MacRumors

Apple is planning to launch a "Liquid Silicone" line of cases for iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a hit-or-miss leaker known as "Majin Bu."

In a blog post today, the leaker shared images of the alleged cases, with some having a ripple effect on the back near the MagSafe charging area. The cases also have multiple cutouts for attaching a lanyard, which may be sold separately.

iOS 26 has a new Liquid Glass design. The leaker said the "Liquid Silicone" cases will have a "Liquid Glass effect" of some kind, but it is not entirely clear what that means.

AirPods Pro 2 charging cases also have a cutout for attaching a lanyard, and the iPod touch once had a built-in mechanism for attaching a lanyard.

The cases are described as "official samples," but we are not entirely convinced that they are actually designed by Apple. Some of the cases shown look rather bulky and low quality, so some skepticism is absolutely warranted here.

Sketchy rumors about iPhone cases are nothing new, and sometimes they do turn out to be at least partially true. There was some skepticism about the "FineWoven" name when it first leaked a few years ago, and the name ended up being real, so we are reporting on the "Liquid Silicone" name just in case that name happens to be the real deal.

"Majin Bu" has a mixed track record with Apple rumors. They were most recently accurate about iPadOS 26 adding a Mac-like menu bar to iPads.

Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series and cases in just over a month from now, so we will not have to wait much longer for official details.

Amazon and Best Buy are both discounting Apple's 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro to record low prices this week, offering $300 off select models of the computer. In this article we're focusing on the 10-core configurations of the computer, but you'll also find sales on other M4 MacBook Pros at both retailers.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Starting with the 10-core 16GB RAM/512GB 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro, you can get this model for $1,299.00 [Amazon/Best Buy], down from $1,599.00. This is the entry-level model of the M4 MacBook Pro, and it's never dropped below this price.

You can also get both 1TB 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro on sale this week. The 10-core 16GB RAM/1TB model is available for $1,499.00 [Amazon/Best Buy] and the 10-core 24GB RAM/1TB model is available for $1,699.00 [Amazon/Best Buy]. Both of these are also $300 discounts and record low prices on each computer.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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President Trump will today announce that Apple will invest an additional $100 billion to support manufacturing in the United States (via Bloomberg).

The announcement is reportedly set to include a new manufacturing program to bring more of Apple's supply chain into the U.S. Apple CEO Tim Cook will appear alongside the President later today.

Apple has already announced $500 billion for US manufacturing over the next four years, including a new server manufacturing plant in Houston, a supplier academy in Michigan, and additional spending with domestic suppliers. Today's $100 billion takes Apple's total commitment to $600 billion.

The Trump administration has had a contentious relationship with Apple, threatening 25% tariffs on the company if it failed to move iPhone manufacturing to the United States. The latest announcement appears to be a detente in the relationship between the administration and the company.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Recent reports have suggested Apple is actively considering bringing cellular connectivity to the Mac lineup as early as next year, but arch rival Microsoft isn't waiting around to find out – the company is launching its first 5G-enabled Surface laptop this month.

The Surface Laptop 5G is part of Microsoft's Copilot+ PC lineup aimed at business customers, featuring a 13.8-inch display and Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processors. Microsoft says it has six "strategically placed antennas" that allow it to automatically adjust signal paths and power based on usage. The device includes both Nano SIM and eSIM options, and can also function as a hotspot for other devices.

Starting at $1,700, Microsoft says it will begin shipping its first 5G-enabled Surface laptop on August 26 with support for over 100 carriers worldwide – though its small print notes that 5G will be available "later in 2025."

The Surface Laptop's 5G capabilities come as Apple has begun deploying its custom-built C1 modem chip in some devices. The company introduced a sub-6GHz version of its 5G modem in the iPhone 16e earlier this year and is expected to include it in the upcoming iPhone 17 "Air," which will be unveiled next month.

According to a December report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is "investigating" the possibility of adding a second-generation C2 modem to a future Mac as early as 2026. According to Gurman, Apple's next-generation C2 modem will support faster mmWave technology and is expected to arrive in 2026, debuting in Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models – with inclusion in a Mac potentially shortly after.

Apple has played with the idea of a cellular MacBook for years now. Back in 2007, the company developed MacBook Pro prototypes with integrated 3G connectivity, including a SIM card slot and an extendable cellular antenna along the right side of the lid. Despite these early experiments, Apple never released a MacBook with built-in cellular capabilities. Here's hoping 2026 will be the year it happens.

Steam will stop supporting macOS 11 Big Sur on October 15, 2025, according to Valve, requiring Mac users to upgrade to macOS Monterey or later to continue accessing the gaming platform.

The reason Steam will soon stop working on Big Sur is due to the client's reliance on an embedded version of Google Chrome, which no longer functions on older macOS versions. Future Steam updates will also require security features only available in macOS 12 and above.

Apple also discontinued security updates for Big Sur in 2023, and that's left legacy systems vulnerable to malware that could compromise Steam accounts and game performance. Valve is strongly recommending affected Mac users upgrade before the October deadline.

The announcement comes amid Steam's transition to a native Apple silicon client following Apple's stated plan to phase out Rosetta 2. Valve released the first native beta shortly after WWDC in June, signalling its dedication to continue to support Mac gaming. Testers have generally reported dramatically faster launch times and smoother navigation through the Store and Library.

Not that if you're still running Big Sur, you won't be able to launch Steam or any purchased games after the cutoff date.

Keeping track of missed calls can be challenging if you're juggling several tasks during the day. Thankfully, iOS 26 introduces a streamlined way to set callback reminders directly from the Phone app, making it less likely that you'll forget to return important calls.

Set a Callback Reminder for a Missed Call

When iOS 26 launches this fall (or if you're already on the beta), you'll be able to create callback reminders in the following way:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap the Calls tab, then scroll down to Recents.
3. Swipe left across a missed call, then tap the blue clock icon.
4. Choose one of the following: Remind Me in 1 hour, Remind Me Tonight, Remind Me Tomorrow, Remind Me Later...

That's all there is to it. If you choose Remind Me Later..., you'll see a New Reminder interface where you can customize the reminder's time and date, and also choose which Reminders list it should be added to. The callback reminder will appear in your Reminders app with the contact's name, phone number, and any notes you added.

Managing Call Reminders

All call reminders appear automatically in the Reminders app. You can view, edit, or mark these reminders as complete just like any other reminder. To quickly call someone back from a reminder notification, simply tap the alert and then tap the phone icon in the reminder details.

Note that iOS 26 is currently in beta testing and will be released this fall alongside Apple's new iPhone 17 models, and the exact interface and options may vary slightly in the final release.

Apple is no longer signing iOS 18.5, which means iPhone users who have upgraded to iOS 18.6 can no longer downgrade to the prior version of iOS. iOS 18.6 was released a little over a week ago.

"Signing" is a server-side verification check that Apple does when a new version of iOS is downloaded on an ‌iPhone‌. An update can't be downloaded and installed unless it passes the verification check, and the unsigning process prevents customers from installing outdated versions of iOS that are less secure.

Apple usually stops signing older software about a week after releasing an update, and doing so ensures that customers have the latest security improvements and are not vulnerable to known attacks.

iOS 18.6 was focused on security updates, and it addressed more than 20 vulnerabilities.

Apple seeded the fifth developer beta of iOS 26 today, and while the number of significant changes has dropped, there are quite a few smaller tweaks. Apple is continuing to refine button placement, animations, and design in preparation for launching ‌iOS 26‌ in September.

Camera

Apple added a toggle in the Camera app to allow users to toggle on Classic Mode, a setting that reverses the scroll direction when you swap from mode to mode.

Mail

There is now a dedicated Select button in the Mail app, instead of the button being tucked away inside of the "..." menu.

AirDrop Icon

There is a new AirDrop icon in the Share Sheet.

Lock Screen

There is an animation when entering your passcode on the Lock Screen, with the numbers jumping in to place. There's also a new animation when locking the iPhone when playing music.

Control Center

There's a new bouncy animation when swiping through Control Center pages.

Control Center Wi-Fi

The Wi-Fi button in Control Center now shows whether a Wi-Fi network is private or public when long pressing on the Wi-Fi icon. If a Wi-Fi network is password protected, it has a lock next to the Wi-Fi symbol.

Traveling Features

Apple is adding a predictive Siri feature that can determine when you are about to travel, showing suggestions for cellular connectivity while you are out of your home country.

Wallet

In the Wallet app, the "Payments" button for Apple Card is now labeled "Preauthorized Payments" to make it more clear what the button is for.

Splash Screens

There are ‌iOS 26‌ Splash Screens for more apps, giving people a preview of what's new.

Battery

There is a Dynamic Island low battery warning when the battery hits 20 percent on an ‌iPhone‌.

Dock

The Liquid Glass surrounding the Home Screen dock is wider

Fitness

There is a new icon for Fitness+ in the Fitness app.

Read More

We have additional info on all of the new features in ‌iOS 26‌ in our roundup.

Apple today seeded a surprise release candidate version of macOS Sequoia 15.7, an update that will follow the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.6 update from last week.

Developers can opt-in to the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app.

According to Apple's release notes, the update includes security fixes.

This update provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users.

Given the rapid escalation to release candidate status, ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.7 likely addresses a critical security bug. We'll likely see it released in the next few days.

Apple has been updating some classic Mac icons during the macOS Tahoe beta, upsetting some longtime Mac users who prefer the original look. In beta 5, Apple changed the design of the built-in Mac storage icon, which you'll notice if you have it on your desktop.

The existing icon still resembled a hard disk drive, but the new icon looks like a modern solid state drive. Apple's Macs stopped using hard disk drives starting more than a decade ago. The low-cost 21.5-inch iMac was the last Mac that had a hard drive component, as it used Apple's SSD + HDD Fusion Drive. All current Macs use SSDs.

If you don't want to see the new icon, you can hide Macintosh HD from view entirely. To do so, open up the Finder app's settings and click the check mark next to "Hard disks."

Apple also updated Disk Utility and the Finder icon in earlier betas. With the Finder icon, Apple initially reversed the color scheme with the light shade on the left and the dark on the right, but the uproar was so significant that Apple had to return it to the classic color arrangement.

Apple today released a firmware update for the 25W MagSafe Charger that is compatible with the iPhone 12 and later and the latest AirPods. The new firmware is version 2A168, up from the 2A146 firmware that came out last year. In the Settings app, the new firmware is version 148, up from 136.

Apple introduced the 2024 ‌MagSafe‌ charger alongside the iPhone 16 models back in September, and it is able to charge them at up to 25W. For the ‌iPhone‌ 12 models to the iPhone 15 models, charging is capped at 15W. Apple replaced all of its ‌MagSafe‌ chargers with the new model, and now only sells the 2024 version.

Firmware updates are released quietly over the air, and Apple does not provide release notes. We don't know what new features or bug fixes might be included in the software.

There is no clear method for updating a ‌‌MagSafe‌‌ charger's firmware, but it needs to be plugged in and connected to an Apple device for a firmware update to initiate. You can check your ‌‌MagSafe‌‌ Charger's firmware by following the instructions in our MagSafe Charger how to.

The latest iOS 26 beta includes imagery that confirms Apple's work on a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra, which is set to come out this fall. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris found an Apple Watch image with a resolution that does not correspond to any current Apple Watch models.

The image suggests that the upcoming Apple Watch Ultra 3 could have a slightly larger display size, with a display resolution of 422 x 514. The current Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a 410 x 502 resolution.

We haven't heard rumors of an increase in casing size, but the Apple Watch Ultra 3 could be the same size as the current version with slimmed down bezels that allow for a larger display area.

Apple is expected to unveil the Apple Watch Ultra 3 in just over a month, alongside new iPhone 17 models and the Series 11 Apple Watch models.

Rumors suggest that the Ultra 3 will also feature satellite connectivity for off grid communication, a brighter display with a faster refresh rate, a new chip, and any health features that are coming such as blood pressure monitoring.

Apple today provided developers with the fifth betas of iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 for testing purposes, with the updates coming a week after Apple seeded the fourth betas

Registered developers can download the new beta software using the Software Update section of the Settings app.

‌iOS 26‌ and ‌iPadOS 26‌ feature Apple's new Liquid Glass design aesthetic, with a focus on translucency and glass-like interface elements. The design extends to the Lock Screen, Home Screen, and Control Center, along with menus and buttons in apps.

Apple's software includes features for apps like Messages, Phone, Shortcuts, and Apple Music, along with new Apple Intelligence features, a revamp for CarPlay, and more. In ‌iPadOS 26‌, there's a whole new multitasking system that supports multiple app windows for a more Mac-like experience.

For more on the features in ‌iOS 26‌, we have a dedicated iOS 26 roundup and a separate iPadOS 26 roundup. Several new features were found in beta 2 and we rounded them up, plus we did the same thing for beta 3 and beta 4.

Apple today provided developers with the fifth beta of macOS Tahoe 26 for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after the fourth beta.

Registered developers can download the new beta software through the System Settings app.

macOS Tahoe features Apple's Liquid Glass redesign, which extends across all of the new updates this year. Apple also brought the Phone and Journal apps to the Mac for the first time, and introduced a new cross-platform Games app.

With the update, Apple overhauled how Spotlight works, enabling new functionality that allows it to be used to complete all kinds of actions like sending emails without having to open up an app. There are also changes to a number of apps, including Messages, Safari, and Notes.

All of the new features that are included in macOS Tahoe are outlined in our dedicated roundup.

macOS Tahoe is set to launch this fall.

We've been seeing signs of an upcoming chatbot-based support feature in the Apple Support app, and it turns out it's already in testing. Some iPhone users have access to an early preview of the feature.

In the Apple Support app, the Support Assistant early preview can be accessed by tapping on a dedicated "Chat" button that's been added to the navigation bar. Only a select number of ‌iPhone‌ users will see the chat option at this time.

Tapping on the Chat button launches the new Support Assistant. It opens with a splash screen that gives you insight into how to use it. The Support Assistant is able to answer questions about your Apple products and services, providing troubleshooting information, answering questions about device features, and more.

The chatbot will not answer questions that are not related to Apple support, so you can't ask it details about upcoming products.

If the AI can't solve your issue, there is an option to escalate a chat to one of Apple's support staff for additional help.

Apple warns that the Support Assistant is an experimental feature that "may make mistakes." The company recommends that users verify important information.

It is not clear how long the early preview will last, and Apple hasn't provided details on when the Support Assistant will launch for all users.

(Thanks, Gatlyn!)

Apple today provided developers with the fifth betas of watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26 for testing purposes, with the betas coming two weeks after the fourth betas were released.

The software updates can be downloaded through the Settings app on each device. A developer account is required.

‌watchOS 26‌ and tvOS 26 adopt new Liquid Glass design changes inspired by visionOS, much like iOS 26 and macOS 26. watchOS has a new AI-powered Workout Buddy for motivation and the Smart Stack incorporates more personal context for better suggestions. There's also a new Notes app and support for Live Translation.

tvOS 26 supports karaoke using an iPhone as a microphone, improvements for using AirPlay speakers with a TV, new Aerial screen savers, and support for quicker logins to apps at setup thanks to Apple Account syncing.

visionOS 26 adds support for spatial widgets that can be placed anywhere in the space around you, along with refinements to make personas more lifelike and support for shared spatial experiences between two Vision Pro users.

The visionOS 26 beta is limited to developers, but developers and public beta testers can download ‌watchOS 26‌ and tvOS 26. The updates will launch this fall.

Several current and former TSMC employees have been accused of stealing proprietary information related to the company's 2-nanometer chip process, which is expected to debut in Apple's A20 chip for the iPhone 18 lineup (via the Financial Times).

TSMC is Apple's sole chip supplier. It today disclosed that it has identified and acted upon an internal security breach involving attempts to exfiltrate trade secrets concerning its next-generation 2-nanometer process technology.

TSMC referred the matter to Taiwanese authorities, resulting in the arrest of three individuals, including a current engineer, a former employee, and a third suspect whose connection to the company was not disclosed. TSMC uncovered the situation by noticing "unusual access patterns" within the company's internal system related to "critical" information about 2-nanometer chip development and production.

According to TSMC's official roadmap, the 2-nanometer node offers considerable gains in both performance and energy efficiency. The node introduces nanosheet transistor architecture, replacing the FinFET design used in prior generations.

TSMC claims this shift will enable a 10% to 15% speed improvement or a 25% to 30% reduction in power consumption compared to 3-nanometer, with similar or better density. Apple is widely expected to adopt the 2-nanometer process for the "A20" chip, which will likely be used across next year's ‌iPhone 18‌ lineup.

In iOS 26, currently in beta, Apple offers a new Adaptive Power Mode that works alongside the existing Low Power Mode to intelligently extend your iPhone's battery life. Unlike Low Power Mode's heavy restrictions, this AI-powered feature makes subtle adjustments that you're barely meant to notice. Here's how it works.

What Adaptive Power Mode Does

When your battery usage runs higher than usual, Adaptive Power Mode automatically makes small performance tweaks to help your iPhone last longer. Apple says this includes slightly dimming the display brightness or allowing some tasks to "take a little longer" to complete.

The feature works in the background without the limitations of Low Power Mode, although the latter may still be activated if your device depletes to a 20% charge level.

Compatible iPhone Models

Adaptive Power Mode requires Apple Intelligence, which limits availability to the following iPhone models:

• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
• iPhone 16 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro Max

The feature won't work on iPhone 14 Pro models or earlier, since they lack the necessary AI processing capabilities. However, if you're the proud owner of an iPhone 17 (launching September 2025), rest assured Adaptive Power Mode is supported.

How to Turn On Adaptive Power Mode

Follow these steps to enable the feature, which is turned off by default:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap Battery.
3. Tap Power Mode.
4. Toggle on the switch next to Adaptive Power.

Once enabled, your iPhone will automatically monitor battery usage patterns and make adjustments when needed. You don't need to manage the feature manually, as it works entirely behind the scenes. iOS 26 will see a general release in September 2025.