9to5Mac

When people ask me where to start with HomeKit, I usually give them a list of products that work well together that are easy to set up: a motion sensor, a door sensor, and maybe a camera if you want one. Aqara has made that question a lot easier to answer with its new Aqara Camera Protect Kit. It’s a true HomeKit starter kit in a box. You get a 2K camera that doubles as a Matter hub, plus three devices that cover most use cases right out of the gate.

Apple seems open to anything and everything when it comes to delivering the next generation of Siri. After reports that it could be powered by OpenAI or Anthropic, Google has entered the conversation.

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Recently, Apple’s iPhone lineup has consisted of the same four models each year, but that’s about to change. Next month, a thinner iPhone 17 Air will shake things up, but next year an even bigger shift is coming, with Apple offering its highest-end, most premium fall lineup yet.

My colleague Michael Burkhardt posed an interesting question earlier in the week: if you had to start again with your Apple kit, what would you buy?

There’s already one Apple product category I no longer use, and a second one I use only on a technicality …

Earlier this week, a random report from an account with zero track-record claimed that the iPhone 18 will drop the Camera Control button. We were skeptical of the rumor at the time, and now a new leak from a more reliable source has the full context.

As it turns out, Apple isn’t planning to remove the Camera Control from the iPhone 18 altogether, but rather introduce a dumbed-down version of it.

Apple has announced a handful of new initiatives to support the National Park Foundation in celebration of its 109th anniversary. This includes donations for Apple Pay purchases, an Apple Watch activity cahllenge, and more.

Apple’s F1: The Movie has exceeded all expectations at cinemas, with the film about to top $600 million at the worldwide box office since its premiere on June 27.

Following its extended theatrical window, F1: The Movie is now available to buy or rent on-demand at digital stores like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and more.

Apple has released two software updates to iOS 18.6. Since the iPhone software update has shipped without issue, and one contained a major security patch, Apple has stopped signing the older iOS 18.6 software version. 

Meta’s hiring spree in Cupertino continues, as Bloomberg reports that the company has just hired away yet another researcher from Apple’s AI team. Here are the details.

Following months of anticipation and a great David Bowie-powered teaser, Invasion is back on Apple TV+, a few hours ahead of its official August 22 premiere. Here’s what to expect from this season.

It’s been a busy news day for the Epic Games vs. Apple case. Startup accelerator Y Combinator filed an amicus brief today siding with Epic in the long-running antitrust case against Apple. Here are the details.

Earlier today, the Russian government announced a new rule requiring all phones and tablets to ship with MAX, its state-backed messenger app, preinstalled. Here are the details.

Leaker Majin Bu has been saying that Apple will ditch its failed FineWoven cases for TechWoven, “a new synthetic fabric with a more technical, less ‘luxury’ vibe.” Now, Bu has shared a few images that supposedly show the color lineup. Find them below.

Apple is contacting developers about upcoming tax and price updates for a few countries, including Canada, Romania, and Brazil. Here are the details.

Two organizations filed a joint amicus brief, siding with Apple over a U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruling on attorney–client privilege limits in the Epic Games lawsuit. Here are the details.

On the same day that Apple TV+ announced a 30% price rise, news has broken that one of its key TV execs is leaving the company. Creative executive Chris Parnell is leaving Apple and is joining Paramount+, per Deadline.

Parnell joined Apple back in 2020 and spearheaded development of many high-profile TV+ originals, including Dark Matter, Bad Monkey, and the upcoming Vince Gilligan series Pluribus.

Apple last updated its Apple TV 4K set-top box in late 2022. So when is the next model coming? The wait won’t be long. Here’s when to expect the new Apple TV 4K to launch.

This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column at 9to5Mac offering a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: iPhone 17 Pro Max’s exclusive feature, Apple Watch Series 12 with Touch ID, TechWoven cases by Apple, and more. Here are this week’s Apple rumors.

Bundling is fast becoming one of the big success stories for streaming services, and Apple seems to know that, making Apple One even harder to resist with its new Apple TV+ price increase and the forthcoming iOS 26 update to Apple Music.

If you’re running the AirPods firmware public beta, Apple has a new update rolling out now for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. Here’s what you should know.