Apple has announced that its store at Roosevelt Field in Garden City, New York, will reopen on Friday, November 21 at 10 a.m. local time, following renovations.
Roosevelt Field is the largest shopping mall on Long Island. Apple first opened its store there in 2002, just months after the iPod launched. The renovated store will feature a modern design with more wood paneling, instead of stainless steel.
Apple has yet to share photos of the renovated store, so the exact design remains to be seen.
Apple opened a temporary store at Roosevelt Field while it renovated the original store, which has been closed for around a year.
Apple is also renovating its store at The Forum in Carlsbad, California, and it has opened a temporary store there in the meantime, as seen below.
Apple's temporary store in Carlsbad
Apple continues to renovate at least three other U.S. stores:
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered.
There are a series of new smart bulbs that are available in multiple shapes, sizes, lumen levels, and styles. IKEA is offering both white and color spectrum options, with dimming supported.
11 bulbs are available in total in E27/26, E14/E12, and GU10 sizes. Color-changing bulbs are available in each size, and lumen levels range from 470 to 1,521. Decorative clear-glass bulbs will also be available.
Several sensors will be available, for motion, air quality, humidity, and water leakage.
MYGGSPRAY - Indoor/outdoor motion sensor for lights.
MYGGBETT - Door/window sensor that detects when a door or window is open or closed.
TIMMERFLOTTE - Temperature and humidity sensor designed for indoor use.
ALPSTUGA - Air quality sensor that measures CO₂, particles (PM2.5), temperature, and humidity indoors.
KLIPPBOK - Leak detector that can be placed under sinks or appliances.
There are also four smart plugs and remote controls. The BILRESA is a remote control with either a dual button or a scroll wheel, and it can be used for adjusting smart home products. It can dim lights, turn lights on and off, activate scenes, and more.
The GRILLPLATS smart plug adds Matter connectivity to ordinary lamps or other small appliances.
Specific pricing for the new product lineup hasn't been announced, but the devices are expected to launch in January of next year.
IKEA is using Matter-over-Thread for its product lineup. Thread is a wireless mesh protocol that runs on the 2.4GHz band and allows devices to talk directly to one another, improving range and responsiveness. Matter-enabled products require a smart home hub to work, and on Apple's platform, the Apple TV, HomePod, and HomePod mini serve as home hubs and Thread border routers.
Apple recently sent a letter to the European Commission (EC), criticizing recent inquiries into whether the App Store complies with the Digital Services Act (DSA) amid the separate Digital Markets Act requirements that Apple has been required to put in place.
The Commission asked Apple for information on how it locates fraudulent content, what it does to reduce the risk of financial scams in apps, and how it verifies the identity of businesses. It separately requested details on the policies Apple has in place to protect minors. Both requests were part of an inquiry into whether companies are complying with Digital Services Act requirements.
Apple's response, penned by Apple VP of Legal Kyle Andeer, answers all of the EC's questions and includes the relevant information to satisfy the request, but also points out the hypocrisy of questioning App Store consumer protections while requiring Apple to support sideloading functionality that isn't subject to those protections.
Andeer says that it is "difficult to square" the DSA investigations with the EC's "aggressive interpretation and application of the Digital Markets Act," and that the probe into Apple's App Store safeguards "defies all logic" in light of the DMA requirements. He also argues that the European Commission needs to enforce the DSA and DMA as a whole, rather than as separate policies.
It does not make sense for the Commission to press Apple to protect users, including minors, from fraud within the App Store while at the same time requiring Apple to create functionalities like link-outs and web views that increase the risk of fraud without necessary safeguards.
The Commission cannot both prohibit Apple from taking the steps it has found essential in mitigating the risk of scams and fraud on the App Store while simultaneously scrutinizing Apple for not providing even more measures to mitigate these risks on the App Store. It does not make sense for one EU law to encourage Apple to mitigate as much as possible the risk of exposing consumers to fraud or minors to potentially harmful apps through the App Store, only for another EU law to prevent Apple from using those same measures to mitigate the same type of risks just because they exist outside of the App Store. This paradoxical situation creates a regulatory structure that endorses leaving iOS and iPadOS users at risk if they choose not to use the App Store, when developers choose to use link-outs, or when users opt to use third-party products to interoperate with iOS or iPadOS. [...]
If the Commission does not consistently prioritise protecting consumers from online harms like fraud, or minors from online harms like pornography or other unsafe apps, in all enforcement contexts, including the DMA, nor use the tools it has at its disposal to resolve these fundamental frictions, the objectives of the DSA will be underachieved, no matter how sufficient Apple's measures are to comply with this specific regulation.
For context, the Digital Services Act requires very large online platforms like Apple to offer protection against disinformation or election manipulation, cyber violence against women, and harms to minors online. It also has provisions to counter fraud and mitigate dissemination of illegal content, among other requirements.
The separate Digital Markets Act requires Apple to support alternative app marketplaces and adhere to interoperability rules that Apple has continually argued weaken privacy and security. Andeer says that the Digital Markets Act "exposes users to fraud and scams" on third-party platforms, and the EC has been warned that the DMA enforcement is "reckless and even dangerous."
Apple's App Review team removed 37,000 apps for fraudulent activity in 2024, rejected 115,000 apps for unsafe experiences, and rejected 320,000 app submissions that copied other apps, were found to be spam, or misled users in some way. Further, 139,000 developer enrollments were rejected, and 146,000 developer accounts were terminated due to fraud concerns.
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences.
The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple includes comparisons of how each app looked in iOS 18, and how it looks in iOS 26.
Apple's examples feature apps that have eliminated bottom navigation bars in favor of smaller navigation options, apps with Liquid Glass sliders and buttons, and apps using popovers.
Featured apps include Crumbl, Tide Guide, GrowPal, Lumy, Sky Guide, Linearity Curve Graphic Design, LTK, American Airlines, Lowe's, Photoroom, OmniFocus 4, CNN, Essayist, and Lucid Motors.
The design comparisons are best viewed on Apple's site, and are worth checking out if you're curious about how third-party apps are incorporating Liquid Glass.
Ecovacs recently came out with its newest robot vacuum, the Deebot X11 Omnicyclone. Like the last couple of models, this new vacuum has Matter integration and it's able to connect to HomeKit so it can be sent off to clean the floor with Siri voice commands.
Design
The X11 is the same size as the prior-generation X9, coming in at 3.86 inches tall. I've tested several robot vacuums now, and that's on the thinner side. It can get under almost all of my furniture, including my stove, to vacuum in areas that are often untouched.
Height is the most important metric when it comes to robot vacuums, but if you have a lot of tightly spaced furniture, you also need to consider width. The X11 is about 13.8 inches across, and it could be too large for smaller apartments.
Underneath the vacuum, there's a roller bar, a mop, a brush that gets into nooks and crannies along baseboards, a canister for dust and debris, and internal areas for clean and dirty water for mop washing and cleaning. You can access the dust canister by removing the top plate of the robot and undoing the latch.
Exterior vacuum design didn't change much between the X9 and the X11, but the X11's base station is entirely different. It's significantly larger than before because it includes a reusable canister for dust instead of a bag.
The canister is why the X11 has its "Omnicyclone" name. It reminds me of a Dyson-style vacuum canister, and it's built right into the middle of the base station. You can pop it out and empty it into the trash, then stick it right back in. Large chunks of debris can get stuck, so as with a Dyson, the canister can need cleaning at times. There is no need to buy bags with the X11, which does make it stand out from other robot vacuums on the market.
Along with the vacuum canister, the base station houses a 2.7-liter dirty water tank and a 3.2-liter clean water tank. The water tanks are larger than the tanks in the X9, which means less maintenance. I fill the clean water tank less, and I try to remember to empty the dirty water tank regularly because it can get smelly if it sits.
Inside the base station, there's a spot to add cleaning fluid. The X11 supports two kinds of cleaning fluid, one for standard cleaning and one for deep cleaning. Two cleaning fluid options are more expensive and more of a hassle, so I'm not a fan of the dual cleaning. Ecovacs recommends that you use Ecovacs cleaning fluid, and it sells the two variants.
Setup and Maintenance
Setting up the X11 is straightforward enough that anyone can do it. There's a single-page startup guide that has easy instructions on putting the base station components together, then it's just a matter of filling the water tank, downloading the app, turning on the robot, and following the app steps for pairing.
The X11 is simple enough that someone not technologically inclined could operate it, but the number of app settings and complicated features like voice activation could be confusing. None of those features are required, and it can clean on default settings, but if you have older parents who struggle with electronics and buy this (or any robot vacuum) for them, you're going to get calls for troubleshooting.
There is maintenance to take care of, like occasionally replacing the rollers and brush with parts purchased from Ecovacs. The site sells a bundle that includes a new roller brush, three filters and two side brushes for $60, and a new roller mop is $35.
Vacuuming
The X11 has the strongest suction of any robot vacuum that I've tried. It is excellent at picking up pet hair, dust, and debris on my hardwood and tile floors. I started tossing a handful or two of dirt on the floor to see how much robot vacuums can clean up, and the X11 got almost all of it in the first pass.
Robot vacuums are meant to clean regularly rather than deeply, which is why it's not an ideal test, but it does give me a clear metric to compare by.
According to Ecovacs, the X11 has 19,000 Pa suction and it uses the same Blast system (multi-stage suction and airflow) from prior Ecovacs robots. It's more suction than the X9, which I already thought worked well, and more suction than the Roborock vacuum I use regularly. If you have hard floors and pets or kids, it's good at getting up even trace amounts of pet hair, and it doesn't miss crumbs in the kitchen.
There's a side brush for sweeping along baseboards and in corners, and it's able to get most dirt and fur up. You'll want to manually vacuum in corners every so often, but it's not a situation where the X11 is vacuuming the main area of a room and pushing dust to the sides. It is able to use the added side brush and the improved suction to do a passable job keeping hard to reach areas clean.
Ecovacs' robots have a ZeroTangle brush, and it works. I have long hair, my partner has long hair, and we have two cats. I haven't seen the brush get tangled up with hair, and I've never had to fuss with it.
The X11 is able to get over higher thresholds than prior Ecovacs robots, so if you have a tall threshold that other robots can't handle, the X11 might be able to navigate it. It can go over thresholds as high as 2.4cm (0.95 inches). It can get into a bathroom that has a higher than average threshold, but another room with a baby gate has a threshold too high for it to overcome. I definitely notice a difference between the X11 and the older X9 when it comes to threshold navigation.
Despite stronger suction, the X11 isn't louder than prior models, measuring in at around 62 dBA in tests. I wouldn't want to sleep while the X11 is running, but I can work while it's on if I put in my AirPods Pro to block out the noise. Emptying the vacuum into the canister at the base station is the loudest action that it performs (close to 80 dBA), so keep that in mind when positioning the base station.
The X11 is one of the quieter robot vacuums that I've tried in terms of straight vacuuming and operation sound, and it has a mode that makes it even quieter. Turning down the suction level will also help.
Mopping
Like Ecovacs' prior-generation high-end robots, the X11 has a roller mop rather than two rotating mopping pads. I am a fan of this design because it continually removes dirty water, so it's washing the floor with clean water.
It sprays water onto the mop, cleans the floor, and squeezes the dirty water into a collection tank before starting the process over again. With this version, the roller extends out further, so it can get into corners. It's also supposed to have stain-detecting AI to go over a dirty area again, and I've seen this work as long as certain AI cleaning modes are enabled.
With wet stains, the X11 can get a mess in one go. A squirt of ketchup on the floor, for example, gets wiped up with a single cleaning. With dried-on stains, it can take a few passes. I tested dried ketchup, and needed to have the robot go over it three times to get every speck up. Anecdotally, the X11 seems to be better at getting up things like dried up cat food in fewer passes than prior Ecovacs robots.
Every so often, the X11 returns to the base station to wash the mop with hot water, and when a cleaning is finished, it's dried with hot air.
I wouldn't expect any robot vacuum to get a floor entirely spotless in one cleaning, but weekly cleanings paired with daily cleanings in specific areas like the kitchen keep the floors clean.
Time
Cleaning 2,000 square feet takes the X11 approximately five hours on the standard setting with one pass, though that can vary depending on the number of passes that it's instructed to make when mopping, how often it empties the vacuum and washes the mop, and how far it is from the base station. That time is fairly standard for the robot vacuums that I've tested, though some will take longer because of long periods for charging.
I find it useful to set up scheduled cleanings with the Ecovacs app or the Home app. I schedule the X11 to clean one area of the house per day, which keeps the floor clean but doesn't subject me to listening to a vacuum run for hours on end. It can be set to clean after meal times or more frequently just in high traffic areas, which is helpful.
Navigation and AI
When you set up the X11 for the first time, it maps each room in your house prior to cleaning. You can see the map as it goes, and it's clear that the lidar sensor at the front works well. It made a perfect map of my house, though unlike some other robot vacuums, it doesn't detect furniture and add those items to the map automatically, nor is it great at labeling rooms.
It can detect some thresholds, but it's best to go in and edit the map to make changes. My house has an open-concept main area, and it wasn't able to distinguish between the kitchen, dining room, and living room, and it also merged one bedroom with those areas. In my office, it wasn't able to tell the bathroom from the main office area, I suppose because it didn't detect the door.
The X11 is good at obstacle avoidance, using a camera-based sensor system for object detection. It hasn't run directly into anything, and it is better at not getting trapped by furniture. It knows where walls are, where furniture legs are, and it can detect and avoid items on the floor like cables, socks, pets, and more. It doesn't see smaller items like LEGO bricks, and it can suck those up.
Some vacuums will label the in-app map with items that have been detected so you can go in and tell them whether to avoid that item in the future. The X11's object detection is more behind-the-scenes, so I don't get a readout of what it's avoiding.
It's good at navigating the house, though I did see it get inexplicably lost one time. It might have been that the hallway was too dark, but it couldn't find its way back to the dock in another room.
The AI in the X11 is more transparent than in prior models, and I can better keep track of what the robot is doing, why it's doing it, where it's cleaned, where it hasn't cleaned, and where access was blocked by a closed door or another obstacle.
Rugs
I've been frustrated with the way the Ecovacs robots handle small rugs, and there's no change with the X11 Omnicyclone. It regularly gets trapped on the rugs in bathrooms and thin, soft-backed rugs on my wood floors that don't have grip. It also cannot handle tassels. By "trapped," I mean that the roller vacuum sucks up the rug and can't release it, so I'm forced to go pull it out and set the vacuum to continue cleaning.
To be fair, Ecovacs does recommend picking up smaller rugs and tucking tassels away underneath the rug to avoid these issues, but that's a hassle. It's annoying to have to fix the vacuum when it sucks up a rug, and it's annoying to have to take the time to move everything out of the way every time it's running. Having to regularly move rugs makes it more difficult to automate and schedule cleanings.
With bigger, thicker rugs anchored by furniture, the X11 works with no issue. I have one rug that sheds like crazy even two years after I bought it. Sometimes the X11 will leave behind a big ball of rug fuzz, but all of my vacuums do that. My Dyson can't even clean that rug without getting clogged.
There is another rug in my laundry room that is an absolute dirt and lint magnet, and the X11 can get every speck of dust off of it. I'm satisfied with how well it cleans rugs, but it needs to be better about not getting stuck.
Battery
The X11 has a fast-charging feature where the robot can go back to the base station and quick charge for about 10 minutes. For a large home, this means that there's no multi-hour pause in cleaning.
With prior Ecovacs robots, there would be a long break for charging in the middle of a cleaning. With the X11, it cleaned for six hours straight with only brief stops to quick charge.
Ecovacs recommends the fast charge system for homes that are over 2,000 square feet, and there is an option to turn it off for smaller homes. Faster charging works well, and it sets the X11 apart from other vacuums. If you have a large home, it's a reason to consider this model over other options.
Ecovacs App
Even if you're planning to use the X11 with the Home app and through Siri voice commands, you need the Ecovacs app. It's the only place to manage the many, many settings that are available for the vacuum, and it houses the map the robot uses for navigation.
There are settings to adjust the vacuum suction, mopping water level, noise, and set up different types of cleaning such as after-meal cleaning, daily cleaning, and deep cleaning. You can set up custom scenarios for future one-touch cleanings, customize charging and station settings, adjust settings for carpet, view cleaning logs, and more. There's more than I can go over in a review, but if you get an Ecovacs robot, expect to spend a half-hour or so going through the options selecting your preferred parameters.
The X11 has an AI cleaning mode that incorporates cleaning history and preferences that you set. You can customize it with natural language commands, and it's meant to learn over time. It's new to this model, and it wasn't a feature that was available in prior Ecovacs robots I've reviewed.
The AI mode is listed in the app as "Agent Hosting," and you can tap on it instead of "Start" when beginning a cleaning. The AI will analyze your prior cleaning, take into account your app settings and preferences you've provided, and then adjust its settings on its own to clean the house.
I've had mixed results with it, but I'm still working on customization. The first time I used it, it determined that the living room hadn't been cleaned for seven days, so it proceeded to clean it for like three hours (two passes) even though it wasn't dirty (the X11 hadn't vacuumed the floor in a week because I had). There is an AI feature that's supposed to notice messes and do another pass, but it clearly wasn't using that when evaluating how to clean.
The AI cleaned for 5.5 hours, and because it was doing double passes everywhere, it didn't get the task finished. I had to turn it off at around 11 p.m., and I wasn't able to resume the cleaning the next day because it can't pick up a task if the pause is more than a few hours.
In other tests, the AI performed better and selected reasonable cleaning parameters for various rooms, successfully executing a cleaning. I like that I can see what the AI is thinking and follow along as it completes each task, but there is a major issue I've run into. For some reason, the X11 has the wrong time. I started a clean at 2:30 p.m., and it thought it was 2:30 a.m. Another time, it was around 11:00 a.m., and it thought it was 11:00 p.m. The time is an issue because it will adjust suction to avoid being too loud if it's late at night.
The AI cleaning option is useful overall if you don't want to mess with settings for every clean, but it also takes time and effort to train it with your preferences. Luckily, plain old "Start" launches a standard clean where you can select the options that you want.
There's also a "Yiko" voice assistant that you can use to direct the X11 to clean. It's been present in the last several Ecovacs robots, but I don't use it often. Yiko isn't super responsive when I attempt to activate it, doesn't understand some simple commands, and doesn't do enough where I can use it instead of the app.
Home App
The X11 has Matter integration, so it connects to the Home app. You only get a few controls in the Home app, but it's enough to operate it on a basic level.
You can have the robot vacuum or vacuum and mop, selecting the entire house or just a single room. You can also choose from a standard clean or a deep clean for two mopping passes instead of one. The app will let you know if there's an error, such as when the water tank needs to be filled up. You can also play a sound so you can locate the robot if it gets itself stuck somewhere in the house.
Matter integration is useful for the Siri voice commands and for automations. You can use the Ecovacs app for setting schedules, or do it through the Home app if you want to use geofencing (such as having the robot clean when you leave home) or pair it with other HomeKit accessories.
Siri
I don't often use the Home app with robot vacuums, but I like being able to use Siri. There are HomePods in the main areas of my house, so I can say something like "Hey Siri, clean the kitchen" if I happen to be in the kitchen and notice crumbs on the floor.
When I first used a robot vacuum with HomeKit, I was skeptical that it would be useful, but it's been a convenience. I wouldn't necessarily buy a robot vacuum just for the Matter integration, but if there are two robots with similar features and only one has Matter, I'm going to choose the Matter version.
I am hoping that Matter integration with products like the Omnicyclone X11 gets even better when Apple introduces the new version of Siri that it's been working on, and when the rumored home hub comes out.
Bottom Line
The X11 has the strongest AI functionality of a robot vacuum that I've tested, and aside from its poor performance with thin rugs, it's the best vacuum that I've tried so far. I appreciate that the X11's AI can learn my cleaning preferences and adjust, but sometimes a simple scheduled cleaning with pre-set parameters is better than AI. There's a lot of redundancy in the Ecovacs app with the option to use AI, standard settings, or the Yiko voice assistant, and it can be confusing. I'd like to see streamlining in the future.
Matter integration isn't necessarily a reason to buy one robot vacuum over another, but it is useful if you have a lot of Apple devices and tend to use Siri voice commands for smart home devices.
The X11 isn't leagues ahead of the X8 and X9 when it comes to cleaning performance, but there are a few features that could be a reason to consider it instead of another robot vacuum. If there's a threshold in your house that other vacuums can't climb, there's a good chance the X11 can navigate it. It's the only robot vacuum I've tested that has a vacuum chamber you can empty, eliminating the need for vacuum bags.
For larger homes, the change to charging makes a difference in how quickly cleaning gets done, and it prevents frustrating multi-hour pauses. Fast charging could be worth the cost if you have a home larger than 2,000 square feet.
If you don't need those features, Ecovacs' X8 and X9 robots clean well too, and are available at a lower price.
How to Buy
The X11 Omnicyclone can be purchased from the Ecovacs website or from Amazon for $1,499.99, but there is a promo code for $200 off at the current time, which is listed on the website. There are regular sales on Ecovacs vacuums, so don't buy one at full price.
Note: Ecovacs provided MacRumors with an X11 for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store.
The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump.
In addition to the changed values, Apple has stopped accepting 12-inch MacBook trade-ins.
iPhone
iPhone Model
New Values
Old Values
iPhone 16 Pro Max
Up to $670
Up to $700
iPhone 16 Pro
Up to $550
Up to $580
iPhone 16 Plus
Up to $450
Up to $470
iPhone 16
Up to $420
Up to $450
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Up to $470
Up to $630
iPhone 15 Pro
Up to $400
Up to $500
iPhone 15 Plus
Up to $330
Up to $440
iPhone 15
Up to $310
Up to $400
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Up to $370
Up to $455
iPhone 14 Pro
Up to $300
Up to $380
iPhone 14 Plus
Up to $240
Up to $300
iPhone 14
Up to $220
Up to $290
iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Up to $80
Up to $100
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Up to $300
Up to $370
iPhone 13 Pro
Up to $230
Up to $300
iPhone 13
Up to $180
Up to $250
iPhone 13 mini
Up to $150
Up to $200
iPhone 12 Pro Max
Up to $220
Up to $280
iPhone 12 Pro
Up to $160
Up to $220
iPhone 12
Up to $130
Up to $170
iPhone 12 mini
Up to $90
Up to $120
iPhone SE (2nd generation)
Up to $50
Up to $50
iPhone 11 Pro Max
Up to $150
Up to $180
iPhone 11 Pro
Up to $130
Up to $150
iPhone 11
Up to $100
Up to $130
iPhone XS Max
Up to $100
Up to $120
iPhone XS
Up to $70
Up to $90
iPhone XR
Up to $80
Up to $100
iPhone X
Up to $60
Up to $60
iPhone 8 Plus
Up to $50
Up to $60
iPhone 8
Up to $40
Up to $45
iPad
iPad Model
New Values
Old Values
iPad Pro
Up to $695
Up to $695
iPad Air
Up to $415
Up to $400
iPad
Up to $175
Up to $190
iPad mini
Up to $255
Up to $275
Mac
Mac Model
New Values
Old Values
MacBook Pro
Up to $760
Up to $770
MacBook Air
Up to $540
Up to $550
MacBook
No longer accepted
Up to $60
iMac
Up to $375
Up to $490
iMac Pro
Up to $240
Up to $385
Mac mini
Up to $380
Up to $395
Mac Studio
Up to $1,030
Up to $1,140
Mac Pro
Up to $2,520*
Up to $550
* Given the significant increase to this value, it could be a typo by Apple.
Apple Watch
Apple Watch Model
New Values
Old Values
Apple Watch Series 10
Up to $160
Up to $175
Apple Watch Ultra 2
Up to $335
Up to $335
Apple Watch Series 9
Up to $125
Up to $130
Apple Watch Ultra
Up to $245
Up to $255
Apple Watch Series 8
Up to $95
Up to $100
Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)
Up to $60
Up to $60
Apple Watch Series 7
Up to $65
Up to $70
Apple Watch Series 6
Up to $50
Up to $55
Apple Watch SE (1st generation)
Up to $30
Up to $35
Apple Watch Series 5
Up to $25
Up to $30
Apple also adjusted its trade-in values for select Android smartphones.
Apple today provided public beta testers with the first releases of upcoming iOS 26.2, iPadOS 26.2, tvOS 26.2, and watchOS 26.2 updates for testing purposes. The public betas come two days after Apple provided the betas to developers.
After signing up for beta testing on Apple's beta site, public beta testers can download the updates using the Software Update section in the Settings app on each device.
iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen, allowing you to customize the translucency of the clock. Alongside watchOS 26.2, the update changes labeling for the Sleep Score feature, adjusting numbers to better reflect sleep quality.
AirPods Live Translation is available in the European Union with iOS 26.2, and in the Reminders app, there's an option to have an alarm go off when a reminder is due. Apple also added new features to Podcasts, Passwords, Freeform, and more, with a full list of new additions available in our iOS 26.2 feature guide.
Apple today provided the first beta of an upcoming macOS Tahoe 26.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming a few days after the launch of macOS Tahoe 26.1.
Developers can download the macOS Tahoe 26.2 update by opening up the System Settings app, selecting the General category, and then choosing Software Update. Beta Updates will need to be enabled, and a free developer account is required.
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 betas earlier this week, so we have an idea of a few features that are in macOS Tahoe 26.2.
The Reminders app will gain an option to have an alarm go off when a reminder is due, the News app has some design updates, and Apple is adding new features to the Podcasts app. The new additions to iOS 26.2 can be found in our iOS 26.2 feature guide.
The beta is available to developers right now, but a public beta is expected later this week. We'll likely see Apple release macOS Tahoe 26.2 right around mid-December given past launch timelines.
Chipmaker TSMC has begun informing major clients like Apple about further price hikes, according to a new report out of Asia.
The leaker and aggregator known as "yeux1122" outlined the latest news on Korean social media site Naver. TSMC has apparently started notifying major clients of impending price increases for advanced fabrication processes below 5-nanometers. This would include Apple's A16, A17, A18, A19, M3, M4, and M5 chips, as well as any future iterations. The price hikes are expected to be in the range of 8–10% and commence next year.
Last month, the China Timesreported that Apple's "A20" chip designed for next year's iPhone models could be considerably more expensive. The A20 chip is likely to be the first widely available 2-nanometer chip, debuting in the iPhone 18 lineup next year and forming the foundation of subsequent M6-series chips. The previous three generations of A-series chips have all been based on TMSC's 3-nanometer node, with the upgrade to 2-nanometer promising further performance and efficiency improvements.
TSMC apparently told customers, presumably including Apple, to expect pricing that is at least 50% higher than 3-nanometer processors. This was attributed to unusually high capital expenditure for the new node and to the lack of discounting strategies while yields are still in their early acceptable phase.
The report further stated that suppliers expect flagship mobile chips built on the 2-nanometer process to carry unit prices around $280 once volume production begins. This would make it the most expensive component in the iPhone and dramatically affect Apple's profit margins, if the increase is not passed on to customers.
A report from DigiTimes last year placed the cost of the A18 chip at around $45, with a total hardware bill of $416 for a model that retailed at $799, implying that the chip represents roughly 10% of bill of materials (BOM) cost and about 5–6% of retail price before logistics and development expenses.
If the component cost rumors are true, Apple could limit 2-nanometer chips to only some 2026 iPhone models, such as the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. In September last year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuowarned that "due to cost concerns, not all new iPhone 18 models may be equipped with a 2-nanometer processor."
Target's early Black Friday sale has officially begun today, with an online shopping event that will run through Saturday, November 8. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including sitewide savings on Beats headphones, TVs, Apple accessories, home appliances, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Target. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Target's Black Friday Schedule
Target's Black Friday sale begins today with this week's three-day event and thousands of deals available sitewide. Target is also offering a "Deal of the Day" every day through December 24, with many exclusive deals available only to Target Circle members.
Additionally, a new lineup of deals will drop every Sunday in November and last through the following Saturday. All of this leads up to the week of Black Friday, where shoppers can expect even more discounts and offers both in Target stores and online.
Target's Early Black Friday Sale
Like many retailers, Target's early Black Friday offerings are wide and varied. You'll find notable markdowns on video games, appliances, TVs, smart home products, speakers, headphones, and more this week.
Shoppers should note that some of the deals below do require Target Circle, which does have a free tier and is worth signing up for if you're interested in any of these offers. Once you're a member, the deals will be applied automatically at checkout.
Target's early Black Friday sale includes a few Apple accessories on sale, with the highlight being discounts on the new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air cases.
You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find as we head into the holidays? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
The all-new intro sequence for Apple TV was made with practical effects and shot in-camera, Ad Age reports.
Rather than using digital techniques, the new sequence was made by shooting large glass versions of the Apple TV logo, with physical motion and changing lighting used to create effects. Apple partnered with TBWA\Media Arts Lab to create the intro.
Ad Age released an exclusive look brief behind-the-scenes clip showing some of that process, which was then shared on X:
The intro now plays before all Apple TV content. The company has made a one-second-long sting for trailers, along with a five-second-long version for TV shows and a 12-second-long cinematic version for movies. It is accompanied by a new sound composed by Finneas.
Earlier this week, Apple's rebrand of Apple TV+ was made official, with Apple updating the Apple TV+ page on its website to read just "Apple TV" and updated app icons rolling out across devices.
Apple said winners will be selected based on submissions that "demonstrate excellence in innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity." A subset of Distinguished Winners with "truly exceptional" submissions will be invited to visit Apple in Cupertino, California for three days in summer 2026, with travel and lodging included.
Distinguished Winners are typically invited to attend Apple's annual developers conference WWDC, at the company's Apple Park headquarters. Apple has yet to announce WWDC 2026 dates, but the weeklong conference is typically held in June.
WWDC 2026 is where Apple will announce iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and other software updates.
Amazon is providing a few record low prices on previous generation Apple Watch models this week, with up to $119 off select devices. This includes savings on the second generation Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 10.
Apple Watch SE 2
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Prices start at just $159.99 for the 40mm GPS Apple Watch SE, then increase to $189.99 for the 44mm GPS model. Both of these are $89 discounts on the wearables, and all-time low prices on each device. You can find Midnight, Silver, and Starlight case color options at these prices for both sizes.
Amazon also has a few discounts on the Apple Watch Series 10, with $119 off these models. You can get the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 10 for $279.99, down from $399.00, and the 46mm GPS model for $309.99, down from $429.00. The 42mm GPS model is only available in Jet Black Aluminum, but the 46mm GPS model has Jet Black, Rose Gold, and Silver Aluminum options available at this low price.
You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find as we head into the holidays? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
Qualcomm is gradually reducing its dependence on Apple, as growing demand for premium Android smartphones becomes the main driver of its chip business, according to a new report from DigiTimes.
Qualcomm's semiconductor arm, known as Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT), apparently recorded strong year-over-year growth in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, led by rising Android device sales and increasing chip content per device. DigiTimes cited remarks from President and CEO Cristiano Amon, who said that non-Apple QCT revenue rose by 18% during the quarter.
The global smartphone market is said to be undergoing a structural transition toward more advanced, feature-rich devices, with users in both mature and emerging markets upgrading to higher-end models. This shift has driven up average selling prices and boosted demand for Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon processors, which now feature enhanced AI, camera, and connectivity capabilities. Qualcomm's strategy of embedding more value into devices is now apparently central to its long-term growth, reducing its reliance on Apple orders over time.
The company's deepening partnership with Samsung was also a key factor. Amon said Qualcomm currently provides modems for about 75% of Samsung's Galaxy smartphones, a significant rise from approximately half in earlier years. Some Galaxy models, such as the Galaxy S25 series, use Snapdragon modems exclusively.
The update comes as Apple is expected to move away from Qualcomm's modem chips over the coming years. Apple has been developing its own in-house 5G modem technology since acquiring Intel's smartphone modem division in 2019. The iPhone 16e, iPhone Air, and iPad Pro now contain Apple's C1-series custom modems rather than Qualcomm chips. Qualcomm previously announced that it would continue to supply Apple with Snapdragon modems through 2026, but the relationship is widely expected to diminish after that point as Apple's own modems proliferate through its device lineup.
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report.
Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for example, when the iPhone isn't nearby – without the user needing to enter the password manually.
The feature's removal appears to be Apple's response to the European Commission's Digital Markets Act (DMA) interoperability requirements, which Apple has publicly criticized on more than one occasion. Under the DMA, regulators want Apple to open iPhone Wi-Fi hardware access to third-party accessories by the end of 2025.
The year-end compliance deadline coincides with next month's release of iOS 26.2. But rather than comply with the requirement, Apple is apparently disabling the feature entirely for EU users. Apple reportedly confirmed the decision to French publication Numerama.
In terms of the practical impact, it's likely to be limited for most users. Apple Watch will surely still connect to Wi-Fi networks when the paired iPhone is nearby, but users may be required to manually connect to Wi-Fi by typing in the password when the iPhone is out of range. Afterwards, the Wi-Fi network's credentials will presumably be stored on the watch.
Apple has previously warned that complying with EU interoperability requirements could give "data-hungry companies" access to sensitive information, including notification content and complete Wi-Fi network histories. Apple has explicitly called out Meta for making multiple unreasonable interoperability requests under the DMA that if allowed could compromise user security and privacy.
Apple filed an appeal against the interoperability rules at the EU's General Court in Luxembourg on May 30, targeting the Commission's March decision that requires Apple to make iOS more compatible with rival products including smartwatches, headphones, and VR headsets.
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.
Apple has changed how you dismiss iPhone alarms in iOS 26.1, and your morning muscle memory may have needed tweaking as a result. By default, the Clock app now requires a slide gesture to stop an alarm from the Lock Screen, replacing the previous tap-to-stop button that was redesigned in iOS 26. Snoozing still works with a simple tap, but turning off an alarm entirely demands the extra swipe motion.
The change appears designed to prevent accidental dismissals when you're reaching for your phone in the morning. By requiring a more deliberate action, you're less likely to silence your alarm when you meant to hit snooze. If you don't like the change, you can revert the alarm interface back to the previous Stop button by following these steps.
Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Tap Accessibility.
Under "Physical and Motor," tap Touch.
Swipe to the bottom of the menu and toggle on Prefer Single-Touch Actions.
The change will take effect the next time you set an alarm. If you want to revert back to the slider, simply toggle off Prefer Single-Touch Actions.
Apple's second iPhone Air model is in development and could feature two rear cameras instead of one, according to a Chinese leaker with sources within Apple's supply chain.
The Weibo-based account "Digital Chat Station" claims that Apple is evaluating a dual-lens setup for the next version of its ultra-thin iPhone, with a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera joining the existing 48MP Fusion Main camera, similar to the base iPhone 17.
However, the leaker says that the second-generation device will keep the distinctive horizontal camera plateau, suggesting the second lens will sit alongside the existing one, unlike the dual-lens vertical arrangement on the iPhone 17.
Multiple technologies are housed in the plateau of the iPhone Air to maximize space for the battery, so Apple would presumably need to redesign the internals considerably to fit in another camera. Apple will reportedly continue to focus on making the device ultra-thin and lightweight.
Apple will release a second-generation iPhone Air alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its first foldable iPhone in the second half of 2026, according to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple also plans to launch a third iPhone Air model with a larger display in the second half of 2027. That said, the first-generation device has apparently not been selling well outside of China, so Apple's plans could change.
Digital Chat Station has a decent track record for Apple rumors. They accurately revealed that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus would feature a slightly smaller 48-megapixel sensor than the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as the display panel design of the iPhone 12 back in 2020.
A day after seeding the first developer betas of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2, Apple has stopped signing it for the iPhone Air, iPhone 16e, and cellular models of the new M5 iPad Pro, preventing those devices from installing the update.
The exact reason for the change is unknown, but all three devices use either the C1 or C1X modem, Apple's new custom cellular chips, so it's possible Apple has identified a specific bug related to iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 with that chip and is preventing users who have yet to update from being affected by it.
The updates will continue to show for users on those devices enrolled in the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 developer beta programs, but the updates will now fail to install.
It's unknown how long it will take for Apple to address whatever issue it has discovered, at which time we should see revised developer betas for these C1 and C1X devices.
Update 4:50 pm: Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach notes that his iPad Pro experienced an issue with the update that forced his device into recovery mode, where he was able to restore it to iPadOS 26.1.
Update 6:30 pm: Apple has now fully pulled the updates for the affected devices, so iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 beta 1 won't even show as available on these devices.
Apple's temporary store in Carlsbad
Apple's relocated store at University Park Village
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Target. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
