Apple has again added a collection of classic movies to Apple TV that subscribers can now stream at no extra cost.


The films are located in a new "Great Movies Available Now on ‌Apple TV‌" carousel inside the ‌Apple TV‌ app. So far, free titles are showing up for subscribers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, with the exact selection differing by country. In the U.S., 19 movies are available:

• 21 Jump Street


• Arrival


• The Aviator


• A Beautiful Mind


• The Bourne Identity


• Charlie's Angels


• E.T.


• Forgetting Sarah Marshall


• Gone Girl


• I, Robot


• Looper


• The Martian


• Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol


• The Proposal


• The Rookie


• The Sixth Sense


• Titanic


• Zodiac


• Zoolander

Other countries such as the United Kingdom appear to have much smaller collections of movies, with only six titles available.

These licensed titles sit alongside Apple's own catalog, which now includes more than 300 original productions.

It is not clear whether this is a lasting change to the catalog or a short-term feature. Apple added 51 licensed films under a "Great Movies on ‌Apple TV‌+" label in March 2024, then followed up with roughly 30 more titles the next month, and neither run lasted more than a few weeks.
This article, "Apple TV Gains Classic Movies Collection" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple today confirmed that its Apple Festival Place store in Basingstoke, England will permanently close in November 2026, while a nearby store in Reading undergoes a major expansion and will reopen with a new design in the following month (via 9to5Mac).


Apple The Oracle will become the closest replacement at around 18 miles from the old Basingstoke location, with Apple WestQuay in Southampton roughly 30 miles away and Apple Bentall Centre about 35 miles away as the next closest alternatives.

Apple Festival Place opened in August 2011, while Apple The Oracle first opened in the Oracle Shopping Centre in June 2011, so both stores are marking just over 15 years in operation as one closes and the other is rebuilt. Apple Festival Place will continue operating normally until November, and its staff will have the opportunity to move to Apple The Oracle or another location once it shuts.

Apple The Oracle is due to reopen in December with the features found in Apple's newest stores, including an experience room for trying out certain products, a dedicated Genius Bar, an Apple Pick Up area for collecting online orders, and free Today at Apple sessions.

The closure and rebuild are part of Apple's ongoing plan to open, relocate, and remodel dozens of stores worldwide. In the UK alone, Apple relocated its Touchwood store in Solihull to a much larger unit last summer and expanded its Trafford Centre store near Manchester earlier this year, while Apple Birmingham is said to be getting a series of upgrades.

The Basingstoke closure follows a more contentious round of U.S. store closures earlier this year, when Apple permanently shut three retail locations, including Apple Towson Town Center in Maryland, the first Apple store in the U.S. to unionize.

Apple opened 11 new stores and relocated 17 more with updated designs worldwide over the past 18 months. Including new locations in Miami and Downtown Detroit alongside a recent revamp of its UK flagship store on Regent Street in London.
This article, "Apple Closing Basingstoke Store as Nearby Reading Location Expands" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

A newly published Apple patent application describes a system for deciding, in real time, whether to interrupt what someone is doing on a device or leave them alone.


The application was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on February 5, 2026 and published on August 6, 2026, as spotted by patent tracking site Patentlyze. The patent describes how a device can observe what someone is doing, check that behavior against rules for when an interruption is warranted, and only then decide whether to show a prompt.

For example, if someone has been scrolling in an app for a long time, staring at one app, or repeating some other pattern the rules flag, the device would step in. If nothing matches, it does nothing and allows the person to carry on uninterrupted. A second part of the same filing covers turning recent activity into a short summary, so instead of getting interrupted mid-task, someone could check in afterward and see what they had missed.

Apple already ships something conceptually close to both halves of this patent. iOS 18.1 introduced AI-powered notification summaries, which use on-device AI to condense a stack of alerts into a single line, alongside a Reduce Interruptions Focus mode that filters out notifications the system judges unimportant. If Apple built the proposed system into a shipping feature, it looks better suited to sharpening those two tools than replacing them.

Reduce Interruptions currently judges each notification individually, weighing its content and sender to decide whether it counts as important enough to break through. It does not factor in what someone is actively doing on the device at that moment. The mechanism in this patent could add that layer, checking a person's ongoing activity, such as how long they have been on a call or how many times they have reopened an app, before deciding whether an interruption is warranted at all, even for a notification that would otherwise qualify.

Notification summaries could benefit in a similar way. Rather than condensing whatever alerts happen to stack up regardless of context, the patent's summarization element describes building a digest from a person's broader activity, which could let the system hold back a stray or inaccurate summary until it has enough of a pattern to summarize accurately, the kind of context Apple's AI summaries lacked when they generated a false news headline and drew criticism in December 2024.

As with all Apple patent filings, there is no guarantee that this specific system will ship in an actual product, and its docketed but unexamined status means the invention could still be narrowed or rejected before a patent is granted. That being said, the application maps onto features already live on Apple devices, which makes it appear to be less of a shot in the dark than many other patent applications. It could easily be Apple laying the groundwork for where it wants to take Reduce Interruptions and notification summaries next.
This article, "Apple Patenting Way to Improve Notification Summaries and 'Reduce Interruptions' Focus" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said "everyone" inside Apple refers to the company's upcoming foldable iPhone as the "iPhone Ultra" internally, though he cautioned that doesn't necessarily confirm it as the final name.

The comments came in response to Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, who argued the "Ultra" name doesn't fit because Apple's existing Ultra products represent the most capable version of a lineup, and the foldable wouldn't clearly outclass the iPhone Pro the way that positioning implies.
This article, "'Everyone' at Apple Apparently Calls Foldable 'iPhone Ultra'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

The leaker known as "Ice Universe" today shared images and a hands on video of screen protectors for Apple's rumored "iPhone Ultra," and the leak appears to confirm two of the most discussed details about the foldable's front design.


The leaked accessory has square corners on the side that would sit next to the hinge, and rounded corners on the opposite edge. That asymmetry lines up with months of rumors describing a foldable device with a hinge on one side, and the leak marks one of the clearest looks yet at how the proportions and shape carry over to the cover display itself.

Ice Universe said the shape reflects the protector covering the entire glass panel rather than matching the display area exactly, and that the screen underneath is still expected to have symmetrical rounded corners and uniform bezels on all sides. As shown in multiple previous reports, the screen protectors also corroborate the foldable iPhone's shorter, wider design.



The protector also shows a single punch hole cutout for the front facing camera, positioned on the right side of the panel rather than in the center. Some earlier reports had suggested the cutout could end up centered, so the accessories offer a firmer answer on its placement. Since the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is expected to use Touch ID rather than Face ID, it doesn't need the larger TrueDepth sensor array Face ID requires, clearing the way for a single hole punch camera, which is a first for the iPhone.



The information comes a few days after leaker Sonny Dickson shared images of protective covers for the ‌iPhone Ultra‌'s rear camera module in silver and dark blue finishes. Other rumors point to a 5.5-inch cover display and a 7.8-inch inner display, the A20 Pro chip, and a 5,000mAh battery, as well as a 48-megapixel dual rear camera system and 18-megapixel selfie cameras on both the outer and inner displays. The device is expected to debut alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup in mid-September, with a price of at least $2,000.
This article, "'iPhone Ultra' Screen Protectors Reveal Asymmetric Corners" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

In response to rising component prices, Apple has extended how long it holds OLED display panels in reserve, according to a report from ETNews, citing industry sources in South Korea.


Apple apparently moved from a four-week display supply buffer to six weeks starting in the second quarter of 2026. The move is unusual since Apple has long treated inventory as a cost to be minimized rather than built up, operating one of the leanest supply chains in the industry.

Deliberately stockpiling more panels for longer marks a noticeable shift in that approach, reportedly driven by a sharp rise in memory chip prices that's rippling out to other components. Buying more panels upfront, especially during quieter periods of sales cycle, will help the company stabilize prices.

Apple already raised prices on 14 products, including all Macs and iPads, in June. The iPhone 18 Pro is widely expected to see a price hike when it launches next month.

Samsung Display and LG Display remain Apple's primary iPhone ‌OLED‌ suppliers, with BOE supplying a much smaller share out of China. A display industry official told ETNews the longer holding period is likely to stick, and expects it to stretch further once the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max launch.
This article, "Apple Now Stockpiling More Components Amid Rising Prices" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple today announced that "Block Blast!+" and "Art of Fauna: Cozy Puzzles+" are coming to Apple Arcade on September 3, adding two more puzzle games to the service's catalog.



Block Blast!+ is the Arcade edition of "Block Blast," a chart topping block clearing puzzle game. Players fill a grid with block shapes to clear full rows and columns, chasing bigger combos as they go, and the Arcade version drops the ads found in the free to play original.

Art of Fauna: Cozy Puzzles+ is based on "Art of Fauna: Cozy Puzzles," winner of the 2025 App Store Award for Cultural Impact. Players reconstruct vintage style nature illustrations piece by piece while learning facts about the animals depicted, and the game offers a text based alternative to the visual puzzles for players with visual or cognitive impairments.

The two new titles join an existing roster of Arcade puzzlers, including the dungeon crawling combat puzzler "Grindstone," the pipe connecting puzzle game "Flow Free+," and the word search title "Crossword Jam+." "Everyday Puzzles: Mini Games+" and "Water Sort Puzzle: Get Color+" are more recent additions to that same catalog.

A handful of existing Arcade games are also gaining new content this month. On August 12, "puffies." adds 28 new packs, including two collections themed around Oden Tomodachi and The Knights. Starting August 20, "Simon's Cat - Blast Time" is rolling out 200 new levels, with 50 arriving each week over the course of a month. And on August 26, "stitch." hits a milestone of 800 unique hoops, marked with a commemorative hoop and a new achievement.

September 3 brings a wider wave of additions to Arcade beyond the two new puzzlers. "NFL Retro Bowl '27" also gains its new Gauntlet Mode that day, tasking players with stringing together as many consecutive wins as possible using limited starting resources, with real NFL players and more perks the further they progress. "Coloring Games for Families+" launches with more than 3,000 activities aimed at players of all ages, while "Let's Play! Oink Games+" brings nine of the developer's board games to Arcade, supporting solo play, offline multiplayer, and online matches.

‌Apple Arcade‌ is a subscription service that provides access to hundreds of games across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. All of the games are free of ads and in-app purchases. In the U.S., ‌Apple Arcade‌ costs $6.99 per month, and it is also bundled with other Apple services in all Apple One plans. ‌Apple Arcade‌ can be accessed through the ‌App Store‌ and the Apple Games app.
This article, "Two New Games Coming to Apple Arcade's Growing Puzzle Catalog" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple is facing a proposed class action lawsuit accusing it of fraud and false advertising over a security flaw in iCloud Private Relay, according to 9to5Mac.



The suit was filed by the Clarkson Law Firm, which accuses Apple of deceiving ‌iCloud‌+ subscribers with its marketing of Private Relay, the feature meant to shield a user's IP address and DNS records while browsing in Safari. The firm alleges Apple knew, or should have known, that its privacy claims about the feature were false and misleading at the time it sold the subscriptions.

Clarkson previously took Apple to court over the delayed rollout of personalized Siri features, a case that ended in a $250 million settlement. That deal was reached in December 2025, though the payout terms were not made public until May.

Clarkson partner Tim Giordano said Apple had built its reputation on privacy promises, and argued that ‌iCloud‌+ subscribers paid a premium for protection that failed to hold up, calling it "an outrageous violation and betrayal of consumer trust and law."

The lawsuit points to a set of WebKit issues that security researchers detailed earlier this month. The most serious ties to passkey sign-ins: a site can trigger a passkey check that gets handled by the device's operating system rather than Safari, bypassing Private Relay's proxy servers entirely, sometimes without showing any passkey prompt at all, even on a site that only claims to support them.

Two further issues, tied to DNS prefetching and the WebTransport protocol added in iOS 26, can also expose a user's real IP address or DNS servers under certain conditions. Since WebKit powers every browser on iOS, the exposure is not limited to Safari.
This article, "Apple Accused of 'Fraud' in iCloud Private Relay Class Action Lawsuit" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

BOE wants a share of the OLED supply chain for Apple's next iPad Air, aiming to land a secondary sourcing role behind primary supplier Samsung Display, according to a report from South Korea's The Elec.


Sources cited by The Elec say the Chinese panel maker is building out its iPad Air ‌OLED‌ effort at its B12 fab in Chongqing, home to BOE's sixth-generation ‌OLED‌ production line, ahead of the launch of a redesigned ‌iPad Air‌ that isn't expected to launch until the first half of 2027. Samsung Display already holds the lead supply role for that panel and is on track to begin ramping production toward the end of this year or the start of next, as previously reported.

BOE still has to clear Apple's qualification process. Samples reportedly still need to be submitted for evaluation, and a verdict on whether the company wins any commercial orders is not expected until closer to the end of the year. Even a favorable outcome may only translate into modest volume at first, with output confined to ‌iPad Air‌ units destined for the Chinese market or to refurbished devices, rather than the entire global launch.

The sources put BOE's qualification decision at some point in November or December, noting Apple typically finalizes production approval just one to two months ahead of mass production actually starting. Should BOE fall short of that bar, Samsung Display will end up carrying the entire initial production run by itself.

Becoming a supplier for the ‌OLED‌ ‌iPad Air‌ would be a meaningful expansion for BOE, which has experience providing ‌OLED‌ panels for the iPhone, but has struggled to break into larger ‌OLED‌ products. Samsung Display and LG Display have held onto that ground in tablets specifically, and BOE has lost, rather than gained, footing elsewhere in Apple's ‌OLED‌ lineup recently; its utilization on Apple-dedicated lines reportedly slid from roughly 82% in 2024 to about 48% earlier this year as Apple is set to lean on Samsung instead for the upcoming ‌OLED‌ iPad mini.

The redesigned ‌iPad Air‌ is expected in 11 inch and 13 inch sizes, with a hybrid ‌OLED‌ panel pairing a glass substrate with thin film encapsulation, a single stack RGB emissive layer, and an LTPS backplane, with a refresh rate of 60Hz. That keeps it below the iPad Pro's tandem stack ‌OLED‌ panel on cost, while still moving the ‌iPad Air‌ away from an LCD.

BOE is also reportedly pursuing a secondary supplier role for Apple's ‌OLED‌ MacBook Pro from its 8.6 generation B16 fab in Chengdu, but persistent yield problems there make commercial shipments to Apple unlikely soon. Industry sources do not expect BOE to enter that supply chain until sometime after 2028.
This article, "iPad Air OLED Panel Orders Could Be Split With BOE in 2027" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple's rumored all-glass iPhone expected to mark the device's 20th anniversary has been canceled, according to Jefferies analyst Edison Lee.


Rumors have circulated since at least 2025 that Apple was developing a radically redesigned all-glass iPhone, with launch expected as early as September 2027. Lee's analysis today provided in Barron's claims that his firm's supply chain checks now point to the project being scrapped due to poor production yield, the rate at which manufacturing produces defect-free units.

As a result of the findings, Jefferies downgraded Apple stock to "Underperform," the equivalent of a "Sell" rating, from "Hold" today, cutting its price target to $263.66 from $285.56, one of the lowest on Wall Street. Apple shares fell 2.1% following the downgrade.

The all-glass iPhone has been rumored for well over a year as the most significant redesign since the iPhone X, expected to arrive in fall 2027 alongside a second-generation foldable iPhone. Reports pointed to a curved glass panel wrapping around the front and back with virtually no cutouts in the display, along with under-display Face ID and solid-state buttons.

• 20th Anniversary iPhone Coming Next Year With These 10 Features

Lee previously viewed the all-glass iPhone as a plausible upcoming release, and its apparent cancellation changes his view of Apple's ability to raise iPhone prices going forward. He called the move a major setback for pushing higher-priced iPhones as memory costs continue to climb. Had it launched in 2027, Lee estimated the device would have carried a blended retail price of around $2,060, higher than any previous iPhone.

The bigger concern for Lee is what the cancellation means beyond a single model. He believes Apple had planned to eventually bring all-glass styling to the iPhone Pro and Pro Max lines as well, in a move he saw as a way to further raise those models' average selling price and margin at a time when rising memory costs are squeezing profitability.

Lee also pointed to Apple's AI strategy and rising component costs for the "iPhone 19 Pro Max," expected in 2027, as additional reasons behind the downgrade. The slow rollout of Apple Intelligence, he argued, makes it harder for Apple to justify equipping more iPhones with the extra RAM needed to run AI models on-device.

It remains unclear whether Lee is describing the end of the entire 20th-anniversary redesign or just its all-glass display component. It has repeatedly been questioned whether Apple can eliminate the Dynamic Island next year at all, given the engineering hurdles involved, meaning a genuinely seamless glass front may never have been realistic regardless of Lee's yield and cost concerns. Even so, other elements of the rumored 20th anniversary design, including the quad-curved chassis, could still be on track.
This article, "Apple's All-Glass 20th Anniversary iPhone Reportedly Canceled" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

A known Weibo leaker has stepped into an ongoing disagreement over exactly how dark the iPhone 18 Pro Max's rumored Dark Cherry color will look, saying the deeper of two shades circulating online is the accurate one.


In a new post on Weibo, the leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said two versions of the color have been mocked up online, one lighter and one darker, and claimed the darker version is correct. The leaker described the accurate shade as closer to a purplish red similar to a cherry, rather than the lighter, brighter red alternative some renders have shown.

The claim adds to what has already become one of the most heavily reported details of the ‌‌iPhone 18 Pro‌'s‌ rumor cycle. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was among the first to report on the color, describing it in February as a deep red.

In April, Macworld reported that Apple was preparing a signature new color called "Dark Cherry" for the ‌‌iPhone 18 Pro‌‌ and ‌‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max‌, described as a deep, wine-like red rather than a brighter tone. The report said the color would replace Cosmic Orange as the line's headline shade and listed an internal Pantone code of 6076. A follow-up report in May from the leaker known as "Instant Digital" corroborated the color, describing it as a mix of burgundy, coffee, and deep purple.

Dummy models shared later that month by leaker Sonny Dickson showed the ‌‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max‌ in "Dark Cherry" alongside Light Blue, Black, and Silver, with Dickson predicting the color would follow Cosmic Orange as the line's next standout hit. A separate SIM tray image shared in June by leaker Ice Universe offered another look at the color.

Apple is expected to unveil the ‌‌iPhone 18 Pro‌‌ and ‌‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max‌ next month alongside its first foldable iPhone.
This article, "Leaker Weighs in on Correct Shade for 'Dark Cherry' iPhone 18 Pro" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple briefly published a support guide in China explaining how Mac users can connect Alibaba's Qwen AI to Siri and Writing Tools, before pulling it entirely less than a day later.


Reuters first spotted the Chinese-language guide on Apple's support site on August 8, which explained how eligible Mac users in mainland China could connect Qwen, Alibaba's family of generative AI models, to ‌Siri‌ and Writing Tools. According to the document, the extension required macOS 26.6 or later, needed users to sign into their own Qwen account, and specified that Alibaba was barred from using submitted materials to train or improve its models.

‌Siri‌ would be able to lean on Qwen for more detailed responses to certain requests, including analysis of photos and documents, while Writing Tools could use it to generate text and images. No equivalent guide was published for the iPhone or iPad.

The setup closely mirrors Apple's existing ChatGPT extension available elsewhere, which similarly lets ‌Siri‌ hand off complex requests and gives Writing Tools a "Compose" option, all on an opt-in basis.

By August 9, the guide had been removed. Chinese news aggregator ReadHub reported that the guide had disappeared from Apple's site, and TechNode reports that Apple's customer service told Chinese media it had received no notification of a new feature launch. Separately, tech analyst Liu Dingding told the Global Times that the takedown could reflect pending technical adjustments still tied to the regulatory process, rather than a full reversal.

It's a similar pattern to what happened back in March, when Apple Intelligence itself briefly went live for some Chinese users before being pulled offline without regulatory approval. China maintains strict rules around releasing AI features, and in practice requires companies like Apple to partner with local providers. Apple originally lined up Baidu as its primary China AI partner, but by February 2025, reports indicated Alibaba had taken over as the lead partner after Baidu's models fell short of Apple's requirements, with Baidu shifted to a supporting role.

Chinese regulators cleared Apple Intelligence for launch in the country in July, registering Apple's on-device AI service with the Cyberspace Administration of China. That approval covered the iPhone only, and Apple did not say whether or when the ‌iPad‌ and Mac would follow, making this week's brief Mac-specific guide the clearest signal yet on the Mac timeline specifically.

It remains unclear when Apple will formally relaunch the Qwen integration for the Mac, or whether the guide's brief appearance points to an imminent rollout.
This article, "Apple Briefly Posts China Guide for Connecting Siri to Qwen AI" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple is planning to reintroduce its striking ceramic Apple Watch casing as soon as this year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.


Writing in his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that the ceramic case option is expected to return either this year or in 2027. Apple first introduced a ceramic Apple Watch Edition with the Series 2 in September 2016, replacing the original gold Edition model and bringing the line's price down from thousands of dollars to a comparatively modest $1,249.

The white ceramic finish, made from a compressed zirconia and alumina powder polished with a diamond slurry, was marketed as being four times as hard as stainless steel. Apple expanded the material a year later with a gray ceramic option alongside the Series 3, but the Edition line disappeared entirely for the Series 4 in 2018, with Apple dropping ceramic and offering no high-end case option at all that year.

The white ceramic finish returned for the Series 5 in 2019 alongside an all-new titanium option, before Apple discontinued it for good when the Series 6 launched in 2020. The material has been absent from the Apple Watch lineup for six years since. It has since become one of the more sought after finishes among collectors on the resale market.

Beyond the reintroduction of the ceramic casing option, the upcoming Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 will apparently continue "the trend of modest upgrades," with "under-the-hood improvements" including a meaningful increase in performance. This likely refers to the introduction of a new chip. The previous two Apple Watch generations have featured the same S10 chip, which is effectively unchanged from the previous S9 chip introduced in 2023.

Gurman added that this year's new Apple Watch models will also offer new color and band options, alongside a number of new health and fitness-related upgrades. The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are expected to be introduced alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and first foldable iPhone next month.
This article, "Ceramic Case Could Return With Apple Watch Series 12" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple is already making plans for its third-generation foldable iPhone, with launch expected as early as 2028, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Writing in his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said the first foldable iPhone is about to get what he called the device's first "truly revolutionary design change" this year, and that Apple already has a roadmap extending two generations beyond it. A second-generation model is planned for 2027, Gurman says, with a third version following as early as 2028.

The third-generation foldable will apparently feature slightly larger displays on both the inside and the outside compared to its predecessors, though he did not provide specific screen sizes. The first foldable iPhone is expected to launch with a 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch cover display, so any increase would build on those dimensions. This is the first report to lay out plans for a third-generation model, extending Apple's foldable roadmap a year beyond where it previously stood.

The first foldable iPhone is expected to arrive this year with an ultra-thin design, Touch ID instead of Face ID, the A20 chip, C2 modem, and the moniker "iPhone Ultra," at a price around or above $2,000. The second-generation foldable, meanwhile, is reported to have already received the go-ahead for development, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Digital Chat Station," who said the "‌iPhone Ultra‌ 2" project has been formally approved and will likely reuse the first-generation model's display. That model is expected to launch in fall 2027 alongside the 20th-anniversary iPhone.



This article, "Foldable 'iPhone Ultra 3' Rumored to Feature Larger Displays" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple is re-evaluating the Apple Watch lineup and considering a host of radical new designs, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


In today's edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman compared plans for the Apple Watch's evolution to the "revolutionary design change" that the foldable iPhone represents. It will be "something that transforms the product for a new era." Apple's industrial design team has reportedly been "exploring a broader rethink of its smartwatches" for some time, with several directions under evaluation.

The company is apparently taking the resurgence of fitness bands without screens and smart rings seriously. As a result, the company is considering new Apple Watch-style devices with no display, as well as new Apple Watches with different types of screen and various new sizes.

Apple has also contemplated giving the Apple Watch a round display, but Gurman cautioned that such a device is unlikely to be released. The company has also considered introducing new premium variants designed to sit above the Ultra and Hermès models, alongside even more affordable options in addition to the Apple Watch SE.

The company has not yet settled on a direction for the product line, but it is said to be "determined to reinvent the lineup in response to growing competition." It also plans to make its wearables more AI-focused, with ambitious long-term plans to revamp the Health app.

Gurman believes that the Apple Watch revamp "could be as significant as the iPhone's transformation from a slab design into a foldable device." Apple purportedly hopes to reinvigorate its Wearables, Home and Accessories segment, which has struggled to generate growth over recent years.
This article, "Apple Watch Rethink Could See Debut of Round Model, Screenless Fitness Tracker, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

New images of camera protector accessories for the "iPhone Ultra" suggest Apple's first foldable iPhone will launch in silver and dark blue finishes.


Leaker Sonny Dickson yesterday shared images of two third-party camera protectors designed to fit over the ‌iPhone Ultra‌'s camera bump, with one in silver and one in a dark blue finish. Dickson has a track record of accurate accessory and dummy model leaks, including his early look at this year's iPhone 18 Pro colors.

The images back up a May report that cited a Macworld supply chain source describing a classic silver and white model alongside an indigo option similar to the iPhone 17 Pro's Deep Blue finish. A silver finish was separately described as the first "confirmed" color in June, and a report the same week suggested the darker option might not be black. Dickson's accessories now offer the clearest visual confirmation yet of that silver and dark blue offering.



The restrained approach stands in contrast to the iPhone 18 Pro, which is rumored to add a Dark Cherry finish and a Light Blue option alongside Silver this year. A black option for the Pro models was also rumored initially, though a subsequent report suggested Apple decided not to include it this year.

The leaked accessories also clearly show the widely rumored design of the camera plateau on the back of the foldable iPhone, featuring two horizontally arranged lenses alongside a pill-shaped flash and a LiDAR scanner. The foldable ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is expected to be announced alongside the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max next month.
This article, "Foldable 'iPhone Ultra' Rumored to Come in These Two Colors" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Anthropic has updated Claude Code so that separate coding sessions can message each other directly, removing the need to manually copy context between Terminal windows.


The company shipped the feature in Claude Code version 2.1.224, released on Friday for macOS and Linux. Two new tools power it: ListAgents, which finds other active sessions running on the Mac, and SendMessage, which delivers the message. A session that receives one shows it as a labeled card with a link back to the sender.

According to Anthropic's documentation, only text passes between sessions, not conversation history, files, or permissions. One session can warn another when a change breaks something it depends on, or pass along an answer another session is waiting on, and Anthropic says an incoming message can't approve a permission request or change a session's settings on its own.



The feature sits alongside Claude Code's existing subagents and Agent Teams tools, but connects sessions a user is already running separately on their Mac rather than ones Claude spawns and manages itself. Messages between sessions on the same Mac stay local and never reach Anthropic's servers. Between different machines, messaging works only as a reply through Remote Control, the feature that connects a Mac terminal to the Claude apps for iOS and Android.

Cross session messaging requires macOS or Linux with Claude Code 2.1.224 or later and isn't available on Windows. It was released alongside 31 other changes in the same release, including a new claude self-hosted-runner command for Team and Enterprise plans.
This article, "Claude Code Adds Cross-Session Messaging on macOS" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple could raise iPhone 17 prices as soon as Monday, August 10, according to a new rumor, well before the wider round of increases expected with next month's iPhone 18 Pro launch.


Weibo leaker "Fixed Focus Digital" said in a post yesterday that rumors are circulating about an ‌iPhone 17‌ price change taking effect on August 10. The leaker was noncommittal about whether prices will actually move, though the post claimed with more certainty that Apple has called off plans to raise production capacity on some lines from 15% to 30%. It's not clear from the post which components or products that capacity change refers to.

Apple raised prices on Macs, iPads, and most other devices in June, citing soaring memory and storage costs, but left the iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, Studio Display, and accessories untouched. Apple's next round of pricing changes is widely rumored to center on the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌.

Apple is expected to launch the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and its first foldable iPhone next month, with the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e not arriving until spring 2027. The ‌iPhone 17‌ is set to remain Apple's mainstream option well into next year, which could give Apple sufficient reason to adjust its pricing independently of the new lineup.

If Apple does raise ‌iPhone 17‌ prices this Monday, it remains to be seen whether the increase would apply across the whole lineup, including the iPhone 17e ($599), ‌iPhone 17‌ ($799), iPhone Air ($999), iPhone 17 Pro ($1,099), and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max ($1,199), or whether only select models will be affected.
This article, "iPhone 17 Prices Could Rise as Soon as Monday, Rumor Claims" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

The iPhone Air reaches one year on sale next month, and Apple is now closer to launching its successor than it is to the original's debut. On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss what's next for the device.


The first-generation model has had a difficult run. A KeyBanc Capital Markets survey found virtually no demand for the device within weeks of its September 2025 launch, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that suppliers were asked to cut capacity by more than 80% between launch and early 2026, and Luxshare and Foxconn both wound down production, leaving the phone believed to be entirely out of manufacture. Apple discounted it heavily in March, and SellCell data put its ten-week depreciation at 44.3% on average, against 34.6% for the iPhone 17 series. The Weibo leaker known as "Digital Chat Station" said in May that the device had barely surpassed 700,000 activations even after multiple rounds of price cuts.

A single rear camera left a $999 phone looking less capable than the cheaper ‌iPhone 17‌, which has two, and the absence of the iPhone 17 Pro's vapor chamber cooling means the Air runs warmer under load. It also lacks stereo speakers. Battery life falls short of a full day for many users, mitigated in part by the dedicated MagSafe battery accessory Apple sells alongside it. With the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ starting at $1,099, the Air occupies a $100 gap that gave buyers little reason to stop there.

Almost every change rumored for the second-generation model targets one of those points. Bloomberg reported in June that Apple will add an Ultra Wide lens alongside the existing 48-megapixel Fusion camera, and that the dual-lens design has reached advanced testing with the same exterior as the current model save for the extra lens.

Almost everything other than the battery sits inside the ‌iPhone Air‌'s camera plateau, and Apple has reportedly asked suppliers for an ultra-thin Face ID module to free up space. The company also plans to adopt Samsung's CoE display technology, which is thinner and brighter than the current panel and debuts first on the foldable iPhone. Digital Chat Station expects a 3,500mAh battery, up from 3,149mAh, and The Information reported that Apple wants the device to be lighter and to gain vapor chamber cooling despite the added hardware.

The device will also likely feature the A20 Pro chip, binned in some form like its predecessor, along with Apple's second-generation N2 wireless networking chip, the C2 modem, and 12GB of RAM, unchanged from the current model. Externally, little is expected to change beyond the additional rear camera, but Pu expects a slightly smaller Dynamic Island, in line with the wider iPhone 18 lineup. A lavender color option could replace Sky Blue.

Pricing is the biggest open question. The Information reported that Apple is considering a lower price for the second model, but the surrounding lineup is moving too. Pu expects the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max to cost $250 to $300 more than the current Pro models owing to 2nm silicon and memory costs, and the foldable iPhone is rumored to start somewhere between roughly $2,000 and $2,500. A widened gap between the Air and the Pro tier could change the calculation that undermined the original, particularly once the camera disparity with the standard iPhone disappears.

The leaker "Fixed Focus Digital" claimed in April that Apple will push through at least two generations of the device no matter how poorly it sells, a position consistent with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who expects the Air 2 in spring 2027 alongside the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e. Nikkei Asia reported in January that no second-generation Air was expected before 2027 at the earliest.

Apple's confidence in the fall lineup appears to be growing in the meantime. The company reportedly told suppliers to prepare roughly 10 million foldable iPhones this year, up from an earlier forecast of seven to eight million, and has booked parts for around 80 million smartphones in the second half of 2026. Samsung, meanwhile, says the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8 drew 1.44 million pre-orders in South Korea across seven days, a company record, with the redesigned Z Fold 8 accounting for close to half of them.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and foldable iPhone are expected in September, and Apple has already begun preparing for the event, opening a lottery for U.S. retail employees to staff it. The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.



You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or other podcast apps. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your player.



If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion about the iOS 27 beta, talking through our experiences with Siri AI, Liquid Glass refinements, and more.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kayci Lacob, Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also email us at podcast@macrumors.com or head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.
This article, "The MacRumors Show: iPhone Air 2 - What Changes After a Difficult First Year" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple has told a federal court that it hasn't heard from Jon Prosser's legal team in a month, as discovery drags on in its trade secret lawsuit against the leaker.


In a joint status report filed on Wednesday in the Northern District of California, Apple's attorneys said they had made repeated attempts to reach Prosser's counsel about outstanding discovery issues without success. From the filing:

Apple and Mr. Prosser have worked to advance this case through limited discovery. Mr. Prosser provided documents and communications to Apple, and sat for a deposition on June 16, 2026. Unfortunately, Apple last heard from Mr. Prosser's counsel on July 6th, 2026, despite repeated attempts to communicate and follow up on outstanding discovery issues. There still appear to be deficiencies in Mr. Prosser's productions, and Apple has notified Mr. Prosser's counsel of those issues.

Shortly before the report was filed, Prosser's attorney told Apple's legal team that the delay likely stems from Prosser welcoming his second child and attending to the newborn's care. The attorney indicated he would find dates for Prosser to provide the remaining discovery materials.

Co-defendant Michael Ramacciotti, who Apple says accessed the confidential device at the center of the case, has continued cooperating throughout the case. He agreed to supplement his interrogatory responses and sit for a second deposition.

Apple sued Prosser and Ramacciotti in July 2025, accusing them of misappropriating trade secrets tied to then-unreleased iOS 26 software, including the Liquid Glass redesign, by accessing a development iPhone belonging to Apple engineer Ethan Lipnik.

Ramacciotti cooperated with the case from the outset, but Prosser initially missed several deadlines to respond, leading the court to enter a default against him in October 2025 that barred him from contesting Apple's allegations. Prosser's attorney successfully petitioned to have that default set aside in June 2026, and Prosser filed a formal answer in the case on July 2. In it, he admitted joining a FaceTime call in which Ramacciotti showed him unreleased iOS features running on the development device, but denied that what he saw constituted trade secrets and denied knowing the device belonged to Lipnik.

Apple is seeking damages as well as a permanent injunction barring Prosser from disclosing its trade secrets again. Such an order could stop him from covering unreleased Apple products at all, which forms a significant part of his YouTube channel. Ramacciotti's second deposition is set for September, and all three parties expect to file another status update with the court on October 7.
This article, "Apple Flags Discovery Delays in Its Lawsuit Against Jon Prosser" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple captured 65% of the global premium smartphone market in the first half of 2026, as the wider premium segment's share of overall smartphone sales climbed to a record 29%.


That's according to Counterpoint Research's Handset Model Sales Tracker, which tracks smartphones with a wholesale average selling price of $600 or more. Apple's premium segment revenue grew 9% year-over-year in the first half of 2026, which Counterpoint attributed to strong sales of the iPhone 17 lineup, particularly the base model.

Even with that growth, Apple's share of the premium segment has slipped from 74% in the first half of 2022. Counterpoint pins the decline on intensifying competition in China, the largest premium smartphone market, where Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo have all sharpened their flagship offerings, pulling more Chinese consumers toward domestic premium brands.

Across the broader premium segment, unit sales grew 5% year-over-year in the first half of 2026, with the segment's overall market share up from 25% in the first half of 2025 and 20% in the first half of 2022. Counterpoint says the latest gains stem largely from rising memory and component costs, which have hit low- and mid-tier phones harder than flagship models.


Premium brands, including Apple, were better positioned to absorb the higher costs through wider margins and fewer promotions, helping sustain demand even as the broader market grew more challenging. The share gains between the first half of 2022 and the first half of 2025, by contrast, were driven mainly by a broader premiumization trend as consumers traded up to higher-end devices.

Counterpoint Research said the narrowing price gap between mid-tier and premium phones is accelerating that shift, making flagship devices, including older or discounted iPhones, a more attractive upgrade for consumers:

As mid-segment Android smartphone prices rise, the price gap with premium devices, especially older or discounted flagship models, is narrowing. This trend makes flagship smartphones a better upgrade option for consumers. To support this shift, OEMs are expanding financing, trade-in and buyback programs to improve affordability. Samsung has also expanded its Galaxy Forever program to several markets to make flagship devices more accessible.

Samsung remains the only other brand in Apple's league, holding 19% of the premium segment after 3% year-over-year growth, despite a later launch for the Galaxy S26 series. Behind the two leaders, Chinese brands showed the sharpest growth off a much smaller base: OPPO grew 69% on the strength of its Find X9 series, while vivo grew 20% as the X300 series outperformed its predecessor.

Counterpoint expects Apple to keep its lead alongside Samsung, citing Apple's strength in developed markets, its integrated ecosystem, and its brand value, even as Huawei and Xiaomi are seen as well positioned to keep gaining share in China. Counterpoint added that premiumization "will be the key strategy in the smartphone industry as the focus shifts from shipment volumes to value and profit maximization."
This article, "Apple Captures 65% of Global Premium Smartphone Market" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple announced the original Mac Pro 20 years ago today, with the anniversary landing five months after the company discontinued the machine for good.


On August 7, 2006, Apple unveiled the first Mac Pro, powered by two dual-core 64-bit Xeon processors that Apple said made it up to twice as fast as the Power Mac G5 it replaced. It was the last Mac to complete Apple's transition from PowerPC to Intel chips, and it launched with PCI Express expansion slots and a $2,499 starting price.

The Mac Pro quickly became the machine of choice for video editors, audio engineers, and other creative professionals, particularly those running Final Cut Studio, the editing suite Apple positioned squarely at the same audience. Its four internal drive bays, tool-free case, and PCIe expansion slots made it easy to configure for demanding workloads, and Apple kept the pace of updates brisk in its early years, adding an eight-core configuration in April 2007 and following with a refreshed base model in January 2008. That steady cadence of upgrades continued through 2012, a sharp contrast to the long droughts that would define the machine's later years.

The Mac Pro remained as Apple's professional flagship for almost the next two decades since its launch. That positioning kept the machine niche, and Apple's attention to it was inconsistent.

The clearest example came in 2013, when Apple replaced the classic tower with a radically redesigned cylindrical model nicknamed the "trash can" Mac Pro, built around a single central "unified thermal core." The trash can went unrefreshed for six years, a lifetime in computing terms, before Apple apologized to its pro user base and essentially admitted the design was a mistake.

In a 2017 interview, Craig Federighi said Apple had "designed ourselves into a bit of a thermal corner," having built the machine around GPU workloads that never materialized as broadly as the company expected. A more conventional tower, with eight PCIe slots, arrived in 2019.

Even after that redesign, the Mac Pro's position kept eroding. The Mac Studio delivered nearly identical performance in a smaller, far cheaper package. Once the Mac Pro moved to Apple silicon with the M2 Ultra chip in June 2023, add-in cards like the Afterburner lost support, leaving PCIe expansion as close to its only remaining edge over the Studio, a slim advantage for a machine that started at $6,999.

Apple discontinued the Mac Pro on March 26, 2026, pulling it from its website. The company said it has no plans to design a new version, and no future model is coming.

The announcement landed three months before Apple raised prices on 14 products, including Macs and iPads, to offset the rising cost of memory chips. The ‌Mac Studio‌'s M3 Ultra configuration jumped $1,300, from $3,999 to $5,299, while the entry-level MacBook Pro rose $300, from $1,699 to $1,999.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said that "price increases are unavoidable," adding that Apple had tried to shield customers from rising memory costs but "the situation has become unsustainable." Cook likened the shortage to "a hundred-year flood," saying he had "never seen anything like it in any area in over 40 years."

Applying that same roughly 33% jump seen on the M3 Ultra ‌Mac Studio‌ to the Mac Pro's $6,999 starting price would have pushed a base configuration above $9,300, with no extra RAM, storage, or GPU cores factored in, a price unlikely to move many units of a machine that was already selling in small numbers.

With the Mac Pro gone, the Mac Studio is now Apple's most powerful desktop, though it lacks the tower's internal PCIe expansion slots. Apple's next ‌Mac Studio‌ refresh is expected to bring the M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips to the machine.
This article, "Mac Pro Turns 20 Today, Five Months After Apple Killed It" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple today updated its U.S. trade-in estimates, raising values for most iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models and adding several Android phones to the list for the first time.



As first noted by 9to5Mac, some devices gained nearly 30% in estimated value compared to the last update in May.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max now tops Apple's iPhone estimates at up to $720, up from $695, and increases run all the way down the lineup to some of Apple's oldest supported models:

• iPhone 16 Pro Max: $695 to $720


• iPhone 16 Pro: $560 to $630


• iPhone 16 Plus: $465 to $485


• iPhone 16: $460 to $480


• iPhone 15 Pro Max: $490 to $530


• iPhone 15 Pro: $410 to $420


• iPhone 15 Plus: $325 to $340


• iPhone 15: $320 to $335


• iPhone 14 Pro Max: $375 to $405


• iPhone 14 Pro: $320 to $335


• iPhone 14: $225 to $235


• iPhone SE (3rd generation): $80 to $85


• iPhone 13 Pro Max: $320 to $340


• iPhone 13 Pro: $260 to $285


• iPhone 13: $195 to $205


• iPhone 13 mini: $150 to $155


• iPhone 12 Pro Max: $220 to $240


• iPhone 12 Pro: $180 to $195


• iPhone 12: $125 to $135


• iPhone 12 mini: $85 to $90


• iPhone 11 Pro Max: $150 to $160


• iPhone 11 Pro: $135 to $145


• iPhone 11: $100 to $110


• iPhone XS Max: $90 to $95


• iPhone XS: $65 to $70


• iPhone XR: $80 to $90


• iPhone 8: $35 to $40

Unchanged models include the iPhone 16e, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone X, and iPhone 8 Plus. Every current ‌iPad‌ also gained value:

• iPad Pro: $690 to $720


• iPad Air: $460 to $490


• iPad mini: $265 to $300


• iPad: $235 to $260

The Mac saw some of the largest percentage increases in today's update, led by the Mac mini's roughly 28% jump:

• MacBook Pro: $690 to $855


• MacBook Air: $520 to $580


• Mac mini: $375 to $480


• iMac: $355 to $380


• Mac Studio: $1,045 to $1,305


• Mac Pro: $2,045 to $2,195

The iMac Pro remains unchanged. Apple Watch estimates rose across most of the lineup:

• Apple Watch Series 10: $150 to $165


• Apple Watch Series 9: $130 to $135


• Apple Watch Series 8: $90 to $95


• Apple Watch Series 7: $65 to $70

Unchanged models include the Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), Apple Watch Series 6, and Apple Watch SE (1st generation).

Android trade-in values were more mixed. Apple added several newer Samsung, Google, and OnePlus phones to the list for the first time, while some existing estimates fell:

• Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G: $130 to $125


• Samsung Galaxy S22+ 5G: $80 to $85


• Samsung Galaxy S22 5G: $80 to $85


• Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G: $95 (new)


• Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: $315 (new)


• Google Pixel 9 Pro: $305 (new)


• Google Pixel 9: $210 (new)


• Google Pixel 8 Pro: $165 to $155


• Google Pixel 7 Pro: $95 to $90


• Google Pixel 7: $65 to $60


• OnePlus 13: $250 (new)


• OnePlus 13R: $165 (new)

Unchanged models include the Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, Google Pixel 8, Google Pixel 8a, OnePlus 12, and OnePlus 12R.

As always, Apple's listed values are estimates, with the company noting that final offers can vary based on a device's condition and configuration, and that not all devices are eligible for trade-in credit.
This article, "Apple Raises Trade-In Values for iPhone, Mac, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple and its manufacturing partners are racing to secure enough mobile DRAM to complete production of the iPhone 18 Pro and its first foldable iPhone, with around $1 billion worth of unpackaged processors reportedly sitting idle as they wait on memory chips, according to semiconductor analyst Tim Culpan.


With less than six weeks until the expected debut of the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and the first foldable iPhone, widely rumored to be called the "iPhone Ultra," assemblers are working with Apple to hurry DRAM shipments, Culpan reports. Apple leans heavily on Micron for the memory but also buys from SK Hynix and Samsung. Apple and its assemblers are said to remain confident they can meet initial demand, though sources are concerned that online order wait times could stretch out while retail inventory dries up quickly.

This year's iPhone lineup is set to introduce the "A20 Pro" chip, Apple's first chip built on TSMC's N2 process, which started shipping in volume earlier this year. Production is reportedly progressing well, with good volume and yields, but completed wafers are piling up because the DRAM needed to package them has not arrived. Because packaging cannot be completed without the corresponding DRAM, Culpan estimates that TSMC is currently sitting on roughly $1 billion worth of Apple processors that cannot move to the next stage of production.

The bottleneck apparently threatens to ripple into the final stages of iPhone production. Main logic board assembly and final assembly are handled primarily by Foxconn and BYD in China, and delays in packaged processor deliveries could compress their production schedules even if Apple ultimately secures enough memory for launch.

The squeeze reflects a broader memory shortage as AI infrastructure spending eats into global DRAM supply. Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged the pressure during the company's July 30 earnings call, saying Apple was "seeing some very significant constraints currently, with limited flexibility in the supply chain."

The crunch already forced Apple to raise prices and shift production priorities, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reporting this week that Apple is steering buyers toward the MacBook Pro and away from the MacBook Air.

Assemblers have reportedly been told that Apple plans to build around 200 million units combined across the iPhone 18, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, and ‌iPhone Ultra‌ over their lifetimes, with the Ultra accounting for less than 10% of that total. The rest is expected to be split evenly between the Pro and standard models. The foldable iPhone will likely cost more than $2,000, making it the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever sold.
This article, "Apple Scrambling to Secure Memory Ahead of iPhone 18 Pro Launch" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple has expanded support for the Apple Account Card in the Wallet app to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Malta.

The Apple Account Card option for Wallet started rolling out in 2022, and Apple has been gradually expanding to more countries since then.

The card displays the balance associated with a user's Apple Account and can be used to make purchases in the Apple Store, online, or for apps, subscriptions, and other Apple services.
This article, "Apple Account Card in Wallet Now Available in Four More Countries" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple's attempt to use Chinese memory maker CXMT as leverage against Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix has backfired, with the two Korean chipmakers ending up with more pricing power rather than less, DigiTimes reports, citing South Korean and Chinese trade press.


This year, Apple has explored CXMT and fellow Chinese chipmaker YMTC as potential DRAM suppliers, and had progressed to testing CXMT's chips as memory shortages pushed up the cost of almost all Apple devices. Apple hoped a credible Chinese alternative would pressure Samsung and SK Hynix into cutting their own prices, a tactic it has used before with OLED suppliers and contract manufacturers.

CXMT is barred from EUV lithography tools under U.S. export controls, so it has to rely on older DUV equipment that, per a cost analysis cited by TechTimes, requires around 30% more wafer starts to produce the same output. That extra cost means matching Samsung and SK Hynix's prices is CXMT's floor, not a discount it's able to offer, so when Apple pushed for a lower LPDDR5X quote, CXMT turned it down and held pricing at or above the Korean suppliers' own rates.

With that threat neutralized, Apple seemingly lost its main point of leverage. Digital Daily reports that Chinese device makers Huawei and Xiaomi have already locked up most of CXMT's output through long-term, high-price contracts, so the company doesn't need Apple's business badly enough to negotiate.

The result is the opposite of what Apple wanted; without a credible cheaper alternative to point to, Samsung and SK Hynix face less pressure to lower their own prices, at the same time they're shifting production toward high-bandwidth memory for AI servers and tightening the broader DRAM supply. The setback comes after Apple's CXMT plans drew pushback, with politicians demanding Apple commit to not buying Chinese memory chips at all.
This article, "Apple's Bid to Use Chinese Chipmaker as Leverage Backfires" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

OpenAI has asked a federal judge to dismiss Apple's lawsuit accusing the AI company of stealing trade secrets, calling the allegations "meritless."


Lawyers for OpenAI said Apple's suit twists the actions of its employees. Bloomberg reports that the filing defends Chief Hardware Officer Tang Yew Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple as VP of product design for iPhone and Apple Watch before leaving to co-found io Products with former Apple design chief Jony Ive. io merged with OpenAI in July 2025. OpenAI said Tan followed normal industry recruiting practices when interviewing Apple staff.

OpenAI also defended senior systems engineer Chang Liu, one of two former Apple employees named in the suit. Apple claims Liu accessed confidential hardware files over several weeks after finding an authentication bug. OpenAI said Liu was simply helping a former Apple colleague find information for their own work, and published excerpts of text messages it says back up that account. "Apple should not be permitted to use a baseless and pretextual lawsuit," OpenAI's lawyers wrote.

OpenAI's motion argues Apple never properly identified what information actually counts as a protectable trade secret. The company said it has no interest in Apple's confidential material because it is "building something entirely new and different from anything at Apple."

Axios reported that OpenAI's filing also disputes how Apple built its case. According to OpenAI, Apple's own security practices, including letting staff use personal iCloud accounts for work and later reviewing personal messages left on company devices, are what gave former employees leftover system access in the first place, not evidence of a coordinated theft. The 31 page filing repeatedly frames the case as Apple trying to cover for its own struggles, with variations of the word "fail" appearing nearly 50 times.

OpenAI's filing also revisited an earlier dispute over how the two sides first fell out of contact. Apple's suit had claimed OpenAI never responded to its outreach in February, and that the two sides discussed the matter with OpenAI's general counsel. OpenAI says neither is true, and that the breakdown traced back to Apple's own outside counsel confusing two OpenAI employees with similar surnames and sending a message to the wrong person.

This week's motion follows the suit Apple filed against OpenAI in July, which accuses the company of running a scheme to pull confidential product information out of job candidates and new hires. Apple and OpenAI had spent about two years partnering to build ChatGPT integration into Siri, but the relationship soured as OpenAI moved into hardware, a shift accelerated by its acquisition of Ive's startup. Apple's suit claims more than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI.

Apple escalated the case further this week, asking the same judge for a preliminary injunction to stop OpenAI from using any alleged trade secrets while the case continues, along with expedited discovery targeting Liu, Tan, OpenAI and its foundation, and io. Apple said its investigation has since turned up 11 more former employees who may have been witnesses or otherwise involved, beyond Liu, Tan, and previously named OpenAI employee Yu-Ting Peng.

Apple claims one former employee met with Liu and Peng before Peng's OpenAI interview and discussed proprietary information about unannounced products, and that another took screenshots of confidential documents relating to an unannounced Apple product before their own interview. Apple also said that after it filed its complaint, several former staffers now at OpenAI reached out about returning Apple issued devices they had kept.

OpenAI called that injunction request "based on false information and completely unnecessary" in a public blog post responding to Apple's filing. OpenAI has a court ordered deadline of August 17 to formally respond to Apple's preliminary injunction request. The judge is set to hear arguments on October 1.
This article, "OpenAI Asks Judge to Dismiss Apple's Trade Secrets Lawsuit" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Surgeons who wore an Apple Vision Pro as their primary display during a tear duct procedure finished operations 19% faster than surgeons using a traditional monitor, according to a peer-reviewed study by UC San Diego.


The study, published in the journal AJO International (via iPhone in Canada), looked at 32 endoscopic surgeries to clear blocked tear ducts. In half the cases, surgeons wore Vision Pro headsets that streamed the endoscopic video feed directly into their field of view instead of looking at a monitor across the room, letting them keep a natural forward-facing posture throughout.

Average operative time came in at 34.4 minutes with the Vision Pro, compared to 42.7 minutes with the traditional monitor. Every case in both groups succeeded with no complications, and all five surgeons involved said they preferred operating with the headset, reporting lower physical and mental workload.

The researchers also found the Vision Pro was cheaper and far smaller than the monitor setup it replaced, though they caution the study is small and preliminary, and call for larger trials to confirm the results.
This article, "Apple Vision Pro Speeds Up Surgery by Almost 20%" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Global foldable smartphone shipments are expected to grow 20% in 2026 compared to last year, with Apple's first entry into the category cited as one of the factors driving the increase, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes.


The report notes that the broader smartphone market is contending with tighter supply of upstream logic chips and higher memory prices, but says the foldable segment is expected to keep expanding regardless. Samsung is expected to retain its lead in the category, while Apple, Huawei, and other brands are described as helping to drive growth, with the fourth quarter of 2026 flagged as the year's most important sales period.

Industry sources told the publication that wider foldable designs and Apple's move into foldables are giving the category a further lift. Nearly eight years of product development, along with a growing number of brand launches and a broader range of devices for buyers, have made foldables more mature and given manufacturers added momentum to expand shipments.

Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models this September, and has reportedly told suppliers to prepare to build around 10 million units this year. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested the device may not be available to pre-order until the fourth quarter of 2026, a timeline that lines up with DigiTimes' framing of that quarter as the category's key growth window.

According to the report, Samsung's own experience shows that early preorder campaigns can generate strong launch-period sales, but the bigger growth phase is expected to arrive in the fourth quarter, once foldable launches from multiple brands are already on the market. That period is seen as a key opportunity to expand overall demand and drive shipment growth. ‌DigiTimes‌ added that that most consumers already expect device prices to rise, so demand should hold up as long as increases stay reasonable.
This article, "Foldable Smartphone Sales to Rise 20% This Year Due to 'iPhone Ultra'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple is prototyping a second new iPhone display, this one measuring around 6.4 inches, that could be destined for the 20th anniversary iPhone, according to a Chinese leaker.


In a recent post on Weibo, the leaker known as "Digital Chat Station" said Apple is currently sampling two new display panels. One measures roughly 6.4 inches and has a chance of being used in the "‌iPhone 20 Pro‌," while the other is the approximately 7-inch panel previously reported for the larger ‌"iPhone 20 Pro Max‌."

According to the leaker, physical screen sizes across the entire 20th anniversary lineup are set to increase while the aspect ratio stays the same as before, and the devices may adopt an all-new borderless design with curves on all four edges. That would line up with earlier claims that the lineup will feature an edge-to-edge display with curved glass on all sides for a nearly borderless visual effect.

A 6.4-inch screen would be a modest step up from the 6.3-inch displays on the current ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and the upcoming ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, which is not expected to change size this year. Apple last grew its premium iPhone displays with the iPhone 16 Pro lineup in 2024, when the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro increased from 6.1 to 6.3 inches and the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max grew from 6.7 to 6.9 inches.

The claim follows a Bloomberg report from last month that said Apple had ramped up work on two sizes of the 20th-anniversary iPhone.

In addition to the new design and larger displays, Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone models are expected to feature under-display Face ID technology, a custom Apple image sensor, haptic buttons, the A21 chip, higher bandwidth memory, and a pure silicon battery.
This article, "Bigger Displays Rumored for Next Year's iPhone Models" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums