As Apple prepares what could be its most consequential software release in years with iOS 27 at WWDC26, we get our first real glimpse at what an overhauled Siri and other Apple Intelligence features may look like, courtesy of Bloomberg. It mocked up a bunch of illustrations in a new report Thursday.
Arkansas residents can now add their driver’s licenses and state identification cards directly to Apple Wallet, allowing iPhone and Apple Watch users to present a digital version of their ID at supported locations across the United States.
The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration announced the rollout on Wednesday, expanding the state’s Mobile ID program that first launched in 2025. The move makes Arkansas the fifteenth U.S. state or territory to support Apple’s digital ID program.
Update: In a related note, Virginia is reportedly close to rolling out support for digital driver’s licenses and IDs.
In the hallways of the Cherokee Immersion School in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, a quiet revolution is underway. Students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade are learning to speak a language that fewer than 1,500 people in the world still speak fluently — and Apple technology is helping make it happen as iPad and Mac revitalize Cherokee language, the iPhone giant reported in a new feature story Thursday.
“The technology that we utilize with Apple has allowed us to take everything that we really are trying to achieve here, which is the perpetuation and the revitalization of Cherokee language and culture, and use that same technology to make it relevant to the young people that are learning here,” said Chuck Hoskin Jr., Cherokee Nation’s principal chief.
WhatsApp wants to make Meta AI a lot more useful on the iPhone. To that end, Meta is working on a new feature that allows users to upload documents and get AI-powered summaries and answers right in WhatsApp.
For iPhone users, this sounds like a meaningful upgrade. Instead of switching between apps to analyze PDFs, notes, presentations or spreadsheets, users will be able to hand files directly to Meta AI without relying on another chatbot.
An Apple support document published Tuesday helps Mac users figure out which versions of its Creator Studio apps are running on their computers. It’s something no one expected in 2026, but here we are.
Currently, Apple ships two separate versions of Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, MainStage, Motion, Compressor and Pixelmator Pro. If you happen to be a Mac owner subscribed to Apple’s Creator Studio who also uses the standalone versions of the apps in the bundle, the support document is for you.
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.
Both Kensington and Plugable just introduced Thunderbolt 5 docks for professionals who need to add multiple high-resolution displays as well as a range of other high-speed ports.
Both the Kensington SD5010T5 EQ Thunderbolt 5 Triple 4K Docking Station and the Plugable TBT-UDH2 offer 80Gbps/120Gbps of data bandwidth. This is the kind of connectivity that consumers don’t really need but pros must have.
Popular podcast After the Whistle with Brendan Hunt and Rebecca Lowe will return for a third season on June 7, Apple said Wednesday. The show, which stars Ted Lasso alum Hunt and Premier League soccer commentator Lowe, will arrive in time to cover the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“We are thrilled to bring After the Whistle back for a third season,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services and health, in a press release. “Brendan and Rebecca have an incredible ability to capture the energy and passion of the World Cup. Their unique dynamic and deep love for soccer make this show an absolute can’t-miss for fans everywhere.”
If you’ve been sitting on an older Apple device, now might be a good time to put it toward something new. The iPhone giant has quietly updated its U.S. trade-in estimates, boosting values across most of its current iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch lineup.
Is it weird that I just bought an Apple Vision Pro when everyone says the platform is dead? Maybe. But I have zero regrets.
I’ve always supported the underdog. I guess that’s why I became an Apple fan in the first place. Back in the ’90s, using a Mac really did feel like being part of a “cult.” We believed in the platform when no one else did. And so it is with Vision Pro. It’s actually nice to see Apple as the underdog again, because that’s how Cupertino does its best work.
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 iPhone could get a lot better at casting videos to the big screen, as Apple is reportedly working on native support for Google Cast in iOS 27. That means you could soon beam video, photos and audio to almost all smart TVs on the planet.
Apple’s AirPlay is great if you are into the Apple ecosystem, but Google Cast is almost everywhere. It’s built into nearly all smart TVs sold today, including the hotel TVs you may have struggled with during vacations. Right now, your iPhone can’t natively talk to these devices, but iOS 27 could change that.
Plenty of third-party Mac app switchers try to improve the experience, but rcmd is my favorite because of its keyboard-driven approach. Now, with the recently released rcmd v3, the app evolves from a simple app switcher into a more powerful productivity tool, adding features like fuzzy search, workspace switching and more.
An airliner took an unscheduled stop, delaying travelers for a day, after the crew learned that a passenger had a power bank in use in their checked luggage.
That happened in Europe, but take this as a reminder that Federal Aviation Administration rules also forbid power banks and other spare lithium-ion batteries from traveling in checked baggage on passenger aircraft. Don’t do it.
Ferrari officially pulled the wraps off the Luce, its first-ever all-electric vehicle, on Monday — and for Apple fans, this one’s personal. The car’s exterior and interior took design cues from LoveFrom, the creative collective founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and longtime collaborator Marc Newson.
The Ferrari Luce is the highest-profile project the duo has taken on since leaving Cupertino, and it’s already dividing opinions. Plus, it’s the closest we’ll ever get to an Apple car.
Apple appears to be working on a new pair of over-ear headphones, possibly Beats Studio Pro 2. A recently discovered filing in a Federal Communications Commission database describes an unreleased device as “Bluetooth over-ear headphones” with an antenna, battery and microphone.
The best guess right now is a long-overdue refresh of the Beats Studio Pro, which Apple released in 2023. Apple just released the AirPods Max 2, so it is unlikely the company will announce a new set of over-ear Apple headphones.
Apple is reportedly preparing to overhaul one of the iPhone’s most cluttered menus: the AirPods settings screen.
Over the years, the AirPods settings screen has grown more cluttered with every new feature Apple introduces to the popular earbuds. That could change with iOS 27, which could come with a completely revamped layout for the AirPods settings.
The charging port on the bottom of the Magic Mouse draws criticism — mostly from people who’ve never actually used one. But there’s a way Apple could quiet the complaints and improve the product at the same time: add MagSafe wireless charging.
The mouse could keep its iconic design, become easier to charge and the critics would have to find something else to complain about.
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.
OpenAI just gave its Codex for Mac programming app a feature called Appshots that makes copy-pasting code or describing what’s on the screen unnecessary. Just press Command twice, and the AI assistant automatically takes a screenshot and captures text from your window, including scrollable content that isn’t visible.
Appshots is the headline addition in this week’s Codex update, and it’s only available on Macs for now. Think of it as giving your AI assistant a pair of eyes, instead of always explaining what you are looking at.
Apple’s next HomePod is reportedly stuck in limbo while the company works on its delayed AI Siri upgrade. And honestly? That might be what the HomePod 3 needs. But before Apple unveils the HomePod 3, it needs to address some serious gaps that make it feel far less intelligent than the competition.
The HomePod’s problem has never been its hardware. The speakers sound fantastic, and the device tightly integrates into Apple’s ecosystem. But the user experience still feels a generation behind competing smart speakers. If Apple wants the HomePod 3 to be the center of its smart home ambitions, a faster chip and a shinier enclosure won’t be enough. Here’s what actually needs to change.
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.