On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's plan to turn Siri into a chatbot with iOS 27, alongside plans for new hardware such as an AI pin.



Apple reportedly plans to turn Siri into a chatbot that will rival Anthropic's Claude, Google's Gemini, and OpenAI's ChatGPT later this year. Apple's chatbot will apparently be able to search the web, generate content like images, help with coding, summarize information, and analyze uploaded files.

It will be able to leverage personal data on a user's device to complete tasks, and it will result in a much improved search feature. Apple is also said to be designing a feature that will let the ‌Siri‌ chatbot view open windows and on-screen content, as well as adjust device features and settings.

‌Siri‌ will integrate directly into all Apple apps, including Photos, Mail, Messages, Music, and TV, and it will be able to access and analyze content in the apps to respond to queries and requests. There will be voice and typed interface options.

Apple plans to power the chatbot with a custom model based on Google Gemini. It may even run on Google's servers. The ‌Siri‌ chatbot will purportedly be the key new feature in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27.

In related news, Apple is said to be working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with standard and wide-angle cameras to capture photos and videos, a speaker, microphones, and a physical control button. The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape and an aluminum and glass design.

This week also saw rumors that Apple's smart home hub device will tout a robotic swiveling base, with a heavy emphasis on AI features. It is expected to finally be released in the spring, following a heavily delayed launch.

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If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion about CES 2026, Apple Creator Studio, and the confirmation that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of ‌Siri‌.

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 Kayci Lacob, Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, 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.

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A new UK class action lawsuit against Apple seeks billions in damages by alleging that the company unlawfully restricted competition in contactless payments on the iPhone through Apple Pay, The Guardian reports.


The proposed opt-out collective action filed this week in the UK alleges that Apple abused its position in the market by limiting access to the ‌iPhone‌'s near-field communication (NFC) technology and charging fees to banks for the use of ‌Apple Pay‌. The claim seeks up to £1.5 billion (approximately $2 billion) in damages on behalf of an estimated 50 million UK consumers.

The complainant argues that ‌Apple Pay‌ has effectively been the only contactless mobile payment option available to ‌iPhone‌ users in the UK since its launch in 2015. According to the filing, Apple declined to grant third-party developers access to the ‌iPhone‌'s NFC hardware and Secure Element, preventing rival wallets from operating on equal terms and leaving banks and card issuers with no alternative but to participate in ‌Apple Pay‌ if they wished to offer mobile contactless payments to ‌iPhone‌ users.

The case heavily focuses on fees Apple reportedly charges issuing banks for ‌Apple Pay‌ transactions, commonly cited in industry reporting as approximately 0.15% of the transaction value in the UK. These fees are allegedly not consistent with industry norms and were only possible because Apple restricted competition on its platform. The suit further contends that banks passed the costs of those fees on to consumers through higher charges across a wide range of financial products, including current accounts, credit cards, savings accounts, and mortgages.

Around 98% of UK consumers hold accounts with banks that support ‌Apple Pay‌ and were therefore exposed to higher costs regardless of whether they personally used the service. On that basis, the claim seeks damages on a population-wide basis. The average payout per affected consumer would be relatively modest, estimated at roughly £26 to £35 if the claim were successful.

In a statement, Apple said that the lawsuit was "misguided and should be dismissed," adding:

Apple Pay is a seamless and secure way for users to make contactless payments, and one of many payment options available to consumers. Apple does not charge fees to consumers or merchants for using Apple Pay, and banks see meaningful benefits from offering Apple Pay to their customers - most notably fraud reduction.

Apple also emphasized changes to its platform that have occurred since the period covered by the claim. The company said it has recently expanded access to key technologies, including NFC and the Secure Element, allowing third-party developers to offer contactless payments within their own apps in the UK.

The claim has been lodged with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, which must determine whether the case can proceed as a collective action.
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iOS 26 is showing unusually slow adoption among iPhone users months after release, according to third-party analytics.


Usage data published by StatCounter (via Cult of Mac) for January 2026 indicates that only around 15 to 16% of active iPhones worldwide are running any version of ‌iOS 26‌. The breakdown shows iOS 26.1 accounting for approximately 10.6% of devices, iOS 26.2 for about 4.6%, and the original iOS 26.0 release at roughly 1.1%. In contrast, more than 60% of iPhones tracked by StatCounter remain on iOS 18, with iOS 18.7 and iOS 18.6 alone representing a majority of active devices.

Historical comparisons highlight how atypical this adoption curve appears. StatCounter data from January 2025 shows that roughly 63% of iPhones were running some version of iOS 18 about four months after its release. In January 2024, iOS 17 had reached approximately 54% adoption over a similar timeframe, while iOS 16 surpassed 60% adoption by January 2023.

Based on those figures, ‌iOS 26‌ adoption appears to be running at less than one-quarter of the rate achieved by recent predecessors during the same post-release window. StatCounter derives its estimates from web traffic analytics, tracking operating system versions via page impressions across its global network of participating websites.

In the first week of January last year, 89.3% of MacRumors visitors used a version of iOS 18. This year, during the same time period, only 25.7% of MacRumors readers are running a version of ‌iOS 26‌. In the absence of official numbers from Apple, the true adoption rate remains unknown, but the data suggests a level of hesitation toward ‌iOS 26‌ that has not been seen in recent years.

Unlike many previous releases, ‌iOS 26‌ introduces Liquid Glass as a fundamental visual overhaul, replacing large portions of the traditional opaque interface with translucent layers, blurred backgrounds, and dynamic depth effects across system elements. Upon its announcement at WWDC last year, the redesign received mixed reviews, which could be a contributing factor to hesitation around upgrading.

Likewise, Apple now continues to support older operating systems with security updates, allowing users to remain on iOS 18 without immediate pressure to update or forfeit critical patches. This makes it much easier for users to remain on older software.
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Apple has lost another senior figure from its Safari team as a lead designer departs for The Browser Company, extending a pattern of high-profile exits from Apple's browser team amid intensifying competition around AI-driven browsing.


Marco Triverio was a lead designer for Safari and has now joined The Browser Company, the developer of the Arc and Dia browsers. The move was confirmed by The Browser Company chief executive Josh Miller in a post on LinkedIn, marking the latest in a series of hires from Apple's Safari design leadership.

Miller emphasized that Triverio's arrival means The Browser Company has now recruited lead designers from every Safari design era that overlapped with the development timelines of Arc and Dia, roughly spanning 2020 through 2025.

The Browser Company has positioned itself as an alternative to traditional browsers by emphasizing significant new interaction models rather than incremental updates. The apps are often compared to Apple software due to their focus on visual clarity, animation, and user experience design.

Its Arc browser introduced a nontraditional tab system, extensive customization options, and collaborative tools such as shared workspaces and a built-in whiteboard. In 2025, the company introduced Dia, a browser designed around AI-assisted workflows that integrate generative tools, collaborative features, and creative utilities directly into the browsing experience.

For Apple, Triverio's exit adds to a broader pattern of senior staff departures that became more visible throughout 2025.
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Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch.


The key announcements include:

• New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January.


• "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an Apple Watch badge in the app.


• New multiweek programs: From January 5, the "Make Your Fitness Comeback program" will be available for Strength, HIIT, and Yoga. Each week builds on the previous one to help users progress.


• Fitness+ Artist Spotlight returns: New workouts featuring music from KAROL G and, from February 5, Bad Bunny.


• New Time to Walk episodes: Starting January 19, new episodes feature actor and producer Penn Badgley, Spice Girls member, singer, songwriter, and TV personality Mel B, and actor Michelle Monaghan.

Apple added that many people abandon New Year's fitness resolutions by the second Friday of January, known as "Quitter's Day," but Apple Watch users appear far more likely to stay on track. An analysis of four years of data from around 100,000 participants in the Apple Heart and Movement Study found that, after a seasonal dip in activity during November and December, average daily exercise minutes rise sharply in January and continue increasing into spring.

More than 60% of users boosted their exercise by over 10% in the first two weeks of January compared with December levels. Nearly 80% of those users maintained the increase through the rest of January, and 90% of that group sustained higher activity levels through February and March. The findings are based on participants who consistently wore an Apple Watch and shared Activity data as part of the long-running study conducted with major U.S. health institutions.
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Apple's Vision Pro headset is still failing to see appeal among consumers, according to a new report from the Financial Times.


Data from IDC claims that Apple shipped 390,000 Vision Pro units in 2024. IDC expected Apple to ship just 45,000 new Vision Pro units in the latest quarter of 2025. The Financial Times stressed that this compares to millions of iPhones, iPads and MacBooks sold each quarter. Luxshare, the Vision Pro's assembler, apparently halted production of the headset at the start of 2025.

According to Sensor Tower, Apple has apparently reduced digital advertising spending for the Vision Pro by more than 95% over the past year in key markets including the United States and United Kingdom. The report also noted that Apple did little to expand the device's international rollout in 2025.

Morgan Stanley analysts told the Financial Times that "the cost, form factor and the lack of VisionOS native apps are the reasons why the Vision Pro never sold broadly." Since the device's debut in 2024, critics have highlighted practical shortcomings such as the device's weight, discomfort during extended use, and limited battery life.

Apple is said to be struggling with a platform adoption problem, with an insufficient number of users to motivate developers and insufficient apps to attract users. Apple says around 3,000 apps are designed specifically for Vision Pro, a figure that lags far behind the rapid growth of the iPhone App Store after its launch in 2008. Appfigures notes that this total likely includes niche and industry-specific software.

The challenges facing the Vision Pro reflect broader weakness in the virtual reality market. According to Counterpoint Research, global VR headset shipments declined 14% year on year. Meta still dominates the sector, accounting for around 80% of sales with its Quest headsets, which are significantly cheaper than the Vision Pro but less technologically advanced. Even so, Meta has reportedly scaled back its own marketing spend for VR hardware, suggesting limited consumer momentum across the category.
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Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle.


Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the ‌iPhone 18‌ is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the ‌iPhone 17‌ in the lineup as the latest standard model for over 18 months. This would mark the first time Apple skips an entire calendar year without releasing a new generation of its flagship non-Pro ‌iPhone‌.

For more than a decade, Apple has introduced its mainline ‌iPhone‌ lineup in the fall, with all core models launching simultaneously in September. That pattern is expected to change this year, when the company is widely rumored to split its upcoming ‌iPhone‌ releases across two distinct release windows rather than unveiling the entire lineup at once. Under this strategy, Apple is expected to prioritize higher-end models in the fall while delaying lower-cost or standard models until the following year.

As a result, Apple is not expected to ship the ‌iPhone 18‌ in 2026. Instead, reports indicate that Apple plans to launch the ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro, ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max, and foldable ‌iPhone‌ in the usual fall timeframe, while holding the standard ‌iPhone 18‌ back until the spring of 2027, where it will launch alongside the ‌iPhone‌ 18e and iPhone Air 2.

The rumored change is tied to Apple's expanding ‌iPhone‌ lineup. With the introduction of the iPhone 16e and ‌iPhone Air‌ in 2025, the expected debut of the first foldable ‌iPhone‌ in 2026, and the continued presence of older models like the iPhone 16 and ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus, there could be at least eight distinct ‌iPhone‌ models on sale from Apple by the end of 2026. A staggered release schedule would allow the company to further differentiate its models, give them a longer sales window without internal competition, and spread ‌iPhone‌ launches more evenly across the year.

Supply chain analysts have also pointed to manufacturing and logistics benefits as a factor behind the rumored shift. By spacing out launches, Apple could reduce production bottlenecks, better manage component supply for advanced technologies, and smooth revenue recognition across fiscal quarters rather than concentrating ‌iPhone‌ sales in a single period.
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Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues.


The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data centers, chips, and large language model training. This has fueled criticism that Apple is falling behind in the AI space, particularly as Siri has significantly lagged behind more advanced, capable, and reliable conversational systems.

The report argues that market sentiment toward AI spending is beginning to show signs of skepticism, with questions emerging over whether such large investments can be justified by near-term revenue. Against that backdrop, Apple's decision to limit AI-specific capital expenditures has left it with more than $130 billion in cash and marketable securities, giving the company the option to pursue acquisitions or partnerships if valuations of AI startups fall.

Apple's biggest AI-related move in 2026 will be the long-anticipated overhaul of ‌Siri‌, which is expected to arrive in the spring. The updated assistant is set to be more conversational and capable of completing multi-step tasks. To power it, Apple is believed to be adopting Google's Gemini, reflecting an internal view that large language models may become commoditized and not worth the cost of large-scale proprietary development.

The iPhone is said to be a key strategic advantage. Unlike AI companies that rely on standalone apps or web services, Apple can distribute AI features directly through software updates and system-level integrations across its devices. Efforts by AI companies to build competing hardware face major challenges in manufacturing, distribution, and ecosystem development, areas where Apple has very strong footholds.

The Information also points to recent leadership changes as part of Apple's effort to refocus its AI work. ‌Siri‌ has been placed under Mike Rockwell, who was responsible for launching the Vision Pro headset, following significant delays to the assistant's overhaul. In addition, Apple's AI chief John Giannandrea announced his retirement earlier in December, with parts of his organization redistributed into product-focused teams amid internal concerns about a lack of clear product direction.

While Apple has a history of early but uneven AI efforts, including the original launch of ‌Siri‌ in 2011, The Information argues that these shortcomings have not materially harmed its core businesses. 2026 may be an inflection point in which Apple's cautious strategy could appear prescient if enthusiasm for large-scale AI spending continues to cool and the company finally delivers a more capable version of ‌Siri‌.
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Apple this week revealed its annual New Year Sale in Japan, offering Apple Gift Cards worth up to ¥38,000 alongside a free limited-edition AirTag for qualifying iPhone purchases.


The ‌AirTag‌ features a special engraving of a Daruma, a traditional Japanese talisman commonly associated with perseverance, good fortune, and the achievement of goals. The ‌AirTag‌ offer is limited to 65,000 units in total and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.



Customers can receive gift cards worth up to ¥12,000 for eligible ‌iPhone‌ purchases, up to ¥38,000 for Mac purchases, and up to ¥15,000 for iPad purchases. Apple Watch purchases qualify for gift cards worth up to ¥8,000, while AirPods purchases are eligible for gift cards valued at up to ¥12,000.

The promotion will run from January 2 through January 5 and is available through Apple retail stores and the Apple Online Store in Japan. The New Year Sale has become a recurring annual event for Apple in Japan, where holiday retail traditions differ from those in the United States and Europe.
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An internal Apple kernel debug kit suggests Apple has tested a MacBook with the A15 chip, alongside a separate A18 Pro-based MacBook that appears to be closer to a shippable product.


The information comes from internal kernel debug kit files used by Apple engineers. The kit was accidentally released on Apple's website earlier this year, but it was quickly pulled after information started leaking out of it.

Within the Mac-related entries, there is a line that explicitly describes an unreleased MacBook configuration running an A15 chip. The row appears under a project label "mac14p" on a platform labeled H14P. MacRumors believes this A15 MacBook corresponds to the codename J267.

In the same dataset, there is also a separate MacBook entry tied to the A18 Pro. It has the identifier J700 and is described as using an A18 Pro chip with a "Sunrise" wireless subsystem attributed to MediaTek. Compared with the A15 test configuration, the A18 Pro MacBook entry reads more like a defined product configuration, since it is identified with a specific internal codename and accompanying subsystem details.

It is also highly unlikely that Apple would release a Mac powered by the A15 Bionic in 2026, almost five years after the chip was introduced. A MacBook with the A18 Pro chip would be markedly more capable, future-proof, and in-step with the company's current selection of chips.

The A15 MacBook was almost certainly used as an unreleased test platform ahead of widely reported plans to release a low-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip. The original Apple silicon Mac mini Developer Transition Kit featured an A12Z chip, but all Apple silicon Macs available to consumers have featured M-series chips.

Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will launch next year, featuring the A18 Pro chip, a 13-inch display, and silver, blue, pink, and yellow color options.
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The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station.


According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display. The device is said to prioritize thinness, with several major design decisions reportedly made to reduce the overall thickness of the chassis.

Chief among these is the use of a side-mounted Touch ID fingerprint sensor. The leaker claims Apple has chosen not to include 3D Face ID hardware or a 3D ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor, as both systems would add internal volume and complicate efforts to slim down the device.

The post further claims that the foldable's hinge has been engineered to a particularly high standard, describing the hinge design as "very strong." While no deeper technical details are provided, this aligns with long-standing industry expectations that Apple is placing heavy emphasis on hinge durability and crease reduction, areas where foldable devices have historically faced criticism.

The leaker states that the current engineering prototype features a 7.58-inch internal display equipped with an under-panel front-facing camera, often abbreviated as UPC. Under-panel camera technology allows the camera to sit beneath the display layer, eliminating visible cutouts when the camera is not in use.

For the external display, the leaker claims Apple is using a 5.25-inch panel with a punch-hole camera implemented via a HIAA (Hole-In-Active-Area) design, a technique that minimizes inactive screen space around the cutout. It is unclear what will happen to the Dynamic Island in both instances.

The post also claims the device will feature a dual 48-megapixel rear camera system described as having a "large base," which suggests a physically larger sensor size than pixel count alone indicates.

Digital Chat Station adds that the foldable smartphone segment will be "reinvigorated" next year, implying that there will be renewed momentum after a period of slower growth and incremental updates. The leaker reiterated an earlier claim that Samsung is also evaluating a new wide-format foldable device.

Digital Chat Station has a relatively good track record for Apple rumors. They accurately revealed the overall design of the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro, the triple 48-megapixel rear camera system of the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌, the iPhone 17's slimmer bezels and a larger display with ProMotion, ‌iPhone‌ 15 and ‌iPhone‌ 15 Plus's slightly smaller 48-megapixel sensor, and display panel design of the ‌iPhone‌ 12.
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Apple Fitness+ today expanded to 28 new markets in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre.


The service today became available in Norway, Poland, the Philippines, Sweden, Vietnam, Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year. The expansion increases total availability to 49 countries, with a full list available at the bottom of Apple's press release.

Hundreds of sessions are initially available with digitally generated voice dubbing in Spanish and German, with Japanese set to be added when the service launches in Japan. New dubbed episodes will be released weekly across all supported regions.

The new dubbing system uses a generated voice modeled on each of the 28 Fitness+ trainers' real voices. Users will be able to switch audio tracks after starting a session or set a preferred language in the Fitness app, which will automatically default to the dubbed version when available. Apple has not previously offered dubbed workout content on Fitness+, instead relying on subtitles for non-English markets since the service launched in 2020.

Apple is also adding a new K-Pop music genre to the service, which will be available across workout types. The new category joins existing genres such as Upbeat Anthems, Latest Hits, Hip-Hop/R&B, and Latin Grooves.

Prior to today, Fitness+ was already available in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, and the U.S.
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Apple's AirPods Max launched five years ago today, marking the company's first push into the high-end over-ear headphones market under its own brand name.


Rumors about Apple's work on a pair of high-end headphones, at the time believed to be called the "AirPods Studio," heated up throughout 2020. They were announced abruptly via a somewhat unexpected press release on December 8, 2020 and went on sale the same day. Orders started arriving to customers one week later on Tuesday, December 15.

The ‌AirPods Max‌ offer many popular AirPods features such as the H1 chip, easy pairing, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, automatic switching, and Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, but in a premium over-ear design for the first time. They also offer a headband made of a flexible mesh canopy, replaceable magnetic earcups, a Digital Crown for physical volume controls, a button for switching between ANC and Transparency, and a Smart Case for storage and to put the headphones into a low power state.

Demand for the ‌AirPods Max‌ was high immediately after launch, with shipping estimates that stretched out several months. Initial reviews of AirPods Max were favorable, applauding the headphones for being "more than enough to compete with other high-end headphones" in terms of design and sound quality. While the recommended retail price remains at $549, the ‌AirPods Max‌ are often available with discounts of over $100.

The ‌AirPods Max‌ have also been subject to criticism since their launch, including for their price relative to rival sets of high-end over-ear headphones, the design of the Smart Case, condensation inside the earcups, poor battery life (something that was later fixed via a software update), ANC strength seemingly being reduced over time, the over-head canopy's poor durability, and the long period in which the device has been left without meaningful hardware update.

Last year, Apple refreshed the AirPods Max's selection of color options and swapped the Lightning port for USB-C, but there were no other changes. Since the changes were so minor, Apple does not seem to consider the "new" model a second-generation.
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Apple led global smartphone sales with the iPhone 16 in the third quarter of 2025 while simultaneously accelerating demand for the iPhone 17 lineup and expanding its promotional footprint in the United States, according to new analyses from Counterpoint Research.


Counterpoint Research's Global Monthly Handset Model Sales Tracker shows that the ‌iPhone 16‌ was the best-selling smartphone worldwide during the third quarter of 2025. Well into its second year of life, the device's sustained performance is attributed to continued demand among users upgrading from older iPhone generations, expanded carrier promotions in developed markets, and the broad appeal of the standard ‌iPhone‌ configuration in regions where ultra-premium models represent a smaller share of total volume.

Alongside the ‌iPhone 16‌'s continued leadership, Counterpoint says the iPhone 17 Pro Max entered the quarterly global top-10 list and became the best-selling smartphone in September 2025, despite "limited availability towards the end of the quarter." According to the firm, demand for the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max was strengthened by a large cohort of users who purchased iPhones during the COVID-19 period and returned for major upgrades this year. New features such as a 48-megapixel telephoto camera with 8x optical zoom and a vapor-chamber cooling system represent one of Apple's most substantial year-over-year camera and thermal architecture revisions and contributed materially to monthly sales growth.

The same dataset indicates that, while Apple maintained its position at the top of the global rankings with the ‌iPhone 16‌ and expanded momentum with the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max, Samsung increased its presence in the top-10 list to five positions, all from the Galaxy A series.

A separate Counterpoint analysis of the global foldable smartphone sector shows that the premium market segment where Apple has not yet entered continued to grow at a materially faster pace than the broader industry. The firm reports that global foldable shipments increased 14% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2025, which is the highest quarterly shipment volume ever recorded for the category.

Counterpoint attributes much of this performance to Samsung's Galaxy Z 7 series, especially the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which generated "exceptionally strong consumer response" due to a slimmer and lighter enclosure, reduced crease visibility, and an upgraded hinge mechanism designed for improved durability. While Apple has not released a foldable ‌iPhone‌, rumors suggest that the company will debut such a device as soon as next year.

Meanwhile, Counterpoint's U.S. Weekly Smartphone Promotions Index shows that Apple intensified its promotional activity in response to unusually early and aggressive Pixel 10 discounts led by Google. Apple finished the period overtaking Google.
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Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre.


Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year. The expansion increases total availability to 49 countries.

Hundreds of sessions will initially be available with digitally generated voice dubbing in Spanish and German, with Japanese added when the service launches in Japan. New dubbed episodes will be released weekly across all supported regions.

The new dubbing system uses a generated voice modeled on each of the 28 Fitness+ trainers' real voices. Users will be able to switch audio tracks after starting a session or set a preferred language in the Fitness app, which will automatically default to the dubbed version when available. Apple has not previously offered dubbed workout content on Fitness+, instead relying on subtitles for non-English markets since the service launched in 2020.

Apple is also adding a new K-Pop music genre to the service, which will be available across workout types. The new category joins existing genres such as Upbeat Anthems, Latest Hits, Hip-Hop/R&B, and Latin Grooves. Apple also noted that the latest episode of Time to Walk features Japanese Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda, and is available today.

Fitness+ is currently available in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, and the U.S. The service will reach the newly announced 28 markets, which include Norway, Poland, the Philippines, Sweden, Vietnam, and others, on December 15.
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Apple today announced an expansion of the Apple Manufacturing Academy with a new set of virtual training programs for small- and medium-sized businesses across the United States.


The update marks the first time the Academy's training has been accessible online. It was previously only available via in-person sessions in Detroit. Apple describes it as a free resource intended to accelerate innovation among American manufacturers as part of its broader plan to invest $600 billion in the U.S. economy over the next four years.

Apple said the new online courses cover a range of advanced manufacturing topics, including automation, predictive maintenance, quality control optimization, and the use of machine learning with vision systems. The training program also incorporates professional development content on communication and presentation skills to help participants prepare for operational and leadership roles.

The expanded program is intended to increase access for companies that have not been able to attend in-person sessions. Launched in collaboration with Michigan State University (MSU) in August, the Apple Manufacturing Academy has already provided hands-on training and consultation to more than 80 businesses from Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Utah.

Businesses enrolled in virtual programming at manufacturingacademy.msu.edu. The current learning materials form the initial phase of what Apple says will be a continuously expanding digital curriculum.
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A new image shared by prototype collector and leaker Kosutami appears to show parts designed for an unreleased all-black Apple Vision headset.


The image shows what seems to be a Vision Pro's left power strap and audio pod with the attached power cable. It seems to be identical to Apple's existing hardware, but uses a dark finish not seen on any production Vision Pro hardware.

Kosutami previously claimed that Apple has been testing a thinner and lighter mixed-reality headset referred to internally as "Vision Air," featuring a Midnight-colored exterior and reduced weight achieved by switching several structural components and the battery enclosure to titanium. According to the leaker, this model would retain an aluminum exterior but adopt a deep bluish-black finish rather than the Vision Pro's current silver and white.

Earlier this year, Kosutami also shared images of a new Lightning-style connector in Midnight said to be intended for a next-generation Vision headset. The existing Vision Pro uses a 12-pin connector, while the unreleased cable featured only eight pins, which seemed to indicate that Apple may have been redesigning the external battery system for future headsets.

Apple had been widely expected to release a lower-cost headset called the "Vision Air," as well as a redesigned second-generation Vision Pro. However, Bloomberg reported in October that Apple paused development of all Vision headsets in order to accelerate work on AI-powered smart glasses.
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India is reviewing a proposal that would require Apple to keep GPS location services permanently active on every iPhone sold in the country, according to Reuters.


Under the proposal, smartphone makers including Apple would be required to activate satellite-assisted GPS on their devices at all times with no option for users to disable the feature. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) argues that location data from cell tower triangulation is not sufficiently precise for investigative use and that authorities should have access to meter-level coordinates provided by GPS.

GPS is typically activated only when specific apps request location access or when an emergency call is placed. The COAI has also asked the government to require smartphone makers to disable pop-up notifications that inform users when a carrier is attempting to access location information.

Apple has formally opposed the proposal. In a letter sent in July by the India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), which represents Apple and Google, the companies warned the government that forcing GPS to remain active at all times would constitute a regulatory overreach.

The news comes shortly after India reversed a separate directive that would have required all smartphone makers, including Apple, to preinstall a government app and prevent users from disabling its functions. The order was rescinded after widespread criticism.
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Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.


Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design and pioneered the transition to Apple silicon.

Earlier this week, it emerged that Meta had hired multiple significant Apple employees, including longtime Apple designer Alan Dye, while conducting its own recruiting blitz for AI and smart glasses development. Meanwhile, Apple announced the retirement of Senior Vice President and General Counsel Kate Adams, Lisa Jackson, Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, and AI chief John Giannandrea. Earlier this year, Apple lost Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, who is retiring, and Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri. There have also been rumors about Apple CEO ‌Tim Cook‌ retiring, with rumors suggesting he is preparing to leave his role as soon as next year.

Gurman says that the losses are partly due to veteran executives nearing retirement age, but there is still a "disconcerting brain drain" taking place in the company. Nevertheless, Gurman says the accumulative weight of the departures all adds up to "one of the most tumultuous stretches of Cooks tenure." Some of the losses are said to be a "cause for deep concern," and Cook is now looking to prevent further loss of leading talent with stronger compensation packages.

Gurman notes that "Apple hasn't launched a successful new product category in a decade," leaving it increasingly vulnerable to having its talent poached by more agile rivals who are said to be better equipped to develop the next generation of devices and AI technologies.

Cook himself is thought to be likely to join the exodus and step down in the not-too-distant future. He turned 65 last month and now exhibits a noticeable, unexplained tremor in his hands. He is likely to transition to the role of chairman, rather than vacate the company entirely.

The departure of Srouji is said to be "a more imminent risk" and Cook is purportedly working hard to retain him by offering a substantial pay package and the potential of more responsibility. Some executives have suggested elevating Srouji to the role of chief technology officer. This would move him to oversee a broad range of hardware engineering and silicon technologies, making him Apple's second-most powerful executive.

Gurman says this change would likely require John Ternus to be promoted to CEO, but Srouji apparently would prefer to not work under a different CEO, even with an expanded remit. If he does leave, Srouji would likely be replaced by Zongjian Chen or Sribalan Santhanam. Beyond Srouji and the other reported departures, Apple is believed to be contending with a significant talent drain among its key engineers.

Gurman explains that there has been "a broader collapse within Apple's artificial intelligence organization" triggered by AI models chief Ruoming Pang departing earlier this year, along with colleagues such as Tom Gunter and Frank Chu. Apple lost Siri and search overseer Robby Walker, as well as his replacement, Ke Yang, to Meta.

Apple's AI group is apparently suffering from low morale and there is growing worry over the increasing use of external AI technology such as Google Gemini. Around a dozen of Apple's leading AI researchers have also now departed.

The company's AI robotics software team has seen widespread departures, including its leader Jian Zhang, who joined Meta. The user interface team has also lost members, such as Billy Sorrentino, culminating in Dye's exit.

Apple's hardware design group "has been nearly wiped out," with many employees vacating to other companies or following former design chief Jony Ive to his studio, LoveFrom. Abidur Chowdhury, the designer behind the iPhone Air who narrated its unveiling in September, left for an AI startup.

The company has lost a key director in charge of display technologies, Cheng Chen, to OpenAI. He also oversaw the optics of the Vision Pro headset. In addition, one of Apple’s top hardware engineering executives, Tang Tan, similarly left for OpenAI.

Apple has even lost the dean of Apple University, Richard Locke. Apple University is the internal program intended to preserve the company's practices and culture following the death of Steve Jobs.

The exodus has become a major concern for Apple's leadership, which has instructed human resources to ramp up recruitment and retention efforts. See Gurman's full report for more information.
This article, "Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Samsung's new Galaxy Z TriFold smartphone and how it could compare to Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone.


Samsung this week introduced the Galaxy Z TriFold, its first smartphone with two folding sections instead of one. When unfolded, the device presents a 10-inch screen, while the cover display measures 6.5 inches. Samsung says it has minimized visible creasing across the panels.

The Galaxy Z TriFold uses an inward-folding design intended to protect the main display. The folding mechanism has been engineered with an alert system that notifies users if the device is being folded incorrectly. Samsung is using a titanium Armor FlexHinge with two differently sized hinges joined by a dual-rail structure. According to the company, this enables a smoother and more stable fold despite uneven panel weight distribution, and increases durability thanks to a thin metal reinforcement that protects the hinge assembly.

A third of the unfolded display measures 3.9mm thick, increasing slightly around the triple-lens camera module. The center display section is 4.2mm thick, while the segment containing the side button is 4mm. The device includes a reinforced overcoat atop a shock-absorbing display layer for impact resistance, and an aluminum frame prevents the screens from coming into contact when closed.

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Z TriFold with a 5,600 mAh three-cell battery, with one cell behind each display panel. The company says this is the largest battery it has ever used in a smartphone. The rear camera system includes a 200-megapixel wide camera, a 12-megapixel ultra wide camera, and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. Two 10-megapixel selfie cameras are integrated into the cover display and the main display.

The Galaxy Z TriFold supports three portrait-layout apps running side-by-side, multi-window resizing, full-screen video viewing, and a vertical reading mode. Samsung has also added standalone Samsung DeX, enabling up to four workspaces with five apps active simultaneously. Samsung apps have been optimized for the triple-panel layout, and Google's Gemini Live has been optimized as well.

The Galaxy Z TriFold launches in Korea on December 12, followed by China, Taiwan, Singapore, and the UAE. It will arrive in the United States in the first quarter of 2026. Pricing has not yet been announced.

Meanwhile, recent rumors suggest that Apple's first foldable ‌iPhone‌ will feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera for the inner display, as well as a Samsung-supplied OLED panel, virtually no crease, a hybrid titanium and aluminum frame, and a 5,400–5,800 mAh battery. Analyst estimates currently place pricing at around $2,400.

The device is only expected to include two rear cameras, unlike the TriFold and all of Samsung's book-style foldables. Apple will likely use a wide and an ultra-wide camera, similar to the iPhone 17, while reserving a telephoto camera for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Early information also suggests it will also not be as thin as Samsung's Galaxy Fold 7.

We discuss the importance of rear camera setups on foldables, the rumored price point of Apple's version, and the risk of it falling victim to some of the same pitfalls as the iPhone Air. 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 we talk through the latest rumors about Apple's upcoming iPad mini 8.

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 Kayci Lacob, Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, 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.

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This article, "The MacRumors Show: Galaxy Z TriFold vs. Apple's Foldable iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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