New images claiming to show Apple’s long-rumored “iPhone Ultra” give Apple fans what may be their best look yet at the company’s first folding iPhone. They come from a company ready with a case for the handset, even though it has yet to be announced.
If the images prove to be accurate, there’s a lot to look forward to this fall.
Apple plans to add a new security feature to the iPhone that will automatically lock the device when snatched from your hand.
Google already offers a similar anti-theft feature called Theft Detection Lock on Android phones.
The Apple Watch’s next big software update — watchOS 27 — will supposedly follow the same strategy as iOS 27: It will focus on stability and performance rather than introducing radical new features.
Apple will not launch its AI-powered health coaching service with the initial build, according to a new report.
Details continue to emerge about Apple’s next-generation premium earbuds, widely referred to as “AirPods Ultra” and sometimes described in leaks as fourth-generation AirPods Pro. The next-gen earbuds reportedly will bring a significant jump forward, including adding cameras and health-monitoring features. And they aren’t too far away.
Here’s what to expect.
On the latest episode of the Cult of Mac podcast: Apple might go back to the iPhone future, thanks to some metallurgical magic that involves a special titanium alloy.
We discuss the pros, the cons and the possible timeline for such a retro upgrade.
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.
As it struggles to catch up on AI, Apple almost undoubtedly plans to focus on Apple Intelligence in iOS 27. But the company will also reportedly focus on refining the iPhone experience and tidying up existing features.
Thanks to leaks, we already have an early look at some of iOS 27’s biggest new features. While Apple certainly has some surprises planned, these are the leaked iOS 27 features I’m most excited to try.
Apple is reportedly testing a prototype quad-curved OLED screen for the iPhone 19 Pro as part of its push toward an all-screen iPhone. If the leaks prove accurate, it could mark Apple’s biggest redesign since the iPhone X.
The rumored 2027 flagship phone is said to come with under-display Face ID and be curved on all four sides. It could give buyers a compelling reason to skip the iPhone 18 Pro.
Samsung Display reportedly pushed the yield of its 8.6-generation OLED panels above 90%. This clears a major hurdle and paves the way for the rumored mass production of Apple’s OLED MacBook lineup later this year.
The improved yield rate should allow Samsung to ramp up panel production at scale.
Apple might be having second thoughts about aluminum on the iPhone. A few months after switching the iPhone 17 Pro away from titanium, the company is now reportedly experimenting with an improved titanium alloy that could fix a huge problem with the metal.
If Apple finds a way to make it practical, we could see titanium return to a future iPhone Pro. But the problem is that titanium isn’t as good as aluminum at transferring heat. Aluminum’s better thermal properties are likely why Apple moved away from titanium in the first place. Also, aluminum is cheaper and easier to recycle.
Apple is reportedly developing an advanced high blood pressure notification feature for the Apple Watch. And the Apple Watch Ultra 4 might be the first to get the improved hypertension monitoring feature.
If true, it could turn the upcoming smartwatch into a serious cardiovascular health tool. Combined with a much-rumored hardware refresh, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 may be hard to resist for both new and existing users.
Apple might be planning to make Genmoji much more useful in iOS 27. The feature, which currently lets users create custom emoji, could soon suggest AI-generated emoji based on your personal photo library and the phrases you type most often.
That would solve one of the biggest problems with Genmoji: Most iPhone users forget it exists. Despite being genuinely fun and useful, Genmoji remains one of the most overlooked Apple Intelligence features.
But Apple might change that with iOS 27.
iOS 27 will offer additional AI-powered grammar assistance, according to an unconfirmed report Monday. This will go beyond the writing tools already available through Apple Intelligence and will work in macOS and iPadOS, too.
In addition, Apple will also use AI to generate wallpapers for their devices and also make shortcuts easier to create in the Shortcuts app.
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: A fresh iOS 27 rumor says the iPhone’s Camera app will get a serious upgrade. And it sounds like the best of both worlds — heavy customization if you want it, status quo if you don’t.
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.
All signs point to Apple reinventing Siri as a conversational AI chatbot in iOS 27, complete with a standalone Siri app. With privacy in mind, the app will reportedly contain an option to automatically delete your Siri chats every 30 days.
This privacy-first approach should give Apple’s AI chatbot an edge over its competitors.
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.