Apple is considering dropping the cheapest MacBook Neo configuration as one possible response to the rising cost of building the popular laptop, according to Taiwan-based tech columnist and former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan.


The Neo currently starts at $599 for a 256GB model, with a 512GB version at $699.

Writing in his latest Culpium newsletter, Culpan says cutting the entry-level 256GB model is among the options Apple is weighing as component costs climb. Such a move would push the Neo's effective starting price up by $100 without raising the price of any individual configuration.

Apple recently made a similar move with two of its other Mac models. Apple stopped offering the Mac Studio with 512GB of RAM in March, and it dropped the Mac mini's lowest 256GB storage option last week, making the latter's starting price increase from $599 to $799 in the United States. The moves were made due to higher-than-expected demand and a worldwide shortage of memory chips bumping up costs as AI data center build-outs squeeze supply.

Culpan says the pricing strain around the Neo is tied to Apple's push to ramp up manufacturing. Shipping estimates on Apple's website currently sit at two to three weeks across the lineup following stronger-than-expected demand, and the company is said to have instructed suppliers to increase production capacity to 10 million units, roughly double the original forecast of 5 to 6 million.

To meet its revised production goal, Apple needs a new supply of A18 Pro chips from TSMC. The Neo uses the same chip as the iPhone 16 Pro, but existing inventory was reportedly depleted by the early demand. TSMC is also said to have limited spare 3nm capacity, with AI-related orders consuming much of its output.

Apple's costs are being further complicated by the fact that the initial Neo batch used lower-bin A18 Pro chips with one GPU core disabled. However, a fresh production run would produce more fully functional chips, increasing the per-unit cost even before any expedited manufacturing premiums are applied.

If Apple ultimately decides against dropping the $599 MacBook Neo configuration, Culpan says the company is alternatively considering introducing new color options for the current-generation Neo to cushion a potential price hike.
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Apple is considering adding new colors to its MacBook Neo lineup as a way to cushion customers against a possible price increase, according to Taiwan-based tech columnist and former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan.


Writing in his latest Culpium newsletter, Culpan says that the runaway success of the entry-level laptop has left Apple paying more for the components inside it. As a result, he says new finishes are one option being weighed by Apple to keep enthusiasm high if those costs end up getting passed on to buyers. Starting at $599, the Neo is currently sold in Citrus, Blush, Indigo, and Silver.

Apple does not appear to have settled on which colors might join the lineup, and the report does not name any specific shades the company may be considering.

The pricing pressure is said to stem from Apple's decision to dramatically scale up production. After Neo demand outstripped initial expectations, Apple has reportedly asked suppliers to prepare capacity for 10 million units of the debut model, up from an earlier target of 5 to 6 million.

Shipping estimates on Apple's website currently sit at two to three weeks across the lineup in the U.S. and many other countries, with Quanta and Foxconn said to be racing to fill orders from factories in Vietnam and China.

However, meeting the doubled production target requires a fresh batch of A18 Pro chips from TSMC. The Neo uses the same system-on-chip as the iPhone 16 Pro, and Apple quickly exhausted its existing inventory filling early orders. The original run was made on TSMC's N3E process at least two years ago, and it is believed that TSMC has no spare 3nm capacity to allocate, as AI customers are sucking up much of the available output.

What's worse for Apple is that the first batch of A18 Pro chips were "binned" versions with minor defects that, rather than scrapping, were repurposed for the Neo by switching off one of the six GPU cores.

That means a new production run will result in top-tier chips rather than defective ones, which means a higher per-unit cost that Apple will have to pay even before TSMC adds a premium for expedited production.

DRAM prices have also climbed sharply since the Neo first went on sale—again driven by AI data center build-out—which has pushed the laptop's bill of materials higher still.

Culpan reports that Apple has not ruled out raising the Neo's price as a response.
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Apple is expected to finalize OLED panel approvals for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max this month, with Samsung Display and LG Display likely to dominate panel supply, reports The Elec.


This year, China's BOE has reportedly been closed out of the premium tier supply chain, despite having landed some panel orders for the iPhone 17 Pro models.

The setback is said to be down to quality and yield issues with its lower-temperature polycrystalline oxide-plus (LTPO+) technology compared to its South Korean counterparts.

Indeed, it's the key upgrade at the center of the supply shake-up.

South Korean publication ETNews previously reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models will use LTPO+ display technology, which would likely be more power efficient than the current LTPO technology in the iPhone 17 series.

Such an upgrade could also contribute to longer battery life, since LPTO+ enables finer control of OLED light emission, potentially allowing the display to optimize its operation based on environmental conditions.

The ETNews report from January also mentioned that the iPhone 18 Pro models will use under-screen infrared technology from Samsung, which could enable some Face ID components to move under the display.

That could allow Apple to shrink the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro models -- but whether it will do is seemingly still up for debate. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro models in September.
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New alleged CAD renders of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro are doing the rounds on social media, offering the latest twist in the to-shrink-or-not-to-shrink Dynamic Island saga.


An X user called @earlyappleleaks has posted the above image, claiming that "the new CAD confirms the smaller Dynamic Island of the iPhone 18 Pro."

CAD renders are often leaked from factories and represent the technical schematics that phone manufacturers share with case makers and accessory companies months before a phone launches. Whether this particular one is kosher is unknown, since the leaker is relatively new to the scene and needs time to build a reputation.

The last notable image they shared was of an alleged iPhone 18 Pro prototype with a smaller Dynamic Island, and what appears to be a Face ID sensor visible under the display. Under-display Face ID components would allow for a slimmed down Dynamic Island.

Over the past year, there have been mixed rumors about whether the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models will continue to feature a ‌Dynamic Island‌ or have a hole punch camera with under screen Face ID and no ‌Dynamic Island‌, but the latest information suggests it's too early to say goodbye to the ‌Dynamic Island‌.

Along with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, several prominent leakers on Weibo and other social media sites have said Apple will make the iPhone 18 Pro's Dynamic Island smaller, but won't eliminate it. We heard similar rumors about a smaller iPhone 17 Pro ‌Dynamic Island‌ last year, but it ended up being the same size.

Most of the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ rumors about under-display Face ID and no ‌Dynamic Island‌ circulated earlier in 2025, so Apple either considered the feature for the 18 Pro lineup and pushed it back, or those rumors were off-base. There also may have been confusion over what's moving under the display and what isn't.

More recently, Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station claimed the iPhone 18 Pro won't have a smaller Dynamic Island at all, with the slimmed down Dynamic Island delayed until the iPhone 19.

We'll know for sure in a few months. Apple is expected to announce the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models alongside its first foldable iPhone this fall, with the standard ‌iPhone 18‌ arriving early next year as part of a new split-cycle launch strategy.
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Apple's iPhone 17 was the best-selling smartphone globally in the first quarter of 2026, capturing 6 percent of worldwide unit sales, according to Counterpoint Research's latest Global Handset Model Sales Tracker.


The iPhone 17 series dominated the top three spots, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max in second place and the iPhone 17 Pro in third. The previous-generation iPhone 16 also held on at sixth place, suggesting there's still strong demand for the model, following its blockbuster sales run throughout last year.

Counterpoint senior analyst Harshit Rastogi credited the iPhone 17's success to upgrades that brought the base model closer to the Pro variants, including higher 256GB base storage, improved cameras, and a faster 120Hz display refresh rate. Not only did the iPhone 17 post double-digit year-over-year growth in China and the U.S., it also tripled its sales in South Korea for the quarter.

Samsung's Galaxy A series filled the remaining five spots, led by the budget-friendly Galaxy A07 4G as the best-selling Android phone of the quarter. Xiaomi's Redmi A5 filled out the list in tenth place.


Taken together, the top 10 devices accounted for 25% of global smartphone sales -- the highest first-quarter concentration ever recorded, according to Counterpoint. In the meantime, the standard iPhone 17 is set to enjoy a six-month-longer flagship run than usual, with the iPhone 18 expected to see a launch in spring 2027.
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Instagram will remove end-to-end encryption for direct messages between users from May 8, 2026. When the date comes around, Meta will potentially be able to see the contents of all messages between users on the social media platform.


Encrypting messages has been an optional feature in Instagram since 2023, but in March of this year the social media platform quietly updated a help page to say the feature would no longer be available for direct messages between users from May 8.

With end-to-end encryption enabled, the contents of messages are protected from the moment they leave the sender's device to the moment they reach the receiver's device. In other words, nobody, including Meta, can see what is sent. When May 8 rolls around, that extra layer of security will be removed.

On its help page, Instagram says users that are affected by the change will see instructions in the app on how they can download any media or messages that they may want to keep. However, the company hasn't explained why encrypted chats must be downloaded before the cutoff date or what will happen to them afterwards.

In March, a spokesperson for Meta told The Guardian that the decision to abandon encryption was due to low uptake. "Very few people were opting in to end-to-end encrypted messaging in DMs, so we're removing this option from Instagram in the coming months," the spokesperson said. "Anyone who wants to keep messaging with end-to-end encryption can easily do that on WhatsApp."

Meta has come under sustained pressure over the years from law enforcement and child safety groups to remove encryption, but there's likely more to it than that. With Meta able to see messages between users, it could potentially run advertising algorithms or train chatbots on their contents.

It's an odd twist for a company who in 2019 aggressively promoted tightening encryption standards on its social media and messaging apps. As things stand, end-to-end encryption for group Facebook Messenger chats remains opt-in, while it continues to be the default setting for all WhatsApp conversations and calls.
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OpenAI is said to be fast-tracking development of its first "AI agent phone," with the company now aiming to mass produce the device as early as the first half of next year, according to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.


Late last month, Kuo revealed OpenAI's work on a smartphone, contradicting earlier reports that the company had no plans to enter the mobile market. Kuo said MediaTek and Qualcomm are the chosen chip partners and Luxshare Precision Industry is the exclusive manufacturing partner, with mass production scheduled for 2028.

Reasons for Kuo's revised 1H27 production target are now said to include OpenAI's planned initial public offering (i.e. a compelling hardware product could strengthen its story to investors if it goes public) and intensifying competition in AI agent phones. Kuo says MediaTek appears "better positioned to become the sole processor supplier," with the device set to use a customized version of the Dimensity 9600, which will apparently be built on TSMC's N2P node in 2H26.

The device's "headline spec" will allegedly be its image signal processor, featuring an enhanced HDR pipeline that improves real-world sensing - or what the AI "perceives" through the camera. The phone will also use two AI processors for handling different tasks (e.g. vision and language simultaneously), fast memory and storage, and security features to isolate processes.

"If development stays on track, combined 2027-2028 shipments could reach around 30 million units," says Kuo, who argues that fully controlling both the operating system and the hardware is the only way for the company to deliver a comprehensive AI agent service. Kuo expects AI agents to change how people interact with a phone, shifting the focus from launching individual apps to completing tasks within a seamless context-aware interface.

Quite where this leaves Jony Ive's non-phone AI device prototype isn't entirely clear. Shortly after its acquisition of Ive's startup io Products in May 2025, OpenAI engaged in something of a marketing blitz to promote Ive's first upcoming product for the company, describing it as a "third core device" after a MacBook Pro and an iPhone. According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, it would be the "coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen." And crucially, it wouldn't have a screen - because phones have screens, and Ive and Altman want to wean people off those.

The original goal was to release the device later this year, but in November that roadmap got pushed back to "less than two years." The last we heard, Ive's first OpenAI device was revealed to be a smart speaker with a camera, set to come out in early 2027.

Other OpenAI products reportedly in development include smart glasses, a smart lamp, and potentially earbuds, but the roadmap is supposed to be further out for those. If any of these devices eventually launch, OpenAI will become a direct hardware rival against several Apple product lines - Apple is rumored to be also working on smart glasses, as well as AirPods with cameras, an AI pendant, and a smart home hub with enhanced Siri capabilities.
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For the rumored 20th-anniversary iPhone, Apple continues to test a solid-state haptic button system that will replace traditional mechanical buttons and enhance the uninterrupted look of the device's display, claims Chinese leaker "Instant Digital."


According to the Weibo-based leaker, the buttons have already passed tests for use when wearing gloves or having wet hands, in extreme temperatures, and when the phone has a case on.

The leaker also claims that the 20th-anniversary iPhone will be equipped with an ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing the solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out.

It's not the first time Instant Digital has said solid-state buttons will feature on the device. The leaker made the same claim in October 2025, saying that Apple's solution would include haptic feedback for the Side button, volume buttons, Action button, and Camera Control button.

Apple is reportedly working on a display that curves down around all four edges of the device for a borderless visual experience - and solid-state haptic buttons could help in Apple's apparent desire to create a device that looks like a slab of glass with no cutouts and no bezels.

That said, Apple's adoption of solid-state buttons has been repeatedly rumored for an iPhone, but with nothing to show for it. Back in 2022, several reports suggested Apple intended to bring solid-state buttons to the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023 as part of "Project Bongo." However, the plan was reportedly canceled at a late stage. They were then rumored to come to the iPhone 16 Pro, before being shelved indefinitely.

In the same Weibo post, the leaker went on to list other features that have been repeatedly rumored for the 2027 device, such as a dual-layer OLED panel, under-display Face ID, and an under-display front-facing camera. They also mentioned a 6,000mAh battery, under-display audio (eliminating the earpiece slit), reverse wireless charging, and a next-generation Ceramic Shield - although it's unclear whether these last few items are more of a wish list of features rather than being based on new supply chain information.

Instant Digital has a generally good track record for Apple rumors and has provided some accurate information ahead of time, such as the imminent launch of 2023's Yellow iPhone 14, as well as the frosted back glass of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.

The 20th anniversary iPhone will presumably come out in the fall of 2027.
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Apple has held "exploratory" talks with Intel and Samsung about manufacturing the main processors for its devices in the United States, reports Bloomberg ($).


Apple is said to have had early-stage talks with Intel about using its chipmaking services, while Apple executives have reportedly visited a Samsung plant under construction in Texas that will also make advanced chips.

The talks are said to be preliminary, and no orders have been made so far, according to the report's sources who asked not to be identified. Apple is also said to have concerns about using technology that is not made by its longtime chip partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), so the talks could still go nowhere.

Apple is said to be seeking potential additional suppliers beyond TSMC as a way to avoid recent shortages almost entirely driven by the current build-out of AI data centers.

Heavy demand for Mac mini and Mac Studio models - sought-after because of their suitability for running local AI models - is also said to have been another factor. On an earnings call last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that Mac mini and Mac Studio supply is constrained, and he said it may take "several months" for Apple to achieve supply-demand balance.

Neither Intel nor Samsung can reliably provide the kind of production and scale that TSMC offers, so it's not clear how much, if anything, will come out of the discussions. Apple has already worked with TSMC to help expand its plant in Phoenix, which is now producing a limited number of chips for Apple and expects to make 100 million chips for the company in 2026.
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For watchOS 27, Apple is testing new Apple Watch faces, and one of them is a simpler version of an existing Apple Watch Ultra watch face that could be coming to standard Series models.


Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple is testing multiple new faces for watchOS 27, code-named "Orchid." One of them is said to be a "simplified take" on the Modular Ultra design.

From the report:

It has the same large clock as the Ultra face but removes the option for a big complication in the center, the row of three smaller complications above the time and information placed around the bezel. The result is a large clock that fills the top two-thirds of the display, with a row of three smaller complications beneath it.

Gurman believes the new face is an attempt to bring the Ultra look to the standard Series watches in a way that dials down the density while still offering more at-a-glance information.

In its current form, the Modular Ultra offers seven complications and six options for the size and layout of the time. With the training bezels providing Vitals and training load, it's arguably the most info-dense face there is.

Separately, Gurman reported last week that watchOS 26.5 will include a new Pride Luminance watch face, with the update expected to drop this month.


Update: Apple has unveiled its 2026 Pride Edition Sport Loop, a Pride Luminance watch face for the Apple Watch, and a matching wallpaper for the iPhone and iPad.
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Apple will not be able to delay a district court battle over fee calculations while it waits to hear whether the U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in on the latest developments in its long-running dispute with Epic Games.


On Tuesday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed an earlier decision letting Apple keep its current zero-fee link-out commission structure in place while it appeals to the Supreme Court. The reversal means Apple now has to return to a lower court to work out what fees it can charge developers who steer customers to outside payment options.

Apple won the pause earlier this month by arguing that it shouldn't have to overhaul its fee structure twice if the Supreme Court ultimately ruled in its favor. Apple stopped collecting commissions from links to external purchase options in U.S. apps when ordered to do so last year, and the company wanted to keep the no-commission setup while waiting on the Supreme Court.

In response, Epic Games immediately filed two motions: one said it hadn't been given time enough to prepare a response to Apple's stay request, and another asking the court to reject the original request.

The three-judge panel granted Epic's motion for reconsideration. The judges said Apple hadn't shown that the Supreme Court was likely to take the case, and pointed out that the high court already chose not to hear Apple's challenges once back in 2024. They also rejected Apple's claim that being forced into lower-court hearings would cause real harm.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney shared the news in a post on X, adding that "Apple's delaying tactics have come to an end!"


The case now heads back to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in California, who will determine what commission Apple can collect on purchases made through external links, if any. Apple can still petition the Supreme Court while those proceedings move ahead.

The dispute traces all the way back to the original Epic Games trial, which Apple largely won. However, one exception was a 2021 ruling from Judge Gonzalez Rogers ordering Apple to relax its "anti-steering" rules and let developers point users to outside payment options.

Apple complied with the ruling, but only slightly lowered its fees, which led few developers to even bother adding links. Epic subsequently returned to court, and the judge found Apple in willful violation of the original injunction. Consequently, it barred Apple from collecting any commission on external links.

Apple appealed and dropped the link fees while the case moved forward, arguing that the ruling was unconstitutional and that it should receive compensation for its technology. In December 2025, the appeals court delivered a mixed ruling: Apple had violated the injunction, but the company should still be able to charge something reasonable for its technology. That sent the question of what that fee should look like back to the district court.

Apple is now hoping the Supreme Court will go further and throw out the district court's ruling altogether, but in the meantime, Apple will head back to court to determine the reasonable fee that it will be able to charge for purchases made using external links in apps.
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Memory could account for as much as 45 percent of an iPhone's component costs by 2027, up from around 10 percent today, according to a JPMorgan analysis cited by the Financial Times ($).


Apple buys memory for roughly 250 million iPhones a year and has historically been one of the largest customers in the category. But Apple has reportedly now gone from a position where it could set terms to one where it now has to compete with rivals for supply.

The principal reason is the heavily subsidized AI build-out that's underway.

In a race to make data centers that can handle more compute for frontier AI models, AI infrastructure buyers like Nvidia are now reportedly outbidding consumer electronics makers for limited supply from the likes of Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron. Meanwhile, cloud companies are reportedly making upfront payments worth billions of dollars to secure capacity.

It's a marked break from the industry norm of committing to volumes with suppliers first and negotiating prices later.

The pressure is already reshaping Apple's product plans, and the rumored split-launch cycle for the iPhone 18 series is said to be part of that new reality. Apple is expected to stagger the iPhone 18 launch, holding the lower-priced model until spring 2027 rather than shipping the full lineup in the usual fall window. Instead, only the iPhone 18 Pro models will be launched in September, with a foldable iPhone expected to be unveiled around the same time.

Apple hardware engineering chief John Ternus takes over from Tim Cook as CEO on September 1, and Cook will transition to his new role as Apple's first executive chair, where he is expected to take a direct role in day-to-day operations. Meanwhile, Ternus's first big decision will be whether Apple absorbs the increasing cost of memory or passes it onto consumers.

Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan reckons the decision could come down to whether Apple holds prices to please consumers or accepts a margin hit, especially in markets like India and China where it competes with local smartphone makers. "By the time September rolls around, Apple has two choices: one, they reprice [products] higher, or two, they say 'let's go ahead and gun for market share,'" Mohan told the FT. He thinks there is a decent chance that Apple will opt for market share.
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The popular Notepad++ coding editor is now available as a native macOS app, following an unofficial open-source community port of the original Windows codebase. The Notepad replacement runs as a universal binary, so it works on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.


Notepad++ has been one of the most popular text editors on Windows for more than 20 years. Until now, Mac users who switched from Windows, or who worked across both platforms, had to choose between giving up the editor and running it through a Wine or CrossOver compatibility layer. Now those users have no such dilemma.

The editing experience is identical to the Windows version, right down to the Scintilla engine, tabbed editing, syntax highlighting for 80+ languages, search and replace, macro recording, and plugin support. The only difference is that the menus, dialogs, file pickers, keyboard shortcuts, and windowing all use native macOS Cocoa APIs.

Notepad++ for macOS is maintained by Andrey Letov, who wrote the Objective-C++ Cocoa UI that replaces Notepad++'s Win32 front-end. The unofficial app is available to download from the Notepad++ for Mac website. It's completely free and released under the GNU General Public License, so there are no ads, subs, or hidden costs.

(Thanks, Mike!)
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Apple's Vision Pro has hit another medical-use milestone, with a New York ophthalmologist becoming the first surgeon to perform cataract surgery using the spatial computing headset.


Dr. Eric Rosenberg of SightMD completed the initial procedure in October 2025 and has since performed hundreds of additional cases using ScopeXR, a surgical platform he co-developed for Apple's mixed reality device.

ScopeXR streams live feeds from 3D digital surgical microscopes directly into the Vision Pro, which lets the surgeon view the operative field in stereoscopic 3D while overlaying preoperative diagnostic data. The platform also supports real-time remote collaboration, allowing surgeons to virtually join procedures and see exactly what the operating surgeon sees.

"We are now able to bring the world's best surgeon into any operating room, at any hour, from anywhere on the planet," said Dr. Rosenberg in a company press release. "From residents performing their first cases to surgeons facing unexpected complications, this technology democratizes access to expertise and that will save vision."

It's another example of Apple's move toward enterprise and professional use cases for Vision Pro, with widespread consumer adoption beleaguered by the headset's $3,499 starting price and bulky form factor. Apple has increasingly leaned into specialized applications in fields like medicine, aviation training, and industrial design - markets where the device's capabilities can justify its cost, in other words.

The headset was never expected to be mass-market from day one, according to Apple. Even so, enthusiasm is said to have cooled far faster than anticipated. Based on the latest reports, there are now no Apple Vision headsets in active development, with the company's focus pivoting to lightweight smart glasses, where Meta has already seen success. Last October, Apple introduced an updated Vision Pro model featuring the M5 chip, the first hardware revision of the device.
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Apple's 20th-anniversary iPhone will use a new type of curved screen technology that more effectively hides the display bezels from the user's line of sight for a purer viewing experience, claims a Chinese leaker.


Apple is reportedly planning a radical redesign for the 20th-anniversary iPhone that could feature a display that curves around all four edges of the device. To achieve this, Apple will reportedly use an equal-depth quad-curved panel supplied by Samsung, and it sounds like it's going to be quite different from typical curved screens.

According to leaker Ice Universe, "It is not a traditional quad curved display, nor is it anything like the curved screen solutions we have seen on Android phones over the years." This is said to be down to its extremely subtle curvature, but there are apparently other factors that could come into play.

"What truly creates the visual impact may be a sophisticated combination of optical refraction, light guiding structures, and carefully engineered visual illusion," said Ice Universe, writing in a post on X. "The end result could be a display where the bezel nearly disappears from sight, while edge viewing remains natural and undisturbed."

Apple will also reportedly adopt a Samsung-made OLED technology called COE (Color Filter on Encapsulation) to make the 20th-anniversary iPhone's display brighter and thinner than previous panels. Apple may refer to it as a "Liquid Glass Display," in a nod to its latest software interface redesign, claims the leaker.


To mark the 20th-anniversary of the iPhone in 2027, Apple ideally wants an uninterrupted display with no cutouts for the most visual impact, but concealing the Face ID system and selfie camera under the panel is going to be a challenge.

Display analyst Ross Young has said that Apple won't have under-display ‌Face ID‌ ready to go for a 2027 iPhone, but other leakers think it's possible. If Apple can't get everything under the display, we may see under-display ‌Face ID‌ and then a small hole-punch cutout on the front for the front-facing camera.
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OpenAI has announced the release of GPT-5.5, the latest upgrade to the company's family of models powering its ChatGPT and Codex apps.


OpenAI describes GPT-5.5 as better at multi-step work, claiming it can plan, use tools, and verify its own output with less hand-holding. The model is said to offer gains in agentic coding, computer use, and early-stage scientific research.

GPT-5.5 Thinking offers "faster help for harder problems," according to OpenAI, while GPT-5.5 Pro is being pitched as a research partner for tougher questions where accuracy matters more than speed.

OpenAI argues that its latest model is more token-efficient, so Codex tasks should – in theory – finish with less overhead despite the bump.

ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers get GPT-5.5 Thinking, while the more powerful GPT-5.5 Pro model is limited to ChatGPT Pro, Business, and Enterprise. In Codex, GPT-5.5 spans Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu, and Go plans. API access is said to be coming "very soon."
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For its 20th-anniversary iPhone, Apple is tapping Samsung to produce a custom micro-curved OLED display that is brighter and thinner than existing panels, according to new supply chain information out of China.


Apple is reportedly considering a radical redesign for the 20th-anniversary iPhone that could feature a completely bezel-less display that curves around all four edges of the device.

To that end, Apple is said to be seeking from Samsung an equal-depth quad-curved panel design that uses "micro-curves" to keep the curve very shallow, as opposed to the aggressively curved "waterfall" edges of some existing Samsung panels.

Apple's preference for slightly rounded edges may ensure that the device feels softer in the hand and that swipes from the edge of the display feel more natural. It could also prevent distortion of on-screen content around the edges.

The latest supply chain information comes from Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station, who also says that Apple wants a "pol-less" display from Samsung – in other words, a panel design that removes the polarizer layer that sits on top of most current OLED screens.

That claim lines up with a September 2025 report out of Korea that said Apple will adopt a Samsung-made OLED technology called COE (Color Filter on Encapsulation) to make the 20th-anniversary iPhone's display brighter and thinner than previous panels.

COE displays remove the polarizing film from an OLED panel, applying the color filter directly onto the encapsulation layer of the display.

The technique reduces the thickness of the overall display stack, and it lets more light through to improve brightness while reducing power draw. Reflections are harder to deal with when there's no polarizing film, but in its latest iPhones, Apple added a new anti-reflective coating that is expected to be improved for future versions of the iPhone.

Apple is also said to be employing a crater-shaped light diffusion layer in the display to even out the brightness so that the screen looks uniformly lit across all areas.

2027 will mark the 20th-anniversary of the iPhone, and Apple reportedly wants to create a high-end all-glass model that doesn't have cutouts in the display.

Display analyst Ross Young said that Apple won't have under-display ‌Face ID‌ ready to go for a 2027 iPhone, but other leakers think it's possible. If Apple can't get everything under the display, we may see under-display ‌Face ID‌ and then a small hole-punch cutout on the front for the front-facing camera.

The latest rumors suggest that Apple is still testing an under-display iPhone camera for 2027, so it remains a possibility.
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Following the latest update of Apple's Invites app, hosts can now manually edit the guest list to update guest responses and adjust the number of additional guests.


This v1.8.0 update appears to have focused on delivering a more streamlined experience for managing and sharing events. Within Messages, a new Invites iMessage app allows users to quickly share an existing invite without needing to leave the conversation.

Elsewhere, the dashboard has been expanded with an All Events view, bringing both upcoming and past events into a single, unified interface. Sharing options have also been improved for hosts, who can now generate and download an image of their invite card.

Additionally, music integration has been enhanced through the Apple Music Shared Playlist feature, which now provides personalised playlist suggestions based on listening habits.

Finally, hosts can now specify a time zone for their event, and the update also contains bug fixes and performance improvements.

Apple Invites is available on the iPhone, and on the web at iCloud.com/invites. Guests can RSVP in the iPhone app, or on the web from any device.
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Apple has published a new ad to appeal to customers in the market for an iPhone and Apple Watch pairing, highlighting the insights it can offer for your health.


Titled simply "Health with iPhone + Apple Watch," the half-minute ad focuses on a woman waiting in line at a cafe who begins receiving unsolicited health and fitness advice from other people in the queue, as well as local residents, drivers, and passersby – and even accompanying pets.

An Apple Watch notification about her new cardio fitness trend cuts through the cacophony, and she subsequently looks into the Health app on iPhone to learn that her cardio fitness is above average. "Listen to your body. Not everybody," says the onscreen slogan, as she grabs her coffee and goes about her day. The YouTube blurb reads:

With iPhone and Apple Watch, you get science-based insights about your health. You see data on things like your heart rate, cycle tracking, cardio fitness, and sleep quality. So you can be more aware of what your body is telling you.

Apple Watch Cardio Fitness determines cardiorespiratory fitness as measured by VO2 max. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen that the body is able to use during exercise, and it can be improved through physical activity. Apple introduced the feature in 2020.

Cardio Fitness is a category in the Health app on iPhone, and fitness level is classified as high, above average, below average, or low relative to people in your same age group and of the same sex. Users can also track how their cardio fitness levels have changed over the past week, month, six months, or year, and if fitness levels fall into the low range, they can get a notification on Apple Watch that includes guidance on improving it.
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The interest rate on Apple Card's savings account was today lowered from 3.65% to 3.50%.


Push notifications regarding the cut were sent to ‌Apple Card‌ users on Thursday. Savings account interest rates often fluctuate with changes made by the Federal Reserve, and when rates are lowered, banks cut their annual percentage yield (APY). That said, today's cut doesn't appear tied to a specific Federal Reserve move.

Apple introduced its savings account in April 2023, partnering with Goldman Sachs. Designed for ‌Apple Card‌ holders, the account is exclusively available to U.S. residents aged 18 and above. It can be managed through the iPhone's Wallet app, offering a user-friendly experience with no fees, minimum deposits, or balance requirements.

The account allows users to earn interest on their Daily Cash cashback balance, as well as on funds transferred from linked bank accounts or Apple Cash balances. Initially capped at $250,000, the maximum balance has since been increased to $1,000,000.

In January 2026, JPMorgan Chase reached a deal to take over operation of the Apple Card, with the transition expected to take approximately two years.

Alongside its new Apple Card partnership, JPMorgan Chase will reportedly launch a new Apple savings account, but existing users with Apple savings accounts at Goldman Sachs will not be automatically transitioned and will need to decide whether they want to stay at Goldman Sachs or open new accounts with Chase. Apple has a FAQ about the transition.
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Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook has named the botched 2012 launch of Apple Maps as his "first really big mistake" in the role, according to a Bloomberg report covering the town hall meeting that was held Tuesday with his recently announced successor, John Ternus.


The Maps app launched with mislabeled landmarks, faulty directions, and a user experience that fell well short of Google Maps at the time. "The product wasn't ready, and we thought it was because we were testing more of local kind of stuff," Cook told staff.

Reflecting on the debacle, Cook said it was "valuable," noting that he expressed regret to users at the time and suggested they use competing navigation apps instead.

From the report:

"We apologized for it, and we said, 'Go use these other apps. They're better than ours.' And that was some humble pie," Cook said. "But it was the right thing for our users. And so it's an example of keeping the user at the center of the decisions that we made."

Cook added: "Now we've got the best map app on the planet. We learned about persistence, and we did exactly the right thing having made the mistake."

The fallout led to the first major management shake-up of Cook's tenure, with software chief Scott Forstall – a close Steve Jobs collaborator – pushed out in the aftermath. (Fun fact: Forstall was recently invited back to Apple Park to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary.)

On the bright side, Cook singled out the Apple Watch and its expanding health features as the work he's most proud of. He recalled receiving his first note from a user whose life had been saved by the device. "It caused me to just stop in my steps," he said.

Cook conceded that his list of mistakes would be "extraordinary in length" (the never-released AirPower charging mat and Apple's abandoned car project would surely be high up there) but the CEO has successfully avoided the kind of product recalls and cancellations that have plagued other consumer device companies over the last 15 years.

Cook became CEO in August 2011 and hands over the reins to Ternus, currently chief of hardware engineering, on September 1, 2026.
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Apple is expected to bring several camera enhancements to the iPhone 18 Pro models this year, but there have been no fixed rumors suggesting these upgrades will require measurable, visible changes to the device's rear camera plateau. And yet a new series of dummies suggests exactly that.


YouTube channel Max Tech's Vadim Yuryev recently shared images of dummy units for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max – as well as Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone. Dummy units are typically created by third-party case makers based on information that leaks out of Apple's partner factories.

Yuryev says the dummy units have "much thicker cameras... The black glass on the cameras protrudes a bit more too." He also says the camera plateau itself is "a bit thicker" than on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and he provided the above image for comparison. The silver unit is the iPhone 18 Pro Max dummy, while the blue is an iPhone 17 Pro Max dummy. Other than the rear triple lens camera system, the two device's dimensions are said to be extremely similar – same thickness, but a slight height (.36mm) and width (.39mm) increase on the 18 Pro Max unit.

Yuryev says he stands by the accuracy of the iPhone 18 Pro dummies, claiming they should be "spot on" like the iPhone 17 Pro dummy units he received last year, presumably from the same source – which we believe to be Sonny Dickson.

The Main camera in the iPhone 18 Pro could have a variable aperture, which would provide users with more control over how their photos look. iPhone users would be able to manually adjust how much light gets to the sensor, cutting down on overexposure and providing new customization options for lighting and depth of field.

The Telephoto lens in the iPhone 18 Pro models could also feature a larger aperture, allowing for more light in poor lighting conditions.

At least one of the iPhone 18 Pro models could also feature a new three-layer stacked image sensor developed by Samsung. The advanced image sensor would make the camera more responsive, plus it could cut down on noise, increase dynamic range, and more.

Will any of these upgrades necessitate a larger camera module? Theoretically, but no leak has explicitly said the lenses on either 18 Pro model will stick out more or that the camera plateau will get thicker. It's especially surprising given that the industry is actively targeting flat or near-flush camera systems in future devices, but Apple could well be taking a different tack.

We'll know for sure when the devices arrive around mid-September alongside the company's first foldable iPhone.

Update: Since this story was published, Yuryev has shared some more comparative dimensions: The total thickness of the iPhone 18 Pro Max including camera plateau is said to be 11.54mm (vs. 11.23mm on the iPhone 17 Pro Max), while total thickness including camera lens bumps is 13.77mm (vs. 12.92mm on the iPhone 17 Pro Max).
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Apple Maps has updated its "2026 Formula 1 Tracks Around the World" guide with a dedicated experience for the Miami F1 Gran Prix, which takes place on May 3 and will be streamed exclusively on Apple TV in the United States.


The guide offers an immersive way to explore F1 circuits. It began with Albert Park in Australia, with more 3D circuit experiences to be added as the season progresses.

The Miami experience adds detailed features at key locations in Miami International Autodrome circuit. As spotted by 9to5Mac, there are 3D landmarks for things like grandstands, The Marina, the Pit Building, the Finish Line, and more. The area also includes technical information about the circuit, along with local gates, race entrances, bridges, restrooms, and water stations.

There are also some guides for fans attending the race, such as "A Local's Guide to Miami F1 Race Week" for dining and shopping recommendations, and "Hyperlocal F1 Miami Race Week Spots," for identifying prime viewing locations close to the track.

The 2026 F1 season kicked off in Australia on March 8. Last October, Apple and Formula 1 announced a five-year partnership including exclusive streaming rights in the U.S. The partnership allows ‌Apple TV‌ to provide comprehensive coverage of Formula 1, including all practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grands Prix.
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With dummy models of Apple's rumored foldable iPhone now circulating, YouTube channel Max Tech's Vadim Yuryev has shared images and video of the book-style form factor compared to existing Apple devices, giving us a better idea of what to expect when it launches later this year.


The foldable iPhone's inner display is said to have a 4:3 aspect ratio like an iPad, and it will have an iPad mini-sized OLED display when it's opened up. Most rumors say it will be 5.5 inches when closed, and 7.8 inches when open, making it a bit smaller than the 8.3-inch iPad mini (shown behind the dummy in the image above).


Compared to an iPhone 17 Pro Max in landscape orientation, Yurydev says the width of the foldable is basically the same, but it has a 56.9 percent taller display (71 mm vs. 111.5 mm). Yurydev suggests this will provide a more immersive video experience at 16:9 and will be "awesome" for gaming using onscreen controls.


Yurydev also shared a video showing what it might be like to interact with the outer display, which is probably smaller than many people will be expecting. According to The Information, it will measure just 5.3 inches – smaller than the 5.4-inch screen on the iPhone 13 mini – but that claim is an outlier, whereas most rumors put it at 5.5 inches. Either way, bigger hands may find it takes some getting used to.


Further images give us an idea of the side of the device when folded. A Touch ID-integrated power button and a Camera Control button can be seen set apart on the right side, with volume buttons along the top like the iPad mini. Face ID is not expected to feature because of space constraints, while Apple apparently sees Camera Control as a key feature for the device, enabling users to maintain a steady grip while making any required adjustments, or do so one-handed if they wish.

Note the raised camera bump or "plateau" that does not span across the entire back of the device. It houses a two-lens camera system, rather than three, which is expected.


Yurydev says his dummy unit is exactly 11mm thick when it's closed. That contrasts with rumors suggesting the foldable could be around 9mm to 9.5mm when closed. Yurydev stands by the accuracy of his dummy, saying it should be "spot on" like last year's iPhone 17 Pro units. Yurydev did not disclose the thickness of the unit when open, but if it is 4.5mm as some rumors claim, the foldable iPhone will be Apple's thinnest device by far.

• iPhone Ultra: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Apple is expected to unveil the foldable iPhone in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models (shown above), whose dimensions are expected to remain identical to the iPhone 17 Pro series, albeit with a smaller Dynamic Island and – based on these dummies – a potentially thicker camera plateau with lenses that protrude more. Apple may call its first foldable "iPhone Ultra," according to an oft-reliable Chinese leaker.
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Opera has pushed another update for its flagship browser, with new changes aimed at making video streaming and conferencing better. Here are the details.


Opera users now get direct access to YouTube and Twitch from the browser sidebar, allowing them to pin the panel for side-by-side viewing or snap the video out with the Video Popout feature, which creates a floating overlay that they can move while navigating the web.

Meanwhile, in what the company is describing as a first for any browser, Opera now has an integrated Volume Booster that lets users increase a tab's volume by up to 500 percent. The feature includes per-tab control, so users can, for example, keep background music at a quiet 5%, while simultaneously boosting a quiet video in another tab to 500%.

The company says this native feature means users no longer need to rely on third-party volume extensions that can cause full-screen glitches and security warnings.

Opera is also touting major quality-of-life upgrades to remote working in the latest update. The app now fully supports any video conferencing website that supports PiP, which includes full compatibility with Zoom. Users also get per-site control over Auto-PiP permissions for every individual conferencing website. And in an aesthetic change for consistency, the Video Popout window matches the chosen Opera One theme for the first time.


Opera browser is available now as a free update and can be downloaded from the company's website.
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Mike Rockwell, the Apple executive who led development of the Vision Pro and is now in charge of rebuilding Siri, has considered leaving the company or moving into an advisory role as soon as next year, according to a new Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman.


Rockwell is said to have reservations about reporting to his new boss, software chief Craig Federighi, and wants a bigger remit than the one he currently has, according to people with knowledge of the matter who spoke to Gurman. Rockwell was apparently once lined up for a role defining Apple's product and AI roadmap – something close to a chief technology officer position – on the assumption that head-worn wearables would form the foundation of Apple's post-iPhone era.

However, that trajectory has gone south because the Vision Pro has struggled to find a mainstream audience, with many put off by its $3,499 price tag and physical heft. Apple is still developing smart glasses and other wearables, but the picture for Rockwell is decidedly murkier than it once was.

Rockwell took on the Siri project in March 2025 as part of a wider reshuffle, after Tim Cook lost confidence in the AI work being done under former AI chief John Giannandrea and reassigned the voice assistant away from his team.

Gurman reports that Rockwell is unlikely to walk away before finishing the Siri overhaul, which is now expected to arrive as part of iOS 27. He is one of several senior Apple figures who are said to be weighing their next move as John Ternus prepares to take over from CEO Tim Cook in September.

Among them is retail and HR chief Deirdre O'Brien, who has told colleagues she is considering retirement, while government affairs head Kate Adams is set to retire later this year. Marketing boss Greg Joswiak, App Store head Phil Schiller, and services chief Eddy Cue are all approaching four decades at the company, raising the prospect of further departures during Ternus's watch.
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Apple is evaluating four camera upgrades for future iPhone models, with the first new feature scheduled for this year's iPhone 18 Pro models, according to a reputable Chinese leaker.


The Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station claims that Apple has implementation plans for the following upgrades:

• Variable aperture


• 1/1.12-inch "ultra-large" main camera sensor


• Enhanced optical image stabilization for ultra-wide lens


• 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lens

The variable aperture is widely rumored to be introduced with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, expected to launch this September. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported in December 2024 that the main rear camera on both ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models will offer variable aperture. More recently in October, a report claimed that Apple is moving ahead with those plans and was discussing components with suppliers.

Apple has never implemented a variable aperture on an iPhone. From the iPhone 14 Pro through the iPhone 17 Pro, the main camera uses a fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture, meaning the lens remains fully open at all times when capturing images. In contrast, a variable aperture lets the camera control how much light reaches the sensor. In low-light conditions, it opens to admit more light, while in bright scenes, it closes to avoid overexposure. This should also give users more control over depth of field.

The other camera upgrades the leaker mentioned appear to be ones that Apple is testing for future models beyond the iPhone 18 Pro, with an unclear timeline for implementation.

Regarding the "ultra-large" main sensor, the 1/1.12-inch label is based on a legacy optical format, not a literal measurement. It dates back to video camera tubes, so the number doesn't correspond directly to the sensor's physical width. In practice, a 1/1.12-inch sensor has a diagonal of around 14.5mm – far smaller than the label might suggest, but very large by smartphone standards. It's the same size as Sony's LYTIA LYT-901, which is shipping in the Vivo X300 Ultra. It's significantly larger than the 1/1.28-inch main sensor the iPhone 17 Pro models use, and would offer improved low-light performance, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio.

As for the 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lens, Digital Chat Station has mentioned multiple times that Apple is studying the technology, but they recently said it is unlikely to feature in an iPhone before 2028.

Digital Chat Station has more than three million followers on Weibo, and has a track record of accurately leaking Apple-related information. For example, they accurately revealed the overall design of the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro, as well as the triple 48-megapixel rear camera system of the ‌iPhone 17 Pro.‌ Recently, the leaker claimed Apple's first foldable, expected to arrive alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models, will be called "iPhone Ultra."
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X, formerly Twitter, has announced it is launching a custom timelines feature that allows users to pin specific topics to their home tab in the X app for iOS.


The company says custom timelines are powered by Grok AI, which understands the social media platform's algorithm personalization so that timelines are tuned for individual users.

Paying users will see an Add+ button appear next to the Following tab, with support for over 75 topics, ranging from design to robotics to real estate. X says Grok's filters work even better for topics a user already engages with.

Early access to custom timelines is currently limited to Premium subscribers on iOS, with Android set to follow "soon."


Today, X is also rolling out a tool to snooze topics on the For You tab, allowing users to tune out politics- or sports-related posts, for example.
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Apple has announced the availability of Tap to Pay on iPhone in Malaysia, allowing independent sellers, small merchants, and large retailers in the region to use ‌iPhones‌ as a payment terminal.


Tap to Pay allows iPhones to accept payments via Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets‌‌‌. All transactions are encrypted, and Apple has no information about what is purchased or the person who made the purchase.

No additional hardware or credit card machine is required‌ to use Tap to Pay on iPhone. The feature uses NFC technology to securely authenticate the contactless payments, plus the feature also supports PIN entry, which includes accessibility options.

Starting today, ADAPTIS, Fiuu, HitPay, Stripe, and Zoho are the first payment platforms in Malaysia to bring Tap to Pay on iPhone to its merchants. Tap to Pay on iPhone will also be coming soon for checkout at Apple The Exchange TRX. Supported contactless debit and credit cards include American Express, JCB, Mastercard, MyDebit, UnionPay, and Visa.

Tap to Pay on ‌iPhone‌ launched in February 2022 in the United States, and since then, Apple has expanded it to more than 50 countries and regions around the world.
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WhatsApp has started testing a paid subscription tier called WhatsApp Plus, which adds a set of personalization options on top of the standard messaging experience, according to WABetaInfo.


The paid plan Meta is testing appears to be geared towards hardcore users who spend a lot of time in the app: subscribers get access to premium sticker packs with fullscreen overlay animations (visible to recipients without the plan), optional accent colors that replace the app's default green across the UI, and alternate app icons ranging from minimal designs to textured effects like glitter, nebula, and fuzzy purple.

The plan also raises the pinned-chat limit from 3 to 20, adds 10 exclusive ringtones, and allows bulk application of custom themes and notification settings across chat lists.

While we don't know how much the plan will cost when it goes live, the test interface currently shows €2.49 per month in Europe and $29 in Mexico. Based on the beta, users may eventually see a free one-month trial.

Otherwise, WhatsApp's main functionality remains unchanged. Messaging, voice and video calls, status updates, and end-to-end encryption are still free, suggesting the paid tier sits alongside existing features rather than restricting anything that was previously unpaid.

Overall, it's a test that was anticipated – Meta has been laying the groundwork for subscription revenue across its apps for some time. The company is already testing "Instagram Plus," a new paid subscription service in select markets for roughly $1–$2/month. That plan offers premium features focused on Stories, such as anonymous viewing, 48-hour story duration, and analytics on re-watches.

The optional WhatsApp plan is currently available to a limited number of Android beta users, with a wider rollout planned over the coming weeks. iOS support is expected at a later stage, and the subscription is not expected to apply to WhatsApp Business.
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