The new feature, currently in beta, is rolling out to select Premium users in six countries. Here are the details.

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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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Since early 2020, I’ve used abode as my primary security system and have done so across two seapraye homes. It is now 2026, and in the world of smart home tech, six years is usually an eternity. I continue to get emails asking if I am still using it, or if I’ve jumped ship to some thing. I wanted to take an opportunity to update my review for 2026, discuss how the hardware has held up, and frankly, warn you about which hub you should buy for HomeKit.

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This Sunday is the Super Bowl, the biggest TV event of the year in the US. But aside from sponsoring the halftime show, you may not see much from Apple in terms of paid commercials—except for one F1 ad created by Cadillac.

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This week we began tracking big savings thanks to Valentine's Day and Super Bowl sales, which include discounts on everything from iPhone 17 cases to monitors and TVs. You'll also find deals below on Apple Watch Series 11 and AirPods 4, with the best prices of the year so far on each.

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

Valentine's Day Deals

We're just one week away from Valentine's Day, which falls on Saturday, February 14 this year. Similar to years past, many third-party Apple resellers and accessory companies have opened up notable discounts on Apple products and accessories to coincide with the holiday, and you can find the best in our list below.

• Best Buy - Save up to 50% on select TVs


• Nomad - Save 49% in Nomad's overstock sale


• OtterBox - Save 30% on cases, 50% on charging accessories, and more


• Anker - Save up to 40% on essential accessories


• Sonos - Save up to 20% off soundbars, speakers, and subwoofers


• AT&T - iPhone 17 Pro at no cost with eligible trade-in


• Samsung - Save on Samsung monitors and TVs


• ZAGG - Save up to 75% during clearance event


• Casely - Save 10% sitewide with code LOVE10


• Casetify - Buy 2 get 20% off with code LOVE2026

Super Bowl Sales

• What's the deal? Save on home audio equipment, TVs, and more


• Where can I get it? Sonos and Samsung


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

This week we began tracking Super Bowl themed sales at retailers including Samsung and Sonos, with some of the year's best prices so far on popular TVs, sound bars, speakers, and much more.

Apple Watch Series 11

• What's the deal? Take $100 off Apple Watch Series 11


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Amazon this week has all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with $100 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. This is only the second time so far in 2026 that we've tracked $100 markdowns on the Series 11, and nearly every aluminum model is on sale right now.

AirPods 4

• What's the deal? Take $30 off AirPods 4


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Apple's AirPods 4 returned to $99.00 this week, down from $129.00. This is the base model of the AirPods 4 without Active Noise Cancellation, and it's the best price we've seen on this model so far in 2026.

Anker

• What's the deal? Save on Anker accessories


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Earlier this week, Anker debuted its new Prime 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station with a launch discount on Amazon. If ordered this week, you can clip the on-page coupon on Amazon to get the accessory for $119.99, down from $149.99.

For even more Anker discounts, be sure to check out our original post.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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This article, "Best Apple Deals of the Week: Apple Watch Series 11 Get $100 Discounts Amid Valentine's Day and Super Bowl Sales" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Super Bowl LX is this Sunday, February 8, and there is a way for U.S. viewers to watch for free. Our instructions below are focused on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, but this method will of course work across a variety of devices.


2026's Super Bowl has the New England Patriots facing the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with the kickoff time on Sunday scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time / 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time. These two teams already met in the 2015 Super Bowl, which ended in a Patriots championship.

The big game is airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock Premium this year.

One way to stream the 2026 Super Bowl for free on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV in the U.S. is to sign up for a free 30-day trial to Walmart+, which includes free access to Peacock Premium's ad-supported tier.

You can sign up for a Walmart+ trial online.

Next, here is how to activate free, ad-supported Peacock Premium via Walmart+:

• Sign into your Walmart account.


• Go to your Account page.


• Select Walmart+.


• Find Peacock Premium in the Benefits Hub.


• Select Get Peacock.


• Log in or create your streaming service account.


• Follow the on-screen steps to finish setting up your account.


• Build your profile and start streaming.

Then, you can sign in to your Peacock account tied to Walmart+ in the Peacock app on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. On the Mac, you can sign in on the Peacock website. As mentioned, these are Apple-focused instructions, but they apply to many other devices too.

In addition to the Super Bowl itself, you can watch the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, featuring Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny.

Do not forget that a Walmart+ subscription automatically renews after the 30-day free trial.
This article, "How to Watch 2026 Super Bowl LX For Free on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Siri hasn’t yet gotten the big AI upgrades we’re expecting soon, but it sounds like Alexa’s recent AI revamp is already resulting in at least one user running back to the arms of “old” (current) Siri.

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NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on Wednesday announced that NASA astronauts will soon be permitted to fly with "the latest smartphones," beginning with the SpaceX Crew-12 and Artemis II missions over the next few months.


In an email, an Apple spokesperson said this will mark the first time the iPhone has been fully qualified for extended use in orbit and beyond.

NASA astronauts were previously not allowed to carry their own personal smartphones on space flights, but they did allow some approved DSLR cameras and other equipment. With smartphones, Isaacman said astronauts will be able to "capture special moments for their families and share inspiring images and video with the world."

It is unclear exactly which iPhone models have been qualified.
This article, "NASA Now Allowing Astronauts to Bring Their iPhones on Space Missions" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has just opened applications for this year’s Swift Student Challenge. Here are the details on how to apply.

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What started life as a humble face monitor geared to watching video and playing games wherever you happen to be has now evolved into something drawing ever closer to a Mac-powered Vision Pro.

The Viture Luma Ultra it isn’t perfect, but it is the closest thing I’ve seen yet to what I’d ideally like from a future Apple Vision Air product …

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We discuss all of the new Macs Apple is expected to release this year, starting with the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro, on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show.


Following the release of the M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌ last year, Apple is expected to launch refreshed high-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. They are rumored to arrive alongside macOS Tahoe 26.3 in the next few weeks. Stock of the current M4 Pro and M4 Max models is dwindling, suggesting that the announcement is now impending.

After that release, we are expecting M5-series chips to come to the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and Mac Studio at the very least. Whether the iMac and the Mac Pro will get an M5 chip remains an open question.

Apple is also rumored to launch an all-new low-cost MacBook this year, featuring the A18 Pro chip for comparable performance to the M1 chip. It is expected to feature a 13-inch LCD display, USB-C connectivity only, and a price point somewhere between $699 and $899. iPad-like Silver, Blue, Pink, and Yellow color options are also rumored.

Toward the end of the year, Apple is expected to launch significantly upgraded ‌MacBook Pro‌ models. The new machines are rumored to feature M6-series chips, a cellular connectivity option, OLED touchscreen displays, a hole-punch in the screen for the front-facing camera, and a thinner, lighter design.

The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.



You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or other podcast apps. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your player.



If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion about Apple's newly launched AirTag 2 and Apple Creator Studio.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kayci Lacob, Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also email us at podcast@macrumors.com or head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.
This article, "The MacRumors Show: All the New Macs Coming This Year" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today announced that submissions for the 2026 Swift Student Challenge are now open through Saturday, February 28.


The annual Swift Student Challenge gives eligible student developers around the world the opportunity to showcase their coding capabilities by using the Swift Playground or Xcode apps to create an interactive "app playground."

Apple said winners will be selected based on submissions that "demonstrate excellence in innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity." A subset of Distinguished Winners with "truly exceptional" submissions will be invited to visit Apple in Cupertino, California for three days in summer 2026, with travel and lodging included.

Distinguished Winners are typically invited to attend Apple's annual developers conference WWDC, at the company's Apple Park headquarters. Apple has yet to announce WWDC 2026 dates, but the weeklong conference is typically held in June.

WWDC 2026 is where Apple will announce iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and other software updates.

Apple outlined key things to know on its developer news page.
This article, "Swift Student Challenge Submissions Now Open Ahead of WWDC 2026" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is now ready to go. Alongside ongoing $100 price drops across the Apple Watch Series 11 lineup with deals from $299, we are also tracking a new Amazon all-time low on AirTag at $17 as well as a the 1TB iPhone 16 Pro Max at $611 off the original list courtesy of Amazon’s premium program. We also have a chance to score a 13-inch M5 iPad Pro 1TB cell model at nearly $400 off, iPad mini deals, and the best price to date on the Apple Crossbody Strap in black. Check it all out below. 

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Apple’s ’Services’ business has grown significantly in recent years, leading some users fatigued by an increasing trend toward subscriptions. But Apple’s reported iOS 27 pivot on a planned ‘Health+’ service is good news for the subscription-weary.

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In an all-hands meeting with employees on Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook briefly touched on the topic of retirement, but he remained coy about his plans.


"I spend a lot of time thinking about who's in the room five years from now, 10 years from now," said Cook, who was taking questions, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "I am obsessed with this — who's in the room 15 years from now."

A few months ago, the Financial Times reported that Apple was preparing for Cook to step down as soon as early 2026. However, Gurman has previously said that this timeframe "seems unlikely," and that he would be "shocked" if Cook stepped down before the middle of this year. So, Cook may remain CEO through WWDC 2026 at the very least.

Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, is widely viewed as Cook's most likely successor. Last month, Gurman reported that Cook gave oversight of Apple's design teams to Ternus at the end of last year, and he said this move makes it "crystal clear" that Ternus is the leading CEO candidate.

Whenever it happens, there has been speculation that Cook might become the executive chairman of Apple's board of directors after he steps down as CEO. In this position, Cook would retain some control over company decisions.

Cook has been Apple's CEO since August 2011, and he reached the typical retirement age of 65 last year. It is sounding more and more likely that his time in charge of the company is inching towards the end, but it still remains to be seen if he plans to step down in the coming months or if reports have jumped the gun.
This article, "Apple CEO Tim Cook Asked About Retirement Again, Here's What He Said" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple TV has become a go-to service for sci-fi fans, with shows like Severance and Pluribus proving big hits. Another popular series is dystopian thriller Silo, which has a season 3 coming later this year. Here’s everything we know so far about Silo season 3.

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Apple's first-generation AirTag 4-Pack has dropped to $64.00 this week on Amazon, down from the original price of $99.00. Free shipping options have a delivery estimate around February 11, while Prime members should be able to get it delivered a few days sooner.

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.

Overall, this is a solid second-best price on the AirTag 4-pack that's within $1 of the Amazon all-time low price. If you're shopping for a single AirTag, Amazon has the AirTag 1-Pack for $17.00, down from $29.00, a record low price.




Apple just debuted the all-new AirTag, featuring longer range for tracking items and a louder speaker. We haven't tracked any discounts on the new second generation models as of yet, so anyone who wants to save money should keep looking into the original models.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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This article, "AirTag 1 Gets Major Discounts With 1-Pack at $17 and 4-Pack at $64" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iPhone 17 Pro Max’s best-ever battery has been a hit with users, and we’ve heard before that iPhone 18 Pro Max will boast an even bigger battery. Now, thanks to a new leak, we know how much bigger.

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New emails unsealed this week and spotted by The Verge show Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggesting the company should conduct less research into how its platforms harm users, bizarrely citing Apple as a model to follow.

The email was sent in 2021 following a report from The Wall Street Journal that Meta was more than aware that Instagram was “toxic for teen girls,” and had done in-depth research on the topic.

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The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker.


Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the device could tout extremely impressive battery life. It is expected to be thicker than its predecessor to facilitate the larger battery.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has the biggest ‌iPhone‌ battery to date at 5,088 mAh. Apple says it has a battery life of up to 39 hours. A recent test found that Apple devices lead the industry for battery life, with the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max ranking as the longest-lasting phone tested and Apple tied as the top overall brand. As a result, with a bigger battery and more efficient chip, the ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max should comfortably offer over 40 hours of battery life.

Meanwhile, the first foldable ‌iPhone‌, which is expected to debut alongside the ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max, is rumored to feature class-leading battery life. The foldable's battery could be over 5,500 mAh in size, which would make it the largest capacity of any ‌iPhone‌, as well as any rival foldable device‌.

The ‌‌iPhone 18‌‌ Pro and ‌‌iPhone 18‌‌ Pro Max are expected to launch later this year, featuring a smaller Dynamic Island, the C2 modem, a simplified Camera Control, a 24-megapixel front-facing camera, and an upgraded main camera with a variable aperture.



This article, "iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Alongside the iPhone 17e, Apple also has a refreshed base model iPad in the works. A new report from Macotakara highlights what we can expect from Apple’s update of its cheapest iPad.

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Apple continues to explore how generative AI can improve app development pipelines. Here’s what they’re looking at.

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According to a new report today, Apple’s next iPhone is launching very soon. Macwelt reports that the iPhone 17e is set to launch on February 19 — one year to the day following the launch of the iPhone 16e.

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Bloomberg reports that Apple has recently scaled back its plans for the Project Mulberry initiative following a leadership shakeup at the company’s health organization. Here are the details.

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