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Get $100 Off Apple Watch Series 11 on Amazon, Available From $299

2026-02-07 23:46:11

Amazon this weekend has all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with $100 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. This time around, we're tracking these record low prices on nearly every aluminum model.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

You can get the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 11 for $299.00, down from $399.00, and the 46mm GPS model for $329.00, down from $429.00. On Amazon, you'll find four of the 42mm GPS models on sale at this all-time low price, and four of the 46mm GPS models on sale as well.

If you're shopping for cellular models, you can find record low prices on multiple models this week on Amazon. The 42mm cellular Apple Watch Series 11 has hit $399.00, down from $499.00, and the 46mm cellular model has hit $429.00, down from $529.00.




Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

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This article, "Get $100 Off Apple Watch Series 11 on Amazon, Available From $299" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Top Stories: iOS 26.3 and 26.4 Features, Foldable iPhone Details, and More

2026-02-07 22:00:00

The iOS 26.3 release looks to be right around the corner with a highly anticipated iOS 26.4 update following right behind, so Apple software rumors were big in the news this week.


Hardware wasn't left out, however, as we're still awaiting a few early-year launches like the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro, while we're also looking further down the road at major new products coming later in the year like the first foldable iPhone, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

Top Stories

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available to beta testers ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.


Be sure to check out our recap of known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far so you're ready for the updates!

First Foldable iPhone Design Details Revealed

Apple's first foldable iPhone will feature relocated volume buttons, an all-black camera plateau, a smaller Dynamic Island, and more, according to design leaks from a known Weibo leaker.


A separate leaker has indicated the foldable iPhone could feature the biggest-ever iPhone battery and eclipse rival devices, checking in at over 5,500 mAh in size. That would make it the largest capacity of any current or previous ‌iPhone‌, as the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the biggest battery to date at 5,088 mAh.

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.


In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis, and in his Power On newsletter this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said he was told that CarPlay Ultra will come to at least one major new Hyundai or Kia vehicle model "in the second half of this year."

It is unclear if he is referring to Hyundai's upcoming IONIQ 3, as previously reported, or if it will be a different model.

Apple Changes How You Order a Mac

Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.


There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an iPad.

New MacBook Pros Reportedly Launching Alongside macOS 26.3

Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter this week. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from February through March," he explained.

This comes as third-party retailers are seeing stock of the existing models dwindle.

Apple Gives Final Warning to Home App Users

In 2022, Apple introduced a new Apple Home architecture that is "more reliable and efficient," and the deadline to upgrade and avoid issues is fast approaching.


In an email this week, Apple gave customers a final reminder to upgrade their Home app by February 10, 2026. Apple says users who do not upgrade may experience issues with accessories and automations, or lose access to their smart home in the app entirely. In addition, users who do not upgrade will miss out on newer features like robot vacuum cleaner support, and they will not receive important security fixes and performance improvements.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!
This article, "Top Stories: iOS 26.3 and 26.4 Features, Foldable iPhone Details, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

2026-02-07 07:06:53

In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.


The iOS 26.4 version of ‌Siri‌ won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.

Upgraded Architecture

The next-generation version of ‌Siri‌ will use advanced large language models, similar to those used by ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Apple isn't implementing full chatbot interactions, but any upgrade is both better than what's available now and long overdue.

Right now, ‌Siri‌ uses machine learning, but it doesn't have the reasoning capabilities that LLM models impart. ‌Siri‌ relies on multiple task-specific models to complete a request, going from one step to another. ‌Siri‌ has to determine the intent of a request, pull out relevant information (a time, an event, a name, etc), and then use APIs or apps to complete the request. It's not an all-in-one system.

In iOS 26.4, ‌Siri‌ will have an LLM core that everything else is built around. Instead of just translating voice to text and looking for keywords to execute on, ‌Siri‌ will actually understand the specifics of what a user is asking, and use reasoning to get it done.

LLM Improvements

‌Siri‌ today is usually fine for simple tasks like setting a timer or alarm, sending a text message, toggling a smart home device on or off, answering a simple question, or controlling a device function, but it doesn't understand anything more complicated, it can't complete multi-step tasks, it can't interpret wording that's not in the structure it wants, it has no personal context, and it doesn't support follow-up questions.

An LLM should solve most of those problems because ‌Siri‌ will have something akin to a brain. LLMs can understand the nuance of a request, suss out what it is someone actually wants, and take the steps to deliver that information or complete the requested action.

We already know some of what LLM ‌Siri‌ will be able to do because Apple described the Apple Intelligence features it wants to implement when iOS 18 debuted.

Promised Siri Apple Intelligence Features

Apple described three specific ways that ‌Siri‌ will improve, including personal context, the ability to see what's on the screen to know what the user is talking about, and the capability to do more in and between apps.

‌Siri‌ will understand pronouns, references to content on the screen and in apps, and it will have a short-term memory for follow-up requests.

Personal Context

With personal context, ‌Siri‌ will be able to keep track of emails, messages, files, photos, and more, learning more about you to help you complete tasks and keep track of what you've been sent.

• Show me the files Eric sent me last week.


• Find the email where Eric mentioned ice skating.


• Find the books that Eric recommended to me.


• Where's the recipe that Eric sent me?


• What's my passport number?

Onscreen Awareness

Onscreen awareness will let ‌Siri‌ see what's on your screen and complete actions involving whatever you're looking at. If someone texts you an address, for example, you can tell ‌Siri‌ to add it to their contact card. Or if you're looking at a photo and want to send it to someone, you can ask ‌Siri‌ to do it for you.

Deeper App Integration

Deeper app integration means that ‌Siri‌ will be able to do more in and across apps, performing actions and completing tasks that are just not possible with the personal assistant right now. We don't have a full picture of what ‌Siri‌ will be capable of, but Apple has provided a few examples of what to expect.

• Moving files from one app to another.


• Editing a photo and then sending it to someone.


• Get directions home and share the ETA with Eric.


• Send the email I drafted to Eric.

Bigger Than Promised Update

In an all-hands meeting in August 2025, Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi explained the ‌Siri‌ debacle to employees. Apple had attempted to merge two separate systems, which didn't work out.

There was one system for handling current commands and another based on large language models, and the hybrid approach was not working due to the confines of the current ‌Siri‌ architecture. The only way forward was to upgrade to the second-generation architecture built around a large language model.

In the August meeting, Federighi said Apple had successfully revamped ‌Siri‌, and that Apple would be able to introduce a bigger upgrade than it promised in iOS 18.

"The work we've done on this end-to-end revamp of ‌Siri‌ has given us the results we needed," Federighi told employees. "This has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than that we envisioned."

Adopting Google Gemini

Part of Apple's problem was that it was relying on AI models that it built in-house, and that were not able to match the capabilities of competitors. Apple started considering using a third-party model for ‌Siri‌ and other future AI features shortly after delaying ‌Siri‌, and in January, Apple announced a multi-year partnership with Google.

For the foreseeable future, Apple's AI features, including the more personalized version of ‌Siri‌, will use a custom model Apple built in collaboration with Google's Gemini team. Apple plans to continue work on its own in-house models, but for now, it will rely on Gemini for many public-facing features.

‌Siri‌ in iOS 26.4 will be more similar to Google Gemini than ‌Siri‌ today, though without full chatbot capabilities. Apple plans to continue to run some features on-device and use Private Cloud Compute to maintain privacy. Apple will keep personal data on-device, anonymize requests, and continue to allow AI features to be disabled.

What's Not Coming in iOS 26.4

‌Siri‌ is not going to work as a chatbot, so the updated version will not feature long-term memory or back-and-forth conversations, plus Apple plans to use the same voice-based interface with limited typing functionality.

Apple's Embarrassing Siri Delay

In what became an infamous move, Apple went all-in showing off a smarter, Apple Intelligence-powered version of ‌Siri‌ when it introduced iOS 18 at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple said these features would come in an update to iOS 18, but right around when launch was expected, Apple admitted that ‌Siri‌ wasn't ready and would be delayed until spring 2026.



Apple executives went on a press tour to explain the ‌Siri‌ shortcomings after WWDC 2025, promising bigger and better things for iOS 26, and explaining what went wrong. The ‌Apple Intelligence‌ ‌Siri‌ features we saw at WWDC 2024 were actually implemented and weren't faked, but ‌Siri‌ wasn't working as well as expected behind the scenes and Apple was dealing with quality issues.

Since Apple advertised the new ‌Siri‌ features with the iPhone 16, some people who bought the iPhone because of the new functionality were upset about the delay and sued. Apple was able to quietly settle the case in December 2025, so most of the ‌Siri‌ snafu has been resolved.

Internal Restructuring

The misstep with ‌Siri‌'s debut and the failure of the hybrid architecture led Apple to restructure its entire AI team. Apple AI chief John Giannandrea was removed from the ‌Siri‌ leadership team, with Vision Pro chief Mike Rockwell taking over instead.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was no longer confident in Giannandrea's ability to oversee product development, and Giannandrea is set to retire in spring 2026. Rockwell reports to Federighi, and Federighi told employees that the new leadership has "supercharged" ‌Siri‌ development. Federighi has apparently played an instrumental role in changing Apple's approach to AI, and he is making the decisions that will allow the company to catch up to rivals.

Apple has struggled with retaining AI employees amid the ‌Siri‌ issue and recruitment strategies from companies like Meta. Meta poached several key AI engineers from Apple, offering pay packages as high as $200 million. At Apple's August all-hands meeting, Cook and Federighi aimed to reassure employees that AI is critically important to the company. "There is no project people are taking more seriously," Federighi said of ‌Siri‌.

Cook said that Apple will "make the investment" to be a leader in AI.

iOS 26.4 Siri Launch Date

Apple has promised that the new version of ‌Siri‌ is coming in spring 2026, which is when we're expecting iOS 26.4. Testing on iOS 26.4 should begin in late February or early March, with a launch to follow around the April timeframe.

LLM Siri Compatibility

The new version of ‌Siri‌ will presumably run on all devices that support ‌Apple Intelligence‌, though Apple hasn't explicitly provided details. Some new ‌Siri‌ capabilities may come to older devices as well.

iOS 27 Chatbot Upgrade

Apple plans to upgrade ‌Siri‌ even further in the iOS 27 update, turning Siri into a chatbot. ‌Siri‌ will work like Claude or ChatGPT, able to understand and engage in back and forth conversation.

Details about the ‌Siri‌ interface and how a chatbot version of ‌Siri‌ will work are still in short supply, but iOS 26.4 will be a stop on the path to a version of ‌Siri‌ able to actually function like products from Anthropic and OpenAI.
This article, "Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iPhone Air Review: Four Months Later, is Apple's Thinnest iPhone Worth $999?

2026-02-07 04:52:34

It's been four months since the iPhone Air came out, and it hasn't exactly been a resounding success. Sales are reportedly so low that Apple is delaying the next-generation model. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera shares what it's been like using Apple's thinnest and lightest iPhone on a daily basis over the last few months.

With its super thin design, the ‌iPhone Air‌ still impresses even months later. It's much lighter than the other ‌iPhone‌ models, and a pleasure to use because of it. The ‌iPhone Air‌ is Apple's best one-handed smartphone, plus it impresses everyone who tries it out.

The frosted glass texture is attractive, and thanks to that titanium frame, it's durable. The glass resists fingerprints, plus it's not slippery, so it can be used without a case. That's a good thing, since a case tends to ruin the ultra thin feel. The ‌iPhone Air‌ is all glass, though, so it's still breakable if dropped and AppleCare+ is recommended.

The ‌iPhone Air‌ has the smallest battery in the iPhone 17 lineup, and there was a lot of concern that it wouldn't last all day. As long as you're not using it for high-end gaming, the battery is totally fine. Dan hasn't had a problem with battery life for day-to-day activities like browsing social media, YouTube, navigating, and using CarPlay.

If you're someone who only uses the Wide camera on the ‌iPhone‌, you might not miss the Ultra Wide or Telephoto lenses, but having only a single-lens rear camera is one of the ‌iPhone Air‌'s major downsides. You get 1x and 2x zoom, but no 0.5x mode, no macro lens, and no 5x telephoto lens. It's definitely a dealbreaker for some people.

There's also only a single speaker, and while it's fine for use in quiet rooms, if you like to use your ‌iPhone‌ for things like listening to music in the shower, it might not be good enough.

The biggest thing wrong with the ‌iPhone Air‌ is the price tag. Sure, it's light, thin, and has an impressive design, but it's $999. For $200 less, you can get the standard ‌iPhone 17‌ with two cameras and near identical performance, and for $100 more, you can get the iPhone 17 Pro, which has three cameras and faster performance. The only sacrifice is thinness, and it's clear that most people aren't willing to pay more to lose features for a thin and light design.

At this point, it's not entirely clear when a new ‌iPhone Air‌ is coming out. Rumors originally suggested we'd get the second-generation model in the fall of 2026, but sales were below expectations, so Apple is holding back on a new model to make some changes.

The next ‌iPhone Air‌ could have a second camera and display improvements like a smaller Dynamic Island to make it more appealing, with a potential launch happening in spring 2027.
This article, "iPhone Air Review: Four Months Later, is Apple's Thinnest iPhone Worth $999?" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple to Allow ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini in CarPlay

2026-02-07 03:49:08

Apple is planning to bring new AI features to CarPlay, reports Bloomberg. Apple will allow third-party chatbot apps to integrate with ‌CarPlay‌, so AI services like Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT will be accessible in the car for the first time.


‌CarPlay‌ already supports third-party apps, but the types of apps that are supported are limited. Companies like Anthropic and OpenAI aren't currently able to create ‌CarPlay‌ apps, so users are limited to using Siri voice controls in the vehicle.

With the change, ‌CarPlay‌ users will be able to access apps like ChatGPT to ask questions hands-free, though the apps won't be able to control vehicle or iPhone functions. Third-party AI voice apps will not be accessible via a wake word and won't replace ‌Siri‌, so users will need to open an app to get access to a chatbot. App developers will be able to design in-car experiences that will launch a voice-based chat mode when the app is opened, which will streamline the process.

Apple is planning to support third-party AI apps "within the coming months," which could align with when the company's smarter version of ‌Siri‌ is set to launch. With iOS 26.4, Apple is debuting a more personalized version of ‌Siri‌ that uses large language models.

‌Siri‌ will be able to answer complex questions, complete multi-step tasks, maintain continuity, and do more in and between apps. The personal assistant is also set to gain a World Knowledge Answers feature, allowing it to search the web and summarize information from websites.

Later in iOS 27, ‌Siri‌ will get full chatbot capabilities, allowing it to better compete with Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT.

This article, "Apple to Allow ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini in CarPlay" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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MacRumors Giveaway: Win an iPhone 17 and Fresh Coat Screen Protector From Astropad

2026-02-07 03:18:19

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Astropad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an iPhone 17 and one of Astropad's anti-reflective Fresh Coat screen protectors to go along with it.


Fresh Coat is a new kind of screen protector that Astropad designed with an optical-grade anti-reflective coating to reduce glare and provide a better iPhone viewing experience. The technology that Astropad is using cuts reflections by 75 percent, while improving contrast and keeping colors vibrant. Unlike other anti-reflective screen protectors on the market, Fresh Coat has adds no haze or distortion.


Priced at $30, Fresh Coat is made from a scratch-proof tempered glass that also provides protection for the ‌iPhone‌'s display in addition to cutting down on glare and reflections. It's slim and won't add any bulk to the ‌iPhone‌ even though there are five layers of technology at work. From the top down, there's an anti-reflective coating, an oleophobic and hydrophobic coating, a layer of tempered glass, a dust barrier, and an impact-resistant "airbag" bonding.


If you have an ‌iPhone 17‌, it comes with an anti-reflective coating added by Apple. What you might not know, though, is that you can't use just any screen protector with the ‌iPhone 17‌. If you put a regular screen protector without an anti-reflective coating on, it nullifies the anti-reflective properties of that added coating.


Since Fresh Coat has its own anti-reflective coating, it actually improves upon Apple's included anti-reflective layer, reducing glare even further. With Fresh Coat, the ‌iPhone‌'s screen is easy to see in any lighting conditions, there's less eye strain, and if you use Dark Mode, it looks even darker.


If you don't have an ‌iPhone 17‌, Fresh Coat can provide an ‌iPhone‌ 17-style display upgrade, mirroring Apple's own reflection-reducing display coating. Fresh Coat is available for all ‌iPhone 17‌ models, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, and the ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro and Pro Max.


Astropad designed an installation process that's impossible to mess up, so you get perfect alignment on your ‌iPhone‌ without hassle.

We have an ‌iPhone 17‌ in white and a Fresh Coat screen protector for one lucky MacRumors reader. To enter to win, use the widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner(s) and send the prize(s). You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, following us on Threads, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (February 6) at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on February 13. The winner will be chosen randomly on or shortly after December 26 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.
This article, "MacRumors Giveaway: Win an iPhone 17 and Fresh Coat Screen Protector From Astropad" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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