O'Grady's PowerPage

  • Rumor: Apple in the early stages of testing OLED iMac displays

    Rumor: Apple in the early stages of testing OLED iMac displays

    If you’re dreaming of an iMac with an OLED display, you might have to wait a while.

    After many years of using LED backlighting and using mini-LED in some cases, Apple has gradually been moving its product lines to OLED. However, the expense of the technology means some products will get it far later than others.

    Per ZDNet Korea, Apple plans to bring the OLED iMac to market by 2029 or 2030.

    Sources close to the story have stated that Apple has made requests to Samsung Display and LG Display to produce iMac OLED samples via their mass production facilities. Of the two, Samsung Display is anticipated to be the faster responder, which could help it gain some orders.

    It’s rumored that Samsung’s display panels will offer a pixel density of 220 pixels per inch. This is higher than the existing 160PPI Quantum Dot OLED (QD-OLED) panels that it is currently producing for displays, but new equipment will help boost the density.

    For its part, LG Display will offer White OLED (W-OLED) panels, though these could arrive at a slower rate than Samsung. It’s also rumored that the LG panels aren’t as bright as Samsung’s QD-LED versions, which will count against it. It’s also been rumored that LG is working on a new five-stack panel using W-OLED, instead of the existing four-stack version. The extra panel would add an additional green layer, which would boost brightness, but the manufacturing method has yet to reach mass production.

    It’s also been noted that this isn’t the first time Apple has inquired about OLED iMac parts from its suppliers. In December, it made a Request for Information (RFI) from Samsung Display and LG Display for finalized specifications for the display itself. At the time, and reiterated in the March report, the 24-inch display will have a pixel density of 218 to 220 pixels per inch. This puts it at the same resolution as the current 4.5K Retina panel in the existing iMac.

    It’s thought that Apple wants the new screen to be much brighter than the current screen. While the current iMac display offers 500 nits of brightness, the OLED version is expected by Apple to have a maximum brightness of 600 nits.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and ZDNet Korea

  • Rumor: Revamped Siri could be delayed until iOS 26.5 or iOS 27 release

    Rumor: Revamped Siri could be delayed until iOS 26.5 or iOS 27 release

    Siri may not be getting as immediate a turnaround/update as expected.

    Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple apparently won’t be incorporating some or all of the new Siri features until iOS 26.5 or iOS 27.

    At the time, Apple engineers were apparently using iOS 26.5 for internal ‌Siri‌ testing, and the employees said the update included all of the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ ‌Siri‌ features that Apple promised back at WWDC 2024, but there are no signs of those additions to ‌Siri‌ now that the beta is available to developers.

    It’s possible that the Siri features that have been mentioned could surface in a later beta of iOS 26.5, although that seems less likely as June and the iOS 27 WWDC debut edge closer.

    Last week, Gurman stated that iOS 27 would feature a standalone Siri chatbot app that incorporated all of the Apple Intelligence Siri features. This caps off a long series of delays in which Apple introduced Apple Intelligence in June 2024, and stated that the feature set would launch in an update to iOS 26 coming in 2025. When last spring rolled around, Apple announced another delay and said Siri needed more time. This has only been met with further delays, and Apple has offered no set data as to when the revamped version of Siri would launch or if it would be this year.

    The current word on the street is that Siri will be demonstrated as a chatbot at this year’s WWDC, and will offer a feature set that will put the personal assistant on par with Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI chatbots.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Bloomberg

  • Apple discontinues the Mac Pro product line, offers no future plans for updated hardware

    Apple discontinues the Mac Pro product line, offers no future plans for updated hardware

    As much as you may love the Mac Pro towers, Apple felt differently as to the future of the product.

    Per 9to5Mac, Apple has confirmed that the Mac Pro is being discontinued and that no future models are planned in the future. The company removed the tower from its “buy” page on Apple’s website, and the former Mac Pro web page now redirects to other sections of the website.

    The Mac Pro has lived many lives over the years. Apple released the current Mac Pro industrial design in 2019 alongside the Pro Display XDR (which was also discontinued earlier this month). That version of the Mac Pro was powered by Intel, and Apple refreshed it with the M2 Ultra chip in June 2023. It has gone without an update since then, languishing at its $6,999 price point even as Apple debuted the M3 Ultra chip in the Mac Studio last year.

    At present, the Mac Studio is clearly set up as the “pro” desktop Mac. The unit can be configured with the M3 Ultra chip and a 32-core CPU, and an 80-core GPU, paired with 256GB of unified memory and 16TB of SSD storage.

    With the discontinuation of Mac Pro today, Apple now sells three desktop Macs:

    • 24-inch iMac with M4
    • Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro
    • Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra

    And three notebooks:

    • MacBook Neo
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro

    While this may break a number of hearts (including my own, I owned several Mac Pro towers over the years, and I loved upgrading them), the writing’s been on the wall for several years now and the time had come for Apple, in a true Steve Jobs fashion, to slash a product it didn’t need.

    Please let us know what you think in the comments.

    Via 9to5Mac

  • Rumor: Apple developing a quad-curve display iPhone to celebrate the iPhone’s 20th anniversary

    Rumor: Apple developing a quad-curve display iPhone to celebrate the iPhone’s 20th anniversary

    Sometimes Apple’s product roadmap gets weird, if not that much more interesting.

    Per 9to5Mac and Weibo, Apple may be developing an iPhone with a quad-curved display.

    According to noted Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station,

    Apple is testing a quad-curved display for next year’s expected ‘iPhone 20.’

    2027 will mark the iPhone’s 20th anniversay, and reports have indicated that Apple is working on something special. This model is said to feature a fully cutout-free display, albeit recent reports have stated that Apple is struggling to meet its goals for under-display camera and Face ID components.

    Essentially, a quad-curved display would wrap around the corners of the device to provide a bezel-free, all-screen design. This might explain why the iPhone 20 is rumored to drop physical buttons for haptic ones.

    Rumors of the quad-curved display iPhone have been circulating since last May, and it’s thought that Apple may have progressed with the design.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac

  • Rumor: Apple to release new full-sized HomePod alongside next-gen HomePod mini and Apple TV devices this year

    Rumor: Apple to release new full-sized HomePod alongside next-gen HomePod mini and Apple TV devices this year

    Apple may be releasing a new full-sized HomePod smart speaker alongside next-gen HomePod mini and Apple TV models.

    Per MacRumors, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reiterated that updates to all three products are on hold until Apple releases its more personalized version of Siri later this year. The revamped assistant is expected to debut in iOS 27, which will be available in beta starting in June and should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September.

    Gurman also expressed confidence in the idea that the three devices would be released this year.

    In a recent Power On newsletter that went out last weekend, Gurman noted that the next-gen versions of the Apple TV and HomePod have been “ready” since last year, and explicitly stated “yes” as to a next-gen full-sized HomePod en route for this year.

    Once again, and in true Apple fashion, remaining inventory for the current Apple TV HomePod mini, and full-sized HomePod is said to be “running low” at Apple’s retail locations around the world. Current rumors have also stated that the next Apple TV would be equipped with the A17 Pro chip, which is the oldest chip that supports Apple Intelligence. The device is also expected to feature Apple’s N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread.

    Where the upcoming HomePod mini is concerned, the device is expected to use the Apple Watch’s S9 chip or newer, although it’s not entirely clear how the chip would be revamped to support Apple Intelligence. Other rumored features include the N1 chip, improved sound quality, a newer Ultra Wideband chip, and a red color option.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Bloomberg