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Apple still sells wired EarPods alongside its AirPods lineup, offering a no-frills alternative for users who want simple audio without Bluetooth or battery concerns. The wired buds come in 3.5mm, Lightning, and USB-C variants, making them compatible with a broad range of devices at a low price point.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is building two game controllers for the iPhone, likely to be sold under its Beats subsidiary rather than the Apple brand itself. The report follows earlier findings by MacRumors of references to two first-party controller devices buried in macOS 26.7 code, even though the products are apparently intended for iOS.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has confirmed earlier code discoveries suggesting Apple is building its own gamepad accessories for iPhone, identified internally by model numbers T6502 and T1057. The devices reportedly include a D-pad, thumbsticks, haptic motors, and possibly motion-sensing hardware, though their final design remains unknown. Gurman suggests the controllers may ultimately launch under the Beats label, with Beats executives leading the project.
A retrospective piece traces how early IBM and other PC-era keyboards, including the Selectric typewriter and IBM 1130 computer, used pictorial symbols for functions like space, backspace, and page navigation. Over time, as computing shifted toward American office use, most of these icons were phased out in favor of plain text labels, leaving only Shift, Enter, and Tab as widely recognized symbolic holdouts on modern PC keyboards.
In an interview with MKBHD, Apple's Craig Federighi addressed concerns that the foldable iPhone Duo could overlap with the iPad, particularly the iPad mini. He compared it to how users naturally settled into distinct usage patterns for iPad and Mac, predicting the same will happen with iPhone Duo and iPad. Federighi also emphasized that Apple built iOS for the Duo's form factor from scratch rather than stretching an existing interface to fit.
Apple's iOS 27, rolling out broadly after its beta period ends, includes several under-the-radar upgrades to Safari powered by Apple Intelligence. One standout is a 'Notify Me' feature that lets users describe specific content changes—like a price drop—they want tracked on a webpage, with Safari periodically scanning for that update. These Apple Intelligence features require an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, and are also coming to iPadOS 27 and macOS 27.
Apple's newest Pro-series iPhones bring a variable-aperture main camera, a new chip, improved battery life, and a black color option, but starting prices rose by $100 across the lineup, including older models. Alongside them, Apple released AirPods 5 with better active noise cancellation and stem-based volume controls on the pricier version, starting at $129.
A hobbyist developer building Quicktake for Apple II, a program that lets vintage Macs and Apple IIs pull photos off old digital cameras, is now adding support for the so-called 'Sierra-class' camera protocol used across more than 80 models, including Sanyo, Epson and Sierra Imaging devices. The work follows earlier support for the Kodak DC-50 and relies on a newly modular driver system so each camera's code loads separately without bloating the floppy-disk-limited software.
Apple opened pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max ahead of their September 18 launch, but shipping estimates for many Pro Max configurations have already slipped into October. The standard Pro remains widely available for day-one delivery, while only the priciest 2TB storage option across both models still ships on launch day.
A tech reviewer rounded up recommended fast chargers for the newly preordered iPhone 18 Pro, including Anker's Nano 45W and 70W models, Apple's 40W Dynamic Power Adapter, and ESR's CryoBoost 3-in-1 MagSafe stand. The Apple adapter reportedly delivers the fastest charging, taking the phone to 50% in 15 minutes, while the ESR stand also charges an Apple Watch and AirPods simultaneously.
Apple's Wallet app allows iPhone and Apple Watch owners to add a digital version of their driver's license alongside other IDs like passports. The feature uses encryption and biometric authentication via Face ID or Touch ID, letting users control exactly what information is revealed—for example, only confirming legal drinking age rather than sharing a full birthdate. Adoption remains limited, as only some businesses, venues, and airport checkpoints currently accept these digital credentials.
Apple has updated Find My so users can share their iPhone location for a precise custom duration, rather than only choosing an hour, a day, or indefinitely. Users can now set sharing by days (up to 30), hours, or minutes, down to a minimum of 15 minutes, or pick an exact end date and time. Once the chosen period ends, the recipient automatically loses access to the shared location.