Top Stories: iOS 26.1 Changes, MacBook Pro and iPad Pro Rumors, and More

Signs are continuing to point to some imminent Apple hardware updates, while the company is also making tweaks during beta testing for iOS 26.1, keeping us on our toes for the month of October.

This week also saw a look at a likely shakeup of Apple’s senior leadership in the coming years, as well as some more rumors about Apple’s foldable iPhone expected next year, so read on for all the details on these stories and more!

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5+ New Features Your iPhone Will Get in iOS 26.1

Apple is currently beta testing iOS 26.1, which will be the first major update to the iOS 26 operating system. It’s not going to bring the new version of Siri that we’ve been waiting for, but it does include useful new features and interface changes.

With the second round of betas this week bringing a number of changes including improvements to the mechanism for turning off alarms and timers and a partial return of Slide Over on the iPad, we’ve now recapped all of the additions and changes we’ve discovered so far in iOS 26.1.

Gurman: Major Apple Leadership Shakeup Impending With John Ternus as Next CEO

In this week’s edition of his “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman revisited Apple’s succession plans ahead of Tim Cook’s 65th birthday and following Jeff Williams’ announcement in July that he would be stepping down as Chief Operating Officer before fully retiring later this year.

Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus is seen as the likely successor to Cook at the helm of Apple, and he has been gradually becoming more visible in recent years.

There are a number of other Apple senior executives such as Phil Schiller and Luca Maestri who have been phasing themselves out, and others like AI chief John Giannandrea and chip boss Johny Srouji who will likely be winding things down in the not too distant future, so Apple’s long-running era of relative stability among its executive ranks will likely be coming to an end in the next few years.

M5 MacBook Pro Could Launch in October as M4 Model Faces Supply Constraints

While we’re definitely expecting some new Apple products before the end of the year, rumors have been unclear about whether we’ll see any Macs in that group or if they’ll make their appearance sometime in early 2026.

A couple of recent hints have, however, suggested that at least one Mac might be coming sooner rather than later, and that’s the base M5 MacBook Pro. Supplies of the current M4 model in Apple’s online stores are currently constrained, and FCC documents leaked within the past couple of weeks included only a single model rather than a complete set spanning M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max chips across the two available sizes.

As a result, there has been speculation that we could see the base M5 MacBook Pro appear alongside the already-leaked M5 iPad Pro as soon as later this month, with more powerful MacBook Pro models following later. We’ll just have to wait and see!

Next iPad Pro to Have Two Key Features, But One Rumor Still Uncertain

Speaking of that already-leaked iPad Pro, it certainly appears that it will come with an M5 chip and a bump to 12GB minimum memory, but questions remain about whether it will gain a previously rumored second front camera to better support both landscape and portrait orientations.

Video leaks out of Russia have been split about whether a second camera is present, but video footage certainly makes it look like there is an ambient light sensor at the expected location as on current models, rather than a second camera.

iOS 26: Switch Back to the Classic Phone App Layout

One of the more controversial changes in iOS 26 has been a new unified view for the Phone app that puts recent calls, favorite contacts, voicemails, and search all on a single screen. Fortunately for those who dislike the new organization, it’s easy to switch back to the classic tabbed view.

iOS 26 also lets you quickly view an extended call history with any of your contacts, potentially going back years depending on how much history is stored on your device. With iOS 26, you can also have your iPhone wait on hold for you, screen your calls by asking the caller their name and reason for calling, or even serve as a real-time translator for your calls.

Apple’s 2026 Foldable iPhone Rumored to Use Titanium and Aluminum Frame

Apple’s upcoming foldable iPhone will have a frame that’s made from a mix of titanium and aluminum, analyst Jeff Pu said this week in a note shared with investors.

Pu suggested that Apple will expand its use of titanium, with the material set to be used in both the 2026 ‌”iPhone‌ Fold” and iPhone Air models. The foldable ‌iPhone‌ is rumored to be as thin as 4.5mm when opened up, which would make it even thinner than the ‌iPhone Air‌. so it would need the strength of a titanium frame to prevent bending issues.

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