by MacRumors Staff
2024 may be drawing to a close, but there's still plenty of activity in the Apple universe as the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear with huge discounts, while we also keep an eye on a number of rumors about upcoming Apple products.
Apple also released a few operating system updates this week to address some security issues, so read on below for all the details on those stories and more!
AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features
It's been over three years since Apple unveiled its AirTag item tracker, and it looks like the company is gearing up to release the next-generation version around the middle of next year years.
Among the changes we expect or hope to see is a new chip for improved location tracking and greater range, as well as design changes that will make the speaker harder to remove, making it harder for someone who might try to disable the AirTag to use it for stalking purposes.
Apple Black Friday Deals Are Here: AirPods, iPad, and More
Black Friday is fast approaching, and the deals are already in full swing. Keep an eye on our Apple Black Friday roundup and our regular news feed to stay up to date with the best deals as they happen.
We're already seeing record low prices on a range of Apple products, as well as big sales from Anker, Sonos and Samsung.
Apple will also be running its traditional Black Friday/Cyber Monday gift card promotion, though better deals can usually be found at other retailers.
iPhone SE 4 with Apple's own 5G modem confirmed for March launch
In a research note this week, Barclays analysts said they had “confirmed” with suppliers that the fourth-generation iPhone SE, with an Apple-designed 5G modem, should launch towards the end of the first quarter of next year. In line with previous rumors, this timeframe suggests the new iPhone SE will be announced in March, just like the current model in 2022.
The fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected to have a similar design to the base iPhone 14, with rumored features including a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, a new A-series chip, a USB-C port, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, 8GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, and the previously mentioned Apple-designed 5G modem.
Apple releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 with security patches
Apple released several software updates this week, including iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1.
Users are advised to update their devices as these versions include fixes for security issues that were heavily exploited on Intel-based Macs, though the vulnerabilities exist on other platforms as well.
The 'iPhone 17 Air' is rumored to surpass the iPhone 6 and become the thinnest iPhone ever
The thickness of the iPhone has been growing over the years as Apple has packed more hardware and batteries into its devices, but Apple is rumored to be going in a different direction and releasing at least one model next year that will be unofficially called the “iPhone 17 Air.”
Apple analyst Jeff Pu said this week that he agrees with rumors that the iPhone 17 Air could be as thin as 6mm, compared to the 7.8mm-thick iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus and the 8.25mm-thick iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Hide Find My Location on iPhone Without Raising Suspicion
Ever looking for a way to get some privacy without raising suspicion? If you’re secretly shopping for a holiday gift or planning a surprise party, you might want to temporarily hide your actual location in Apple’s Find My app on your iPhone without turning off full location access.
Try a clever trick that lets you keep your location accessible while displaying a different location — all using another Apple device you own.
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