Apple News 24 Hours

Last updated: August 31, 2026, 10:45 PM ET

Leadership Transition

Tim Cook's final day as Apple CEO arrived on September 1, marking the end of a 15-year tenure that saw the company's valuation grow by trillions. Cook sent a memo to all employees thanking them for their contributions and paying tribute to his successor. The outgoing CEO also shared his thoughts on his final day, offering a reflective look back at his time leading the company. His departure was widely chronicled, with one analysis noting that both Cook and incoming CEO John Ternus represent the right leaders for Apple's next chapter. A separate retrospective highlighted Cook's trillion-dollar transformation of the company, while his final sign-off included a tribute to Ternus. The transition was also covered by MacRumors, which confirmed the official handover date.

Phil Schiller Steps Back

In a parallel leadership shift, Apple Fellow Phil Schiller is no longer overseeing the App Store or product events, according to Bloomberg. Schiller's scaled-back role signals Apple's transition into the Ternus era, with the company's hardware engineering chief also set to inherit CEO responsibilities. Reports of Schiller's step back detail how the executive is reducing his workload. The former marketing head's day-to-day involvement with the App Store has been reduced after years of managing the commercial initiatives, as 9to5Mac also confirmed.

Product Discontinuations

As Apple prepares for its September event, the company may be planning to discontinue up to 10 popular products next week, culling older SKUs as it streamlines the lineup. Among the hardware being put out to pasture are several Macs, including the 2018 Retina MacBook Air, the 13-inch 2018 MacBook Pro, and other Intel-based models that just joined the company's obsolete products list. Apple's official documentation now lists these machines, and owners of Intel-era MacBooks will need to rely on third-party repair shops for service. Additionally, the company may also quietly retire older Apple Watches and Air Pods models alongside the hardware refresh, with the full list of discontinuations expected to be sizable.

September Event: iPhone Ultra Pencil, iPhone 18 Pro, and More

Apple is now nailing down timing and depth details for the iPhone Ultra's September launch. The foldable handset is expected to be introduced at next week's event, but its release timeframe is initially complex. It turns out the company reportedly considered making a special Apple Pencil for the foldable iPhone Ultra, but Apple has decided not to proceed. The Apple Pencil likely won't be supported because the accessory's utility in a foldable form factor failed to prove the market. Meanwhile, the iPhone 18 Pro is arriving soon, and there are now concrete reasons why owners of the last-generation Pro models might be tempted by Apple's upcoming flagship. The new Pro models offer battery life, design changes, and new camera capabilities that provide meaningful incentives. Even the upgrade path from the iPhone 17 Pro has been mapped out.

Air Pods 5 and Car Play Updates

Rumors indicate Air Pods 5 will launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, with two possible variants. Apple’s Air Pods lineup may gain camera-based functionality, as evidence from a new patent suggests the wearables could enable spatial audio tracking based on the position of the display the wearer is looking at. Meanwhile, Car Play continues to improve with the new iOS 27 update and a trio of exciting app updates.

Mac and Apple AI Strategy

Apple's recent surprise updates to the Mac mini and Mac Studio are reportedly driven partially by AI demand — an unusual move, but not an infrastructure-driven AI boom. In a separate analysis, Apple insider argued that AI needs more Macs — not for the AI data center load, but because businesses are eyeing Apple's chip efficiency for on-device AI. The Mac Studio has been updated with an M5 Max and M5 Ultra at its top end. Apple also appears to have made a mistake when announcing the new Mac Studio, initially making claims about the PCIe 60 support that had to be stripped. A comparison of the new M5 Max Mac Studio versus the original M1 Max shows the progression from one workhorse generation to the next. The Mac portfolio is also being helped by AI-focused demand, which has seen the Mac's role evolve.

Betas

Apple is pushing the seed cycle to its home stretch across the board. The company has just seeded the eighth beta for iOS 27 and iPad OS 27 to developers, while the same build is moving out across all of its platforms — tv OS, watch OS, vision OS, and mac OS — in a huge update push. Specifically, mac OS Golden Gate beta 8 is now available for developers to download and test. The update lands, as well, for watchOS 27 and tvOS 27. The latest vision OS build is also out for testers, and these arrive amid the most ambitious Siri AI upgrade inside iOS 27’s final version. With just days to go before the September event, beta 8 is likely one of the last in the cycle, alongside the macOS 27 developer build.

Shipping and Discounts

Amazon's Labor Day deals have brought some significant discounts on Apple gear. Both AirPods and MagSafe battery accessories hit all-time lows — Air Pods dropping to $80, Mag Safe Battery down 60% and Air Tag 2 down to $20. On the MacBook Pro line, Amazon’s early Labor Day sale features the M5 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro with a $500 discount. Roborock is holding an anniversary sale in which consumers can score discounts up to $1600, including on the flagship Saros. On the accessorie front, the Anker Prime Qi2 25W is a foldable 3-in-1 charger that brings 25-watt Qi2 wireless charging to a pocket-sized package.

Legal & Politics

Apple has gone on the offensive in the OpenAI trial, alleging that new "shocking evidence" from an ex-employee's MacBook suggests the AI company is actively destroying evidence. The complaint urges the court to grant expedited discovery in order to secure evidence before it disappears. Apple previously sued OpenAI over trade secret theft and accusations of evidence destruction. Meanwhile, memory maker CXMT, a potential Apple RAM supplier, has sued the Pentagon for designating it as a risky "Chinese military company," a label that hampers its ability to be a major memory supplier.

Apple vs Government: The Lake

In the continued friction between the Trump administration and Apple, the White House now wants Apple to change geography. The administration has now demanded that Apple Maps update its maps to reflect the renaming of Lake Ontario to "Lake America." While Google Maps has already switched the Great Lake to the new name in U.S. maps, Apple appears to be resisting the change. The administration is now "directly" reaching out to Apple, as documented by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. As a result, Map Quest's refusal to rename the lake has shot the app to the top of the App Store charts, as consumers began gravitating toward the holdout. Apple Maps still shows the name as Lake Ontario, while Google's updated U.S. map data now shows different name. The White House has asked Apple to comply, and Google's precedent is now visible in the U.S. — setting a geographic test for all digital cartographers.

Apple Culture and Praise

It wasn't all executive shuffles, however. The One Club for Creativity, a non-profit organization, inducted Apple into the "Brand Hall of Fame" — the first time it has given the honor to a company. The club honors the firm for its unforgettable advertising legacy, covering Apple's '1984' ad and the era of products that followed Steve Jobs. Apple's famous ads have long been undeniably inducted among hall of fame creative work, and the organization has also recognized Apple with a special brand award. The One Club's years of individual "Creative Hall of Fame" awards have been offered to visionary advertising heavyweights, and now the entire brand gets the honor.

As for the 9to5Mac development blog, working on Mario Kart 64 — using a new native Metal render — now the iconic game can be played at high frame rates and with HD textures on the iPhone, a different way than emulators.

Mac is a Machine for AI

A new supply chain commentary infers that the Mac may not be needed for AI infrastructure. Actually, the reason why the Mac is selling quickly is because of AI adoption. This AI emphasis on model support is why, according to Mac's press, the Mac may continue to be a significant part of Apple's on-device AI story.

Vision Pro and Sporting Events

Apple pundits at the same time claim the Vision Pro is the best way to watch baseball, noting the immersive, 180-degree views make it seem as though you are in the front row. Apple's immersive sports has become a compelling hook for the headset, showcasing the way spatial computing can improve live events beyond entertainment.