Thinking about upgrading to an iPhone 18 this fall? Apple just made the decision a little easier.
The company increased the max trade-in values for most iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch models in the United States, marking the latest value bump this year. The higher payouts let customers put more money toward a new device, whether they’re buying outright or through the new Apple Upgrade program.
iPad shipments slowed in the second quarter of this year, the first time that’s happened in over two years. The source of the problem is easy to pinpoint: the extra-long wait for a new version of the budget iPad.
And unfortunately for consumers, Apple supposedly won’t release a replacement for the iPad (A16) for many more months.
Despite what really seemed like a series finale three years ago, Ted Lasso is back. Apple TV began streaming season four on Wednesday, reviving its Emmy-winning comedy with what amounts to a soft reboot rather than a direct continuation of the story.
Here’s what to look forward to as Ted, Coach Beard and all our favorites return.
Apple kept the iPad’s Split View feature alongside the new multitasking stuff in iPadOS 26, despite what you might have read online. And setting it up is as easy as a couple of flicks of your finger.
Here’s how to keep using Split View on your iPad. Apple even made a video that demonstrates what to do.
★★★★★
The Razer Travel Case Folio is a combination keyboard case/stand created for gamers who need a keyboard while they game on the go with an iPad, Steam Deck or even an iPhone. And it’s also useful when you need to get some work done on your tablet.
Put a Razer Joro or an Apple Magic Keyboard into the folio, then deploy its built-in kickstand and it’s ready to prop up your tablet, gaming handheld, etc. for fun or productivity.
I tested the new accessory with my mobile setup. Here’s what I found.
The 2026 Leagues Cup tournament kicks off Tuesday, August 4. The month-long competition pits 18 Major League Soccer clubs against 18 teams from Mexico’s Liga MX, with all 62 matches streaming through Apple TV.
No separate subscription is required to enjoy the action – any Apple TV subscriber in 100 countries and regions can watch.
Apple’s smallest desktop could get an unusual processor upgrade this fall. The 2026 Mac mini is reportedly moving to the basic M6 processor, but not the M6 Pro as would be expected.
Here’s everything the rumor mill says about Apple’s next Mac mini.
When Siri AI launches in the fall, the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot will be available at no extra cost on the devices that support it, but that could change in the future. Apple CEO Tim Cook raised the possibility on Thursday.
Here’s what we know now.
Apple’s boom continues. It just reported that revenue during its most recent financial quarter grew 16% year over year. That’s the ninth quarter in a row of revenue increases, and the third of double-digit increases.
“Today, Apple is proud to report our strongest June quarter ever, with double-digit revenue growth across iPhone, Mac and Services, and in every geographic segment,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a statement.
iPadOS 27 continues Apple’s commitment to improving the iPad’s software. This time, another feature from macOS finds its way to Apple’s tablets, making them easier to use. And I love it.
Last year, Apple brought the macOS menu bar over to iPad. This year, iPadOS 27 makes it genuinely useful. It’s changed the way I use my iPad.
★★★★☆
I have a case for my iPhone, a power bank, a wireless charger … plenty of other accessories. But when I heard about one gizmo, I literally laughed out loud. The idea was so ridiculous that I had to get it so I could relentlessly mock it on Cult of Mac.
The joke’s on me: Turns out I love it.
What is it? A USB-C fan. Sounds stupid, right? All it does is blow cool air in my face while I use my iPhone or iPad, but now I use it all the time. Here’s why.
You’re happily listening to music on your AirPods when the audio suddenly gets yanked away by a Bluetooth speaker. Don’t get frustrated. Make a quick tweak to your iPhone settings, and it’ll never happen again.
Here’s what to do.
Apple just made it easier to stay on the latest hardware with the launch of Apple Upgrade, a new subscription-style leasing program that lets U.S. customers pay a monthly fee for an iPhone, Mac, iPad or Apple Watch.
The new service builds on the company’s old iPhone Upgrade Program by expanding to almost its entire product lineup, giving customers many more options when it’s time to move to a newer device.
“At Apple, we put the customer at the center of everything we do,” said Karen Rasmussen, Apple’s vice president of the Apple Store online in a press release Tuesday, “and we’re thrilled that Apple Upgrade offers our customers, both online and in-store, a more flexible way to pay for the products they love.”
After months of playing second fiddle to AI chipmaker Nvidia, Apple reclaimed the title of the world’s most valuable publicly traded company on Monday. A rally in Apple’s stock price over the last month resulted in the Mac maker sailing past Nvidia and all other rivals back to the top of the list. And if that wasn’t enough, Cupertino’s market capitalization is closing in on an astonishing $5 trillion!
AAPL is up about 30% in 2026 on investors’ changing attitudes about AI. Here’s what’s going on down on Wall Street, and why there is renewed confidence in Apple.
Apple will reportedly enter the smart glasses market in 2027, but the company is apparently worried the wearable will tarnish its reputation for protecting privacy. The cameras built into rival devices face criticism, and a new report describes Apple’s efforts to avoid the controversy.
Unfortunately, many of its options would block the feature that makes smart glasses most interesting to me.
Persistent rumors leave little room for doubt that Apple will finally build a touchscreen into a MacBook, burt that’s only one of the significant changes we can look forward to. It could launch as early as this fall as the biggest revamp to macOS notebooks since 2020.
It’s important enough that there’s speculation the device could be the first MacBook Ultra, not simply another MacBook Pro version.
Here’s what the latest rumors say about the touchscreen MacBook.
Primate Labs released Geekbench 7, the first major update to its widely used cross-platform benchmarking suite in three years. The new version introduces redesigned CPU and GPU workloads intended to better reflect how modern applications use today’s hardware, with a greater emphasis on handling video and playing games.
Because the latest version uses a new scoring system, benchmark scores made with the new app can’t be compared with one made with Geekbench 6. So every device needs to be retested.
A recent poll of Cult of Mac readers found very broad support for iPadOS, but a small group remains deeply dissatisfied with the iPad’s software. And while Apple certainly can’t make everyone happy, it could significantly shrink the number of complaints by adding one app. One very long-overdue app.
It’s time for Apple to finally do what developers have wanted for so many years: Bring Xcode to iPad.
In a pinch, you can charge your AirPods with your iPhone. This feature can prove very convenient if you know how to use it. You can also use your iPhone to charge your Apple Watch, or even another iPhone.
Here’s how to take advantage of this capability.
UPDATE: The wait is over. Apple released iOS 26.6 on July 27, exactly when expected.
Apple seeded the iOS 26.6 Release Candidate to beta testers Monday, signaling that iPhone users should circle July 27 on their calendars. That’s the day beta testing is most likely to end with the full release of the operating system update.
Monday also brought the macOS Tahoe 26.6 Release Candidate, as well as equivalents for iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and more. So we also expect the release of these OS updates on July 27.
Apple is reportedly preparing a major shake-up in the way customers buy its products. The company plans to launch Apple Upgrade, a subscription-style leasing program that lets customers upgrade to newer devices more easily while lowering monthly payments, next week, according to an unconfirmed report.
It’ll apparently be similar to the long-running iPhone Upgrade Program — which is reportedly getting canceled — but with a much broader range of products covered. There’ll be other differences as well.
★★★★★
The highlight of the Mophie 4-in-1 Wireless Charge Stand is StealthCharge, Mophie’s own improvement to Qi2.2 that lets iPhone wireless chargers run more quickly because they stay cooler.
The stand can also charge an Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time. Plus, it sports an integrated, 60W retractable USB-C cable for powering other devices.
I put this multi-device charger to the test in my home office. Here’s why I’ll keep using it.
Apple TV finally gets the audience it deserves. Or the streaming service is headed in that direction, anyway. In the contest to become the top streamer, Apple TV posted the strongest year-over-year growth of any platform last quarter.
Five shows helped push the streaming service’s audience numbers upward. Anyone looking for the best that Apple TV has to offer needs to be watching these.
Apple added the Share Item Location feature to its Find My app to let AirTag users securely share the exact position of a tracking tag attached to lost luggage with an airline.
Here’s how to use the feature to show an airline employee that your bag is actually just outside Concourse C in the Atlanta airport, not in Denver, where they think it is. They can even see the exact position of the luggage.
Want to know which iPad models will get revamps in the next year? The answer is easy: all of them. Every single one.
An iPad mini upgraded with an OLED is reportedly at the top of the list, and we can look forward it being followed by new versions of the basic iPad, iPad Air and iPad Pro… each before the end of spring 2027.
Here’s what is coming down the line.