Top stories: All-new Mac Pro in testing, AirTag updates, and more

It’s Christmas Eve, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been a lot of Apple news and rumors in recent days as we’ve heard details about Apple’s plans for the Mac Pro, iPhone SE, and more.

In other news, Apple has detailed the changes it made in two recent firmware updates for AirTags, while the company appears to have pulled the new Home app architecture it started offering users with iOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1. Read below for details on these stories and more!

New Mac Pro in Testing, But ‘M2 Extreme’ Chip May Be Canceled

Apple continues to test the all-new Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra chip, but the company may have abandoned plans to introduce a higher-end “M2 Extreme” chip, according to Apple Inc. bloombergMark Gorman.

Gurman said the Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra chip will be available with a CPU with up to 24 cores, a GPU with up to 76 cores, and at least 192GB of RAM. Like the current Mac Pro, the new model is expected to still be expandable with additional memory, storage, and more.

The current Intel-based Mac Pro was released in December 2019 and starts at $5,999 in the United States. Barring any further delays, the new model is supposed to be launched in 2023.

The latest rumors for every Mac: When to expect new models

Other than the Mac Pro, many other Macs are expected to be updated next year. For example, new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are expected to be released in early 2023. A new Mac mini with M2 chips is also rumored.

This week we rounded up the latest rumors about every Mac Apple sells, including the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.

Apple said it is canceling or delaying the iPhone SE 4

Apple plans to either cancel or delay mass production of the fourth-generation iPhone SE, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo originally expected the next iPhone SE to launch in 2024, but said those plans are likely to change due to lower-than-expected shipments of mid-to-low-end iPhone models, such as the third-generation iPhone SE, iPhone 13 mini, and iPhone 14 Plus.

Apple is withdrawing the iOS 16.2 upgrade option to a new home architecture

One of the major new features of iOS 16.2 is the ability to upgrade to a new home app architecture. While Apple hasn’t shared details about the exact changes, the company said the upgrade delivers “improved performance and reliability” for HomeKit accessories.

After some users who upgraded the Home app complained about technical issues, it seems that Apple has removed the option to upgrade the Home app for now.

Apple reveals what’s new in its latest AirTag firmware updates

Apple recently released two firmware updates for its AirTag accessory, and since then the company has outlined what’s new in the updates.

A firmware update delivers some of the features Apple promised earlier this year to help prevent AirTags from being used for stalking purposes. Another update fixes an issue where the AirTag accelerometer may not activate in some scenarios.

Mac Pro “Trashcan”: Remember one of Apple’s most controversial designs

This week marks the ninth anniversary of Apple’s release of the so-called “trashcan” Mac Pro, providing an opportunity to reflect on one of Apple’s most controversial hardware designs.

While the “trashcan” Mac Pro had a nice design, it was not modular, leading to complaints from power users about its lack of upgradeability over the years. Computer discontinued in 2019.

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