Apple today released watchOS 11.6.2 for the Apple Watch Series 6 through Series 10, Apple Watch SE 2, and Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2.
"This update provides important bug fixes and is recommended for all users," says Apple.
watchOS 11.6.2 will only appear on Apple Watch models that have not already been updated to watchOS 26 or later. There are no specific details available yet beyond Apple's vague release notes, so it is unclear what exactly the update includes.
Update: Apple says watchOS 11.6.2 "addresses a cellular network issue for Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, Series 9, Series 10, SE 2, Ultra, and Ultra 2 when establishing a connection to emergency services in Australia."
Japanese blog Mac Otakara today shared some alleged details about the iPhone 17e and iPad 12, which are both expected to be released within the next few months.
In February 2025, Apple discontinued the iPhone SE and released a new entry-level iPhone 16e. The device features a 6.1-inch OLED display, an A18 chip, Apple Intelligence, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, an Action button, a USB-C port, and more. The iPhone 17e would be the follow-up, spec-bumped model.
According to the report, which cites "reliable sources," the iPhone 17e will have a similar overall design as the iPhone 16e. While some previous rumors indicated that the iPhone 17e would have a Dynamic Island, the report said this information is not true and that the device will continue to have a notch like the iPhone 16e.
The publication expects three key upgrades for the iPhone 17e:
A19 chip: This one is no big surprise, but the iPhone 17e is expected to be powered by Apple's A19 chip, up from the A18 chip in the iPhone 16e. This upgrade will result in faster performance and power efficiency improvements.
C1X modem: Apple says its second-generation C1X modem for 5G and LTE is up to twice as fast as its first-generation C1 modem in the iPhone 16e. Apple also says the C1X is the most power-efficient modem in an iPhone to date.
N1 chip: Like the iPhone Air, the report said the iPhone 17e will be equipped with Apple's N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread. In the iPhone Air, the N1 chip supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and Apple says the chip improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.
As for the iPad 12, the report said that device will likely have a similar design as the iPad 11, but with a newer A18 chip that supports Apple Intelligence. That means the iPad 12 would have 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB in the iPad 11.
A separate report from Macwelt, available in English on Macworld, cites a source who said that Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e with a press release on an unusual date: Thursday, February 19. The publication agreed that the iPhone 17e will not have a Dynamic Island, but they do expect the device to feature MagSafe, as previously rumored.
MagSafe: Unlike the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17e will reportedly feature MagSafe for up to 20W-25W magnetic wireless charging. The iPhone 16e is limited to Qi wireless charging at up to 7.5W speeds. You would also be able to magnetically attach accessories like Apple's MagSafe Wallet to the back of the iPhone 17e.
Macwelt added that the iPhone 17e will still have a single rear camera.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil new products on a Thursday, but anything is possible.
No other major changes have been rumored so far, so the iPhone 17e's overall design and other specs should be similar to the iPhone 16e. In the U.S., the iPhone 16e starts at $599, but there is no word yet on how much the iPhone 17e will cost.
A broad new smartphone test has found that Apple devices lead the industry for battery life, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max ranking as the longest-lasting phone tested and Apple tied as the top overall brand.
CNET this week published the results of a large-scale battery-life comparison based on testing conducted throughout 2025 across 35 smartphones sold in the United States. According to the report, Apple and OnePlus ranked as the two brands with the strongest battery performance overall, based on averaged results from multiple battery benchmarks.
The top-performing individual device in the testing was Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max, which finished first overall despite not having the largest battery capacity among the tested phones. It has a battery capacity of 5,088 mAh, and its extended battery life is largely attributed to silicon efficiency and software optimization.
The iPhone 17 tied for second place alongside the OnePlus 15. The iPhone 17 achieved this ranking despite having the smallest battery capacity among the top-performing phones. The Poco F7 Ultra placed third, while the iPhone 17 Pro placed fourth in the overall rankings.
CNET's methodology included standardized tests using two benchmarks designed to minimize real-world variability. The first involved streaming video over Wi-Fi at full brightness for three hours, while the second was a 45-minute endurance test that included gaming, video streaming, social media scrolling, and a video call. Results from both tests were averaged to determine final rankings.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max again ranked first in the endurance benchmark, followed by the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 16e. The publication noted that Google's Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro Fold also performed well in this specific test, along with Motorola's Razr.
The experiment also compared battery life across smartphone brands by averaging results from companies for which at least three models were tested. Apple and OnePlus ranked first and second respectively in overall brand battery performance. Motorola and Samsung followed in third and fourth place, while Google ranked fifth.
Apple's second-generation HomePod is now over three years old, with no sign of a refresh or third-generation model on the horizon.
The original HomePod was announced at WWDC in 2017 and launched in 2018 after a heavily delayed release. The device was met with mixed reviews; critics praised its outstanding sound quality but pointed out its high price, missing features, and limited functionality compared to rivals.
Apple dropped its price from $349 to $299 in April 2019 and, in March 2021, the company announced that it was discontinuing the first-generation HomePod, instead shifting its focus to the HomePod mini, which launched the previous year. The decision left a gap in Apple's product lineup for a full-sized smart speaker until the company introduced the second-generation model via a press release on January 18, 2023. It launched on February 3, 2023.
The second-generation HomePod looks virtually identical to the original, although it is 0.2 inches shorter and has a larger edge-to-edge LED touchscreen on top. It also boasts a range of upgrades and changes compared to its 2018 predecessor, including the S7 chip, a U1 ultra wideband chip, a removable power cable, a temperature and humidity sensor, and sound recognition. However, it features two fewer microphones and horn-loaded tweeters.
Apple is widely rumored to be planning a wave of new smart home devices, including a home security camera, over the next few years, but it is not clear if the HomePod is part of that. Apple appeared to be exploring a new HomePod with a touchscreen display at the top of the device around 2024, ostensibly proven by leaked prototype images, but there have been no further reports of such a device or any third-generation HomePod for over a year.
Rumors about Apple's plans for the smart home now center on an all-new smart home hub device, which has been described as a HomePod with a square iPad-like 7-inch screen and an A18 chip, with support for the next-generation version of Siri. It is expected to launch this year. A new HomePod mini is also rumored to be released this year.
New M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models are slated to launch in the near future, according to information shared with MacRumors by an Apple Premium Reseller.
The third-party Apple retailer said that MacBook Pro stock is very low currently because there is an imminent new product introduction. Apple typically coordinates supply with retail stores ahead of a new model launch to avoid leaving resellers with too many outdated machines.
Over the weekend, Bloomberg said that the new MacBook Pros are going to launch alongside macOS Tahoe 26.3 during the February/March timeframe, and we are getting closer to the software's release date. Today's Xcode 26.3 release candidate launch also suggests that a debut isn't far off.
It's atypical for Apple to introduce an Xcode release candidate without also providing iOS and macOS release candidates, and we haven't seen the iOS 26.3 or macOS 26.3 RCs yet. Holding back a macOS release candidate is sometimes an indication that the RC contains information that Apple doesn't want to leak. If the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models are going to come out alongside macOS Tahoe 26.3, it's possible that the macOS Tahoe 26.3 RC includes new model identifiers that would give away the upcoming launch.
Apple has most commonly held macOS release candidates for a few days to a week. Prior to when new M3 Macs came out in October 2023, for example, Apple provided the iOS 17.1 and accompanying Xcode release candidate on October 17, but held the macOS 14.1 release candidate. New Macs were introduced on October 23, and then the macOS 14.1 RC came out on October 24. Apple followed the same pattern ahead of the first M1 Macs in November 2020, and the M2Mac mini in October 2022. In each case, Apple held the macOS RC while launching the iOS and Xcode RCs.
What's different in this situation is that we haven't seen the iOS 26.3 RC either, so the hold time is less clear. Apple could debut new MacBook Pro models as soon as tomorrow, then release both RCs. There's also a possibility we have to wait a week or two before new MacBook Pro models come out, especially if the RCs aren't quite ready to go and another beta update is planned.
It's not entirely clear why Apple released the Xcode 26.3 RC now instead of holding it, but it does include agentic coding tools that Apple worked with Anthropic and OpenAI to implement, so Apple may have committed to a specific schedule for the functionality.
All signs suggest that we're going to get the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models soon. Apple already released the standard 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro, but higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch models have yet to be refreshed.
The reseller that spoke to MacRumors also said that HomePod mini supplies are drying up with many models sold out, but there is no official word on whether that's because of supply chain issues or because of an imminent update. HomePod mini stock has been dwindling since October 2025, so stock continuing to be low doesn't give us new information on the HomePod mini 2, unfortunately.
Apple's first MacBook Pro models with OLED displays will launch in the fourth quarter of 2026, according to Korea's The Elec.
Samsung Display will reportedly begin mass production of eighth-generation OLED displays for the device in May. Samsung is planing to ship two million of these displays to Apple by the end of the year. The panel will be sent to Foxconn from the third quarter of 2026 for assembly into the final machines.
Some components for the device are said to still be in development, since Apple has been changing the design of some parts to reduce manufacturing costs. China's BOE is also hoping to supply Apple with OLED displays for the MacBook Pro, but only unit with Samsung displays will be available this'd s year.
The fourth quarter of 2026 runs from October to December. The OLED MacBook Pro is expected to feature 14- and 16-inch display size options, M6-series chips, and the first complete redesign of the device since 2021.
Apple's original Vision Pro spatial computing headset launched two years ago today.
Apple's work on a head-mounted device was the subject of rumors for many years before the Vision Pro's announcement. By the early 2020s, those reports had converged around the idea that Apple was preparing a high-end mixed-reality headset positioned as a new form of general-purpose computer.
Apple finally revealed the Apple Vision Pro in June 2023 during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), marking the company's first major new hardware platform announcement since the Apple Watch. In its initial announcement, Apple described Vision Pro as its first "spatial computer," introducing visionOS, a new operating system designed around three-dimensional app windows controlled by eye tracking, hand gestures, and voice input. The device combined dual micro-OLED displays with a total of roughly 23 million pixels, advanced sensor arrays, and custom silicon, including the M2 chip and a dedicated R1 chip for real-time sensor processing. Apple also announced a starting price of $3,499 in the United States and said the product would launch in early 2024.
The Vision Pro launched in the United States on February 2, 2024. Initial reviews broadly praised the visual quality, eye- and hand-tracking accuracy, and technical ambition of the product, while also noting its high price, physical weight, limited battery life, and a comparatively small library of software designed specifically for spatial computing. Following the launch, Apple gradually expanded Vision Pro availability to additional countries and continued to update visionOS with new features in 2024 and 2025.
The headset was never expected to be mass-market from day one, according to Apple. Even so, enthusiasm reportedly cooled far faster than anticipated. The latest report on the matter was published earlier this month by the Financial Times, claiming that the Vision Pro is still failing to catch on.
Roughly a year and a half after the initial release, Apple introduced an updated Vision Pro model featuring the M5 chip, representing the first hardware revision of the device. The M5 chip enabled 10% more rendered pixels, a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, better responsiveness, and up to an extra hour of battery life. Apple also introduced a counterweighted Dual Knit Band designed to improve comfort.
Reports suggest that there are now no Apple Vision headsets in active development, with the company's focus pivoting decisively to smart glasses. Soon after launch, Apple was believed to have shifted focus to a lower-cost "Vision Air," designed to bring spatial computing to a wider audience through a lighter and cheaper headset, while also planning a redesigned Vision Pro 2 for later in the decade.
By mid-2024, that plan appeared to change and the company's once-ambitious multi-year roadmap for the Vision Pro is said to have unraveled. A report from The Information said Apple had suspended development of the redesigned Vision Pro, redirecting resources toward the cheaper model, which itself later slipped amid cost and design challenges.
Supply-chain reports suggested Apple was winding down production of the first-generation Vision Pro due to weak demand and excess inventory, with the company pivoting to a chip refresh to use up stockpiled components. A year later, Bloomberg reported that Apple also paused work on the lower-cost headset, shifting its focus toward smart glasses, potentially leaving no next-generation headset hardware in active development.
What’s coming for Colombia in 2026? A new president, a return to the world cup and all the usual sports, music and culture are ahead. There’s also plenty of uncertainty for now.
Just like the high mountains, Colombia’s future is clouded in fog
It had seemed that the only big political news of the year would be the election cycle and incoming president. However, all that changed on the first weekend of the year as the US military captured Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and brought him to face charges in New York.
Then at the end of January, the Corte Constitucional blocked president Petro’s economic emergency declaration, plunging the country into another round of uncertainty. While the court deliberates, the country’s businesses will have to wait to see what’s ahead. Meanwhile, minimum salary workers can celebrate their first COP$2,000,000 paychecks.
#LaCorteInforma | La Corte suspende provisionalmente el Decreto 1390 de 2025 “Por el cual se declara el Estado de Emergencia Económica y Social en todo el territorio nacional”, mientras se profiere una decisión de fondo.
February won’t let up as Petro’s off to Washington at the start of the month to meet Donald Trump in what could be a tense meeting. While both sides have cooled their rhetoric, there’s plenty of unpredictability in both camps. This is perhaps best illustrated by Petro having to be granted a 5-day visa just to visit, Trump having cancelled his last one.
It’s anyone’s guess how that might end, with Petro currently blocking the release of coca growing figures and denying the reliability of foreign sources. In the best case scenario, Colombians can hope for no additional tariffs, military guarantees and cooperation and an easing on visas.
This is a year with big events set to dominate after a relatively quiet 2025 still managed to contain plenty of shocks and surprises. As ever, Colombia seems set to live in interesting times. We’ll be here throughout the year to keep you up to speed on what’s going on and why, from entertainment to hard news.
Another big election
Expect Colombians to grumble as they are called up for compulsory vote counting duty. There will be two sets of elections this year, with voting for the Senate and House of Representatives taking place first on the 8th of March. There will also be voting for candidates in blocks on that day.
The election is tighter than the estrecho de Magdalena
After that, it’s the presidential race on the 31st of May with a likely run off between the top two candidates around three weeks later. The last four elections have all featured second rounds and no candidate looks capable of registering more than half the initial vote.
As with many presidential systems, there’s an enormous gap between winners being declared and them arriving in office. Pleasingly, this takes place on national days: the Senators and Representatives won’t arrive until Colombian Independence (20th July) and the president takes over on the anniversary of the Batalla de Boyacá (7th August).
The presidential runners and riders are in a very crowded field right now, but that will thin out until the 13th March, the final deadline for candidacies. The 8th March vote for various lists of candidates is especially important for this. The race remains wide open at the moment, with no clear leader and a very good opportunity for someone to come out of nowhere.
Interestingly, there’s a good chance that Colombia will elect its first ever female and/or LGBTQI president, with Vicky Dávila, Paloma Valencia, Daniel Oviedo and Claudia López all potentially already in the mix or capable of putting together a big surge.
On the loosely defined left, Iván Cepeda is the official candidate for Pacto, having won out in the internal poll. Luis Murillo is also in the hunt, with Roy Barreras and the formerly-discredited Medellín mayor Daniel Quintero as outsiders. Cepeda will absolutely dominate the leftist vote and is very likely to make the second round as a result.
A rally by presidential candidate Iván Cepeda in Neiva, Huila
A host of candidates on the nominal right are standing, with former journalist Dávila and Centro Democrático heavyweight Valencia in the ‘Gran Consulta’ block which defines itself as centrist but would be considered by many to be at least right-leaning.
The wildcards here are Abelardo de la Espriella, a tough on crime former lawyer who led the field in gathering public nominations at over 5 million and serial candidate and former Medellín mayor Sergio Fajardo who narrowly failed to make the second round last time around.
Harder to pin down are candidates such as Claudia López and Juan Daniel Oviedo. They could surprise some people with a strong spring surge, especially if they can channel a dislike of established parties. However, López has baggage from her time as Bogotá mayor and Oviedo is in the ‘Gran Consulta’, meaning he’ll struggle to stay in the race.
Tying up loose ends
Elsewhere in the political landscape are other issues that could do with being resolved before the change in head of state. Paz Total is nowhere near happening, with a number of talks deadlocked or non-existent, the economic emergency is currently frozen and Venezuelan relations remain unclear.
The sun is setting on Petro’s presidency
If the economic emergency goes ahead, there will be increased IVA (VAT or Sales Tax) on a range of things including online gambling, liquor and wine. There will also be a dramatic change in importation limits, with a limit of USD$50 for tax-exempt gifts.
The ELN have asked to get back to the table, perhaps sensing that a possible right-wing government might not be quite so favourably disposed to their antics. Petro himself seems to have lost patience though, dismissing the request out of hand due to their recent attacks on Colombian army members.
Inflation will probably remain high and base interest rates are now in double digits as a result. However, the economy is chugging along decently and consumer spending remains strong. The minimum wage increase will likely help that continue and with a weakening dollar, prices may start to stabilise.
Whatever happens in Venezuela will have a big impact in Colombia. If the country opens up again, it’s entirely possible that some of the three million or so Venezuelans in the country may return. That will ease pressure in the labour market, increase trade flows and please a certain type of politician.
If Delcy Rodríguez stays in office with US support, things may be a lot more complicated. There’s not much love for the Venezuelan regime in Colombian political circles, meaning trade may not take off and there is likely to be limited cooperation on regional matters.
Ecuadorian relations also are heading in a downward spiral, with Noboa and Petro currently engaged in a tit-for-tat trade war and imposing hefty tariffs on each other. That’s choking trade across the border and affecting cooperation on cross-border security issues.
If there is a change in government, there might be more serious attempts to investigate a range of overhanging scandals such as the peculiar case of Laura Sarabia, currently ambassador to the UK and Juliana Guerrero’s and others’ mysterious qualifications.
With six months more in office, Petro has plenty of time to address these scandals or start new ones. Expect his twitter account to get even more heated between March and June as he gets involved in the election. He’s also likely to continue the ministerial merry-go-round which is past 60 changes already.
His approval ratings upon leaving office are likely to be higher than either of his two immediate predecessors. After a sharp post-election fall, he’s stayed consistently relatively popular by Colombian presidential standards and showing an uptick in recent months. For all the mutterings of doom when he came in, he’ll leave office in a relatively good position.
Big issues in Bogotá
Mayor Gálan is halfway through his tenure and has little to show for it so far. He’s managed to keep things ticking over but has not made big changes, nor has much of a legacy as things stand. The Metro was his inheritance and will be inaugurated under the next mayor, so he could do with something big this year. Trouble is, there’s nothing on his books for now.
A long-term boon but short-term disruption
Transport is perhaps the biggest issue, with the Metro still firmly on track. Gálan deserves credit for this, as the project has not been without problems and has endured meddling from the Palacio Nariño. Regiotram to the westerly satellite towns is also still on the way.
On the other hand, there will be even more disruption in the short term thanks to the Metro works, and road quality is awful. Road traffic incidents are stubbornly high, with nearly 500 deaths predicted over 2026.
Prices have been hiked to COP$3,550 on the Transmilenio and SITP for 2026, despite Gálan’s earlier pledge not to do so. The mayor says it’s unavoidable due to the minimum wage rise. Petro has responded by refusing to fund a new fleet of electric buses.
Water rationing was an issue this time last year, but it seems unlikely to return for the short term, thanks to the unseasonal levels of rain we’ve had over the holiday period. An El Niño event is predicted for the year but there’s little sign of it so far.
Crime is nominally coming down, but few believe the official figures. Perceptions of crime remain high and most Bogotanos feel unsafe in the city. It’s not hard to see why – it feels like there are more and more chirretes around and fewer police.
One thing that is always in view is rubbish, with big piles over much of the city. Some of this is from an increase in fly-tipping, some from a faulty collection system struggling to keep up and others from a simple breakdown in civic values.
A succession of Bogotá mayors have avoided the issue after Petro got into hot water in his time in office, but things are coming to a head now. It’s becoming a public health problem with rats frequently seen even in midday as well as a simple blight on the city.
Entertainment
Peso Pluma has pulled out of Festival Estéreo Picnic 2026, but la Tigresa del Oriente has joined, which is probably a win. The best event in Bogotá, and by extension Colombia, remains a top-drawer festival with genuine international heavyweights which is well worth getting tickets for if you’re in town.
With a lineup boasting Tyler, The Creator, The Killers and Deftones, the festival is a viable cultural tourism draw if you’re visiting. Prices are competitive with North American and European fests and experiencing a Latin American festival environment is something most music fans should relish.
FEP2026 is the bigger event, but little sister Cordillera offers a more Latin experience
Balancing FEP2026 is Festival Cordillera 2026 in September, which offers a different attraction: the chance to see what (loosely defined) contemporary Latin music sounds like. The event focuses almost exclusively on Latin talent from across the musical spectrum, giving you the opportunity to explore a soundscape you may not know too much about.
Sadly, those two mega-festivals are helping sound the death knell for Rock al Parque. It hasn’t really recovered post-COVID and has been poorly managed by the alcaldía. Hopefully it can find its feet again, and the offshoots (salsa al parque, rap al parque etc) are all still strong and accessible.
Flying under the radar last year was Colombia’s first ever board games convention, Ludotopia. Given the enormous success of the event, it’s likely to run again. In other boardgaming news, Wingspan will launch an Americas expansion featuring a bevy of local aves, illustrated by Colombian lead designers Ana Maria Martínez and Natalia Rojas.
Filbo from 21 April- 5 May is the nation’s keystone for literary events, accessible and open to all with a strong focus on education as usual. The country of invitation this year is India, a welcome departure from the usual Latin or European focus and sure to open up exciting new possibilities.
Ludotopia was a smash hit in 2025
Geekfest SOFA will be in October, which has turned into an absolute juggernaut of an event. Crowds will be intense in the daytime weekends, so try and make it there on weekdays or in the evenings if you’re going. Comic Con is much quieter but lacks the joyfulness of SOFA, being much more commercial in nature.
Colombian sporting specials in 2026
Colombia have a reasonably straightforward World Cup group and will be aiming high. Head coach Nestor Lorenzo has turned dressing room morale around 180° and taken los cafeteros to a runner’s up spot in the last Copa América.
With Colombia currently ranked 13th by FIFA, they are expected to do well and will be seen as a team to beat. Matching the 2014 run to the quarter-finals will be no easy task, but achievable. Surpassing it would be a real upset but it’s a funny old game and anything could happen. The squad is well built for tournament football, with key players such as James capable of burning bright for a few weeks.
A hotly contested capitalino derby on the way to Santa Fe’s championship
There’s also plenty to keep an eye on in domestic football, with Falcao returning to Millonarios. That didn’t go fantastically well in the 2024 apertura, as city rivals Santa Fe knocked them out and went to lift the trophy. El Tigre didn’t take that well at all, throwing his toys out of the pram in a charged presser after the match. Santa Fe went on to win the Supercup at the start of this year.
After working wonders with Wrexham, Hollywood superstar Ryan Reynolds will be hoping to do similar for Inter de Bogotá. Previously known as La Equidad, the team changed name after being acquired by Reynolds’ investment vehicle. The actor has already donned the jersey and may appear at games in 2026.
In non-traditional sport, Cricket Colombia are celebrating their recent designation as an official sport in the country. They’re getting things kicked off with the Barranquilla Cricket tournament from February 20-22 seeing regional teams from Santa Marta, Bogotá, Cali and Medellín fighting it out to decide national supremacy. Cartagena, Santa Marta and Barranquilla are also hosting a women’s competition as the sport grows in the country.
Egg-chasers are spoilt for choice with Gaelic football in the capital as well as Aussie Rules, American football and rugby across the country. With the Superbowl coming up, if you are inspired, get in touch with the American football leagues across the country.
The Colombian women’s sevens are currently competing in the SVNS championship in Dubai and making a good account of themselves. The Toucans are punching above their weight with limited resources available to them.
AFL in Colombia continues to build momentum, and Gaelic football is becoming a bigger deal as well, with the Bogotá Beithigh practising on a more consistent basis in partnership with Colombia rugby to help build their profile.
What’s most likely to happen in Colombia in 2026?
Well, frankly put, the most likely thing is a big surprise in Colombia in 2026. Unexpected events seem to happen with regularity, so there’s every chance something comes out of leftfield. Plenty of things popped up in 2025 that we hadn’t seen coming this time last year.
The news rolls like the mountains of the macizo colombiano
Having said that, there are some good bets to lay: the economy should continue strengthening and the dollar exchange should ease back in the direction of COP$3,000 (which remains a long way off). There definitely will be a new president, even if it’s a continuity candidate and we will see changes in the Senate.
The big cultural events of 2026 in Colombia look like they’ll all be roaring successes as usual, as the country shows no sign of slowing down.
It’s unlikely that any of the peace processes will come to a conclusion and depressingly likely that they will face more turmoil if certain candidates take over in the Palacio de Nariño. While we can all hope that things will improve in the capital, there’s currently no sign that will happen. On the other hand, steady progress will continue on existing projects.
En fin, it’s likely to be six months of the usual turmoil and drama, culminating in two huge events: May-June’s presidential elections and the fortunes of the footballers in North America at the World Cup in July. Then we’ll face the remainder of the year watching what the president does in his or her first months. Whatever happens, there’ll be plenty going on in Colombia in 2026.
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from February through March," he explained.
macOS 26.3 remains in beta testing, but the update should be coming soon, with a wide release expected in February. Gurman was careful to also mention March, but this seems rather unlikely, unless the macOS 26.3 beta testing cycle drags on longer than expected, or the new MacBook Pro models are tied to macOS 26.3.1 or later.
As of now, we expect the macOS 26.3 Release Candidate to be seeded in the first half of February, so a new MacBook Pro announcement could be just around the corner.
In October, AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic was first to report that MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips were "expected to ship with macOS 26.3," so this rumor has now been shared by multiple sources.
Beyond the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, no major changes are expected for these models.
In late 2026 or in 2027, the MacBook Pro is expected to receive a major redesign, with rumored features including an OLED display with touch capabilities, M6 Pro and M6 Max chips, a thinner design, and built-in cellular connectivity.
Petro’s emergency order has been put on hold while the constitutional court examines its legality further. What does this mean for your pocket and the country’s future?
More money in your pocket?
For the first time in Colombian history, the constitutional court on Thursday overruled a presidential order and temporarily negated Gustavo Petro’s declaration of an economic emergency. He had done that in order to get his budget through, essentially bypassing the need to get it through parliament. That’s now been put on hold.
The decree hasn’t actually been struck down, just paused while the court makes a decision on the constitutionality of the order. This means weeks of uncertainty while they deliberate. The decision was taken 6-2 with two abstentions, meaning that there’s a clear majority in favour of negation at this point.
#LaCorteInforma | La Corte suspende provisionalmente el Decreto 1390 de 2025 “Por el cual se declara el Estado de Emergencia Económica y Social en todo el territorio nacional”, mientras se profiere una decisión de fondo.
Petro’s declaration of economic, social and ecological emergency was known officially as Decreto 1390 of 22 December 2025. No measures deriving from the decree can be implemented yet, although it will stay formally on the books for now, until the final decision is taken on whether it can stand.
Predictably, he’s reacted furiously to the news, saying that the public should decide. He claims it’s a political decision aimed at protecting the establishment and countering his progressive aims. Furthermore, he says that the court has not properly studied the executive’s arguments.
Cuando desde hace décadas la Corte Constitucional prohibió suspender provisionalmente un decreto de emergencia, la actual Corte Constitucional, sin estudiar nuestras razones, decidió hacerlo.
Se trata literalmente de prejuzgar, pero además se hace por dos razones: por que es un…
Even more provocatively, he’s presenting this as a rupture of constitutional order. This should not be taken lightly: he’s essentially arguing for fewer checks and balances on the presidential office. This is a common theme in caudillo politics and one that many in Latin America will recognise.
The large increase in the minimum salary is being dragged into the argument in what appears to be an attempt to win support for the president’s emergency measures. The latter is a dry matter that few take interest in and the former is something that everyone can see and many support.
While there is little to no chance of the minimum salary increase being revoked, it does stir emotions more effectively than a constitutional affair that many take no interest in. He’s also making the argument that this is class war and the working people should not have to bear the cost of the deficit.
His controversial sidekick Armando Benedetti, currently Interior Minister after a string of previous positions has also come out swinging, saying that the court does not have the right to overrule the head of state and that they are protecting the megarich.
No hay derecho. Al suspender provisionalmente la Emergencia Económica se está protegiendo a los megarricos. pic.twitter.com/0UlK6Elzti
While the ruling by the Corte Constitucional is unprecedented, it was not a big shock. Petro was quite clearly playing politics with the decree and is now dealing with the consequences. It was seen in December as an unusual and authoritarian move which had a good chance of being denied. A freeze was always likely, with full rejection absolutely possible.
The court justified its decision by arguing that the financial problems the country has are not exceptional circumstances that demand emergency measures, such as COVID-19 or a natural disaster. Rather, they are structural problems that require a regular solution.
More tellingly, the tribunal noted that the motivation behind the decree was not clearly defined and likely political. It went on to point out formal irregularities and problems with the legal design of the decree.
There had been significant pushback from elected officials to the plan, with 17 departmental governors refusing to implement decree 1474, a follow-on from the economic emergency decree, claiming it was potentially unconstitutional and that this would put them at financial risk if it failed.
This opens serious questions as to the limits on the president’s power, the position of the constitutional court and the viability of future tax reforms. It also sets the clock ticking for a decision, as the Senate and House elections are coming up fast, on March 8th. If this matter is not resolved by the time presidential elections are happening, things will get complicated.
So what does it mean for my pocket?
In the short term, all the planned tax hikes are frozen. That means there likely won’t be price drops, just that some things that were set to rise significantly won’t do so. In fact, as inflation remains high, expect plenty of sticker shock anyway.
Some booze, yesterday
Full-rate IVA (VAT or sales tax) was due to go onto liquor and wine, so it’s good news for rum drinkers, winos and aguardiente fans. Gamblers, too, have a reprieve as there will also be no IVA increase for online betting. Finally, smokers won’t see extra taxes on tobacco consumption.
The planned USD$50 limitation on tax-exempt gifts won’t go into effect, making buying from overseas relatively cost-effective for a while longer.
The wealth tax will stay where it is for now, with the bar remaining at COP$3.6bn and progressive rates not coming into play. However, those in debt with local tax revenue authority DIAN will not see a reduction in either interest payments or penalties for late payment.
Elsewhere in the economy, the bankers have avoided a 15% extra supertax and there will be no new charges levied on natural resource extraction. The latter were in any case only designed to be temporary.
It’s technically possible, but very unlikely, that monies already gathered will be returned. The corte constitucional has traditionally avoided retroactive economic decisions, preferring to rule in favour of protecting the state’s finances. That means some COP$800bn that has been collected will stay in limbo for now but almost certainly be unfrozen whatever happens.
What happens next?
Immediately, political and economic uncertainty, as this is only a temporary suspension to revise the legal position. That means weeks more of companies not knowing where they stand for the medium term and politicians taking the opportunity to grandstand and indulge themselves.
There are two paths from here: either the court decides that the economic emergency declaration was valid, in which case we simply revert to the original measures set out in the decree, or it is struck down and everything is up in the air.
Petro is correct when he points out that this will mean he has to borrow more to finance the running of the state, which will increase the national debt. The deficit also still stands and continues to grow, meaning in turn so does the debt. This is long-term unsustainable.
Somewhere down the line, a Colombian president will have to do something to address the deficit the country has been running for years since the collapse of the natural resource boom. However, Duque’s attempt to reform the tax system was met with massive protests and Petro has fared no better while also increasing spending.
There are no signs that any of the candidates in this year’s election are likely to fare any better. Expect to see plenty of grandiose plans and vague suggestions but little fine detail in any manifestos. Quite simply, running on a platform of promising to increase taxation is a death knoll for any candidate.
All of the measures that could be taken are politically poisonous. Cutting spending is hard to do once people have become accustomed to it, stealth taxes abound and business rates are already high. A more progressive income taxation system would need to involve widening the tax base, which will mean more voters paying tax for the first time.
For many regular folk, just keeping their head above water is already hard enough without extra costs suddenly appearing. They won’t vote for more taxes, or even any taxes, as many are simply not taxed directly. At the same time, without significant natural resources popping up, the only way out of the middle-income trap is tax reform.
There’s also the question of the role played by the constitutional court. While nominally independent, it is supported or decried by all sides of the political spectrum depending on who it’s perceived to favour at any one point. There are already calls to ignore it in the name of the ‘people’s will’, conveniently undefined. Expect those to grow in number.
Where will Colombia go in the short term? Probably nowhere, as kicking the can down the road is still possible for a few years more. It’s likely that state spending will slow down, minor budgetary changes will get through and the country will muddle along.
Having already lost investment grade status after Duque’s botched reform, the country hasn’t much to lose for now. There are also promising economic signs, meaning that strong GDP growth could alleviate the situation considerably. However, the national debt will be hanging like the sword of Damocles over future presidents.
Apple today shared a short film to usher in the Chinese New Year, aka Lunar New Year, which begins February 17 and will be celebrated through March 3.
"A girl, a talking dog, and a meticulously thought out scheme make up this heartwarming tale about finding family," says Apple. "Apple joins forces with director Bai Xue for an imaginative blend of cinematography and stop-motion to usher in Chinese New Year."
A second-generation iPhone Air is "not expected this year," according to a Nikkei Asia report today that cites people familiar with Apple's supply chain.
The report said Apple plans to release an iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone later this year, followed by the base model iPhone 18 in the first half of next year. The report said Apple does have a revamped iPhone Air in the pipeline, but the publication does not expect it to launch until at least 2027.
While one leaker on the Chinese social media platform Weibo has insisted that the iPhone Air will receive a spec bump this year, most reports from sources such as Bloombergand The Information have pointed to an early 2027 launch. If so, the iPhone Air 2 would likely be released alongside the base model iPhone 18.
Last year, The Information reported that Apple was aiming to add a second rear camera to the next iPhone Air. That report added that the next iPhone Air could weigh less, have a larger battery capacity, and gain a vapor chamber cooling system like the iPhone 17 Pro models have. And Bloomberg expects the device to have a 2nm chip.
While several reports indicated that the iPhone Air has been in low demand, the extreme popularity of the iPhone 17 base model and the iPhone 17 Pro models led iPhone revenue to a new all-time high last quarter, according to Apple.
Talks, digital sovereignty, and Community at FOSDEM ’26 in Brussels
On 31 January and 1 February 2026, FOSDEM returns to Brussels. For more than 25 years, FOSDEM has been one of the world’s largest and most respected conferences for free and open source software, bringing together developers, maintainers, public sector practitioners, and open source communities from around the globe.
We are excited to be part of FOSDEM 2026 with two talks and to once again connect with the wider open source ecosystem.
In this fast-paced session, Wieland Lindenthal will walk through the most impactful OpenProject updates of the past year. From powerful portfolio management improvements to long-requested service management features such as internal work package notes, the talk offers a comprehensive overview of where OpenProject is today.
Beyond new features, the session also looks ahead. Wieland will share our long-term technical strategy to bring real-time text collaboration to every corner of the platform. The goal is to enable teams to co-create work packages, meeting notes, and other project management artifacts seamlessly.
A key part of this journey is our work with BlockNote, the rich-text editor already powering applications such as openDesk’s Notes and Mijn Bureau’s Docs. You will learn how we are integrating BlockNote to bridge the gap between quick text sketches and fully-fledged project plans, and how developers can leverage our BlockNote extensions to integrate work and task management into their own platforms.
The talk will also give an outlook on our migration strategy for teams moving from Atlassian Jira Data Center to OpenProject and from Confluence to XWiki, supporting organizations on their path toward open and sovereign collaboration.
Whether you are a user, contributor, or developer, this session invites you to rethink collaboration in open source project management.
As European public sector organizations pursue digital sovereignty, the technical migration from proprietary software to open source solutions is often only half the challenge. Technology is rarely the hardest part. The real complexity lies in changing mindsets, workflows, and institutional culture.
In this talk, Rosanna Sibora shares proven change management strategies drawn from leading IT transformations and guiding public sector clients through transitions from Jira to OpenProject. The focus is on how to build sustainable and resilient digital ecosystems that serve citizens rather than vendors.
Participants will learn how to:
Co-create change through proven leadership best practices
Create ownership for the open source solutions within public sector
Build the business case and frame the open source narrative that resonates with public sector stakeholders and decision-makers
Drive the mindset shift to FOSS
Identify your use cases and foster transition to open source products
Build internal champions who drive adoption across departments
Drawing on real-world public sector experience, this session highlights the human factors that can make or break digital sovereignty initiatives. Whether you are planning your first migration or refining your change management approach, you will leave with actionable frameworks for leading successful transitions to independent and interoperable digital workspaces.
FOSDEM weekends are intense. Talks all day, devrooms to jump between, and hallway conversations that somehow turn into deep discussions about documentation, governance, or that one bug that still exists.
Once the laptops close, we do what open source communities do best. We meet. We talk. We grab a drink.
We are happy to co-sponsor a FOSDEM community meetup:
On Friday, 31 January 2026, we invite you to an informal open source meetup in Brussels together with our friends from XWiki, Nextcloud, and Passbolt.
No talks. No slides. Just people.
When and where:
Date: Saturday, 31 January 2026
Time: From 20:00 until late
Location: Scott’s Bar & Kitchen, Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères 2, 1000 Brussels
FOSDEM is about connections. We are also having quite a few remote open source jobs in our luggage. If you want to contribute to a thriving open source project and foster Europe’s digital sovereignty, let’s talk.
Apple plans to release new MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Studio Display models in the first half of this year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman added that redesigned MacBook Pro models with an OLED touch screen "should be hitting toward the end of 2026," meaning that the MacBook Pro line would be upgraded twice this year.
First up will be MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which should be coming soon. Then, the MacBook Pro is expected to receive a major redesign in late 2026 (but 2027 is still not fully ruled out), with rumored features including an OLED touch screen, a Dynamic Island, M6 Pro and M6 Max chips, a thinner design, and built-in cellular connectivity.
Apple updated the MacBook Pro twice in one year in the past, with the M2 Pro and M2 Max models debuting in January 2023 and the M3 Pro and M3 Max models following in October 2023, so there is precedent for such a thing.
Apple's Creator Studio bundle of apps launches on Wednesday, January 28, and it has been speculated that Apple might use the opportunity to unveil the MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips this week.
As for the MacBook Air, it is expected to get the M5 chip, while the Mac Studio should get higher-end M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips.
Apple also plans to release a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip and an updated Mac mini at some point this year, according to Gurman. The lower-cost MacBook is expected to be powered by a version of the iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro chip.
We have released version 2.11.0 of the OpenProject integration app for Nextcloud! ✨ This update brings several usability improvements and fixes to make your project collaboration experience even smoother.
We recommend updating to the latest version via your Nextcloud app center to benefit from the newest enhancements.
Changes of the release 2.11.0:
Simplified warning message for OIDC identification
Improved work package creation process
Clearer messaging in the select field during work package creation
Smoother UI in the “Create work package” modal (stable Subject field behavior)
Thanks to Nextcloud for the continued partnership!
Teams collaborate on ideas, strategies, and texts every day, but when this happens outside the project tool, context gets lost and coordination takes more time than necessary. With OpenProject 17.0, real-time collaboration is now built directly into the Documents module (Cloud and Containerized installations) — but only if the module is activated in your project.
In this article, you will learn why enabling the Documents module is worth it, how live collaboration works in OpenProject, and how to get started in just a few minutes.
Get started with live collaboration
Enabling the Documents module is a small step that can have an immediate impact on how your project team collaborates. Instead of using separate tools or exchanging document versions, teams can create and edit documents together directly in OpenProject.
Typical use cases include:
Brainstorming ideas together in real time.
Aligning on strategies, concepts, or project goals.
Drafting guidelines, proposals, or internal documentation.
Collecting input and feedback from multiple stakeholders.
Important
Real-time documents collaboration is available starting with version 17.0 and is automatically enabled for Containerized and Cloud-hosted installations. Packaged installations (DEB/RPM) require additional manual setup. Please see our system administration guide for more details.
Watch this video to understand how to benefit from OpenProject Documents with live collaboration:
How to use the OpenProject Documents module for real-time editing
Imagine a marketing team that wants to align on its strategy for the year. Several people need to contribute ideas, refine wording, and agree on priorities — ideally without exchanging files or switching between tools. The Meetings module helps collect ideas and align on topics in a structured way, but sometimes teams simply need a shared document to brainstorm collaboratively, without organizing everything as a meeting.
With the Documents module enabled, the team can create a shared document in their project and start working on it together in real time. Everyone sees changes instantly, comments can be addressed on the spot, and the document evolves collaboratively instead of through multiple versions.
Below is a simple example of how project admins can get started and introduce live collaboration in just a few steps.
1. Activate the Documents module in your project
As a project admin, open the project settings and activate the Documents module. This is the only required step to make live collaboration available to your project members. Once activated, all users with the appropriate permissions can create and edit documents together in real time.
2. Create types to structure your documents
To keep documents organized, you can define document types such as Strategy, Concepts, or Internal documentation. This is especially helpful when multiple teams or topics are involved. Types make it easier for project members to find and reuse documents later on and can be adjusted as your project grows.
3. Create your first document
Create a new document and give it a clear title, for example Marketing strategy 2026. The document opens directly in the editor, and changes are saved automatically while you work. From this point on, multiple users can edit the document at the same time without any additional setup.
4. Share the document with your team
Simply share the document link with your project members. Everyone with access to the project can open the document and start contributing immediately. No separate invitations or external sharing settings are required — project permissions apply automatically.
5. Explore the editor and link work packages in the text
Use the editor to structure your content, add lists or headings, and reference relevant work packages directly in the document text. This helps connect ideas and decisions with the tasks they relate to. For more advanced editing options, you can learn more about the underlying editor technology in the BlockNote documentation.
Tip
Use the news module to spread the word and encourage project members to try out live collaboration in Documents as well.
Activate live collaboration in your team
You are already taking the time to read about live collaboration — enabling the Documents module in your project takes less than a minute. Activate the Documents module, create a first document, and invite your team to work on it together.
If you are looking for more details on specific settings or permissions, our documentation is the best place to start. The User Guide explains how to work with documents, while the System admin guide covers technical setup and configuration options.
OpenProject 17.0 has been released and introduces several major improvements across the platform. In this article, we highlight the most important changes and what they mean for your daily work.
As this is a major release with many updates, we focus on the key highlights here. For a complete overview of all features, changes, and bug fixes, please see our release notes.
Project ideas, decisions, and agreements are often formed together. At the same time, they tend to be spread across different tools and files. This makes it harder to keep context, align as a team, and connect written content to actual project work.
With OpenProject 17.0, teams can collaborate on documents in real time, directly in OpenProject. What does that mean? – Multiple users can edit a document at the same time and see each other’s changes instantly. This helps teams develop ideas together, align on content, and keep everything centrally available.
That central approach works especially well because most documents are closely connected to your tasks and projects. You can reference milestones and link work packages, making it easier to move from a shared text draft to an actionable project plan. This is especially useful for project-related documents such as concepts, contracts, specifications, or planning documents, where collaboration and traceability matter.
Good to know: The redesigned Documents module is built on BlockNote, a modern, open source text editor that is also used in other European open source projects such as LaSuite and openDesk. This creates a strong foundation for future collaboration features across OpenProject.
Important
Real-time collaboration in Documents is available out of the box for all plans using OpenProject Cloud or on-premises installations with Docker Compose, Kubernetes, or Helm. For package-based installations, real-time communication needs to be set up separately. Also relevant for on-premises installations using packages: The package source has been changed to packages.openproject.com.
If you want to learn more about the design decisions, technical background, and what’s planned next, read this blog article.
Better meetings, less overhead: Draft and presentation modes, outcomes, and iCal
Meetings are essential for coordination and decision-making — but preparing agendas, guiding discussions, and documenting results often require extra manual effort. This can make meetings feel fragmented and outcomes hard to follow up on.
With draft mode, agendas can be created and refined collaboratively without notifying participants too early. This allows moderators to align internally before opening the meeting and sharing it with the full group.
Running a meeting: Presentation mode
Once the meeting starts, keeping discussions focused can be challenging. Presentation mode helps moderators guide participants through the agenda step by step, making it easier to stay on topic and ensure that all items are addressed in order.
Documenting results: Multiple outcomes
Capturing results is just as important as running the meeting itself. Meetings can now include multiple text-based outcomes, making it easier to document decisions, agreements, or next steps directly where they belong. These outcomes remain part of the meeting documentation and can be reviewed later.
Staying informed: iCal subscription
To support follow-up and planning, meetings can also be subscribed to via iCal, allowing participants to stay informed about schedules and updates in their personal calendar tools.
Together, these improvements help teams run meetings more efficiently, keep discussions structured, and ensure that results are clearly documented and accessible.
Structure projects consistently: Redesigned project home and improved template selection
Creating projects in a consistent way is essential, especially for organizations working with defined project standards such as PM² or PMflex. In practice, project information is often spread across different views, and project setup can be error-prone, particularly for non-technical administrators.
OpenProject 17.0 introduces a redesigned project home, now split into two dedicated tabs. This makes it easier to distinguish between high-level project information and operational details and helps teams understand a project’s structure at a glance. Please note that in addition to the redesign, the project overview page has been renamed to project home.
Project creation has also been improved. A clearer template selection guides users through the setup process and helps avoid common mistakes, even when projects are created by users without deep technical knowledge.
Note
These improvements lay the foundation for a planned multi-step project creation wizard in one of the next releases. The upcoming wizard aims to support the creation and processing of PM² / PMflex artifacts in a guided and user-friendly way. We plan to publish a preview article about this feature on our blog soon.
Manage projects at a strategic level: Programs and portfolios (Enterprise add-on)
As organizations grow, managing projects individually is often no longer enough. Strategic goals, dependencies, and priorities need to be visible across multiple projects — not just within them.
With programs and portfolios, OpenProject 17.0 helps organizations structure projects at a higher level. Related projects can be grouped into programs and portfolios to provide an overview of all ongoing initiatives. This makes it easier to align work with strategic goals, track progress across projects, and support informed decision-making.
This is particularly helpful for organizations working with PM² or PMflex, where projects are embedded in a broader strategic context and need to be managed consistently across portfolios and programs. PMOs, management teams, and public sector organizations benefit from increased transparency without adding complexity to day-to-day project work.
More control when connecting SharePoint: Updated SharePoint integration (Enterprise add-on)
Sharing and collaborating on documents across systems is common in many organizations — but it also raises questions around access control and data protection. Especially in regulated environments, it is important to clearly define who can see and edit which content.
With OpenProject 17.0, the existing SharePoint/OneDrive integration has been split into two separate integrations. This allows for more restrictive and clearer permission handling when connecting SharePoint content to OpenProject.
The updated SharePoint and OneDrive integrations are available as Enterprise add-ons in the Professional plan, just like before version 17.0. See our system admin guide to learn more about the SharePoint integration and now separate OneDrive integration for OpenProject.
Other great improvements
OpenProject 17.0 is a packed release. To keep this article concise, here is a quick look at some additional improvements worth highlighting:
You will find more information about all new features and changes in our Release notes or in the OpenProject Documentation.
If you need support, you can post your questions in the Community Forum, or if you are eligible for Enterprise support, please contact us and we will be happy to support you personally.
New to OpenProject? To test all features of OpenProject 17.0 right away, create a 14 days free trial instance for our OpenProject Enterprise cloud.
Prefer to run OpenProject 17.0 in your own infrastructure? Here you can find the Installation guidelines for OpenProject.
A very special thank you goes to Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, City of Cologne, Deutsche Bahn and ZenDiS for sponsoring released or upcoming features. Your support, alongside the efforts of our amazing Community, helps drive these innovations. Also a big thanks to our Community members for reporting bugs and helping us identify and provide fixes. Special thanks for reporting and finding bugs go to Alexander Aleschenko, Stefan Weiberg, and Markus Preisinger.
Last but not least, we are very grateful for our very engaged translation contributors on Crowdin, who translated quite a few OpenProject strings! This release we would like to particularly thank the following users:
stenberg.thomas, for a great number of translations into Swedish.
Sharmin, for a great number of translations into Persian.
Would you like to help out with translations yourself? Then take a look at our translation guide and find out exactly how you can contribute. It is very much appreciated!
As always, we welcome any feedback on this release.
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.
Electronic jamming and missiles are two of the risks identified by US regulators.
Latam airlines suspended its Bogota´- Caracas route this week after FAA advice. Photo: CD Dobelli
Major airlines cancelled flights from Bogotá to Caracas this week after US regulators warned of “heightened military activity” around Venezuela.
Avianca and LATAM suspended flights through Venezuelan airspace, along with at least five other airlines, as a response to a Federal Aviation Authority NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) that reported “Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference” around Maiquetía “Simón Bolívar” International Airport, which serves nearby Caracas.
The warnings were linked to military exercises under way in Venezuela, a response to threats from US forces massing in the Caribbean and aerial attacks on suspect drug boats, some originating from Venezuelan waters.
Colombia’s own airline regulator, Aeronáutica Civil de Colombia, repeated the FAA’s warning but said that air operators in Colombia could take “autonomous decisions” over flights to Venezuela.
On Monday several airlines were continuing direct flights from Bogotá, such as Wingo, Avior (a Venezuelan airline) and Satena (a commercial airline linked to the Colombian Ministry of Defense). Copa offered connections via Panama.
Mobile missiles
The list of airlines suspending flights continued to grow on Monday night with TAP, Turkish Airlines, Iberia and GOL being joined by Air Europa and Plus Ultra.
This came despite pushback from Venezuela’s Instituto Nacional deAeronáutica Civil (INAC) which threatened to punish airlines for following the FAA’s recommendations. According to a report in Aviation Online, airlines avoiding Caracas could in the long term lose access to the country’s airspace.
INAC also issued an ultimatum for airlines suspending flights “to resume services within a 48-hour period” or risk losing their landing permits.
Meanwhile the US FAA issued a more detailed FAA backgrounder clarifying that Venezuela had “at no point expressed an intent to target civil aviation”.
Portable Russian anti-aircraft missile similar to those used in Venezuela. Photo: André Gustavo Stumpf
It did, however, seem concerned that the current context could trigger an air accident.
Venezuela, it said, had mobilized “thousands of military and reserve forces” with access to shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missiles, or MANPADs (man-portable air defense systems), capable of downing low-altitude aircraft.
This followed comments by Maduro last month that his military were in possession of Russian-made Igla-S missiles “with no fewer than 5,000 of them in key anti-aircraft defense positions to guarantee peace, stability, and tranquility”.
Jammers and spoofers
The more immediate risk was to electronic systems, said the FAA documents, with several civil aircraft recently reporting interference while transiting Venezuela, in some cases causing “lingering effects throughout the night”.
“GNSS jammers and spoofers can affect aircraft out to 250 nautical miles [450 kilometres] and can impact a wide variety of critical communication, navigation, surveillance, and safety equipment on aircraft.”
The FAA said it would “continue to monitor the risk environment for US civil aviation operating in the region and make adjustments, as appropriate, to safeguard U.S. civil aviation”.
In fact, the US airlines stopped all direct commercial and cargo flights into Venezuela as part of an order issued in 2019, related to sanctions against the Maduro regime, widely seen as illegitimate, with the US State Department offering a bounty of US$50 million “for information leading to the arrest and / or conviction” .
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has a US$50 million bounty on his head. Photo: Steve Hide
Open to talks
Commentators on US – Venezuelan relations this week said that FAA announcement was not necessarily a sign of imminent US military action. Former Associated Press analyst Dan Perry told News Nation that the FAA warning was “a message that they [the FAA] expected the country to become unstable”, but did not point to a ground invasion.
For most observers, the NOTAM was a continuation of the maximum pressure strategy pursued by Washington against the Maduro regime, including a recent decision to declare the Cártel de los Soles — a disconnected group of corrupt military officers who facilitate drug shipments — as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Last week Maduro said he was open to talks with Washington, according to AP News, though US President Trump underscored that military action was “still on the table”.
In recent months the US has sent eight navy ships, a submarine, an aircraft carrier and 10,000 service members to the Caribbean. And since August, US firepower has killed at least 83 people in aerial attacks on speedboats suspected of running drugs; for anyone arriving in Venezuela, air is still safer than sea.
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