Top Stories: iOS 26.2 Coming Soon, Apple Execs Depart, and More

You'd expect things to beryllium starting to upwind down for the holidays by now, but that doesn't look to beryllium the lawsuit yet successful the satellite of Apple news, with Apple conscionable astir acceptable to merchandise iOS 26.2 and different operating strategy updates to the public.


There was besides a flurry of quality this week astir Apple enforcement departures, immoderate expected and immoderate not truthful expected, portion we besides learned that Apple and Intel whitethorn beryllium processing a caller chipmaking partnership, truthful work connected beneath for each the details connected these stories and more!

Top Stories

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 Release Candidate Ahead of Public Launch

With the Thanksgiving vacation successful the rear-view reflector and the calendar turned to December, Apple is putting the last touches connected iOS 26.2, iPadOS 26.2, macOS Tahoe 26.2, and related updates, with several caller features and tweaks. Apple this week seeded merchandise campaigner versions of the updates to developers and nationalist beta testers, suggesting an authoritative merchandise for everyone volition travel adjacent week.


The imminent iOS 26.2 update arrives arsenic Apple has started to more aggressively propulsion users inactive connected iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26. Since ‌iOS 26‌ launched successful September, it has been displayed arsenic an optional upgrade astatine the bottommost of the Software Update interface successful the Settings app, with iOS 18 updates displayed much prominently.

Starting this week, that's changed. iOS 18 users who person not upgraded to ‌iOS 26 present spot iOS 26.1 (and soon iOS 26.2) arsenic the recommended iOS update successful the Settings app. iOS 18 updates are inactive an option, but are present displayed astatine the bottommost of the app.

Apple UI Design Chief Alan Dye Leaving for Meta

In a determination that came arsenic a astonishment to astir observers, Apple plan main Alan Dye has decided to permission the company aft 19 years and instrumentality a relation arsenic main plan serviceman astatine Meta.


Dye oversaw the large Liquid Glass plan update that debuted this year, which has not arrived without controversy, and immoderate some wrong and extracurricular of Apple are not precisely atrocious to spot Dye go.

Dye's departure follows intimately connected the heels of Apple announcing that AI main John Giannandrea has stepped down from his position and volition service arsenic an advisor until helium retires aboriginal adjacent year. Giannandrea has been nether unit arsenic Apple has fallen down successful the contention to make and deploy AI capabilities, and immoderate of his responsibilities had already been shifted to different executives.

As if that wasn't enough, Apple besides announced this week that general counsel Kate Adams and situation main Lisa Jackson volition some beryllium retiring successful 2026, with the institution moving to modulation their responsibilities to different executives.

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner connected Mac and iPhone Chips successful a New Way

While each Macs are present powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a caller rumor claims that Apple whitethorn rekindle its concern with Intel, albeit successful a caller and constricted way.


Apple proviso concatenation expert Ming-Chi Kuo this week said Intel is expected to statesman shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series spot arsenic aboriginal arsenic mid-2027.

If this rumor proves accurate, Intel could proviso Apple with M6 oregon M7 chips for aboriginal MacBook Air, iPad Air, and iPad Pro models astatine a minimum. However, portion erstwhile Intel chips for Macs were designed by Intel and based connected x86 architecture, M-series chips are designed by Apple and usage Arm architecture. Intel would lone assistance with manufacturing.

The partnership whitethorn besides widen to the iPhone with Intel producing aboriginal chips for non-pro iPhone models starting successful 2028, which could possibly mean the A22 spot for devices similar the iPhone 20 and iPhone 20e.

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Apple is expected to motorboat a caller foldable iPhone adjacent year, based connected aggregate rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited instrumentality has been rumored for years now, but signs progressively suggest that 2026 could so beryllium the twelvemonth that Apple releases its archetypal foldable device.


As rumors proceed to surface, we've collated an updated acceptable of cardinal details that person been leaked astir Apple's foldable iPhone truthful far. Apple volition allegedly telephone the instrumentality the "‌iPhone‌ Fold," which is the sanction the media has already adopted erstwhile sharing rumors astir the product.

Apple Music Replay 2025 Now Fully Available

The full Replay 2025 acquisition is present disposable successful the Apple Music app, allowing you to bespeak connected your listening habits implicit the past year.


There are 2 main components of the Replay 2025 experience. First, determination is simply a afloat year-end playlist containing the Apple Music songs that you listened to the astir implicit the past year, and second, determination is simply a Highlight Reel with images and a video that are designed to beryllium shared connected societal media platforms similar Instagram and TikTok.

iPhone 17 Demand Is Breaking Apple's Sales Records

Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is selling good capable that Apple is connected way to vessel much than 247.4 cardinal full iPhones successful 2025, according to a caller study from IDC.


Total 2025 shipments are forecast to turn 6.1 percent twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth owed to ‌iPhone 17‌ request and accrued income successful China, a large marketplace for Apple.

Overall worldwide smartphone shipments crossed Android and iOS are forecast to turn 1.5 percent, chiefly due to the fact that of the occurrence of the iPhone.

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