MacRumors: Server Updates, Site Support, Contributions
New Database Server
If you haven't noticed already, the site has been handling increased user loads very well over the past 4-5 days. We've successfully migrated to three servers at this time. MacRumors' front page, forums and database now reside on individual dedicated servers.
This will provide much needed horsepower to allow lively discussion during the most amazing and disappointing Apple announcements.
As well, we've developed a dramatically improved Keynote webcasting system to be able to handle very large user loads with much more frequent updates.
How to Support MacRumors
While our servers were struggling with the increasing popularity of the site, many users asked how they could help support the site. Here are the primary ways to support MacRumors and Forums.
Spreading the Word
As counterintuitive as it may seem due to the recent server loads, we still actively encourage you to continue to spread the word about this site. The forums will continue to be upgraded to handle any additional load required.
We would ask those with blogs/websites to actively link to MacRumors and our associated sites. The ongoing success of the site depends on interested users.
Participate
Join the forums, post questions, comments and answers. We also have active SETI and Folding distributed computing teams which would be happy to get any further assistance.
New Shop Links
New shop links to popular Mac-related stores are now provided near the top of the forums. These shop links provide quick links to popular online vendors such as Amazon and MacMall.
Members are encouraged to regularly utilize and refer others to these sponsored links to support ongoing costs.
Subscriptions
Based on user requests, the site subscription/contribution system is back in place. Registered forum users can contribute to the site through the Paid Subscriptions link found in the User Control Panel. Cost of the contribution for $25/year and provides users with an ad-free MacRumors front page as well as access to private forums. Currently payment is only accepted via PayPal/Credit Card.
Popular Stories
Next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will be moved to the top-left corner of the screen, according to a new report from The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu.
As a result of these changes, the report said the iPhone 18 Pro models will not have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the screen....
There's now a dedicated Apple Music app for ChatGPT, which allows ChatGPT to make music recommendations and build playlists.
Apple Music can be added to ChatGPT through the Settings section in the Mac app, website, or iOS app. Apple Music is listed under the apps option, and connecting to it requires signing in with your Apple Account for authorization purposes.
ChatGPT can be used to...
There has been a whirlwind of rumors over the last few days, sourced from leaked internal software designed for the iPhone and the Mac, and news sites like The Information. Below, we have a quick recap of everything we've heard this week, which serves as a guide to Apple's product plans in 2026 and beyond.
We've organized the info by likely release date, though there are some products that...
We have been covering iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 17e, and iPhone Fold details from The Information's report about future iPhone models, and next up is the iPhone Air 2.
The report says that Apple aims to make the iPhone Air 2 more attractive in two ways.
First, Apple is apparently considering adding a second rear camera to the device, which would resolve a key limitation. The current iPhone...
Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas.
We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features.
Transfer to Android
Apple is making it simpler...
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code.
In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak.
As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
An internal Apple kernel debug kit suggests Apple has tested a MacBook with the A15 chip, alongside a separate A18 Pro-based MacBook that appears to be closer to a shippable product.
The information comes from internal kernel debug kit files used by Apple engineers. The kit was accidentally released on Apple's website earlier this year, but it was quickly pulled after information started...
Apple is developing a high-end iMac featuring the M5 Max chip, according to information from leaked internal software.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
The finding comes from leaked kernel debug kit files used by Apple engineers. These kernel debug kit files enumerate unreleased Apple hardware by internal identifiers, such as codenames and platform names, and they...