Top News: AirPods Max 2, iOS 27 and iPhone Fold Rumors, and more
Just when you thought Apple was done with product announcements for a while, this week saw the final drop on what AirPods Max 2 looks like.
This week there were also new rumors about iOS 27 coming later this year while the release of iOS 26.4 seems to be imminent, and Apple started a series of events around the world in celebration of the company’s upcoming 50th anniversary, so read below for all the details of this news and more!
Top Stories
Apple announces AirPods Max 2 with H2 Chip and more
Unsurprisingly, Apple this week introduced AirPods Max 2, with significant improvements including the H2 chip, increased active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and features such as Adaptive Audio, Conversational Awareness, Voice Separation, and Live Translation.
The new AirPods Max have the same general design as the previous generation, with many new features from the development of the H2 chip, but they bring a good set of audio improvements and a new remote control function for the Digital Crown camera. If you’re a current AirPods Max owner and thinking about upgrading, be sure to check out our buyer’s guide comparing the two generations.
AirPods Max 2 will be available to order from Wednesday, March 25, with a launch to follow sometime in early April.
It is reported that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard
In his own Open it newspaper this week, BloombergMark Gurman also emphasized that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard of 2009, in the sense that one of the priorities for Apple is to fix bugs to improve performance and stability.
That doesn’t mean, however, that the update will be devoid of new features, as we’ve already heard of a number of them running beyond the important Siri update that’s been pushed back several times. Perhaps most notable for those who don’t like the Liquid Glass redesign that arrived in iOS 26, Apple is said to be aiming to include a wider app slider to allow users to adjust the Liquid Glass effect.
Here are Apple’s Release Notes for iOS 26.4
Apple this week received release candidate versions of the upcoming iOS 26.4 and related updates from developers and public beta testers, which represent the final versions that will be released to the public if no additional bugs are found.
Apple has shared the full release notes for iOS 26.4 as part of the rollout, revealing several previously unknown changes including a fix for a keyboard accuracy bug and a change to App Store Family Sharing that will allow adults in a group to use different payment methods.
iOS 26.4 also includes support for AirPods Max 2, so the update will definitely be released when those arrive in early April, but the public release of iOS 26.4 may come as soon as next week.
iPhone Fold: 5 Things We’ve Learned About Apple’s Foldable
It’s been a few weeks of foldable iPhone rumors. In case you missed any of them, we’ve recapped the five latest rumors we covered earlier. It sounds like production of the device’s display is likely to continue as Apple is eyeing a launch later this year, possibly in late December.
In other foldable smartphone news, Samsung is discontinuing its Galaxy Z TriFold after just three months on the market. The new device opens twice to reveal a large 10-inch internal display.
Apple Kicks Off 50th Anniversary With Surprise Alicia Keys Concert in New York
As part of its upcoming 50th anniversary celebration, Apple is hosting gatherings “around the world” throughout the month of March to celebrate human ingenuity.
The series kicked off with a surprise concert by Alicia Keysat Apple’s retail store overlooking the main arena in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, MacRumors who was present at the event.
Tim Cook then traveled to China to play Li Yuchun’s game at Taikoo Li’s Chengdu store, with more international events planned in the coming weeks.
Apple CEO Tim Cook Responds to Retirement Rumors
After intense rumors late last year going back and forth about the possibility of his retirement as CEO of Apple, Tim Cook addressed these rumors in an interview with him. Good Morning AmericaMichael Strahan earlier this week.
While Cook called the idea a “rumor,” he didn’t confirm or deny that he would step down as CEO anytime soon, though he did say “I can’t imagine life without Apple.”
In a separate short interview with Nikias Molina at the Alicia Keys concert, Cook emphasized that Apple still sees a long life for the iPhone, as rumors have suggested that the company is looking to integrate its technology into other personal devices such as augmented-reality glasses and an AI-powered pendant that will be able to collect information from around the world. “There’s a lot we can do with the iPhone,” Cook said. “I think it will continue to be central to people’s digital lives.”
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this one that highlights Apple’s top stories, making it a great way to get a weekly recap of all the big topics we’ve covered and combine related stories for a big-picture look.
So if you want to have top stories like the summary above delivered to your email inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter!
