Apple today announced that a new Black Unity Sport Band for the Apple Watch is available to order on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app starting today for $49. The band launches in select Apple Store locations on Tuesday, January 23.
Apple says the band's "blooming flowers and vibrant colors" represent "Pan-Africanism and symbolize generations working together to address injustice and dismantle systemic barriers." The band's pin is etched with "Truth, Power, Solidarity."
An accompanying Black Unity watch face will be available for the Apple Watch with watchOS 10.3, which will be released next week, according to Apple. Users can choose between a single-bloom or full-bloom arrangement for the watch face, and when they raise their wrist, the "flowers begin to bloom with vibrant hues."
Apple is also adding a new Unity Bloom wallpaper to the iPhone and iPad with iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3, which will both be released next week. Apple says the wallpaper "presents an outline of flowers that fill with color when the display is active."
More details about this Black Unity collection and Apple's Racial Equity and Justice Initiative can be found in Apple's press release.
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
