iPhone will do pretty well in 2026, as RAM prices hammer the smartphone industry
Apple's iPhone is positioned to weather a looming smartphone memory price spike better than nearly any rival, even as industry forecasts point to softer sales in 2026.iPhone 17 Pro MaxCounterpoint Research released a report on December 16, lowering its 2026 global smartphone shipment forecast. The report attributes this to significant price hikes in DRAM and NAND flash memory.The revised forecast expects global smartphone shipments to fall about 2% year over year, reversing earlier expectations for modest growth. Memory costs are the primary driver, with Counterpoint pointing to supply tightness and aggressive pricing from memory vendors. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Your book, published: This AI guides you from first word to final print
Struggling to finish your brilliant book idea? BookBud.ai writing software gives you tools you need to write the book you’ve always imagined. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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App developers call for EU action on Apple’s App Store fees
A coalition of 20 app developers and consumer groups urged European regulators on Tuesday to strictly enforce EU laws against Apple… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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There may be two models of Apple's rumored budget MacBook
The low-cost MacBook using iPhone chips may include a lower-powered model, with Apple said to be testing the A15 chip alongside the A18 Pro.The 13-inch MacBook Air, the current lowest-cost MacBook model. Apple is believed to be working on a new model of MacBook aimed at the budget end of the notebook market. While those rumors have said that Apple will be using chips from its iPhone line in the models, it may end up using quite earlier variants.As part of a number of details revealed in an internal iOS build leak, Weibo leaker Kang and others have mentioned the budget-friendly MacBooks. It is claimed that Apple has tested the model using the A15 chip. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Here’s everything expected from next year’s iPhone Fold
Next year’s flagship iPhone is widely expected to be a folding phone branded as the iPhone Fold. With a great deal of consistency across leaks and other reports, we do now have a pretty good idea of what to expect. The latest post by a Chinese leaker with a pretty decent track record differs from previous ones in a few small respects, but the fundamental elements remain the same … more…

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Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Pro review: Portable screen that floats above your MacBook
Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Thin & light portable screen Kickstand Three clever viewing modes Cons Integrated speakers aren’t brilliant Our Verdict A simple but effective display solution. The Duex Float 2 and Float 2 Pro screens are lightweight and simple to setup – a great solution at home or if you are often moving between offices. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When Reviewed$299.99 Best Prices Today: Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Pro Retailer Price $244.99 View Deal $249.99 View Deal $249.99 View Deal Mobile Pixels $299.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Portable monitors are often units that sit separately alongside your laptop, allowing you to use them together side by side or on their own with the MacBook’s screen closed. The Duex Float 2 and Float 2 Pro, from Mobile Pixels, are neater than that. It’s a single screen that is positioned in a stacked arrangement above the MacBook’s own display—as its name would like have it, it “floats”. You simply place your MacBook below the second screen and hey-presto you have two screens that mean you are not having to move your head from side to side to enjoy the extra screen space. If you use the included magnets you can keep this stacked screen setup attached to your MacBook. It also makes the setup more stable when in use. A few of the displays we have reviewed in our roundup of the best portable monitors for MacBook feature stacked dual screens. The Float 2 and Pro use the MacBook’s own display as the lower screen and its screen exactly above. It’s an update on the original Float display, and is lighter and of a higher resolution. Stacked screens offer neck-strain-saving ergonomic benefits compared to two side-by-side monitors and are especially useful where space is at a premium—say in a tight home-working or co-working environment. The Duex Float 2 Pro mirrors the 16-inch display of the top-end MacBook Pro. That model might have the largest of the MacBook displays but basically doubling the screen space is a revelation. You get the best of both worlds—a desktop-like large screen in a portable package that fits under your arm or slides into a backpack. When you’re not working or streaming TV, it packs away out of sight. Having two screens—MacBook with Float above—is an undoubted improvement on staring down at a small laptop screen, with shoulders hunched and eyes squinting. If you use a laptop stand, this will have to be discarded when using the Float as it will remain lower than the laptop on a stand. However, the height of the Float’s screen should mean that a stand is unnecessary. Mobile Pixels Float 2 and Float 2 Pro differences There are two versions available: the Float 2 and Float 2 Pro. 2K HD model Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Pro Read our review Price When Reviewed: $299.99 Best Prices Today: $244.99 at Amazon | $249.99 at B&H | $249.99 at Walmart Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Screen size: 15.6 inches Resolution: 1920 × 1080 pixels Maximum brightness: 300 nits Contrast ratio: 1000:1 Color gamut: 45% NTSC / 62% sRGB Refresh rate: 60Hz 2.5K MODEL Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Pro Read our review Price When Reviewed: $299.99 Best Prices Today: $244.99 at Amazon | $249.99 at B&H | $249.99 at Walmart Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Pro Screen size: 16 inches Resolution: 2560 × 1600 pixels Maximum brightness: 350 nits Contrast ratio: 1200:1 Color gamut: 72% NTSC / 100% sRGB Refresh rate: 120Hz Portable design We tested the Duex Float 2 Pro, which features the 16-inch screen above a hinge in the center of the folded-out package. The angle of the top screen can be adjusted to suit you. Unfolded, it’s just 0.7 of an inch thick, and the whole thing weighs in at 2.9lbs (1.3kg). That’s lighter than the 15-inch MacBook Pro, which weighs in at 3.3lbs (1.5kg), or 16-inch MacBook Pro at 4.7lbs (2.15kg). Mobile Pixels When unfolded—in what Mobile Pixels calls Free Standing Mode—the lower part of the frame has four cutouts. You have the option of affixing the included four powerful magnets to the top of your MacBook—for which a cardboard Installation Template is included. These magnets then connect with the Float’s cutouts to create a strong bond, keeping the MacBook and Float as one piece. When closed the Float stays flat on your MacBook, making it deeper and a little heavier but still intrinsically a portable laptop. Just imagine your once-slim MacBook is an older Apple PowerBook model—younger readers can look that up. If you prefer not to stick the (removable) magnets to your MacBook, then you can just place the laptop against the folded-out Float for the same but more temporary effect. Mobile Pixels This would not be much use without the magnetic fold-out kickstand at the back of the lower section of the Float. This is simple to use and reasonably stable. The Float 2 and Float 2 Pro come with two cables: a USB-C to USB-C cable that also includes a USB-A adapter that Mac users can ignore; and an HDMI to Mini HDMI cable. The USB-C cable should be all a Mac user requires. Simon Jary The Duex Float 2 displays don’t include a built-in battery. The screen will draw from 7.5W of power from the MacBook in the Limited Power Mode that caps brightness at 80%. To achieve full brightness and prevent flickering, you can connect a PD-compliant USB-C charger rated at 15W or higher. The one you use for your iPhone should be sufficient or you can use a second port from your MacBook’s charger if it has more than one. See our roundup of the best USB-C chargers for MacBook. When connected to a wall charger the screen can pass-back up to 65W to the connected laptop. There are three viewing modes: You can view the Float’s screen—in Extended Mode—above your MacBook’s display by selecting the Arrange tool in System Settings >Displays. Mobile Pixels Another clever usage is Presentation Mode (pictured above) where you would set the Float to mirror your MacBook’s display rather than extend it. Here you tip the Float’s screen all the way back so that someone sitting opposite you would see the screen. Then all you have to do is press the Flip Screen button to have it display the correct way up for your intended audience. Although not automatic, it’s a breeze to operate. In Free-Standing Mode the Float can also be used as a single screen by flipping the screen to use the frame as the flat stand. It’s not really living up to its floaty name when used as a more conventional portable screen, but it works just as well. Mobile Pixels Video quality The 16:10 aspect-ratio Duex Float 2 Pro is a 16-inch display with a maximum 2560-x-1600-pixel resolution (QHD/2.5K). Maximum brightness is 350 nits, with a 1200:1 contrast ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate. Its sRGB color gamut is an excellent 100% (72% NTSC). The smaller non-Pro Duex Float 2 is a 15.6-inch display with a maximum 1920-x-1080-pixel resolution (2K/HD). Maximum brightness is 300 nits, with a 1000:1 contrast ration and a 60Hz refresh rate. Its sRGB color gamut is 62% (45% NTSC). Aim for the Float 2 Pro if you can for the superior screen quality. There is an anti-glare EyeCareMode to reduce eye strain. As well as with laptop and desktop Mac and Windows computers, the Float displays work with iPhone (iPhone 15 or later due to the required USB-C connection) or games consoles. Simon Jary Side ports and power On the left side (as you face it) is the USB-C port that you’ll use to connect to your MacBook unless it suits you to connect to the right-side USB-C port that sits below the Mini HDMI port. Above the left-side USB-C port are four buttons: the Flip Screen button plus three On Screen Display (OSD) controls. You can quickly adjust the Float’s brightness here or access the multiple OSD settings that include Backlight, Contrast, Saturation, speaker Volume, screen Temperature, input Signal, EyeCare Mode and Orientation. Speakers The monitor has built-in stereo speakers, which aren’t bad but are tinny compared to the speaker in our connected M2 MacBook Pro so you’re probably better sticking with the laptop’s own. Mobile Pixels Price The Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Pro is priced at $399.99 / £259.99 direct or from Amazon. The non-Pro Float 2 is priced at $309.99 / £219.99 direct and at Amazon. Check the sites for the best live prices. We haven’t tested anything similar in terms of a single screen that is stacked above the MacBook’s own, but we have reviewed other portable Mac monitors if you want to explore alternatives. Mobile Pixels Should you buy the Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 and Pro? This is a simple but effective display solution with the Float 2 Pro being a great fit for owners of the 16-inch MacBook Pro in particular. Setup is simple and when connected via magnets the whole package is super portable. It works well without magnets, although it’s not as stable in use or convenient when carried around. Having another high-quality screen positioned above the MacBook’s own offers expanded screen space that lessens the usual neck strain two side-by-side screens might induce. The fact that it’s lightweight and simple to setup makes it a great solution at home or if you are often moving between offices.

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iPad mini 8 rumored to use the iPhone 18 A20 Pro chip
A closer examination of leaked internal code may have also teased a future change for the iPad mini, with the iPad mini 8 rumored to get the A20 Pro chip.iPad miniThere have been a plethora of leaks in early December stemming from an internal pre-release build of iOS 26. Despite the amount of information that has already emerged, it seems there are still more details being uncovered from the code leak.Chinese leaker Kang and others have provided their own compilations of leaked details to Weibo, covering chips to be used in future models. While there are other earlier leaks mentioned, Kang also interestingly brings up the iPad mini. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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New UK lawsuit takes another shot at Amazon's and Apple's alleged price fixing
Despite both UK and US courts previously dismissing cases about Apple and Amazon allegedly colluding over prices, a new lawsuit has been filed to see if it can do any better.Apple and Amazon have been accused of price-fixingThe accusation in each case is that Amazon and Apple made a secret deal that placed unfair restrictions on independent retailers selling Apple devices on Amazon. Consequently the suit claims that consumers suffered harm as the two firms were able to maintain higher prices than they would.This case was filed in the US in 2022 and was ultimately dismissed in September 2025. Similarly, Professor Christine Riefa later brought a mass lawsuit — the British equivalent of a class action — to the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT). Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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iPhone sales predicted to fall next year, with far higher manufacturing costs
Market intelligence company Counterpoint Research has predicted that iPhone sales will fall next year compared to this – and that Apple’s manufacturing costs will increase substantially. Global smartphone shipments as a whole are expected to fall in 2026, with Apple being among the worst hit … more…

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Chinese rumor account claims to have more details about the folding iPhone
Macworld Chinese tech rumor Weibo account Digital Chat Station has some fresh details of the upcoming folding iPhone. According the the post (translated from Chinese), the current engineering prototypes have the following features: Side-button Touch ID rather than Face ID. A very strong hinge. A 7.58-inch display with an under-display front camera. A 5.25-inch outer display with a punch-hole camera. Dual 48MP cameras. These are all similar to prior rumors, with some small differences (we’ve seen 7.8-inch and 5.5-inch displays mentioned), but the under-display and hole-punch camera details are new. For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has an 8-inch inside display and a 6.5-inch outer display, while the Pixel 10 Pro Fold has an 8-inch inner display and a 5.4-inch outer display. So if this rumor is true, Apple’s folding iPhone would be slightly and likely have a wide aspect ratio. Digital Chat Station doesn’t say where this information comes from (suppliers, internal leakers, hidden in code, etc.) and the Weibo account has been hit-and-miss with rumors in the past. So perhaps the most interesting thing about this rumor is that it lends weight to the idea that we’ll actually really get a folding iPhone in 2026, after years of disappointment.

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General Motors confirms Apple Wallet car key plans after code spotted
Backend code spotted a couple of months ago showed that General Motors was preparing to support Apple Wallet digital car keys, and the company has now confirmed those plans. The news follows the discovery yesterday that Toyota was also making its own preparations for car key support … more…

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Locked out of your Apple account? Good luck
Macworld A few months back, the Macalope was locked out of iMessage. Yeah! “The nerve” is right! It was annoying, of course, but far from the worst thing that could happen to someone, but it highlighted a frustrating blind spot in Apple’s vaunted user experience story, on which someone else has now run afoul of, with far worse consequences. For reasons the Macalope never did learn, his iMessage account was locked by Apple. In order to be reinstated to a club he’s been an upstanding member of for 14 years, he had to submit a request and wait 24 to 48 hours (it was closer to 48). For secret reasons. Apparently. All this despite the fact that the Macalope has conducted very little fraud using the iMessage protocol. Shockingly little, honestly, considering how many other people are apparently out there using it for fraud. The Macalope is starting to think he’s missing out on his fair share of that sweet fraud money. Joking aside (note to self: look into fraud, W slash R slash T getting into), it is a shame that a confluence of scale, reliance on complicated server infrastructure, and the need to account for bad actors means that Apple, the company that famously cares so much about user experience, lets some people just fall through the cracks. This brings us to the honestly pretty terrifying story of Dr. Paris Butterfield-Addison, an author of books on Objective-C and Swift, who was, through no fault of his own, pushed into a bottomless one of these cracks. Which he details in a post: 20 Years of Digital Life, Gone in an Instant, thanks to Apple. Too long, can’t read because I was raised by a pack of weasels living under the O’Malleys’ barn, and only discovered when I wandered out looking for opportunity and love in the big city (Wetumpka, Alabama), Butterfield-Addison appears to have purchased a $500 Apple gift card that was tampered with. When activated, it failed (possibly sending the funds to other parties), the retailer issued a new code, and then Butterfield-Addison was locked out of his iCloud account. All of it. 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.Foundry It happens? Again, apparently. As in the Macalope’s case, no one could or would tell him why he was locked out. Unlike the Macalope’s case, Butterfield-Addison was given no recourse (not that the Macalope’s recourse of filling out a form to get back a staple service of Apple platforms was all that reassuring). He was locked out. Apple’s response (summarized by meat-based intelligence on Sarcastic mode): “Sucks to be you, Dr. Paris Butterfield-Addison, author of numerous books on programming for our own platforms.” While Apple has famously told developers that running to the press never helps, it turns out that A) sometimes that’s all you can do, and B) actually, it often really does help, thank you very much. As Butterfield-Addison notes in his post, his story is now getting some attention, has now been taken to Executive Relations, and his situation may end up getting resolved. But it makes the Macalope wonder how many people this has happened to who haven’t written programming books and don’t have their own blogs. You shouldn’t have to be a noted member of the Apple community who also happens to be articulate and have a positive online presence to get this fixed. It shouldn’t have to get escalated to Tim freaking Apple. Despite our rose-colored hindsight glasses, Apple’s systems have never worked perfectly. (They didn’t always hold so much of our critical data: photos, entertainment, credit cards, and now even identification.) The way Apple gets its rep, though, is by making things that work so well when they work that you forgive the times when they don’t. It’s hard to forgive them, though, when they stop working for good. The good news is, this is not a technical problem; it’s a process problem. Sure, Apple may have an exploit in its gift card process that it needs to fix, but locking out victims is not, in any way, part of a viable solution. The company just has to care enough about the people who are getting shoved into these cracks to create a procedure that gets them back in. It remains to be seen if it does or if it prefers to continue to help those who can make a real fuss about it.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: AI workflows and the Mac Mini
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, Eric Bickford from MacWeb joins the show to talk about their new US-East rollout, Apple’s hardware for AI workloads, and much more. more…

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Run Microsoft’s best OS on any compatible PC without breaking the bank — just $9.97
Macworld TL;DR: Get a lifetime Windows 11 Pro license for $9.97 (MSRP $199) and unlock advanced security, pro tools, and AI features for your PC. Need an upgrade on your extra PC? Whether you use a Windows computer for work, school, or random tasks you don’t want to do on your Mac, this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro deal delivers serious value at just $9.97. This isn’t a stripped-down version. You’re getting the full Windows 11 Pro operating system with advanced features like enhanced security through biometric login and TPM 2.0, improved multitasking with snap layouts and virtual desktops, and professional-grade tools including Hyper-V and BitLocker encryption. Not to mention, Copilot, the AI assistant designed to answer questions, generate code while you type, and more. The lifetime license means you won’t face recurring subscription fees, and you’ll receive ongoing updates to keep your system secure and current. This operating system is rated an impressive 4/5 stars on PC Magazine and TechRadar. Discover why with this limited-time deal. For a limited time, you can get Microsoft Windows 11 Pro on sale for $9.97 (MSRP $199). Microsoft Windows 11 ProSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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iOS 26.3 beta 1: All the new features and changes
Apple’s first iOS 26.3 beta is here, and it brings two notable platform changes worth paying attention to. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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There’s a big Pluribus spoiler on Google Earth, if you know where to look
If you’ve already watched “The Gap”, which is the seventh episode of the first season of Pluribus, you can probably guess what it is. more…

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iOS 26 leak details multiple unreleased Apple products
An unreleased build of iOS 26 has revealed details about more than a dozen Apple hardware projects currently in development.An iOS 26 code leak confirmed the existence of multiple unreleased iPhone models, including the iPhone 17e.Following a series of reports last week, which provided insight into unreleased products like the next-generation AirTag, iPad Air, and Apple Studio Display, we now have additional information about the source of the leak.A prototype iPhone running an early build of iOS 26 was recently sold, and the operating system on the device has since been made publicly available. This allowed researchers to dig through the code in an effort to uncover more about the devices and projects Apple is currently working on. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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UK government to ‘encourage’ Apple and Google to include nudity-blocking software in OSes
The UK government is set to urge Apple and Google to embed advanced nudity-detection software directly into device operating systems… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Apple specialists to participate in White House’s ‘Tech Force’ initiative
The White House announced plans to recruit “an elite group of ~1,000 technology specialists” from companies such as Apple to serve two-year terms across federal agencies. Here are the details. more…

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Get Microsoft Office 2024 for Mac or PC for less than $150
This discounted Microsoft Office for Mac lifetime license is a great alternative to pricey monthly fees and subscriptions. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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