Rumors from Apple’s next big iPhone event, which might include an iPhone 11 Pro, new Apple Watch ceramic and titanium models, an update to the cheaper iPhone XR, and more.
Some code spotted in a recent Apple Music beta for Android includes messages referring to “Premium Access” and a “skip limit.” That suggests a free or low-cost plan is in the works. Right now, Apple Music is an all-or-nothing affair after retiring the Voice Plan in 2023.
Sonny Dickson is back with what’s purported to be one of those non-working, physically accurate replicas used by accessory makers ahead of launch. The folding Galaxy’s passport-like design is set to take on Huawei’s Pura X Max and Apple’s long-rumored foldable iPhone later this year.
According to Mark Gurman, the next version of iOS will have native support for third-party casting services to satisfy the requirements of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. Users will be able to set AirPlay, Google, or something else as the default for beaming audio and video from their iPhones.
At Bloomberg, Mark Gurman has more AI-related rumors ahead of WWDC, saying that, along with a reworked version of Siri, Apple plans to build Grammarly-like grammar checking and suggestions into the next iPhone and iPad updates (hopefully, without using our AI slopplegangers for an “expert review”).
Other changes include a Shortcuts upgrade that builds automations based on whatever requests you describe, and an AI wallpaper generator similar to what Samsung and Google already offer.
If you’re hoping Apple will reverse course, hate to break it to you: it ain’t happening. That said, the company could address some of its most glaring issues, including transparency and shadows that make text-heavy areas harder to read on desktop. According to Mark Gurman:
Liquid Glass itself isn’t going away, as I’ve said before. It’s simply being refined. I also expect iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to include a range of interface tweaks, though nothing will be too dramatic. The goal is more of a cleanup and refinement effort aligned with the company’s wider push to polish its software this year.
Apple has supposedly been working on a folding tablet since at least 2023. The rumored release has slipped from 2024, to 2026, to 2028, to 2029, and now, according to Mark Gurman, it might not happen at all. While it was a priority for incoming CEO John Ternus, its future is now in doubt:
Foldable iPad: Apple has been working on a roughly 20-inch foldable iPad. This device has been a Ternus priority but may end up being a wacky experiment that doesn’t see the light of day, according to several people who have worked on it.
Apple added an OLED display to the iPad Pro in 2024, and Apple Insider points out this ET News report suggesting the Air could be next, in the first half of 2027. A rumor last year from Bloomberg, however, suggested it would come after an OLED iPad Mini upgrade in 2026.
[Apple Insider]
The next big product category Apple is supposedly tackling is display-free smart glasses to rival Meta’s. But the design has yet to be locked in, according to Cupertino whisperer Mark Gurman. The company might launch some or all four of the designs under consideration:
A large rectangular frame, reminiscent of Ray-Ban Wayfarers
A slimmer rectangular design, similar to the glasses worn by Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook
Larger oval or circular frames
A smaller, more refined oval or circular option
We knew Apple would let people hook Siri into the chatbot of their choice. But the latest installment of Mark Gurman’s Power On hints at something bigger. The company is “opening Siri and Apple Intelligence to third-party services.” Extensions will have a dedicated App Store section, making it hard to believe Apple will stop at just a couple of chatbots.
A cornerstone of this strategy is the upcoming iOS 27 Extensions feature, which will let users install third-party AI chatbots beyond ChatGPT and run them inside Siri. This feature will have its own dedicated App Store section, effectively creating an AI App Store. It will be a marketplace of sorts for third-party AI integrations.
MacBook will get more touch-friendly before 2026 is out, and there’s supposedly a foldable 18-inch iPad in the works, but Apple has no intention of merging the two product lines anytime soon. Execs have remained steadfast in their dedication to keeping the two things separate. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman:
The company argues that it produces better devices by separating the categories, but there’s also a business consideration. Internally, executives believe that a hybrid plan would hurt sales. Apple generates roughly $30 billion annually from each category, adding up to $61.7 billion last year. That’s a hugely material slice of its overall business.
Rumors of an Apple product launch event next week look confirmed, now that Tim Cook is posting about a “big week ahead,” with a short video clip of someone swiping around Apple’s logo. So, new MacBook Pros, probably some new iPads, and maybe the rumored iPhone 17e?
We’ll find out soon.
Mark Gurman says in the latest edition of the Power On newsletter that the slightly spec-bumped MacBook Pros (not the touchscreen OLED models) should launch as part of the macOS 26.3 release cycle. That means he expects them to hit shelves before the end of March.
All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips. 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. Another sign that an upgrade is coming: Supply of the current high-end MacBook Pro models has tightened significantly in Apple’s online store.
It’s unclear if Jon Prosser — Apple rumor monger and target of that Cupertino lawsuit — has his own sources, or is just regurgitating as fact reporting already done by the likes of Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo. Nevertheless, this video is a good summary of where rumors of the foldable iPhone have coalesced, less than a year before its supposed release.
After a string of exec departures from Apple, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported a few days ago that Srouji, who oversees the chips that have helped iPhones, Macs, and other devices lead their categories, had discussed leaving for another company.
Today, Gurman reports the exec sought to calm employees, sending a message to his division that said “I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”
Last week, rumors started flying that Tim Cook might step down as CEO next year and be replaced by John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering. Well, Bloomberg’s Marc Gurman says, not so fast. He claims those reports are simply false, and that while the company is certainly planning for Cook’s eventual retirement, it’s unlikely to happen in 2026.
Gurman:
Yes, Apple will eventually have a new leader. And, yes, it’s probably Ternus. But unless there is some unexpected event that forces Cook to step down sooner than planned, that moment is not at hand.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company doesn’t see the high-end desktop as a key part of its lineup. It hasn’t been updated with any regularity since 2013, moving to Apple silicon belatedly in 2023 with the M2 Ultra. Over two years later, it remains unchanged. Gurman says not to expect a significant update in 2026 either, with the M4 Ultra chip and its corresponding Mac Pro model being cancelled.
Apple has largely written off the Mac Pro. The sentiment internally is that the Mac Studio now represents both the present and future of Apple’s professional desktop strategy.
Don’t expect a foldable iPad to quickly follow Apple’s lightly refreshed M5 iPad Pro, as the project is reportedly delayed, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
His sources indicate that, unlike the rumored foldable iPhone, the $3k Mac-like tablet is tied up in development issues, around its weight, features, and OLED display.
