Apple currently plans to unveil its first smart glasses at WWDC 2027 next June, and privacy will be a focus, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
For the glasses, Apple is prototyping "a slew of new hardware and software-related privacy features" that are not available on current products, he said. He did not mention any specific features, but he noted that Apple's marketing will likely emphasize the privacy measures of its glasses compared to rival products like the Meta Ray-Bans.
In a world where some people are wary of being secretly recorded by camera-equipped glasses, Gurman said Apple has considered releasing smart glasses with cameras that assist with AI features, but lack photo and video recording capabilities. In fact, he said Apple has even prototyped smart glasses without a camera system entirely.
Still, the most likely outcome is that Apple's glasses will have cameras, but with the sort of privacy protections that the company is known for.
Like the Meta Ray-Bans, Apple's glasses would also have speakers and microphones for music, phone calls, and notifications announced by Siri.
Apple apparently aims to begin shipping the glasses to customers in late 2027.
In his newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that a new "Apple Upgrade" program is set to launch in the U.S. on Tuesday, July 28. Apple will stop accepting iPhone Upgrade Program sign-ups on the same day, but he said customers who are already enrolled will be able to remain in the program "for the time being."
Apple is partnering with buy-now, pay-later company Klarna on the program, he said.
The program will allow you to lease most iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models, with a 24-month term for iPhones and Apple Watches and a 36-month term for iPads and Macs. Customers will have various options, including returning their device after the term, upgrading to a newer device, paying a fee to keep the device, and so forth.
Some lower-priced devices, including the Apple Watch SE, the entry-level iPad, the iPhone 16, and the MacBook Neo, will not be eligible, he said.
Unlike the iPhone Upgrade Program, Apple Upgrade plans will apparently not include AppleCare+ coverage bundled into the monthly price.
Apple plans to advertise the program as a way to have lower monthly payments compared to current financing programs, according to the report, so it sounds like Apple Upgrade will be focused on leasing rather than traditional financing, and it will apparently replace the iPhone Upgrade Program for new purchases going forward.
While it was rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch Series 12, Gurman said he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models. Touch ID probably counts as a major design change, so the rumor now sounds increasingly unlikely.
Instead, he expects more ordinary changes, including faster performance and unspecified improvements to health and fitness tracking. The Series 11 and Ultra 3 both have an S10 chip that debuted in the Series 10 and Ultra 2, so the S11 chip or newer should provide the first Apple Watch performance improvements in years.
There will not be an Apple Watch SE 4 this year, he said.
Bigger changes are in the works for the Apple Watch, but he said they are unlikely to arrive for another year or two. Even further ahead, he added that Apple continues to develop a blood sugar detection feature with a goal of releasing it by 2030.
Apple's next iPad mini will apparently be the first iPad with a water-resistant design, and the tablet is now expected to arrive by October.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported last year that Apple is working on an updated casing that offers protection comparable to the iPhone, making the iPad mini safe for casual use in wet environments like a bathroom or a pool area. No iPad currently carries an official water resistance rating, and Apple does not consider the existing models safe to get wet.
To achieve this, Apple has reportedly designed a vibration-based speaker system that removes the need for traditional speaker holes. Sound would instead emit from flat surfaces on the tablet's chassis, effectively turning parts of the body into a speaker diaphragm and eliminating one of the main routes through which water and dust enter a device.
The approach differs from the method Apple uses on the iPhone, which relies on adhesives and gaskets to seal speaker openings and other ingress points. It is not yet known what IP rating the iPad mini will carry. The iPhone is rated IP68 and can withstand submersion in water up to six meters deep for 30 minutes.
Apple has been building toward the technology for some time. A 2014 patent from the company describes a "mechanically actuated panel acoustic system" that vibrates flat panels to generate sound, negating the need for speaker grilles altogether.
A sealed design would also close one of the everyday gaps between the iPad mini and dedicated e-readers. Devices like the Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Libra Color are rated to survive immersion, and the ability to read in the bath or by the pool has long been one of the practical advantages they hold over Apple's smallest tablet.
Water resistance is one of at least four major changes expected this year. The switch to OLED will make the mini the second iPad line to adopt the technology after the iPad Pro, delivering higher contrast, true blacks, and better power efficiency than the LCD screen in the iPad mini 7. A Korean source claimed earlier this month that the panel is an 8.4-inch LTPS design clocked at 60Hz, which would rule out ProMotion.
Apple is also reportedly planning a "major processor leap" for the tablet. Code accidentally published by Apple pointed to the A19 Pro chip used in the iPhone Air, while other evidence in a macOS kernel debug kit suggests the device will use the unreleased A20 Pro.
Apple last updated the iPad mini in October 2024 with the A17 Pro chip and Apple Intelligence support. The tablet now starts at $599 following the company's sweeping price increases in June, and Gurman previously suggested the OLED model could command up to $100 more, though that estimate predated the June rises.
Apple is facing a new lawsuit from three customers who allegedly lost a combined $1.8 million after falling victim to a fake Bitcoin wallet app in the App Store, according to a complaint filed in California federal court on Friday.
The complaint alleges that Apple violated California's Consumers Legal Remedies Act and other laws by failing to adequately review and monitor apps distributed through the App Store, despite marketing it as "a safe and trusted place to discover and download apps." Due to these assurances in Apple's marketing, the complaint said the plaintiffs trusted that a Sparrow Wallet app they downloaded from the App Store on iOS was legitimate, when in reality it was a fraudulent spoof designed to steal Bitcoin from users.
Sparrow Wallet is only available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The popular Bitcoin wallet is not available on iOS, but scammers have released fake lookalike apps in the App Store that can trick users into giving up control of their funds.
"Users found their accounts had been wiped out and their cryptocurrency assets transferred to the scammers' private wallets," the complaint says. "This fraud succeeded precisely because Apple exploited the consumer trust it had deliberately cultivated through more than a decade of marketing the App Store as a uniquely safe and trusted environment."
The plaintiffs James Ramirez, Christopher Ellis, and Jalen Delgado had Bitcoin amounts that were worth approximately $875,000, $840,000, and $120,000 respectively stolen via the app from May to August of 2025, according to the complaint.
Even when victims reported fraud, the lawsuit alleges that Apple often took little to no action, and it says other fake Sparrow apps remain in the App Store.
Sparrow Wallet developer Craig Raw has publicly addressed Apple's slow response to multiple fake versions of his app appearing in the App Store. In a January 2024 social media post, for example, he said "there is still a scam 'Sparrow Wallet' app on the @Apple App Store, despite myself and others having reported it weeks ago."
Last month, Raw said his attempt at protecting users by submitting a "placeholder" app to the App Store that contained marketing screenshots stating that Sparrow Wallet is a desktop app only resulted in his Apple Developer account being flagged for termination due to "dishonest activity." Apple later reversed this decision.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages, including reimbursement of all funds wrongfully lost through the fraudulent Sparrow Wallet app.
We tracked a few solid deals on Apple devices this week, including savings across the entire AirPods lineup, a record low price on AirTag 2, and the best prices on Apple's A16 iPad since June. All of these deals are still available to purchase today, plus ongoing low prices on Apple Watch Series 11.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
AirPods
What's the deal? Save on AirPods 4, Pro 3, and Max 2
Amazon this week introduced solid deals across the full AirPods lineup, with up to $100 off these models. You can find discounts on the AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2 still available today.
Apple's AirTag 2 is available for the all-time low price of $89.00 this week, down from $99.00. This sale is on the 4-Pack of the AirTag 2, and it's a match of the record low price we last tracked during Prime Day.
Amazon this week is taking $50 off Wi-Fi models of Apple's 11th generation iPad. Prices start at $399.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $449.00. This is now the best price we've seen on the iPad since Apple's price hikes in June.
Apple Watch Series 11
What's the deal? Take $100 off Apple Watch Series 11
Amazon this week has low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with $100 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. This sale includes a handful of 42mm and 46mm GPS aluminum models, but cellular devices are a bit more rare this time around.
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.
Deals Newsletter
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It's been another busy week in the Apple world, led by word that the company is preparing to launch a new device leasing and financing program as it has raised some more prices including on Apple Music subscriptions.
This week also saw a fresh round of beta releases for iOS 27 and related updates, details on roughly a dozen new Macs under development, and more, so read on below for all of the details!
Top Stories
'Apple Upgrade' Program Reportedly Launching Next Week
Apple and Klarna are partnering on a new "Apple Upgrade" leasing program set to launch in the U.S. on Tuesday, July 28, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The program will allow you to finance most iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models, with a 24-month term for iPhones and Apple Watches and a 36-month term for iPads and Macs. Customers will be able to pay off the device early during the term, upgrade early to a newer device, or keep or return the existing device after the term.
The plans come amid a Mac resurgence, with sales projected to climb for a third consecutive year, partly thanks to a growing following among users who lean on the machines for demanding, agent-based AI workloads.
Since iOS 26, a malfunctioning iPhone has been able to boot itself into Recovery Assistant, with no Mac or PC required. However, you could only get there if your device failed to start up and dropped into recovery on its own.
The new recovery mode lets you troubleshoot, update, or erase your device without necessarily plugging it into anything. It can connect automatically to a known Wi-Fi network, and it shows your battery percentage in the corner of the screen. Check out our guide to see how to access recovery mode and what the various options it offers can do.
Hands-On With Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8, the Closest Thing Yet to a Foldable iPhone
Amid the ongoing wait for Apple's first foldable iPhone expected in just a few months, Samsung this week introduced the Galaxy Z Fold8, which adopts a very similar form factor to what we're expecting for Apple's device.
Samsung's Z Fold8 has a 7.6-inch display when open and a 5.5-inch display when closed, and it has a passport-style form factor, so it's wider and more square than prior Samsung foldables.
The aspect ratio of the unfolded Z Fold8 makes it feel similar to using an iPad mini, which feels more natural than using taller foldables. It's a size that's perfect for watching videos or running two apps side by side. The Z Fold8 gives us a pretty clear look at what the Apple foldable will look like and what it will feel like to use.
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
Apple's first high-end MacBook redesign in five years is expected to arrive in the near future, bringing a run of firsts to the Mac.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the laptop to arrive between late 2026 and early 2027, with the later window now looking more likely owing to the global memory chip shortage. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects mass production to begin by late 2026.
Apple last redesigned the MacBook Pro in 2021 with the M1 Pro and M1 Max models, so this would be its first new high-end laptop design in at least five years. Here is everything rumored about the device so far:
"MacBook Ultra" branding: Apple has reportedly decided to market two new "Ultra" products over the next year, the foldable iPhone and this laptop, which would establish a tier above the MacBook Pro for the first time. The name is not confirmed and Apple theoretically could still use "MacBook Pro" branding, but for now, "MacBook Ultra" seems highly likely.
OLED display: The MacBook Ultra is expected to be the first Mac with an OLED display, replacing the mini-LED backlighting used in current MacBook Pro models. It should deliver richer colors, a higher contrast ratio with true blacks, greater brightness, and improved power efficiency, since individual pixels switch off rather than dim. The laptop will reportedly use hybrid OLED technology combining an oxide TFT backplane with a tandem two-stack OLED structure, the same approach used in the iPad Pro, offering a longer panel lifespan.
Touch screen: The device is expected to be the first Mac to support touch input directly on the display, ending years of Apple resistance to the idea. Kuo first claimed the panel would support touch, Gurman corroborated it, and the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital" says the feature is now confirmed. Apple is apparently not positioning the machine as a touch-first device like the iPad, instead letting customers move between touch, trackpad, and keyboard interchangeably, in what Gurman describes as "touch-friendly, not touch-first." The laptop is said to remain a conventional clamshell, with the keyboard and trackpad retained and no detachable or convertible design.
Touch-optimized macOS: Apple is reportedly reworking macOS so that controls adapt to the input method being used. Tapping a menu bar item would apparently surface a larger set of touch-optimized controls, and the system is said to gain iPad-style gestures including pinch-to-zoom and fast scrolling. Touch-based options would be integrated throughout the operating system rather than confined to a handful of apps.
Reinforced hinge: Apple likely plans to add a reinforced hinge so the display does not wobble when it is tapped. The current MacBook Pro hinge moves easily and does not tilt especially far back, both of which could be a problem on a machine designed to be prodded.
Hole-punch camera: The "notch" is expected to disappear, replaced by a far smaller hole-punch camera at the top of the display. The change was first indicated by a roadmap from research firm Omdia and has since been corroborated by Bloomberg. Losing the notch would add visible screen area and free up the menu bar space it currently intrudes upon, taking the design a step closer to an uninterrupted, edge-to-edge display.
Dynamic Island: The cutout is expected to digitally expand into an iPhone-style Dynamic Island. It would be interactive and expand contextually based on the app or Mac feature in use, surfacing items such as Siri, low battery alerts, and AirPods connection indicators in the area surrounding the camera.
M5 Pro and M5 Max chips: The laptop is now expected to ship with the existing M5 Pro and M5 Max chips already found in the current MacBook Pro, rather than the "M6 Pro" and "M6 Max." Apple has apparently scrapped the M6 Pro and M6 Max altogether, accelerating instead to M7 Pro and M7 Max chips said to be optimized for intensive AI workloads with upgraded neural accelerators, graphics improvements, and increased memory bandwidth. A second-generation model with those chips is reportedly planned for late 2027.
Thinner design: The MacBook Ultra is expected to be noticeably thinner and lighter than the current MacBook Pro. Moving away from mini-LED backlighting should itself help slim down the lid. There has so far been no indication that Apple intends to remove ports such as HDMI, MagSafe, or the SD card slot to achieve it, which was a deeply unpopular decision the last time around.
Two display sizes: The laptop is expected to be offered in both 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, mirroring the current MacBook Pro lineup, with the two models reportedly code-named K114 and K116.
Slimmer bezels: Research firm Omdia claims Samsung Display will supply 14.3-inch and 16.3-inch panels, marginally larger than the 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch screens on current models, which would suggest thinner bezels around a slightly bigger display. A February report from Bloomberg indicated that overall screen sizes are not expected to change compared to the MacBook Pro.
Built-in cellular: Apple has reportedly at least considered built-in cellular connectivity for future Macs, which would be a first for the platform. If the plan goes ahead, the MacBook Ultra would likely use Apple's existing C1X modem or its next-generation C2 modem for 5G and LTE. This is seemingly the most uncertain feature on this list.
There are already signs of the touchscreen MacBook in Apple's software. macOS 27 Golden Gate hints at the machine in at least three ways: it adds direct touch input to Sidecar, allowing users to tap and interact with macOS elements with a finger on an iPad; it introduces iPhone-style pull-to-refresh across apps including Safari, Mail, News, Podcasts, and Calendar; and its new "Search or Ask" Siri interface in Spotlight adopts a dark, pill-shaped design that would sit naturally around a Dynamic Island.
There is some awkwardness for buyers. The first MacBook Ultra looks set to pair Apple's most ambitious Mac redesign in years with silicon that has already been on sale for months, but a successor with much more advanced chips could follow less than a year later.
Pricing is the remaining unknown, but it is likely to be high. Apple raised prices across its Mac lineup in June, and the 14-inch MacBook Pro now starts at $1,999, rising to $2,499 with the M5 Pro chip, while the 16-inch model starts at $2,999. The MacBook Ultra is expected to sit above all of them.
iOS 27 includes new iCloud capabilities across several apps like Apple Home, Siri, Photos, and more. There are some direct iCloud improvements like upgrades to photo uploads and sharing, along with some indirect new features.
You can get text-based summaries of what's going on, sent as notifications. So when you get a notification for movement, it will say something like "Someone was seen," or "Animal seen."
The text descriptions are also shown in the video playback timeline, and you can search for specific events. Events that take place across two cameras, such as the same person walking from room to room, are paired together to give an overview of action across the home.
Apple Intelligence features in the Home app require a 2TB or higher iCloud+ plan, which is priced starting at $9.99 in the United States. The 2TB plan is also the plan required for an unlimited number of HomeKit Secure Video cameras.
HomeKit Secure Video cameras have always required an iCloud+ plan to store the camera footage in iCloud. A single camera can be added with the 50GB plan, and five cameras can be added with the 200GB plan.
To use the Apple Intelligence Home app features, you need a home hub like a HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV 4K, as well as a device that supports Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or newer).
HomeKit Secure Video cameras can also record up to 4K footage in iOS 27, but that feature does not use Apple Intelligence.
Apple Intelligence Limit Increase (iCloud+)
Apple said at WWDC that some Apple Intelligence features like image generation with Image Playground will have limits on daily use.
Those limits can be increased with most iCloud+ plans. Apple has not given a list of features that will have limits beyond Image Playground, nor has it said what the limits will be without an iCloud+ plan and with the tiered options.
Siri
Siri conversations in the Siri app sync across devices using iCloud. The Siri app lets you revisit previous conversations, start new conversations, pin important chats, and continue chats across iOS, macOS, and iPadOS.
Photos
There are several new iCloud features in the Photos app.
Prioritize Syncing - There's a toggle to force all of your photos to upload to iCloud regardless of battery status. It turns on for 24 hours and then turns off.
Shared Albums - Android and Windows users can upload photos to Shared Albums. Shared Albums also keep full-resolution photos and videos to support the cross-platform sharing feature.
Upload Speed - iPhones will now start uploading to iCloud Photos more quickly to make images available across devices faster.
Collaboration
Link Previews - iCloud collaboration links now show richer previews so you can more clearly see what you've been sent.
Access Requests - Users can send access requests for items shared via iCloud.
Speed - Apple says users will get faster access to shared content on iCloud.com.
Links - Creating links to iCloud content is easier with a more accessible share link.
Journal
You can now see the iCloud sync status for each journal entry.
Passwords
The Passwords app can use Apple Intelligence to automatically fix weak passwords in iOS 27. It uses iCloud Keychain and Safari to operate.
An Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone is required to use the feature.
U.S. President Donald Trump today said on Truth Social that his administration plans to launch an investigation into fines the European Union has levied against tech companies like Apple, Google, and Meta for violating antitrust and Digital Markets Act rules.
Trump called the European Union's conduct "illegal and highly unethical," vowing to get the penalties reversed and planning to institute a "substantial tariff."
The European Union is at it again and, as usual, taking direct aim at GREAT American Companies! After having fined Apple, for no reason at all, 15 Billion Dollars, Meta, 3 Billion Dollars, Amazon 2.5 Billion Dollars, and many others, we have just been informed that Google, a truly advanced and amazing group, has been fined yet another 1 Billion Dollars, without explanation. This brings the Google total to over 18 Billion Dollars! This illegal and highly discriminatory practice started at these high levels during the first year of the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration, but it's not going to continue during the Trump Administration. The United States of America is not a "PIGGYBANK" for Europe, nor will we allow it to be! Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that we will immediately initiate a 301 Investigation into the practice of "ROBBING" American Companies and, in turn, the American Taxpayer. The European Union will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct, which I have consistently warned them about. The penalties will be entirely reversed and, we anticipate, a substantial TARIFF to be placed on them at the earliest possible moment.
Apple was fined $570 million in 2025, Meta was fined $840 million in 2024 and $200 million in 2025, and Google was fined $1 billion this week after a $4.5 billion Android fine was upheld earlier this month.
Trump previously threatened European tariffs if the EU did not stop targeting U.S. companies, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative has also threatened to implement fees and restrictions on European services and companies.
Trump has focused heavily on tariffs during his second term, affecting U.S. companies and consumers. A 10 percent blanket tariff Trump enacted earlier this year expired today. The Trump administration implemented new tariffs to replace them, accusing 60 countries of failing to "impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor." The tariffs will affect goods from the UK, China, and the European Union, among others.
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.
Anthropic today introduced Claude Opus 5, an upgrade to Opus 4.8. Anthropic says Opus 5 was built for daily use, and it offers near Fable 5 performance at half the price. Fable 5 is Anthropic's most capable publicly available model.
Opus 5 scores higher than Opus 4.8 on multiple benchmarked tasks, including agentic coding, novel problem solving, knowledge work, computer use, and multidisciplinary reasoning. It is a "meaningful improvement" over Opus 4.8 for scientific research, and it can produce better visual outputs.
Anthropic says the new model "provides greatly improved performance for the same cost" as Opus 4.8. Opus 5 is better at verifying its work and iterating until it completes a task. It is close to Mythos 5 at finding cybersecurity vulnerabilities, but it was not trained on cyber tasks and it remains "substantially behind" Mythos 5 on exploitation. Mythos 5 is Fable 5 with some safeguards removed. It is limited to a small number of organizations, mostly cyberdefenders and infrastructure providers because of its capability at finding and exploiting vulnerabilities.
Opus 5 is available on all platforms. It is the new default model on Claude Max and the strongest model available on Claude Pro. It is priced at $5 per million input tokens and $25 per million output tokens, which is the same as Opus 4.8. Fast mode is also available, running at 2.5x the default speed for twice the base price.
This week's episode of The MacRumors Show covers OpenAI's move into hardware and the trade secret lawsuit Apple filed against the company earlier this month.
Apple sued OpenAI in the Northern District of California on July 10, alleging a months-long scheme to obtain confidential information about unreleased products. The complaint centers on OpenAI chief hardware officer Tang Tan, a 24-year Apple veteran who previously led iPhone product design, and former Apple electrical engineer Chang Liu. Apple claims Tan coached recruits on evading its exit-interview security procedures and told at least one employee to bring hardware components to an interview, and that OpenAI persuaded a supplier to apply a proprietary metal-finishing technique to an OpenAI device by falsely stating it had Apple's permission. The filing describes OpenAI's hardware business as "rotten to its core."
The suit follows a souring of the 2024 partnership that brought ChatGPT to Siri, with OpenAI itself weighing legal options against Apple in May. More than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, including Vision Products Group leader Paul Meade, and former design chief Jony Ive leads design on the hardware lineup through LoveFrom after OpenAI's $6.5 billion acquisition of his startup io Products. Apple has countered with retention bonuses of up to $400,000 and has now sent legal preservation letters to around 40 former employees, suggesting it believes the alleged misappropriation goes beyond those named. OpenAI says it has "no interest in other companies' trade secrets."
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman argues the case is already causing damage ahead of any ruling, deterring Apple engineers from interviewing at OpenAI and making Asian suppliers wary of deepening ties with the company. Ive is not named in the complaint, which Gurman believes was deliberate given Apple's relationship with io Products investor Laurene Powell Jobs.
OpenAI's first device, teased for months by Ive and CEO Sam Altman, is believed to be a portable, screenless smart speaker that is now expected in early 2027 at $200 to $300. Powered by ChatGPT and GPT-Live, it has a rechargeable battery so it can be carried between rooms, a camera for understanding its surroundings, and motorized elements that move on their own to give a sense that the device is alive. OpenAI reportedly does not regard the HomePod or HomePod mini as comparable, and people familiar with the project told Bloomberg the device is unlike anything Apple sells, making infringement unlikely. Apple's own smart home hub is the closest analogue.
Further out, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuoreported that OpenAI is developing an "AI agent phone" built around a continuous, context-aware interface rather than individual apps, with the company controlling both the operating system and the hardware. Kuo has since revised his mass production expectation from 2028 to the first half of 2027, projecting combined 2027 and 2028 shipments of around 30 million units. The device is rumored to be a direct iPhone rival.
If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion where we look ahead to the 20th anniversary iPhone, the radically redesigned model that Apple is expected to launch in 2027.
The MacRumors Show is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also email us at podcast@macrumors.com or head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.
For macOS 27 Golden Gate, coming this fall, Apple appears to be testing a new formatting bar for the Mail app's compose window that promotes Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools and Siri AI, based on findings in the latest beta.
Feature flags discovered by MacRumors forum member "mactracker" – who this week also revealed the hidden Siri "voice pad" interface in beta 4 – show the reworked bar in Mail's message composer, which now features "Write with Siri" in the most prominent position.
In the current implementation, the classic formatting controls are automatically collapsed to the right edge of the composer and vanish completely once the user selects Write with Siri and starts typing a prompt.
The redesigned bar adds the ability to display contextual Smart Reply suggestions from Siri AI without necessarily using them in your draft email. (macOS users will know that Smart Reply itself isn't new, having arrived with the first wave of Apple Intelligence features.) The new design lets you preview a suggested reply by hovering over it before inserting it, which is something the previous in-line design couldn't do.
When a suggested composition is selected, the formatting bar shows "Edit with Siri," "Proofread," and "Rewrite" options, as well as "How does this sound?" with the traditional formatting controls minimized.
The new bar isn't switched on by default and remains hidden behind an internal feature flag, so most testers won't see it. It's also still buggy, suggesting this is a work in progress – in Beta 4, for example, the redesign only shows up when replying to a message, but composing a fresh email still brings up the old formatting bar.
Whether the redesign makes the general release of macOS 27 is anyone's guess at this point, but it fits the broader pattern of integrating the new contextually aware Siri AI across the system.
macOS 27 Golden Gate is expected to officially launch in September when Apple releases new iPhone 18 Pro models, alongside its first foldable iPhone.
Apple's settlement has now received preliminary approval from a judge, according to a July 17 court document. However, there is no settlement website yet, and it may take months before eligible customers can begin submitting claims. In other words, no action is required from eligible customers at this time, but stay tuned for updates.
Below, we have answered some key questions regarding the lawsuit.
Why Was Apple Sued?
In June 2024, Apple previewed new Siri capabilities powered by Apple Intelligence, including understanding of a user's personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper per-app controls. For example, Apple showed an iPhone user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation plans based on info from the Mail and Messages apps.
In a statement, Apple touted a range of other Apple Intelligence features it had already released. Nevertheless, Apple agreed to settle the lawsuit "to stay focused" on "delivering the most innovative products and services to our users."
Apple finally announced "Siri AI" at WWDC 2026 last month, and the revamped assistant is available to test on the iOS 27 developer beta, with a public beta to follow this month. iOS 27 should be released in September, at which point "Siri AI" will finally be available to all users with an iPhone 15 Pro or newer.
Am I Eligible?
To be eligible to submit a claim, you must reside in the U.S. and have purchased any iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 model between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025.
The full list of eligible iPhone models:
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 16
iPhone 16e
iPhone 16 Plus
iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max
It is unlikely that individuals who submit a claim will still need to have physical possession of an eligible iPhone model. However, there is a possibility that proof of purchase or other information will be required, such as the device's serial number. Exact requirements will be outlined on the settlement website, which is still not live.
How Much Will Apple Pay Me?
According to the terms of the settlement, each person who files an eligible claim will receive a per-device payment of $25, but this amount could increase up to $95 if the total number of claims submitted is lower than anticipated.
Where and When Can I Submit a Claim?
Over the coming months, a settlement website is expected to go live with an online claims form.
Eligible class members will be notified by email within approximately 45 days after the settlement received preliminary approval, according to the court documents. Even if you are not notified but are a U.S. resident who purchased one of the above iPhone models within the above dates, you are still eligible if you meet the criteria.
Last month, cybersecurity research firm Paradigm Shift published details about a boot ROM vulnerability affecting Apple's A12 and A13 chips, but it has since removed the blog post after being sued by digital forensics firm Magnet Forensics.
In a complaint filed in Georgia federal court this month, Magnet Forensics alleged that the security vulnerability revealed by Paradigm Shift was substantially the same as the one its former employee Mario Del Gaudio worked on before joining Paradigm Shift. Accordingly, Magnet Forensics alleged that Del Gaudio exposed its trade secrets.
Apple's A12 and A13 chips power the iPhone XS and iPhone 11 series, along with select other devices. A boot ROM vulnerability cannot be patched with an iOS update, as it involves code permanently embedded in the chip's read-only memory.
Meta today announced Facebook Verified, a free badge designed to confirm that a Facebook profile belongs to a real person rather than an AI-generated fake.
The feature uses a selfie-based verification process: users record a short video selfie, which Meta checks against their existing profile photos to confirm a match. Meta says the process is free and typically takes just a few minutes to complete, though accounts must meet the company's trust and safety standards to qualify.
Facebook Verified is limited to users 18 and older who are in good standing with Meta's Community Standards around fraud, scams, and deceptive practices, and who show no evidence of inauthentic behavior. The badge is not available for Pages or ProMode accounts, positioning it squarely as a personal-profile feature rather than one aimed at creators or businesses.
Once verified, the badge will appear on Marketplace, Dating, Groups, and Profile, with Meta planning to extend it to Feed posts over time. There is no subscription fee for the feature, and the badge carries across the platform once a user has completed the one-time verification process.
The launch is separate from Meta Verified, the company's existing paid subscription that bundles a verified badge with extras like impersonation protection and direct account support. Facebook Verified is free and narrower in scope, aimed specifically at signaling humanity rather than offering premium account features.
Facebook Verified is rolling out in phases, starting in select markets, with Meta planning to expand availability globally over time.
According to the Santa Clara County Fire Department, firefighters responded at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time on Thursday to a report of an outdoor fire at an Apple-leased building adjacent to Apple Park in Cupertino, California.
The fire occurred outside of a building known as Apple Forge 1, which spans 18920 to 18922 Forge Drive. While one person on social media described the damage as "huge," the photos they shared only show damage to some fencing on the property. The incident report was marked as closed after 45 minutes. It is unclear if there were any injuries.
Anthropic has updated Claude's voice mode to support its more powerful Opus and Sonnet models, expanding a feature that was previously limited to the company's fastest-but-simplest model, Haiku.
Voice mode lets users hold full spoken conversations with the chatbot rather than having to type prompts and read responses. Users can switch between Claude's models mid-conversation, and can also move between text and voice in the same chat without losing context. With the addition of Opus and Sonnet support, users will be able to hold longer and more complex conversations, including providing feedback on the communication style.
In addition, Claude's Voice mode can now also tap into connected tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Slack, so Claude can check a calendar or summarize an email thread out loud, for example. Users with free accounts can connect one tool, whereas paid plans support more.
According to Anthropic's support documentation, the models available in voice mode now follow the user's subscription plan, and voice conversations start on whichever model the user last selected in text chat.
Claude's voice mode language support was extended beyond English earlier this year, with French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish available in beta. Users have to manually select a language in the app.
Voice mode works on iOS, Android, desktop, and the web, but Anthropic says it is designed to work best on phones. Voice conversations count toward standard usage limits and Anthropic's newest Fable model is not yet supported.
Meanwhile, OpenAI yesterday launched ChatGPT Voice in its desktop app, powered by a model it calls GPT-Live, which the company says can direct multiple agents running in ChatGPT Work or Codex by voice alone. The feature is rolling out on macOS and Windows to paid plans.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect ChatGPT Voice's recent rollout.
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a ~5.5-inch outer display and a ~7.8-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
