The past few days have seen conflicting views from AI companies about the future of smartphones. Perplexity thinks AI will only benefit iPhones, while OpenAI reportedly thinks its own smartphone can render them obsolete.

I would bet very heavily that the OpenAI smartphone will either never materialize or will be a commercial failure, but I still think the attempt is good news for iPhone users …

Former Apple design chief Jony Ive famously prioritized sleek aesthetics over almost everything else, and there was widespread agreement that he sometimes took this a little too far.

However, his long-term vision of the future of the iPhone as a single slab of glass has persisted beyond his tenure, and a new post does seem to present a persuasive view of what we might expect from a 20th Anniversary iPhone next year …

A report yesterday suggested that we may be seeing a succession of Apple Ultra products, including the upcoming folding iPhone and an M6-powered MacBook. So far, of course, we’ve only seen the branding used for an Apple Watch.

It may potentially be pointing to a new tier of Apple products across almost the company’s entire range of devices, and to me that would make sense for both the company and its customers …

Tap to Pay on iPhone has today launched in Malaysia as Apple continues the rollout of the service aimed at small businesses. Interestingly, the iPhone maker is slightly lagging behind when it comes to acceptance of its own payment terminal solution …

The new Framework Laptop 13 Pro has been described by the company’s CEO as “the MacBook Pro for Linux users” (though you can also run Windows on it). It even claims to beat the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro for battery life.

The new machine copies a number of key Apple features, but is the complete opposite in terms of its underlying philosophy …

We learned yesterday that Apple was at risk of losing Mike Rockwell, the exec tasked with rescuing the new Siri project after Tim Cook lost confidence in former AI head John Giannandrea.

A deal appears to have been struck to retain Rockwell long enough to deliver the Siri upgrade, and Ternus and Cook also notched up an even important retention win …

Speculation about Tim Cook’s retirement date intensified when he turned 65 in November of last year, and this was quickly followed by Apple testing the waters for John Ternus as his replacement this year.

That test went very well indeed, with the company last month laying further groundwork for yesterday’s announcement …

Around 3 million user photos from dating app OkCupid were used for AI training by a third-party company in direct contravention of the company’s own privacy policy …

Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station (DCS) was the first to suggest that Apple was working on a 200MP camera module for a future iPhone. This would be a huge increase in resolution over the 48MP sensors used in current models.

There have been conflicting rumors since then about timings, but it now seems everyone is aligned on a 2028 release …

A supposed Tim Cook retirement leak late last year indicated that hardware head John Ternus was Apple’s planned successor and that the announcement would be made ahead of WWDC 2026 in June.

I wrote at the time that this was very clearly a trial balloon by the company in order to test reaction to the plan, and we can now see that this indeed paved the way for yesterday’s announcement …

Coincidence or not, the latest Android folding smartphones mirror the form factor we’re expecting from the iPhone Ultra (now believed to be Apple’s branding for what was previously referred to as the iPhone Fold).

The Oppo Find N6 last month gave us a look at something very similar to the creaseless display we’re expecting Apple to offer, and today an extensive unboxing and hands-on of the Huawei Pura X Max 5G provides a video look at a device with much the same format we’re expecting from the iPhone Ultra …

A judge has ruled that the Trump administration should not have coerced Apple and Google into taking down apps which track the activity of ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

A preliminary injunction has been awarded, with the creators of ICE Sightings and Eyes Up told that they are likely to succeed in their argument that the government suppressed protected speech under the First Amendment …

Developers are arguing that Apple’s App Store ratings are fundamentally broken in at least a couple of different ways – including the fact that your 4-star rating could do more harm than good.

They also highlight the conflict between users not wanting their app experience to be interrupted, while Apple effectively forces developers to nag you for a rating and review …

Apple has said that it could potentially be fined a massive $38 billion in an antitrust battle taking place in India after it refused to cooperate with the regulator. Yep, that’s billion with a B.

The iPhone maker has persistently refused to submit financial data required by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) after being found guilty of abusing its dominant position in the smartphone market …

Back in the summer of last year, I started using Aqua Voice as a replacement for the built-in dictation feature on my Mac. I said then that it showed just how good Mac dictation could be if Apple really tried.

Ever since then, I’ve really wished I could use Aqua Voice on my iPhone, and the company recently granted my wish …

A smartphone loyalty survey has revealed the unsurprising news that Android users are 3.7 times more likely to switch to iPhone than the reverse. More interestingly, it shows that iPhone brand loyalty has increased significantly in the last five years …

In the run-up to Earth Day next week, Apple has highlighted its latest environmental progress. This includes the use of 100% recycled materials in three categories. The company is also offering a 10% discount on AirPods and other accessories when you recycle an eligible product.

The company today published its latest annual Environmental Progress Report, which tracks Apple’s timeline toward its goal of being carbon neutral across its entire footprint by the end of this decade …

It’s been revealed that an athlete and pilot killed in a microlight plane crash was being filmed for the Vision Pro immersive video series Adventure at the time.

The report says that crew members had reported safety concerns to Apple ahead of the crash, citing factors such as limited training and unsafe working hours …

Apple’s component suppliers are beginning production for iPhone 18 parts, and a new report says this includes elements of a brand new camera feature for the iPhone 18 Pro.

Specifically, China’s Sunny Optical has reportedly begun manufacturing a key component needed to control the iris in the lenses in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max …

Last month saw a surprise ban on almost every new wireless router intended for use in US homes. The FCC ruling described all foreign-made routers as a national security risk.

The FCC offered a pathway to approval, and today Netgear has received that – but nobody knows why. Not even Netgear itself was able to offer an explanation …