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- Tuesday February 24
- 12:47 pmRemembering Steve Jobs on his 71st birthday
Fifteen years after his death, Steve Jobs is still continually quoted, sometimes criticized, but always seen as creating the ethos of Apple. On what would have been his 71st birthday, this is how he shaped Apple — and the world.Steve JobsApple co-founder Steve Jobs was born on February 24, 1955, and brought up by his adoptive parents, Paul and Clara Jobs. While he would later dismiss the idea that the circumstances of his adoption had any influence on him, he was born straight into a dispute over a deal, and startling signs of his later strengths and weaknesses were there from his early years. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums12:47 pmTim Cook ‘slept with one eye open’ after classified CIA briefing on Taiwan
Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly told officials that he slept “with one eye open” after he attended a classified CIA briefing on Taiwan, home to the company’s chipmaker TSMC. US intelligence agencies have been worried for years that China may plan to invade the island, and the briefing warned that this could happen as early as next year … more…12:40 pmIf iPhone Fold is truly coming in 2026, expect big leaks very soon
Apple's supply chain is big, so new product launches get leaked in their entirety as they enter mass production. If the iPhone Fold is coming, we should get our first peek at it soon.iPhone Fold should be leaked in its final form. Any day now.I'm on the record as being an iPhone Fold skeptic. Even as the iPhone 18 Pro has begun leaking components, nothing of the sort has happened for the upcoming foldable iPhone.There's something odd about that. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums12:16 pmiPhone set all-time European sale record in 2025, even as market declines
Analytics firm Omdia claims that in 2025, Apple set an all-time sales record for the iPhone in Europe, with a 6% year over year growth.The iPhone 16e helped Apple to a record year in EuropeBack in June 2025, Apple's lower-cost iPhone 16e was reportedly selling well in Europe but not as well as the even lower-cost iPhone SE that preceded it. Now, however, figures for the whole of 2025 show that altogether, the whole iPhone range scored Apple a record year in the region.According to analytics firm Omdia, Apple's 6% year-over-year growth means it shipped 36.9 million iPhones. That gave it a record 27% share of Europe's smartphone market. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums12:15 pmDrab Fold, bright Pro predicted for fall iPhone event
Macworld For reasons known only to itself, Apple has historically followed a strategy of releasing inexpensive smartphones in bright and vibrant colors, while limiting its premium handsets to a more muted palette. But this changed last year with the launch of the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, and Apple was promptly rewarded with huge commercial success driven especially by the popularity of that color in China. With this in mind, all eyes will be on Apple’s color selections this coming September, when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Fold are unveiled. It’s highly unlikely that we’ll get exactly the same choices for the second year in a row; Apple loves to add a new color with each generation (while usually removing one or more that might not have sold so well), so buyers can advertise the fact they’ve got a new model. But surely Apple will have learned the lesson and make sure it includes at least one bright finish. One analyst who agrees is Mark Gurman, who discusses the likely colors in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter. He isn’t 100 percent certain about what we’ll see in September–which isn’t unreasonable when predicting a cosmetic detail nearly seven months from launch–but he thinks this year’s new finish will be red. It’s worth noting that this probably won’t be as conspicuous as Cosmic Orange: Gurman describes it as a “deep red”, and the Deep Blue option for the iPhone 17 Pro is a dark navy that’s closer to black than to the oceanic mid-blue that was available for the iPhone 13. (A non-Pro phone, of course.) So we’ll probably be looking at a rich burgundy rather than the bright scarlet of Apple’s many (Product) Red devices. That’s Deep Blue on the right.Apple But that doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be any bright colors at all, because Gurman thinks one option that’s currently on the table is to offer both Cosmic Orange and Deep Red. “Given the success of orange, I wouldn’t be surprised if the company keeps that option around and just adds the red as an additional choice,” Gurman explains. “But red and orange might be a little too close on the color wheel to have both. We’ll see how this plays out.” Whereas the structural and internal details of Apple’s yearly phone refreshes need to be decided long in advance (and then ideally, but not always, kept secret), colors are tested and pondered until quite close to launch. As Gurman notes, there have been rumors that we might see purple and/or brown iPhones in late 2026, and he believes these might just be variants of the same red tone Apple has been testing. In conclusion, then, it looks like the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro will be sold in three or four color finishes: Silver, Deep Blue, Deep Red, and possibly Cosmic Orange. We just won’t know the exact shade of red until nearer the time because Apple probably hasn’t decided yet. As for the iPhone Fold, Gurman thinks Apple will return to its earlier philosophy and punish wealthy customers for buying its most expensive handset. The Fold may cost $2,399, but it won’t come in either orange or red. Just “some sort of dark gray or black and a variation of a white or light silver,” similar to how Apple delivered the iPhone X. For all the latest news and rumors leading up to the launches in September, bookmark our regularly updated iPhone 18 superguide.11:57 amApple shares more details, photos, and video of US Mac mini plant
Apple yesterday announced plans to start manufacturing the Mac mini in the US and has now shared more details of the initiative, alongside photos and video footage. Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company is also accelerating production of AI servers made in the Houston plant where the Mac mini models will be assembled … more…11:30 amApple’s AI products are all doomed. Wanna guess why?
Macworld It is time for another edition of Old Man Macalope Explains How Things Used to Be Better. No, don’t get up. Back in the early 2000s, there were three big Apple rumors: the tablet, the set-top box, and the phone. We speculated about them endlessly. Mostly because, since we didn’t have smartphones to look at, we had so little to do. But the point is, we were excited about them. These days, getting excited about Apple rumors is not as much of a given, and the reason is two simple letters: AI. Let’s look at some rumors that are going around right now. The first is the rumor that Apple is working on a series of home products. As the Macalope has noted, this is an area he’s wanted the company to get into because it’s a real mixed bag of reliability and privacy, things that Apple generally–not always, but most times–is pretty good at. The rumored product the horny one is most excited for is a doorbell camera that uses Face ID. Compare that to Ring, which recently had to walk back (again) its cozy relationship with law enforcement, and you can see the benefit of Apple entering this market. This is a place where Apple can solve real problems that people have and make things work better with more privacy. And then there’s… whatever this is: Apple is working on AI smartglasses, an AI pendant, and AirPods. All of these are AI wearable devices that will depend on the supposedly smarter Siri that seems to be taking longer than expected. You know, Apple, we went to a lot of trouble to mock Google Glass into the dust bin of technology so it seems a little rude to expect us to turn around and get excited about these things. “Glassholes”? That was some quality work. C’mon. 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 Turn out that AI is causing a lot of heavy sighing about the future The New York Times notes that people aren’t so much into the AI boom. Silicon Valley executives promise that artificial intelligence is going to radically change everyone’s life for the better, starting just a few minutes from now. The New Tork TImes, Feb. 21, 2026 Hey, hey, Elon Musk patented saying an AI feature is just months away for years on end. Any other executives saying that have to give him a quarter. He doesn’t need it, of course, it’s just the principle of the thing. In a YouGov survey last year, more than a third of respondents said they were concerned that A.I. would end human life on earth. Okay, so, yeah, AI has a bit of a public relations problem. Just a global extermination-level public relations problem. That’s… you can get over… that. Even those with a more hopeful attitude overwhelmingly said in another poll that they would not pay extra to put A.I. on their devices. Is paying extra to get it out of our devices on the table? Why can’t people see the utility? …80 percent of firms reported that A.I. was having no impact on their productivity or employment. Other than that, the Macalope means. (He is going to drop in the standard caveat, however: AI does have utility in various applications, it’s just that Silicon Valley executives are trying to jam it into everything, whether it’s warranted or not, and instead of giving it to employees to boost their productivity, they’re cutting staff based on assumed productivity gains that don’t materialize.) The real tragedy of all this is that by not being 100 percent jazzed about AI, we’re hurting the feelings of the billionaire CEO of Nvidia. “It’s extremely hurtful, frankly,” Mr. [Jensen] Huang said… Word is he can barely muster up the excitement to buy more black jackets made of increasingly bizarre types of leather. “Ant leather? Handmade from 10 million ants? I didn’t know that was a thing. Sigh. Okay. I’ll take twenty.” Huang’s fee-fees notwithstanding, when AI is routinely used as an excuse to make layoffs, who can blame people for not being super enthused about the technology? All of this before we even ask the question: will it work? Apple has, to date, struggled to deliver on its AI promises. And maybe that’s a good thing? Because other companies seem content to ship AI products that just don’t work right, often with some catastrophic, if hilarious, results: Meta Director of AI Safety Allows AI Agent to Accidentally Delete Her Inbox An AI coding bot took down Amazon Web Services Microsoft says bug causes Copilot to summarize confidential emails And all of that before we ask the question, what impact does it have on the environment? Apple used to be good at avoiding tech trends and focusing on making products people really wanted. Maybe these devices aren’t exactly what the rumors make them out to be, chatbot-enable wearables that’ll annoy you and everyone else in the waiting room at your doctor’s office. Maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised. In the mean time, the Macalope’s going to look forward to the more concrete products Apple might ship.11:23 amApple published a new Press Release
Apple just published a new Press Release:Apple accelerates U.S. manufacturing with Mac mini production11:00 amApple @ Work Podcast: The rise of the autonomous AI SOC
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, Monzy Merza from Crogl joins the show to talk about how AI is going to evolve the work that security analysts do. more…08:00 amMagSafe fans need to see this foldable charging station
Macworld TL;DR: The $86.99 Mag 3 Ultra Qi2 25W 3-in-1 Foldable Charger powers your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously with faster Qi2 charging (MSRP $109). When you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem, your nightstand tells the story: MagSafe puck, Watch charger, and a stray cable for your AirPods that just won’t stay put. It’s not pretty, and things get even more horrific when you’re on the move or—*gasp*—traveling. That’s why every Apple fanatic needs the Mag 3 Ultra. Three devices, one charger The design folds flat while in use on your nightstand or desk, and into a stack while in your bag. But the standout here is next-gen 25W Qi2 charging, which delivers up to 70% faster charging than previous generations, taking your iPhone from 0 to 50% in about 30 minutes. For anyone with a recent iPhone who cares about minimizing downtime before heading out, that’s a meaningful jump. A dedicated watch charger obviously supports Apple Watch (and even Galaxy Watch), and the base wirelessly powers AirPods with a MagSafe case. Built-in protections like foreign object detection and over-current safeguards add peace of mind to overnight charging. Order yourself one of these foldable Mag 3 Ultra chargers at $86.99 to simplify your Apple lifestyle even more (MSRP $109). Mag 3 Ultra Qi2 25W 3-in-1 Foldable ChargerSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.06:03 amApple is bringing Mac mini production home
Apple is begin limited Mac mini assembly in the US later in 2026 to meet local demand, expanding its manufacturing footprint beyond Asia. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)03:15 amTake a peek into Apple's efforts to bring Mac mini assembly and chip fabrication stateside | AppleInsiderTake a peek into Apple's efforts to bring Mac mini assembly and chip fabrication stateside
Apple is working to bring more manufacturing to the United States, including chip fabrication and Mac mini assembly, but it's a slow-moving project.TSMC is building several fabs near Phoenix, ArizonaThere is increasing pressure to bring more of Apple's manufacturing and assembly stateside. However, even with $600 billion in investments, what can be done in the US is insignificant compared to the global supply chain.The Wall Street Journal got special access to various facilities in the United States to examine how Apple is repatriating its supply chain. Executives like COO Sabih Khan joined tours of the TSMC Arizona plant, the Foxconn Houston facility, and others. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums02:55 amApple announces plans to manufacture some new Macs in the United States this year
Apple has announced that it plans to start manufacturing one of its Mac computers, the Mac mini, in the United States starting this year. more…02:43 amAI coding tools may be the end of freemium utility apps
With the recent launch of tools like OpenAI’s Codex, Anthropic’s Claude Agent, and the upcoming support for these tools right in Xcode, the market for single-purpose apps might not be long for this world. Here’s why. more…12:24 amApple’s new ‘Sales Coach’ app is now live on the App Store, replacing ‘SEED’
Following last week’s report that Apple was preparing to replace its “SEED” app with “Sales Coach,” the new app is now available. Here are the details. more…Monday February 2311:50 pmThis $40 AI tool is your secret weapon for landing a job faster
Automate your resumes and cover letters, then track your opportunities and ace your interview prep, with AI job search tool FirstResume. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)10:20 pmWhy Gen Z and young adults are embracing iPods again
Young adults are eschewing all-in-one devices like the iPhone and moving more towards purpose-built technology, renewing interest in "vintage tech" like the classic iPod. Here's why.A veritable pile of 'PodsAt one point, I think everyone collectively thought that smartphones were pretty great. However, in the last few years, younger generations have started to reject their glowing pocket rectangles in favor of older tech.This isn't anything new. I know that when I was in my mid-20s, I felt a weird, inexorable urge to start collecting vinyl, despite not having anything to play them on. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums09:49 pm9to5Mac Daily: February 23, 2026 – iPhone 18 Pro colors, more
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. Sponsored by BenQ: Check out BenQ’s smarter displays made for how Mac users actually work and sign up for the giveaway here. more…09:47 pmAirPods as Apple’s first AI wearable product makes so much sense
Apple reportedly has several different AI wearable products in the works, with a new AirPods Pro 3 model with IR cameras expected to be the first. Here’s why AirPods as Apple’s first AI wearable makes a lot of sense. more…09:43 pmDavid Pogue shares first look at upcoming ‘Apple: The First 50 Years’ book
Veteran journalist David Pogue has posted a short video offering a quick preview of his upcoming book celebrating Apple’s first 50 years. Here are the details. more…