Apple rumors - page 4

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple reportedly plans to focus on squashing bugs in iOS 27 and the rest of next year’s new operating systems. Sounds like Snow Leopard redux … and we couldn’t be happier. New features be damned!

Also on The CultCast:

• Android devices get a delicious dose of AirDrop.
• As usual, Apple’s Black Friday deals don’t knock us out. But plenty of other big discounts do. We discuss some of the best sales we’ve seen.
• Griffin shows how you can give your Mac a makeover in macOS Tahoe. The new customization options look rad — and functional!
• And finally, Griffin reviews the ViewSonic VP2788-5K, a Mac-ready, 27-inch 5K monitor with great features (and a regrettable name).

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast 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.

Apple’s smallest tablet may be getting a significant upgrade soon, with iPad mini 8 expected to adopt OLED display technology by late 2026, according to Chinese leaker Instant Digital. The third quarter of next year at the earliest, they said.

Apple will reportedly surpass Samsung to become the world’s largest smartphone maker this year. The strong sales of Phone 17 will help the company reclaim the crown in more than a decade.

Strong consumer interest in the new iPhones has led to double-digit growth in sales, which will make this achievement possible.

Apple’s iOS 27 developers have reportedly been tasked with bringing to iPhone a feature many users have asked for, and every one actually wants. And it’s not AI. No, it seems the focus of the next major upgrade will be on removing bugs and improving the performance of the operating system.

The same supposedly goes for the next major version of macOS, iPadOS and other Apple OSs.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest rumor about Apple CEO Tim Cook‘s retirement says he could step down as early as next January. We discuss the likelihood of that, and Apple’s succession plans, as we debate the company’s future.

Also on The CultCast:

• Soon, iPhones will let users trigger voice assistants other than Siri (at least in some countries).
• It sounds like Apple might kill the Mac Pro. We pour one out for the distinguished line of high-powered computers — but recognize that maybe their time has come.
• Against all odds, the iPhone Pocket is a hit! Time to eat some crow.
• You won’t believe what London phone thieves do when they find out they’ve got an Android on their hands.
• And finally … we marvel at some super-high-end Apple setups.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast 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.

Abidur Chowdhury, the industrial designer who helped shape the iPhone Air, reportedly left Apple for an unnamed AI startup.

“His exit made waves internally, given his rising profile within the design team,” according to a Bloomberg report.

Contrary to a recent rumor, Apple didn’t delay the launch of the iPhone Air 2 to 2027 — that was seemingly the company’s plan all along.
A new report adds more info about the road map for the super-slim device, as well as shedding more light on Apple’s plans to spread out iPhone launches starting in 2026 to give its marketing team some breathing room.

Apple reportedly has “largely written off the Mac Pro” and does not plan to significantly upgrade its expandable desktop computer in 2026.
Instead, the company seems focused on the Mac Studio, a smaller desktop machine without expansion slots.
Don’t miss our explanation on why Apple killing the Mac Pro makes sense.

Apple’s board of directors is reportedly amping up the search for a new CEO to replace Tim Cook, possibly as early as January 2026. The board recently “intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins,” according to a Saturday report from the Financial Times, which says the announcement of a new Apple CEO could come alongside the company’s post-holiday earnings report.

The story cited “several people familiar with discussions inside the tech group.”

Apple might have silently discontinued the original HomePod mini. The tiny smart speaker is out of stock across several U.S. retailers, fueling speculation that a new model might be coming soon.

The second-generation iPhone Air won’t launch next fall, according to an unconfirmed report published Monday. The super-slim new smartphone is apparently such a dud with customers that Apple put the follow-up on hold.
Reports that the iPhone Air hasn’t found an audience have circulated almost since the handset premiered in September.

The Mac isn’t carrying its weight. In fact, it’s Apple’s lowest-selling product line, sitting behind even the Apple Watch. And despite macOS being a standout platform, it lags far behind Windows where it matters: worldwide adoption.
Apple needs a fresh angle, and the rumored budget MacBook might be the first real chance to rewrite the Mac’s trajectory.

Apple reportedly plans to expand the iPhone‘s satellite connectivity capabilities beyond emergency calling and texting. It is working on a framework to enable third-party apps to use satellite connectivity.
Additionally, the company plans to bring satellite connectivity to Apple Maps to enable navigation in areas without cellular coverage.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple reportedly plans to pay a cool $1 billion a year to use Google Gemini to make Siri smarter. How do we feel about that? Honestly, anything that fixes Siri sooner rather than later would be a big win.

Anybody creeped out about iPhones and Macs with Google inside should rest easy, though. Apple plans to keep everything safe and secure. And Cupertino’s still scrambling to get its own AI up to speed.

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple plans to build a low-priced laptop that will bring Macs to the masses. We discuss why that has PC makers quaking in their boots.
• The iPhone Air is reportedly a bust. One big reason is that people love their iPhone cameras — and the Air skimped out on that. The next iPhone Air model might add a second lens, but really fix the problem?
• Some automakers plan to pull the plug on CarPlay. We’re already plotting our revolt!
• Griffin runs down the top five features in iOS 26.1 that you should try immediately, including one important toggle that will keep your iPhone from photographing the luxurious insides of your pocket.
• And finally, we wrap up with a new game — Apple Mad Libs!

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast 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.

The M3 Ultra-equipped Mac Studio is among the most powerful Macs you can currently buy. Despite featuring faster cores, Apple indirectly confirmed it will not launch an M4 Ultra chip. 
This won’t be the case with the M5, as the company reportedly plans to launch an M5 Ultra-powered Mac Studio in 2026.

Apple’s long-delayed Siri upgrade will reportedly “lean on Google’s Gemini” model to power many of its features. It will also include an AI-powered web search.

However, this Gemini integration will supposedly function differently from how Apple currently integrates ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest rumor about the 20th anniversary iPhone whets our appetite for this glorious device. It’s just over the horizon, and it sounds like an absolute stunner.

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple reportedly plans to bring a gorgeous OLED screen to almost every iPad.
• A horrifying AirPods Pro 3 problem strikes when you need it least — while flying! Thankfully, it seems like the glitch is not that widespread. Still, we’ve got some tips on preparing for the worst.
• Griffin serves up his M5 Vision Pro review, and Leander talks up Apple Watch Series 11.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast 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.

Apple could bring the iPhone’s water-resistant design to the iPad. The company has internally tested an iPad mini casing with an IP rating.

Unlike iPhones, iPads typically aren’t exposed to the same environmental challenges. So, Apple never made iPads with an IP rating, but that could eventually change.

The next-generation iPad mini will be upgraded with a gorgeous OLED display, according to a generally reliable source of Apple insider info. It’s apparently part of a drive that will eventually see an OLED screen coming to the iPad Air, too. But there’s bad news about the budget iPad.

The move comes as the oft-predicted OLED MacBook Pro moves closer to release.

After years of speculation and false starts, Apple’s ambitious plan to eliminate mechanical buttons from the iPhone may finally become reality in 2027 with the 20th anniversary handset, according to a new report Tuesday. This may be a bit of an adjustment for button lovers, but haptics have their benefits. 

Apple’s next budget iPhone — the iPhone 17e — will supposedly feature a Dynamic Island. The iPhone 16e currently sports a notch, the only handset in the company’s lineup to do so. 

Unfortunately, this could be the iPhone 17e’s only display upgrade, as Apple does not plan to update the panel to a 120Hz one.

Those clamoring for more professional-grade iPad applications could soon get a quartet of them. An analyst found evidence on Monday that Pixelmator Pro and three more Mac apps for graphics professionals are getting ported to iPadOS.

If true, the move should help quiet the critics who complain that the iPad Pro isn’t very “pro.”

The next-generation iPad Pro will almost certainly get an Apple M6 processor for better performance, but Apple will go beyond a new chip to make its next premium tablet even faster: it’ll build in a vapor chamber cooling system, according to a reliable source of insider information.

The change will especially benefit graphic designers who push the GPU in current iPads to its limits.

Apple will reportedly bring ads to Apple Maps — much like it did with the App Store. Efforts to show advertisements to Apple Maps users have supposedly picked up pace within the company.

Apple will let businesses pay to feature their sponsored listings more prominently in its Maps app.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Griffin gets his hands on the new M5 Vision Pro, and he’s all too happy to share his first impressions about the upgraded headset.

Also on The CultCast:

• The latest iOS beta offers a strange option for people who dislike Liquid Glass.
• New rumors about Apple’s folding iPhone and iPad make both projects sound a bit shaky. And the prices we might pay when these devices finally arrive? Outrageous!
• The Mac mini is one smokin’ machine, and it powers some pretty sweet setups.
• And finally, we field a question from a listener about our Cult of Mac workflows.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast 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.