MacRumors

Apple today introduced a new Apple Creator Studio bundle that offers access to six creative apps, as well as exclusive AI features and content, as part of a single subscription. In the U.S., pricing is set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year.

Here are the six apps included with an Apple Creator Studio subscription:

• Final Cut Pro on the Mac and iPad
• Logic Pro on the Mac and iPad
• Pixelmator Pro on the Mac and iPad
• Motion on the Mac
• Compressor on the Mac
• MainStage on the Mac

Apple Creator Studio subscribers will also receive access to exclusive AI features and premium content across the six apps listed above, as well as in the Numbers, Pages, Keynote, and Freeform apps.

Apple Creator Studio will be available through the App Store starting Wednesday, January 28. All new subscribers will be able to receive a one-month free trial, and customers who purchase a new Mac or a qualifying iPad with an A16, A17 Pro, or M-series chip or later will be eligible for a three-month free trial.

For college students, Apple Creator Studio costs $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year.

Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage will also remain available for one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, and free versions of the Numbers, Pages, Keynote, and Freeform apps will continue to exist. However, only Apple Creator Studio subscribers will receive access to some of the premium new AI features and content going forward.

More details to follow.

Apple appears close to supporting end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages, almost a year after the GSM Association said it was working to implement the privacy feature for messages sent between Android and iPhone devices.

As shared by Tiino-X83 on X (Twitter), the latest iOS 26.3 beta includes references to a new carrier bundle setting that will let carriers enable and disable E2EE for RCS messages.

It's possible that the setting relates to making the encryption status of messages visible to the user, as per the GSMA standard's requirements. The requirement is stupulated because local regulations can prohibit E2EE for all users, and users must be notified of encryption status.

End-to-end encryption for RCS was announced in March 2025, as part of version 3.0 of the RCS Universal Profile. Apple said it planned to add support to the Messages app in future iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS software updates, but the company has since been silent on the subject.

The carrier bundle references in the latest iOS 26.3 beta could be Apple laying the groundwork for future support, and are no guarantee that E2EE for RCS messages are coming with the software release. But they at least indicate that Apple is working to bring support at some point in the future.

RCS support as a whole was added to the iPhone with iOS 18, which supports ‌RCS‌ Universal Profile 2.4. It is effectively a modernized version of the SMS standard, which remains available as a fallback option for text messages over a cellular network.

Apple's Mac business ended 2025 with flat year-over-year shipments in the holiday quarter despite a broader rebound in the global PC market, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).

The findings suggest that global PC shipments rose 9.6% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2025 to 76.4 million units, exceeding expectations as brands accelerated purchases ahead of anticipated supply constraints and component price increases. Within that total, Apple shipped 7.1 million Macs during the quarter, which is essentially unchanged from the same period a year earlier, resulting in a decline in quarterly market share even as the overall market expanded.

Apple ranked fourth globally behind Lenovo, HP, and Dell, all of which posted double-digit shipment growth. Lenovo shipped 19.3 million units in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 14.4% year over year, while HP shipped 15.4 million units, up 12.1%. Dell recorded the fastest growth among the top three at 18.2%, with 11.7 million units shipped.

IDC attributed the stronger-than-expected fourth quarter to factors including the end of support for Windows 10, tariff-related uncertainty earlier in the year, and growing concern over tightening memory supply. These dynamics encouraged many vendors to pull forward inventory purchases into late 2025, amplifying the usual holiday period seasonal uplift.

For the full year, Apple's performance was more robust. IDC estimates that Apple shipped 25.6 million Macs in 2025, up from 23.0 million units in 2024, representing year-over-year growth of 11.1%. That increase outpaced the overall PC market, which grew 8.1% to 284.7 million units globally. Apple's annual market share rose to 9.0% from 8.7% the year before, even as its fourth-quarter share fell to 9.3% from 10.2% in the fourth quarter of 2024 due to faster growth by major Windows brands.

Apple's U.S. patent activity declined sharply in 2025 amid a broader slowdown in patent filings, according to newly released data from IFI CLAIMS Patent Services.

The data shows that Apple was granted 2,722 U.S. patents in 2025, down from 3,082 in 2024, a year-over-year decline of roughly 12% that pushed the company down two positions to sixth place in IFI's annual ranking of the top 50 recipients of U.S. patent grants. The shift marks a notable change for Apple at a time when its spending on artificial intelligence, silicon design, and software continues to expand, but it also reflects a wider contraction in patent activity across the United States.

Total U.S. patent grants in 2025 fell to 323,272, a decline of less than 1% from the previous year, while U.S. patent applications dropped more steeply, falling 9% to 393,344. IFI noted that the decline in applications represents the lowest level since 2019, following a record high in 2024. The data is compiled directly from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and forms the basis of IFI's annual Top 50 and Top 10 Fastest Growing Technologies reports.

The slowdown was visible across core technology areas that typically account for a large share of U.S. patents, with filings and grants falling in key categories such as digital data processing and data transmission. The slowdown was not limited to Apple, with other major U.S. technology companies such as Google also falling in the patent rankings in 2025, while Nvidia did not receive enough U.S. patent grants to place in the Top 50 despite its central role in the AI boom.

It also came as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office continued to work through a backlog of more than 1.2 million applications, which has delayed the pace at which patents are issued. While U.S.-based companies still received the largest number of patents overall, their total fell by more than 5% in 2025, even as companies in several Asian countries increased their patent counts.

Apple's decline occurred as several competitors either held steady or increased their patent output. Samsung retained the top position for the fourth consecutive year with 7,054 U.S. patent grants, accounting for more than 2% of all patents issued in the United States in 2025. Apple chip supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) ranked second with 4,194 grants, followed by Qualcomm in third place with 3,749.

Apple's drop contrasted with gains by companies such as Dell and Toyota, which moved up eight and six places respectively, driven largely by patents related to computing infrastructure, energy storage, and vehicle systems. Key areas of research in 2025 included AI and battery technologies.

Apple's retail store in Santa Rosa, California will be moving from the Santa Rosa Plaza shopping mall to the open-air Montgomery Village shopping plaza later this month.

The new store at Montgomery Village will be holding its grand opening on Friday, January 23, at 12 p.m. local time, according to Apple's website.

Apple's existing store at the Santa Rosa Plaza opened in 2004.

Elsewhere in California, Apple continues to renovate its store in Carlsbad, north of San Diego. Apple has a temporary location there, at 1925 Calle Barcelona. Apple is also operating out of a temporary store at the South Coast Plaza shopping mall in Costa Mesa, south of Los Angeles, while it renovates its original location there.

Thanks, Filip Chudzinski!

Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones.

iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer.

Below, we recap what is new in the iOS 26.3 beta so far.

iPhone to Android Transfer Tool

iOS 26.3 makes it easier for iPhone users to switch to an Android device. A new tool allows you to place your iPhone next to an Android device to wirelessly transfer photos, messages, notes, apps, and more. You can also transfer your phone number.

In the iOS 26.3 beta, the new tool can be found in the Settings app, under General → Transfer or Reset ‌iPhone‌ → Transfer to Android. It is available worldwide.

Notification Forwarding in EU

In the EU, iOS 26.3 introduces both a Notification Forwarding feature and AirPods-like proximity pairing for third-party accessories like earbuds and smartwatches.

Apple was required to make these changes to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act.

End-to-End Encrypted RCS Preparations

As of the second iOS 26.3 beta, Apple appears to be laying the groundwork for carriers to be able to support end-to-end encryption for RCS messages.

More

Starting with iOS 26.3, there is a dedicated section for Weather wallpapers, with three preset options available to choose from. To access them, tap and hold on the Lock Screen and tap on the plus sign in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

February is Black History Month, and iOS 26.3 will likely include the 2026 version of Apple's annual Black Unity wallpaper. Apple also typically releases a new Black Unity Sport Loop for the Apple Watch, and a matching Unity Rhythm watch face.

iOS 26.1 introduced a Background Security Improvement feature that is designed to provide security updates for Safari, WebKit, and some other system items between iOS software updates. Apple has been testing the feature with updates such as "iOS 26.3 (a)" and "iOS 26.3 (b)," but they do not actually contain any security fixes.

Additional new features and bug fixes may be added in later beta versions of iOS 26.3. Overall, though, it will likely be a relatively minor update.

Beta 2

We have not discovered any major changes in the second beta of iOS 26.3 so far.

Apple's flagship Regent Street store in London, England is temporarily closed starting today for "refurbishment," the company said on its website.

Apple has not indicated when the store will reopen, but a source familiar with the matter indicated that the location will likely be closed for at least a few weeks. It is unclear if Apple is planning any changes that will be visible to customers, but the company has been removing the Video Wall from some of it stores in recent months. Many newer and renovated stores also feature a dedicated Apple Pickup station for online orders.

In some cases, Apple only updates a store's fixtures or back-of-house area, resulting in no visible differences to customers when business resumes.

Regent Street is a world-famous shopping street in the heart of London, making it one of the busiest locations where Apple has a retail presence. At a minimum, hopefully the store will receive a deep clean before it reopens.

Apple first opened its Regent Street store in 2004.

Elon Musk today expressed concern about Apple and Google partnering on a more personalized version of Siri powered by Google's generative AI platform Gemini.

"This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that [they] also have Android and Chrome," wrote Musk, in a post on X.

Musk serves as CEO of xAI, the company behind Gemini competitor Grok.

It is unlikely that Apple or Google will publicly respond to Musk's comment, but we will update this story if the companies have anything to say.

In case you missed it, Apple and Google today jointly announced that Gemini will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized version of Siri that is set to launch this year. Apple has yet to announce exactly when the revamped Siri will launch, but it is reportedly set to arrive as part of iOS 26.4 in March or April.

xAI filed a lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI last year, accusing the two companies of conspiring to "ensure their continued dominance" in the AI market.

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.

On iOS 18.2 and later, there is a Share Item Location feature in the Find My app that allows you to temporarily share the location of an AirTag-equipped item with others, including employees at participating airlines. This way, if you put an AirTag inside your bags, the airline can better help you find them in the event they are lost or delayed at the airport.

The feature also works with other item trackers that support Apple's Find My network, such as those sold by Chipolo and Pebblebee.

iPhone, iPad, and Mac users running iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 or later can generate a "Share Item Location" link in the Find My app. Anyone they share the link with can then view a web page with a location of the item on a map. The page will automatically update with the item's latest known location.

The item's location stops being shared "as soon as a user is reunited with their item," or automatically expires after seven days.

Apple today announced that the Share Item Location feature is now supported by 36 airlines around the world, and we expect more to follow in the future.

Below, we have listed all of the airlines that support the feature:

• AJet
• Aer Lingus
• Air Canada
• Air France
• Air India
• Air New Zealand
• American Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• Breeze Airways
• British Airways
• Brussels Airlines
• Cathay Pacific
• Condor
• Copa Airlines
• China Airlines
• Delta
• Eurowings
• Finnair
• Flair Airlines
• Iberia
• JetBlue
• KLM
• LATAM Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Pegasus Airlines
• Porter Airlines
• Qantas
• Saudia
• Singapore Airlines
• SunExpress
• SWISS
• Turkish Airlines
• United
• Virgin Atlantic
• Vueling
• WestJet

Apple today announced that 2025 was a "record-breaking year" for many of its services, including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts.

"Apple services had a banner year, rolling out game-changing features for customers while shattering records," said Apple's services chief Eddy Cue, in a press release. "The numbers reflect the incredible enthusiasm of our customers, whether it's downloading an exciting new app or game, watching the hottest new show with family and friends, listening to their favorite songs, or shopping with peace of mind."

Here are some of the 2025 statistics shared in Apple's announcement:

• App Store had over 850 million average weekly users across 175 countries and regions, and it set a new annual record for U.S. visitors.
• App Store had a record number of visitors between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day.
• Apple TV set a new record for monthly engagement in December, with total hours of content viewed on the streaming service up 36% on a year-over-year basis. This increase was driven by hits such as F1: The Movie and Pluribus.
• Apple Music had its best year ever, breaking records for listenership and new subscribers.
• Shazam generated over 1 billion recognitions per month.
• Apple Pay is now available in 89 markets, and Apple says the payment service eliminated well over $1 billion in fraud globally.
• Tap to Pay on iPhone is now available in 50 markets.
• Apple Maps expanded its Detailed City Experience with 3D landmarks to new locations, like New Orleans, Singapore, and Monaco.
• Apple's Share Item Location feature in the Find My app is now offered by 36 airlines.
• Apple Arcade added more than 50 new games.
• Apple Fitness+ expanded to 28 more countries and regions, and it is launching in Japan early this year.
• Apple Podcasts set annual records for listeners, episode plays, and new subscribers.
• Apple News is the most popular news app in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, and the second most popular news app in the U.K.

For more details about new features added to Apple's services in 2025, as well as various other records set, head to the Apple Newsroom website.

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming four weeks after the release of the first betas.

Registered developers can download the betas from the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad by going to the General section and selecting Software Update, although it appears over-the-air updates may still be rolling out. The downloads are already available from Apple's Developer site.

iOS 26.3 adds a new tool for transitioning from an ‌iPhone‌ to an Android device. Transfers can be initiated during the device setup process, and moving data from one device to another can now be done without having to download a specific app.

Apple's transfer process supports moving photos, messages, notes, apps, passwords, phone number, and more.

The update also includes a Notification Forwarding setting for third-party wearables in the European Union, and there are some minor changes to the Weather wallpaper. More information on what's changed can be found in our iOS 26.3 beta 1 feature list.

Apple is expected to release the iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 to the public at the end of January.

Apple today provided the second beta of an upcoming macOS Tahoe 26.3 update to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming four weeks after the launch of the first beta.

Developers can download the ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.3 update by opening up the System Settings app, selecting the General category, and then choosing Software Update. Beta Updates will need to be enabled, and a free developer account is required.

There's no word yet on what's included in ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.3, and no new features were found in the first beta.

We'll likely see Apple release ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.3 at the end of January given past launch timelines.

Apple today provided developers with the second betas of upcoming watchOS 26.3, tvOS 26.3, and visionOS 26.3 betas for testing purposes. The software comes four weeks after Apple provided the first 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.

We don't know what new features might be added in watchOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, and tvOS 26.3, and nothing new has been discovered so far. Apple doesn't typically provide release notes for betas, so we might not know what's new until the software updates see a public launch unless there are outward-facing changes.

The software updates will probably launch right around the end of January based on past release timelines.

Apple and Google today announced that Google Gemini will help power not only a more personalized version of Siri, but a range of future Apple Intelligence features.

"Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology," the companies said, in a statement. "These models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri coming this year."

Apple is "excited about the innovative new experiences" that the partnership will unlock, but the statement did not provide any details about specific features.

It is unclear if Gemini will help power any existing Apple Intelligence features, such as Writing Tools, Image Playground, and Notification Summaries.

Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and on Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers, with Apple promising industry-leading privacy standards.

The more personalized version of Siri is expected to be introduced with iOS 26.4 in March or April, following a lengthy delay. The new capabilities will include better understanding of a user's personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper per-app controls. For example, Apple showed an iPhone user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation plans based on info from the Mail and Messages apps.

iOS 26.3 will likely be released to the public later this month, but it appears that Apple is preparing to push out another software update in the interim.

Apple's software engineers have started testing iOS 26.2.1, according to the MacRumors visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The update will likely be released at some point this week or next week.

iOS 26.2.1 should be a minor update with bug fixes and/or security patches.

iOS 26.3 is expected to follow in late January, with key new features in that update so far including a new iPhone-to-Android transfer tool, Notification Forwarding for third-party smartwatches in the EU, and more.

Satechi announced a few products at CES last week, and to mark the launch it's providing a 20 percent discount on these devices for early adopters. You can use the code CES2026 at checkout to get 20 percent off all five of Satechi's newest products.

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

Satechi's new CES 2026 products include two wireless keyboards, a wireless mouse, Thunderbolt 5 cable, and Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock with SSD Enclosure. All items in this sale are available to purchase and ship now, with the exception of the Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock, which is up for pre-order with an estimated shipping date of late March.

Additionally, Satechi is hosting a "last chance" sale this week, with up to 30 percent off accessories with a limited supply remaining. In this sale you'll find discounts on MagSafe-compatible wireless charging pads, Thunderbolt docks, and more.

CES 2026 Sale

Use Code CES 2026 to see the below deals applied at checkout.

• Slim EX Wireless Mouse - $24.00, down from $29.99
• Thunderbolt 5 Pro Cable - $32.00, down from $39.99
• Slim EX1 Wireless Keyboard - $40.00, down from $49.99
• Slim EX3 Wireless Keyboard - $56.00, down from $69.99
• Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock - $320.00 (pre-order), down from $399.99

Last Chance Sale

All deals have been applied automatically and do not require a coupon code.

• 30W Dual-Port Wall Charger - $45.99, down from $64.99
• 100W USB-C Wall Charger - $48.99, down from $69.99
• 2-in-1 Headphone Stand with Wireless Charger - $55.99, down from $79.99
• USB-C Monitor Stand Hub XL - $69.99, down from $149.99
• Pro Hub Max - $69.99, down from $99.99
• Duo Wireless Charger Power Stand - $69.99, down from $99.99
• Trio Wireless Charger with Magnetic Pad - $83.99, down from $119.99
• Thunderbolt 4 Slim Hub - $139.99, down from $199.99
• Thunderbolt 4 Dock - $199.99, down from $299.99

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In a statement shared with CNBC today, Apple confirmed that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of Siri that is slated to launch later this year.

"After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we're excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users," the statement said.

The report explicitly mentioned that Google Gemini will power Siri, as was expected. Apple's decision to lean on Google's artificial intelligence technology should result in the revamped Siri being more capable and advanced than it otherwise would have been, as Gemini's large language model is significantly larger than Apple's own model.

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.

Apple first announced the personalized Siri features during its WWDC 2024 keynote, but last year it announced that they were delayed. The new capabilities will include better understanding of a user's personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper per-app controls. For example, Apple showed an iPhone user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation plans based on info from the Mail and Messages apps.

Update: Apple and Google today announced that Gemini will help power not only a more personalized version of Siri, but a range of future Apple Intelligence features.

Amazon today has a few models of Apple's M4 Mac mini on sale at low prices, starting at $499.99 for the model with 16GB RAM/256GB SSD, down from $599.00. Discounts reach up to $129 off in these sales, and this time around there is also a discount on the M4 Pro model.

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.

In terms of the 16GB/256GB SSD model, this is a solid second-best price. You can also get the M4 Mac mini with 16GB RAM/512GB SSD for $689.99, down from $799.00, and the model with 24GB RAM/512GB SSD for $889.99, down from $999.00.

Apple last updated the Mac mini in late 2024, introducing a redesigned computer that's smaller than the previous generation and featuring the M4 and M4 Pro chips. 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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