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Sonos has kicked off its Father's Day sale, offering discounts on home audio equipment through the middle of June. This includes discounts on the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar, Ace headphones, and more.

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

This sale includes Sonos product bundles that should help elevate your home theater setup with various soundbars, subwoofers, and speakers. There are also a few products available outside of a bundle, including the Sonos Arc Ultra for $899 ($100 off), Sonos Ace headphones for $329 ($120 off), and Era 100 Smart Speaker for $179 ($20 off).

Sonos very rarely offers discounts this steep on its website, so it'll likely be quite a long time before these deals return after this sale ends later in June. We've accumulated a few of the devices in the sale below, but be sure to browse this landing page on the Sonos website for everything being discounted.

Sonos Sale

Bundles

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.


Deals Newsletter

Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2025? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

There was blockbuster news this week regarding Apple's naming conventions, while WhatsApp finally made the jump to iPad after 15 years.

top stories 2025 05 31
Other news this week included a report on Apple's now-scaled-back aspirations for providing satellite-based internet service, tidbits on Apple's plans for smart home hubs including one with a robotic arm, and more, so read on below for all the details!

No iOS 19: Apple Going Straight to iOS 26

Here's a shocking rumor less than two weeks ahead of WWDC: Apple is reportedly going to overhaul the numbering convention it uses for its various operating systems, unifying them all under a "26" branding to represent the upcoming year, much like how car manufacturers typically release their new model years late in the previous year.


So say goodbye to what we thought were going to be iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16, tvOS 19, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3, because it looks like they're all just going to be numbered "26."

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Apple's Pro iPhone models are usually the highlight of the September release cycle, and while they'll have some competition this year from the new ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air," we're still expecting some very notable changes for Apple's most expensive iPhone models.

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop
Check out our overview of a dozen significant changes we're expecting in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, including some visual changes that will make it immediately obvious if you have Apple's latest iPhone model.

Looking further ahead, a source claims Apple has been testing a 200-megapixel camera sensor for the iPhone. That would likely first appear as the Main camera in Pro iPhone models, but it's probably a year or two away.

WhatsApp for iPad Now Available

Incredibly, one of the biggest news stories of the week was the launch of an iPad-optimized version of WhatsApp, more than 15 years after the messaging service debuted. WhatsApp teased the launch early this week, and released the app just a day later.

Whatsapp Feature
With WhatsApp now available for iPad, attention is now on Meta's other major app still lacking a native iPad app, Instagram.

Apple Pulls Some Features From Rumored Smart Home Robot

Apple's rumored smart home tabletop robot has been the subject of some intriguing rumors over the past few years, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple is pulling some of the "bolder features" planned for it in order to bring it to market faster. The unspecified features could appear in later models.

Apple Robot Thumb 1
The tabletop robot will reportedly feature an iPad-like display on a robotic arm that can adjust to remain in view of a person moving about the room, and it would be able to respond to voice commands.

The robot is rumored to follow a simpler smart home hub that Gurman says could launch "by the end of this year at the earliest."

Report: Apple Planned to Offer Starlink-Like Home Internet Service

A decade ago, Apple reportedly explored working with Boeing to launch a Starlink-like satellite internet service for Phones and homes, according to The Information. The companies would have launched thousands of satellites into orbit around the Earth to beam internet services down to the surface.

Emergency SOS via Satellite iPhone YT
The project was ultimately nixed over concerns related to cost and Apple's relationship with carriers, and the company ultimately partnered with Globalstar on the much more modest satellite services Apple currently offers on recent iPhone models. Just this week, Apple expanded Messages and Find My via satellite to Mexico, joining existing coverage in the U.S. and Canada even as the company is reportedly weighing whether it's worth continuing to offer the features as carriers have started to introduce their own satellite services.

iOS 18 Leak Reveals Apple Tested MacBook Pros With M3 Ultra Chip

While Apple's highest-end M3 Ultra chip is currently limited to the Mac Studio, it appears that Apple tested the chip in the MacBook Pro as well.

Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero
A user on Chinese social media platform BiliBili claims to have found code references to unreleased 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the M3 Ultra chip in an internal build of iOS 18 running on an iPhone 16 engineering prototype. Apple of course ultimately did not release an M3 Ultra MacBook Pro, potentially over thermal and/or power concerns, but it's interesting to see that Apple apparently tested the chip in that form factor.

Sony's New WH-1000XM6 Headphones vs. AirPods Max

Sony recently came out with a new set of high-end over-ear noise canceling headphones, so we thought we'd compare them to the AirPods Max to see how Sony's 2025 headphones measure up to Apple's headphones that haven't seen a notable update since their 2020 launch.

sony xm6 airpods max
In one of our latest YouTube videos, Dan takes a look at the two sets of headphones, finding that while the AirPods Max offer some key benefits for the Apple ecosystem, Sony's latest headphones deliver a more comfortable fit and a better overall package.

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.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

With iOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, and watchOS 26, Apple is planning to debut a new design that's been described as taking inspiration from visionOS, the newest operating system. With WWDC coming up soon, we thought we'd take a closer look at visionOS and some of the design details that Apple might adopt based on current rumors and leaked information.

iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

1. Translucency

Inside Apple, the ‌iOS 26‌ redesign project is known as "Solarium," which gives us some insight into Apple's focus. A solarium is basically an all-glass room that's designed to let in a lot of light.

visionos files app translucency
Since launch, visionOS has had menus and interface elements that are translucent because in an AR/VR environment, people need to be able to see their surroundings as much as possible to feel immersed.

The translucent design elements in visionOS better blend into the background for an unobtrusive look, letting color and light from the real world blend through. It's not hard to picture how this sort of translucent design would work well in apps like Photos, which we've already seen a mockup of.

2. Floating Navigation Bars and Menus

Floating menus and navigation bars go right along with translucency. In visionOS, everything is essentially floating in the open space around you, whether you're looking at your surroundings through the passthrough camera, or a virtual reality background.

visionOS design
In ‌iOS 26‌, Apple could replicate this effect with shading and shadowing that makes interface elements look slightly raised over the content in the background, for a soft, blurred depth effect.

spatial photo visionos 2
visionOS has a lot of top-aligned toolbars rather than bottom bars, so it's possible we'll see iOS shifting that way too.

3. Rounded Buttons and Interface Elements

iOS already has rounded squares and rounded rectangles for icons, notifications, menus within apps, search bars, and all of the card-style interfaces that we're used to, but visionOS is even rounder. The floating navigation bars in iOS could be pill-shaped with more starkly rounded edges.

visionos app icons
visionOS also has more dramatic rounding at the corners, and the app icons are fully round. ‌iOS 26‌ could be rounder in general, more closely matching some of the shapes in visionOS. Leaker Jon Prosser has claimed that there will be an option for round app icons, but it's not clear if Apple would want to go in that direction for iOS because Android has long used round app icons. The iconic squircle has been one of many design features distinguishing iOS from Android.

visionos keynote app

4. Glassy Look

With its translucency, the visionOS interface can look almost like frosted glass. Apple's WWDC 2025 design features a frosted glass rainbow with shifting pastel colors, which is perhaps a hint at plans to adopt a frosted, sea-glass-style look that's not too far off from what we've already got in visionOS.

visionos image playground
visionOS actually uses a system-designed material that Apple calls glass for app windows. It lets light, virtual content, and objects in the surroundings show through menus and windows. Glass adapts to background color and provides contrast for app content while also taking into account people's physical surroundings. Apple could use a similar material design in ‌iOS 26‌.

visionos glassy look

5. Subtle Lighting Changes

In visionOS, the translucent interface elements can interact with lighting conditions of the room the user is in. That doesn't translate to the iPhone, but iOS is apparently going to have some subtle light effects that will emphasize the translucency and glass-like design.

visionos app preview
In visionOS, the windows also cast shadows that are responsive to head movements. That's not something that translates to iOS, but lighting and shadow effects that shift when you move your ‌iPhone‌ is a possibility. In fact, Prosser claims there's a glint on the Lock Screen's Flashlight and Camera (or customized) buttons when moving the ‌iPhone‌.

visionos glass
Apple could use dynamic shadowing in apps and for widgets, and adaptive color could further the effect by allowing interface elements to blend with wallpaper and shift with ambient light.

6. Simplicity

For the most part, visionOS has a simplified design in Apple apps, with an airier feel due to the spacing that's needed to ensure people have enough room to look at a button to interact with it. ‌iOS 26‌ could adopt streamlined navigation and menu elements for a less cluttered look.

visionos 2 photos app design
visionOS uses cleaner fonts, bolder text, and increased line height, which may or may not translate to iOS.

visionos safari
Apple is likely taking a good look at navigation, menu options, and layout, because one of the main aspects of the redesign is more cross-platform cohesion, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He says that ‌iOS 26‌ will be "simpler to use, faster to navigate, and easier to learn."

Design Consistency

It's not just ‌iOS 26‌ that's being overhauled. The visual changes and tweaks to menus, buttons, and navigation will also extend to ‌macOS 26‌, and of course, iPadOS 26. watchOS 26 and tvOS 26 will see design refreshes, too.

Apple will undoubtedly provide developers with new design guidelines and resources to extend the updated look to third-party apps.

WWDC Debut

The new design that we've been hearing so much about is set to be unveiled at the WWDC keynote event on Monday, June 9. It starts at 10:00 a.m. and while Apple will livestream it, if you can't watch, you can follow along here on MacRumors.com or on our MacRumorsLive X account. Apple will provide developers with the new operating system updates complete with redesign after the keynote event, and a public beta will follow in July. ‌iOS 26‌ and its sister updates will launch to the public in September.

Related Roundup: iOS 26

All four iPhone 17 models will adopt metalens technology for Face ID, according to Jeff Pu, an Apple analyst at equity research firm GF Securities. He revealed this information in an investor research note earlier this month.

iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island
Earlier this year, a leaker known as Digital Chat Station also claimed that the iPhone 17 Pro Max would adopt a metalens for Face ID that integrates the transmitter and receiver components. They said that this change would reduce the size of some of the Face ID components, resulting in a smaller Dynamic Island on the device.

Last year, Pu also said that the iPhone 17 Pro Max would have a much narrower Dynamic Island, as a result of the metalens. However, he now believes that all of the iPhone 17 models will adopt a metalens, meaning that the change would extend to the base model iPhone 17, the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, and the smaller iPhone 17 Pro.

In January, however, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that he expects the Dynamic Island‌'s size to remain "largely unchanged" across the ‌iPhone 17‌ series.

All three sources have proven track records of sharing details about future Apple products, so it remains to be seen if the Dynamic Island will change in size.

In any case, next year's iPhone 18 Pro models are rumored to feature under-screen Face ID with only a small front camera hole.

The latest rumored specs for the iPhone 17 base model are underwhelming.

iphone 16 teal
In a research note with equity research firm GF Securities this month, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said that the lowest-end iPhone 17 model will be equipped with the same A18 chip that is used in the iPhone 16 base model. The chip will continue to be manufactured with TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, known as N3E, he said.

The ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air is expected to have an A19 chip, while the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to have an A19 Pro chip. Both of those chips are expected to be manufactured with TSMC's third-generation 3nm process, known as N3P.

Pu also expects the iPhone 17 to be equipped with 8GB of RAM, matching the iPhone 16.

Last month, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the iPhone 17 Air and both iPhone 17 Pro models will all be equipped with an increased 12GB of RAM. He said that Apple was still deciding on 8GB or 12GB of RAM for the iPhone 17 base model at that time, and if Pu's information is accurate, the company has settled on 8GB for the device.

Overall, the base iPhone 17 is shaping up to be a minor upgrade over the equivalent iPhone 16, with both devices expected to have the same overall design. Key new features that are rumored for the iPhone 17 include a 120Hz display and a 24-megapixel front camera, compared to 60Hz and a 12-megapixel front camera on the iPhone 16.

The base iPhone 17 will also feature a slightly larger 6.3-inch display compared to the 6.1-inch iPhone 16, according to display industry expert Ross Young.

Apple is expected to unveil the entire iPhone 17 series in September.

Related Roundup: iPhone 17
Tag: Jeff Pu

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Digiarty VideoProc to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an iPhone 16 Pro and a lifetime license of VideoProc Converter AI to go along with it.

videoproc giveaway
VideoProc Converter AI is an easy-to-use AI-powered tool for working with videos, images, audio, and DVDs. It has a range of different tools for converting file types, fixing files, compressing files, editing, making GIFs, and more. If you want to do something to a video, there's a good chance this software is capable of the task you want to accomplish.

For videos, there is an option to enhance blurry, noisy, grainy or compressed videos to get a better quality result, with the software able to upscale videos by up to 4x and provide better clarity and detail. A stabilization tool can reduce shake in videos, a noise remover cleans up noise in videos, and there are color correction tools for fixing color issues. If you have footage captured by a fisheye lens, there's an option to fix the distortion.

ai superresolution video
To fix low frame rates, there's an AI frame interpolation feature that adds in additional frames to make videos smoother, and it can boost videos up to 480 fps for 20x slow motion. For converting video, VideoProc Converter AI uses GPU acceleration for faster video encoding and decoding. Video transcoding and processing can be sped up significantly without impacting the quality of the output.

The app supports 320 video codecs and formats, including popular formats like MP4, HEVC, AVI, MOV, and MKV. Video can be imported from DJI cameras, GoPros, and other digital cameras, plus the app supports log videos from pro cameras, 3D video, and VR video. There are tools for changing video format, resolution, and frames per second, with no loss of quality.

frame interpolation videoproc
To cut down on file size, there is a Compress tool that supports entering a target file size or using a compression ratio slider. There are seven video compression methods so you can find what works best.

image super resolution videoproc
VideoProc Converter AI supports video editing, with tools for cutting, trimming, and splitting video. Clips can be merged, cropped, and adjusted with one-click stylized cinematic effects. Audio volume and sync can be adjusted, and you can create slow or fast motion videos with controls to change speed. Watermarks are also an option so you can prevent your content from being stolen.

videoproc ai colorize images
There is a built-in feature for downloading videos from popular social networks like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch, in addition to thousands of other websites. You can even record video directly with the app using an iPhone or a webcam. When recording, the app supports picture-in-picture, iOS screen recording, and green screen mode, which is useful for filming gameplay videos or tutorials. You can also digitize and back up DVDs.

AI image editing is supported too, so you can also tweak your photos. There are options for upscaling and denoising images, repairing, retouching, and enhancing faces, and adding color to black and white images. With batch processing, over 3,000 photos can be edited at once.

face restoration videoproc
VideoProc Converter AI works on all Apple silicon Macs. The app is free to try, but unlocking the complete suite of features requires the full version, which is priced at $25.95 for a one-year license or $45.95 for a lifetime license. Digiarty is offering MacRumors readers a discount on a lifetime license, dropping the price to $30. The license includes access to a 7-in-1 media toolkit, including AI Super Resolution for video upscaling, AI Frame interpolation for slow-motion playback, Image AI for upscaling, restoring, and colorizing, DVD backup, Mac and iOS device screen recording, and audio/image processing.

We have a lifetime license and an ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ to give away to one lucky MacRumors reader. To enter to win, use the widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner(s) and send the prize(s). You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, following us on Threads, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (May 30) at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time on June 6. The winner will be chosen randomly on or shortly after June 6 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

Apple published its third annual App Store Transparency Report today [PDF], sharing insights into the ‌App Store‌ over the course of 2024. The report includes data on the number of apps rejected during the year, the number of customer and developer accounts deactivated, info on how many apps were removed from the ‌App Store‌, and so on.

iOS App Store General Feature Desaturated
There were 1,961,596 total apps on the ‌App Store‌ at the end of 2024, up nearly 100,000 from last year. The ‌App Store‌ sees 839,266,915 average weekly app downloads, and 813,110,348 average weekly visitors to the ‌App Store‌, with both metrics up compared to 2023.

Apple reviewed 7.77 million app submissions, and rejected 1.93 million of those. Performance, legal, design, business, and safety were the top reasons for rejection, in that order.

Of the 1.93 million submissions that were rejected, 295,109 were approved after developers addressed the issue. Apple removed 82,509 apps from the ‌App Store‌ during the year, primarily in the Utilities and Games categories. Apps that were removed are broken down by the reason behind the action, with design issues and fraud at the top of the list.

  1. Guideline 4.0 -- Design: 42,252
  2. DPLA 3.2(f) -- Fraud: 38,315
  3. DPLA 6.3 -- Intellectual Property Infringement: 425
  4. Guideline 4.3.0 -- Spam: 294
  5. DPLA 4.8 -- Export Control: 285
  6. Guideline 4.1.0 -- Copycats: 128
  7. Guideline 5.6.0 -- Developer Code of Conduct: 99
  8. Guideline 5.0.0 -- General: 89
  9. Guideline 5.2.1 -- Intellectual Property -- General: 77
  10. Guideline 3.1.2 -- Subscriptions: 69

Apple also pulled some apps due to government takedown demands. The majority of government takedown requests came from China, and Apple removed 1,307 apps at China's request. There were 171 apps removed at Russia's request, 79 from South Korea, 55 from Ukraine, and 50 from Jordan.

Apple received 26,224 appeals of app removals, with 6,978 from China and 3,571 from the United States. Only 78 apps in China and 71 apps in the United States were restored after going through Apple's appeal process.

There were 128,961,839 customer accounts terminated, and Apple says it prevented over $2 billion in fraud. Apple also terminated 146,747 developer accounts due to fraud and export control.

Apple has shared ‌App Store‌ Transparency Reports since 2023, because it agreed to do so as part of a 2021 class action lawsuit settlement with developers. Apple promised to deliver meaningful statistics about the app review process, listing everything from number of apps rejected to info on search queries. More info is available in the full report, and even more data can be found in the supplemental file available from Apple's legal site.

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through Apple's plan to introduce a complete overhaul of the design and naming system for its operating systems at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).


Despite the ongoing focus in the industry on generative artificial intelligence, Apple is reportedly planning to debut a complete visual redesign of its platforms as "the highlight of the show" at WWDC. The updated design language includes translucent interface elements and menus that echo the visual style of visionOS. While the new design was rumored for iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16, it is now expected to extend to tvOS 19 and watchOS 12 too. The changes mark the most comprehensive cross-platform visual update since the introduction of iOS 7 in 2013.

Apple is also apparently shifting its software versioning system from sequential numbers to a year-based format, similar to how car manufacturers label vehicle model years. Instead of releasing iOS 19 and macOS 16, Apple will debut iOS 26 and macOS 26, along with iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that this change is intended to reduce confusion for users and developers by aligning version numbers across platforms and matching them to the upcoming calendar year.

In addition to these design and branding changes, Apple is said to be developing a new standalone gaming app that will be introduced at WWDC. The app is intended to replace Game Center and will offer a unified platform for launching games, tracking achievements, social features, viewing leaderboards, and accessing editorial content. The app is purportedly designed to support both Apple Arcade titles and third-party games currently distributed through the App Store. On macOS, the app will also be able to detect and organize games installed outside the Mac App Store.

The gaming app represents Apple's most overt emphasis on gaming infrastructure since the launch of ‌Apple Arcade‌ in 2019. While Apple has historically treated Game Center as a background service rather than a user-facing platform, this new app appears to be aimed at making game discovery and engagement more prominent across devices. The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.

You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.


If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion about all of the major announcements from Google's AI-focused I/O conference this week and the mysterious device former Apple design chief Jony Ive is designing at OpenAI.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Kevin Nether, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.

In macOS, a handy option called "Show suggested and recent applications in Dock" (found in System Settings ➝ Desktop & Dock) adds a divider to the right-hand side of your Mac's Dock, and after it displays any apps you recently used – or any that macOS thinks may be useful to your workflow – that aren't permanently docked.

settings
Assuming that you have no undocked apps that are currently open, the right side of the divider shows three of the most recently used apps that have since been closed. However, there is a way to make it show more, which can be useful if your workflow involves using a lot of undocked apps consecutively.

If you're comfortable pasting commands into Terminal, it's perfectly possible to increase or decrease the number of recently opened apps that show in your Dock.

recently opened
Open a Terminal window (the app can be found in /Applications/Utilities/) and paste the following at the command prompt, then press Enter:

defaults write com.apple.dock show-recents -bool true;
defaults write com.apple.dock show-recent-count -int 10;
killall Dock

Note that the -int argument defines the number of recently opened apps that you want to display in the Dock after the divider (10 in this example). You can change the number to suit, and you can revert back to showing three apps anytime by using -int 3 in the second command.

Earlier this month, Apple announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its in-vehicle software system. CarPlay Ultra is currently limited to luxury Aston Martin vehicles in the U.S. and Canada, but Apple said that many other automakers around the world are working to offer it within the next year.

CarPlay Ultra Aston Martin
We asked more than a dozen automakers about their CarPlay Ultra plans, and we have rounded up their responses below. Unfortunately, but perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the companies had little to nothing to say about their future plans, and they may not want to risk upsetting Apple by divulging information prematurely.

Apple's announcement did reveal that Hyundai, along with its Kia and Genesis brands, are among the automakers that are committed to offering CarPlay Ultra. A spokesperson for Hyundai confirmed that the automaker intends to offer CarPlay Ultra, and it plans to share additional information when possible in the future.

A spokesperson for Volvo said that it was one of the committed automakers included in Apple's list when it first announced next-generation CarPlay in June 2022. However, the company did not confirm if it still plans to offer CarPlay Ultra.

That original list from 2022 was as follows:

  • Acura
  • Audi
  • Ford
  • Honda
  • Infiniti
  • Jaguar
  • Land Rover
  • Lincoln
  • Mercedes-Benz
  • Nissan
  • Polestar
  • Porsche
  • Renault
  • Volvo

Porsche previewed its next-generation CarPlay instrument cluster design in late 2023, but the automaker has not provided an update since then.

Next Generation CarPlay Porsche 1
Mercedes-Benz has since expressed a lack of willingness to let Apple essentially take over its software experience, so it may not offer CarPlay Ultra after all.

Porsche and Mercedes-Benz have yet to respond to our inquiries.

Subaru will be assessing CarPlay Ultra for future vehicle models in its lineup, according to a company spokesperson. Mazda offered a vaguer response, with a representative there confirming that the company is always evaluating new technologies to offer the best customer experience, without mentioning CarPlay Ultra specifically.

GM ditched CarPlay in its new EVs, so it is hard to see the automaker adopting CarPlay Ultra across its brands like Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac.

A spokesperson for Ford declined to comment, while other automakers like BMW, GM, and Toyota have yet to respond to our inquiries.

A spokesperson for Honda said the automaker was among the first to offer regular CarPlay, as it values the technology and the customer's in-car user experience. However, it had nothing to announce about CarPlay Ultra at this time.

As the title of this article made clear, these responses do not amount to very much. Most automakers offered non-answers, or sideways answers at best, which aligns with Apple's culture of secrecy. But, we wanted to share what we heard.

CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust the color scheme. To learn more, read our coverage of Apple's announcement.

Related Roundup: CarPlay

This week's best deals focused on big discounts at Anker, Woot, and Peacock, along with an ongoing $69 markdown on the AirPods Max and up to $235 off M4 MacBook Air at Amazon.

Best Apple Deals Feature Shelf Purple 1Note: 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 Max

airpods max purple

  • What's the deal? Get $69 off AirPods Max
  • Where can I get it? Amazon
  • Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Apple's USB-C AirPods Max hit $479.99 in multiple colors this week on Amazon, and these deals are still available today.

MacBook Air

m4 macbook air purple

  • What's the deal? Get up to $235 for M4 MacBook Air
  • Where can I get it? Amazon
  • Where can I find the original deal? Right here






Amazon has up to $235 off the M4 MacBook Air this week, with both 13-inch and 15-inch models on sale. These prices have been fluctuating a lot over the past few days, so be sure to browse them soon if you're interested.

Anker

anker purple

  • What's the deal? Get 20% off sitewide with our exclusive sale
  • Where can I get it? Anker
  • Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Anker is still offering our readers an exclusive 20 percent off this month, and the code works on nearly every accessory sitewide. In order to get this deal, head to Anker's website and add an accessory to your cart, then enter the code Ankermacrumors2025 at checkout to see the discount.

Apple Watch Bands at Woot

new braided loop

  • What's the deal? Buy one Solo/Braided Loop on sale, get up to two free
  • Where can I get it? Woot
  • Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Woot's BOGO sale on Apple Watch Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop bands is still happening this week, but it is poised to finally end later tonight. If enough stock still remains, Woot could extend the sale again, but now is your best chance to buy one Solo/Braided Loop at a huge discount and get up to two bands for free.

For more information on how this sale works, be sure to visit our original post.

Peacock

peacock purple

  • What's the deal? Get 68% off your first year of Peacock
  • Where can I get it? Peacock
  • Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Peacock recently introduced one of its best offers so far in 2025, allowing new subscribers a chance to get a full year of the premium plan for $24.99, down from $79.99. You can read more about how to claim this offer in our original post.


Deals Newsletter

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Sony today provided a closer look at the iPhone rigs used to shoot the upcoming post-apocalyptic British horror movie "28 Years Later" (via IGN).

28 years later iphone 1
With a budget of $75 million, Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later will become the first major blockbuster movie to be shot on ‌iPhone‌. 28 Years Later is the sequel to "28 Days Later" (2002) and "28 Weeks Later" (2007), which depict the aftermath of a zombie-style pandemic in the United Kingdom.

The film was shot last summer using the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max as the principal camera, along with additional equipment such as custom rigs, aluminum cages, and lens attachments. The filmmakers behind 28 Years Later apparently received technical assistance directly from Apple.

28 years later iphone 2

Speaking to IGN, Boyle said that even though the film is largely shot on iPhones, the movie is ambitiously still in full 2.76:1 widescreen–which is typically reserved for IMAX or Ultra Panavision 70mm. Some sequences used up to 20 iPhones at a time, similar to "bullet time." Boyle explained:

Wherever, it gives you 180 degrees of vision of an action, and in the editing you can select any choice from it, either a conventional one-camera perspective or make your way instantly around reality, time-slicing the subject, jumping forward or backward for emphasis. As it's a horror movie, we use it for the violent scenes to emphasise their impact.

I also like it for the same reason I love jumping the line. For a moment the audience is inside the scene, the action, rather than classically observing a picture. You feel like you're in the room with Jodie Comer and her son, venting her rage at Aaron Taylor Johnson, like you’re in the abandoned train with the naked alpha and the unzipped spine and head.

The original 28 Days Later movie was largely shot in 480p standard definition with a Canon XL-1 – a consumer-grade camcorder that wrote data to MiniDV tapes. This was partly due to the need to film complex scenes depicting an abandoned central London under very limited time constraints, where bulky traditional film cameras would have taken too long to set up.

28 years later iphone 3
The unique shot-on-digital aesthetic subsequently became an iconic part of the movie, so the use of iPhones to shoot the latest addition to the series pays homage to the original film's use of camcorders. The Oscar-winning cinematographer of the original movie, Anthony Dod Mantle, returns alongside Boyle.

I never say this, but there is an incredible shot in the second half [of the film] where we use the 20-rig camera, and you'll know it when you see it. … It's quite graphic but it's a wonderful shot that uses that technique, and in a startling way that kind of kicks you into a new world rather than thinking you've seen it before.

Several smaller-scale movies have already been shot with iPhones, such as Sean Baker's "Tangerine" (2015) and Steven Soderbergh's "Unsane" (2018), but these films were limited-release, low-budget titles compared to the upcoming Boyle movie. 28 Years Later is expected to be the first of a new trilogy of films scripted by Alex Garland. The breakout star of the original movie, Cillian Murphy, is also expected to return. 28 Years Later is set for release on June 20, 2025.

Apple is actively exploring stolid-state buttons with haptic feedback, not just for the iPhone, but also for future iPad and Apple Watch models, claims a rumor out of China.

iPhone 15 Pro Multi Purpose button Mute Switch Feature Green 2
Back in 2022, several reports suggested that Apple intended to bring solid-state buttons to the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023 as part of "Project Bongo." Solid-state haptic buttons reduce mechanical wear, while enabling users to differentiate between a light press and a firm press to trigger different functions. However, the plan was reportedly canceled at a late stage. They were then rumored to come to the iPhone 16 Pro, before being shelved indefinitely.

Or that's what was believed at the time. It appears that Apple never fully dropped the idea, if Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital is correct. Last month, the leaker claimed Apple was still investigating haptic buttons for a future iPhone. And today the account has doubled down on the claim, saying the project is not just active for the iPhone, but for Apple's "entire product line," including iPad and Apple Watch.

Instant Digital says it isn't the production cost that has held the project back, but rather the issue of "mistouches," since an accurate response from the buttons isn't always guaranteed. The current button design is said to be integrated directly into the frame, with no rebound when clicked, but the company is apparently seeking to more closely replicate the experience of a traditional mechanical button.

The project was believed to be on hold while Apple prioritized display and battery technology advancements for upcoming models. While the feature is still not expected to arrive in the iPhone 17 lineup, Project Bongo has indeed "restarted" at the company, according to Instant Digital.

Since 2015, Daring Fireball's John Gruber has hosted a special live episode of his The Talk Show podcast from WWDC each year, with senior executives from Apple routinely participating as guests for the episodes. While the executives typically do not break major news during these appearances, the lively conversations have offered some interesting insights and perspectives on various topics surrounding Apple's WWDC announcements.

The Talk Show Live From WWDC 2024
In announcing ticket sales for this year's live episode going live today, Gruber has revealed that Apple declined his invitation for executives to appear on this year's episode, for the first time in the decade of this tradition.

Gruber did not share a reason for Apple declining this year's invitation, and Apple likely did not provide one to him, but it's easy to surmise that it was probably due to Gruber's recent comments sharing his belief that "Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino" in the wake of Apple Intelligence Siri delays.

In his March blog post, Gruber faulted himself for not seeing the "red flags" that were appearing as early as last year's WWDC, with Apple apparently showing off planned ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features that were not actually functional at the time and some of which may not even yet be functional.

He faulted Apple for showing off what amounted to vaporware at last year's WWDC, a significant departure from Apple's history over the past several decades of almost always shipping features close to their suggested timelines even when they have been pre-announced before they are fully ready.

Gruber's comments were notable given his status as one of the most well-known Apple pundits, not to mention the fact that Apple had chosen him to be the one to share the news days earlier that the Apple Intelligence-powered ‌Siri‌ revamp had been delayed.

It's hard not to view Apple's move as a form of retribution for Gruber's criticism, and also potentially an acknowledgement that Gruber would be liable to ask Apple executives some difficult questions about what occurred to force the ‌Siri‌ delay and where things go from here.

AI-powered search tool Perplexity today gained Perplexity Labs, a feature that provides subscribers with a way to create reports, spreadsheets, web apps, and dashboards that are backed by "extensive research and analysis."

perplexity ai mac
The company says that if Perplexity Search is a 24/7 answer machine, Perplexity Labs is akin to having an entire team available for help.

Perplexity Labs can work on its own for 10 minutes or more, using tools for deep web browsing, code execution, chart creation, and image generation. It is able to complete what would have "taken days of work" in a 10 minute period, developing marketing plans, analyzing finances, creating meal plans, and more. Perplexity has examples of what Perplexity Labs is able to do in its Projects Gallery.

Perplexity Pro subscribers have access to Labs as of today, and it can be selected from the mode selector interface on the web or in the iOS app. Mac app support is coming soon. Perplexity Pro is priced at $20 per month.

With the next-generation version of iOS and other 2025 software updates, Apple is planning to change its numbering scheme. Rather than iOS 19, which would logically follow iOS 18, Apple is instead going to call the update iOS 26. Apple plans to use 26 across all of its platforms (the number representing the upcoming year), which will presumably be less confusing than having iOS 19, macOS 16, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3. But what does the change mean for the iPhone?

iOS 26 Mock Rainbow Feature
If Apple is looking to streamline naming, it could make sense for future ‌iPhone‌ models to follow the same year-based numbering. An ‌iPhone‌ 26 or ‌iPhone‌ 26 Pro that launches with iOS 26 would be more logical than an iPhone 17 that runs ‌iOS 26‌, at least until that ‌iPhone‌ 26 needs to be updated to iOS 27 or iOS 28.

Year-based numbering for iPhones would make it clear to consumers when an ‌iPhone‌ came out. The average ‌iPhone‌ user that doesn't upgrade on the regular probably can't tell you the year that their ‌iPhone‌ launched, because there's no obvious link between the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and 2022, or the iPhone 16 and 2024.

Apple may already have a naming conundrum in the works where some kind of transition will make sense. This year, we're on track to get the ‌iPhone 17‌. In 2026, the iPhone 18, and in 2027, the ‌iPhone‌ 19. But 2027 is the 20th anniversary of the ‌iPhone‌, so will Apple want its 20th anniversary device to be the ‌iPhone‌ 19? Apple didn't make that choice in 2017 at the ‌iPhone‌'s 10th anniversary, and we never ended up with a ‌iPhone‌ 9 because we got the ‌iPhone‌ X instead.

Apple uses year-based numbering for its Macs, though not overtly. The MacBook Air is just the ‌MacBook Air‌, but when you're looking for tech specs or comparison info on Apple's site, you'll find that the latest model is in fact the ‌MacBook Air‌ (M4, 2025). iPhones could also just be "‌iPhone‌" and appended in the same way.

There is a disconnect in Mac naming and the way Apple is doing software update naming going forward, though. Macs are named for the year they're released, but iOS and its sister updates are going to be named for the coming year on launch. ‌iOS 26‌ in September 2025, iOS 27 in September 2026, iOS 28 in September 2027, and so on. Mac-like numbering for the ‌iPhone‌ would be the sensible choice instead of the year-ahead numbering, but it's doubtful that Apple will want to launch an ‌iPhone‌ (2025) running ‌iOS 26‌.

Apple could also go with iPad numbering for the ‌iPhone‌ in the future. iPads aren't named like iPhones, and have historically used generations. The low-cost ‌iPad‌, for example, was the ‌iPad‌ (5th generation) and then (6th generation) and (7th generation) and so on. More recently, Apple is using chips to differentiate between different generations of the ‌iPad‌. So there's the M2 iPad Air, and the M3 ‌iPad Air‌, along with the A16 ‌iPad‌ (11th generation) and the A17 Pro iPad mini. Chip-based naming probably won't work for the ‌iPhone‌ like it does for the ‌iPad‌ and some Macs because there are multiple iPhones that use the same chip. Apple would need to do something like ‌iPhone‌ (A19), ‌iPhone‌ Air (A19), ‌iPhone‌ Pro (A19), and ‌iPhone‌ Pro Max (A19), which is no better for marketing.

Apple might not change ‌iPhone‌ numbering at all, given that naming across iPads, Macs, iPhones, and other devices has never exactly been straightforward. Whether Apple intends to streamline device names going forward may become clearer at the June 9 Worldwide Developers Conference. We'll hear about the plan to go from ‌iOS 18‌ to ‌iOS 26‌ at the keynote event, and the way that Apple frames it might just provide some insight into whether we can expect a similar change for the ‌iPhone‌ to match.

Apple has announced that its Den Haag store in the Netherlands will be temporarily closed for renovations starting this Sunday, June 1.

Apple Store Den Haag
The store is located in The Hague, the capital city of South Holland.

First opened in 2014, Apple Den Haag is one of the company's flagship stores, located in a covered walkway with historical architecture. The remodeled store will likely feature an Apple Pickup station for online orders, improved accessibility, and more.

Apple has not indicated when the store will reopen, but remodeling often takes months.

Apple has two other stores in the Netherlands, in Amsterdam and Haarlem.

Thanks, Filip Chudzinski!

Apple's iPhone 17 lineup will include four iPhones, and two of those are going to get all-new display sizes. There's the iPhone 17 Air, which we've heard about several times, but the standard ‌iPhone 17‌ is also going to have a different display size.

Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island
We've heard a bit about the updated size before, but with most rumors focusing on the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌, it's easy to forget. Display analyst Ross Young today reiterated the screen sizes expected for the entire ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup, and it serves as a good reminder about what to expect from Apple's lowest-priced flagship.

The ‌iPhone 17‌ will feature a larger 6.27-inch display, which will make it the same size as the current iPhone 16 Pro display. With the 16 Pro and Pro Max, Apple introduced larger displays, while the 16 and 16 Plus stayed the same size as the 15 and 15 Plus.

  • ‌iPhone 17‌ - 6.27-inch display, up from 6.12 inches.
  • ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ - 6.55 inches.
  • iPhone 17 Pro - 6.27-inch display, identical to ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌.
  • ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max - 6.86-inch display, no change from ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max.

Apple rounds 6.27 to 6.3 inches and 6.86 to 6.9 inches, so basically, we're going to get an ‌iPhone 17‌ and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ that are 6.3 inches, and the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max at 6.9 inches. The ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ has a new display size that Apple will likely round to 6.6 inches. It will be slightly smaller than the 6.7-inch display of the iPhone 16 Plus it replaces.

Aside from that new display size, the ‌iPhone 17‌ is shaping up to be the iPhone with the fewest changes in 2025. The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models and the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ are rumored to have a new horizontal rear camera bar, but the ‌iPhone 17‌ camera will look the same as the ‌iPhone 16‌ camera.

There are features to look forward to though, such as the 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate that's rumored to be expanding to the entire ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup, an improved 24-megapixel selfie camera, and a faster A19 chip.

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