Microsoft will prevent Office 2019 for Mac owners from editing their documents from July 13, a restriction the company is attributing to the productivity suite's expiring digital certificate.


The Office 2019 apps affected include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. Once the certificate used to confirm the suite's license expires, these apps will drop into what Microsoft is calling "reduced functionality mode." In other words, users will still be able to open, view, and print existing documents, but creating, editing and saving documents will be disabled. The same restriction will apply to iPhone and iPad apps that can't be updated, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft has actually renewed the suite's certificate, but the fix can only be delivered through a software update. That means users of Microsoft 365 and Office 2021 are in the clear – they'll receive the update, so neither will be affected. However, Microsoft stopped offering support for Office 2019 on October 10, 2023, and the suite has received no updates since. As such, it won't be updated to version 16.83, which is the release that includes the renewed certificate.

Microsoft says the problem can't be fixed by reinstalling Office 2019. Instead, it suggests affected users turn to the company's free Microsoft 365 web apps, take out a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, or make a one-time purchase of Office 2024.

Users running newer supported versions of Office on macOS 12 Monterey or later simply need to update to build 16.83. For users on iPhone and iPad running iOS 17 or later, it's build 2.93. You can check which version you have by opening Word and selecting Word ➝ About Word, but most suites will be automatically updated in the background.

Office 2021 will only receive updates until October 13, 2026, when it too reaches the end of support. Microsoft says the apps will continue to function after that date, but they will no longer receive security or feature updates.

Some critics have argued that Microsoft's deadline is effectively self-imposed because the company renewed the certificate but chose not to provide the update to Office 2019 users. For example, JimmyTech, the IT consultancy that spotted the change, has argued that using the expiry to retire older software rather than quietly renewing it "amounts to a choice."

Microsoft's messaging on the subject hasn't done it any favors, either. Its end-of-support page for Office 2019 for Mac, originally posted in October 2023, once told owners to "Rest assured that all your Office 2019 apps will continue to function." A revision now dated May 15, 2026 has dropped that line, replacing it with a note that their data "can be accessed in a supported Microsoft 365 or Office product."

Microsoft began emailing affected customers in May, but there's a chance this is still news to some Office for 2019 owners. Apple's iWork suite is an alternative route for anyone done with Microsoft's offering. It's also worth checking out the free and open-source LibreOffice, developed by The Document Foundation.
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Apple is evaluating a new OLED display backplane technology that could make future Apple Watch models more power efficient, according to a new report from Korean publication The Elec.


LG Display is said to be developing high-mobility oxide, or HMO, thin-film transistor technology for its sixth-generation small and medium-sized OLED production lines. The technology is reportedly being considered by Apple as a next-generation successor to low-temperature polycrystalline oxide, or LTPO – the TFT backplane technology currently used to enable iPhone and Apple Watch features like always-on displays and variable refresh rates.

HMO is designed to improve on conventional oxide TFT displays by increasing electron mobility (i.e., how easily electrons move through the transistor material when an electric field is applied). Mobility is important for driving OLED panels while keeping power consumption low, and The Elec says current mass-produced oxide TFTs typically offer mobility below 10 cm²/Vs (square centimeters per volt-second), whereas the industry is targeting around 30 to 50 cm²/Vs for its next-generation OLED products.

LG Display is also reportedly using a "sputtering" process that could make the technology easier to integrate into existing production lines.

Meanwhile, OLED supplier Samsung Display is said to be pursuing a different approach that uses atomic layer deposition (ALD), which involves laying down extremely thin films one atomic layer at a time. ALD is a slower process, but it suggests Samsung may be trying to create a more carefully controlled oxide transistor layer than HMO allows for.

The report goes on to suggest that the first Apple product to use LG Display's HMO technology could be next year's Apple Watch. Apple has historically tested new display backplane technologies in the Apple Watch before expanding them to larger-volume products such as the iPhone, so this could also represent an initial step towards wider adoption.

The report notes that LG Display still needs to validate the HMO technology for mass production, and that involves verifying mobility, uniformity, reliability, process temperature, and yield. As such, commercial adoption is not yet guaranteed.

So far, rumors suggest this year's Apple Watch lineup won't include any major design changes, with a redesign said to be unlikely before 2028. However, those reports don't necessarily rule out the possibility of Apple adopting the new, more power-efficient OLED technology in 2027.
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Battery capacities for Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro have allegedly surfaced, and the numbers suggest only a modest increase over the iPhone 17 Pro.


According to prolific Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station, Apple is testing the iPhone 18 Pro with different battery capacities for the China and U.S. versions of the device, similar to last year's iPhone 17 Pro models. The Chinese model is said to have a roughly 4,056 mAh battery, while the U.S. model is said to have a roughly 4,288 mAh battery.

Apple removed the tray from U.S. iPhones starting with the iPhone 14 lineup, whereas iPhones sold in China have continued to include one (the iPhone Air is an exception – it is eSIM-only worldwide, including in China). Without the tray, Apple can pack a slightly larger battery into the available internal space, hence the difference in capacity.

Model	iPhone 17 Pro	iPhone 18 Pro Leak	Difference
China / Physical SIM	3,988 mAh	4,056 mAh	+68 mAh, +1.7%
US / eSIM-only	4,252 mAh	4,288 mAh	+36 mAh, +0.8%

If the figures are accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro's battery capacity increase would be fairly small year-over-year. The China model would gain around 68 mAh compared to the iPhone 17 Pro with a SIM card tray, while the U.S. eSIM-only model would gain around 36 mAh compared to the equivalent iPhone 17 Pro.

Digital Chat Station claimed in February that the iPhone 18 Pro Max battery capacity will move into the "5,000 mAh" range. The leaker suggested around 5,000 mAh for the China version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and around 5,100 mAh to 5,200 mAh for international versions.

It's not clear whether these iPhone 18 Pro figures come from a regulatory database or are based on supply chain information regarding device samples, so the numbers should be considered unconfirmed for now.

It's also worth noting that modest gains aren't necessarily indicative of a modest battery life improvement – the iPhone 18 Pro models are also expected to benefit from the new A20 Pro chip, which will use TSMC's cutting-edge 2nm process and should subsequently be more power-efficient. The devices are also likely to get Apple's C2 modem, which could also bring a battery boost.

• 11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

The ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro and ‌‌iPhone 18‌‌ Pro Max are expected to launch in September, featuring a smaller Dynamic Island, a simplified Camera Control, and an upgraded main camera with a variable aperture.
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Apple's Car Keys feature appears to be coming to future vehicles made by Indian maker Mahindra, based on code changes discovered by MacRumors in Apple's Wallet app backend.


Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch with NFC capabilities to unlock a vehicle through the Wallet app. A digital version of a car key is stored in Wallet, and unlocking can be done simply by holding an Apple Watch or ‌iPhone‌ near a compatible vehicle's NFC reader.

Mahindra already supports Samsung Wallet's Digital Car Key feature for Galaxy devices, but it does not yet offer native Apple Car Key support, so this would need to be implemented by the automobile manufacturer first on future models.

What can be done with Car Keys may vary by car manufacturer, but at a minimum, Car Keys can be used to unlock your car, lock your car, and start your car, which are the features available with a physical key.

Apple introduced Car Keys in 2022, and car manufacturers like BMW, Rivian, Kia, and Hyundai have all implemented support for Car Keys. Apple maintains a full list of vehicles that support Car Keys on its CarPlay model availability webpage.
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Apple is expected to launch its first foldable iPhone later this year. Rumors suggest the "iPhone Ultra" will come in two color options, and a leaker shared an image today that allegedly shows one of them.


Posted on Weibo by the Chinese leaker known as Ice Universe, the image purportedly offers a first glimpse of Apple's foldable in white. The device is believed to have entered early mass production, but the model shown is likely a dummy. Regardless, fellow leaker Instant Digital has said white is so far the only "confirmed" finish that the device will be available in.

It is not yet clear what the alternative color will be, but Macworld recently cited a supply chain source claiming that it will be an indigo option similar to the iPhone 17 Pro's Deep Blue finish. The same source said the device will offer fewer choices than the iPhone 18 Pro models, with no bold or vibrant colors.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple plans to "stay away from fun colors" and stick to more traditional space gray/black and silver/white finishes. Such an approach would be similar to the iPhone X, which launched in just two colors – Silver and Space Gray – when it debuted in November 2017.

A limited color selection may simply reflect the foldable iPhone's expected low production volumes. Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has warned that manufacturing challenges could constrain supply through at least the end of 2026, and adding more colors would increase complexity and costs for an already difficult-to-produce device.

With launch supply expected to be tight and a price above $2,000, as reported by Gurman, Apple likely has little incentive to expand the initial color lineup, while buyers at this price point are also less likely to base their purchasing decision on color options.

The iPhone Ultra is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max this coming September.
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Nvidia is entering the consumer PC chip business for the first time and has thrown down the gauntlet to Apple, describing its new RTX Spark processor as "the most efficient PC chip ever built."


Nvidia says its RTX Spark Superchip is purpose-built to run AI agents that can work proactively across apps and run in the background as a personal "teammate."

With the chip, Nvidia says users can "render ultra-large 90GB 3D scenes with OptiX and DLSS, edit 12K 4:2:2 video with the NVIDIA Blackwell decoder, run 120-billion-parameter large language models with 1 million tokens context, and play AAA games at 1440p resolution and over 100 frames per second with ray tracing, DLSS and Reflex."

The chip was announced by Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang at the Computex conference in Taipei on Monday.

It's a big play for a company traditionally focused on graphics cards to move into the kind of integrated silicon that runs an entire laptop. It also puts the RTX Spark on a collision course with Apple's M5, widely regarded as the laptop chip to beat for running AI tasks on-device.

Like Apple's chips, the RTX Spark is Arm-based, pairing an Nvidia Blackwell RTX graphics processor with a Grace CPU. It's effectively the same GB10 chip that's found in the DGX Spark, the tiny "personal AI supercomputer" that Nvidia released last year.

Microsoft's new 15-inch Surface Laptop Ultra will be among the first machines to ship with the integrated silicon. The machine features a mini-LED touchscreen, the largest haptic touchpad Microsoft has fitted to a Surface, and a selection of ports covering HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, SD cards, and headphones.


Configured with up to 128GB of unified memory, the Ultra can run AI models with up to 120 billion parameters locally, a figure Microsoft attributes to Nvidia, based on a theoretical performance measure. Microsoft claims it's the most powerful Surface it has ever built.

Nvidia says its chip will eventually appear in around 30 laptops and more than 10 desktops built by the likes of Asus, HP, MSI, Lenovo, and Dell.

Microsoft says the Surface Laptop Ultra will arrive later this year. Pricing has not been announced, but Nvidia has suggested the first wave of RTX Spark machines will target the premium end of the market.
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Apple is still working on a cheaper, lighter successor to its Vision Pro headset, but it is unlikely to launch before late 2028 or 2029, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that Apple needs to come up with a slimmer design for the $3,499 headset and bring down the cost before it can return to the category, which is essentially "on ice" until then.

Gurman made a point of distinguishing the Vision Pro successor from the long-rumored "Vision Air," which was cancelled last year.

In the meantime, Apple's smart glasses project is now the focus, and former Vision Products Group members have been reassigned to that team. Apple is now aiming to release its first smart glasses in "late 2027," according to Gurman.

Apple refreshed the Vision Pro in October 2025 with an updated model featuring an M5 chip.
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Images of parts designed for an unreleased all-black Apple Vision headset have been leaked online, courtesy of X account @LusiRoy8.


The image shows what appear to be power strap and audio pod parts that look identical to Apple's existing Apple Vision Pro hardware, except with a dark finish that is not commercially available. The account that shared the images claims that the parts are for a "upcoming" second-generation Apple Vision Pro in black.

It's not the first time we've seen black versions of hardware related to Apple's headset, with images surfacing of similar parts last year. The leaker of those earlier images claimed that Apple has been testing a thinner and lighter mixed-reality headset referred to internally as "Vision Air," featuring a Midnight-colored exterior and reduced weight achieved by switching several structural components and the battery enclosure to titanium.

Apple vison pro 2 upcoming black color pic.twitter.com/bCxtI7Yq5b

— pipfix (@LusiRoy8) May 26, 2026

Apple was widely expected to launch both a lower-cost headset, tentatively dubbed "Vision Air," and a redesigned second-generation Vision Pro. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported in October that the company had paused development of all Vision headsets to focus on accelerating work on AI-powered smart glasses.

Gurman recently resisted reports that Apple has walked away from the headset entirely. The reporter says Apple hasn't fully abandoned the Vision Pro, but anyone hoping for a successor will be waiting at least two more years.

Indeed, Apple's smart glasses project is now the focus, and former Vision Products Group members have been reassigned to that team, as well as shoring up its Siri chatbot development. Apple is also busy working on other AI wearables such as the AirPods with cameras and a planned AI pendant.

Apple refreshed the Vision Pro in October 2025 with an updated model featuring an M5 chip.
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Reports and rumors suggest the next MacBook Pro that Apple will release might not be a ‌MacBook Pro‌ at all. It could actually be something altogether new and more exciting – a "MacBook Ultra" – positioned above the Pro as Apple's top-tier laptop, suggesting that the current M5 Pro and M5 Max models will remain on sale when it launches.


The MacBook would be just the latest Apple product to carry the Ultra name, which already spans the Apple Watch Ultra and CarPlay Ultra (not forgetting Apple's top-end Ultra-designated silicon chips). This is likely to bring a markedly higher price point for the new machines. It fits into a broader trend at Apple, where the company is seeking to offer more models at more price points, such as the new MacBook Neo at an unprecedented $599 price point.

Below, we've listed the features we are expecting in the MacBook Ultra, which is likely to go on sale either later this year or in early 2027. As things stand, the latter time frame is now looking more likely, owing to the global memory chip shortage.

OLED Display

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo say Apple is readying OLED technology for these models, and industry reports corroborate their claims. Samsung Display is said to be making the panels, and the supplier has invested heavily in an 8.6-generation OLED production line in South Korea. The line recently reached a key milestone for mass production.

The MacBook Pro will utilize hybrid OLED technology, similar to that used in Apple's latest iPad Pro. This display technology combines a glass substrate with thin-film encapsulation, offering improved brightness, contrast, and power efficiency compared to current MacBook Pro models, which use LCD displays with mini-LED backlighting.

Touch Screen

The new ‌MacBook Pro‌ is expected to become the first Mac to support touch input directly on the display. It's a notable shift from Apple's longstanding position against bringing touchscreen functionality to the Mac.

Apple previously experimented with touch controls through the OLED Touch Bar on earlier ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, but the feature was ultimately discontinued following a lukewarm reception. Rather than positioning the ‌MacBook Pro‌ as a touch-centric device like the ‌iPad‌, Apple is reportedly planning to let users move seamlessly between touch and traditional trackpad or mouse input across the system.

This will require updates to macOS to make it more touch friendly, and users will reportedly be able to tap or click on-screen elements, and controls will change based on input method. If a user taps on a menu bar item, for example, it will display a larger set of controls optimized for touch.

Thinner Design

Gurman has reported that Apple is working to make the OLED MacBook Pro significantly thinner, as part of the company's plan to create "the thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry." (Think the latest iPad Pro and iPad Air – two of the thinnest devices the company has ever made.) Indeed, the reporter has said there's a good chance that the next MacBook Pro model will represent a "true overhaul" for the laptop, thanks to the combination of the OLED display and thinner design.

Notably, the MacBook Pro got thicker and heavier with its most recent redesign in 2021. A major highlight was the reintroduction of several ports that were removed in previous iterations in favor of chassis thinness. How Apple will make its redesigned MacBook Pro thinner without removing the functionality it reintroduced fairly recently is the big question.

Dynamic Island

Apple's highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro could ditch the current notch for a display cutout potentially similar to the iPhone's Dynamic Island, according to Bloomberg. Such a move would mirror Apple's iPhone evolution, since the iPhone's notch became the current Dynamic Island starting with the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022.

As with the iPhone‌, the Mac ‌Dynamic Island‌ will be interactive and it will contextually expand based on the app or Mac feature in use. The change should address long-standing user complaints about the notch, which physically ingresses into the macOS menu bar.

M6 Processor Architecture

The redesigned MacBook Pro models are expected to boast M6 Pro and M6 Max chips, which could adopt a completely new packaging based on TSMC's 2nm process that allows components such as the CPU, GPUs, DRAM, and Neural Engine to be more tightly integrated.

Terms like "3nm" and "2nm" describe generations of chip manufacturing technology, each with its own set of design rules and architecture. As these numbers decrease, they generally indicate smaller transistor sizes. Smaller transistors allow more to be packed onto a single chip, typically resulting in increased processing speed and improved power efficiency.

Based on where the industry's headed, Apple is likely to heavily market the processors as optimized for AI workflows.
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Apple finished as the world's number one smartphone brand by shipments in the first quarter of 2026, according to new data from Counterpoint Research. It's the first time the company has ever led the market in a Q1.


Apple captured 21 percent of global shipments and grew 9 percent year-over-year, even as the overall market contracted 3 percent. Samsung came in a close second, also at 21 percent on roughly flat shipments, followed by Xiaomi at 12 percent, OPPO at 10 percent, and vivo at 7 percent. Meanwhile, Xiaomi's shipments fell 19 percent year-over-year, while OPPO and vivo declined 4 percent and 2 percent, respectively.

Apple's brand-level milestone follows Counterpoint's earlier finding that the iPhone 17 was the best-selling smartphone model in the world in Q1, during which the iPhone 17 series swept the top three spots in the firm's Global Handset Model Sales Tracker. During Apple's April 30 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook said the ‌iPhone 17‌ family was the most popular lineup in Apple's history.

Apart from sustained iPhone 17 demand, Counterpoint credits Apple's brand-level performance to its proactive supply chain management as well as improved sales in China. The firm said Apple's ability to maintain premium pricing and protect margins also helped it weather the ongoing memory chip shortage a lot better than its rivals.


Shortages of DRAM and NAND memory continue to weigh on the market as a whole, as chipmakers prioritize AI data center customers over smartphone manufacturers. Cook has said memory shortages and rising costs will have more of an impact on Apple later in 2026. Counterpoint expects the rest of the year to impact most brands similarly, with the memory crisis potentially stretching all the way into late 2027.
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OpenAI has rolled out Computer Use for its Codex desktop app on macOS, and its latest trick is that your Mac doesn't even have to be unlocked for the coding agent to use your apps while you're away.


In a post on X, OpenAI Developers said users can now send Codex tasks from their phone and have it operate apps on their Mac "even when the screen is off and locked." A picture attached to the post shows a locked Mac displaying a "Codex is Using Your Mac" overlay with a prompt to press any key or click to unlock.

For the feature to work, the Computer Use plugin needs to be installed and granted Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions. After that, Codex can click through windows, type, navigate menus, and interact with the clipboard in apps that you explicitly allow.

OpenAI says the feature is useful for the types of things command-line tools can't easily reach, such as reproducing a GUI-only bug, changing app settings, or running a flow in a desktop app Codex is helping to build.

Codex asks for permission before operating each new app, and for those brave enough you can mark specific apps as "Always allow." OpenAI says the feature is unavailable in the European Economic Area, the UK, and Switzerland at launch, and it can't automate Terminal apps, Codex itself, or system-level admin prompts.


The update follows some other recent Codex additions, including a new "Appshots" feature that pulls a screenshot and text from a Mac app window into a Codex thread with a Command-Command shortcut, plus a new /goal mode that makes an agent keep working toward a milestone across hours or days.
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The Sonos app is currently unavailable to download on the iPhone and Mac App Stores owing to a mysterious problem that the company is currently looking into.


The app disappeared as of about two hours ago, and the app's URL link currently throws up the message: "The page you're looking for can't be found," while a manual search in the App Store returns no results.

A red banner across the Sonos status page reads: "We have identified a problem with the Sonos App availability in the iOS / Mac App Stores and are working on a solution. You may experience issues downloading or updating the Sonos app from the App Store until this issue is resolved." The same page shows a major outage of Sonos Account, suggesting the problems are related.

The last info we had on the app's future came in a February Bloomberg report that said Sonos was preparing a major update that would aim to simplify navigation and introduce iPhone Lock Screen controls using Live Activities.

Those changes were supposed to be rolled out gradually "in the coming months," as part of a broader effort to rebuild confidence after the company's troubled 2024 software overhaul.

We'll update this story as soon as we know more.

Update: After several hours of outage, the Sonos app is back on the App Store, and the Sonos status page says that all systems are operational.
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Apple has announced the rollout of two new device features in India: sleep apnea notifications for Apple Watch, and Hearing Test for AirPods Pro.


Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, often leading to poor rest. The Apple Watch detects signs of the disorder by using its accelerometer to track subtle wrist movements associated with irregular breathing patterns. When these disturbances occur repeatedly across several nights, the watch can flag a potential case of sleep apnea.

The feature is supported on the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple Watch Ultra 3, and is available in more than 150 countries worldwide. To receive an initial reading, users need to wear the watch consistently for several nights, although nightly breathing disturbances are logged in the iPhone's Health app.

Hearing tests can be conducted by connecting AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Pro 3 to an iPhone running iOS 18.1 or later or an iPad running iPadOS 18.1 or later. The hearing test mimics the hearing tests one might encounter at a doctor's office or when visiting an audiologist.

Tones at different frequencies and sound levels play in each ear, with users instructed to tap the iPhone's display whenever a sound is heard. Apple tests four frequencies, including 500Hz, 1kHz, 2kHz, and 4kHz. Results up to 25 dBHL indicate little to no hearing loss. 26 to 40 dBHL is a sign of mild hearing loss, while results of 41 to 60 dBHL suggest moderate hearing loss. 61 to 80 dBHL is severe hearing loss, and a result above 80 dBHL is considered profound hearing loss.

The results, which include an audiogram, are stored in the Health app, and can be shared with a healthcare provider to have more informed conversations.

Apple Health features are now available in over 160 countries and regions globally, according to a post on X by Apple's Greg Joswiak. Joswiak's post also suggests that Apple recently brought its Hearing Aid feature to Italy and hypertension notifications to Taiwan.
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Apple is testing an iPhone 19 Pro with a display that curves around all four edges of the device, a leaker out of China has claimed.


According to Weibo-based Digital Chat Station, the 2027-generation Pro device, currently at the evaluation stage, has a hole-punch cutout in the display for the front-facing camera, but Face ID is completely hidden under the panel.

The claim is notable because multiple reports suggest Apple is aiming to launch a 20th-anniversary iPhone next year featuring a quad-curved display with no cutouts. Whether Apple plans to position the commemorative model as an ultra-premium tier above its Pro and Pro Max lineup has remained unclear, but the leaker's latest comments suggest that could be the case.

That said, if Apple is planning to use quad-curved panels across both the iPhone 19 Pro and iPhone 19 Pro Max, it would leave the company less room to differentiate them from the rumored commemorative iPhone.

One way Apple could play it is to keep the uninterrupted display exclusive to the 20th-anniversary iPhone while leaving a hole-punch cutout in the 19 Pro models – an option that the leaker's comments do seem to imply. However, Apple is said to be finding it particularly challenging to get both the Face ID system and the front-facing camera under the panel, with the selfie camera proving to be the most difficult to hide.

If existing technologies can't hide the camera under the panel without degrading quality, Apple is unlikely to go ahead with it – which would leave the 2027 iPhone series' differentiation outlined here unresolved.

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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Apple's first OLED MacBook Pro models have cleared a major manufacturing hurdle, with panel supplier Samsung Display having reportedly achieved yields above 90 percent on its Gen 8.6 OLED production line.


According to Korean publication The Elec, some individual process stages are now reaching yields as high as 95 percent, a level that the display industry considers "golden yield" territory for stable mass production.

The report says Samsung could begin shipping OLED laptop panels through the supply chain as early as June. The panels are expected to be used in future 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, with estimated supply volumes of around 2 million units this year.

The rapid yield improvement is notable because OLED laptop panels are a lot harder to manufacture than smartphone displays due to their larger size and stricter brightness and lifespan requirements. For example, MacBook Pro panels are expected to use brighter tandem two-stack OLED technology like Apple's OLED iPad Pro models, oxide TFT backplanes for improved battery life, and an anti-moisture sealing protection method called hybrid encapsulation.

Samsung began its Gen 8.6 IT OLED investment in 2023 and is currently operating one of two planned production lines. Depending on demand for the OLED MacBook Pro models, which will reportedly have touchscreen capability for the first time, Samsung could activate the second line and expand capacity further.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has repeatedly stated that 14-inch and 16-inch OLED MacBook Pro models are slated to launch in late 2026 to early 2027, but the latter time frame is now said to be more likely due to the industry-wide chip shortage.
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Accessory maker Ugreen has expanded its Nexode and MagFlow Air lineup of chargers with a set of compact units aimed squarely at Apple users.


First up is the Nexode Air 65W charger, which Ugreen is pitching as a travel-friendly option for MacBook Air owners, but it should work just as well for iPhones, iPads, and other USB-C devices. (Its Cosmic Orange-style finish twins particularly well with the iPhone 17 Pro.) Ugreen describes the unit as pocket-sized while still delivering up to 65W of fast charging, and it features the company's Ugreen's Thermal Guard temperature control for safety.

For users who want a thinner option, Ugreen is also touting its Nexode Air 45W Charger Slim, plus there's a new MagFlow Air Magnetic Power Bank 10000mAh – a Qi2-certified 15W magnetic battery with a built-in USB-C cable, a second USB-C port, and ATL battery cells inside.

The company's broader existing Air lineup includes a thicker Nexode Air 65W Charger Slim and a less bulky 5000mAh version of the MagFlow Air.

The Nexode Air 65W Charger and 45W Slim are priced at $39.99, with the 10000mAh MagFlow Air at $79.99. All the chargers are available now over on Ugreen's official site as well as Amazon.com.

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.
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Discord says it has switched on end-to-end encryption (E2EE) by default for every voice and video call across its platforms, including desktop, mobile, web, and consoles like PlayStation and Xbox.


The rollout covers DMs, group DMs, voice channels, and Go Live streams. There's no opt-in required, or any setting to change. Stage channels are the only exception, given that they're built for broadcasting to larger audiences rather than personal chats.

The protection runs on DAVE, an open-source protocol Discord first introduced in September 2024. In a blog post, Discord's Mark Smith said building it was slow and complicated, partly because a single Discord call can mix people on phones, laptops, browsers, and game consoles in the same conversation. Announcing the change, Smith said:

"Building an E2EE protocol that works seamlessly across all of those surfaces simultaneously is, to my knowledge, unlike anything else that's been shipped. DAVE is likely one of the internet's most platform-diverse E2EE voice and video implementations."

Discord says it's now stripping out the remaining client code that allowed unencrypted fallback, so that encrypted calls will be the only option rather than a default. "We have no current plans to extend E2EE to text messages," added Smith.

The completed rollout stands in stark contrast to policy changes by Meta, which recently removed its encryption feature for Instagram DMs.
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WhatsApp is getting a new setting for disappearing messages that causes them to vanish based on a countdown that starts only after they've been read.


Spotted by WaBetaInfo in the latest WhatsApp TestFlight beta, the new option starts a countdown after the recipient reads the message, rather than starting the countdown when the message is sent.

The countdown options with the "After reading" setting chosen include the usual "5 minutes," "1 hour," and "12 hours." The setting appears in the "Default messsage timer" menu, so perhaps WhatsApp will find a different home for the option or (more likely) rename the settings page to something like "Message timer options."

The new feature is said to be available to "some" beta testers on iOS and Android, but WABetaInfo believes that some users on the public WhatsApp version on the App Store may have access to the option already.


Disappearing messages can be set as the default behavior for all new chats on the end-to-end encrypted messaging platform, so this new After reading option will likely be a welcome addition for particularly privacy-conscious users, and it could also be a potential storage-saver for heavy users of the app.
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Apple has quietly agreed to hire employees and license intellectual property of Animato, a small California-based company that has developed software for creating virtual avatars used in video chats and tutoring, according to a European Commission filing spotted by MacRumors.


The acquisition was filed under the EU's Digital Markets Act in January 2026, and appears to be what's known as a "structured acqui-hire." In other words, Apple is able to make employment offers to certain Animato employees and receive a non-exclusive license to the company's intellectual property, as well as acquire its patent applications.

Apple Inc. ("Apple") will have the right to make employment offers to and hire certain employees of Animato, Inc. ("Animato"), receive a non-exclusive license to Animato's intellectual property rights, and acquire Animato's patent applications. Animato develops and distributes software that creates virtual avatars for video chats and tutoring.

Animato was founded in October 2022 by Francesco Rossi, who previously spent seven years at Apple before leaving to start the company.

Animato is best known for a free app called "Call Annie," which launched in April 2023, and gave ChatGPT a real-time animated avatar face, allowing users to have video-style conversations with the AI chatbot.

The app later moved into language learning by offering avatar tutors for practicing English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean through video conversations.

Animato also came out with a macOS virtual camera app called Animato Studio that let users make themselves appear as fantasy figures and anime avatars during video calls and live streams.

Both App Store listings have since been removed following the acquisition, and the Call Annie website says the app has been discontinued.

It's Apple's second acquisition of a digital avatar company in just over a year. In January 2025, Apple acquired technology, IP, and physical assets from TrueMeeting, a company specializing in the development of digital avatar technology for meetings.

Apple already offers avatar-style technology with Memoji on iPhone and its Personas feature on Apple Vision Pro, the latter of which generates a realistic digital representation of the user for FaceTime calls.
This article, "Apple Taps Virtual Avatar Firm Animato's Expertise and Intellectual Property" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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WhatsApp is rolling out a new media attachment sheet on iOS, providing iPhone users with a faster way to share their most recent files without losing sight of the chat.


Usually in WhatsApp, sharing media within a chat requires you to tap a plus button to reveal the app's custom share sheet, and then tap into photos to see your full library, which takes over most of the screen.

As spotted by app tinkerer WABetaInfo, the updated media sharing interface makes it easier to directly browse recent photos and videos without losing the thread of the conversation, thanks to a new recents section.

The recents section appears under the share menu icons as a compact 4x4 grid that acts as a horizontal strip that you can swipe through. If you keep scrolling to the end of the strip and still can't find what you're looking for, WhatsApp expands the view and reveals the full media gallery. It can also be quickly invoked by pressing and holding on the plus button in the input bar.

The new interface is showing up for some users of the latest WhatsApp for iOS 26.19.75, but not everyone who updates will see it immediately. It seems WhatsApp is still testing performance before a global rollout for iPhone users.


The latest change follows the recent introduction of WhatsApp's new Plus subscription for power users on iOS. It takes away nothing of the existing free functionality, but adds things like premium sticker packs, new interface colors, and new icons.
This article, "WhatsApp Begins Rolling Out Redesigned Media Share Sheet on iOS" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple allegedly wants to switch away from aluminum for future iPhones, with two materials being considered for their greater balance between weight and heat dissipation.


Apple introduced titanium to the iPhone with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max back in 2023, with the change even becoming the device's defining tagline. The iPhone 16 Pro models also showcased the material, but while the devices were said to be more durable, they also suffered from complaints about overheating. That's when Apple switched to aluminum for the current iPhone 17 Pro models.

In a new Weibo post, however, leaker Instant Digital argues that Apple's switch away from titanium to aluminum is just a compromise solution while it continues to look into the use of liquid metal or an "improved" version of titanium that solves the original material's poor thermal conductivity.

Apple is said to be using both liquid metal and improved titanium alloys in its first foldable iPhone, expected this year, so the leaker's claim may not be completely wide of the mark. The body of the device is said to use a revised titanium material that improves strength while reducing overall weight when compared with existing titanium iPhone frames, despite having virtually the same surface area.

The iPhone Air currently uses a titanium frame, courted for its light weight and strength, and the next model is also likely to have one.

Meanwhile, liquid metal has been described as an "amorphous" material that Apple has been exploring for over 15 years. Apple has reportedly chosen the material, which is manufactured using a die-casting process, as a key component in addressing common issues with foldable devices. The material choice reportedly aims to enhance screen flatness and minimize the crease marks that typically plague folding displays. The alloy's unique properties are said to include high strength, corrosion resistance, light weight, and malleability.

According to Instant Digital, achieving mass production at scale will be extremely difficult, but once the foldable's manufacturing is established, costs could come down, paving the way for future Pro models to adopt it as well.

Unless Apple reverts to a new type of titanium, that is. But don't expect either of these possibilities to emerge for the iPhone 18 Pro models, whose manufacturing materials will already be locked in.
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Apple is still developing a large foldable iPad despite technical hurdles, and it should feature the same crease-free hinge design as Apple's rumored "iPhone Ultra," its first foldable iPhone expected to launch in the fall.


That's according to Weibo-based Digital Chat Station. The popular Chinese-language leaker implies that Apple's large foldable iPad will create a new market for giant folding tablets, but it's likely to still be some ways off yet.

A report in July last year claimed Apple had decided to pause work on a larger-screened foldable iPad because of development issues, but Bloomberg reported in March that development continues.

According to Bloomberg's previous reporting, Apple wanted to launch the device in 2028, but problems with weight and display technology are likely to cause it to be pushed back until 2029.

The device is believed to have a Samsung-made 18-inch display, and will challenge Apple's long-running tradition of keeping the Mac and iPad as separate devices. Some have referred to it as a foldable iPad, while others have called it an all-display MacBook, but concerns remain about its practicality when it comes to typing.

When closed, the iPad resembles a MacBook, with an aluminum exterior and no outer display. When opened, it unfolds to roughly the size of a 13-inch MacBook Air, but without a physical keyboard. Due to its large display and aluminum chassis, current prototypes weigh about 3.5 pounds, making them considerably heavier than existing iPad Pro models.

An 18-inch OLED foldable display will surely be expensive, too, given that Apple charges $1,299 for the 13-inch ‌iPad Pro. If prices don't come down for components over the next few years, the foldable ‌iPad‌ could cost as much as $3,900. It also sounds like Apple still has work to do to perfect its hinge/crease designs.

Meanwhile, Apple's foldable iPhone, which could take the name "iPhone Ultra," is expected to arrive in the fall alongside Apple's new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models, barring any last-minute production mishaps. The folding iPhone is said to feature a 5.5-inch display when closed, and a 7.8-inch display when open, plus a super-thin design with minimal crease and a durable hinge.
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Sony's latest noise-canceling headphones have been leaked. Images of the 10th anniversary models, called 1000X "The Collexion" Edition, were shared online today by OnLeaks. They're expected to launch tomorrow, coming just a year after the company's WH-1000XM6 series.


From what we can tell based on the leaked materials, the changes are largely design-based. The new cans have a thicker leatherette padding than their predecessors, as well as larger ear cups, while the buttons are more separated and the microphone grilles get more breathing room. But it's the headband stems that stand out. Depending on the color choice, they're glossy black or chrome-on-white. The touch control surface has also been moved to the side and rear of each cup.

The biggest difference though is said to be a more robust design. Durability was reportedly a recurring complaint with the XM6's, so Sony has reinforced the stems by making them a single piece of polished metal rather than a fork. A purse-style carry case comes along for the ride, as does a headphone cable, but a USB-C charging cable may not be included (the leaked materials are contradictory on this point).

Battery life on a single charge sounds roughly comparable to the XM6's, with up to 24 hours of playback with acoustic noise-canceling enabled and 32 hours with ANC off. There's also a five-minute quick-charge feature that gets you 1.5 hours of battery life.

Sony says it has partnered with three world-class mastering studios for the driver tuning, including Battery Studios, Sterling Sound and Coast Mastering.

The new headphones will be available on Tuesday for $649 in the United States – $200 more than the cost of the XM6 headphones at launch, suggesting they are being marketed as a luxury product. It's only a short step up from the category occupied by Apple's $549 AirPods Max, which received a refresh earlier this year with a H2 chip.

(Via HotEUDeals.)
This article, "Sony's 10th Anniversary 'Collexion' Over-Ear Headphones Leaked" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple wants users to look again at their use of generative Genmoji in iOS 27, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


‌Genmoji‌ is an Apple Intelligence feature that lets you use AI to generate all-new emoji characters based on text input. All ‌Genmoji‌ generation happens directly on-device, but the feature has had a rocky run.

Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that the generated images often looked nothing like Apple's polished marketing examples, and the underlying models were demanding enough to heat up iPhones and drain their batteries.

Apple has apparently made some tweaks so that no longer happens, while also adding a new supplementary feature.

"Suggested Genmoji" will reportedly offer you custom emoji ideas automatically based on your media and text history, rather than you having to think them up yourself. The feature is said to be optional in the next iPhone and iPad software update.

Gurman says a new toggle in the Keyboard settings of iOS 27 reads: "Suggested Genmoji are created from your photos and your commonly typed phrases."

iOS 27 will be previewed at WWDC next month, with a public release expected in the fall.
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Apple in iOS 27 will include an enhanced Siri with a dedicated app that gives users options to keep conversations in memory for a limited time, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that Apple is keen to market its privacy credentials as a key advantage in the way it is implementing AI across its software compared to rivals.

Cognizant of the perception that it has fallen behind other companies in the race to integrate AI into its operating systems, Apple will lean into privacy as a core tenant of its approach – starting with giving users options to auto-delete chats.

In the Settings panel for the new Siri app, "users will be able to choose to keep conversations for 30 days, one year, or forever," says Gurman, based on his sources. A similar feature can already be found in the Messages app's Settings.

"Most leading AI chatbots today rely heavily on histories and memory systems to personalize responses and improve future interactions," says Gurman. "But Apple will place tighter limits around how memory works, including restrictions on what information can persist and how long it can be retained."

Gurman also mentions that users will be able to decide if the Siri app opens showing either a grid of prior conversations or a new chat screen.

Apple's enhanced Siri will be powered by Google's Gemini models, but Apple apparently won't emphasize this, given that Google is historically known as an ad-driven business that farms users' data.

Another interesting tidbit in Gurman's latest newsletter is that the new Siri app will be labeled "beta," despite being the culmination of two years of delays. Apple recently agreed to pay $250 million to settle a U.S. class action lawsuit over delayed Siri features, with eligible iPhone users able to receive up to a $95 payout.
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Apple has slashed prices on the iPhone 17 Pro series in China by 1,000 yuan (around $138) in anticipation of the annual 618 shopping festival, one of the country's largest mid-year online retail events.


The cuts went live on Friday on JD.com and Tmall, with Apple's official store on the latter platform applying a direct 1,000-yuan discount on the iPhone 17 Pro series. On JD.com, taking into consideration trade-in offers and platform promotions, some iPhone 17 Pro models can be picked up for as low as 6,999 yuan (around $968). That's the lowest price since the device's launch, according to the Global Times.

The standard iPhone 17 also received its first notable markdown. Some configurations are now available for 4,499 yuan (around $622) including discounts, bringing it well under the 6,000-yuan threshold for China's national trade-in subsidy, which knocks 15% off qualifying devices up to a 500-yuan cap – something that customers of the Pro models miss out on.

News of Apple's price cuts quickly shot to the top of social media platform Weibo's trending list on Friday. Meanwhile, Huawei has also introduced lower prices for its high-end foldable models for the first time.

"Apple and Huawei are the two companies most closely benchmarked against each other in the high-end segment," said Liu Dingding, a technology industry analyst speaking to the Global Times. "Other brands still hold market share, but in terms of premium-market influence, the rivalry is increasingly centered on these two players."

Liu said both companies are using this year's shopping festival window to quickly lift orders and shipments while competing for a larger share of replacement demand.

Apple's iPhone 17 series has been a runaway hit in China so far. Apple reported $26 billion in Chinese revenue during its fiscal first quarter, a 38 percent year-over-year increase and the company's best-ever performance in the region. China now accounts for roughly one-fifth of Apple's total global sales.

The results are a major turnaround after nearly three years of declining sales in the country, where Apple has faced stiff competition from domestic rivals like Huawei, Xiaomi, and Vivo.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is currently on his way back home from China, following his participation in an official U.S. business delegation accompanying President Donald Trump as he met with Chinese president Xi Jinping.
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Apple Watch is now eleven generations in, and packed with useful features that are easy to miss at first glance. To help you get more out of your device, we've rounded up 15 practical tips you might not have discovered yet, including a few that long-time users often overlook.

Bounce Between Two Apps

On your Apple Watch, double-press the Digital Crown to see a deck of all currently open apps, and turn it to scroll through them. From this view, you can jump back to the last app you were using. Simply tap on an app screen to switch to it, or swipe left on its card and tap the red X button to quit it.

Switch App Views

If the app grid feels messy, switch to List View. Open the Watch app on iPhone, tap App View, and choose List View. From then on, pressing the Digital Crown will show your apps in a simple, scrollable list.

Rearrange Apps

You can rearrange your apps so that the ones you use most are closer to hand. Simply press and hold on any app in the grid view, then drag it where you want. Alternatively, open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to App View ➝ Arrangement, and move things around there instead.

Ping Your iPhone

If you've misplaced your iPhone but you're sure it's nearby, open Control Center with a press of the Side button, then tap the phone icon to make it ping. Press and hold that icon and the iPhone's camera flash will blink too, which can help if it's hidden under something.

Skip the Countdown

If you're eager to start a workout, the three-second countdown before it starts can be skipped. Just tap the screen when the countdown begins and your workout will start immediately. If you find yourself doing this regularly, consider turning on Precision Start in Settings ➝ Workout.

Customize Vibration Strength

If you keep missing notifications, go to Settings ➝ Sounds & Haptics ➝ and change from Default to Prominent. This adds an extra tap pattern before alerts so they're harder to ignore.

Perform Precision Timing

The Chronograph Pro watch face transforms into an actual chronograph. Tap the outer edge surrounding the main 12-hour dial on this watch face to record time on scales of 60, 30, 6, or 3 seconds. Alternatively, select the tachymeter timescale to measure speed based on time travel over a fixed distance.

Jump to the Top

If you've scrolled way down in an app and want to jump back to the top, just tap the time in the top corner of the screen. It works in most apps and saves a lot of scrolling.

Remove Apps

Clearing out apps you don't use on your Apple Watch is easy. In the List or Grid View, press and hold on the screen until the apps jiggle, then tap the small x in the corner of the app icon to delete it. This works for most system apps and all third-party apps.

Customize Control Center

By default, Control Center (accessed via the Side button) gives you quick access to things like Wi-Fi, battery, and Do Not Disturb. But it's worth seeing what else you can add to it that you'd like quick access to. Tap the Edit button at the bottom, then tap the + icon in the top-left corner of the screen. System options such as New Note and Lights are particularly handy, and you might see some third-party options listed too, depending on your installed apps.

Speak the Time Out Loud

If you're using the Mickey or Minnie watch face, tap on the character and they'll speak the time out loud. Just make sure your sound is turned on. In fact, you can also have Siri read the time on any watch face by tapping and holding with two fingers on the display. Again though, sound needs to be enabled.

Customize Smart Replies

Smart Replies are handy when you want to reply with just a few words. In the Watch app on iPhone, go to Messages and tap Default Replies to customise what shows up. Then when a message comes in, simply swipe down to pick one of your preset replies.

Pause Activity Rings

Feeling unwell but hoping to keep your streak intact? In the Activity app, select your rings to access the option to suspend them for the day, or set a pause that lasts until a chosen date up to 90 days ahead.

Create a Note

In the new Notes app in watchOS 26, you can't modify existing notes on Apple Watch, but you can create a new one by tapping the compose control in the bottom-right corner and speaking your text. Because Notes sync through iCloud, you can refine or reorganize everything later on a device with a physical or on-screen keyboard.

Mute and Dismiss Alerts

With a quick wrist flip, you can clear the current screen and go back to the watch face. The same gesture can be used to mute calls, stop timers, and dismiss notifications. The feature, which is on by default, is supported on Apple Watch SE (3rd generation), Series 9, Ultra 2, and later.
This article, "Apple Watch: 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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OpenAI has brought its Codex coding agent to the ChatGPT mobile app, providing iPhone and Android users with remote access to Codex sessions running on a Mac.


"Codex is now in the ChatGPT mobile app so you can stay in the loop from anywhere while Codex gets work done across your laptops, devboxes, or remote environments," said OpenAI, announcing the feature.

Codex remains a standalone app on Mac, but the mobile integration lives inside the existing ChatGPT app on iPhone and Android. Setup is pretty simple. First, update the Codex Mac app and ChatGPT mobile app, then select the new "Codex mobile" section in the Mac app interface. Scan the QR code it shows with your phone, and you're done.

Once connected, the mobile app loads the live state from the Mac where Codex is running, and you can pick up active chats or projects from the desktop, get notifications when Codex finishes a task or needs input, and begin new tasks by sending a message from your phone.

From the ChatGPT app, users can also review outputs, approve commands, switch between models, and add new prompts across active threads. Files, credentials, and permissions stay on the machine where Codex is operating, while screenshots, terminal output, diffs, test results, and approval requests flow back to the phone in real time.

OpenAI notes that Codex will access the desktop's files, apps, and browser to complete tasks sent from a phone, and warns users to only pair devices they own and trust.


The feature follows OpenAI's recent launch of a Codex Chrome extension, which lets the agent work directly in the browser to test web apps and pull context across tabs.

OpenAI says support for remotely accessing Codex for Windows will follow soon.
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According to the latest rumors, Apple is close to launching its next-generation iPad mini. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out.

Processor and Performance

Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code that Apple mistakenly shared in August.

Apple's A19 Pro chip since debuted in the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. The iPhone 17 Pro models include the higher-end version of Apple's A19 Pro chip with a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU, while the iPhone Air uses a mid-tier A19 Pro chip with one fewer GPU core than the A19 Pro chip used in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.

If the code leak is accurate for the iPad mini 8, Apple is likely to use the mid-tier A19 Pro chip found in the iPhone Air. This is based on the fact that the A17 Pro chip used in the iPad mini 7 has a 6-core CPU with two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, along with a 5-core GPU, compared to the 6-core GPU found on the A17 Pro used in the iPhone 15 Pro.

Apple built the A19 Pro chip on an upgraded third-generation 3-nanometer N3P process for modest speed and efficiency improvements. The chip includes a 16-core Neural Engine, next-generation dynamic caching, and unified image compression.

The GPU in the A19 Pro has an upgraded architecture with a larger cache, more memory, and Neural Accelerators that are built into each core. Apple says that this change provides 3× the peak GPU compute over the prior-generation chip. There's also an upgraded 16-core Neural Engine for AI tasks.

There is an outside chance that Apple opts for the A20 Pro chip for the new iPad mini. The claim has been made by a MacRumors tipster who analyzed a macOS kernel debug kit containing internal Apple codenames. However, the iPad mini has not always received Apple's newest A-series chip at the time it was updated, so the A19 Pro cannot be ruled out at this time. iPhone 18 Pro models are also expected to use the A20 Pro chip, which will reportedly be fabricated with TSMC's advanced 2nm process.

Display

Apple's plan to transition the ‌‌iPad mini‌‌ from an LCD to an OLED display is widely rumored. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the small form-factor tablet is likely to be the next Apple device to adopt OLED. According to a Chinese leaker with sources in Apple's supply chain, Apple has evaluated a Samsung-made OLED display for its next iPad mini model.

It remains unclear whether the iPad mini 8 will feature a higher refresh rate than the 60Hz LCD display used in the existing iPad mini 7, but since the new base iPhone 17 now uses a 120Hz ProMotion panel, it would be reasonable to expect the same on the first OLED iPad mini. A separate report has suggested the ‌‌‌iPad mini 8‌‌‌'s screen could increase in size from 8.3 inches to 8.7 inches with the adoption of OLED.

OLED panels can individually control each pixel, resulting in more precise color reproduction and deeper blacks compared to other common display technologies. They also provide superior contrast, faster response times, better viewing angles, and greater design flexibility. All of Apple's flagship iPhones use OLED panels, and in May 2024 the company brought the display technology to the iPad Pro for the first time.

Unlike Apple's ‌iPad Pro‌ models, which feature two-stack low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED panels‌, the ‌iPad mini‌ may have a single-stack low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panel, which would make it dimmer.

Chassis Design

Apple is reportedly working to give the iPad mini 8 a more water-resistant design, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The updated casing would bring protection levels closer to those of the iPhone, making the tablet safer for use in damp environments.

To achieve this, Apple is said to have designed a new vibration-based speaker system that eliminates the need for traditional speaker holes. By using sound-emitting surfaces instead of open grilles, the company can reduce potential entry points for water and dust, resulting in a more sealed, durable enclosure.

On the iPhone, Apple relies on adhesives and gaskets to shield speakers and other openings from moisture. The iPad mini's approach appears to go further, doing away with the holes altogether. Current iPad mini models lack any official IP rating, but the upcoming version could mark the first in the lineup to feature a certified level of water protection.

Apple patents could offer further clues to the new design direction. For example, a 2014 patent outlines a "mechanically actuated panel acoustic system" that vibrates flat surfaces to generate sound, effectively turning parts of a device's chassis into a speaker diaphragm. This could potentially allow Apple to produce audio without visible speaker holes. The patent suggest Apple has been building towards a sealed, vibration-based acoustic system for several years.

Release Date

According to research firm Omdia, the ‌‌iPad mini‌‌ is expected to adopt an OLED display in 2027. However, Korea's ET News and ZDNET Korea have both suggested that the iPad mini will be updated with an OLED display in 2026. Bloomberg has also said the update could come as soon as this year.

The most recent word on the subject comes from Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital, who claims the OLED iPad mini will be launched in the second half of 2026 at the earliest.

In May 2024, it was reported that Samsung Display had started developing sample OLED panels for a future ‌iPad mini‌, with plans to initiate mass production at its facility in Cheonan in the second half of 2025. The same report claimed that Apple will bring an OLED panel to the iPad Air alongside the ‌iPad mini‌ in 2026, though Apple only refreshed the iPad Air in March, and more recent reporting suggests an OLED iPad Air will arrive in early 2027.

The latter outlook aligns with a December report by analyst firm Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) that said an 8.5-inch OLED iPad mini is planned for a 2026 launch, while 11-inch and 13-inch OLED iPad Air models are expected to follow in 2027.

Ultimately, there are no rumors suggesting exactly when the next ‌iPad mini‌ will be released, but a launch later in 2026 has a high probability.

Pricing

Apple's ‌iPad mini‌ with OLED display technology and improved water resistance is expected to be more expensive, and Apple could charge up to $100 more for the device, according to Bloomberg's Gurman. The ‌iPad mini‌ is currently priced starting at $499. Gurman has previously argued that Apple should consider a lower-end version of the mini, or at least a change to its current $499 starting price, given that it's up against rival products that cost a lot less.

However, Apple users who are looking for a more affordable option should probably consider the 10th-generation iPad instead. Starting at $329, the iPad offers many iPad mini features, such as Touch ID and Center Stage, but at a lower price that balances functionality and affordability.
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Apple's interest in expanding its Formula 1 streaming deal for Apple TV beyond the United States may have stalled, after Sky Sports signed early renewals to retain the sport's broadcast rights across its largest European markets.


Sky and F1 jointly announced on May 6 that Sky will remain F1's exclusive live broadcast partner in the UK and Ireland through the 2034 season, and in Italy through 2032. The five-year extension adds to a UK and Ireland deal that was already running through 2029, so it won't impact any immediate plans Apple may have had, but it certainly pushes those markets further out of reach. Sky's early move secured the rights before they could go to open tender.

Sky and F1 did not disclose the value of the deal, but trade publication IBC reported that the UK and Ireland portion is worth around £200 million (around $265–270 million) per season, while other reports put the total figure at around £1 billion (around $1.34 billion).

The deal follows recent comments from Apple's senior vice president of services Eddy Cue at the Autosport Business Exchange in Miami. According to a report from MotorBiscuit, Cue said that clinching its F1 streaming rights in the U.S. first was "undoubtedly the best strategy," adding: "I hope we can expand into other markets."

Sky may have walled off the British, Irish, and Italian markets for now, but other major European deals remain open – Canal Plus holds French rights only through 2029, for example.

Apple's five-year U.S. deal began with the 2026 season, and Apple has already folded its coverage into its wider offerings, with a dedicated F1 section in the Apple TV app, race tracking in Apple Sports, F1 circuit guides in Apple Maps, and playlists in Apple Music.
This article, "Apple's F1 Streaming Ambitions Hit Wall as Sky Renews European Rights" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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