Several readers have noticed that our Buyer's Guide has recently changed the iPhone recommendation to "Don't Buy - Updates Soon" despite no recent rumors about a new iPhone update.
The Buyer's Guide generates some of its recommendations automatically based on historic product life cycles. For a product like the iPhone, however, which has only been on the market for a short period of time, these product cycles can be less predictive.
The relatively short product cycles for the iPhone reflect the fact that Apple has made regular adjustments to the iPhone's price and storage capacity. Only 2 months after its initial release in 2007, Apple dropped the price of the 8GB iPhone down $200. Then in February, Apple boosted the maximum storage capacity of the iPhone from 8GB to 16GB.
These regular short updates are why the Buyer's Guide recommendation has changed, but Apple has said they are not going to be updating any more products in 2008. So, any new updates wouldn't realistically be seen until early 2009. And Apple has said that they will continue to improve and aggressively price the iPhone in the future.
Regardless, readers should probably wait until Friday before buying any new Apple hardware since Apple and other retailers will be offering Black Friday After Thanksgiving sales. BestBuy, PowerMax and Amazon are already advertising their Black Friday sales, and we believe that both Apple and MacMall will also be offering their traditional discounts on Friday. Last year's discounts were as high as $300 off high end MacBook Pros.
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
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.
In his Powe...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
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 today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 8:55 am PST by Joe Rossignol
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...
