Top Stories: Tim Cook’s 2026 Exit?, Mac Pro on Hold, and More

2025 is rapidly drawing to a close, but this week still saw some interesting news in the world of Apple, led by a report claiming that Tim Cook’s retirement as Apple CEO might not be too far away.

This week also saw word that the future of the Mac Pro appears to be in question, while Apple continues to work on the upcoming iOS 26.2 update and related releases. Black Friday is also right around the corner now with lots of deals already available, so read on below for details on these stories and more!

Top Stories
Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO ‘as Soon as Next Year’
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company “as soon as next year,” according to the Financial Times. The company’s board of directors and senior executives “recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins,” the report said, with Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, viewed as Cook’s most likely successor.

Cook will likely transition to a chairman role with Apple, but his level of influence in a post-CEO role remains to be seen. Arthur Levinson, the current chairman of Apple’s board of directors, is 75 years old and prohibited from being re-elected under Apple’s corporate governance policy unless an exception is made.

Word of Cook’s impending retirement comes as former Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams officially retired last week after spending the past few months winding down his responsibilities and handing them off other executives.

Mac Pro Reportedly on ‘Back Burner’ and ‘Largely Written Off’ at Apple
Apple’s high-end Mac Pro desktop computer is currently “on the back burner,” according to the latest word from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

In his Power On newsletter this week, Gurman said he heard that Apple has “largely written off” the Mac Pro, with the sentiment inside the company being that the Mac Studio represents the present and future of Apple’s pro desktop computing.

Apple is working on a high-end M5 Ultra chip, but Gurman said the company is currently “only” focused on a new Mac Studio with that chip, which leads him to believe that the Mac Pro “won’t be updated in 2026 in a significant way.”

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More
Holiday shopping deals continue to ramp up ahead of Black Friday, with great prices available now on AirPods, AirTag, Apple Watch, Macs, iPads, and more.

Apple has announced details on its own Black Friday event with bonus gift cards available with the purchase of many Apple products, but better straight-cash discounts are typically available from other retailers.

In addition to Apple’s own products, we’re seeing great early Black Friday deals from Samsung, Sony, Walmart, Adobe, Nomad, Sonos, and more.

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3
Apple is continuing to work on iOS 26.2 and related updates, with public releases likely coming in mid-December.

With the third developer beta of iOS 26.2 seeded this week, we saw a number of changes and improvements, including new AirDrop functionality, a new API to allow third-party apps to tap into Hypertension Notifications, and the ability for users in Japan to set an alternative voice assistant app to be activated using the iPhone’s side button traditionally used for Siri.

Apple is also continuing to work on iPad multitasking, with a new tweak to add drag-and-drop functionality to the revived Slide Over feature.

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Rapidly Selling Out
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone.

The accessory became available to order on Apple’s online store last week Friday in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, but it sold out within hours in the United States, and supplies quickly began running short in other countries as well.

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 Wi-Fi Speeds: New Study Reveals the Winner
A new study has revealed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air achieve significantly faster average Wi-Fi speeds compared to the iPhone 16 series, thanks to Apple’s custom-designed N1 chip.

The study by Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest website and app, found the N1 chip to be a “substantial upgrade,” with up to 40% faster average download and upload speeds compared to Broadcom’s Wi-Fi chip in the iPhone 16 series.

Ookla found that the N1 chip “lifts the floor” for Wi-Fi performance, more than “raising the ceiling.” Based on the results, Ookla said the N1 chip often delivers more consistent performance in challenging Wi-Fi conditions.

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