Apple News 3 Days

Last updated: August 13, 2026, 6:08 PM ET

iPhone, iPhone Ultra, and 20th Anniversary Models

The iPhone rumor mill is churning ahead of Apple’s September event. A new report indicates that the base iPhone 18 will get Pro-level upgrades including 12GB of RAM and the Dynamic Island, while the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to bring three new camera upgrades and start with 256GB of storage. Suppliers have also secured lower display prices for the Pro models amid a RAM shortage. Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly skipping the standard iPhone 18 launch this year, pushing it to 2027. The foldable “iPhone Ultra” is being called that internally, and its screen protectors reveal asymmetric corners. The Ultra may launch only in the U.S. initially, similar to the Vision Pro. It will feature two selfie cameras in the same corner and two features Pro users should love. Longer term, the 20th anniversary all-glass iPhone is still on track according to leakers, despite cancellation rumors. The iPhone 20 Pro will be bigger with familiar aspect ratios and a bezel-free design. iOS 27 beta 5 references six unreleased iPhone models, confirming the roadmap.

iOS, iPad OS, watch OS, and mac OS Golden Gate Betas

Apple continues to roll out OS updates. The third public beta of iOS 27 is now available, bringing Siri AI and speed upgrades. iOS 27 also adds a slideshow feature and shared album upgrades to Photos, a new Home Screen widget for Calendar, and birthday fireworks for contacts. iCloud+ subscribers with at least 2TB get new Home app perks. The beta also lets you make Liquid Glass more transparent. watch OS 27 will add Siri and Find My apps to the Apple Watch, upgrade the Modular watch face with new colors, and improve sleep score settings. iPadOS 27 and tv OS 27 public betas are also out. macOS Golden Gate’s third public beta is available, and Apple released new Air Pods beta firmware for public testers.

Apple TV+ Content and Streaming

Ted Lasso season 4 scored Apple TV’s biggest launch yet, with nearly 300 million U.S. viewing minutes in its first two days. Eddy Cue hints at a fifth season. Apple TV has also added a classic movies collection for subscribers to stream at no extra cost. The trailer for Stillwater’s fifth season is out, and a new crime thriller called Last Seen will kick off the fall lineup. “Pluribus” season 2 has hit a major milestone, and “Women in Blue” season 2 is now streaming. The game “Dave the Diver” is coming to iPhone, iPad, and Mac in September. Apple is also in talks to acquire streaming rights for golf’s Open Championship.

Apple Pay, Wallet, and Services

Apple Pay chief Jennifer Bailey is retiring in October. Apple Pay will launch in India by October. The Wallet app in iOS 27 adds a new “Discover” section and could soon save trade-in quotes for 90 days. Meanwhile, Apple faces a class action lawsuit accusing iCloud Private Relay of fraud. The company is also negotiating with publishers to pay for news content to power Siri AI.

MacBook, Mac mini, and MacBook Neo

The MacBook Air is experiencing worsening shortages; we have a guide on where to buy one. The rumored MacBook Neo 2 will get a key upgrade: more RAM (12GB). The M5 MacBook Air with 1TB storage and 24GB RAM drops to $1,649. Amazon has discounts on the 2026 MacBook Pro with up to $500 off. The M4 Mac mini is back at Amazon with deals on the M4 Pro model.

Apple Watch, Air Pods, and Accessories

watch OS 27 will add two new apps to the Apple Watch, and the Modular face gets new colors. The BowFlex T6 treadmill review highlights Apple Gym Kit coming home at a normal price. AirPods Max 2 are $100 off on Amazon in all five colors. Sonos is preparing an AirPods Max rival with voice assistant support. Satechi launched a 240W ChargeView desktop charger with six USB-C ports. An Apple patent describes a system to improve notification summaries and focus modes.

Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Foxconn

Apple opened its Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston, Texas, ahead of Mac mini production. The company is stockpiling more OLED components amid rising prices. Foxconn now makes less than 29% of its revenue from Apple, as AI surpasses iPhone. China is now even less likely to solve Apple’s memory crunch. BOE may split iPad Air OLED panel orders with Apple in 2027.

Retail, Legal, and App Store

Apple is closing its Basingstoke store in England while expanding the Reading location. The company settled a religious discrimination lawsuit for $150,000. It also lost a bid to delay App Store fee calculations in the Epic Games fight. App Store review is criticized as broken, with obvious ratings fraud going undetected. Apple cannot delay its commission plan filing.

Deals and Sales

Amazon is offering up to $190 off Beats and Nomad cases. LG’s Back to School sale includes up to $5,000 off OLED TVs and a 32-inch Ultra Fine 6K monitor for $1,099. Apple extended its Back to School promotion until September 24. Best Back to School accessory deals on Anker, Sony, Samsung are available this week. The M5 Pro MacBook Pro is up to $540 off, and Air Pods Pro 3 are nearly 25% off.

Other Apple News

Chase added free Apple TV and Apple One perks to the Sapphire Preferred card. WhatsApp is working on chat themes with animated wallpapers and rolling out username support. Chat GPT for Mac adds an opt-in Computer History feature. Claude’s Chrome side panel becomes a full Cowork session. Bluesky lets you hide reposts from specific users. Fake GitHub downloads are stealing Keychain data from Safari and Chrome. Parents are urged to revisit screen time limits as kids go back to school. The MLB iPhone app gets CarPlay and Live Activity upgrades. An Apple billboard in Italy showing a toddler with an iPhone caused controversy. Elon Musk’s Grok Bot brings always-on AI agents to mac OS and iOS. Microsoft Edge is testing Apple Account sign-in support. iFixit’s Galaxy Z Fold8 teardown previews Apple’s foldable challenges. Google’s Pixel price hike hints at Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro plans. Non-gaming apps drove mobile spending growth in Q2. US smartphone sales fell 5% in Q2 2026. Apple hires an airline exec as VP of government affairs, and hires another exec for government affairs. The 9to5Mac Daily podcast covers Apple exec changes and more.