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Wait for AirPods Pro 3 likely stretches into 2026

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AirPods Pro 3 release date
The AirPods Pro 3 release date is apparently still months down the road.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Two reliable analysts recently predicted that the AirPods Pro 3 release date won’t come before the end of 2025.

Apple is reportedly loading the next generation of its high-end wireless earbuds up with new features, and that’s apparently taking some extra time. All the way to 2026.

Speedy new Ugreen GaN charger packs 500W and 6 ports

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Ugreen Nexode 500W charger 6 ports fast charging
This robust desktop charger meets many charging needs.
Photo: Ugreen

Ugreen launched what it calls the world’s most powerful gallium nitride (GaN) charger Monday — the Ugreen Nexode 500W 6-Port GaN Desktop Fast Charger. It promises to change how Apple users and other tech users power their devices.

At 500 watts, the $249.99 charger delivers unprecedented charging capacity through five USB-C ports and one USB-A port. That could eliminate the need for multiple adapters cluttering your workspace.

Today in Apple history: iPad 2 leak lands insiders in prison

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The iPad Pro.
Leaking pre-release images could land you behind bars.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

June 15: Today in Apple history: iPad 2 leak lands insiders in prison June 15, 2011: Three people get sentenced to prison in China for leaking information about the iPad 2 prior to its release.

The Foxconn R&D employees receive sentences ranging from one year to 18 months. They also must pay fines between $4,500 and $23,000. If you ever wonder why more Apple products don’t leak prior to release, this might help explain why!

Your Friends & Neighbors and Murderbot stay popular week after week

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Jon Hamm and Alexander Skarsgård  both have hits on Apple TV+!
Jon Hamm and Alexander Skarsgård both have hits on Apple TV+!
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ crime drama Your Friends & Neighbors has held onto a large audience for two months now, appearing yet again on a weekly list of the top 10 most popular series, according to a company that tracks ratings. The show stars Jon Hamm as a very unusual thief.

Plus, the Apple TV+ sci-fi action comedy series Murderbot settled into steady popularity.

Add an iPhone SE to your Apple arsenal for less than $125

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A refurbished Apple iPhone SE (second-gen from 2020)
Pick up this quality iPhone SE at a steep discount.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’re itching to add a reliable iPhone to your pile of Apple gear — but without dropping flagship-level cash — this deal on an iPhone SE (a refurbished second-gen model) might make your week.

Right now, you can get your hands on a Grade-A refurbished second-gen iPhone SE with 64GB of storage, unlocked and in near-mint condition for just $124.99. Even better? Shipping is free, and the phone is ready to roll with any major carrier.

Hands-on with iOS 26 and Liquid Glass: The good, the bugs and the ugly

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iOS 26 and Liquid Glass
One week with the new iOS 26.
Image: Apple

I’ve spent the week hands-on with iOS 26, living with its stunning new design and incredible features. I really love the direction iOS is going — even if there are a lot of kinks that need to be worked out before its September release.

Liquid Glass, the flashy new user interface, is gorgeous. Loads of people will love the new Lock Screen and Home Screen features, like Spatial Scenes and clear icons. A few other features may need some tweaking, however, like the new Camera app and Phone app.

Should you install it yourself? God no, it’s a buggy mess. You should definitely not install it on your daily driver. But should you be excited to get it in September, after Apple irons out the kinks? Absolutely. Keep reading or watch our video for a hands-on look at the joys (and annoyances) of iOS 26.

Today in Apple history: Paul McCartney is unlikely star of iTunes ad

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An vividly animated Apple ad showcases Paul McCartney's
A vividly animated Apple ad showcases Paul McCartney's "Dance Tonight."
Photo: Apple

June 14: Today in Apple history: Paul McCartney iTunes ad features Dance Tonight June 14, 2007: Paul McCartney sings his new song “Dance Tonight” in an iPod + iTunes ad, the latest in a series of Apple spots starring music industry legends.

The new animated ad signifies a thawing of the icy relationship between Apple and McCartney, whose original band The Beatles has been locked in a legal battle with Cupertino for decades.

AirTag helps couple swipe back their stolen Jaguar

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AirTag finds a stolen car
Thieves nabbed this Jaguar e-Pace despite it having two immobilizing devices. Luckily, it also had an AirTag.
Photo: BBC News/Metropolitan Police Service

A couple from London successfully tracked down and recovered their stolen Jaguar using an Apple AirTag after police appeared “too stretched” to provide immediate assistance. So they ended up asking, when AirTag finds a stolen car, who needs the cops?

Mia Forbes Pirie and her husband Mark Simpson discovered their $60,000 Jaguar E-Pace missing from outside their home June 3. They called the police and even explained the bit about the AirTag showing the car’s specific location in town. But they found themselves on their own, at least at first.

MacBook Pro rig adds dual 5K displays and badass mechanical keyboard [Setups]

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dual 5K displays
Since other recent changes, I added two 5K touchscreen displays and a mechanical keyboard. And yeah, please pardon my hideous cables.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

After several years of covering the Cult of Mac setups beat, I still rarely write about my own. But major new upgrades call for it. Since a spate of recent changes, I’m still rocking the M4 Pro MacBook Pro as my main daily driver. But I replaced dual 4K external displays with a pair of 5K touchscreen displays. And I dipped my toe into the world of serious mechanical keyboards for the first time.

Virtually all iPhones sold in US now made in India to avoid Trump tariffs

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iPhone 14 Pro in India
Your next iPhone could be assembled in India, not China.
Photo: Cult of Mac

We’ll have to stop thinking of the iPhone as a product made in China — nearly all Apple’s handsets for sale in the United States are reportedly now assembled in India.

It’s part of Apple’s effort to reduce paying the tariffs President Donald Trump places on most products imported into the U.S., especially ones that come from China.

This suction cup mount lets you put your iPhone anywhere

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Photo of iPhones and other mobile phones connecting to a suction cup phone mount
Save on a versatile mount that holds your iPhone securely.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’re tired of fumbling with flimsy phone mounts that can’t handle your iPhone’s weight or your car’s bumps, this 360-degree suction cup phone mount is here to save the day. Designed for seamless integration with your iPhone, it’s perfect for cars, desks and multiple other scenarios.

A powerful suction cup holds the mount in place virtually anywhere, a magnetic ring holds MagSafe phones in place, and a flexible arm lets you position your iPhone any way you like. Grab one now while it costs just $19.99 (regularly $39.99).

Why Apple still won’t put macOS on iPad

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Why Apple still won’t put macOS on iPad
A high-level Apple exec explains why iPad and Mac will stay separate.
Image: Cult of Mac

iPadOS 26 moves the iPad closer to the Mac than ever before. But don’t take the upcoming operating system as a stepping stone toward an eventual unification between iPadOS and macOS. That’s clearly not going to happen.

The reason can be summed up with a phrase that Craig Federighi, Apple’s head of software development, used in an interview at WWDC this week: “iPad’s gonna be iPad.”

Today in Apple history: Eddy Cue takes the stand to defend iBooks pricing

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ibooks_cloud_2x
Eddy Cue took the stand to testify about Apple's e-book pricing in a 2013 antitrust trial targeting the iBooks Store.
Photo: Apple

June 13: Today in Apple history: Eddy Cue takes the stand to defend iBooks pricing June 13, 2013: Apple exec Eddy Cue takes the stand to defend the company’s iBooks business strategy in an antitrust case regarding e-book pricing.

Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, runs the iBooks Store initiative. His testimony proves vital to a case brought by the Department of Justice, in which potential damages climb well into the nine figures.

Sydney Sweeney kills in thriller Echo Valley [Update: Now streaming]

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Echo Valley movie
It's described as an "edge-of-your-seat thriller," and it might actually be one.
Photo: Apple TV+

“It” girl actress Sydney Sweeney plays a drug addict and probable killer whose mom, played by Julianne Moore, will do anything to save her, according to a trailer Apple TV+ dropped recently for the new Echo Valley movie. It’s now streaming, as of Friday, and you can watch the trailer below.

Ridley Scott produces the thriller, which also stars Kyle MacLachlan and Domhall Gleeson.

Update: Echo Valley, now available to watch on Apple TV+, garners mixed reviews so far. Empire calls it a “superbly acted rural thriller.” Financial Times said it’s “delightedly twisty” with “dark dashes of Hitchcock.” But IGN calls it “hollow” and “dull,” and a New York Times review says: “A stellar cast led by Julianne Moore is unable to breathe life into this unsuccessful blend of maternal drama and crime caper.”

1Password unlock presets will cut down on constant unlocks

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1Password app sign in with FaceID
1Password's new app unlock presets promise a seamless experience.
Photo: 1Password

1Password is testing a new unlock system on Mac, aiming to reduce the need for constant reauthentication. The app introduces three preset modes — Convenient, Balanced and Strict — giving users control over how frequently they unlock the app based on their security preferences.

The changes are currently only available on 1Password’s beta channel for Mac.

Wait for AI-enhanced Siri stretches out almost a year

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AI-generated image of a circuit board with an Apple logo, and he words,
Work on a much smarter Siri will take about a long to finish as pessimists predicted.
AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac

The release date for the AI-enhanced version of the Siri voice assistant will likely come in spring 2026, according to information leaking out of Apple. That’s nine months from now, and a year after it was first expected.

The long delay in the launch of smarter Siri was a significant black eye for Apple, clearly demonstrating that it wasn’t keeping up with rivals in AI research.

Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs delivers epic commencement address at Stanford

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Steve Jobs delivers legendary commencement speech from podium at Stanford University in California.
Steve Jobs inspired generations with his legendary Stanford commencement address.
Photo: Steve Jobs Archive

June 12: Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs delivers Stanford commencement speech June 12, 2005: Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivers a brilliant commencement speech to graduating students at Stanford University.

Packed with incredible insights, the motivational speech includes many memorable lines that capture the essence of Jobs’ incredible life — and provide a template for success through following your passions. And he does it all in less than 15 minutes.

How to connect Apple Watch to a Planet Fitness treadmill

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Running in Sync
Available in certain gyms and equipment.
Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Connect Apple Watch to a treadmill at Planet Fitness, and other exercise equipment, for more accurate health data inside the Fitness and Health apps on your iPhone. After all, if you’re working out, you want to make sure your Apple Watch gives you credit for it.

Here’s how.

iOS 26 lets you watch videos via CarPlay for first time (when parked)

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watch videos on CarPlay
Soon this same CarPlay screen will be able to show videos when the car is parked.
Photo: Apple

In a significant policy shift, Apple will let iPhone users stream videos directly to their CarPlay screens for the first time since the platform’s launch. With iOS 26, showcased at WWDC25, the tech giant introduced AirPlay video functionality for CarPlay. So you can stream video from apps in the car — but only when you’re parked.

Tiny external SSD easily plugs into new and old computers

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PNY Duo Link V3
This thumb-size external SSD connects to your Mac or your smartTV, no adapter needed.
Image: PNY

The PNY Duo Link V3 external SSD includes both a USB-C and a USB-A connector. That means the flash drive that launched Thursday can plug into any modern Mac, or it can go into a smartTV or other accessory that lacks a USB-C port — no adapter needed.

Even better, it offers 1,000MB/s data transfers, and capacities go up to 2 terabytes. The price is very competitive, too.

How to file Apple bug reports (and why you should do it ASAP)

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Text “Work the Feedback System” next to a screenshot of Feedback on iPhone
There are unspoken rules and tricks to getting your bug reports fixed.
Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

June is the best time of year to give feedback to Apple on betas for iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch. Just after the company releases the initial betas of its upcoming software updates, this is when Apple engineers have the most time to address bugs and make changes. And that makes this the optimal time to file an Apple bug report.

It won’t be long before Apple engineers’ task lists fill up through the fall, when the new software will be released. After that, teams are rearranged to make the sprint toward the next year’s updates. So if you have any input, you’d best make yourself heard now.

How do you file a bug report or send in feedback to Apple? Apple made a tool called Feedback Assistant that will guide you through the process. It’s available if you’re running a developer or a public beta of iOS, macOS or iPadOS. Here’s how.

Save on Bose QuietComfort Ultra noise-canceling earbuds

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Man in pink shirt wearing Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds.
Save on comfy earbuds from Bose, the company that set the standard for active noise cancellation.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you want high-quality noise-canceling earbuds but AirPods Pro don’t feel right in your ears, consider Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds. With a comfortable fit, thanks to multiple ear tip and stability band sizes, they’re designed for long-term wear, whether you’re in back-to-back Zoom calls or crunching numbers while listening to a lo-fi playlist.

They come from Bose, so you already know they sound great and deliver excellent active noise cancellation. And right now, you can grab a pair of refurbished QuietComfort Ultra earbuds for just $189.99 (regularly $299).

Wobkey Rainy 75 mechanical keyboard feels (and sounds) rock solid [Review] ★★★★☆

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Wobkey Rainy 75 mechanical keyboard review★★★★☆
The little storm cloud at lower right is a cute touch on the Rainy 75.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

Among keyboard enthusiasts, the Wobkey Rainy 75 mechanical keyboard recently gained a deserved reputation as a rock-solid budget-to-mid-priced option. The 75% layout keeb for Mac or Windows combines premium materials, customizable features and impressive performance in a package that punches above its price point. This hands-on Wobkey Rainy 75 mechanical keyboard review will cover the bases to help potential buyers make an informed decision.