Apple News 24 Hours

Last updated: August 13, 2026, 5:59 AM ET

Retail & Stores

Apple’s UK retail footprint is shifting: the Festival Place store in Basingstoke will close in November 2026 after 15 years, while a nearby location in the Oracle Shopping Centre in Reading reopens in December with a completely new design. Meanwhile, an Apple billboard in Italy depicting a toddler holding an iPhone has sparked controversy, prompting the country’s children’s rights watchdog to refer the ad to regulators for review.

Services & Content

Apple TV+ is broadening its library: classic movies are now streaming for free alongside originals, and a trailer for the fifth season of the Emmy-winning series Stillwater was released today. Fans got good news when Eddy Cue hinted that Ted Lasso has a bright future beyond season four, and creator Vince Gilligan revealed that Pluribus season 2 has hit a major milestone with filming likely starting in late 2027. The popular fishing sim Dave the Diver will splash onto iPhone, iPad, and Mac on September 17. For sports fans, the MLB iPhone app now supports Car Play and Live Activities for real-time game tracking. On the podcast front, the 9to5Mac Daily episode recapped Apple exec changes and the week’s top stories.

Software & Apps

iOS 27 continues to refine the Home Screen: the extra-large Calendar widget is a standout upgrade for quickly viewing events. watchOS 27 will bring two new native apps — Siri and Find My — directly to the Apple Watch. A newly published Apple patent describes a system that improves notification summaries by deciding in real time whether to interrupt a user, while iOS 27 Beta 5 references a forthcoming feature to authenticate iPhone photos. WhatsApp is rolling out username support when creating new contacts, allowing users to save a username alongside a name and phone number. Claude’s Chrome side panel is evolving into a full Cowork session, and Raycast now offers Screen Awareness to bring context from active apps into AI Chat. Twitch will train Amazon’s generative AI on stream content unless users manually opt out. Microsoft Edge is testing Apple Account sign-in support, letting users avoid creating a Microsoft account.

iPhone Lineup

Apple supplier Pegatron indirectly confirmed that the standard iPhone 18 will not launch this year; it’s now expected in early 2027 and may bring 12GB of RAM and a redesigned Dynamic Island — both previously Pro-only features. For the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple has secured lower OLED display prices despite a broader RAM shortage. The rumored iPhone Ultra is coming into focus: two selfie cameras may sit in the same corner, and screen protectors shared by leaker Ice Universe reveal asymmetric corners. Looking further ahead, the iPhone 20 Pro will feature slightly larger displays with familiar aspect ratios and a bezel-free design. Rumors of a canceled all-glass 20th‑anniversary iPhone have been pushed back against by Bloomberg and a leaker who says the device is still on track. In comparison shopping, the iPhone 17 Pro goes head‑to‑head with the Google Pixel 11 Pro in a detailed spec‑to‑spec showdown. Google’s $100 Pixel price hike and aggressive trade‑in push may hint at similar moves for the iPhone 18 Pro, while a Counterpoint report shows US smartphone sales fell 5% in Q2 2026 as rising memory costs squeezed low‑end segments.

Mac & MacBook

MacBook Air shortages are worsening as Apple battles ongoing supply constraints, with availability dwindling at both Apple and third‑party retailers. The M4 Mac mini is back in stock at Amazon, including a deal on the M4 Pro model. Contract manufacturer Foxconn now makes less than 29% of its revenue from Apple, down from half, as AI infrastructure work surges past iPhone assembly.

Apple Watch & Accessories

Apple Watch sleep tracking becomes more useful with a few customization settings that improve the sleep score experience. For home fitness, the Bowflex T6 treadmill brings Apple Gym Kit integration at a relatively normal price point of $999, allowing seamless data exchange with Apple Watch. Apple Wallet may soon save trade‑in quotes for up to 90 days, based on code references discovered in a beta. As kids head back to school, parents are being urged to revisit screen time limits to strike a healthier balance.

Business & Legal

Apple hired former American Airlines executive Nick Gatten as its new vice president of government affairs. In the ongoing Epic battle, Apple has 24 hours to file a proposed commission plan for outbound App Store links after failing to delay the deadline.

Deals & Accessories

This week’s best back‑to‑school accessory deals include discounts on Anker, Sony, and Samsung products at Amazon. Higher‑ticket deals include the M5 Pro MacBook Pro up to $540 off, the M5 MacBook Air starting at $1,099, and Apple Watch Ultra 3 savings, plus Mag Safe chargers and Air Pods Pro 3 at nearly 25% off. Apple’s annual Back to School promotion is now live across the UK and 18 other European countries, offering gift cards with qualifying purchases.