Apple Partners With Anthropic for Claude-Powered AI Coding Platform

Apple is working with Anthropic on an updated version of Xcode that will support AI code writing, editing, and testing, reports Bloomberg. Anthropic is best known for its “Claude” large language model and chatbot that competes with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Claude is well-known for its coding capabilities, beating out other LLMs on programming tasks.

The new version of Xcode integrats the Claude Sonnet model, and Apple is slowly rolling it out internally for employees to use. Many companies have started adopting AI coding tools to speed up product development, and Apple can’t afford to be behind. Bloomberg says that Apple was initially hesitant to use AI to create software for Apple customers, but advancements in LLMs have made the company more comfortable with expanded AI tools.

Apple’s internal version of Xcode has a chat interface for programmers to request code or help with coding, and it is able to test user interfaces and help engineers locate and address bugs.

There’s no word yet on whether Apple will eventually launch the software publicly, but if the company’s internal testing is successful, it’s possible the tool could be provided to third-party developers. Last year, Apple announced Swift Assist, an AI-powered coding companion for Xcode. Swift Assist was supposed to come out in 2024, but like the personalized Apple Intelligence Siri features, it never materialized.

As it turns out, Apple engineers testing Swift Assist found that it was making up information and could slow down app development in some situations. Apple’s work with Anthropic could help with Swift Assist and future tools.

Apple has inked deals with several AI companies. OpenAI’s ChatGPT is already integrated into iOS 18, it is working with Google to add support for Gemini, and now there is a partnership with Anthropic. In China, Apple is also working with Baidu and Alibaba on AI.

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become …

iPhone 17’s Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven’t heard…

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here’s What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Despite being more than two years old, Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple’s habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven…

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to…

What’s Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by Juli Clover

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we’d take a look at what’s next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn’t update the…

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple’s supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. …

iPhone 18 to Use High Performance Six-Channel Memory, Claims Leaker

Tuesday April 29, 2025 7:00 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple’s iPhone 18 lineup will introduce a major leap in memory performance, according to new information shared today by Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. Apple is reportedly planning to equip the 2026 models with a high-capacity six-channel LPDDR5X memory configuration, significantly upping the memory bandwidth for future AI features and multitasking. Expanding the memory bandwidth…