MacRumors

The iPhone 18 is already driving major shifts deep in the semiconductor supply chain, as Samsung Electronics expands production of image sensors, prompting one of its key testing partners to invest over $120 million in new equipment, The Elec reports.

Doosan Tesna, a South Korean post-process semiconductor testing company, this week announced that it will spend $123 million on test systems from Japan's Advantest, Samsung subsidiary Semes, and Japan Interaction. The investment is equal to 21.77% of the company's total assets, and will be completed in stages between 2026 and March 2027.

The purchase is believed to be directly related to Samsung's new image sensor production line in Austin, Texas, which is expected to supply components for the ‌iPhone 18‌ in 2027. Samsung's return to Apple's camera image sensor supply chain marks its first in roughly a decade and could alter the long-standing dominance of Sony, which has provided nearly all iPhone sensors to date. Apple reportedly sought to diversify suppliers after delays in Sony's deliveries between 2023 and 2024.

Doosan Tesna specializes in electrical testing of wafers after fabrication, a process that identifies defective chips before packaging and improves manufacturing yield. More than 90% of its revenue comes from Samsung's Foundry and System LSI divisions.

Doosan Tesna's decision to diversify away from Teradyne equipment toward Advantest is also notable. Advantest systems are widely used for high-performance chips such as GPUs, memory, and AI processors, suggesting Samsung's new sensors for Apple may demand more advanced verification processes.

Samsung's production line in Austin is a key element in Apple's effort to reduce reliance on Japanese suppliers and to expand production within the United States. If Samsung's sensors meet Apple's performance and reliability standards, the move could make it the company's second major image sensor supplier.

Doosan Tesna's major financial commitment represents over one-fifth of its total assets, reflecting how preparations for Apple's future iPhones are already reshaping global semiconductor investment over a year before production begins.

Unlike other Apple devices, the original Vision Pro with the M2 chip is not available for trade-in.

The original Vision Pro with the ‌M2‌ chip launched in February 2024 and was discontinued upon the announcement of a new version with the M5 chip earlier today. Most high-end Apple devices, such as the Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and Mac, become available for trade-in upon the release of a new model, allowing users to fund the purchase of the latest device while getting rid of their old one.

The absence of the Vision Pro from Apple's trade-in program is therefore peculiar, but likely reflects an unwillingness on the behalf of trade-in partners to accept it for now. Users of the original Vision Pro who want to upgrade to the new M5 version will need to sell their old device independently.

Apple today started selling new accessories for its Vision Pro headset, including the Logitech Muse and Dual Knit Band, with more on the way.

The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the ‌Vision Pro‌. It was announced at WWDC earlier this year. The Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of freedom (6DoF) tracking, pressure-sensitive tips, and real-time haptic feedback to allow users to interact with digital environments through precise input and tactile realism.

Logitech Muse is a spatial accessory designed to enhance the way you work, create, and collaborate with Apple Vision Pro. Muse combines a familiar form factor with advanced technology, offering a precise, immersive workflow in both productivity and creativity apps.

Seamless motion tracking in six degrees of freedom with intuitive controls allows you to draw, annotate, and interact naturally in space. Real-time haptic responses add textural realism to create a truly engaging experience. A pressure-sensitive tip and force-sensing button allow you to vary line thickness whether drawing on a surface or in the air.

According to Logitech, Muse is intended for use across a wide range of spatial computing applications, including 3D design, collaborative workspaces, and immersive visualization tools. The device features both physical buttons and gesture controls. The Logitech Muse costs $129.95 and is now available from Apple.

Apple's new Dual Knit Band for the Vision Pro is also now available for $99. It comes with the new Vision Pro with the M5 chip, but is available separately and compatible with the M2 Vision Pro.

Designed for Apple Vision Pro, the Dual Knit Band provides lasting comfort and stability — with soft, breathable upper and lower straps and a counterbalanced design. Its dual-function Fit Dial makes it easy to adjust each strap independently for a personalized fit. The Dual Knit Band attaches to the Audio Straps with a simple and secure mechanism, and release tabs allow you to quickly detach it when needed.

In addition, Apple today confirmed that the PlayStation VR2 Sense controller and Controller Charging Station will be available for $249.95 from the Apple Store online in the U.S. beginning Tuesday, November 11.

The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store.

In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out.

Apple has gradually stopped including chargers with many products over the years — a decision it has attributed to its environmental goals.

In this case, an Apple spokesperson told French website Numerama's Nicolas Lellouche that the decision to not include a charger with this particular MacBook Pro was made in anticipation of a European regulation that will require Apple to provide customers with the option to purchase certain devices without a charger in the box, starting in April.

According to the European Union law database, Apple could have let customers in Europe decide whether they wanted to have a charger included in the box or not, but the company has ultimately decided to not include one whatsoever:

Can a radio equipment be sold with the charging device in-box?

Yes, as long as the consumer has also the choice of buying the same radio equipment without a charging device in-box.

Apple still includes a USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable in the box with the 14-inch MacBook Pro in Europe, so you only need to supply a charger if you need one.

In the U.K., the 70W USB-C Power Adapter costs £59.

It is worth noting that the 14-inch MacBook Pro is €100 cheaper in some European countries, although the Euro is stronger against the U.S. compared to a year ago. In the U.K., the new model has the same starting price as the previous model.

(Thanks, Michael!)

Apple today released a new version of the Magic Keyboard for iPad Air in black.

Previously, the Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Air‌ was only available in white. It is based on the older Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro and ‌iPad Air‌, which was available in both black and white, and was replaced by a redesigned version with a aluminum top case, backlighting, and a trackpad with haptic feedback last year.

The Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Air‌ continues to be priced at $269 for the 11-inch version and $319 for the 13-inch version.

Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips.

The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new ‌iPad Pro‌ to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing engine. A faster 16-core Neural Engine also delivers more energy-efficient performance. Apple says that performance gains and breakthrough improvements over iPads with the M1 chip are "staggering".

In addition to the M5 chip, the cellular versions of the new ‌iPad Pro‌ feature Apple's custom-designed C1X modem, which allows up to 50% faster cellular data performance than its predecessor, with much greater efficiency.

It also features the N1 chip, a new Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Apple says the N1 brings better performance when connected to 5GHz networks, and improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.

The new ‌iPad Pro‌ features over 150GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, which is almost a 30% increase compared to the previous generation. It also offers up to 2x faster storage read and write speeds, and the 256GB and 512GB models start with 12GB of unified memory.

The new ‌iPad Pro‌ adds the ability to drive external displays at up to 120Hz and now supports Adaptive Sync, which provides the lowest possible latency in external display performance.

Fast charging is now supported, allowing the new ‌iPad Pro‌ to charge up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 40W adapter or higher.

The new ‌iPad Pro‌ is available to pre-order starting today, and will be available in stores on Wednesday, October 22.

Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band.

The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM.

With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared to the previous model with the M2 chip. Apple has not provided any overall performance figures, but its website says the Vision Pro now offers up to three hours of video playback per charge, compared to up to 2.5 hours for the previous model.

Apple says the M5 chip enables the rendering of 10% more pixels on the displays compared to the previous model, resulting in sharper images and crisper text. And the Vision Pro can now ramp up to a 120Hz refresh rate, up from the previous limit of 100Hz. Apple says 120Hz support reduces motion blur and provides a smoother experience when using Mac Virtual Display.

With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro gains hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, for improved graphics rendering. These capabilities were first introduced with the M3 chip, but the previous Vision Pro only had an M2 chip.

Apple says the M5 chip's faster 16-core Neural Engine, and a Neural Accelerator in each GPU core, make AI features run up to 50% faster than on the previous model.

The updated Vision Pro still has an R1 chip for input processing. The headset continues to support Wi-Fi 6, rather than Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.3.

There are no design changes or new color options, such as the rumored Space Black. There is still a tethered battery pack, rather than a built-in battery.

The updated Vision Pro comes with the Dual Knit Band, a Light Seal, two Light Seal Cushions, a cover for the front of the device, a polishing cloth, a battery, a USB-C charging cable, and Apple's new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max.

The previous Vision Pro came with Apple's discontinued 30W USB-C Power Adapter.

The new Dual Knit Band comes in small, medium, and large sizes. It is available to purchase separately for $99, and it is compatible with the previous-generation Vision Pro. You can find your preferred size by using the Apple Store app on the iPhone.

Apple says the Dual Knit Band features two straps knitted into a single piece. The upper strap goes across the top of the head, and the lower strap goes across the back of the head. The lower strap has tungsten inserts that provide a counterweight for additional comfort, balance, and stability. You can adjust the fit of both of the straps with the Fit Dial.

Another new accessory is the Logitech Muse spatial stylus, and Apple will begin selling the PlayStation VR2 Sense controller starting Tuesday, November 11.

The updated Vision Pro is available to pre-order starting today, and it will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Wednesday, October 22.

In the U.S., the Vision Pro continues to start at $3,499, and it can be configured with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage. The new model is also available in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the U.K., and the United Arab Emirates. Availability in South Korea and Taiwan will begin at a later date, according to Apple.

You can demo the new Vision Pro at an Apple Store starting October 22.

With the iPadOS 26.1 update, set to be released later this year, Apple says the Vision Pro app is expanding to iPad. It was previously on the iPhone only.

Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models.

In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB.

Like the M4 chip, Apple's next-generation M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine, but it is faster. Apple says the M5 chip offers up to 15% faster CPU performance, and up to 45% faster graphics, compared to the M4 chip.

An enhanced 10-core GPU has a Neural Accelerator in each core, delivering up to 3.5× faster AI performance compared to the M4 chip, according to Apple.

Apple says the new base 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the previous model, so read and write speeds will be improved.

Memory bandwidth has increased from 120GB/s to 153GB/s.

There are no major design changes, with the base 14-inch MacBook Pro still having a Liquid Retina XDR display with up to 1,000 nits (SDR) and up to 1,600 nits (HDR) of brightness, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, an SD card slot, a headphone jack, a MagSafe 3 magnetic charging port, and a backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.

The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip is available to pre-order starting today, and it will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Wednesday, October 22. In the U.S., pricing starts at $1,599, for a configuration with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. Available finishes include Silver and Space Black.

Apple says the 14-inch MacBook Pro continues to offer up to 24 hours of battery life, and it remains limited to Wi-Fi 6E, rather than Wi-Fi 7.

The new 14-inch MacBook Pro comes with a 70W USB-C Power Adapter, except in Europe.

Today's announcement does not include higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which are expected to launch in early 2026.

Apple today announced the M5 chip, its next-generation chip for the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro.

From Apple's press release:

Built using third-generation 3-nanometer technology, M5 introduces a next-generation 10-core GPU architecture with a Neural Accelerator in each core, enabling GPU-based AI workloads to run dramatically faster. The GPU also offers enhanced graphics capabilities and third-generation ray tracing that combined deliver a graphics performance that is up to 45 percent higher than M4. M5 features the world's fastest performance core, with up to a 10-core CPU made up of six efficiency cores and up to four performance cores. Together, they deliver up to 15 percent faster multithreaded performance over M4. M5 also features an improved 16-core Neural Engine, a powerful media engine, and a nearly 30 percent increase in unified memory bandwidth to 153GB/s.

The M5's next-generation GPU architecture is optimized for AI tasks. Each of its 10 cores features a dedicated Neural Accelerator, delivering over 4x peak GPU compute compared to the M4. The M5 also includes a third-generation ray-tracing engine, providing up to a 45% graphics uplift in apps using ray tracing.

Apple says the next-generation GPU, enhanced shader cores, second-generation dynamic caching, and third-generation ray-tracing engine on the M5 bring more realistic visuals, faster rendering times, and smoother performance. The faster 16-core Neural Engine also delivers more powerful AI performance with greater energy efficiency.

The M5 chip unified memory bandwidth of 153GB/s, providing a nearly 30% increase over the M4, offering higher multithreaded performance in apps, faster graphics performance, and faster AI performance running models on the Neural Accelerators in the GPU or the Neural Engine. It supports up to 32GB of unified memory.

The new ‌MacBook Pro‌, ‌iPad Pro‌, and Vision Pro with the M5 chip are available to pre-order today.

Apple is lobbying India to amend a decades-old tax law that could expose the company to billions of dollars in taxes on equipment it owns inside local iPhone factories, Reuters reports.

Apple is reportedly urging the Indian government to modify provisions in the Income Tax Act of 1961 to ensure it is not taxed simply for owning high-value manufacturing machinery supplied to its contract manufacturers, including Foxconn and Tata Electronics. The issue is a potential obstacle to Apple's expansion in the country.

Indian law currently treats such ownership as creating a "business connection", effectively making the company's global iPhone profits taxable in India. In China, Apple operates under a different model. The company buys the specialized machinery required to assemble iPhones and provides it to its manufacturing partners without becoming liable for local corporate tax. In India, the same practice could trigger significant tax exposure under existing law.

Legal experts say India's stance may stem from precedents such as the 2017 Supreme Court ruling against Formula One, which held that the UK-based company was liable for local taxes during its Grand Prix event because it exercised control over the circuit despite not owning it. A similar interpretation could apply if Apple were to maintain ownership of machinery used in Indian factories.

Discussions with the Indian government on taxation rules impacting Apple are said to be ongoing. The effort comes amid rapid expansion of its Indian operations. Since 2022, the country's share of global iPhone shipments is believed to have increased fourfold to around 25%. While China still produces around 75% of all iPhones, India is increasingly viewed as a critical secondary hub as Apple diversifies its supply chain. Foxconn and Tata have together invested more than $5 billion to open five large manufacturing facilities for Apple in the country.

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's iPhone 18 Pro models will feature a significantly upgraded rear camera with a variable aperture, ETNews reports.

The Korean-language report claims that only the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max will feature the camera, which will replace the main wide-angle camera on the rear, sitting alongside the ultra-wide and telephoto cameras.

A variable aperture allows the camera to adjust the amount of light that reaches the sensor. This means that in dark environments, the aperture can be opened to receive more light, while in light environments, it can be closed to prevent over-exposure. It also should provide users with greater control over depth of field, which refers to how sharp a subject appears in the foreground compared to the background.

Apple is now moving ahead with plans to bring the technology to next-generation iPhones and is now discussing components with suppliers. The variable camera is reportedly set to be made by LG Innotech and Foxconn, while the actuator is to be manufactured by Chinese companies Luxshare ICT and Sunny Optical.

Apple has never used a variable aperture on an iPhone camera before. The main cameras on all of the iPhone 14 Pro through iPhone 17 Pro models have a fixed aperture of ƒ/1.78, and the lens is always fully open and shooting with this aperture. Samsung Electronics previously brought a variable aperture camera to its Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S10 models in 2018 and 2019, but due to increased thickness and high price, it dropped the feature in 2020.

The report corroborates a rumor from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared in December last year. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are expected to be announced alongside the iPhone Air 2 and Apple's first foldable iPhone in the fall of 2026.

Apple is aiming to launch a new home hub and indoor security camera in 2026, with a tabletop robot coming in 2027, reports Bloomberg.

The home hub has an iPad-like 7-inch display, and it will be able to run apps and control smart home devices. There are apparently two versions in the works, one that is designed to be mounted on the wall, and a second tabletop model. The tabletop home hub has a speaker base that "resembles a screen-equipped version of the HomePod mini."

Both versions of the home hub will include a FaceTime camera for video calls, and sensors to recognize the person that's using it. It will be able to differentiate between different members of the household, adjusting available apps and features for each person.

Apple could charge around $350 for the home hub, which would make it much more expensive than competing products like the Amazon Echo Show, and it would be $50 more than the full-sized HomePod. Apple's operations teams are said to be looking at ways to cut the cost, so it's possible the device could be more affordable at launch. If not, costs may come down for future versions.

Apple's home hub has been finished since last year. Apple wanted to launch it in March 2025, but ended up pushing it back because the more advanced version of Siri wasn't ready to go. An updated ‌Siri‌ built using next-generation architecture will be ready to go in March 2026, and after that, Apple will be free to launch the home hub.

An Apple-designed security camera that integrates with the home hub could be released as soon as late 2026, and a full tabletop robot is slated for 2027. The robot is similar in design to the home hub, but it includes a 9-inch display and a motorized arm that can move the screen around on a user's workspace. The robot will cost several hundred dollars because of the included components.

Apple is planning to manufacture its upcoming smart home devices in Vietnam in a continuing effort to reduce its reliance on manufacturing in China. According to Bloomberg, Apple normally manufactures devices in a new product category in China to start with, but this time around, it will work with BYD in Vietnam. BYD is a Chinese company that makes electric vehicles, and Apple reportedly worked with BYD on battery technology before the Apple Car was scrapped.

BYD will be in charge of final assembly, testing, and packaging for the home hub and the tabletop robot. Apple has been expanding manufacturing in Vietnam for the last several years, and some iPads, AirPods, Apple Watches, and Macs are assembled there.

Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac.

M5 Chip

The ‌MacBook Pro‌ will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip.

The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. A leaked iPad Pro with an M5 chip was benchmarked two weeks ago, and it featured 12 percent faster multi-core CPU performance compared to the M4 chip, and a 36 percent faster GPU.

The M5 chip in the ‌iPad Pro‌ had a 9-core CPU, but the M5 in the new ‌MacBook Pro‌ could have a 10-core CPU like the 10-core M4 chip in the current version of the ‌MacBook Pro‌.

Design

There are no rumors of design changes, and we are expecting the upcoming M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌ to look just like the M4 version. There is a possibility that Apple will add a new color, because a teaser for the ‌MacBook Pro‌ seems to feature a ‌MacBook Pro‌ with a blue tint.

It's possible we'll get a dark blue version of the ‌MacBook Pro‌ that matches the iPhone 17 Pro.

Other Possible Updates

Aside from an M5 chip, we haven't heard of any new features that will be available in the M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌.

While not rumored, Apple could perhaps add the upgraded 18-megapixel Center Stage front-facing camera that's in the iPhone 17, or introduce the N1 networking chip with Bluetooth 6 and Wi-Fi 7 support. The current version of the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is limited to Wi-Fi 6E, even though the iPhone has supported Wi-Fi 7 for the last two years.

Apple may not be planning for significant hardware changes other than the chip, because swapping the camera or the networking chip would require more significant internal updates compared to just an M4 to M5 chip swap.

Just One Model?

It's looking like we're only going to get a single updated MacBook, with Apple adding the M5 to the base 14-inch model.

The ‌MacBook Pro‌ line typically features Pro and Max chips in higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch machines as well, but those chips are apparently not ready yet and won't be coming until 2026.

The M5 Pro and M5 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ models are expected in early 2026.

Why You Shouldn't Buy One

If you're not in serious need of a new ‌MacBook Pro‌, 2025 is a bad time to upgrade. The next-generation ‌MacBook Pro‌ after the late 2025/early 2026 models is expected to feature an OLED display, which will mark a major upgrade in display quality.

Of course, it's possible that the base 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ isn't going to get an OLED display and will stick with mini-LED, but it's not clear at this point.

The transition to OLED will also likely bring a design update along with M6 chip technology, which is another reason to wait.

Launch Date

Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak teased the M5 MacBook Pro earlier today, so it's likely going to launch imminently, perhaps as soon as tomorrow morning.

With every flagship smartphone launch, the new devices are subject to bend tests, drop tests, and other durability tests. YouTuber JerryRigEverything (Zack Nelson) is known for his scratch and bend tests, and he did his usual routine with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. This time, something went wrong.

When Nelson bent the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, it broke on the first test, and the second test damaged the battery and engulfed his studio in smoke. Nelson bent the smartphone backward in a way unlikely to occur in normal use, but it's also the first time that he's had a battery rupture.

"Surprisingly, in the decade that I've been durability testing phones, I have never had a smartphone explode before," he says. "The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first phone to go up in smoke."

He goes on to explain that he's subjected every mainstream smartphone from the last decade to the exact same tests, but this is the first time he's had a failure that set off his fire alarm. At the end of the video, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a smoking, charred mess, and Nelson suggests not putting an open 10 Pro Fold in a pocket.

According to Nelson, Google's line of foldable Pixel smartphones have had the same antenna line design issue for the last three years. Every one bends at the antenna line, and this time around, the layers of the battery were pinched together, resulting in a short circuit that caused a thermal reaction.

iFixit told The Verge that while the battery fire is dramatic, it's "not necessarily a sign that something is wrong with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold design." The battery does not appear to have been discharged before the bend test, and iFixit said that short circuits can happen if you break the insulating layers of a battery. Google has not yet responded to the incident.

The Verge also points out that Google has had other battery issues this year. The company updated the Pixel 6A to address a potential battery overheating risk, and also updated the 4A to improve the stability of the battery's performance.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is in Shanghai, China to celebrate the upcoming launch of the iPhone Air in the country, and during his visit, he met with Pop Mart CEO Wang Ning and The Monsters creator Kasing Lung.

On Chinese social network Weibo, Cook said that Lung demonstrated how he sketches his characters on his iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil. Lung is the designer behind the Labubu character that has become wildly popular worldwide.

During the meeting, Lung gifted Cook a one-of-a-kind Labubu modeled after Cook. The Labubu features white fur, glasses, black jeans, a blue shirt, sneakers, and a tiny iPhone 17.

Cook, meanwhile, said that Labubu "now has her own new iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange," and Lung drew a picture of Cook meeting Labubu.

Lung shared a selfie with Cook on Instagram, and also offered a closer look at Cook's unique "‌Tim Cook‌ Labubu."

While in China, Cook also stopped by the Apple Pudong retail location, met with the Lilith Games team behind AFK Journey, and visited Wang Feifei on the set of her new music video, which was filmed in a single shot using an ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌.

iPhone Air preorders are set to launch in China on October 17, with a launch to follow on October 22. The ‌iPhone Air‌ was delayed in China because Apple needed regulatory approval for an iPhone without a physical SIM.

At 5.6mm, the ‌iPhone Air‌ is too thin for a physical SIM slot, and so it will be the first eSIM iPhone that Apple offers in China.

Car key support for select General Motors vehicles could be added to the Apple Wallet app in the near future, according to code discovered by MacRumors. Apple has added settings for GM vehicles to an internal list of vehicles that offer car key integration.

Digital car keys let users lock, unlock, and start their vehicles using the NFC capabilities of an iPhone or Apple Watch. Apple began supporting NFC-based digital keys in the Wallet app in 2022, and car manufacturers have since been adopting the feature.

At WWDC, Apple said that 13 vehicle brands would "soon" be adding support for digital car keys, including GMC, Chevrolet, and Cadillac. The other brands include Acura, Porsche, Rivian, Smart, Lucid Motors, Tata Motors, Hongqi, WEY, Chery, and Voyah.

Car keys in the Wallet app will be available for select Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac models, but GM has not provided details on specific models that will offer support. So far, only the 2026 Chevy Silverado EV and the 2026 GMC Sierra EV are confirmed to include digital key integration.

Apple has now added backend support for GM, Voyah, and Smart vehicles, but the car manufacturers have yet to roll out car key functionality.

Select newer vehicles from BMW, Genesis, Kia, Audi, Hyundai, Lotus, Mercedes, Volvo, and more offer car keys support, with a list available on MacRumors.com.

Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media.

A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is a V, which is the Roman numeral for 5. Joswiak also used "Mmmmm" in his caption, which is 5 Ms.

Rumors suggest that Apple is preparing to introduce its next-generation M5 chip this week, and it is set to debut in the 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌.

Aside from an M5 chip, the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is not expected to get any other major design changes. So far, it looks like Apple might introduce just the 14-inch M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌, holding higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips until 2026.

Apple is also expected to introduce a new iPad Pro and Vision Pro with an M5 chip this week, and we could also potentially see new Apple TV and HomePod mini models.

HomePod mini and Apple TV inventory is starting to dwindle at select Apple Store locations around the world, suggesting that new models may be imminent.

For example, the HomePod mini is completely out of stock in all five color options at Apple's flagship Regent Street store in London, as of this writing.

Some other HomePod mini and Apple TV configurations are out of stock at some Apple Store locations, but online availability is faring better for now.

Both the HomePod mini and Apple TV are expected to be updated this year, and the following new features and changes have been rumored for the devices:

• HomePod mini: S9 chip or newer with support for next year's revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, an Apple-designed Wi-Fi chip with Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 support, improved sound quality, a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, and potentially new color options like Red.
• Apple TV: A faster A17 Pro chip that will support next year's revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, and an Apple-designed Wi-Fi chip with Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 support. A built-in FaceTime camera has been rumored for a future Apple TV, but it is unclear if that will arrive with the next model.

In his Power On newsletter last weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to announce new products "this week." However, in a follow-up post on X, he merely said the products would be announced "as early as this week."