Hope remains alive that a fan-designed iMac G3 will become an official Lego Ideas set. Photo: The Lego Group
The colorful Lego iMac G3 for nostalgic Apple fans just cleared another important milestone on its long journey from fan concept to store shelves.
A Lego version of Apple’s iconic iMac G3 desktop has been working its way through the approval process for almost a year, and the Lego company confirmed on Tuesday that the possibility remains very much alive.
The iOS 2.6.6 malicious message warning tells you when Apple thinks an iMessage is trying to harm your iPhone. AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac
Your iPhone will soon speak up before a booby-trapped text message can do damage. The iOS 26.6 malicious message warning is a new pop-up that tells you when Apple thinks an iMessage is trying to harm your device or steal your data. And it gives you a quick way to send that message straight to Apple for investigation.
The alert hasn’t gone live for anyone yet. It was spotted buried in iOS 26.6 beta 5 code, which means it’s still in the testing phase. But its presence indicates iPhone users will soon get a much more visible security layer that makes it harder to ignore message-based attacks.
Major League Soccer returns this Thursday, ready to capitalize on World Cup buzz. Image: Apple TV
Major League Soccer returns to Apple TV on Thursday with the resumption of regular-season play after a break for FIFA World Cup insanity. That’s great news for soccer fans new and old.
If you got hooked on the sport after watching World Cup matches during Major League Soccer’s monthlong break, tune into Apple TV for your fix. You should see some familiar faces on the field.
The iCloud CSAM lawsuit against Apple is history. Image: Apple
Apple just got a proposed class-action lawsuit wiped off its plate — and it’s a big one. A federal judge on Monday dismissed a case that accused the company of failing to stop child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from spreading through iCloud, a lawsuit that sought as much as $32.8 billion in damages.
U.S. District Judge Noël Wise ruled that Apple would be shielded from the claims by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the 1996 law that protects online platforms from being sued over content their users upload. The judge tossed the case with prejudice, so it’s gone for good.
What will OpenAI's super-smart speaker look like? Ask Jony Ive. AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac
OpenAI’s probable first device will likely be a portable smart speaker with a winning personality and features that make it seem like a living creature. The company envisions a screenless device that will “serve as a humanlike AI companion that lives in the home,” according to a new report citing anonymous sources.
While previous rumors indicated OpenAI wants to build a device to challenge the iPhone, this sounds like more of a threat to Apple’s HomePod, Amazon’s Alexa devices and other smart speakers.
Oh, and the thing might actually move to make it seem more lifelike. (Let’s hope it doesn’t give off an Existenz game pod vibe.)
The Brydge ProDock Trio features vertical MacBook docking for workspace optimization. Image: Brydge
Brydge added three new models to its ProDock line of vertical MacBook docking stations on Tuesday. These bring fresh features, including Thunderbolt 5 support, to products that let users slide their Mac into a vertical cradle that takes a minimal amount of space.
Each of the three new models is intended for a different kind of user, with a range of features to match.
The legal battle between Apple and OpenAI could get messy. AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac
Apple seems to have gone to unusual lengths to keep one man out of its trade-secret lawsuit against OpenAI: Jony Ive.
However, the legal battle could end up with Apple’s former design chief taking the stand. And that could rattle Apple’s cordial relationship with Ive, who’s helping OpenAI build AI-powered gadgets that threaten the iPhone’s dominance.
CrashStealer malware mimics Apple’s real crash-reporting tool, right down to the icon and name. Image: Jamf Threat Labs
If you see a file called CrashReporter.dmg in your Mac’s Downloads folder, don’t open it. It’s not from Apple — it’s a new strain of malware called CrashStealer. It’s wearing Apple’s own clothing, right down to the icon, name and a fake password box designed to look like standard macOS.
The malware slips past Apple’s security checks and tricks victims into typing their Mac password before draining everything of value on the machine. Anyone who’s opened an unfamiliar app in the past few weeks should pay close attention.
WhatsApp is working on its own cloud backup solution. AI image: ChatGPT
WhatsApp currently uses iCloud as a cloud backup provider on iOS. Apple’s free 5GB of iCloud storage can fill up quickly, especially if you have years of WhatsApp chats and media. It also makes moving from an iPhone to an Android phone more complicated, as WhatsApp cannot restore iCloud backups on Android.
That may not be the case for much longer. WhatsApp appears to be working on its own cloud backup solution, which could solve both of these problems.
A slider in iOS 27 lets you adjust the look of Apple's Liquid Glass user interface. Image: Apple
Apple released the first iOS 27 public beta Monday, giving everyday iPhone users a chance to experience the latest features.
By most accounts, it’s stable enough to download now and run without too much worry. The biggest bummer is that you’ll still need to get in line to experience the new, improved Siri AI.
Robust demand means iPhone 17 remains the world's top-shipping smartphone. Photo: Rubaitul Azad/Pexels
Apple continued to gain ground in the global smartphone market during the second quarter of 2026, according to new data from a market-analysis firm. The iPhone posted another quarter of year-over-year growth, increasing total shipments by 3% while boosting Apple’s global market share to a quarterly record.
The iPhone 17 series continues to experience strong sales, according to the analysts. One main reason for the success might seem surprising, coming from Cupertino: small price tags! Apple maintained iPhone prices while rivals increased theirs due to sharply rising memory costs.
The Mac Studio comes with a serious memory limitation. The M5 Ultra and M7 Ultra could be the solution. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
The Mac Studio, Apple’s top-of-the-line desktop, delivers extraordinary CPU and GPU performance in a surprisingly compact enclosure — but many users simply cannot add as much RAM as they need.
However, change is apparently on the way. Apple is reportedly developing an M5 Ultra chip that supports more unified memory than the current version. And the subsequent M7 Ultra chip will be even better — it will supposedly handle as much as three times more RAM. That’s a dramatic leap beyond the best of today’s Macs.
Apple’s SigLens acquisition gives Cupertino a dashboard built to hunt down bugs across its sprawling network of interconnected apps. Image: SigLens
Apple just went shopping for a bug hunter. Cupertino scooped up SigScalr, a small startup behind SigLens, an app designed to detect exactly where the software goes wrong — even if the software is basically hundreds of smaller programs working as a single app.
Apple did not announce the acquisition via a press release. It surfaced through the European Union’s paperwork, the same way a lot of Apple’s smaller acquisitions did in the last few years.
But don’t let the quiet rollout fool you. SigLens tackles a problem that’s only getting worse as apps become more complex. And it looks like Apple clearly wants it fixed before it becomes Xcode’s problem too.
A new report sheds light on how the Apple-Intel chips deal actually came together. AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac
Apple CEO Tim Cook didn’t fly to Washington last summer to talk about Intel. He went there to keep Apple from getting hit with a 100% tariff on every chip the company imports. But somewhere in those meetings, the conversation shifted to an unexpected topic — Intel.
Fast forward a year, and Apple and Intel now have a manufacturing arrangement in the works. And according to a new report, the origin story is less about “engineering roadmap” and more about “the White House brought it up while Apple was trying to survive a tariff fight.”
Tap to Pay on iPhone turns it into a checkout counter — no card sled needed. Photo: Apple
The next time an Apple Store employee rings you up, don’t be surprised if you don’t see the traditional plastic card sled. Apple is silently retiring the hardware its retail staff has strapped onto their iPhones for years. The company seems to be betting on the fact that the iPhone is finally good enough to close the sale.
Apple is now reportedly handing out iPhone 16s to its blue-shirted employees to expand Tap to Pay on iPhone. This software feature turns the device into a contactless payment terminal with nothing bolted on. It’s a small hardware swap, but Apple no longer thinks it needs a middleman to take your money.
The next leap in Apple silicon may skip a step. AI image: ChatGPT
Apple will supposedly skip launching the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips due to AI. Instead, it will launch an M6-powered MacBook Pro and then directly jump to the M7 Pro and Max chips in 2027.
This move would mark a notable shift from Apple’s long-established Apple silicon release strategy. Since the M1 debuted, every generation expanded from the base chip to Pro and Max variants.
A new leak says iPad users can look forward to fresh Apple Pencil models. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple is reportedly working on two new styli models for launch alongside next year’s iPad Pro refresh. Both the Apple Pencil Pro and the entry-level Apple Pencil with USB-C are back on the drawing board, according to a reliable source of insider information.
One major reason for the redesign could be upcoming European Union rules that will require consumer electronics to use more easily replaceable batteries.
From iPhone 18 Pro pricing to the foldable iPhone Ultra, Apple’s next event still holds plenty of mysteries. AI image: ChatGPT
Apple’s iPhone 18 event is only a couple of months away. Thanks to leaks, we already have a fair idea of what to expect. From redesigned hardware to upgraded cameras to even bigger batteries, many of the headline features seem all but confirmed.
Yet, important questions surrounding the new iPhones remain unanswered. And they are the ones that could determine whether the iPhone 18 Pro is worth upgrading to.
"See you in court" is the message Apple just gave OpenAI. AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of mac
Apple sued OpenAI in federal court on Friday, accusing the ChatGPT maker of orchestrating a broad campaign to obtain Apple’s confidential hardware technology by hiring its former employees.
It relates to an effort by OpenAI to develop its own devices with AI built in — products that might someday replace the iPhone and other smartphones.
OpenAI hasn’t been subtle about its plans to compete with Apple hardware, especially after it began working closely with Jony Ive, Apple’s former design chief.
Apple’s first foldable iPhone — possibly dubbed the iPhone Ultra — might come with a smaller battery than previously leaked. AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac
The latest leak about the first folding iPhone says Apple might not deliver the extreme battery capacity that most early rumors indicated.
If you were banking on a foldable with all-day battery life, this is worth pausing on.
PrismML claims it has compressed a 27-billion-parameter AI model down to 4GB — small enough to run on an iPhone 17 Pro. AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac
Apple’s on-device ambitions just got more interesting. The company has reportedly been talking to a startup called PrismML that claims to run a massive, server-grade language model on the iPhone 17 Pro — no cloud required.
If the discussions turn into a deal between Apple and PrismML, it could be a significant upgrade for Apple Intelligence. Here’s why.
The rising cost of memory chips is something Apple can't simply absorb. AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
The cost of the components needed to produce the iPhone 18 Pro Max will rise up to 80%, according to a new cost analysis by a market research firm. The sharp increase results from the global shortage in memory chips that’s been in headlines so often recently.
A huge jump in Apple’s bill of materials raises questions about how much of these additional costs Apple will pass on to buyers. It potentially could push up the cost of the iPhone 18 Pro Max by as much as $300.