, are expected to be available at launch. These iPad replacement parts are not currently available in the Self Service Repair Store, but it shouldn’t be long before the range is expanded as announced.
As the iFixit teardown video (embedded below) reveals, Apple has made improvements to newer models such as the iPad Pro with Apple M4 that make repairs a little easier. However, it is still necessary to separate the display, which is glued to the housing, from the frame, which can easily damage the panel. Aside from the effort and the risk of damaging components, Apple’s Self Service Repair Store has one major drawback: high costs. While the prices for the new iPad replacement parts are not yet known, Apple sometimes charges more for a spare part for the iPhone than the repair would cost in the Apple Store.
Apple Pay joins PayPal and your standard credit or debit card as forms of payment for your PS5.
PlayStation
As first reported by9to5Mac, PS5 users now have a direct way to buy games in the PlayStation store with Apple Pay. When you purchase a game on your PS5 with Apple Pay, you’ll be shown a QR code that you can scan with your iPhone or iPad to complete the transaction from there.
Previously, PS5 users had to go through the console’s browser or the PlayStation App on iOS to buy games with Apple Pay. The latest update is a simple quality of life upgrade for PS5 owners since most already have a credit card tied to their PlayStation account. However, Apple Card owners can more easily take advantage of their 2 percent cash back on Apple Pay purchases when buying PS5 games.
Besides using a traditional card on file, Apple Pay joins PayPal as an alternative payment method. The Apple Pay compatibility on the PS5 was made possible through aniOS 18update that allows users to buy things on third-party browsers like Chrome and Firefox with a unique QR code. This change lays the groundwork for more Apple Pay implementation with other browsers and devices, including support for the PS4 in a later software update, as indicated by9to5Mac.
For many in the tech arena, the iPhone has been, and likely always will be, the gold standard for handheld mobile devices. The smartphones were the very definition of “game changer” when they debuted in 2007, and they have continued to evolve into some of the most technologically advanced devices on the consumer electronics scene in the years since.
These days, the iPhone has become such an advanced piece of tech that it tends to have lots of features and functions installed that many users don’t even know about. With the list of hidden iPhone features only seeming to get longer with every new iteration of IOS, it’s likely that some users will never fully grasp what their devices are actually capable of. Even as Apple continues to build new functions into the iPhone, a few have been around for a while now, though you still may not know about them.
For example, did you know that your iPhone has a barometer built into it? Apple’s iPhones have boasted a built-in barometer since the device’s sixth generation. As for why the Apple design team began incorporating barometers into the smartphones, it’s likely because a barometer can help provide the device with better readings for vertical location, which greatly improves the iPhone’s GPS capabilities. So, how exactly does a barometer aid in that particular endeavor?
If you are wholly unfamiliar with what a barometer does, the devices are designed to measure atmospheric pressure, which is sometimes called barometric pressure, hence the name. The devices have long been utilized by scientists and meteorologists, as changes in atmospheric pressure tend to coincide with changes in the weather. Historically, those devices have functioned with the aid of mercury, as the metal fluid is directly impacted by the amount of pressure in the air, though fluid-less aneroid barometers have also been utilized regularly.
Don’t worry, you don’t have a tube of mercury or an aneroid chamber built into your iPhone. Barometers went digital long ago, and the readings taken from digital sensors built into your iPhone are far more accurate and immediate than those taken by the old school instruments. If you’re curious how they take readings, the barometer is one of the reasons there are vents in the bottom of your iPhone, as the design feature allows air to enter the device for readings.
As for what the barometer in your iPhone is measuring, it, in part, uses the change in pressure to chart the device’s change in elevation, since air pressure can shift dramatically the higher or lower you are in the world. The barometer in your iPhone may be so sensitive that the readings shift by moving from the first floor of a home to the second. Readings from the barometer can also be used by certain weather and health-monitoring apps if you give permission for them to access that information.
Now that you know your iPhone has a barometer and is regularly charting the changes in atmospheric pressure depending on where you are in the world, you might be wondering how you can access this information. Unfortunately, it does not appear that you can directly access the information on your iPhone yourself. In fact, searching “barometer” on your device will produce exactly zero results.
That means you’ll need to visit ye old App Store and download a third-party feature if you want to tap into the barometric potential of your iPhone. As a reminder, the barometer did not debut in the iPhone until the sixth generation models made it to market. So, if you’re using an iPhone 5 or earlier, you will not be able to access the info because, well, there just won’t be any info to access. The good news is that, assuming you are using a barometer-equipped iPhone, there are several third-party apps to choose from in the App Store.
Among the higher-rated free apps you’ll find are the Barometer & Altimeter & Thermo from ExaMobile S.A. and My Altitude from Dayana Networks Ltd., which each boast a 4.8 stars out of 5 rating with more than 8,000 and more than 25,000 user reviews, respectively. The apps offer many of the same free features, with each offering in-app upgrades at a cost, meaning that the differences are primarily aesthetic. But if you’re interested, My Altitude does allow users to utilize barometric readings from NOAA instead of those taken directly by your iPhone, though there’s no guarantee of which numbers will be more accurate.
The iPhone 6S (above) is now officially ‘vintage’ – despite not looking radically different to today’s iPhones
Apple has just labeled the iPhone 6S as “vintage”
The same designation has been applied to the 2018 Mac mini
This means repairs are more limited should something go wrong
Are you still using aniPhone 6Sor a2018 Mac mini? If you are, we’ve got some bad news:Applehas just declared both products to be “vintage” on itsvintage and obsolete products page, which means you’ll get much more limited service and repairs for them if anything goes wrong.
The iPhone 6S andiPhone 6S Pluswere released in 2015 and came with a few notable milestones. They were the first iPhones to come with Apple’s 3D Touch tech, while they were also the last to featureheadphone jacks.
In addition, Apple strengthened the chassis of the devices to prevent the kind of ‘bendgate’controversy that befell the iPhone 6. The iPhone 6S was last offered for sale by Apple in 2018.
The 2018 Mac mini, meanwhile, was the last Mac mini to come with anIntelprocessor rather than anApple silicon chip(the first of which – the M1 – debuted in 2020). And it was the first (and so far only) Mac mini to come in a space gray finish.
The 2018 Mac Mini (above) has joined the iPhone 6S on Apple’s perilous ‘vintage’ list
Other than taking many of us on a trip down memory lane, this news has some practical implications for those who are still running an iPhone 6S or 2018 Mac mini.
Apple labels a product as “vintage” when at least five years have passed since the company last offered it for sale. Products that last went on sale seven or more years ago are designated as “obsolete.”
Now that the iPhone 6S and Mac mini have been declared “vintage,” that means your repair options are more limited. You can get them fixed at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs), but only if the required parts are available. Third-party shops might be able to repair your device if Apple or its AASPs won’t.
The next step – declaring a product to be “obsolete” – means that Apple Stores and AASPs generally will not repair your device, with Apple declining to provide replacement parts. In that case, you have no option but to either rely on a third-party repair shop or upgrade your device.
So, if you are still using an iPhone 6S or 2018 Mac mini, you’ve still got a little longer before Apple stops offering repairs. That said, with these devices getting long in the tooth – and products like theiPhone 16andM4 Mac minioffering far better performance – now might be a good time to look at upgrading to one of thebest iPhonesandbest Macsyou can get.
AirPods Max USB-C’s lossless update is available now
You’ll need iOS 18.4 to get the update to your Max
Instructions for checking the update are below
Applehas announced that the lossless audio update to AirPods Max with USB-C launches today,alongside the release of iOS 18.4 for iPhone.
Apple revealed that the AirPods Max update with lossless and latency-free Personalized Spatial Audio was coming previously, but without an exact date – and here it is.
This is the first totally lossless audio support ever for a pair of AirPods, and it provides 24-bit 48 kHz lossless support over USB-C, with a promise that this also brings the latency down to effectively zero, making it great for audio production or gaming.
(The original AirPods Max were lossless-ish, with support for cabled connections, but via an active cable that took analog signal, converted it to digital, then converted it back to analog in the headphones, so too much conversion to betrulylossless.)
Apple says you can connect to a Mac, iPhone or iPad to get lossless audio, but we’ll check whether it works with all other USB-C sources too.
Apple has also finally launched its own 3.5mm to USB-C cable, too, to enable the AirPods Max with USB-C to work with analogue audio output (making them work with airplane entertainment systems at last).
AirPods updates should be automatic, thoughApple recently explained for the first time how to kick AirPods updates into gear if you need to.
You’ll need iOS 18.4 on your iPhone, and then follow these steps:
Put your AirPods Max in Bluetooth range of your iPhone, iPad or Mac, which must be connected to Wi-Fi
Put your AirPods Max on to charge
Wait 30 minutes
Check if you have the new update
To check if you have the update, put your AirPods on, open the Settings app, tap on your AirPods Max, then scroll to the bottom and check to see if Version reads ‘7E99’.
AirPods Max with USB-C still rank among thebest wireless headphonesdespite their age, thanks to strong sound quality (even at their high price) and tons of unique features for Apple users, including Personalized Spatial Audio, auto-switching between Apple devices, and Find My support.
We actually had to remove them from our list of thebest travel headphonessince the USB-C version arrived, though, due to their lack of wired input for airplane journeys. This update means we might finally add them back in.
Apple’s Audio Sharing feature lets you share with a friend what you’re listening to on your Apple AirPods or select Beats headphones.
Apple has made it so you no longer need to share headphones to share music. With the Audio Sharing feature that debuted in iOS 13.1 and iPadOS 13.1, audio from a single iPhone or iPad can be sent to two separate pairs ofheadphones. While Apple has made the feature easy to use, there are still a few details to note. Most importantly, Audio Sharing does not work with every device or pair of headphones. Here’s what you need to know about wirelessly sharing audio on iPhone and iPad.
How to Get Audio Sharing
Before you can share your audio, you’ll need to meet certain requirements. Your iPhone must be running iOS 13.1 or higher, and your iPad should have iPadOS 13.1 or higher. To check, openSettings > General > Software Update, where you’ll be prompted to update your device or told it’s running the latest version. Even if you’re running the correct OS, the device you own may still be incompatible with Audio Sharing. To take advantage of the feature, both people must own one of these devices:
iPhone 8 or later
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd Gen), 11-inch, or 10.5-inch or later
Not every pair ofwireless headphonesare compatible with Apple’s Audio Sharing feature, either. To share your audio, both parties must be using a pair that contain Apple’s H1, H2, or W1 processor, which gives youa few options:
You can share your audio with another person through their charging case. While their headphones are in use, open their charging case and leave it near your device. Your device should open a Share Audio prompt, then just follow the directions on the screen. This will involve holding down the button on the charging case until their headphones are linked to your device.
(Credit: Apple)
You can also share audio from the Now Playing screen, Lock Screen, orControl Center. Tap theAirPlayicon and select theShare Audiobutton underneath the graphic showing your headphones. Place both devices next to each other and tapShare Audiowhen it appears on your screen. Your friend must then tapJoinon their device to complete the connection.
If your friend is using Beats headphones, the process is slightly different. With their headphones already connected, have them quickly press the power button and keep your device close by. This should cause the Share Audio button to appear on your screen, allowing you to connect.
(Credit: Apple)
Control Audio While Sharing
Audio volume for both sets of headphones can be controlled from theLock Screen, Control Center, or with the volume buttons on the side of the sharing device. By long-pressing the volume slider on the screen, you can control the volume of each set of headphones independently. Volume can also be controlled from the headphones themselves. AirPods that support noise-cancelling can use different noise control modes for each listener.
When you’re ready to stop sharing audio, tap theAirPlayicon in Control Center or on the Lock Screen to view the headphones that are currently connected. Tap the checkmark next to a pair of headphones to stop sharing audio.
This collection of computers, in part, has colored how we think about computers today.
Though packed away in garages and basements or collecting dust on a bookshelf, the computers of decades past are often things we have trouble discarding. It’s not just that electronics reuse is so challenging because of the components, it’s also hard to part with the laptops of yesteryear because they hold so much sentimental value and act as artifacts of our recent past.
I attended the Vintage Computer Festival in Orange, California, this month to try to figure out why old computers still have such appeal long after they become obsolete. There are now meetups in hotel ballrooms and convention centers across the country where people gather to share stories about old video games, swap repair tips, and yes, buy more old computers.
As a visual pairing with her story, “From the basement to the festival: The enduring allure of vintage computers,” Nelius also captured photos of 15 machines pivotal to how we define a computer — laptop, desktop, tablet, phone, watch, glasses — today.
AES Model 103:AES released the Lanier Model 103 “No Problem” word processor in 1978 with an Intel 8080 CPU (the company’s second 8-bit microprocessor), 32K of RAM, and dual 5.25-inch floppy disk drives. At the time, it cost $12,000, which would be nearly $61,000 in 2025. President Jimmy Carter used one of these PCs to write his memoir Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President and found it “much easier to compose on one than a typewriter,” as he told the New York Times in 1981.
Apple iBook G3: The G3 was Apple’s first iBook. This model includes a PowerPC G3 CPU, an optical drive, standard USB, and Wi-Fi, and it is the first to use Apple’s Unified Logic Board Architecture. Apple released it in 1999 for $1,599, about $3,050 today. Nicknamed “the clamshell,” it was a far departure from laptop designs at the time, not just because it resembled a clam. Its casing was translucent and boldly colored on the outside.
Bondwell 2: Introduced by Bondwell in 1985, the Bondwell-2 was a netbook-sized laptop that used a CP/M (Control Program/Monitor) system with a 3.5-inch disk drive. Bondwell originally designed the CP/M to load and run programs and organize files on 8- and 5.25-inch magnetic storage disks, so it was an unusual design choice to have it work with a more modern-sized floppy disk for the time. By 1985, MS-DOS and other operating systems had become more popular.
Laser PC4: This 1990 laptop shares several core features with today’s smartphones and laptops. It could keep track of your appointments, store telephone numbers, create spreadsheets, spell check documents, and function as an alarm clock. There was an IBM and a Macintosh version, so if you had either one of those desktop computers at the time, you could easily export files from the PC4 — but if not, the laptop came with an optional conversion kit for IBM, Mac, and Apple II systems.
Commodore LCD: The empty space here commemorates a laptop that never was: the Commodore LCD. The company canceled its release plans after announcing it at CES 1985, so only a handful of prototypes were ever made. One of those prototypes is currently in the hands of Bill Herd, an engineer who designed the LCD and other Commodore systems. Had the LCD been released, it would have run the Commodore BASIC 3.6 OS on a Rockwell 65C102 with 32KB of RAM and 96KB of ROM.
HP 110 Portable: The HP Portable was a stand-out laptop in 1984. Its screen was four times the size of the Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100 (its major competitor), its 5MHz CPU was extremely fast, and its 256K of RAM was enormous for the time. Its battery also lasted 16 hours on a single charge. Creative Computing voted the 110 Portable one of the best computers of 1984 for having “nearly everything you could wish for.”
GTE XT300E Action Station: Before Bell Atlantic acquired GTE Corporation, it released a few unsuccessful business computers. One was the 1985 XT300E ActionStation. No one wanted it, even with a built-in modem, electronic telephone, 9-inch screen, speakerphone, email service, and online public database search capabilities. In addition to its $1,295 price tag (around $3,825 in 2025), it costs $15 per hour to access CompuServe’s online services. That’s like paying $45 per hour today to access the Internet.
The rare Apple Bose: Released in 1997, Apple’s Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh (TAM) commemorated the 20 years that had passed since Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne started Apple Computer. (Ironically, this was also the same year Steve Jobs returned to Apple after previously departing in 1985.) The limited-edition desktop PC featured a PowerPC 603ev CPU, ATI 3D RAGE II graphics, and a custom-made Bose sound system. At release, it cost an astonishing $7,500.
Commodore PET 2001: The Commodore PET 2001 was the world’s first personal computer, debuting at CES 1977. Starting at $795 (over $4,000 today), it was powered by a MOS 6502 microprocessor and could be configured with up to 32KB of RAM. The TTL monochrome monitor was built into the same chassis as the chiclet keyboard. The PET 2001 had an integrated dataset that used cassette tapes instead of floppy disk drives like its rivals.
Grid Compass Computer 1101: When the first clamshell laptop, the Grid Compass Computer 1101, was released in 1982, it cost $8,150 — a couple of thousand dollars more than the average price of a car. This price was way out of most people’s budgets. However, its size and internal hardware made it the perfect computer for NASA, which first launched one into space in 1983 aboard the space shuttle Columbia. The custom GriD-OS was powered by an Intel 8086 CPU and used bubble (solid-state) memory.
Osborne 1: The Osborne 1 was released in 1981 and was the first commercially successful, “all-in-one” portable computer—even though it weighed nearly 25 pounds, had a 5-inch display, and looked like “a cross between a World War II field radio and a shrunken instrument panel of a DC-3,” as Time Magazine noted in 1982. Its CP/M operating system was powered by a Zilog Z80 CPU, 64KB of RAM, and dual 5.25-inch floppy disk drives.
ThinkPad 700C: IBM released its iconic ThinkPad 700/700C in 1992. It was the first laptop to feature the TrackPoint, an integrated pointing stick that controls the mouse cursor. The ThinkPad is also known for its Japanese Bento Box design, which makes many of its internal components easily accessible for upgrades or repairs. Due to their popularity, they sold out quickly. Even President George H. W. Bush had a hard time buying one as a Christmas gift for his wife, Barbara.
NEC 8401 A Starlet: Nicknamed “Starlet,” the NEC PC-8401A was a portable laptop released in 1985, the successor to the 8201 model. It was incredibly light for the time, weighing just 4.7 pounds, and came configured with 64K of RAM and 96K of ROM. The Starlet used the CP/M operating system, but its storage drives had to be purchased separately. However, the laptop did come with a few preinstalled programs for word processing, creating spreadsheets, and connecting to your phone line.
Cambridge Z88: The Cambridge Z88 was first announced in the US during the 1987 COMDEX show in Las Vegas. Weighting just 2 pounds, it was one of (if not the) smallest and lightest laptops that existed back then. It ran a proprietary operating system but had built-in programs for keeping track of appointments and important dates, combined software for word processing and making spreadsheets, and good printer driver compatibility — though you’d need to alter the printer driver manually.
Epson HX20: When it debuted at COMDEX in 1981, the Epson HX-20 started a new portable laptop trend: briefcase-sized, powerful, battery-operated devices. The HX-20 could last around 50 hours on a single charge, and if it sat idle for too long, it would turn off to conserve energy. As awesome as this laptop was, it didn’t achieve commercial success outside of Japan when it was released a year later. Radio Shack’s TRS-80 Model 100 overshadowed it.
You can unlock and drive your car with just an iPhone or your Apple Watch
Polestar has announced a big upgrade for iPhone andApple Watchcustomers that will allow drivers of its Polestar 3 to unlock and drive the vehicle thanks to car keys inAppleWallet.
The companyannouncedthat it was pushing an over-the-air software update to the Polestar 3. Car keys in Apple Wallet support now means that drivers can automatically unlock their cars while leaving their iPhones in their pocket, simply by wearing an Apple Watch.
It’s a big benefit that allows seamless, keyless entry to (and exit from) your vehicle. What’s more, customers benefit from Apple Wallet’s car keys sharing, so you can share keys through Messages, Mail, AirDrop,WhatsApp, and more with up to five other users, tweaking access between just gaining access to the vehicle or driving it as required. You can even use the iPhone Power Reserve feature to unlock and drive the car if your iPhone has run out of battery.
This is a welcome quality-of-life upgrade for Polestar 3 owners, and the company has confirmed the Polestar 4 should get support soon too. What’s more, you don’t even need thebest Apple Watchor newest iPhone to take advantage, you just need an iPhone 11 or Apple Watch Series 6 or later.
It’s also a welcome catch-up play for anyone casting a jealous eye over at Tesla. Tesla supports Apple Wallet car keys and also unveiled a new bespoke Apple Watch app for Tesla owners late last year. The latter lets users remotely lock and unlock their vehicle, adjust climate controls, and even open the front trunk.
While niche, Apple Wallet car keys is one of the coolest Apple Watch features going. The device’s Wallet app and NFC tools can also be used to unlock thebest smart locksfor your home, access hotel rooms, and of course, make payments using Apple Pay.
Applehas announced that the hearing aid mode forAirPods Pro 2, which wasannounced and launched in the US last year, is coming to the UK today, Monday February 24th, 2025. We alreadyknew that it was coming to the UK following a regulatory change, but not when – however, you can expect it to become enabled imminently.
AirPods Pro 2 are able to help with mild to moderate hearing loss, and the hearing aid mode is designed to help people boost particular frequencies that may make it hard for them to hear conversations in loud rooms, for example – especially in combination with Apple’s noise-management tech used in the earbuds.
Using them as hearing aids is a two-step process: first, you take a hearing aid test with them in your ears from your iPhone by listening to a series of tones while in a quiet room. This was already available in the UK, and we recommend everyone tries it –like our writer, you might find interesting things out even if you have no hearing problems, or it might help clarify things for you.
The second step is that the AirPods can take the results of your hearing test and create the hearing aid profile from there, boosting the parts of the world around you that need boosting when you wear them – though there are ways you can adjust how it works. This second part has been missing from the UK so far, but we’ve tried it out in the US, and it can be very powerful.
There are lots of people who resist hearing aids, for various reasons, and being able to use (relatively) inexpensive earbuds as an alternative might help a lot more people to try out hearing augmentation.
Well, that’s as long as they have an iPhone as well, and don’t hearing support all day. There’s no Android support for this feature on AirPods Pro 2, and you’re limited to the roughly six-hour battery life that AirPods Pro 2 have before then need recharging from their case.
But for some people, that will be perfect – they’ll only need them when having lunch with a friend or watching TV for a few hours, and can put them back in the case to charge when they extra nuance they offer isn’t needed.
The feature is only available for the AirPods Pro 2, not any of the otherbest AirPods– even the newerAirPods 4, because it requires the in-ear seal that only the Pro model provides.
If you’re having trouble finding the new feature, make sure your iPhone is up to date by going to the Settings app, then General, then Software Update, to check for an update on that device. AirPods should update their software automatically in the background when charging and not in use, butApple recently finally shared instructions on how to update AirPods.
