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(via Cult of Mac – Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

The U.S. economy delivered another impressive performance in May, with nonfarm payrolls surging by a robust 172,000 jobs — more than double the Dow Jones consensus estimate of just 80,000. This marks continued solid expansion in the labor market, underscoring the strength and momentum of the American workforce under current policies.

Unemployment held steady at a healthy 4.3%, exactly in line with forecasts, while upward revisions to prior months painted an even brighter picture: April was revised higher to 179,000 (up 64,000 from the initial reading), and March climbed to 214,000. These adjustments highlight a more consistent and vigorous job creation trend than initially reported.

Economists and policymakers (including the Federal Reserve) generally view 4% to 5% as the full-employment range for the U.S.

Key highlights from the May report include:

• Broad-based gains: Leisure and hospitality led the way with a strong 70,000 jobs added — well above its recent monthly average. Local government contributed 55,000, health care added 35,000, and social assistance grew by 12,000.

• Wage growth: Average hourly earnings rose 0.3% in May and are up 3.4% over the past year, providing workers with steady income gains that align with economic expectations.

• Household survey strength: Employment rose by 149,000, with the broader unemployment measure (including discouraged workers and part-timers) improving to 8.1%. Labor force participation remained stable at 61.8%.

This report comes amid a backdrop of solid broader economic growth, with GDP tracking at a strong annualized pace in Q2 according to the Atlanta Fed. The resilient labor market — characterized by moderate layoffs and improving breadth of job gains — signals confidence among employers and a stable foundation for continued expansion.

While some sectors continue to adapt to technological shifts like AI, the overall data reflects a low-hire, low-fire environment that has evolved into more widespread hiring in May. This strength is likely to support consumer spending and business investment moving forward.
‎
MacDailyNews Take: A clear win for the U.S. economy: better-than-expected growth, upward revisions, steady unemployment, and healthy wage increases. The American macroeconomy’s momentum is real — and that’s very good news indeed, especially for Apple’s business which is heavily driven by premium consumer purchases (iPhones, Macs, Watches, AirPods, services). Healthy employment, steady wage growth (up 3.4% YoY), and low unemployment in Apple’s No.1 market mean more people with jobs and disposable income to spend on Apple products. This is especially supportive for iPhone upgrade cycles and Services revenue.

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Our roundup of the best vintage and retro Apple setups shows aging hardware is often the most beautiful gear in the room.

(via Cult of Mac – Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

Find out the reasons for the latest Apple Card Savings interest rate change. They aren’t all responses to macroeconomic factors.

(via Cult of Mac – Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

Apple is set to announce iOS 27 and an all-new version of Siri at WWDC in just a few days. Ahead of that, Bloomberg has published a monster recap of everything to expect at the event. There’s one specifically interesting tidbit: the so-called new Siri might have a waitlist for people who want to try the new features.

more…

At a glanceExpert’s Rating

Pros

Fast-paced real-time strategy action

Updated high-res graphics

Dozens of historical campaigns to play

Tutorials for new players

Cons

Online multiplayer is Mac-only

Slightly dated interface

Our Verdict

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition remains one of the finest real-time strategy games available, with enhanced visuals and substantial DLC content. However, Mac players should be aware that it requires Apple Silicon hardware and online multiplayer is limited exclusively to other Mac users.

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$34.99

Best Prices Today: Age Of Empires 2: Definitive Edition

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Steam

$19.99

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Best for:

Strategy fans who enjoy fast-paced real-time battles, resource management and challenging military campaigns.

History enthusiasts who like commanding famous civilisations and replaying historical conflicts across Europe and Asia.

Not for:

Players who prefer slower, turn-based strategy games with a more methodical pace.

Gamers looking for FPS, RPG or action-focused experiences rather than large-scale strategic warfare.

We’re used to waiting months, or even years, for PC games to arrive on the Mac – and, of course, there are many popular games that are never released for the Mac at all. But there can’t be many games that take as long to arrive as Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition. 

The original Age Of Empires II was launched back in 2005, and there was a Mac version released about a year later. However, there was an updated Definitive Edition launched for PCs in 2019, which added support for 4K graphics and also included a number of expansion packs that added new civilisations and campaigns to extend the base game. And now, in 2026, Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition has arrived on the Mac, courtesy of our friends at Feral Interactive, who have been responsible for porting many classic games onto the Mac in recent years. At the moment, the game is only available on Steam, but Feral tell us they’re also hoping to release it on the Mac App Store later in 2026.

For more Mac game recommendations see: Best Games for Mac 2026: A-list Mac games to play.

What Is Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition?

Like all the games in the AoE series, Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition is a real-time strategy game (RTS). This means that the action continues on the screen in real-time – in contrast to the more measured pace of turn-based games, such as the Civilization series – although you can pause it in single-player mode if you need some time to think and plan your next move. The game covers a period of roughly 1,000 years, from the Dark Ages through to the Mediaeval era, and covers much of Europe and Asia, allowing you to take control of many different nations and kingdoms, led by historical figures such as Joan Of Arc, Attila The Hun, and even Vlad Dracula leading the troops of Wallachia against the Ottoman Empire.

The game’s single-player mode provides dozens of campaigns in which you control each kingdom and lead it into battle against its enemies, and this Definitive Edition includes three DLC expansion packs that add more campaigns in India, Poland and other countries, so there’s enough strategy action to keep you busy for many months. And, if you’re new to strategy games, there’s a number of tutorials within the game that teach you both the basics of commanding your troops, as well as more advanced military tactics, based on the classic book The Art Of War, written by the Chinese leader and philosopher, Sun Tzu. 

The game includes dozens of campaigns that re-enact historical battles across Europe and Asia.

Foundry

What’s new in the Mac version of Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition?

4K/high-resolution support: Updated graphics support modern high-resolution and 4K displays, making the classic battlefield visuals sharper and more detailed.

Included DLC: The Definitive Edition bundles three expansion packs, adding extra civilisations, regions and historical campaigns.

Apple Silicon requirement: The game only runs on Macs with Apple Silicon processors and is not supported on older Intel-based Macs.

Steam availability: The Mac version is currently available through Steam.

Planned Mac App Store release: Publisher Feral Interactive plans to release the game on the Mac App Store later in 2026.

Multiplayer restrictions: Online multiplayer and co-op are limited to Mac players, with no cross-platform play against PC users.

How much content is included?

There’s an enormous amount of content included in the Definitive Edition. Alongside the original game, players get three bundled DLC expansions that add new civilisations and campaigns. Combined with dozens of historical scenarios, tutorial missions, skirmish battles and replayability across multiple factions, it can provide hundreds of hours.

How to play Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition

The computer-controlled armies waste no time in attacking your village to get the upper hand.

Foundry

Your main task, of course, is to play the single-player campaigns that re-enact historical battles, so that your nation grows in status and (hopefully) emerges as the victor. However, each nation represents a different challenge, as they all have their own distinctive military strengths, such as the longbows of the Britons or the horsemen of Attila The Hun, so you’ll have to learn new tactics for each campaign. However, each campaign starts in essentially the same way, with a handful of villagers who can be sent out to explore the territory around their village, and to gather resources such as wood and gold, and plants and animals for food. These resources allow you to build structures such as an army barracks, which then allows you to train soldiers so that you can defend yourself against attacks from rival nations.

Other types of buildings have benefits too, such as universities, which can conduct scientific research in order to develop new weapons and technologies. As well as the historically-based campaigns that make up the bulk of the game, there’s also a single-player Skirmish mode that allows you to design your own battles, competing against up to seven computer-controlled opponents fighting on your choice of terrain. 

There are a lot of tutorials within the game to show new players how to control their armies in battle.

Foundry

There are online multiplayer and co-op modes as well, although the Mac version of the game only allows you to play with other Mac users, so you won’t be able to play with friends who own the game on PC. The game does occasionally show its age, with a slightly clumsy interface, and the game does a poor job of explaining that the updated high-res graphics require a separate (free) download that needs to be installed in addition to the main game. Fortunately, the age of the game means that you don’t need a really fast Mac to run it properly – although it does require a Mac with Apple Silicon, so check the system requirements on Steam before buying.

Should You Buy Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition?

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition proves that great strategy games never go out of style. The classic RTS gameplay remains as compelling as ever, while enhanced high-resolution graphics help it feel at home on modern Macs. The inclusion of three DLC expansions adds excellent value, providing dozens of additional campaigns and countless hours of gameplay. However, Mac players should note that the game requires Apple Silicon and lacks cross-platform multiplayer with PC users. Even so, strategy fans will find a huge amount to enjoy here.

Apple is notoriously secretive, famous for locking down information about its products until the very moment they’re announced. Paradoxically, however, the company loves to tease us with cryptic clues and hints in its invites.

The WWDC 2026 invitations feature a glowing version of the logo for Apple’s Swift programming language, above the words, “Coming bright up.” On its developer portal, meanwhile, the company uses the line “All systems glow.” What could Apple mean by these phrases?

The words “bright” and “glow” and the glowing logo all likely point to a visual redesign. Siri is expected to get a new interface as part of the iOS 27 update, and this will reportedly include a glowing Dynamic Island to indicate it’s running.

Mostly, though, we should bear in mind that Apple likes the idea of clues more than the reality of them. It doesn’t actually want to give away anything useful, but it does like to stoke speculation. In 2022 and 2023, respectively, the WWDC taglines were “Call to code” and “Code new worlds,” which, for a conference addressing software coders, is about as uninformative as it gets.

Last year’s event was tagged “Sleek peek.” That makes sense in retrospect as a veiled reference to Liquid Glass–sleek means both smooth, kind of like glass, and elegant, which is how the company hoped we’d view the new design–but no one could have used those two words alone to work out what was coming. And if we’re honest, virtually any product launch in history could plausibly have used that tagline since they always give a peek of something which its makers would like us to think is terribly sleek.

In other words, “Coming bright up” and “All systems glow” are specific puns, but we won’t know for sure what Apple means until the keynote. But by Tuesday, we’ll be able to look back and see what Apple was referring to. But it’s probably Siri.

The event starts at 10am PT on Monday. Join our WWDC26 live blog for all the latest news, rumors, and speculation.

At a glanceExpert’s Rating

Pros

Thunderbolt 5

Two dedicated HDMI 2.1 ports

Supports dual 6K/60Hz on Mac

2.5Gb Ethernet

Fast card readers

140W PD 3.1 to laptop

2x 30W charging ports

Cons

Only one downstream Thunderbolt port

Our Verdict

The TBT-UDH2 is an exceptionally able docking station with Thunderbolt 5, an incredible nine downstream USB ports, 2.5Gb Ethernet, fast card readers and unique dual-HDMI 2.1 ports that for many users will do away with the need for extra adapters.

Price When Reviewed

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Best Pricing Today

Price When Reviewed

$349.95

Best Prices Today: Plugable Dual HDMI Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station (TBT-UDH2)

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$349.95

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$349.95

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Buy the TBT-UDH2 if you need dual HDMI displays, Thunderbolt 5 bandwidth, strong charging, and lots of ports. Skip if you need multiple downstream Thunderbolt ports or use a base M1/M2 Mac. The 6K upgrade is worthwhile only for professionals needing higher-resolution displays.

Mac Thunderbolt docking stations have long offered two basic solutions for monitor support, using either one or more Thunderbolt ports to connect displays and/or a DisplayPort—forcing HDMI users to buy a separate and messy adapter cable to fully utilize the dock.

To their rescue comes Plugable, with its new 16-port Thunderbolt 5 docking station that includes two HDMI 2.1 ports and a downstream Thunderbolt 5 port as well as the upstream Thunderbolt 5 port to the host computer. It’s ideal for its target audience: Mac users looking for a setup of two external HDMI monitors plus the fast 80Gbps data bandwidth of Thunderbolt 5.

First unveiled at CES 2026, Plugable’s new Thunderbolt 5 TBT-UDH2 dock not only includes dual HDMI 2.1 but a generous six downstream USB-C/Thunderbolt ports—two with a power output of 30W, which is perfect for fast-charging your iPhone and/or iPad.

Who is the Plugable Thunderbolt 5 TBT-UDH2 Dock for?

With its two top-end HDMI 2.1 ports, the Plugable TBT-UDH2 is the solution for those of us who need a two-display setup based on HDMI without needing external video adapters. It’s not for owners of the MacBook Neo or base M1/M2 Macs but it offers much for just about everyone else. You can buy cheaper but not at this level of functionality.

Simon Jary

Specs and features

One upstream Thunderbolt 5 port (80Gbps, 140W)

One downstream Thunderbolt 5 port (80Gbps, 30W)

Two HDMI ports (2.1)

One USB-C port (10Gbps, 30W)

One USB-C port (10Gbps, 4.5W)

Three USB-C ports (5Gbps, 4.5W)

One USB-A port (10Gbps, 4.5W)

Two USB-A ports (5Gbps, 4.5W)

Ethernet (2.5Gb)

UHS-II SD card reader (312MBps)

UHS-II microSD card reader (312MBps)

3.5mm combo audio jack (front)

180W power supply

Many docks come with one upstream and three downstream Thunderbolt (TB) ports (Intel’s reference design). Others trade one of the TB ports for a DisplayPort as it is expected that connecting to at least one external monitor is at the heart of any dock’s purpose.

Thunderbolt is built on DisplayPort (DP) technology, combining two main data highways into a single cable: PCI Express (for data and devices) and DisplayPort (for video and monitors). (Thunderbolt 1 and 2 even used the same physical connector as Mini DisplayPort, but beginning with Thunderbolt 3, the technology was adapted to piggyback onto the universal USB-C connector.)

That close technical relationship between Thunderbolt and DisplayPort, and DisplayPort’s superior capabilities, meant that it was a natural fit for docks to trade a TB port for a DP. However, it left owners of HDMI monitors scrabbling around to find a DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter cable.

HDMI 2.1 has largely caught up with DisplayPort in terms of capability, although gamers and top-end video professionals might still prefer DisplayPort as it offers up to 240Hz refresh rates for 4K displays, while HDMI is ‘limited’ to 120Hz.

Simon Jary

Rather than offering two additional downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports, Plugable allocates these two “pipes” to two dedicated HDMI outputs and leaves one downstream Thunderbolt 5 port available for additional expansion (including Thunderbolt daisy-chaining) or display use.

As macOS doesn’t support MST (Multi-Stream Transport), only one of the HDMI ports would normally function on a Mac if the dock also preserved two downstream Thunderbolt ports. Windows does support MST so is much more able when it comes to multi-display setups.

Even if your current Mac uses Thunderbolt 4, the Plugable Dual HDMI TBT-UDH2 Docking Station will operate (although not with Thunderbolt 3 Macs) as Thunderbolt 5 is backwards compatible. It makes sense to buy Thunderbolt 5 now in anticipation of your next hardware upgrade.

Display capability

The Plugable TBT-UDH2 can support up to dual 8K/60Hz (7680 x 4320 pixels) or 4K/144Hz, depending on the model of Mac and its M-series processor.

At the top, a Mac with an M4 Max or M5 Max chip can support two 8K/60Hz displays or two at 4K/144Hz.

M4/M5 Pro, M2/M3 Pro/Max or base M4/M5 Macs can connect two 6K/60Hz displays or 4K at 144Hz. Macs with an M1 Pro/Max support two 6K/60Hz but lack the 4K/144Hz option.

Macs with a base M1/M2 are limited to one 6K/60Hz external display. While this is a dock with a lot more than just flexible video options, owners of the older base M1/M2 should be looking to the best DisplayLink docks for multi-monitor options with software workarounds. MacBook Neo users should also look for a DisplayLink dock, and don’t need the 80Gbps bandwidth of a Thunderbolt 5 docking station.

For more expansive display options, M5 Pro and M5 Max users can add a third display to the downstream Thunderbolt 5 port. M5 Max users can even stretch to four displays, using Thunderbolt’s daisy-chaining capabilities.

Displays with HDMI can be connected to the 2x HDMI 2.1 ports. The downstream Thunderbolt port can provide up to 120Gbps via TB5’s Bandwidth Boost, and can be used to connect up to one display via USB-C/Thunderbolt or via USB-C to HDMI or USB-C to DisplayPort cables/adapters.

Only two displays may be used at a time (HDMI+HDMI or HDMI+Thunderbolt/USB-C Alt Mode).

A three-display setup with an M5 Pro or M5 Max would consist of two HDMI displays plus one USB-C DP Alt Mode or Thunderbolt display connected via the front downstream Thunderbolt 5 port. In tests, three 4K 144Hz HDR displays have been proved to work simultaneously. The M5 Max theoretically supports four displays with two HDMI displays plus two Thunderbolt displays that are connected in series to each other (daisy-chained) but neither we nor Plugable have tested this in practice.

Simon Jary

 Not forgetting the 9 USB ports

This compact dock manages to fit nine downstream USB ports alongside the two HDMI.

One is Thunderbolt 5 with 30W device charging, compared to TB’s usual 15W output. That’s enough power to fast-charge an iPhone or iPad. It can also be used as a video port if required—maybe your second monitor is USB-C rather than HDMI.

There’s a 10Gbps USB-C port that also has 30W power output at your disposal. Both 30W ports are located at the front for easy access.

In comparison, the $399.99 CalDigit TS5 provides less charging power overall for your devices, with only 15W from each downstream Thunderbolt 5 port and 20W from its front USB-C port. The CalDigit TS5 Plus steps up accessory charging with 36W from each downstream Thunderbolt 5 port and 36W from the front USB-C port, but costs $499.99.

Also at the front are one USB-C and one USB-A data port, both rated at a speedy 10Gbps.

As you’d expect, both card readers are also facing you as you work, and these are fast UHS-II at 312MBps.

There’s an audio jack at the front and also a handy power button so you can rest assured that no power is going to your MacBook’s battery while you aren’t using it. Apple’s battery tech should handle that anyway, but I like the option to power off.

At the back, alongside the two HDMI 2.1 ports are the upstream Thunderbolt 5 port, plus three 5Gbps USB-C data ports and two 5Gbps USB-A.

The upstream TB5 port can supply up to 140W of Power Delivery (3.1), which is enough to fast-charge even the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Rounding it off is an Ethernet port for stable wired network access, and this is rated at 2.5Gb, two and a half times faster than standard Gigabit Ethernet (1Gb) if your network supports it. If your network is still 1GbE, it will still work as it’s backwards compatible and forwards too for 5GbE and 10GbE.

It comes with an external 180W power supply, so when going full pelt to a PD 3.1 laptop, there will be 40W remaining for the other ports. In most scenarios the laptop will be taking a lot less than 140W so both 30W charging ports should be able to cope just fine.

Simon Jary

Design

The space gray aluminum dock can be oriented vertically or horizontally to best fit your desk. Grilles along the sides aid cooling as the dock is fanless for silent operation. Runners are included if you want the horizontal orientation.

It is compact, measuring 5.9 x 2 x 3 inches (150 x 50 x 75mm) and weighs just over 2lbs (a little under 1kg) without the power supply.

In terms of physical security, it comes with both a standard K-slot and a Kensington Nano slot (K-slot nano), ensuring lock standard compatibility.

Simon Jary

What you gain and what you give up

You gain dual HDMI 2.1 outputs without adapters, Thunderbolt 5 performance, 140W laptop charging, nine USB ports, 2.5Gb Ethernet, and fast UHS-II card readers—making it one of the most capable docks for HDMI-based Mac setups.

You miss out on two potential downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports, limiting expansion flexibility compared with traditional Thunderbolt 5 docks such as the CalDigit TS5 or Plugable TBT-UDT3. Base M1/M2 Macs remain restricted to a single external display, Thunderbolt 3 Macs aren’t supported, and availability is currently limited to North America.

Price

Available in North America only at the time of writing, the Plugable Dual HDMI Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station (TBT-UDH2) is priced at $349.95.

This is at the upper-end for Thunderbolt 5 docks, but the 16 ports are well chosen, and dual-screen setups will be boosted by the double dose of HDMI 2.1.

If you just want all the basics you need at top speed and an attractive price point, the £299.99 Plugable TBT-UDT3 Dock has three downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports (each at 15W), three USB-A ports and pretty much everything the TBT-UDH2 has in terms of Ethernet and card readers.

That extra $50 gets you a big upgrade on the number of USB ports and device-charging capability, although you are sacrificing two of the downstream TB5 ports for the convenience of the double HDMI.

See our reviews and comparisons of the other best Thunderbolt docking stations.

Should you buy the Plugable Dual HDMI Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station?

The TBT-UDH2 is an exceptionally able docking station with 80/120Gbps Thunderbolt 5 bandwidth, an incredible nine downstream USB ports, 2,5Gb Ethernet, fast card readers and unique dual-HDMI 2.1 ports that for many users will do away with the need for extra adapters.

As the saying goes, once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and six times is a sure sign of an imminent product launch. Football star Lamine Yamal has posted to Instagram yet another photo of himself with a pair of unreleased Beats over-ears, and come on people, who are we kidding, Apple is definitely about to drop some new headphones.

Last week, we reported on the Barcelona midfielder’s “inadvertent” posting of four carefully posed photos and one carefully posed video of himself with the unidentified pink cans, and speculated that it was most likely paid stealth marketing ahead of a launch. Now he has posted another still photo, this time in the form of a story on his Instagram account, and it shows the player hugging a fan and clutching a bag with not one but two pairs dangling off the handle.

Who carries around two pairs of the same headphones? Not many millionaires, I would have thought. They have people for that, right?

Most convenient of all, the two pairs are in different color finishes. The ones we saw last week were seen in a pale pink, but in the new post, they are joined by a pair in a Beats trademark creamy off-white. These look to correspond respectively to the Cloud Pink finish of the Beats Solo 4 and the Sandstone on the Beats Studio Pro. No current model offers both colors.

The Sandstone finish is third from the left.

Beats

Such unsubtle guerrilla marketing hints that Apple will release the new Beats headphones in the near future. An updated version of the Beats Studio Pro is a strong possibility, particularly after Apple filed documents with the FCC last month.

We don’t currently expect any hardware to be announced at the WWDC 2026 keynote next week (on Monday, from 10am PT), but it’s not impossible that Apple will spring a surprise. Join our WWDC live blog as we discuss all the news and rumors surrounding the event.

At a glanceExpert’s Rating

Pros

Super-crisp UHD 6K 60Hz touchscreen

32-inch and max 6016 x 3384 pixels

Color accuracy

Cheaper than Apple Studio Displays

Clarity Fold Stand

Cons

Hub doesn’t daisy-chain extra displays

Our Verdict

Graphic and video professionals will appreciate the higher 6K resolution of this generously sized 32-inch touchscreen display with digital-artist-friendly stand, and impressive color specs.

Price When Reviewed

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Price When Reviewed

$2,499.99

Best Prices Today: Alogic Clarity 6K Touch 32-inch Monitor

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$1,696.65

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$2499.99

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Buy the Clarity 6K Touch if you’re a graphic designer, video editor, illustrator, photographer, or CAD professional who benefits from maximum detail, color accuracy, and touchscreen input. Skip it if you’re a general user. The 6K premium is worthwhile mainly for creative professionals.

While Apple rules the roost with mobile touchscreens on its iPhones and iPads, it has kept a distance from touchscreen displays for its Macs. There are rumours of a touch screen slated as part of an overhaul of a redesigned OLED-screened MacBook Pro, but it was a definite case of Do Not Touch with Apple’s recent new Studio Display models.

Alogic is an Australian company that makes premium products for the Apple ecosystem and has been a pioneer in creating touchscreen displays for Mac users. It was first to market with a 4K touchscreen—the Clarity 4K Pro Touch— and a 5K, the Clarity 5K Touch. The company has now released another world first, the Clarity 6K Touch, which as its name points out takes Mac touchscreens up to a new level of screen quality.

Like the previous Clarity Touch monitors, you can use the touchscreen display much like an iPad with on-screen tap, swipe, slide and pinch, and over 4,000 levels of pressure sensitivity. Alogic caught up with Apple’s Studio Display with its Clarity 5K but now goes one better. Where the Apple Studio Display has a maximum resolution of 5120 x 2880, the Clarity 6K reaches 6016 x 3384 at the same pixel density on a larger screen (32 inches vs Apple’s 27 inches).

Alogic

6K vs 5K monitors

The Clarity 6K Touch costs $2,499, compared to $1,799 for the 5K Touch. Alongside the resolution boost, you also get a larger 32-inch panel rather than the 5K model’s 27-inch screen.

The main difference between 5K and 6K displays is resolution. A 5K monitor offers 5,120 x 2,880 pixels, while 6K increases that to 6,016 x 3,384. This delivers both more screen space and greater pixel density.

A 5K display contains around 14.7 million pixels, while a 6K panel packs in more than 20 million. The result is exceptionally sharp text, finer image detail, and nearly 2.5 times the pixel count of a 4K display.

Running at the full 6K resolution can make interface elements uncomfortably small, so most users will prefer a scaled setting. The default 3,008 x 1,692 resolution strikes a good balance between workspace and readability.

For creative professionals, pixel density is the bigger advantage. A 32-inch 5K display delivers 163ppi, while the 6K reaches 216ppi—Apple’s Retina benchmark. Images and text appear noticeably sharper, allowing photographers, designers and video editors to work with greater precision.

Many users may struggle to spot the difference between 5K and 6K in everyday use, but professionals who rely on fine detail will appreciate the added sharpness. The display tops out at 60Hz, which is more than adequate for creative work but less appealing for gamers.

Alogic

Screen pixels and colors

Screen: 32-inch IPS 8-bit + HiFRC

Finish: Gloss

Max resolution: 6016 x 3384 pixels

Refresh rate: 60Hz

DCI-P3 color coverage: 100%

Adobe RGB color coverage: 100%

sRGB color coverage: 100%

Contrast Ratio: 2000:1

Delta E (dE):

As a longtime Mac user, I’m actually pretty happy with the state of macOS. All things considered, the Mac is in a pretty good place right now, and while Tahoe has some wrinkles, the platform as a whole is solid. But the key to continued success is continued progression, that the Mac evolve to address the needs of users.

On Monday, Apple will announce macOS 27, the next major version of the Mac operating system, and preview its biggest new features. It’s our chance to see what Apple will do to make our Mac experience better, and here’s what I want to see at WWDC26 for macOS.

A lot more Siri

Apple is expected to finally reveal its revamped Siri, and while much of the talk about Siri has been in regards to iOS 27, they carry over to macOS 27, as well. And Apple is expected to show several Apple Intelligence-based features with macOS and its apps.

I’m quite interested in seeing how Apple integrates AI features into macOS, but I’m also interested in the big picture. The ultimate goal with AI development is an AI that knows you almost as well as you know yourself, maybe even better, resulting in a computing experience that maximizes your productivity. Microsoft is attempting to do this with Windows Copilot, and Google recently announced several new Gemini-related technologies that can provide “real work with minimal human input,” according to TechCrunch’s Rebecca Bellan.

As you already know, Apple is behind in its AI development and implementation. Apple has to do two things here: play catch-up and demonstrate that it is making real progress beyond that. My interest is less about new features I can use and more about Apple’s ability to develop and execute technology that will be at the core of everything moving forward.

Square application icons became the norm in macOS Tahoe. Booooorrrring.

Foundry

Visual tweaks

Now, on to more concrete macOS features and products I’ll be looking for at WWDC26. macOS Tahoe introduced Liquid Glass and other changes to the look of the OS–some hate it, some like it. Me, I’m in the middle; I don’t find the changes offensive, but I’m not enthused by them, either.

But there’s one thing clear, and that is Apple is attempting to unify the look of macOS and iOS an much as possible. Since they’re all part of the same ecosystem, this makes sense but in practicality, it sacrifices the uniqueness of each platform. I’m hoping to see efforts to make macOS stand out as well as take advantage of its platform. This includes dynamic widget sizes and hiding, icon tinting, and the ability for developers to create app icons that are unique and not restricted to the iOS-style rounded squares.

System Settings fixes

Speaking of graphical tweaks, the System Settings UI needs more than a graphical makeover. With the current layout, it seems as though Apple wants users to rely on using Search, but the problem is that users don’t know what the settings are called. It needs an organizational reconstruction to make it easier to get to the setting you need. While I’d be happy with a redesign, it would be amazing if Apple figured out how to use Apple Intelligence to make System Settings intuitive.

Time for Apple to clean up this mess.

Foundry

A little more LaunchPad

With macOS Tahoe, Apple wanted to move people from using LaunchPad to using the revised Spotlight. But LaunchPad lives on, in a way; it was replaced by the Apps app. However, Apps is nowhere near as functional as LaunchPad–it feels like a pacifier for LaunchPad users as they practice using Spotlight instead.

Apps don’t have any customization options, their listing options are few, and for some reason, you can’t expand the Apps window horizontally, which would go a long way in its usability. I’m hopeful that Apple will offer Apps UI tweaks in macOS 27, but if they don’t, they should just get rid of it completely–in its current state, Apps isn’t more useful than having an alias of the Applications folder in the Dock.

I’m convinced the Apps app in macOS Tahoe was released to purposely frustrate LaunchPad users like me.

Foundry

WWDC is the year’s most exciting event for the Apple community. Of course, September is when the new iPhones come out, but WWDC is when Apple unveils the ideas that will shape the next 12 months of its ecosystem. Not only that, but we even get to try out many of these announcements right after they’re unveiled in the developer betas.

And this year seems particularly important. Following the ambitious yet chaotic rollout of Apple Intelligence in 2024, WWDC 2026 is rumored to be the event where Apple will prove that it can finally deliver on all those AI promises to users.

With the WWDC 2026 keynote just around the corner, here are five things I can’t wait to see at the event next week.

A smart assistant that’s actually smart

Apple showed off its vision for a new AI-powered Siri at WWDC 2024, but that Siri never saw the light of day. Nearly two years later, Apple’s virtual assistant still struggles with context, multi-step requests, and natural conversation. These are things that other AI agents solved long ago.

That looks to finally change at WWDC. According to multiple reports, Apple has been working on a major overhaul of Siri, powered by Google Gemini’s large language models and a redesigned interface. Some rumors even suggest Apple may introduce a dedicated Siri app that works more like ChatGPT, complete with conversation history and richer text responses. Honestly, this is what Siri should have become years ago.

And there’s more. In a recent announcement about new Accessibility features for iOS 27, Apple showcased a new version of Voice Control integrated with Apple Intelligence, which is capable of understanding what’s on the screen and responding to natural voice commands which is also expected to come to Siri.

I don’t necessarily expect Apple to win the AI race in one day. I just don’t want Siri to seem like the least intelligent assistant in the room. If Apple can finally make Siri reliable, contextual, and genuinely useful across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, that alone could define this entire WWDC.

Foundry

Apple Intelligence features that are actually useful

Over the past two years, Apple has introduced numerous Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools, Genmoji, Summarization, and Clean Up in the Photos app. Some of them are fine, but none of these features really change the way we interact with our devices.

This year, I want Apple Intelligence to feel less like a feature and more like part of the platform. Rumors point to AI upgrades across Photos, Search, Camera, and system-wide interactions, including smarter editing tools, contextual suggestions, and deeper app controls.

For instance, a report suggests that iOS 27 will allow users to scan nutrition labels on food packaging to add and track calories and nutrients in the Health app. Visual Intelligence will also reportedly gain the ability to scan phone numbers and addresses on business cards and posters.

If true, these features will certainly be much more useful than being able to create your own emojis using AI.

A Camera app that’s actually helpful

If there’s one iPhone app I use the most, it’s the Camera. And to be honest, the current Camera app has become a mess. Important controls are hidden behind gestures, while pro-level features are limited. At the same time, casual users have a hard time finding basic features, like how to keep the flash on all the time.

Like many other people, I rely on third-party apps such as Halide to get the most out of my iPhone’s camera. Thankfully, a recent report suggests that Apple will introduce a redesigned Camera app with iOS 27 that could solve all of my problems.

According to rumors, the Camera app will be much more customizable, and users will be able to choose which controls they want to see right in front of them. I’d also love to see easier access to manual controls and a cleaner interface for switching between camera modes.

The iPhone camera system is more powerful than ever, but the software still doesn’t fully match the hardware. This WWDC could finally change that.

The iOS Camera app could soon be as good as third-party apps such as Halide.

Foundry

Liquid Glass improvements that are actually consistent

Introduced last year, Liquid Glass is the interface across all Apple platforms that adds depth and reflections to icons, buttons, controls, and other elements.

Visually, it’s one of Apple’s most beautiful interface designs in years. But in practice, the current implementation of Liquid Glass prioritizes style over usability. There are many examples of transparency issues, inconsistent animations, and readability issues that make Liquid Glass seem unfinished.

This year, I really hope Apple has taken the time to polish the Liquid Glass interface. I don’t think Apple should get rid of it or start from scratch. I just want better contrast and more consistency across apps and platforms.

Recent rumors suggest that we’ll see improvements in this area with iOS 27 and the other new operating systems set to be unveiled next week.

An iPhone update that’s actually forward-looking

I don’t really expect Apple to unveil a new iPhone at WWDC. But I do think there’s a chance Apple will start laying the groundwork for it.

Rumors about the first foldable iPhone, likely to be called the iPhone Ultra, have been intensifying in recent months as Apple is expected to announce this new iPhone in September. And for such a significant new piece of hardware, Apple also needs to have its software ready for it.

Reports suggest iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 could introduce multitasking improvements and split-screen features designed to support foldable devices. That’s the kind of subtle WWDC teaser I’d love to see.

Apple’s first folding iPhone is coming. Will Apple drop some clues about it in iOS 27?

Foundry

Maybe Apple will introduce more advanced app continuity. Maybe iPhone apps become more flexible with windowing. Maybe Split View finally comes to larger iPhones. Or maybe Apple simply hints at a future category without naming it outright.

Apple often uses WWDC to prepare developers for hardware that arrives later. And if the foldable iPhone really is coming out soon, this year’s WWDC seems like the perfect place to get things started.

WWDC 2026 could be Apple’s most important software event in years

In recent years, Apple has been falling behind in AI. WWDC 2026 looks like it will be the moment when the company finally catches up with the rest of the industry.

There probably won’t be any new hardware at the event, but we’ll see things like a smarter Siri, improved Apple Intelligence, and more refined software. There’s still plenty to look forward to for this event, and I’m really excited to see what Apple has been working on.

TL;DR: Voibe helps Mac users dictate text up to 3x faster than typing with offline voice transcription that works across apps — and lifetime access is $49.99 right now.

There’s a whole world of frustration that comes from having ideas faster than you can physically type them. You know what you want to say. Your brain is moving at full speed. Meanwhile, your keyboard is over there doing its best impression of a traffic jam.

That’s the problem Voibe is trying to solve. Right now, lifetime access is $49.99 (reg. $199), and the app is built around one simple idea: speaking is dramatically faster than typing for most people. In many cases, up to three times faster.

Voibe runs locally on Apple Silicon Macs using OpenAI’s Whisper model, which means dictation happens offline directly on your device instead of bouncing your voice recordings around the cloud.

That’s a pretty big deal for anyone handling sensitive work documents, client notes, meeting recaps, or just people who don’t love the idea of every random thought living on external servers forever.

The app also handles natural speech surprisingly well, including accents, technical terminology, and messy “thinking out loud” workflows that usually break older dictation software.

And because it works across apps, it slips pretty naturally into daily workflows.

Take some of your time back with lifetime access to Voibe for just $49.99 (reg. $199).

Voibe Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Baseus Picogo MagSafe Power Bank

View Deal

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Baseus’s Picogo magnetic power bank is down to just $34.16 right now, a 50 percent discount off its $70 MSRP when you redeem the 10 percent coupon on the listing. Of course, we’ve actually most often seen this model for $40, but a deal’s a deal. The honest read is that you’re saving a few dollars off its typical street price. Still, at a few cents over $34, it’s a genuinely great price for a slim Qi2 magnetic battery.

The best thing about this power bank is how thin it is. At about half an inch thick, it won’t be annoying to hold when it’s magnetized to your phone, even the iPhone Air. It snaps onto the back of your phone and stays out of the way, even when you shove this thing into your pocket.

The Qi2 15W magnetic wireless charging is super convenient to have. Just snap it onto a compatible iPhone, and it starts charging, without needing any cables or having you fumbling around to plug it in. Since the magnets are strong enough to hold a steady connection, it even works with MagSafe-style cases, so you don’t have to take your case off to use it.

The 10,000mAh capacity is enough to give you quite a bit of extra use time. You’ll get about an extra charge and a half for most iPhones, but that will vary depending on how much you’re actually using your device while charging. That’s ideal for a long day out when you’re going to be glued to your phone. If you want better speed, there’s a 27W USB-C port available, but you’ll need to use a cable.

At $34.16, the Baseus Picogo MagSafe power bank is an easy recommendation for anyone who wants slim, grab-and-go magnetic charging for their iPhone.

Apple TV debuts a new remake of thriller Cape Fear. This latest limited series adaptation is star-studded, with Amy Adams, Javier Bardem and Patrick Wilson headlining the cast.

Inspired by the 1991 movie, in Cape Fear, the world of a married couple of attorneys is turned upside down when a killer they helped convict is released from prison …

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Epic Games is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reject Apple’s latest attempt to challenge two rulings in its long-running legal fight over off-App-Store purchases. Here are the details.

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Soccer sensation Lamine Yamal has published a second photo featuring a pair of unreleased Beats headphones. Here are the details.

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Smart access company Salto has announced that its hospitality platform now supports Room Keys in Apple Wallet. Here are the details.

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Benjamin and Chance talk about the late-breaking iOS 27 rumors, including a new bill splitting feature for the Wallet app, as well as give their final expectations for next week’s WWDC announcements. Apple fixes Mayo’s iPhone Air battery glitch, and new Apple TV and HomePod models are apparently in the final testing stage. Also, code references reignite ideas about new cheaper (or free) tiers of Apple Music. 

And in Happy Hour Plus, on the eve of iOS 27, we give our 1 year retrospective on how iOS 26 has fared in the wild. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

Sponsored by Keeper: Get 60% off personal and family plans at keepersecurity.com/HAPPYHOUR.

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Sponsored by Shopify: See less carts go abandoned and more sales. Sign up for a $1 per month trial at shopify.com/happyhour.

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The Apple Park Visitor Center store got a fresh batch of merch today ahead of next week’s WWDC, when Apple is expected to welcome more than 1,000 developers, students, journalists, and other guests to its campus.

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After years of broken promises, false advertising, embarrassing delays, and a Siri that has lagged far behind competitors, Apple is finally preparing to deliver a meaningful upgrade to its voice assistant. According to The Information, the long-awaited overhauled Siri will launch in September 2026 alongside iOS 27, relying on a hybrid approach that taps Google Cloud’s Gemini models and Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs for the heavy lifting.

This is the same Siri overhaul that was teased at WWDC 2024, delayed multiple times throughout 2025, and pushed into 2026 amid internal missteps, executive shakeups, and what critics have called a lack of urgency in Apple’s AI strategy.

Tim Cook Bears Responsibility

Tim Cook, Apple’s outgoing CEO, ultimately owns these repeated delays. In fact, this whole debacle may have been what finally precipitated Apple’s CEO transition. Apple publicly hyped advanced, personalized Siri capabilities as part of Apple Intelligence at WWWC 2024, only to admit they needed “more time to meet our high-quality bar.” That phrase became a recurring corporate euphemism while rivals like Google and OpenAI surged ahead. Cook addressed the setbacks in earnings calls and internal meetings, but the pattern points to leadership-level complacency if not utter blindness.

Under Cook’s tenure, Apple has excelled at operational execution and services growth, but it has repeatedly found itself playing catch-up in transformative technologies. The decision to lean on Google and Nvidia for this Siri reboot — after heavily marketing on-device privacy and Apple Silicon prowess — underscores how far behind the company was in scaling generative AI. Internal reshuffles (including changes to AI leadership) and reports of “ugly, embarrassing” delays further highlight execution shortfalls on his watch.

What the New Siri is Expected to Deliver

• Hybrid AI Architecture: Simple tasks stay on-device for speed and privacy. Complex queries route to Google’s Gemini via Nvidia-powered cloud infrastructure with confidential computing encryption.

• September Launch: Expected with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, tvOS 27, etc. More previews likely at WWDC 2026 (starting June 8th).

• Potential Impact: If it finally works as promised — handling context, interruptions, multi-step tasks, and personalization — LLM Siri could quiet critics and help drive iPhone, iPad, and Mac upgrades and sales.

This hybrid pivot represents a pragmatic (if humbling) admission that Apple’s late, go-it-alone approach wasn’t scaling fast enough. For loyal users tired of Siri’s limitations, it’s welcome news. But the multi-year wait leaves a sour taste — one that lands squarely at the top of the org chart.

MacDailyNews Take: With the right leader, Apple has the resources, talent, and ecosystem to lead. The question now is whether WWDC26 begins to deliver a Siri that actually works or if it’s just the latest patch on a decade-plus Siri underperformance. On that point, we’ve been hearing very hopeful murmurs for months now, so things could be looking up very soon!

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The post Apple finally set to launch all-new Siri in September, powered by Google cloud and Nvidia chips appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Perplexity subscribers who work in design can now add a Canva connector to the Computer platform, allowing Perplexity’s desktop agent to autonomously turn data and prompts into editable Canva assets. Here are the details.

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YouTuber Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) posted a new video today where he lists the top 10 products he wishes Apple would make. And the good news is, many of those products are rumored for Apple’s roadmap.

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Following the news that Michelle Monaghan (True Detective, Gone Baby Gone) will join Your Friends & Neighbors season 3 as a series regular, Deadline has exclusively reported another addition to the show’s cast. Here are the details.

more…

Instagram Plus is a new optional subscription plan rolling out globally for Instagram users at $3.99/month, here’s every new feature it offers.

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Apple is implementing age verification requirements for new Apple ID accounts in Texas, effective Thursday, June 4, 2026, in compliance with the state’s App Store Accountability Act (SB 2420).

Users creating a new Apple account in Texas will now need to verify they are over 18. Verification options include providing a credit card or government-issued ID. Apple may also automatically confirm age based on existing account data, such as the length of time the account has been active and whether a credit card is already on file.

For users under 18, the process routes through Apple’s Family Sharing system. A parent or guardian must provide consent for app downloads and in-app purchases. Developers are also required to deliver age-appropriate experiences and can leverage Apple’s Declared Age Range API to check user age brackets.

Background on the Texas Law

The move follows a recent federal appeals court decision allowing Texas’ App Store Accountability Act to take effect while ongoing litigation continues. A lower court had previously blocked the law in December, but the appeals court reversed that injunction for now.

Apple had previously opposed aspects of app store-level age verification mandates, but is now implementing the checks to comply with similar laws in states including Utah and Louisiana, as well as countries like Brazil, Australia, Singapore, and the UK. Google is making parallel changes to the Play Store.

This is part of a growing wave of age verification efforts across the internet, driven by concerns over minors’ access to certain content and features. While the Texas law faces continued legal challenges, a similar federal proposal is also under consideration in the U.S. Congress, which could eventually expand such requirements nationwide.

MacDailyNews Note: For existing Apple users in Texas, no immediate action is required. The verification applies primarily to new account creations. Apple has not detailed public-facing changes to the App Store interface beyond these backend and signup adjustments.

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iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are expected to have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch sizes as their predecessors, but rumors indicate those displays will come with a key technology upgrade.

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9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIALtoday and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

A rather alarming new report from financial services company Ramp shows DeepSeek catching on with US firms looking for cheaper alternatives to Anthropic and OpenAI. In its June 2026 series covering all of last month, the Chinese AI company ranked first among SaaS vendors for breakout growth relative to size across Ramp customers.

Needless to say, the security implications here are quite alarming.

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Today Apple implemented a variety of age-related restrictions in Texas based on new legislation, and as a result, the Wallet app’s Digital ID feature just became far more useful for Texans.

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Apple Arcade’s award-winning catalog of more than 200 games is adding nine new games. Starting today, players can lace up their cleats for arcade-style soccer glory in Mini Football Legends, nurture a beloved virtual pet with My Talking Tom 2+, build a global coffee empire from the ground up in Coffee Inc 2+, and unwind with endless hands of FreeCell Solitaire: Card Game+.

On June 30, Family Feud Pocket brings the revered game show and authentic, true-to-show trivia experience to Apple Arcade. Hosted by the iconic Steve Harvey, the game features the classic mechanics fans know and love, along with daily challenges and exclusive questions. Players can guess the answer and outsmart the competition solo or with loved ones — at home or on the go — through local and online multiplayer.

Family Feud Pocket developed by Gameloft.

Next month, four App Store hits arrive on the service with no ads or in-app purchases. Launching July 2 are Dungeon Clawler+, which combines the strategic depth of a roguelike deckbuilder with the unpredictability of an arcade claw machine; Creatures of the Deep+, a single-player fishing adventure that plunges players into a world of ancient secrets, legendary monsters, and mysterious treasures; Pocket City 2+, a fun spin on the city-building genre, allowing players to construct a sprawling metropolis and then drop themselves in it; and Draw It+, which challenges artists and doodlers alike to sketch clues from a wide variety of prompts and score points before time runs out.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple Arcade is available for $6.99 per month with a one-month free trial. Customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV receive three months of Apple Arcade for free. Apple Arcade is part of Apple One’s Individual ($19.95), Family ($25.95), and Premier ($37.95) plans, with a one-month free trial. Arcade Originals are playable across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. App Store Greats are available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. An Apple Arcade subscription gives a family of up to six unlimited access to all the games in its catalog. Availability for the 200+ games across devices varies based on hardware and software compatibility. Some content may not be available in all areas.

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The post ‘Mini Football Legends,’ ‘Family Feud Pocket,’ and seven more hit games join Apple Arcade appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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iOS 26 added a variety of new features for AirPods, including a Camera Remote setting to control your iPhone’s Camera app. Here’s how to use it.

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Apple’s smarter Siri might route certain queries through Google Cloud on Nvidia Blackwell B200 chips, without compromising on privacy.

(via Cult of Mac – Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

Today, Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) unveiled the July schedule for “Friday Night Baseball,” the weekly doubleheader streaming every Friday on Apple TV throughout the 2026 regular season. Apple TV subscribers across 60 countries and regions can enjoy two marquee matchups each week with enhanced production quality, expert commentary, and no local broadcast restrictions.

July’s schedule features several marquee matchups, beginning July 10 when the Boston Red Sox visit Juan Soto and the New York Mets at Citi Field. Later in the month, reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees travel to Philadelphia on July 24 to face Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies. The month concludes with a pair of heated division rivalries on July 31, as the Texas Rangers take on the Houston Astros, while the San Francisco Giants head south to face the San Diego Padres.

July’s schedule features several marquee matchups for fans across 60 countries and regions to enjoy on the Apple TV app each week.

For a limited time, eligible MLB fans in the U.S. and Canada can receive a one-month trial of Apple TV at apple.co/MLBoffer through July 5 to enjoy access to weekly live “Friday Night Baseball” games, hit Apple Original series and films, and more.

For the fifth straight season, “Friday Night Baseball” games will be called by broadcast teams Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play), Dontrelle Willis (analyst), and Heidi Watney (sideline reporter); and Alex Faust (play-by-play), Ryan Spilborghs (analyst), and Tricia Whitaker (sideline reporter) with Rich Waltz, who will join the broadcast team to call select games during the season. Game-by-game announcer assignments will be revealed weekly. The “Friday Night Baseball” pregame shows will be hosted by Lauren Gardner, former MLB All-Star player Eric Hosmer, and insider Russell Dorsey.

Presented by Essilor and Goodyear, “Friday Night Baseball” is produced by MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning production team in partnership with Apple’s live sports production team.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV subscribers can watch “Friday Night Baseball” on the Apple TV app on iPhone; iPad; Apple TV 4K; Apple Vision Pro; Mac; popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL, and others; Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices; Chromecast with Google TV; PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles; and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 (U.S.) per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, eligible customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free. Find out how to watch Apple TV and see the full list of supported devices.

‎
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The post Apple and Major League Baseball reveal July ‘Friday Night Baseball’ schedule appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Today, Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) unveiled the July schedule for “Friday Night Baseball,” the weekly doubleheader streaming every Friday on Apple TV throughout the 2026 regular season. Apple TV subscribers across 60 countries and regions can enjoy two marquee matchups each week with enhanced production quality, expert commentary, and no local broadcast restrictions.

July’s schedule features several marquee matchups, beginning July 10 when the Boston Red Sox visit Juan Soto and the New York Mets at Citi Field. Later in the month, reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees travel to Philadelphia on July 24 to face Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies. The month concludes with a pair of heated division rivalries on July 31, as the Texas Rangers take on the Houston Astros, while the San Francisco Giants head south to face the San Diego Padres.

July’s schedule features several marquee matchups for fans across 60 countries and regions to enjoy on the Apple TV app each week.

For a limited time, eligible MLB fans in the U.S. and Canada can receive a one-month trial of Apple TV at apple.co/MLBoffer through July 5 to enjoy access to weekly live “Friday Night Baseball” games, hit Apple Original series and films, and more.

For the fifth straight season, “Friday Night Baseball” games will be called by broadcast teams Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play), Dontrelle Willis (analyst), and Heidi Watney (sideline reporter); and Alex Faust (play-by-play), Ryan Spilborghs (analyst), and Tricia Whitaker (sideline reporter) with Rich Waltz, who will join the broadcast team to call select games during the season. Game-by-game announcer assignments will be revealed weekly. The “Friday Night Baseball” pregame shows will be hosted by Lauren Gardner, former MLB All-Star player Eric Hosmer, and insider Russell Dorsey.

Presented by Essilor and Goodyear, “Friday Night Baseball” is produced by MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning production team in partnership with Apple’s live sports production team.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV subscribers can watch “Friday Night Baseball” on the Apple TV app on iPhone; iPad; Apple TV 4K; Apple Vision Pro; Mac; popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL, and others; Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices; Chromecast with Google TV; PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles; and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 (U.S.) per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, eligible customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free. Find out how to watch Apple TV and see the full list of supported devices.

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The post Apple and Major League Baseball reveal July ‘Friday Night Baseball’ schedule appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Today, Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) unveiled the July schedule for “Friday Night Baseball,” the weekly doubleheader streaming every Friday on Apple TV throughout the 2026 regular season. Apple TV subscribers across 60 countries and regions can enjoy two marquee matchups each week with enhanced production quality, expert commentary, and no local broadcast restrictions.

July’s schedule features several marquee matchups, beginning July 10 when the Boston Red Sox visit Juan Soto and the New York Mets at Citi Field. Later in the month, reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees travel to Philadelphia on July 24 to face Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies. The month concludes with a pair of heated division rivalries on July 31, as the Texas Rangers take on the Houston Astros, while the San Francisco Giants head south to face the San Diego Padres.

July’s schedule features several marquee matchups for fans across 60 countries and regions to enjoy on the Apple TV app each week.

For a limited time, eligible MLB fans in the U.S. and Canada can receive a one-month trial of Apple TV at apple.co/MLBoffer through July 5 to enjoy access to weekly live “Friday Night Baseball” games, hit Apple Original series and films, and more.

For the fifth straight season, “Friday Night Baseball” games will be called by broadcast teams Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play), Dontrelle Willis (analyst), and Heidi Watney (sideline reporter); and Alex Faust (play-by-play), Ryan Spilborghs (analyst), and Tricia Whitaker (sideline reporter) with Rich Waltz, who will join the broadcast team to call select games during the season. Game-by-game announcer assignments will be revealed weekly. The “Friday Night Baseball” pregame shows will be hosted by Lauren Gardner, former MLB All-Star player Eric Hosmer, and insider Russell Dorsey.

Presented by Essilor and Goodyear, “Friday Night Baseball” is produced by MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning production team in partnership with Apple’s live sports production team.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV subscribers can watch “Friday Night Baseball” on the Apple TV app on iPhone; iPad; Apple TV 4K; Apple Vision Pro; Mac; popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL, and others; Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices; Chromecast with Google TV; PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles; and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 (U.S.) per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, eligible customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free. Find out how to watch Apple TV and see the full list of supported devices.

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The post Apple and Major League Baseball reveal July ‘Friday Night Baseball’ schedule appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Today, Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) unveiled the July schedule for “Friday Night Baseball,” the weekly doubleheader streaming every Friday on Apple TV throughout the 2026 regular season. Apple TV subscribers across 60 countries and regions can enjoy two marquee matchups each week with enhanced production quality, expert commentary, and no local broadcast restrictions.

July’s schedule features several marquee matchups, beginning July 10 when the Boston Red Sox visit Juan Soto and the New York Mets at Citi Field. Later in the month, reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees travel to Philadelphia on July 24 to face Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies. The month concludes with a pair of heated division rivalries on July 31, as the Texas Rangers take on the Houston Astros, while the San Francisco Giants head south to face the San Diego Padres.

July’s schedule features several marquee matchups for fans across 60 countries and regions to enjoy on the Apple TV app each week.

For a limited time, eligible MLB fans in the U.S. and Canada can receive a one-month trial of Apple TV at apple.co/MLBoffer through July 5 to enjoy access to weekly live “Friday Night Baseball” games, hit Apple Original series and films, and more.

For the fifth straight season, “Friday Night Baseball” games will be called by broadcast teams Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play), Dontrelle Willis (analyst), and Heidi Watney (sideline reporter); and Alex Faust (play-by-play), Ryan Spilborghs (analyst), and Tricia Whitaker (sideline reporter) with Rich Waltz, who will join the broadcast team to call select games during the season. Game-by-game announcer assignments will be revealed weekly. The “Friday Night Baseball” pregame shows will be hosted by Lauren Gardner, former MLB All-Star player Eric Hosmer, and insider Russell Dorsey.

Presented by Essilor and Goodyear, “Friday Night Baseball” is produced by MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning production team in partnership with Apple’s live sports production team.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV subscribers can watch “Friday Night Baseball” on the Apple TV app on iPhone; iPad; Apple TV 4K; Apple Vision Pro; Mac; popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL, and others; Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices; Chromecast with Google TV; PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles; and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 (U.S.) per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, eligible customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free. Find out how to watch Apple TV and see the full list of supported devices.

‎
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The post Apple and Major League Baseball reveal July ‘Friday Night Baseball’ schedule appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Today, Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) unveiled the July schedule for “Friday Night Baseball,” the weekly doubleheader streaming every Friday on Apple TV throughout the 2026 regular season. Apple TV subscribers across 60 countries and regions can enjoy two marquee matchups each week with enhanced production quality, expert commentary, and no local broadcast restrictions.

July’s schedule features several marquee matchups, beginning July 10 when the Boston Red Sox visit Juan Soto and the New York Mets at Citi Field. Later in the month, reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees travel to Philadelphia on July 24 to face Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies. The month concludes with a pair of heated division rivalries on July 31, as the Texas Rangers take on the Houston Astros, while the San Francisco Giants head south to face the San Diego Padres.

July’s schedule features several marquee matchups for fans across 60 countries and regions to enjoy on the Apple TV app each week.

For a limited time, eligible MLB fans in the U.S. and Canada can receive a one-month trial of Apple TV at apple.co/MLBoffer through July 5 to enjoy access to weekly live “Friday Night Baseball” games, hit Apple Original series and films, and more.

For the fifth straight season, “Friday Night Baseball” games will be called by broadcast teams Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play), Dontrelle Willis (analyst), and Heidi Watney (sideline reporter); and Alex Faust (play-by-play), Ryan Spilborghs (analyst), and Tricia Whitaker (sideline reporter) with Rich Waltz, who will join the broadcast team to call select games during the season. Game-by-game announcer assignments will be revealed weekly. The “Friday Night Baseball” pregame shows will be hosted by Lauren Gardner, former MLB All-Star player Eric Hosmer, and insider Russell Dorsey.

Presented by Essilor and Goodyear, “Friday Night Baseball” is produced by MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning production team in partnership with Apple’s live sports production team.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV subscribers can watch “Friday Night Baseball” on the Apple TV app on iPhone; iPad; Apple TV 4K; Apple Vision Pro; Mac; popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL, and others; Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices; Chromecast with Google TV; PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles; and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 (U.S.) per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, eligible customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free. Find out how to watch Apple TV and see the full list of supported devices.

‎
Please help support MacDailyNews — and enjoy subscriber-only articles, comments, chat, and more — by subscribing to our Substack: macdailynews.substack.com. Thank you!

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The post Apple and Major League Baseball reveal July ‘Friday Night Baseball’ schedule appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Today, Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) unveiled the July schedule for “Friday Night Baseball,” the weekly doubleheader streaming every Friday on Apple TV throughout the 2026 regular season. Apple TV subscribers across 60 countries and regions can enjoy two marquee matchups each week with enhanced production quality, expert commentary, and no local broadcast restrictions.

July’s schedule features several marquee matchups, beginning July 10 when the Boston Red Sox visit Juan Soto and the New York Mets at Citi Field. Later in the month, reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees travel to Philadelphia on July 24 to face Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies. The month concludes with a pair of heated division rivalries on July 31, as the Texas Rangers take on the Houston Astros, while the San Francisco Giants head south to face the San Diego Padres.

July’s schedule features several marquee matchups for fans across 60 countries and regions to enjoy on the Apple TV app each week.

For a limited time, eligible MLB fans in the U.S. and Canada can receive a one-month trial of Apple TV at apple.co/MLBoffer through July 5 to enjoy access to weekly live “Friday Night Baseball” games, hit Apple Original series and films, and more.

For the fifth straight season, “Friday Night Baseball” games will be called by broadcast teams Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play), Dontrelle Willis (analyst), and Heidi Watney (sideline reporter); and Alex Faust (play-by-play), Ryan Spilborghs (analyst), and Tricia Whitaker (sideline reporter) with Rich Waltz, who will join the broadcast team to call select games during the season. Game-by-game announcer assignments will be revealed weekly. The “Friday Night Baseball” pregame shows will be hosted by Lauren Gardner, former MLB All-Star player Eric Hosmer, and insider Russell Dorsey.

Presented by Essilor and Goodyear, “Friday Night Baseball” is produced by MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning production team in partnership with Apple’s live sports production team.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV subscribers can watch “Friday Night Baseball” on the Apple TV app on iPhone; iPad; Apple TV 4K; Apple Vision Pro; Mac; popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL, and others; Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices; Chromecast with Google TV; PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles; and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 (U.S.) per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, eligible customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free. Find out how to watch Apple TV and see the full list of supported devices.

‎
Please help support MacDailyNews — and enjoy subscriber-only articles, comments, chat, and more — by subscribing to our Substack: macdailynews.substack.com. Thank you!

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The post Apple and Major League Baseball reveal July ‘Friday Night Baseball’ schedule appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Early this year, Apple and Google issued a short joint statement saying that the next generation of Apple Foundation Models, upon which the new Siri and some other Apple Intelligence features will be based, will use Google’s Gemini technology.

Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology. These models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri that will reportedly be unveiled during Monday’s WWDC keynote.

Now, a report from The Information has a little more detail about the servers this will all run on. Apple’s going to try to run as much of the new Siri as possible on-device, but more advanced requests that require more compute power will run on Google’s cloud. That was part of the original announcement above, actually: “models and cloud technology” (emphasis ours). The compute resources Apple will use come in the form of Google’s servers that use Nvidia’s Blackwell B200 data center chips.

Nvidia has its own “confidential computing” feature that encrypts data as it’s being processed, which will be used with other privacy and security measures to protect user data. However, so does Apple, and it’s unclear exactly how Private Cloud Compute, announced at WWDC in 2024, fits into all this. That system was built to run on Apple’s own server hardware using Apple Silicon, but The Information claims that the new model being used for Siri ran too slowly on that system when Apple tested it.

Apple is expected to unveil the all-new Siri at WWDC on Monday, June 8.

LM Studio’s Locally app is being updated today with Link, a feature that lets users talk to LLMs running on their Macs right from their iPhones. Here are the details.

more…

Third-party AI service Poke was just approved for use in Apple’s Messages app on iPhone, bringing an AI agent directly into iMessage for the first time. Here are the details.

more…

The post The MacBook Neo is $9 Off appeared first on iLounge.

The post First Developer Center in Europe To Open appeared first on iLounge.

The post Demand for MacBook Neo So High Apple Significantly Increasing Production appeared first on iLounge.

The post Revamped Siri to Run on Blackwell Nvidia Chip appeared first on iLounge.

A tantalizing new report suggests the much-anticipated MacBook Ultra could come sooner than you think, with its touchscreen OLED display.

(via Cult of Mac – Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

Almost everyone who tries it agrees that Apple’s Vision Pro mixed-reality headset is an impressive piece of tech. The problem is that the downsides–price, weight, lack of a killer application–are too difficult to ignore.

There’s little prospect of Apple fixing those issues in the imminent future, with the company understood to have switched its focus from a lighter and cheaper version of the device to a pair of smart glasses. What we may get is a more cosmetic upgrade: a new colorway.

The leaker known as pipfix, or @LusiRoy8, this week posted to Twitter/X four photos purportedly showing Vision Pro in black. “Apple vision pro black color,” the leaker adds with characteristic brevity, “did you like?”

Apple vison pro black color did you like? pic.twitter.com/J9JIYhbWmq

— pipfix (@LusiRoy8) June 3, 2026

The photos show close-up details including the device’s speaker grille, headband, control dial, connector port and braided power cable. The device is mostly black and looks very attractive. But is it attractive enough to convince customers to spend $3,499? That’s debatable.

We should add that this isn’t by any means a new rumor, but merely further evidence for an existing one. As long ago as April 2025 the leaker Kosutami claimed Apple would release a second Vision Pro model in a black which would look like “graphite dark blue,” and an image associated with this made the rounds in December of that year. It was just the strap for the product.

Pipfix themselves posted photos of the alleged black Vision Pro late last month along with the caption “Apple vison [sic] pro 2 upcoming black color.”

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

— pipfix (@LusiRoy8) May 26, 2026

Are these images likely to be legitimate? Fairly likely, yes. Pipfix, as AppleInsider notes, has previously posted an accurate prediction of the iPhone 17 Pro’s orange and blue color finishes.

What’s more, releasing a sleek black version of an Apple product which was previously only available in white tends to be a winner: see the iPod nano and the iMac Pro. So it’s virtually certain that Apple has at least explored the idea of a black Vision Pro. Whether that will translate into an actual shipped product is harder to say.

ChatGPT’s memory feature allows it to learn about you and remember your preferences over time. Memory gives ChatGPT useful context for natural interactions that don’t need start from scratch each time. OpenAI has released new details on how ChatGPT’s memory feature is getting smarter and coming to free users for the first time.

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No, it’s not an April Fools’ Day gag in June as far as we can tell. Cash App has launched a tap-and-pay magic wand keychain accessory for contactless payments.

more…

When Apple unveiled the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, I was a bit skeptical. Apple usually reserves more “professional” and dull colors for the Pro models and the more vibrant colors for the regular iPhone lineup. But as someone who loves orange as a color, I went with the 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange. After using it since day one, I can easily say this is my favorite iPhone color variation in a long time. So, naturally, as time went on, some of my favorite accessories began to color-match the Cosmic Orange iPhone, and I had to build an everyday carry around it. These accessories not only complement the Cosmic Orange finish perfectly but also solve real problems, earning a permanent place in my EDC.

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Apple has released a new ad in its ongoing “Privacy on iPhone” campaign, and this one pulls no punches. Titled “Safari helps block data trackers,” the new spot vividly illustrates why Safari remains the privacy champion among major browsers — especially when compared to Google Chrome.

In classic Apple ad fashion, the video personifies data trackers as persistent, chrome-suited figures who literally follow around those who’ve settled for Android phones all day, and night, long — peeking over shoulders in libraries, sitting on backs during commutes, and generally invading personal space while users browse the web. The message is crystal clear: with Chrome, you’re never truly alone online. Switch to Safari, and those trackers get the boot.

The ad closes with the tagline “Keep data trackers off your back” and reinforces Apple’s long-standing slogan: “Safari. A browser that’s actually private.”Why Safari Wins on PrivacyApple highlights several Safari features that come enabled by default and go far beyond what Chrome offers out of the box:

• Blocks third-party cookies automatically
• Intelligent Tracking Prevention powered by on-device machine learning
• Hides your IP address from known trackers
• Strips tracking parameters from URLs in Private Browsing
• Prevents extensions from accessing your full browsing history by default
• Blocks known trackers in Private Browsing mode

As Apple repeatedly states, privacy is a “fundamental human right,” and Safari embodies that philosophy without requiring users to hunt through settings or install extra extensions.

This latest ad continues Apple’s multi-year effort to educate consumers about the hidden costs of “free” browsers funded by pervasive tracking and advertising. While Chrome dominates market share, Apple is betting that growing privacy awareness — especially among iPhone users — will drive more people to Safari as their default browser.

Whether you’re already Team Safari or still stuck with Chrome for compatibility reasons, the ad makes a compelling case: your data shouldn’t be for sale. If you value keeping trackers at arm’s length (or completely off your back), Safari on iPhone, iPad, and Mac is hard to beat.

MacDailyNews Take: This ad is fun, effective, and on-brand. The “chrome-suited trackers” visual is sticky and the message is crystal clear: Privacy-focused users browse with Apple’s Safari, not Google’s Chrome browser.

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Joining AirPods Pro 3 at one of the lowest prices to date and AirPods 4 at nearly 25% off, today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is headlined by Apple’s new AirPods Max 2 hitting the best price ever. Best Buy has indeed launched a major 4-day Apple sale event, but these AirPods and MacBook deals are even lower, while all brand new condition iPhone Air models just dropped back to all-time low pricing at $149 off. Head below for a closer look and even more.

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A new report from Omdia provides updates on release timing, the OLED display, and more for the upcoming MacBook Pro overhaul, which rumors say will be called MacBook Ultra.

more…

On June 4, 1997, Mac clone-maker Power Computing hit its high point and began a rapid decline. By early 1998, it was out of business.

(via Cult of Mac – Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

As Apple gears up for its highly anticipated WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, Wall Street giant Morgan Stanley is bullish on the stock’s potential. The firm sees the event as a pivotal catalyst that could finally position Apple as an “AI winner,” driving a major re-rating of the shares.

With AAPL trading around $311 and up roughly 14% year-to-date, analysts highlight low investor expectations as the perfect setup for upside surprise—outlining a base case of $365–$385 and a bullish scenario reaching as high as $440 per share if Apple delivers a compelling vision for a smarter Siri and expanded Apple Intelligence features.

Silin Chen for TheStreet:
‎

Morgan Stanley believes WWDC could mark a turning point for investor sentiment.

“The ‘AI winner’ narrative has served as an inflection point for many stocks since 2023,” the firm said in a research note sent to TheStreet. Analysts added that “WWDC 2026 could catalyze a similar shift for Apple.”

“To date, Apple has performed purely on the back of underlying Products and Services strength; AI has been effectively irrelevant to the story. But as we’ve seen across numerous companies and industries over the last 12-24 months, being seen an ‘AI Winner’ drives a clear inflection in fundamentals, valuation, and sometimes both,” the analysts wrote.

‎
MacDailyNews Take: Little birdies keep chirping to us that LLM Siri is going to prove to be well worth the wait!

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The post Morgan Stanley sees WWDC as major catalyst for Apple stock appeared first on MacDailyNews.

A new report show that AI apps fuel record App Store developer earnings — to the tune of $1.4 trillion overall in 2025.

(via Cult of Mac – Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

Apple Watch Series 11

View Deal

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The Apple Watch Series 11 is down to $299 again, its best price yet. While Apple marks this as a $100 discount, we’ve most frequently seen the smartwatch available for $330. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that $299 remains the most affordable the Watch 11 has been.

The Apple Watch 11 isn’t just a fitness band or a specialty device; instead, it’s a watch that can do it all, handling health tracking, workouts, notifications, and iPhone syncing all at once. The watch features a ton of health-related sensors, including ECG readings, signal high and low heart rates, irregular rhythm notifications, and more. And if you wear it overnight, the watch will even give you a sleep score that actually helps you understand your rest rather than just logging hours.

One of the things we appreciate about the Apple Watch 11, as we pointed out in our review, is the stellar battery life. For the first time, you’ll get up to 24 hours of normal use, and a quick 15-minute recharge can add about 8 hours of use. One thing to point out is that this is the GPS model, which means that you absolutely must have your iPhone nearby at all times to receive notifications, calls, and messages. If you want to leave your phone at home and still get messages, you’ll need to get one of the GPS models, which are also on sale, but will cost you $100 more.

We also appreciate the safety features. Fall detection and crash detection can automatically connect you with emergency services and alert your preferred contacts. These are great features to have, even if you hope to never have to use them.

At $299, the Apple Watch Series 11 is an easy recommendation for any iPhone owner who wants a gorgeous health and fitness watch without paying full price.

Apple Arcade just added four new games to its library of over 200+ titles, and it has announced five more that will arrive in the coming month.

more…

Apple’s App Store generated a staggering $1.4 trillion in sales and billings in 2025, according to a new study by the Analysis Group.

The independent report, commissioned by Apple, shows that economic activity from the digital storefront has more than doubled since 2019. Digital goods and services grew 2.4x, physical goods and services rose 2.8x, and in-app advertising revenue increased 2.9x. Of the total $1.4 trillion, $149 billion came from digital goods and services, while $1.1 trillion was driven by physical goods and services.

China accounted for the largest share at $562 billion, followed by the U.S. at $453 billion, Europe at $184 billion, and Japan at $52 billion.

“Developers are the heartbeat of the App Store, and this year’s incredible milestone is a testament to their boundless creativity,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a statement. “We are deeply committed to providing developers with the tools, technologies, and trusted platforms they need to build for the future. Together, developers are creating apps that enrich the lives of users around the world.”

Daniel Howley for Yahoo Finance:
‎

Apple doesn’t break out App Store revenue on its own. Instead, the company counts it toward its Services segment. The iPhone maker’s second largest business, behind the iPhone, Services accounted for $109.1 billion of Apple’s $416.1 billion in total revenue in fiscal 2025. The iPhone segment brought in $209.5 billion.

In its study, Analysis Group notes that Apple collected commissions on less than 10% of the $1.4 trillion the App Store generated.

The Analysis Group study comes as Apple prepares to host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference at its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters on June 8, where the company is widely expected to debut its long-delayed AI-powered version of its Siri personal assistant.

‎
MacDailyNews Take: Steve Jobs commenting on Apple’s App Store on August 7, 2008, almost one month after its July 10, 2008 launch:

We didn’t expect it to be this big. The mobile industry’s never seen anything like this. To be honest, neither has the computer industry…

I would not trust any of our predictions because reality has so far exceeded them by such a great degree that we’ve been reduced to spectators just like you, watching this amazing phenomenon…

Who knows? Maybe it’ll be a billion dollar marketplace at some point in time. This doesn’t happen very often. A whole new billion dollar market opens up: [$360 million a year run rate] in the first 30 days. I’ve never seen anything like this in my career for software.

Even the visionary Steve Jobs couldn’t envision the App Store at $1.4 trillion!

‎
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In April, The Weather Channel released a new version of its Storm Radar app, introducing a customizable AI weather presenter and much more. More recently, Storm Radar has arrived on Apple Watch.

more…

Our hands-on Baseus Bowie MC2 Open-Ear Earbuds review finds good sound and value, but a few caveats with fit, call quality and the app.

(via Cult of Mac – Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

A report a year ago said that we could expect an Apple Vision Air product in the second half of 2027. This was expected to address both of the issues that have led to the Vision Pro being such a niche product.

This week brought two reports suggesting that we may have to wait significantly longer for a Vision Air, if indeed we ever see one at all …

more…

DupFiles Cleaner Pro scans for duplicate files, similar photos and clutter to help your PC reclaim storage and feel fast again.

(via Cult of Mac – Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

Apple has just published a new study from economists at Analysis Group that says $1.4 trillion in developer billings and sales was generated by the App Store ecosystem in 2025. Here are the details.

more…

Earlier this year, the Apple Card Savings account earned an interest rate of 3.65%. This was cut in April to 3.5%.

The rate has just been cut for a second time, and there may be more significant reductions further ahead …

more…

You’ll find exercise tracking less frustrating on your Apple Watch with these tips. Closing your Stand and Workout rings should get easier.

(via Cult of Mac – Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) remains the foundational partner powering Apple’s most advanced silicon, from A-series chips in iPhones to M-series processors in Macs and beyond. In comments at the company’s annual shareholder meeting, TSMC leadership painted a picture of relentless artificial intelligence growth that continues to strain global supply chains — with direct implications for Apple’s ability to secure leading-edge capacity for its devices.

C.C. Wei, TSMC’s Chairman and CEO, struck an upbeat yet pragmatic tone. “Customer demand is so high, and we can only support so much. We are already working very hard,” he told reporters, noting that the rapid expansion of AI has challenged suppliers across the board. “We are doing our best to ensure TSMC does not become a bottleneck,” Wei added, acknowledging constraints throughout the entire supply chain.

Apple’s Heavy Reliance on TSMC Amid the AI Boom

Apple has long been one of TSMC’s most important and loyal customers, relying almost exclusively on the foundry for its custom-designed chips that deliver the performance, efficiency, and features central to the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and emerging AI capabilities in Apple Intelligence. Taiwan plays a “crucial role in the global AI supply chain for companies including Nvidia and Apple,” as Reuters reports, with TSMC anchoring that ecosystem.

While the AI frenzy is largely associated with data-center accelerators from Nvidia and others, Apple’s own push into on-device AI, machine learning enhancements, and future generative features in consumer products stands to benefit from — and compete for — the same advanced process nodes (such as 2nm and beyond) that TSMC is ramping up.

Wei emphasized that customers, including those like Apple driving high-volume consumer and enterprise applications, remain “positive on outlook for AI.” This sustained optimism bodes well for Apple’s long-term silicon strategy, as greater computing power demand fuels innovation in everything from neural engines to power-efficient mobile chips.

Pricing Pressures and Capacity Realities: A Balanced View for Apple

On the topic of pricing, Wei was candid: when asked about potential increases for customers, he said he would “like to do that,” while stressing TSMC would avoid the sharp hikes seen in some memory segments. “I envy their 80% gross margins, but I would never do that,” he remarked.

For Apple, this signals potential cost headwinds on future chips, but also reflects TSMC’s disciplined approach that has historically supported a strong, predictable partnership. Apple has weathered previous node transitions smoothly, and its massive, consistent orders have helped TSMC justify massive capital investments. The company continues monitoring rising component costs, another factor that could influence pricing dynamics.

On the U.S. manufacturing front — important given Apple’s diversification efforts and geopolitical considerations — Wei noted it will take a “very long time” to fully satisfy American customers’ needs with domestic production, despite $165 billion in Arizona investments to date. TSMC’s target of locating 30% of its most advanced (2nm-and-below) capacity in the U.S. is proving challenging due to permitting delays and labor shortages. Apple, which sources the bulk of its chips from Taiwan, will likely continue depending heavily on TSMC’s primary fabs for the foreseeable future.

Opportunities Ahead: AI, Autonomy, and Apple’s Roadmap

Looking forward, Wei sees autonomous vehicles and robots as significant long-term growth drivers — areas where Apple’s ecosystem (think CarPlay evolution, potential future hardware ambitions, and robotics exploration) could intersect with advanced semiconductors. TSMC is “working hard to ensure robots can succeed,” he said.

Taiwan’s advantages in talent, R&D, and efficiency remain unmatched for the near term: “Taiwan will continue to have a very significant advantage in the AI industry. For the foreseeable future, it will not be easy for other countries to compete,” Wei stated.
‎
MacDailyNews Take: TSMC’s comments reinforce a dual reality: the AI boom is accelerating semiconductor innovation and demand at a pace that benefits Apple’s technology leadership, yet it also creates capacity competition and potential cost pressures. Apple’s deep integration with TSMC, a partnership that has delivered industry-leading chips for over a decade now, positions the company well to navigate this environment, provided it maintains its strategic volume commitments and innovation edge – which, with John Ternus taking the helm on September 1, Apple is widely expected to do.

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The post TSMC CEO signals unwavering AI demand surge; what it means for Apple’s chip supply and roadmap appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Unsure which version of iOS your iPhone can run? Here’s a quick guide so you can find out if your iPhone is compatible with the most recent iterations of the iPhone operating system, and, if it isn’t, which version you can install on your iPhone.

We also answer the question: Which iPhones will run iOS 27.

iPhone iOS Compatibility: At a Glance

Find your iPhone in our iPhone iOS support table and see which version of iOS you can run.

Which iPhone do you have?Which version of iOS can you run?iPhone 17e 2026iOS 26iPhone 17 Pro (Max) 2025iOS 26iPhone Air 2025iOS 26iPhone 17 2025iOS 26iPhone 16e 2025iOS 26iPhone 16 Pro (Max) 2024iOS 26iPhone 16 (Plus) 2024iOS 26iPhone 15 Pro (Max) 2023iOS 26iPhone 15 (Plus) 2023iOS 26iPhone 14 Pro (Max) 2022iOS 26iPhone 14 (Plus) 2022iOS 26iPhone SE (3rd gen) 2022iOS 26iPhone 13 Pro (Max) 2021iOS 26iPhone 13 (mini) 2021iOS 26iPhone 12 Pro (Max) 2020iOS 26iPhone 12 (mini) 2020iOS 26iPhone SE (2nd gen) 2020iOS 26iPhone 11 Pro (Max) 2019iOS 26iPhone 11 2019iOS 26iPhone XR 2018iOS 18iPhone XS (Max) 2018iOS 18iPhone X 2017iOS 16iPhone 8 (Plus) 2017iOS 16iPhone 7 (Plus) 2016iOS 15iPhone SE (1st gen) 2016iOS 15iPhone 6s (Plus) 2015iOS 15

Which iPhones will get iOS 27?

Apple hasn’t yet confirmed which iPhones will run the upcoming iOS 27, but a leak suggested that phones newer than the iPhone 12 will. So that’s:

iPhone 17 Pro & 17 Pro Max (2025)

iPhone 17 (2025)

iPhone Air (2025)

iPhone 16 Pro & 16 Pro Max (2024)

iPhone 16 & 16 Plus (2024)

iPhone 15 Pro & 15 Pro Max (2023)

iPhone 15 & 15 Plus (2023)

iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max (2022)

iPhone 14 & 14 Plus (2022)

iPhone SE (3rd generation, 2022)

iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max (2021)

iPhone 13 mini (2021)

Is your iPhone still supported by Apple?

As of June 2026, if your iPhone runs iOS 15 or newer, it is still receiving security updates and is safe to use

The current version of the iPhone operating system is iOS 26, which will continue to receive new features until the next major release, iOS 27, launches in the fall of 2026.

Even if your iPhone can’t run the latest version of iOS, it is safe to use as long as it continues to receive security updates. Apple often releases security updates for older iOS versions to patch flaws that are being exploited.

For example, in March 2026 the “DarkSword” hacking toolkit was identified as targeting iPhones running older versions of iOS 18. The security holes used by the DarkSword malware were addressed in the iOS 18.7.6 update.

If you use an iPhone running a version of iOS that Apple doesn’t support with security updates, you are at risk of exploitation attacks targeting flaws in older software versions.

Some updates may also be necessary to maintain certificates needed for essential services like iMessage, FaceTime, and device activation, so if you aren’t running a supported version of iOS you may find these features stop working.

The good news is that all of the iPhone models listed in the table above are currently supported by Apple, although the level of support varies.

Apple continues to provide security updates for the following older versions of iOS:

iOS 15 and iOS 16 received updates to address security vulnerabilities in May 2026

iOS 18 received a critical security update in May 2026

Apple doesn’t need to update iOS 17, because every iPhone that runs it can upgrade to a newer version.

This means that, for now at least, the following older iPhones are still receiving security updates:

iPhone X

iPhone 8

iPhone 7

iPhone SE (1st generation)

iPhone 6s – the oldest supported iPhone

We don’t know how much longer Apple will continue to support iOS 15 and iOS 16 — and these iPhones. As we explain in How long Apple supports iPhones for, the company has already classified the iPhone SE (1st generation) as obsolete, while the iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max are already on Apple’s vintage list. These classifications mean it may no longer be possible to get these devices repaired through Apple.

Should I upgrade my iPhone?

IDG

If your iPhone can’t run the newest version of iOS, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to upgrade. While you won’t get the latest features, Apple continues to issue software updates to address security vulnerabilities in recent versions of iOS. Even with the arrival of iOS 26 in 2025, Apple continued to support iOS 18, iOS 16 and iOS 15 with security updates – and, with those versions of iOS, 2015’s iPhone 6s through to 2018’s iPhone XR and iPhone XS.

However, if you’re using an older iPhone, security is the key concern. Apple is still providing security patches for older devices via iOS 15 and iOS 16, but this support is unlikely to last much longer.

By contrast, iOS 18 support is expected to continue for several more years, extending the usable life of the iPhone XS and XR.

Once your device can no longer run a supported version of iOS, it’s time to seriously consider upgrading. We explain how long Apple supports the iPhone for in a separate article, and you can see full iOS compatibility in the table above.

As a general rule, any iPhone that can’t run iOS 26 is nearing the end of its practical lifespan.

Even among iPhones that do support iOS 26, some upgrades are worth considering. In particular, newer models support Apple Intelligence features that aren’t available on older devices.

If you own one of the following iPhones, upgrading will give you access to significantly improved performance and newer features — especially if you’re moving to a recent model such as the iPhone 17:

iPhone 15 & 15 Plus (2023)

iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max (2022)

iPhone 14 & 14 Plus (2022)

iPhone SE (3rd generation, 2022)

iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max (2021)

iPhone 13 mini (2021)

iPhone 12 Pro & 12 Pro Max (2020)

iPhone 12 & 12 mini (2020)

iPhone SE (2nd generation, 2020)

iPhone 11 Pro & 11 Pro Max (2019)

iPhone 11 (2019)

Every iOS version supported by each iPhone

To show you which versions of iOS your iPhone can run, we’ve broken down each iPhone generation in the chart below, so you can see which version it originally shipped with (as that will be the earliest it can run) and the latest iteration it currently supports – including whether that iPhone supports iOS 26. Take a look at our guide to Every version of iOS released so far for more information about the different versions of iOS.

Every version of iOS and the phones it supports.

Foundry

iPhone Air

Original iOS version: iOS 26

Does it run iOS 26: Yes

Will it run iOS 27: Yes

iPhone 17, 17e, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max

Original iOS version: iOS 26

Does it run iOS 26: Yes

Will it run iOS 27: Yes

iPhone 16, 16e, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max

Original iOS version: iOS 18

Does it run iOS 26: Yes

Will it run iOS 27: Yes

iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max

Original iOS version: iOS 17

Does it run iOS 26: Yes

Will it run iOS 27: Probably

iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max

Original iOS version: iOS 16

Does it run iOS 26: Yes

Will it run iOS 27: Probably

iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max

Original iOS version: iOS 15

Does it run iOS 26: Yes

Will it run iOS 27: Probably

iPhone SE (3rd generation)

Original iOS version: iOS 15

Does it run iOS 26: Yes

Will it run iOS 27: Probably

iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max

Original iOS version: iOS 14

Does it run iOS 18: Yes

Will it run iOS 27: Probably not

iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max

Original iOS version: iOS 13

Does it run iOS 26: Yes

Will it run iOS 27: Probably not

iPhone SE (2nd generation)

Original iOS version: iOS 13

Does it run iOS 26: Yes

Will it run iOS 27: Probably not

iPhone XR, XS, XS Max

Original iOS version: iOS 12

Does it run iOS 26: No

Last compatible version: iOS 18

iPhone X

Original iOS version: iOS 11

Last compatible version: iOS 16

iPhone 8, 8 Plus

Original iOS version: iOS 11

Last compatible version: iOS 16

iPhone 7, 7 Plus

Original iOS version: iOS 10

Last compatible version: iOS 15

iPhone 6S, 6S Plus

Original iOS version: iOS 9

Last compatible version: iOS 15

iPhone SE (1st generation)

Original iOS version: iOS 9

Last compatible version: iOS 15

iPhone 6, 6 Plus

Original iOS version: iOS 8

Last compatible version: iOS 12

iPhone 5S

Original iOS version: iOS 7

Last compatible version: iOS 12

iPhone 5C

Original iOS version: iOS 7

Last compatible version: iOS 10

iPhone 5

Original iOS version: iOS 6

Last compatible version: iOS 10

iPhone 4s

Original iOS version: iOS 5

Last compatible version: iOS 9

iPhone 4

Original iOS version: iOS 4

Last compatible version: iOS 7

iPhone 3GS

Original iOS version: iOS 3

Last compatible version: iOS 6

iPhone 3G

Original iOS version: iOS 2

Last compatible version: iOS 4

iPhone

Original iOS version: iOS 1

Last compatible version: iOS 3

If your iPhone isn’t supported by iOS 24 or 18 then you might want to consider upgrading to a newer device. Take a look at our best iPhone deals round-up where we share the most recent money-saving deals. Read our best iPhone guide for advice.

How to see which version of iOS you’re running

If you’re not sure which version of iOS you’re currently running, it’s very easy to find out.

Open Settings.

Tap on General.

Tap About and look for the iOS Version number.

How to see which version of iOS is installed

Foundry

How to upgrade iOS

Now that you know the latest version of iOS that your iPhone supports, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re running on that platform.

Updating iOS on an iPhone is simple, follow these steps:

Open Settings.

Tap on General.

Tap Software Update and wait for your iPhone to check for updates.

When the latest update appears tap Update Now.

Enter your passcode if required.

Wait while the update is applied (your iPhone may shut down and restart)

How to update iOS on iPhone

Foundry

See how to update iOS on your iPhone for more advice.

Late last year a leaker suggested that the trend of the Pro model iPhones getting thicker would continue with the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

However, a new report today gives the thickness as 8.75mm, which is exactly the same as the iPhone 17 Pro Max …

more…

It’s more than 18 months since I wrote an opinion piece suggesting that while the wait for the new Siri is frustrating, the privacy payoff would be worth it.

A lot of time has passed since then, and of course user frustration at the ongoing delay has grown significantly. While goodwill has undoubtedly been lost, a recent announcement does provide some hope that privacy may still rescue the company’s tarnished reputation in AI …

more…

Nvidia just announced its new consumer laptop/desktop chip at Computex—RTX Spark—along with a host of partnerships from hardware manufacturers and Microsoft. It’s all anyone can talk about right now, and one of the most often-repeated lines is that Nvidia just put the MacBook Pro on notice. This is it… this is the superchip that will make Windows laptops put the nail in the MacBook Pro’s coffin.

I find the RTX Spark chip extremely interesting, and it’s definitely aiming at a market segment that overlaps the MacBook Pro, but I’m not sure it’s time for Apple to start sweating. High-performance Windows PCs exist today, and a somewhat better spin on them isn’t going to spell the end for Apple.

What is RTX Spark?

In brief, RTX Spark is a new chip made for high-performance thin and light laptops or small-form-factor desktops. It’s up to 20 ARM cores made by MediaTek (10 Cortex-X925 and 10 Cortex-A725) and an Nvidia Blackwell GPU with up to 6,144 cores, joined together with an NVLink chip-to-chip interconnect.. It can be configured with up to 128GB of LPDDR5x unified memory. It’s literally the DGX Spark AI workstation chip that Nvidia announced last spring and shipped in the fall, only optimized for laptops and consumer PCs.

In other words, it’s similar to an M5 Max, only with more GPU power.

RTX Spark is DGX Spark from last year, but for Windows laptops.

Nvidia

It’s targeting a power draw in the 45W to 80W range, and is being launched in partnership with Microsoft, which means all the RTX Spark laptops and desktops run Windows.

What’s the big deal? Well, it should deliver a lot of performance, especially for AI tasks, for laptops in this class. It’s also an ARM CPU, not x86, and Windows on ARM has had its share of issues over the years. But this partnership with Microsoft is supposed to mean that the two companies have been working together to really smooth out those problems and provide the compatibility and performance consumers expect.

The Linux crowd is definitely not happy with this arrangement. Windows has earned a reputation for bloat, inefficiency, and instability lately, and has become bogged down with ads and data collection. The target market for these devices—creative professionals and AI enthusiasts—is fed up with Windows. Linux fans want the chip without having Windows forced on them.

Beware the marketing hype

The first products using RTX Spark aren’t expected until this fall, and we don’t have any idea what they will cost. Nvidia has a lot of “up to” in their marketing materials… “up to” 20 CPU cores, “up to” 6,144 GPU cores, “up to” 128GB of RAM. Power draw is represented as a sort of wide range, 45W is pretty low for this class of laptop and will result in good battery life, while 80W will run pretty hot and eat through battery pretty quickly.

Benchmarks are nowhere to be seen, especially on the CPU side. Nvidia is using vague language in its marketing: “Up to 2x” performance in Photoshop and Premiere, but the fine print says it’s just for specific tasks that run local AI models. Gaming is said to be up to 100 frames per second at 1440p, but without mentioning what games and settings are used.

There’s a lot of “up to” on there.

Nvidia

The performance of the best RTX Spark configurations isn’t really in doubt. It’s the price. A DGX Spark workstation starts at around $3,500 and goes up well over $4,000, and that’s without any sort of display or battery or speakers or all the other stuff you need to put in a premium, high-price laptop for professionals. The cheapest MacBook Pro you can buy with the full-core M5 Max chip in it is $4,099, and that’s with 48GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. More RAM can cost up to $1,000 more.

Given what’s happening in the world today with consumer tech prices, there’s little doubt that the cut-down versions of RTX Spark laptops, with fewer cores and less RAM, will cost what MacBook Pros cost, more or less.

Windows laptops with RTX Spark are set up to compete with the MacBook Pro, in other words. And they’ll arrive on the market around the same time, or slightly before, the M6 generation of Apple laptops.

Why Apple shouldn’t start sweating yet

So Nvidia and Microsoft finally have a Windows-based hardware platform that combines a big ARM CPU and big GPU together with a bunch of unified RAM in a package meant for high-end professional laptops. That’s one piece of the puzzle, but Apple needn’t worry just yet, because that’s not why people are buying MacBook Pros.

By and large, most people buy MacBooks because they want a MacBook, not because it has bigger numbers or longer benchmark bars than some Windows laptop. They want to run macOS because Windows is now an ad-laden, data-harvesting, buggy mess. They have other Apple products and want to stay in the ecosystem where everything works together seamlessly. They like the build quality, the trackpad, the keyboard.

Nvidia RTX Spark may give Windows its very own M5 Max, but it doesn’t address any of those other things, and the jury is still very much out as to whether Microsoft and all its brand partners like Asus, Acer, Lenovo, and MSI will work it all out together over the next year or so.

The real push with RTX Spark is to run AI agents. These are local-and-cloud AI models that perform tasks for you, interacting with the software and services you use to do stuff automatically or take care of boring and repetitive work. Nvidia talked about this a lot when revealing RTX Spark, and the chip does indeed seem very well suited to AI agents, especially if you pay for a lot of RAM. It’s the next big thing in AI, and both Nvidia and Microsoft are working hard to build the software frameworks and tools to totally transform your computers from a thing you run software on to a thing you tell your AI agent to run software on.

It remains to be seen if regular people actually want AI agents as the next evolution of personal computing. It’s currently the rage among tinkerers and enthusiasts who don’t mind doing a lot of configuration, troubleshooting, and dealing with questionable results. The reliability, ease of use, utility, and cost that would make it everyday tech for your average person seem a long way off.

The threat to Apple doesn’t come from a more competitive system-on-chip for Windows laptops, it comes from the prospect that Microsoft might get its act together with Windows. It comes from the possibility that personal computing really will evolve into a “AI first” ecosystem and that Macs won’t have the necessary hardware or software to provide that for consumers.

For years, Apple has sold the iPhone as one of the best smartphone cameras you can buy. And honestly, it’s not wrong. The image quality is excellent, video recording remains unmatched, and features like ProRAW prove just how capable modern iPhones have become.

But despite all that progress, I’ve slowly started to hate actually taking photos with my iPhone. Not because the cameras are bad. Quite the opposite. My iPhone’s camera is so good it highlights the actual problem: the Camera app itself.

Apple’s camera hardware keeps getting more advanced every year, yet the software experience still feels limited, cluttered, and sometimes even frustrating. Basic controls are hidden behind gestures, manual settings barely exist, and users who want more control are still pushed toward Halide and other third-party apps just to unlock the full potential of the hardware.

Luckily, the latest rumors suggest that a fix for all of this is on the way.

The Camera app is a mess

Apple has always prioritized a “point-and-shoot” experience for the iPhone’s Camera app. Instead of offering complex controls, Apple’s Camera app has always focused on being simple and intuitive. For years, all users had to do was choose between taking a photo and recording a video.

But the iPhone’s hardware has evolved considerably over the years, bringing with it many new camera-related features. These include features such as HDR, filters, ProRAW, Portrait Mode, Spatial Photos, and much more.

The iOS Camera app is too confusing for casual users and not intuitive enough for high-end photographers.

Foundry

Some of the controls for these features are located on the top toolbar, while others are hidden behind swipe-up gestures that most users don’t even know exist. Switching between formats, resolutions, timers, and other settings often requires multiple taps, not to mention the ones buried in the Settings app.

There are also duplicate buttons with different functions, which can confuse even seasoned photographers, let alone casual photo takers. For instance, the flash button at the top of the screen only toggles between automatic and off. If you want to keep the flash on all the time, you need to swipe up and tap the flash button from the controls menu.

At the same time, the Camera app’s tab bar has become extremely cluttered. There are now eight different camera modes available on the latest iPhones, and they only become visible once you tap the tab bar and start swiping.

If you’re a pro user, finding the right tools is harder than ever. And if you’re a regular user, you’ll probably never even know that certain iPhone camera features exist.

Pro iPhone users deserve a Pro Camera app

Every year, when Apple introduces a new iPhone, it showcases how professional photographers and videographers are using the iPhone for serious work. However, these users rely on third-party tools, which are often paid apps, to unlock the hardware’s full potential.

The iPhone’s native Camera app still lacks many of the basic manual controls that photography enthusiasts now expect. If you want to control simple things such as shutter speed or ISO settings, you’ll have to download a different camera app (Halide, Kino, Blackmagic Camera, etc.).

Third-party apps like Halide make taking photos much more powerful and fun.

Foundry

Of course, Apple isn’t expected to cover every single feature within its own Camera app, but even the basics are missing. This has become increasingly hard to ignore as Apple has promoted the iPhone as a professional camera.

The company increasingly embraces customization across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Users can customize the Control Center, Lock Screen, Home Screen, widgets, Action buttons, and even app layouts. But the Camera app still behaves as if Apple thinks every user wants the exact same experience.

A modular Camera app might be on the way

Once again, it’s understandable that not every user needs access to certain settings or features, but the Camera app should at least give users the option to include or exclude these toggles from the main interface.

Thankfully, it seems like Apple has been working on a redesigned Camera app for the iPhone with iOS 27, which could be announced as early as WWDC on June 8.

iOS 27 will reportedly move some of the Camera’s app features out of the Settings app.

Foundry

According to a recent Bloomberg report, the Camera app will become much more modular. Users will be able to add or remove toggles from the Camera app, similar to how they can currently edit the toggles in Control Center. That alone would make the Camera app a lot better.

Imagine opening the Camera app and only seeing the tools you actually use. A cleaner interface for casual users. A more advanced layout for enthusiasts. Fast access to manual exposure controls without needing a separate app.

Coupled with the latest iPhone rumors, the timing of this long-awaited update makes perfect sense. The latest reports on the iPhone 18 Pro suggest that the handset will feature a variable-aperture lens for the first time, allowing the camera to physically adjust the amount of light entering the sensor.

If true, the current Camera app may not be enough, or it could become even more cluttered with another new hardware feature to deal with. A redesign would be a timely move to accommodate this major change coming with the iPhone 18 Pro’s camera.

The Camera will reportedly get a major upgrade in iOS 27.

Bloomberg

A simple but powerful upgrade

To be clear, Apple doesn’t need to overwhelm casual users with dozens of professional controls the moment they open the Camera app. Part of the iPhone’s success comes from how easy it is to point, shoot, and get excellent results.

But Apple also needs to please its pro users, many of whom rely on the iPhone’s camera for their livelihoods. It’s a tricky balance, but if the new Camera app in iOS 27 lets users customize the interface with the controls they need most, that might be enough to make everyone enjoy taking photos with the iPhone again.

I love my iPhone’s camera, but whenever I snap a photo with the Camera app, it feels like I’m being hindered by Apple’s own tools. And I can’t wait to see how the next version of iOS will change that.

Next week, Apple will kick off WWDC with a keynote presentation that outlines all of the new features across its family of devices: iOS, iPadOS, macOS. watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. What will Apple have in store for this year’s show? Will there be any surprises? This will be your one-stop source for all things Apple this week and all through next week’s show, so stay tuned!

Watch the WWDC keynote right here

Apple has posted a placeholder page for its keynote livestream on YouTube, which you can watch right here. You can also check out the keynote on Apple.com and in the TV app on Apple TV.

Catch up on the rumors

For months, we’ve been collecting every rumor and tidbit about iOS/iPadOS and macOS leading up to Monday’s keynote. If you haven’t been following as closely as we’ve been, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with superguides for iOS and macOS, as well as everything else expected to arrive this month.

Apple

WWDC 2026: Live blog

8 mins ago, By Michael Simon

You might hate iOS 27

If there’s one thing we’re sure of next week, it’s that iOS 27 will feature a lot of AI. As AI skeptic Jason Cross explains, there’s a bit of a backlash against AI right now. There are hallucinations, confidently wrong answers, inappropriate images, bias—the list goes on. What kind of AI will iOS 27 bring? And more importantly, will iPhone users embrace the new Siri or turn against it?

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1 day ago, By Michael Simon

Will Apple bring any new Macs to the show?

While WWDC is primarily a software show, we’ve gotten our share of Apple hardware announcements at the event, including Vision Pro, HomePod, and the 15-inch MacBook Air. However, much like last year, this year’s show looks to be entirely focused on software. That’s a bummer, but Filipe Esposito explains why there’s still plenty of time for new hardware this year.

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16 mins ago, By Michael Simon

Welcome to the WWDC 2026 live blog!

Come on in, everyone! We’re starting this year’s live blog a little early this year to make sure you don’t miss a thing. We’ll have full coverage of every leak, rumor, and announcement leading up to the keynote at 10 am on Monday, followed by minute-by-minute reporting of everything announced as it happens. So keep coming back!

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Next week on Monday June 8, Apple will kick off WWDC with a keynote presentation that outlines all of the new features across its family of devices: iOS, iPadOS, macOS. watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. What will Apple have in store for this year’s show? Will there be any surprises? This will be your one-stop source for all things Apple this week and all through next week’s show, so stay tuned!

Watch the WWDC keynote right here

Apple has posted a placeholder page for its keynote livestream on YouTube, which you can watch right here. You can also check out the keynote on Apple.com and in the TV app on Apple TV.

Catch up on the rumors

For months, we’ve been collecting every rumor and tidbit about iOS/iPadOS and macOS leading up to Monday’s keynote. If you haven’t been following as closely as we’ve been, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with superguides for iOS and macOS, as well as everything else expected to arrive this month.

Apple

WWDC 2026: Live blog

21 mins ago, By Michael Simon

You might hate iOS 27

If there’s one thing we’re sure of next week, it’s that iOS 27 will feature a lot of AI. As AI skeptic Jason Cross explains, there’s a bit of a backlash against AI right now. There are hallucinations, confidently wrong answers, inappropriate images, bias—the list goes on. What kind of AI will iOS 27 bring? And more importantly, will iPhone users embrace the new Siri or turn against it?

Link copied

SHARE

1 day ago, By Michael Simon

Will Apple bring any new Macs to the show?

While WWDC is primarily a software show, we’ve gotten our share of Apple hardware announcements at the event, including Vision Pro, HomePod, and the 15-inch MacBook Air. However, much like last year, this year’s show looks to be entirely focused on software. That’s a bummer, but Filipe Esposito explains why there’s still plenty of time for new hardware this year.

Link copied

SHARE

Karen Haslam

What to expect from WWDC 2026

Get ready for WWDC with our complete Apple rumor coverage. Explore everything we’ve heard so far about iOS 27, macOS 27, Siri and Apple Intelligence, plus rumours of new Mac hardware, including updates to the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and other new products Apple could unveil.

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29 mins ago, By Michael Simon

Welcome to the WWDC 2026 live blog!

Come on in, everyone! We’re starting this year’s live blog a little early this year to make sure you don’t miss a thing. We’ll have full coverage of every leak, rumor, and announcement leading up to the keynote at 10 am on Monday, followed by minute-by-minute reporting of everything announced as it happens. So keep coming back!

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Google is bringing its AI Edge Gallery app to macOS, letting Apple Silicon Macs run Gemma models entirely offline.

(via Cult of Mac – Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

WWDC26 is next week, so we discuss what we expect to see with iOS 27, the next version of the iPhone operating system. 

This is episode 986 with Michael Simon, Jason Cross, and Roman Loyola.

Watch episode 986 on YouTube

Listen to episode 986 on Apple Podcasts

Tune in to episode 986 on Spotify

Get info

Click on the links below for more info on what was discussed on the show. 

WWDC 2026 guide

iOS 27: Everything we know about the fall 2026 iPhone update 

iPad operating system renamed iPadOS

Apple announces switch to Intel chips

Apple announces Apple silicon for Macs

Next-gen CarPlay

Apple Vision Pro announced

M2 Ultra Mac Pro released

The 10 most significant WWDC software announcements of all time

Comment Corner

In reponse to the sneak peek at Siri: 

Yikes 

TragicPixelRay via TikTok 

Can it interact with apps? Would love to be able to ask the cheapest price from multiple ride share apps and then select that. 

Cansagarri6749 via YouTube

I could see macOS Emerald Bay or macOS Emerald, but I could also see macOS Tiburon, and they’d save macOS Pacific for a big redesign of macOS.

Misterduckmyles via YouTube

Wot? No EMERALD BAY? BELVEDERE? HUNTERS POINT? TREASURE ISLAND? Land’s END?

Robert H. via email

We also have an Apple WWDC event live blog where we will be sharing expert commentary and our immediate reactions and what the news means to you.

Subscribe to the Macworld Podcast

You can subscribe to the Macworld Podcast—or leave us a review!—right here in the Podcasts app. The Macworld Podcast is also available on Spotify and on the Macworld Podcast YouTube channel.  Or you can point your favorite podcast-savvy RSS reader at: https://feeds.megaphone.fm/macworld

To find previous episodes, visit Macworld’s podcast page or our home on MegaPhone.

Apple

TL;DR: Take Eduonix’s online training course to get an E-degree in Claude AI Professional, on sale right now for just $19.99 (reg. $49).

If you’ve been watching AI reshape the job market and thinking “I should probably get ahead of this,” well, here’s your moment. An E-degree in Claude is currently on sale for $19.99 (reg. $49), and it’s one of the best AI credentials you can add to your resume right now.

What you learn

This isn’t a surface-level “here’s what AI is” course. The training dives into real, hands-on applications for Claude, Anthropic’s AI assistant, which is quickly becoming a go-to tool in professional settings. You’ll go over foundational AI literacy, advanced prompt engineering, and how to structure a workflow that actually saves you time while you’re working.

No matter what field you’re in, whether it’s tech, marketing, finance, or operations, AI fluency is becoming essential. This program is designed for working professionals who want a real credential to put on their resume, not just a certificate of completion. This degree signals genuine expertise.

The online degree format means you get to go at your own pace, no live sessions to schedule around, no commute, and it all runs right in the browser on your Mac. Knock the classes out over a few weekends or chip away at it between meetings. The credential is verifiable and ready to drop straight into LinkedIn or a job application once you’re done.

Get a Claude AI Professional E-Degree for $19.99 (reg. $49).

Claude AI Professional E-DegreeSee Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: This $29.97 Microsoft Office for Mac deal gets you Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more — no subscription attached.

For many people, the best software is the kind you buy once and keep using. Microsoft Office Home & Business 2019 offers the classic Office experience right on your Mac, letting you create documents, presentations, and spreadsheets without worrying about recurring charges. A lifetime license is currently available for $29.97.

This lifetime license comes with:

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

OneNote

Teams Classic

If you’re used to Microsoft 365, these apps may look a little different, but they still work great whether you need daily productivity tools for work or apps to help you get through the semester. And you don’t have to worry about sudden price hikes or ongoing costs from a subscription.

For a limited time, pay just $29.97 to get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019 for Mac.

Microsoft Office Home & Business 2019 for MacSee Deal

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iOS is at the heart of the iPhone experience. It’s the operating system on which everything else sits, while also delivering plenty of features and dedicated apps built by Apple itself.

Every year (usually in September) Apple adds new features to compatible iPhones with an update to iOS, and in the months that follow more features arrive. If you want to know what the latest version of iOS is, or if you’ve ever wondered about when versions came out and what features they brought, we will answer your questions. We also show you how to check which iOS you’re currently using and how to update to the latest iteration.

The latest version of iOS is iOS 26, which brings a brand new look and lots of new features. iOS 26 arrived in September 2025 and subsequent updates to iOS 26 have added new features. As of May 2026 we are at version iOS 26.5 (with an additional iOS 26.5.1 update for the iPhone 17 series).

That will soon change with the arrival of iOS 27 in the fall of 2026. Apple will reveal the new features coming in iOS 27 at WWDC on June 8. You can follow all the news as it happens in our live blog here: Apple WWDC event live blog.

iOS version history: Every iOS and the features it brought

There are significant milestones scattered across the iOS timeline:

Steve Jobs holding the first iPhone at the launch in 2007.

Apple

iPhone OS (2007): iOS made its debut in 2007 with the first iPhone. However, when Steve Jobs held the little device aloft revealing it to the world for the first time, it wasn’t running iOS 1. Instead, it was reported by Apple to be powered by OS X, the software for the Mac. Over time it was called iPhone OS, until finally gaining its now legendary name in the fourth generation of the software when it was shortened to iOS in 2010.

iPhone OS 2 (2008): The second major release of the iPhone software was groundbreaking because it brought third party apps and introduced the App Store.

iPhone OS 3 (2009): This update was designed to make it easier to find things, while at the same time adding the ability to have up to 11 pages to the Home Screen. Messages could support MMS, Video recording became possible and it was possible to save voice notes with the Voice Memos app.

iOS 4 (2010): Apple changed the name to iOS and added the ability to put apps in folders for a better organised Home screen with iOS 4. The FaceTime, iBooks and Game Centre apps also arrived. The iPad also joined the scene, sharing the same operating system as the iPhone.

iOS 5 (2011): iOS 5 was introduced along with the iPhone 4S in 2011, which saw the debut of Siri as a built-in part of the operating system. The Notification Centre was introduced and iCloud arrived bringing syncronisation between devices. This was the first time iOS could be installed directly on the iPhone without requiring a computer.

iOS 6 (2012): This is where Apple Maps came onto the scene. Podcasts and Passbook (now Wallet) apps also arrived. iCloud Photo Stream made it easier to share photos with family and friends. iOS 6 was the last with a skeuomorphic design.

iOS 7 (2013): With iOS 7 iPhone users got a redesigned user interface, which looked a lot more modern with flatter icons. iOS 7 introduced AirDrop and CarPlay.

iOS 7 had a brand new look (at the time).

Apple

iOS 8 (2014): One of the features of iOS 8 was Continuity, which linked the iPhone, iPad and Mac together, so you could “handoff” tasks from one device to another. Family Sharing also arrived making it easier to manage a child’s iPhone.

iOS 9 (2015): iOS 9 improved the Notes app, added Apple News, and featured a new Night Shift mode that removed some of the blue light that can disturb circadian rhythms and stop someone sleeping.

iOS 10 (2016): There were updates to Messages and changes to the Photos app in iOS 10. A new Home app brought HomeKit control. Maps got a redesign. Universal Clipboard meant that users could copy something on a Mac and paste it on an iPhone, for example.

iOS 11 (2017): Things changed significantly in iOS 11 in 2017 as it brought the first touch and gesture interface, allowing the first iPhone without a Home button – the iPhone X. There was a new Files app making it easier to access content synced or saved in iCloud and the Control Centre got a redesign.

iOS 12 (2018): Screen Time, Memoji, Group FaceTime and Siri Shortcuts were new in iOS 12.

iOS 13 (2019): Another major shift came with iOS 13 in 2019, as Apple’s mobile operating system for the iPad split with the iPhone, with iPadOS powering new iPads. Updates to iOS included Dark Mode, new privacy features and the ability to Sign in with Apple and hide your email address. The Photos and Apple Maps apps got a redesign and a swipe-to-type keyboard was added.

iOS 14 (2020): One of the most notable additions was Back Tap, a feature that effectively turned the back of the iPhone into an extra button. Starting with iOS 14.2, music recognition was built directly into the operating system via a Shazam button.

iOS 15 on iPhone 12.

Foundry

iOS 15 (2021): Focus Mode arrived in iOS 15 to help users manage the onslaught of notifications, Live Text and Visual Look up made it possible to interact with text within photos (Live Text) and use the camera to identify objects like plants and animals. The Safari browser received a major interface update as did Maps and the Weather app.

iOS 16 (2022): One of the most visible changes in iOS 16 was the complete overhaul of the Lock screen, which allowed users to add widgets for the first time to view data at a glance without unlocking their devices. Apple added Rapid Security Responses so that it could deliver important security patches outside of an iOS update.

iOS 17 (2023): NameDrop in iOS 17 made it possible to share information by bringing two iPhones together. Stolen Device Protection added a layer of security by requiring biometric authentication (Face ID or Touch ID) before an Apple ID password could be changed. Live Voicemail meant that iPhone users could get a live transaction of a message.

iOS 18 (2024): The iOS 18 update laid the groundwork for Apple’s subsequent AI initiatives. There was also a complete redesign of the Photos app, a dedicated Passwords app, Control Center Customization and Live Activities (so you could see when your dinner delivery is arriving).

iOS 26 (2025): Rather than progress to iOS 19, Apple has aligned the numbering of all its operating systems according to the year with iOS 26. It wasn’t just a name change though, there was a significant visual and functional overhaul with a Liquid Glass design language. Big changes also came to the Phone app with Call Screening and Hold Assist. Live Transaltions make it easy to communicate with foreign friends and colleagues. The Camera app had a simplifying redesign and a Games app replaced Game Centre. Here’s how how iOS 26 and iOS 18 compare.

iOS 27 (2026): Apple will be revealing the new features in iOS 27 at WWDC, before it’s launch later in 2026. While Apple has not yet confirmed the update’s specifics, extensive leaks and reports suggest it will be a major release focused on a massive overhaul of Siri.

Foundry

List of iOS versions and latest versions

Here’s a breakdown of all the versions of iOS that have been released, when they were released, when they were last updated, and the latest iOS version.

OS versionRelease dateLatest versionLatest update dateiPhone OS 1June 29, 2007iOS 1.1.5July 15, 2008iPhone OS 2July 11, 2008iOS 2.2.1January 27, 2009iPhone OS 3June 17, 2009iOS 3.2.2August 11, 2010iOS 4June 22, 2010iOS 4.3.5July 25, 2011iOS 5October 12, 2011iOS 5.1.1May 7, 2012iOS 6September 19, 2012iOS 6.1.6February 21, 2014iOS 7September 18, 2013iOS 7.1.2June 30, 2014iOS 8September 17, 2014iOS 8.4.1August 13, 2015iOS 9September 16, 2015iOS 9.3.6July 22, 2019iOS 10September 13, 2016iOS 10.3.4July 22, 2019iOS 11September 19, 2017iOS 11.4.1July 9, 2018iOS 12September 17, 2018iOS 12.5.8January 26, 2026iOS 13September 19, 2019iOS 13.7September 1, 2020iOS 14September 17, 2020iOS 14.8.1October 26, 2021iOS 15September 24, 2021iOS 15.8.8May 11, 2026iOS 16September 12, 2022iOS 16.7.16May 11, 2026iOS 17September 18, 2023iOS 17.7.2November 19, 2024iOS 18September 16, 2024iOS 18.7.9May 11, 2026iOS 26September 15, 2025iOS 26.5 May 11, 2026 (iOS 26.5.1 for iPhone 17 series and Air only on June 1)

Which iOS versions are currently supported by Apple?

In terms of new features, only iOS 26 is currently supported. When Apple introduced iOS 26 it stopped development of new features for iOS 18.

The following iPhones support iOS 26:

iPhone 17 Series – iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air (2025), iPhone 17e (2026)

iPhone 16 Series – iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16e (2024)

iPhone 15 Series – iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max (2023)

iPhone 14 Series – iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max (2022)

iPhone 13 Series – iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max (2021)

iPhone 12 Series – iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max (2020)

iPhone 11 Series – iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max (2019)

iPhone SE – iPhone SE (2nd gen, 2020), iPhone SE (3rd gen, 2022)

However, even after Apple stops developing new features for older versions of iOS, it continues to issue security updates for some time. As explained in How long does Apple support iPhones?, Apple often provides security patches for devices that can’t run the latest version of iOS.

For example, in May 2026, Apple released an iOS 18 security update that addressed several vulnerabilities. This update was only available for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR – the models that cannot upgrade to iOS 26 – as Apple generally expects supported devices to move to the latest operating system for ongoing security updates. However, this demonstrates that older devices, such as the iPhone XR and XS series, continue to receive security support even though they are unable to run iOS 26.

Support extends even further back. Also in May 2026, Apple issued security updates for iOS 15 and iOS 16. Updates iOS 15.8.8 and iOS 16.7.16 patched critical vulnerabilities in older devices, including:

iPhone 6s (all models)

iPhone 7 (all models)

iPhone SE (1st gen)

iPhone 8 and 8 Plus

iPhone X

Many of those iPhones are included in Apple’s list of Obsolete and Vintage iPhones. iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are all Obsolete, while the iPhone X and iPhone 7 are considered Vintage.

Notably, the oldest: 2015’s iPhone 6s continues to receive security updates, marking over ten years of support.

Earlier, in January 2026, Apple also released updates for iOS 12, 15, 16 and 18 to extend support for certificates required by services such as iMessage, FaceTime, and device activation, ensuring these features continue to work beyond January 2027. This means that even the iPhone 5s has received some support in 2026.

Which iPhones support which iOS versions?

Luckily, many iPhones are able to run supported versions of iOS. We run through which iPhone supports which version of iOS in a separate article: iOS compatibility: Find out the latest version your iPhone can run. You may also find this at a glance chart useful:

Every version of iOS and the phones supported.

Foundry

Which iPhones will get iOS 27?

Apple hasn’t yet confirmed which iPhones will run the upcoming iOS 27, but a leak suggested that phones newer than the iPhone 12 will. So that’s:

iPhone 17 Pro & 17 Pro Max (2025)

iPhone 17 (2025)

iPhone Air (2025)

iPhone 16 Pro & 16 Pro Max (2024)

iPhone 16 & 16 Plus (2024)

iPhone 15 Pro & 15 Pro Max (2023)

iPhone 15 & 15 Plus (2023)

iPhone 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max (2022)

iPhone 14 & 14 Plus (2022)

iPhone SE (3rd generation, 2022)

iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max (2021)

iPhone 13 mini (2021)

So, there it is. A potted history of iOS. Want to know about all the versions of macOS? Read: Mac OS X and macOS: Every version released so far. You can also find out what the latest version of macOS is.

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