The European Commission appears to have reversed its plans to impose a significant digital tax on large technology companies, including Apple.


The change was confirmed in a draft document circulated within the European Commission late last week that was obtained by Politico. The document outlines potential revenue sources for the EU's next seven-year budget, covering the period beginning in 2028.

Notably absent from this list is the widely discussed digital services tax, which had been under consideration as recently as May. The tax was framed as a tool to ensure that large digital companies contribute fairly to the European economy.

Apple has faced increasing regulatory scrutiny in Europe and was among the primary targets of the now-abandoned proposal. The digital levy would have imposed additional taxes specifically on digital companies generating significant revenue from European users without being physically based in EU member states.

Instead of the digital services tax, the Commission now proposes three new levies: an EU-wide excise tax on tobacco products, a tax on discarded electrical and electronic equipment, and a corporate levy on large companies with annual EU turnover exceeding €50 million, such as Apple. The proposals will require unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states.

The timing of the change is widely understood to be linked to ongoing negotiations over a new transatlantic trade agreement between the EU and United States. According to Politico, the Commission's decision to withdraw the digital levy is seen as an attempt to avoid derailing trade negotiations with the United States and secure more favorable terms in a prospective agreement.

The finalized proposal for the EU's 2028–2035 budget is scheduled to be published on Wednesday, July 16. While the digital services tax remains off the table for now, the outcome of the upcoming trade talks with the United States and the ongoing DMA enforcement actions will continue to shape the regulatory environment for Apple in the European Union.
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FORM has long been one of the leaders in the smart swim goggles market, with Apple even carrying the company's Smart Swim 2 goggles online and in select stores over the holiday shopping season last year. The goggles feature an augmented reality display inside one of the goggle lens, allowing you to see a variety of metrics such as time and distance, and even heart rate thanks to a built-in heart rate monitor that sits on your temple.


Today, FORM is launching the Smart Swim 2 PRO, an upgrade that builds on the previous model by using lenses made of Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 for improved durability and clarity compared to the plastic traditionally used in goggle lenses.

The lens stack provides a 50+ UPF rating to block 98 percent of harmful UV rays, and the switch from plastic to glass only increases the overall weight of the goggles by about 5 percent (3.4 grams). Because traditional anti-fog coatings don't stick to glass, the Smart Swim 2 PRO goggles come with a cost-effective anti-fog spray based on baby shampoo that can be quickly applied before each swim.


I've had a chance to test out the Smart Swim 2 PRO in both the pool and the open water over the past couple of weeks, and they've provided some valuable features and insight for tracking my swims. In the pool, the screen inside the goggles dynamically changes based on where you are in your swim, thanks to accelerometer readings.

For example, during a swim it can show you elapsed time and distance during the majority of your swimming, but then briefly show your speed over the previous interval when it detects you've made a turn, and show your rest interval when it detects you've stopped swimming, all the while displaying a near real-time measure of your heart rate.

Any of these views can be customized to show different information such as stroke rate, pace over different distances, and even some technique scores such as your head pitch and roll to help you improve your stroke. The FORM platform pulls pieces of this data together to generate a FORM score as a measure of your overall efficiency, and that's another display option.


Rather than having to configure just one set of data to view within the goggles, you can save up to five different dashboards and cycle through them with a quick press of a button on the goggles. The dashboard options come pre-populated with sets focused on Fitness, Technique, Pace, and Intervals, but any of these can be edited to display your preferred metrics and a fifth dashboard can be created from scratch.

FORM offers a Premium subscription plan that comes with a one-month free trial and offers features such as over 1,500 guided workouts, automated HeadCoach technique analysis that can provide tips during and after your swims, and SwimStraight, a digital compass for open water swimming.


FORM has been gradually rolling out new features for its Premium plan to increase the value proposition, including HeadCoach Plans to offer customized workouts that evolve over time as you progress, and Smart Set to automatically display intervals and sets as you swim to help you keep track of repetitions during workouts. Launching in September will be HeadCoach Insights with personalized data-driven guidance following each workout that is tailored to your goals.

For open water swims, the goggles can show your stroke rate, elapsed time, and heart rate, and once they've collected enough pool data to understand your speed, they can estimate your open water pace and distance. You can also pair your goggles with an Apple Watch or Garmin fitness watch for more accurate GPS-based pace and distance data. One of the neatest open water features is the aforementioned SwimStraight digital compass that after just a quick calibration prior to your swim can help you stay on your intended course, reducing the frequency of physical sighting required during your swims.


Overall, the FORM Smart Swim 2 PRO goggles are targeted at triathletes and developing swimmers looking to improve their technique and stamina, and FORM's data shows that users who subscribed to the Premium plan and used guided workouts saw 1.4x greater gains in performance than those simply using the goggles in an unstructured manner. For swimmers without access to regular in-person coaching, FORM's platform fills the gap with a remarkably robust set of features to track swims, suggest workouts, and provide technique advice.

For serious swimmers doing coached workouts and race-focused training for the pool, FORM's goggles have a bit less to offer, though features like live heart rate display and Smart Set counting can help even those swimmers keep tabs on their workout performance. But the higher physical profile of the goggles necessitated by the electronics can cause some issues keeping them on when diving into the pool and the design offers a narrower field of view than some more traditional goggle options.

When you're done with a swim, you can optionally sync your data to the Apple Health platform, allowing you to track metrics in the Health app and workouts in the Fitness app. You can also sync directly to Strava, TrainingPeaks, and TriDot.

With up to 14 hours of battery life, I haven't needed to recharge the goggles yet, but doing so is simple with an included cable that magnetically attaches to charging pins on the goggles, though I wish the opposite end of the cable was USB-C rather than USB-A.

The Smart Swim 2 PRO goggles launch today in the United States and Canada through FORM's website and select retailers, with global availability coming early next month. They're priced at $329 in the United States, a $50 premium over the standard Smart Swim 2 model. After the one-month free trial, FORM's Premium subscription is priced at $15 per month or $119 per year.

Note: FORM provided MacRumors with the Smart Swim 2 PRO goggles for the purposes of this news coverage. No other compensation was received.
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Research firm LightShed partners says Apple should consider replacing Tim Cook as CEO, but the change is unlikely to occur any time soon.


In a note to clients seen by Bloomberg, analysts Walter Piecyk and Joe Galone say that "Apple now needs a product-focused CEO, not one centered on logistics."

Bloomberg notes that Apple shares have "badly lagged" behind rivals like Microsoft and Meta this year after losing ground in the race to deliver compelling artificial intelligence features. Apple shares have fallen 16% in 2025, compared with gains of 25% for Meta and 19% for Microsoft. The note added:

Missing on AI could fundamentally alter the company's long-term trajectory and ability to grow at all. AI will reshape industries across the global economy, and Apple risks becoming one of its casualties.

It is worth noting that this year's slump in Apple shares is a comparative blip in the company's long-term performance with Cook at the helm. Apple shares have gained over 1,400% since Cook started as CEO, compared to 430% for the S&P 500.

The comments come after Apple announced that Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams will step down from his position this month. He will be replaced by Sabih Khan.

Williams was once thought to be Cook's most likely successor. Now, senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus is believed to be the frontrunner. LightShed says "‌Tim Cook‌ was the right CEO at the time of his appointment and unquestionably has done a great job," but in the wake of Williams' departure, "it's time for more disruptive change, not less."

However, Cook is unlikely to step down anytime soon. In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that "there's no immediate successor ready to take the helm. There also haven't been signs internally that Cook is getting ready to leave or begin the process of grooming a replacement."

More significantly, "the board doesn't feel the need to make a change. Apple's directors are Cook loyalists like Arthur Levinson, Susan Wagner and Ronald Sugar." Gurman says:

There's no question Cook bears responsibility for Apple's current struggles. That includes the company's AI missteps, an aging product lineup, the erosion of its design-focused culture, a decade-long drought of breakthrough mainstream hardware, and its growing tensions with developers and regulators. But there's also no question that the board still sees him as the only person capable of turning things around.

Put simply: No crisis is big enough to shake the board's faith in Cook.

In fact, Cook's influence at Apple may grow. Gurman believes he could become Apple's chairman, in addition to his role as CEO:

Levinson, Apple's longtime chairman, has already surpassed the company's recommended board retirement age. So it wouldn't be surprising to see Cook eventually step into that role himself, as Iger, Dimon, Microsoft Corp.'s Satya Nadella and Cisco Systems Inc.'s Chuck Robbins have done at their companies. That would give Cook an even tighter grip on the iPhone maker.

Nevertheless, Apple apparently recognizes the need for change at the company. Senior executives such as services chief Eddy Cue have warned that Apple risks becoming the next BlackBerry or Nokia if it doesn't adapt quickly.


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Apple today said its store at the Westfield Hornsby shopping mall, in Hornsby, Australia, will be permanently closing in October.


In a statement shared with Australian tech news website EFTM (via Reddit), Apple said that it has decided not to renew its lease at Westfield Hornsby. Apple said all affected retail employees will be given the opportunity to work at Apple's nearby store at the Chatswood Chase shopping mall, in Chatswood, which is set to reopen in October.

Hornsby is a suburb of Sydney, on the Upper North Shore. Apple opened its store there in 2011.

Apple Chatswood Chase has been closed for renovations for many months. Apple said the store will be completely redesigned, and it will offer an Apple Pickup station for collecting online orders, and a dedicated area for Today at Apple sessions.

Apple did not provide a specific reason for the Hornsby store closure, but it is clearly consolidating its North Shore retail presence into the Chatswood Chase store.

Apple has six other stores in the Sydney area.

Apple Hornsby will be at least the fifth Apple Store location to permanently close in less than two years. Apple is closing a store in Bristol, England next month, and it closed its store in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook in April. Last year, the company permanently closed its Infinite Loop and Royal Hawaiian stores simultaneously.

On the other hand, Apple continues to open new stores in several countries, including the U.S., Spain, Sweden, Malaysia, South Korea, China, and others. In the U.S., Apple opened a new store in Miami earlier this year, and in the Los Angeles area last year. Apple is also planning to open a store in Downtown Detroit soon.

In Australia, Apple just relocated its store in Perth to a historic bank building.
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The Camera app received some of the most noticeable design updates in iOS 26, with Apple simplifying the interface to make it easier to get to various controls. Most of what's new focuses on design, but there are a couple other notable changes.

Liquid Glass Design

Like all of the ‌iOS 26‌ apps, the Camera app has adopted the Liquid Glass look. Buttons are more rounded and "float" over the background of the app thanks to a new depth effect.


The area behind the camera shutter and control buttons is a touch more see-through than before, so you can see the areas outside of your image more clearly. There's also no bar behind the toggles to change focal length, so the interface looks a bit cleaner.

Two-Tab Layout

The navigation bar at the bottom of the Camera app has been overhauled in ‌iOS 26‌. Rather than the option to swipe between all of the photo and video modes, there are now just two main options that you see: Photo and Video.


While it's only the Photo and Video buttons that are visible, you can actually still swipe in the same way to get to the other options like Portrait, Panorama, Slo-Mo, Cinematic, and more.

For multi-lens cameras, the small buttons to change focal length are still in the same position, and the buttons to view the photo you just snapped or change to the front camera haven't changed location. The button to view photos is now round instead of square, in line with the Liquid Glass update, and Apple has shifted the controls down on the display.

The Photo and Video buttons are below the shutter button, when they used to be above. The shutter button itself no longer has a bright white ring around it, with Apple instead opting for a more subtle Liquid Glass ring. Bezel size for the top and bottom bars hasn't changed.

Pop Out Menus

Some of the controls that used to be located at the top of the Camera app are now tucked inside pop out menus. When you select a mode like Photo, you can then tap on the Photo button to get more options.


The menu has a Liquid Glass design and it offers large buttons for accessing Flash, Live Photo settings, Timer, Exposure, Styles, Aspect, and Night Mode. Tapping one gives you further options for that setting. So if you tap Exposure, you'll get a slider where you can quickly adjust the exposure setting before you take a photo.

In Video mode, you can tap to access Flash, Exposure, and Action. Most of the other modes also have at least one option that's accessed through this new menu. These menu options are also accessible by tapping on the menu icon at the top right of the display.


There are still some quick access buttons at the top of the Photos app, so you can swap to RAW mode, tap into Styles, or adjust flash and ‌Night Mode‌ settings without having to open the menu. Context-specific settings like the Macro mode toggle also still pop up in the same way as before when applicable.

There are toggles to see the Flash, Live Photo and Action Mode indicators in the Camera section of the Settings app.

Remote AirPods Shutter

The AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 can be used as a camera shutter in ‌iOS 26‌, so you can take a photo by pressing on the stem of the AirPods. To get this to work, connect your AirPods to your iPhone, open the Camera app, and then press and hold on the AirPods stem.

You can take a photo using this method, or continue to hold to start a video. When you're finished recording, press and hold again to stop the video.

Using this feature requires ‌iOS 26‌ and the new AirPods firmware that accompanies ‌iOS 26‌. Using the AirPods as a remote shutter button works with the Camera app and with third-party photo apps.

Cleaning Warning

If your camera lens is dirty, your ‌iPhone‌ can detect that it needs to be cleaned and will send you a notification letting you know you should clean it.

Developer APIs

Developers have access to a new Cinematic mode API in ‌iOS 26‌ that allows third-party apps to capture Cinematic mode video, just like the built-in Camera app.


Cinematic mode supports recording video with a shallow depth of field and automatic focus changes between subjects. Apple uses rack focus to quickly swap the focus from one subject to another, for a movie-like recording experience.

Apple is also providing developers with an Audio Mix API for adjusting sound after a video is captured. Third-party video recording apps can offer the same Audio Mix controls that are available in the Camera app. Options include In-Frame for reducing sounds and voices from sources outside of the frame, Studio for reducing background sounds and reverb, and Cinematic for putting voices into a front-facing track while leaving environmental noises in surround, similar to movie audio.

Mac Accessibility

With macOS 26 and ‌iOS 26‌, your Mac can connect to your ‌iPhone‌ to use your ‌iPhone‌'s Camera app as a magnifying glass. A Magnifier on Mac feature uses the ‌iPhone‌'s zoom capabilities, with the ‌iPhone‌'s video feed showing up on a connected Mac through Continuity Camera.

Apple showed a student with vision issues using an ‌iPhone‌ to zoom in on a blackboard in a college class, with the feed coming through to her Mac so she could view what was going on while also taking notes.

Read More

We have a complete iOS 26 roundup that covers all of the new features that are available in the update.
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Native Union today debuted the Find It Card and the Find It Tag, two new products that work with Apple's Find My functionality.


Priced at $40, the Find It Card is meant to fit in a wallet, and it measures in at 1.7mm thick. For comparison's sake, a standard credit card is about 0.76mm, so Native Union's card is about two credit cards in thickness. There's a hole in the center where a metal keychain wire attaches, so it can also be attached to items like backpacks.

There is a rechargeable battery inside that can be charged using a MagSafe charger or a Qi-based charger, and the battery is able to last for up to six months.

The $20 Find It Tag is shaped like an AirTag, featuring a round body and a replaceable CR2032 battery that lasts for up to a year. The Find It Tag has an attached loop that can be added to a keychain or connected to other items for tracking purposes.


The Find It Card and Find It Tag are both compatible with the ‌Find My‌ app, and can be added to the Items tab to be tracked alongside Apple devices like the iPhone. All of the ‌Find My‌ features are included, and you can get notifications when an item is left behind or play a loud sound to locate an item that's close enough to detect over Bluetooth.

When an item is out of Bluetooth range, the Find It Card and Find It Tag can take advantage of the ‌Find My‌ Network, leveraging nearby Apple products to relay location information back to you.

The Find It Card and the Find It Tag can be purchased from the Native Union Website.
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The base model iPhone 17 will have an A19 chip after all, according to Apple analyst Jeff Pu.


A few months ago, Pu said the device would have an A18 chip, but he has now reversed course.

"We now expect the iPhone 17 model to be equipped with A19 (vs. earlier expectation of A18)," Pu said today, in an investor note with equity research firm GF Securities. He also expects the iPhone 17 Air to have an A19 chip, and he said the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will be powered by an A19 Pro chip.

Even still, there are some conflicting rumors about the chips for the iPhone 17 series.

Last week, a Weibo account known as Fixed Focus Digital said the iPhone 17 Air will be equipped with an A19 Pro chip, instead of an A19 chip. However, the account said the A19 Pro chip will have a 5-core GPU in the iPhone 17 Air, whereas he expects the chip to have a 6-core GPU in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

At least rumors agree on the base model iPhone 17 having an A19 chip now.

Just two months to go until the iPhone 17 series is official.
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Transcend today announced the launch of the ESD420, a portable SSD that includes a magnetic attachment designed to work with MagSafe iPhones.


The ESD420 can be attached to the back of a MagSafe-compatible iPhone and connected using the appropriate cable, such as a USB-C to USB-C cable. It supports ‌iPhone‌ video recording features that require an external SSD, such as 4K ProRes video recording.

Transcend designed the SSD to be compact and portable, and it weighs 48 grams. Transcend says that it offers military-grade drop resistance so that it can withstand shocks and falls, and it is meant to match the ‌iPhone‌ with gold and space gray color options available. Because there is a magnet inside, the SSD can also be attached to other magnetic surfaces for storage purposes.

The ESD420 comes in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities. It supports read and write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s, and it comes formatted in the exFAT file system. More information is available on Transcend's website.
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Apple recently updated its website with a list of products eligible for upcoming 2025 sales tax holidays in select U.S. states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.


The tax-free holidays will occur in late July to early August, with the exact dates per state and other details outlined on Apple's website.

Sales tax holidays provide a limited-time opportunity to purchase select Apple products online or in stores without paying sales tax. Apple says tax savings may not appear during checkout, but will be reflected on the final receipt.

Apple products that are eligible for the tax-free holidays vary by state, and there are also price limits in some states. The most common eligible products include Macs, iPads, and related accessories, but the iPhone and Apple Vision Pro are also eligible in a few states, and some states allow any item up to a certain price limit.

Sales tax holidays are especially beneficial to students, as the tax savings can be combined with Apple's ongoing Back to School promotion, which offers students a free or discounted accessory like AirPods 4 with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad.
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Apple released the HomePod mini nearly five years ago, so you may be wondering when a new version of the speaker will finally arrive.


Below, we recap rumors about a next-generation HomePod mini.

HomePod mini: Timeline

• October 2020: Apple announces the HomePod mini during its iPhone 12 event.


• November 2021: HomePod mini gains blue, orange, and yellow color options.


• January 2023: Apple enables the inactive temperature and humidity sensor in the ‌HomePod mini‌ with a software update.


• July 2024: Apple replaces the HomePod mini's space gray color with a midnight color.

HomePod mini 2: Rumors

In January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple was aiming to release a new HomePod mini "toward the end of the year." If that timeframe remains accurate, the HomePod mini 2 will likely be released in September, October, or November this year.

The new HomePod mini will be equipped with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Gurman. He said the chip will support Wi-Fi 6E, which is much faster and has lower latency compared to the current HomePod mini's Wi-Fi 4.

No other features or changes have been rumored yet, but improved sound quality and a newer processor are safe bets. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. The speaker could also be updated with Apple's second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, which debuted in iPhone 15 models.

New color options are likely as well.
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Apple today provided developers with the third betas of upcoming visionOS 2.6, tvOS 18.6, and watchOS 11.6 updates for testing purposes. The software comes two weeks after Apple released the second betas.


The betas are available to registered developers at the current time, and can be downloaded from the Settings app on each device.

There's no word on what's included in the beta updates at this time and no features were discovered in the first two beta rounds, but we'll update this article if anything new is found.
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Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Sequoia 15.6 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple released the second ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.6 beta.


Developers can opt-in to the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. An Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta.

There's no word yet on what's included in ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.6, and no new features were discovered in the first two betas. Apple's work on ‌macOS Sequoia‌ is winding down as it focuses on macOS Tahoe, the newest version of macOS that's coming in the fall.
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Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the updates coming two weeks after Apple seeded the second betas.


iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update.

No notable new features were found in the first two iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 betas, so it's not clear what might be added in the update, though there are some changes to the App Store in the EU due to the DMA. Rumors suggest that Apple wanted to expand Apple Intelligence to China with iOS 18.6, but regulatory hurdles have delayed the launch.

iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 likely focus on smaller changes and bug fixes, and we'll update this article should anything new be found in the third beta.

Apple is winding down work on iOS 18 and is focusing on iOS 26. ‌iOS 26‌ is in beta testing right now and is set to launch in September alongside new iPhone 17 models.
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In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start compatible vehicles with select iPhone and Apple Watch models. The feature is based on the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC)'s Digital Key specification, which will be receiving an upgrade soon, according to an announcement today.


Digital Key version 3.0 was released in 2021, adding support for Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology alongside Bluetooth LE. Four years later, it appears that the CCC is currently in the process of readying Digital Key version 4.0. In a press release today, the CCC said that Apple and other CCC members will be conducting real-world testing of Digital Key version 4.0 this week at an event hosted by Apple in Cupertino, California.

Unfortunately, the CCC has not shared many details about Digital Key version 4.0 at this time. All it said is that the latest specification will "further improve cross-platform interoperability and cross-version compatibility" of digital car keys.


Digital Key version 4.0 should enhance the iPhone's car key feature in various ways, but we will have to wait for specific details and a timeframe.

We recently shared a list of vehicles that offer iPhone car keys, including select models from Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, RAM, Volvo, and others. During its WWDC 2025 keynote last month, Apple listed other brands that will soon offer the feature, including Acura, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Porsche, Rivian, and more.
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Amazon is offering numerous all-time low prices on Apple Watch Series 10 devices today, including both GPS and cellular models at $120 off original prices. These deals were introduced last week during Prime Day and have stuck around, so if you missed them you still have a chance to get them this week.

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

Amazon has the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 10 for $279.00, down from $399.00, as well as the 46mm GPS model for $309.00, down from $429.00. Both of these are record low prices on the Apple Watch Series 10, and they're available in numerous case colors and band styles, all of which you can find in the lists below.

42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 10

• Rose Gold Aluminum Case with Plum Sport Loop - $279.00, down from $399.00


• Rose Gold Aluminum Case with Light Blush Sport Loop - $279.00, down from $399.00

46mm GPS Apple Watch Series 10

• Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band (M/L) - $309.00, down from $429.00


• Rose Gold Aluminum Case with Plum Sport Loop - $309.00, down from $429.00

42mm Cellular Apple Watch Series 10

• Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band (S/M) - $379.99, down from $499.00


• Rose Gold Aluminum Case with Light Blush Sport Band (S/M) - $379.99, down from $499.00


• Rose Gold Aluminum with Plum Sport Loop - $379.99, down from $499.00

46mm Cellular Apple Watch Series 10

• Jet Black Aluminum Case with Ink Sport Loop - $409.99, down from $529.00


• Silver Aluminum Case with Blue Cloud Sport Loop - $409.99, down from $529.00


• Silver Aluminum Case with Denim Sport Band (M/L) - $409.99, down from $529.00

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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iPhone 17 color rumors continue to surface. The latest word is that Apple plans to expand the MacBook Air's new Sky Blue finish to the rumored iPhone 17 Air later this year, according to a leaker known as Majin Bu.


Majin Bu initially claimed that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models would be available in Sky Blue, but today they said that Apple has ultimately decided to limit the color option to the rumored ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air.

iPhone 17 Pro models could still be available in a darker blue shade, according to a separate rumor. An image of alleged camera lens covers for the iPhone 17 Pro models suggests that Apple might reintroduce the Blue Titanium color that it offered for the iPhone 15 Pro models, after skipping that finish for the iPhone 16 Pro models.

iPhone 16 Pro models are available in four colors: Desert Titanium, Natural Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium.

As for the iPhone 17 Air, other rumored color options besides Sky Blue include Black, Silver, and Gold, according to Majin Bu. The leaker was most recently accurate about iPadOS 26 adding a Mac-like menu bar to iPads, but they were seemingly wrong about iOS 26 expanding the iPad's Stage Manager feature to iPhones.
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Best Buy today has Apple's M2 13-inch MacBook Air on sale for $699.00, down from $799.00. This deal is available in Starlight and Midnight color options, with both pickup and delivery options.

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

This MacBook Air is a previous-generation model that launched in 2022, featuring Apple's M2 chip and 16GB of memory with a 256GB SSD. Although a few years old, the M2 MacBook Air is still a great option for anyone looking for a day-to-day laptop, especially at this low price.



The M2 MacBook Air features a 13.6-inch display with a notch, MagSafe charging, a 1080p camera, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. When it debuted in the summer of 2022, pricing for the MacBook Air started at $1,199.00.

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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Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models may have a new copper-like orange color option, according to Sonny Dickson.


In a social media post today, Dickson shared images of alleged lens covers for the rear cameras on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models, with the following five color labels: black, gray, silver, dark blue, and orange.

The black, gray, and silver colors likely correspond with the existing Black Titanium, Natural Titanium, and White Titanium finishes for the iPhone 16 Pro models, while the presence of a dark blue lens cover suggests that Apple might reintroduce the Blue Titanium color option that it offered for the iPhone 15 Pro models.

The orange lens cover is the most notable one, as it could point to an all-new copper color that Apple has never offered for any iPhone models before.


It is unclear if the images are authentic, or if Apple finalized these color options.

Dickson has routinely shared images of dummy models, cases, CAD files, and other components related to future iPhone models over the years, and these images have often accurately depicted new color options or design changes.

Apple will likely unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, so we will find out if these colors are the real deal in just two more months.
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Apple is expected to win the rights to stream Formula 1 races on Apple TV+ in the United States thanks to a $150 million bid, Business Insider reports.


The rights to broadcast Formula 1 in the United States are currently held by Disney's ESPN. According to sources familiar with the negotiations, Disney is apparently unwilling to match or beat Apple's offer. It pays around $85 million per year for its current rights, just over half of Apple's latest bid.

Interest from other suitors, such as Netflix, was also reportedly "muted," leaving Apple as the leading bidder for the U.S. rights to show the races. As a result, Apple is likely to have another sport to stream on ‌Apple TV‌+ next year, alongside Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer.

Apple's move to gain the rights to stream Formula comes amid the success of "F1: The Movie," which is Apple's first major box office hit, earning over $300 million globally already. It is expected to become available on ‌Apple TV‌+ later in 2025.
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Samsung may mirror Apple's iPhone 17 lineup model positioning by eliminating its own "plus" model next year, according to rumors coming out of Asia.


This year, Apple is expected to remove the "Plus" model from the latest iPhone lineup due to low sales, replacing it with an all-new, super-thin "Air" model. As a result, the lineup will move from the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max to the ‌iPhone 17‌, 17 Air, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max.

Currently, Samsung's rival lineup consists of the Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Edge, and S25 Ultra. According to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital," Samsung could next year replace its plus model with the super-thin Edge, just like Apple. The new lineup would be formed of the Galaxy S26, S26 Edge, and S26 Ultra.

Both the S25+ and S25 Edge share a 6.7-inch display, Snapdragon 8 chip, 50-megapixel main camera, and more; there is significant overlap between the devices. Key differences include the Galaxy Edge's move to titanium instead of aluminum, its lack of a telephoto camera, and its ultra-thin design.

Earlier this year, Samsung beat Apple in launching a super-thin smartphone; the S25 Edge is just 5.8mm thick. Apple's iPhone 17 Air could be even thinner at 5.5mm. It is expected to launch alongside the other ‌iPhone 17‌ models in the fall.
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The iPhone's Dynamic Island experience is set to undergo "significant evolution" over the next few years, according to a new rumor.


Earlier this month, a report suggested that the iPhone 17 lineup will feature a redesigned Dynamic Island user interface, but little else was explained about the software changes. Now, the leaker known as "Majin Bu" appears to have corroborated this, commenting in a new interview:

I can reveal that the Dynamic Island is set for a significant evolution in the coming years. Apple appears committed to making it more functional and integrated, turning it into a key element of the user experience. This development could mark a step forward in device interaction, but for now, I'll keep further details under wraps. Stay tuned to see how this innovation unfolds.

Overall, it sounds like there is a decent chance that the ‌Dynamic Island‌ will change in some way on ‌iPhone 17‌ models, for the first time since the feature was introduced on the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro models in 2022. Apple is now expected to unveil the ‌iPhone 17‌ series during the week of September 8, 2025.
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Apple has secured a top-five spot in the most-watched streaming series with its original programming for the first time, Bloomberg reports.


According to data from Nielsen, Apple TV+ claimed one of the five most-viewed original streaming titles in the United States during the first half of 2025. While Netflix maintained three of the top four positions and Amazon's Reacher performed strongly in second place, Apple emerged alongside those longstanding competitors for the first time with the second season of Severance.

Nielsen's rankings are based on total minutes viewed and represent U.S. audiences only, combining viewership across connected TVs and select devices. The most-watched shows in the United States in the first half of 2025 are as follows:

• Squid Game (Netflix), 15,074 million minutes


• Reacher (Prime Video), 13,313 million minutes


• The Night Agent (Netflix), 12,219 million minutes


• Ginny & Georgia (Netflix), 10,201 million minutes


• Severance (‌Apple TV‌+), 9,275 million minutes


• 1923 (Paramount+), 8,536 million minutes


• The Pitt (Max), 8,227 million minutes


• The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), 8,165 million minutes


• You (Netflix), 8,097 million minutes


• Landman (Paramount+), 7,826 million minutes

Apple's rise in the rankings coincides with a broader trend; Netflix's share of the most-watched streaming titles declined from more than 80% in 2021 to just under 50% in the first half of 2025. The figures reflect increasing competition from rivals such as Amazon, HBO, Hulu, Paramount+, and ‌Apple TV‌+, all of which have placed shows in the top 10 so far this year. Disney+, by contrast, has not had a single original series appear in Nielsen's top 10 to date.

While Netflix remains the most consistent producer of hits overall, with a larger number of top-performing series than any other service, its share of total streaming viewership has plateaued. Nielsen reported that total streaming consumption in the U.S. grew by 6% year-over-year in the first half of 2025, but Netflix's share of that growth remained flat. Free ad-supported platforms, such as YouTube, Tubi, and the Roku Channel, are increasingly capturing viewers from traditional TV and paid subscription services alike.

Apple does not disclose subscriber figures for ‌Apple TV‌+, but Ampere Analysis estimated in May that the service has surpassed 60 million paying users globally, with the strongest growth occurring in North America and Western Europe over the past 12 months. Apple has renewed Severance for a third season.

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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.


The anticipated timing of the iPhone 17 event was outlined in the latest "Power On" newsletter from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. According to Gurman, Apple traditionally schedules its ‌iPhone‌ unveilings for the week following Labor Day in the United States. In 2025, Labor Day falls on Monday, September 1, placing the target week between Monday, September 8, and Friday, September 12.

Apple has consistently avoided holding major product announcements on Fridays, eliminating September 12 from consideration. The company has also refrained from scheduling events on September 11 in recent years. Based on these constraints, Monday, September 8, Tuesday, September 9 and Wednesday, September 10 are the most plausible dates for the event. Gurman believes Tuesday, September 9 or Wednesday, September 10 is most likely.

Gurman's projections are supported by an analysis of Apple's event history over the past decade. Of the ten most recent ‌iPhone‌ launch events, five were held on a Tuesday and three on a Wednesday.

Only one occurred on a Monday, in 2024, making that day a less likely candidate despite its theoretical availability in the calendar. The majority of Apple's fall ‌iPhone‌ events also took place during the second week of September, with the only major deviation being in 2020, when the event was delayed until October due to pandemic-related production issues.

This year's event is expected to see the announcement of the ‌iPhone 17‌, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max, Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 11, and Apple Watch Ultra 3. The company typically issues press invitations roughly one week in advance.


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Apple CEO Tim Cook and Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue are attending the 2025 Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Idaho, joining an exclusive gathering of global leaders from the technology, media, finance, and political sectors (via Fortune).


Held annually each July since 1983 in Sun Valley, Idaho, the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference is a private, invitation-only retreat hosted by the investment bank Allen & Co. The event is widely regarded as a discreet venue where high-level strategic discussions take place, often laying the groundwork for significant industry deals. Historically, major acquisitions such as Disney's 1996 purchase of ABC, Jeff Bezos' 2013 acquisition of The Washington Post, and Verizon's 2017 deal for Yahoo can be traced back to discussions held at Sun Valley.

‌Tim Cook‌ has been a frequent attendee at the conference over the last two decades. This year, he returns accompanied by ‌Eddy Cue‌, who oversees Apple's Services division, including Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, the App Store, and Apple TV+.

The week-long conference draws executives, founders, investors, and political figures, offering a setting for informal meetings amid hiking, golfing, and rafting excursions. Attendees include:

• ‌Tim Cook‌, Apple


• ‌Eddy Cue‌, Apple


• Sundar Pichai, Google


• Mark Zuckerberg, Meta


• Satya Nadella, Microsoft


• Andy Jassy, Amazon


• Sam Altman, OpenAI


• David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery


• Bob Iger, Disney


• Spencer Neumann, Netflix


• Ted Sarandos, Netflix


• Brian Roberts, Comcast


• Mike Cavanagh, Comcast


• Mary Barra, General Motors


• Hiroki Totoki, Sony


• Ravi Ahuja, Sony


• Daniel Ek, Spotify


• Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber


• Brian Armstrong, Coinbase


• John Donahoe, PayPal


• Tobias Lütke, Shopify


• Neal Mohan, YouTube


• Jim Lanzone, Yahoo


• Jerry Yang, Yahoo


• Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn


• Robert Thomson, News Corp.


• Jeffrey Katzenberg, WndrCo


• Sheryl Sandberg, Meta


• Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard


• Michael Eisner, Disney


• Michael Ovitz, Disney


• Casey Wasserman, Wasserman Media Group


• Barry Diller, IAC and Expedia Group


• Robert Kraft, New England Patriots


• Gayle King, CBS Mornings


• Roland Fryer, Harvard University


• Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense Fund


• Ivanka Trump, former White House advisor


• Jared Kushner, former White House advisor

Cook and Cue's presence comes at a time when Apple is under scrutiny from both political and industry entities, facing competitive pressures in artificial intelligence, supply chain strategy shifts, and ongoing regulatory attention.
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