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Apple's big week for developers is just around the corner, and that means WWDC 2026 will also be giving everybody else their first peek at what Apple has in store for iOS 27, macOS 27 and more later this year. Other notable Apple news this week included the popularity of the budget MacBook Neo, the status of new Apple TV and HomePod mini models, iOS 26.5.1 and macOS 26.5.1 bug-fix updates, and more, so read on below for all the details! Top Stories What to Expect From WWDC 2026: Gemini-Powered Siri, iOS 27, macOS 27 and More Apple's annual developer conference WWDC returns for 2026 next week, so be sure to check out our comprehensive guide of everything we're expecting to see at Monday's keynote event . Apple this week teased the event with a new "All systems glow" tagline , a play on the phrase "all systems go," and it likely hints at Siri's rumored new design on iOS 27. Both a dedicated Siri app and a new "Search or Ask" feature in the iPhone's Dynamic Island will reportedly have a dark color scheme with glowing elements, as shown in leaked images last week. Apple has also shared new WWDC 2026-themed wallpapers , an Apple Music playlist, and a "Get Ready" video to help developers prepare to get the most out of next week's conference. MacBook Neo is So Popular That Apple Reportedly Doubled Production On an earnings call in late April, Apple's CEO Tim Cook said that customer response to the MacBook Neo was "off the charts," and the popularity of the laptop has reportedly led the company to significantly boost production. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo this week said he believes that MacBook Neo shipments to Apple were doubled from an initial target of 5 million units to 10 million units in 2026 at some point after the laptop launched in March. The MacBook Neo is quickly reshaping the low-cost laptop segment, with companies like Acer, ASUS, and Dell reacting to the shift and in some cases already introducing their own competing products. New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Are 'Nearly Ready' to Launch, New Siri Remote Also Rumored New models of the Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini are "nearly ready to go," according to the latest word from Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Both devices have been ready "for months," but Apple is holding off on launching them until the more personalized version of Siri is available, he said. "I am told the hardware for the next Apple TV set-top box and HomePod mini has been done for months and that both devices are already in active use among employees at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California," wrote Gurman. Apple Releases iOS 26.5.1 to Fix Charging Issue on iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Models Apple this week released iOS 26.5.1 , a bug fix update that is only available for the iPhone Air and all models in the iPhone 17 lineup. According to Apple's release notes, the update fixes a previously documented charging issue with iPhone Air and iPhone 17 models. macOS Tahoe also got a 26.5.1 release this week, and it fixes an issue that can affect certain enterprise users on Macs equipped with the latest M5 chip. First 'Confirmed' iPhone Ultra Color Allegedly Revealed in Leaked Image Apple is expected to launch its first foldable iPhone later this year. Rumors suggest the "iPhone Ultra" will come in two color options, and a leaker shared an image this week that allegedly shows one of them . Posted on Weibo by the Chinese leaker known as Ice Universe, the image purportedly offers a first glimpse of Apple's foldable in white. The device is believed to have entered early mass production, but the model shown is likely a dummy. Regardless, fellow leaker Instant Digital has said white is so far the only "confirmed" finish that the device will be available in. The iPhone Ultra will reportedly feature vapor chamber cooling and a liquid metal hinge , with production efforts said to be ramping up now following reports of some delays due to various challenges with the complicated high-end device. iPhone 18 Pro Battery Capacities Allegedly Leaked Battery capacities for Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro have allegedly surfaced , and the numbers suggest only a modest increase over the iPhone 17 Pro. According to prolific Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station, Apple is testing the iPhone 18 Pro with different battery capacities for the China and U.S. versions of the device, similar to last year's iPhone 17 Pro models. The Chinese model is said to have a roughly 4,056 mAh battery, while the U.S. model is said to have a roughly 4,288 mAh battery. In other iPhone 18 Pro rumors, the all-new variable aperture camera will reportedly cost Apple 50% more than the corresponding unit in the current iPhone 17 Pro, while some fresh dummy units revisited the expected colors for this year's Pro models . MacRumors Newsletter Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view. So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter ! Tag: Top Stories This article, " Top Stories: 'All Systems Glow' for WWDC, MacBook Neo Popularity, and More " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple will stream WWDC 2026 through the Apple TV app, its websites, and YouTube, giving viewers several ways to watch the company's biggest software event of the year. Besides reading here on AppleInsider, here's how to stay tuned in. WWDC 2026 WWDC is Apple's annual developer conference, where the company previews updates for the iPhone , iPad, Mac, Apple Watch , Apple TV, and Vision Pro. Developers are the primary audience, but the keynote also gives consumers an early look at many of the features Apple plans to release later in the year. Both presentations are free to watch through Apple's streaming platforms. Apple also offers calendar links on its WWDC and Apple Events pages so viewers can add the sessions to their schedules before they begin. Apple kicks off WWDC 2026 with its keynote on Monday, June 8, at 1 p.m. Eastern. The presentation is expected to introduce the next major versions of Apple's operating systems, along with new platform features and developer technologies. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Apple has yet to finalize whether its upcoming foldable iPhone will be available in black, according to a questionable new rumor. The Weibo leaker known as " Instant Digital " commented today that Apple "hasn't even decided yet whether the foldable screen will come in black," adding pointedly: "Do they have a vendetta against the color black?" The remark suggests black is at least under consideration, but has not been confirmed as part of the lineup, a notably open question for a device that is expected to enter mass production imminently and launch as soon as September. In February, the leaker described the device as coming in just two color options , with white as the only confirmed shade and the second unspecified. Instant Digital revisited that report in May without walking back any color details, keeping the two-option account intact. Today's comment does not necessarily contradict that, but introduces new uncertainty about what the second option actually is. Separately, Macworld cited a supply chain source claiming the second finish will be an indigo option similar to the iPhone 17 Pro 's Deep Blue, alongside a classic silver and white model. That source also said the device will offer fewer choices than the iPhone 18 Pro models, with no bold or vibrant colors. Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman similarly reported that Apple plans to "stay away from fun colors" and stick to more traditional silver/white and space gray/black finishes. Samsung Display's OLED panels for the device are already entering mass production, and ramp-up is underway . Color decisions typically feed directly into manufacturing and component procurement, all of which needs to be locked well in advance of launch. For a device as complex and supply-constrained as the foldable iPhone is expected to be, any severe late-stage indecision seems unlikely, so the rumor may simply indicate some opaqueness in the supply chain about the second color. That being said, dummy models that have surfaced so far have only been seen in white . It is also worth noting that new high-end products such as the Apple Watch Ultra and Vision Pro only launched with one color option. A limited color offering may partly reflect the practical realities of manufacturing the device at all. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has warned that early-stage yield and ramp-up challenges could constrain supply through at least the end of 2026, and that the frequently cited figure of 15 to 20 million units likely reflects cumulative demand across the product's full two to three year lifecycle, not 2026 alone. Adding color variants increases the number of SKUs to produce, stock, and allocate, which is a complication Apple has little commercial incentive to absorb when launch supply is expected to be tight regardless. The approach would be broadly consistent with how Apple has handled generationally significant launches before. The iPhone X debuted in November 2017 in just two colors, Silver and Space Gray, at a then-record starting price of $999. The iPhone XS that followed a year later added Gold to the lineup, and Apple may take the same incremental approach with the iPhone Ultra over time. At a starting price that Gurman says will " cross the $2,000 threshold ", the foldable iPhone is unlikely to attract buyers whose purchasing decision is heavily determined by color options. That gives Apple room to keep the initial palette narrow. The first foldable iPhone is expected to be announced in September 2026 alongside the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max. Related Roundup: iPhone Fold Tags: Foldable iPhone , Instant Digital This article, " Foldable iPhone May Not Come in Black, Leaker Suggests " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple has several hardware releases in the pipeline, but will we see any of them unveiled at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference? WWDC is primarily a software event where new versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS take center stage, but it's not unusual for Apple to introduce new hardware during the developer conference. Take WWDC 2017, for example, where Apple first unveiled the original HomePod over six months ahead of its launch. Apple has chosen to show off other major products at the annual event, like the redesigned Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR announced in June 2019 . More recently, Apple unveiled the first 15-inch MacBook Air in 2023, along with the M2 Ultra chip in the Mac Studio, and the first Mac Pro powered by Apple silicon . So What Can We Expect at WWDC 2026? Probably not much. Apple has actually released a lot of updates already in 2026. We've seen the AirTag 2 , the iPhone 17e , and a new iPad Air with M4 chip , along with refreshed M5 MacBook Air and M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro models . Indeed, March was a big month for Apple. The Studio Display XDR arrived with mini-LED backplane technology and a 120Hz refresh rate, the regular Studio Display received a Thunderbolt 5 upgrade , and the company also debuted its industry-disrupting $599 MacBook Neo . It even quietly updated the AirPods Max with an H2 chip . But despite the flurry of spring announcements, Apple reportedly has more products waiting in the wings. According to Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman , new models of the Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini are "ready to go" and have been "for months." So why has Apple yet to launch the new devices, and should we expect to see them at WWDC? Unfortunately, it's unlikely that we will see either of these products announced during the conference. The main reason is that Apple is holding them back until the more personalized version of Siri and other Apple Intelligence upgrades are released later this year. We'll undoubtedly see these software features previewed at WWDC, but they won't be released to the public until mid-September, so it's not reasonable to expect that the new Apple TV and HomePod mini will launch before then. The same goes for other rumored products like smart glasses , AirPods with cameras , and the smart home hub or so-called "HomePad." All of these devices will rely on an enhanced Siri and a version of Apple Intelligence that finally lives up to its promises, but we won't see these improvements go public until the fall. Mac Updates? Unlikely It's not looking good for Mac mini or Mac Studio updates arriving anytime soon, either. Apple is battling a global memory chip shortage, driven by hyperscalar companies building out AI server facilities. The squeeze has already seen Apple remove desktop Macs from its online store – Mac mini models with 32GB and 64GB of RAM are no longer available for purchase , nor is the M3 Ultra Mac Studio with 256GB RAM. Apple even went so far as to remove the Mac mini with 256GB of SSD storage , leaving the 512GB model as the minimum option. Apple CEO Tim Cook himself has said that the Mac mini and Mac Studio could be hard to get for months to come . Perhaps the best we can hope for is a hardware preview of Apple's smart home accessories. Other than that, the safest overriding assumption is not to expect hardware-based product launches at all until Apple's new software updates mature to a point where its AI-based features no longer carry the "beta" badge caveat, and there's no sign that's about to happen anytime soon . WWDC 2026 kicks off with Apple's keynote on Monday, June 8 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. Be sure to stay tuned here at MacRumors for comprehensive coverage of all the announcements. Related Roundup: WWDC 2026 Related Forum: Apple, Inc and Tech Industry This article, " Will Apple Launch New Hardware at WWDC Next Week? " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
