Apple is making more of an effort to turn the iPhone into a physical wallet replacement in iOS 27, and there are several upgrades to the Wallet app.

Pass Upgrades

Apple upgraded airline boarding passes in the Wallet app with iOS 26, and in ‌iOS 27‌, upgrades are coming to additional types of passes. Memberships, gift cards, loyalty cards, and rewards cards can use a bolder "Poster Generic" card style with full background images, primary logo, header fields, footer field, primary fields, and an optional barcode.


Each pass is able to include up to two actions that can be tapped from the bottom of the pass, such as getting directions to a venue or checking a rewards point balance.

Apple is also allowing users to check the pass issuer certificate to ensure that a digital pass is legitimate (not applicable to Create a Pass), and there are four new barcode types supported, including EAN–13, Code 39, Codabar, and ITF.

There is a new Pass Designer Mac app for developers that makes it easier to create a pass using a WYSIWYG editor.

Create a Pass

There's a "Create a Pass" feature in the Wallet app for adding tickets, memberships, and more using Visual Intelligence. If you have a ticket for an event and there's not a digital version available for the Wallet app already, you can create one using the physical pass.



You can scan a pass and add it with Visual Intelligence if there's a barcode or QR code, or a pass can be added manually. Pass templates include Standard, Membership, and Event.

Each type includes relevant information like name, location, or admission type, along with a scannable code drawn from an included barcode or QR code that you take a photo of. There are 12 background colors to choose from with different texture options, or seven custom backgrounds for categories like theater, music, sports, and movies.

Fields can be added or removed as needed when creating a custom pass, with options like label, date, membership, contact, coupon code, VIN, insurance, and more, so most physical cards are able to be stored digitally.

Hotel Keys

When you add a digital hotel key from a participating hotel to the Wallet app, you can now view more details about the trip. Hotels can provide updates on booked activities and allow access to different services.

AI Bill Splitting

Using the new Siri Mode in the Camera app, or a feature in the Messages and Wallet apps, you can take a photo of a bill and use Apple Intelligence to figure out what each person owes. ‌Visual Intelligence‌ scans the receipt and makes a digital copy of everything on the list, and each person can select what they consumed. Tax and tip portions are also calculated automatically.

Payments can be made using Apple Cash, which is a U.S.-only feature.

Insights

‌iOS 27‌ includes an "Insights" feature where you can add financial accounts to the Wallet app to monitor spending.



Insights is an expansion of the Connected Accounts feature in earlier versions of iOS, and it includes spending, recurring transactions, account balances, and more. It works for financial institutions that have implemented Connected Cards support, including several UK banks.

Order Tracking

Order tracking in the Wallet app is expanding to Australia and Canada in ‌iOS 27‌. In ‌iOS 26‌, it was limited to the United States and UK.

Tap to Share

Tap to Share is an ‌iOS 27‌ feature that lets customers connect to a participating merchant's iPhone for quicker digital checkout.

Device Requirements

‌Visual Intelligence‌ is an ‌Apple Intelligence‌ feature requiring an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. Many of the other features should work on all iPhones.
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In the fifth beta of iOS 27, Apple is continuing to make design tweaks. There are updated Liquid Glass icons for Safari, the Siri app, Settings, Remote, App Store, and Preview.


The Safari icon is a brighter blue with more detailed compass lines and arrows, while the ‌Siri‌ icon looks more like the actual ‌Siri‌ bubble that's displayed when ‌Siri‌ is activated. The ‌App Store‌ app icon is more translucent so you can better see each line making up the A, Settings uses more translucency, and Preview has an entirely different look with a loupe over a colorful background. The Remote icon also has more detail and it's been updated with a gray background instead of black.

Some app icons were updated with the initial ‌iOS 27‌ beta release, including Maps, Photos, and Weather, but others kept their iOS 26 look.

It's possible Apple will overhaul even more icons in upcoming betas, because the company said it was planning to give icons an updated layered look to better fit the Liquid Glass aesthetic.

‌iOS 27‌ will be released in just about a month.
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With the fifth beta of iOS 27, Apple has expanded the voice customization options for Siri AI.


Pace and Expressivity can now be adjusted for more of the available voice options instead of just the two American voices.

There are seven American voice options and four British voices to choose from, all of which can be customized with different Pace and Expressivity settings. Pace changes talking speed, while expressivity changes emphasis.

‌Siri‌ AI voice customization is done on-device, so the feature is limited to newer iPhones. You need an iPhone 17 Pro, ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max, or iPhone Air to use voice customization on an iPhone.

It's available on Macs with an M3 chip or newer and at least 12GB RAM, and the M4 iPad Pro and newer, also with at least 12GB RAM.
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Apple is scaling back its hardware shipment plans in 2026 due to DRAM shortages, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today.


Kuo made the comment in a longer piece disputing a recent report suggesting TSMC has $1 billion of unpackaged processors waiting on memory chips that Apple has been unable to secure. Kuo said Apple plans processor production at least three months in advance based on the amount of memory expected to be available, and it does not have TSMC build large numbers of wafers ahead of time. He believes there are indeed memory shortages, but no situation where TSMC is sitting on unused inventory.

In other words, tight memory supply is real. But my understanding is that there has been no dramatic scenario in which TSMC first built up US$1 billion of WIP and then had to wait for memory to arrive before packaging could proceed. TSMC and Apple are both known for world-class execution, and such a dramatic development would be unusual given how closely the two companies coordinate their supply chains.

Memory shortages have already affected the Mac Studio, Mac mini, and MacBook Air, and it sounds like ongoing supply problems will also impact the upcoming iPhone models. Memory makers have been prioritizing supply for AI data centers because contracts for those chips are more profitable, leaving less capacity available for consumer device chips.

A lack of supply has driven prices up and led to long wait times for some products. Apple raised prices on all of its Macs and iPads in June, and iPhone prices are expected to go up in September.

The iPhone 18 Pro, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra could be available in limited quantities because of the memory problems, and we expect the devices will sell out during the preorder period.
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Apple today provided developers with the fifth beta of macOS Golden Gate, with the update coming two weeks after Apple seeded the fourth beta.


Developers can download ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ by going to System Settings > General > Software Update. Beta Updates will need to be enabled, and a free developer account is required.

‌macOS Golden Gate‌ includes multiple design improvements. Liquid Glass opacity has been improved to increase readability, there's a slider for controlling the level of transparency, and changes to shadowing make it easier to tell when a window is active. Apps now have uniform toolbars, edge-to-edge sidebars, and less rounded corners, plus there are fewer icons in menu bars.

Siri has been transformed into ‌Siri‌ AI, a chatbot-style assistant that combines general world knowledge, your personal data, and onscreen awareness to answer questions about anything and find information for you. ‌Siri‌ lives in Spotlight, and you can ask questions with the new Search or Ask interface.

There's also a ‌Siri‌ app where you can chat with ‌Siri‌ and view past conversations, and on newer Macs, you can set a custom voice for ‌Siri‌ with personalized pace and expressivity. Visual Intelligence is now on the Mac so ‌Siri‌ can answer questions about what's on your screen, and a Write with ‌Siri‌ feature lets ‌Siri‌ generate text or give feedback on your writing.

There are AI photo editing tools in the Photos app, AI tab organization in Safari, an option to use AI to automatically update weak passwords in the Passwords app, and a revamped Image Playground app that can generate photorealistic images.

More on all of the new features in ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ can be found in our macOS Golden Gate roundup.
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Apple today released a new beta of macOS Tahoe 26.6.2, which is available to developers and public beta testers. The ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.6.2 beta comes just a few days after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.6.1, a security update.


Developers and public beta testers can download the software by opening the System Settings app and then navigating to the Software Updates section.

According to Apple's release notes, ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.6.2 includes security fixes for the Mac.

The prior update, macOS 26.6.1, fixed a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to authenticate to Screen Sharing without valid credentials.

Update: This article previously said macOS 26.6.2 had been released, but it turns out the update is a beta.
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Apple today released new betas of iOS 26.6.1 and iPadOS 26.6.1, which are available to developers and public beta testers. The iOS and iPadOS 26.6.1 betas come two weeks after the launch of iOS 26.6, an update that added Spotlight optimizations ahead of iOS 27.


iOS 26.6.1 and iPadOS 26.6.1 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

According to Apple's release notes, iOS 26.6.1 includes security fixes for the iPhone and iPad. The updates are available in a beta capacity only right now.

Apple is wrapping up work on iOS 26 because ‌iOS 27‌ is launching in just about a month. ‌iOS 27‌ is available to developers and public beta testers ahead of its public debut.

Update: This article previously said iOS 26.6.1 and iPadOS 26.6.1 had been released, but it turns out the updates are betas.
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Apple today seeded the fifth betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after Apple released the fourth betas.


Registered developers can download the betas from the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad by going to the General section and selecting Software Update.

‌iOS 27‌ introduces Apple's smarter version of Siri, ‌Siri‌ AI. ‌Siri‌ AI is a chatbot similar to ChatGPT, incorporating general world knowledge, personal data from apps like Messages and Mail, and onscreen awareness to answer questions and find information for you.

There are new Apple Intelligence features in apps like Photos, Safari, Shortcuts, Wallet, and Passwords, plus Apple added a standalone ‌Siri‌ app that houses ‌Siri‌ conversations. Write with ‌Siri‌ is available systemwide for generating text or offering feedback on your writing, and Visual Intelligence has been relocated to the Camera app with a new ‌Siri‌ mode.

Apple improved the look of Liquid Glass and added a slider for customizing transparency. There are multiple performance improvements to speed up iOS, so everything feels faster, even on older iPhones. Apps launch quicker, AirDrop transfers are faster, the keyboard pops up more quickly, and devices are better at transitioning between Wi-Fi and Cellular to keep you connected.

For more on what's new in ‌iOS 27‌, we have a dedicated iOS 27 roundup.
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Apple today seeded the fifth beta of watchOS 27 to developers, with the update coming two weeks after the launch of the fourth beta.


The beta can be downloaded through the Watch app on the iPhone with a free developer account. The Apple Watch will need to be on the charger, connected to Wi-Fi, and have a battery level of 50 percent or above for new software to be installed. The beta is available for all Apple Watch models compatible with ‌watchOS 27‌ except for the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

‌watchOS 27‌ gains Siri AI, the smarter, more capable version of ‌Siri‌. ‌Siri‌ can hold back-and-forth conversations, plus it has access to general world knowledge and your personal data to answer questions and find information. ‌Siri‌ AI on Apple Watch requires an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, including the iPhone 15 Pro and later.

There's a new Dynamic app grid that highlights ‌Siri‌ suggested apps, and more intuitive Smart Stack Suggestions. You can find your parked car, see pinned messages, get noise alerts, and view identity and transit cards.

Liquid Glass has been updated to improve legibility, and Workout Buddy works on the Apple Watch even when an iPhone isn't nearby. Workout Buddy also gains new metrics like progressive increases to distance, pace, or duration. Apple added a new all-in-one Find My app with support for Precision Finding, and there are performance optimizations that improve battery life.

More on what's new in ‌watchOS 27‌ is available in our watchOS 27 roundup.

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Apple today seeded the fifth beta of tvOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after Apple released the fourth beta.


The beta can be downloaded and installed through the Settings app on the Apple TV. A free developer account is required.

tvOS 27 has few new features compared to the other 27 software updates, but it does add a redesigned Podcasts app, options for larger text, and a more responsive Control Center.

AirPlaying to an ‌Apple TV‌ from another Apple device is faster, and apps and animations are smoother. You can also now see AppleCare coverage details in the Settings app.

More on the features in tvOS 27 can be found in our Apple TV roundup.
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Apple today provided developers with the fifth beta of an upcoming visionOS 27 update for testing purposes, with the beta coming two weeks after Apple released the fourth beta.


visionOS 27 can be installed by opening the Settings app, going to Software Updates, and opting into Beta Updates.

visionOS 27 introduces Siri AI, the smarter and more capable version of ‌Siri‌ that's similar in capability to chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude. On the Vision Pro, ‌Siri‌ can answer questions about anything the wearer is looking at, and there's a new ‌Siri‌ orb that can be placed anywhere in wearer's virtual space.

Panorama photos can be turned into spatial environments, and there's a new Icelandic Thórsmörk environment that features dramatic mountains, valleys, and glaciers, along with the northern lights. Web Environment support allows developers to create 360-degree environments in Safari for a more native Vision Pro browsing experience.

App windows are now curved to provide a more immersive workspace, and Control Center has been reorganized to make system controls easier to find. Apple added a smaller widget size, and notifications automatically expand when the wearer looks at them.

More on what's new in visionOS 27 is listed in our Vision Pro roundup.
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The upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with a nearly 12% larger battery compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, according to an apparent leak.


An alleged photo of a battery pack for a Chinese model of the iPhone 18 Pro Max with a SIM card tray lists a capacity of 5,391 mAh, up from 4,823 mAh for the equivalent iPhone 17 Pro Max battery. The photo was shared on the Korean platform Naver today, but it supposedly originated from the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

The identical 5,391 mAh capacity appeared in a regulatory database last month, so the capacity is looking increasingly likely to be accurate.


For the U.S. model of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, in which the lack of a SIM card tray provides more space for a slightly larger battery, the Naver post claims it will have a 5,567 mAh capacity. The equivalent iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 5,088 mAh battery, so this would work out to be a nearly 10% increase on a year-over-year basis.

Based on this leak, it appears that meaningful battery life gains will not extend to the smaller iPhone 18 Pro. In the U.S., the device will apparently have a 4,288 mAh battery, which would be less than a 1% increase over the iPhone 17 Pro's 4,252 mAh battery in that country. It was previously rumored that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be thicker than the iPhone 18 Pro, so that might help to explain the difference.

All of the alleged iPhone 18 Pro battery capacities are listed in the table below.

iPhone 18 Pro

	China	China Difference	U.S.	U.S. Difference
iPhone 16 Pro	3,582mAh	+308mAh	3,582mAh	+308mAh
iPhone 17 Pro	3,988mAh	+406mAh	4,252mAh	+670mAh
iPhone 18 Pro	4,056mAh	+68mAh	4,288mAh	+36mAh

iPhone 18 Pro Max

	China	China Difference	U.S.	U.S. Difference
iPhone 16 Pro Max	4,685mAh	+244mAh	4,685mAh	+244mAh
iPhone 17 Pro Max	4,823mAh	+138mAh	5,088mAh	+403mAh
iPhone 18 Pro Max	5,391mAh	+568mAh	5,567mAh	+479mAh

The capacities differ by region because Apple has continued to include a SIM tray on iPhones sold in some countries outside of the U.S., while U.S. models have been eSIM only since the iPhone 14 lineup. Without a physical tray taking up internal space, Apple can fit a slightly larger battery into the eSIM-only version of each device.

Starting with the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the SIM card tray is also removed on models sold in Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and a few other countries and territories.
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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.
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Apple and MLB today released the September schedule for Apple TV's weekly Friday Night Baseball doubleheader. The games are included with an Apple TV subscription at no additional cost, and there is a new perk for Vision Pro users.


For the first time, Friday Night Baseball will be streamed live in the Apple Immersive format, allowing Vision Pro users to watch a 3D video feed recorded in 8K with a 180º field of view. The first game streamed in Apple Immersive will see the Boston Red Sox face the New York Yankees on Friday, August 28 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

Vision Pro users with an Apple TV subscription in Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the U.K., and the U.S. can stream the games live in Apple Immersive directly through the Apple TV app. Full game replays and highlights will be available on demand in the Apple TV app for the Vision Pro.

"On August 28, viewers with Vision Pro will experience the iconic Red Sox vs. Yankees rivalry from unique camera angles that place viewers right in the game, immersed in the drama of each at-bat, the celebrations in the dugout after a big hit, close plays at the outfield wall, and more," said Apple, in a press release.

Apple said team lineups and stats will float on screen, and there will be a stadium view with Spatial Audio during breaks in the action.

Four out of seven of the Friday Night Baseball games in September will be streamed in Apple Immersive, with a full schedule provided in Apple's announcement.
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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.
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Apple's foldable iPhone is expected to arrive in September against a rival already outrunning its own forecasts.

ETNews reports Samsung is building an extra one million Galaxy Z Fold 8 units, after the 4:3 device took 70 percent of a record 1.44 million Galaxy Z8 series pre-orders. Apple's foldable display – made by Samsung – is rumored to use the same aspect ratio in the same book-style form factor.
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Amazon this week is taking $30 off the Apple Watch SE 3, starting at $219.00 for the 40mm GPS model. These are second-best prices on the SE 3, but it's been a few months since we last tracked record low prices, so this is a good opportunity for anyone who's been waiting for a deal.

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.

You can also get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE 3 on sale for $249.00, down from $279.00. Both the 40mm and 44mm GPS models are available in Midnight and Starlight Aluminum at these prices.




In addition to the Apple Watch SE 3 discounts, Amazon has $99 off the Apple Watch Series 11 right now, which are also solid second-best prices on the wearables. If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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Apple 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.
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Apple has been testing memory chips from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) across product lines including iPhones and MacBooks, according to a report today from The Wall Street Journal ($).


Laptop makers HP and Acer have already started using memory chips from CXMT in devices sold outside the U.S. Meanwhile, Apple has held early talks with CXMT about supplying components for devices sold in China, and the company is hoping for a sign-off from the White House before going further. The Financial Times reported last month that Apple had begun qualifying CXMT's DRAM, but today's report is the first to place that testing inside specific product categories.

What could scupper any potential deal are U.S. rules that bar American companies from transferring technology to CXMT, including conversations about technical details and product specifications. Export lawyer Kevin Wolf of Akin Gump told WSJ that Apple can buy off-the-shelf CXMT components and haggle over price, but it can't commission chips designed to its own requirements.

Apple usually has memory specially configured to work optimally with its own silicon, so using standard parts could mean reworking sections of its hardware, or potentially settling for less-than-ideal performance.

What's making Apple's life harder is the fact that a bipartisan group of senators led by Chuck Schumer has asked the company to rule out using Chinese memory entirely. A response to the request is due August 21.

There are supply issues to contend with as well. CXMT has reportedly maxed out production for the year and has little room for new international customers, having already prioritized domestic buyers such as ByteDance, Tencent, and Xiaomi. Its prices reportedly sit level with (and sometimes above) those of Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung. That's bad news for Apple. A fourth supplier only helps if it has chips to sell and sells them cheaper. Right now though, CXMT does neither.

Apple raised prices across its product lineup (excepting iPhone models) in June, blaming memory costs driven by the AI infrastructure demand.
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LG Display is developing a five-layer OLED panel structure that could end up in a future iMac, with an extra layer added to prevent screen burn-in and increase brightness, reports The Elec.


LG Display already builds four-stack OLED panels for high-resolution monitors, and arranges the light-emitting layers in a blue-green-blue-red pattern. The five-stack version reportedly under development adds a third blue layer, creating a blue-green-blue-red-blue arrangement.

Stacking on another emitting layer spreads the electrical load, which is important at high pixel densities, where each pixel gets smaller, as does the portion of it that actually emits light. Pushing more current through a smaller emitter to keep brightness up is also said to shorten panel life while making image retention more likely.

Apple last year sent requests for information to Samsung Display and LG Display about iMac OLED panel development. The specifications discussed were a 24-inch panel with 600 nits of brightness and 218 pixels per inch. The current 24-inch iMac's LCD manages 500 nits at the same density.

LG Display has already demonstrated a 27-inch 5K panel at 220 PPI with an RGB stripe subpixel layout. Given it uses the four-stack structure, it is likely not destined for an iMac, but The Elec suggests it is a gauge for high-density RGB stripe OLED and whether the company can manufacture it in volume.

The only problem with using five stacks, however, is cost. More emitting layers mean more organic material and a reportedly fiddlier deposition process. At the same time, LG Display has to reach Apple's brightness and lifespan requirements without ruining its yields in the process.

Samsung Display is developing QD-OLED for the same reason. Both suppliers are targeting 2028 to have the first iMac OLED panels developed, but a launch likely won't happen until 2029 at the earliest. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to refresh its current 24-inch LCD-based iMac with a new processor later this year.
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Apple's iPhone 18 Pro will cost nearly 40 percent more to build than its predecessor because of soaring memory prices, according to new data analyzed TrendForce.


The research firm's latest smartphone analysis puts the bill of materials for the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro roughly 38 percent above the equivalent iPhone 17 Pro, and says higher retail prices will be unavoidable as a result.

Memory is said to have accounted for about 10 percent of the 256GB iPhone Pro's total component cost a year ago. TrendForce estimates that figure at roughly 34 percent in the third quarter of 2026, rising past 40 percent in the first half of 2027. Panel and application processor costs, once the two biggest line items, drop to single-digit percentages by that point, given memory has taken up so much of the overall cost.

TrendForce expects Apple to take the same approach it used with recent MacBook launches by giving up part of its gross margin to keep the increase palatable with customers and protect shipment volumes. It also suggests Apple could raise prices on older iPhone models at the same time as the new lineup arrives, thereby spreading the cost recovery across the range.


TrendForce notes that memory prices have climbed five- to sevenfold since the start of 2025, and expects Android vendors in the entry-level and mid-range segments to raise prices more steeply than Apple. That, or they could drop product lines outright.

Apple raised prices across the Mac, iPad, Apple TV, HomePod, and Vision Pro lines in June over concerns about the same memory crunch. The iPhone lineup escaped that round, but it looks increasingly unlikely that it will escape the next one.

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its first foldable iPhone "Ultra" next month.
This article, "iPhone 18 Pro Costing Apple 38% More to Make, TrendForce Estimates" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple considered a so-called "white-glove" element for its Apple Upgrade leasing program that would have delivered each new replacement device already loaded with the customer's data, but the idea never made it out of planning, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Apple Upgrade launched in the U.S. on July 28, replacing the iPhone Upgrade Program and iPhone Payments. The plan lets customers lease an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch rather than buy one outright or pay in installments. iPhone and Apple Watch leases run 12 or 24 months, while Mac and iPad terms are 24 or 36 months. At the end of a term, customers return the device, pay off the balance and keep it, or trade up to a new lease.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman reports that when the concept was first discussed years ago, Apple also weighed the idea of having each year's device arrive at the customer's door ready to use, restored from their iCloud backup before it shipped. The version of Apple Upgrade that was actually launched last month includes nothing of the sort.

Setting up a new iPhone can be a notoriously drawn-out process, and the feature would have removed that step from launch day entirely. Gurman believes however that the privacy optics may have put Apple off the idea.

Gurman says the technical side was never the obstacle. Rather, Apple may have decided the idea of receiving a new iPhone with personal account data pre-installed on it could be unnerving for some customers, provoking questions about how the data was transferred and whether anyone could have accessed it.
This article, "Apple Dropped Plan to Ship Leased iPhones Already Set Up for Users" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple is likely to unveil a new M6 MacBook Pro and refreshed iMacs in October, based on its typical release schedule, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Writing in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman reiterated his belief that Apple is readying the launch of a refreshed base-model MacBook Pro with a 14-inch display powered by an M6 chip.

The base model is expected ahead of new high-end MacBook Pro models with OLED displays and M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which could arrive between the end of this year and early 2027. Gurman reported last month that Apple was testing the laptops with macOS 27.1, which is scheduled for release to consumers at the end of October.

As for iMacs, the new version is likely to be an updated 24-inch model with an M5 chip or M6 chip, replacing the existing M4 model. No major design changes are expected, with Apple also reportedly developing a 24-inch iMac with an OLED display, though that won't arrive for several years.
This article, "New MacBook Pro and Refreshed iMacs Likely Coming in October" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Amazon this weekend is taking $50 off Wi-Fi models of Apple's 11th generation iPad. Prices start at $399.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $449.00. This is a match of the best price we've seen on the iPad since Apple's price hikes in June.

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.

Additionally, Amazon has the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad for $499.00 ($50 off) and the 512GB Wi-Fi iPad for $699.00 ($50 off). Free delivery estimates are placed around August 13 for most of these iPad models, but Prime members should be able to get same-day delivery in many locations.





If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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This article, "Score the A16 iPad for Its Best Price Since June's Hike" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's annual September iPhone event is just about a month away, and things are going to be a little bit different this year with Apple moving to a split launch for the iPhone 18 lineup, so make sure you're up to date on everything we may see at the event.


This week also saw word that Apple is experiencing shortages of the MacBook Air due to the ongoing memory crunch, while the software side saw a significant issue with iCloud Private Relay disclosed and progress from Apple on a cross-platform clipboard, so read on below for all of the details!

Top Stories

Everything Apple Is Expected to Announce in September

Apple is going to announce at least five new devices next month at its annual iPhone-centric event, though it's possible we'll also get devices that were waiting on Siri AI, so check out our overview of what we might see. There's even a late-breaking wild card in the form of camera-equipped AirPods, which were previously thought to be a 2027 launch.


Apple is gearing up for the big iPhone event, which should take place in the first half of September with Apple currently holding a lottery for its U.S. retail employees to come to Apple Park and help staff the event.

iPhone 18 Pro Models Could Be Up to $300 More Expensive, Says Analyst

Following recent price increases across the Mac and iPad lineups, most observers are expecting the iPhone lineup to follow suit as part of next month's launch of new models. It remains unknown just how much iPhone prices will increase compared to current models, but analyst Jeff Pu believes the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max could see increases of $250–$300 due to component shortages.


Apple is reportedly still scrambling to secure sufficient memory supplies for the upcoming iPhone models, and the company reportedly has around $1 billion worth of unpackaged processors sitting idle as they wait for their accompanying memory chips. The issues could lead to shortages of the new iPhone models at launch.

MacBook Air Experiencing 'Major' Shortage Despite $200 Price Increase

Despite receiving a price increase in June, the MacBook Air is currently experiencing a "major" shortage, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


"Retail store sources say Apple is struggling to keep the laptop in stock and that shipments of new units are more constrained than they can ever recall," he said.

In the U.S., the MacBook Air is facing a 2–6 week delivery estimate on Apple's online store, with configurations with higher amounts of RAM delayed the longest.

Bigger Displays Rumored for Next Year's iPhone Models

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." (Even though next year's models should be in the iPhone 19 family, many expect Apple to jump to iPhone 20 or iPhone XX in recognition of the device's anniversary.)

Apple is planning a significant revamp of its pro iPhone models in 2027, with more of an all-glass design that wraps the display around all four edges of the device, a smaller display cutout, and more.

Apple's iCloud Private Relay is Leaking Users' Real IP Addresses

Apple's paid Safari protection feature that promises to keep your IP address masked doesn't always work, according to security researchers Tommy Mysk and Talal Haj Bakry. It turns out iCloud Private Relay can expose your real IP to websites that use or pretend to use passkeys.


‌iCloud‌ Private Relay is a service included with paid ‌iCloud‌+ plans. It is supposed to hide your IP and DNS information when you browse the web using Safari, but it is not a VPN that masks all traffic from a device. Passkeys use the WebAuthn standard, which stores a private key on your device, not the Safari browser. The request the system sends to the website isn't protected by Private Relay and can leak your IP address.

Apple Plans iPhone-to-Windows Copy and Paste in EU After Microsoft Request

Apple is working on a new feature that will support cross-device copy and paste between iOS devices and Windows PCs. Microsoft asked for the feature using Apple's EU interoperability request system for developers, which Apple implemented to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Apple began evaluating the request in March, and on June 26, proposed a project plan.


Apple says introducing cross-device copy and paste is a significant engineering effort, with work expected to be complete by fall 2027. It will be shipped first in a developer beta for testing ahead of a public release. If the feature is added toward the end of fall 2027, it could be early 2028 before the public gets access.

It is likely that cross-device copy and paste will be limited to iPhone and Windows users in the European Union, though it is possible Apple could implement it worldwide.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!
This article, "Top Stories: Apple's September Announcements, MacBook Air Shortages, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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

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