Apple’s first 50 years were just the beginning. Get ready for a wild 2026

Over the past couple of weeks, Apple, Macworld, and everyone else in the tech sphere spent time celebrating the company’s 50th anniversary, looking back at not just the company’s rich history, but also our own past and how Apple has played a part in it. It’s been a blast, but now it’s time to get down to business.

As you read this article, Apple is now 50 years and five days old (and counting). I point that out because, as die-hards know, Apple is more interested in looking forward than looking back. So, now that we’ve had time to recover from all the revelry, it’s time to get ready for the next 50 years of Apple. And it’s set to get off to a really fast start.

While the MacBook Neo might have come in just under the wire, in June, Apple will preview the much-awaited Sri overhaul that is expected to ship with version 27 of its operating systems. As we all know (perhaps begrudgingly), AI is the future of tech, and Apple has stumbled and bumbled its Apple Intelligence plan. But AI is going to be what drives Apple (and all tech companies) over the next 50 years, so it needs to get on track. That’ll start at WWDC26.

Once the AI issue is settled, Apple will shift to hardware releases, and it’ll be more than the usual iPhones and Macs. In September, Apple is expected to release its first folding iPhone, also certain to be its most expensive iPhone ever. While all eyes will be on how Apple executes the hardware, the real key will be with the software and how Apple will enhance iOS so it can take advantage of the new form factor.

After that, perhaps in October, Apple will reportedly release a product we thought we’d never see: a touchscreen MacBook Pro. It’ll be dramatically different, and we’ll be looking for hints at WWDC26, if we can read between the lines (or in this case, code) of macOS 27. Besides the touchscreen, the MacBook Pro is going to see a design overhaul in an effort to further differentiate the laptop from the MacBook Air and MacBook Neo.

Reports also say that Apple is planning to finally release the long-reported smart home hub, or HomePad, which would act as a central station for a smart home. This product relies on Siri, so again, WWDC26 could tell us a lot of what’s going on here. But the smart home market is a place where Apple could make a major part of its next 50 years.

That’s just what we could see by the end of 2026. They’re extremely important products, because they form the basis of what Apple can do in the upcoming years and into the next 50.

Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too.

Apple turns 50

We picked the best products for Apple’s 50 years:

• 1976-1985
• 1986-1995
• 1996-2005
• 2006-2015
• 2016-2026

Apple’s top 50 most influential people of all time, ranked

Macworld’s Jason Snell looks back on his own history with Apple

The Macalope wonders if success has made Apple better or worse

Apple gives out 50th T-shirts, pins, and posters to employees, and hosts Paul McCartney

These are longtime editor Roman Loyola’s two favorite keynotes

Trending: Top stories

Apple’s newest Finder Guy videos are more adorable than ever

Apple slashed the price of the Pro Display XDR by $400

Apple has shut down digital payments in Russia

Finder Guy is back in a series of new TikTok videos

Podcast of the week

Podcast of the week

While Apple celebrated its 50th anniversary, we took this cue on the latest Macworld Podcast and chatted with former Macworld editorial director and current Macworld columnist, Jason Snell. We talk about our favorite memories, the moments that defined the company, where it’s at, and what to expect in the future.

You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site.

Reviews corner

Kensington EQ Pro Thunderbolt 5 Dock for MacBook

Mobile Pixels Trio 3 Pro

Ugreen Maxidok 17-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock

Abxylute M4

The rumor mill

The upcoming new Siri might finally be able to do two things at once

The iPhone 18 Pro’s smaller Dynamic Island shown in a leaked spy shot

The AirTag 2 got a firmware update to tweak the unwanted tracking sound

Video of the week

Did you know Apple’s original logo was a lot different than the one it uses now? All is revealed in our latest short. Enjoy all our short-form video on TikTok or Instagram.

Software updates, bugs, and problems

The iOS 26.5 beta has arrived, but where’s the new Siri?

Rare iOS update pushes critical DarkSword security fix to all phones

And with that, we’re done for this week’s Apple Breakfast. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters, including our new email from The Macalope–an irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, or X for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.