MacRumors

As we previously reported, astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft used the iPhone 17 Pro Max to take selfies of themselves with the Earth in the background during the Artemis II mission around the far side of the Moon last week.

Now that the crew members have safely returned to Earth, Apple's CEO Tim Cook and marketing chief Greg Joswiak have both turned to social media to congratulate them on their successful mission and highlight the iPhone's involvement.

"You captured the wonders of space and our planet beautifully, taking iPhone photography to new heights, and we're grateful you shared it with the world," wrote Cook. "Your work continues to inspire us all to think different. Welcome home!"

"Honored that NASA astronauts brought iPhone to space with them," said Joswiak. "One small step for iPhone. One giant leap for space selfies."

In February, NASA announced that the iPhone had been fully qualified for extended use in orbit, with reports indicating that each of the four crew members aboard the Orion were equipped with an iPhone 17 Pro Max for personal photos and videos.

The photos show Artemis II's Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialist Christina Koch looking back at Earth through one of the Orion's main cabin windows. Flickr data indicates that these photos were shot with the iPhone 17 Pro Max's front-facing camera on April 2, which was the second day of the mission.

Most other photos from the mission shared so far were captured with other cameras, such as the Nikon D5, Nikon Z 9, and GoPro HERO4 Black.

Artemis II was NASA's first crewed mission to the Moon since 1972. The crew reached the far side of the Moon on Monday, breaking the all-time record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by humans. However, the Orion does not have landing capabilities, so it was a flyby mission only. The spacecraft returned to Earth on Friday.

As noted by 9to5Mac, some Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations are now completely out of stock on Apple's online store in the U.S. as of this writing.

Mac mini configurations with an upgraded 32GB or 64GB of RAM and Mac Studio configurations with an upgraded 128GB or 256GB of RAM are listed as "currently unavailable" on the storefront, meaning they can no longer be ordered at all.

Other configurations that remain available continue to face lengthy shipping delays, with estimated delivery timeframes ranging from one to three months.

Last month, Apple entirely removed the Mac Studio's 512GB of RAM option.

While the shipping delays have prompted speculation that Apple may be preparing to update the Mac mini and Mac Studio with M5 chips, the delays are likely the result of a severe global memory chip shortage driven by surging demand from companies building AI servers that require large amounts of RAM. After all, the Mac mini and Mac Studio models that are "currently unavailable" are those configured with higher amounts of RAM.

In addition, the current delivery timeframes are extraordinarily long, which makes it harder to determine if this is the usual sign of an upcoming refresh.

Memory chip prices are reportedly starting to stabilize or slightly decrease, but prices still remain well above historical averages, so Mac mini and Mac Studio shipping estimates might not meaningfully improve any time soon.

It is still possible that the Mac mini and Mac Studio will be updated soon, even if it is purely coincidental. However, our best guess is that Apple will announce Mac Studio models with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips at WWDC in June and update the Mac mini with M5 and M5 Pro chips at some point in September or October this year.

This week we began tracking one of the best deals of the year so far, with $150 off nearly every model of Apple's new M5 MacBook Air. You'll find these sales below, plus great discounts on the 2026 MacBook Pro, AirPods Max 2, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and a few Samsung markdowns to celebrate the launch of the new Frame Pro.

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.

M5 MacBook Air

• What's the deal? Take $150 off M5 MacBook Air
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Amazon has a few record low prices on the new M5 MacBook Air this week, with $150 off nearly every model of the brand new notebook. Prices start at $949.00 for the 512GB 13-inch M5 MacBook Air, down from $1,099.00.

M5 Pro/M5 Max MacBook Pro

• What's the deal? Take up to $199 off M5 Pro/M5 Max MacBook Pro
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

In addition to the M5 MacBook Air deals, Amazon this week introduced record low prices on Apple's M5 Pro/M5 Max MacBook Pro. You can get up to $199 off select models without the need of a membership or clipping a coupon, with prices starting at $2,049.99 for the 14-inch model.

AirPods Max 2

• What's the deal? Take $19 off AirPods Max 2
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Apple's new AirPods Max 2 launched last week, and Amazon is one of the only retailers offering a discount on the headphones. You can get the Midnight and Starlight color options for $529.99 on Amazon, down from $549.00.

Apple Watch Ultra 3

• What's the deal? Take $99 off Apple Watch Ultra 3
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Amazon this week brought back deals on the Apple Watch Ultra 3, providing $99 discounts on select models. It's been months since we last tracked any discounts on the Ultra 3, and these are solid second-best prices on the 2025 smartwatch.

Samsung

• What's the deal? Save on Samsung's new The Frame Pro TV and more
• Where can I get it? Samsung
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Samsung this week announced its newest lineup of The Frame TVs with the 2026 The Frame and The Frame Pro, and you can get a bundle deal of up to $850 in savings when purchasing the new models.

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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Rumors continue to fly about Apple's next flagship iPhone updates coming later this year, while it appears that the popularity of Apple's new MacBook Neo might actually be putting the company into a bit of a dilemma.

This week also saw the release of iOS and macOS 26.4.1, plus several popular apps launched new versions for CarPlay, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

Top Stories

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

While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another five months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices, so be sure to check out our updated recap outlining everything we've heard.

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 will be moved under the screen on the devices, which will result in merely a smaller Dynamic Island.

Apple is Reportedly Facing a 'Massive Dilemma' With the MacBook Neo

The all-new MacBook Neo has been such a hit that Apple is facing a "massive dilemma," according to Taiwan-based tech columnist and former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan.

The A18 Pro chip in the MacBook Neo has a 5-core GPU and is a "binned" version of the A18 Pro with 6-core GPU used in the iPhone 16 Pro. Chips discovered to have a faulty GPU core in the manufacturing process would normally be discarded, but with binning Apple is able to use some of these chips in other devices like the MacBook Neo. But with the MacBook Neo proving so popular, Apple is quickly running out of A18 Pro chips with the 5-core GPU.

In order to meet demand, Apple may be faced with having to intentionally disable a core on fully functional A18 Pro chips to maintain specs on the machine, impacting profit margins.

The company is likely already stockpiling binned A19 Pro chips from this year's Pro iPhone models to use in an updated MacBook Neo due next year. The iPhone Air already uses binned A19 Pro chips with a 5-core GPU, but it has not been selling well and thus there may still be significant numbers of those chips available for next year's MacBook Neo.

New Apple TV Waiting for Siri: Here's What's Coming When It Launches

We're long overdue for an Apple TV update, and there have been rumors about an imminent refresh since late last year. It's now sounding like we're not going to get a new version for several months because of Siri delays.

If you're holding out for a new model, we've put together a recap of what to expect when it eventually comes out so you can decide whether to continue to wait, or buy now.

Apple CarPlay Just Got Three Popular iPhone Apps

Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen received three popular apps last week: ChatGPT, Google Meet, and Audiomack.

In addition, WhatsApp released a revamped CarPlay app that improves upon the basic Siri-based functionality that was previously available, offering full access to recent chats and call history, favorite contacts, and more.

iOS 26.4.1 Includes These Two Changes for iPhones

After we spotted signs of it in our site analytics earlier this week, Apple released iOS and iPadOS 26.4.1 on Wednesday. The update includes a fix for an iOS 26.4 bug affecting iCloud syncing, and it also turns on Stolen Device Protection by default for additional users.

Apple followed that up with a macOS 26.4.1 update on Thursday that includes a fix for a Wi-Fi issue on the new M5 MacBook Air and M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models.

Leaker: Foldable iPhone Won't Be Called iPhone Fold, But 'iPhone Ultra'

The Apple rumor mill has been calling Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone the iPhone Fold, but one prominent leaker claims it will arrive under an "iPhone Ultra" name.

This week also saw our first look at high-quality dummy units of the iPhone Fold or Ultra amid mixed rumors on when the device might actually become available. The latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is that it should launch alongside or shortly after the iPhone 18 Pro models, although supplies may be tight at first as Apple works out production issues.

Expect pricing to come in at around $2,000 or even higher depending on storage capacity.

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!

Rumors about Apple's first foldable iPhone are picking up now that the device has entered a new testing stage that precedes mass production. If you've been having trouble keeping up with what's new, we've recapped the latest iPhone Fold rumors that have come out over the last few weeks.

Naming

One rumor claims Apple will call its foldable iPhone the "iPhone Ultra," which doesn't seem out of the question. We've been referring to it as the ‌iPhone Fold‌ during the rumor cycle, but it's unlikely Apple will actually use that name.

Samsung already has the Galaxy Fold, and that would be too similar for Apple's tastes. Apple already uses the Ultra naming for the Apple Watch and for the version of CarPlay that more deeply integrates with in-car systems.

Given the $2,000+ pricing of the foldable iPhone, "Ultra" could make sense.

Design

We've heard plenty of rumors about the ‌iPhone Fold‌'s design, but the first alleged dummy models came out this week. We don't know if these are reflective of the ‌iPhone Fold‌'s actual design, but it has all of the design features that have been rumored, and the right sizing.

The foldable iPhone will have a ~5.5-inch display when closed, making it Apple's smallest current-generation iPhone. When open, it will be around 7.8 inches, so about a half-inch smaller than the iPad mini. It will have a wider 4:3 aspect ratio like an iPad, which is a design that will set it apart from other foldable smartphones on the market. Most foldable smartphones are taller, but Apple is going in a different direction.

There is a raised camera bump that does not span across the entire back of the device, which is expected. It has a two-lens camera system, and a thin chassis. Rumors suggest the ‌iPhone Fold‌ will be as thin as 4.5mm when open, which limits space for the camera. It's so thin that Apple won't be able to use the TrueDepth camera system, and it's going to have Touch ID instead of Face ID.

Release Timing

We've heard a lot of back and forth rumors on release timing over the last two weeks. Some rumors have suggested the ‌iPhone Fold‌ will be delayed past September because of late stage production issues, while others suggest it's on time for a September launch.

In March, a Barclays analyst suggested the ‌iPhone Fold‌ could be introduced in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, but launch later, perhaps as late as December.

Japanese site Nikkei said this week that Apple is running into so many issues that the ‌iPhone Fold‌ might be pushed until 2027, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the report is "off base." Gurman believes the ‌iPhone Fold‌ will be available for sale "around the same time" or "soon after" the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models.

If the ‌iPhone Fold‌ does launch in September alongside the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models, it's likely it will be in short supply. Reports agree that the device is complex and manufacturing isn't smooth sailing. In December, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said production challenges could cause supply shortages into 2027.

Pricing

Apple's foldable iPhone will "cross the $2,000 threshold," according to Gurman. It is not clear if $2,000 will be the starting price point, or if it will come with a lower price tag but have some higher-end configurations that exceed $2,000.

Most rumors have suggested that the ‌iPhone Fold‌ will start around $2,000, though there have been outliers that put the starting price upwards of $2,300.

Read More

There are plenty of other rumors about the foldable iPhone, including details about Apple's work on the hinge, the materials it'll be made of, what camera technology it will use, and more. We have a full iPhone Fold roundup with all of the rumors we've heard so far.

Mobile game developer Halfbrick today launched a new iOS game in its popular Jetpack Joyride series. Jetpack Joyride Racing is a multiplayer racing game that supports up to six players for real-time racing competitions.

Players can take on the role of Barry Steakfries, Dan, Josie, Professor Brains, Robo Barry, and more, with four circuits and a zone system that changes gameplay on the fly. Purple zones slow you down, red zones cut your engine, and green zones speed you up.

Races feature items to collect for boosts, drift mechanics, and different tactical designs to master in each level. In addition to the competitive racing mode with support for Discord voice chat, players can also team up with friends for collaborative gameplay in Party Mode. The game has easy-to-learn controls, but it will take some time to master drifting and boosting to win.

Players can collect in-game cards for rewards, and the cards are part of the Halfbrick+ collectible card system. Cards unlock ships, characters, and cosmetic items, and will eventually integrate with other Halfbrick+ games similar to Nintendo's Amiibo. With Season Pass rewards, players can make their way through a progression system laden with prizes.

Jetpack Joyride Racing is free to download and play, with no ads included. The optional Halfbrick+ subscription provides access to other Halfbrick games like Fruit Ninja, plus it includes exclusive rewards, premium cosmetics, faster progression, and subscriber-only content. Halfbrick+ starts at $2.99 per month, but there is no need to subscribe to play Jetpack Joyride Racing.

Jetpack Joyride Racing can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Astropad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win one of Apple's iPhone 17 models and a Fresh Coat anti-reflective screen protector from Astropad to use with it.

Fresh Coat is a screen protector with an optical-grade anti-reflective coating to minimize glare and provide a better iPhone viewing experience. The technology reduces reflections by 75 percent, while improving contrast and keeping colors vibrant. Unlike other anti-reflective screen protectors on the market, Fresh Coat adds no haze or distortion to the iPhone's display.

Priced at $30, Fresh Coat is made from a scratch-proof tempered glass that provides protection for the iPhone's display in addition to cutting down on glare and reflections. It's slim and doesn't add bulk to the iPhone even though there are five layers of protective technology at work. From the top down, there's an anti-reflective coating, an oleophobic and hydrophobic coating, a layer of tempered glass, a dust barrier, and an impact-resistant "airbag" bonding.

If you have an ‌iPhone 17‌, it already has an anti-reflective coating from Apple. What you probably don't know is that you can't use just any screen protector with the ‌iPhone 17‌. If you put a regular screen protector without an anti-reflective coating on, it nullifies the anti-reflective properties of that added coating.

Since Fresh Coat has its own anti-reflective coating, it improves on Apple's included anti-reflective layer, cutting glare even further. With Fresh Coat, the iPhone's screen is easy to see in any lighting conditions, there's less eye strain, and if you use Dark Mode, it looks even darker.

If you don't have an ‌iPhone 17‌, Fresh Coat can provide an iPhone 17-style display upgrade, mirroring Apple's own reflection-reducing display coating. Fresh Coat is available for all ‌iPhone 17‌ models, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

Astropad designed an installation process that's impossible to mess up, so you get perfect alignment on your iPhone without the hassle that comes with most screen protectors.

We have an ‌iPhone 17‌ and a Fresh Coat screen protector for one lucky MacRumors reader. To enter to win, use the widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner(s) and send the prize(s). You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, following us on Threads, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (April 10) at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time on April 17. The winner will be chosen randomly on or shortly after April 17 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss all of the rumors surrounding Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone, now said to be called the "iPhone Ultra," which is shaping up to be a comprehensive redesign unlike anything the company has shipped before.

The ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max this fall, though reports suggest it will ship after the Pro models, potentially as late as December. Pricing is expected to start at over $2,000, making it the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever sold.

The device will have a book-style, passport-shaped design with a 4:3 aspect ratio, wider than it is tall and unlike any foldable currently on the market. When closed, it will have a 5.5-inch outer display; when open, a 7.8-inch inner OLED panel takes over, making it just slightly smaller than the 8.3-inch iPad mini. According to design leaks from Instant Digital, the device will measure just 4.5mm thick when unfolded, which would make it Apple's thinnest iPhone to date. The outer frame is said to be made of titanium for durability at that thinness, while the inner frame uses aluminum. The back features a glass finish with a shorter, iPhone Air-style camera plateau housing two horizontally arranged rear cameras.

The same leak revealed that volume buttons are relocated to the top edge of the device, aligned to the right. The inner display features a single punch-hole cutout resulting in a smaller Dynamic Island, while a Touch ID power button and Camera Control remain on the right edge. Reports indicate the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will support iPad-style multitasking and layouts for running apps side by side when unfolded, befitting its iPad mini-sized inner display. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has described it as the "most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history."

Achieving that ultra-thin form factor comes with tradeoffs, and the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will be missing several features that iPhone users have come to expect, in some ways echoing the compromises Apple made with the iPhone Air. The ‌iPhone Air‌ went without stereo speakers, a SIM card slot, and multiple rear cameras to achieve its 5.6mm frame; the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ faces similar constraints at an even more demanding 4.5mm. The ultra-thin chassis leaves no room for a triple-lens camera setup, so the telephoto lens found on iPhone Pro models is absent, leaving just a dual 48-megapixel rear system. More significantly, there is no space for the TrueDepth sensor array required for Face ID, meaning the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will rely on a side-button ‌Touch ID‌ module instead.

Under the hood, the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is expected to feature Apple's A20 chip paired with 12GB of RAM. Storage options are said to include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, while color options could simply be black and white. Battery capacity is reportedly in the 5,400mAh to 5,800mAh range, which would put it among the largest ever in an iPhone despite its slim dimensions.

The scale of Apple's production ambitions for the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ has already been tempered by manufacturing realities. Kuo initially indicated Apple placed orders for 15 to 20 million total foldable iPhones, though he noted demand would likely be limited due to the device's cost. By December, Kuo warned that early-stage yield and ramp-up challenges could mean smooth shipments may not occur until 2027, with potential shortages lasting through at least the end of 2026.

The high asking price is expected to be a further constraint on volume: IDC projects the device will capture over 22% unit share of the foldables market in its first year, but that market remains a niche segment overall. The ‌iPhone Air‌'s underwhelming sales performance, with Kuo reporting suppliers cut production capacity by more than 80% after demand fell short of expectations, may serve as a cautionary tale for premium iPhone form-factor experiments.

The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.

You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or other podcast apps. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your player.

If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion about everything the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ will feature, according to the latest rumors.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kayci Lacob, Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also email us at podcast@macrumors.com or head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.

Google is raising prices for YouTube Premium. The increases take effect immediately for new subscribers and in June for existing subscribers.

In the U.S., a YouTube Premium subscription now costs $15.99 per month or $159.99 per year, up from $13.99 per month or $139.99 per year previously. If you have a Family plan, the monthly price is increasing to $26.99, up from $22.99.

The discounted student plan also increased to $8.99 per month, up from $7.99 per month.

YouTube Premium offers ad-free videos, the ability to play videos in the background without having the YouTube app visible, the ability to download videos for offline playback, ad-free access to YouTube Music, and a few other benefits.

YouTube Premium Lite also increased to $8.99 per month, up from $7.99 per month. With this plan, ads are still shown on music videos, YouTube Shorts, and when you search or browse, and ad-free access to YouTube Music is not included.

The last YouTube Premium price increase was in 2023.

Apple on Thursday announced that it will be permanently closing three of its retail stores in the U.S. in June, and one of them was unionized.

Apple Towson Town Center in Towson, Maryland is one of the three stores being shuttered, with no replacement store planned. The staff at this location became Apple's first retail employees in the U.S. to unionize in 2022. They belong to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE), and they signed a collective bargaining agreement with Apple in 2024.

The other two locations that are permanently closing are Apple Trumbull in Trumbull, Connecticut and Apple North County in Escondido, California.

Apple said employees at the Trumbull and North County stores will "continue their roles" at the company's nearby stores in each area, so transfer eligibility is guaranteed. Meanwhile, Apple said employees at the Towson store will be eligible to apply for open roles at Apple in accordance with their collective bargaining agreement, and it is unclear if everyone who applies will successfully secure a new position at the company.

In a statement, Apple said it made the "difficult decision" to close all three stores due to "declining conditions" at the shopping malls in which they are located:

At Apple, we are constantly striving to deliver exceptional service and great experiences for our customers. As we continue investing to expand and enhance our retail stores and offerings worldwide, we remain deliberate about evaluating our existing locations to ensure that we can meet our customers' needs in the best way. Following the departure of several retailers and declining conditions at Trumbull Mall, the Shops at North County, and Towson Town Center, we've made the difficult decision to close our stores at these locations.

Our team members at Trumbull and North County will continue their roles at nearby Apple Retail stores. Towson employees will be eligible to apply for open roles at Apple in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement. We look forward to continuing to serve customers at nearby stores and on Apple.com, the Apple Store app, and at Apple Authorized Resellers and Service Providers throughout the states.

Towson Town Center is indeed a struggling shopping mall that has lost many major retailers. Earlier this year, for example, Banana Republic, Madewell, and Tommy Bahama announced they were leaving the mall. In addition, local news outlets have reported that the area surrounding the mall is facing a rising crime rate in recent years.

In a statement, the IAM Union said it is "outraged" by Apple's decision to close the Towson store and raised "serious concerns" of potential union busting:

The IAM Union is outraged by Apple's decision to close its Towson, Md., store—the first unionized Apple retail location in the United States—and abandon both its workers and a community that relies on it for critical services and its unique access to public transit. Apple's claim that the collective bargaining agreement prevents relocation is simply false and raises serious concerns that this closure is a cynical attempt to bust the union. We are exploring all legal options and will work with elected officials and allies to hold Apple accountable. We stand with our IAM Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE) members and the community that depends on this store for essential access and support.

IAM added that it is exploring all legal options and will work with elected officials and allies to hold Apple accountable for this decision.

Apple has yet to respond to our follow-up questions regarding IAM's statement and the accusations of potential union busting.

Apple Towson Town Center closes June 20, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Update: According to Apple, the contract that the union agreed to states that in the event of a store closure, Apple would transfer or rehire employees if the company opened a new store within 50 miles of the current location at Towson Town Center. In any other circumstance, the union negotiated for employees to receive severance. Apple has no current plans to open a new store in the area, but if it were to do so within the next 18 months, the affected employees would have the right of first refusal.

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.

Google has expanded Gmail's end-to-end encryption for Workspace users to iOS and Android, allowing mobile users to compose and read encrypted messages natively within the Gmail app for the first time.

The feature is part of Gmail's client-side encryption (CSE) offering, which until now was limited to desktop. According to Google's Workspace update, users no longer need to download additional apps or use separate mail portals to handle encrypted email on mobile, and the experience is now built directly into the existing Gmail app on both platforms.

Google says encrypted messages can be sent to any recipient regardless of their email provider. If the recipient uses Gmail, the message arrives as a standard email thread. If they use a different provider, they can read and reply via a secure browser interface without needing to install anything.

The feature is available now for both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. Access requires an Enterprise Plus plan with either the Assured Controls or Assured Controls Plus add-on, which is Google's compliance-oriented tier aimed at enterprise and public sector customers. Admins must first enable Android and iOS clients through the CSE admin interface in the Admin Console before users can access the feature.

To encrypt an individual message, users tap the lock icon within a compose window and select "additional encryption" before writing.

Evidence suggests Apple is preparing to bring Car Key support to Lexus vehicles, MacRumors has discovered.

Code references to Lexus were found in Apple's backend code, indicating the Toyota-owned luxury brand is being added to Apple's Car Key backend. The discovery mirrors how Toyota's own Car Key support was first uncovered, before the feature went live for the 2026 RAV4 in February. It is unclear when the feature will roll out to customers.

Lexus already offers its own app-based Digital Key system, but unlike Apple Car Key, it requires an active connection to Toyota's servers to function and has not historically worked via Apple Wallet. Apple Car Key stores a digital key directly in the Wallet app and uses NFC for unlocking, with an Express Mode that allows access without authentication. On compatible devices, it continues to work for up to five hours after a phone's battery has died.

Toyota confirmed to Carscoops in February that the 2026 Lexus ES will be the first Lexus model to receive the enhanced Digital Key functionality as part of a new-generation infotainment system, with the vehicle expected later this year. It is likely that the code references relate to that upcoming rollout.

Car Key support has been expanding steadily across the industry. Vehicles from BMW, Genesis, Kia, Hyundai, Lotus, Mercedes, Volvo, and more already offer the feature, and a full list is available on MacRumors.

If you own a MacBook and work from home, it's easy to have your laptop plugged in for hours on end without thinking about the long-term battery life implications. Fortunately, Apple recently added a setting that lets you cap how high your Mac's battery charges, and if you own an iPhone that was released in the last few years, you may already be familiar with it.

Lithium-ion batteries generally degrade fastest when held at a high state of charge, which means keeping your iPhone or your Mac's battery at 100 percent accelerates the chemical wear that permanently reduces its actual capacity over time.

To mitigate this on iPhone 15 and newer models, Apple lets you set a Charge Limit that prevents your device from charging beyond 80, 85, 90, 95, or 100 percent. And in macOS Tahoe 26.4, Apple has brought over the same Charge Limit feature to Macs for the first time.

This option differs from Optimized Battery Charging, which learns your daily routine and delays charging past 80 percent until you're likely to need a full battery. Depending on your usage, however, your Mac may still regularly reach 100 percent.

Setting a charge limit prevents that. Obviously a lower charge cap means less time you'll be able to work away from a power outlet. But if you mostly sit at a desk with your MacBook plugged in, the trade-off is worth the long-term battery gains. That said, if you regularly rely on your Mac away from power, then you may want to opt for a higher cap, which should hopefully still curb battery wear without leaving you completely stranded. Either way, here's how to set the feature:

Set a MacBook Battery Charge Limit in macOS

1. Click the Apple symbol () in your Mac's menu bar and open System Settings....
2. Click Battery in the sidebar.
3. Click the i button next to Charging.
4. Drag the Charge Limit slider to your preferred level: 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 100%, then click Done.

That's all there is to it. Your Mac will now stop charging once it hits the level you chose, and Optimized Battery Charging will continue to work in the background unless you switch it off in the same panel.

Note that even with Optimized Battery Charging set to a limit below 100%, your Mac will occasionally charge to 100% so that macOS can maintain accurate battery level estimates, but for the most part it will stick to the specified maximum level.

OpenAI today added a new subscription tier, which the company says is meant to support increasing Codex use. Codex is OpenAI's AI coding agent that's integrated into ChatGPT, and it competes with Anthropic's Claude Code.

The new $100/month Pro tier provides 5x more Codex usage than the $20/month ChatGPT Plus plan. OpenAI says that it is best for longer, high-effort Codex sessions. ChatGPT also has a $200 Pro tier with a 20x higher usage allowance, and the $100/month plan is a new middle-tier option. Both the $100 and $200 plans share the "Pro" name.

Pro subscribers will have access to all Pro features, including the Pro model and unlimited access to Instant and Thinking models.

To celebrate the launch of the new plan, OpenAI is increasing Codex usage for a limited time. Through May 31, customers who subscribe to the $100/month Pro plan will get up to 10x usage of ChatGPT Plus on Codex.

In addition to introducing the new plan, OpenAI is "rebalancing" Codex usage in Plus to support more sessions throughout the week, instead of longer sessions in a single day. OpenAI says the ChatGPT Plus plan is the best offer for steady, day-to-day usage of Codex, while the more expensive $100/month plan is a "more accessible" upgrade path for heavier daily use.

With the $100 plan, OpenAI has pricing tiers similar to Anthropic. Anthropic has a $20/month Pro plan, a Max 5x plan for $100/month, and a Max 20x plan for $200/month.

Developer Bryan Keller was curious whether an old version of Apple's Mac operating system was capable of running on the Nintendo Wii after seeing Windows NT ported to the gaming device, so he decided to give it a try. He was able to get Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah to operate on the Nintendo Wii, and he shared a blog post walking through the project.

The Wii uses a PowerPC 750CL processor, which is a newer version of the PowerPC 750CXe that Apple used in the G3 iBook and iMac, which is why Keller had a hunch that the process would be successful. Keller wrote a custom bootloader and eventually managed to load OS X, with the multi-step process detailed on his website.

He had to patch the OS X kernel source code and compile a modified kernel binary, then write custom drivers so the kernel was able to read from the Wii SD card slot to boot into the file system. He also had to write a framebuffer driver for the OS X interface, bridge a color incompatibility between the Wii video hardware and OS X graphics code, and seek out decade-old OS X Cheetah USBFamily source code on IRC to get peripherals working.

Keller was able to get the Mac OS X Cheetah installer running with a functional keyboard and mouse, turning the Wii into a usable system running OS X.

Keller was invested enough in the project that he took the Wii with him on vacation to Hawaii so he could work on it. For those curious about how he solved the myriad problems required to get OS X running on a Wii, his website is worth checking out. Anyone who wants to try setting up OS X on a Wii can get the project source code on GitHub.

Apple's Mac shipments grew 9 percent during the first quarter of 2026, according to estimated shipment data shared this week by IDC.

Apple's growth outpaced overall PC market growth of 2.5 percent thanks to the M5 MacBook Pro that was released late last year. Apple also refreshed the MacBook Air and the higher-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, but those were just recently updated and wouldn't have impacted the Q1 2026 numbers much.

Apple was the number four PC vendor in the world with 6.2 million Macs shipped, up from 5.7 million in the year-ago quarter. Lenovo, HP, and Dell were the top three PC vendors with 16.5, 12.1, and 10.3 million PCs shipped, respectively. Most vendors saw an increase in shipments during the quarter according to IDC, with the exception of HP.

Apple had a 9.5 percent share of the global PC market during the quarter, up from 8.9 percent in the first quarter of 2025.

According to IDC, growth during the quarter was fueled by concerns over rising component costs and new product introductions. Vendors that are able to secure access to memory will fare the best as PC shipments start to decline.

IDC counts traditional PCs like desktops, notebooks, and workstations in its numbers, but it does not include tablets like the iPad. IDC's information is only an estimate, and Apple no longer provides details on the specific number of devices that it sells each quarter.

Apple's next earnings report is set to take place on April 30.

Europe's largest Apple museum to date opened in early April, coinciding with Apple's 50th anniversary. The Apple Museum spans 2,000 square meters and is located at the Wall Utrecht in the Netherlands.

The museum's creator, Ed Bindels, claims that the space features one of the largest Apple collections in the world, and it has several rooms dedicated to Apple's design. There is an eye-catching rainbow wall of iMac G3 machines, a recreation of the garage Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak worked in, an iPod display, and more.

Everything from classic Macs to modern iPhones is included in the museum, and it showcases almost all of the devices that Apple has released from 1976 to 2026. Bindels says the museum tells a story, featuring different stages in Apple's development timeline.

"For example, there is a space that shows what happened after Steve Jobs left Apple and the company went through a difficult period. Visitors then walk through a 'Think Different' corridor into a circular room filled with colorful iMacs. This room symbolizes the beginning of a new chapter for Apple. Throughout the museum, we tell different stories through the products."

Bindels teamed up with a group of volunteers to collect and restore devices, accessories, prototypes, manuals, and brand materials. Some of the devices in the museum are functional and are available for guests to use.

Tickets to the Apple Museum are priced at €21.50 for adults, with discounts available for students and children.

Instagram today implemented a small but useful change, allowing Instagram users to edit their comments for up to 15 minutes after writing the initial comment.

The Meta-owned social media site has long supported editing an Instagram post, but comments have never been able to be updated to correct typos. Editing a comment can be done by tapping on the new "Edit" option that is displayed after a comment is posted.

Comments on Instagram that have been edited will be marked with a gray edited tag, but Instagram does not allow users to see the original comment.