Apple rumors - page 2

A new leak out of China purports to detail the iPhone Fold’s design. The leaker known as Instant Digital says the foldable iPhone will feature a Touch ID power button, as seen on the iPad Air and iPad mini.

The device will supposedly feature a black rear camera plateau, housing two cameras, a microphone and the flash.

Before Apple even launches its first folding iPhone, the company is reportedly exploring a follow-up model with a clamshell-like form factor, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr.
There’s no guarantee that Apple will launch such a model. But for now, it’s at least under consideration.

There’s tremendous anticipation for a MacBook Pro upgraded with faster M5 Pro or M5 Max processors, but the laptop did not launch this week, despite eager speculation that it would. And we need to be patient because we’re likely to continue waiting well into February and maybe beyond. A critical feature apparently isn’t ready yet: macOS Tahoe 26.3.

Apple might be slow to jump on the AI bandwagon, but internally, the company “runs on Anthropic at this point.” Apparently, the company was also ready to rebuild Siri around Claude, but the deal fell through at the last moment. 
“Anthropic is powering a lot of the stuff Apple’s doing internally in terms of product development and a lot of their internal tools,” revealed Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman in the TBPN’s Technology’s daily show. 

Despite a steep rise in NAND and RAM prices, Apple will supposedly not increase iPhone and Mac prices. Instead, TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will take the hit to its gross margins to increase market share. 
The supply-crunch has already forced Apple to negotiate prices with its vendors every quarter, rather than the usual six-month cycle.

On the latest Cult of Mac podcast: Details emerge about Apple’s work on an AI pin, and we’re all wondering the same thing. What the heck will it do?

The AirTag-size device that Apple’s testing reportedly packs multiple cameras and microphones. And it will work with the new, chatbot-style Siri that’s also in the works.

We all saw how miserably Humane’s Ai Pin failed. What could possibly go wrong with Apple’s AI pin?

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• We might get our first look at (and first earful of) the new, super-chatty Siri at WWDC26 in June. Please, for the love of all that’s holy, let’s hope it works (and that it ships in a timely fashion).
• Uh-oh. It looks like price hikes for iPhones and Macs might be in the works. Who can you blame? AI, of course.
• Griffin walks us through the benefits of using Hot Corners on your Mac, including some masterful techniques that simplify his workflow.
• And we wrap up the show with a look at some cool setups that show the importance of lighting.

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 live stream, embedded below.

Apple’s M5-powered Macs might have a short shelf life, with the M6 chip possibly debuting “in the near future,” according to a new report. 
But first, Apple will unveil MacBook Pros, Mac Studio and MacBook Air equipped with the M5 chip in the first half of 2026.

Apple could take the wraps off the Google Gemini-powered Siri update as early as the second half of February. It’s unclear if Apple will hold a major event or a small media briefing to unveil the next-gen assistant.
The public release likely will happen in late March or early April with iOS 26.4.

After Apple invited a select group of content creators to an “Apple Experience” in Los Angeles, speculation arose Friday that the company will use the event to launch an upgraded MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max processors.
Appel scheduled its mysterious event for January 27 through January 29 — exactly the time many expect the refreshed Mac laptop to arrive.

John Ternus, Apple’s head of hardware engineering, reportedly just added an even more critical role at the company, being put in charge of design for the first time.
The intent of the change might be to give Ternus the experience needed to someday become Apple CEO.

Apple is reportedly exploring a new category of wearable hardware: an AirTag-sized AI pin designed to clip onto clothing and function hands-free without a screen.
After mostly sitting on the sidelines for years, Apple is apparently jumping into the AI game in a big way.

Forget the old, nearly useless Siri — Apple reportedly plans to upgrade the iPhone’s voice assistant into an AI-powered chatbot with iOS 27. Users will supposedly be able to converse with the new Siri, not just give it orders.
If true, this will let Apple compete directly against Android and Windows computers with built-in AI chatbots.

Apple is prepping a surprising change to the Dynamic Island with the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro, according to a well-known tipster. The screen cutout will supposedly get a lot smaller, and it’ll move to a new location.

If true, it’ll be the most significant revamp to the Dynamic Island since it debuted in 2022.

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: It’s finally official — Siri is getting a long-awaited AI brain transplant, courtesy of Google Gemini.

We discuss the pros and cons of the deal, but more importantly, we express our sincere hope that Siri will actually work in the future.

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• The soon-to-launch Apple Creator Studio software bundle seems like an unbelievable deal — especially if you’re a student or teacher.
• OpenAI’s first piece of Jony Ive-designed hardware sounds like a legit head-scratcher. Can it really compete with AirPods? It’s anybody’s guess, but we’re not big fans of betting against the former Apple design god. Lots of unanswered questions remain, but hey, at least now we know what an egg stone is!
• And finally, Griffin wraps up the show with a hands-on demo of a 3D-printed mockup of the rumored folding iPhone. If the leaked specs prove true, this device is going to be a strange one. We’ve got plenty of questions (and not a few concerns).

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 stream, embedded below.

After the purported dimensions of the first folding iPhone leaked a few weeks ago, it didn’t take long for mockups to hit MakerWorld, a popular site for people with 3D printers to share their models. I got my hands on one of those models, and I have lots of thoughts. If the rumored folding iPhone looks anything like this, it’ll be weird.

For one thing, it’s almost as short as the original iPhone, but wider than the widest iPhone ever. Lots of design questions remain unanswered, too. Where will the volume buttons go, since there isn’t any room on the left side? Will it only have one speaker, like the iPhone Air? Will the two cameras arranged horizontally across the back mean the camera sensors are in landscape, not portrait?

I’ve been fiddling with a 3D model of the first folding iPhone all week. Here are my thoughts and observations.

A new leak reiterates Apple’s plan to switch to under-display Face ID on the iPhone 18 Pro models this year. The regular iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2 will reportedly stick with displays featuring the Dynamic Island at the top.

The leak also suggests that Apple plans to retain the same display sizes across its 2026 iPhone lineup, mirroring the current-generation models. 

A new iPhone 17e could be right around the corner, and rumors suggest Apple’s next budget model will be a sizable jump over last year’s. Expect it to dump the old screen notch as well as boast other enhancements that bring Apple’s budget handset closer to the more premium options.

In short, those looking for a bargain on a new iPhone should keep their eye out for the 17e.

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: Did the world just get its first glimpse at the folding iPhone’s screen? And how the heck does anybody bend glass?!?
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• Plastering the iPhone 17’s camera plateau with tiny stickers is a thing.
• A new auction lets you bid on some truly bizarre Steve Jobs artifacts, and we’re generally amazed. Will people pay for Jobs’ old 8-tracks and bow ties?
• Special guest (and frequent Cult of Mac contributor) Graham Bower explains how he vibe-coded his new strength-training app, Reps & Sets 26. It’s an inspirational tale!
• And finally, we pay tribute to the best Apple setups we saw last year.

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, embedded below.
And, as a reminder, you can still hear our friend and colleague Erfon Elijah on The CultCast.

Using an aging iPad? Or maybe you’re thinking about getting your first tablet. Great news! Updated models with significantly more horsepower will hit store shelves soon.

Here’s what to expect from iPad in 2026.

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: Apple’s got a fantastic year ahead of it, with a genuinely prodigious pipeline of new products coming in 2026. From a folding iPhone and a low-cost MacBook to entirely new product categories, get ready for 12 months of exciting new Apple hardware.

In our first show under the new Cult of Mac branding, and our final podcast of 2025, we discuss all the great stuff that Apple fans have to look forward to in 2026.

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• We kick off with a thorough explanation of what’s up with the new podcast name, the direction we plan to take the show in 2026, and what Erfon is up to with The CultCast. We also apologize for any confusion about the changes (and, as always, we wish Erfon the best).
• We wrap the show with Griffin’s dead Apple products draft, in which we each select discontinued hardware that’s ready for a comeback.

Listen to this week’s episode of Cult of Mac 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.

Apple will improve the MacBook line in multiple ways during 2026. We’re not talking the usual “chip and ship” updates — major changes are on the way. Really, there’s never been a better time to be in the market for a macOS laptop.

We can look forward to a complete redesign, possibly including a touchscreen. Plus, the most affordable MacBook ever is also reportedly coming next year.

With more than a dozen new Apple products in the pipeline, 2026 is shaping up to be a busy and important year for the company. Among a plethora of high-profile device launches, we should see the first folding iPhone next year

If all the rumors prove true, Apple’s 2026 product road map looks bold, exciting and ambitious. Check out all the new products Apple likely will launch in 2026.

The first folding iPhone is expected to break iOS out of its years-long rut, and new rumors give us the most complete picture yet of a handset supposedly set to launch in 2026.

These come from a formerly prolific source of often reliable Apple leaks.

December 24, 2009: As rumors of a possible Apple tablet reach the boiling point, word spreads online that the new device will be called the “iSlate.”

The news is based on the fact that Apple quietly acquired the domain name iSlate.com a few years earlier. Since Apple did the same thing for the iPhone back in the late 1990s, years before the iPhone actually debuted, it makes total sense that the company would follow suit with the naming of its tablet.

Of course, that didn’t end up happening.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Leaked code indicates Apple is working on a new iMac Pro, years after the powerful all-in-one faded from the scene.

Does a new iMac Pro make sense in the Apple silicon era? And what price point would make it appealing? We discuss the possibilities.

Also on The CultCast:

• The 20th-anniversary iPhone sounds like a real cracker — if Apple can pull off the impossible.
• Another leak gives us a look at new features coming in iOS 26.4.
• Hate iOS 26’s Liquid Glass user interface? Griffin walks us through a weird hack that will keep your iPhone on iOS 18 forever.
• We wrap up the show with our new trivia segment, Apple Genius. Should we make it a regular addition to the podcast?

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.