2025 was a big year for Apple. In this end-of-year roundup, we gathered up the most consequential news, groundbreaking rumors and biggest surprises of the last 12 months.
There were plenty of leaks — in fact, the entire iPhone 17 lineup was exhaustively shown off in the months leading up to September. We also knew most of the other product releases, from the MacBook Air and iPad Air to MacBook Pro and Vision Pro, would consist of simple spec bumps.
But there were tons of curveballs, too. Tariffs rattled Apple’s international supply chain. The Blood Oxygen app for Apple Watch made a sudden return. And no one was expecting a UI redesign quite like Liquid Glass.
Here’s our look back at 2025.
The top Apple news stories of a monumental 2025
Personally, I find it hard to remember the news beyond a few months ago. Every year, it feels like the Apple calendar begins in June at WWDC, when we get our hands on the new operating system betas — and anticipation for the September event kicks into high gear.
The iPhone dominates the fall, and washes away all memory of the preceding months.
But the first half of 2025 brought its fair share of surprises, twists and turns. If you want to take a trip down memory lane, through the thrills and turmoil of 11 months ago, take a look at our retrospective review of the biggest Apple stories of 2025.
Table of contents: Biggest Apple news stories of 2025 (by month)
- January: Leak offers first look at iOS 19
- February: iPhone Air leaks, iPhone 16e unveiled
- March: New Macs and iPads galore
- April: A roller coaster of tariff fears
- May: A hint at the future of iPhone
- June: Liquid Glass unveiled at WWDC25
- July: Apple’s executive succession plans begin
- August: The Blood Oxygen app returns to Apple Watch … kind of
- September: Despite leaks, the iPhone 17 lineup still stuns
- October: For the Pros
- November: iPhone Pocket is the accessory no one expected
- December: Is anyone left in Cupertino?
January: Leak offers first look at iOS 19
Image: Front Page Tech
January 21, 2025: A leak revealed that iOS 19’s Camera app might receive a visionOS-inspired revamp. Jon Prosser at Front Page Tech got word of a major redesign coming to (what was then called) iOS 19. His team mocked up the simplified new Camera interface, providing our first clue about the major redesign that would be known as Liquid Glass.
Another top post from that month: How to make the new iPhone Camera Control suck less. After a few months with the iPhone 16 in hand, people found the new Camera Control to be … incredibly complicated to use. Our how-to explains how to use it like a simple open-the-camera, take-a-picture button — which would become its default setting on new phones.
February: iPhone Air leaks, and Apple unveils iPhone 16e
Screenshot: Jon Prosser
February 17, 2025: Another massive leak from Front Page Tech gave us our first look at the iPhone Air’s supposed design. It nailed the radically thin design, single rear camera and “iconic” plateau (as Apple would later describe it).
The leak got a couple of things wrong, though, as we would discover in September. The mockup showed the iPhone Air’s camera plateau in a different color from the rest of the back. And the Front Page Tech concept showed the iPhone Air with squared-off corners, not the more rounded final design. Still, the broad design was instantly recognizable when Apple finally unveiled the iPhone Air.
February 19: With iPhone 16e, Apple brought a big speed boost to its budget model. Three things surprised us about the launch of this new type of iPhone:
- It lacked MagSafe, unlike every other iPhone since the iPhone 12.
- It came with a much higher price tag ($599) than the outgoing iPhone SE.
- No other Apple products, like the much-anticipated iPad Air and MacBook Air, launched alongside it.
March: New Macs and iPads galore
Photo: Apple
March 5, 2025: Apple introduced the M4 MacBook Air, M4 Max and M3 Ultra Mac Studio, M3 iPad Air and the 11th-generation iPad. They were all spec-bump updates, but they packed a few surprises — like the MacBook Air’s new sky blue color.
The real standout, surprisingly, was the Mac Studio. With up to 512GB of unified memory, Apple accidentally made the best AI computer in the world. It can run DeepSeek v3 entirely locally. You can even network multiple Mac Studios together over Thunderbolt 5 to run even bigger models, like the full DeepSeek R1 model with a longer context window.
April: A roller coaster of tariff fears
Photo: Steve Jurvetson/Flickr CC
April 2, 2025: President Donald Trump’s tariffs rattled Apple’s global supply chain. For countries where Apple manufactures products, the Trump administration announced import tariffs starting at 20% — with China at 54%. All of Apple’s supply chain, from its chips made by TSMC in Taiwan to manufacturing in India, Taiwan, Vietnam and China, was affected.
The following weeks were a bit of a roller coaster:
- April 7: Apple stocked up on iPhones and more before Trump tariffs kicked in, with five cargo jets full of iPhone inventory.
- April 12: The iPhone and Mac dodged a tariff bullet. Trump announced there would be no tariffs on phones, computers, processors, TVs and other electronics, no matter which country they were made in.
- April 14: Two days later, Trump said the tariff relief would only be temporary.
- April 24: Apple made plans to manufacture all U.S.-bound iPhones in India to take advantage of the country’s slightly lower tariff rate. But the shift would take time. In the short term, Apple CEO Tim Cook told investors that tariffs could cost Apple $900 million in the summer quarter. (That would later prove to be an underestimation.)
May: A hint toward the future of iPhone
Image: Apple
May 14, 2025: A rash of rumors gave us an idea about what to expect from the 20th-anniversary iPhone, due in 2027. Apple reportedly plans a leap to the next generation similar to the iPhone X in 2017.
Rumors from ETnews and Bloomberg pointed to the camera, sensors and Face ID components moving under the 20th-anniversary iPhone’s display for a true full-screen design. And the screen might go beyond edge-to-edge — it could wrap around all four sides of the device, down the side.
June: Apple unveils Liquid Glass at WWDC25
Image: Apple
June 9, 2025: Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference kicked off with a whirlwind keynote. Apple unveiled Liquid Glass, its biggest design refresh ever. The new user interface extended to all Apple’s platforms, but it shined brightest in iOS 26, with many apps fully redesigned, alongside new Apple Intelligence, Messages, Phone and customization features. macOS 26 Tahoe gained an all-new Spotlight and iPhone Mirroring. And the big surprise for iPadOS 26 came in the form of a new, entirely freeform window mode for multitasking.
June 29: A new rumor indicated Apple might launch its most affordable MacBook yet in 2026. Powered by an A18 Pro chip, it would be the first MacBook with an iPhone-class A-series chip inside.
July: Apple’s executive succession plans begin
Screenshot: Apple
July 8, 2025: Jeff Williams stepped down as Apple COO. Long considered next in line as Apple CEO, ready to take the reins in case of emergency, Williams’ resignation prompted speculation. Some predicted SVP of Hardware Engineering John Ternus or new COO Sabih Kahn would step up to take the reins when Tim Cook retires. But Cult of Mac Editor-in-Chief Leander Kahney thought someone else might have a shot at Apple’s top spot.
Also, the iPhone 17 lineup began to come into clear view, with new details coming every week — design, colors, cameras, spy shots and more colors.
And during iOS 26’s tumultuous beta process, Apple waffled on exactly how glassy Liquid Glass should be.
August: The Apple Watch’s Blood Oxygen app is back … kind of
Photo: Apple
August 14, 2025: Blood Oxygen testing returned to Apple Watch in the United States. iOS and watchOS updates found a way around the ongoing patent dispute between Apple and Masimo Corp. over the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen sensor. The workaround? Use the sensor data on the watch, but process and display it on the iPhone. Finally, anyone who bought an Apple Watch since early 2024 could now use the device’s full capabilities.
Meanwhile, rumors began circulating about the upcoming Apple Watch Series 11 model. Its marquee features — hypertension monitoring, 5G cellular connectivity and a faster processor — all leaked well in advance.
September: Despite leaks, the iPhone 17 lineup still stuns
Image: Apple
September 9, 2025: Apple’s Awe Dropping event was a big one. We all came away impressed, even if we weren’t surprised. AirPods Pro 3 delivered twice the active noise cancellation as their predecessors, along with live translation and a new heart rate sensor. Apple Watch Series 11, SE 3 and Ultra 3 all brought solid bumps.
The iPhone 17 debuted as perhaps Apple’s best entry-level model ever. The iPhone Air looked stunning and slim, yet still offered surprisingly uncompromised battery life. But it faced tough competition from the iPhone 17 Pro, the most unapologetically pro phone yet.
Apple also showed off a wide range of new iPhone accessories at the event. Those included a battery pack and a bumper case for the Air, a crossbody strap, and a variety of cases, including a new TechWoven model — a real improvement over the despised FineWoven cases of the recent past.
October: For the Pros
Image: Apple
October 15, 2025: Instead of an October event, Apple dropped three spec bumps of its high-end products via press release.
- The 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro brought a significant boost in GPU and AI performance to the entry-level model.
- The M5 iPad Pro came with more memory on high-end models, great for taking full advantage of iPadOS 26 multitasking.
- Last and definitely least, the M5 Vision Pro pushed more pixels to its high-res displays and came with a more comfortable Dual Knit Band in the box.
November: iPhone Pocket is the accessory no one expected
Photo: Apple
November 11, 2025: Apple shocks us all with its latest accessory, a designer pocket for your iPhone. A surprise press release in the Apple Newsroom left us with more questions than answers about the iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted sling for holding an iPhone around your arm, shoulder or bag. The iPhone Pocket immediately inspired jokes and ridicule, but one thing became evident: It was a runaway success.
Also, a new rumor indicated Macs might soon come with Intel inside again — but with a twist. Apple might turn to Intel’s new fabrication business to make its M-series chips starting in 2027.
December: Is anyone left in Cupertino?
Photo: Apple
December 1, 2025: Apple replaced its AI chief, John Giannandrea, and tapped an ex-Googler to fix Apple Intelligence. Giannandrea, who led the underwhelming Apple Intelligence efforts, left the company. In his place, Apple hired Amar Subramanya, who spent many years at Google and many days at Microsoft.
December 3, 2025: Two days later, Apple design chief Alan Dye unexpectedly quit and went to work for Meta. Some said good riddance! Despite coming as a complete shock, fans and Apple employees alike relished the news — especially when Apple put longtime employee Stephen Lemay in charge of user interface design.
December 4, 2025: The very next day, Apple announced two more high-profile executives would retire. Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, and Kate Adams, Apple’s general counsel, plan to depart in 2026. While nothing more than scheduled retirements, the timing certainly made the announcement look suspicious.
December 8, 2025: That weekend, Bloomberg reported that Apple chip chief Johny Srouji was “seriously considering leaving in the near future.” The departure of Srouji, who was instrumental in leading the development of Apple silicon and the Mac’s subsequent transition from Intel chips, would be a big blow. Luckily, he quickly clarified to his team that he doesn’t “plan on leaving anytime soon.”
What’s coming in 2026 from Apple
While Apple had a big 2025, it’s shaping up to be an even bigger 2026. In the coming days, we’ll publish more roundups about what you can expect from Cupertino next year.
D. Griffin Jones is a writer, podcaster and video producer for Cult of Mac. Griffin has been a passionate computer enthusiast since 2002, when he got his first PC — but since getting a Mac in 2008, he hasn’t turned back. His skills in graphic and web design, along with video and podcast editing, are self-taught over 20+ years. Griffin has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and has written several (unpublished) apps for Mac and iOS. His collection of old computers is made up of 40+ desktops, laptops, PDAs and devices, dating back to the early ’80s. He brings all of these creative and technical skills, along with a deep knowledge of Apple history, into his work for Cult of Mac.
