MacRumors

Apple's Beats brand is no stranger to collaborations with big-name celebrities on marketing campaigns, and the brand's latest effort involves Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.

The new campaign created in collaboration with photographer Daniel Sannwald features a massively oversized Ohtani sporting Beats products in various Los Angeles settings.

Against iconic LA backdrops, each image amplifies Ohtani's scale—not just physically, but metaphorically. He becomes an elevated figure of pride, strength, and aspiration. Through dramatic scale and surreal energy, the campaign transforms LA into Ohtani's playground—a cityscape where sport and culture intersect.

Beats' choice to pair its most iconic products with Ohtani in this visual story was deliberate. As an LA-born brand rooted in sports, music, and entertainment, Beats shares both its home and its spirit with Ohtani—a journey defined by ambition, performance, and unmistakable boldness.

In the images, Ohtani wears several of the latest Beats products, including Beats Studio Pro, Powerbeats Pro 2, and Powerbeats Fit.

"Los Angeles is a city of energy, culture, and ambition," says Shohei Ohtani. "Wearing Beats and seeing myself rise above the skyline feels symbolic of the connection I have with this city and our fans. We rise high together."

Ohtani has won four Major League Baseball MVP awards in Los Angeles, including two American League awards with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021 and 2023 and two National League awards with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024 and again in 2025 as the Dodgers won back-to-back World Series titles.

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. Most of the values declined slightly, but some of the Mac values increased.

iPhone

iPhone Model	New Values	Old Values
iPhone 16 Pro Max	Up to $650	Up to $670
iPhone 16 Pro	Up to $530	Up to $550
iPhone 16 Plus	Up to $440	Up to $450
iPhone 16	Up to $410	Up to $420
iPhone 15 Pro Max	Up to $450	Up to $470
iPhone 15 Pro	Up to $380	Up to $400
iPhone 15 Plus	Up to $320	Up to $330
iPhone 15	Up to $300	Up to $310
iPhone 14 Pro Max	Up to $350	Up to $370
iPhone 14 Pro	Up to $280	Up to $300
iPhone 14 Plus	Up to $230	Up to $240
iPhone 14	Up to $210	Up to $220
iPhone SE (3rd generation)	Up to $80	Up to $80
iPhone 13 Pro Max	Up to $280	Up to $300
iPhone 13 Pro	Up to $230	Up to $230
iPhone 13	Up to $180	Up to $180
iPhone 13 mini	Up to $140	Up to $150
iPhone 12 Pro Max	Up to $210	Up to $220
iPhone 12 Pro	Up to $160	Up to $160
iPhone 12	Up to $120	Up to $130
iPhone 12 mini	Up to $80	Up to $90
iPhone SE (2nd generation)	Up to $50	Up to $50
iPhone 11 Pro Max	Up to $140	Up to $150
iPhone 11 Pro	Up to $120	Up to $130
iPhone 11	Up to $100	Up to $100
iPhone XS Max	Up to $90	Up to $100
iPhone XS	Up to $70	Up to $70
iPhone XR	Up to $80	Up to $80
iPhone X	Up to $60	Up to $60
iPhone 8 Plus	Up to $50	Up to $50
iPhone 8	Up to $40	Up to $40

iPad

iPad Model	New Values	Old Values
iPad Pro	Up to $685	Up to $695
iPad Air	Up to $400	Up to $415
iPad	Up to $170	Up to $175
iPad mini	Up to $255	Up to $255

Mac

Mac Model	New Values	Old Values
MacBook Pro	Up to $2,515	Up to $760
MacBook Air	Up to $900	Up to $540
iMac	Up to $875	Up to $375
iMac Pro	Up to $325	Up to $240
Mac mini	Up to $340	Up to $380
Mac Studio	Up to $1,030	Up to $1,030
Mac Pro	Up to $3,215	Up to $2,520

It is unclear why many of the previous Mac trade-in values were so low. The current values seem more realistic.

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 $335	Up to $335
Apple Watch Series 9	Up to $115	Up to $125
Apple Watch Ultra	Up to $225	Up to $245
Apple Watch Series 8	Up to $85	Up to $95
Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)	Up to $55	Up to $60
Apple Watch Series 7	Up to $60	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	Up to $25	Up to $25

Apple also adjusted its trade-in values for select Android smartphones.

Update 2:45 pm: Apple has adjusted published Mac trade-in values for the second time today, and the values are once again seeing wild swings. Apple is now quoting up to $710 for MacBook Pro, $470 for MacBook Air, $375 for iMac, $345 for iMac Pro, $1,015 for Mac mini, $1,430 for Mac Studio, and $2,520 for Mac Pro.

While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.

Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026:

1. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras
2. Under-screen Face ID (rumored by multiple sources)
3. Front camera in top-left corner of the screen
4. Variable aperture for at least one rear camera
5. A20 Pro chip manufactured with TSMC's 2nm process and new packaging technology
6. A simplified Camera Control button with no swipe gestures
7. Design changes to the rear Ceramic Shield for MagSafe charging, potentially including a more frosted glass appearance
8. Apple-designed C1X or C2 modem for 5G/LTE cellular connectivity
9. Apple-designed N1 chip or newer for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread
10. Web browsing via satellite
11. New color options under consideration: burgundy, brown, or purple
12. iPhone 18 Pro Max may be slightly thicker than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, perhaps to accommodate a larger battery

Apple will likely release the iPhone 18 Pro models in September. Bookmark our iPhone 18 roundup to stay on top of future rumors.

Air France today announced that passengers can now watch select Apple TV shows for free during its long-haul flights, with more than 45 hours of content available. This is referring to the streaming service known as Apple TV+ until last year.

The complimentary in-flight selection includes the first three episodes of Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, Severance, Prehistoric Planet, The Snoopy Show, and more. The shows are accessible on each passenger's individual screen, in French and English.

Air France has also started offering one week of free access to Apple TV content via its new high-speed Wi-Fi portal, for streaming on your own devices. The airline will roll out this new Wi-Fi portal across its entire fleet by the end of the year.

American Airlines, United, and Air Canada are among the other airlines that offer free Apple TV streaming.

Air France's announcement was earlier reported by the French blog Consomac.

An unreleased Apple monitor with the model number A3350 surfaced in a Chinese regulatory database today, according to a filing viewed by MacRumors.

The filing is likely for Apple's next-generation Studio Display or Pro Display XDR, but there is not enough information to determine which one it will be.

The listing does reveal that the new model will be equipped with a high-performance LCD display. The existing Studio Display and Pro Display XDR both have an LCD panel, so unfortunately this information does not help to pinpoint things. However, it does seemingly rule out an OLED display for this new model in particular.

There have been reports about a new Studio Display being in the works, with rumored features including ProMotion support for up to a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR support, and either an A19 or A19 Pro chip. A new Studio Display with mini-LED backlighting would still have an LCD panel, so the filing does not rule out that possibility.

The current Studio Display was filed in the same database around three months before it launched in March 2022, so perhaps the next Studio Display will be released around March or April this year, if that is what the filing is for. It would make sense for Apple to unveil a new Studio Display alongside the next Mac Studio with M5 chips.

There have been fewer rumors about a new Pro Display XDR, but that model was released in December 2019, so it is certainly due for an update.

If the next Studio Display receives mini-LED backlighting and HDR support, its maximum brightness and contrast ratio would be higher than the current model. And a newer A19 or A19 Pro chip — up from the A13 Bionic currently — should contribute to performance improvements, camera-related enhancements, and more.

The current Studio Display features a 27-inch LCD screen with 5K resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, up to 600 nits brightness, a built-in camera and speakers, one Thunderbolt 3 port, and a trio of USB-C ports. In the U.S., it starts at $1,599.

Thanks, Aaron!

Spotify today announced a price increase in the United States, Estonia, and Latvia, marking the company's third U.S. price increase in less than three years.

The company revealed the changes in a post published on its website earlier today, stating that Premium subscribers in the affected markets will receive an email over the coming month explaining how the new pricing will apply to their accounts. Spotify said that the revised prices will take effect on subscribers' next billing date, while new customers will see the updated pricing immediately when signing up on spotify.com/premium.

In the United States, Spotify is increasing the cost of every major Premium tier. The Individual Premium plan will rise from $11.99 to $12.99 per month. The Student plan will increase from $5.99 to $6.99 per month. Multi-user plans are seeing larger increases, with the Duo plan, which supports two accounts, moving from $16.99 to $18.99 per month, and the Family plan increasing from $19.99 to $21.99 per month. Spotify attributed the changes to what it described as periodic adjustments across its markets:

Occasional updates to pricing across our markets reflect the value that Spotify delivers, enabling us to continue offering the best possible experience and benefit artists.

This latest increase is the third time Spotify has raised U.S. subscription prices since mid-2023. In July 2023, Spotify implemented its first U.S. price hike since launching in the country in 2011, increasing the Individual Premium plan from its long-standing $9.99 monthly price. A second increase followed in June 2024, bringing the Individual plan to $11.99 per month. The January 2026 change moves that price another dollar higher, continuing a pattern of more frequent adjustments after more than a decade of unchanged pricing.

Outside the United States, Spotify has also raised prices in recent years. The company increased subscription costs in multiple international markets in August 2025, and previously raised prices in regions including the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

Opera has updated its flagship browser, introducing a rebuilt AI engine and expanded multitasking features, as well as an animated UI theme that reacts to music playing in the browser.

The browser's AI assistant now uses architecture borrowed from Opera's experimental Neon browser, which the company says delivers 20% faster responses. Notably, the AI can now operate within the context of specific tabs or tab groups, so it doesn't mix up information across different browsing sessions. There's also a new YouTube integration that lets the AI analyze videos to find specific moments or summarize content.

Meanwhile, split-screen mode has been expanded from two tabs to four, with horizontal and grid layout options for users with larger displays.

Elsewhere, Opera's Tab Islands feature, which automatically groups related tabs, can now be color-coded and named for easier identification. The sidebar has also gained Gmail and Google Calendar integration alongside existing support for messaging apps and music services.

The company is also retiring its separate beta browser build in favor of an "early bird mode" toggle within the main browser.

Lastly, there are three new animated themes in this release, including one developed with Spotify that reacts to music playing in Opera's built-in player. Opera One R3 is available now as a free update and can be downloaded from the company's website.

Verizon today announced it will be offering customers a $20 account credit after a major outage on Wednesday, and action is required to receive it.

The carrier said affected customers can accept the credit by logging into the My Verizon app, but it might take some time before this option shows up in the app. Affected customers will receive a text message when the credit is available.

On average, Verizon says the $20 credit covers multiple days of service.

"This credit isn't meant to make up for what happened," it said. "But it's a way of acknowledging your time and showing that this matters to us."

Verizon once again apologized for the outage.

"We are sorry for what you experienced and will continue to work hard day and night to provide the outstanding network and service that you expect from Verizon," it said.

Verizon said that customers who are still experiencing issues should restart their device, as a quick way of reconnecting to the network following the outage.

The outage began mid-day on Wednesday, and Verizon was finally able to fully resolve it around 10 p.m. Eastern Time. The downtime affected the ability to make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, and use mobile data.

AT&T offered customers a lower $5 credit after it experienced a major outage in February 2024.

Apple's AirTag 4-Pack has dropped to $64.98 this week on Amazon, down from the original price of $99.00. Free shipping options have a delivery estimate around January 20, while Prime members should be able to get it delivered a few days sooner.

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.

Overall, this is a solid second-best price on the AirTag 4-pack that's within $2 of the Amazon all-time low price, which we last tracked during the holiday season. We're not tracking any notable deals on the AirTag single pack right now.

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's newly announced partnership with Google to use Gemini models for Siri and Apple Intelligence could be worth as much as $5 billion, according to one analyst's estimate.

The deal is structured as a cloud computing contract that will see Apple pay "several billion dollars to Google over time," according to the Financial Times (paywalled), citing a person familiar with the agreement. Gene Munster at Deepwater Asset Management puts the value at $5 billion for Google.

The arrangement is reminiscent of a deal made two decades ago that made Google's search engine the default on Apple devices, which grew to be worth about $20 billion annually to Apple.

Apple said it determined that Google's technology provides the "most capable foundation" for its Apple Foundation Models. However, the Gemini partnership raises questions about the future of Apple's existing ChatGPT integration, which has been part of Apple Intelligence since 2024. Apple said the Google deal does not affect the ChatGPT integration, but Munster expressed skepticism about its long-term prospects.

"I think that the ChatGPT integration is going to die on the vine... having two large models, given the economies of scale, wouldn't make a ton of sense for Apple," he told FT.

A person close to OpenAI told the newspaper that the company had taken "a conscious decision to not become the custom model provider for Apple" last autumn to focus on building its own AI device. That hardware effort is being led by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, who was hired by OpenAI in May 2024 – a move Munster suggested may have soured Apple on a deeper OpenAI partnership.

Despite the $5 billion figure, Apple's Gemini deal is comparatively conservative compared to other companies' AI infrastructure spending. Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta have all committed hundreds of billions of dollars to new AI data centers since ChatGPT launched in 2022, but Apple has kept its investment in physical infrastructure at roughly 3 percent of revenue, according to FT's analysis.

For fiscal 2025, Apple's spending on property, plant, and equipment was $12.7 billion. Compare that to the roughly $90 billion Google is expected to spend this year. One former Apple executive told the FT that the Google deal was "a necessary byproduct of Apple's decision not to 'go big' on its AI investments like its competitors."

The next-generation version of Siri is expected to be introduced with iOS 26.4, which will likely be released to the general public in March or April.

Ukraine-based developer MacPaw is set to close Setapp Mobile, its alternative app store for iOS devices in the European Union, next month.

The service will officially cease operating on February 16, 2026. Setapp Mobile launched in open beta in September 2024.

In a support page, MacPaw said Setapp Mobile is being closed because of app marketplaces' "still-evolving and complex business terms that don't fit Setapp's current business model," suggesting it was not profitable for the company.

For users in the EU who accessed iOS apps through Setapp's subscription store, those apps will be removed from the platform after the shutdown date. Setapp advises users to back up any important data before then, as the apps will no longer be available once the service ends. Setapp's separate subscription-based Mac app store will continue to operate as normal.

MacPaw is not alone in trying its hand in the EU market for alternative app stores, which came in the wake of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that mandates support for third-party app marketplaces on iOS in the EU. There are five other alternative marketplaces available at this time, but the most prominent is the Epic Games Store.

These alternative app marketplaces, as Apple calls them, are a relatively new frontier for app distribution on iOS, but they face hefty challenges, such as navigating Apple's controversial Core Technology Fee, and competing with its established ‌App Store‌ ecosystem.

Epic Games currently pays the Apple fees that EU developers incur when distributing their apps through the ‌Epic Games‌ Store. However, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has said it is "not financially viable" for ‌Epic Games‌ to pay Apple's fees in the long term, but it plans to do so while it waits to see if the European Union requires Apple to further tweak its rules for third-party marketplaces under the DMA.

Sweeney has criticized Apple's Core Technology Fee and app distribution guidelines many times, and has described the fee as "ruinous for any hopes of a competing store getting a foothold." Whether it is the main reason for Setapp Mobile's closure remains unclear.

Apple today announced expanded cross-border Apple Pay support for users in mainland China, allowing them to use Visa credit and debit cards issued by local banks to make contactless payments both in-store and online while traveling abroad.

Eight major Chinese banks now support the feature, including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, and China Merchants Bank. Additional banks including Shanghai Pudong Development Bank and China Construction Bank will add support in the coming months. Mastercard is also preparing to launch similar support for select cardholders.

"With this expansion of cross-border Apple Pay capabilities in mainland China, we're making travel more seamless and secure, giving users confidence in their payments wherever they go," said Jennifer Bailey, Apple's vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.

Apple first launched ‌Apple Pay‌ in 2014, and has expanded it to dozens of countries and territories around the world.

Apple's upcoming iPhone 17e will feature a Dynamic Island instead of a notch at the top of the screen, but unlike the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, the display itself will still refresh at 60Hz, according to a known Weibo leaker.

Apple made major improvements to the iPhone 17's display last year, introducing ProMotion display technology with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, similar to recent iPhone Pro models. 120Hz maximum refresh rates allow for smoother scrolling when viewing webpages and improvements for video, but it looks like the iPhone 17e is not getting the upgrade to keep costs down.

In a new post on the Chinese social media platform, "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 17e will retain a 6.1-inch OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate, but this time it will have a Dynamic Island. The Dynamic Island would add the interactive area at the top of the screen that displays ongoing activities, incorporating the camera and other front-facing sensors.

The iPhone 16e features a "notch" at the top of the display, similar to the ‌iPhone‌ 13 and ‌iPhone‌ 14. That's because the ‌iPhone 16e‌ is based on the design of 2022's ‌iPhone‌ 14, so it could be that the ‌iPhone‌ 17e is based on 2023's ‌iPhone‌ 15, which gained the ‌Dynamic Island‌ and a more rounded frame.

Reiterating a previous claim, the leaker also said the second version of Apple's more affordable iPhone will feature an A19 chip, replacing the A18 used in the current iPhone 16e. The A19 chip is based on TSMC's third-generation 3nm process, N3P, and is around 5-10% faster than the A18 chip in terms of raw CPU performance.

Another Weibo leaker has claimed Apple will use a downclocked A19 chip in the iPhone 17e. If so, aside from Neural Engine improvements, it would be roughly comparable to Apple's A17 Pro chip.

Meanwhile, other rumors suggest the iPhone 17e will gain a magnetic ring so it can connect to MagSafe chargers, which is not an option with the iPhone 16e. To cut down on costs, the device may also be equipped with either the older C1 or C1X modem, but no N1 wireless chip, based on leaked Apple code.

Otherwise, the device is expected to retain a front-facing 12-megapixel camera, Face ID, and a rear 48-megapixel camera. The iPhone 17e could launch as soon as February, as the iPhone 16e did last year, but it could come later in the spring. The $599 starting price is not expected to change.

Verizon today experienced a major outage, which it now says has been resolved. To make up for the inconvenience, the carrier has promised that all affected customers will be credited an unspecified amount, with more details to be shared soon.

"Today, we let many of our customers down and for that, we are truly sorry," said Verizon.

iPhone users with Verizon service were generally unable to make phone calls, send text messages, or use data over 5G or LTE due to the outage.

iPhone users typically see "SOS" in the status bar when a carrier experiences an outage.

Apple explains what "SOS" means in a support document:

If you see SOS or "SOS only" in the status bar, your device isn't connected to your cellular network, but you can still make emergency calls through other carrier networks. This feature is available in Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Verizon said that customers who are still having an issue should restart their devices to reconnect to the network.

Apple has confirmed that it will continue to offer a one-time-purchase version of Final Cut Pro for Mac for $299.99, but will that version receive every new feature?

In an interview with digital filmmaking news website CineD, Apple marketing manager Bryan O'Neil Hughes said both the one-time-purchase and Apple Creator Studio versions of Final Cut Pro for Mac will include the new "intelligent" features Visual Search, Transcript Search, and Beat Detection, but his comment did not explicitly confirm if both versions of the app will receive every additional "intelligent" feature in the future. We have reached out to Apple for comment, and we will update this story if we receive a response.

What we do know is that the one-time-purchase version of Final Cut Pro for Mac will miss out on some "premium content," according to Apple's website:

A one-time purchase will still be available, but access to some of the premium content is available only to Apple Creator Studio subscribers. If you already own Final Cut Pro, it will continue to be updated.

In the interview, Hughes went on say that both the one-time-purchase and Creator Studio versions of Final Cut Pro for Mac will continue to receive updates and "work as you expect," but we have still yet to see Apple explicitly confirm if both versions of the Mac app will have 100% feature parity forever. For now, though, it seems like customers with the one-time-purchase version will only miss out on "premium content."

Apple's website is more explicit about Logic Pro and MainStage, promising feature parity:

Logic Pro and MainStage have all the same features whether they are subscription or one-time-purchase versions.

Some other apps in the Creator Studio bundle, including Pixelmator Pro, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform, will be receiving some "intelligent" features that will not be available without a subscription, so it is a mixed bag.

For example, only Pixelmator Pro users with a Creator Studio subscription will be receiving a new Warp tool that allows you to twist and shape image layers.

Across the Keynote, Pages, and Numbers apps, Creator Studio subscribers will have access to a new Content Hub with high-quality photos and graphics, as well as new premium templates, themes, and more. Apple said its Freeform app will also be updated with "intelligent" features for Creator Studio subscribers later this year.

Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform do not cost money, but the apps will effectively be "freemium" now. Fortunately, Apple has ensured that all four of the apps will continue to receive other new features and updates without a subscription.

Overall, the introduction of the Creator Studio bundle makes for a more confusing landscape with less feature parity in some apps, and customers who dislike subscriptions have been voicing their disappointment. Keeping one-time purchase options around helps alleviate some concerns, but not everyone is happy with this direction.

Apple Creator Studio launches on Wednesday, January 28, with U.S. pricing set at $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year — read our earlier coverage to learn more.

Verizon is experiencing a major outage across the U.S. today, with hundreds of thousands of customers reporting issues with the network on the website Downdetector. There are also complaints across Reddit and other social media platforms.

iPhone users and others with Verizon service are generally unable to make phone calls, send text messages, or use data over 5G or LTE due to the outage. iPhone users may see "SOS" in the status bar, as the device cannot connect to Verizon's network.

AT&T and T-Mobile customers may be indirectly impacted by Verizon's outage.

Apple explains what "SOS" means in a support document:

If you see SOS or "SOS only" in the status bar, your device isn't connected to your cellular network, but you can still make emergency calls through other carrier networks. This feature is available in Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Verizon is aware of the outage, and it is working on a fix.

"We are aware of an issue impacting wireless voice and data services for some customers," said Verizon, in a social media post, shortly after 1 p.m. Eastern Time. "Our engineers are engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly. We understand how important reliable connectivity is and apologize for the inconvenience."

At 2:14 p.m. Eastern Time, Verizon said it is still investigating the issue.

"Verizon engineering teams are continuing to address today's service interruptions," said Verizon. "Our teams remain fully deployed and are focused on the issue. We understand the impact this has on your day and remain committed to resolving this as quickly as possible."

We will update this story when the outage is fully resolved.

Update: Verizon has promised that all affected customers will be credited an unspecified amount, with more details to be shared soon.

Update 2: Verizon says the outage has been resolved.

While the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro was updated with an M5 chip in October, we are still waiting for higher-end MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and there are some signs that might point towards a late January launch this year.

First, Apple's new Creator Studio bundle of creative apps launches on Wednesday, January 28. Given that Creator Studio includes many professional Mac apps, such as Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro, Macworld speculated that the week of January 28 would be a fitting time for Apple to release new MacBook Pro models too.

Second, Apple's next quarterly earnings call is scheduled for Thursday, January 29, and the company has introduced new products shortly before these calls on numerous occasions over the years and touched on them in the opening remarks.

Third, there is precedent, as Apple unveiled MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips with a press release in January 2023.

Again, all of this is speculation, so do not set your expectations too high. But, sometimes where there is smoke there is fire.

Beyond the M5 chip, the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro received only one notable change last year: PCIe 5.0 storage. Apple says this results in up to 2× faster SSD read and write speeds compared to the previous-generation model.

The higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are likewise expected to have few other changes.

Bigger changes to the MacBook Pro are expected with the two-generations-away models, in either late 2026 or at some point in 2027. Rumored upgrades include an OLED display with touchscreen capabilities, a thinner design, built-in cellular connectivity, and M6 chips manufactured with TSMC's advanced 2nm process, for even greater year-over-year performance gains. For that reason, it will probably be wise to skip the MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips unless you really need to upgrade.