MacRumors

Apple appears to have modified the audio of this week's WWDC 2026 keynote video whenever "Siri" was mentioned, apparently in an effort to prevent viewers' nearby devices from waking inadvertently during the presentation.

The technique was spotted by observers on X, who shared spectrogram screenshots showing clear gaps in those specific frequency ranges coinciding precisely with instances of the ‌Siri‌ name throughout the video. Apple appears to have cut out the 3kHz, 4kHz, 5kHz, and 6kHz frequency bands.

The approach is designed to defeat wake-word detection, which relies on recognizing the acoustic profile of phrases like "‌Siri‌" and Hey ‌Siri‌." By surgically removing the frequencies that carry key phonetic energy in the word "‌Siri‌," Apple can reduce the likelihood that HomePods, iPhones, iPads, and Macs in a viewer's home will trigger while the keynote plays back.

The technique does not appear to have been fully effective, however, as multiple viewers reported their devices activating anyway during the stream.

In 2017, Amazon was found to use a similar approach in its Alexa TV commercials, notching out frequencies to avoid triggering Echo smart speakers in viewers' homes.

Apple software chief Craig Federighi used the WWDC 2026 keynote to draw a pointed contrast between Apple's approach to artificial intelligence and the broader industry, suggesting that some competitors are developing AI without meaningful consideration for the people using it.

During Monday's WWDC 2026 keynote, Federighi said:

AI is incredibly powerful technology. Still, some appear to be racing forward, seemingly pursuing AI for the sake of AI, without clear regard to the people, all of us, that it's ultimately meant to serve.

The remarks appeared to be aimed squarely at rivals including OpenAI, Google, and Meta, all of which have aggressively shipped AI products and services over the past two years. Federighi argued that Apple's conservative approach is more useful because it draws on personal context.

The comments arrived alongside Apple's unveiling of Siri AI, a ground-up rebuild of its digital assistant powered by the next generation of Apple Intelligence. Federighi described the effort as "a big leap forward," with "an innovative architecture that unlocks a new Siri across platforms."

Apple said it has created a second version of its Apple Foundation Models capable of understanding speech and reading text and images, with a new system orchestrator coordinating capabilities across its platforms.

The implicit dig at competitors carries some irony given Apple's own recent history with AI. The company spent the better part of two years struggling to deliver a meaningfully improved ‌Siri‌, and earlier this year parted ways with John Giannandrea, its former head of AI and machine learning, following a prolonged restructuring of its AI teams.

Federighi pushed back against the idea that the new ‌Siri‌ is simply another "bolted-on chatbot," saying the company sees it as "an integral but conversational tool that you use in the moment." Privacy, he said, is "non-negotiable," with data used only to execute a user's request.

Apple's software updates previewed during WWDC 2026 this week have followed a distinct pattern: introduce a handful of key new features, while maintaining a focus on refining the underlying platform architecture. watchOS 27 is no different in this respect, with the majority of changes being performance improvements under the hood.

That said, one of the most obvious user-facing changes is a new dynamic app grid that surfaces and rearranges five apps based on your current context and general usage, with Siri as the centerpiece. Pressing the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch immediately invokes the grid, which appears whether you use the app grid or list view. If the dynamic grid doesn't surface the app you're looking for, a turn of the Digital Crown reveals your preferred view.

The change straddles the line between redesigned navigation and the efficiency-minded development that defines the rest of watchOS 27, since the grid aims to get you to the app you want, just faster. It's probably the most obvious change you'll actually see, but there are several others that happen out of sight. Apple says they include:

• Better battery efficiency
• Improved Wi-Fi connectivity
• More efficient water detection
• More accurate step tracking
• Faster media playback
• Faster app extension launches

As with the rest of Apple's software previews this week, though, you'll need reasonably recent hardware to see any of these enhancements.

watchOS 27 requires an iPhone 11 or later or iPhone SE (2nd generation or later) with iOS 27. The new software also requires one of the following Apple Watch models: Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 9, 10, 11, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 or 3. In other words, ‌watchOS 27‌ drops support for the Apple Watch Series 6, Series 7, and Series 8, along with the original Ultra and SE 2. Apple will release the new software in the fall.

Audible last month launched a connected subscription that lets members stream nearly 700 premium podcast titles directly within Apple Podcasts, available across 135 countries.

The integration gives Audible members ad-free access to an expansive catalog of Audible Originals spanning true crime, investigative journalism, celebrity-led audio dramas, and personal growth categories.

Titles available at launch include award-winning series like Dr. Death, American Scandal, Business Wars, Dying for Sex, and Hysterical, Reinvent Your Life with Mel Robbins, The Prophecy, and The Big Lie. Marshall Lewy, Head of Audible Content for North America, said:

By bringing Audible's distinctive catalog to Apple Podcasts, we're allowing members to find their favorite Originals where many of them already listen to their podcasts. And by making select shows and episodes available widely, we have the opportunity to introduce new listeners to the extraordinary audio storytelling Audible offers right inside the Apple Podcasts app.

Existing Audible members can access the integration by opening ‌Apple Podcasts‌, where their subscription should connect automatically, or by searching for any Audible premium show and linking their account at no additional cost.

New subscribers can sign up directly through ‌Apple Podcasts‌ by searching for an Audible show such as Dr. Death and subscribing via the Audible app. Membership also unlocks standard Audible benefits including one audiobook per month and an unlimited listening library.

The full Audible channel on Apple Podcasts is available now in over 135 countries. Audible says the integration is expected to roll out to members in Australia, Japan, and Canada this month.

Apple was rumored to be working on an AI health service, but it was scrapped well before the iOS 27 beta came out. It could resurface in the future, but for now, there are a handful of health and fitness changes in the update.

Design

Apple redesigned the Browse section of the Health app, and it now uses a card-style interface instead of a list. It is more colorful and easier to see the different categories.

The app also has a single bottom navigation bar that incorporates a search/browse button, instead of a separate search button.

Visual Intelligence

Visual Intelligence has a new nutrition feature that can tell you the nutritional value of what you're eating. You can open the Camera app to the new Siri mode and take a photo of a food item to get feedback.

It does not give exact calorie counts, but it lets you know if a food is heavily processed, if it has protein, if it's high in sugar, and more. It gives food a nutritional value ranking between very low and very high. Data does not sync to the Health app, but it's still useful.

‌Visual Intelligence‌ requires an iPhone 15 Pro or later.

Cycle Tracking

Cycle Tracking is expanding with perimenopause/menopause support. The Health app now sends notifications when logged cycle patterns are suggestive of perimenopause.

The feature uses long-term cycle data to flag the perimenopause hormonal transition that can begin a decade or more before menopause. Cycle deviation alerts are based on the user's logged cycle history and are for users age 40 and above.

Users can keep track of symptoms and access educational resources that offer guidance and support.

Apple also added new Fitness+ workouts for perimenopause and menopause.

Faster Data Updates

Data syncs to the Health app quicker than before thanks to performance improvements Apple implemented.

Child Safety

There are several new Child Safety features that give parents more control over the content their children are seeing. Apple is including guidance based on expert health research to help parents make decisions about managing child accounts.

Route and Distance Accuracy

Route maps that populate the Fitness app after workouts are more accurate in ‌iOS 27‌. During treadmill workouts, distance is also reflected more accurately than before.

Step Count

Step counts will sync between the Health and Fitness apps.

GymKit

GymKit has expanded to the iPhone, which can pair with treadmills, indoor bikes, and other exercise equipment for data syncing. GymKit was previously an Apple Watch feature, but now iPhone users won't need a watch to use it.

GymKit can sync calories, distance, speed, incline, and pace.

Launch Date

‌iOS 27‌ is available to developers, with a public beta planned for July. It will launch to the public this fall.

Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi and marketing chief Greg Joswiak sat down for an interview with Mostly Human after during WWDC, discussing the iOS 27 Siri changes, Apple's take on AI, new child safety protections, and more.

Apple set out to deliver an AI utility, not an AI companion. When asked whether users could create an AI boyfriend or girlfriend with the new Siri, Federighi said absolutely not. ‌Siri‌ is meant to help, and Apple didn't want to focus on engagement like other AI companies. From Federighi:

Quite the opposite, because as you may know, if you use many of the existing chatbots, they're really focused on engagement to a large degree. And sycophancy, right? They kind of want to pull you in. They might encourage you to reveal things about yourself, and then use that as a basis to establish a connection.

We view it quite the opposite. I mean, the way that we have designed Siri, Siri really wants to say 'Listen, that's not what I'm here for, right? I'm here to help you. I can help you get things done. I can help you learn about the world.' But if you try to engage Siri as a romantic partner, Siri's not up for that. Siri's 100 percent not into that.

Joswiak said Apple didn't want to do AI for AI's sake, and the company wanted AI to blend in with existing iPhone features.

We like when technology disappears, right? You just focus on what you want to do, or you focus on the content. And it's the same thing with AI. [...] We don't do AI for AI's sake. 'Hey, look at us, we're doing AI.' It's how does AI make everything better? And that makes our products better, our features better.

He went on to say that he doesn't want iPhone users to have to be "prompt experts" to use AI. "We want to meet them where they're at," said Joswiak. "Have the products and features become better, and this is just a really helpful technology in making those features and products better."

Federighi wanted to make it clear that Apple's approach to AI is privacy forward.

I think it's a challenging thing for a lot of people to understand the distinction between what your iPhone knows and what, say, Apple as a company knows. Your iPhone is yours, right? Your data is yours and it stays on your phone and your control and Siri is using it for you. Apple doesn't get to know any of this stuff, and that is very different than I think most players in the space, and I think super important.

The full interview covers other topics like child safety, AI and jobs, iOS 27 features, Apple's 50th anniversary, the future of AI, scammers, and much more.

United States Senators Chuck Grassley and Amy Klobuchar this week reintroduced the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA) that targets major tech companies like Apple, and Apple is not happy to see it back.

The bipartisan bill is reminiscent of the Digital Markets Act in the European Union, banning large platforms from favoring their own products or services, limiting competitors' access to key platform features, locking users into default settings, and more. It is a reworked version of the same bill that did not reach a floor vote back in 2022.

In a statement to MacRumors, Apple said AICOA will undermine privacy, security, and child safety protections, while also making it more difficult to do business in the U.S.

We strongly disagree with the Senate's consideration of European-style regulation that would hamper innovation and force changes consumers never asked for, while undermining the privacy, security and child safety protections they rely on every day. Apple is proud to be an engine of innovation, job creation, and economic growth in the U.S., where some of the world's most innovative companies have designed technology that has changed the world. Importing Europe's failed policies will not increase competition -- it will make it more difficult to do business right here at home.

AICOA aims to "restore online competition and affordability" by preventing digital platforms from "abusing their market power to stifle competition, undercut online businesses and raise prices for American consumers." It would permit the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and state attorneys general to challenge online platforms for exclusionary conduct that harms competition.

It is applicable to platforms that have at least $175 billion in average annual gross revenue and reach 34 percent of U.S. subscriber households or 34 percent of U.S. monthly active users over the age of 12. Apple would be subject to the restrictions should AICOA pass. Companies are barred from the following under the current AICOA wording:

• Unfairly favoring their own products or services.
• Misusing nonpublic business-user data to copy and compete against small businesses.
• Unfairly limiting competitors' access to key platform features.
• Blocking business users from accessing or moving their own data from one digital platform to another.
• Retaliating against users or business users who raise legal concerns.
• Unfairly enforcing terms of service in ways that harm competition.
• Conditioning companies' access to the platform, or product placement on the platform, on purchase or use of unrelated services.
• Locking users into default settings.
• Skewing ranking or presentation against similarly situated business users.

Apple says AICOA would have the same impact as the Digital Markets Act, harming innovation, weakening privacy protections, and delaying new product features. Most recently, Apple said it would not be able to bring Siri AI to the European Union when iOS 27 launches because of an inability to reach an agreement with the European Commission on the DMA's interoperability rules.

Like the DMA, AICOA would allow for third-party app marketplaces and alternative payment methods, which Apple maintains will undermine the user protections of the App Store. Apple also says the AICOA rules mandating open platform access would give the most sensitive user data to any company that wants it.

Bill sponsors say AICOA was written to "preserve safety, privacy, intellectual property, national security and constitutional protections," and that it includes language to ensure covered platforms are able to prevent fraud and protect safety, user privacy, nonpublic data, or platform security.

Along with Apple, AICOA would impact Google, Amazon, and Meta. It is endorsed by Mozilla, Proton, DuckDuckGo, Yelp, and Y Combinator, among others. Senators Josh Hawley, Dick Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Cory Booker are co-sponsors.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

The Photos app is one of a handful of apps that Apple paid extra attention to in iOS 27. It has multiple improvements to performance, and several quality-of-life upgrades. There are also new AI photo editing tools that use Apple Intelligence.

AI Tools

There is a set of AI photo editing tools in the ‌Photos‌ app, accessible by tapping on the icon featuring three sliders, and then selecting the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ icon labeled "Tools."

Clean Up

Clean Up uses new AI models, and it's better at removing objects. The original version of Clean Up was best for small items with little complexity in the surrounding area, but now it is able to do more work reconstructing backgrounds with generative AI.

There are now three options for object removal. Fast works more quickly and can still be used for simple edits, while High Quality works better for more detailed scenes. Auto lets the ‌Photos‌ app decide which option is best.

Extend

Extend lets you change the crop of an image, expanding the borders around content to zoom out a bit or change the photo's composition. It uses generative AI to fill in missing areas, and you can adjust the borders with pinch gestures.

Apple also uses the Extend feature for expanding iPhone Lock Screen wallpapers that don't quite fit the display.

Reframe

Reframe can change the perspective of the photo, making adjustments to the angle of a person or object. It draws on the spatial information the iPhone gathers when a photo is taken, and combines it with AI to change the angle of the camera in post-processing. The spatial data is used for adjusting the subject of the image, and then AI fills in any pixels that are missing.

Reframe uses touch and drag gestures to adjust perspective, and two fingers for panning, zooming, or rotating an image to get the right angle.

Image Playground

While not part of the ‌Photos‌ app, the Image Playground app can be used to make photorealistic edits to your image. If you have a photo of a friend and want to add a hat or an accessory that looks real, you can do so with ‌Image Playground‌. You can select specific areas in an image to modify and make AI edits using natural language, plus there's an option to combine images.

‌Image Playground‌ can be used for free, but there will be daily caps, with extra usage available through iCloud+ plans.

Videos to Photos

You can now save a frame of a video as an individual photo.

Metadata

Apple now lets you add keywords and star ratings to photos and videos in the ‌Photos‌ app. You can rate images with one to five stars and then filter images by rating.

Album Changes

Apple improved album organization in ‌iOS 27‌ and added new features for Shared Albums, including an option for Android and Windows users to contribute to ‌iCloud‌ albums.

• Shared Albums can be filtered by photos or videos.
• It's easier to save images from Shared Albums.
• You can set Shared Albums to expire after 30 days, which is useful for sharing photos without having a permanent album.
• It's easier to invite people to Shared Albums with a dedicated "Create Shared Album" option in any album menu.
• You can create a link for people to upload images to a Shared Album, and there are new permissions so you can require explicit access to be granted.
• Shared Albums have a recent activity log.
• You can react to images in Shared Albums with any emoji.

Slideshows

You can create a slideshow from any album or collection of images in the ‌Photos‌ app instead of being limited to what's in the Memories section. Just tap into an album, tap the icon in the upper right of the display, and choose "Start Slideshow." Alternatively, select several photos and then follow the same steps from the main Library interface.

Slideshows can be customized with transition styles, slide duration, and background music. The resulting file can be shared on social media, and saved as a video.

Utilities

There are two new Utilities folders in the ‌Photos‌ app. Captured by Me includes all of the images that you've taken from the Camera app on your current or past iPhone, while Identity Documents aggregates pictures of passports, licenses, and similar documents.

iCloud

In the ‌Photos‌ section of the Settings app, there's a "Sync Immediately" option that lets you prioritize immediate ‌iCloud‌ uploads for the day.

With the setting enabled, iCloud Photos will sync as soon as new images enter the ‌Photos‌ Library instead of holding uploads to save battery.

Full-resolution photos and videos can be added to ‌iCloud‌ Shared Albums, with support for all common photo and video formats.

Other Changes

• You can select a specific pet to use with the Photo Shuffle wallpaper.
• Search returns more pleasing photos of people and pets in Top Results.
• The Collections tab is faster to render.
• New captures from the Camera app load quicker in ‌Photos‌.
• You can include images of yourself in Photo Shuffle.
• A "Show Selected" option in the Library shows you all of the photos you have checked so you can modify metadata.

Compatibility

The AI photo editing tools are available on devices that support ‌Apple Intelligence‌, which includes the iPhone 15 Pro and later. Performance and organizational tools are available on devices that run ‌iOS 27‌, which includes the iPhone 11 and later.

Starting with iOS 27, Apple's Weather app offers new hourly and 10-day overviews for precipitation and wind that you can quickly view at a glance.

While this sort of information was already accessible elsewhere in the app, you can now quickly tap between conditions, precipitation, and wind overviews.

You can view the percentage chance of rain or snow each hour and day, as well as estimated wind speeds, and the information is accompanied by visuals.

iOS 27 is currently in beta. The update is expected to be released in September.

Starting with iOS 27, the virtual Apple TV remote can be added to the iPhone's Home Screen again, rather than being limited to Control Center. To do so, swipe down on the Home Screen and search for "remote." Next, tap and hold on the Remote app and drag it to your Home Screen. Alternatively, you can find it in the App Library.

Apple used to offer an Apple TV Remote app in the App Store, but it was removed in 2020.

Apple today shared a new ad highlighting AirPods Pro 3 Active Noise Cancellation.

The ad stars Vini Jr., a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Real Madrid and the Brazil national team, and it arrives as the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway. In the spot, Vini Jr. dances through the streets to music only he can hear.

Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak shared the video on social media, and a short version is also on Apple's AirPods Pro 3 website.

Apple says the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ have the "world's best in-ear Active Noise Cancellation" based on a July 2025 evaluation in accordance with IEC 60268–24 as compared with best-selling commercially available wireless in-ear headphones. The ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ remove up to 2x more noise than the AirPods Pro 2, and up to 4x more than the original AirPods Pro.

The ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ are priced at $249, and along with Active Noise Cancellation, the earbuds feature spatial audio, heart rate sensing, hearing aid functionality, Live Translation, and more.

iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 include a rebranded Connectivity Assist feature that can help your iPhone stay connected to the internet.

Connectivity Assist can be found in the Settings app under Wi-Fi on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. Apple's description of the feature says it lets you "use cellular data in addition to Wi-Fi for a more reliable internet connection."

A support document on Apple's website confirms that Connectivity Assist is the new name used on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 for the feature previously known as Wi-Fi Assist, but it is unclear if there are any functionality changes.

On iOS 26 and earlier, Wi-Fi Assist automatically switches the device to cellular data when Wi-Fi connectivity is poor. Some early iOS 27 beta testers have speculated that Connectivity Assist seems to go further by offering combined Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity when it is active, but we have yet to confirm that claim.

On the iOS 27 beta, Flighty developer Ryan Jones and others have received a new "Intelligent Connectivity" notification when Connectivity Assist is active. It is possible that the feature now kicks in more aggressively.

On a related note, Apple said iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 offer "smoother network transitions."

"Your iPhone more seamlessly chooses the best available Wi‑Fi or cellular connection, so whether you're getting directions as you leave home or taking a FaceTime call as you step off a plane, you'll stay connected," the company explained.

Apple shares have lost roughly $25 per share this week following the company's WWDC 2026 keynote, though a wave of upward analyst price target revisions suggests Wall Street's longer-term view of Apple remains constructive.

According to Tech Times, AAPL hit an all-time intraday high of around $317.40 on June 8 during the unveiling of Siri AI, before reversing to close at $301.54, down 1.89%. The slide continued over the following two days, with shares falling to around $290.55 by the close of June 10. The stock is trading around $292 as of writing.

The drop has been attributed in part to mixed investor reaction to ‌Siri‌ AI. ‌Siri‌ AI will not launch on iPhone and iPad in the European Union due to compliance issues, and the feature faces a similarly delayed rollout in China due to regulatory hurdles. According to Yahoo Finance, Morgan Stanley estimates those two excluded markets together account for roughly 35% of trailing 12-month iPhone shipments.

The analyst community's response to this year's WWDC has been broadly positive, with several firms raising their price targets. TheStreet reports that TD Cowen raised its Apple price target to $350 from $335, Maxim Group raised its target to $350 from $310, and Morgan Stanley raised its target to $360, all maintaining Buy or Overweight ratings.

JPMorgan reiterated its Overweight rating with a $325 price target, while Jefferies held its target at $299.88. According to Investing.com, Bernstein reiterated an Outperform rating and a $350 price target, while UBS maintained a Neutral rating with a $296 target. Maxim Group increased its fiscal 2027 projections on the expectation that improvements in AI-related products will serve as a catalyst for both services and hardware sales.

TradingKey characterized the post-WWDC selloff as a classic "buy-the-rumor, sell-the-news" reaction, noting that Apple's second quarter results of $111.2 billion in revenue and a $31 billion services all-time high remain unchanged by any of the WWDC announcements.

The September iPhone event will be the next major test for investors and the first keynote under incoming CEO John Ternus.

In macOS 27 Golden Gate, Apple has removed many of the menu item icons that are so prevalent throughout macOS 26 Tahoe, as spotted by Nikita "Tonsky" Prokopov (via Daring Fireball). The developer shared before-and-after screenshots on Mastodon to evidence the reversal.

Tahoe was the first version of macOS to place a small icon next to nearly every entry in the menu bar across Apple's apps, but the change drew swift criticism from designers and developers. Many of the icons are inconsistent and often difficult to understand on their own, with different Apple apps showing different icons for the same menu items.

The third-party developer pushback was strong enough that some even adopted open-source code provided by NetNewsWire's Brent Simmons to switch the icons off by default.

In Golden Gate though, they're gone – or only used where genuinely useful. Apple has also revised its Human Interface Guidelines to tell developers to use menu item icons "sparingly and with purpose," reserving them for common actions, file system locations, connected devices, and similar cases.

macOS 27 is currently in developer beta, with a public beta to arrive next month, followed by a general release in the fall.

Apple and leaker Jon Prosser have jointly asked a federal court to set aside the default judgment entered against him last October, with Prosser agreeing to hand over documents he had thus far failed to fully produce.

Apple filed suit against Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti in July 2025, alleging misappropriation of trade secrets after Prosser published videos showing recreated renderings of iOS 26's Liquid Glass design months before Apple's announcement. According to the complaint, Ramacciotti secretly accessed the iPhone of Apple software engineer Ethan Lipnik and showed Prosser a pre-release build of the software in exchange for payment. Lipnik was subsequently fired.

Prosser missed his deadline to formally respond to the complaint, prompting Apple's lawyers to file a request for a default judgment. The court entered the default in October 2025, after which Prosser told The Verge he had "been in active communications with Apple since the beginning stages of this case."

The situation did not improve significantly in the months that followed. A joint status report filed in April showed Prosser was still failing to comply with discovery, prompting Apple to seek a court order to compel him. The filing noted that while Prosser had provided some responsive materials, he had failed to fully respond to certain requests and had not responded at all to others.

This stood in contrast to Ramacciotti, who allowed Apple to forensically review an additional device, agreed to supplement his interrogatory responses, and offered to sit for a follow-up deposition, with Apple and Ramacciotti having been informally discussing a potential settlement since at least October.

Prosser did not retain legal counsel until April 14, 2026. According to the joint stipulation filed June 9, Apple served Prosser with subpoenas in January 2026 seeking documents and a deposition related to its claims against Ramacciotti, but Prosser had not fully responded to the document subpoena and had not sat for a deposition.

As part of the agreement, Prosser committed to producing all materials responsive to Apple's document subpoena by June 9, 2026, and to sit for a deposition by no later than June 16, 2026. Apple stated it believes setting aside the default is "the most efficient way to advance this case without further delay."

The stipulation still requires approval from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. If approved, Prosser would have ten days from the date of the order to file a responsive pleading to Apple's complaint, giving him a formal opportunity to contest the allegations for the first time.

Apple's first touchscreen MacBook is now "100% confirmed," according to the prolific Chinese leaker known as Instant Digital, who appears to have insider information from sources in the supply chain. The leaker made their definitive statement this morning in a Weibo post.

Instant Digital has a good track record for Apple rumors and has provided some strikingly accurate information in the past, so it's always worth noting what they have to say about Apple's plans. The claim is also backed by several recent reports.

Recurring rumors about Apple's touchscreen MacBook development actually go back a few years. In January 2023, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that a MacBook Pro with an OLED display would be the first touchscreen Mac. The machine was initially slated for 2025, but that timeline never played out.

Since then, reports have become more frequent and assertive. In September 2025, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the first touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro would enter mass production in 2026. Gurman has also repeatedly stated that the next 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will have touchscreen and are slated to launch in late 2026 to early 2027 – with the global memory chip shortage potentially making 2027 more likely.

Touchscreen support is expected to be one of several major upgrades coming to Apple's next-generation high-end MacBook Pro models. Other rumored features include M6 Pro and M6 Max chips, an OLED display, a Dynamic Island (i.e., no notch), and a thinner design. The new laptops could also adopt MacBook Ultra branding.

Notably, macOS 27 Golden Gate also introduces a more touch-friendly interface, since Apple's Sidecar feature now allows users to tap and interact with macOS interface elements using a finger on their iPad.

Apple apparently is not going to advertise the ‌new MacBook Pro‌/Ultra as a touch-first device like the ‌iPad‌ – it will be "touch-friendly, not touch-first," according to Gurman. In that sense, Apple will let customers use touch and mouse gestures interchangeably for all functions.

Apple has long rejected the idea of a touchscreen Mac, so moving ahead with one would be a major shift in the company's thinking. In 2010, Steve Jobs argued that "touch surfaces don't want to be vertical," citing the arm fatigue that comes from repeatedly reaching up to a screen.

More than a decade later, in 2021, Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus – soon to be Apple CEO – said the Mac was "totally optimized for indirect input" and that Apple saw no compelling reason to change that approach.

Are you looking forward to touching a future MacBook's screen? Let us know in the comments.

A new report from TrendForce claims Apple's iPhone production surged 19.7% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026, even as the broader global smartphone market contracted 1.7% over the same period.

According to TrendForce, Apple produced approximately 60.2 million iPhone units in the first quarter, placing it second among global smartphone brands. Samsung retained the top spot with approximately 62.6 million units, a 2.3% year-over-year increase. TrendForce attributes Apple's strong output partly to the launch of the iPhone 17e, in addition to ongoing production ramp-up for the broader iPhone 17 lineup.

The figures reflect Apple's relative resilience in a market increasingly burdened by rising memory component costs. TrendForce says Apple is better positioned than most competitors to absorb those higher costs without sacrificing profitability, and suggests the company is more likely to prioritize market share growth during the current downturn as it lays the groundwork for its expanding software and services business. Apple is one of the few major smartphone brands that has not raised prices in response to the memory price surge.

The picture is considerably grimmer elsewhere. Chinese brands Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo ranked third through fifth globally with 29.5 million, 26 million, and 22 million units respectively, with TrendForce warning that all three face significant uncertainty around their 2026 production plans as surging memory costs weigh on profitability. Transsion, which ranked sixth at approximately 19.8 million units, is said to be particularly exposed given its heavy concentration in entry-level and budget segments where margins are already thin.

Looking ahead, TrendForce forecasts global smartphone production will decline approximately 16.2% year-over-year to 1.051 billion units across 2026. The firm warns that figure could worsen if memory prices remain elevated and brands are forced to pass costs on to consumers through repeated retail price increases.

Yesterday we began tracking a new record low price on the AirPods Pro 3 on Amazon, and they're still available for $179.00 today, down from $249.00. This beats the previous Amazon low price by $20.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This model of the AirPods Pro launched in September 2025 and has 2x better Active Noise Cancellation than the previous generation, better audio quality, a revised fit that's meant to improve comfort and stability, Live Translation for in-person conversations, and heart rate sensing for workouts.

Additionally, Amazon is also offering a best-ever price on the AirPods Max 2 this week. You can get all five colors for $499.00, down from $549.00, which beats the previous low price by about $10.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

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