Apple Rewind: iPhone 18 Pro video leaked, things you missed at WWDC, and Neo is a blessing

The month of June was packed with WWDC 2026 adventure, Apple beta releases, unwanted price hikes, and iPhone video getting leaked.

We're back with another issue of our "Apple Rewind" monthly roundup series on Apple Inc., talking about new launches, speculation, and cool rumors you are waiting to hear. In June, we saw Apple's trade secrets reportedly getting leaked, WWDC 2026 announcements, and new features for Apple Creator Studio.

You can check out our previous issues of the 'Apple Rewind' monthly roundup.

MacBook Neo gets expensive, iPhone could follow

Apple made headlines this year by launching the cheapest MacBook in its lineup. But even a company as big as Apple couldn't avoid the fallout of the global memory crisis and increased prices. The MacBook Neo now costs $699 for the base model, up from $599. Apple also increased the prices of several MacBook and iPad models.

This came after Apple CEO Tim Cook warned of looming price hikes for different products due to memory shortages. Apple's profit margins may narrow this year, and it's estimated that the iPhone 18 Pro base model could cost around $1,299 or $1,399.

As part of damage control, Apple is reportedly looking into the blacklisted Chinese company ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) to source DRAM chips at better rates. CXMT is on the Pentagon's list of Chinese military companies, and Apple is seeking clearance from the Trump administration.

Apple trade secrets leaked

About 630GB of data was reportedly stolen in a cyberattack affecting Tata Electronics, Apple's manufacturing partner in India. It was said that the World Leaks ransomware group was behind the attack and posted up to 200,000 files on the dark web.

It was one of the biggest data breaches in Apple's history, in which an iPhone 18 Pro series drop-test video leaked on the dark web. The group also leaked component details, supplier lists, and photos of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models.

Siri AI finally arrived

Apple fans have been waiting for years to see an upgraded version of Siri. They should thank Google for making the Siri AI possible. The upgraded AI assistant brings Visual Intelligence, drafting, and conversation history for iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro. There is a new Siri app available for different Apple products.

However, Siri AI is facing hurdles in the EU. Apple is unable to roll out Siri AI for iPhone and iPad in the region due to the Digital Markets Act and some other regulatory requirements. A European Commission spokesperson told Neowin that Apple is considered a gatekeeper and it is "obliged to give third parties access to equivalent features as they give to its own products."

$4 billion lawsuit

Apple is no stranger to class action lawsuits, and the latest came from the UK, accusing the iPhone maker of trapping users in iCloud by restricting rivals' ability to fully access iOS. The lawsuit seeks $4 billion (£3 billion) in damages, to be paid to eligible people who used iCloud services between November 8, 2018, and June 8, 2026.

Liquid Glass slider

Apple's annual developer event lifted the curtain on the new Liquid Glass slider for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This means you can get more control by adjusting the transparency from clear to opaque. Among other changes, the window sidebars on macOS 27 Golden Gate now extend to the edge, and refraction continues beneath them when you scroll the UI sideways.

What else at WWDC 2026

This year's event was mostly about Siri and Apple Intelligence. But Apple also introduced the new iOS 27 with no changes to the list of supported iPhones. Apple previewed a platter of child safety features for its devices, including a simpler setup experience, Ask to Browse, Time Allowances, and a redesigned Screen Time.

The company launched a new website to help parents get their questions answered. Apple is also expanding Private Cloud Compute beyond its data centers for the first time. Apple Intelligence workloads will run on Google Cloud systems powered by NVIDIA GPUs.

Is my device supported?

Apple's latest lineup of operating systems is currently available for testing in developer beta. For iOS 27, the most recent developer beta was released last week. We have compiled the list of supported devices for different platforms. If you want to try out the latest software, you can see if your device is compatible with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, and macOS 27.

Speaking of updates, Apple also released iOS 26.5.2 and iPadOS 26.5.2 with dozens of security fixes for the iPhone and iPad, focusing on WebKit, WebRTC, WebKit Storage, WebKit Canvas, Web Extensions, libxslt, IOGPUFamily, and the kernel.

What did you miss at WWDC?

If you watched Apple's WWDC 2026 keynote, you might have realized that Apple did things differently this time. There were no dedicated sections for individual software updates, including iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and more. The Cupertino giant didn't even publish the official press releases detailing the features.

Read our detailed post to know about the five things you might have missed at WWDC 2026.

Apple Design Awards 2026

Early in June, Apple announced the 12 winners of the 2026 Apple Design Awards, picking from a list of 36 finalists. These apps and games won across six categories: Delight and Fun, Inclusivity, Innovation, Interaction, Social Impact, and Visuals and Graphics.

The second-generation

Samsung is almost a decade ahead of Apple when it comes to foldable devices. Many are waiting to see the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra, which is expected to arrive later this year. That being said, the rumor mill has started churning hopes about the second-generation iPhone Fold.

Apple is working on it, and the device could arrive in fall 2027, according to a Chinese leaker. For starters, it will reportedly feature a wider folding display while reusing the same screen found in the first generation.

iPhone Air isn't dead

iPhone Air may not have hit the mark, but reports suggest Apple isn't done with the ultra-thin smartphone. Its upgraded model (codenamed V62) is expected to hit the shelves in 2027. Addressing its biggest drawbacks, the upcoming iPhone Air could feature an additional rear camera for ultrawide shots and improved battery life through software changes or a larger battery.

Fake phone chargers

UK consumer rights watchdog Which? ran a new investigation and found that “potentially lethal knock-off chargers” were still being sold on online marketplaces seven years after it exposed the dangers of such chargers. The organization purchased 15 USB phone chargers from several marketplaces, including one that turned out to be a fake Apple USB-C 35W power adaptor, featuring an Apple logo to mislead buyers.

New age checks

Apple had to enforce strict age-verification and parental-consent rules for Apple accounts created in Texas, in accordance with the Texas Age Assurance Law (SB 2420). Apple previously warned about privacy concerns due to the law, and it affects under-18 users who try to download apps or make in-app purchases.

Microsoft faces heat

The Redmond giant found itself in hot water after quietly blocking promised Office features on Apple systems. It said in an email that a "security certificate update" was required from July 13, 2026, to keep them fully functional and secure. What set off many is the fact that Microsoft seems to have never said earlier that this was ever going to be the case.

MacBook Neo is a blessing for Windows users

In his recent editorial, Hamid discussed how the arrival of MacBook Neo is good news for Windows users. Apple pushed its competitors to introduce laptops with sleeker designs and more capable hardware at affordable prices.

In other words, paying $600 doesn't mean you should settle for a device with a low-quality plastic chassis, a glitchy operating system, or limited performance. Windows laptop manufacturers found themselves competing against a product that offered many of the features and qualities they had long failed to deliver at this price point.

Looming privacy disaster?

Paul examined the dangers posed by the UK government's proposed nudity blockers for smartphones and what safeguards need to be in place. The UK seems to be on a digital safety power trip, and in its latest, it's calling on Apple, Google, and presumably other mobile OS makers, to scan phones for explicit images to protect children.

"Made in America"

Hamid also penned an opinion piece discussing how it's impossible (or extremely difficult) to produce a smartphone in the US. There are multiple factors, such as a shortage of trained labor in the US compared to China, higher labor costs, a lack of necessary manufacturing hubs, and even tariff threats, that may not work.

Apple Store gets big numbers

Apple shared the latest numbers around the App Store ecosystem and revealed that it facilitated over $1.4 trillion in developer billings and sales in 2025. The company noted that developers didn't pay any commission to Apple for over 90% of the billings and sales. Moreover, apps featuring consumer-facing AI saw 4x more growth in billings in 2025.

Apple Creator Studio

Apple's creator subscription got new features at the end of the month, bringing new integrations with Pixelmator Pro across Final Cut Pro, Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. There are even more intelligent tools in Final Cut Pro: the ability to generate shapes to further customize a project, and a new Producer Project in Logic Pro.

So, these were some of the biggest updates around Apple from the month of June. There will be more issues of the Apple Rewind series in the following months. You can check out other tech updates in our 7 Days and Microsoft Weekly roundups.

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Posted Thursday 2 July 2026 at 8:21 am AEST (my time).

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