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As Apple seeks to re-shore more chip production, TSMC invests an additional $20 billion in its Arizona plants even while Intel allegedly ramps up test production. TSMC's Arizona campus covers about 2,000 acres. Image credit: Christopher Payne US manufacturing of Apple processors was already increasing with Intel reportedly conducting a test run of iPhone and Mac chipsets, but now TSMC has approved $20 billion more for its Arizona Fab 21 facility. It's all because of both political pressures worldwide, and global shortages leading to more processor plants being needed. According to TechPower , the decision to increase the Arizona investment included the possibility of TSMC increasing it still further in future. The confirmation of the $20 billion may be new, though, but it also fits a report by Nikkei Asia in December 2025 that said TSMC would be moving chipmaking tools into its second Arizona plant around summer 2026. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Apple Watch is now eleven generations in, and packed with useful features that are easy to miss at first glance. To help you get more out of your new device, we've rounded up 15 practical tips you might not have discovered yet, including a few that long-time users often overlook. Bounce Between Two Apps On your Apple Watch, double-press the Digital Crown to see a deck of all currently open apps, and turn it to scroll through them. From this view, you can jump back to the last app you were using. Simply tap on an app screen to switch to it, or swipe left on its card and tap the red X button to quit it. Switch App Views If the app grid feels messy, switch to List View. Open the Watch app on iPhone, tap App View, and choose List View. From then on, pressing the Digital Crown will show your apps in a simple, scrollable list. Rearrange Apps You can rearrange your apps so that the ones you use most are closer to hand. Simply press and hold on any app in the grid view, then drag it where you want. Alternatively, open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to App View ➝ Arrangement, and move things around there instead. Ping Your iPhone If you've misplaced your iPhone but you're sure it's nearby, open Control Center with a press of the Side button, then tap the phone icon to make it ping. Press and hold that icon and the iPhone's camera flash will blink too, which can help if it's hidden under something. Skip the Countdown If you're eager to start a workout, the three-second countdown before it starts can be skipped. Just tap the screen when the countdown begins and your workout will start immediately. If you find yourself doing this regularly, consider turning on Precision Start in Settings ➝ Workout. Customize Vibration Strength If you keep missing notifications, go to Settings ➝ Sounds & Haptics ➝ and change from Default to Prominent. This adds an extra tap pattern before alerts so they're harder to ignore. Perform Precision Timing The Chronograph Pro watch face transforms into an actual chronograph. Tap the outer edge surrounding the main 12-hour dial on this watch face to record time on scales of 60, 30, 6, or 3 seconds. Alternatively, select the tachymeter timescale to measure speed based on time travel over a fixed distance. Jump to the Top If you've scrolled way down in an app and want to jump back to the top, just tap the time in the top corner of the screen. It works in most apps and saves a lot of scrolling. Remove Apps Clearing out apps you don't use on your Apple Watch is easy. In the List or Grid View, press and hold on the screen until the apps jiggle, then tap the small x in the corner of the app icon to delete it. This works for most system apps and all third-party apps. Customize Control Center By default, Control Center (accessed via the Side button) gives you quick access to things like Wi-Fi, battery, and Do Not Disturb. But it's worth seeing what else you can add to it that you'd like quick access to. Tap the Edit button at the bottom, then tap the + icon in the top-left corner of the screen. System options such as New Note and Lights are particularly handy, and you might see some third-party options listed too, depending on your installed apps. Speak the Time Out Loud If you're using the Mickey or Minnie watch face, tap on the character and they'll speak the time out loud. Just make sure your sound is turned on. In fact, you can also have Siri read the time on any watch face by tapping and holding with two fingers on the display. Again though, sound needs to be enabled. Customize Smart Replies Smart Replies are handy when you want to reply with just a few words. In the Watch app on iPhone, go to Messages and tap Default Replies to customise what shows up. Then when a message comes in, simply swipe down to pick one of your preset replies. Pause Activity Rings Feeling unwell but hoping to keep your streak intact? In the Activity app, select your rings to access the option to suspend them for the day, or set a pause that lasts until a chosen date up to 90 days ahead. Create a Note In the new Notes app in watchOS 26, you can't modify existing notes on Apple Watch, but you can create a new one by tapping the compose control in the bottom-right corner and speaking your text. Because Notes sync through iCloud, you can refine or reorganize everything later on a device with a physical or on-screen keyboard. Mute and Dismiss Alerts With a quick wrist flip, you can clear the current screen and go back to the watch face. The same gesture can be used to mute calls, stop timers, and dismiss notifications. The feature, which is on by default, is supported on Apple Watch SE (3rd generation), Series 9, Ultra 2, and later. Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11 Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution) This article, " Apple Watch: 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Rumors suggest Apple plans to expand Apple-designed modems to the entire iPhone 18 lineup, ending support for Qualcomm modems. The transition will bring speed and efficiency improvements, along with a little-known privacy benefit. In iOS 26.3, Apple added a Limit Precise Location setting that cuts down on the amount of location data that's available to mobile networks, improving user privacy. Mobile networks determine your location using information from cellular towers that a device connects to, but with Limit Precise Location enabled, some of the data typically provided to mobile networks is restricted. Instead of seeing location down to a street address, carriers may be limited to the neighborhood where a device is located. The problem is that this feature is currently only available on devices with an Apple-designed C1 or C1X modem, which includes the iPhone Air , iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e , and M5 iPad Pro . Devices with Qualcomm modems like the iPhone 17 Pro models do not have the Limit Precise Location setting. With the iPhone 18 Pro models and the iPhone Fold expected to use Apple modem technology, this is likely a privacy option that is set to expand to the full iPhone lineup. Reducing location precision does not impact signal quality or user experience, nor does it affect the precision of location data provided to emergency responders during an emergency call. It is only meant to limit the location data given to cellular carriers, and it is distinct from location data shared with apps through Location Services. While Apple's next set of iPhones will all likely have the new privacy feature, carriers do have to implement support. So far there are a limited number of carriers that have added the feature, but if it expands to the entire iPhone lineup and there is customer demand, it could see more widespread adoption. In the United States, only Boost Mobile supports limiting precise location data, but EE, BT, and Sky all support it in the UK, while carriers in Austria, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, and Thailand have also adopted support and all of these carriers have the setting turned on by default. Users on a physical SIM or eSIM from any carrier in the EU or UK can also manually turn the setting on. A full list of supported carriers and regions is available on Apple's website . The C2 modem that Apple is rumored to be working on is more capable than the C1 or C1X, and it will offer similar performance to Qualcomm's newest modems. It is expected to support mmWave 5G, which is not a feature of the C1 or C1X. Related Roundups: iPhone 18 , iPhone 18 Pro , iPhone Fold Related Forum: iPhone This article, " Apple's iPhone 18 Modem Switch Comes With a Quiet Privacy Benefit " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
TSMC has been the exclusive supplier of Apple's systems-on-a-chip since 2016, but that 10-year streak could be nearing its end. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said that Intel has "kicked off" small-scale testing of lower-end iPhone, iPad, and Mac chip fabrication, with production expected to ramp up throughout 2027 and 2028. Kuo did not indicate exactly which of Apple's A-series and/or M-series chips would be manufactured by Intel. Apple is utilizing Intel's 18A process for these chips, and it is evaluating Intel's other advanced-node technologies, according to Kuo. By sourcing chips from two suppliers, Apple can negotiate lower costs and bolster supply. In this case, Apple rekindling a partnership with Intel could win it favor with the Trump administration, which wants more U.S. manufacturing. However, Kuo said Taiwan's TSMC will remain responsible for more than 90% of Apple's chip supply. There is no indication that Intel would play a role in designing the iPhone chips, with its involvement expected to be strictly limited to fabrication. That would differ from the era of Intel Macs, which used Intel-designed processors with x86 architecture. Apple began transitioning away from Intel processors in Macs in 2020. All in all, these would be Apple-designed chips manufactured by Intel in the U.S., for use in some lower-end iPhone, iPad, and Mac models. Apple's potential return to Intel has been reported by numerous sources by this point, but an official announcement has still yet to be made. Tags: Intel , Ming-Chi Kuo This article, " Report: Intel is Testing Production of Some iPhone, iPad, and Mac Chips " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums