Google will not be barred from entering into search agreements with companies like Apple, the judge presiding over the antitrust case between Google and the U.S. Department of Justice said today (via Bloomberg).
Google is not allowed to enter into exclusive contracts for search engine distribution, but it is still allowed to pay to Apple to be a search engine option on iPhone. Apple earns around $20 billion annually from Google, and there was a risk that the two companies could be banned from entering into search engine agreements.
"Cutting off payments from Google almost certainly will impose substantial -- in some cases, crippling -- downstream harms to distribution partners, related markets, and consumers, which counsels against a broad payment ban," said the judge.
Google is specifically allowed to make payments and offer "other consideration" to distribution partners for the preloading or placement of Google Search, Chrome, and Gemini.
Google will not have to sell its Chrome browser, or the Android operating system. The judge said that the government "overreached in seeking the forced divestiture" of the assets.
Besides being barred from entering into exclusive search engine distribution contracts, Google will also need to share data with rival search engines. The DOJ had asked that Google be forced to provide data on how it decides what to surface based on a given search.
Google was found to have a search monopoly back in August of 2024, and the court has been deciding what action to take to break up Google's monopoly since then. The DOJ was pushing for the divestiture of Chrome and the possible divestiture of Android.
Google is appealing the ruling, likely due to the data sharing component.
Just one week before Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series, an analyst has shared new price estimates for the devices.
Here are J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee's price estimates for the iPhone 17 series in the United States, according to 9to5Mac:
Model
Starting Price
Model
Starting Price
Change
iPhone 16
$799
iPhone 17
$799
—
iPhone 16 Plus
$899
iPhone 17 Air
$899-$949
$0 to +$50
iPhone 16 Pro
$999
iPhone 17 Pro
$1,099
+$100
iPhone 16 Pro Max
$1,199
iPhone 17 Pro Max
$1,199
—
If these estimates prove to be accurate, the iPhone 17 Pro's starting price would increase by $100 compared to the iPhone 16 Pro. However, previous rumors have indicated that the iPhone 17 Pro will start with 256GB of storage, whereas the iPhone 16 Pro starts at 128GB. So, the starting price would only be increasing because of Apple eliminating a SKU. Still, it would break an 8-year streak of the Pro model or equivalent starting at $999.
The good news is that the standard iPhone 17 and the highest-end iPhone 17 Pro Max will avoid price increases, if these estimates prove to be accurate.
The all-new iPhone 17 Air's starting price might be $50 higher compared to the iPhone 16 Plus.
Apple has largely managed to avoid raising iPhone prices in the U.S. for a long time now, despite rumors of price increases year after year. So, on one hand, the company deserves the benefit of the doubt currently. On the other hand, nothing lasts forever. We will find out the real prices during Apple's event on Tuesday, September 9.
Apple today released the sixth public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and tvOS 26, allowing the public to test the updates ahead of their September launch. The sixth public betas come a week after the fifth public betas, and the updates correspond with the ninth developer betas that were released earlier today.
Public beta testers that have registered on Apple's website can download the latest iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26 public betas by opening the Settings or System Settings app, going to the General section, tapping on Software Update, and choosing the iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or macOS 26 Public Beta options.
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 feature Apple's Liquid Glass design, with a visual aesthetic that focuses on transparency. Icons, menu buttons, navigation bars, and more reflect and refract light with subtle animations. There are pop-out menus in some areas, tab bars shrink down, and everything has a more rounded look.
There are new Apple Intelligence features like Visual Intelligence for screenshots, updated order tracking in the Wallet app, new features in Reminders, and Live Translation for the Messages, Phone, and FaceTime apps. Image Playground has ChatGPT style options, and Genmoji supports mixing two or more emoji characters to make something new.
2D photos have a more 3D look with a Spatial Scene feature, and Safari has updated navigation. In the Phone app, there are new Call Screening and Hold Assist features that will save you time, while the Messages app supports customizable backgrounds and polls. Apple Music has a DJ-like AutoMix feature, CarPlay has an overhauled interface, there's a new Apple Games app, and Preview has come to the iPhone for the first time.
macOS Tahoe has the same Liquid Glass design as iOS 26, and it extends to app icons, folders, the Dock, in-app navigation, menus, the Control Center, and the Menu Bar. The Control Center and the Menu Bar are customizable, and you're also able to customize folders, app icons, and widgets.
Safari has an updated tab design and a redesigned sidebar, and Apple has brought the Phone app to the Mac for making phone calls through Wi-Fi Calling. The Phone app supports the new Call Screening and Hold Assist features.
Spotlight has been overhauled with improved search and the ability to execute hundreds of actions without opening up an app. There's a new Games app with a Game Overlay feature, and developers have access to Metal 4.
Apple's Beats brand will soon come out with new color options for several of its products, according to information discovered by MacRumors. The Beats Studio Pro headphones are set to be released in colors that Apple is referring to as dark slate and pink internally. It is worth noting that we've previously seen mentions of unreleased Sand Gray and Soft Pink colors for the Studio Pro, and it’s possible these are same colors currently labeled by Apple as Dark Slate and Pink.
Apple plans to debut the Beats Solo 4 with rose gold and champagne gold color options.
The Beats Solo Buds will come in a new cream color that Apple calls "icing" internally.
The Beats Studio Pro, priced at $350, can be purchased in Navy, Black, Sandstone, and Brown. The $200 Beats Solo 4 come in Matte Black, Slate Blue, Cloud Pink, and a special edition JENNIE Ruby Red. Apple's $80 Solo Buds are currently available in Black, Storm Gray, Arctic Purple, and Transparent Red.
Apple's lead artificial intelligence researcher for robotics is leaving the company for Meta, reports Bloomberg. Jian Zhang joined the Meta Robotics Studio on Tuesday.
Three additional AI researchers are also leaving Apple's Foundation Models AI team for OpenAI and Anthropic, continuing an exodus that began in July. At least a dozen AI experts have left Apple for Meta, OpenAI, and other companies since January.
Meta has been offering AI engineers massive pay packages that other AI companies are not able to compete with. Meta was able to lure Apple's Foundational Models team lead Ruoming Pang with a $200 million pay package. Zhang was developing automation technology and exploring the role of AI in tech products, but his team was separate from the group that is working on creating a robot virtual companion.
According to a recent report from Financial Times, industry recruiters see the mass departures from Apple as a "crisis of confidence" around the company's AI future. Apple is continuing to work on a smarter LLM version of Siri that's expected to debut next year, but it had a serious misstep with the delayed Apple Intelligence version of Siri that failed to make it into iOS 18.
In an employee meeting in August, software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that Apple has successfully developed a second-generation Siri architecture that will bring major improvements to Siri in 2026.
Apple is considering a third-party solution to power Siri's AI capabilities, and has reportedly held discussions with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. A final decision hasn't been made as of yet, but Apple's wavering has caused tension within its LLM team. Additional AI team members are said to be actively interviewing for jobs at other companies.
Dolby today unveiled Dolby Vision 2, a next-generation version of the popular Dolby Vision HDR format.
Dolby Vision 2 features a more powerful image engine that Dolby says "unlocks even more out of your TV," plus it supports new Content Intelligence tools to optimize TV sets for a "captivating picture" based on the content that's being watched. Specifically, Dolby says that Content Intelligence will gain the following benefits:
Precision Black reduces consumer frustration that the image is "too dark" by making it crystal clear and improving clarity in any viewing environment without compromising artistic intent.
Light Sense fine-tunes picture quality through advanced ambient light detection and new reference lighting data from the content source to optimize your TV for the ideal viewing experience.
Sports and Gaming Optimization introduce new enhancements such as white point adjustments and motion control designed specifically to address the unique needs of live sports and gaming.
New tone-mapping that takes advantage of modern TV improvements like brightness and color improvements.
TVs will be able to provide higher brightness, sharper contrast, and more deeply saturated colors "while preserving the artist's creative vision," according to Dolby.
In addition to these HDR features, Dolby Vision 2 includes Authentic Motion, described as a creative driven motion control tool that can make "scenes feel more authentically cinematic without unwanted judder."
There's a core Dolby Vision 2 product that will provide improved picture quality to mainstream TVs, and a Dolby Vision 2 Max designed for the highest performing TVs. The Max product will utilize the full capabilities of higher-end displays.
Dolby Vision 2 will come first to TV sets from Hisense, but other manufacturers are likely to add support in the future. The current Apple TV models support Dolby Vision, so it makes sense that a future version of the Apple TV would include Dolby Vision 2.
Amazon this week is taking $50 off Wi-Fi models of Apple's 11th generation iPad. Prices start at $299.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $349.00, a second-best price on this model.
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Additionally, Amazon has the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad for $399.00 ($50 off) and the 512GB Wi-Fi iPad for $595.92 ($53 off). Free delivery estimates are placed around September 7 for these iPad models, but Prime members should be able to get same-day delivery in many locations.
The 11th generation iPad is mainly a spec bump for the tablet line, now featuring the A16 chip and more storage, with the same design as the 10th generation iPad. The new iPad starts with 128GB of storage, and is also available in 256GB and a new 512GB configuration. The previous model was only available in 64GB and 256GB configurations.
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 release a lighter weight and more affordable version of the Vision Pro in 2027, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
The upcoming device, which he refers to as the "Vision Air," will supposedly be over 40 percent lighter than the current model. The Vision Pro weighs in at round 1.375 pounds, so a version that's 40 percent lighter should come in at under a pound.
Kuo also says the Vision Air will be over 50 percent cheaper, which could make it much more attractive to prospective buyers. The Vision Pro costs $3,499, which means a half-priced version would be $1,750. That's still more expensive than an iPhone, but it is closer in price to a higher-end Mac and could be priced similarly to the upcoming foldable iPhone.
Prior rumors about the "Vision Air" suggest that it will have an internal structure made from titanium to reduce weight, along with a thinner design and a new battery enclosure.
Kuo thinks Apple could sell one million Vision Air units in 2027, up from 400,000 of the Vision Pro.
Apple plans to release a foldable iPhone in 2026, and will then follow it up with a foldable iPad in 2028, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuosaid today.
Multiple sources have now confirmed that Apple is planning to release its first foldable iPhone in 2026, with the device coming as part of the iPhone 18 lineup. Launch timing on a larger-screened foldable device has been more uncertain.
Originally, rumors indicated that the foldable iPad or MacBook would come before the iPhone, and there have been launch rumors with dates ranging from 2026 to 2028. Rumors have also varied between calling the foldable device an iPad and a MacBook, but it seems like all of the information about a larger foldable refers to the same product. The foldable iPad could have a screen between 18 and 20 inches when unfolded, with a smaller form factor when closed.
According to Kuo, Apple is using ultra-thin cover glass for both the foldable iPhone and foldable iPad, which is a rumor that we've heard before. Corning will supply the ultra-thin cover glass, but General Interface Solutions (GIS) will work with Corning on cutting, corner treatments, inspection, packaging, and shipping.
Kuo expects Apple to sell somewhere between 8 to 10 million foldable iPhones in 2026, and up to 25 million in 2027. The larger-screened foldable is not expected to sell as well because Kuo says it will be priced "considerably higher" than the foldable iPhone.
Apple today provided developers with the ninth betas of watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26 for testing purposes, with the betas coming one week after the eighth betas were released.
The software updates can be downloaded through the Settings app on each device. A developer account is required.
watchOS 26 and tvOS 26 adopt new Liquid Glass design changes inspired by visionOS, much like iOS 26 and macOS 26. watchOS has a new AI-powered Workout Buddy for motivation and the Smart Stack incorporates more personal context for better suggestions. There's also a new Notes app and support for Live Translation.
tvOS 26 supports karaoke using an iPhone as a microphone, improvements for using AirPlay speakers with a TV, new Aerial screen savers, and support for quicker logins to apps at setup thanks to Apple Account syncing.
visionOS 26 adds support for spatial widgets that can be placed anywhere in the space around you, along with refinements to make personas more lifelike and support for shared spatial experiences between two Vision Pro users.
The visionOS 26 beta is limited to developers, but developers and public beta testers can download watchOS 26 and tvOS 26. The updates will launch this fall.
Apple today provided developers with the ninth betas of iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 for testing purposes, with the updates coming a week after Apple seeded the eighth betas.
Registered developers can download the new beta software using the Software Update section of the Settings app.
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 feature Apple's new Liquid Glass design aesthetic, with a focus on translucency and glass-like interface elements. The design extends to the Lock Screen, Home Screen, and Control Center, along with menus and buttons in apps.
Apple's software includes features for apps like Messages, Phone, Shortcuts, and Apple Music, along with new Apple Intelligence features, a revamp for CarPlay, and more. In iPadOS 26, there's a whole new multitasking system that supports multiple app windows for a more Mac-like experience.
Apple today provided developers with the ninth beta of macOS Tahoe 26 for testing purposes, with the update coming a week after the eighth beta.
Registered developers can download the new beta software through the System Settings app.
macOS Tahoe features Apple's Liquid Glass redesign, which extends across all of the new updates this year. Apple also brought the Phone and Journal apps to the Mac for the first time, and introduced a new cross-platform Games app.
With the update, Apple overhauled how Spotlight works, enabling new functionality that allows it to be used to complete all kinds of actions like sending emails without having to open up an app. There are also changes to a number of apps, including Messages, Safari, and Notes.
All of the new features that are included in macOS Tahoe are outlined in our dedicated roundup. macOS Tahoe is set to launch this fall.
Samsung is hosting a new end of Summer sale, and it includes savings on monitors, TVs, Galaxy products, and more.
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One of the best overall deals during this sale is on The Frame TVs, which are available for up to $500 off, depending on the size of the model you purchase. The popular 65-inch The Frame TV available for $1,499.99, down from $1,999.99.
The best monitor deals include the entire lineup of Samsung's 2025 Smart Monitor on sale at notable low prices, including up to $300 off these monitors. All three monitors have received advanced AI features, while the flagship M9 model features a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED panel to deliver deep contrast and vibrant color.
You'll also find the popular 27-inch ViewFinity S9 5K Smart Monitor for $999.99, down from $1,599.99. At $600 off this is a solid second-best price on the display, which has a matte display, modular 4K SlimFit camera, and support for Thunderbolt 4.
Of course, there's a lot more on sale than just monitors. This sale also covers the Galaxy S25 smartphones and Samsung's line of home appliances, including refrigerators and washer/dryers. We've accumulated some of these deals in the lists below, but be sure to check out Samsung's website for the full sale.
Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.
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September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. To support this important cause, well-known podcast network Relay has launched its annual fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, located in Memphis, Tennessee. Since 2019, the Relay community has raised more than $4 million for the hospital.
St. Jude promises that no child is denied treatment, with families never receiving a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food:
The mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay.
St. Jude says the majority of funds that it needs to operate must be raised from generous supporters, so consider making a donation today if you are able to.
St. Jude says it has helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate in the U.S. from 20% in 1962 to more than 80% today — it is truly inspiring, life-saving work.
Relay has multiple Apple-related podcasts, such as Connected, hosted by Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley, and Federico Viticci. Hackett's son received treatment at St. Jude as an infant, so this initiative is near and dear to him and his family.
Donations can be made on the Relay for St. Jude website, with rewards such as Relay stickers, wallpapers, and a macOS screensaver available depending on how much you donate. You can also start your own fundraiser team and earn additional rewards.
If you cannot donate, consider spreading the word about the fundraiser.
Apple today announced it has teamed up with South Korean singer Jennie Kim on new limited-edition Beats Solo 4 on-ear headphones.
The special "JENNIE" edition Solo 4 headphones feature a Ruby Red finish, two attachable red bows, and a color-matched carrying case. In addition, one of the ear cushions has symbols inspired by JENNIE printed on it.
The headphones will be available on Apple.com starting this Friday, September 5, in the U.S., U.K., China, Japan, and South Korea.
The headphones will also be available at the following Apple Store locations:
In the U.S., pricing is set at $199.99, which is the same price as regular Beats Solo 4. Only the extra design elements are new, with tech specs and features unchanged.
Beats frequently releases limited-edition products in collaboration with musicians, artists, athletes, and other high-profile individuals.
The lines between iPad and Mac have never been blurrier – and with iPadOS 26, currently in beta and expected later this month, Apple is leaning further into that overlap than ever before. The 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 just some of the ways iPadOS 26 makes the iPad feel more like a Mac than ever – coming soon to a device near you.
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.
After more than a four-year wait, the long-awaited AirTag 2 could finally debut at Apple's annual iPhone next week, if a previous rumor is still accurate.
According to reliable 9to5Mac sources, Apple is now aiming at a Fall release, likely putting its announcement around the time of the iPhone event, which usually takes place in September.
Apple introduced the current AirTag during its April 2021 event.
For those unfamiliar with the AirTag, it is a Bluetooth accessory that you can attach to items like a backpack and keys, and you can then track the location of those items in the Find My app across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and iCloud.com. Similar item trackers are sold by brands like Tile, Samsung, Chipolo, and Pebblebee.
Below, we have recapped some of the key rumored AirTag 2 features. Apple's event begins on Tuesday, September 9, at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.
In a November 2024 edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the AirTag 2 would "look similar to the current model." In that newsletter, he also said the AirTag 2 will "certainly not" feature a rechargeable battery, suggesting that the accessory will stick with a CR2032 aka "coin" battery that needs to be replaced every year or so.
Apple's upcoming AirPods Pro 3 will indeed feature in-ear temperature sensing as well as heart-rate sensing, but the rumored live translation feature is not ready for launch and will instead arrive in a later software update. That's according to an anonymous tip received by 9to5Mac.
Apple is known to have been working on a variety of health features for future AirPods, including heart rate monitoring and temperature sensing – Bloomberg reported as much in December 2024. Since then, heart-rate monitoring has debuted in Apple's Powerbeats Pro, making the feature a dead cert for the company's next-generation AirPods Pro earbuds. In contrast, further details about temperature sensing have been lacking.
As for AirPods live translation, we've already seen hints of its development in Apple imagery found in iOS 26 beta. The AirPods will be able to provide a simpler translation process for people who are speaking different languages, though the process will rely on the Translate app on the iPhone.
For example, if an English speaker with AirPods is talking to someone who is speaking Spanish, the iPhone will detect the audio, translate the speech, and relay it back in English to the person wearing AirPods. The person speaking English will then be able to respond and have their response translated to Spanish and spoken aloud by the iPhone. Apple's iPhone Translate app can already be used for conversations like this, but having the function included in the AirPods will streamline the exchange.
Inclusion of new health sensors makes sense – Apple has been pushing AirPods as health accessories for some time now, while iOS 18 added a suite of hearing health capabilities that test for hearing issues and allow the AirPods to be used as a hearing aid if problems are detected.
We should know if the anonymous tipster's information is accurate very soon. Apple is expected to debut AirPods Pro 3 alongside iPhone 17 models at its "Awe dropping" event scheduled for Tuesday, September 9. Other changes likely coming to the new earbuds include design and case tweaks, audio improvements, and additional new features arriving to all AirPods Pro models via a firmware update as part of iOS 26.
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