Apple isn’t done lunching new products, even though the iPhone 17 family and Apple Watch Series 11 reached customers in September. There are so many new products coming out of Cupertino this fall that rumors point to an Apple October event.
And for some people, the best is yet to come: the Apple M5 processor, a new iPad Pro and (hopefully) the next MacBook Pro. And there could be more.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The Federal Communications Commission leaks secret Apple info and Russian YouTubers get their hands on unreleased iPad Pros.
What’s going on with these crazy Apple leaks? We have a theory about why at least some of them are happening.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
The iPhone Air already stands out with its sleek, ultra-thin design. A modder has now taken it a step further and added a custom transparent back glass to give the phone an even stunning look.
The result is a retro-mod vibe that shows off the phone’s internals in all its glory.
Thanks to a new method of financing for MacBook purchases, there’s a more affordable way to get your hands on the latest Apple laptop. Instead of dropping thousands today, Upgraded’s MacBook Upgrade Program lets you spread the cost over 36 months, with the option to upgrade to the latest device every 24 months.
Thousands of people are switching to Upgraded, thanks to the simple monthly prices, seamless experience and time saved from not dealing with reselling. You can get the latest MacBook starting at just $33.28 per month and as low as 0% APR with Upgraded.
No massive upfront bill. No time wasted on eBay or craigslist. And you can always have the newest MacBook, since you have the option to upgrade every two years.
Shop MacBooks from $33.28 per month or iPad Pros from $31.89 per month.
OpenAI introduced the Sora iPhone app Tuesday, and by Friday, it had already hit the No. 1 spot on Apple’s Top Free Apps list. The secret of the new AI video app’s appeal? It’s a lot of fun, letting users create hilarious short videos with a simple text description.
Watch some of the hilarious (and amazing) videos people have already created, there go make your own.
Apple removed ICEBlock and several similar immigration enforcement tracking apps from its App Store following pressure from the Department of Justice, according to reports late Thursday. The decision came after Attorney General Pam Bondi directly contacted Apple demanding the removal of ICEBlock.
It’s a crowdsourced app that allows users to anonymously report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents within a five-mile radius. The app had been downloaded over 1 million times since launching in April 2025.
Apple TV+ viewers have a new pulse-pounding watch to take in Friday — The Lost Bus movie. It tells the story of the Camp Fire laying waste to Paradise, California, as a lone school bus driver played by Matthew McConaughey tries to save nearly two dozen children from the inferno. Action maven Paul Greengrass directs. He’s best known for Bloody Sunday, two Jason Bourne movies and Captain Phillips.
The film scores an 86% Fresh critical rating and a 92% Fresh viewer rating on reviews site RottenTomatoes.com. “McConaughey, as a nervy reluctant hero, steers the searing, intense narrative about normal people living through the most hellish of circumstances,” wrote USA Today. “The Lost Bus traps us in that disorientating push and pull — it’s a little too real to entertain, and a little too entertaining to feel real,” noted The Independent. Generally, even those who criticized the film’sHollywood-ness praised its intense realism and almost unbearable, horror-movie-style tension.
Some AirPods Pro 3 owners report hearing an annoying whistling sound from their new earbuds. The noise typically comes when they have the earbuds in, with no music playing and active noise cancellation on.
The problem doesn’t seem widespread, but enough new owners are reporting it to raise eyebrows.
Apple no longer advertises the M4 Mac mini and its Apple Watch lineup as “carbon neutral.” The company proudly unveiled its first carbon neutral products — the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 — in 2023.
But just two years later, it has removed the claim from all such product pages. And it’s not because Apple suddenly started making its devices differently.
Apple guards its upcoming products with extreme secrecy. However, a major leak in October 2024 saw the Russian YouTuber Wylsacom unboxing the M4 MacBook Pro weeks before its official release.
The same story now unfolds with the upcoming M5 iPad Pro. Wylsacom unboxed and showcased the device a few days ago, again weeks before launch. And another Russian YouTuber did the same the next day. So how do Russian YouTubers manage to grab unreleased Apple products so early?
That cheaper Vision Pro you were waiting for? Don’t hold your breath. Apple reportedly shelved the project to redirect its focus on creating smart glasses to compete with Meta’s popular products.
Previous rumors indicated Apple would release a stripped-down version of its $3,499 Vision Pro headset by 2027. But Apple execs reportedly told employees last week that it’s putting the lighter, cheaper headset on the back burner.
Apple will stay the exclusive streaming home for all things Peanuts for another five years, Apple TV+ said Wednesday. Apple TV+ ubscribers will be able to enjoy the classic holiday specials starring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang through 2030, as well as new original series and specials.
The streamer also revealed when the beloved Peanuts Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas specials will become available for anyone to watch for free in 2025.
iFixit released its teardown of Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3 Wednesday, providing a close-up look at new features including the foam-infused ear tips Apple includes for greater sound isolation, as well the new battery scheme and repositioned rare-earth magnets.
But the group’s major finding should be unsurprising to anyone familiar with the company’s wireless earbuds. The latest generation earns the same dismal 0 out of 10 repairability score that has plagued the product line since its inception nine years ago.
Director Martin Scorsese gets deeply philosophical about the “struggle” to understand and convey human nature in the new trailer Apple TV+ dropped Wednesday for Mr. Scorsese, an upcoming five-part docuseries about the legendary filmmaker. Who are we? Are we inherently good or evil? Where are we going? But amid all that doubt, he knew he could tell stories with pictures — and that he had to “go his own way” in Hollywood.
The new documentary series debuts on Apple TV+ October 17. Watch the new trailer below and the previous teaser trailer further down the page.
The Federal Communications Commission accidentally exposed Apple’s plans for several unreleased products, including an updated Vision Pro headset, new MacBook Pro models and refreshed iPad Pro tablets, on Tuesday. The FCC leaks of Apple products mark the latest in a series of premature disclosures from the regulatory agency that have frustrated Apple’s typically secretive product launch strategy.
Apple’s first Pro Max iPhone — the iPhone 11 Pro Max — now falls under the vintage category. The Apple Watch Series 3 lineup joins the list, too.
The smaller iPhone 11 Pro does not join the list yet, as Apple sold it for a longer timeframe than the Pro Max model.
When stripped of branding, features and design, how do premium headphones actually sound? Wired put this question to the test by having audio pros blind-test six popular over-ear headphones.
The results not only shocked the panelists, they validated one of my favorite pairs of “budget” headphones. They won the test, coming out above top contenders from the likes of Sony, Bose and, yes, Apple.
We can stop wondering about the details of the M5 iPad Pro — a YouTuber apparently got hold of Apple’s next tablet and revealed nearly everything about it. That includes running benchmark tests on the unreleased processor and finding a huge jump in graphics performance.
His time with the tablet — assuming this is a legitimate leak — shows that Apple must consider the previous M4 iPad Pro to be an excellent device because all that changed seems to be the newer, faster M5 processor.
When will you be able to add your driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet on your iPhone? In the United States, it varies by where you live. It’s not up to Apple: Each state and territory maintains a completely independent registry of drivers and identification cards, so each one must independently pass legislation and implement digital IDs.
If you live in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio or Puerto Rico, you can do it today. (Our guide will show you how to add your driver’s license to Apple Wallet.) Otherwise, check our map and lists below to see how likely your state is to let you add your ID to Apple Wallet, and when it might happen.
North Dakota became the latest state to let residents add a digital version of their driver’s license to their iPhone and Apple Watch. After recent additions, a total of 12 states or territories now support digital IDs.
Currently, digital IDs are most useful for travelers, as they’re widely accepted at Transportation Security Administration security checkpoints.
Beats launched Powerbeats Fit earbuds on Tuesday, bringing a new design to the company’s sports-oriented audio devices. The new earbuds are the successors to the popular Beats Fit Pro earbuds.
The redesigned model brings enhanced comfort, improved durability and a more compact design while maintaining its predecessor’s $199.99 price point, Beats said.
“Reintroducing Beats Fit Pro as Powerbeats Fit — alongside Powerbeats Pro 2 — unifies our lineup under a name synonymous with athletic performance and gives customers a clearer choice between two distinct, fitness-first form factors,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Music, Sports and Beats. “Powerbeats Fit combines the best of Beats Fit Pro with next-level comfort, durability, and portability — making it a worthy addition to the Powerbeats family.”
The new Logitech MX Master 4 wireless mouse upgrades what many consider to be the best productivity mouse on the market, the popular Logitech MX Master 3/3S. At $119.99, the latest iteration introduces haptic feedback and an innovative Actions Ring overlay designed to streamline workflows for creative professionals, developers and power users across the Mac ecosystem.
Adobe Premiere, the powerful video editing suite used for years on Macs, just arrived on the iPhone. Now you can cut together your next video using Premiere’s professional tools, right from your phone.
The Adobe Premiere iPhone app, released Tuesday, offers precision editing, automatic captions, stock music and more.
It doesn’t come with the big price tag of the desktop Adobe suite — in fact, it’s free. You only have to pay if you want access to its Firefly AI features, like its generative sound effects and Image Expand tool.
Premiere is available today for iPhone and iPad from the App Store.
Bring back the iPod! Apple should start manufacturing its dedicated music player again. With iPhones increasingly banned from schools, a simple entertainment device could fill the gap.
That said, creating a new iPod for the streaming era would not be as simple as bringing previous models back to life.
WhatsApp now supports sharing Live Photos. The feature began rolling out a few days ago, and Meta officially confirmed its release in an announcement on September 29.
With this improvement, you can directly share Live Photos with your friends over WhatsApp without converting them into GIFs or videos first.