Apple CEO Tim Cook was among multiple high-profile guests at a state dinner at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, joining King Charles III and Donald Trump. Here are the details.

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It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected.


Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update.

Complaints

There are a long list of complaints about Liquid Glass, from the impact on readability to lag caused by animations. Here are some of the main critiques:

• Animations run slow, and the interface feels sluggish on older iPhones.


• The constantly changing colors, shapes, and shading are distracting.


• The animations make no sense.


• It looks like a Barbie phone with battery wasting features.


• Basic actions require too many taps.


• The bubbles and floaty icons are cartoony.


• The contrast is awful.


• Some app icons look blurry.


• The design is inconsistent, and some things are flat while some are glass.


• Highlights on UI elements are inconsistent.


• It's hard to read things like notifications.


• The effects are too subtle for the system overhead costs.

Some People Like It

On the MacRumors forums, complaints about Liquid Glass are interspersed with responses from people who have been using it during beta, and the consensus is "you'll get used to it."

It does always take time to get used to a new look, and Liquid Glass will become less jarring as people become accustomed to the new animations and the behavior of buttons and other interface elements.

Not everyone hates Liquid Glass, and there are also many positive comments from people who prefer the new design. Some of that sentiment:

• It makes the iPhone feel faster.


• It feels modern and clean, and makes a boring smartphone a little more fun.


• It's bright, bouncy, and just plain cool to use.


• Getting notifications is satisfying, and the Lock Screen keypad is like bubbles.


• It's fresh and easy to get accustomed to.


• iOS 18's flat UI was depressing, so ‌iOS 26‌ is an improvement.


• It's technologically impressive with the light refraction and diffusion of chromatic aberration.


• The icons are slick and it harkens back to the OG Apple UI design.

Media Complaints

• The unbearable sameness of Liquid Glass


• Liquid Glass Could Be One of Apple's Most Divisive System Designs Yet


• This Liquid Glass Optical Illusion on iOS 26 Is Driving Me Insane


• Apple's Liquid Glass: The liquid works, but the glass is broken

iOS 7

Everyone remembers iOS 7, because it was the first big design change that Apple made to iOS. Apple did away with skeuomorphism in favor of a "flat" design, and it was not a change that people were prepared for. A lot of the comments shared when iOS 7 came out mirror the comments we're seeing now about Liquid Glass.

• iOS 7 Interface Design is so UGLY!


• The real problem with iOS 7 Design


• Does anyone dislike IOS 7 as much as I do?


• iOS 7 Bugs: Will They Ever be Fixed


• The biggest complaints about iOS 7 so far


• The design of iOS 7: simply confusing

Despite the complaints about iOS 7, Apple stuck with it. There were ongoing refinements to fix bugs and to tweak the overall design, but Apple didn't reverse course. Design updates in iOS 8, iOS 9, and iOS 10 didn't change the fundamentals, but it got better and better, and people got used to it.

Liquid Glass could follow the same path. Apple will make updates and optimizations, but it's probably going to inform the next decade of software releases. In discussion threads on Liquid Glass, you'll see a lot of comments from people recalling iOS 7 and reminding us all that we've been here before.

Tone Down Liquid Glass

If you're having a hard time adjusting to the Liquid Glass design, there is no opt out, but you can toggle on Reduce Transparency.

• iOS 26: Reduce Transparency of Apple's Liquid Glass Design

You can also increase your display contrast, and the two settings together will eliminate most of the translucency that was introduced with Liquid Glass.

Chime In

What do you love or hate about Liquid Glass? Let us know in the comments.
This article, "iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser that was first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to allow users to test features that are planned for future release versions of the Safari browser.


‌Safari Technology Preview‌ 228 includes fixes and updates for Accessibility, CSS, DOM, Editing, Forms, JavaScript, Media, PDF, Rendering, SVG, Service Worker, Web API, Web Extensions, Web Inspector, WebGPU, and WebRTC.

The current ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release is compatible with machines running macOS Sequoia and macOS Tahoe, the newest version of macOS that launched earlier this week.

The ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences or System Settings to anyone who has downloaded the browser from Apple’s website. Complete release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple’s aim with ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while it is designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download and use.
This article, "Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 228 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple TV+ is staying in the Ben Stiller business. After reeling in the success of Severance, which Stiller was intimately involved with in the first two seasons, the streamer has managed to sign up Stiller in a rare acting capacity. He will star, alongside Jessica Chastain, in a new eight-part limited series called “The Off Weeks”.

The series follows a writing professor (Stiller) who is going through a messy divorce, and engages in a romance with the mysterious Stella West (Chastain). For her part, Chastain is just about to premiere her first TV+ project, The Savant, debuting September 26.

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A few weeks ago, WhatsApp started testing a feature that would let users set reminders for incoming messages. This feature is now live. Here’s how it works.

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Apple is planning to release a fix for an iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro camera bug that causes black boxes and white squiggles to appear in photos. CNN Underscored's Henry Casey discovered the issue in an iPhone Air review when snapping photos at a concert.


He said that one out of every 10 images taken with the ‌iPhone Air‌ or the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ had "small blacked-out portions, including boxes and parts of white squiggles" that showed up from the LED board at the event.



Apple told Casey that it's an issue that can occur in "very rare cases when an LED light display is extremely bright and shining directly into the camera." Apple has a fix, and plans to release it in an upcoming software update.

Apple did not provide a timeline on when the software update might be released, but the new models are set to launch on Friday, September 19.
This article, "Apple to Fix Camera Glitch Affecting iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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While the iPhone 17 series and the iPhone Air are still a few days away from launching, there are already some early rumors about the iPhone 18 Pro's design.


Overall, the iPhone 18 Pro models will feature a similar design as the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to Digital Chat Station, a previously-accurate leaker with more than three million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

In a post today, the leaker said the devices will have the same rear camera system design as the iPhone 17 Pro models, with a "plateau" housing three lenses in a triangular arrangement. He also expects the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max to have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes used since the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Notably, the leaker claimed that the Ceramic Shield area on the back of the iPhone 18 Pro models will feature a "slightly transparent design," without elaborating.

The post also said the iPhone 18 Pro models will be equipped with a stainless steel vapor chamber cooling system. On the iPhone 17 Pro models, Apple says the vapor chamber is laser-welded into the aluminum unibody, but it is not entirely clear if it uses any other types of metal. Teardowns will provide a closer look at the vapor chamber in the coming days.

In related news, Taiwan's Commercial Times this week reported that iPhone 18 Pro models will be equipped with an A20 Pro chip, fabricated with TSMC's latest 2nm process. The devices will also feature Apple's C2 modem, rather than a Qualcomm modem, the report said. Both of these changes have been widely rumored already.

Like all sources, Digital Chat Station has some hits and misses. We are still a year out from the iPhone 18 Pro models, so expect plenty more rumors to follow. Even if early rumors are true, designs and specs can change before they are finalized.

Earlier this week, another leaker claimed the iPhone 18 Pro models will feature a smaller Dynamic Island, but they do not expect the devices to have under-screen Face ID.
This article, "iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max Design Rumors: Translucent MagSafe Area, Display Sizes, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Following multiple years of rumors, this was the year that Apple’s Pro iPhones finally got a vapor chamber to help dissipate heat. If you’ve never really looked into or understood how this component works, the video below will tell you everything you need to know.

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Apple is apparently preparing its supply chain for an uptick in new iPhone sales next year, according to a new report by Nikkei. The company has apparently targeted sales of about 95 million iPhone 18 models in 2026, noting that the new lineup won’t arrive until the fall.

While the new foldable model will draw interest, Apple is expecting sales to be up across all iPhone 18 models. The company seems to be indicating that it expects a halo effect, where people are enticed into upgrading based on the flashiness of the shiny new folding iPhone, but some will ultimately opt to upgrade to a traditional slab iPhone 18 regardless.

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My friend Henry Casey at CNN Underscored published his iPhone Air review this afternoon, and he noticed an odd imaging problem with the camera. Apple says a fix is coming in a future software update.

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iOS 26 is the latest major iPhone update, packing big changes for Apple Wallet, CarPlay, Apple Music, and a variety of new features for the Messages app too. Here’s what’s new in the Messages app with iOS 26.

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We’ve got our first battery life shootout results for the new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air lineup, courtesy of The Tech Chap. At least in this test comprising continuous streaming YouTube video playback on Wi-Fi and cellular, all the new iPhone models perform well, and are a lot closer together in terms of longevity than you might expect.

The benchmark comparison is the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which achieved 7 hours and 29 minutes. The iPhone 17 Pro Max now takes the crown, lasting 7 hours 58 minutes. But even the smaller iPhone 17 Pro beat the 16 Pro Max, showing the tangible year-over-year gains in the Pro models …

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iPadOS 26 introduces a whole new multitasking system that provides a Mac-like experience on the iPad. You can open multiple app windows at once, arrange them how you like, and even use Mac-style buttons and features to get work done.


There are several useful tips that might be helpful if you're new to ‌iPadOS 26‌ and aren't sure where to start.

Opt-In or Opt-Out

When you first install ‌iPadOS 26‌, you can choose how you want your ‌iPad‌ to work. You can continue to use full screen apps as the default if you don't need to have more than one app open at a time, or you can choose the new Windowed Apps option.

If you prefer Stage Manager, you can also select that option to arrange your windows across multiple groups.

Quick Swapping

You can swap between Windowed Apps and ‌Stage Manager‌ mode by opening up the Control Center and long pressing on the multitasking Control Center button.

Resizing and Repositioning Windows

In Windowed Apps mode, an app will open at full size when you first tap it. You can grab the little handle in the right hand corner of the window and use drag gestures to adjust its size.

Drag at the top of the app to reposition a window. Windows will remember where they were placed even when you close an app.

Flick Arranging

When you have an app window open, if you give it a quick flick to the right or the left, it will neatly arrange itself to one side of the display. You can stack multiple app windows on top of one another this way.

Button Controls

‌iPad‌ windows use Mac-like "traffic" buttons that work just like Mac apps. Red closes a window, green expands a window to full screen, and yellow collapses it down to the dock.

Split Your Screen

If you long press on the traffic light buttons, you'll bring up options for arranging your windows. You can choose an arrangement that tiles two, three, or four app windows on the display, or use Move and Resize to move your window to the bottom, top, right, or left of the screen.

Exposé

If you swipe up and hold from the bottom of the ‌iPad‌'s display, you can get into an Exposé view that shows all of your open apps or app groups if you're also using Center Stage.

Swipe up without holding to get to your desktop. At your desktop, swipe down from the top to get to the search interface if you need it.

Menu Bar

‌iPad‌ apps have a menu bar in ‌iPadOS 26‌. It's hidden, but you can get to it if you swipe down from the top when an app is in full screen mode. Alternatively, you can hover the mouse over it if you're using a mouse or trackpad with your ‌iPad‌.

Menu bar options vary by app, but include controls for window management, closing a window, accessing tools, and getting to app settings.

No More Split View and Slide Over

The ‌iPadOS 26‌ multitasking changes replace Split View and Slide Over, so that functionality is no longer available.

Dock Visibility

The option to have the Dock automatically be hidden when you're using apps is on automatically, but if you want to turn it off, you can do so in the Multitasking section of the Settings app.

Close All Windows

If you want to be able to close all of your open windows when you swipe to the Home screen, you can toggle that on in the Settings app under Multitasking. The option is not turned on by default.
This article, "iPadOS 26 Multitasking Tips and Tricks" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro: what does a two-year upgrade get you? iPhone 17 Pro is a bold update that goes even more ‘pro,’ but if you’re considering an upgrade from the iPhone 15 Pro, here are the key differences to know.

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Slow Horses season 5 premieres next week, and reviews for the new season just dropped. Here’s what critics say to expect from the return of one of the best shows on Apple TV+.

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If you have a Mac Studio with an M3 Ultra chip and can't get macOS Tahoe to install, you're not alone. There is a bug that is preventing the update from installing properly on machines that have the M3 Ultra.


Affected users go to install macOS Tahoe, wait through the installation process and see the ‌Mac Studio‌ reboot, and then end up with macOS Sequoia 15.7 still running instead of macOS Tahoe. The macOS Tahoe update fails again and again.

A discussion thread on the Apple Support Communities suggests that the bug is impacting all Mac Studios with an M3 Ultra chip, and we have a ‌Mac Studio‌ that is unable to be upgraded. A Mac user who dug into the error messages suggests that the installer loads the macOS Tahoe driver for the Apple Neural Engine, but then a hardware check fails, and the installation process is aborted.

‌Mac Studio‌ owners say that attempting to install via standard software update, safe mode, and recovery mode have all failed. There is no known fix right now, and M3 Ultra ‌Mac Studio‌ users will need to wait for Apple to release a fix to solve the issue.

Apple is aware of the problem, so hopefully the problem will be resolved shortly.
This article, "Bug Prevents M3 Ultra Mac Studios From Installing macOS Tahoe" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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are set to launch in just two days, and they’re a rather notable upgrade – even if you’re coming from the previous-generation AirPods Pro 2. But, if you skipped that upgrade – AirPods Pro 3 are a massive leap for a plethora of reasons. Here’s exactly what you gain after 6 years of upgrades.

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Apple has updated its iPhone User Guide, and published a series of support documents, with more details about a wide range of new iOS 26 features.


Here are some of those guides and support documents:

• Adaptive Power mode


• Apple Games app


• Apple Intelligence (Reminders)


• Apple Preview app


• AutoMix (Apple Music)


• Call Screening (Phone)


• Live Translation


• Log Blood Pressure (Health)


• Recovery Assistant


• Screen Unknown Senders (Messages)

Make sure to check out our ultimate iOS 26 guide for an in-depth overview of everything you need to know about the software update, released on Monday.
This article, "Apple Details iOS 26 Features Like Call Screening, Live Translation, AutoMix, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple’s F1 movie is still playing in some theaters, but it’s moving ever closer to its eventual Apple TV+ debut. If you prefer to own your movies in physical formats, however, the F1: The Movie Blu-ray just got its release date and pre-orders are open, including for a limited edition steelbook.

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It turns out that Apple's new Adaptive Power mode extends beyond the iPhone.


Starting with watchOS 26, Adaptive Power is enabled by default on all compatible Apple Watch models set up via Apple Watch For Your Kids, formerly known as Family Setup. This includes an Apple Watch that is already set up and updated to watchOS 26.

Apple Watch For Your Kids lets parents set up an Apple Watch — a model with cellular connectivity is required — for a child who does not have their own iPhone.

On the Apple Watch, Adaptive Power can help to extend battery life by adjusting the performance of certain features, according to an Apple support document. Apple says Siri may take longer to process requests, and some animations and scrolling might appear less smooth on the screen, but it is unclear how often this will happen.

Parents can turn off Adaptive Power on the child's Apple Watch, by opening the Settings app on it, tapping on Battery, and scrolling down to Adaptive Power.

Adaptive Power is only available on Apple Watch units set up via Apple Watch For Your Kids.

Adaptive Power mode is also available on iPhone 15 Pro models and newer running iOS 26, and it is on by default on the iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air.

On the iPhone, Apple says the optional setting can make "performance adjustments" when necessary to extend battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness, allowing some activities to "take longer," and automatically turning on Low Power Mode when remaining battery life reaches the 20% mark.
This article, "Apple Watch Gets New Mode to Extend Battery Life — But For Kids Only" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Intelligence is entering its second year, and iOS 26 adds many new and improved AI features. But despite everything new, there’s surprisingly good news for iPhone storage requirements in the new update.

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Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is now ready to roll with notable discounts on iPad, MacBook, and Mac mini, among some accessory offers. Alongside the ongoing pre-orders on the new , Apple Watch Ultra 3, and , we have once again spotted a chance to save $100 on the absolute most affordable M4 Mac mini with 24GB of RAM alongside the entry-level model at $499. Next up, we are highlighting the Space Gray M3 MacBook Air at $400 under the list price on the comparable M4 joined by $200 price drops on the latest models, a new all-time low on this M3 iPad Air at $208 off, and the very first deal on Apple’s brand new 2025 model 25W Qi2 MagSafe Charger. All of that joins offers on iPhone 17 cases, this Find My SmartLock, and more down below. 

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The website ChargerLAB today published a teardown of Apple's new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max, which has a key advantage over one of its other chargers.


Specifically, the teardown shows the new 40W to 60W charger is roughly the same size as Apple's 20W charger, despite its higher wattage for faster charging speeds. In other words, you are getting more power from a smaller charger, although the 40W to 60W model costs $39 in the U.S., while the 20W option costs $19.


To achieve this, the charger supports USB-C Power Delivery 3.2 with SPR AVS (Standard Power Range Adjustable Voltage Supply), according to ChargerLAB.

The teardown confirms the charger can approach its 60W limit, but this will only be in short bursts, due to the thermal limitations of its compact design.


In addition to the U.S., the 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max is available to order in Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, and the Philippines. It appears to be the spiritual successor to Apple's discontinued 30W adapter, which is still included with the base-model 13-inch MacBook Air and the Apple Vision Pro for now.

iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models can be charged up to 50% in 20 minutes with a compatible charger, including the 40W to 60W one.
This article, "Apple's New Dynamic 40W to 60W Charger Has a Key Advantage" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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