Apple on Friday released the new iPhone 14 models, and MacRumors videographer Dan picked one up on launch day. He's been using the iPhone 14 Pro Max non-stop since it came out, and over on the MacRumors YouTube channel, has shared his initial thoughts on the day-to-day experience with the latest iPhone.
Dan's mini review highlights his issues with setting up the eSIM, the usefulness of the always-on display, the functionality of the Dynamic Island, how the new 48-megapixel camera fares, and more. Make sure to watch the video, and stay tuned to the MacRumors website and the MacRumors YouTube channel because we have more in-depth iPhone 14 video content coming, plus Apple Watch Ultra and AirPods 2 coverage.
Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon.
Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week.
iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you.
Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports.
In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by Juli Clover
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products.
Here's what's supposedly coming:
An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.
The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. iOS 26.2 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation iPhone SE.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Macworld claims to have access to an ...
Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities.
According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...
This is anything but a relaxing fireside chat. I typically enjoy Dan's reviews, but his anti-eSIM rant in this video is embarrassing. I went from a physical SIM to an eSIM on ATT in all of about 5 minutes. The process worked seamlessly, as it did for everyone I know who received their new phone last Friday. If you're going to use a small discount carrier with your top-of-the-line iPhone, I'm not sure why you would expect that to be easy.
Counter point - is Dan an Apple employee? Does he have to keep a lid shut on his experience or gaslight us and himself?
Is your iPhone 14 any less of a good device, can it withstand his slight criticism? Of course it can, it’s an inanimate object
We are dealing with bleeding edge technology, and of course there’s some pain, especially on the first day. No system is ever perfect. In retrospect (from this thread) I can see it would have been helpful if Apple was to message that to ease this transition, 1) Make sure you’re running the latest iOS and 2) If your iPhone is eSIM compatible to make the change beforehand. Then set up your iPhone 14. Hopefully people can use this info to make their transition easier. ??
I view the esim comments as the carrier's responsibility. They knew it was coming and some did a better job than others preparing for it. I had a good experience fortunately but am sorry that your carrier didn't do a better job for its customers.
Roll out of the software has been a little rough this time. Concerns rolling in over the camera vibrating in some circumstances with doing videos, calls through CarPlay not being able to be heard at full volume on the other end, etc. I'm sure Apple will address in future software updates but it does make me wonder...don't they test/see this stuff before launch?
I had the iPhone 13 Pro Max...I'm not really seeing the full benefit yet of upgrading and hoping the dynamic island will play more of a role. I did decide to turn off my "always on." I just didn't find it much help or necessary and my battery does drain slightly faster with this phone and the new software. I like the home screen customization and hope they will allow for more widgets to be added than what it currently provides.
