Sami Fathi
Sami was an editor and news reporter at MacRumors from February 2021 until January 2023.
Sami Fathi's Articles
Apple Accused of 'Hypocrisy' by Ad Industry Coalition Over Its Anti-Tracking Policy
Apple has been accused of "hypocrisy" and "cynicism" over its iPhone anti-tracking policy by an ad industry trade group that includes Meta and Google as members. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is an organization that develops standards to be used across the industry to control and regulate online advertising. It has Google, Meta, Adobe, and many other companies as members. This...
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M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pros Feature Faster SSD Write Speeds, Tests Show
The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros powered by the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips feature faster SSD write speeds compared to their predecessors, according to tests and reviews of the new laptops. This week, select reviewers and media outlets had the chance to review the new MacBook Pros ahead of their availability starting Tuesday, January 24. As part of their reviews, Macworld and Tom's Guide...
New HomePod Facing Significant Delay in Certain Markets as Pre-Orders Continue
The new second-generation HomePod appears to have a significant backlog of pre-orders, delaying shipping dates by up to seven weeks in certain markets for Apple's latest smart speaker. Last week, Apple announced a new HomePod with a slightly updated design, an S7 chip for faster performance and "more advanced" computational audio, a larger backlit touch surface, and other new features....
What's Next for the Mac: M3 iMac, 15-Inch MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and More
Apple last week announced a slate of new Macs, including an updated Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro processors and faster 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with the all-new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. With just modest updates, the new Macs have left some wondering if there is anything else in store for the Mac in 2023 and what's planned for the years to come. Below, we've outlined the latest rumors...
Spotify Pens Joint Letter Calling Apple 'Harmful' and 'Anti-Competitive,' Claims App Store Ruins Business
Spotify and eight companies and associations have written a letter to the EU Commission's executive vice president calling Apple a harmful, anti-competitive, and monopolistic company that must be regulated through "urgent action." The letter, signed by the CEOs and heads of Basecamp, Deezer, Proton, Schibsted, Spotify, European Publishers Council (EPC), France Digitale, and News Media...
Apple Breaks 13-Year Tradition by Announcing New Products in January
Apple this week broke a tradition it has maintained for the past 13 years by announcing new products in the first month of the year. This week, Apple unexpectedly announced several new products, including updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros powered by M2 Pro and M2 Max, a new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro, and an updated HomePod. As it has occasionally done, Apple announced the latest...
Hands-On Experience of New HomePod Reveals 'Exquisite' Audio Quality
One of the first hands-on experiences with the new second-generation HomePod has offered new details on the latest smart speaker's quality and performance compared to the original HomePod launched in 2018. TechRadar's Lance Ulanoff had the chance to listen to the new HomePod during a listening session by Apple for members of the media and shared his experience with the speaker. According ...
iPad Pro With OLED Display Again Rumored for Launch Next Year
Apple is continuing development of OLED panels for new iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models to be announced in 2024 and 2026, respectively, according to a report from Korea's ET News. The report states that Apple and one of its Korean display suppliers, believed to be Samsung, have started working on OLED panels for an 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. In line...
First Geekbench Scores for New Mac Mini With M2 Pro Surface, Beats M1 Max
Geekbench scores for the newly announced Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro chips have revealed a significant increase in performance compared to the previous-generation Mac mini and previous M1 Pro and M1 Max devices. The scores reveal that the Mac mini with M2 Pro achieved a single-core score of 1,952 and a multi-core score of 15,013 for a configuration with 16GB of unified memory. For...
Everything That's Changed in the New 2023 HomePod
Apple this week unexpectedly announced the second-generation full-sized HomePod, around two years after it discontinued the original smart speaker. Priced at $299, the new HomePod joins the HomePod mini in Apple's line of TV and home products. A lower price tag at launch, a slightly tweaked design, and new features could help to make the second-generation HomePod more successful than its...
Apple Supplier to Ship Lenses for AR/VR Headset as Soon as February
An Apple supplier is preparing to begin shipments of lenses to be used in Apple's upcoming AR/VR headset, according to a report today by DigiTimes. Concept render based on purported leaked information by Ian Zelbo The report states that Genius Electronic Optical (GSEO) will supply lens modules for Apple's upcoming headset, rumored to be called "Reality Pro," with shipments starting as soon ...
iOS 16.3 Coming Next Week: Here's What's New
Apple announced today that iOS 16.3 will be available for iPhone customers next week, bringing just a few new features and enhancements to iPhone customers around the world. In a press release today announcing new Apple Watch bands, Apple said iOS 16.3 will be available next week as a requirement for a new iOS 16 wallpaper. Alongside iOS 16.3, we also expect iPadOS 16.3, watchOS 9.3, and...
5 Things You Need to Know About M2 Pro and M2 Max
Apple this week expanded its lineup of Apple silicon chips with the new M2 Pro and M2 Max processors, building on the M2 chip announced in June. The new lineup of M2 chips represents the second generation of Apple silicon that can now now be found in the latest Macs. The M2 Pro and M2 Max are noteworthy upgrades over the M1 Pro and M1 Max, bringing more performance, battery life, and...
Apple Called Out for 'Brutal' Mac Trade-In Values Following Launch of New Models
Apple is facing criticism online for offering poor Mac trade-in values following this week's launch of new MacBook Pro and Mac mini models. Yesterday, MKBHD researcher David Imel tweeted that Apple offers just $970 in trade-in credit for a Mac Pro configuration that it still sells for $52,199. The viral tweet caused an uproar among Twitter users towards Apple's trade-in program: "That's a...
Apple's Website Suggests M2 and M2 Pro Mac Announcements Were Originally Set for Fall 2022
Information embedded within Apple's website suggests that this week's new Mac announcements, including the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, were initially set to be unveiled in October or November of last year. As reported by Daring Fireball's John Gruber, the file name for a short mini keynote-styled video that Apple released following the announcement of the updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro ...
Mac Pro Now Only Remaining Intel-Based Mac in Apple's Lineup
Following today's announcement of a new M2 Pro Mac mini, which replaced the previous Intel-based model in the lineup, the Mac Pro is now the only Mac in Apple's current product lineup that still uses an Intel processor. The previous Mac mini lineup consisted of an M1 Mac mini, announced in November 2020, and the now-discontinued Intel-based model. Apple said in June 2020 that its...
5 Things to Know About the New MacBook Pros
Apple today announced updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros powered by "the most powerful and efficient" Apple silicon chips yet, the M2 Pro and M2 Max. The new MacBook Pros represent a minor upgrade from the previous models announced in October 2021 but still bring several notable new features and changes. Below, we've outlined five of the most interesting tidbits you need to know about ...
New Mac Mini and 14-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pros Available for Pre-Order Starting Today
Apple today announced updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros and an updated Mac mini, with faster and more efficient performance thanks to new M2 chips. All new Macs announced today are available for pre-order on Apple's online store starting today, with shipments arriving on Tuesday, January 24. The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros come with the all-new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, which...
M2 Pro Mac Mini Specs: Up to 32GB of RAM, Up to Three External Displays, 240Hz Support, and More
After weeks of rumors and speculation, Apple announced an updated Mac mini with the M2 and M2 Pro chips today. The new Mac mini has the same design as previous models, but comes with several additional features and changes. Below, we've outlined a few of the most notable new features, changes, and details regarding the new Mac mini. M2 models of the new Mac mini come with 8GB of...
Apple Shares Keynote-Styled Video for New Mac Announcements
Following the announcement of the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and a new Mac mini, Apple today shared a mini keynote-styled video on YouTube detailing the latest Macs and the new chips. The video, 18 minutes long, features Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus and other Apple executives in Apple Park offering a presentation on ...