This digest compiles the latest from Apple Insider.
Today’s Apple Insider Roundup
Alexa+ is now available to every US customer, new Siri still absent
There’s a new, improved voice assistant rolling out to users today — and no, it’s not Apple Intelligence-powered Siri.
On February 4, Amazon announced that Alexa+, its next-generation voice assistant powered by generative AI, is now available for users in the U.S.
Prime members will get the feature for free. At the same time, non-Prime subscribers can access it for $19.99 a month, which is odd, considering that Amazon Prime is $139, or $14.99 per month for most.
How chip packaging changes will make M5 Pro, M5 Max run cooler and faster
Apple’s imminent M5 Pro and M5 Max chips will run cooler and faster than ever before, as a year-old rumor about the way Apple Silicon chips are packaged resurfaces.
Apple is anticipated to bring out the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips as part of a MacBook Pro update in early 2026. However, while performance improvements are expected for the higher-tier chips, the way they are produced will make as much of an impact as improving clock speeds and core counts.
In a February 3 Weibo post, serial leaker Fixed Focus Digital added more context to a comment they made a few days earlier, on January 31. At that time, they said that the upper M5 chips will use TSMC’s SoIC packaging, which had also reduced in cost to perform.
Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible
Questionable leak: MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max coming in March, not February
A leaker is backing up previous claims of how Apple is changing its processor designs to improve the speed of the M5 Max and M5 Pro, but also goes against all previous reports about when the next MacBook Pro will be released.
Despite strong expectation that the next MacBook Pro models will be released shortly, one leaker suggests these M5 Max and M5 Pro updates won’t come until March. Leaker Fixed Focus Digital has a mixed track record, but he or she has had some success, such as with the naming of the iPhone 16e.
This time, their leak concerns the use of foundry TSMC’s SolC manufacturing. It’s an advanced packaging design that means Apple moving away from having both the CPU and GPU on the same chip.
Rumor Score: 🙄 Unlikely
Apple Sports adds golf scores for PGA, WPGA tours
The latest update to Apple Sports adds golf scores and stats, so fans can now get essential updates from PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events.
Apple Sports is Apple’s free iPhone app that provides at-a-glance scores, statistics, and other information to sports fans. In a Wednesday update to the app, it’s expanded its coverage to include golf.
In the update, users can get live score updates for all official PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events, including the majors. That all starts with the PGA WM Phoenix Open, which starts on February 5.
Apple Education Hub will teach coding & robotics to India supply chain staff
Apple is continuing its program of improving the skills of its workforce by opening a new Apple Education Hub in India, helping supply chain workers learn about coding and manufacturing.
Announced on Wednesday by Apple, the Apple Education Hub is the first of its kind in India and is being operated in collaboration with the Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Starting from March, the initiative will start providing educational programs through a dedicated hub in Bengaluru, aimed at workers within the supply chain.
The Education Hub will involve specialist educators working in digital education, with the initial courses covering digital literacy and Swift coding for beginners. Faculty from MAHE will be on hand to help supplier trainers, who can then teach sessions to larger employee groups.
DOJ isn't letting its Google antitrust case loss go without a fight
Google’s antitrust victory let it continue paying Apple billions to be the iPhone‘s search engine, but the DOJ is of course now appealing against the ruling.
In August 2024, Judge Amit Metha initially ruled that Google is a monopoly, backing the Department of Justice’s accusation. However, in September 2025, he imposed few limits on Google, and left it’s $20 billion a year deal with Apple untouched.
Now according to Reuters, the DOJ is to appeal that ruling. It’s the Justice Department and also an as-yet unspecified group of US states that are appealing the case.
How to add, change, and remove a lock screen message in macOS
You can set a message to appear onscreen when people log into your Mac. Here’s how to set it up, as well as how to remove it.
The screen you see when you power on a Mac asks you to log in. However, while people will be familiar with fields like your name, your profile image, and a password entry box, there’s another thing you can change on the screen beyond the wallpaper.
You can set a message to appear on the Lock Screen of macOS. Here’s what you can do with this long-time and oddly useful feature.
Apple TV Press Day event reveals star-studded lineup of new original content coming soon
Apple quietly invited journalists to preview its upcoming lineup of TV shows and films coming to Apple TV later in 2026. Here’s everything that was announced.
During the Apple TV Press Day event, SVP of Services Eddy Cue talked with F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali, though that conversation wasn’t shared with the public. Stars from Apple’s upcoming content lineup also took to the stage to discuss their projects, and Apple also reiterated its sports lineup for 2026, which includes F1, MLB, and MLS.
Some of the announcements were for properties that were already known or have incoming season renewals. Others are brand-new debuts with first looks and new release windows.
End of today’s Apple Insider roundup.
