MacRumors

In the fifth beta of iOS 27, Apple is continuing to make design tweaks. There are updated Liquid Glass icons for Safari, the Siri app, Settings, Remote, App Store, and Preview.

The Safari icon is a brighter blue with more detailed compass lines and arrows, while the ‌Siri‌ icon looks more like the actual ‌Siri‌ bubble that's displayed when ‌Siri‌ is activated. The ‌App Store‌ app icon is more translucent so you can better see each line making up the A, Settings uses more translucency, and Preview has an entirely different look with a loupe over a colorful background. The Remote icon also has more detail and it's been updated with a gray background instead of black.

Some app icons were updated with the initial ‌iOS 27‌ beta release, including Maps, Photos, and Weather, but others kept their iOS 26 look.

It's possible Apple will overhaul even more icons in upcoming betas, because the company said it was planning to give icons an updated layered look to better fit the Liquid Glass aesthetic.

‌iOS 27‌ will be released in just about a month.

With the fifth beta of iOS 27, Apple has expanded the voice customization options for Siri AI.

Pace and Expressivity can now be adjusted for more of the available voice options instead of just the two American voices.

There are seven American voice options and four British voices to choose from, all of which can be customized with different Pace and Expressivity settings. Pace changes talking speed, while expressivity changes emphasis.

‌Siri‌ AI voice customization is done on-device, so the feature is limited to newer iPhones. You need an iPhone 17 Pro, ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max, or iPhone Air to use voice customization on an iPhone.

It's available on Macs with an M3 chip or newer and at least 12GB RAM, and the M4 iPad Pro and newer, also with at least 12GB RAM.

Apple is scaling back its hardware shipment plans in 2026 due to DRAM shortages, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today.

Kuo made the comment in a longer piece disputing a recent report suggesting TSMC has $1 billion of unpackaged processors waiting on memory chips that Apple has been unable to secure. Kuo said Apple plans processor production at least three months in advance based on the amount of memory expected to be available, and it does not have TSMC build large numbers of wafers ahead of time. He believes there are indeed memory shortages, but no situation where TSMC is sitting on unused inventory.

In other words, tight memory supply is real. But my understanding is that there has been no dramatic scenario in which TSMC first built up US$1 billion of WIP and then had to wait for memory to arrive before packaging could proceed. TSMC and Apple are both known for world-class execution, and such a dramatic development would be unusual given how closely the two companies coordinate their supply chains.

Memory shortages have already affected the Mac Studio, Mac mini, and MacBook Air, and it sounds like ongoing supply problems will also impact the upcoming iPhone models. Memory makers have been prioritizing supply for AI data centers because contracts for those chips are more profitable, leaving less capacity available for consumer device chips.

A lack of supply has driven prices up and led to long wait times for some products. Apple raised prices on all of its Macs and iPads in June, and iPhone prices are expected to go up in September.

The iPhone 18 Pro, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra could be available in limited quantities because of the memory problems, and we expect the devices will sell out during the preorder period.

Apple today provided developers with the fifth beta of macOS Golden Gate, with the update coming two weeks after Apple seeded the fourth beta.

Developers can download ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ by going to System Settings > General > Software Update. Beta Updates will need to be enabled, and a free developer account is required.

‌macOS Golden Gate‌ includes multiple design improvements. Liquid Glass opacity has been improved to increase readability, there's a slider for controlling the level of transparency, and changes to shadowing make it easier to tell when a window is active. Apps now have uniform toolbars, edge-to-edge sidebars, and less rounded corners, plus there are fewer icons in menu bars.

Siri has been transformed into ‌Siri‌ AI, a chatbot-style assistant that combines general world knowledge, your personal data, and onscreen awareness to answer questions about anything and find information for you. ‌Siri‌ lives in Spotlight, and you can ask questions with the new Search or Ask interface.

There's also a ‌Siri‌ app where you can chat with ‌Siri‌ and view past conversations, and on newer Macs, you can set a custom voice for ‌Siri‌ with personalized pace and expressivity. Visual Intelligence is now on the Mac so ‌Siri‌ can answer questions about what's on your screen, and a Write with ‌Siri‌ feature lets ‌Siri‌ generate text or give feedback on your writing.

There are AI photo editing tools in the Photos app, AI tab organization in Safari, an option to use AI to automatically update weak passwords in the Passwords app, and a revamped Image Playground app that can generate photorealistic images.

More on all of the new features in ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ can be found in our macOS Golden Gate roundup.

Apple today released a new beta of macOS Tahoe 26.6.2, which is available to developers and public beta testers. The ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.6.2 beta comes just a few days after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.6.1, a security update.

Developers and public beta testers can download the software by opening the System Settings app and then navigating to the Software Updates section.

According to Apple's release notes, ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.6.2 includes security fixes for the Mac.

The prior update, macOS 26.6.1, fixed a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to authenticate to Screen Sharing without valid credentials.

Update: This article previously said macOS 26.6.2 had been released, but it turns out the update is a beta.

Apple today released new betas of iOS 26.6.1 and iPadOS 26.6.1, which are available to developers and public beta testers. The iOS and iPadOS 26.6.1 betas come two weeks after the launch of iOS 26.6, an update that added Spotlight optimizations ahead of iOS 27.

iOS 26.6.1 and iPadOS 26.6.1 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

According to Apple's release notes, iOS 26.6.1 includes security fixes for the iPhone and iPad. The updates are available in a beta capacity only right now.

Apple is wrapping up work on iOS 26 because ‌iOS 27‌ is launching in just about a month. ‌iOS 27‌ is available to developers and public beta testers ahead of its public debut.

Update: This article previously said iOS 26.6.1 and iPadOS 26.6.1 had been released, but it turns out the updates are betas.

Apple today seeded the fifth betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after Apple released the fourth betas.

Registered developers can download the betas from the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad by going to the General section and selecting Software Update.

‌iOS 27‌ introduces Apple's smarter version of Siri, ‌Siri‌ AI. ‌Siri‌ AI is a chatbot similar to ChatGPT, incorporating general world knowledge, personal data from apps like Messages and Mail, and onscreen awareness to answer questions and find information for you.

There are new Apple Intelligence features in apps like Photos, Safari, Shortcuts, Wallet, and Passwords, plus Apple added a standalone ‌Siri‌ app that houses ‌Siri‌ conversations. Write with ‌Siri‌ is available systemwide for generating text or offering feedback on your writing, and Visual Intelligence has been relocated to the Camera app with a new ‌Siri‌ mode.

Apple improved the look of Liquid Glass and added a slider for customizing transparency. There are multiple performance improvements to speed up iOS, so everything feels faster, even on older iPhones. Apps launch quicker, AirDrop transfers are faster, the keyboard pops up more quickly, and devices are better at transitioning between Wi-Fi and Cellular to keep you connected.

For more on what's new in ‌iOS 27‌, we have a dedicated iOS 27 roundup.

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of watchOS 27 to developers, with the update coming two weeks after the launch of the fourth beta.

The beta can be downloaded through the Watch app on the iPhone with a free developer account. The Apple Watch will need to be on the charger, connected to Wi-Fi, and have a battery level of 50 percent or above for new software to be installed. The beta is available for all Apple Watch models compatible with ‌watchOS 27‌ except for the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

‌watchOS 27‌ gains Siri AI, the smarter, more capable version of ‌Siri‌. ‌Siri‌ can hold back-and-forth conversations, plus it has access to general world knowledge and your personal data to answer questions and find information. ‌Siri‌ AI on Apple Watch requires an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, including the iPhone 15 Pro and later.

There's a new Dynamic app grid that highlights ‌Siri‌ suggested apps, and more intuitive Smart Stack Suggestions. You can find your parked car, see pinned messages, get noise alerts, and view identity and transit cards.

Liquid Glass has been updated to improve legibility, and Workout Buddy works on the Apple Watch even when an iPhone isn't nearby. Workout Buddy also gains new metrics like progressive increases to distance, pace, or duration. Apple added a new all-in-one Find My app with support for Precision Finding, and there are performance optimizations that improve battery life.

More on what's new in ‌watchOS 27‌ is available in our watchOS 27 roundup.

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of tvOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after Apple released the fourth beta.

The beta can be downloaded and installed through the Settings app on the Apple TV. A free developer account is required.

tvOS 27 has few new features compared to the other 27 software updates, but it does add a redesigned Podcasts app, options for larger text, and a more responsive Control Center.

AirPlaying to an ‌Apple TV‌ from another Apple device is faster, and apps and animations are smoother. You can also now see AppleCare coverage details in the Settings app.

More on the features in tvOS 27 can be found in our Apple TV roundup.

Apple today provided developers with the fifth beta of an upcoming visionOS 27 update for testing purposes, with the beta coming two weeks after Apple released the fourth beta.

visionOS 27 can be installed by opening the Settings app, going to Software Updates, and opting into Beta Updates.

visionOS 27 introduces Siri AI, the smarter and more capable version of ‌Siri‌ that's similar in capability to chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude. On the Vision Pro, ‌Siri‌ can answer questions about anything the wearer is looking at, and there's a new ‌Siri‌ orb that can be placed anywhere in wearer's virtual space.

Panorama photos can be turned into spatial environments, and there's a new Icelandic Thórsmörk environment that features dramatic mountains, valleys, and glaciers, along with the northern lights. Web Environment support allows developers to create 360-degree environments in Safari for a more native Vision Pro browsing experience.

App windows are now curved to provide a more immersive workspace, and Control Center has been reorganized to make system controls easier to find. Apple added a smaller widget size, and notifications automatically expand when the wearer looks at them.

More on what's new in visionOS 27 is listed in our Vision Pro roundup.

The upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with a nearly 12% larger battery compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, according to an apparent leak.

An alleged photo of a battery pack for a Chinese model of the iPhone 18 Pro Max with a SIM card tray lists a capacity of 5,391 mAh, up from 4,823 mAh for the equivalent iPhone 17 Pro Max battery. The photo was shared on the Korean platform Naver today, but it supposedly originated from the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

The identical 5,391 mAh capacity appeared in a regulatory database last month, so the capacity is looking increasingly likely to be accurate.

For the U.S. model of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, in which the lack of a SIM card tray provides more space for a slightly larger battery, the Naver post claims it will have a 5,567 mAh capacity. The equivalent iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 5,088 mAh battery, so this would work out to be a nearly 10% increase on a year-over-year basis.

Based on this leak, it appears that meaningful battery life gains will not extend to the smaller iPhone 18 Pro. In the U.S., the device will apparently have a 4,288 mAh battery, which would be less than a 1% increase over the iPhone 17 Pro's 4,252 mAh battery in that country. It was previously rumored that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be thicker than the iPhone 18 Pro, so that might help to explain the difference.

All of the alleged iPhone 18 Pro battery capacities are listed in the table below.

iPhone 18 Pro

iPhone 18 Pro Max

The capacities differ by region because Apple has continued to include a SIM tray on iPhones sold in some countries outside of the U.S., while U.S. models have been eSIM only since the iPhone 14 lineup. Without a physical tray taking up internal space, Apple can fit a slightly larger battery into the eSIM-only version of each device.

Starting with the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the SIM card tray is also removed on models sold in Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and a few other countries and territories.

Apple's rumored all-glass iPhone expected to mark the device's 20th anniversary has been canceled, according to Jefferies analyst Edison Lee.

Rumors have circulated since at least 2025 that Apple was developing a radically redesigned all-glass iPhone, with launch expected as early as September 2027. Lee's analysis today provided in Barron's claims that his firm's supply chain checks now point to the project being scrapped due to poor production yield, the rate at which manufacturing produces defect-free units.

As a result of the findings, Jefferies downgraded Apple stock to "Underperform," the equivalent of a "Sell" rating, from "Hold" today, cutting its price target to $263.66 from $285.56, one of the lowest on Wall Street. Apple shares fell 2.1% following the downgrade.

The all-glass iPhone has been rumored for well over a year as the most significant redesign since the iPhone X, expected to arrive in fall 2027 alongside a second-generation foldable iPhone. Reports pointed to a curved glass panel wrapping around the front and back with virtually no cutouts in the display, along with under-display Face ID and solid-state buttons.

• 20th Anniversary iPhone Coming Next Year With These 10 Features

Lee previously viewed the all-glass iPhone as a plausible upcoming release, and its apparent cancellation changes his view of Apple's ability to raise iPhone prices going forward. He called the move a major setback for pushing higher-priced iPhones as memory costs continue to climb. Had it launched in 2027, Lee estimated the device would have carried a blended retail price of around $2,060, higher than any previous iPhone.

The bigger concern for Lee is what the cancellation means beyond a single model. He believes Apple had planned to eventually bring all-glass styling to the iPhone Pro and Pro Max lines as well, in a move he saw as a way to further raise those models' average selling price and margin at a time when rising memory costs are squeezing profitability.

Lee also pointed to Apple's AI strategy and rising component costs for the "iPhone 19 Pro Max," expected in 2027, as additional reasons behind the downgrade. The slow rollout of Apple Intelligence, he argued, makes it harder for Apple to justify equipping more iPhones with the extra RAM needed to run AI models on-device.

It remains unclear whether Lee is describing the end of the entire 20th-anniversary redesign or just its all-glass display component. It has repeatedly been questioned whether Apple can eliminate the Dynamic Island next year at all, given the engineering hurdles involved, meaning a genuinely seamless glass front may never have been realistic regardless of Lee's yield and cost concerns. Even so, other elements of the rumored 20th anniversary design, including the quad-curved chassis, could still be on track.

Apple and MLB today released the September schedule for Apple TV's weekly Friday Night Baseball doubleheader. The games are included with an Apple TV subscription at no additional cost, and there is a new perk for Vision Pro users.

For the first time, Friday Night Baseball will be streamed live in the Apple Immersive format, allowing Vision Pro users to watch a 3D video feed recorded in 8K with a 180º field of view. The first game streamed in Apple Immersive will see the Boston Red Sox face the New York Yankees on Friday, August 28 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

Vision Pro users with an Apple TV subscription in Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the U.K., and the U.S. can stream the games live in Apple Immersive directly through the Apple TV app. Full game replays and highlights will be available on demand in the Apple TV app for the Vision Pro.

"On August 28, viewers with Vision Pro will experience the iconic Red Sox vs. Yankees rivalry from unique camera angles that place viewers right in the game, immersed in the drama of each at-bat, the celebrations in the dugout after a big hit, close plays at the outfield wall, and more," said Apple, in a press release.

Apple said team lineups and stats will float on screen, and there will be a stadium view with Spatial Audio during breaks in the action.

Four out of seven of the Friday Night Baseball games in September will be streamed in Apple Immersive, with a full schedule provided in Apple's announcement.

A known Weibo leaker has stepped into an ongoing disagreement over exactly how dark the iPhone 18 Pro Max's rumored Dark Cherry color will look, saying the deeper of two shades circulating online is the accurate one.

In a new post on Weibo, the leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said two versions of the color have been mocked up online, one lighter and one darker, and claimed the darker version is correct. The leaker described the accurate shade as closer to a purplish red similar to a cherry, rather than the lighter, brighter red alternative some renders have shown.

The claim adds to what has already become one of the most heavily reported details of the ‌‌iPhone 18 Pro‌'s‌ rumor cycle. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was among the first to report on the color, describing it in February as a deep red.

In April, Macworld reported that Apple was preparing a signature new color called "Dark Cherry" for the ‌‌iPhone 18 Pro‌‌ and ‌‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max‌, described as a deep, wine-like red rather than a brighter tone. The report said the color would replace Cosmic Orange as the line's headline shade and listed an internal Pantone code of 6076. A follow-up report in May from the leaker known as "Instant Digital" corroborated the color, describing it as a mix of burgundy, coffee, and deep purple.

Dummy models shared later that month by leaker Sonny Dickson showed the ‌‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max‌ in "Dark Cherry" alongside Light Blue, Black, and Silver, with Dickson predicting the color would follow Cosmic Orange as the line's next standout hit. A separate SIM tray image shared in June by leaker Ice Universe offered another look at the color.

Apple is expected to unveil the ‌‌iPhone 18 Pro‌‌ and ‌‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max‌ next month alongside its first foldable iPhone.

Apple's foldable iPhone is expected to arrive in September against a rival already outrunning its own forecasts.

ETNews reports Samsung is building an extra one million Galaxy Z Fold 8 units, after the 4:3 device took 70 percent of a record 1.44 million Galaxy Z8 series pre-orders. Apple's foldable display – made by Samsung – is rumored to use the same aspect ratio in the same book-style form factor.

Amazon this week is taking $30 off the Apple Watch SE 3, starting at $219.00 for the 40mm GPS model. These are second-best prices on the SE 3, but it's been a few months since we last tracked record low prices, so this is a good opportunity for anyone who's been waiting for a deal.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

You can also get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE 3 on sale for $249.00, down from $279.00. Both the 40mm and 44mm GPS models are available in Midnight and Starlight Aluminum at these prices.

In addition to the Apple Watch SE 3 discounts, Amazon has $99 off the Apple Watch Series 11 right now, which are also solid second-best prices on the wearables. 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.

Apple briefly published a support guide in China explaining how Mac users can connect Alibaba's Qwen AI to Siri and Writing Tools, before pulling it entirely less than a day later.

Reuters first spotted the Chinese-language guide on Apple's support site on August 8, which explained how eligible Mac users in mainland China could connect Qwen, Alibaba's family of generative AI models, to ‌Siri‌ and Writing Tools. According to the document, the extension required macOS 26.6 or later, needed users to sign into their own Qwen account, and specified that Alibaba was barred from using submitted materials to train or improve its models.

‌Siri‌ would be able to lean on Qwen for more detailed responses to certain requests, including analysis of photos and documents, while Writing Tools could use it to generate text and images. No equivalent guide was published for the iPhone or iPad.

The setup closely mirrors Apple's existing ChatGPT extension available elsewhere, which similarly lets ‌Siri‌ hand off complex requests and gives Writing Tools a "Compose" option, all on an opt-in basis.

By August 9, the guide had been removed. Chinese news aggregator ReadHub reported that the guide had disappeared from Apple's site, and TechNode reports that Apple's customer service told Chinese media it had received no notification of a new feature launch. Separately, tech analyst Liu Dingding told the Global Times that the takedown could reflect pending technical adjustments still tied to the regulatory process, rather than a full reversal.

It's a similar pattern to what happened back in March, when Apple Intelligence itself briefly went live for some Chinese users before being pulled offline without regulatory approval. China maintains strict rules around releasing AI features, and in practice requires companies like Apple to partner with local providers. Apple originally lined up Baidu as its primary China AI partner, but by February 2025, reports indicated Alibaba had taken over as the lead partner after Baidu's models fell short of Apple's requirements, with Baidu shifted to a supporting role.

Chinese regulators cleared Apple Intelligence for launch in the country in July, registering Apple's on-device AI service with the Cyberspace Administration of China. That approval covered the iPhone only, and Apple did not say whether or when the ‌iPad‌ and Mac would follow, making this week's brief Mac-specific guide the clearest signal yet on the Mac timeline specifically.

It remains unclear when Apple will formally relaunch the Qwen integration for the Mac, or whether the guide's brief appearance points to an imminent rollout.

Apple has been testing memory chips from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) across product lines including iPhones and MacBooks, according to a report today from The Wall Street Journal ($).

Laptop makers HP and Acer have already started using memory chips from CXMT in devices sold outside the U.S. Meanwhile, Apple has held early talks with CXMT about supplying components for devices sold in China, and the company is hoping for a sign-off from the White House before going further. The Financial Times reported last month that Apple had begun qualifying CXMT's DRAM, but today's report is the first to place that testing inside specific product categories.

What could scupper any potential deal are U.S. rules that bar American companies from transferring technology to CXMT, including conversations about technical details and product specifications. Export lawyer Kevin Wolf of Akin Gump told WSJ that Apple can buy off-the-shelf CXMT components and haggle over price, but it can't commission chips designed to its own requirements.

Apple usually has memory specially configured to work optimally with its own silicon, so using standard parts could mean reworking sections of its hardware, or potentially settling for less-than-ideal performance.

What's making Apple's life harder is the fact that a bipartisan group of senators led by Chuck Schumer has asked the company to rule out using Chinese memory entirely. A response to the request is due August 21.

There are supply issues to contend with as well. CXMT has reportedly maxed out production for the year and has little room for new international customers, having already prioritized domestic buyers such as ByteDance, Tencent, and Xiaomi. Its prices reportedly sit level with (and sometimes above) those of Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung. That's bad news for Apple. A fourth supplier only helps if it has chips to sell and sells them cheaper. Right now though, CXMT does neither.

Apple raised prices across its product lineup (excepting iPhone models) in June, blaming memory costs driven by the AI infrastructure demand.

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