Apple TV+ is now just Apple TV, and Apple’s senior vice president of Services says the change was simply the right moment to make it.

In a guest appearance on The Town podcast hosted by Matt Belloni, Eddy Cue discussed why the company decided to drop the “Plus” from Apple TV Plus and why Apple does not believe it will create confusion with its other products of the same name.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook is in Shanghai, China to celebrate the upcoming launch of the iPhone Air in the country, and during his visit, he met with Pop Mart CEO Wang Ning and The Monsters creator Kasing Lung.


On Chinese social network Weibo, Cook said that Lung demonstrated how he sketches his characters on his iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil. Lung is the designer behind the Labubu character that has become wildly popular worldwide.

During the meeting, Lung gifted Cook a one-of-a-kind Labubu modeled after Cook. The Labubu features white fur, glasses, black jeans, a blue shirt, sneakers, and a tiny iPhone 17.


Cook, meanwhile, said that Labubu "now has her own new iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange," and Lung drew a picture of Cook meeting Labubu.

Lung shared a selfie with Cook on Instagram, and also offered a closer look at Cook's unique "‌Tim Cook‌ Labubu."


While in China, Cook also stopped by the Apple Pudong retail location, met with the Lilith Games team behind AFK Journey, and visited Wang Feifei on the set of her new music video, which was filmed in a single shot using an ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌.

iPhone Air preorders are set to launch in China on October 17, with a launch to follow on October 22. The ‌iPhone Air‌ was delayed in China because Apple needed regulatory approval for an iPhone without a physical SIM.

At 5.6mm, the ‌iPhone Air‌ is too thin for a physical SIM slot, and so it will be the first eSIM ‌iPhone‌ that Apple offers in China.
This article, "Apple CEO Tim Cook Gifted Custom Labubu During China Visit" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Car key support for select General Motors vehicles could be added to the Apple Wallet app in the near future, according to code discovered by MacRumors. Apple has added settings for GM vehicles to an internal list of vehicles that offer car key integration.


Digital car keys let users lock, unlock, and start their vehicles using the NFC capabilities of an iPhone or Apple Watch. Apple began supporting NFC-based digital keys in the Wallet app in 2022, and car manufacturers have since been adopting the feature.

At WWDC, Apple said that 13 vehicle brands would "soon" be adding support for digital car keys, including GMC, Chevrolet, and Cadillac. The other brands include Acura, Porsche, Rivian, Smart, Lucid Motors, Tata Motors, Hongqi, WEY, Chery, and Voyah.

Car keys in the Wallet app will be available for select Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac models, but GM has not provided details on specific models that will offer support. So far, only the 2026 Chevy Silverado EV and the 2026 GMC Sierra EV are confirmed to include digital key integration.

Apple has now added backend support for GM, Voyah, and Smart vehicles, but the car manufacturers have yet to roll out car key functionality.

Select newer vehicles from BMW, Genesis, Kia, Audi, Hyundai, Lotus, Mercedes, Volvo, and more offer car keys support, with a list available on MacRumors.com.
This article, "Select GM Vehicles May Soon Offer iPhone Car Key Support" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Following a limited test earlier this year, Mozilla is now adding Perplexity AI as a default search engine option. Here’s how it works.

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Following last month’s 1.5 update, which introduced new features and the Liquid Glass design, Apple Invites was updated today with new “festive event backgrounds.” Here’s what’s new.

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Rumors indicated that Apple had new products ready to launch this week, and now with its MacBook Pro tease, the company has seemingly confirmed that. Here’s everything new that might launch.

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Apple announced today an expansion of its environmental initiatives across five European countries, along with a new donation to support environmental education in China. Here are the details.

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Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media.


A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is a V, which is the Roman numeral for 5. Joswiak also used "Mmmmm" in his caption, which is 5 Ms.


Rumors suggest that Apple is preparing to introduce its next-generation M5 chip this week, and it is set to debut in the 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌.


Aside from an M5 chip, the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is not expected to get any other major design changes. So far, it looks like Apple might introduce just the 14-inch M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌, holding higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips until 2026.

Apple is also expected to introduce a new iPad Pro and Vision Pro with an M5 chip this week, and we could also potentially see new Apple TV and HomePod mini models.

This article, "Apple Teases Upcoming M5 MacBook Pro Launch: 'Something Powerful is Coming'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Mark Gurman at Bloomberg reported over the weekend that Apple is likely to launch three new M5 products this week—which Apple has just officially teased. Now it seems that new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini updates might be imminent too.

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We’re all eagerly awaiting new Apple products this week, including an iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and MacBook Pro. In a new post on X today, Apple’s marketing VP Greg Joswiak teases that “something powerful is coming,” accompanied by a graphic clearly showing the side profile of a MacBook Pro.

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Netflix dominates paid TV streaming, and now it’s coming for podcasts next. Netflix and Spotify have announced a new partnership that will bring a variety of Spotify’s video podcasts to Netflix.

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HomePod mini and Apple TV inventory is starting to dwindle at select Apple Store locations around the world, suggesting that new models may be imminent.


For example, the HomePod mini is completely out of stock in all five color options at Apple's flagship Regent Street store in London, as of this writing.

Some other HomePod mini and Apple TV configurations are out of stock at some Apple Store locations, but online availability is faring better for now.

Both the HomePod mini and Apple TV are expected to be updated this year, and the following new features and changes have been rumored for the devices:

• HomePod mini: S9 chip or newer with support for next year's revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, an Apple-designed Wi-Fi chip with Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 support, improved sound quality, a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, and potentially new color options like Red.


• Apple TV: A faster A17 Pro chip that will support next year's revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, and an Apple-designed Wi-Fi chip with Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 support. A built-in FaceTime camera has been rumored for a future Apple TV, but it is unclear if that will arrive with the next model.

In his Power On newsletter last weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to announce new products "this week." However, in a follow-up post on X, he merely said the products would be announced "as early as this week."
This article, "HomePod Mini and Apple TV Stock is Dwindling at Select Apple Stores Ahead of New Models" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Update: Apple says the issues affecting Find My and Apple Maps have been resolved. Original story below.

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Amid sporadic reports on social media, Apple has confirmed ongoing problems affecting Find My and Apple Maps. Apple says “some users are affected” by these issues.

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This summer, Apple launched its first ever public beta for AirPods firmware. And today, ahead of iOS 26.1’s upcoming release, the company has shipped new public beta firmware for testing on select AirPods models.

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Apple today released public new beta firmware that's designed for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4. The firmware is now available for Apple's public beta testing group, and it has a build number of 8B5014c. Apple provided this firmware to developers last week.


The firmware comes alongside a new public beta of iOS 26.1, and it likely adds support for Live Translation in new languages, including Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Chinese (both Mandarin Traditional and Simplified).

With iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe, Apple added a beta firmware update installation option that's available from the AirPods settings interface when the AirPods are connected to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, which facilitates beta testing.

Public beta testers can use the beta option to turn on beta downloads after signing up on Apple's website.
This article, "Apple Releases AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4 Firmware for Public Beta Testers" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Public beta 3 is here for iPadOS 26.1 and more. Here’s what’s new in Apple’s just-released wave of new beta software updates.

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Apple today provided public beta testers with the third releases of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1 and watchOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. Apple seeded the betas to developers earlier this week.


After signing up for beta testing on Apple's beta site, public beta testers can download the updates using the Software Update section in the Settings app on each device.

iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 expand Apple Intelligence to new languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese.

AirPods Live Translation is also available in Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Chinese (both Mandarin Traditional and Simplified) in iOS 26.

There are a few other minor changes to apps like Photos, Music, the Apple TV app, and Phone, with details available in our iOS 26.1 features guide.
This article, "Apple Seeds Third Public Betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1 and macOS Tahoe 26.1" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Following yesterday’s release of macOS Tahoe 26.1 developer beta 3, Apple has just released the equivalent public beta. Here’s what to expect from macOS Tahoe 26.1.

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Apple has just shipped iOS 26.1 public beta 3, one day after shipping beta 3 for developers. Here’s what’s new in the latest release.

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Amazon this week has returned Apple's AirTag 4-Pack to $64.99, down from $99.00. This is a match of the all-time low price on the accessory.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Amazon provides delivery dates as soon as today for Prime members at some residences in the United States, and you won't need to clip an on-page coupon in order to see this deal. If you're shopping for just one AirTag, Amazon has the AirTag 1-Pack for $24.99, which doesn't match the all-time low of $19.99 that we've seen recently, so you might want to hold off for now or consider stepping up to the 4-Pack deal.



Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

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This article, "AirTag 4-Pack Available for Best-Ever Price of $64.99" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is now ready to roll with even more M3 iPad Air deals undercutting Prime Day pricing. Alongside Apple’s 512GB 13-inch M3 iPad Air at $220 off and the 512GB 11-inch M3 iPad Air cell model, this morning we spotted a new all-time low landing on this 13-inch 512GB cell model at over $200 off as well. Moving over to Apple Watch Ultra 3, Amazon is now offering $20 off just about every configuration but you will find a $98 price drop on this Ocean Band setup today as well. We also have some deals live on Apple’s official iPhone 17 case lineup as well as a new Amazon all-time low on the Beats iPhone 17 Kickstand Case – everything else awaits below, just be sure to scope out this Spigen Alpine Loop-style band at $25 too. 

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Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version?


According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new ‌AirPods Max‌ will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current ‌AirPods Max‌ weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier options in the premium over-ear headphones category. It is unclear what other changes they might have, beyond weighing less.

Both Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo believe that new ‌AirPods Max‌ are on the way. Kuo expects the ‌AirPods Max‌ 2 to enter mass production at some point in 2027—seven years after the first-generation model launched.

In 2024, Apple updated the ‌AirPods Max‌ with a USB-C charging port and new color options, but they are still considered to be first-generation ‌AirPods Max‌. The headphones did not receive Apple's H2 chip that debuted in the AirPods Pro 2 in 2022, so they continue to miss out on Adaptive Audio features, and there were no other changes. The AirPods Pro 3 have a range of features that could feasibly come to the next-generation ‌AirPods Max‌, including:

• IP57 dust, sweat, and water resistance


• H2 chip


• 2.4GHz and 5GHz connectivity


• Lossless audio support with Apple Vision Pro


• "‌Siri‌" voice commands


• Adaptive Transparency


• Adaptive Audio


• Loud Sound Reduction


• Hearing Protection


• Hearing Test


• Hearing Aid


• Conversation Boost


• Conversation Awareness


• Live Translation


• U2 chip for Precision Finding

By 2027, the AirPods Pro could be even more advanced than the recently unveiled third-generation model, adding the "H3" chip and IR cameras. As a result, these features are also possibilities for the second-generation ‌AirPods Max‌.

A refreshed design seems likely, especially given the rumored weight reduction and complaints from some users about the durability of the headband's mesh canopy. The Smart Case, which simply serves to put the headphones into their ultra-low power state, could also be due a redesign.

Gurman said that the long wait for a new model is due to the face that the headphones are stuck in a kind of commercial limbo—"too popular for Apple to stop selling them, and not popular enough for the company to invest a ton of time and money into creating a new version." Apple's audio team is apparently more focused on annual updates for earbud AirPods and supporting audio components across other products.
This article, "AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple debuted titanium in the iPhone lineup in a big way back in 2023, then this year reversed course. iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max now use aluminum instead, leaving just one of four models with titanium. But rumors indicate next year’s iPhone lineup will bring more titanium yet again.

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