Apple leaks

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The Apple leaks are getting out of hand! Code in the macOS 26.7 release candidate spills the beans on tons of unreleased Apple products, and that’s just the start.

Tim Cook must be fuming — unless it’s the world’s craziest marketing campaign!

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• How the AirPods with cameras will work (and when to expect them).
• Apple’s rumored home hub will wow us with widgets.
• One more reason not to buy the iPhone 18 Pro: a lack of feature parity with the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Boo! Hiss!
• And finally, Graham gives us an update on the race to get Reps & Sets, his strength-training app, pumped up for iOS 27. Developers face this unwelcome task every year, but AI’s making it easier.

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast 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 version, embedded below and also available on our YouTube channel.

Apple’s AirPods with cameras just got a lot less mysterious. Buried in the macOS 26.7 release candidate’s code is a hidden framework that reveals exactly how the earbuds will perceive and process the world around you.

The discovery goes far beyond the recently leaked demo video spotted in the same code. It details resolution numbers, capture modes, calibration systems and a built-in privacy light. This gives us the clearest picture yet of the long-rumored AirPods upgrade.

Fresh leaks apparently revealed practically everything there is to know about Beats 360 headphones. The as-yet-unannounced headphones feature a fresh new look, with rounder ear cups than previous Beats models and a customization option that sounds both colorful and cool.

The noise-canceling headphones — which Apple looks set to pitch as great for workouts, thanks to sweat- and water-resistance — appeared briefly on various online retailers’ sites Wednesday. Multiple Reddit users spotted them before they disappeared.

Apple is reportedly developing a smart display that would act as a smart home hub, and details of the upcoming product’s widget gallery appear in code buried in the latest macOS beta. 

The discovery paints a clearer picture of how Apple’s first true smart display might work. It also gives us an idea of how the widget gallery might pull content straight from your iPhone, mixing Apple’s own apps with third-party widgets.

A video file found in the new macOS 26.7 release candidate code gives us our first look at Apple’s upcoming AirPods with built-in infrared cameras. The video shows the AirPods Pro working in tandem with Visual Intelligence to let you save information about objects you see in the real world.

In the short demo, a man holds up a book so the AirPods’ cameras can identify its title. He then asks Siri to save it for later, showing how the IR cameras could give Apple’s earbuds a better understanding of the world around you.

June 15, 2011: Chinese authorities sentence three people to prison for leaking information about the iPad 2 prior to its release.

The Foxconn R&D employees receive sentences ranging from one year to 18 months. They also must pay fines between $4,500 and $23,000. If you ever wonder why more Apple products don’t leak prior to release, this might help explain why!

April 20, 2010: A day after the most high-profile iPhone leak in history, tech news site Gizmodo dissects a prototype iPhone 4, then publishes the teardown — showing the world exactly what’s inside the soon-to-be-released device.

The iPhone 4 prototype, accidentally left in a bar by 27-year-old Apple software engineer Gray Powell, quickly becomes the biggest story in the tech world. And that’s where the trouble begins.

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:

• Logitech updates a classic — the new MX Master 4 mouse adds haptics!
• A cool new Mac app called Folder Quick Look fixes a longtime annoyance, and it’s totally free.
• We take a good, hard look at the latest addition to our colleague’s setup.

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.

October 1, 2011: Just days before Apple plans to unveil the iPhone 4s, the device’s name leaks after the latest iTunes beta inadvertently spills the beans.

The code also reveals that Apple’s new handset will come in black and white color options.

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.

While Apple CarPlay 2’s expected 2024 release still hasn’t happened, newly leaked images Tuesday show a familiar widget-based interface that mirrors experiences across iOS, iPadOS and macOS devices.

The leaker is considered reliable. If the images prove genuine, they suggest a sensible drive by the iPhone giant to provide a seamless experience across the Apple ecosystem, even on the road.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple finally brings Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro to iPad, and apparently uses some clever spycraft to take down a leaker in the process. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

Also on The CultCast:

• One feature in the new Final Cut Pro for iPad makes iPhone owners jealous (and hopeful).
• Erfon thinks it’s a great time to buy a Mac.
• Humane’s combadge-style gadget might not kill your iPhone, but the company’s vision of a personalized AI sounds promising.
• Enter for your chance to win an Urban MacBook Sleeve from SwitchEasy.

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.

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The tipster who went by analyst941 leaked a large number of details about iOS 17, but his or her inside source apparently was caught by Apple in a sting operation. The source has reportedly been fired, and both they and the tipster could face legal action by the iPhone-maker.

It appears that Apple caught the leaker by laying a “canary trap” — a piece of classic spycraft used by intelligence agencies for years.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The more we hear about Apple’s upcoming AR/VR headset, the more we’re perplexed about who is actually going to buy one. We take a long, hard look at the latest leaks — and come up shaking our heads.

Also on The CultCast:

• We might get a raft of exciting new Macs — including the first Mac Pro powered by Apple silicon — at a March event.
• Apple’s Pro Display XDR and Studio Display get some high-end competition.
• Sorry, voice actors. AI narrators look like the future of audiobooks (and Apple leads the charge).
• Our final best-of-2022 picks.

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.

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An India-based blog posted a series of renders on Wednesday it said are based on leaked factory CAD images of the upcoming iPhone 14 Pro. They support leaks and rumors indicating that a hole-punch design will replace the notch, among other changes.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is fed up with employees who leak details of upcoming devices to the press. He sent out a company-wide memo that said, “people who leak confidential information do not belong here.”

The memo was quickly leaked to the press.

Jon Prosser’s iPhone 14 leak is every Apple fan’s dream — and Tim Cook’s biggest nightmare.

The audacious revelation, dropped Wednesday morning via Prosser’s YouTube channel, Front Page Tech, showcased what next year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max might look like.

The exclusive iPhone 14 renders look so sweet that they might give pause to anyone contemplating buying an iPhone 13 later this month. That’s the nightmare part of this equation — and likely the part that makes Prosser nervous. Angry Apple executives might unleash all the company’s massive legal resources to stop him. And maybe even exact revenge.

iPhone 13 is still a week away but a major leak on Wednesday revealed many of the details of the iOS handset that’ll replace it in 2022. That includes renders of the iPhone 14 that you can check out in amazing augmented reality.

With AR, you can bring a virtual 3D version the device into your home or office and see it from every side. This might be the best way to see the coming end of the camera bump. And to wonder if Apple will really replace the screen notch with a “hole punch” camera.

Here’s how to see an AR mockup of iPhone 14.

Andrey Shumeyko was part of the market for iPhone prototypes and insider secrets. He was also giving Apple the names of other people who shared this type of information.

His hope was the company would pay him for the info. He was very disappointed.

An apparent iPhone 13 dummy leak suggests Apple plans to rearrange the rear-facing camera layout on some devices this year.

It appears handsets with just two camera sensors — like the regular iPhone 13 and a possible iPhone 13 mini — could have their modules placed in a diagonal orientation as opposed to one above the other.

Apple is reportedly forcing some of its employees to wear “police-grade” body cameras in an effort to stop them from leaking proprietary information.

Recently, the company stepped up efforts to stop internal info from appearing in the press. This is apparently the latest move.

Update: Mark Gurman from Bloomberg said on Twitter that there’s no truth to this report.

Obviously not https://t.co/yD0JbDld3b

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) June 30, 2021

Leaker Sonny Dickson showed off iPhone 13 dummies Wednesday of four possible models that could be released this fall, in addition to case renders and video of a case, included below.

They all suggest a handful of tweaks to iPhone 12 that may be forthcoming in the new models.

Apple filed a lawsuit against Simon Lancaster on Thursday, accusing the former employee of leaking company secrets to the media.

He worked at Apple as a materials engineer for over 11 years, helping to design upcoming products. That gave him access to information not publicly available. Apple alleges he traded that info for personal gain.

I imagine Tim Cook seething with rage.

And I imagine workers in Apple’s marketing department filled with a gut-churning mixture of righteous anger, paranoia and dread.

What could cause such unpleasantness inside the pristine glass walls of Apple’s spaceship HQ (or within remote employees’ home bubbles)? Tuesday morning, images of the entire iPhone 12 lineup and HomePod mini leaked just hours ahead of Apple’s “Hi, Speed” event.

A listing of multiple unknown tablets by the Eurasian Economic Commission seemingly confirms that Apple will soon introduce a range of new 2020 iPad models.

The same source also says multiple Apple Watch models running watchOS 7 are about to be released.