Tag: Source: 9to5mac.com

A recent loyalty survey regarding smartphones conducted by SellCell has revealed important trends in brand allegiance among smartphone users in the United States. The survey, which included over 5,000 participants, showed that Android users are 3.7 times more inclined to switch to an iPhone than vice versa. This result highlights the strong loyalty that Apple has nurtured among its users, which has significantly risen over the last five years.

The survey findings illustrate that an impressive 96.4% of iPhone users intend to buy another iPhone when they next upgrade their device. Conversely, merely 3.6% of iPhone users indicated plans to shift to Android. The scenario is noticeably different for Android users, as 13.6% expressed they would think about transitioning to an iPhone, showing a considerable lean towards Apple’s products.

Brand loyalty for iPhones has experienced a notable increase, ascending from 90.5% in 2019 to 96.4% in 2026, with much of this expansion taking place since 2021. When questioned about why they remained devoted to Apple, a majority of iPhone users (60.8%) cited a preference for the iOS operating system. Furthermore, 17.4% of respondents highlighted their investment in the Apple ecosystem as a crucial aspect of their fidelity. Other factors included product reliability, user-friendliness, and confidence in Apple’s privacy and security protocols.

For the small segment of iPhone users contemplating a switch to Android, pricing emerged as the chief motivating factor. This indicates that while Apple has effectively developed a devoted customer base, price sensitivity remains an essential consideration for certain users.

The survey results offer valuable perspectives on consumer behavior in the smartphone industry, underlining the hurdles Android manufacturers encounter in retaining customers. For more comprehensive findings from the survey, additional details can be found on SellCell’s official blog.

Apple’s satellite collaborator, GlobalStar, was recently purchased by Amazon, resulting in a partnership between the two technology powerhouses. This alliance has ignited speculation about four new satellite functionalities expected to launch on the iPhone shortly.

### 1. 5G Via Satellite

The existing satellite connectivity on the iPhone is considerably sluggish, but this is likely to evolve with the forthcoming iPhone 18 series. Reports indicate that Apple’s new C2 modem, incorporated in the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Ultra, will provide support for 5G via satellite. This improvement is set to significantly boost connection speeds, making satellite features more accessible to users.

### 2. Apple Maps Functionality

Currently, Apple Maps enables users to download maps for offline access, but it usually necessitates a Wi-Fi or cellular connection. However, Bloomberg reveals that Apple is striving to make Apple Maps operational over satellite connectivity. While it is still unclear if this will hinge on the new 5G capabilities of the C2 modem, it remains a possibility that could enhance navigation in isolated regions.

### 3. Sharing Photos in Messages App

Bloomberg has also reported that Apple intends to allow the transmission of photos via the Messages app over satellite. At present, users are limited to sending text messages over satellite, which has been crucial during emergencies. The ability to send images could significantly enhance communication in urgent situations, enabling users to convey visual information like injuries or locations.

### 4. Third-Party API for Applications

Finally, Apple is allegedly crafting an API that will permit third-party developers to incorporate satellite connections into their applications. This endeavor will allow app creators to utilize satellite connectivity for various functions, although not all services may be compatible. Initially, Apple might limit this feature to emergency-related applications, with a more extensive rollout expected as satellite access grows more widespread.

These forthcoming functionalities indicate a remarkable upgrade in the iPhone’s satellite capabilities, potentially revolutionizing how users engage with their devices in remote regions.

As Earth Day approaches next week, Apple has spotlighted its most recent advancements in environmental sustainability. This encompasses the incorporation of 100% recycled materials in three distinct categories. Additionally, the company is providing a 10% discount on AirPods and other accessories when you recycle a qualifying product.

Apple released its latest annual Environmental Progress Report, which monitors the company’s timeline towards its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality across its entire operations by the end of this decade. The report indicates that Apple has reached 30% recycled material throughout its entire product lineup, noting that it has attained 100% in three categories.

Apple has made remarkable progress in utilizing recycled materials. All batteries designed by Apple now feature 100% recycled cobalt, and all magnets consist of 100% recycled rare earth elements. Furthermore, all printed circuit boards designed by Apple are produced with 100% recycled gold plating and tin soldering. The company has also fulfilled its commitment to eliminate plastic from packaging by 2025, having completed the transition to 100% fiber-based packaging last year.

The MacBook Neo has reached new heights in environmental sustainability, boasting 60% recycled content overall, making it the Apple product with the highest recycled content to date. Its enclosure is crafted using a material-efficient forming process that utilizes half the raw materials compared to conventional machining techniques. A new anodization method has also been implemented, achieving a 70% water-reuse rate, converting what was once a water-intensive process into a closed-loop system.

As part of Apple’s Earth Day festivities, customers who recycle an eligible Apple product at their local participating Apple Store from now until May 16 can obtain 10% off Apple AirPods or accessories. Items brought to Apple for free recycling undergo comprehensive assessments, and qualifying devices are directed to Apple’s advanced recycling systems for further processing.

For additional information on the eligible products and terms, please refer to the complete list provided by Apple.

At Canva Create today, the organization is making its most significant advancement yet into the agentic design arena with the unveiling of the research preview of Canva AI 2.0. Here’s what’s different.

## Canva AI 2.0 Expands Beyond Design

With the launch of Canva AI 2.0, the platform is unveiling a cohesive conversational interface for design, automation, and content generation, built on the company’s Proteus, Lucid Origin, and I2V generative image and video models, which are “up to 7x quicker and 30x more affordable than similar leading alternatives.”

In practical terms, today’s announcement allows users to leverage natural language prompts to articulate their needs, while Canva’s novel agentic system generates designs and manages the tools and workflows necessary to create, edit, automate, and even publish work throughout the platform.

Here’s Canva on the announcement:

> Driven by Canva’s cutting-edge AI lab and years of investment in foundational models for design, Canva AI 2.0 converts Canva into a conversational, agentic platform where teams can transition from concept to execution in a single location. The outcome is a robust creative ally throughout the entire process, from the initial idea to the final product.

Canva AI 2.0 merges a new architectural layer with workflow tools that extend beyond design generation into research, automation, and task management.

## The Architecture Layer

The architecture layer powers Canva’s fundamental AI experience, featuring, as stated by the company:

– **Conversational Design:** Articulate an idea, goal, or rough outline, and Canva AI produces a fully editable design with structure, branding, and layout from the outset.

– **Agentic Orchestration:** Clarify a goal, share a rough sketch, or provide a brief, and a new orchestration layer comprehends your intent, chooses the appropriate tools, and coordinates them to fabricate everything you require, in every format.

– **Object-Based Intelligence:** Request Canva AI to modify something, and only that aspect changes. Replace an image, modify a headline, or adjust a font without impacting anything else. Teams can jump in to collaborate, comment, and iterate as the work advances.

– **Living Memory:** Canva AI gathers insights from your work, becoming increasingly beneficial with each use. Customize it with your existing designs to create a tailored memory library and an “About Me” profile that consistently adapts your experience.

## Workflow Features

In addition to the architectural layer, Canva AI 2.0 also introduces workflow features designed to enhance the platform’s utility for planning, collaboration, and everyday tasks, beyond the design process itself. These include:

– **Connectors:** Canva AI can now produce summaries from Zoom transcripts, transform customer emails into personalized sales pitches, or create company newsletters based on activity across Slack. Initial connectors encompass Slack, Notion, Zoom, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar, with more to follow.

– **Scheduling:** Canva AI can conduct scheduled tasks automatically in the background, even while you’re offline. For example, it can generate a complete batch of social content each Friday or scan your emails every morning and produce briefing documents for upcoming meetings based on calendar events.

– **Web Research:** Conduct research on demand, or schedule it, and Canva AI will compile and organize information from across the web, subsequently delivering it into your design as structured, editable content ready for refinement and sharing.

– **Canva Code 2.0:** Now featuring HTML Importing, describe any interactive concept, and Canva AI constructs a full, responsive experience, structured, interactive, and designed for compatibility across all devices.

## Availability

Canva AI 2.0 debuts today as a research preview, available to the first million users who sign up from the Canva homepage. The company states “access will expand progressively to additional users over the following weeks.”

**Spotify’s Tablet Update Launches on iPad and Android**

Spotify has introduced a fresh iteration of its mobile app tailored specifically for users of iPad and Android tablets. This update seeks to elevate the overall experience by enhancing browsing, navigation, and usability through four essential features.

The newest app version is designed to deliver a “smarter, smoother experience for tablets,” as stated by Spotify. The company highlights that this redesign is not simply an enlarged version of the mobile app but offers a customized experience that fully utilizes the larger screen dimensions. This enables users to effortlessly explore and discover new content while enjoying their current playback.

**A Recognizable Interface and Four New Features**

The revamped Spotify experience on iPad retains a familiar layout for users moving from other devices. Nevertheless, it presents four significant features:

1. **Adaptive Orientation**: The app’s interface now adjusts itself—not just resizes—when toggling between portrait and landscape modes, ensuring a well-balanced and intentional layout in both orientations.

2. **A Collapsible Sidebar**: The updated sidebar allows users to browse and discover content while keeping playback visible. It can be expanded for a more focused experience and features interactive, scrollable content for exploration without disrupting the ongoing playback.

3. **An Improved Video Experience**: The “Switch to Video” toggle is strategically placed, simplifying the transition for users into a more immersive viewing experience.

4. **Parallel Browsing**: Users can maintain music or video on one half of the screen while navigating their library or recommendations on the other, enhancing multitasking capabilities.

This iPad rollout follows a series of updates from Spotify, including options for users to disable video for a more concentrated audio experience, enhancements to playlist flow, and better control over recommendations.

With these enhancements, Spotify continues to polish its platform, ensuring users enjoy a more compelling and user-friendly experience on their tablets.

Apple’s component manufacturers are increasing production for the iPhone 18 components, with indications of a new camera feature for the iPhone 18 Pro. Notably, China’s Sunny Optical has started manufacturing a key component aimed at controlling the iris in the lenses of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

### iPhone 18 Pro Variable Aperture Lenses

The launch of variable aperture lenses in the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to significantly improve photographic features. This function allows users to manipulate the depth of field (DoF) in their photographs, offering versatility in how subjects are portrayed against backgrounds. A shallow DoF can set a subject apart from its surroundings, while a medium DoF retains some background details, and a deep DoF keeps everything in focus, which is ideal for landscapes or city views. This capability resembles the Portrait mode currently offered, which mimics a shallow DoF via software.

Anticipation for Apple to add variable aperture lenses to its iPhones has been growing for years, and recent indications imply that this may indeed be the year it becomes a reality.

### Sunny Optical Started Production

Apple’s supply chain for new iPhone versions is intricate, necessitating careful planning and timing. The production of the camera module depends on various individual components, including the lenses and the actuators required for variable aperture capabilities. Sunny Optical’s early manufacturing of these actuators is critical for LG to assemble the camera modules by mid-year. Reports indicate that Sunny Optical has initiated production of these essential parts, with LG Innotech expected to begin camera module manufacturing around June to July.

### 9to5Mac’s Take

While there have been earlier predictions concerning the implementation of variable aperture in past iPhone models, the current evidence seems strong enough to imply its debut in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. However, it is important to manage expectations regarding the degree of enhancement this feature will contribute. Although iPhone cameras already feature wide apertures, the smaller sensor size constrains the capacity to achieve very shallow depth of field. Nonetheless, the integration of variable aperture is a progressive step in improving the photographic experience on iPhones.

### iOS 27: Four New Features Speculated

As WWDC approaches in June, more information is surfacing regarding iOS 27. A recent leak outlines four features expected to be included in iOS 27, such as Apple Intelligence, Wallet, and additional enhancements.

Nicolás Alvarez uncovered these features in “backend code,” which were subsequently “confirmed” by MacRumors.

Firstly, Apple purportedly has two new enhancements for Visual Intelligence underway. The company is working on a capability to scan nutrition labels and gather more information about their ingredients. This may also connect with the Apple Health app for tracking dietary intake, a functionality earlier noted by Bloomberg.

Visual Intelligence is also preparing to introduce a feature that enables users to add new individuals, phone numbers, and addresses to their Contacts app by scanning them. This would operate similarly to the existing feature that allows adding events to the Calendar by scanning promotional material.

In Safari, iOS 27 could bring an AI feature that automatically assigns names to Tab Groups for users based on the contents of the tabs included in that group.

Finally, the most notable feature for iOS 27 is said to pertain to Apple Wallet. The report indicates that iOS 27 will introduce support for transforming physical passes into digital versions for Apple Wallet. For instance, users might scan their gym membership barcode and generate a digital counterpart to store in Apple Wallet. This could also extend to event tickets, loyalty cards, and more.

This is a long-awaited addition for Apple Wallet. Various third-party applications have offered similar functionality for years, albeit with mixed results. Google incorporated a comparable feature in the Google Wallet app back in August 2024.

What are your thoughts on these iOS 27 speculations? What are you anticipating Apple has planned? Share your insights in the comments. Stay informed with all the latest rumors in our dedicated iOS 27 guide.

### Fatal Plane Crash During Adventure Filming

Reports indicate that a devastating microlight plane crash resulted in the death of British paraplegic athlete and pilot Claire Lomas while she was being filmed for Apple’s immersive video series, *Adventure*. This incident took place in 2024 during a flight over the Jordanian desert and has only recently emerged concerning the filming context.

*Adventure* is a component of Apple’s selection of immersive video content for the Vision Pro, intended to showcase groundbreaking athletes as they embark on extraordinary challenges. The episode featuring Lomas aimed to emphasize her exceptional journey as a paraplegic athlete, but the circumstances surrounding the crash bring forth significant apprehensions.

Crew members had earlier voiced safety concerns to Apple, noting issues such as insufficient training, long working hours, and the difficulties of filming in extreme environments. In response to these worries, Apple sent a safety consultant to supervise the production. However, the crash suggests that these actions may not have adequately guaranteed the safety of the involved crew and athletes.

Sources confirmed that Lomas was in the midst of being filmed at the moment of the crash, with a camera system affixed to the aircraft. The episode was expected to release last year, but the tragic incident has cast a shadow over its production.

The safety concerns raised by the crew encompassed the rigorous filming schedule and the dangers of managing equipment in conditions where they had minimal training. Although Apple took measures to address these issues by dispatching a health and safety representative, the absence of prior incidents does not lessen the gravity of this tragedy.

General aviation, particularly with microlight aircraft, is recognized to have a higher risk compared to commercial aviation. Statistics reveal that microlight aircraft have an accident rate that is double that of traditional light aircraft, with an increased probability of fatal outcomes.

As inquiries progress, the upcoming coroner’s report may shed more light on the events that led to this unfortunate accident. The high-risk nature of productions like *Adventure* highlights the necessity for rigorous safety protocols to safeguard both athletes and crew members involved in extreme activities.

**Opera Expands MCP Compatibility Beyond Neon**

Following the recent introduction of MCP compatibility in Opera Neon, Opera is now incorporating its browser connector feature into Opera One and Opera GX. Here’s what that entails.

A few weeks back, Opera revealed that Opera Neon, its subscription-driven agentic browser, had achieved MCP compatibility, empowering users to link external AI tools directly to their ongoing browsing experiences. Essentially, this functionality allowed Opera Neon subscribers to permit chatbots and tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Lovable, n8n, and OpenClaw to access tabs, engage with pages, and perform actions on their behalf.

Today, Opera is broadening this MCP compatibility to include Opera One and Opera GX, meaning that the feature is no longer exclusive to Opera Neon subscribers.

MCP is an open standard that links AI models (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude) to external platforms (like Notion, Google Drive, Slack, GitHub, and Zapier).

Opera emphasizes that the launch of the Browser Connector on Opera One and Opera GX reinforces the company’s dedication to user choice, ensuring “users aren’t restricted to a single company’s ecosystem, but are instead free to mix the best tools for their individual requirements,” as stated by Mohamed Salah, Senior Director of Product at Opera.

To activate the Browser Connector feature, users can navigate to Settings, search for AI Services, install Browser Connector, and then link their preferred LLM.

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