Rumors point to an updated version of the HomePod mini and a new Apple TV 4K coming this year. What’s holding them up? The same thing that’s been giving Apple problems for years: AI.
Here’s what to expect from these two smart home accessories, and why Apple’s struggles with artificial intelligence have kept them off the market.
For the upcoming iOS 27 update, Apple will introduce a fully customizable Camera app, a ground-up redesign of Siri and visual changes across a range of built-in apps, according to a new report Tuesday.
Apple will showcase the update and other operating system changes at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8.
After years of iterative upgrades, rumors indicate Apple Watch Series 12 might bring real advancements that make the upcoming model hard to ignore. We could see a much faster chip, smarter Apple Intelligence features and maybe even Touch ID.
Here’s what to expect from Apple Watch Series 12, which should arrive this fall alongside the iPhone 18 Pro.
macOS 27 will reportedly feature a “slight” Liquid Glass redesign to address some of the complaints with macOS Tahoe. Apple will seemingly address the readability and transparency issues that currently plague the Mac operating system.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the redesign will not be dramatic. If anything, the “goal is more of a cleanup and refinement effort.”
Apple’s next-gen AirPods are reportedly in “late stages of development,” with the addition of cameras being a standout feature of the earbuds. The goal of adding cameras is apparently to make the earbuds, potentially called “AirPods Ultra,” into AI-friendly devices that are aware of the user’s surroundings.
They could become the first of a new class of wearables from Apple designed for the AI era.
Apple reportedly will produce twice as many MacBook Neos as it originally planned. That will require producing more A18 Pro chips, which might force Apple to raise the price of the popular laptops.
Demand for the company’s first entry-level notebook exceeds supply because it also exceeds Apple’s prelaunch estimate of how popular the MacBook Neo would be.
Apple will let iPhone and Mac users choose between multiple AI models for different tasks, according to a report published Tuesday. The strategy would allow users to select whichever third-party AI system they prefer to generate and edit text and images for them.
It’s a brilliant solution to the ongoing battle between companies to develop the best AI models. It won’t matter whether OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, etc., wins that fight — because Apple also wins.
Apple is considering using Intel and Samsung foundries to fabricate chips for its devices. The company seemingly held early talks with Intel about using its foundry services.
TSMC currently makes all of Apple’s chips on its cutting-edge nodes.
iOS 27 will bring a long-requested upgrade to the iPhone Apple Wallet application: the ability for users to create their own passes directly within the app, according to report published Monday.
If true, this would significantly expand how iPhone owners manage everyday cards and tickets with the app.
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: A slightly suspect rumor indicates Apple pulled the plug completely on the Vision Pro headset. Can that really be true? What does the future hold for the Vision Pro, visionOS and Apple’s rumored smart glasses?
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:
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.
Apple reportedly stopped all work on future versions of the Vision Pro. The AR headset has struggled to go mainstream and may now have been dropped — possibly at the insistence of Apple’s incoming CEO, John Ternus.
Instead, the company is allegedly changing its focus to smart glasses that offer fewer features but are lighter and more affordable.
Apple is reportedly prepping a significant upgrade to the photo-editing capabilities of the iPhone, iPad and Mac. The company will turn to artificial intelligence to let users enhance their images, including using generative AI to extend images beyond their current borders, according to information leaking out of Cupertino on Tuesday.
The news should raise the excitement level for iOS 27, macOS 27 and iPadOS 27, which should arrive this fall.
Apple could be preparing one of the most dramatic iPhone redesigns in its history, with a 20th anniversary model that appears to eliminate screen bezels entirely.
It seems Apple users won’t need to go with the upcoming folding iPhone to get an iOS handset with an innovative design.
Apple could deliver a significant performance upgrade to the base iPhone 18, with the smartphone potentially receiving a major increase in RAM — up to 12GB — according to a new analyst report.
This comes despite an ongoing RAM shortage that’s driving up prices of rival devices. But keeping up with AI probably doesn’t give Apple much choice.
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: Holy mackerel, Tim Cook really is stepping down from his CEO role at Apple! And it’s happening sooner than most of us thought. His replacement, John Ternus, sounds like a solid pick — a hardware guy with a long history in Cupertino.
Cook himself says he wants the four-month transition to be “a textbook succession plan, the best in the world.” So the big question is, what will this transition look like for Apple? We’ve got some thoughts. (Lots of ’em, actually.)
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:
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.
Apple reportedly plans to make major upgrades to the iPhone’s cameras in the coming years, starting with the introduction of a variable aperture lens on the iPhone 18 Pro this fall.
But that’s just the start. The company eventually plans to utilize a bigger 200MP sensor on its primary camera, with a periscope telephoto lens for better image quality.
April 21, 1995: Rumors swirl that Japanese camera company Canon might take over Apple in either a partial or complete acquisition.
Speculation grows about a possible deal after Apple reveals its latest earnings, which show big improvement but still fall far short of Wall Street’s expectations.
If you were looking forward to iPhone 18 as a meaningful upgrade of last year’s model, new rumors out of China might give you pause. Apple reportedly plans to cut costs on the standard iPhone 18 by paring back several of its manufacturing processes.
That would bring the iPhone 18 significantly closer in specs to the budget-oriented iPhone 18e, according to a prominent Weibo leaker.
Potential folding iPhone buyers can breathe a sigh of relief. New images of cases for the device — supposedly dubbed the iPhone Ultra — show it including MagSafe. Previously, we saw no sign of this feature in leaks about the much-anticipated handset.
This could have been a deal-breaker for some buyers.
Apple will bring a minor but important upgrade to the iPhone’s Home Screen customization experience in iOS 27. It will reportedly allow you to “undo” and “redo” changes to your Home Screen.
This small tweak should make rearranging apps and widgets far less frustrating, especially when you accidentally move or delete something.
The wait for Apple’s much-anticipated M5 refresh of the Mac Studio just got longer. The company will reportedly delay the launch of the next big MacBook Pro refresh to 2027 as well.
The ongoing DRAM and NAND flash shortages are to blame for the delay, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: New details emerge about Apple’s smart glasses, including possible shapes, sizes and colors.
Now for the important question: Will we — or anybody else — actually want to wear a pair?
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:
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.
Apple will reportedly send a sizable share of its Siri development team to an intensive, multi-week bootcamp to improve their AI coding skills. To be clear, the employees won’t be learning how to make an AI, but how to use AI to develop.
It’s part of a push to finally complete the revamp of Apple’s voice assistant that the company promised years ago.
Samsung Display will reportedly start mass production of OLED panels for the next iPad Air in January 2027.
Unlike the iPad Pro, Apple will use a standard OLED panel in the iPad Air to keep costs down.
Apple is reportedly ramping up its supply of a critical component for the foldable iPhone, even as the broader market for foldable smartphones shows signs of slowing.
According to a supply chain report published Tuesday, the company increased its orders of foldable display panels by roughly 20%, a move that signals growing confidence in the long-rumored device.