MacRumors

With the debut of the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models, Apple tweaked the available configurations for the standard M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌.

The 14-inch M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌ used to start with 512GB of storage, but Apple has removed that option. All ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, including the entry-level M5 version, start with a 1TB SSD that can be upgraded to 4TB.

The starting price of the M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌ was $1,599, but now it starts at $1,699 because of the updated storage. While the starting price has gone up, the price for SSD upgrades has technically shifted down.

Upgrading to 1TB previously would have resulted in a machine that costs $1,799, but that same base configuration is now $1,699 and $100 more affordable.

Upgrading to 2TB from the base starting storage used to be $600, but now the 2TB upgrade is $400. The 4TB upgrade is $1,000, $200 less than the $1,200 that it used to cost.

In short, Apple has removed the 512GB storage option and dropped the price of SSD storage at the same time. The base machine is more expensive, but you're getting a higher capacity SSD for less.

Apple has de-emphasized stock configurations and options are no longer listed on the purchase page for Macs. There are still stock models that will be sold in stores, however, and those pre-configured machines have been updated.

Apple has removed the base model that had 512GB of storage and 16GB RAM, replacing it with the version that has 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. There's also a $1,899 stock model with 1TB SSD and 24GB memory, and a new higher-end model with the 1TB SSD and 32GB RAM for $2,099.

Standard M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with the new storage tiers are available for purchase as of today, and will deliver to customers as soon as tomorrow. The M5 Pro and M5 Max models can be pre-ordered starting at 6:15 a.m. Pacific Time on March 4, with a launch to follow on March 11.

Apple today discontinued its Pro Display XDR, following the introduction of a new 27-inch Studio Display XDR monitor.

Introduced in December 2019 alongside a redesigned Mac Pro, the 32-inch Pro Display XDR was Apple's return to the premium external monitor market. The launch came three years after the company exited the category with the discontinuation of the Thunderbolt Display in 2016.

The Pro Display XDR drew particular scrutiny for its $999 Pro Stand, which was sold separately from the $4,999 display. Apple defended the price by emphasizing its precise engineering, height, tilt, and rotation adjustments, and support for both landscape and portrait orientations, but it was a focal point of criticism at launch.

In its place, Apple now offers an all-new Studio Display XDR, featuring a 5K resolution with mini-LED backlighting and up to 2,000 nits peak HDR brightness, adaptive refresh up to 120Hz, and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity with up to 140W charging and multiple high-speed ports.

Compared with the Pro Display XDR, which was a larger 32-inch 6K monitor aimed at high-end HDR workflows, the new Studio Display XDR is smaller and cheaper, but it also features modern panel technology, higher refresh rates, and more connectivity.

Pre-orders for the new display begin March 4 and availability starts March 11, with pricing starting at $3,299 for standard glass and $3,599 with nano-texture glass.

Amazon today has dropped the price of the 2025 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro to $1,449.00, down from $1,599.00. With the announcement of new MacBook Pro models this week, Apple no longer sells this 512GB model of the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro.

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.

Apple instead has shifted the line to focus entirely on configurations with 1TB of storage, with varying RAM sizes. The 16GB RAM/1TB M5 MacBook Pro is available for $1,649.00 ($50 off) and the 24GB RAM/1TB M5 MacBook Pro has hit $1,846.00 on Amazon ($53 off).

Shoppers should note that we are calculating discounts based on the new prices of each notebook. With the launch of the new models, Apple has cut the prices of the M5 MacBook Pro by $100, which Amazon hasn't yet accounted for.

This version of the MacBook Pro launched in October and it comes with the newest M5 chip, which offers up to 15% faster CPU performance and up to 45% faster graphics when compared to the M4 chip. Apple just announced the upgraded M5 Pro and M5 Max versions of the MacBook Pro, but it could be a while before we see steep discounts on these models.

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.

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Apple today confirmed that iPadOS 26.3.1 and macOS 26.3.1 are on the way. The updates will likely be released at some point this week or next week.

iPadOS 26.3.1 and macOS 26.3.1 are both mentioned on the tech specs page for the new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR, which launch on Wednesday, March 11.

The full text from Apple's website:

Studio Display is compatible with the following Mac models with Apple silicon and macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 or later:

16-inch MacBook Pro (2021 and later)
14-inch MacBook Pro (2021 and later)
13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020 and later)
15-inch MacBook Air (2023 and later)
13-inch MacBook Air (M1, 2020 and later)
Mac Studio (2022 and later)
Mac mini (2020 and later)
Mac Pro (2023 and later)
24-inch iMac (2021 and later)

Studio Display is compatible with the following iPad models with iPadOS 26.3.1 or later:

iPad Pro (M4 and M5)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd–6th generation)
iPad Pro 11-inch (1st–4th generation)
iPad Air (M2, M3, and M4)
iPad Air (5th generation)

MacRumors also continues to see evidence of Apple preparing iOS 26.3.1, so there should be at least three minor software updates coming soon.

iOS 26.3.1, iPadOS 26.3.1, and macOS 26.3.1 may also include bug fixes and/or security patches.

visionOS 26.3.1 was released last week with an Apple TV app bug fix.

Alongside the all-new, higher-end Studio Display XDR, Apple has updated the regular version of the Studio Display with some new features.

Here is what is new for the lower-end Studio Display, according to Apple:

• Two Thunderbolt 5 ports (up to 120Gb/s), with one upstream port (provides 96W pass-through charging) and one downstream port for connecting accessories or daisy-chaining additional displays
• The built-in 12-megapixel Center Stage camera now supports Desk View
• The six-speaker sound system's woofers deliver "30 percent deeper bass" compared to the previous Studio Display

Only the higher-end Studio Display XDR received a 120Hz refresh rate, mini-LED backlighting, increased brightness, and faster 140W pass-through charging.

The regular Studio Display still has a 60Hz refresh rate and up to 600 nits of brightness.

Both models have 27-inch displays with a 5K resolution.

The new Studio Displays can be pre-ordered starting Wednesday, March 4, ahead of a Wednesday, March 11 launch. In the U.S., the regular Studio Display continues to start at $1,599, while the Studio Display XDR starts at $3,299.

Apple has discontinued the Pro Display XDR and its Pro Stand.

Apple appears to have prematurely revealed the name of its rumored lower-cost MacBook model, which is expected to be announced this Wednesday.

A regulatory document for a "MacBook Neo" (Model A3404) has appeared on Apple's website. Unfortunately, there are no further details or images available yet.

While the PDF file does not contain the "MacBook Neo" name, it briefly appeared in a link on Apple's regulatory website for EU compliance purposes.

The lower-cost MacBook is rumored to feature an iPhone chip like the A18 Pro or A19 Pro, rather than an M-series chip, as well as a 12.9-inch display. It has also been rumored that this MacBook will come in fun color options, like yellow, green, blue, and/or pink, and the "MacBook Neo" name certainly sounds fun.

"MacBook Neo" would slot in below the MacBook Air in the Mac lineup, but its starting price remains to be seen, with estimates ranging from $599 to $799.

The media will likely receive hands-on time with the "MacBook Neo" at the "Apple Experience" gatherings being held in New York, London, and Shanghai this Wednesday at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. There is no Apple Event live stream for this launch, so keep an eye out for a press release on the Apple Newsroom website.

Update: Just a few minutes after we published, Apple removed the "MacBook Neo" link.

Apple today unveiled the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, featuring a new Fusion Architecture and up to 40 next-generation GPU cores.

The chips are made using a new Apple-designed Fusion Architecture, which combines two dies into a single system on a chip (SoC). Both chips feature a new 18-core CPU architecture, including six high-performance cores that Apple now calls "super cores." They are joined by 12 all-new performance cores optimized for power efficiency. Together, they boost CPU performance by up to 30%.

The M5 Pro pairs a CPU with up to 18-cores with a next-generation GPU with up to 20 cores. With four additional CPU cores compared to the M4 Pro, the new CPU architecture significantly boosts multithreaded performance by up to 30%.

The chips feature up to 40 GPU cores, with a Neural Accelerator in each core, along with enhanced shader cores with second-generation dynamic caching and hardware-accelerated mesh shading. The GPU substantially increases graphics capabilities, now up to 35% for apps using ray tracing than the M4 Pro and M4 Max.

The M5 Pro chip supports up to 64GB of unified memory with higher unified memory bandwidth up to 307GB/s. Together, this allows the M5 Pro to deliver more than 4x the peak GPU compute performance compared to the M4 Pro, and over 6x the peak GPU compute performance than the M1 Pro for AI performance.

The M5 Max chip pairs the 18-core CPU with an up to 40 GPU cores. The new CPU architecture offers up to 15% higher multithreaded performance when compared to the M4 Max.

The M5 Max also supports up to 128GB of unified memory with higher unified memory bandwidth up to 614GB/s. It offers over 4x the peak GPU compute of the previous generation, and over 6x the peak GPU compute than the M1 Max for AI performance.

The chips are available in the new MacBook Pro, which is available for pre-order starting tomorrow.

Apple today introduced an all-new Studio Display XDR monitor with a 27-inch screen, mini-LED backlighting, 5K resolution, peak brightness of 2,000 nits for HDR content, up to a 120Hz refresh rate, Thunderbolt 5, and more.

The new Studio Display XDR replaces Apple's former Pro Display XDR, which has been discontinued. Going forward, there are now two Studio Display models.

Here are the Studio Display XDR's key specs:

• 27-inch Retina XDR display with 5K resolution
• 120Hz refresh rate, with Adaptive Sync for a continuously variable refresh rate between 47Hz and 120Hz while gaming
• 5120-by-2880 resolution at 218 pixels per inch
• Mini-LED backlighting with 2,304 dimming zones
• Up to 1,000 nits brightness (SDR)
• Up to 2,000 nits brightness (HDR)
• P3 + Adobe RGB wide color gamut support with 1 billion colors
• True Tone

Both new Studio Display models have the same overall design as the original model. Both models have a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, but it now supports Desk View on the new models. Both models also feature an upgraded six-speaker system, with Apple advertising "30 percent deeper bass" compared to the previous model.

On the back of the Studio Display XDR, there are two Thunderbolt 5 ports (up to 120Gb/s) and two USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s):

• One upstream Thunderbolt 5 port (with 140W charging)
• One downstream Thunderbolt 5 port for connecting accessories or daisy-chaining additional displays
• Two USB-C ports for connecting accessories

Alongside the all-new, higher-end Studio Display XDR, Apple has updated the regular version of the Studio Display with some new features.

Here is what is new for the lower-end Studio Display, according to Apple:

• Two Thunderbolt 5 ports (up to 120Gb/s), with one upstream port (provides 96W pass-through charging) and one downstream port for connecting accessories or daisy-chaining additional displays
• The built-in 12-megapixel Center Stage camera now supports Desk View
• The six-speaker sound system's woofers deliver "30 percent deeper bass" compared to the previous Studio Display

Only the higher-end Studio Display XDR received a 120Hz refresh rate, mini-LED backlighting, increased brightness, and faster 140W pass-through charging.

The regular Studio Display still has a 60Hz refresh rate and up to 600 nits of brightness.

Both models have 27-inch displays with a 5K resolution.

The new Studio Displays can be pre-ordered starting Wednesday, March 4, ahead of a Wednesday, March 11 launch. In the U.S., the regular Studio Display continues to start at $1,599, while the Studio Display XDR starts at $3,299.

Apple today announced refreshed MacBook Air models featuring the M5 chip and a higher base SSD capacity.

The M5 chip in the ‌MacBook Air‌ features a 10-core CPU, with what Apple calls the world's fastest CPU cores. It offers configurations with up to 10 GPU cores with Neural Accelerators in each core, delivering up to 4x faster performance for AI tasks than the ‌MacBook Air‌ with the M4 chip.

The chip also has enhanced shader cores and a third-generation ray-tracing engine, along with faster unified memory with 153GB/s of bandwidth, which is a 28% improvement over the M4.

In addition to the M5 chip, the ‌MacBook Air‌ now contains Apple's custom N1 wireless chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity.

The ‌MacBook Air‌ now starts with 512GB of storage and continues to be configurable up to 4TB. The SSD also has 2x faster read and write performance compared to the previous generation.

The new ‌MacBook Air‌ is available for pre-order starting on Wednesday, March 4, with launch taking place on Wednesday, March 11. It starts at $1,099, $100 more than the previous generation.

Apple today announced new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models featuring M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, both built on a new Fusion Architecture that bonds two third-generation 3nm dies into a single chip using advanced packaging.

The Fusion Architecture is a first for Apple silicon, since previous chips used a single-die design. The two bonded dies house the CPU, GPU, Media Engine, Neural Engine, unified memory controller, and Thunderbolt 5 capabilities together.

Both chips feature an 18-core CPU, which is up from the 14-core and 16-core designs of the M4 Pro and M4 Max, respectively. The CPU now includes six "super cores" (Apple's new branding for its highest-performance cores) alongside 12 efficiency-focused performance cores. Apple claims up to 30 percent faster multithreaded performance over the M4 generation, and up to 2.5x faster than M1 Pro and M1 Max.

M5 Pro features up to 20 GPU cores, while M5 Max doubles that to 40. Each GPU core also now includes a Neural Accelerator, which Apple says delivers over 4x the peak AI compute compared to M4 Pro and M4 Max. Apple claims up to 50 percent faster graphics overall, with ray-tracing workloads seeing up to 35 percent improvement over the previous generation.

Memory gets a bump too. M5 Pro supports up to 64GB of unified memory (up from 48GB on M4 Pro), with bandwidth reaching 307GB/s. M5 Max retains its 128GB maximum but raises bandwidth to 614GB/s.

Storage is also notably faster this time around, with Apple claiming up to 2x faster read/write speeds compared to the M4 generation, topping out at 14.5GB/s. Base storage has also increased, so that M5 Pro models now start at 1TB, while M5 Max models start at 2TB.

The new MacBook Pros also get Apple's N1 wireless networking chip, bringing Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support. That's an upgrade from the Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 found in last year's M4 Pro and M4 Max models.

Other additions include a 16-core Neural Engine with a faster memory connection that Apple says speeds up on-device Apple Intelligence tasks, and an updated Media Engine that adds hardware-accelerated AV1 decode alongside existing H.264, HEVC, and ProRes support. There's also Memory Integrity Enforcement – an always-on memory safety feature Apple calls an industry first.

Thunderbolt 5 carries over from the M4 generation, but each port now gets its own dedicated controller on the chip, so all three ports can run at full bandwidth simultaneously. For external displays, M5 Pro supports up to two high-resolution monitors, while M5 Max supports up to four.

In terms of battery life, Apple says it tops out at 24 hours on the 16-inch model, and that users can fast-charge to 50 percent in 30 minutes with a 96W or higher USB-C adapter.

"MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max redefines what's possible on a pro laptop, now up to 4x faster than the previous generation," said John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. "With Neural Accelerators in the GPU, the new MacBook Pro enables professionals to run advanced LLMs on device and unlock capabilities that no other laptop can do — all while maintaining exceptional battery life."

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at $2,199, while the 16-inch starts at $2,699. The 14-inch M5 Max model starts at $3,599, and the 16-inch at $3,899. The previously announced base 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 starts at $1,699. All models are available in space black and silver, with pre-orders opening tomorrow, March 4, and availability beginning Wednesday, March 11.

Apple on Monday unveiled the iPhone 17e and an updated iPad Air, but it is not finished yet. Apple promised "a big week ahead," and it is expected to announce additional new products this Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4.

The most likely possibilities for Tuesday include updated 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. And for Wednesday's grand finale, Apple will likely unveil its rumored lower-cost MacBook with an A18 Pro chip.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman:

Monday's announcements kick off several days of Apple product reveals, a wave that's expected to continue on Tuesday and Wednesday. The company has also been planning to introduce new laptops this week, including its first-entry level MacBook with an iPhone-grade chip.

Of course, there could always be a surprise or two in store. We are still waiting for new models of the Apple TV and HomePod mini, but those might be delayed until the more personalized version of Siri finally launches at some point this year.

Other rumored products in the pipeline for the first half of 2026 include Mac Studio models with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips, two new Studio Display models, and an all-new Apple smart home hub with a companion Apple-designed smart home camera.

There is no sign of an iPad 12 with Apple Intelligence support yet. That was expected this week, but it likely would have been unveiled alongside the iPad Air with the M4 chip, so perhaps the entry-level iPad is not being updated yet after all. However, nothing is ruled out yet, so we shall see what Apple has planned over the next two days.

The announcements will be capped off with an "Apple Experience" in New York, London, and Shanghai on Wednesday at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. At these gatherings, invited journalists and content creators will likely receive hands-on time with the new products. MacRumors will be attending the New York event, so stay tuned for our coverage.

Anthropic is aiming to lure customers from ChatGPT and Gemini with a new memory import tool that's available to free users as of today. Conversations and memories from other AI providers can be imported into Claude, so new users will not need to start from scratch.

Users can import preferences and context from an AI service like ChatGPT using a prompt that Anthropic prepared for other chatbots. The prompt instructs the AI to prepare a list of memories and context from past conversations, with formatting that's easily digestible by Claude.

I'm moving to another service and need to export my data. List every memory you have stored about me, as well as any context you've learned about me from past conversations. Output everything in a single code block so I can easily copy it.

Claude has an input box for the exported data, and the information is added to Claude's memory. Claude has supported memory for paid plans since October 2025, but there was no option for free users to take advantage of the feature. With a memory feature now available for switching, users will not need to sign up for a paid plan to move their AI instructions and preferences to Claude. Anthropic says that memory will remain an option on the free plan.

Enabling memory and then importing information into Claude can be done through the Memory section of Claude's settings.

Last month, Anthropic took advantage of ChatGPT's decision to start displaying ads for free users, promising to keep Claude ad-free. Anthropic then added new features for free users, including options for compaction, creating files, using connectors, and accessing skills. Along with memory, those options were previously limited to paid subscribers.

As of now, Claude is the top free iOS app in the App Store, a spot normally held by ChatGPT. Anthropic has been in the news over the last week for its inability to reach an agreement with the U.S. government over AI use, and the subsequent supply chain risk designation it received.

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.

Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store.

The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the United States, according to the company's website. Some of the estimated values increased slightly, while others decreased slightly.

iPhone

iPhone Model	New Values	Old Values
iPhone 16 Pro Max	Up to $685	Up to $670
iPhone 16 Pro	Up to $550	Up to $550
iPhone 16 Plus	Up to $455	Up to $450
iPhone 16	Up to $435	Up to $420
iPhone 16e	Up to $310	Not accepted
iPhone 15 Pro Max	Up to $465	Up to $470
iPhone 15 Pro	Up to $375	Up to $400
iPhone 15 Plus	Up to $320	Up to $330
iPhone 15	Up to $310	Up to $310
iPhone 14 Pro Max	Up to $350	Up to $370
iPhone 14 Pro	Up to $295	Up to $300
iPhone 14 Plus	Up to $235	Up to $240
iPhone 14	Up to $225	Up to $220
iPhone SE (3rd generation)	Up to $75	Up to $80
iPhone 13 Pro Max	Up to $305	Up to $300
iPhone 13 Pro	Up to $240	Up to $230
iPhone 13	Up to $195	Up to $180
iPhone 13 mini	Up to $145	Up to $150
iPhone 12 Pro Max	Up to $220	Up to $220
iPhone 12 Pro	Up to $180	Up to $160
iPhone 12	Up to $125	Up to $130
iPhone 12 mini	Up to $85	Up to $90
iPhone SE (2nd generation)	Up to $50	Up to $50
iPhone 11 Pro Max	Up to $145	Up to $150
iPhone 11 Pro	Up to $130	Up to $130
iPhone 11	Up to $100	Up to $100
iPhone XS Max	Up to $90	Up to $100
iPhone XS	Up to $65	Up to $70
iPhone XR	Up to $80	Up to $80
iPhone X	Up to $60	Up to $60
iPhone 8 Plus	Up to $40	Up to $50
iPhone 8	Up to $35	Up to $40

iPad

iPad Model	New Values	Old Values
iPad Pro	Up to $670	Up to $685
iPad Air	Up to $445	Up to $400
iPad	Up to $220	Up to $170
iPad mini	Up to $250	Up to $255

Mac

Mac Model	New Values	Old Values
MacBook Pro	Up to $685	Up to $710
MacBook Air	Up to $485	Up to $470
iMac	Up to $355	Up to $375
iMac Pro	Up to $325	Up to $325
Mac mini	Up to $340	Up to $340
Mac Studio	Up to $975	Up to $1,030
Mac Pro	Up to $2,090	Up to $2,520

Apple Watch

Apple Watch Model	New Values	Old Values
Apple Watch Series 10	Up to $150	Up to $160
Apple Watch Ultra 2	Up to $295	Up to $335
Apple Watch Series 9	Up to $120	Up to $125
Apple Watch Ultra	Up to $215	Up to $245
Apple Watch Series 8	Up to $90	Up to $95
Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)	Up to $55	Up to $60
Apple Watch Series 7	Up to $65	Up to $65
Apple Watch Series 6	Up to $45	Up to $50
Apple Watch SE (1st generation)	Up to $30	Up to $30
Apple Watch Series 5	Not accepted	Up to $25

Apple has unveiled the iPhone 17e, with key upgrades over the iPhone 16e including the A19 chip, MagSafe, and the Ceramic Shield 2 for a more scratch-resistant screen. The device also has Apple's latest C1X modem for faster 5G, a doubled 256GB of base storage, and a new Soft Pink color option alongside White and Black.

In addition to those headline changes, we uncovered four smaller iPhone 17e details:

• A19 chip limitation: While the A19 chip in the iPhone 17 has a 5-core GPU, the chip has a reduced 4-core GPU in the iPhone 17e. This limitation will result in slightly slower graphics performance while gaming, but many customers are unlikely to notice a major difference in real-world usage. This is not a downgrade, either, as the A18 chip in the iPhone 16e also has a 4-core GPU.
• eSIM-only in more countries: iPhone 16e was eSIM-only in the U.S. only, but the iPhone 17e lacks a physical SIM card slot across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the other countries and territories listed next to "Model A3575" of the iPhone 17e on Apple's cellular page.
• Same battery capacity: Like the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17e has a 4,005 mAh battery capacity, according to a product label on Apple's website in the EU. Apple's advertised battery specs for the iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e are identical.
• Next-generation portraits: With next-generation portrait support, Apple says the "iPhone 17e recognizes people, dogs, and cats, and automatically saves depth information, allowing users to turn photos into beautiful portraits with background blur after capture and to adjust the focus point in the Photos app."

We are still working to confirm the amount of RAM included in the iPhone 17e, but it is very likely 8GB, matching the amount in the iPhone 16e and the regular iPhone 17. The next beta of Xcode 26.4 should confirm this information, so stay tuned.

In the U.S., the iPhone 17e starts at $599, just like the iPhone 16e did. You can pre-order the iPhone 17e on Apple.com starting Wednesday, March 4 at 6:15 a.m. Pacific Time, with availability set to begin Wednesday, March 11.

Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple provided the second beta to developers.

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 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 add multiple new features to the ‌iPhone‌ and the ‌iPad‌, but the first beta contained no sign of new Siri capabilities.

A Playlist Playground feature in Apple Music lets you generate songs for any idea, mood, emotion, or activity using a text-based prompt. There's also a Concerts Near You feature for finding local shows, and a redesigned look for albums and playlists with full-page artwork.

Apple Podcasts is getting native video podcasting capabilities that will make it easier to create, distribute, and monetize video podcast content through the Podcasts app. Video episodes will integrate with existing Apple podcasts features, like personalized recommendations and editorial suggestions.

Apple is testing end-to-end encryption for RCS, which will eventually bring full encryption to text conversations between Android and ‌iPhone‌ users. Apple is testing ‌RCS‌ with iPhone-to-iPhone conversations and iPhone-to-Android conversations.

The first two betas didn't include new emojis, but we saw signs of them in the code so we might get them in the third beta. The new update is also expected to new emoji characters will include trombone, treasure chest, orca, landslide, and Bigfoot.

Stolen Device Protection is enabled by default, there's a new ambient music widget, new average bedtime metrics in the sleep app, and plenty more. All of the features in iOS 26.4 can be found in our iOS 26.4 beta features guide.

Apple today provided developers with the third betas of upcoming watchOS 26.4, tvOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4 betas for testing purposes. The software comes a week after Apple released the second betas.

The software updates are available through the Settings app on each device, and because these are developer betas, a free developer account is required.

watchOS 26.4 adds a new Average Bedtime metric to the sleep features that sync to the health app, so you can better keep an eye on how bedtime impacts overall sleep quality.

tvOS 26.4 eliminates the iTunes Movies and iTunes TV Shows apps on the Apple TV. These apps haven't worked for some time and have directed users to the ‌Apple TV‌ app for purchases, but Apple is finally phasing them out entirely. Apple also added a Continuous Audio Connection option for HDMI output.

visionOS 26.4 includes support for foveated streaming for apps and games. Foveated streaming allows video to be streamed to the precise area where a user is looking, and peripheral areas are compressed. It allows for higher visual quality and lower latency.

Apple has asked Google to investigate setting up servers in its data centers to run a future version of Siri powered by Gemini, The Information reports.

Currently, Apple sends its more complex AI queries to Private Cloud Compute, a system that runs on Apple servers using Apple silicon chips. Today, only 10% of Apple's Private Cloud Compute capacity is said to be in use on average. The usage is low enough that some servers intended for Apple's AI cloud system are still in warehouses and have not yet been installed. This could change rapidly upon the launch of the next-generation version of ‌Siri‌, which could spike Apple's demands for cloud computing.

Apple has reportedly suffered from a cultural reluctance to bolster its cloud infrastructure for years, leading to the departure of some key cloud experts from the company, such as Patrick Gates. Gates pioneered the idea of bringing Apple chips to data centers, which later formed the basis of Private Cloud Compute. The company still strongly focuses on hardware devices and consumer features rather than their supporting cloud technologies, despite the growth of services, resulting in a neglect of the need for additional capacity.

At the time Apple realized it needed to use the cloud to support its AI efforts, its internal AI infrastructure was "beginning to decay." The company was amid the process of decommissioning old Nvidia-powered servers. Combined with financial pressure, this led the company to increasingly turn to third-party providers like Amazon.

For years, Apple banned its AI engineers from Google's cloud technologies because of privacy concerns. Apple software chief Craig Federighi repeatedly vetoed Google Cloud as an option for its AI computing requirements. In 2023, Google made changes to its security systems that satisfied Apple's privacy concerns. Apple then started to adopt Google's cloud infrastructure for artificial intelligence.

The issue has been exacerbated by problems with Private Cloud Compute, which takes longer to update than other servers. Moreover, the chips currently used in Private Cloud Compute servers were designed for consumer devices and are not optimized for AI workflows, meaning that they are not well equipped to run large models like Gemini.

Apple now wants to be prepared for a potential surge in AI use on its devices when the more powerful, Gemini-based version of ‌Siri‌ debuts later this year, motivating the request for Google to run ‌Siri‌ directly on its servers. See The Information's full report for more.

A seasonal color refresh arrived today for a variety of Apple accessories, including iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands, and the Crossbody Strap. All of the accessories in the latest colors are available to order on Apple.com starting today.

Apple's Silicone Case for the standard iPhone 17 model has three new color options, including Bright Guava, Vanilla, and Electric Lavender.

Bright Guava and Vanilla extend to the Silicone Case for iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but the Pro models did not get Electric Lavender treatment.

Apple has a Silicone Case for the new iPhone 17e too, and it comes in Bright Guava, Vanilla, Soft Pink, and a handful of other colors.

Apple also has a MagSafe Clear Case for the iPhone 17e.

If you prefer an iPhone 17e case from Apple's Beats brand, there is a new MagSafe case with hard plastic. It comes in Bedrock Blue and Lime Stone.

As for Apple Watch bands, the Sport Band now comes in Bright Guava, Clementine, and Soft Pink, while the Sport Loop gained Bright Guava, Blue Mist, and Cantaloupe options. There are also some new colors for luxury Apple Watch Hermès bands.

Finally, the Crossbody Strap is now available in Bright Guava and Soft Pink. The accessory attaches to select Apple cases, allowing you to wear your iPhone.

For everything new, head to Apple's store page for new accessories.