Despite being over 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. Rumors suggest AirPods Pro 3 could arrive as soon as September 2025 alongside the iPhone 17 lineup, giving prospective AirPods buyers a dilemma: snap up the proven AirPods Pro 2 at today's prices, or hold off for the next‑generation model that could raise the bar once again?


Apart from their sonic strengths, the enduring popularity of AirPods Pro 2 owes much to Apple's ongoing feature rollouts. iOS 17 (2023) introduced Adaptive Audio, mute controls, and faster device switching. iOS 18 (2024) followed up with head‑gesture Siri commands, Voice Isolation, finer Adaptive Audio sliders, and a Personalized Spatial Audio mode for gamers. Apple then used iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2 to add FDA‑authorized hearing‑aid functionality in supported regions, letting AirPods Pro 2 double as over‑the‑counter hearing aids for mild to moderate hearing loss.

2025 AirPods Pro: What the Rumors Say

Design and Case Tweaks

Every credible report agrees that AirPods Pro 3 will inherit today's software feature set, but hardware refinements are also expected. Multiple supply‑chain sources point to a refreshed look for both the buds and the case, with rumors of a slimmer form factor, a concealed status LED, and a front‑facing capacitive pairing button – an approach taken for Apple's fourth‑generation AirPods.

Audio Processor and ANC Upgrades

Under the hood, Apple is said to be testing a faster audio chip that drives "much better" Active Noise Cancellation than the already‑impressive AirPods Pro 2 manage. That bump will be crucial if Apple hopes to stay ahead of rivals like Sony's WF‑1000XM5 and Bose's QuietComfort Ultra.

Health Sensors: Heart‑Rate Monitoring

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is developing in‑ear heart‑rate tracking for AirPods Pro 3. The company's recent Powerbeats Pro 2 already capture heart data during workouts but cannot stream music to gym equipment simultaneously. Apple will need to nail seamless audio playback alongside biometric reporting if AirPods Pro 3 are to satisfy fitness‑focused users.

In‑Ear Temperature Detection

Apple is also researching ear‑canal temperature sensing, which – if it ships – could offer faster, more reliable body‑temperature readings than the skin‑temperature estimates produced by Apple Watch Series 8 and later. Whether the sensor will be production‑ready in time for a 2025 release remains unclear.

On‑Device Live Translation

One rumor claims AirPods Pro 3 will partner with the iPhone's Translate app to deliver real‑time conversation translation directly through the earbuds. Imagine an English speaker hearing an instant English rendition of a Spanish counterpart's words (and vice versa) without fumbling with handheld devices. Implementation details are still thin, but the idea fits in with Apple's broader AI push.

iOS 26 Feature Updates

Apple's upcoming iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe updates will add several new features to AirPods via a firmware update, including the auto-pausing audio when you fall asleep, the ability to use AirPods as a camera remote, an option to keep audio in your AirPods when your iPhone connected to other playback devices (like car stereos), and improved call quality.

Looking Ahead

Longer‑term, analyst Ming‑Chi Kuo believes Apple is prototyping AirPods with infrared cameras to enhance spatial‑audio experiences, while Gurman has heard of small cameras being explored for AI‑driven features. The infrared cameras could potentially enable "in-air gesture control" as well, allowing for device interaction with hand movements. Both projects are said to be high priority inside Apple, but neither is likely to debut before 2026.

AirPods 4 Hints

The fourth‑generation AirPods offer useful clues to Apple's design cues for AirPods Pro 3. Apple has replaced the rear setup button with a hidden capacitive sensor under the status light on the case front, and the LED itself now disappears when inactive. These stealth touches make for Apple's smallest and lightest charging case yet, and it is hard to imagine the company not extending them to the Pro line.

Release Date

While there are widespread expectations for a 2025 launch, there have been some conflicting reports more recently. Analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong suggests Apple may not launch the AirPods Pro 3 until 2026, while fellow analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also hinted at potential delays.

That said, evidence continues to mount for a 2025 release, including recent Apple beta software updates that leaked code hinting at AirPods Pro 3 happening soon. iOS 26 code includes a specific mention of "AirPods Pro 3" by name hidden in audio interface elements.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who initially reported on the 2025 timeline, has said nothing to suggest that his original report is outdated or that delays have occurred. Earlier this year, he said the updated earbuds are "months away."

Historically, Apple has launched significant AirPods updates alongside new iPhones, so an early September event, likely shared with the upcoming iPhone 17 series, remains the most plausible window. Apple is expected to hold its annual iPhone announcement event during the week of September 8, 2025, with September 9 or 10 emerging as the most likely dates.

Summing Up

With AirPods Pro 3 potentially arriving soon, should you wait or pick up an existing model? AirPods 4 put Active Noise Cancellation within reach at $179, while AirPods Pro 2 continue to satisfy with top‑tier sound, proven ANC, and hearing‑aid mode. But if heart‑rate tracking, live translation, and even better ANC sound appealing, AirPods Pro 3 promise the biggest leap since the original Pros, and hopefully without raising the $249 price tag.
This article, "AirPods Pro 3 Could Be Just Weeks Away – Here's What We Know" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The most notable change to iOS 26 is the Liquid Glass design overhaul, which is the first major iOS design update since Apple rolled out iOS 7 back in 2013. There are new features in ‌iOS 26‌, of course, but added functionality has definitely been sidelined in favor of the design refresh.


We've compiled a walkthrough of Liquid Glass, so you know what to expect when you install ‌iOS 26‌. A lot of what's here is also applicable to iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe too.

Keep in mind that Apple is still refining Liquid Glass and some of the design could see further changes, but we'll update this guide with each revision.

Overview

Liquid Glass is translucent, and it's meant to behave similarly to real glass. It allows light and color to filter through, so you'll see bits of the background behind buttons, menus, and other interface elements.


Light is subtly reflected off of Liquid Glass buttons, which is noticeable when you move your iPhone. Apple says that Liquid Glass is designed to use real-time rendering to dynamically react to movement with reflective highlights.

App Icons

App icons are meant to look like layered glass, giving them a subtle depth. Apps like Messages, Weather, Photos, and Maps have a top layer icon design over a bottom color, for example, so you can see a hint of a 3D look.


Apple designed icons to have the same general colors as iOS 18, but there is an option to turn on an all-glass icon look by choosing the "Clear" option in the Home Screen customization interface.

Lock Screen

Liquid Glass is unmistakable from the moment you pick up an ‌iPhone‌ running ‌iOS 26‌. The Lock Screen features Liquid Glass Control buttons (which are customizable like before), an option for a Liquid Glass design for the clock, and translucent notifications that use a more frosted variant of Liquid Glass.

• iOS 26: New Lock Screen Features

The Clock is particularly interesting, because Apple designed it to merge more seamlessly with your wallpaper. If you use a photo wallpaper, the time readout will change in size to fit inside the empty space on the display.


Widgets that are on the Lock Screen also have a Liquid Glass design, with widgets, the Control Center buttons and the time reflecting the light with the movement of your ‌iPhone‌.

Home Screen

App icons have the aforementioned layered look with the option for entirely clear icons, and widgets have the same design. When you turn on the clear icon option, widgets also adopt a much more translucent Liquid Glass design.


The dock is transparent and blends into the background behind it, and the same is true of the search interface. App folders have a soft, frosted Liquid Glass design that changes tint based on your wallpaper. The App Library has a similar look.


As you tilt and move your ‌iPhone‌, you can see subtle glints of light reflecting off of the app icons, dock, folders, and search bar.

iOS 26: What's Changed With the iPhone's Home Screen

Control Center

When Apple released the first beta of ‌iOS 26‌, Control Center was so translucent it was almost unreadable. Apple made the Control Center buttons darker and more opaque, improving readability.


Control Center buttons now have a frosted glass look, but you can still see hints of what's in the background behind them.

Apps

In apps, Liquid Glass is noticeable in menu bars, navigation bars, and buttons. Most of Apple's apps have received a Liquid Glass update, and you'll see Liquid Glass almost anywhere there's a button, bar, or menu. Apple wanted navigation bars and menus to appear to be floating over the content in the app, and there is a distinctive layered look to navigation elements.


Navigation bars in apps are translucent and you can see some of the app's background behind them, especially when scrolling. Interface elements tend to fade more into the background to put the focus on content. Liquid Glass is accompanied by design changes in the form of pop out menus, rounded button designs, and disappearing navigation bars in select apps, with some of the more notable changes listed below.

• Safari - Safari's Tab Bar uses Liquid Glass, and there's also a new Compact option. When you scroll, the Tab Bar collapses down, and you'll only see the website address. Scrolling back up brings it back. The interface for swapping between tab groups has changed, and all buttons also use Liquid Glass.


• Photos - ‌Photos‌ no longer has a unified design, and there are separate Library and Collection tabs, along with a dedicated search button. Navigation bars disappear as you browse through your images, and all buttons have a rounded look.


• Camera - The Camera app features one of the most notable design updates. Navigation has been distilled down into just a Video and a Photo button, though you can swipe to get to other modes. Tapping on a button displays pop out menu with a Liquid Glass design.


• Messages - Messages looks largely the same, but buttons have a frosted glass look and the keyboard's edges are rounded. Buttons and bars have the same rounded look as the rest of ‌iOS 26‌.


• Maps - Maps also looks similar to the ‌iOS 18‌ version of the app, but with more rounded interface elements and slightly more translucency.


• App Store - The App Store app has a slimmed down navigation bar at the bottom with a frosted glass look. It can be almost translucent on some darker backgrounds.


• Apple Music - Apple Music has the same translucent navigation bar as the ‌App Store‌, with a design that shows the background through the bar.


• Phone - The Phone app has an opt-in unified view with Liquid Glass-style buttons.


• Weather - There's no more bottom bar in the Weather app, and instead, there are Liquid Glass buttons for changing locations and accessing settings.

Mail, Notes, Reminders, Health, News, and other Apple apps all have similar changes, primarily in the form of buttons that are slimmed down, rounder, and slightly more translucent.


Functionally, it's only the Camera app, the ‌Photos‌ app, and the Phone app (if using the unified view) that have significant navigation changes. For the most part, app buttons are in the same place and work in the same way, even though they have a different look.

How Liquid Glass Has Evolved

In the first developer beta, Liquid Glass had a heavy emphasis on translucency. So much so that text in areas like the Notification Center and the Control Center could be difficult to read.



Almost all of the interface was transparent, with color showing through behind everything. With white text and Apple having little to no control over the background colors of wallpapers and content, usability was a problem.

In the second developer beta that came out on June 23, Apple addressed the translucency of the Control Center, which was one of the areas that received heavy initial criticism. Apple increased the opacity of the buttons in the Control Center, and further blurred the background. Translucency for interface elements on the Lock Screen and the ‌Home Screen‌ also saw minor tweaks.

Apple made further changes in the third developer beta, rolling back some of the Liquid Glass translucency in app menu bars and buttons.





In the fourth beta, some of the translucency was reintroduced, and now we have a design that's not quite as transparent as the Liquid Glass that was demonstrated at WWDC, but that isn't as opaque as what we had in the third beta.





With every beta update, there have been complaints from people who think there's too much transparency, and those who want more transparency. Apple is still working to find a balance, and we could see further changes in the future.

Criticism

People have strong opinions about Liquid Glass. Some love the novelty of a fresh look, and others think that it's a usability nightmare that's almost unreadable in some situations.

Apple so far hasn't managed to strike enough of a balance to satisfy everyone, and so far, it doesn't look like the company plans to compromise with a slider for customizability.

Do you like the Liquid Glass design, or do you want to see Apple scrap it? Let us know in the comments.

iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe

The Liquid Glass design extends to ‌iPadOS 26‌, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26, with all of the updates adopting similar translucency for various interface elements. ‌iPadOS 26‌ is the closest to ‌iOS 26‌, featuring the same general design across the operating system and in Apple apps.


Apple wanted to improve design cohesiveness for its software across different devices, so you'll see Liquid Glass on all of your Apple products when you update to the latest operating systems in the fall.

Read More

For more on the features that are included in ‌iOS 26‌, check out our iOS 26 roundup.
This article, "iOS 26: Everything You Need to Know About the Liquid Glass Redesign" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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OpenAI is making several changes to the way that ChatGPT works, with the aim of helping people use the chatbot in a healthier way.


Starting today, ChatGPT will provide users with "gentle reminders" about how long they've been using the service, with suggestions for breaks. OpenAI says that it isn't measuring success by time spent on ChatGPT, but by ensuring that people leave the product after finishing what they came for.

We build ChatGPT to help you thrive in all the ways you want. To make progress, learn something new, or solve a problem -- and then get back to your life. Our goal isn't to hold your attention, but to help you use it well.

OpenAI is working to improve ChatGPT's responses to certain kinds of questions. Rather than providing a direct answer to a high-stakes, sensitive question, ChatGPT should help users weigh pros and cons and think it through. OpenAI is updating ChatGPT's behavior for important personal decisions soon, so users will see more helpful responses for questions like "Should I break up with my boyfriend?"


OpenAI is still improving its models to better detect signs of mental or emotional distress, to ensure that ChatGPT does not feed into signs of delusion or emotional dependency and can direct users to helpful, evidence-based resources.

The company says that it has worked with more than 90 physicians across 30 countries to build custom rubrics for complex, multi-turn conversations. Human-computer interaction researchers have been recruited to give feedback on how ChatGPT has identified concerning behaviors and to stress-test product safeguards, plus OpenAI is putting together an advisory group of experts in mental health, youth development, and human-computer interaction.
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Spotify today said that it is raising prices for Premium subscriptions in multiple countries across South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region.


Spotify is sending out emails to customers who will see their subscription prices go up.

A sample email suggests that prices in an unnamed European country are increasing by a euro, from €10.99 to €11.99. Price hikes will vary by location, and Spotify users can see the new pricing for their country by visiting the Spotify website.

Prices are not going up in all markets at this time including the United States. In the U.S., a Premium individual subscription continues to be priced at $11.99 per month.

Spotify says prices are increasing so that it can "continue to innovate" on product offerings and features and "bring users the best experience."
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Google today used Apple's Siri failure to lure customers to the upcoming Pixel 10 series, sharing an ad that calls out the delayed Apple Intelligence ‌Siri‌ functionality.


With the spot, Google is shaming Apple for the misstep, suggesting Apple users should purchase a Pixel 10 smartphone instead.

If you buy a new phone because of a feature that's coming soon...

But it's been coming soon for a full year...

You could change your definition of soon. Or you could just change your phone.

At WWDC 2024, Apple showed off personalized ‌Siri‌ features powered by ‌Apple Intelligence‌. When the iPhone 16 models launched, Apple used those ‌Siri‌ features to promote the new smartphones, and listed the ‌Siri‌ functionality as coming soon.

Apple was not able to deliver personalized ‌Siri‌ functionality as planned, and earlier this year said that it would be delayed until 2026. Apple is now on track to release ‌Apple Intelligence‌ ‌Siri‌ in spring 2026, a year after it was supposed to launch. The delay has led to upset customers and even class action lawsuits for false advertising.

Google plans to unveil its new Pixel 10 smartphones later this month.
This article, "Google Makes Fun of Apple Intelligence Siri Delay in Ad Promoting Pixel 10" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iOS 26, currently in beta, gives you two distinct ways to add websites to your iPhone's Home screen – as web apps or traditional bookmarks. They might look similar at first glance, but choosing the right option can dramatically improve how you access your favorite sites.

Understanding the Difference

When you add a website to your Home screen via Safari's "Add to Home Screen" option, iOS 26 automatically detects whether the site supports progressive web app (PWA) functionality. Web apps run almost like native apps, with features like offline access, push notifications, and a streamlined interface without Safari's address bar. In contrast, traditional bookmarks simply open the website in Safari when tapped.

This choice matters more than you might think. Web apps can provide a faster, more app-like experience, whereas bookmarks work better for informational sites you visit only occasionally.

Add a Web App or Bookmark to Home Screen

If a website supports PWA functionality, iOS 26 will automatically offer the web app option when you try to add it to your Home screen.

1. Open Safari and navigate to the website you want to add.


2. Tap the three dots to the right of Safari's address bar, then tap Share in the pop-up menu.
   
   
3. Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen.


4. If the site supports web apps, you'll see the Open as Web App toggle in the dialog – switch it off if you want a bookmark instead.


5. Customize the app name if desired, then tap Add.
   
   

Web apps appear on your Home screen with a dedicated icon, and tapping it will launch the site in its own window without Safari's browser interface. Bookmarks display with a generic website icon or the site's favicon, and tapping them opens the page in Safari.

Remove Bookmark or Web App From Home Screen

Both web apps and bookmarks can be deleted from the Home screen, much like any other app. To remove either kind, long-press the icon on your home screen, then tap Delete Bookmark (for some reason iOS doesn't differentiate the kind in this menu).

iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 are set for a general release in September 2025.
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Missing the familiar Safari design from iOS 18? In iOS 26, currently in beta, Apple has learned from past criticism and made it easy to ditch the new Compact layout in favor of the classic tab layouts you may well prefer.


iOS 26 introduces a new "Compact" Safari design as the default, but Apple has included two additional layout options that essentially restore the iOS 18 experience. Here's how to get your old Safari back in just a few taps.

How to Switch to the iOS 18 Layouts

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.


2. Scroll down and tap Apps, then locate and tap Safari in the alphabetical list.


3. Scroll down to the "Tabs" section.


4. Select either Bottom or Top instead of Compact.

Both the Bottom and Top options function exactly like the Safari tab bar layouts from iOS 18, so you don't need to relearn how to navigate between tabs or access your bookmarks.

What's the Difference?

• Compact Layout (Default): Hides the share, bookmark, and tab settings behind a three-dot button on the right side of the URL bar. It saves screen space but requires an extra tap to access frequently used features.


• Bottom Layout: Places all Safari controls at the bottom of the screen, making them easily reachable with your thumb during one-handed use.


• Top Layout: Keeps the traditional desktop-style layout with controls at the top of the browser.

All three options now feature Apple's new Liquid Glass translucent design that blends the URL bar and buttons into the background of whatever webpage you're viewing. The translucent effect works in both Light and Dark Mode, and auto-adapts to match the webpage's color scheme.

Apple Learned From Its Mistake

This isn't the first time Apple has rethought Safari's design after user feedback. During iOS 15's beta testing, Apple initially changed Safari's design without providing layout alternatives and received full-throated negative feedback in return. It ultimately added options to revert to the original design. This time, Apple has gotten ahead of potential complaints by building choice directly into iOS 26, which will see a general release in September 2025.
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Apple is moving forward with plans to bring a new type of image sensor with dynamic range levels approaching that of the human eye to future iPhones, according to a Weibo leaker.


Last month, Apple filed a patent titled "Image Sensor With Stacked Pixels Having High Dynamic Range And Low Noise." It described an advanced sensor architecture that combines stacked silicon, multiple levels of light capture, and on-chip noise suppression mechanisms to reach up to 20 stops of dynamic range.

For comparison, the dynamic range of the human eye is estimated to be around 20 to 30 stops, depending on how the pupil adjusts and how light is processed over time. Most smartphone cameras today capture between 10 and 13 stops. If Apple's proposed sensor reaches its potential, it would not only surpass current iPhones but also outperform many professional cinema cameras, such as the ARRI ALEXA 35.

The patent outlined a stacked sensor design made up of two layers. The top layer, called the sensor die, contains the parts that capture light. The layer underneath, the logic die, handles processing, including noise reduction and exposure control.

One of the most important parts of the sensor design is a system called a Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor (LOFIC). This allows each pixel in the sensor to store different amounts of light depending on how bright the scene is, all in the same image. With this, the sensor can handle extremely wide lighting differences, such as a person standing in front of a bright window, without losing detail in the shadows or highlights.

Another part of the design focuses on reducing image noise and grain. Each pixel has its own built-in memory circuit that measures and cancels out heat-related electronic noise in real time. This is done on the chip itself, before the image is saved or edited by software.

According to the Weibo leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital," the project is more than merely a patent filing at Apple. The company has reportedly already developed the sensor and could now be testing it in developmental hardware, suggesting that there are plans to bring it to a consumer device in the future.

Currently, Apple uses sensors made by Sony across the iPhone lineup. Those sensors also use a two-layer design, but Apple's proposed version includes several original features and takes up less space. Crucially, Apple transitioning to its own sensors would give it complete control over the image pipeline and follow similar moves away from using hardware from companies like Intel and Qualcomm in favor of its own custom technology.
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Today we're tracking a pair of deals on AirPods over at Amazon, with solid discounts on the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2.

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.

You can get the AirPods 4 for $99.00, down from $129.00, which is just $10 higher compared to the all-time low price we tracked during Prime Day. This is the base model without Active Noise Cancellation.



The AirPods Pro 2 are on sale for $169.00, down from $249.00. Compared to previous record low prices, this is just about $20 higher, and one of the best prices we've tracked since that low price was available during Prime Day.



Both models have an estimated August 9 delivery date for most residences in the United States. If you live in a select location, and have a Prime membership, you may have access to free same-day shipping as well.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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For the first time, an individual has been seen publicly controlling an iPad entirely through thought, thanks to Apple's new brain-computer interface (BCI) protocol and Synchron's implantable Stentrode device.


A new video from Synchron shows how Mark, a participant in the company's COMMAND clinical study and a person living with ALS, can navigate the ‌iPad‌'s Home Screen, launch apps, and compose text, all without moving his hands, speaking, or using his eyes.

Mark's control of the ‌iPad‌ is powered by a combination of Apple's accessibility feature "Switch Control" and the Stentrode BCI, which is implanted into a blood vessel above the brain's motor cortex. The endovascular implant captures neural signals related to motor intent and wirelessly transmits them to an external decoder. That decoder interfaces directly with iPadOS through Apple's BCI HID standard.

The BCI HID protocol enables closed-loop communication between Apple devices and Synchron's technology, with the system dynamically sharing contextual on-screen data to optimize performance and responsiveness. Dr. Tom Oxley, Synchron's founder and CEO said:

This is the first time the world has seen native, thought-driven control of an Apple device in action. Mark's experience is a technical breakthrough, and a glimpse into the future of human-computer interaction, where cognitive input becomes a mainstream mode of control.

Apple first collaborated with Synchron in early pilot projects using Apple Vision Pro, which Mark controlled through thought in 2024. The integration then expanded to iPhones and iPads, with support built into Apple's accessibility frameworks. Apple is expected to roll out broader support for the BCI HID protocol across its platforms later in 2025.

Synchron has now implanted its Stentrode in 10 patients across the United States and Australia, under FDA's investigational device exemption. Unlike Neuralink's more invasive N1 chip, which embeds electrodes directly into brain tissue, Synchron's approach avoids open-brain surgery, relying on a safer, catheter-based procedure through the jugular vein.
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Apple is planning to bring tandem-structure OLED panels to its iPhone lineup in the coming years, which would bring over some of the display improvements currently exclusive to Apple's M4 iPad Pro models.


The Elec reports that Apple has set a two-year production plan for the superior OLED technology to be adapted for iPhone models. However, Apple has yet to decide whether to develop the panels in partnership with Samsung Display or LG Display, suggesting iPhones with tandem OLED won't arrive until sometime after 2028.

The tandem OLED displays used in Apple's iPad Pro models have two RGB organic light-emitting layers stacked together for increased brightness, improved power efficiency, and longer longevity compared to single-layer OLED displays. Currently, iPhone OLEDs use a single-stack method.

However, according to the report, the tandem OLED Apple is reviewing for iPhones involves stacking two layers for the blue sub-pixel only, while keeping red and green on a single layer. This method is apparently known in the industry as "simplified tandem."

LG Display is said to have proposed simplified tandem OLED to Apple based on confidence in its technology, and had already suggested tandem OLED for iPhones several years ago.

Apple is reportedly showing interest in LG's proposal, since Samsung is behind LG Display in developing this particular type of tandem OLED technology. Notably, LG's OLED panel shipments to Apple for iPad Pro models have exceeded those of Samsung, while its automotive OLEDs are also already built using a two-stack tandem method. By comparison, Samsung has mainly used a single-stack structure for automotive OLEDs.

Ultimately, Apple is likely to rely on multiple suppliers for the technology to ensure production capacity and maintain price competitiveness. That suggests China's BOE may also be called upon. As with all rumors running this far into the future, Apple's plans could of course change.
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The iPhone 17 Air internal battery pack is just 2.49mm thick and appears to be about half as thin as the iPhone 17 Pro battery, based on new information and images coming out of Korea.


Posted by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, an image allegedly shows the iPhone 17 Air battery next to the iPhone 17 Pro battery for comparison. The same account was first to claim that the Air's battery capacity is 2,800 mAh. A Chinese leaker has since said it will be below the 3,000 mAh mark.

We do not yet have any rumors indicating the battery capacity of the iPhone 17 Pro, only for the iPhone 17 Pro Max – which is said to be at or above 5,000 mAh.

Some of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models were the last with battery capacities at or below the 3,000 mAh mark. However, mAh values can only be directly compared when the batteries have the same voltage, with Wh a preferred unit of measurement. iPhone batteries typically do have the same voltage, allowing for mAh comparisons.

In May, the same Naver blog account claimed that the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight of approximately 145 grams – similar to an iPhone SE 2 or iPhone 13 mini, which are 148 grams and 141 grams, respectively. The all-new ultra-thin device itself is believed to be around 5.5mm thick, making it the thinnest ever iPhone.


Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in March that device will have a "high-density" battery. More recently, a report out of Asia has suggested that the iPhone 17 Air could become the first Apple smartphone to adopt advanced battery technology, with Apple supplier TDK preparing to ship its new generation of silicon-anode batteries by the end of June.

Having said that, reports have been mixed regarding the iPhone 17 Air's potential battery performance. The Information's Wayne Ma claimed the device will have "worse" battery life compared to previous iPhone models.


In internal testing, Apple apparently determined that the percentage of users who will be able to use the iPhone 17 Air for a full day without needing to recharge the device throughout the day will be between 60% and 70%, according to the report. For other iPhone models, the report said that metric is apparently between 80% and 90%.

To mitigate this problem, the report said that Apple is planning to release a battery case as an optional accessory for the iPhone 17 Air.

On the other hand, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has offered a more optimistic outlook, stating that battery life would be "on par with current iPhones" thanks to hardware and software optimizations.

The 5.5mm-thin device is also rumored to incorporate Apple's power-efficient C1 modem and lack an Ultra Wide camera, which could potentially provide more internal space for a larger battery. We'll know for sure when the device replaces the "Plus" model in Apple's iPhone 17 lineup, which is expected to launch around mid-September, per Apple's typical fall release schedule.
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Along with the iPhone 18 Fold expected to launch in late 2026, Apple is working on a larger-screened foldable device that could be a MacBook-iPad hybrid of some sort. According to one analyst, both devices were set to enter mass production towards the end of next year, but a new report now suggests the larger model is further away than originally thought.


In a research note reflecting on Apple's recent third-quarter earnings, investment firm GF Securities' lead analyst Jeff Pu said he expects "limited innovation" from Apple in its upcoming iPhone 17 lineup. Instead, Pu reserves his excitement for the iPhone 18 Fold, for which he has seen "intact progress" in the supply chain pointing to a release in the second half of 2026.

"On the other hand," writes Pu, "the 18.8-inch foldable device is likely to be postponed." The analyst offered no reason for the expected delay, but the report suggests the device will no longer enter mass production in the fourth quarter of 2026 for a likely 2027 release, as previously indicated.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes that Apple is working on a foldable ‌iPad‌ with a 20-inch display that will come out in 2028, while analyst Ross Young has said that he expects a foldable tablet-like device in 2026 or 2027, so it's safe to say there's uncertainty about a launch date. There also appear to be conflicting reports about what kind of device the larger foldable will be.

Pu believes the foldable device that Apple is working on will be a MacBook-iPad hybrid with a touch-based screen and support for macOS. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also referred to Apple's larger foldable device as a MacBook, while Ross Young has also written about Apple's work on a notebook with an 18.8-inch display. The Wall Street Journal said in December that Apple is working on a 19-inch MacBook with a foldable screen.

However, Gurman has referred to Apple's large-screened foldable device as an ‌iPad‌, as has research firm Omdia. Whether the large-screened foldable is ultimately an ‌iPad‌ or a Mac will come down to the operating system that Apple is planning to use. If the device runs macOS, it'll be in the Mac family, and if it runs iPadOS, it'll be in the ‌iPad‌ family. Gurman has claimed that some of the design updates that Apple has made in iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe to unify the operating systems will pave the way for foldable devices and touchscreen Macs, so a hybrid is also a possibility.

• Foldable iPhone Expected Next Year: All the Rumored Features So Far

All in all, the details of Apple's larger foldable device remain murky. That's in contrast to rumors about Apple's smaller book-style foldable iPhone, which have recently been converging on a 2026 release.
This article, "Apple's 18.8-Inch Foldable Device Could Miss 2026 Production Target" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple is hiring engineers for an "Answers, Knowledge, and Information" team that is working on improving Siri, Spotlight, Safari, and more.


As of writing, Apple's careers website has more than a dozen job listings for the team across the U.S. and China. For example, Apple is looking to hire a Staff Machine Learning Engineer to help with "improving Siri's ability to answer personal domain questions." The job listing says the team develops large language models that are "responsible for answering users' questions using their personal documents with privacy at the forefront."

That sounds a lot like Apple's personalized Siri features, which were delayed until 2026. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says there is more at play here.

In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he was told that the team is in the early stages of developing a "new ChatGPT-like search experience," and it is apparently even exploring a "standalone app" for such functionality.

"While still in early stages, the team is building what it calls an 'answer engine' — a system capable of crawling the web to respond to general-knowledge questions," wrote Gurman. "A standalone app is currently under exploration, alongside new back-end infrastructure meant to power search capabilities in future versions of Siri, Spotlight and Safari."

Gurman previously reported that Apple was developing a more conversational version of Siri, but he said that it was delayed until at least iOS 27. This would be a more ChatGPT-like version of Siri that is powered by a large language model.

For now, the only thing that Apple has announced is the more personalized version of Siri, which will have better understanding of a user's personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper per-app controls. For example, Apple showed an iPhone user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation plans based on info from the Mail and Messages apps. Evidently, though, it looks like Apple has even bigger ChatGPT-like ambitions.


This article, "Apple Hiring for 'Answers' Team Working on 'ChatGPT-Like Search'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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In a federal court in Massachusetts on Friday, Apple sued a small movie theater chain named Apple Cinemas over alleged trademark infringement.


"Apple Cinemas is knowingly and intentionally using the name Apple to sow confusion for its own benefit," alleged attorneys for Apple, in a complaint filed against all Apple Cinemas locations, and a Sand Media Corp Inc. company connected to the chain.

Established in 2013, Apple Cinemas maintained a limited presence in the Northeastern U.S. until last month, when it opened a theater in San Francisco. The complaint alleges that Apple Cinemas is pursuing a nationwide expansion across the U.S., including in areas near Apple's headquarters and retail stores, leading Apple to take action.

"Faced with Defendants' plan to expand to 100 theaters nationwide, as well as widespread public confusion about Apple's involvement in the theaters, Apple has no alternative but to file this lawsuit to protect its brand and customers from deception," the complaint states.

Apple Cinemas currently has 14 locations, according to its website.

Apple's "repeated efforts to resolve the matter amicably" were unsuccessful. The lawsuit alleges that the companies behind Apple Cinemas have received multiple warnings that the name would cause confusion among consumers, but carried on. The complaint includes examples of some people who believed that Apple Cinemas was owned by Apple, in the comment sections of various online news articles and social media posts.

The first warning came from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which in October 2024 denied Sand Media Corp Inc.'s trademark applications for the "Apple Cinemas" and "ACX — Apple Cinematic Experience" marks, given they were likely to cause confusion with Apple's prior trademark rights, according to the complaint.

Apple has very strong trademark rights in connection with a wide range of goods and services, including movie distribution, its attorneys said.

The second warning came in December 2024, when Apple sent Sand Media Corps Inc. a cease and desist letter directly, according to the complaint. Apple's attorneys also communicated with the company by phone and in writing several times, but it knowingly pushed forward with its Apple Cinemas expansion plans, the complaint adds.

As for how the Apple Cinemas name came to be? According to the complaint, the founders of the chain claim they adopted the name due to a planned first location at the Apple Valley Mall in Rhode Island, but they never opened a location there.

Apple is seeking both an injunction and monetary damages.
This article, "Apple Sues Movie Theater Chain With Similar 'Apple Cinemas' Name" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Update — August 2: Majin Bu now says that this battery is actually for the iPhone 17 Pro, instead of the iPhone 17 Air as they originally claimed. There will apparently be two variants, for models with and without a physical SIM card tray.


"Due to a miscommunication with my source, the information I reported yesterday is incorrect," said Majin Bu.

Original story follows.

---

A leaker known as Majin Bu today shared images of an alleged battery pack for Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Air model, which is expected to launch in September.

The battery apparently has a metal cover, just like the iPhone 16 Pro's battery. This cover would help to dissipate heat generated by the battery inside the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to measure just 5.5mm at its thinnest point.

A source told Majin Bu that the L-shaped battery pack will have a capacity of around 2,900 mAh. That tracks with previous rumors indicating that the iPhone 17 Air's battery capacity will be in the 2,800 mAh to 3,000 mAh range.

The batteries in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus use a type of adhesive that can be loosened with low-voltage electrical current, from a 9V battery or another power source. Majin Bu expects the iPhone 17 Air's battery will also be removable in this way.


Majin Bu has a mixed track record with Apple rumors. They were most recently accurate about iPadOS 26 adding a Mac-like menu bar to iPads.

If the 2,900 mAh figure is accurate, the iPhone 17 Air could have the shortest battery life of any iPhone model since the iPhone 13 series, but the lower capacity could be offset by the A19 chip's improved power efficiency. In addition, iOS 26's new Adaptive Power Mode would help the iPhone 17 Air to achieve at least slightly longer battery life.

Earlier this year, The Information's Wayne Ma reported that the iPhone 17 Air would have "worse" battery life compared to previous iPhone models, due to the device's rumored ultra-thin design limiting internal space for a battery.

In internal testing, Apple determined that the percentage of users who will be able to use the iPhone 17 Air for a full day without needing to recharge the device throughout the day will be between 60% and 70%, according to that report. For other iPhone models, the report said that metric is apparently between 80% and 90%.

To mitigate this problem, the report said that Apple is planning to release a battery case as an optional accessory for the iPhone 17 Air.

Apple last released battery cases for the iPhone 11 lineup, followed by the since-discontinued MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12 models and newer.
This article, "iPhone 17 Pro's Metal Battery Allegedly Revealed [Updated]" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The highlight of this week's best Apple deals is a sale on the M4 MacBook Air at Amazon, with $200 off nearly every model of the computer. You'll also find great discounts on the MacBook Pro, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and AirPods Max this week.

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

M4 MacBook Air

• What's the deal? Get $200 off M4 MacBook Air


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Amazon this week introduced a new record low price across the entire M4 MacBook Air lineup, and you can still get the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air (256GB) for just $799.00, plus many other deals.

M4 MacBook Pro

• What's the deal? Get up to $436 off M4 MacBook Pro


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Continuing this week's theme of steep MacBook-related discounts, Amazon also has great deals on the M4 MacBook Pro right now. You'll find up to $436 off these computers, starting at $1,299.00 for the entry-level 14-inch model.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

• What's the deal? Get $150 off Apple Watch Ultra 2


• Where can I get it? Best Buy and Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Both Amazon and Best Buy brought back the all-time low price on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 this week in multiple colors and band styles.

AirPods Max

• What's the deal? Get $99 off AirPods Max


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

You can get the AirPods Max for $449.99 in all colors except Purple this week on Amazon, which is a $99 discount and second-best price.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

---

This article, "Best Apple Deals of the Week: M4 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Hit New Record Low Prices" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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With the calendar flipping over to August, we're just about a month away from the introduction of the iPhone 17 lineup and we're continuing to hear more about what to expect for this year's flagship phones.


Testing on iOS 26 and related updates is also in full swing, even as this week saw the release of iOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, and more to provide bug fixes and security updates for users. Rumors about Apple's foldable iPhone also continue to surface, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 With Photos Bug Fix

While iOS 26 and related major updates are now in public beta testing ahead of their official releases later this year, Apple is continuing to tweak the current versions with bug fixes and security updates. This week saw the release of iOS 18.6 with a fix for a bug in the Photos app that could prevent memory movies from being shared. The update also includes over 20 security fixes, so it's important to update your devices as soon as possible.


In addition to iOS 18.6, Apple also released macOS Sequoia 15.6, watchOS 11.6, tvOS 18.6, and more, to ensure that all of the company's platforms receive the important fixes.

iPhone 17 Pro Could Come in Surprising Orange Color, Dummy Models Suggest

We've been hearing more and more about the expected color options for the iPhone 17 lineup coming later this year, and a fresh crop of dummy units reportedly intended to showcase the actual shades Apple is planning on launching reveal a surprisingly bright orange color for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.


In other iPhone rumors, a tipster claims that the Pro models will include up to 8× optical zoom for the Telephoto lens, an additional Camera Control button, and a new pro camera app. The larger camera bumps on the Pro models will also necessitate a change to the MagSafe design, though backward compatibility will be included.

iPhone 17 Pro Spotted in the Wild?

While the iPhone 17 Pro is not expected to launch until September, a prototype of the device was potentially spotted in the wild this week.


It could certainly be a hoax, but the details shown in the photos are consistent with the rumored design of the phone and with how Apple is known to conceal unreleased hardware that has to be tested in the real world.

JPMorgan: Foldable iPhone to Launch in September 2026

Rumors are continuing to line up behind the idea of Apple releasing its first foldable phone in September 2026, alongside several iPhone 18 models.


The latest research note from JPMorgan suggests that the foldable is likely to start at around $1,999, creating a roughly $65 billion market opportunity for Apple. The firm forecasts foldable iPhone sales to be in the low-teens of million in 2027, reaching 45 million units by 2028.

These 10 Apple Stores Are Opening or Closing Later This Year

There has been a flurry of Apple retail news over the past few weeks, with the company announcing the opening of several new or renovated locations while closing a few others. Beyond our initial list of stores from earlier this week, Tim Cook also announced on Thursday's earnings conference call that several more openings are coming to India and the United Arab Emirates later this year.


The closings, which include a rare closure of a Chinese store in Dalian, typically occur in shopping malls that have been in decline and losing other major tenants. In some cases Apple has been replacing the stores in other nearby locations where they are expected to perform better, while in other cases customers are directed to alternative existing Apple retail stores in their areas.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!
This article, "Top Stories: iOS 18.6 Released, iPhone 17 Leaks, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The Phone app doesn't often get a lot of attention with iOS updates, but that's changing in iOS 26. There are multiple new features to prevent unwanted calls and to save you time.

Unified Design

The Phone app has a new unified design, but there is an option to use the original iOS 18 layout as well. The unified design puts recent calls, missed calls, and voicemails on a single screen.


Favorite contacts remain at the top of the interface, and there's still a tab for swapping over to contacts and the keypad. You can turn the unified view on or off by tapping on the icon with three lines in the upper right corner of the display.

Call Screening

Apple has expanded call screening functionality in ‌iOS 26‌. There is an option to ask unknown callers (aka people who you don't have saved in your Contacts list) for their name and reason for calling. When enabled, this is an automated process.


The iPhone intercepts an incoming call, and requests the person's name and a short reason for calling. The information is transcribed to text and relayed to you, and you can decide whether to ask for more information, accept the call, or decline the call.

The person on the other end of the call receives an automated response similar to a voicemail asking for more information, and they are placed on hold while you make a decision on accepting or declining the call.

To use this feature, toggle on "Ask Reason for Calling" in the Phone section of the Settings app.

Silence Unknown Callers

Rather than asking for more information from unknown callers, there is still a silence unknown caller option that can be turned on instead. As in ‌iOS 18‌, toggling this on silences calls from unsaved numbers, sending them to voicemail automatically. Calls that are silenced will show up on the Recents list, and you will also see the voicemail for information about why someone was calling.

If you don't want to use silence unknown callers or the ask reason for calling feature, you can set the Screen Unknown Callers option to "Never." With this setting, calls from unsaved numbers ring as normal, and missed calls are shown on the Recents list.

Call Filtering

In addition to improved call screening, ‌iOS 26‌ has new call filtering features. There is an option to move missed calls and voicemails from unsaved numbers to a dedicated Unknown Callers list, hiding them from the main view.


There's also a toggle to automatically silence calls that are marked as spam by a carrier. If you have Verizon, for example, Verizon automatically marks some numbers as spam, and the ‌iPhone‌ can automatically send those calls to voicemail and move the calls to the Spam list. This setting will vary by carrier.

With these options turned on, you can tap on the icon in the upper right of the phone app to see calls that have been moved to the Unknown Caller section or marked as spam.

Spam Voicemails

When you tap into a voicemail from an unknown number, there's now a "Report Spam" button. Tapping on it sends the voicemail to Apple, and you can either report the message as spam and keep it, or report it and delete it. Deleting a voicemail from an unknown number also brings up the option to report it as spam, and there is an option to report spam right when listening to an incoming voicemail as well.


Reporting a voicemail as spam does not block the caller, and that needs to be done with a separate step. Tap on the "i" button, scroll down on the contact card, and tap on Block Contact to block a spammer.

Hold Assist

If you make a call and are placed on hold, there's a feature in ‌iOS 26‌ that will wait for you so you can do other things. It listens for hold music playing, and then alerts you when a person comes on the line so you can pick up the call.


You can turn on Hold Assist on any call by placing the call, then tapping on the "..." button once the call has connected. Your phone will ring and you will be alerted to pick up when a person is on the line. If the ‌iPhone‌ detects hold music, it may also automatically prompt you to turn on Hold Assist.

Since the feature works by detecting hold music, it can be imperfect when a number has a voice-based automation reminding you to stay on the line, or if there's music with distinct lyrics. You will see a transcript of any spoken words, so you can determine when a person is actually on the line.

Live Translation

Live Translation is a feature that can translate incoming phone calls from one language to another. When a call is in progress, tap on the "..." button and then tap on Live Translation to use the feature.


You can then select the language that you want to translate from (the language spoken by the person you're talking to) and the language that you want to translate to (your language). As of now, Live Translation for the Phone app supports English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.

When a translation is in progress, you'll see a small notice at the bottom of the phone app that says "Translating [Language]" and there will be a live transcript of the call. An AI voiceover will audibly translate what's said from one language to another, with a slight delay while this is happening.

Live Translation works on the ‌iPhone‌ to translate what you're hearing and what you're saying, so the person on the other end does not need to have an ‌iPhone‌ or even a smartphone at all.

Call History

There is an extended call history available for each of your contacts in ‌iOS 26‌. In the Phone app, tap on the "i" next to any name or number, and then tap on the "Call History" option. From there, you can see every time you've spoken with that person, dating years back.

Type to Siri

While on a phone call, you can now use the Type to Siri feature to ask ‌Siri‌ questions or to complete a task.

Screen Sharing and SharePlay

Apple added SharePlay and screen sharing support to the Phone app in ‌iOS 26‌. When on a call with a person that has a compatible device, tap on the "..." button and then choose either SharePlay or Screen Sharing to access the features.

When using SharePlay, you're able to select an app to use with the feature, such as Apple TV or Apple Music.

With screen sharing, you can ask for remote access to a device, which is useful for helping troubleshoot tech problems.

Both participants need to be using a device with ‌iOS 26‌, iPadOS 26, or macOS Tahoe to use screen sharing and SharePlay with the Phone app.

eSIM Improvements

If you need to transfer an eSIM to Android or an Android eSIM to an ‌iPhone‌, the process has been streamlined in ‌iOS 26‌. In the ‌iPhone‌'s cellular settings, there is a "Transfer to Android" option for an existing SIM, as well as an option to "Transfer From Android" when adding a new SIM to an ‌iPhone‌.

Phone App for iPad and Mac

The Phone app has expanded to the iPad in ‌iPadOS 26‌ and the Mac in macOS Tahoe. All of the features like Call Screening, Hold Assist, and Live Translation also work on the ‌iPad‌ and the Mac.


To use the Phone app on ‌iPad‌ or Mac, you do need an ‌iPhone‌ on the same Apple Account, and you need to activate Wi-Fi Calling so that calls can be accepted on other devices.

Read More

More on the features that are available in ‌iOS 26‌ can be found in our iOS 26 roundup.
This article, "iOS 26: 10+ Features Coming to the Phone App" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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We're on the fourth developer beta and first public beta of macOS Tahoe, which means we're getting closer to the launch version that's set to come out in September. With macOS Tahoe now available to the public, we thought it would be a good time to share an initial review of the update.


Like iOS 26, macOS Tahoe adopts the Liquid Glass design. It's used for the Dock, widgets, Control Center, menu bars, navigation bars in apps, app icons, and a few other places, but its implementation is less widespread than it is in iOS and iPadOS. It's clear that Liquid Glass was not a Mac-first design, and the glass parts of the interface feel cobbled together with the previous design language.

The floating element of Liquid Glass looks natural on the iPhone and the iPad, where glassy buttons hover over the app's content to provide a sense of depth, but macOS Tahoe doesn't have enough of the glass-like transparency to make that work in the same way on the Mac. There are not-so-transparent gray-shaded buttons and navigation bars that have a dated-looking shadowing behind them, and the rounded look doesn't help make things appear modern either. Liquid Glass looks better on darker backgrounds, but it very much feels like a work in progress. This is a beta, of course, so we could see further updates to Liquid Glass on the Mac before Tahoe launches.

Apple has been updating the macOS Tahoe design from beta to beta. Up until beta 4, Safari had a design where non-active tabs were denoted as such with an underline, while the active tab had none. That's typically not how underlining works, so determining which tab was in use was confusing. Apple thankfully adopted a color-based design in beta 4, so it's now clear which tab is at the forefront.

Though Liquid Glass doesn't feel fully developed in macOS Tahoe, there are other new features that make a positive change to customization and function.

The Control Center and Menu Bar can be customized with the apps and features that you need most, and other less useful options can be tucked away or removed. The Control Center is more like the iOS Control Center, and you can create multiple pages with options organized in a way that works for you. Third-party app functions will be able to be added to the Menu Bar and Control Center too.

macOS adopts the tinted icon option from iOS, so you can tint your icons all the same color, or choose the Liquid Glass-style clear option (though be warned, it's more gray than clear on macOS). Folder colors can be customized too, and you can add an emoji to a folder to make it stand out.

One of the biggest changes in macOS Tahoe is to Spotlight, which is now a one-stop spot for everything that you might need to do on a Mac. You can use it to open apps, find anything on your Mac, see your clipboard history, and complete actions. Spotlight replaces Launchpad, so when you want to open an app, you'll now use Spotlight.

Search is more comprehensive and you're more likely to find what you're looking for using the file searching feature, plus you can keep tabs on what you've copied and pasted with the new clipboard history option. It stores a log of what you've copied for 24 hours.

Actions is an all-new Spotlight function. You can do all kinds of things without ever opening an app, like sending an email or message, starting a timer, creating a note, placing a call, creating a reminder or calendar event, and much more. Apple added quick access buttons that are easy to learn, so you can use Command 1, 2, 3, and 4 to get to the different Spotlight functions. For things you use most often, you can set up your own quick keys.

The Phone app is now on the Mac, which could be useful depending on your daily habits. There was already an option to answer a call on the Mac or make a FaceTime audio or video call, but now you have access to the full suite of phone functions for placing calls from the Mac. You'll need a connected ‌iPhone‌ with Wi-Fi Calling, of course. The Phone app on Mac includes the new features like Hold Assist, Call Screening, and Live Translation that you'll also find on the ‌iPhone‌.

There's a new Games app that basically includes what's in the Games section of the Mac App Store and Apple Arcade. There's a "Play Together" option for challenging friends to beat you at a specific goal in a single-player game, and there's a multiplayer section for finding games to play with friends. The Games app doesn't seem all that useful as of right now, but maybe it will get additional features to make it more appealing in the future.

The Journal app is also now available for Mac, which will be a welcome change for those who want to write journal entries using a Mac's keyboard.

Many of the most useful ‌iOS 26‌ features and changes are also available on the Mac, like personalized Messages backgrounds, Apple Intelligence support for organizing Reminders, new ChatGPT styles for Image Playground, and support for the updated Genmoji.

Have you tried macOS Tahoe yet? Let us know what you think of the update in the comments.

Read More About macOS Tahoe

We have a macOS Tahoe roundup that walks through all of the different features in the update.
This article, "macOS Tahoe Review: Spotlight Shines, Liquid Glass Disappoints" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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CalDigit recently came out with the TS5 Plus, which is designed to work with Apple's Thunderbolt 5 Macs.


The TS5 Plus looks like CalDigit's prior docks, featuring a simple rectangular shape and an aluminum build with some ridging at the top, bottom, and sides for visual interest and heat dissipation.

It's a black aluminum color that matches the Space Black of the M4 MacBook Pro models, and it comes with a hefty 330W power brick. In fact, the power brick is longer than the dock itself, but it's flat and tucks away under a desk fairly well. The TS5 Plus is six inches long, five inches wide, and 1.8 inches thick, while the power brick is seven inches long, 3.5 inches wide, and a little under an inch thick.


After using Anker's Thunderbolt 5 dock with a built-in power supply, I am disappointed with the large size of the CalDigit power brick. There's a power supply cable that attaches to the power brick, and then the power brick has a cable that plugs into the dock. CalDigit includes a high-quality 3.3ft Thunderbolt 5 cable with a braided design, and a set of rubber feet.


Though I am complaining about the power brick compared to the Anker Prime's more compact design with included power supply, the CalDigit TS5 Plus has six more available ports, faster Ethernet, and more charging power for accessory devices.


At the front of the dock, there's a 10Gb/s USB-A port that can provide 7.5W to charge AirPods or an Apple Watch, along with two 10Gb/s USB-C ports, one that supplies 7.5W and a second that supplies 36W, which is enough to fast charge an iPhone or iPad, and even enough power for a MacBook Air. The front also has an SD card slot and a microSD card reader, plus there's an audio combo jack and a small LED that lets you know when the dock has power. The card slots support UHS-II transfer speeds at up to 312MB/s.


The rest of the ports are on the back, and include the following:

• 3 10Gb/s USB-C data ports that can provide 7.5W


• 4 10Gb/s USB-A ports that can provide 7.5W


• 10GbE Ethernet port


• Audio in


• Audio out


• DisplayPort 2.1


• Two downstream 80Gb/s Thunderbolt 5 ports that supply 36W


• One upstream Thunderbolt 5 port that supplies 140W to the host machine (with the included TB5 cable)


• One security slot


• DC in

There are enough ports to connect a ton of peripherals and multiple displays, but this isn't a dock that has an HDMI port. If you need HDMI, you can get an appropriate DisplayPort to HDMI adapter or just use the Mac's HDMI port.

I like the port arrangement. It's been useful having a 36W USB-C port front and center, and the SD card slot on the front is convenient for transferring photos from my camera. The USB-C ports charge my devices even when I don't have my MacBook connected, so the TS5 Plus also works as a charging station.


It's useful to have three 36W USB-C ports available on the TS5 Plus because I can charge an ‌iPhone‌, iPad Pro, Apple Watch, AirPods, and ‌MacBook Air‌ all at the same time while still charging my MacBook Pro and powering multiple displays. I did get the full fast charging for the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, and plugging in more devices didn't drop the power levels.

The TS5 Plus has dual USB controllers inside (one for the front and one for the back), and there's no throttling with multiple devices plugged in and transferring data at the same time. I tested with the Thunderbolt 5 SSD and two additional USB-C SSDs, and I didn't see any drop off in transfer speeds.


Since there is no fan inside, the TS5 Plus can get warm to the touch. It's not hot enough to burn, but it would warm your hands in the winter, and I wouldn't want to put a chocolate bar on top. The aluminum ridges do dissipate heat, but it won't run as cool as the Anker Prime. On the plus side, operation is silent because it doesn't have a fan.

Thunderbolt 5 supports 80Gb/s speeds with a bandwidth boost of up to 120Gb/s for displays, so it's twice as fast as Thunderbolt 4, which maxes out at 40Gb/s. There's also more bandwidth available for SSDs, which allows for faster data transfers.

Using the TS5 Plus and the Thunderbolt 5 Envoy Ultra from OWC, I was able to get maximum speeds of 4,647MB/s write and 5,154MB/s read. Speeds were just a little slower than the SSD plugged in directly to my ‌MacBook Pro‌.

Thunderbolt 5 supports up to three displays on PCs, but not on Macs. On the Mac, you're still going to max out at two displays over a single Thunderbolt 5 connection (aka run through a dock) because of GPU limitations. With the TS5 Plus, you can use two 8K displays at 60Hz, two 6K displays at 60Hz, a 5K and a 6K display, two 4K displays at 240Hz, and several other display combinations depending on which Mac you have and what it supports.

With the M4 Pro or M4 Max, you can actually run up to four displays, but you'll either need two Thunderbolt 5 docks for that setup, or you'll need to use the other Thunderbolt and HDMI ports you have available on your machine.

For higher resolutions, the M4 Pro only supports a single 8K display, so that's what you're limited to with the dock. The M4 Max can support two 8K displays at 60Hz, two 6K displays at 60Hz and one 8K display at 60Hz, or four displays at 6K 60Hz. CalDigit says you can run two 8K displays through the TS5 Plus, but you might test bandwidth limits if you have other devices like SSDs connected. You'd probably get better performance plugging one 8K display into the dock and then connecting the other 8K display to a different Thunderbolt 5 port or the Mac's HDMI port

I don't have a dual 6K or 8K dual display setup available, so I wasn't able to push the TS5 Plus to its limits. I normally use my ‌MacBook Pro‌ with just a single 5K Studio Display connected over Thunderbolt, but I added a 4K 144Hz Samsung display for testing with the TS5 Plus. I didn't run into any issues with two displays, even with multiple SSDs and other peripherals connected.


If you have a similar setup with a 5K display and a 4K display, or two 6K displays, you're not going to run into any problems, plus you'll have the bandwidth for upgrading to higher resolution displays as that kind of technology comes down in price. There are some fine-print limitations on displays that any potential buyer should check out. You can't run dual LG UltraFine 5K displays, for example. Dual 5K monitors need to be Thunderbolt 4 or Apple Studio displays, and 6K monitors need to be the Pro Display XDR or Thunderbolt 4 displays.

I primarily tested the TS5 Plus with an M4 Pro ‌MacBook Pro‌, but it's also compatible with Thunderbolt 4 machines. I also had no issues using it with my M1 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌, and it worked flawlessly with an M4 ‌MacBook Air‌ as well. You can also connect to iPads that support Thunderbolt, such as the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌.

For older Macs with base M1, M2, or M3 chips, you can only use one external display with CalDigit's dock. If you have a ‌M1‌/‌M2‌/M3 Max or Pro chip, you can use dual displays with no issue.

Bottom Line

If you have a Thunderbolt 5 Mac and need the fastest data transfer speeds along with the ability to drive high resolution displays, you're not going to go wrong with the TS5 Plus. This is one of the most capable Thunderbolt 5 docks on the market, and its wide selection of ports are going to work for nearly any configuration.

Thunderbolt 5 docks are backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 4 machines, so it might also be worth opting for the TS5 Plus for future-proofing purposes, to get 10GbE, or to get the multi-device charging power that it offers. With three 36W USB-C ports, you can most likely charge all of your devices with the TS5 Plus, eliminating the need for multiple cables running from your desk to a power source.

This is the dock to get if you're looking for the best Thunderbolt 5 performance, and it's the one I'd recommend for use for any professional setup that involves high resolution displays and the need for fast transfer speeds. It is more expensive than some other docks, including the $400 CalDigit TS5 and the $400 Anker Prime, but the extra money may be worth it if you need the flexibility of 20 ports.

How to Buy

The TS5 Plus can be purchased from the CalDigit website or from Amazon for $500.

Note: CalDigit provided MacRumors with a TS5 Plus for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
This article, "CalDigit TS5 Plus Dock Review: Maximum Ports, Maximum Power" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke to employees at an all-hands meeting today, providing some insight into Apple's work on AI. According to Bloomberg, Cook said that AI is going to be bigger than smartphones and the internet, and that it's a priority for the company.


"Apple must do this. Apple will do this. This is sort of ours to grab. We will make the investment to do it," Cook told employees.

Cook pointed out that Apple has dominated several markets even when the company wasn't first to the technology. "We've rarely been first. There was a PC before the Mac; there was a smartphone before the iPhone; there were many tablets before the iPad; there was an MP3 player before iPod," Cook said, suggesting that Apple will play a major role in transforming AI in the future.

The all-hands meeting comes a day after Apple's earnings call, where Cook made similar remarks about Apple's plan to make significant investments in AI. During the call, Cook said Apple was open to making an acquisition that would accelerate its roadmap.

Apple has held talks with Perplexity and Mistral about a potential major AI acquisition, and the company has also discussed using technology from OpenAI or Anthropic for an LLM-based version of Siri.

Apple software chief Craig Federighi was also on hand to discuss ‌Siri‌, and he said the company's efforts to overhaul the underlying ‌Siri‌ architecture are promising. Apple is getting the "needed" results from the ‌Siri‌ overhaul. "This has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than we envisioned. There is no project people are taking more seriously," Federighi said.

Cook and Federighi may have been aiming to reassure employees about Apple's dedication to AI due to Meta's efforts to poach AI experts. Several Apple AI engineers have left Apple for Meta because Meta has been offering massive pay packages, and morale at Apple has been falling.
This article, "Tim Cook Defends Apple's AI Delay: 'We've Rarely Been First'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple now considers second-generation Apple Watch Series 1 models released in 2016 to be obsolete, according to the company's vintage and obsolete products list.


Apple updated the list to move the Series 1 Apple Watch models from the vintage section to the obsolete section, as it has now been more than seven years since the devices were last offered for sale. The Series 1 models were sold alongside the Apple Watch Series 2 models, and were the successor to the original Apple Watch models. The Series 1 Apple Watch was almost identical to the original Apple Watch, but it had a faster S1P processor.

Apple products are considered vintage five years after they were last distributed for sale, while a product is considered obsolete at the seven year mark. Vintage products can still be repaired at Apple retail stores and by Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) if the required parts are available, but products that are obsolete are no longer repairable and Apple does not provide parts.
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T-Mobile has completed its acquisition of UScellular's wireless operations, T-Mobile announced today. T-Mobile paid $4.3 billion for UScellular, in a deal that included UScellular's wireless customers, stores, and 30 percent of its cellular spectrum.


T-Mobile announced the acquisition back in May 2024, but it was contingent on regulatory approval. According to Reuters, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved the merger in mid-July after T-Mobile ended its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

T-Mobile sent the FCC a letter [PDF] with a promise to end DEI on July 9, and the deal was approved two days later. T-Mobile said that it was eliminating its DEI-related policies "not just in name, but in substance."

According to T-Mobile, the UScellular acquisition is a "big win for customers." Existing UScellular customers will be incorporated into the T-Mobile network. While UScellular users can keep their plans for the time being, T-Mobile will begin allowing them to the transition to T-Mobile unlimited plans "as networks and systems are integrated."

T-Mobile previously acquired MetroPCS and Sprint. The MetroPCS acquisition was completed in 2013, and the Sprint acquisition was completed in 2020.
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