Apple

Coinbase has integrated Apple Pay as a payment method for Coinbase Onramp, its tool for building onramps into existing apps for fiat-to-crypto purchases. This will make it easier for 60 million U.S. users of Apple Pay to onramp and access popular payment methods. Coinbase Onramp provides a solution for onboarding to crypto, which can take a long time and require users to go through a lengthy know-your-customer (KYC) process. With Apple Pay, getting onchain takes only seconds. Apps already using Coinbase Onramp will automatically see Apple Pay as an option when users make an eligible purchase. This is the latest addition to Coinbase’s offerings, following the acquisition of the Utopia Labs team to accelerate its onchain payments roadmap within Coinbase Wallet. In October, Coinbase announced a money movement partnership with Visa, connecting Coinbase to the Visa Direct network and allowing customers to deposit funds into their accounts via eligible Visa debit cards.

Read Article

Coinbase has integrated Apple Pay as a payment method for Coinbase Onramp, its tool for building onramps into existing apps for fiat-to-crypto purchases. This will make it easier for 60 million U.S. users of Apple Pay to onramp and access popular payment methods. Coinbase Onramp provides a solution for onboarding to crypto, which can take a long time and require users to go through a lengthy know-your-customer (KYC) process. With Apple Pay, getting onchain takes only seconds. Apps already using Coinbase Onramp will automatically see Apple Pay as an option when users make an eligible purchase. This is the latest addition to Coinbase’s offerings, following the acquisition of the Utopia Labs team to accelerate its onchain payments roadmap within Coinbase Wallet. In October, Coinbase announced a money movement partnership with Visa, connecting Coinbase to the Visa Direct network and allowing customers to deposit funds into their accounts via eligible Visa debit cards.

Read Article

Creator platform Patreon has rolled out an updated version of its app that now allows users to make purchases via the web, in the wake of the Apple-Epic court ruling that forced Apple to allow app developers to include links to alternative forms of payment without being subject to Apple’s commission. Previously, on version 125.4.1 of Patreon’s iOS app, users who wanted to subscribe to a creator’s membership plan would have to do so using Apple’s in-app purchases. In the updated version (version 125.5.0), users now have the option of making a purchase via the web, where they can choose to pay with other payment methods, including credit cards, Venmo, and PayPal, as well as with Apple Pay. The option to use Apple’s own in-app purchases method, meanwhile, is shown only in very small text below the larger, bold “Join” button. This change will likely direct more customers to pay via Patreon’s website instead of through Apple’s in-app purchases. Users who update their app should see the new checkout experience within 24 hours. Patreon also noted creators would now be able to keep more of their money if they didn’t have to pay Apple its commission on purchases.

Read Article

PlayStation 5 users can now use Apple Pay to complete purchases of games and content on their consoles. They will be presented with a unique code to scan with their iPhone or iPad, which will then prompt the native Apple Pay checkout sheet. Users can choose their card and authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID. Apple added support for this code-based system with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 last year. Apple Pay support is now available on PS5 and is expected to be available on PS4 with a future software update. While not as quick and easy as a one-click purchase, it is a nice improvement for those looking to earn 2% Daily Cash with their Apple Card.

Read Article

Apple’s 20th-anniversary model of iPhone is in development, with screen and battery changes expected for the milestone model. For its 2027 release, which marks the 20th anniversary of the iPhone, the company has started to make preparations for the special smartphone. One of the major updates Apple is planning is the use of an OLED driver display chip (DDI) based on the FinFET’s 3D structure. The chip, which issues instructions to the pixels of the display, is currently produced using a 28-nanometer planar process, with the FinFET switch using a 16-nanometer method instead. The change will help reduce the amount of power consumed by the display, alongside the use of high-luminous efficiency OLED elements. This all-new design will be more power-efficient. Supply chain talks with LG Display and Samsung Display, Apple’s chief screen supply chain partners, are expected soon to discuss the tech changes. This may not be the only display change, as a source says that four-sided bending display technologies are being developed as well as under-display cameras. If they can be commercialized, they can make a big change to how the displays are made, including eliminating the bezel completely. While the new display should reduce power consumption at a time when on-device AI processing such as Apple Intelligence needs even more, there can be more power changes as well. The use of a pure silicon battery is also a prospect. The idea is that the use of 100% silicon as a cathode instead of graphite could considerably increase the energy density, so it can hold more power in the cell. A secondary benefit is an improvement to battery endurance. A battery that is more hardy and deteriorates at a slower rate than current-gen versions, meaning users will have more usage of the entire capacity for longer.

Read Article

Apple’s executives are pushing for Siri to become a proper AI chatbot that scours the web, potentially as a direct competitor to ChatGPT. Such a move could eliminate reliance on OpenAI’s service for responses and keep the queries in-house. A chatbot that Apple has been reportedly testing internally for years has apparently done extremely well in the last six months. Employees claim that the internal bot is on a similar level to responses from ChatGPT. Management has also talked about the possibility of letting the chat bot the option of scouring the Internet and use data from multiple sources to create answers to queries. Refocusing efforts on making Siri work with an Apple chatbot can be beneficial to Apple beyond just making Siri smarter. For a start, a better and more powerful Siri that could answer search queries like ChatGPT could help offset some related costs. Another feature that was announced as coming to Siri but got delayed could also help. The feature of using Siri to work more deeply with apps on an iPhone could let Siri respond to queries and commands by triggering actions in apps on the user’s behalf. Such a feature would keep the App Store relevant and maintain its position as a $20 billion per year business. With the potential for chatbots to take over from apps in terms of general usage by iPhone owners, this functionality could still keep the app economy ticking over.

Read Article

Apple plans to release a new set of AI products and frameworks at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this June, including tools that’ll let third-party developers create software using Apple AI models.  Apple’s hope is that expanding its AI tech in this way will draw more attention — and users — as the company looks to catch up with its competitors in the AI space. The new framework will let developers integrate Apple Intelligence across their apps. The company is seeking to first allow developers to use its smaller models. WWDC this year will also reportedly see Apple overhaul its operating systems across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Apple is also set to release new device-specific capabilities, including one that helps manage battery life, and a new Health app — powered, of course, by AI (although the app reportedly won’t be ready until next year).

Read Article

The global wearable band market grew 13% year over year in the first quarter of 2025, reaching 46.6 million shipments, according to new data from Canalys. The rebound was driven by broad demand across categories, especially in emerging markets, and a low comparison base from the first quarter of 2024. Xiaomi surged back into the lead with 8.7 million units shipped, up 44% from 2024. Apple came in second with 7.6 million Apple Watch shipments, a modest 5% increase from 2024. That’s in line with seasonal expectations, as the first quarter tends to be the furthest point from Apple’s typical September refresh cycle. Instead of chasing hardware overhauls, Apple is focusing on enhancing the stickiness of its ecosystem. Huawei held third place with 7.1 million units shipped, a 36% year-over-year gain. Its GT and Fit series found traction outside China, supported by a wider rollout of the Huawei Health app. Samsung followed with 4.9 million shipments, a sharp 74% increase driven by a dual-market strategy. Garmin rounded out the top five with 1.8 million units shipped, up 10%. The launch of Garmin Connect+, a subscription platform for deeper health insights and training tools, signals the brand’s move toward recurring revenue. As hardware margins tighten, vendors are shifting focus from features to ecosystems. Huawei is taking a more health-centric approach, building a closed-loop system through its Health app. Price, battery life, and health tracking remain the top buying factors. But as ecosystems mature and software capabilities expand, vendors that offer reliable integration and trusted data handling will have the edge. Xiaomi’s rise highlights how affordable devices, when paired with a growing ecosystem, can take the lead even against brands with a head start.

Read Article