Signs continue to point to some imminent hardware updates from Apple, while the company is also making adjustments during the iOS 26.1 beta test, keeping us on our toes for the month of October.
This week we also saw a likely change in Apple’s senior leadership over the next few years, as well as some more rumors about Apple’s foldable iPhone expected next year, so keep reading for all the details on these stories and more!
Top stories
5+ new features your iPhone will have in iOS 26.1
Apple is currently beta testing iOS 26.1, which will be the first major update to the iOS 26 operating system. It won’t bring the new version of Siri we were hoping for, but it does include useful new features and interface changes.
With the second round of betas this week bringing a number of changes, including improvements to the mechanism for turning off alarms and timers and a partial return of Slide Over on the iPad, we now recap all the additions and changes we’ve discovered so far in iOS 26.1.
Gurman: Big Apple leadership change imminent with John Ternus as next CEO
In this week’s edition of your “Power On” newsletter, BloombergApple’s Mark Gurman reviewed Apple’s succession plans ahead of Tim Cook’s 65th birthday and following Jeff Williams’ announcement in July that he would step down as Chief Operating Officer before fully retiring at the end of this year.
Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, John Ternus, is seen as Cook’s likely successor at the helm of Apple, and has gradually become more visible in recent years.
There are several other senior Apple executives, like Phil Schiller and Luca Maestri, who are gradually stepping aside, and others, like AI chief John Giannandrea and chip chief Johny Srouji, who will likely be winding things down in the not-too-distant future, so Apple’s long era of relative stability among its executive ranks will likely come to an end in the next few years.
M5 MacBook Pro could launch in October as M4 model faces supply constraints
While we’re definitely expecting some new Apple products before the end of the year, rumors are unclear as to whether we’ll see any Macs in that group or whether they’ll appear in early 2026.
Some recent tips, however, have suggested that at least one Mac could arrive sooner rather than later, and that’s the entry-level M5 MacBook Pro. Supplies of the current M4 model at Apple’s online stores are currently limited, and FCC documents leaked in recent weeks only included a single model, rather than a complete set encompassing the M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max chips in the two available sizes.
As a result, there has been speculation that we could see the entry-level M5 MacBook Pro appear alongside the already leaked M5 iPad Pro as early as the end of this month, with more powerful MacBook Pro models following later. We’ll just have to wait and see!
Next iPad Pro will have two main features, but one rumor is still uncertain
Speaking of that already leaked iPad Pro, it certainly looks like it will come with an M5 chip and an increase to 12GB of minimum memory, but questions remain about whether it will gain a previously rumored second front camera to better support landscape and portrait orientations.
Video leaks from Russia have been divided on the presence of a second camera, but the video footage certainly makes it look like there’s an ambient light sensor in the expected location like on current models, rather than a second camera.
iOS 26: Go back to the classic Phone app layout
One of the most controversial changes in iOS 26 was a new unified view for the Phone app that puts recent calls, favorite contacts, voice messages, and searches all on a single screen. Fortunately for those who don’t like the new organization, it’s easy to switch back to the classic tabbed view.
iOS 26 also lets you quickly view an extended call history with any of your contacts, potentially going back years depending on how much history is stored on your device. With iOS 26, you can also leave your iPhone waiting for you, screen your calls by asking the caller their name and reason for calling, or even serve as a real-time translator for your calls.
Apple’s 2026 foldable iPhone is rumored to use titanium and aluminum frame
Apple’s next foldable iPhone will have a structure made from a mix of titanium and aluminum, analyst Jeff Pu said this week in a note shared with investors.
Pu suggested that Apple will expand its use of titanium, with the material set to be used in the 2026 ”iPhone Fold” and iPhone Air models. The foldable iPhone is rumored to be as thin as 4.5mm when opened, which would make it even thinner than the iPhone Air. therefore, the strength of a titanium frame would be needed to avoid bending problems.
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