Apple's rumored new variable aperture camera system for this year's iPhone 18 Pro models has reached the sampling stage, according to a new claim from a Chinese leaker.


Posting on Weibo today, the account known as "Smart Pikachu" said the feature had entered late-stage engineering samples, while a teleconverter is also "under evaluation" for the device. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to launch in September 2026.

A variable aperture would give users manual control over how much light reaches the sensor, potentially reducing overexposure and offering new depth of field options beyond computational photography.

Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in December 2024 that the main rear camera on both iPhone 18 Pro models will offer variable aperture, which would be a first for the iPhone. A more recent report from October 2025 said Apple was moving ahead with plans to bring the technology to next-generation iPhones and was discussing components with suppliers.

Today's teleconverter claim, meanwhile, is a new one. In typical DSLR cameras, teleconverters are optical elements that increase effective focal length, improving zoom reach at the cost of light intake. In this context, a teleconverter could improve mid-to-long range zoom quality while reducing the camera's reliance on digital cropping – and a variable aperture could help offset the light loss by opening wider when engaged.

Apple's overall iPhone 18 Pro design will already be locked in at this stage in the development cycle. What Apple tends to continue doing at this point is evaluate specific features like camera modules. Apple may well be running parallel tests without committing any one feature to mass production, so there's still leeway for things to change.

In this case, Apple is likely using the late-stage engineering samples to check the optical performance and reliability, as well as to gauge how easy the camera system is to mass produce, so it could always still drop the feature if it fails to meet Apple's quality standards. Variable aperture was in fact rumored for at least one iPhone 17 model, but it failed to materialize.

Smart Pikachu is known for providing accurate details about Android products in advance of launch, but in terms of Apple rumors, they are a relative newcomer on the Chinese supply chain rumor scene, so these claims warrant caution. The leaker recently claimed that the upcoming iPhone 17e will feature a Dynamic Island and a downclocked A19 chip.
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The hit comedy Ted Lasso is (almost) back. Apple TV has announced that season four will being airing later this year. The highly-anticipated summer release sees the return of star Jason Sudeikis as Ted, Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard, Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca, Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent, and more familiar faces.

In this season, Ted Lasso is set on a new mission, as coach of a women’s team. Production is still ongoing right now, but Apple is confident enough to confirm the summer 2026 release date anyway.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook has responded to events in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after two people were shot and killed by U.S. federal immigration agents this month.


In an internal memo to Apple employees, obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Cook said he is "heartbroken by the events in Minneapolis."

"This is a time for deescalation," added Cook. "I believe America is strongest when we live up to our highest ideals, when we treat everyone with dignity and respect no matter who they are or where they're from, and when we embrace our shared humanity. This is something Apple has always advocated for."

Cook said he had a "good conversation" with U.S. President Donald Trump this week, in which he shared his views, but he did not elaborate.

Here is Cook's full memo to Apple employees, per Bloomberg:

Team,

I’m heartbroken by the events in Minneapolis, and my prayers and deepest sympathies are with the families, with the communities, and with everyone that’s been affected.

This is a time for deescalation. I believe America is strongest when we live up to our highest ideals, when we treat everyone with dignity and respect no matter who they are or where they’re from, and when we embrace our shared humanity. This is something Apple has always advocated for. I had a good conversation with the president this week where I shared my views, and I appreciate his openness to engaging on issues that matter to us all.

I know this is very emotional and challenging for so many. I am proud of how deeply our teams care about the world beyond our walls. That empathy is one of Apple’s greatest strengths and it is something I believe we all cherish.

Thank you for all that you do.

Tim

Cook was not specific, but he appears to be responding to the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Pretti was fatally shot by U.S. federal immigration agents following an encounter in Minneapolis on Saturday. The incident has stoked public outcry in the country.

37-year-old poet Renée Good was also shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis on January 7.

Cook was criticized by some for attending a private screening of the upcoming documentary film "Melania" at the White House on Saturday, just hours after Pretti was killed. Critics said that it was poor timing for Cook to attend the VIP gathering, given the events that had transpired in Minneapolis earlier in the day.

Cook has maintained a working relationship with President Trump, and last year he gave him a gift containing a 24-karat pure gold bar.
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Following intense criticism for attending a VIP White House screening of the ‘Melania’ documentary just hours after the killing of Alex Pretti, Bloomberg reports that Tim Cook sent an internal memo to Apple employees, where he tried to address the situation. Read it below.

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Apple picked up nine nominations across drama, comedy, and children’s categories, with Pluribus leading the pack as its most-nominated series. See the nominees below.

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Volvo is doubling down on its commitment to CarPlay, according to Anders Bell, the company’s chief engineering and technology officer. In an interview with The Drive this week, Bell promised that Volvo will “absolutely” continue to offer CarPlay and Android Auto in its cars, including EVs.

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Apple released the third iOS 26.3 beta this week for iPhone users. The update focuses a lot on interoperability between iPhone and Android devices, as well as support for third-party smartwatches. Here are all of the new iOS 26.3 features so far.

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For the past 10 years or so, I have been a happy Bartender customer, singing its praises to anyone who’d hear. Alas, macOS Tahoe 26 seems to have broken it beyond repair. Now, I’ll just wait for Apple to inevitably Sherlock its core feature, which I can’t believe hasn’t happened yet.

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Apple’s AirTag successor is finally here, arriving five years after the original model. Here’s every feature that’s new and improved with AirTag 2.

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Apple today announced that it has renewed "Shrinking" for a fourth season, just ahead of the beloved comedy-drama series returning for a third season tonight.


"Shrinking" follows a grieving therapist (Jason Segel) who starts to be unconventionally candid with his clients. Harrison Ford plays Segel's mentor, Dr. Paul Rhoades, and other cast members include Christa Miller and Jessica Williams.

Guest stars in the third season will include Cobie Smulders, Michael J. Fox, Jeff Daniels, Brett Goldstein, and others, according to Apple.

The first episode of "Shrinking" season three will be out tonight, and one new episode will follow every Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern Time through April 7.


The fourth season does not have a release date yet.

"Shrinking" is one of the most popular shows on the Apple TV streaming service, and it has received multiple Emmy Award nominations.
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Shrinking season 3 kicks off tonight on Apple TV with a special hour-long premiere. But Apple has more good news for Shrinking fans: the comedy has just been renewed for season 4.

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Today, Apple is rolling out Apple Watch hypertension alerts to users in select countries across Asia, Oceania, South America, and the Middle East. Here are the details.

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Today, the Tech Transparency Project released a report concluding that “nudify” apps are widely available and easily found on the App Store and Google’s Play Store. Here are the details.

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Apple has been hit with a new lawsuit by Reincubate, the company behind the Camo and Camo Studio apps that let you use your iPhone as a webcam for your Mac.

Reincubate accuses Apple of copying its technology when it launched Continuity Camera in 2022. Continuity Camera is Apple’s own similar first-party solution for using your iPhone as a webcam with your Mac.

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Apple tends to be fairly consistent with its iPhone pricing, but a variety of reports have indicated that may change with the iPhone 18 line. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo just shared his expectations, however, and it’s surprisingly good news.

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Apple today said that hypertension notifications are now available for Apple Watch and iPhone users in Australia, Malaysia, Colombia, Indonesia, South Korea, Brazil, and Turkey.



Introduced last September, the hypertension detection feature uses the health sensors on the Apple Watch and custom-designed algorithms to determine if a user seems to be regularly experiencing high blood pressure. If hypertension is detected over a 30-day period, the Apple Watch is able to send an alert suggesting that the user opt in to more frequent blood pressure monitoring with the guidance of a doctor.

According to Apple, hypertension is the leading modifiable risk factor for heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease, impacting 1.4 billion adults globally. Hypertension does not have visible symptoms in most cases, so it can go undiagnosed.

Apple Watch owners in the countries where Apple has added support can set up hypertension alerts in the Health app.

Hypertension alerts are available with the Apple Watch Series 9 and later and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later.
This article, "Apple Expands Apple Watch Hypertension Notifications to Seven More Countries" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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DRAM shortages are set to impact smartphone manufacturers like Apple in 2026, but the company is going to try to keep iPhone 18 prices steady despite having to pay more for components, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.


Kuo says that Apple negotiates memory prices with suppliers on a quarterly basis, so price increases are expected in the second quarter of 2026. The upcoming price hike will be similar to the first quarter increase that has already seen Apple paying more for memory. Estimates suggest that prices are up 10 to 25 percent compared to last year.

The higher memory cost will impact the iPhone's gross margins, but Apple is in a position to establish deals to get a steady supply, and it is able to absorb some of the increased cost. From Kuo:

For most non-AI brands, even if you're willing to pay up, there's no guarantee you'll get the supply. The fact that Apple can lock in a deal like this shows just how much leverage they have.

Higher memory costs will hit iPhone gross margins. But Apple's playbook is clear: use the market chaos to their advantage--secure the chips, absorb the costs, and grab more market share. They'll make it back later on the services side.

Apple may need to address memory price increases during the January 30 earnings call covering the first fiscal quarter of 2026 (October to December 2025). Kuo expects that Apple will avoid raising prices "as much as possible," and that at least the starting price of the ‌iPhone 18‌ models will be flat.

Apple has previously absorbed component costs, and was able to keep iPhone 17 pricing relatively steady. The base ‌iPhone 17‌ model did not go up in price and still starts at $799, though Apple did start charging $100 more for the iPhone 17 Pro because of the new 256GB minimum storage.

Components other than memory could also be in short supply in the coming months, leading to further supply chain issues that could force price increases. LPDDR and NAND are currently facing shortages and higher prices because of demand from the AI industry. Chip manufacturers are prioritizing advanced memory for AI servers over the memory used in smartphones, and there has been speculation that the memory price increase will cause smartphone costs to rise across multiple brands.
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Sonos has had a rough past couple of years. But the company just unveiled its first new hardware product since 2024: the Amp Multi. Here are the details.

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Apple has released its latest wave of beta updates, with public beta 3 debuting for macOS Tahoe 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, and more. Here’s what to expect.

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Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, tvOS 26.3, and watchOS 26.3 updates to public beta testers, with the updates coming a day after Apple provided the third beta to developers.


Anyone can download and install public betas, and all that's required is to sign up on Apple's beta site. Once you've opted in, the software can be downloaded through the Software Update section in the Settings app on each device. The latest iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, and watchOS 26.3 updates add support for the new second-generation AirTag, including Precision Finding on Apple Watch.

iOS 26.3 also adds a new tool for transitioning from an iPhone to an Android device. Transfers can be initiated during the device setup process, and moving data from one device to another can now be done without having to download a specific app.

The update includes changes to third-party wearables in the European Union, with more information available in our iOS 26.3 beta 2 feature list following yesterday's release to developers.

Apple is expected to release iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 to the public at the end of January.
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Apple today provided public beta testers with the third release of an upcoming macOS Tahoe 26.3 update for testing purposes. The public beta comes a day after Apple provided the third beta to developers.


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

We don't know about any new features in ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.3 as of yet, but Apple might introduce new capabilities in later beta releases.

The beta is limited to developers and public beta testers at the current time, but we are expecting Apple to release the update at the end of January.
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Apple has just released iOS 26.3 beta 3 for public beta testers. Here’s what’s new in the latest beta.

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After introducing the plan internationally in September, Google is bringing its AI Plus subscription to 35 new countries, including the US. 

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Google today announced that it is expanding its more affordable Google AI Plus subscription plan to 35 countries and territories, including the United States.


In the U.S., Google AI Plus is priced at $7.99, giving Google Gemini users a more affordable option for accessing upgraded AI services. Prior to now, Google AI Pro was the most affordable AI subscription plan at $19.99 per month.

Google AI Plus includes Gemini 3 Pro and Nano Banana Pro in the Gemini app, as well as AI filmmaking tools in Flow, and access to research and writing assistance in NotebookLM. It also includes 200GB of storage, with benefits able to be shared with up to five other family members.

For a limited time, Google is offering new AI Plus subscribers a 50 percent discount for the first two months of the subscription, dropping the price to $3.99. Customers will pay $3.99 for access for two months, before being charged the full $7.99 per month price.

Google One Premium 2TB customers who pay $9.99 per month will automatically get access to the benefits of Google AI Plus in the coming days.

Google AI Plus includes 200 monthly AI credits for video generation, which is 100 more credits than the free Google AI option. The free tier has limited access to Gemini 3 Pro, but subscribers will be able to use 3 Pro with fewer limitations, while also accessing Deep Research. The plan also offers limited access to Veo 3.1 Fast and Gemini in Chrome.


The more expensive $19.99 per month Google AI Pro plan has even more benefits than the $7.99 plan. It offers a higher number of AI credits, more access to Flow and Whisk, Gemini 3 Pro in Google Search, higher daily limits for Gemini Code assist, Gemini in Google apps like Gmail and Docs, access to Google Home Premium, and 2TB storage.

More information is available on Google's website.
This article, "Google Brings Cheaper $7.99 'AI Plus' Plan to 35 Countries, Including U.S." first appeared on MacRumors.com

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