Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, watchOS 26.3 and tvOS 26.3 on Wednesday, delivering a round of bug fixes and under-the-hood improvements aimed at smoothing out the experience across its devices. While the updates don’t introduce splashy new features, they target stability issues and performance hiccups that have surfaced since the launch of the 26 cycle.

These come at the same time as iOS 26.3, which does include new features along with bug removal. (Read our news article: iOS 26.3 brings these 3 changes to your iPhone.)

After beta testing iOS 26.3 since mid-December, Apple finally pushed its stable build to the public Wednesday. Unlike the last two major iOS 26 point builds, iOS 26.3 is light on major new features.

Instead, it brings some notable underlying improvements to the platform, including better compatibility with third-party wearables. Here are two notable changes iOS 26.3 brings to your iPhone.

AppleCare+ has become almost synonymous with Apple device ownership. But as the extended warranty program enters 2026 with new pricing and features, it’s worth asking: Do you really need it?

A recent social media discussion among iPhone users, paired with insights from Apple’s coverage options, reveals that the answer depends heavily on which devices you own and how you use them.

February 11, 2010: With iPad excitement reaching a fever pitch, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates wades in with his opinion of Apple’s tablet. His view? Apple’s upcoming device is kinda meh.

“There’s nothing on the iPad I look at and say, ‘Oh, I wish Microsoft had done it,'” Gates tells one interviewer.

The Ohsnap Mcon doesn’t just rethink the mobile gaming controller — it practically throws the old playbook in the trash, delivering one of the most flexible and genuinely portable ways to play on the market today.

Even better, you can easily use it with your iPhone, but also your iPad and Mac.

I spent many hours playing games with the innovative controller — here’s why I love it.

AirPods Pro 4 might include an unprecedented feature for wireless earbuds, accordingto a new leak: built-in cameras capable of seeing the environment around the wearer.

The Messages app gains flashy new features in iOS 26 that make group chats far more fun and efficient. It also filters out spam texts, translates conversations and more.

As the iPhone’s default messaging app, Messages is one of Apple’s darlings. The app gains new features with every major update, but iOS 26 stands out as one of the best in years. Here’s how all the new Messages features work — keep reading or watch our quick video.

BrowserCopilot puts a powerful AI assistant right inside your web browser, helping you write, research and reply more quickly — without switching tabs or breaking your workflow.

It harnesses three of the most popular AIs around: ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. And for a limited time, you can secure lifetime access to BrowserCopilot for just $69. That’s an 88% discount off the regular price of $619.

With well over a billion iPhones in use, Apple beats all rivals in the size of its active installed base. Roughly one in four active smartphones worldwide is an iPhone, according to new research.

This didn’t happen by accident — Apple actively supports older iPhone models for a good reason: they’re an important source of revenue.

iPhone or Mac overloaded with pictures? The Photo Backup Stick Omega Universal from Paraben Consumer Software offers a quick fix. It’s a smart thumb drive for photo storage with USB-C, Lightning and micro USB connectors so it works with all your devices.

It comes in 64GB and 128GB models, and makes it easy to free up space across your Apple devices. And right now, it’s on sale for just $29.97 (MSRP $59.99).

February 10, 1993: Apple launches the Macintosh Color Classic, the company’s first compact Mac with a color screen.

As the first all-in-one Mac with an integrated color display, and the last U.S. Mac to offer the original model’s compact form factor, this model represents a landmark in the evolution of the Macintosh. A Color Classic unit also happens to become the 10 millionth Macintosh that Apple ships.

You can charge your AirPods to 100% and get more battery life out of them by switching off the default setting, which limits them to 80%. The charge limit can help preserve your AirPods’ battery to extend their useful life. But that comes at the expense of more frequent charging every day. And if you find yourself in a situation where you need that extra battery life, this tip lets you unlock it — for one day or forever.

If you want to squeeze as much battery life out of your AirPods as possible, and you don’t mind upgrading every few years, here’s how to change the setting. Keep reading or watch our quick video.

Learn guitar the modern way with Fret Zealot. Its structured courses, visual guidance, hundreds of songs and thousands of lessons work for anyone from rank beginners to advanced players looking to level up their fretboard game.

And you gain access to all of it with a one-year Fret Zealot All Access Pass for $99.99.

Update: Today, February 10, is the deadline to update the Apple Home app to avoid hassles. Read on for more information about what to do and why. 

After previous warnings, Apple issued a final email this week to customers using its Home app: Upgrade to the latest architecture by February 10 or risk losing control of your smart home devices. Well, that doesn’t sound good.

Clawdbot. Moltbot. OpenClaw. The rapid rebranding might confuse you, but behind that name is a genuinely useful tool. OpenClaw is a self-hosted AI agent that you can run on your own Mac or PC.

More importantly, it can carry out actions on your behalf, like reading and modifying files, running shell commands, and even installing new tools. Think of OpenClaw as an AI agent running on your Mac that can act as your always-on digital butler.

Less than a month after its initial announcement, ChatGPT has started rolling out ads for users on its free and Go tiers. For now, the ads will only appear for 18+ users in the US.

With this move, ChatGPT becomes the first major AI chatbot to introduce advertising.

On the latest episode of the Cult of Mac podcast: Apple makes a pretty bold move by adding third-party AI coding tools to Xcode. This will make it easier for professional developers to deal with drudge work.

It also makes it simpler for beginners to write their own apps. With AI in Xcode, anyone with a good idea can make their coding dream come true. And this raises all kinds of questions …

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• A new leak offers more info on the upcoming foldable iPhone. And another new leak indicates Apple might make a different style of folding phone, too. Do we really need such things?
• Apple updates some ancient iPhones, pretty much laying waste to the Cupertino conspiracy theory about forced obsolescence.
• And finally, Griffin shows an iPhone tip that could prove lifesaving for some — and definitely will prove useful for many.

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.

iOS 26 is the most controversial iPhone update in many years. That includes dislike of the Liquid Glass design, but there are also plenty of reports of performance problems. That makes iOS 27 such an important update — Apple needs to fix bugs and maybe even find a way to deal with those unsatisfied with the new look of the operating system.

Early reports indicate Apple made fixing iOS 26 problems a focus of the next major update. But which models get iOS 27? And who gets left out in the cold? Here’s what we know now.

“Love is a many-splendored thing,” goes the old saying — like a multifaceted, intricately cut diamond. Fortunately, your valentine probably doesn’t expect a diamond for a gift on February 14 (hopefully, for the sake of your wallet). But you can still spend loads of cash on Apple’s picks for Valentine’s Day gifts. We selected a bunch below. 

February 9, 1993: NeXT Inc., the company Steve Jobs founded after being pushed out of Apple, quits making computers. The company changes its name to NeXT Software and focuses its efforts entirely on producing code for other platforms.

In a mass layoff, 330 of NeXT’s 500 employees lose their jobs in an event known internally as “Black Tuesday.” Cruelly, many people hear of their fate on the radio.

Apple Creator Studio and Adobe Creative Cloud take very different approaches to creative software. One focuses on deep hardware integration and streamlined workflows, while the other prioritizes breadth, flexibility and industry-standard tools.

Both of these subscription app bundles promise powerful creative capabilities. However, which one actually makes more sense depends on your requirements, capabilities and workflow.

Our guide to Apple Creator Studio versus Adobe Creative Cloud will help you decide which bundle is right for you.

Apple TV continued its awards season momentum at the 78th Annual Directors Guild Awards Sunday night, taking home wins for breakout comedy series The Studio, acclaimed documentary series Mr. Scorsese and commercial “I’m Not Remarkable.”

For Apple enthusiasts, one Mac is great — but two or more? That’s when things get seriously interesting. Years of Cult of Mac Setups coverage has showcased hundreds of impressive workstations. But these top 10 multi-Mac setups stand out as particularly fascinating examples of how power users leverage Apple’s ecosystem to its fullest potential.

From new M4-powered machines paired with vintage “trash can” Mac Pros to dual MacBook configurations seamlessly integrated with desktop Macs, these workstations demonstrate that having multiple Macs isn’t just about redundancy. It’s about optimizing workflow, separating concerns and yes, indulging in a bit of Apple-fandom excess.

Reports of Apple launching new M5 Pro-powered MacBook Pros have been circulating for a while now. With shipments of the M4 Pro/Max models delayed by a few weeks, all signs point to an imminent launch.

But exactly when will Apple make its move? Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has now offered a more concrete timeline.

February 8, 2010: Apple CEO Steve Jobs reportedly flips out over a tweet sent from an iPad by an editor at The Wall Street Journal.

The reason? Apple showed the iPad to top staffers at the news outlet months ahead of its official release. While Jobs already unveiled the device to the public a couple of weeks before, the suggestion that people outside Apple gained early access to the tablet apparently upset him.

The iPad tweet quickly disappears.