Apple rumors - page 5

After last week’s iPhone 17 color revelations, fresh component leaks suggest Apple might introduce its boldest iPhone Pro color yet, come September. This time, camera lens covers reveal a potential brand-new copper-orange finish that would mark a significant departure from the company’s traditional Pro palette. The other possible colors are black, gray, silver and a dark blue that harkens back to iPhone 15 Pro’s most striking hue.

Apple came up with a “significant evolution” for the Dynamic Island that’s part of the display in most iPhone models, according to a noted tipster. Rather than phasing out the dynamic interface, rumors indicate Apple will lean into the feature.

It’s something to look forward to in the iPhone 17 and beyond.

Apple may hold the upcoming iPhone 17 launch event in the week beginning September 8. If not on Monday, the company could opt for September 9 (Tuesday) or 10 (Wednesday).

Apple typically unveils new iPhones in the second week of September.

Apple already has the iPhone 17e on its drawing board, according to rumors. Surveys indicate the company has a new strategy that’ll bring much more frequent updates to its most affordable iOS handsets.

Here’s when to expect the replacement for the iPhone 16e, and what hardware changes are coming.

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 should offer a fresh take on color options, with new leaks suggesting five colors for the base iPhone 17 and four for the iPhone 17 Air model. The latest information comes from leaked images of third-party camera lens protector rings. They’re designed to match Apple’s official iPhone color offerings.

Instead of new Macs, Apple will reportedly use the next iPad Pro refresh as the debut device for its M5 chip. The new tablet could launch “as early as October.”

It’s also working on an M4 iPad Air refresh and iPhone 17e for a possible early 2026 launch.

Apple might not get the next-generation MacBook Pro with the upcoming M5 processor out this autumn, as had been expected. The notebook will instead launch early next year, according to a respected source of insider information.

If true, it means that Apple’s new Mac processor will once again launch in an iPad.

With ‘Presto,’ Apple devised a way to wirelessly update iPhones without right through their retail packaging. With macOS Tahoe, the company could bring the same technology to Macs.

This change will ensure your new Mac runs the latest available macOS version, no matter how long it’s been sitting in inventory.

Apple prepares to launch its first major update to the Vision Pro AR/VR headset as early as this year, featuring a faster M4 processor and a redesigned strap aimed at addressing comfort complaints that have plagued the $3,499 device since its launch, according to a new report.

A new leak provides more details about the upcoming iPhone 17 family’s design changes, including possibly UI changes based on the Dynamic Island. While the base model will feature slight design tweaks, the Pro models will adopt a new “horizontal large matrix design.”

The entire lineup will also supposedly use narrow-bezel LIPO flat screens, a technology that enables even thinner bezels than current solutions.

After a very modest refresh last year, rumors indicate the Apple Watch Ultra 3 — set to launch this September alongside the iPhone 17 series — will mark Apple’s most ambitious wearable update yet.

Here’s what we’re expecting in 2025’s major overhaul of Apple’s rugged smartwatch. Keep reading or check out our latest video. 

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple reportedly plans to release its cheapest MacBook ever next year. This low-cost laptop might run on an iPhone chip and help Apple convince more people to switch from Windows machines.

Could playful colors — and possibly a plastic case — make this low-end Apple laptop a hit?

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple might lean on Anthropic’s Claude or OpenAI’s ChatGPT to power the long-delayed smarter Siri.
• A new timeline lays out what to expect from the next three years of Apple Vision headsets and smart glasses.
• In the how-to segment, we discuss our picks for the best Apple Watch faces. We also talk about why you might want to change things up.
• In the new listener question segment, we explain what to do when you’re low on iCloud storage.
• And in an all-new Under Review, Leander describes the benefits of three inexpensive aftermarket CarPlay screens.

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, embedded below.

Apple just hit the pause button on the large folding iPad supposedly on the drawing board in Cupertino, according to a published report from Wednesday. Development work had allegedly been going on for years.

At the same time, the company is reportedly moving ahead with a folding iPhone.

Apple’s struggle to develop artificial intelligence might reach the point where the iPhone-maker will need to outsource one of its core technologies: Siri. A promised AI upgrade for the voice assistant may be powered by large language models created by Anthropic or OpenAI, not Apple itself, according to an unconfirmed report published Monday.

But this is only a possibility — no decision has been made.

Apple could launch a MacBook next year that’s even more affordable than the current $999 13-inch MacBook Air. The new budget laptop supposedly will use an A18 Pro chip and come in several colors.

The company hopes to boost MacBook shipments to return to the COVID-19 peak of around 25 million next year with this move.

The most significant design change to the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max might force a secondary modification. The large camera bar reportedly coming to the two premier models could push down the location of the Apple logo, according to a noted tipster.

If true, the new location might cause problems for case makers and irritate MagSafe users.

You don’t need to wait until September to see the four models in the iPhone 17 series. Images of them leaked out already, including a new glamour shot showing the entire collection, including the slim model likely called the iPhone 17 Air.

A highlight of the image is the rumored move from a camera hump to a camera bar in most of Apple’s upcoming handsets.

The next-generation iPad Pro is on the horizon. Its OLED screen is reportedly already in production, and the launch is rumored for this autumn with a new Apple M5 processor on board.

The upcoming iPadOS 26 might do more to spur sales of the tablet than a faster processor or gorgeous screen, though.

The gradual process of reducing the size of the iPhone screen cutout that’s been ongoing for years will continue, but the front-facing camera will remain visible until 2030, according to a reliable source of leaked Apple info.

Getting the various scanners to work well from behind the iPhone’s OLED panel isn’t a trivial task.

Early leaks about an upcoming Apple computer with an 18- to 20-inch folding display were vague about whether the device will be an iPad or the first Mac with a touchscreen. In the wake of the introduction of iPadOS 26, the answer now seems obvious: Apple’s extra-large folding tablet will be an iPad.

Recent comments by a high-level Apple executive about not merging macOS and iPadOS add weight to the theory.

Apple reportedly held internal discussions to acquire AI startup Perplexity AI. The latter is an AI-powered search engine. It uses a large language model (LLM) to process the answers and presents them in an easier-to-understand format.

The discussions inside Apple are seemingly at an early level, and it may not even officially provide an offer to the young startup.

Production of the long-awaited iPhone with a folding screen begins in a few months, according to a trusted analyst. But Apple supposedly plans to make only a few million of them, indicating the company expects this to be a niche product.

Previous reports indicate the price for the folding iPhone could be around $2,000 — about what similar Androids with foldable screens cost. High cost keeps this entire class of handsets out of the hands of average users, and so far it doesn’t seem like Apple has a solution.

Two reliable analysts recently predicted that the AirPods Pro 3 release date won’t come before the end of 2025.

Apple is reportedly loading the next generation of its high-end wireless earbuds up with new features, and that’s apparently taking some extra time. All the way to 2026.

June 15, 2011: Three people get sentenced to prison in China 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!

The release date for the AI-enhanced version of the Siri voice assistant will likely come in spring 2026, according to information leaking out of Apple. That’s nine months from now, and a year after it was first expected.

The long delay in the launch of smarter Siri was a significant black eye for Apple, clearly demonstrating that it wasn’t keeping up with rivals in AI research.