The iPhone 18 is already driving major shifts deep in the semiconductor supply chain, as Samsung Electronics expands production of image sensors, prompting one of its key testing partners to invest over $120 million in new equipment, The Elec reports.


Doosan Tesna, a South Korean post-process semiconductor testing company, this week announced that it will spend $123 million on test systems from Japan's Advantest, Samsung subsidiary Semes, and Japan Interaction. The investment is equal to 21.77% of the company's total assets, and will be completed in stages between 2026 and March 2027.

The purchase is believed to be directly related to Samsung's new image sensor production line in Austin, Texas, which is expected to supply components for the ‌iPhone 18‌ in 2027. Samsung's return to Apple's camera image sensor supply chain marks its first in roughly a decade and could alter the long-standing dominance of Sony, which has provided nearly all iPhone sensors to date. Apple reportedly sought to diversify suppliers after delays in Sony's deliveries between 2023 and 2024.

Doosan Tesna specializes in electrical testing of wafers after fabrication, a process that identifies defective chips before packaging and improves manufacturing yield. More than 90% of its revenue comes from Samsung's Foundry and System LSI divisions.

Doosan Tesna's decision to diversify away from Teradyne equipment toward Advantest is also notable. Advantest systems are widely used for high-performance chips such as GPUs, memory, and AI processors, suggesting Samsung's new sensors for Apple may demand more advanced verification processes.

Samsung's production line in Austin is a key element in Apple's effort to reduce reliance on Japanese suppliers and to expand production within the United States. If Samsung's sensors meet Apple's performance and reliability standards, the move could make it the company's second major image sensor supplier.

Doosan Tesna's major financial commitment represents over one-fifth of its total assets, reflecting how preparations for Apple's future iPhones are already reshaping global semiconductor investment over a year before production begins.
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Unlike other Apple devices, the original Vision Pro with the M2 chip is not available for trade-in.


The original Vision Pro with the ‌M2‌ chip launched in February 2024 and was discontinued upon the announcement of a new version with the M5 chip earlier today. Most high-end Apple devices, such as the Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and Mac, become available for trade-in upon the release of a new model, allowing users to fund the purchase of the latest device while getting rid of their old one.

The absence of the Vision Pro from Apple's trade-in program is therefore peculiar, but likely reflects an unwillingness on the behalf of trade-in partners to accept it for now. Users of the original Vision Pro who want to upgrade to the new M5 version will need to sell their old device independently.
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Apple today started selling new accessories for its Vision Pro headset, including the Logitech Muse and Dual Knit Band, with more on the way.


The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the ‌Vision Pro‌. It was announced at WWDC earlier this year. The Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of freedom (6DoF) tracking, pressure-sensitive tips, and real-time haptic feedback to allow users to interact with digital environments through precise input and tactile realism.

Logitech Muse is a spatial accessory designed to enhance the way you work, create, and collaborate with Apple Vision Pro. Muse combines a familiar form factor with advanced technology, offering a precise, immersive workflow in both productivity and creativity apps.

Seamless motion tracking in six degrees of freedom with intuitive controls allows you to draw, annotate, and interact naturally in space. Real-time haptic responses add textural realism to create a truly engaging experience. A pressure-sensitive tip and force-sensing button allow you to vary line thickness whether drawing on a surface or in the air.

According to Logitech, Muse is intended for use across a wide range of spatial computing applications, including 3D design, collaborative workspaces, and immersive visualization tools. The device features both physical buttons and gesture controls. The Logitech Muse costs $129.95 and is now available from Apple.


Apple's new Dual Knit Band for the Vision Pro is also now available for $99. It comes with the new Vision Pro with the M5 chip, but is available separately and compatible with the M2 Vision Pro.

Designed for Apple Vision Pro, the Dual Knit Band provides lasting comfort and stability — with soft, breathable upper and lower straps and a counterbalanced design. Its dual-function Fit Dial makes it easy to adjust each strap independently for a personalized fit. The Dual Knit Band attaches to the Audio Straps with a simple and secure mechanism, and release tabs allow you to quickly detach it when needed.

In addition, Apple today confirmed that the PlayStation VR2 Sense controller and Controller Charging Station will be available for $249.95 from the Apple Store online in the U.S. beginning Tuesday, November 11.
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Apple today released a new version of the Magic Keyboard for iPad Air in black.


Previously, the Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Air‌ was only available in white. It is based on the older Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro and ‌iPad Air‌, which was available in both black and white, and was replaced by a redesigned version with a aluminum top case, backlighting, and a trackpad with haptic feedback last year.

The Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Air‌ continues to be priced at $269 for the 11-inch version and $319 for the 13-inch version.
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Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips.


The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new ‌iPad Pro‌ to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing engine. A faster 16-core Neural Engine also delivers more energy-efficient performance. Apple says that performance gains and breakthrough improvements over iPads with the M1 chip are "staggering".

In addition to the M5 chip, the cellular versions of the new ‌iPad Pro‌ feature Apple's custom-designed C1X modem, which allows up to 50% faster cellular data performance than its predecessor, with much greater efficiency.


It also features the N1 chip, a new Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Apple says the N1 brings better performance when connected to 5GHz networks, and improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.

The new ‌iPad Pro‌ features over 150GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, which is almost a 30% increase compared to the previous generation. It also offers up to 2x faster storage read and write speeds, and the 256GB and 512GB models start with 12GB of unified memory.

The new ‌iPad Pro‌ adds the ability to drive external displays at up to 120Hz and now supports Adaptive Sync, which provides the lowest possible latency in external display performance.

Fast charging is now supported, allowing the new ‌iPad Pro‌ to charge up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 40W adapter or higher.

The new ‌iPad Pro‌ is available to pre-order starting today, and will be available in stores on Wednesday, October 22.
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Apple today announced the M5 chip, its next-generation chip for the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro.


From Apple's press release:

Built using third-generation 3-nanometer technology, M5 introduces a next-generation 10-core GPU architecture with a Neural Accelerator in each core, enabling GPU-based AI workloads to run dramatically faster. The GPU also offers enhanced graphics capabilities and third-generation ray tracing that combined deliver a graphics performance that is up to 45 percent higher than M4. M5 features the world's fastest performance core, with up to a 10-core CPU made up of six efficiency cores and up to four performance cores. Together, they deliver up to 15 percent faster multithreaded performance over M4. M5 also features an improved 16-core Neural Engine, a powerful media engine, and a nearly 30 percent increase in unified memory bandwidth to 153GB/s.

The M5's next-generation GPU architecture is optimized for AI tasks. Each of its 10 cores features a dedicated Neural Accelerator, delivering over 4x peak GPU compute compared to the M4. The M5 also includes a third-generation ray-tracing engine, providing up to a 45% graphics uplift in apps using ray tracing.

Apple says the next-generation GPU, enhanced shader cores, second-generation dynamic caching, and third-generation ray-tracing engine on the M5 bring more realistic visuals, faster rendering times, and smoother performance. The faster 16-core Neural Engine also delivers more powerful AI performance with greater energy efficiency.

The M5 chip unified memory bandwidth of 153GB/s, providing a nearly 30% increase over the M4, offering higher multithreaded performance in apps, faster graphics performance, and faster AI performance running models on the Neural Accelerators in the GPU or the Neural Engine. It supports up to 32GB of unified memory.

The new ‌MacBook Pro‌, ‌iPad Pro‌, and Vision Pro with the M5 chip are available to pre-order today.
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Apple is lobbying India to amend a decades-old tax law that could expose the company to billions of dollars in taxes on equipment it owns inside local iPhone factories, Reuters reports.


Apple is reportedly urging the Indian government to modify provisions in the Income Tax Act of 1961 to ensure it is not taxed simply for owning high-value manufacturing machinery supplied to its contract manufacturers, including Foxconn and Tata Electronics. The issue is a potential obstacle to Apple's expansion in the country.

Indian law currently treats such ownership as creating a "business connection", effectively making the company's global ‌iPhone‌ profits taxable in India. In China, Apple operates under a different model. The company buys the specialized machinery required to assemble iPhones and provides it to its manufacturing partners without becoming liable for local corporate tax. In India, the same practice could trigger significant tax exposure under existing law.

Legal experts say India's stance may stem from precedents such as the 2017 Supreme Court ruling against Formula One, which held that the UK-based company was liable for local taxes during its Grand Prix event because it exercised control over the circuit despite not owning it. A similar interpretation could apply if Apple were to maintain ownership of machinery used in Indian factories.

Discussions with the Indian government on taxation rules impacting Apple are said to be ongoing. The effort comes amid rapid expansion of its Indian operations. Since 2022, the country's share of global ‌iPhone‌ shipments is believed to have increased fourfold to around 25%. While China still produces around 75% of all iPhones, India is increasingly viewed as a critical secondary hub as Apple diversifies its supply chain. Foxconn and Tata have together invested more than $5 billion to open five large manufacturing facilities for Apple in the country.
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Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models will feature a significantly upgraded rear camera with a variable aperture, ETNews reports.


The Korean-language report claims that only the ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max will feature the camera, which will replace the main wide-angle camera on the rear, sitting alongside the ultra-wide and telephoto cameras.

A variable aperture allows the camera to adjust the amount of light that reaches the sensor. This means that in dark environments, the aperture can be opened to receive more light, while in light environments, it can be closed to prevent over-exposure. It also should provide users with greater control over depth of field, which refers to how sharp a subject appears in the foreground compared to the background.

Apple is now moving ahead with plans to bring the technology to next-generation iPhones and is now discussing components with suppliers. The variable camera is reportedly set to be made by LG Innotech and Foxconn, while the actuator is to be manufactured by Chinese companies Luxshare ICT and Sunny Optical.

Apple has never used a variable aperture on an iPhone camera before. The main cameras on all of the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro through iPhone 17 Pro models have a fixed aperture of ƒ/1.78, and the lens is always fully open and shooting with this aperture. Samsung Electronics previously brought a variable aperture camera to its Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S10 models in 2018 and 2019, but due to increased thickness and high price, it dropped the feature in 2020.

The report corroborates a rumor from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared in December last year. The ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max are expected to be announced alongside the iPhone Air 2 and Apple's first foldable ‌iPhone‌ in the fall of 2026.
This article, "iPhone 18 Pro's Major Camera Upgrade to Be Variable Aperture" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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