Mobile menu toggle

News

The latest Apple news, opinion and analysis posts from Cult of Mac writers.

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on News:

Why Jony Ive is missing from Apple’s OpenAI lawsuit

By

An AI-generated image that shows a silhouette of former Apple design chief Jony Ive in a courtroom
It's no accident that that Jony Ive’s name never appears in Apple’s OpenAI lawsuit.
AI illustration: Midjourney/Cult of Mac

Apple’s trade-secret lawsuit against OpenAI names two former employees and Jony Ive’s startup but scrupulously avoids mentioning the former Apple design chief by name.

This isn’t a legal oversight. It comes down to a complicated mix of factors, including Ive’s closeness with Laurene Powell Jobs and the lousy optics of Apple targeting its most famous designer.

Apple’s Genius Bar Live Notes tool is an AI that’s always taking dictation

By

A picture showing the Genius Bar in an Apple Store.
Apple’s Genius Bar Live Notes tool transcribes repair conversations with AI.
Photo: Wikipedia

Apple is testing Genius Bar Live Notes, an AI-powered tool that listens to customer conversations at the repair counter. It turns conversation into transcripts and is already running in a handful of stores.

The system is meant to save employees the hassle of scribbling notes mid-repair. But it makes some Genius Bar staff members nervous.

Apple planned a monster Mac Pro, then killed it

By

Apple’s “Extreme” Mac Pro was too extreme.
Apple’s “Extreme” Mac Pro was too extreme.
AI image: ChatGPT

Apple reportedly planned to use “Extreme” processors in the Mac Pro to deliver unrivaled performance, beating even its “Pro” and “Ultra” chips. But eventually, pricing and demand concerns led the company to scrap the idea.

Besides M2 Extreme and M3 Extreme chips, Apple also worked on an Intel-powered upgrade for the Mac Pro, according information that leaked out on Sunday.

5 must-watch shows that make Apple TV more popular than ever

By

Apple TV streaming service
A handful of Apple TV series drive the streamer's impressive audience growth. These are the streamer's hottest dramas, comedies and sci-fi.
Image: Apple

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 Music jacks up subscription fees due to ‘rising licensing costs’

By

Image of an iPad with the Apple Music app on the screen, used to illustrate a story about price hikes
Your tunes just got a little more expensive.
Image: Apple

Apple Music just became a bit pricier. Apple raised the streaming service’s monthly rate across all subscription tiers on Friday, citing the increasing cost of licensing artists’ music.

The company also jacked up the price of most Apple One bundles, which package Apple Music with subscriptions to other Apple services.

Apple briefly overtakes Nvidia as world’s most valuable company

By

A picture of the Apple logo used in a story about Apple surpassing Nvidia as the world's most valuable company.
Apple momentarily reclaimed its crown as the world’s most valuable company from Nvidia.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple briefly became the world’s most valuable publicly traded company once again on Friday before Nvidia reclaimed the top spot.

While Nvidia ended the week with a market cap of $4.912 trillion, just a hair ahead of Apple’s $4.901 trillion valuation, Friday’s trading capped a blockbuster week of gains for AAPL, even as investors pummeled AI-related stocks.

Apple faces Hide My Email lawsuit over privacy flaw it allegedly failed to fix

By

A picture of Apple's Hide My Email feature used in a story about the same.
The Hide My Email lawsuit claims Apple knew its address-hiding feature was broken and kept selling anyway.
Photo: Apple

Apple is facing a new Hide My Email lawsuit, and it does not look good. A proposed class-action suit claims the company sold customers privacy promises it couldn’t deliver on.

The suit says Apple knew about a certain flaw in its address-hiding feature for more than a year, but kept marketing Hide My Email as airtight privacy the whole time.

Roblox’s AI game creation tool is coming to iPhone and iPad

By

Roblox AI game creation tool Build
Roblox adds AI creation to its promise that “You make the game.”
Image: Roblox

Got a game idea but no idea about how to code it? Roblox just made that far easier. The company is now rolling out Build, a new AI game creation tool for iPhone and iPad. Simply type a prompt in plain English, and Build turns it into a playable — no desktop editor required.

Roblox is betting that generative AI can dramatically lower the barrier to game development.

iPad mini and 3 more iPads getting upgrades: What to expect

By

iPad rumors reveal Apple's big plans
There's so much for iPad fans to look forward to.
Image: Cult of Mac/Apple/ChatGPT

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.

Weird story links World Emoji Day to Apple

By

The roots of World Emoji Day go deep into Apple history.
The roots of World Emoji Day go deep into Apple history.
Image: Cult of Mac

World Emoji Day happens on July 17 every year — but why? The holiday’s story takes a circuitous path through Apple history, tying together Mac OS X Jaguar, calendar software, Japanese cellphone carriers, Macworld Expo and Emojipedia creator Jeremy Burge.

Apple Maps ads will ban plumbers, crypto ATMs and bail bonds

By

Three iPhone screenshots of Apple Maps used in a story about restrictions on ads in the navigation app.
Apple Maps ads will shut out several business categories when they roll out this summer.
Image: Apple

Apple is going to be quite picky about the types of ads it shows in Apple Maps. New advertising rules say plumbers, electricians, locksmiths and roofers can’t buy ads on the navigation app — even though Google happily sells them in its mapping app.

That’s a deliberate distinction from Google’s model, in which home services ads make up one of the biggest categories. And that’s just the start of Apple’s restrictions on ads in Apple Maps and its other services.

As it turns out, Apple wants Maps to feel more like a curated storefront than a search engine.

Apple closes unlocked iPhone loophole for T-Mobile and Verizon buyers

By

A picture of the iPhone 17 Pro max used in a story about Apple closing the unocked iPhone loophole.
The unlocked iPhone loophole for T-Mobile and Verizon financing just got shut down.
Photo: Apple

Apple closed the unlocked iPhone loophole for T-Mobile and Verizon buyers. If you’ve financed an iPhone through any of these carriers, it used to stay unlocked. Not anymore.

Every iPhone financed through T-Mobile or Verizon will now stay locked to that carrier until you fully pay it off. This is exactly how AT&T’s financing has always worked. It means no more SIM swapping, joining an MVNO or popping in a travel eSIM on the go.

AppleCare+ price increase lands for new Mac and iPad buyers

By

A picture showing AppleCare used in a story about AppleCare+ price hike.
New Mac and iPad buyers are facing an AppleCare+ price increase starting this week.
Photo: Apple

Apple is pushing an AppleCare+ price increase, with Mac and iPad owners footing the bill. Sign up for coverage on a new Mac or iPad today, and you’ll pay 50 cents more per month than you would have last week.

The change just went into effect and only affects new AppleCare+ enrollments. If you’re already subscribed, you’ll keep your current rate for now. But Apple hasn’t clarified how long that will last. It’s a small bump, but lands just weeks after Apple hiked hardware prices.

EU won’t force Apple to redesign AirPods

By

No AirPods redesign is a lifesaver for Apple's tiny earbuds
Future AirPods get to keep the trademark slim design.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s AirPods appear to have dodged a costly redesign after the European Commission carved out new exemptions to its upcoming replaceable battery rules for portable electronics.

The requirement could have also required changes to the design of the Apple Watch.

Apple’s Back to School 2026 deal offers up to a $150 gift card

By

AI-generated image showing a MacBook, an iPad, AirPods, AIrTags and Apple Pencil (plus books and backpack) used to illustrate a story about the Apple Back to School 2026 deal
Get a free AirTag or AirPods with your new Mac or iPad.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Update: Apple’s Back to School 2026 offer is now available in the United States and Canada. We updated this article with the latest details.

After a slight delay, Apple’s Back to School 2026 offer is now live across most major markets. It first launched in select Asian countries before expanding to the United States and Canada.

The Back to School promo comes weeks after Apple steeply hiked prices of its Mac and iPad lineup due to rising DRAM and NAND costs.

Colorful Lego iMac G3 moves closer to becoming reality

By

Lego iMac G3 advances in race to become an official set
Hope remains alive that a fan-designed iMac G3 will become an official Lego Ideas set.
Photo: The Lego Group

The colorful Lego iMac G3 for nostalgic Apple fans just cleared another important milestone on its long journey from fan concept to store shelves.

A Lego version of Apple’s iconic iMac G3 desktop has been working its way through the approval process for almost a year, and the Lego company confirmed on Tuesday that the possibility remains very much alive.

iOS 26.6 will flag malicious iMessages with a warning before you tap

By

An AI-generated picture of an iPhone with iMessages open used in a story about Apple adding new malicious message warnings.
The iOS 2.6.6 malicious message warning tells you when Apple thinks an iMessage is trying to harm your iPhone.
AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac

Your iPhone will soon speak up before a booby-trapped text message can do damage. The iOS 26.6 malicious message warning is a new pop-up that tells you when Apple thinks an iMessage is trying to harm your device or steal your data. And it gives you a quick way to send that message straight to Apple for investigation.

The alert hasn’t gone live for anyone yet. It was spotted buried in iOS 26.6 beta 5 code, which means it’s still in the testing phase. But its presence indicates iPhone users will soon get a much more visible security layer that makes it harder to ignore message-based attacks.

World Cup get you hooked on soccer? Apple TV has your fix.

By

An image of soccer players on an orange background with the words,
Major League Soccer returns this Thursday, ready to capitalize on World Cup buzz.
Image: Apple TV

Major League Soccer returns to Apple TV on Thursday with the resumption of regular-season play after a break for FIFA World Cup insanity. That’s great news for soccer fans new and old.

If you got hooked on the sport after watching World Cup matches during Major League Soccer’s monthlong break, tune into Apple TV for your fix. You should see some familiar faces on the field.

Judge dismisses $32.8 billion iCloud CSAM lawsuit against Apple

By

A photo of the iCloud logo used in a story about a dismissed CSAM detection lawsuit filed against Apple.
The iCloud CSAM lawsuit against Apple is history.
Image: Apple

Apple just got a proposed class-action lawsuit wiped off its plate — and it’s a big one. A federal judge on Monday dismissed a case that accused the company of failing to stop child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from spreading through iCloud, a lawsuit that sought as much as $32.8 billion in damages.

U.S. District Judge Noël Wise ruled that Apple would be shielded from the claims by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the 1996 law that protects online platforms from being sued over content their users upload. The judge tossed the case with prejudice, so it’s gone for good.

OpenAI’s first device sounds more like an Alexa beater than an iPhone killer

By

AI-generated illustration of a smart speaker, used to illustrate a story about OpenAI's rumored first hardware device.
What will OpenAI's super-smart speaker look like? Ask Jony Ive.
AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac

OpenAI’s probable first device will likely be a portable smart speaker with a winning personality and features that make it seem like a living creature. The company envisions a screenless device that will “serve as a humanlike AI companion that lives in the home,” according to a new report citing anonymous sources.

While previous rumors indicated OpenAI wants to build a device to challenge the iPhone, this sounds like more of a threat to Apple’s HomePod, Amazon’s Alexa devices and other smart speakers.

Oh, and the thing might actually move to make it seem more lifelike. (Let’s hope it doesn’t give off an Existenz game pod vibe.)

New ProDock vertical MacBook docking stations add ports while saving desk space

By

Brydge ProDock docking stations take MacBooks in a different direction
The Brydge ProDock Trio features vertical MacBook docking for workspace optimization.
Image: Brydge

Brydge added three new models to its ProDock line of vertical MacBook docking stations on Tuesday. These bring fresh features, including Thunderbolt 5 support, to products that let users slide their Mac into a vertical cradle that takes a minimal amount of space.

Each of the three new models is intended for a different kind of user, with a range of features to match.

iPhone 20’s glass design just got a lot more real

By

An AI generated image of the iPhone 20 concept used in a story about the same.
Rumors suggest Apple is chasing a “slab of glass” design for the 20th-anniversary phone.
AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac

Word on the street is that the iPhone 20’s all-glass revamp recently moved from “maybe” to “the factories are literally getting ready for it.”

Seems like anyone ready for Apple to shake up iPhone design can look forward to 2027.