OpenAI has completed its acquisition of Jony Ive's AI startup io Products, OpenAI said today in a letter from CEO Sam Altman and Ive.
The io Products team has now officially merged with OpenAI, though Jony Ive and his LoveFrom design firm remain independent. Ive and LoveFrom have taken over "deep design and creative responsibilities" at OpenAI. OpenAI paid an estimated $6.5 billion for io.
OpenAI first announced plans to purchase Jony Ive's startup back in May, and at the time, the two shared a video on their future plans. Ive and Altman are creating a new family of AI devices. "The products that we're using to deliver and connect us to unimaginable technology, they're decades old," said Jony Ive in the acquisition announcement. "It's just common sense to at least think surely there's something beyond these legacy products."
Ive will design the AI device that OpenAI will eventually launch, and several former Apple design employees who co-founded io with Ive are also moving to OpenAI. While Ive provides design, OpenAI will handle the AI expertise.
Recent information indicates that Ive and Altman's first device won't be an in-ear device or wearable, and will instead sit in a pocket or on a desk alongside a Mac and an iPhone. Other rumors suggest that the pocket-sized product will be contextually aware of the wearer's surroundings and life, providing insight screen-free.
Apple's annual Back to School offer for university students and educational staff is about to begin in many European countries, after initially launching in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Singapore, India, and the United Arab Emirates last month.
Apple's online educational store is currently showing a "we'll be right back" message in a long list of countries, and this is typically an indicator that the Back to School offer is incoming. The offer should begin in these countries within a matter of hours.
We did a quick check of Apple's website, and it appears the offer will be going live in the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and a few other countries and territories in Europe, as well as in Türkiye.
In countries where the offer is already live, eligible students can receive free AirPods 4 when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. AirPods Pro 2 are also available at a discount. Aside from AirPods, the promotion also offers various other accessories for free or at a discount, such as the Apple Pencil Pro or a Magic Keyboard.
The free AirPods or other accessory are included in addition to Apple's standard year-round 10% educational discount on select Mac and iPad models.
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.
Below we've collected some of the best TV deals you can find during Prime Day, including those from Samsung, Sony, Hisense, LG, Panasonic, Toshiba, and more. Shoppers should remember that Prime Day sales are typically time sensitive, so purchase quickly if you're interested.
It's also worth noting that some deals require an Amazon Prime membership to get Prime Day deals. You can sign up for a free 30-day trial of Prime on Amazon if you're a new customer; afterwards the service runs for $14.99/month or $139/year.
Special for 2025, Amazon is also offering a free six month trial to Prime for Young Adults right now. Prime for Young Adults is a discounted Prime membership for anyone age 18-24 that offers all of the Prime benefits at $69.00 per year, half of the price of regular Prime.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Deals Newsletter
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Apple plans to introduce a new version of the Vision Pro this year, with the main update focused on the chip inside, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The device will use the M4 chip that Apple has already debuted in the iPad Pro and several Macs.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said late last year that a new Vision Pro coming in 2025 would have an M5 chip, and Gurman also said around the same timeframe that Apple would update the Vision Pro with the M5 chip. Just last month, Kuo maintained that the updated Vision Pro would use an M5 chip, but it now appears that information about the M5 could be incorrect.
The current version of the Vision Pro includes an M2 chip, so even if the upgraded model won't get the M5 chip, the M4 should still bring significant performance improvements. Apple is also testing a version of the device that has an upgraded Neural Engine with a higher number of cores, which would improve processing for AI tasks.
Along with the faster processor, Apple plans to update the Vision Pro with a strap that will make the headset more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. Straps that Apple is working on are meant to cut down on head pain and neck strain, but there's no information on what Apple has in mind. Apple already has two Vision Pro straps, including one that goes around the back of the head and a second add-on strap that better distributes weight at the top of the head.
After the second-generation Vision Pro that's coming out this year, the device will not see another update in 2026. Apple is instead planning to debut a redesigned model in 2027. The redesigned model, which Kuo has referred to as a "Vision Air," is expected to be significantly lighter.
Gurman says that Apple is working on another variation of the Vision Pro that could be tethered to an iPhone or Mac for enterprise applications and reduced lag. Apple had been designing Mac-connected glasses that would work as a computer display, but Apple paused work on that project back in January.
Apple is developing a set of smart glasses that are similar to Meta's Ray-Bans and that are supposed to come out in 2026. Those glasses won't feature augmented reality capabilities, but they will serve as a precursor to true AR glasses.
The lines between iPad and Mac have never been blurrier – and with iPadOS 26, currently in beta and coming this fall, Apple is leaning further into that overlap than ever before. The latest update brings a suite of powerful new features that elevate the iPad's utility, bridging the gap between touch-first tablet and full-fledged desktop machine.
From enhanced multitasking to advanced file management, iPadOS 26 pushes Apple's tablet deeper into Mac territory, without sacrificing the unique strengths that make the iPad so versatile. Here are eight ways iPadOS 26 makes the iPad feel more like a Mac than ever.
Menu Bar
Within any active app, swipe down from the top of the screen and you will see a new, fully functioning macOS-style menu bar. With the foremost dropdown menu being the app's name (where app settings are typically accessed), other standard menus can include File, Edit, Format, View, Window, and Help. As you'd expect, the menu bar is dynamic, and will display menus specific to the app. In Safari you get Bookmarks and History, for instance.
Windowed Apps
In Settings ➝ Multitasking & Gestures, there's a new Windowed Apps mode that essentially lets you arrange and resize multiple windows in a single space, just like on a Mac. The new mode can also be invoked from Control Center, thanks to a new button that with a long press lets you switch between Windowed Apps and Stage Manager.
You can move multiple app windows and stack them on top of each other by dragging each window from the top, and you can individually resize them by dragging the bottom-right corner. And if you quickly drag an app window to a corner of the screen, it will automatically expand to fill that half of the screen. Tapping a space on the Home Screen will also scatter all open windows to the sides of the screen, giving you space to open other apps.
Traffic Lights
In the top-left corner of every window you'll now see three familiar traffic lights, straight out of macOS. Tapping the symbol expands it into red, amber, and green buttons for closing, minimizing, and expanding the window to fullscreen.
Long-pressing the buttons also reveals the Mac-style Move & Resize and Fill & Arrange options, as well as an option to park the app off-screen to Add a New Window (if the app supports it).
App Exposé
In the new Windowed Apps mode, iPadOS 26 also includes an App Exposé-style view that's similar to the App Switcher. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to invoke the view, which shows all the open apps in the current space. You can also scroll the new interface to see your other open apps, whether they're sharing spaces or open in full-screen mode.
Preview
The iPad finally includes the Mac's long-standing Preview app, only now with Apple Pencil support, enabling you to easily open, edit, and mark up a range of images, documents, and file types. The Preview app's browsing menu is a lot like the Files interface, where you can browse your files and check out recent and shared items. You can also scan documents from right within the app.
Trackpad Pointer
If you have a Magic Keyboard trackpad or a Bluetooth mouse connected to your iPad, the cursor is now a Mac-like pointer rather than a circle. And if you shake it, the pointer will get bigger so that you can easily locate it on the screen.
Advanced File Management
In iPadOS 26, the iPad's Files app is enhanced with a new List view that features resizable columns and collapsible folders, and new filters, allowing users to see more document details at a glance and organize their files. To help you identify folders more easily, the app now supports folder customization with custom colors, icons, and emoji, all of which sync across devices.
In Files, iPadOS 26 also allows you to set a default app for opening specific files or file types, thanks to a new Open With... option in the contextual dropdown menu. You can also change the default app in the new Get Info panel.
Folders in Dock
In the Files app, long press on a folder and you'll see a new Add to Dock option in the contextual dropdown menu. So you can now park any folder in your Dock, and if you long press on its icon, you'll see Mac-style display options to view the content as a Grid or a Fan, as well as the typical sorting preferences.
In iPadOS 26, you can now fit up to 23 icons in the Dock, so there's nothing stopping you from adding multiple folders. In Settings ➝ Multitasking & Gestures, there's also a new option to Automatically Show and Hide the Dock, just like in macOS.
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors.
The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account was seemingly first to reveal the name of the iPhone 16e before the device was announced, so their latest information has merit, but they do not have a lengthy track record yet.
The base model iPhone 17 will have 8GB of RAM, matching the amount included in all iPhone 16 models, according to the account.
Here is an overview of Fixed Focus Digital's RAM expectations:
iPhone 17: 8GB
iPhone 17 Air: 12GB
iPhone 17 Pro: 12GB
iPhone 17 Pro Max: 12GB
In April, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also said the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will each have 12GB of RAM. At the time, he was unsure if the base model iPhone 17 would have 8GB or 12GB of RAM, due to potential RAM supply constraints. He has not provided an update on that since then.
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.
Starting with the 13-inch models, Amazon has $150 off all three configurations of this notebook. Prices start at $849.00 for the 256GB model, then raise to $1,049.00 for the 16GB/512GB model and $1,249.00 for the 24GB/512GB model. All of these are solid second-best prices on the M4 MacBook Air.
Moving to the larger display models, Amazon has both 512GB versions of the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air on sale this week, as well as the 256GB model. The 16GB/512GB model is available for $1,249.00 and the 24GB/512GB model is on sale for $1,427.14. Across the board, these are all second-best prices on the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
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Apple plans to offer the iPhone 17 Air in at least four colors, including Black, Silver, Light Gold, and Light Blue, according to a leaker known as Majin Bu.
The new lighter blue color option for the device was first mentioned a day ago by Fixed Focus Digital, a Weibo account with more than two million followers, and Majin Bu said that he has confirmed this information with his own sources.
It is unclear if Light Gold and Light Blue will be Apple's actual marketing names for those colors, if this rumor proves to be accurate.
Majin Bu said that the Light Blue color will be similar to the Sky Blue finish offered for the latest MacBook Air, so perhaps Apple would opt to extend the Sky Blue name to the iPhone 17 Air. This is merely speculation on our part.
Earlier today we highlighted some of the best Apple-related product discounts that you can find on Amazon during Prime Day, and now we're focusing on third-party accessory markdowns during the event. In this article you'll find all the best accessories for charging, smart homes, smartphones, and more.
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.
Shoppers should remember that Prime Day sales are typically time sensitive, so purchase quickly if you're interested. Remember that you'll need an Amazon Prime membership to get Prime Day deals. You can sign up for a free 30-day trial of Prime on Amazon if you're a new customer; afterwards the service runs for $14.99/month or $139/year.
Special for 2025, Amazon is also offering a free six month trial to Prime for Young Adults right now. Prime for Young Adults is a discounted Prime membership for anyone age 18-24 that offers all of the Prime benefits at $69.00 per year, half of the price of regular Prime.
Anker
Prime Day deals have hit Anker's most popular portable batteries, Bluetooth speakers, wall chargers, USB-C hubs, and portable power stations. We've collected some of the best Anker discounts in the list below, but be sure to browse Amazon for even more sales.
Amazon this week is discounting a collection of Beats headphones and speakers, including an all-time low price on the Powerbeats Pro 2. You can get this new 2025 model for $179.95 in four colors, down from $249.99. This deal on the Powerbeats Pro 2 is being matched at Best Buy, along with a few other Beats deals.
Samsung's popular 32-inch Smart Monitor M8 (Model M80D) is down to the best price we've ever seen it on Amazon, available for $399.99, down from $699.99.
In addition to the Smart Monitor M8, Amazon has a wide array of monitors and PCs on sale from HP, Acer, Samsung, and more for Prime Day. One of the highlights is Samsung's 27-inch ViewFinity S9 5K Monitor for $999.99, down from $1,599.99.
Of course, some of the best discounts can be found on Amazon's own line of products. This includes Kindle e-readers, Blink security cameras, Fire tablets, and more.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2025? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
As Apple gears up to debut its first-generation foldable iPhone next year, Samsung is on its seventh generation. Samsung today introduced its latest foldable smartphones, debuting the ultra thin Galaxy Z Fold7, the Galaxy Z Flip7, and a new, lower cost Z Flip7 FE.
Positioned as Samsung's premium flagship foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold7 is thinner and larger than the foldable smartphones that came before it. When closed, the Fold7's AMOLED display is 6.5 inches, but when open, it's now 8 inches. It's noticeably thinner than the Fold6, measuring in at 8.9mm thick when folded and 4.2mm when unfolded. That's not too far off from rumors about Apple's foldable iPhone, which could be 4.5mm when it's open and 9mm when closed.
Galaxy Z Fold7
Because of its slim size, the Z Fold7 weighs 215 grams, which makes it lighter than Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max. To get the display so thin, Samsung removed S-Pen integration, so this year's Z Fold7 does not work with Samsung's stylus.
Galaxy Z Fold7
Samsung is using a new "Armor FlexHinge" that it says is thinner and lighter. It's also meant to cut down on the visibility of the crease, but there's still a definitive crease when using the Z Fold7. The display is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, which as the name suggests has ceramic infused in it, much like Apple's Ceramic Shield.
Galaxy Z Fold7
There's a 10-megapixel selfie camera that's on the cover, a 10-megapixel ultra-wide front camera with a 100-degree field of view, a 200-megapixel wide-angle front camera, and a rear camera setup with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens. The Galaxy Z Fold7 uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip from Qualcomm. Samsung says it has 38 percent faster CPU performance and 26 percent faster GPU performance.
Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip7 is a smaller foldable that has a clamshell design. It too is slimmer, and it has a larger 4.1-inch front FlexWindow with an edge-to-edge display. When open, the Z Flip7 has a 6.9-inch display. The FlexWindow isn't a full app interface, but it supports Google Gemini and several other quick access features.
Galaxy Z Flip7
The Z Flip7 weighs 188 grams and is 13.7mm thick when it's folded, which makes it the thinnest version of the Z Flip to date. It uses the same thinner Armor FlexHinge as the Z Fold7. There's a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens at the rear, along with 10-megapixel front-facing selfie camera.
Samsung is also releasing a lower-cost version of the Galaxy Z Flip7, the Flip7 FE. It's not as thin as the Flip7, and is essentially equivalent to the Flip6. It features a 3.4-inch FlexWindow and a 6.7-inch main display when open.
Finally, Samsung is updating its smartwatch lineup with the Galaxy Watch8 and Galaxy Watch8 Classic, plus an updated Galaxy Watch Ultra. The Galaxy Watch8 boasts a thinner and more comfortable design, a brighter display, and dual-frequency GPS for improved accuracy. The Watch8 also delivers new health features through the Samsung Health app, including Bedtime Guidance to suggest the optimal time to go to sleep based on your circadian rhythm, Vascular Load to monitor stress levels on your vascular system during sleep, Antioxidant Index to keep track of your carotenoid levels, and more.
Pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold7, the Galaxy Z Flip7, and Flip7 FE are available starting today. The Z Fold7 is priced starting at $1,999, while the Z Flip7 is priced starting at $1,099. The Cheaper Fold7 FE is priced starting at $899.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Apple's rumored "iPhone 17 Air" will be equipped with an A19 Pro chip instead of an A19 chip, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. However, there may be one limitation.
In a post this week, the leaker said the A19 Pro chip will have a 6-core GPU in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but only a 5-core GPU in the iPhone 17 Air. This means the iPhone 17 Air would have slightly slower graphics performance for gaming compared to the Pro models, but the average customer is unlikely to notice much of a difference.
In July 2024, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the iPhone 17 Air would be equipped with an A19 chip instead of an A19 Pro chip, so there are now conflicting rumors about the device's chip. Kuo has a good track record with Apple rumors, while Fixed Focus Digital appears to have been the first source to reveal the iPhone 16e name of the device that succeeded the iPhone SE, so it is hard to say who is right here.
As for the base model iPhone 17, Fixed Focus Digital expects that device to have an A19 chip, which is another claim that conflicts with a previous rumor. A few months ago, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the device would have an A18 chip.
Here is an overview of Fixed Focus Digital's chip expectations:
iPhone 17: A19 chip
iPhone 17 Air: A19 Pro chip (5-core GPU)
iPhone 17 Pro: A19 Pro chip (6-core GPU)
iPhone 17 Pro Max: A19 Pro chip (6-core GPU)
Here were the previous expectations from Kuo and Pu:
iPhone 17: A18 chip
iPhone 17 Air: A19 chip
iPhone 17 Pro: A19 Pro chip
iPhone 17 Pro Max: A19 Pro chip
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, so we will find out what the company's actual plans are in a few more months.
Amazon Prime Day is currently in its second day, and this year the event will last for four days from July 8-11, the longest Prime Day yet. As it does every year, Prime Day offers shoppers a huge selection of deals across Amazon's storefront. With the event now underway, we're tracking numerous all-time low prices on Apple gear right now.
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.
For our coverage, we're focusing on discounts for Apple and Apple-related products that can be purchased right now on Amazon. As of today, this includes deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, MacBook Air, and more. We're also sharing deals being matched at retailers like Best Buy in some cases.
As is typical for Prime Day deals, these markdowns are very time sensitive, so sales listed below may disappear fast, and new ones may appear even faster. With this in mind, we'll keep this article updated over the next few days, and keep an eye on the MacRumors front page as we'll be posting particularly great deals in separate articles next week.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Amazon Prime Day requires you to have an Amazon Prime membership to take advantage of the discounts. Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month or $139.00 per year, and it comes with a 30-day free trial for new subscribers.
Special for 2025, Amazon is also offering a free six month trial to Prime for Young Adults right now. Prime for Young Adults is a discounted Prime membership for anyone age 18-24 that offers all of the Prime benefits at $69.00 per year, half of the price of regular Prime.
AirPods
Amazon has the USB-C AirPods Max on sale for $429.99, down from $549.00, and the AirPods Pro 2 for $149.00, down from $249.00. You'll also find an all-time low price on the AirPods 4 for Prime Day.
Amazon is taking up to $55 off Wi-Fi and cellular models of Apple's 11th generation iPad for Prime Day. Prices start at $279.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $349.00, a new all-time low price on this model.
Amazon has record low prices on every Wi-Fi model of the iPad mini 7 this week, starting at $379.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi tablet, down from $499.00. You'll also find a few deals on cellular models during this sale.
Amazon this week has discounts across nearly the entire M3 iPad Air lineup, offering $100 off these tablets. Prices start at $479.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch M3 iPad Air, down from $599.00. Best Buy is matching all of these deals on the iPad Air.
Amazon today has low prices across nearly the entire M4 MacBook Air lineup, with up to $175 off both 13-inch and 15-inch models.
Starting with the 13-inch models, Amazon has $150 off all three configurations of this notebook. Prices start at $849.00 for the 256GB model, then raise to $1,049.00 for the 16GB/512GB model and $1,249.00 for the 24GB/512GB model. All of these are solid second-best prices on the M4 MacBook Air.
Moving to the larger display models, Amazon has both 512GB versions of the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air on sale this week, as well as the 256GB model. The 16GB/512GB model is available for $1,249.00 and the 24GB/512GB model is on sale for $1,427.14. Across the board, these are all second-best prices on the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air.
Amazon is offering numerous all-time low prices on Apple Watch Series 10 devices during Prime Day, including both GPS and cellular models at $119 off original prices. Best Buy is matching these prices in many cases.
Amazon has the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 10 for $279.00, down from $399.00, as well as the 46mm GPS model for $309.00, down from $429.00. Both of these are record low prices on the Apple Watch Series 10, and they're available in numerous case colors and band styles.
SE
In addition to Series 10 deals, Amazon is discounting the 40mm GPS Apple Watch SE to $169.00 today, down from $249.00. This is the best price we've tracked so far in 2025, and it's available in Starlight, Silver, and Midnight Aluminum color options.
Additionally, you can get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE for $199.00 today on Amazon, down from $279.00. This one is also available in Midnight, Silver, and Starlight Aluminum colors, and multiple band sizes.
Amazon has introduced a new all-time low price on the Black Apple Watch Ultra 2, available for $649.99, down from $799.00. This is the first time in a few weeks that we've tracked any notable discount on the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Deals Newsletter
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IKEA plans to overhaul its smart home lineup with full Matter support, making its budget-friendly products compatible with Apple Home and other ecosystems without requiring the company's own hub, reports The Verge.
Starting in January 2026, the Swedish furniture giant will release more than 20 new Matter-over-Thread smart lights, sensors, and remotes. The products will work directly with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings through native Matter compatibility. Pricing will remain comparable to current products, which start under $10.
To recap, Thread is a low-power wireless mesh protocol that runs on the 2.4GHz band and is designed for devices such as sensors, bulbs, plugs, and shades. It's IP-based, so devices can talk directly to each other over the internet, and on other networks via a Thread Border Router (such as a HomePod mini or Apple TV 4K).
Meanwhile, Matter is an open-sourced, IP-based connectivity software layer for smart home devices that was co-developed by Apple, Amazon, Google, and others. It works over Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and Thread.
IKEA also recently rolled out a beta update for its Dirigera smart home hub that activates its built-in Thread radio and adds support for Matter. With this update, Dirigera now works as both a Matter Controller and a Thread Border Router, so it can connect to and control any compatible Matter device – including those from other brands – as well as IKEA's upcoming Matter-based product line, which is set to replace its current Zigbee offerings.
"We want to remove barriers to complexity, we want it to be simple to use, and we just want it to work," David Granath of IKEA of Sweden told The Verge. "If you're an Apple user, take our bulb and onboard it to your Apple Home."
The news should be a welcome development for HomeKit users, who previously faced limited affordable options. IKEA's existing smart home products required workarounds or lengthy waits for HomeKit support. With Matter, any compatible device automatically works with Apple Home without additional certification.
Warner Bros. Discovery has completed its reversal from Max back to HBO Max today, marking the end of a widely criticized two-year experiment.
The streaming service's website and mobile apps now display the HBO Max branding once again. Max.com redirects to hbomax.com, while both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store have updated their listings. Users won't need to download a new app, as existing installations will automatically update to show the HBO Max name.
The App Store update includes a cheeky note: "Same app. New-ish name. The plot twist everyone has been waiting for: Max is now HBO Max."
This change reverses the 2023 rebrand that dropped the HBO name in favor of the generic "Max" moniker. The original decision aimed to incorporate Discovery content following the companies' merger, but the move faced immediate backlash from subscribers and industry observers.
Warner Bros. Discovery acknowledged the misstep in May, citing consumer feedback and the strength of the HBO brand's reputation for quality content. The company said it wanted to focus on "something distinct and great" rather than trying to be "everything for everyone."
The streaming service has now cycled through HBO Go, HBO Now, HBO, HBO Max, Max, and back to HBO Max again.
This year, Apple is expected to discontinue the iPhone "Plus" device in its iPhone 17 lineup to make way for an iPhone "Air," so-called because of its ultra-thin profile.
Below is a compilation of every rumor and leak we have registered from reputable sources thus far about Apple's new entry in its flagship smartphone lineup.
iPhone 17 "Air"?
About the Name
There has been some uncertainty about Apple's strategy for the new slimmer iPhone model and its position in the lineup. YouTuber Jon Prosser was first to suggest that the device could be positioned as an "iPhone Air." Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has since come out in agreement about the naming, which Apple could use to boost sales.
Replacing the iPhone "Plus," which, like the "mini" models before it, has not sold well, the iPhone 17 Air will represent a new approach in Apple's iPhone lineup, offering a device with a substantially thinner design that sits between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro.
Gurman believes that the design of the iPhone 17 Air will "just be a step toward something better" since Apple will eventually want to "squeeze the power of a Pro model into this smaller design." However, he does not expect this to occur before 2027 at the earliest.
Device Thickness Rumors
Thinner Than iPhone 6
According to The Information, Apple's all-new iPhone 17 model will have a "significantly thinner" design with an aluminum chassis, rather than a titanium casing like Apple's Pro models.
There have been mixed rumors on just how thin Apple will be able to make it. Rumors have hovered around 6mm, however in a recent report, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that he expects the iPhone to measure in at about 5.5mm at its thinnest point. At 5.5mm, the iPhone 17 Air would be the thinnest iPhone to date – thinner than the 6.9mm iPhone 6 that came out in 2014. 5.5mm would be approximately 30% thinner than the iPhone 16, which measures in at 7.8mm thick, and 33% thinner than the iPhone 16 Pro models, which are 8.25mm thick.
The device is said to have only a single speaker, in the earpiece, as there is apparently not enough room for a second speaker on the bottom edge. The Information also claims that the device will feature a narrower Dynamic Island, though this specific claim has since been contested. Internally code-named D23, the device's redesign has been described as a major one equivalent to the iPhone X.
Display Size
Smaller Than Plus Model
The first details about the size of the device's display arrived courtesy of Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu, who said it would be 6.6 inches. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has since corroborated Pu's claim.
Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young says the device will feature a 6.55-inch display, which could be rounded up to 6.6 inches. Complicating matters, YouTuber Jon Prosser more recently claimed that the iPhone 17 Air will be equipped with a 6.7-inch display, rather than a 6.6-inch display as previously rumored. For context, the existing iPhone 16 Plus has a 6.7-inch display. However, in response to Prosser's prediction, Young reiterated his 6.55-inch display size claim for the iPhone 17 Air.
In mid-March 2025, we reported on a rumor out of China claiming that the iPhone 17 Air shares the same dimensions as the iPhone 17 Pro Max, with the only difference being in the thickness of the devices. Days later, Bloomberg reported that Apple prototyped a larger ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air with a 6.9-inch display, but ultimately decided not to go ahead with the device because of fears that it could be susceptible to bending. It's quite possible the China-originating rumor had its origins in Apple's canned prototype.
The iPhone 17 Air could have ultra-thin bezels as could the entire iPhone 17 series, according to one leaker. Apple says the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max feature the thinnest bezels around the screen of any product it has ever released, so perhaps we can expect a similar sized bezel for the Air.
Always-On Display
ProMotion Support
Apple intends to expand ProMotion to the entire lineup in 2025, including the iPhone 17 "Air," allowing all iPhone 17 models to ramp up to a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and video content when necessary. This will be enabled by Apple's use of Samsung's high performance "M14" OLED display panel.
Previously, only "Pro" models in Apple's iPhone lineup used the M1 OLED panel, which is why they have exclusively supported ProMotion. Notably, ProMotion would also enable the display on the iPhone 17 "Air" to ramp down to a more power-efficient refresh rate as low as 1Hz, allowing for an always-on display that can show the Lock Screen's clock, widgets, notifications, and wallpaper even when the device is locked.
Camera Redesign
Relocated Lens
The Information claimed that the iPhone 17 Air will have cameras in locations we haven't seen before on an iPhone. According to a May report, the rear cameras could be moved to the "top center" of the device. Some Android phones like Google's Pixel 9 Pro have rear cameras in a top-center position, or in a runway-style horizontal bar, but Apple's iPhone camera system has occupied the top-left corner ever since the 2007 model.
Adding to the intrigue, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that the device will have only one camera, as opposed to two or three.
Since then, YouTube channel Front Page Tech has revealed the alleged design of the iPhone 17 Air. The renders show an all-new camera bar across the top of the device's rear shell. On the left side of the bar is a single rear camera, and on the right side there is a microphone and an LED camera flash.
Most recently, a CAD render of all the devices in Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 lineup has been shared online by leaker Majin Bu, specifically showing the allegedly different rear camera system designs of the standard iPhone 17, including the all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. The CAD shows the described horizontal camera bar design accommodating the single camera lens.
Alleged iPhone 17 Air shown on far left
Weibo-based leakers Fixed Focus Digital, Ice Universe, and Digital Chat Station have all backed the accuracy of the CAD image, based on their own information from Apple's supply chain in China. "The appearance is basically like this," commented Digital Chat Station in reference to the image.
More Durable Screen
Anti-Reflective Coating
All iPhone 17 models will feature an anti-reflective display that is more scratch-resistant than Apple's Ceramic Shield found on iPhone 15 models, according to Chinese Weibo leaker Instant Digital.
The outer glass on the iPhone 17 series is said to have a "super-hard anti-reflective layer" that is "more scratch-resistant." It's not clear whether Apple is planning to adopt the Gorilla Glass Armor that Samsung uses in its Galaxy S24 Ultra, but the description of Corning's latest technology matches the rumor.
Improved Front Camera
Better Selfies
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the entire iPhone 17 lineup will feature a 24-megapixel front-facing camera with a six-element lens. The iPhone 14 and 15 feature a 12-megapixel front-facing camera with five plastic lens elements, and the iPhone 16 lineup features the same hardware.
The upgraded resolution on the iPhone 17 will allow photos to maintain their quality even when cropped or zoomed in, while the larger number of pixels will capture finer details. The upgrade to a six-element lens should also slightly enhance image quality.
Haitong analyst Jeff Pu has claimed the iPhone 17 Air will feature 8GB of RAM, compared to 6GB of RAM on the iPhone 15 Plus. However, more recently, Ming-Chi Kuo has said that all iPhone 17 models will be equipped with 12GB of RAM, including the Air.
It's worth noting that all iPhone 16 models (including the new iPhone 16e) are fitted with 8GB of RAM – a hardware requirement of on-device Apple Intelligence – so it's almost a surety that the slim device will also have at least this amount of memory.
Next-Gen Processor
Better Performance
According to The Information and Haitong International analyst Jeff Pu, the device will be equipped with Apple's A19 chip, which is likely to be based on an optimized version of TSMC's 3nm process, possibly N3P or N3X.
In contrast, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are expected to include an A19 Pro chip. Compared to earlier versions of 3nm chips, the N3P chips offer increased performance efficiency and increased transistor density.
Battery Life
Questions Remain
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 17 Air will utilize the same C1 modem that recently debuted in the iPhone 16e. The C1 is Apple's first custom-designed modem chip, and should bring significant advantages to the upcoming iPhone 17 Air.
The C1 is the most power-efficient modem ever featured in an iPhone, and promises very good battery life even within the frame of the iPhone 17 Air's ultra-thin design. According to Apple's tech specs, the iPhone 16e offers up to 26 hours of battery life for video playback, compared to up to 22 hours for the standard iPhone 16. This efficiency comes from Apple's complete control over the modem's design and integration with its custom silicon. The only minor drawback to the C1 is that it does not support mmWave.
The iPhone 17 Air could become the first Apple smartphone to adopt advanced battery technology, with Japanese supplier TDK preparing to ship its new generation of silicon-anode batteries by the end of June. One leaker has claimed the device's battery capacity is 2,800mAh, which wouldn't be far off the iPhone 12, which has a 2,815mAh battery.
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has said the iPhone 17 Air will provide battery life that is "on par with current iPhones." However, according to a report by The Information, the device will have "worse" battery life compared to previous iPhone models, which could influence Apple's decision to release a battery case as an optional accessory for the iPhone 17 Air.
Camera Control
Photography Button
The iPhone 17 Air will feature the same Camera Control button that iPhone 16 models have on the right-side of the device, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The button provides quick access to the camera and related settings, but some people find the button's touch sensitivity finicky, and many users disable it.
Wi-Fi 7 Support
For Enhanced Connectivity
Apple will use its own custom-designed Wi-Fi chip in all upcoming iPhone 17 models, including the iPhone 17 Air, according to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo said the switch to in-house Wi-Fi chips will "enhance connectivity across Apple devices" while also giving Apple a cost reduction.
Apple's custom wireless chip will support Wi-Fi 7 specification, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain. All current iPhone models are equipped with a combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip supplied by Broadcom.
Despite the thinness of the iPhone 17 Air, the device will support MagSafe, according to a reliable Chinese leaker. The leaker said that all four iPhone 17 models this year will support MagSafe for magnetic wireless charging and magnetic accessories. Apple dropped MagSafe from the low-end iPhone 16e, which left some uncertainty that the technology would feature in the iPhone 17 Air.
Notably, Apple appears to be moving to the next-generation Qi 2.2 wireless charging standard, according to regulatory filings, which increases the likelihood that the upcoming iPhone 17 models will support the new charging standard. Qi 2.2 is technically capable of up to 50W charging output – but that doesn't guarantee Apple's iPhones will charge at the maximum 50W. In addition to faster charging, Qi 2.2 offers improved magnetic alignment and charging efficiency compared to its predecessor. The standard also features backward compatibility with older Qi chargers.
eSIM Worldwide
No SIM Card Slot
The slim device will lack a physical SIM card slot, and instead rely entirely on digital eSIM technology, according to Ming-Chi Kuo. In the U.S., all iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 models lack a physical SIM card tray already, but all iPhones sold in other countries still have one for now.
The lack of a SIM card slot in all forthcoming iPhone 17 models worldwide has been previously reported, but it is not clear how the devices would be sold in the Chinese market, where the use of eSIMs in smartphones is not currently authorized.
Color Options
Unique Blue Finish
A new light blue finish is rumored to be the signature color of the all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, according to a leak from Asia. The tip, shared by Weibo leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," suggests that this blue shade will be central to Apple's marketing for the new device, which will replace the Plus model in Apple's iPhone lineup. Described as significantly lighter than any previous blue Apple has released, the color may appear almost white in low-light conditions.
The iPhone 13 Pro's "Sierra Blue" finish (2021).
The finish is said to echo Apple's past use of lighter tones, particularly the iPhone 13 Pro's "Sierra Blue." That color marked a shift toward more subtle, pastel-like shades – metallic and icy, it shifted between blue and light gray depending on the lighting. Apple continued this trend with the softer, pastel finishes introduced in the iPhone 15 lineup.
Pricing Rumors
Premium or Affordable?
The Information reported that the slimmer iPhone 17 could have a higher price tag than the Pro Max model, which currently starts at $1,199, despite suggestions that it will not be as feature-rich as Apple's top-tier Max.
However, Haitong International analyst Jeff Pu believes the device will be a mid-tier iPhone that replaces the Plus model. Additionally, a report out of China has claimed that the ultra-thin iPhone 17's price will be similar to that of the iPhone 16 Plus, which starts at $899 in the United States. More recently, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said he was told that the device may start at roughly $899 in the US, while a newer report by The Wall Street Journal has suggested that all iPhone 17 models may have higher prices than usual because of the impact of U.S. import tariffs on foreign goods.
Apple experienced the strongest year-over-year growth in global PC shipments during the second quarter of 2025 among the top five vendors, according to new preliminary data released by IDC, despite flat performance in the United States.
Apple shipped 6.2 million Macs globally in the second quarter of 2025, marking a 21.4% increase from the 5.1 million units it shipped during the same period last year. This outpaced all other top PC manufacturers. Apple's global market share rose from 8.0% in the second quarter of 2024 to 9.1% in the latest quarter, although it maintained its fourth-place position behind Lenovo, HP, and Dell in terms of total volume.
The broader PC market grew 6.5% year-over-year to 68.4 million units, rebounding for another quarter of positive growth after a period of pandemic-related volatility and supply chain disruptions. Lenovo led the market with 17 million shipments, a 15.2% increase from the year prior, followed by HP with 14.1 million units and Dell with 9.8 million. Dell was the only one of the top five vendors to see a decline, falling 3.0% from the same quarter in 2024.
IDC attributed much of Apple's growth to strong performance outside the United States, where shipments rose 9% year-over-year. In contrast, the U.S. PC market posted zero percent growth during the quarter. IDC believes that the flat U.S. performance likely reflects inventory buildup and anticipation of upcoming tariff increases. As a result, shipments recorded in the second quarter could reflect efforts by Apple and its retail partners to front-load deliveries to the U.S. before potential cost increases take effect.
Apple's 21.4% shipment growth in the second quarter followed a similarly strong performance in the first quarter 2025, when Mac shipments rose 14.1% year-over-year. That trend stands in contrast to the slower growth reported by other major vendors this year.
Apple has been granted a patent for a next-generation Apple Pencil that uses optical sensors to work across a wide range of surfaces, including devices such as the iPhone, MacBook Pro, and Apple Watch.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office this week granted Apple the filing (via Patently Apple), which is titled "Input Device With Optical Sensors." The patent describes a stylus equipped with advanced optical tracking systems capable of detecting movement, tilt, rotation, and position in three-dimensional space.
Unlike current models, the proposed Apple Pencil would not rely on interaction with a capacitive touchscreen. Instead, it would utilize sensors embedded in the Pencil itself to capture motion and translate it into digital input.
In one configuration, the tip of the Apple Pencil is described as being formed from a partially or fully transparent material, such as cover glass. This would allow light to pass through the tip to the target surface and back to the internal sensor system.
The Pencil would then analyze the light data to determine characteristics of the movement, including direction, speed, tilt angle, and rotational orientation, without requiring direct contact with a touch-sensitive display. The patent also outlines an alternative implementation using a trackball mechanism.
Beyond drawing, the patent envisions broader use cases. In addition to supporting sketching, writing, and gesture input, the Apple Pencil could act as a spatial controller for system-level actions. These include cursor manipulation, file navigation, audio controls, or initiating phone calls. The patent's illustrations depict the stylus in use with a variety of Apple products, including the iPad, MacBook Pro, iPhone, and Apple Watch.
At WWDC 2025, Apple showcased the Logitech Muse, a third-party spatial stylus developed for the Apple Vision Pro headset. The Muse allows users to draw in mid-air with precision, relying on spatial tracking rather than contact with a physical surface.
The Apple Pencil patent echoes similar design goals, hinting at potential in-house development of new input devices that extend beyond the iPad. Patent filings cannot be taken as evidence of Apple's immediate plans, but they do indicate areas of active research and interest for the company, as well as what it is considering developing for future devices.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Galaxy Z Fold7
Galaxy Z Fold7
Galaxy Z Fold7
Galaxy Z Flip7
