Roblox is requiring 9yo kids to submit a video selfie for age verification
Roblox, one of the most popular kids’ apps in the world, is now requiring children as young as nine years old to submit a video selfie for age verification. While the developer is doing this for good reasons, it adds further weight to the argument that Apple and Google, rather than individual app developers, should be responsible for age verification … more…

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'F1' director wants a sequel to Apple's smash-hit racing movie
Director Joseph Kosinski has revealed that talks are under way about bringing Brad Pitt back for a sequel to the Apple TV hit "F1: The Movie."Brad Pitt in "F1"It's been rumored before, and also simply expected since "F1: The Movie" became Apple's biggest box-office success, but now the film's director has weighed in. Reportedly, Apple TV doesn't just want the real F1 motor racing sports, it wants another movie.Speaking to Deadline, director and co-writer Joseph Kosinski confirmed that talks are taking place — between him and the film's producers. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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2026 Mac Studio: What we know about the upcoming M5 update
Macworld The Mac Studio was originally released in 2022 and has been updated twice since then. However, a report in late 2025 claimed that Apple had “largely written off” the Mac Pro and considers the Mac Studio to be its flagship desktop Mac. That means big things could be in store for the future of the Mac Studio. The current Mac Studio was released in March 2025, and reports of the next upgrade are already starting to appear. This article keeps track of those reports, so for information on what the upgrade will include and when it could be released, refer to this page. 2026 Mac Studio: Release date Possible release in March 2026 The Mac Studio comes with M-series Max and Ultra chips, and we can use the release of the base M-series chip to get an idea of when the Mac Studio will be updated. Apple releases the base M-series chip first (usually in the MacBook Pro) and then follows with the M-series Max and Ultra Mac Studio a few months later. The most recent base M-series chip is the M5, which was released in the MacBook Pro in October 2025. So that generation of chip will likely make its appearance in the new Mac Studio in the first half of 2026. According to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the M5 Max and M5 Ultra Mac Studio are on Apple’s release schedule for 2026. Two of the three Mac Studio releases since it was introduced occurred in March, with the 2023 M2 Max/Ultra Mac Studio released in June at WWDC. So look for an M5 Mac Studio release in the March to June timeframe. 2026 Mac Studio: Processor Expected to have M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips The 2025 Mac Studio was a complete surprise. It was introduced with an M4 Max chip, which was expected, but the highest-end version shipped with an M3 Ultra rather than an M4 Ultra. The M3 Ultra is technically faster than the M4 Max, but it’s an older chip. Apple has not explained the reasoning for this. Apple The next Mac Studio will not have this staggered chip configuration, according to reports. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims that Apple will return to the same generation, M5 Max and M5 Ultra, for the next Mac Studio. Specifics about those chips have not been reported, however. 2026 Mac Studio: Specs New separate CPU and GPU blocks for customization Standard configurations of 36GB and 96GB of RAM Thunderbolt 5 The major change with the Mac Studio’s specs is going to be with the chip itself. Apple is completely redesigning how it works, according to an October 2025 report by MaxTech’s Vadim Yuryev. The M5 Pro and M5 Max will feature the CPU and GPU on separate blocks, which would allow customers more options to configure these components. For example, one could set up a base CPU configuration with a maxed-out GPU. While Yuryev did not specifically mention the M5 Ultra, it stands to reason that the Ultra chip will also feature this new block configuration. The rest of the specifications are not expected to change. It will likely start with 36GB of RAM for the M5 Max, and 96GB of RAM for the M5 Ultra, and SSDs up to 8TB or 16TB. The current Mac Studio comes with Thunderbolt 5, and this should continue with the new model. 2026 Mac Studio: Design No design changes expected The Mac Studio made its debut in 2022, so it’s only three years old. Apple is expected to stick with the same design, which is also reflected in the M4 Mac mini, as no reports have been made about the design. Foundry The port offerings are also expected to remain the same. The Mac Studio has: M-series Max model: 2 front USB-C ports (supporting USB 3 at 10Gbps) M-series Ultra model: 2 front Thunderbolt 5 ports front SDHX Card slot rear 3.5mm audio jack 4 rear Thunderbolt 5 ports 2 rear USB-A ports HDMI port 10Gb ethernet port (10Gb ethernet option available) 2026 Mac Studio: Price Here are the prices for the current standard base configurations of the 2025 Mac Studio for reference: $1,999/£2,099/CA$2,699/AU$3,499 M4 Max, 36GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD $3,999/£4,199/CA$5,499/AU$6,999 M3 Ultra, 96GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD Pricing for the new Mac Studio has not been reported, though pricing could go up because of the U.S. tariffs situation–the components are made overseas. The prices may be adapted to more recent exchange rates elsewhere.

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IPhone 17 achieves record sales in the difficult Chinese market
A new market intelligence report suggests that the iPhone 17 lineup is selling incredibly well in China, despite this being a somewhat tricky market for Apple. It reveals that one in every four smartphones sold in China during October was an iPhone, and that total sales beat the previous record set back in 2021 … more…

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Many apps and websites are offline right now, including X
A large number of apps and websites are currently taken entirely offline, or experiencing significant outages, due to an issue with the popular Cloudflare infrastructure network provider. The Cloudflare CDN powers the websites behind many high-profile apps, so any outage at Cloudflare has wide-reaching implications. That includes social media site X (formerly Twitter), where users are currently unable to publish new posts or refresh their timelines. The problem appears to be impacting web users worldwide. more…

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Survey data shows Wi-Fi speeds are much faster on iPhone 17, thanks to Apple N1 chip
Speedtest.net’s owner Ookla has published a new report detailing Wi-Fi performance of iPhone 17 users in the wild. The data shows that the new iPhones gets significantly faster WiFi speeds compared to iPhone 16, showing the benefits of the new Apple-designed N1 chip. The new N1 chip can be found in iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air. The new iPhone lineup achieves faster download and upload speeds in every region that Ookla tracks. more…

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One in four smartphones sold in China is an iPhone
Following years of declining sales in China, and the rise of local rivals, Apple saw demand for the iPhone 17 range soar in October 2022.Apple's iPhone 17 ProDemand for smartphones had been falling in China for many years, with Apple's iPhone trending downwards, when it wasn't having extremely poor sales. But now according to Reuters, a new report from Counterpoint Research says that the iPhone has reversed that decline, chiefly because of the new iPhone 17 models.Specifically, in October 2025, the research shows that Apple's iPhone sales rose 37% compared to the same period in 2024. The report states that all three iPhone 17 models had mid-to-high double-digit percentage growth. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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The iPhone Air is doomed because one guy returned it
Macworld If you thought we were going to get out of November without an iPhone sales failure, well, you thought wrong. The Wall Street Journal goes so far as to drop an F-bomb on the iPhone Air, Apple’s latest attempt at redefining the iPhone mold: “Apple’s iPhone Air Is a Marketing Win and a Sales Flop” (Apple News+ link) GASP. They’re just dropping four-letter words in headlines now?! What if a child picks up a copy of The Wall Street Journal?! The Macalope is picturing a small, bespectacled boy in a three-piece suit. He also has a briefcase. He’s adorable. He’s also a bit of a monster, and his parents are very worried about him. “When I asked him who his best friend was he said ‘NASDAQ’! [sob]” John Gruber notes that the Journal makes a lot of noise about the camera being terrible based on one person’s opinion without showing any of the photos. Is the camera as good as the setup on the iPhone 17 Pro? Certainly not. Is it a good camera? Yes, it is. Raised in Apple’s hometown of Cupertino, Calif., and later an Apple senior product manager, [Jason] Purdy said he loves to see innovative product design from tech companies. I’m not sure why my “I love to see innovative product design from tech companies” T-shirt is raising so many questions that I feel are answered by my shirt. So he made an Apple store appointment to buy the new, ultrathin smartphone the day it went on sale. Can you imagine?! He bought on the very day they went on sale! And he made an appointment! How fancy! Newsflash to the Journal, in the Year of Our Lord 2025, a lotta people like technology and buy iPhones the day they come out by booking appointments. That’s not noteworthy in any way. Within a month, he returned it. The saddest of trombones. A veritable orchestra of nothing but trombones, all of them sad. Seventy-six, weepy, downcast trombones, marching through River City, Iowa. It’s nice for Purdy that while he’s suing his most recent employer for wrongful termination, he can have this fun interaction with a writer for The Wall Street Journal about how the new product from a previous employer of his sucks. If you’d like to receive regular news and updates to your inbox, sign up for our newsletters, including The Macalope and Apple Breakfast, David Price’s weekly, bite-sized roundup of all the latest Apple news and rumors.IDG Totally unrelated, but the Macalope wonders if there’s a slide in a crisis management deck somewhere about how to push down search results for your wrongful termination suit by getting your name associated with bombastic statements about Apple. It’s an interesting but totally theoretical and, as previously stated, unrelated question. Regardless, it certainly does seem like the iPhone Air has not been a huge hit. The Journal notes: Just one in 10 iPhone 17 buyers in the U.S. opted for it in the early weeks of sales, according to one consumer survey. That’s not great, but it’s worth noting that Apple frequently designs the lineup to push people into buying the phones that are more profitable. Even with its relatively high price tag for the feature set, it’s likely the company makes more money off the other models that are more iterative changes to previous phones. Bad sales for one model could be better for Apple as long as overall sales are still high. iPhone Air doom is certainly making the rounds, and things are so bad, apparently, that Apple is reportedly delaying the next version. Instead of coming in the fall of 2026, the next iPhone Air may not come until the spring of 2027. That could make for an even bigger change to Apple’s iPhone rollout schedule than previously expected. Apple will just ship the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max next fall alongside the folding iPhone, and the iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and now possibly the iPhone [18] Air will all ship together in the spring. (The brackets are to indicate the “18” is silent.) Big money phones first, and the rest can wait. You know what, Apple? Since no one seems to want a thin phone, the Macalope has a free suggestion for you: How about… [looks left and right to make sure no one is eavesdropping] …a small phone. Huh?! Right?! Yeah, they’re not gonna do that.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: State of the union for passkeys
Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple. In this episode of Apple @ Work, Rew Islam from Dashlane joins the show to talk about the company’s new report: The 2025 Dashlane Passkey Power 20. more…

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Rumor: Apple presently has no plans to release an updated Mac Pro in the near future
If you’re expecting a spiffy new Mac Pro tower, you might have to wait a while. Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has “largely written off the Mac Pro.” The desktop, which was last updated in 2023 with the M2 Ultra chip, appears to be off the list for updates anytime soon. Gurman outlines that Apple’s […] Source

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Apple Sports app updated to version 3.5, expands to more than a dozen additional European countries
If you’re a sports fan on the road and hoofing it through Europe, you’re going to like this. Apple has expanded its Apple Sports app for the iPhone to additional European countries on Monday, including Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, […] Source

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Turn everyday iPhone shots into standout photos with this AI editor
Macworld TL;DR: Score a lifetime Luminar Mobile subscription for $15.97 (MSRP $47.99). Most people rely on their phone’s camera to capture everything, but getting those photos to look polished usually means juggling multiple apps or learning software that feels like homework. Luminar Mobile provides an easier path by utilizing AI to handle the heavy lifting, allowing your photos to look sharp, vibrant, and intentional with just a few taps. Instead of sorting through complicated menus, the app identifies what your image needs and suggests quick improvements. You can brighten a cloudy day with AI-powered sky enhancement, clean up lighting with one-touch boosts, and correct harsh shadows or uneven exposure without needing to delve into technical sliders. The app also includes familiar tools like cropping, curves, and detail adjustments so you can refine every shot exactly how you want. Portraits also receive their own upgrades. SkinAI softens and balances skin tones while preserving natural texture, and BodyAI provides gentle contour adjustments for a more camera-ready appearance. Everything remains subtle and realistic, making it suitable for both casual snapshots and more polished content. The subscription is valid for one device and includes lifetime access, allowing you to continue editing without needing to renew. If you’ve been wanting an editor that looks professional but feels simple enough to use every day, this is an easy win. You can grab Luminar Mobile for $15.97 for a limited time. Luminar Mobile for iOS & Android: Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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iPhone side button will soon get a quiet upgrade
With iOS 26.2, Apple will allow iPhone users to launch third-party voice assistants using the side key but only in Japan. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Apple loses major iPhone Air designer to AI startup
One of the designers responsible for the iPhone Air’s look and feel has exited Apple to join an undisclosed AI startup. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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iOS 26: How to view 2D photos as 3D Spatial Scenes on iPhone
Turning a boring 2D photo into a more dynamic, 3D-like viewing experience might sound impossible. But you can do it right from your phone running iOS 26, thanks to Apple's new Spatial Scenes.Spatial Scenes are 3D-like images created from 2D photosApple's process of creating Spatial Scenes isn't an Apple Intelligence feature as such. But it does use AI to take cues from your 2D image before adding a feeling of depth that wouldn't normally be available.Even better, iOS 26 can display almost any photo to a Spatial Scene — you don't need to have chosen a special mode when you first captured the image. And the iOS 26 Photos app proactively highlights which of your existing photos can be displayed as new Spatial Scenes. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Industrial designer & iPhone Air video narrator departs Apple for AI startup
A designer that's been with Apple for six years and helped design the iPhone Air has departed the company for an AI startup, though the move is unrelated to how the iPhone Air is performing.iPhone Air designer leaves AppleThere's little chance you've heard of Abidur Chowdhury, not unless you take note of every name that splashes up on screen for Apple's keynote presentations. He was a designer at Apple that aided in creating the iPhone Air, and even narrated the design video during the Awe Dropping event.According to a report from Bloomberg, the departure "made waves" internally, but there's nothing to go off of beyond anonymous people familiar with the departure. There is no context provided, no notes about how long the departure had been planned, or any reason for the change. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple loses iPhone Air designer to unnamed AI startup
Bloomberg reports that Abidur Chowdhury, the industrial designer who introduced the iPhone Air during Apple’s September event, has left for an unnamed artificial intelligence startup. Here are the details. more…

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Apple Car Key could soon make its way to select Cadillac vehicles
The Apple Wallet app may soon offer digital Car Key support for select Cadillac vehicles, according to newly discovered backend code.Cadillac vehicles could soon offer Apple Car Key support.Since 2020, the Car Key feature has allowed iPhone and Apple Watch owners to unlock and start their cars using their mobile devices. In a new code discovery, select cars from the brand Cadillac will gain support for Apple's Car Key system as well.Currently, more than 30 vehicle manufacturers support Apple's Car Key functionality. At WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that Car Key would make its way to 13 additional vehicle brands, including some owned by GM. We later saw further evidence of this in October 2025. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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iOS 26.2 Side button virtual assistant settings were actually meant for Japan
Apple's iOS 26.2 features Side button settings that let users swap Siri for another assistant — but only in Japan, not the European Union for now.Users in Japan will be able to select a non-Apple default virtual assistant on their iPhones.Monday saw the release of iOS 26.2 developer beta 3, which included references to new settings for the iPhone side button. Essentially, code from the operating system suggested that it would become possible to press and hold the Side button, and toggle a virtual assistant of your choice — one other than Siri.Initially, it was believed that these settings were related mainly to the European Union and its Digital Markets Act. The DMA effectively requires that Apple provide third-party app makers with the "same hardware and software features" it utilizes within iOS. However, the EU is not the only region that has legislation of this nature. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Is ‘F1 The Movie’ getting a sequel? Here’s what Tim Cook and movie director Joseph Kosinski say
As Apple gears up to release “F1 The Movie” for streaming on Apple TV, some are already looking ahead to a sequel. Director Joseph Kosinski included. Here’s the latest. more…

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