Apple Rewind: New accessibility features, Apple Design Awards, and improved RCS

We're back with another issue of our "Apple Rewind" monthly roundup series on Apple Inc., talking about new launches, speculations, and cool rumors you are waiting to hear. In May, Apple improved security in RCS, announced finalists for Apple Design Awards 2026, and shot an entire live sports event on an iPhone 17 Pro. Let's get started.

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

Designed by former Apple designers

The dream of the Apple Car may have faded, but its soul still exists in some form. Ferrari unveiled its first electric vehicle, Luce, whose interior and exterior were designed by LoveFrom. It's a firm founded by former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Ive reportedly played a major role in Apple Car development before it was scrapped.

Control a wheelchair with Vision Pro

One way Apple is making Vision Pro useful is by enabling users to control power wheelchairs with their eyes. The feature will launch with Tolt and LUCI alternative drive systems in the U.S. and will later expand to additional wheelchair drive systems. It's part of the newly announced accessibility features, including detailed descriptions and natural-language navigation, coming to VoiceOver, Magnifier, Voice Control, and Accessibility Reader.

Intel x Apple

Apple may have abandoned Intel for its chips, but things are turning around in a different way. It was reported early last month that Apple is planning to diversify its manufacturing and is knocking on the doors of Intel and Samsung. It was later reported that Apple's talks with Intel had reached a "preliminary chio-making agreement." It's also said that Intel could start its journey with "base A21 for base iPhone 19/19e or M7/M8 base chip."

Super secure RCS

Apple's latest perk for RCS on iPhone is end-to-end encryption, which arrived in beta in iOS 26.5. A new lock icon will appear on encrypted RCS chats when using supported carriers and Android users on the latest version of Google Messages.

Apple Design Awards 2026

Every year, Apple recognizes apps and games that stand out from the crowd for their design. The company released a list of 36 apps and games it picked as finalists for 2026, and the winners will be announced soon, around the WWDC. Speaking of which, Apple shared the official lineup for WWDC 2026 and said the keynote will stream on June 8 at 10 am PT.

Shot on iPhone

If clicking photos in the space wasn't enough, the iPhone hit a new production milestone. Apple TV streamed the first major live sporting event shot entirely on iPhone 17 Pro. It was an MLS match featuring the LA Galaxy vs. the Houston Dynamo FC. Apple previously used the iPhone 17 Pro to capture select moments from the game and cinematic in-stadium footage during a September 2025 “Friday Night Baseball” matchup.

iPhone rumors

Same Same but different: There are multiple arrows pointing towards the possibility that the upcoming iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e will be similar in multiple ways. The two devices are expected to share several components to reduce manufacturing costs, including the display and processor.

Bigger hole in your pocket: iPhone 18 Pro is expected to arrive in September with an inflated price tag. Part of the blame falls on the variable aperture lens, which reportedly costs 50% more than the lens currently used in the iPhone 17 Pro.

New standout color: For 2026, Dark Cherry is expected to become the flagship color for the Pro models, alongside Black, Silver, and Light Blue.

iPhone Fold can't fold: Apple's first foldable was expected to launch this year, but it seems to have hit a roadblock. A leaker with a reliable past record said that Apple is still struggling with the iPhone Fold’s hinge design. The device reportedly entered trial production, but its reliability and long-term durability consistently fail to meet Apple’s quality control standards.

Vocal for local: Apple wants to run its AI locally on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or even Apple Watch. And for that purpose, a report said the company is using a large version of Google's Gemini model to train a smaller, distilled version that can run locally. While it could help Apple save on data center bills, it remains to be seen how a capacity-constrained model will actually perform in the real world.

OpenAI is exploring legal options

It's widely known that Apple has been struggling to make a mark in the AI world. It partnered with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT with Siri, but things didn't go as planned. It was reported that OpenAI expected the integration to drive subscriptions and profits, but now believes that Apple’s implementation of ChatGPT in Siri confused users and made the features harder to use. OpenAI is reportedly exploring legal options against the iPhone-maker.

Cheaper Apple Music

Apple doesn't offer a free version of Apple Music. However, evidence suggests it might relax things a bit. Several strings (such as "Can't skip any more tracks" and "Premium access required") found in the Apple Music Android beta code hint that Apple is working on a low-cost tier for Apple Music.

Touch ID on Apple Watch

If you're waiting to get Touch ID support on your Apple Watch, you may have to wait longer. A Chinese leaker stated that biometric authentication is not a priority for Apple at the moment because the limited space can be used for other things. The company is focusing on improving battery life and adding more advanced health sensors to upcoming models.

Trip to China

Apple CEO Tim Cook was amongst a large group of businessmen and executives who accompanied President Donald Trump on his visit to China. Apple has a strong presence in China but has recently faced increasing competition from local companies, and it is managing its manufacturing relationships in both countries.

Cool app ideas

Apple showcased the app playgrounds made by four winners at this year's Swift Students Challenge. These Distinguished Winners tried to solve real-world problems while keeping accessibility in mind. Apple previously said it would invite 50 Distinguished Winners to a three-day in-person experience at Apple Park during WWDC 2026.

Billions saved

Apple shared its annual report on App Store safety data, stating that it helped prevent over $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2025, bringing the total over the last six years to $11.2 billion. Among other numbers, it also prevented the misuse of over 5.4 million stolen credit cards and banned nearly 2 million user accounts from future transactions.

You aren't a robot, but are you a student?

You might have proved that you're not a robot, but Apple now wants you to prove whether you're a student or educator if you want to claim discounts through the Education Store online. Already available for in-store verifications, Apple has expanded its partnership with Unidays to process the documents. Most verification requests will be approved instantly, while manual reviews may take up to 24 hours.

Massive Bluey crossover

The Emmy-winning series Bluey (which your furry friends can also watch) had a massive crossover on Apple Arcade, which was spread across five games: Crossy Road Castle, stitch., puffies., Suika Game+, and Disney Coloring World+. Apple also announced that several new titles are coming to Apple Arcade on June 4.

PowerShell for macOS

Microsoft is finally fixing several longstanding issues with PowerShell on macOS. It will say goodbye to the unidentified developer notifications by getting the PowerShell package and tarball for macOS properly notarized by Apple. Microsoft admitted that it has been sitting on user feedback for a long time.

Catch the game

Apple Sports got a massive expansion last when 90 new countries were added to its supported markets list, bringing the total to 170 countries. The updated app now comes with a clean, scrollable view of matchups and results for each round, allowing fans to easily track a team’s progression. There are improved game cards with visual formations for each team’s starting lineup.

So, these were some of the biggest updates around Apple from the month of May. 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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