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Why next-gen iPad Pro could skip Apple’s M6 chip, go straight to M7

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Why the 2027 iPad Pro might skip to the M7
There might never be an M6 iPad Pro.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Newly leaked timing of Apple’s next iPad Pro refresh suggests that the premium tablet may jump straight to the M7 processor and skip the M6 generation altogether.

Note that this is a combination of rumor and speculation. A leak on Wednesday only says that the next iPad Pro is a year away with “faster chips.” But going with the M7 processor makes sense, given the timing annd Apple’s previous practices.

Apple eyes deals with pair of Chinese chipmakers

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Apple’s reported plan to diversify its memory supply chain includes two major Chinese chipmakers.
Apple’s reported plan to diversify its memory supply chain includes two major Chinese chipmakers.
AI image: ChatGPT

Apple reportedly wants to source memory from two Chinese suppliers — CXMT and YMTC — for its products. Previous rumors suggested Apple lobbying for CMXT’s approval from the US government.

However, a new report from Bloomberg suggests the company is also looking to secure DRAM from YMTC.

Redesigned M7 MacBook Pro could be out amazingly soon

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Expect a new Design for the entry-level M7 MacBook Pro
Apple could have a revamped entry-level M7 MacBook Pro on the market quicker than most people thought.
Photo: Apple/ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

A year from today, people across the world will be using a redesigned entry-level MacBook Pro powered by an unannounced M7 processor, according to an unconfirmed report on Wednesday.

This new model will supposedly launch in the first half of 2027, and it’ll apparently be out surprisingly soon after the current basic MacBook Pro gets the M6 chip.

Apple’s Hide My Email has been leaking real addresses for a year

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A photo of Apple's Hide My Email feature used in a story about a security exploit affecting the service for almost more than a year.
Hide My Email is supposed to keep your real address off signup forms — but a year-old bug means it may not be doing that.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s Hide My Email has one job — to keep your real inbox out of other people’s hands. But it isn’t doing that job, and Apple reportedly knew this for more than a year.

If you’ve ever used Hide My Email to sign up for a sketchy app or website, you’ll want to pay attention. A security researcher says he managed to unmask the real email address behind virtually every Hide My Email alias. And Apple hasn’t fixed it yet.

Apple’s App Store fight with Epic just got a lot more serious

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A picture of the Apple logo used in a story about the Apple vs Epic Games fight heading to the Supreme Court.
Apple and Epic Games' App Store fee battle now heads to the Supreme Court.
Photo: Unsplash

Apple’s years-long App Store fight with Fortnite maker Epic Games is now headed to the Supreme Court. The justices agreed on Tuesday to hear Apple’s appeal of a contempt ruling that has already forced it to change how it handles payments outside the App Store. And the stakes just got a lot higher.

If you’ve purchased anything through an iPhone app recently, this affects you more than you’d think. At stake is whether Apple can keep charging app developers a commission on payments made outside the App Store, and that fee trickles down to what you pay for subscriptions and in-app purchases.

Today in Apple history: MobileMe gets to R.I.P.

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Image of a red sign, on a black background, that says,
So long, MobileMe.
Photo: Apple

July 1: Today in Apple history: Apple shuts down MobileMe web service, pushes iCloud July 1, 2012: Apple shuts down MobileMe, its subscription-based suite of online services and software offering push email, chat, data storage, a photo gallery and other features.

After letting the service limp along for four years, Apple finally decides to pull the plug, pushing users to switch to iCloud. The company gives MobileMe users until the end of July to remove their data from the service.

4 features that supercharge Notes in iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate

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Graphic for the Notes app in iOS 27
The Notes app gets more powerful in Apple’s OS 27 updates.
Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate add a handful of Notes features that will supercharge your note-taking. There are new options for formatting, working with Markdown and even drawing on a Mac for the first time.

It’s not a big year for the popular note-taking app, but the changes Apple added will please plenty of power users. Here’s what’s new.

Forget the price hike, save 20% with M5 iPad Pro deal [Updated]

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M5 iPad Pro in use
Get the recently released M5 iPad Pro at a sweet discount off the usual cost.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

The M5 iPad Pro is the most powerful Apple tablet ever, with the same chip in the latest MacBook Air. And you can save $300 off the cost of the 13-inch variant, or save $250 on the 11-inch version. That drops the cost for both below what they were before last week’s price hike.

UPDATE: The deal on the 11-inch variant ended, but not the sale on the 13-inch one. But don’t wait — it could end any time.

iPad Pro is a very capable computer for creatives and digital nomads, thanks to the M5 processor. And don’t overlook the gorgeous OLED display and Mac-like operation thanks to iPadOS 26.

Apple Creator Studio updates sharpen editing tools and tighten app integration

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Apple Creator Studio updates
The Apple Creator Studio app bundle got a series of updates.
Photo: Apple

Apple rolled out a fresh batch of updates to Apple Creator Studio Tuesday, sharpening AI features inside its flagship video and music apps while weaving Pixelmator Pro’s editing tools directly into Final Cut Pro, Keynote, Pages and Numbers.

The updates expand on the role Mac, iPad and iPhone already play for creative work. They layer in new AI capabilities across editing, photo and music workflows.

AirDrop vulnerability lets anyone nearby knock it offline, no tap required

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An image of Apple's AirDrop feature used in a story about recently discovered exploits.
AirDrop's convenience comes from processes that respond before you even see a prompt, which is exactly the problem.
Photo: Apple

A newly discovered AirDrop vulnerability means someone sitting in the same café as you can silently break AirDrop on your iPhone or Mac, no tap or pairing required. They just send a stream of junk data to your iPhone and AirDrop — alongside AirPlay, Handoff, Universal Clipboard, and Continuity Camera — all go dark for as long as they keep it up.

That’s the core finding from new security research into Apple’s AirDrop protocol. The exploit does not steal any data, but instead lets an attacker shut down AirDrop and Continuity features. For Apple users who use AirDrop regularly, that could be a real annoyance hiding in a real-life vulnerability.

TP-Link Roam 7: Don’t leave home without this reliable travel router [Review] ★★★★☆

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TP-Link Roam 7 review★★★★☆
The TP-Link Roam 7 is ready to go on your next holiday, like it went to the beach with me.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The TP-Link Roam 7 is small enough to be easily portable, but nevertheless provides speedy and reliable wireless connections to all your gear, no matter where you go.

I tested the travel router with Wi-Fi 7 on a recent beach trip. Here’s how it stands up to real-world use.

Supreme Court says police can’t access iPhone location data without warrant

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A picture of the US Supreme Court used in a story about a major landmark ruling.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that accessing someone's phone location history is a Fourth Amendment search, regardless of which company stores the data.
Photo: Pexels CC

Because it’s connected to a wireless carrier, your iPhone can be used to locate you. Until this week, police could access this data on little more than a hunch — no Supreme Court location data ruling stood in their way. That changed on Monday.

The Supreme Court ruled that pulling your phone’s location history now counts as a Fourth Amendment search — no matter how short the window or whose server it sits on. Cops now need a real, individualized warrant before being able to dig through where your iPhone has been.

Today in Apple history: Apple Music 1 radio station brings free 24/7 radio to Apple Music

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Screenshot shows Beats 1 radio on Apple Music on an iPhone.
Free round-the-clock radio came to Apple Music on this day in 2015.
Photo: Apple

June 30: Today in Apple history: iPad surpasses 100,000 exclusive apps June 30, 2015: Apple launches 24/7 radio station Apple Music 1 (launched originally as Beats 1). Part of Apple Music, the new global radio station features top DJs ranging from former BBC presenter Zane Lowe to top musical artists like Lil Wayne.

Apple calls Apple Music 1 “the biggest radio station in the world” and says it beats (no pun intended) all other music stations when it comes to concurrent listeners. However, without hard figures to back that up, some call out Cupertino on this claim.

Tons of new features in Photos help sort your massive library in iOS 27

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Photos app graphic
Loads of new features come in Apple’s upcoming software update.
Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

The new Photos app in iOS 27 clearly did not get the memo that this was a small year of bug fixes and performance improvements. While it is faster and more stable, there are tons of excellent new features top to bottom. Sorting through the largest photo libraries will be easier than ever in iOS 27.

Here are all the new features you can look forward to — or, if you’re daring, try out now.

New iPhone and Mac updates offer dozens of security fixes

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iOS 26.5.2 is packed with security patches.
There are just so, so many security patches in iOS 26.5.2.
Image: Cult of Mac

Apple released iOS 26.5.2, macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 and iPadOS 26.5.2 on Monday with no additional features but lots of security fixes. There are no fewer than 29 of them listed in Apple’s documentation.

Clearly, even though they lack fun new features, you should install these updates ASAP.

Apple acquires Play, award-winning SwiftUI prototyping tool

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Apple acquires maker of Play SwiftUI app
Apple snapped up the maker of the SwiftUI app Play.
Photo: Apple

Apple just acquired assets from Rabbit 3 Times, the New York-based company behind Play, an iOS and macOS app that let developers design, prototype and generate SwiftUI code in real time. The deal surfaced this week when the European Commission published the filing on its Digital Markets Act acquisitions page. Play won an Apple Design Award for innovation in 2025.

Apple’s Vision Pro VP could jump ship to OpenAI’s hardware team

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A photo of the Vision Pro, launched under Paul Meade by Apple in 2024.
Apple Vision Pro launched in early 2024 under Paul Meade's hardware leadership. He's now bringing that product expertise to OpenAI.
Photo: Apple

Apple doesn’t often lose vice presidents, but something unexpected happened this week: Paul Meade, who spent about seven years building the Vision Pro and shaping Apple’s smart glasses plan, is reportedly leaving for OpenAI.

If you own a Vision Pro or are waiting for Apple’s smart glasses, this is the executive exit that should concern you. Meade doesn’t just hold a title — he shipped the headset and was also planning what comes next.

Why Apple’s Preview is no longer enough for modern PDF workflows

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Graphic showing the all-new Wondershare PDFelement.
Wondershare PDFelement is an all-new PDF editor powered by AI. It's an affordable alternative to Adobe's PDF tools..
Photo: Wondershare.

For basic PDF viewing, annotations, and document signing, Apple’s Preview remains one of the most convenient tools available on macOS.

However, modern PDF workflows often require more advanced capabilities, including PDF editing, OCR, file conversion, document organization, security controls, and AI-powered productivity tools. Wondershare PDFelement provides these features within a single platform, making it a practical choice for users who regularly work with PDFs beyond simple viewing and markup.

Today in Apple history: Fans line up to get their hands on the very first iPhones

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A photo of people looking at the first-gen iPhone inside a glass case on the original iPhone launch date.
The smartphone that changed smartphones!
Photo: Traci Dauphin/Cult of Mac

June 29: Today in Apple history: Fans line up to get their hands on the very first iPhones June 29, 2007: The first iPhone launch date arrives, giving excited Apple fans lined up outside stores their first chance at owning the game-changing smartphone. The queues that greet the device around the world prove that Cupertino is onto a good thing with the smartphone, first shown off by Apple CEO Steve Jobs earlier in the year.

The launch-day fervor offers a glimpse of just how revolutionary the iPhone will become.

Apple could buy banned Chinese memory chips to keep your iPhone’s price down

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An AI generated photo depicting the White House and Chinese RAM maker CXMT used in a story about Apple.
Apple just raised prices on MacBooks and iPads by as much as 20%, and now its reportedly lobbying for a controversial fix.
Photo: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac

RAM has gotten so expensive that Apple is reportedly willing to stir up a political storm just to secure its supply. The solution may involve buying RAM from a Chinese chipmaker that the Pentagon says has ties to the Chinese military.

It wouldn’t be illegal. But that doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be consequences for the Mac maker.

Why you should expect much richer Apple OLED display colors soon

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Apple OLED panels target wider color gamut
If you think Apple displays are amazing now, just wait a few years. Color will really pop.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Future MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and iMac models look set to gain OLED displays with dramatically richer color, according to a new report Monday. That’s because upcoming Apple OLED panels target a wider color gamut, a new industry standard that makes today’s screens look narrow by comparison.

Ugreen’s latest charger and power banks prove smaller is better [Review] ★★★★★

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Ugreen's new USB-C charger and power banks pack a lot of power into a compact form factor.★★★★★
Ugreen's new USB-C charger and power banks pack a lot of power into a compact form factor.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

My backpack is full of gadgets. But the accessories that frustrate me the most are usually the ones meant to keep them charged. Chargers are bulky, power banks are heavy and both add unnecessary weight when I’m traveling. Worse, magnetic power banks make phones heavy and awkward to hold.

Ugreen tackles those problems with its new Nexode Air charger and MagFlow Air power bank. After using them for a few weeks, here’s what I think about them.

Here’s when Apple could unveil its first foldable iPhone

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Apple's new iPhones could be unveiled on these dates.
Apple's new iPhones could be unveiled on these dates.
AI image: ChatGPT

Apple could unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and foldable iPhone on September 8 or September 9, 2026. That’s what Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman estimates based on Apple’s previous release timeline.

If accurate, the new iPhones could go up for preorder later in the week and hit retail stores on September 18.