The European Union is about to enforce new regulations concerning the repairability of iPhones and iPads. Here's where Apple stands, and where it needs to improve, before the new rules kick in.


The European Union has been aggressive when it comes to hardware regulations. Decisions made by the European Commission have forced tech companies, like Apple, to rethink some of their designs, in a bid to improve the technology landscape for all European citizens.

When the EU gave its final approval on the Common Charger Directive, which made it mandatory for many new devices to recharge using USB-C connectors, Apple joined in. It moved away from Lightning in favor of USB-C, a move that has been a considerable improvement for end users.


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A trademark filing for "homeOS" may mean that Apple is actually preparing to bring out its smart home operating system, potentially during WWDC.


Apple has long been rumored to be working on a new operating system aimed at the smart home. This operating system has been rumored for years to be called "homeOS."

In a discovery by Parker Ortolani posted by 9to5Mac on Thursday, there may be evidence of it actually existing. A trademark filing reveals that someone registered "homeOS" back in April 2025.


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Big developers are hoping that US users will be tempted to buy subscriptions outside of the App Store, but a survey suggests that the few that shift will need to be tempted by giant discounts.


The continuing Epic vs Apple fight over the App Store resulted in Apple being forced to allow developers to link to external stores, after failing to abide by the 2021 injunction on the matter. It now seems that, while to a complete exodus from the App Store, Apple may see a considerable reduction in revenue in the future over the change.

According to a May AlphaWise survey outlined in a Morgan Stanley analyst note seen by AppleInsider, many consumers still want to make purchases without going through Apple's payment systems.


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Tata's take-over of India iPhone and MacBook repair demonstrates Apple's increasing reliance on the native company, over internationals like Wistron and Foxconn.


India is an important and growing market for Apple, with it becoming more prominent on both the manufacturing and retail fronts for the company. It now seems that, with greater expectations for the country, Apple is bulking up its services to match.

According to two sources of Reuters, Apple has started to work with Tata Group on iPhone and MacBook repairs for products sold in the country. The move will see Tata take over from Wistron's subsidiary ICT Service Management Solutions, in repairing Apple hardware for consumers.


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A collector of classic computers has worked on a 3D printer filament designed to color-match classic Macintosh casings, which should help future restoration projects.


The 3D printer has become an invaluable part of classic computing restoration, due to its ability to replicate parts of casings that need replacing. Being able to create a one-off print of a part that simply isn't being manufactured anymore has been extremely useful to projects restoring older hardware.

However, while you can create the replacement part, it may not necessarily look like the original. Lines from filament deposit layers aside, there's the problem of getting the actual color of Apple's plastic correct.


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The Crush 80 Reboot Lite is a mechanical keyboard with muted RGB and customization options, albeit without Mac-specific keycaps.


The mechanical keyboard marketplace offers a lot of choices for consumers in terms of specifications and colors. In most cases, what's on offer from the manufacturer is a pretty adequate keyboard in its own right, but it could be better with some tweaks.

Most of the time, there's the opportunity to tinker for those brave enough to do it. Those who do can apply modifications to change how the keyboard types, far beyond simply changing the keycaps or the switches.


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As soon as Apple's WWDC, AirPods could get some new functionality, including some new head gestures as well as a return of a camera feature.


The WWDC keynote is days away, and the rumors about what Apple will introduce are accelerating. The latest batch involves some claims about Apple's personal audio devices, AirPods.

In a roundup of changes on the way published on June 4, 9to5Mac claims there are a collection of features set to arrive on AirPods. The features are intended to make the earphones more useful in multiple ways, beyond improving audio quality.


Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely


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Apple's eventual rollout of Apple Intelligence in China has hit delays, thanks to regulatory issues raised in response to President Trump's tariffs.


Apple has been working with Alibaba to bring its Apple Intelligence suite of generative AI features to iPhones in China. While the two tech giants have worked together on the project, it has hit a roadblock that has forced a delay in its introduction.

According to a report on Wednesday morning by the Financial Times, applications from Apple and Alibaba to release the AI features have not gained the approval of the Cyberspace Administration of China. The regulatory rubber stamp is required in China by law, which prevents Apple from adding them to iOS.


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While most iPhones that currently support iOS 18 will be able to use iOS 26, the iPhone XS, XS Max, and iPhone XR are probably going to get cut from the compatibility list.


When Apple releases a new operating system, the change can sometimes leave older models of hardware out in the cold. For the upcoming introduction of what is believed to be iOS 26, this could mean the loss of three items from the roster.

A list of compatible devices posted to X by a private account that got everything right in 2024 claims that the next iOS operating system update will not be supported by the iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max, and the iPhone XR.


Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely


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Developers using the Godot game engine will soon be able to build for the Apple Vision Pro, as visionOS support is actively being tested after Apple staff offered support.


Godot is a free and open-source game engine that, in April, caught the attention of Apple. A good-natured request from Apple to help add visionOS support to the game engine has borne fruit just over a month later, with it now being beta tested.

On Monday, Godot release coordinator Thaddeus Crews posted to the official blog about the fifth developer beta of Godot 4.5, the next release of the engine. With a content freeze on the horizon for the update, the post discusses some of the highlights of the release.


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The A20 chip widely expected to debut in the iPhone 18 Pro and folding iPhone will take advantage of a new packaging technique, on TSMC's 2nm chip fabrication technology.


Rumors about the iPhone 18 generation are already spreading, even though we have yet to see the iPhone 17 range. However, the future model could be packing some design changes involving packaging.

According to GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu, Apple should be using the A20 chip for the release of the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and iPhone Fold. This makes sense, as the A20 is two generations away from the iPhone 16 range's A18 chip family.


Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible


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Less than a week before WWDC, Apple has revealed the winners of the 2025 Apple Design Awards, honoring the best apps in the App Store.


The Apple Design Awards are Apple's way of celebrating the best apps and games that have been submitted to the App Store. Announced as usual just before WWDC, the list includes 36 finalists and 12 winners, with one app and one game winning across six categories.

All six categories carry over from the 2024 awards. However, a seventh category for "Spatial Computing" introduced in 2024 has not been brought back for 2025.


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Apple could expand its worldwide network of brick and mortar Apple Store into Egypt, as the country's foreign trade minister has given the company an explicit invite to do so.


The introduction of an Apple Store in a country is a strong sign of interest by Apple to expand sales in the territory. If talks result in action, the first retail Apple Store could eventually open up in Egypt.

Apple Director of Government Affairs for the Middle East and Pakistan Omar El-Rifai met with the Egyptian Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Hassan El-Khatib, on June 2, according to Egyptian Streets. The meeting was about Apple's presence and potential growth in the country.


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