2026-02-28 22:00:00
Get ready for an onslaught of Apple news! Ahead of a "special Apple experience" for the media on Wednesday, there will be several days of announcements coming from the company with Tim Cook confirming that things will kick off on Monday.
We're expecting a number of product announcements next week, but we're also continuing to look ahead at what we can expect with iPhone and Mac updates later this year. Software development is also continuing with iOS 26.4 proceeding through beta testing, so read on below for all the details!
2026-02-28 07:29:09
Starting on Monday, we're going to get our first major product announcements of 2026. Apple CEO Tim Cook teased a "big week ahead" with an "Apple Launch" hashtag, plus Apple has media events scheduled in New York, Shanghai, and London on Wednesday, March 4. We're expecting the iPhone 17e, an all-new low-cost MacBook, and minor refreshes to the Mac and iPad lines.
2026-02-28 04:08:57
With a similar screen size and easy, one-handed grip, the iPad mini has always been the Apple device that overlaps most with dedicated e-readers. Now, amid rumors pointing to an OLED display for the next generation, could the iPad mini finally replace devices such as the Kindle and Kobo?
The shift from LCD to OLED could make the iPad mini far more appealing as a reading device. OLED panels allow each pixel to turn off individually, producing true blacks and extremely high contrast.
Text can appear sharper and more defined against a dark background, particularly in dark mode. Night reading is also typically more comfortable because the display can emit less light overall. Color reproduction and viewing angles also improve with OLED, which could make a big difference for comics, magazines, and illustrated books.
Another benefit is power efficiency. OLED displays can consume less energy when displaying dark content. That could modestly extend battery life during reading sessions.
All current iPad models have no official water resistance rating. By contrast, devices like the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Libra Color are typically rated to withstand immersion, allowing users to read in the bath, by the pool, or at the beach without concern. Rumors suggest Apple is exploring a more sealed design for the next iPad mini, potentially using vibration-based speakers and fewer ingress points to add water resistance. This could remove one of the everyday practical advantages that e-readers currently hold over the iPad mini.
However, dedicated e-readers would still retain some major advantages over the iPad mini. Kindle and Kobo devices use e-ink screens that reflect ambient light rather than emitting light directly toward the eyes, behaving much more like paper. Many readers find that e-ink screens cause less fatigue during long reading sessions. Outdoor readability is another area where e-ink remains superior, since they become easier to read as ambient light increases.
Battery life is also dramatically different. Most e-readers last weeks on a single charge because the screen only uses power when the page changes. The iPad mini typically lasts for around a day or two of mixed use at most. E-readers are also intentionally limited devices that focus on reading, while tablets encourage multitasking, which can make focused reading more difficult for some users.
Even if OLED improves the reading experience, the iPad mini would still compete in a different price category. The current iPad mini starts at $499, and rumors suggest the OLED version could cost up to $100 more. By contrast, many Kindle and Kobo models are much more accessible and cost between $110 and $300 depending on features.
OLED would still make the iPad mini a significantly better reading device than it already is, but the physics of e-ink displays provide advantages that OLED cannot replicate, especially for reading. What OLED could do is shift the balance slightly; for casual readers, an OLED iPad mini may become good enough that buying a separate e-reader no longer feels necessary.
The OLED iPad mini is expected to launch with an A19 Pro chip in the second half of 2026.
This article, "Could Apple's OLED iPad Mini Finally Be a Kindle Killer?" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
2026-02-28 03:48:35
Apple is working with German confectionary brand Ritter Sport to offer a unique Apple Music promotion.
The collaboration, branded as "Limited Edition Ritter Sport x Apple Music," involves promoting iconic albums on Ritter Sport's iconic 100g square chocolate bars (via Macerkopf). There will be a QR code on the back of each bar that links directly to the album on Apple Music and provides a free trial subscription to the service.
Ritter Sport and Apple Music have selected five albums that have shaped German music history across different genres, including Cro's "RAOP," Marteria's "Happy for the Future II," Scorpions' "Crazy World," Sarah Connor's "Mother Tongue," and Helene Fischer's "Farbenspiel," for the series. They are each available on Apple Music in Dolby Atmos.
The promotion begins on Monday, March 2 in Germany, when the chocolate bars will begin to appear in stores across the country. Each bar costs €1.99 and they will be available for a limited time only.
2026-02-28 01:09:52
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Astropad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an iPhone 17 and an anti-reflective Fresh Coat screen protector from Astropad to go along with it.
Fresh Coat is a screen protector that Astropad created with an optical-grade anti-reflective coating to reduce glare and provide a better iPhone viewing experience. The technology cuts reflections by 75 percent, while improving contrast and keeping colors vibrant. Unlike other anti-reflective screen protectors on the market, Fresh Coat adds no haze or distortion to the iPhone's display.
Priced at $30, Fresh Coat is made from a scratch-proof tempered glass that provides protection for the iPhone's display in addition to cutting down on glare and reflections. It's slim and doesn't add bulk to the iPhone even though there are five layers of protective technology at work. From the top down, there's an anti-reflective coating, an oleophobic and hydrophobic coating, a layer of tempered glass, a dust barrier, and an impact-resistant "airbag" bonding.
If you have an iPhone 17, it comes with an anti-reflective coating added by Apple. What you might not know is that you can't use just any screen protector with the iPhone 17. If you put a regular screen protector without an anti-reflective coating on, it nullifies the anti-reflective properties of that added coating.
Since Fresh Coat has its own anti-reflective coating, it improves on Apple's included anti-reflective layer, reducing glare even further. With Fresh Coat, the iPhone's screen is easy to see in any lighting conditions, there's less eye strain, and if you use Dark Mode, it looks even darker.
If you don't have an iPhone 17, Fresh Coat can provide an iPhone 17-style display upgrade, mirroring Apple's own reflection-reducing display coating. Fresh Coat is available for all iPhone 17 models, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Astropad designed an installation process that's impossible to mess up, so you get perfect alignment on your iPhone without the hassle that comes with most screen protectors.
We have an iPhone 17 in white and a Fresh Coat screen protector for one lucky MacRumors reader. To enter to win, use the widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner(s) and send the prize(s). You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, following us on Threads, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
2026-02-27 23:54:04
This week we tracked quite a few deals across numerous Apple products, including low prices on Apple Watch Series 11, AirPods Max, and iPhone 17 TechWoven cases, all of which are still available today. You'll also find great discounts on portable power stations and Samsung's new Galaxy S26 smartphones below.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
