Buy a refurbished M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro to save money. AI image: ChatGPT
Just a day after Apple raised Mac prices across the board, the company started selling refurbished M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models through its Certified Refurbished online store. Select configurations are already available to purchase.
Depending on the model, buying refurbished can save you up to $480 compared to the higher new retail price.
The M7 chip family will surely crush AI tasks. AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
Apple intends to make a significant departure from its established chip roadmap, bypassing high-end variants of its upcoming M6 processor in order to accelerate a next-generation AI-oriented chip family, according to a new report Thursday.
An analyst predicts the iPhone 18 Pro Max will cost much more than previously expected. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Apple hiked prices on Mac, iPad and more on Thursday, but not handsets — all iPhone models still cost what they did before. But an analyst warns that we should expect the iPhone models coming in the fall to cost significantly more than the current ones. That’s especially true for the iPhone Ultra.
Even so, the analyst anticipates strong iPhone sales this fall. Here’s why.
Apple may soon enter the smart ring market, if a new leak is to be believed. Prolific Apple leaker Kosutami dropped a brief but striking post to that effect Wednesday, saying a health-tracking Apple ‘iRing’ is in development.
The disclosure marks the first credible insider signal that Apple actively builds a smart ring — rather than merely exploring the idea on paper, as it started doing years ago.
The flaw exploits how macOS apps establish trust with background services. Photo: XM Cyber
Security researchers have disclosed a new macOS flaw that lets attackers shut down your security software after getting onto your machine — no admin password, no kernel exploit, and almost no trace left behind.
The attack takes advantage of how macOS apps earn each other’s trust, and if you use a Mac at work, it is exactly the type of thing your IT needs to know about.
This foldable iPhone concept gives at least some idea about what subsequent generations could look like in fully open form. AI image: Gemini/Cult of Mac
Apple has already approved development of its second-generation foldable iPhone — before the first one even hits store shelves — while the future of the ultra-thin iPhone Air line stays up in the air, a prominent leaker said Thursday. So while Apple plans iPhone Ultra 2, sales worries may delay or even kill off iPhone Air 3.
CEO Tim Cook said price increases were coming — now Apple is making them AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
As CEO Tim Cook warned a few days ago, Apple raised prices of Mac, iPad, HomePod and Apple TV 4K on Thursday. The changes take effect immediately, with most devices now costing $50 to $100 more. But other hikes are even higher.
That said, Apple left iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods prices unchanged. For now, anyway.
Every OLED screen in Apple's fall lineup is reportedly coming from just two companies. Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
Apple’s first foldable iPhone could be about to get off the assembly line, and so is the much rumored OLED iPad mini and OLED MacBook Pro. And every single panel inside them might come from just two South Korean companies, which presents a major supply-chain risk for Apple.
If you are planning to buy any of these products, that’s worth knowing. Reportedly, Samsung Display and LG Display are said to be supplying 100% of the OLED panels for Apple’s upcoming 2026 lineup, with China’s BOE — a display giant that reportedly fumbled production of previous iPhone screens — shut out completely.
The hinge is a critical component of any foldable, and Apple wants the best technology possible for its first folding iPhone. Photo: Amanz/Unsplash License
After months of swirling concern over hinge reliability, Apple’s long-anticipated foldable iPhone, aka iPhone Ultra or iPhone Fold, now looks to be on solid footing for a fall launch, according to a new supply chain report Wednesday.
AirPort Utility, first released more than a decade ago, hasn't been updated since years. Photo: Apple
The AirPort Utility app, which has been available for Apple devices since the mid-2000s, is going away. Buried in iOS 27 and macOS 27 beta 2 release notes, Apple says it is removing the app that lets anyone configure an AirPort router from the App Store.
If you are still using an AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express or Time Capsule with your home Wi-Fi, this is your warning. Once the app disappears, new users won’t be able to download it again from the App Store. Even if it’s already on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, Apple says it will stop working the moment you update to iOS 27 or macOS 27 Golden Gate.
Join Meet calls without installing any additional apps. AI image: ChatGPT
iPhone users can now join Google Meet calls directly from Safari without installing any additional apps. While it’s a small change, it makes joining Meet calls easier and more convenient.
You don’t even need a Google account to join a Meet call. Simply enter your name and request access to join the meeting.
iOS 27 RCS improvements are bringing Android texts a lot closer to iMessage. Photo: Apple
Your iPhone just stopped being the awkward one in the group chat. Buried deep inside iOS 27 beta 2 are two small RCS fixes that solve some of the biggest quirks that made “green-bubble” chats between iPhone and Android users feel half-baked for years.
If you have ever tapped a heart on a photo your Android friend sent, your iPhone has likely announced to the entire thread that you “loved an image” instead of simply showing a heart. But with iOS 27 beta 2, your reactions show up as they should.
Cannes Lions CEO Simon Cook presented Cue with the award. Photo: Apple
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services and health, walked away from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France on Saturday with one of the industry’s most coveted individual honors: the 2026 Entertainment Person of the Year award. It’s a big win for the person in charge of Apple TV.
Can Apple avoid a huge drop in resale value associated with folding smartphones? Image: Majin Bu
Apple fans eyeing the company’s rumored foldable iPhone may want to reconsider their purchase plans, according to a new analysis Tuesday. It finds foldable smartphones hemorrhage value at an alarming rate — losing 64.6% of their original price within just a year of ownership. The question is, can Apple avoid that fate that awaits so many Android foldables?
The popular workaround is no more. Graphic: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
The hack that some Mac users were using to try out the new Siri AI, skipping the waitlist, no longer works.
Apple released the second developer beta of all its OS 27 updates yesterday. In macOS 27 developer beta 2, the hidden Terminal command no longer enables Siri AI. After you update, you’ll find yourself back on Apple’s waitlist. If you previously enabled it on your Mac, your access will be revoked.
But no worries — some users on Reddit may have found a way to get yourself accepted fast.
visionOS 27's Siri AI is the headset's biggest upgrade yet, but not every Vision Pro user will get it. Photo: Apple
While visionOS 27 is coming to every Apple Vision Pro ever sold, two of its standout features will only work on the second-gen headset with an M5 processor.
Alogic's popular 32-inch Aspekt touchscreen display now gets a 27-inch sibling, among other new choices. Photo: Alogic
Apple has yet to ship a MacBook or an external display with a touchscreen, but Alogic keeps pushing ahead anyway. The Australian monitor maker — one of the very few companies that builds touch-enabled monitors specifically designed to work with macOS — debuted a sweeping new product lineup last week at InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas.
The web browser that comes on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
There are eight great new Safari features in iOS 27. The update fixes a lot of irritating design problems that have bothered me for years.
Plus, if your phone supports Apple Intelligence, you’ll enjoy some smart new features that make your browsing easier — I’ve already created a couple custom extensions. And everyone will appreciate the speed and performance gains when they update.
Check out what you can expect from Safari this fall when Apple releases iOS 27.
Seems people might prefer their iPhones to parenthood. AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
For years, economists blamed declining birth rates in the United States on rising housing costs, student debt, expensive childcare and delayed marriage. Now a study points to a surprising additional factor: the iPhone.
Researchers examining the long-running decline in U.S. fertility rates found evidence that smartphones may have contributed significantly to the drop in births since 2007, the same year Apple launched the original iPhone.
So far, Siri AI seems like a winner. Image: Cult of Mac
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: After more than a week spent hands-on with the first iOS 27 developer beta, Griffin and Leander give us a status update on what works and what really, really doesn’t.
The good news is, Siri AI seems legitimately useful. The bad news is that the betas are a little rough around the edges. (After all, betas gonna beta.) Still, there’s plenty to talk about as we go over the best new features.
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:
Some leaked iOS 27 features that never happened might still be on the way. It’s all part of Apple’s secret plan to sell us new hardware this fall.
Speaking of new hardware, it sounds like 2027 is going to be an absolute doozy for Apple.
And finally, the inside story of the latest Cult of Mac hack.
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.
The iPhone XR, XS and 11 are among the older models affected by the newly disclosed usbliter8 exploit. Photo: Paradigm Shift
Still holding onto an iPhone XS, XR or 11 because it gets the job done? There’s now a good reason to upgrade: usbliter8. This security flaw lets anyone with physical access to an older iPhone hijack the startup process, and Apple won’t be able to patch it with a software update.
That’s because it isn’t an iOS bug — the flaw is in the chip’s boot code, the first thing that runs when you turn on the device.
Some old products might be a hit again today. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Some Apple products are discontinued before the time is right. Maybe, if they were introduced today with modern technology, they could become a much bigger hit.
A lot of Apple’s lesser-known experimental products were killed in 1997. Steve Jobs had just returned, the company was near bankruptcy, and he needed all hands on deck to develop the iMac and Mac OS X.
But some real gems were lost along the way. These are the 10 products that Apple should bring back with modern technology.
Apple's new Personalized Collections feature in the App Store raises privacy concerns after researchers flagged the scope of its tracking. Image: Apple
The App Store’s new Personalized Collections feature gives you tailored app recommendations based on your behavior. Sounds great for finding new apps that you might like, but security researchers say the feature uses a tracking mechanism that logs every single tap you make in the App Store, with no way to opt out.
This means Apple might record all your search queries, every app page you visit, and even how fast you type. If you happen to use an iPhone, Apple could be collecting this data right now.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 and 2 get the full update, but not so the original Ultra (among others). Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
Apple’s watchOS 27 arrives this fall carrying one of the biggest leaps in Apple Watch intelligence yet: a dedicated Siri AI app, a redesigned dynamic app grid and deeper integration with Apple Intelligence across your devices. But a significant portion of Apple Watch owners won’t see any of it. Here’s why many Apple Watch models won’t get watchOS 27.
The unfolded folding iPhone will be kinda like an iPad mini. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
iPhone Mirroring in macOS Golden Gate gives us a clue about what the first folding iPhone will be like. For the first time, you can resize the window to any arbitrary size. That means you can stretch the screen to the rumored dimensions of Apple’s upcoming foldable and see how your favorite apps will look and work.
After all, it’s going to be an unusual iPhone. The unfolded inner screen will be roughly iPad mini-size, with an outer screen that’s much shorter and wider than any iPhone made in the last 15 years.
I took some screenshots of various Apple apps to demonstrate what the folding iPhone’s user interface will look like.