Apple Home Hub sparks major Apple Store shake-up
Apple is reportedly redesigning store displays to make room for the Apple Home Hub, alongside a new HomePod mini and Apple TV. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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iPhone 20 Pro’s all-glass design gets new update from leaker
Next year’s iPhone Pro models are expected to feature a new, all-glass design timed for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary. And a new leak today details Apple’s progress on the innovative models.

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Apple TV shows aren’t worth the wait
Macworld A few weeks back, this site (and indeed this reporter) excitedly covered the news that Severance was back, baby. A cryptic tweet from showrunner Ben Stiller indicated that third-season shooting had begun, in the first bit of good news for fans since the brilliant second season ended on March 20 last year. But is the show really back? The problem is that shooting and post-production take a lot of time. Even if everything goes perfectly to plan, we’re looking at a third-season launch in fall 2027 at the absolute earliest, more than two and a half years after the second one arrived. For comparison, the first five seasons of The Sopranos were released across a span of 1,883 days; at that point, we’ll still be months short of Stiller’s team releasing their third, and with fewer episodes per season (13 each for The Sopranos vs 9 and 10, respectively, for the first two seasons of Severance). And even a show as superb as Severance simply isn’t worth that kind of wait. The joy of TV is its connectedness, the way it allows you to follow a story across multiple instalments as the narrative builds and breathes. Your experience of one episode informs your response to the next. Your memories of earlier seasons make the events in later seasons matter. Think about the bombshells that landed in later seasons of Game of Thrones (eight seasons across nine calendar years), and how much less we would care about those characters and their fates if we hadn’t lived through dozens of previous episodes alongside them. Think about the montage sequence at the end of The Wire (five seasons across seven years) and how much its emotional force depends on everything that’s come before. And then think about how difficult it was to even remember what was going on when you sat down to watch Severance season 2 more than a thousand days after the first season finished. There were reasons for that gap. The Covid pandemic, which had delayed the first season, was still a factor while filming the second. There were also actors’ and writers’ strikes to contend with. On top of that, the show wasn’t officially renewed for a second season until a couple of days before the first finished airing, so perhaps the team wasn’t sure where they stood or ready to get started right away. It was never going to be an easy job turning around another season for the following year. But surely the third season ought to have been less of a challenge, given the absence of Covid and the show’s obvious status as an Apple flagship. Severance is returning… at some point.Ben Stiller / X It might seem unfair to compare Severance, a streaming hit of the 2020s, with the prestige cable dramas of the 2000s and 2010s. So let’s focus on other Apple properties. Pluribus dropped its brilliant first season in November 2025 and was promptly renewed for a second, but essentially nothing has been heard since. When questioned this month, creator Vince Gilligan sighed heavily and said it was going to be a long time. Late 2027 seems optimistic; 2028 may be more realistic. Dark Matter wrapped up its first season on June 26, 2024, and is returning for its second season on August 28. The Morning Show, one of the only original Apple TV+ shows, is on an almost perfect two-year cadence. Even sitcom Ted Lasso, which wrapped up season 3 on May 31, 2023, only just kicked off its fourth season a couple of weeks ago. In the case of Pluribus, as Gilligan explained, the show is a challenge from both a narrative and a logistical point of view. That’s almost certainly true of Dark Matter. And Ted Lasso wrapped up its original story in season 3, so a longer delay is understandable. But taking your time isn’t free. It costs something, particularly when you’re part of the zeitgeist. Pluribus was embedded in the culture, and the culture has moved on. Memes have a short memory. Now consider Slow Horses, whose return for a sixth season was officially announced this month. That show is almost the polar opposite of Severance, having achieved a phenomenal rate of more than one season per year. And this pays off. The characters remain in the viewer’s mind between seasons–and when one returns, as in the new trailer, it can be played as a shocking reveal. You don’t need a lengthy recap when referring to the twists and turns of previous seasons. I don’t think the writing of Slow Horses is anywhere near as complex as that of Severance, but the show as a whole works better because it maintains a solid release rate. Ben Stiller, if he stumbled across this article, would probably retort that the superior qualities of his show are a direct result of taking more time over each season (and that Slow Horses has the advantage of adapting a series of books). I couldn’t entirely disagree with that, although there’s plenty of evidence to show you can make a classic TV show within time constraints and without direct source material. Look at ER, which made one season a year, like clockwork, for 15 years. Look at its spiritual successor, The Pitt, which has happily dropped into the same pattern. It can be done without compromising on quality. Granted, there is something very appealing about saying to creators, “Please, take your time, and make it as close to perfect as you possibly can. There’s no rush.” I absolutely get the beauty of that idea. But the reality is that at some level, beyond a certain point, there is always a rush: If you wait too long, even the most loyal of viewers will forget and move on. Apple TV deserves better than that.

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AI assistant is rolling out to the Apple Store app on iOS
Apple's expected Virtual Shopping Assistant has begun to appear for some iPhone users, offering to answer questions about products or check on orders, although it won't do much about the rising prices.How the new Virtual Shopping Assistant looks in the Apple Store app - image credit: ShrimpApplePro.Apple has begun to get a reputation for leaking information in code references, but in July 2026 it did so in a public policy document. An unknown feature called the Virtual Shopping Assistant was described in a privacy statement, but now being spotted in use.It's far from a wide rollout as yet, with no AppleInsider staffers having it. Leaker ShrimpApplePro, however, has shown it off in a screenshot which includes the label "Early Preview." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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iPhone 20 will look like a rounder and thinner iPhone Air
The iPhone 20 will be a glass-heavy device reminiscent of the iPhone Air but with a more rounded appearance, a Weibo leaker has reiterated.The iPhone Air is thin, but expect more glass for the iPhone 20. While we are all waiting for the iPhone 18 to come out of Apple in the very near future, the rumor mill is still infatuated about devices that are still far from launch. With the 20th-anniversary iPhone anticipated in 2027, speculation is rife for what that model will bring.In a Sunday post to Weibo, leaker Fixed-Focus Digital has called back to a post about the iPhone 10 they made in July. In Sunday's update, the leaker claims about the appearance and thermals of the model. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Never lose your billfold again: This upgraded Find My wallet tracker costs just $31.99
This KeySmart SmartCard Gen 3 is an upgraded, ultra-slim wallet tracker compatible with Apple Find My and Google Find Hub. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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AirTag 2 now just $20 each ahead of new feature coming soon
Last week delivered a collection of particularly notable price drops on current-generation Apple gear, from AirPods Pro 3 at 25% off to the latest AirPods Max 2 at $120 off the list price, but we are not done yet. While those deals are indeed still live, Amazon has just delivered the lowest price ever on Apple’s 2026 AirTag 2 – you can now land them as low as $20 a pop. 

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Walmart finally adds Apple Pay in major contactless payment capitulation
After years of resisting Apple’s mobile payment system, Apple Pay,, Walmart is finally rolling out Apple Pay and other contactless options… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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A new iMac is ‘close to launch’ with an M6 and new colors
Macworld There’s good news and bad news for customers waiting on Apple’s next update to the iMac range. It’s happening soon, but it’s probably not going to be a big deal. In the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman responded to a reader asking when they would be able to buy the new iMac. “If you’ve been holding out for a new iMac, your wait shouldn’t be much longer,” he reassured the reader. “All signs point to the M6 models being close to launch, and you should be able to buy one before the end of the year.” The iMac was last updated in fall 2024, when it was upgraded with Apple’s M4 chipset. But the last time it received a substantive update was way back in 2021, when the machine switched from Intel to Apple silicon and also got a breezy (and colorful) new design. Our wait for the next big update, sadly, is set to continue. Gurman says he “[doesn’t] expect a blockbuster overhaul this year” and predicts that the 2026 refresh will be confined to the chip bump–which is technically a double bump from M4 to M6, but only because it’s been two years since the last model. The external design will be otherwise unchanged, it seems, other than “some new color options.” The iMac has had the same set of colors since 2021, though Apple did introduce “fresh shades” of the same seven colors with the M4 update. It’s unclear whether Gurman means actual new colors will be coming this time. There is some consolation for Apple fans in an earlier report by Gurman claiming we can expect a massive Mac overhaul this fall. This didn’t make any claims about the iMac beyond its M6 upgrade (and J833 and J834 codenames), so his latest response is not contradictory. And on the plus side it pointed to other models getting more interesting treatment, including touchscreens and updated designs.

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Amazon slashes AirTag 4-pack to $79.99, lowest price ever
Amazon has slashed 19% off the 4-pack of second-generation AirTags, bringing the price down to a record-low $79.99.Grab the lowest price ever on 4 second-gen AirTags today.If you're planning on traveling for the Labor Day weekend or want the added peace of mind of Precision Finding during everyday activities, Amazon's AirTag deals are worth checking out.Pick up the single AirTag for $24 or the 4-pack for $79.99, the latter being a record-low price for the second-generation model that was released in late January 2026. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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iOS 27 fixes three of the most annoying Messages bugs
iOS 27 focuses heavily on bug fixes and performance improvements across apps like Safari, Mail, Calendar, and more. In the Messages app, iOS 27 fixes what I think are three of the most frustrating bugs … and the update will be released to everyone in just a few weeks.

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AI Trust Gap With Young Adults Could Carry a High Cost
A new poll finds substantial distrust of AI executives among young adults, raising questions about recruiting, regulation, data center development, and long-term technology adoption. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

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Handy disk image tool is to be removed from macOS
In future releases of macOS, Mac users will no longer be able to format or eject disk images using the very long-standing Terminal command, hdiutil. It won't affect many users directly, but it could well break disk repair utility apps.The new deprecation notice in Terminal for the command hdiutil.You may never have even heard of it, but since the earliest days of Mac OS X, the Terminal has included the command now called hdiutil. It's a tool for handling disk images, and AppleInsider forum users have often recommended it for solving problems such as the Mac refusing to eject such disk images because they're purportedly in use.As first spotted by developer Jeff Johnson, however, Apple is officially deprecating hdultil in macOS Golden Gate. What this means is that you, and app utilities, can continue using it for now, but should switch to the similar diskutil image command as ultimately hdiutil will be removed. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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The road to Steve Jobs' resignation, and the rise of Tim Cook as his first successor
On August 24, 2011, just six weeks before his death, Apple cofounder Steve Jobs announced his resignation as CEO. On the eve of his own leaving,Tim Cook now seems to have been his obvious successor, but back then, he was an unexpected and even controversial choice.Steve Jobs' resignation followed a previous leave of absence from the company starting in January 2011, during which Cook had served as acting CEO. Jobs's formal stepping down was an unmistakable end of an era for the company, and a very different departure from the first time he had left Apple, in 1985.The resignation followed a multi-year saga in which the executive was widely assumed to be in failing health. But, Jobs was not always forthright about the exact nature and severity of his illness. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple’s nightmare week of spilled secrets is its own fault
Macworld Two months ago, I still believed two things: England could win the World Cup, and Apple had the slickest PR machine on the planet. In both cases, what a fool I was. While players at that tournament showcased their passing, shooting, and blood-curdling tackles, Apple reminded us once again of its trademark marketing skills. An unreleased set of Beats headphones were spotted in relatively subtle Instagram posts by the Spain midfielder Lamine Yamal, U.S. left-back Antonee Robinson, and South Korea’s Kang-in Lee, building buzz nicely. Prospective customers had their appetites whetted without being told the full story, setting them up for an official launch in the months to come. But this plan, like England’s attempts to shut down Lionel Messi, was sadly doomed. Last week, multiple retailers were found to be carrying listings for the headphones (which we now know will be called the Beats 360), including dozens of photos and comprehensive product details. Noise cancellation, battery claims, IP rating, Android compatibility, color options, U.S. and U.K. pricing… we appear to know it all. Which will totally ruin the surprise when Apple makes its official announcement. This isn’t the first and won’t be the last time that a retailer accidentally sets a product listing live too early. But for this to happen simultaneously on so many sites suggests a more fundamental error. It feels like blasphemy even to suggest it, but it’s possible that Apple itself was at fault, and it will be interesting to see how the company tries to recover the situation. If the product is ready to ship, as the listings appear to imply, then it might make sense to bring the launch forward and make the most of the publicity. You might even see the Beats 360 on Apple’s website by the time this article appears. Bizarrely, the Beats 360 debacle was the second major Apple leak of last week. On Monday, it was noticed that the macOS 26.7 release candidate code contained an instructional video for an unreleased set of camera-equipped AirPods. This was as unintentionally helpful as a leak could be: a professional-quality video of an Apple representative showing us the product and how it works. A clumsier gaffe is hard to imagine. In this case, Apple doesn’t have the option to seize the initiative and rush the product out the door. It’s been reported that production delays mean the AirPods won’t be ready until late 2027. (The video was made well in advance because at one stage Apple hoped to announce the launch this year, before those delays became apparent.) This means Apple faces more than 12 months with a video floating around the Internet that spoils one of its biggest reveals. It’s a nightmare. Apple is known as a secretive company, but secrecy isn’t something that scales very easily. As the company’s manufacturing supply chain grew larger, so did the opportunity for leakers to gain access to photos of components and dummy units. More secrets were spilled when employees had to take materials home during Covid. And there is sufficient internal discontent for the leaking of memos to have become a problem, which Tim Cook complained about in another memo (which was itself leaked, inevitably). The Cook era is drawing to a close, and it remains to be seen whether incoming CEO John Ternus will emulate his predecessor or forge a new relationship with the media. Perhaps he will lock down those secrets like never before; perhaps he will be more transparent. Either approach could work. But the main thing is for the company to stop scoring own goals. Foundry Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too. Trending: Top stories A new iPhone is coming soon. It’s a good year to skip it. I love Severance, but two-plus years between each season is too much. Apple TV just isn’t worth the wait. Eagle-eyed Felipe Esposito leaked the iPhone 18 Pro colors earlier this year. Here’s the one he thinks you should buy. Why does Wall Street hate Apple now? Mahmoud Itani lists 12 ways to use your iPhone’s USB-C port to do much more than charge. macOS cheat sheet: How many Mac keyboard shortcuts do you know? Podcast of the week With new products coming soon, it’s getting more difficult for Apple to keep them under wraps. In the latest episode of the Macworld Podcast, we take a look at a few leaks from Apple OS updates that provide insight into what to expect in the coming months. You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site. Reviews corner Brydge ProDock Trio: A premium Thunderbolt 5 MacBook dock. Satechi ChargeView 240W: 6-port USB-C charging for Macs. The rumor mill Upcoming Apple products are revealed in the macOS 26.7 release candidate. Wild leak straight from Apple shows camera-equipped AirPods in action. Apple’s Fitness+ service may be getting a live upgrade. Apple’s upcoming Beats 360 headphones appear to be built for MacBook Neo users. Video of the week @macworld.com Do you use Apple Card? What do you like about it? Apple Card is one of the better credit cards out there. It’s easy to see your balance and manage your payments. You never even need to have the physical card, though the titanium card is very cool. ♬ original sound – Macworld – Macworld The Apple Card was released seven years ago, and we think we know why it’s been such a success. For more videos, follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Software updates, bugs, and problems macOS Tahoe 26.6.1 fixed a pretty major screen-sharing flaw. iOS 26.6.1 and macOS 26.6.2 fix a bunch of security flaws. Got an overheating Intel MacBook Pro? This nifty utility might help. And with that, we’re done for this week’s Apple Breakfast. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters, including our new email from The Macalope–an irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, or X for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.

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New update points to ‘Pluribus’ season 2 in… summer 2028. Urgh
Macworld There was muted excitement in the Macworld offices late last month when Ben Stiller revealed that filming was about to begin on Severance season 3. Excitement, because the show is brilliant and it already feels like years (it’s actually a little less than one and a half) since season 2 finished. And muted, because there’s still filming and post-production to get through and season 3 probably won’t arrive until fall 2027 at the earliest. Fans of melancholy sci-fi are of course spoiled by Apple TV’s line-up, which also includes the multi-award-winning Pluribus. But the latest update indicates that this show too is afflicted by an extremely slow production cycle, and we likely won’t get season 2 until summer 2028, almost three years after the first. Pluribus showrunner Vince Gilligan was questioned about season 2 this month, and replied with a heavy sigh and a warning that it would be a long time. But this weekend he provided more detail, as Forbes reports. Writing has now finished (having begun in December last year) and filming is set to begin this fall. It isn’t clear why it took so long to write season 2, especially since Pluribus was commissioned for two seasons from the start. But this slow progress means that, based on the filming and post-production timings from season 1, Forbes estimates season 2 will drop in July 2028 “give or take a month.” That would be two years and eight months after season 1 first became available. And it seems optimistic at this point to assume that nothing else will cause further delays. Pluribus and Severance are zeitgeist-defining TV shows. But as I wrote last week, their production cycles are so slow that they risk tarnishing their legacies. Hopefully we’ll be able to bring some better news in the coming months.

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This iPhone SE still believes in buttons — and it’s just $104.99 right now
Macworld TL;DR: This compact refurbished iPhone SE brings back the Home button and costs $104.99 instead of $359. Some people moved on from the iPhone Home button. Others were dragged away from it by the relentless march of technology. This refurbished 2nd Gen iPhone SE brings Touch ID back in a compact package for $104.99. Its 4.7-inch Retina HD display is smaller than those on many recent iPhones, making the device easier to hold and fit into a pocket. True Tone and wide color keep the display crisp and comfortable for everyday viewing. Inside, Apple’s A13 Bionic chip handles browsing, streaming, gaming, social media, photography, and multitasking. The 128GB of storage provides room for apps, photos, videos, and other files, while compatibility with current iOS 26 updates keeps the software from feeling stuck in 2020. The 12MP rear camera supports Portrait mode, Smart HDR, and 4K video. A 7MP front camera covers selfies and FaceTime calls. Qi wireless charging adds convenience, and the carrier-unlocked design offers flexibility with compatible providers. The honest catch is the cosmetic condition. This is a Grade B refurbished device, so it may have light scuffing or minor scratches on the body. Buyers expecting a flawless exterior should look elsewhere, but the trade-off is the low price. Get this refurbished iPhone SE for just $104.99 (reg. $359) while stock lasts. Apple iPhone SE 2nd Gen (2020) 128GB Unlocked Black (Refurbished)See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Next iMac refresh may bring more power but few other changes
Apple’s M6 iMac could launch before the end of the year with improved performance and new color options, but few other changes. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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These are the best MacBook deals right now: August 2026 Buyer’s Guide
In recent years, Macs had been getting more and more affordable. Cheaper starting points, more memory and storage per dollar, and the introduction of MacBook Neo. For the first time, Apple had started to become one of the best values on the market. Unfortunately, Apple just drastically increased its prices because of the ongoing memory shortage. Macs aren’t as appealing as they were a few weeks ago, that said, there’s still some decent deals out there – and if you’re in need of a new computer, I’d still say todays Macs are a good value against the rest of the computing market.

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Hands-on: Mophie’s new battery banks offer pocketable power, built-in cables at low price
Recently, Mophie debuted four new power banks for the iPhone. They slide nicely into your pocket, come in two finishes, offer built-in cables, and pack 5000mAh or 10000mAh of capacity. They’re by no means the smallest battery banks on the market, though they hit a price point that makes them worthwhile.

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