Top Stories: Apple Creator Studio, AirTag 2, and More

It was a engaged week with Apple's archetypal existent launches of 2026, led by the merchandise of the Creator Studio app bundle and the second-generation AirTag.


We besides got immoderate rumors astir Apple's plans for Mac updates successful 2026, timing connected the much personalized Siri yet arriving, and a important acquisition by Apple, truthful work connected beneath for each the details!

Top Stories

Apple's 'Creator Studio' App Bundle Now Available for $12.99 Per Month

Apple this week launched the caller Creator Studio bundle that was initially unveiled earlier this month, providing contented creators with entree to six Apple apps for $12.99 per period oregon $129 per year.


Creator Studio includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro connected Mac and iPad, on with Motion, Compressor, and MainStage connected the Mac. Final Cut Pro is Apple's video editing software, Logic Pro is for audio editing and creation, and Pixelmator Pro is an representation editing app that Apple purchased successful 2024.

The Creator Studio bundle unlocks AI features that are not different accessible successful these apps, positive it adds caller features to escaped apps similar Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, with Freeform coming later.

Be definite to check retired our archetypal hands-on overview if you're reasoning astir subscribing to the bundle.

Apple Unveils New AirTag With Longer Range, Louder Speaker, and More

Apple this week introduced the second-generation AirTag, with key features including longer scope for tracking items and a louder speaker.


The caller AirTag is equipped with a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, enabling the Precision Finding diagnostic to enactment up to 50% farther distant from an point compared to the previous-generation model, according to Apple. The caller AirTag besides has an upgraded Bluetooth spot for improved wide scope extracurricular of Precision Finding mode.

Apple besides introduced this year's Black Unity set for Apple Watch, a Unity Connection Braided Solo Loop featuring the red, green, and achromatic colors of the Pan-African flag.

iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

Apple released iOS 26.2.1 this week to enactment the caller second-generation AirTag, but the institution besides released a slew of different iOS updates for older devices that can't tally iOS 26. That includes an iOS 12.5.8 update for the iPhone 5s and 6, which is singular considering the iPhone 5s volition crook 13 years aged aboriginal this year.


The iOS updates released this week for older devices widen a certificate required for instrumentality activation, iMessage, and FaceTime, allowing these aging devices to stay functional for those who are inactive utilizing them.

Apple Reportedly Aiming to Upgrade the MacBook Pro Twice This Year

Apple plans to merchandise caller MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Studio Display models successful the archetypal fractional of this year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


In his Power On newsletter this week, Gurman added that redesigned MacBook Pro models with an OLED interaction surface "should beryllium hitting toward the extremity of 2026," meaning that the MacBook Pro enactment would beryllium upgraded doubly this year.

It would beryllium a uncommon but not unprecedented determination for Apple to update the MacBook Pro doubly successful a year, but portion erstwhile rumors had indicated the M6 procreation could get successful either precocious 2026 oregon aboriginal 2027, Gurman present seems to beryllium leaning much heavy toward the update arriving earlier the extremity of this year.

Meanwhile, the hold for the M5 Pro and M5 Max models continues.

Here's When Apple Plans to Unveil a New Siri Powered by Google Gemini

A much personalized mentation of Siri powered by Google Gemini is expected to beryllium introduced adjacent month, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


"The institution has been readying an announcement of the caller Siri successful the 2nd fractional of February, erstwhile it volition springiness demonstrations of the functionality," helium wrote, successful the latest variation of his play Power On newsletter.

The interim improvements to Siri volition travel up of a overmuch bigger upgrade to see chatbot functionality and importantly much capabilities successful iOS 27, which volition beryllium introduced astatine WWDC successful June.

Apple Just Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever After Beats

Apple has been criticized by immoderate observers for slow-rolling its introduction into AI technology, with immoderate suggesting the institution needs to marque a large acquisition to effort to drawback up to rivals already establishing themselves successful the space.


Apple made a spot of a splash this week with its acquisition of Q.ai, which uses AI to analyse facial expressions to recognize "silent speech." It's not astir a woody connected the standard of acquiring 1 of the large chatbot players, but astatine a valuation of astir $2 billion, according to reports, it appears to basal arsenic Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever down Beats successful 2014.

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