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Colorful Lego iMac G3 moves closer to becoming reality

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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

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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.

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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.

Today in Apple history: Apple debuts its thinnest-ever iPod touch

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Promotional image showing six images of the sixth-generation iPod touch, used by Apple at the product's launch
The sixth-gen iPod touch packed big improvements into its incredibly slender case.
Photo: Apple

July 15: Today in Apple history: Apple debuts sixth-gen iPod touch, its thinnest ever July 15, 2015: Apple introduces the sixth-generation iPod touch, attempting to prove that there’s still a place for the humble music player in the crazy, crazy world of iPhones and Apple Watches.

Apple calls the device “the best iPod touch yet” in a press release, and touts “a new lineup of colors for all iPod models, including space gray, silver, gold, pink and blue.”

Judge dismisses $32.8 billion iCloud CSAM lawsuit against Apple

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Apple left Jony Ive out of its OpenAI lawsuit, but things might get messy

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An AI-generated image depicting Apple and OpenAI resolving dispute in the court of law.
The legal battle between Apple and OpenAI could get messy.
AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac

Apple seems to have gone to unusual lengths to keep one man out of its trade-secret lawsuit against OpenAI: Jony Ive.

However, the legal battle could end up with Apple’s former design chief taking the stand. And that could rattle Apple’s cordial relationship with Ive, who’s helping OpenAI build AI-powered gadgets that threaten the iPhone’s dominance.

Today in Apple history: Revolutionary MP3 file format gets its name

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Photograph of a black iPod with a black cord trailing out of it
The MP3 made the iPod possible.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

July 14: Today in Apple history: Revolutionary MP3 format gets its name July 14, 1995: The MP3 file format receives its official name as the new .bit file extension gets changed to .mp3. The technology allows the compression of a standard CD audio file to one-tenth its original size, courtesy of some smart algorithms. The format will revolutionize the music industry — and put Apple on the road to world dominance with the iPod.

The MP3 enables easy sharing of music tracks online and makes music more portable than ever. Within a few years, Apple’s iPod will become the world’s best-known MP3 player, quickly capitalizing on the new file format.

CrashStealer malware masquerades as Apple’s crash report tool to raid your Mac

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A screenshot of the Werkbit app CrashStealer malware running on macOS.
CrashStealer malware mimics Apple’s real crash-reporting tool, right down to the icon and name.
Image: Jamf Threat Labs

If you see a file called CrashReporter.dmg in your Mac’s Downloads folder, don’t open it. It’s not from Apple — it’s a new strain of malware called CrashStealer. It’s wearing Apple’s own clothing, right down to the icon, name and a fake password box designed to look like standard macOS.

The malware slips past Apple’s security checks and tricks victims into typing their Mac password before draining everything of value on the machine. Anyone who’s opened an unfamiliar app in the past few weeks should pay close attention.

This leaked WhatsApp feature could make iCloud a lot less important

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WhatsApp cloud backup solution
WhatsApp is working on its own cloud backup solution.
AI image: ChatGPT

WhatsApp currently uses iCloud as a cloud backup provider on iOS. Apple’s free 5GB of iCloud storage can fill up quickly, especially if you have years of WhatsApp chats and media. It also makes moving from an iPhone to an Android phone more complicated, as WhatsApp cannot restore iCloud backups on Android.

That may not be the case for much longer. WhatsApp appears to be working on its own cloud backup solution, which could solve both of these problems.

iOS 27 public beta arrives, and it’s stable enough to trust

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Image of the bottom of an iPhone with the Liquid Glass slider that is available in iOS 27 public beta
A slider in iOS 27 lets you adjust the look of Apple's Liquid Glass user interface.
Image: Apple

Apple released the first iOS 27 public beta Monday, giving everyday iPhone users a chance to experience the latest features.

By most accounts, it’s stable enough to download now and run without too much worry. The biggest bummer is that you’ll still need to get in line to experience the new, improved Siri AI.

Strong iPhone 17 demand keeps Apple climbing in global smartphone market

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Apple gains ground worldwide as iPhone 17 demand stays strong
Robust demand means iPhone 17 remains the world's top-shipping smartphone.
Photo: Rubaitul Azad/Pexels

Apple continued to gain ground in the global smartphone market during the second quarter of 2026, according to new data from a market-analysis firm. The iPhone posted another quarter of year-over-year growth, increasing total shipments by 3% while boosting Apple’s global market share to a quarterly record.

The iPhone 17 series continues to experience strong sales, according to the analysts. One main reason for the success might seem surprising, coming from Cupertino: small price tags! Apple maintained iPhone prices while rivals increased theirs due to sharply rising memory costs.

How Apple could fix a major Mac Studio memory problem

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Pros should pin their hopes on Apple M5 Ultra and M7 Ultraz
The Mac Studio comes with a serious memory limitation. The M5 Ultra and M7 Ultra could be the solution.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

The Mac Studio, Apple’s top-of-the-line desktop, delivers extraordinary CPU and GPU performance in a surprisingly compact enclosure — but many users simply cannot add as much RAM as they need.

However, change is apparently on the way. Apple is reportedly developing an M5 Ultra chip that supports more unified memory than the current version. And the subsequent M7 Ultra chip will be even better — it will supposedly handle as much as three times more RAM. That’s a dramatic leap beyond the best of today’s Macs.

SigLens acquisition targets one of Apple’s biggest headaches: Buggy apps

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A picture of SigLens logo used in a story about Apple's acquisition of the debugging tool.
Apple’s SigLens acquisition gives Cupertino a dashboard built to hunt down bugs across its sprawling network of interconnected apps.
Image: SigLens

Apple just went shopping for a bug hunter. Cupertino scooped up SigScalr, a small startup behind SigLens, an app designed to detect exactly where the software goes wrong — even if the software is basically hundreds of smaller programs working as a single app.

Apple did not announce the acquisition via a press release. It surfaced through the European Union’s paperwork, the same way a lot of Apple’s smaller acquisitions did in the last few years.

But don’t let the quiet rollout fool you. SigLens tackles a problem that’s only getting worse as apps become more complex. And it looks like Apple clearly wants it fixed before it becomes Xcode’s problem too.

Today in Apple history: Nike+iPod Sport Kit puts fitness tracking in your pocket

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Promotional image for Nike+iPod Sports Kit, a fitness-tracking device that paired a pedometer a Nike shoe with Apple's popular music player.
The Nike+iPod Sport Kit was a nifty innovation.
Photo: Apple

July 13: Today in Apple history: Nike+iPod Sport Kit brings fitness tracking to your pocket July 13, 2006: Apple releases its first activity tracker, the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, which combines Cupertino’s popular music player with a smart pedometer that fits in a shoe.

The product marks Apple’s first step toward the kind of mobile health-tracking initiatives it will pursue in the following decade — most notably through its iOS Health app and the Apple Watch.

The real story behind the Apple/Intel chips deal? It reportedly started at the White House.

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An AI-generated image of Intel chip used in an Apple device.
A new report sheds light on how the Apple-Intel chips deal actually came together.
AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook didn’t fly to Washington last summer to talk about Intel. He went there to keep Apple from getting hit with a 100% tariff on every chip the company imports. But somewhere in those meetings, the conversation shifted to an unexpected topic — Intel.

Fast forward a year, and Apple and Intel now have a manufacturing arrangement in the works. And according to a new report, the origin story is less about “engineering roadmap” and more about “the White House brought it up while Apple was trying to survive a tariff fight.”

Tap to Pay on iPhone finally replaces clunky card reader at Apple Stores

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A picture of Apple's Tap to Pay feature used in a story about Apple Store staff making the switch to an iPhone.
Tap to Pay on iPhone turns it into a checkout counter — no card sled needed.
Photo: Apple

The next time an Apple Store employee rings you up, don’t be surprised if you don’t see the traditional plastic card sled. Apple is silently retiring the hardware its retail staff has strapped onto their iPhones for years. The company seems to be betting on the fact that the iPhone is finally good enough to close the sale.

Apple is now reportedly handing out iPhone 16s to its blue-shirted employees to expand Tap to Pay on iPhone. This software feature turns the device into a contactless payment terminal with nothing bolted on. It’s a small hardware swap, but Apple no longer thinks it needs a middleman to take your money.

Apple’s AI ambitions may kill the M6 Pro and M6 Max

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The next leap in Apple silicon may skip a step.
The next leap in Apple silicon may skip a step.
AI image: ChatGPT

Apple will supposedly skip launching the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips due to AI. Instead, it will launch an M6-powered MacBook Pro and then directly jump to the M7 Pro and Max chips in 2027.

This move would mark a notable shift from Apple’s long-established Apple silicon release strategy. Since the M1 debuted, every generation expanded from the base chip to Pro and Max variants.

Apple preps pair of redesigned Apple Pencils for iPad

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Apple Pencil rumors: new models on the way
A new leak says iPad users can look forward to fresh Apple Pencil models.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly working on two new styli models for launch alongside next year’s iPad Pro refresh. Both the Apple Pencil Pro and the entry-level Apple Pencil with USB-C are back on the drawing board, according to a reliable source of insider information.

One major reason for the redesign could be upcoming European Union rules that will require consumer electronics to use more easily replaceable batteries.

Today in Apple history: ‘Antennagate’ scandal hits its peak

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Steve Jobs stands onstage with the word
"Antennagate" caused big problems for Apple.
Photo: Apple

July 12: Today in Apple history: Antennagate scandal hits its peak July 12, 2010: The iPhone 4 suffers a major blow when respected trade publication Consumer Reports says it can’t, in good faith, recommend the new Apple smartphone.

The reason the magazine refuses to give its vaunted “recommended” label to the previously top-ranked device in its devastating iPhone 4 review? A little Apple scandal called “Antennagate.”

iOS 27 public beta arrives soon — prep your iPhone now [Update: It’s here!]

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A picture of iOS 27 used in a story about iOS 27 public beta coming out soon.
Get ready now so you can grab the iOS 27 public beta as soon as it arrives.
Photo: Apple

Update: Apple released the first iOS 27 public beta on Monday.

The iOS 27 public beta is coming soon — if Apple’s previous release pattern holds up, it could hit your iPhone any day now. Developers have been having all the fun since early June, playing around with Siri AI and the new Liquid Glass slider while the rest of us waited. Now, that wait is almost over.

Once the public beta drops, which should be more stable than the initial developer betas, anyone can install iOS 27 for free. But your iPhone does need some prep first, and there are a few reasons you should think twice before hitting the Install button.