Top Stories: Major Apple Devices Leak, $599 MacBook Rumor, and More

Apple this week briefly made a file available that contained identifiers for many unreleased devices and chips, including new models of the Studio Display, Apple TV, Apple Watches, Apple Vision Pro, iPad mini, HomePod mini, and more.

In other news this week, it was reported that Apple is planning a wide range of new smart home devices and accessories, and there were more rumors about a lower-cost MacBook powered by an A18 Pro chip. Other top stories this week included another iOS 26 beta release, more discussion surrounding iPhone 17 pricing, and the Blood Oxygen feature finally being re-enabled on newer Apple Watch models sold in the United States.

Editor’s Note: Top Stories was published later than usual today due to summer holidays.

Top Stories

Every Apple Device That Leaked This Week

MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered references to many unreleased Apple devices that the company left in a file that was publicly accessible.

Here is everything that was discovered:

A new HomePod mini with an S9 chip or newer

A new Apple TV with an A17 Pro chip

A new Studio Display with an A19 Pro chip

A new iPad mini with an A19 Pro chip

A new low-cost iPad with an A18 chip

A new Vision Pro with an M5 chip

Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3 chip details

As always, nothing is official yet and Apple’s plans could change.

Apple’s Big Plan to Revamp the Smart Home

On this week’s episode of The MacRumors Show, we discussed Apple’s plan to focus on the smart home with a host of new devices and improvements to Siri.

Apple is reportedly planning to release a smart home hub in 2026, a tabletop robot in 2027, a home security camera, a Face ID doorbell, and more. GPT-5 integration is coming to Siri with iOS 26, and a more personalized version of Siri is set to launch next year. Plus, Siri might receive another redesign on the iPhone and iPad as early as next year.

You can listen to The MacRumors Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player. The MacRumors Show also has its own YouTube channel.

New $599 MacBook Could Launch This Year

We’ve been hearing rumors of a new low-cost MacBook powered by the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone 16 Pro, and a new report indicates that it could come in at a price point as low as $599. The laptop will reportedly include a 12.9-inch display, slightly smaller than the 13.6-inch screen on the smaller MacBook Air models.

The new MacBook would be a successor to the M1 MacBook Air from 2020, which continues to be an ultra low-cost option available only through Walmart for $599.

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 6

Apple has moved to a one-week interval for iOS 26 beta releases, which means this week saw the release of iOS 26 beta 6.

Apple is continuing to make changes to the upcoming update, such as adding new ringtones, faster and bouncier animations when opening and closing apps, and more tweaks to the Liquid Glass look.

iOS 26 should be released to the general public in September.

Will the iPhone 17 Cost More?

As seems to be the case every year, rumors have been circulating about potential price increases coming with the launch of new flagship iPhones in September. The rumors have been split about whether we might see an across-the-board increase on the order of $50 or whether increases might be targeted at certain models.

The latest rumor claims the iPhone 17 Pro in particular will come with a $50 increase in its starting price to $1,049 in the United States, breaking an 8-year streak of Apple holding the line on a $999 price point for that model. A potential price increase could come with one benefit, however, and that is doubled base storage of 256 GB, matching a change Apple made as part of a price increase for the Pro Max model a couple of years ago.

Blood Oxygen Feature Returns to All Apple Watches in U.S.

Apple this week released iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 updates with one big change: the Blood Oxygen feature is now re-enabled on all Apple Watch models sold in the United States.

On the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the U.S., the feature now works by sending the sensor data to a paired iPhone for calculation, with the results viewable in the Respiratory section of the Health app.

The feature had been unavailable on Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra models sold in the U.S. since mid-January 2024, as a result of a U.S. International Trade Commission order connected to a patent infringement lawsuit filed by health company Masimo.

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!

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Top Stories: Major Apple Devices Leak, $599 MacBook Rumor, and More