Top Stories: iPhone 11, Apple Watch Series 5, iOS 13, and Apple Arcade Released - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Top Stories: iPhone 11, Apple Watch Series 5, iOS 13, and Apple Arcade Released

by

Apple's massive launch week has come to a close, with the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and Apple Watch Series 5 all debuting on Friday. And as if that wasn't enough, Thursday saw the release of iOS 13, watchOS 6, and Apple Arcade on the software side.

Read on below for a recap of this week's biggest stories about these launches and more!

Hands-On With the New iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro Max

Friday was the big launch day for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, and we went hands-on with a couple of the new devices to share a few early impressions. Also make sure to check out our roundup of early media reviews.

iphone11propromaxthumb
Customers around the world lined up at Apple retail stores or waited patiently for deliveries to get their hands on Apple's latest devices.

Apple Watch Series 5 Review Roundup: Always-On Display Was Much Awaited, But Little Else Warrants Upgrading From Series 4 Models

In addition to the new iPhones, Apple's latest Apple Watch launched this week, and based on early media reviews, most people are happy with the long-awaited always-on display, but little else is new with the latest models.

apple watch series 5 studio
Other features include a new built-in compass, an expanded 32GB of internal storage, international emergency calling on cellular models, and new ceramic and lighter-weight titanium finishes.

Be aware that Apple Watch bands with magnets like the Milanese Loop may cause interference with the new compass.

iOS 13 Released: Here Are the Best New Features

Apple this week widely released iOS 13 for all compatible iPhone and iPod touch devices. Update now by going to Settings > General > Software Update and then be sure to watch our video walkthrough of all the best new features and improvements now available. And if you want to cut right to the chase, check out our video sharing eight tips on what to try out and set up first after you upgrade.

ryanscoolios13thumbnail
watchOS 6 has also been widely released, bringing a dedicated App Store and more to the Apple Watch Series 3 and newer. The update will be available for Series 1 and Series 2 models later this fall.

Looking ahead, Apple has revised the release date of iOS 13.1 and iPadOS to Tuesday, September 24. In the meantime, Apple has seeded the fourth beta of iOS 13.1 to developers for testing, including builds for the new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Apple Arcade Now Widely Available With 1-Month Free Trial

Coinciding with the release of iOS 13, Apple's subscription-based gaming service Apple Arcade is also now widely available in over 150 countries.

apple arcade devices
In the United States, pricing is set at $4.99 per month, with a one-month free trial available. With Family Sharing, a family of up to six members can access Apple Arcade with a single subscription.

Apple Arcade launched with access to dozens of games and more being added nearly every day, with no ads or in-app purchases. In addition to iOS, the service will be made available on macOS and tvOS within the coming weeks. Read our Apple Arcade guide for more details.

iPad Pro With Triple-Lens Camera System's 'Final Design' Possibly Revealed

In line with the iPhone 11 Pro models, rumors suggest Apple may extend a triple-lens rear camera system to the iPad Pro soon.

iPad pro
This week, we got our first look at what is said to be the "final design" of the triple-lens camera system coming to the iPad Pro, courtesy of a dummy model shared on leaker Sonny Dickson's website.

The triple-lens iPad Pro is rumored to launch in October, but a separate report claims that an iPad Pro with a 3D sensing rear camera will be released in March 2020, so there is some confusion right now surrounding timing.

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!

Popular Stories

imac video apple feature

Apple Released Yet Another New Product Today

Friday March 20, 2026 2:39 pm PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping nine new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, AirPods Max 2, and now the Nike Powerbeats Pro 2. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...
ios 26 4 pastel

iOS 26.4: Top 10 New Features Coming to Your iPhone

Friday March 20, 2026 2:44 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 isn't the major update with new Siri features that we hoped for, but there are some useful quality of life improvements, and a little bit of fun with an AI playlist generator and new emoji characters. Playlist Playground - Apple Music has a Playlist Playground option that lets you generate playlists from text-based descriptions. You can include moods, feelings, activities, or...
Related Apple News: Sport | Motoring | Ipad | Iphone | Business