It's already September 23 in Australia and New Zealand, aka AirPods Pro and Apple Watch Ultra launch day. Customers in these two countries who preordered the AirPods Pro 2 or an Apple Watch Ultra are beginning to receive their new devices.
We will soon start seeing the first hands-on pictures of the AirPods Pro 2 and Apple Watch Ultra from Australians and New Zealanders who are getting their deliveries, with photos appearing on social media sites along with first impressions.
With no Apple retail stores in New Zealand, Australian customers will be the first who are able to pick up the AirPods Pro 2 or Apple Watch Ultra at an Apple Store, and Apple is expected to have some stock for walk-in purchases. Availability in Australia typically gives us an idea of what we can expect from other stores worldwide.
In the United States, the Apple Watch Ultra is sold out until mid-October, and other countries are seeing similar delays. The AirPods Pro 2 are more readily available and should not be too hard to obtain from a store on launch day. Orders placed now on the website will deliver by next week.
Following New Zealand and Australia, sales and deliveries of the Apple Watch Ultra and AirPods Pro 2 will kick off in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and finally, North America. Apple retail stores will be opening at their regular time right around 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. for device sales.
Have a new Apple Watch Ultra or the AirPods Pro 2? Make sure to share pictures and let us know what you think in the comments below.
Wednesday October 22, 2025 4:44 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Back in 2012, an Apple retail employee named Sam Sung went viral because his name is similar to Samsung, one of Apple's main competitors. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he detailed that period in his life, how Apple responded, and he explained why he ultimately changed his name.
Someone posted an image of Sung's Apple business card on Reddit in 2012, and it spread rapidly....
Friday October 24, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple added a "Tinted" option that reduces the translucency of Liquid Glass for those who prefer a more opaque look. I saw some comments wondering whether the setting might preserve battery life, so I thought I'd do some testing.
Test Settings
I did four separate tests using the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I kept the parameters as similar as possible. Here are the...
Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:15 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more.
iOS 26.1 is currently in beta testing. The update will likely be released in the first half of November, and it is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, but some...
Apple's new iPhone lineup launched in the fall of 2027 will be called the "iPhone 20" models, rather than the "iPhone 19," according to research firm Omdia.
Speaking at a conference in Seoul (via ETNews), Omdia Chief Researcher Heo Moo-yeol corroborated rumors that Apple plans to move the launch of its standard iPhone to the first half of the year and provided some additional clarity about...
Thursday October 23, 2025 3:55 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is one of several tech companies that will contribute to the construction of U.S. President Donald Trump's 90,000-square-foot ballroom, reports CNN.
Construction began on the ballroom this week, and the White House's east wing was torn down. Trump claims that the ballroom will cost $350 million, and that it will be privately funded through donations. The cost has already increased $150 ...
Thursday October 23, 2025 7:44 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
Starting today, the feature is available to residents of West Virginia. To set it up, open the Wallet app and tap on the plus sign in...
Wednesday October 22, 2025 11:34 am PDT by Juli Clover
General Motors began phasing out support for CarPlay in its electric vehicles back in 2023, leading to complaints from iPhone users, but the company has no plans to back down.
In fact, GM is going further and plans to remove CarPlay from all future gas vehicles, too. In an interview with The Verge, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company opted to prioritize its platform for EVs, but the...
Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports.
The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of...
Wednesday October 22, 2025 10:48 am PDT by Juli Clover
iPhone Air demand failed to meet Apple's expectations and the company's supply chain is scaling back shipments and production, reports Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Suppliers are expected to reduce capacity by more than 80 percent between now and the first quarter of 2026, and some components with longer lead times will be discontinued ...
* The watch is not as big as I expected. The case is bigger and thicker but it doesn’t feel heavier on the wrist compared to the S7 stainless steel. * For reference, my wrist size is 155mm and I wear a Size 5 solo loop. The two alpine loops I have are both size small. * The flat screen looks and feels amazing to swipe on and it’s a clear differentiator from the standard series.
More pics and discussions over here. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-watch-ultra-is-here-first-impressions-and-photos-thread.2361468/
I always love this part of the global Apple product launch coverage. Reminds me of childhood when I believed the local tv news was actually tracking Santa Claus on radar.
