In his first memo to Apple employees as CEO today, John Ternus teased a "huge launch next week that's going to be phenomenal."


In a social media post today, Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak teased that Apple has "more to say" on Wednesday, September 9, which is when the company will be holding its next special event, starting at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.


During the event, Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, its first-ever foldable iPhone, the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, and potentially AirPods 5. Of course, there could be other announcements and surprises too. MacRumors will be providing live coverage of the event from Steve Jobs Theater.
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John Ternus officially became Apple's CEO today, with Tim Cook transitioning to a new role as Executive Chair. Ternus sent his first memo as CEO to employees this morning, praising Cook and sharing his excitement for Apple's future.


MacRumors obtained a copy of the memo, which you can read in full below.

Team,

Today, on my first day as CEO, I just wanted to send a quick note to thank everyone for the warm wishes. I also want to extend my deep appreciation to Tim for sharing so much of his knowledge and experience during this transition, and more importantly, for everything he contributed to Apple over the years. We're so lucky to have had a CEO who led with his values and with such decency and humanity. We are all better for it, and I'm so grateful he'll be our executive chairman.

I'm honored to be stepping into this role at what is truly the greatest company in the world, and I am so excited about everything we have in store. We have a huge launch next week that's going to be phenomenal. Thanks for everything you've all done to make it possible.

I'm just as excited about what lies beyond that, including the incredible products already in the works and the ones we haven't even imagined yet that we'll dream up and create together. There's no team in the world I'd rather build the future with.

More to come. In the meantime, thanks for your excellent work!

John

Ternus is a longtime Apple employee, having first joined the company in 2001. Prior to becoming CEO, he was senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, so he has a product-focused background instead of the operations background Cook has. Apple's leadership team has been reorganizing during the transition from Cook to Ternus, and the full effect of the changes will play out over the next several years.

Johny Srouji is now Apple's chief hardware officer, taking over the Hardware Engineering team that Ternus previously led. Former engineering VP and Ternus lieutenant Laura Legros is returning to Apple, and the product design team was restructured.

On his last day as CEO, Cook told employees he took "enormous comfort" in handing leadership of Apple to "someone as brilliant and wonderful and capable as John."

Ternus has been on stage during Apple events before, but the September 9 "Surprise and Shine" iPhone event will be his first as Apple CEO.
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Amazon and Best Buy this week have multiple discounts on the M4 iPad Air, providing up to $149 off these 2026 models. These are the best prices we've seen in the wake of Apple's summer price hikes.

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'll find savings on both the 11-inch and 13-inch models of the M4 iPad Air, with savings mainly focused on 128GB and 256GB Wi-Fi tablets. All of these discounts have been automatically applied and do not require a coupon code or a special membership.




The new iPad Air features the M4 chip, C1X modem, and N1 networking chip, which brings support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. In terms of design, the 2026 models are identical to the 2025 iPad Air tablets, with an edge-to-edge display, slim bezels, and aluminum chassis.

11-inch M4 iPad Air

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $649.00 ($100 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 256GB Wi-Fi - $749.00 ($100 off) [matched at Best Buy]

13-inch M4 iPad Air

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $849.00 ($100 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 256GB Wi-Fi - $949.00 ($100 off) [matched at Best Buy]


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,399.99 ($149 off)

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 new CEO John Ternus now has an X account, and he has already shared his first post saying hello to the world.

Ternus did not have a public social media presence prior to today.

Tim Cook is now Apple's executive chairman, and his own X account's description has been updated to reflect that change.
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iPhone 18 Pro colors could include Dark Cherry, Sky Blue, and Black, with a Silver option unlikely to make the final lineup, according to the leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital."


In a new post on Weibo, the leaker "Fixed Focus Digital" said the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ has entered full mass production and predicted a slightly different color lineup from what previous rumors have suggested, featuring Dark Cherry (also referred to as Burgundy), Sky Blue, and Black.

The leaker said a Silver option will "most likely" not be offered, adding in a reply that they have not seen evidence of that color's existence in China. If accurate, the lineup would mean Apple is replacing all three iPhone 17 Pro colors with new options for ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, rather than carrying Silver over as many earlier reports had suggested.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman first described the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌'s main new shade as "deep red." A Macworld report later called it "Dark Cherry," and said the other colors would be Light Blue, Dark Gray, and Silver.

Weibo leaker "Instant Digital" said Apple may skip black, then described Dark Cherry as a mix of burgundy, coffee, and deep purple. Dummy models from Sonny Dickson showed Dark Cherry, Light Blue, Black, and Silver, while SIM tray photos showed Dark Cherry with Light Blue and Dark Gray.

The rumors point to Dark Cherry replacing Cosmic Orange as the signature Pro color, with Light Blue or Sky Blue, Silver, and Black or Dark Gray also possible. Black remains uncertain, after Apple reportedly considered black and steel gray for the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ before dropping both.

Apple's ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are expected to be unveiled at the company's September event next week, alongside the company's first foldable iPhone, dubbed the "iPhone Ultra."
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Apple's former hardware engineering chief John Ternus officially became CEO of the company today, with the change now reflected on Apple's leadership page.


Ternus joined Apple in 2001, became a vice president of hardware engineering in 2013, and became senior vice president of hardware engineering in 2021. He is 51, so he could serve as CEO for 10 to 15 years before reaching typical retirement age.

Tim Cook is now executive chairman of Apple's board of directors, after a 15-year run as CEO. In this role, Apple said Cook "will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world."


During his final day as CEO on Monday, Cook stopped by the Apple Park Visitor Center in Cupertino, California to meet some of Apple's retail employees from various stores, with photos and a video of the visit available on Instagram.

In case you missed it, Cook shared a letter to the Apple community in April.
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Mozilla today said it is adding an ad blocker to Firefox for iOS, allowing users to block many third-party ads and ad-related trackers.


The ad blocker uses the EasyList filter list and Apple's WebKit Content Blocker technology, which is the same content-blocker API Safari ad blockers use. App Store ad blockers only work with Safari, so Mozilla built the feature directly into the app.

Firefox won't block ads served by the site you're visiting, and ads shown in search results will still appear. Sponsored shortcuts and other sponsored content shown by Firefox when you open a new tab are separate from ads and won't be blocked.

Ad blocking is turned off by default, and it can be turned on in the Firefox app by going to Settings > Browsing > Ad Blocker.
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OpenAI yesterday denied Apple's allegations of trade secret theft, telling a federal court that Apple failed to show any confidential information was actually stolen by its former employees, according to Reuters.


In a new filing submitted to the U.S. District Court in San Jose, California, OpenAI argued that the dispute is "a mess of Apple's own making." The filing is a direct response to Apple's new forensic evidence submitted against former Apple employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan, whom Apple accuses of stealing trade secrets related to hardware design, manufacturing, and supply chain operations after filing the lawsuit in July.

OpenAI says the lawsuit is an attempt to slow a rival and deter more employee departures. In court filings, it notes that it has hired about 400 former Apple employees for its hardware projects. The company argues that California law allows workers to move freely between competitors, while shifting attention to Apple's internal practices instead of addressing the forensic evidence allegation by allegation.

OpenAI alleges that Apple encourages staff to use personal iCloud accounts for work, potentially blurring the boundary between personal and company data after an employee leaves. It also says Apple's practice of immediately escorting departing employees off site leaves too little time to return devices or internal files, portraying the allegations as the result of a flawed offboarding process rather than intentional theft.

The filing says Liu retained access to Apple documents only to help former colleagues find files or answer questions, and that Apple employees repeatedly contacted him for support. Tan said he returned his Apple prototypes before leaving and kept only non-confidential materials, including a standard departure checklist.

OpenAI characterized the dispute as employees choosing to leave a company it says has been slow to adopt AI for a faster-moving competitor. It argued that Apple should not use its own internal failures to portray those departures as unlawful. Judge Edward J. Davila is scheduled to hear arguments on October 1.
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Recent layoffs of Apple employees working on the Vision Pro were broader than previously thought, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.


Last month, Gurman said that Apple cut around 100 jobs from the Vision Products Group, with those cuts centered on the headset's gaming and immersive video teams. Gurman now says the layoffs also reached Vision Pro staff across the rest of the company, including people working on device security, audio engineering, Siri integration, testing, and visionOS. The cuts follow the June departure of Paul Meade, the executive who ran Apple's Vision Pro and smart glasses division, who left Apple for OpenAI.

Gurman reports that people inside the Vision Pro group have spent months lobbying new CEO John Ternus to stay the course on the platform even as sales continue to underwhelm. Colleagues who have discussed the headset with Ternus say he was skeptical of it from the start, seeing it as too bulky and too costly to reach a mass audience.

Interestingly, since visionOS apparently runs on Apple's upcoming smart glasses, the wider layoffs impact software shared across both product lines rather than the headset alone. Ternus is still said to support Apple's smart glasses project, code named N50, which remain on track for launch next year, but Gurman says he would consider walking away from head worn devices as a category altogether if they never catch on with buyers. That willingness also could weigh on the overhauled Vision Pro successor, code named N224, which is not expected before the end of 2028.
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Qualcomm is increasing prices for its chips by double digits starting tomorrow. Qualcomm announced the impending price hike back in July, letting customers know prices would go up for chips shipped after September 1.


Qualcomm said it cannot continue to absorb increasing supplier costs. "We're just passing through big cost increases that we have," said Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon in an interview with Reuters.

Apple has been transitioning to its own modem chips, but it is still sourcing modem chips from Qualcomm for the iPhone 17 models. Apple will discontinue the iPhone 17 Pro models when the iPhone 18 Pro is released in September, but it is likely to keep the ‌iPhone 17‌ in the lineup.

Apple's iPhone 17e and iPhone Air use its C1X modem, and rumors suggest some ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models and the foldable iPhone could use a new Apple-designed C2 chip with faster 5G speeds. Apple may still rely on Qualcomm for modem chips in the United States, according to leaked iPhone 18 Pro documents from Tata Electronics.

Prices have gone up for DRAM and storage due to supply issues, which has affected most device manufacturers. Apple raised prices of Macs and iPads in June, and the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models are expected to be more expensive than their predecessors.

Amon also said in July that Qualcomm is expecting the revenue it earns from Apple to decline faster than previously anticipated, dropping approximately 50 percent from the September quarter to the December quarter. He blamed supply constraints, which will reduce the share of Qualcomm components used in the iPhone 18 lineup.

In addition to supplying modem chips to Apple, Qualcomm makes mobile chips for Samsung and other smartphone manufacturers. Qualcomm is raising prices across its lineup, and increases will be negotiated with customers individually.
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Apple today released the sixth public betas of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate, allowing anyone with a compatible device to download and test the new software. The sixth betas come a week after Apple seeded the fifth betas and a few hours after the eighth developer betas.


You can get started by signing up on Apple's beta website and then opting in to the public beta by opening up the Settings app on your device, selecting General, and choosing Software Update.

We are nearing the end of the beta testing process, and no notable new features were found in today's developer betas. We are expecting the release candidate versions of the software next week following Apple's September 9 iPhone event.

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Apple today submitted new evidence in its lawsuit against OpenAI, with the hope that the new information will persuade the judge to grant an expedited discovery process.


Apple filed a theft of trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan in July, accusing them of using multiple methods to steal data from Apple. Liu kept an Apple-issued MacBook after he left for OpenAI, and Apple got it back after the lawsuit was filed. Apple now says forensic analysis of the laptop has uncovered more evidence of Liu's use of Apple information and his attempts to hide what he'd done.

From the lawsuit:

• Mr. Liu not only downloaded a confidential Apple circuit schematic but also used it in his work at OpenAI;


• Far from his unauthorized access to Apple's third-party cloud storage being unknown to him, Mr. Liu and others at OpenAI were well-aware of that access;


• Mr. Liu, upon learning of Apple's internal investigation of him, sent instructions for destroying evidence to an OpenAI colleague who confirmed she would comply; and


• Mr. Liu used a tool in his work at OpenAI that has the same name as an internal Apple engineering application used for Apple development work.

Liu downloaded the circuit schematic from Apple in March, two months after he left the company. Liu used the schematic to run a simulation using electrical engineering tool LTspice, and then messaged people telling them he ran the simulation for power conversion development work. Liu described how he trained an AI agent to run LTspice.

According to the filing, he said he was "[f]eeling AI all day long," and that "[i]n the past hour," his AI "agent learned how to run LTspice, look at result, tune compensation parameter." "I try to make a behavior buck," he wrote. "With voltage outer and current inner. Everything ideal. It still took me a day.. now it's two hour. Including learning fresh."

"Oh man! Why do they even need you then?" the person Liu was talking to reportedly replied.

Liu used the Apple schematic on a Mac mini that later synced to the MacBook he took from Apple, which is why Apple knows about it. Apple now wants to investigate the ‌Mac mini‌ and other devices Liu still has in his possession.

Apple says the "shocking evidence" is proof that its trade secrets are in active use and evidence is being destroyed, which is why expedited discovery is needed.

Apple initially asked for expedited discovery earlier this month, also requesting an injunction preventing OpenAI from using its trade secrets. OpenAI responded by asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming the accusations were "meritless." OpenAI also published a public statement calling the lawsuit "careless, aggressive and oddly personal" and stating that it does not "have, nor want, any of their trade secrets" because it is "much more interested in building innovative products and technologies that push the frontier."

Judge Edward J. Davila is set to hear arguments in the case on October 1.
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Apple's AirPods with cameras could improve spatial audio on the iPhone and other Apple devices by detecting the position of the display the wearer is looking at. Details on the capability were found in macOS Tahoe 26.7 code, and shared on the MacRumors forums by member Mactracker.


Sensors in the current AirPods power a spatial audio head tracking feature, and cameras could take that further. Code suggests the camera-equipped AirPods will find the physical screen the wearer is watching content on, comparing the screen's direction with the direction estimated by the motion sensors in the AirPods.

The AirPods may be able to identify laptops, displays, smartphones, tablets, and TVs, even detecting multiple displays and narrowing audio to the one the wearer is looking at. Screen detection will work behind the scenes and may pause when the wearer is in motion.

Devices with Face ID already use the ‌Face ID‌ sensors to assist with head tracking, but if the user also has AirPods with cameras, the AirPods will prefer camera input over ‌Face ID‌.

Code also references a server-based visual reasoning feature, further reinforcing rumors of Visual Intelligence support. The AirPods will reportedly send camera data to Apple's servers for ‌Visual Intelligence‌ requests.

The ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.7 release candidate that came out in August leaked a long list of references to unreleased Apple products, including the AirPods with cameras. Though multiple references to the AirPods were found, rumors suggest the product isn't going to launch until fall 2027.
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Apple today added three Macs to its list of obsolete products. The 2018 Retina MacBook Air, the 13-inch 2018 MacBook Pro with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and the 13-inch 2017 ‌MacBook Pro‌ with two Thunderbolt 3 ports are now considered obsolete.


The three products were previously part of the vintage list, but have been moved. Apple adds a product to the vintage list when it's been five years since it was last distributed for sale, and it becomes obsolete at the seven-year mark.

Vintage products can still be repaired at Apple retail locations and by Apple Authorized Service Providers if Apple has the parts available. Devices that are obsolete are generally not eligible for repair, and Apple stops making repair components.

Apple has a battery-only repair policy for Mac laptops for up to 10 years after the Mac was last distributed for sale, so 2017/2018 ‌MacBook Pro‌ and 2018 ‌MacBook Air‌ owners may still be able to get battery replacements.

The 2018 ‌MacBook Air‌ was the first in the Air line with Touch ID and a Retina display. Prior ‌MacBook Air‌ models had a non-Retina display with much lower resolution and less vibrant colors. 2018 was also a redesign year for the ‌MacBook Air‌, with Apple introducing smaller bezels and a thinner, lighter chassis.

Apple's 2017 ‌MacBook Pro‌ used Intel's Kaby Lake processors, and it was a minor processor update with few other changes. The 2018 refresh added True Tone display support for the first time and a third-generation keyboard with butterfly keys.
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Apple's press release for the new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips last week initially stated that the computer had "next-generation SSD architecture built on PCIe Gen 6." However, as spotted by the French blog MacGeneration, Apple removed the PCIe 6.0 mention from the announcement shortly after it was published.


The press release still mentions that the new Mac Studio has a "next-generation SSD architecture" that delivers up to twice as fast storage speeds compared to the previous generation, but it no longer mentions PCIe 6.0. Apple has yet to respond to our request for comment, but it seems like the company simply made a mistake in the press release, as it is much more likely that the new Mac Studio supports the PCIe 5.0 standard.

First, we already know that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the same M5 Max chip available in the new Mac Studio have SSDs with PCIe 5.0, and Apple likewise advertised up to twice as fast SSD speeds for those laptops. Second, there are no consumer PCs on the market yet that have SSDs with PCIe 6.0 support.

The M5 Ultra chip is all new, but it probably supports PCIe 5.0 as well, or else Apple would not have needed to edit its Mac Studio press release.

All in all, the new Mac Studio appears to support PCIe 5.0, not PCIe 6.0.
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Apple today provided developers with the eighth beta of macOS Golden Gate, with the update coming a week after Apple seeded the seventh 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, and 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 seeded the eighth betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming one week after Apple released the seventh 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 eighth beta of watchOS 27 to developers, with the update coming a week after the launch of the seventh 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.

‌watchOS 27‌ introduces 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 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 eighth beta of tvOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming a week after Apple released the seventh 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 eighth beta of an upcoming visionOS 27 update for testing purposes. The beta comes a week after Apple released the seventh 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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Apple's Phil Schiller is no longer going to run the App Store or oversee product events, reports Bloomberg. Schiller isn't leaving Apple, but he is narrowing his responsibilities and working on unspecified projects.


Employees at Apple told Bloomberg that 66-year-old Schiller appears to be taking another step toward retirement.

Schiller was Apple's marketing chief until 2020, when he stepped down and took on the title Apple Fellow. At the time, Schiller said he would stay at Apple for "as long as they will have me," but added that he wanted to make time for family, friends, and personal projects.

As Apple Fellow, Schiller continued to oversee the ‌App Store‌ and Apple events, but the role may not have left him with sufficient time for his own endeavors. In 2024, The Wall Street Journal said Schiller was working close to 80 hours a week. He has been in charge of the ‌App Store‌ during some of its most tumultuous years, including Apple's ongoing struggles to comply with the Digital Markets Act in the European Union, the company's legal battle with Epic Games, and multiple other changes demanded by regulatory action in countries like Brazil and Japan.

Schiller first joined Apple in 1987, left in 1993, and came back to the company in 1997 when Steve Jobs returned to Apple. He has been at the forefront of some of Apple's biggest product launches, including the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. He plans to remain at Apple, and he will keep his Apple Fellow title.

Schiller is stepping down from overseeing the ‌App Store‌ and Apple product launches just as John Ternus is set to take over as Apple CEO. Today is Tim Cook's last day as CEO, with Cook transitioning to Apple Chairman.

Apple is moving the ‌App Store‌ to Eddy Cue, who oversaw it until 2015. Cue is Apple's services chief and will reportedly be taking a more influential role under Ternus' leadership. Carson Oliver, who has long been on the ‌App Store‌ team, will oversee its day-to-day operations.

Schiller deputy Nola Weinstein will lead the Apple events team, reporting to vice president of communications and public relations Kristin Huguet Quayle.
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Tim Cook will be stepping down as Apple's CEO on September 1, with the company's hardware engineering John Ternus set to take over. With the transition set to take place tomorrow, there have been quite a few headlines about Cook lately.


The latest story comes from 9to5Mac, which said it has obtained Cook's full memo to Apple employees on his final day as CEO of the company.

We have pasted the memo as they shared it below:

Team,

Today is my last day as CEO of Apple. This is a moment I always knew would come one day, and yet it is still hard to believe it has arrived and I am writing these words. I love this company and the team behind it, and I couldn't let this day pass without sending a note to you, to tell you how grateful I am for the outpouring of affection you've sent my way, for the way you've shown up each and every day, and most of all, for the privilege of a lifetime serving as your leader.

The truth is, whatever there is to say about my success, I know it is all because of you. You have brought out the best in me. In all my life, I have never seen or been with such an extraordinary team of people before, and every day I get to see more examples of that.

There is something truly special about Apple. I am most proud of what an annual report could never capture. This place is proof that culture triumphs over everything. We share a belief that what we build matters, and that we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to leave the world better than we found it. That purpose is part of what makes this place extraordinary. Apple helps nurture it, but I believe it lived within each of you long before you arrived here. It is what brought you to this company and what continues to drive the work you do every day. Together, we have created something far greater than any one of us could have imagined or accomplished alone. And that's the secret to our success. We bring out the best in each other. We lift each other up. We have made it possible to leave our "dent in the universe," as Steve once described it, because of who we are and what we believe, because of what we value and how we see the world. How fortunate we are. How fortunate I am.

As you know, I am not leaving Apple. But I am stepping away from a role that I have loved deeply. I will miss this work in ways I can only begin to imagine, even as I remain completely at peace with my decision. I will miss leading you and being with you for every step, even as I take enormous comfort in handing the helm to someone as brilliant and wonderful and capable as John. Few people understand what it takes to build products that change the world the way John does and I could not be more excited for his leadership.

I hope you know how much I appreciate you and what an honor it has been to be your CEO. Most of all, I hope you will continue to be proud to be part of this remarkable place we call Apple and always give it your very best. When we bring our whole selves to this work, with care for one another and for the people we serve, there is no limit to the profound difference we can make.

I look forward to seeing you in my new role at Apple Park and around the world.

With all I have and all I am, I am always

Yours,

Tim

Cook also shared a message to customers today.

"Sending lots of love to the Apple community on my last day as CEO," said Cook, in a social media post. "My title changes tomorrow, but the love I have for the Apple community never will. Thank you for being a constant source of inspiration. My gratitude is endless, and I'm excited for the next chapter!"


Bloomberg's Mark Gurman published an in-depth story about Cook and Ternus on Sunday evening. While unrelated to the CEO transition, the story revealed a previously-unreported detail: Vision Pro layoffs apparently extended to employees working on the device's security, audio engineering, Siri integration, testing, and visionOS.

Gurman also revealed that Apple is seeking an executive bodyguard who must be capable of "hiking/backpacking for several miles at a time in austere environments." Cook is a big fan of hiking and U.S. national parks, leading Gurman to suspect that the job listing relates to Cook, who will probably have more time to spend outdoors.

Cook will remain at Apple as the company's executive chairman.
This article, "Tim Cook Comments on His Final Day as Apple CEO" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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MapQuest is in the spotlight this week after refusing to change "Lake Ontario" to "Lake America" on its map following an executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump last week. As of Monday morning, the MapQuest app is the top free iPhone app on Apple's App Store charts in Canada and fourth on the equivalent U.S. chart.


For our younger readers, MapQuest was once a popular service back in the days when printing out directions on a sheet of paper was common for road trips, before the arrival of smartphones with apps like Google Maps and Apple Maps.

MapQuest does offer its own iOS and Android apps, but the brand is nowhere near as popular as it once was. Until now, at least. MapQuest today announced that hundreds of thousands of people have downloaded its apps since Thursday, and it said it was seeing roughly a 50× increase in usage of its map as of August 30.


"We took the same approach we did with the Gulf of Mexico: be part of the conversation, and give people an app that keeps the names they're familiar with," said MapQuest general manager Doug Berger, in a press release. "Hundreds of thousands of people signaled to us this weekend that we got it right, by downloading our app."

Google Maps is now showing the "Lake America" name to U.S. users, but Apple has yet to follow.


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The One Club for Creativity, a U.S. non-profit organization that promotes excellence in advertising and design, today announced that Apple has been selected as the first brand to be inducted into its newly established "Brand Hall of Fame."

Apple's most famous ads include its iconic "1984" Super Bowl commercial for the original Macintosh, the "Think Different" campaign from the late 1990s, the "iPod silhouette" commercials from the early 2000s, the "I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC" commercials from the late 2000s, and the "Shot on iPhone" campaign.
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Google Maps users in the U.S. will now see the name "Lake America" instead of "Lake Ontario" for the Great Lake that straddles the New York—Ontario border.


Google said it made this change in response to the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) updating the name for "Lake Ontario" to "Lake America," following an executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump last week.


Google Maps users in Canada will still see the "Lake Ontario" name only, while users outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names.

• In the U.S.: Lake America


• In Canada: Lake Ontario


• Outside of the U.S. and Canada: Lake Ontario (Lake America)

Apple Maps has yet to be updated, so it still shows the "Lake Ontario" name worldwide. When the GNIS updated the name for "Gulf of Mexico" to "Gulf of America" last year, Apple Maps began rolling out the change one day after Google Maps, so it might not be long before Apple follows suit with this "Lake America" change.
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The end of an era is upon us, as Tim Cook will be stepping down as Apple's CEO on September 1, after 15 years of leading the company.


Tomorrow, Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus will become the company's next CEO. Cook will remain at Apple as the executive chairman of the company's board of directors. In this new role, Apple said Cook will assist with "certain aspects" of the company, including "engaging with policymakers around the world."

Cook became Apple's CEO in August 2011, after Steve Jobs stepped down due to health problems. Under his leadership, Apple became the world's most valuable company on multiple occasions, and it launched products and services such as the Apple Watch, AirPods, HomePod, Vision Pro, Apple Music, Apple TV, and much more.


Apple has set all-time quarterly revenue records over its past few quarters, so the company is in a strong financial position as Cook hands the reins to Ternus.

"It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company," said Cook. "I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world."


"John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor," said Cook. "He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future."

"I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come, and I am so happy to know that the most talented people on earth are here at Apple, determined to be part of something bigger than any one of us," said Ternus.
This article, "Tim Cook Steps Down as Apple CEO Tomorrow" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's unusually timed announcement of new Mac mini and Mac Studio models this week was driven by unexpectedly strong enterprise appetite for AI hardware, according to The Information.


Apple normally releases new Mac models in the autumn, closer to October or November, making this week's announcement unusually early, falling just before the anticipated arrival of new iPhone models. The Information says that the AI-driven boom in ‌Mac Studio‌ and ‌Mac mini‌ sales is behind the early launch.

Apple noticeably promoted the ability to link multiple Mac Studios together into a single, more capable system for running large frontier AI models, a feature aimed at business and developer customers rather than everyday consumers.

Apple highlighted the ‌Mac mini‌ and ‌Mac Studio‌'s shift toward business buyers in June, with a "Business at the Park" event involving executives from major companies Ford, Disney, and Anthropic. The ‌Mac mini‌ was said to be the "darling" of the event.

Even so, enterprise's rush toward powerful desktop Macs more broadly took Apple by surprise. The company reportedly did not possess an engineering team dedicated to business customers or staff focused on developer relations, and lacked an enterprise AI strategy.

Businesses that approached Apple asking to buy access to the company's Private Cloud Compute infrastructure were reportedly turned down. Apple is instead leaning on partners such as WebAI and Mount Thor, which provide AI tools and execution environments built on Apple hardware.

A surge in demand for Mac hardware to run AI models has coincided with the global memory shortage, leaving many ‌Mac mini‌ and ‌Mac Studio‌ configurations out of stock for months. Some enterprise customers are reportedly turning to other hardware such as Nvidia's DGX Spark, a compact AI desktop launched late last year in a form factor similar to the ‌Mac mini‌'s, as Apple's own high end configurations remain difficult to get hold of.
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Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today further outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 set to be unveiled on September 9.


While it was initially rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch this year, Gurman reiterated that he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models.

Gurman does expect a ceramic case option to return for the Apple Watch Series 12. Today, he revealed that Apple has tested both white and dark gray ceramic case options, like those offered for the highest-end Apple Watch Series 3 in 2017.

Another sketchy rumor claimed that the Series 12 would have a band with an embedded health sensor, but Gurman did not mention that.

Instead, he expects more ordinary changes, including faster performance and improvements to health and fitness tracking. The Series 11 and Ultra 3 both have the same S10 chip that was used in the Series 10 and Ultra 2, so the S11 chip or newer should provide the first Apple Watch performance improvements in multiple years.

One new feature in testing allows the heart-rate sensor on the Apple Watch to continuously collect data throughout the day, he said. In his newsletter, he added that Apple is also working on revamping its Health and Fitness apps to show more wellness-related metrics "in a similar fashion to increasingly popular app offerings from Whoop and Oura."

An Apple Watch SE 4 is not expected this year.

A "big redesign" is in the works for the Apple Watch, but he said they are unlikely to arrive for another year or two. Even further ahead, he previously said that Apple continues to develop a blood sugar detection feature with a goal of releasing it by 2030.
This article, "New Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 Features Revealed" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has internally prototyped, tested, and considered launching an Apple Pencil for the upcoming foldable iPhone, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. However, he said it is unlikely that the accessory will be released.


In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the Apple Pencil tested for the foldable iPhone is stubbier than the versions for iPads. He said the Apple Pencil for the foldable iPhone was designed to magnetically attach and charge on the side of the device.

Steve Jobs famously mocked smartphone styluses when he unveiled the original iPhone in 2007.

Apple is expected to unveil the foldable iPhone during its September 9 event, and it has been rumored that the device will be named iPhone Ultra.
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In his newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that AirPods 5 will be released as early as this September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, a foldable iPhone, the Apple Watch Series 12, and the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Apple is holding an event on Wednesday, September 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.

He also reiterated that he expects an iPad mini with an OLED display and other new features to launch by the end of October.
This article, "Beyond iPhone 18 Pro: AirPods 5 in September, iPad Mini With OLED Display in October" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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