Prime Day has ended, but the event's best prices have stuck around on a few Apple devices and accessories this weekend. You can still find great deals on AirPods, AirTag, Apple Watch, and MacBook Pro right now on Amazon. Regarding the MacBook Pro, these are now some of the only affected devices still in stock on Amazon in the wake of Apple's price hike this week.

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

MacBook Pro

The M5 Pro/M5 Max MacBook Pro models are some of the only remaining products in stock after Apple's price hikes began this week. Starting with the 14-inch models, you can get the 24GB/1TB M5 Pro MacBook Pro for $2,149.99, now a $349 discount on the new price.




You can get up to $549 off the 16-inch MacBook Pro right now on Amazon, with the 24GB RAM/1TB M5 Pro model hitting $2,649.99, a $349 discount on the new price.

AirPods

The best Prime Day AirPods discount that's still around is on the AirPods 4, available for $99.00, down from $129.00.

AirTag 2

Apple's AirTag 2 hit the new low price of $24.00 for the 1-Pack and $89.00 for the 4-Pack.




This is the first major discount we've ever seen on the AirTag 2 at Amazon since the device launched earlier in 2026. The new AirTag is equipped with a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, enabling the Precision Finding feature to work up to 50% farther away from an item compared to the previous-generation model.

Apple Watch Series 11

Amazon this week has all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with $120 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. This sale includes a handful of GPS aluminum models on sale at record low prices.




You can get the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 11 for $279.00, down from $399.00, and the 46mm GPS model for $309.00, down from $429.00. On Amazon, you'll find three of the 42mm GPS models and two of the 46mm GPS models on sale at these all-time low prices.

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, "Missed Prime Day? You Can Still Grab Record Low Apple Discounts This Weekend" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The Apple community was rocked this week as the company instituted massive price hikes on a broad array of products, with many products seeing increases of 10–20 percent and a few as high as 50 percent or more. The move led many Apple fans to flock to Amazon and other retailers in attempts to make purchases before the price increases trickle down to third-party sellers.


Other major news this week included a recap of the numerous products in Apple's pipeline rumored for release over the next 12–18 months, a second round of developer betas for iOS 27 and other updates, changes to Apple's chip roadmap, and more, so read on below for all of the details!

Top Stories

Apple Just Increased Prices on MacBooks, iPads, and More

After Tim Cook signaled last week that Apple hardware price increases were "unavoidable" in the face of high memory and storage costs from suppliers, Apple this week followed through with a slew of major price increases across its Mac and iPad lineups, as well as on HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV, and Vision Pro.


Apple explained that the company has "never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly," and while Apple held off on raising prices for as long as possible, the situation has become dire enough that it feels it needs to pass the increases along to customers. Apple says that it is "working tirelessly to find solutions," but memory suppliers forecast that shortages and high prices will last well into 2027.

Apple's price increases have largely yet to trickle down to third-party retailers and buyers are quickly snapping up whatever stock Amazon and others have left at the cheaper prices, so if you're interested in making a purchase, it would be wise to act quickly.

Apple to Release These 20 New Products Across Rest of 2026 and 2027

Apple's cadence of product updates has been slowed due to impacts from delays to the more advanced Siri as well as component shortages, so that means the pipeline of upcoming products is remarkably full at the moment.


Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week recapped a list of around 20 new products we should be seeing through the remainder of 2026 and into 2027. The list includes updates to much of Apple's current product lineup, plus some new products like the foldable iPhone, a high-end touchscreen MacBook, camera-equipped AirPods, a smart home hub, and smart glasses.

Everything New in iOS 27 Beta 2

Apple this week rolled out a second round of developer betas for iOS 27 and related updates, and the new iOS 27 beta includes a few changes as Apple continues to build out the update ahead of an expected September public release.


A new "Write with Siri" button in several first-party apps makes it easier to locate the tools that allow Siri to assist you with writing, while there are improvements to RCS messaging, tweaks to the Camera and Wallet apps, the ability to update an Apple TV from the Home app on iPhone, and more.

2027 Macs to Get AI-Focused M7 Chips as Apple Skips High-End M6

A significant shakeup for Apple's chip roadmap is underway, according to Bloomberg, with Apple cutting higher-end chips from the upcoming M6 family as the company seeks to speed up development of the M7 family to deliver greater AI optimizations.


It sounds like we'll only be getting a base M6 chip from that family later this year in some lower-end Macs, with Apple quickly moving on to an M7 chip in the first half of 2027. Higher-end chips in the M7 family will follow later in 2027.

Apple's highly anticipated OLED touchscreen "MacBook Ultra," will reportedly use the current M5 Pro and M5 chips that debuted in the MacBook Pro earlier this year, despite the fact that the new laptop won't arrive until late this year or even early next year.

Apple Explains Why watchOS 27 Drops Support for So Many Models

Amid some consternation from users, Apple has explained why five Apple Watch models will miss out on watchOS 27 and the new Siri AI features that come with it.


The Apple Watch Series 6, 7, 8, SE 2, and the original Apple Watch Ultra will not receive watchOS 27, and will only get basic security updates going forward. With the update, Apple is effectively dropping three years' worth of device support in a single software update, which is unprecedented for the product line.

Speaking to TechRadar, Apple executives explained that the company wanted to use watchOS 27 to make the Apple Watch a "true co-partner to Apple Intelligence," and that required some sacrifices in supported models for the update. Only the last few generations of Apple Watch include the processing power to be able to adequately deliver the new features both on a standalone basis and in interfacing with a paired iPhone for heavier workloads with Siri AI.

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: Massive Apple Price Increases, iOS 27 Beta 2, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The Shortcuts app can be intimidating to casual iPhone users, but with iOS 27, it's a lot easier to use. With Apple Intelligence integration, shortcuts can be created using natural language, and they're much more accessible to the average person.

Describe a Shortcut

When you tap on the New Shortcut button in the ‌iOS 27‌ Shortcuts app, it opens to the Describe a Shortcut interface.


There's a text box that asks you what you want your shortcut to do, and you can describe what you need in natural language. You can start with a single step, or add in multiple parameters. ‌Apple Intelligence‌ selects the correct actions, creates the automations, and folds it all into a completed shortcut. A few examples of what you can do:

• Each evening, set tomorrow's alarm based on my first Calendar event, turn on Sleep Focus, and dim the bedroom lights.


• Every morning, show me my first meeting, today's weather, and my Reminders due today.


• Turn on the porch lights at night when you get a notification that food delivery is arriving.


• Text my partner an ETA when I leave work, then start playing my podcast.


• Show me a summary of my day's meetings and to-do list, and suggest anything I should prioritize.


• When I open YouTube, turn off orientation lock. Turn it back on when I close the app.


• Give me a three-line summary of today's tech news.

Shortcuts and automations can run based on time of day, location, an app action, a system feature like a screenshot, an incoming notification, and more. Shortcuts can do all kinds of things, from accessing system features to opening and running apps.

Add Refinements

After dictating a shortcut, the app will outline each of the actions the shortcut will perform. If it's what you want, you can tap on the play button to test it. It will be added automatically to your personal shortcuts.


If it's not quite what you want or you want to add more features, you can use the "Describe a change" interface. You can type in what you want to tweak, and go through multiple rounds of refinement until you get exactly what you want.

Shortcuts can be used from Siri, the app, Control Center, the Action Button, and more.

Edit Manually

Once created, you can tap into a manual editing interface if you want to add more complicated actions or tweak without using ‌Apple Intelligence‌. AI Shortcuts is in beta and it's not always perfect, so sometimes manual edits are required to get the end result you want.


You can also open any shortcut and use the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ mode to make edits.

New Automation Triggers

• When a notification is received


• When a screenshot is captured


• When a keyboard is connected


• When an Apple Watch workout starts

New Actions

There are several new actions in the Shortcuts app.

• Automate a recording in Notes


• Send messages to a group conversation


• Updated Get What's On Screen option that gets context information from the display (e.g. text, title, or links)


• Choose an item from a list


• Delete conversations or messages in Messages


• Mark as read in Messages


• Search in Messages


• Open Messages inbox


• Send Tapback


• Auto Enhance Photo


• Delete albums and photos


• Favorite photos


• Hide photos


• Open photo


• Create Group in Reminders


• Create Section in Reminders


• Delete groups, lists, and sections in Reminders


• Edit list in Reminders


• Toggle Hearing Aid Mute


• Toggle Vehicle Motion Cues

Improved Apple Intelligence Models

Shortcuts can use improved ‌Apple Intelligence‌ models that have access to broad world knowledge, which means the model can search the web to get information.


There are now Cloud, Cloud Pro, and on-device models that can be used in shortcuts. Cloud Pro is able to search the web, and is used for queries that need information from the internet.

Data Storage

Shortcuts can store and update data, so you can do things like add items to a list or keep a tally.

Automation Updates

Automation is no longer a separate section in the Shortcuts app, and automation triggers are under the general Shortcuts actions.

Cross-Platform Support

The Describe a Shortcut feature is available in the Shortcuts app in ‌iOS 27‌, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate.

Requirements

The ‌Apple Intelligence‌ Shortcut app features require a device that supports ‌Apple Intelligence‌, which includes the iPhone 15 Pro and later, iPads with an M-series chip or the iPad mini with A17 Pro, or a Mac with an Apple silicon chip.

Supported languages include English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Japanese, and Korean.
This article, "iOS 27 Makes the Shortcuts App Much Less Intimidating" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Paul Meade, who oversees development on the Vision Pro and Apple's upcoming smart glasses, is leaving Apple for OpenAI, reports Bloomberg.


Meade took over leadership of Apple's Vision Products Group when Vision Pro chief Mike Rockwell took over Siri's AI upgrade. He was previously leading the Vision Pro hardware engineering team, and before that, he was on the iPad and iPhone teams. Meade has been at Apple since 2010, and working in the Vision Products Group since 2017.

More recently, Meade was overseeing the development of the AI smart glasses that Apple has in the works to compete with the Meta Ray-Bans, and also leading the team working on future augmented reality glasses.

Meade is leaving Apple by next week and will join OpenAI's hardware unit to work on AI devices. Fletcher Rothkopf, who heads up product design function for the Vision Pro and smart glasses, will take over for Meade. Meade's decision to leave is a result of executive changes at Apple as John Ternus prepares to take over as CEO. Apple chip lead Johny Srouji is taking Ternus's role as chief hardware officer, and the reorganization has upset some hardware executives.

Former Apple employees Jony Ive, Tang Tan, and Evans Hankey are also at OpenAI, among others.
This article, "Apple Loses Another Top Executive to OpenAI" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be up to $200 more expensive, according to a prediction from analytics firm IDC.


IDC expected Apple to raise iPhone 18 prices, but prior to yesterday's Mac and iPad price hike, the prediction was a $100 increase for the 18 Pro and Pro Max, and a $50 increase for the base models.

IDC Senior Director of Data & Analytics Nabila Popal says the magnitude of the Mac and iPad price increase points to even higher ‌iPhone 18‌ prices.

In our forecast, we had assumed a price hike of $100 to Pro and Pro Max models, and $50 hike to base models–-however, seeing the price hikes today to iPad and Macs going as high as $300 for some models, my personal instinct says the hike to iPhones may be even higher than what we assumed–-perhaps even $200 to the Pro/Pro Max models. I think the days of $50 price increases are over.

Apple also plans to release a foldable iPhone this year, and IDC thinks it could have an average selling price of $2,500, with higher storage tiers to cost as much as $3,000. The price of the premium model could offset some of the increased memory costs and avoid a larger price hike to other models.

Apple increased prices because component costs have gone up as a result of a global memory crisis limiting supply. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are expected to have 12GB RAM, so looking to other devices with 12GB RAM could hint at Apple's iPhone pricing plans. The M4 iPad Air and lower-tier M5 iPad Pro have 12GB RAM, with prices going up $150 and $200, respectively.

It's possible the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models will see similar increases in price, raising the starting price of the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ to between $1,249 and $1,299 and the starting price of the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max to between $1,349 and $1,399.

IDC thinks an ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ price increase won't impact the number of people upgrading, because consumers with an iPhone 15 (non-Pro) or older are likely to want to buy a new iPhone to get Siri AI. The firm estimates that 54 percent of iPhones shipped since 2022 need to be upgraded to get the new ‌Siri‌. Customers who choose a Pro Max are also "premium-focused and less price sensitive" and so won't be dissuaded by a price increase, plus many customers opt for monthly payment plans. A $200 increase to the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ price over 36 months is just about $5 per month.
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With Apple's discontinuation of the Pro Display XDR earlier this year, Mac users looking for a larger high-resolution display suddenly found themselves with fewer options on the market. Apple's current display lineup now includes its 27-inch Studio Display and ‌Studio Display‌ XDR, both of which offer excellent image quality and tight macOS integration, but neither provides the larger 32-inch form factor that some users prefer.


LG's UltraFine 6K (32U990A) display helps fill that gap. The display, which was unveiled way back in January 2025 but didn't launch until last October, features a 32-inch 6K Nano IPS Black panel, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, and a design that feels more Apple-inspired than previous UltraFine displays. After using it for several weeks in my daily setup, I've found it to be a compelling alternative to Apple's own displays, albeit with a few tradeoffs.

The first thing that stands out about the UltraFine 6K is simply how much workspace it provides. Compared to Apple's 27-inch displays and my trusty 27-inch UltraFine 5K displays that have anchored my workspace for nearly a decade, the extra screen area is immediately noticeable. Multiple apps can sit side by side in large windows without feeling cramped to support my typical "command center" view of our editorial operations, while creative apps that need the canvas all to themselves benefit from the additional room for toolbars and timelines.


Unlike many larger displays, the UltraFine 6K doesn't compromise on sharpness. The 6,144 x 3,456 resolution delivers a true Retina experience, with crisp text and interface elements sized appropriately for the typical viewing distance. That's one of the biggest advantages the display has over most monitors in this size class that deliver only 4K resolution. While those displays can often yield a similarly sized desktop through scaling, the result sometimes lacks a bit of sharpness while the UltraFine 6K feels completely native due to its higher pixel density.

The UltraFine 6K also pairs well with Apple's latest Macs thanks to Thunderbolt 5 support. Using a MacBook Pro, a single cable handled display output, charging, and connected accessories, and you can even daisy chain multiple displays over a single connection. DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, and non-Thunderbolt USB-C ports on the display provide additional display connectivity options, plus a downstream Thunderbolt 5 port support to support daisy chain configurations and a pair of upstream USB-C ports for hub functionality.


LG includes up to 96 watts of power delivery in the display, which easily keeps a 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ topped up throughout the day and relatively quickly recharges a depleted one upon connecting the display.

Day-to-day reliability was excellent during testing. The monitor consistently woke from sleep without issue, display scaling options appeared properly in macOS, and there were none of the connection quirks that sometimes affect third-party displays. While that might sound like a small detail, seamless operation remains one of the most important qualities for a monitor intended primarily for Mac users.

LG has also made significant improvements to the industrial design of its UltraFine lineup. Earlier UltraFine displays were known for their Mac compatibility, but they often looked more utilitarian than premium. The 32U990A adopts a cleaner aesthetic with slim bezels and a more refined rear enclosure that doesn't look out of place next to a Mac Studio or ‌MacBook Pro‌. A wide foot provides stability, as does a wide vertical stand arm that features an unobtrusive silver color on the front but some dark blue ribbed plastic on the back to provide a bit of visual interest if the display is used in a setting where it the rear is visible.


Ports and a joystick button for controlling display settings are hidden away on the rear of the display, and there's no distracting pulsing LED to light up a dark bedroom when the display is sleeping.

The included stand offers height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments, providing considerably more flexibility than Apple's standard display configurations to help you get the display in just the right ergonomic position.

Image quality is excellent overall. Colors appear vibrant and accurate, and the Nano IPS Black panel provides solid contrast. And of course the 6K resolution provides the sharpness and clarity many users are looking for.

The matte finish does a good job minimizing reflections, particularly in brighter environments or near windows. Apple's glossy displays still provide a slightly more vibrant appearance, but the tradeoff may be worthwhile for users who work in rooms with significant ambient light.

LG touts the UltraFine 6K's ability to work with macOS keyboard shortcuts for brightness and volume adjustments, although it's not fully baked into the macOS experience. Unlike my older UltraFine 5K displays that integrated perfectly into the built-in macOS functionality for these shortcuts, the UltraFine 6K requires a separate LG Switch app to enable these keyboard shortcuts and they are separate from the macOS-level adjustments while using the same keys, which makes things less seamless than I'd like them to be. Simply put, things can be finicky when using multiple displays and audio output options.


There are a few other areas where Apple's displays continue to maintain an advantage. The ‌Studio Display‌ XDR delivers substantially brighter HDR highlights and more impressive HDR performance overall, thanks to its advanced backlighting technology. Users working extensively with HDR video content will still benefit from Apple's higher-end display. The UltraFine 6K is also limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. For productivity work, that isn't a major concern, but users who spend much of their day on ProMotion-equipped Macs may notice the difference when scrolling or performing other actions resulting in quick onscreen movements.

Those limitations feel relatively minor, however, when viewed in the context of the entire UltraFine 6K package, especially considering the price difference versus the ‌Studio Display‌ XDR. The UltraFine 6K's primary appeal isn't HDR performance or refresh rate. It's the combination of a large 32-inch panel, Retina resolution, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, and solid Mac compatibility.

The UltraFine 6K delivers the sharpness and ease of use that Apple users expect, while offering considerably more screen real estate than Apple's current display lineup. The result is a display that feels close to purpose-built for Mac users, and one that stands out as one of the strongest premium monitor options currently available for the Mac. The LG UltraFine 6K 32U990A is normally priced at $1,999.99, but LG is currently offering savings of $700 on the display, bringing it down to $1,299.99.

Note: LG provided MacRumors with the UltraFine 6K display for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with LG. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
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OpenAI today launched a limited preview of its GPT–5.6 series, which includes flagship model Sol, a balanced everyday work model named Terra, and Luna, a fast and affordable model.


Terra is similar in performance to GPT–5.5 but it is 2x cheaper, and Luna offers "strong capability" at OpenAI's lowest price. GPT–5.6 Sol is OpenAI's strongest model to date, with agentic improvements in coding, biology, and cybersecurity. There is a new "max" reasoning effort and an "ultra" mode that uses sub-agents for complex work.

OpenAI says GPT–5.6 Sol has its most "robust safety stack to date" with protections for high-risk activity, sensitive cyber requests, and misuse. It has been tested for weaknesses and hardened against real-world attacks. OpenAI says safeguards allow the model to deliver "substantial benefit for legitimate defensive work" while limiting prohibited offensive use. It is better at helping users find and fix vulnerabilities than carrying out end-to-end attacks, according to OpenAI.

The Trump administration is limiting the launch of GPT–5.6, and OpenAI agreed to hold back on releasing it to all users. The model is instead available for a small group of trusted partners at the current time, but OpenAI is planning for a wider launch after further testing. In its GPT–5.6 announcement, OpenAI pushed back against the administration's request to hold the model back and said the government AI access process should not become the long-term default.

We don't believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default. It keeps the best tools from users, developers, enterprises, cyber defenders, and global partners who need them. We are taking this short-term step because we believe it is the strongest path to broader availability in the coming weeks, while we work with the Administration to develop the cyber Executive Order framework and a repeatable process for future model releases.

The Trump administration is putting together a process for benchmarking and assessing new AI models prior to launch, per a June 2 executive order. The administration previously forced Anthropic to remove access to Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5, even though Anthropic adhered to a voluntary government review process and added guardrails based on government feedback.

The GPT–5.6 models are available through the API and Codex to a trusted set of OpenAI partners and organizations. OpenAI says they will be available more broadly in ChatGPT, Codex, and the API "soon."
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Amazon Prime Day has reached its fourth and final day, with the sale winding down tonight, June 26, at midnight. Many of the year's best deals are still available to purchase today, including record low prices on AirPods Max 2, AirTag 2, Apple Watch Series 11, and more.

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.

Apple threw a wrinkle into Prime Day prices yesterday, announcing a price hike on a huge selection of its most popular products. These new price increases are already live on Apple.com, and some of the affected products are now sold out on Amazon as well. You can still find low prices on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook Neo, iPad Air, and iPad Pro below.

Shoppers should note that many sales during Amazon Prime Day require you to have an Amazon Prime membership to take advantage of the discounts. Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month or $139.00 per year, and it comes with a 30-day free trial for new subscribers.

Special for 2026, Amazon is also offering 50% off Prime memberships for Young Adults. Prime for Young Adults is a discounted Prime membership for anyone age 18-24 that offers all of the Prime benefits at $69.00 per year, half of the price of regular Prime.

AirPods

Amazon has the AirPods Max 2 on sale for $399.00 in Midnight, down from $549.00. This is an all-time low price on the headphones. This is accompanied by a great discount on the AirPods 4 for Prime Day, available for $99.00, down from $129.00.

AirTag 2

Apple's AirTag 2 has hit the new low price of $24.00 for the 1-Pack and $89.00 for the 4-Pack.




This is the first major discount we've ever seen on the AirTag 2 at Amazon since the device launched earlier in 2026. The new AirTag is equipped with a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, enabling the Precision Finding feature to work up to 50% farther away from an item compared to the previous-generation model.

Apple Watch Ultra 3

Amazon is discounting a wide array of Apple Watch Ultra 3 models down to $649.00 for Prime Day, from $799.00. This is a new all-time low price on the 2025 smartwatch, beating the previous record low price by about $50, and it's available in both Natural and Black Titanium color options.

Apple Watch Series 11

Amazon this week has all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with $120 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. This sale includes a handful of GPS aluminum models on sale at record low prices.




You can get the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 11 for $279.00, down from $399.00, and the 46mm GPS model for $309.00, down from $429.00. On Amazon, you'll find three of the 42mm GPS models and three of the 46mm GPS models on sale at these all-time low prices.

Apple Watch SE 3

Amazon is also taking $50 off the Apple Watch SE 3, starting at $199.00 for the 40mm GPS model. These are matches of all-time low prices on the SE 3, and it's been over four months since we last tracked these prices on the wearable.




You can also get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE 3 on sale for $229.00, down from $279.00. Both the 40mm and 44mm GPS models are available in Midnight and Starlight Aluminum at these prices.

MacBook Air

MacBook Air stock is quickly dwindling on Amazon, but there are still a few models seeing discounts of up to $349 off new prices this week.

MacBook Pro

Amazon has a few low prices on Apple's M5 Pro/M5 Max MacBook Pro for Prime Day, with up to $299 off select models.

The M5 Pro/M5 Max MacBook Pro models are some of the only remaining products in stock after Apple's price hikes began this week. Starting with the 14-inch models, you can get the 24GB/1TB M5 Pro MacBook Pro for $2,049.99, now a $449 discount on the new price.





You can get up to $750 off the 16-inch MacBook Pro right now on Amazon, with the 24GB RAM/1TB M5 Pro model hitting $2,549.99, a $449 discount on the new price.

iPad Air

Amazon has up to $350 off the M4 iPad Air, although stock is quickly dwindling due to Apple's price hikes.





Specifically, the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch M4 iPad Air has dropped to $519.00, down from $599.00, beating the previous low price by about $40.

iPad Pro

Amazon has $299 off a select handful of iPad Pro models, starting at $899.99 for the 256GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Pro.

iPad

Amazon is taking $150 off Wi-Fi models of Apple's 11th generation iPad for Prime Day. Prices start at $299.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from the new price of $449.00.




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

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For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Astropad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an iPad Air, an Apple Pencil Pro, and one of Astropad's Rock Paper Pencil kits to use with it.


Rock Paper Pencil makes writing on your iPad with an ‌Apple Pencil‌ feel like writing on paper instead of a slippery display, offering a more comfortable and natural writing experience.

The Rock Paper Pencil kit includes a super thin NanoCling screen protector for the ‌iPad‌'s display and an ‌Apple Pencil‌ tip that replaces the stock ‌Apple Pencil‌ tip. You can put the NanoCling screen protector on while you're using your ‌Apple Pencil‌, then take it off and put it away when you want to use your ‌iPad‌ without it. Putting the screen protector on and removing it again takes just seconds, and there's no sticky residue left behind on your ‌iPad‌'s screen.


Astropad's Rock Paper Pencil is normally $45, but there is a Prime Day sale going on right now with a 15 percent discount available. If you do a lot of writing or sketching on your ‌iPad‌, it's a deal you won't want to miss out on.

Astropad has iterated on the Rock Paper Pencil over time, perfecting the paper-like feel to get the smoothest writing experience. There's a microscopic texture on the screen protector that mimics the feel of paper, but it doesn't interfere with the vivid colors of the ‌iPad‌'s display.


The ‌Apple Pencil‌ tip from Astropad is made from solid stainless steel that doesn't wear down or degrade over time. The tip is 1mm for the perfect pencil feel, with an ideal balance of friction and durability.

If you hate the slippery, unnatural feeling of writing on a hard screen, the Rock Paper Pencil is worth checking out. It can make you forget that you're writing on a tablet because it feels and sounds like using a pen on paper.


Rock Paper Pencil is compatible with all of Apple's M2, M3, M4, and M5 iPads, and many older models as well. It works with the 6th and 7th-generation iPad mini and the 7th-generation ‌iPad‌ and later.


We have a Rock Paper Pencil kit, an ‌iPad Air‌, and an ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro for one lucky MacRumors reader. To enter to win, use the widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner(s) and send the prize(s). You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, following us on Threads, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (June 26) at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time on July 3. The winner will be chosen randomly on or shortly after July 3 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.
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The lower-end iPhone 18 models set to launch in spring 2027 will feature 9GB DRAM, up from 8GB, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.


Kuo says the A20 chip Apple plans to use for the devices will have 1.5GB x 6 dies for a total of 9GB RAM, instead of 2GB x 4 dies as the current lower-end iPhone 17 models use.

By lower-end iPhones, Kuo is likely referencing the ‌iPhone 18‌ and the iPhone 18e, both of which are rumored to be coming around March or April of 2027. Apple plans to introduce the iPhone 18 Pro, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and foldable iPhone this fall, and those devices are expected to feature 12GB RAM (1.5GB x 8 dies) like the current iPhone 17 Pro models.

Apple will add more RAM to the ‌iPhone 18‌ models to make sure the devices work well with AI workloads and are able to support all of the Apple Intelligence features coming in iOS 27.

Apple yesterday raised prices across its Mac and iPad lines, but ‌iPhone 17‌ pricing hasn't gone up. Apple will likely implement price hikes when the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models come out, and since Apple raised the cost of even the low-end iPad and the MacBook Neo, the ‌iPhone 18‌ and iPhone 18e probably won't be exempt from an increase.
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On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss potential price rises for the iPhone 18 lineup following Apple's wave of hikes yesterday, as well as plans for the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and camera-equipped AirPods.



Apple yesterday raised prices across most of its lineup, including HomePod mini, HomePod, Apple TV, the entire iPad line, the entire Mac line, and Vision Pro, following CEO Tim Cook's warning to The Wall Street Journal that hikes were "unavoidable" due to soaring memory and storage chip costs. Apple's online store was briefly taken offline before returning with the new pricing, with increases ranging from $30 on the ‌HomePod mini‌ to $1,300 on the high end Mac Studio, averaging $246.67 across the affected products.

The iPhone, AirPods, Studio Display, Apple Watch, and accessories such as the Apple Pencil appear to be the only product lines left unaffected. Separately, the 256GB Mac mini has returned to the lineup after disappearing earlier this year, now priced at $799, which is a $200 increase over its earlier price.

The same pressure is likely to hit the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which were already speculated to cost more than their predecessors before yesterday's increases. Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Cook acknowledged Apple isn't immune to these cost pressures, and said clarity on iPhone pricing would come with the lineup's September launch.

Citing research firm TechInsights, the ‌Wall Street Journal‌ reported that DRAM and flash storage costs are projected to roughly quadruple by fall, pushing the iPhone 17 Pro's bill of materials from about $582 up 25% to around $726 for its successor. TechInsights has said Apple would need to raise the iPhone 18 Pro's price by about $270 to preserve current margins, though Apple's preference for standardized pricing makes a $1,299 starting price more likely on its own.

Factoring in the new camera system, which analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says could cost about 50% more than the previous generation, the ‌Wall Street Journal‌ estimates Apple could ultimately set the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌'s starting price at $1,399 or higher, a $200 to $300 jump over the current model, with the iPhone 18 Pro Max likely starting $100 above that.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ is rumored to keep the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌'s aluminum build, with four new colors including Dark Cherry, a muted wine-red expected to be the signature shade. As with last year, there's likely no true black option. Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital recently warned the new colors could be prone to the same chipping and surface issues seen on last year's Cosmic Orange and Dark Blue, which Apple reportedly treats as a material characteristic rather than a defect.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are expected to launch in September alongside Apple's first foldable iPhone, the "iPhone Ultra." Shipping could slip slightly later for the foldable. A Chinese leaker recently said any gap would be at most a month, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has reported the device remains on track for September, after Barclays analyst Tim Long earlier suggested shipments could slip to December. The foldable is expected to feature a 7.8-inch inner display, 5.5-inch cover display, the A20 chip and C2 modem, Touch ID instead of Face ID, two rear cameras, and a starting price of at least $2,000.

Gurman recently reported that the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Apple Watch Series 12 will launch alongside the new iPhones. Little is known about the devices, though a faster chip seems highly likely given that both the Series 11 and Ultra 3 stuck with the S10 from the previous year. watchOS 27 will likely add new watch faces, including a variant of the Modular Ultra face.

For 2027, Apple is developing camera-equipped AirPods. The cameras, embedded in the AirPods' stems, are not designed for taking photos or video, and will instead feed information about the wearer's surroundings to Siri, which will be able to answer questions about objects and whatever the wearer is looking at, alongside contextual reminders and improved turn-by-turn directions. An included light will indicate to people nearby when the cameras are active. The AirPods were originally targeted for a 2026 launch, but Apple's broader AI struggles and the need to develop reliable object-identification models apparently pushed the timeline back.

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 further discussion about WWDC 2026 and iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, and Apple's other new software updates coming this fall.

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.
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Micron's chief business officer has hinted, without calling it out by name, that Apple's tough supplier negotiations contributed to the conditions behind the global memory shortage.


In remarks given to The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, Sumit Sadana explained that Micron was unable to fund capacity expansion during the industry's previous slump, a period when its margins turned negative partly because some buyers pushed relentlessly for lower prices.

We told a couple of the customers who were being very aggressive with pricing at that time that this is not constructive. A lot of the industry investments got shut down in 2023 because of really poor pricing and really poor margins.

Micron is one of Apple's memory suppliers, providing some of the DRAM and NAND flash chips that go into iPhones, Macs, and iPads. Apple has a reputation for getting favorable terms from suppliers like Micron through long-term purchasing contracts.

Sadana's comments came just hours after Apple unveiled a sweeping round of price hikes that touched nearly every part of its hardware lineup. Products across the Mac, iPad, Apple TV, HomePod, and Vision Pro lines all went up in price, with only the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods left untouched. Apple's stock closed down 6% the same day, its worst single-day performance in more than a year, wiping out roughly $265 billion in market value.

Apple CEO Tim Cook forewarned about this outcome more than a week earlier in comments to the same publication, warning that price increases had become unavoidable given how the company was being squeezed on memory and storage costs. Cook said Apple had been trying to shield customers from the worst of it but had reached a breaking point, describing the shortage as a "hundred-year flood" unlike anything he had seen in more than four decades. He pointed to the surge in demand for high-bandwidth memory used in AI servers, arguing that consumer products were now competing for a shrinking pool of supply and that pricing needed to come back down to earth before Apple's own prices could follow.
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Apple's upcoming high-end MacBook model featuring an OLED touchscreen display will use the company's current M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


The new, top-of-the-line device will launch "between late this year and early next year," Gurman said, adopting the existing high-end Apple silicon chips rather than next-generation M6 versions. Like the MacBook Pro, the touchscreen MacBook will be available in 14- and 16-inch display sizes, code-named "K114" and "K116." The device will also feature a new design and an iPhone-style Dynamic Island. It is expected to be more expensive than the M5 Pro ‌MacBook Pro‌, which now starts at $1,999 as of Apple's recent price rises.

Yesterday, Gurman revealed that Apple plans to skip what would have been the "M6 Pro" and "M6 Max" for more powerful "M7 Pro" and "M7 Max" chips. The M7 series of chips is said to be focused on intense AI workloads, featuring upgraded neural accelerators, graphics enhancements, and increased memory bandwidth. A new entry-level ‌MacBook Pro‌ with the M6 chip is still expected to launch later this year.

Apple is apparently working on a successor to the high-end MacBook model containing the M7 Pro and M7 Max chips, planned for release toward the end of 2027. The company is also planning to refresh the Mac Studio with M7 Max and M7 Ultra chip options in 2028.
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Amazon's stock on select iPads and Macs has begun dwindling in the face of announced price hikes from Apple yesterday. These price changes are now live on Apple.com, but they have yet to hit third party retailers like Amazon. If you're interested in any of these products, now is the time to buy them on Amazon, before the retailer gets these price hikes as well.

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.

Below we've listed all of the biggest products available on Amazon that have price hikes on Apple.com. Given that it's still Prime Day, many of these devices are on sale right now. You can read more about the incoming price changes in our lead article.

MacBook Neo

All of the 256GB MacBook Neo models have sold out on Amazon, but you can still get the 512GB model for $689.99, which is now a $109 discount. If you're looking for the 256GB model, Best Buy has that device for $599.00 right now, which is a $100 discount on the new price.

HomePod

Best Buy is offering up to $50 off HomePod models, now starting at $99.95 for the HomePod mini and $299.99 for the HomePod.

MacBook Pro

Starting with the 14-inch MacBook Pro models, you can get the 24GB/1TB M5 Pro MacBook Pro for $2,049.99, now a $449 discount on the new price.





You can get up to $750 off the 16-inch MacBook Pro right now on Amazon, with the 24GB RAM/1TB M5 Pro model hitting $2,549.99, a $449 discount on the new price.

MacBook Air

MacBook Air stock is quickly dwindling on Amazon, but there are still a few models seeing discounts of up to $349 off new prices this week.

iPad Air

Amazon has up to $350 off the M4 iPad Air, although stock is quickly dwindling due to Apple's price hikes.

iPad Pro

Amazon has $299 off a select handful of iPad Pro models, starting at $899.99 for the 256GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Pro.

iPad

Amazon is taking $150 off Wi-Fi models of Apple's 11th generation iPad for Prime Day. Prices start at $299.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from the new price of $449.00.




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

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Apple's iPhone 18 Pro lineup and its first foldable iPhone will launch at higher prices than originally predicted this September, according to several known Chinese leakers.


The leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said on Weibo that while Apple's current iPhone models haven't seen a price increase, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models launching this fall "will definitely see a price hike," adding that the foldable iPhone in particular could be priced 10% to 20% higher than previously expected.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that the foldable iPhone is expected to "cross the $2,000 threshold" in the U.S., which would make it the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever sold, surpassing even the $1,999 iPhone 17 Pro Max in its 2TB configuration. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes pricing will not be below $2,000, and could even exceed $2,500. Other projections have also fallen within that range. Given that spread of existing estimates, the new Weibo claims about a further 10% to 20% price increase would push even the lowest of those projections well past the $2,099 mark, and could put a higher storage configuration of the device beyond $3,000.

"Digital Chat Station" said it is "highly unlikely" that the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ series avoids a price increase altogether. The leaker pointed to the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌'s 8,999 yuan starting price in China and suggested Apple could push the 18 Pro to a 9,999 yuan starting price to protect its margins, which would put the entire September lineup, including the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and the foldable iPhone, at 10,000 yuan or more. That would amount to an increase of roughly 11% over the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌'s Chinese price. Apple has historically kept its Chinese and U.S. starting prices roughly proportional across recent iPhone generations, so an 11% increase applied to the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌'s $1,099 U.S. starting price would put the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ at around $1,220.

The leaker known as "Instant Digital" floated an even steeper number, suggesting the 256GB ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max could start at 10,999 or even 11,499 yuan, calling that an expensive price point for what is a non-foldable phone. At that level, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max would be priced roughly 15% to 20% above the current ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max's 9,999 yuan starting price in China, a jump that, if mirrored in the U.S., could put the 256GB model's starting price somewhere in the $1,300 to $1,400 range, up from $1,199 today.

These leaker estimates echo a wave of recent reporting on the rising cost of building the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌. Research firm TechInsights estimates that Apple paid around $39 for the 12GB of DRAM in the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌, a figure that could climb to $145 in the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, pushing the device's total bill of materials up by roughly 25%. Based on similar cost projections, Apple would need to charge around $1,369 for the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ to preserve its current profit margin on the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌. Once a pricier new camera system is factored in, The Wall Street Journal estimates a starting price of $1,399 or higher.

The latest rumors follow Apple's decision to raise prices on most of its devices this week, with the exception of the iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch. Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed last week that the increases were unavoidable, citing the soaring cost of memory and storage chips as a "hundred year flood." Apple has historically absorbed component cost swings rather than passing them on to customers, making this round of increases a notable shift in approach.

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Earlier today, we reported that Apple added the MacBook Neo to the refurbished store on its website, and it turns out the new additions go beyond that.


The other products added to Apple's refurbished store in the U.S. and Canada for the first time today include the MacBook Air with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and the second-generation Studio Display (2026). The higher-end Studio Display XDR was also briefly available on Apple's refurbished store in Canada.

All of the products listed above were originally released in March 2026.

Note that the listings incorrectly state that the Studio Display (2026) has an XDR display, which is actually limited to the higher-end Studio Display XDR.

Given that Apple just raised prices on select products, including all Macs, the prices for many of these refurbished models are similar to what Apple was charging for the equivalent brand-new models just a day ago. For example, the MacBook Air with the M5 chip now starts at $1,299, up from $1,099, and refurbished models start at $1,099.

Given the Studio Display did not receive a price increase, though, there are opportunities for savings on that product. In the U.S., the second-generation model starts at $1,599 brand new, whereas the refurbished equivalent starts at $1,359.

Some of these products have also been added to Apple's refurbished store in select European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and elsewhere.

Apple says it puts refurbished products through "full functionality testing" and a "thorough cleaning process and inspection," and they are covered by Apple's one-year limited warranty and eligible for extended AppleCare+ coverage. In our view, Apple's own refurbished devices are virtually indistinguishable from brand-new devices.
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In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple will be donating to relief efforts on the ground in Venezuela after the country was hit by two catastrophic earthquakes this week.

Apple has donated to the Red Cross for earthquake and hurricane relief efforts in the past — it does not disclose the amounts.
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Apple is developing a smart ring that could potentially rival products like the Oura Ring and Samsung Galaxy Ring, according to the leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami."


Apple has toyed with the idea of a smart ring for several years, as indicated by several patents, and there have been previous rumors that Apple has investigated a wearable for the finger to track a user's biometrics.

Reports dating back to 2024 said Apple was weighing up the idea as a viable expansion of its wearables lineup – something that may appeal to people who would prefer a biometric accessory that's more inconspicuous than an Apple Watch.

Rumors have petered out over the last couple of years, but now it seems that the popularity of the latest Oura Ring has caught Apple's attention, if the latest rumor is anything to go by. However, no other details were provided by the leaker.

The original Oura Ring was released by Finnish health technology company Oura back in 2015. The device collects activity, heart rate, respiratory rate, and sleep data, and transmits it via Bluetooth to the Oura app.


Now in it's fifth iteration, the latest Oura Ring is a lot smaller than previous versions and boasts new health-monitoring capabilities including blood pressure trend detection, nighttime breathing analysis, and tools for GLP-1 medication tracking.

Would you be interested in an "iRing" as an alternative to Apple Watch? Let us know in the comments.
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Apple today began selling refurbished MacBook Neo units through its Certified Refurbished store, a day after raising prices on the laptop and several other products.


The refurbished ‌MacBook Neo‌ is available in all four colors, Silver, Citrus, Indigo, and Blush, in both configurations. The base model with 256GB of storage starts at $599, while a higher end version with Touch ID and 512GB storage starts at $679. Both configurations are available across the full color lineup, for eight refurbished SKUs in total.

The refurbished pricing undercuts Apple's current new unit pricing for the ‌MacBook Neo‌. Apple yesterday raised prices on many products, including the MacBook Neo, which now starts at $699 in the United States, up from $599 when it launched in March. The higher end configuration with 512GB of storage and a ‌Touch ID‌ button also received a $100 price increase and now starts at $799, up from $699. That means the new refurbished listings are priced at or near to the laptop's original, pre-hike rates.

Apple said the broad range of price increases are due to the ongoing memory chip shortage, which has led to skyrocketing prices for the RAM and SSD storage used in products like the ‌MacBook Neo‌, with the company pointing to AI server demand from companies buying up memory chips as a key driver. The changes extended the same day to Apple's Certified Refurbished store, with the company raising prices across refurbished Macs and iPads alongside the hikes on new hardware.

The ‌MacBook Neo‌ is powered by the A18 Pro chip with 8GB of RAM and features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display. It is still Apple's most affordable Mac.
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Apple could launch an updated base model 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M6 chip as soon as this year, reports Bloomberg. There could also be M6 chip updates for the Mac mini, iMac, and MacBook Air, but Apple is testing an M6 ‌MacBook Pro‌.


Apple plans to introduce the M6 in late 2026, and for the first time, it will be a standalone chip. Apple is not working on M6 Pro or M6 Max chips, and will hold off on higher-end chip options until the M7 series launches in 2027.

The M6 chip will be the first built on a 2-nanometer process instead of the 3-nanometer process that Apple has used for the last several chip generations. Rumors suggest Apple will use TSMC's N2 process. Compared to the 3nm process, the 2nm process cuts down on transistor size so more can be packaged on a chip. Decreases in node size typically bring improved processor speeds and better power efficiency.

TSMC's new chips also transition from InFo (Integrated Fan-Out) packaging to WMCM (Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module). WMCM integrates individual chip components like the CPU, GPU, DRAM, and Neural Engine more closely together, improving communication between the components.

According to Bloomberg, the M6 will be the most powerful in the industry for its class. The chip will have higher memory bandwidth at approximately 200GB/s (up from 153GB/s in the M5). Increased memory bandwidth will improve graphics performance and speed up on-device AI tasks.

The M6 will have an updated memory architecture, an upgraded Neural Engine for AI processing, and improvements to video encoding and decoding. Performance will improve for all of the processing cores, and the GPU will also get an update to optimize it for AI. Apple is testing versions of the chip with a 12-core GPU. The M5 chip is limited to a 10-core GPU.

Apple last updated the base 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with an M5 chip in October 2025, so an M6 update around the one-year mark would make sense. The base ‌Mac mini‌ and ‌iMac‌ have not been updated since October 2024, but Bloomberg recently said those machines would get M5 chips, not M6 chips, so Apple's plans are unclear. Bloomberg's newest report on the M6 mentions plural entry-level Macs getting the M6, but it only specifically references the ‌MacBook Pro‌.

Apple added the M5 chip to the iPad Pro in October 2025, but it is not known if the device will get an M6 chip this year because prior rumors have said no 2026 refresh is planned. The ‌MacBook Air‌ was refreshed in March 2026, so it may not get a new chip until 2027.
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Apple had its worst day on the stock market in more than a year today, according to CNBC, after it raised prices on Macs, iPads, HomePods, the Apple TV, and the Vision Pro.

Apple's stock price dropped 6% on the day — its largest single-day loss since April 2025. AAPL closed at $275.15.
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Despite price increases across the Mac line, Apple is still planning to release a new Mac Studio as soon as this year, reports Bloomberg.


Apple plans to introduce a new M5 Ultra chip as the final option in the M5 family before it transitions to the M6, M7, M7 Pro, and M7 Max. The M5 Ultra will come in a new version of the ‌Mac Studio‌, which hasn't been updated since March 2025.

The ‌Mac Studio‌ refresh was supposed to come earlier in 2026, but Apple reportedly postponed the launch because of memory chip supply issues and price increases. In April, Bloomberg said the ‌Mac Studio‌ would launch sometime around October 2026.

It's not clear if Apple will make an October launch. The current M3 Ultra ‌Mac Studio‌ already has delivery estimates ranging into October.

The M5 Ultra chip is expected to have around 36 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores, which is not too far off from the M3 Ultra. The M3 Ultra has up to a 32-core CPU and up to an 80-core GPU. Apple has tested support for up to 768GB of unified memory, but supply constraints could prevent it from launching with an option for that much memory.

Apple was selling the M3 Ultra ‌Mac Studio‌ with up to 512GB RAM, but the 512GB model was removed back in March. Apple has been temporarily cutting higher-tier Macs, and the current M3 Ultra ‌Mac Studio‌ can only be purchased with 96GB RAM.

Even if Apple does plan to release a ‌Mac Studio‌ with an M5 Ultra chip and 768GB RAM, it would be astronomically expensive. When Apple raised Mac prices today, the 96GB ‌Mac Studio‌ went from $3,999 to $5,299, an increase of $1,300. 8x more RAM during the memory crisis could see the ‌Mac Studio‌ priced at over $10,000.
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Apple today seeded a new beta of watchOS 27 for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, with the update coming over two weeks after the launch of the first beta. This beta is only available for the ‌Apple Watch Ultra 3‌, which did not get the second beta update that came out earlier this week.


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.

‌watchOS 27‌ will include 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 raised prices on many of its products, including all Macs and iPads, as well as the Apple TV, HomePod, HomePod mini, and Vision Pro. We shared a list of the price increases, which range from $30 for the HomePod mini to up to $1,300 for the Mac Studio. iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods prices have not changed, at least for now.


In a statement shared with MacRumors, Apple said it raised prices because of the ongoing memory chip shortage, resulting from companies building out data centers with powerful AI servers. The supply-demand imbalance has led to skyrocketing prices for RAM and SSD storage chips used in a wide range of Apple products.

Apple's full statement:

The consumer electronics industry is facing an unprecedented challenge. The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage. We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly. We have shielded our customers from these increases so far, but we have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products, including today's increases for iPad and Mac. We know this is not welcome news, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions.

Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook said price increases were "unavoidable."

Apple indicating that it needs to "begin" raising prices suggests that additional price increases might occur later. On the other hand, Apple noting that it is "working tirelessly to find solutions" suggests that prices might eventually come down again.

Apple is far from the only tech company that has raised prices in response to the memory chip shortage, with others including Microsoft, Samsung, Lenovo, HP, Dell, and more. Memory chip supplier Micron expects the shortage to last through 2027, so elevated prices could be the norm for another year and a half or longer.
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Apple is changing its Apple silicon launch timeline to speed up the debut of chips designed for artificial intelligence workloads, reports Bloomberg.


Apple plans to release an M6 chip for entry-level Macs as soon as this year, but it has canceled plans for higher-end M6 Pro and M6 Max chips. Instead, Apple's next Pro and Max chips will be part of its M7 chip lineup, with the first M7 chips launching in 2027. An M5 Ultra chip could also come as soon as this year.

• M5 Ultra - Late 2026


• M6 - Late 2026


• M7 - First half of 2027


• M7 Pro - End of 2027


• M7 Max - End of 2027


• M7 Ultra - 2028

Apple is speeding up development on M7 chips because they have technologies supporting on-device AI and GPU-intensive software. Since the launch of the first Apple silicon chips, Apple has always had at least three variants, including the base M-series chip, a Pro version, and a Max version. The M6 will mark the first time that Apple is not coming out with a Pro or Max chip for the line.

Apple could update the entry-level MacBook Pro with an M6 chip as soon as this year. It is expected to have around 200GB/s memory bandwidth for better graphics and faster AI processing and video editing. The base M5 chip has 153GB/s memory bandwidth, and the base M7 chip could have 240GB/s bandwidth.

Bloomberg says the M6 will also include an updated memory architecture and an upgraded Neural Engine, along with performance improvements across all of the processor cores and a redesigned GPU with up to 12 cores. Prior rumors have suggested the M6 will be the first built on Apple's new 2-nanometer process.

The base M6 could also be used in the entry-level Mac mini and iMac, along with upcoming iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The higher-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ models and higher-end ‌Mac mini‌ will use the M7 Pro and M7 Max. The Mac Studio will use the M7 Max and M7 Ultra.

Bloomberg says Apple still plans to release an M5 Ultra for a refreshed version of the ‌Mac Studio‌ as soon as this year. The M5 Ultra will have approximately 36 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores. An M5 Ultra ‌Mac Studio‌ could have as much as 768GB of unified memory.

Apple is working on a high-end "MacBook Ultra" with an OLED display and a touchscreen, and rumors suggested it could come as soon as late 2026. That seems unlikely now with the M7 Pro and M7 Max chips slated for late 2027, unless Apple equips the high-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ with an M6, the M5 Max, or the M5 Ultra chip.

News of Apple's updated chip launch timeline comes just after the company raised prices across all of its Macs and iPads.
This article, "2027 Macs to Get AI-Focused M7 Chips as Apple Skips High-End M6" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's annual Back to School promotion will return by next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Last year, college students and educational staff could receive a free accessory like AirPods 4 or an Apple Pencil Pro with the purchase of a qualifying Mac or iPad model. It is unclear what Apple plans to offer this year, but given the company has just raised prices on all Macs and iPads, this year's Back to School promotion will be rather bittersweet.
This article, "Apple's 2026 Back to School Offer Expected to Begin by Next Week" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has raised the prices of Macs and iPads across its Certified Refurbished online store, following the sweeping new product price hikes introduced earlier today.


Across the affected products in Apple's refurb inventory, prices went up by around $160 to $180 on average, but it was the Mac increases that were generally more eye-watering than the iPad increases.

The Mac increases averaged about $204 at the low end and $330 at the high end. Some of the smaller Mac changes included the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 Pro chip rising from $1,699 to $1,779 – the Nano-texture version of the same model rose from $1,829 to $1,909. Elsewhere, a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 Pro chip and Nano-texture display increased from $2,249 to $2,339.

But it was the higher end of the Mac lineup that saw the biggest price increases. A refurbished 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip rose from $1,359 to $1,439, while the highest-priced configuration in that group increased from $2,629 to $3,309. A 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Max chip also jumped from $4,249 to $4,839.

As for the iPad, the increases were more consistent. Many refurbished iPad models went up by around $120 to $150. In terms of lower-end models, examples include the 10th-generation iPad Wi-Fi 256GB models rising from $339 to $409, while iPad mini 6 models increased from $379 to $459 or from $449 to $529. Some higher-end iPad Pro configurations also saw larger increases of around $230 to $250.

The refurbished price changes are in line with Apple's broader pricing reset for new products, which are said to be due to the company having to grapple with the impact of rising memory and storage chip costs owing to the ongoing AI data center buildout. In other words, if new Macs and iPads become more expensive, refurbished versions also need to rise so that they remain discounted by roughly the same amount.

That said, many of Apple's refurbished units likely contain original memory, storage, and logic boards, or service parts purchased before the latest component cost spike. So this appears to be more a case of increased prices based on Apple's updated pricing structure, rather than the actual cost of each device.
This article, "Apple Raises Refurbished Mac and iPad Prices After New Product Hikes" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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While the Apple TV, HomePod, and HomePod mini have not been updated in several years, all three products received price increases worldwide today.


Here is a summary of the price changes for these products in the United States:

• Apple TV (Wi-Fi): $129 → $199


• Apple TV (Wi-Fi + Ethernet): $149 → $249


• HomePod: $299 → $349


• HomePod mini: $99 → $129

Apple also raised prices on Macs, iPads, and more, with the company blaming the ongoing memory chip shortage, which has resulted in skyrocketing prices for RAM and SSD storage used in its products. "We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly," said Apple, in a statement shared with the media.

The price increases come amid a long wait for new Apple TV, HomePod, and HomePod mini models. All three devices are expected to be updated later this year with support for the more personal and intelligent version of Siri, which is currently available to test across the iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and visionOS 27 developer betas.

The trio of devices are between three and six years old. Apple unveiled the HomePod mini all the way back in October 2020, while the current Apple TV and HomePod models debuted in October 2022 and January 2023, respectively.

The current Apple TV 4K has an A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 13 series, while the HomePod mini uses the S5 chip from the Apple Watch Series 5, and the second-generation full-sized HomePod uses the S7 chip from the Apple Watch Series 7.

Earlier rumors claimed the next Apple TV would be equipped with the A17 Pro chip, which is the oldest chip that supports Apple Intelligence. The device is also expected to feature Apple's N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread.

No major design changes have been rumored for the next Apple TV.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was told that the Apple TV's Siri Remote may be "refreshed" in some form, but he did not provide any specific details or guarantee that there will be any outward-facing design changes to the accessory.


As for the HomePod mini, it is expected to use an Apple Watch's S9 chip or newer. Other previously-rumored features for the speaker include the N1 chip, improved sound quality, a newer Ultra Wideband chip, and a red color option.

Apple is also expected to release an all-new smart home hub as early as this year.
This article, "Apple TV and HomePod Just Went Up in Price Amid Wait for New Models" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Amazon Prime Day has reached its third day, and is set to end tomorrow, June 26. Many of the year's best deals are still available to purchase today, including record low prices on AirPods Max 2, AirTag 2, Apple Watch Series 11, iPad Air, and more.

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.

Apple threw a wrinkle into Prime Day prices today, announcing a price hike on a huge selection of its most popular products. These new price increases are already live on Apple.com, but third party retailers like Amazon have not yet received the updated prices. This means many of the Prime Day deals we're sharing below could be your last chance to get these devices at their current best-ever prices.

Shoppers should note that many sales during Amazon Prime Day require you to have an Amazon Prime membership to take advantage of the discounts. Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month or $139.00 per year, and it comes with a 30-day free trial for new subscribers.

Special for 2026, Amazon is also offering 50% off Prime memberships for Young Adults. Prime for Young Adults is a discounted Prime membership for anyone age 18-24 that offers all of the Prime benefits at $69.00 per year, half of the price of regular Prime.

AirPods

Amazon has the AirPods Max 2 on sale for $399.00 in Midnight, down from $549.00. This is an all-time low price on the headphones. This is accompanied by a great discount on the AirPods 4 for Prime Day, available for $99.00, down from $129.00.

AirTag 2

Apple's AirTag 2 has hit the new low price of $24.00 for the 1-Pack and $89.00 for the 4-Pack.




This is the first major discount we've ever seen on the AirTag 2 at Amazon since the device launched earlier in 2026. The new AirTag is equipped with a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, enabling the Precision Finding feature to work up to 50% farther away from an item compared to the previous-generation model.

Apple Watch Ultra 3

Amazon is discounting a wide array of Apple Watch Ultra 3 models down to $649.00 for Prime Day, from $799.00. This is a new all-time low price on the 2025 smartwatch, beating the previous record low price by about $50, and it's available in both Natural and Black Titanium color options.

Apple Watch Series 11

Amazon this week has all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with $120 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. This sale includes a handful of GPS aluminum models on sale at record low prices.




You can get the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 11 for $279.00, down from $399.00, and the 46mm GPS model for $309.00, down from $429.00. On Amazon, you'll find three of the 42mm GPS models and three of the 46mm GPS models on sale at these all-time low prices.

Apple Watch SE 3

Amazon is also taking $50 off the Apple Watch SE 3, starting at $199.00 for the 40mm GPS model. These are matches of all-time low prices on the SE 3, and it's been over four months since we last tracked these prices on the wearable.




You can also get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE 3 on sale for $229.00, down from $279.00. Both the 40mm and 44mm GPS models are available in Midnight and Starlight Aluminum at these prices.

MacBook Air

You'll find $150 off a few models of the 13-inch M5 MacBook Air on Amazon this week, starting at $949.00 for the 512GB model, down from $1,099.00.

MacBook Pro

Amazon has a few low prices on Apple's M5 Pro/M5 Max MacBook Pro for Prime Day, with up to $299 off select models.

Starting with the 14-inch models, you can get the 24GB/1TB M5 Pro MacBook Pro for $2,034.00, down from $2,199.00. The biggest overall savings this time around is on the 36GB/2TB model, available for $3,299.99, which is a $299 discount and all-time low price.





You can get up to $250 off the 16-inch MacBook Pro right now on Amazon, with the 24GB RAM/1TB M5 Pro model hitting a new all-time low price of $2,494.00, down from $2,699.00. Most of the MacBook Pro devices in this sale have an estimated delivery date of June 29 with free shipping.

iPad Air

Amazon has brought back all-time low prices on a handful of M4 iPad Air tablets for Prime Day. This includes both 11-inch and 13-inch models of the brand new 2026 M4 iPad Air.



Specifically, the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch M4 iPad Air has dropped to $519.00, down from $599.00, beating the previous low price by about $40.

iPad

Amazon is taking up to $52 off Wi-Fi and cellular models of Apple's 11th generation iPad for Prime Day. Prices start at $299.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $349.00, a second-best price on this model.




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, "Prime Day Deals Still Going Strong on AirPods, AirTag, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today raised the price of the Vision Pro to $3,699, up from $3,499, as part of a sweeping round of price increases across its lineup.


The change came after Apple's online store was briefly taken offline earlier today and brought back up with new pricing across the HomePod mini, HomePod, Apple TV, iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, iPad Pro, MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, both Mac Studio configurations, and Vision Pro. The iPhone, AirPods, Studio Display, and accessories such as the Apple Pencil were seemingly the only product lines left untouched.

No Apple product carries more baggage around its price tag than Vision Pro. The headset launched in February 2024 at $3,499 for the base 256GB configuration, a figure that was widely flagged at the time as a major barrier to mainstream adoption. Today's increase pushes the entry price to $3,699, with the 512GB and 1TB configurations similarly rising in step to $3,899 and $4,199.

A product like the ‌MacBook Air‌ going up by $200 is naturally an unwelcome change for consumers, but it's a shift on a product with an enormous addressable market. The Vision Pro was already priced roughly seven times higher than Meta's $499.99 Quest 3, and reviewers and analysts have repeatedly pointed to that gap as the headset's defining weakness. the Vision Pro's share of the XR market is estimated to be around 5%, against roughly 75% for ‌Meta‌, a split that reflects just how badly the price has limited Vision Pro's reach relative to its technical ambitions.

When the company refreshed Vision Pro with an M5 chip and a new Dual Knit Band in October 2025, it kept the $3,499 starting price exactly where it was.

The increase is tied to a broader cost problem for the technology industry. Apple CEO Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal last week that price increases across Apple's lineup had become "unavoidable" because of the soaring cost of memory and storage chips.
This article, "Apple Vision Pro Just Got Even More Expensive" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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