iPhone 18 Pro: Three new camera upgrades are coming
iPhone 18 Pro is just a few months away, and rumors indicate it could bring an especially noteworthy batch of camera upgrades. Here are the three main camera features currently rumored.

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India threatens to shut down iPhone factory for polluting farmland
Apple iPhone manufacturer Tata is accused of contaminating water needed by farms near its plant in Tamil Nadu, India, and of failing to take corrective action after warnings.Tata's plant in Tamil Nadu, India - image credit:Storyboard18The plant in question is in Hosur in the south of the region, which Tata built after also acquiring a separate Pegatron iPhone factory in 2024. Now according to Reuters, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has warned Tata that it may force a shutdown.Tata's plant makes various iPhone components including back panels. Local farmers complained repeatedly to TNPCB that wastewater from the factory was contaminating both their land, and open wells. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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iPhone 18 Pro casing likely to experience same pros & cons as its predecessor
The iPhone 17 Pro switched from the titanium casing of earlier models to aluminum alloy, with a resulting mix of pros and cons. A new report says that the iPhone 18 Pro will use the same alloy with the same advantages and disadvantages. The material is highly effective at heat dissipation and was generally found to be robust in durability testing. However, one problem was noted by some iPhone 17 Pro owners …

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iPhone 18 Pro buyers should watch out for a repeat problem
The fiasco of the color-changing iPhone 17 Pro is threatening the iPhone 18 Pro, with one leaker claiming that Apple has apparently not learned its lesson for the fall release.iPhone 17 Pro Max in Cosmic Orange, without the color-change issue. Following the launch of the iPhone 17 Pro, consumers started to complain about the coating of the Cosmic Orange model. If a leaker is to be believed, history is about to repeat itself.Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital posted on June 12 a warning to consumers planning to buy the iPhone 18 Pro. The account says that people should be careful about the color fading issue with the upcoming models. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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WWDC 2026 Apple Home, Apple TV, & HomePod news roundup on Smart Home Insider
There was a lot at WWDC last week. On this week's Smart Home Insider Podcast, we go through it all!Smart Home Insider PodcastWith Apple annual developer conference officially in the rearview mirror, we walk through all the biggest announcements Apple made. We walk through the changes to Apple Home, HomePod, and Apple TV.There's a lot to love in these updates, including support for 2K and 4K camera feeds, Apple Intelligence video processing, and more intelligent notifications. We've been using the beta for the past week and can give our first impressions as well. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Enjoy free Siri AI for now, because you might need to pay for it soon
Macworld There has long been speculation that Apple will at some point introduce a subscription tier for Apple Intelligence. But that reality has just become significantly more likely, according to a new report from a credible source. Writing in his weekly Power On newsletter this weekend, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman discusses the early response to Apple’s new Siri AI. Damning it with faint praise, he describes the tech as “just good enough” to ease the company’s AI crisis, but even faint praise is better than many Apple watchers feared as recently as last month. Adequate performance, following years of Siri being palpably unfit for purpose, is actually something of a turnaround. And as Gurman notes, Siri AI is at a very early beta stage. Over the next year, he reasons, it’s likely to increase in accuracy and popularity enough that a paid subscription model becomes plausible. If that seems like a strange leap in logic–for Apple to struggle to win back legions of dissatisfied Siri users and then shut that improved Siri behind a paywall where most iPhone owners won’t get to access it–then it’s worth bearing in mind how much the company has leaned into subscription services in recent years. This has been one of the major pivots of the Tim Cook era, with the launches of Apple Music, Arcade, TV, Fitness+, News+, and many more all happening on his watch. Cook recognized years ago that iPhone sales won’t hold up indefinitely, and that Apple needed to broaden its portfolio with recurring services revenue. It’s also important to note that Siri AI wouldn’t disappear completely as a free tool. Only certain of its more advanced features, according to Gurman’s theory, would be moved to a paid tier. Image generation and conversations are two likely candidates for this. There’s already been a small clue that Apple is prepared to separate Siri AI into multiple tiers. Complaining about the high server costs associated with running its AI platform, the company announced that some features will have daily usage limits, though subscribers to higher iCloud+ tiers will enjoy “increased access.” It’s not clear yet what those limits are or what benefit iCloud+ beings, but It’s a relatively small leap from that policy to higher-paying users getting access to more advanced features.

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Apple’s new Siri AI ‘just good enough’ to steady the ship, as foldable iPhone and touchscreen MacBook loom
Apple has been under pressure to catch up in the AI race. At WWDC 2026, the company unveiled a major overhaul to Siri, now powered… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Game development diary: Running on Steam
I slipped under the wire and got a demo of "Character Limit" submitted to Steam just in time. That wasn't the stressful part.Steam now lists the Character Limit demo. It's a massive step. In April, the development of Character Limit had reached a point where it could be tested by actual players. It did fantastically well at Dreamhack Birmingham, and I had also started doing testing on iPhone and iPad with Testflight.However, later that month, registration for something known as Steam Next Fest was coming to a close. It's a promotional festival held a few times a year, focused on getting players to try out demos for games that have yet to be released. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Fox is buying Roku for $22B to become 3rd-largest TV player in US
Fox has announced that it is buying video streaming company Roku for a total of around $22 billion, including taking on debt. It follows the acquisition of Tubi back in 2020. The move will make the combined company the third largest player in US television, measured by share of viewing …

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Beats continues World Cup tease of its mystery headphones
Apple's Beats by Dre is really pushing its unannounced headphones at the World Cup, with more player social media shots suggesting that the new model might be customizable.Lee Kang-in and Antonee Robinson, wearing unannounced Beats headphones - Image Credit: Instagram kanginleeoficial and antonee_jediAfter an initial mention in an FCC filing on May 23, an unannounced pair of Beats were then shown around the neck of soccer star Lamine Yamal. Now, more players attending the FIFA World Cup have been seen sporting the personal audio accessories.In shots on Instagram, U.S. mens soccer team member Antonee Robinson and South Korea's Lee Kang-in have been seen wearing the same model. In both cases, the headphones are prominently placed, matching the appearance of the ones worn by Yamal weeks prior. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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UK becomes the latest country to ban social media apps for kids
A growing number of countries around the world are enacting bans or restrictions on the use of social media apps by children. The UK has just announced its own plan to join the list, with a comprehensive ban set to be introduced early next year …

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Apple’s New AI Playbook
Apple used WWDC26 to outline a broader AI strategy that extends beyond Siri, weaving intelligence throughout its apps, services, and devices while maintaining a strong focus on privacy. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

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This iPad Air with 1TB of storage is a whopping $400 off right now
Macworld Apple iPad Air, 11-inch, M2 View Deal (function () { document.querySelector("#sticky-promo-block a").addEventListener("click", function(e) { const debug = document.location.host.search(/lndo.site|go-vip.net/) !== -1; const text = this.closest("#sticky-promo-block").querySelector("p.promo-title").textContent; const data = { event: "stickyConversionUnitClick", eventCategory: "Sticky Conversion", eventAction: "Click", eventLabel: text }; if(debug)console.log("Sticky Conversion CLick - pushing to dataLayer: ", data); dataLayer.push(data); return true; }); })(); When it comes to the iPad Air, it doesn’t really matter which generation you get. Apple updated it with a new chip earlier this year, as well as last year, but the difference is negligible. Apple silicon is so good that an iPad from several years ago performs just as well as a new one. That’s why we need to tell you about this deal: Amazon is selling an 11-inch iM2 Pad Air for just $699, a ridiculous $400 savings and the absolute best price we’ve seen for this configuration. For comparison, Apple sells the 512GB model for the same price, so your getting a ton of storage for basically free. Aside from the space for photos, videos, and apps, the M2 chip is the heart of why this one’s worth a look. Sure, it’s not as fast as the M4, but when you’re using this iPad as an actual tablet, the differences aren’t that drastic. The tablet will handle real multitasking without flinching, allowing you to run several apps side by side, editing photos, jumping between a browser and a document, or playing graphics-heavy games. Even if you’re using it as a substitute for a MacBook with a Magic Keyboard, the chip speed differences aren’t enough to justify paying $400 more for the 1TB M4 model. Of course, it won’t be as fast as a newer M4, but we think the $400 savings is more than enough to justify the older processor. The 11-inch Liquid Retina display looks gorgeous, too. The colors look vivid, while the contrast makes images look accurate. Plus, iPad screens look great in all lighting situations, so you’re going to be able to use it outdoors just fine. Pair that with all-day battery life, and you can work, stream, and scroll from morning to night without hunting for a charger. The iPad Air continues to be one of the best tablets you can get, whether it has an M2, M3, or M4 chip. And it’s even better when you can get the 1TB model for $400 off.

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2026 iPad mini guide: OLED, A19 Pro and price rumors
Macworld For those who need a premium small-screen tablet, the iPad mini is a popular choice. But should you buy one now, or should you wait to see what Apple has in store for the next model? Most buyers should wait – the next model is expected to bring meaningful upgrades. However, Apple isn’t expected to update the iPad mini until late 2026, and that launch date could slip further due to chip demand and wider supply constraints. Here’s what the latest rumors say about the release date, key upgrades, and whether it’s worth waiting. 2026 iPad mini: Rumored changes at a glance A19 Pro (possibly A20 Pro) Possible OLED display upgrade Screen size could increase from 8.3-inch to 8.5- or 8.7-inches More water-resistant design Vibration-based speaker system Price increase Improved connectivity 2026 iPad mini release date: When will the new iPad mini launch? Late 2026 is the most likely launch window Apple has not officially announced a specific launch date for a new iPad mini. However, industry analysis and leaks suggest that a refresh is likely to occur before the end of 2026. In October 2025, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that a new iPad mini featuring an OLED screen is among the devices Apple is expected to launch before the end of 2026. Several factors could influence the timing of its release and cause delays, though, including: Erratic release cycle: The iPad mini doesn’t follow a fixed update schedule and can go several years between refreshes. While some reports suggest Apple is aiming for a “sooner-than-later” update to bring it in line with newer chips, its history of two-year (or longer) gaps suggests another update isn’t imminent following the October 2024 model. Component shortages: Apple’s plans may be affected by demand for the A18 Pro chip expected to power the device. This processor also powers the hugely popular MacBook Neo, which has led to reports that Apple could prioritise these chips for the Neo over the iPad mini. In addition, there are industry-wide supply pressures affecting RAM and other components which Apple CEO Tim Cook alluded to during the company’s first-quarter 2026 results announcement.

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Best Thunderbolt and USB-C docking stations for your MacBook 2026
Macworld Plug your MacBook in and out of a multi-port laptop docking station to swiftly add multiple devices and external displays with just one cable connection to your laptop. We tested the top contenders to find the best Thunderbolt and USB-C docks available to owners of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. MacBook Neo users can use any of these docks but are limited to a 10Gbps bandwidth and some display limitations. Thunderbolt, USB4 or USB-C The connectors all look the same (technically known as a “Type-C connector”), but there are significant differences, particularly on speed that will determine both data-transfer rate and higher external display refresh rates. USB-C: 5Gbps or 10Gbps USB4: 20Gbps or 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 and 4: 40Gbps Thunderbolt 5: 80Gbps / 120Gbps Our list Which ports does my MacBook have will show you how many USB-C or more likely one of Thunderbolt 3, 4 or 5 that you have. While a Thunderbolt 4 (TB4) dock will be enough for most casual users, if you can stretch the budget go for a TB5 dock as it will remain current for years, saving you money in the long term, and is backwards compatible with earlier versions and all the way back to USB-C. High-end professionals should always aim for Thunderbolt 5. The dock needs one (“upstream“) Thunderbolt or USB-C port for connecting to and charging your laptop (although all recent MacBooks can also power via the MagSafe 3 port), and at least another (“downstream“) to attach further devices (hard drives, external display, and others). For more detail, read our Thunderbolt 5 vs Thunderbolt 4 vs Thunderbolt 3 vs USB4 explainer. Add external displays to your MacBook If you use your laptop as your principal computer, attaching at least one larger display to create a hybrid desktop/laptop setup, with a keyboard and mouse, will boost your productivity. You can turn that 13in MacBook’s cramped screen real-estate into an iconic iMac-sized 27in or even larger screen by adding an extra display—or connect two or even four large monitors to extend your screen across your whole desk. Take a look at our recommended best monitors and displays for Mac and also the best portable monitors for Mac. You’ll get two or more Extended mode screens (where the screen extends beyond what you can see on the laptop screen) using a Thunderbolt connection (or DisplayPort/HDMI). Natively over mere USB-C, Macs can connect to only one external display in Extended mode, as opposed to Mirrored mode (which replicates exactly what you get on the laptop screen) but DisplayLink is third-party software that allows some docks to extend to up to four screens on even the most basic Mac. DisplayLink-supporting docks are also the only way that non-Pro/Max M1 and M2 MacBooks can connect more than one external display. More explained: we cover more on Mac docking stations and external displays at the end of this feature below our recommendations. Do I need a docking station? With three TB4 or TB5 and an HDMI port, a MacBook with a Max chip could connect to up to four external displays without the need for a dock, although such a power user would likely require extra Thunderbolt and other ports for more devices to make up for using all the laptop ports for multiple monitors. See below our list of recommended docking stations for more detail on the external display options with each recent MacBook. All docks come with a bunch of USB ports: some old-school USB-A and newer, more capable USB-C. MacBook Pros also have an SD card reader. Although this card reader is rated as UHS-II (312MBps), Apple has pegged it back at 250MBps, so for the fastest speeds (and a microSD slot if you need one), a dock will likely be a better choice for memory-card use if it is rated at UHS-II rather than UHS-I (104MBps). MacBooks also lack wired Internet access via an Ethernet port, so if you want to escape flaky Wi-Fi, buy a dock with at least Gigabit Ethernet, although you could add a Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter instead if you have a spare TB port. Some later docks include faster 2.5Gb, 5Gb or even 10Gb Ethernet but you’ll need a supporting router or other device to get the benefits, although these faster Ethernet ports are backwards compatible with Gigabit so will future-proof your purchase. Dock or hub? If you need just a few extra ports, a USB-C hub or Thunderbolt hub might be your best choice—see our roundup of the best USB-C and Thunderbolt hubs for Mac. However, if you require a bunch of fast ports including Gigabit (or faster) Ethernet and multiple video ports plus more powerful charging capability, then look for a full dock that fulfils your needs. We’ve reviewed the best hubs alongside the docks. USB-C and Thunderbolt speeds Simon Jary / Foundry • USB and Thunderbolt speeds explained USB PD: Power Delivery for your laptop Most docks can charge the connected MacBook, so look for the right Power Delivery (PD) rating that suits your laptop. You can’t over-power a MacBook so the simplest advice is to aim as high as you can. 70W will be more than enough to fast-charge a MacBook Air but go for 85W or more (PD 3.0) for a MacBook Pro, and 140W (PD 3.1) for the top-end 16-inch Pro. We’ve got more detailed advice on recommended MacBook charging speeds below our list of docks. Best docks for Mac 2026 Here we list the Thunderbolt and USB-C docks that we have reviewed and tested. Read the descriptions for details on all the features and functions offered by each docking station. We start with the latest Thunderbolt 5 docks as they offer the most but docks with TB4 might well be all you need and often (not always) come in cheaper. The benefit of buying a Thunderbolt 5 dock now—even if your Mac doesn’t have it—is that it’s backwards compatible and future proofs you for your next Mac purchase. You can save money by choosing a Thunderbolt 4 or even USB-C docking station, the best of which are also reviewed in this chart. CalDigit TS5 Plus – Ultimate compact Thunderbolt 5 dock for Macs Pros Thunderbolt 5 20 top-end ports 10Gb Ethernet Iconic case 330W Power Delivery 140W PD 3.1 laptop charging Cons Premium price Price When Reviewed: $499.99 Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $499.99 View Deal Caldigit $499.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Type: 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 Dock Ports: 20 Power: 140W PD 3.1; 330W max External displays: Up to 2x 8K at 60Hz or 1x 8K at 60Hz; 3x/4x displays using M5 Pro/Max If you desire the ultimate in MacBook docking stations, the CalDigit TS5 Plus has just about everything you need—indeed probably more than you need. Alongside super-fast Thunderbolt 5 you get an incredible number of top-end ports including 10Gb Ethernet and an incredible 330W power supply. Only iVanky’s FusionDock Ultra and Max 2, both reviewed below, have more ports. Somehow CalDigit has included an incredible clearly labelled 20 ports into the compact dock—all of which can be used simultaneously—including ten 10Gbps USB ports (five USB-C and five USB-A), the fastest Ethernet available, top-rated card readers and audio ports front and back. There are three 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 ports: one upstream to connect to your computer and two downstream for speedy data-transfer devices. CalDigit has sacrificed a possible third downstream TB5 port for a dedicated DisplayPort in the knowledge that most dock users run at least one external display and so the extra TB5 port would be used for a monitor connection anyway. Depending on the display capabilities of your MacBook, the maximum resolution is 8K at a 60Hz refresh rate, with a possible refresh rate of 240Hz for 4K or 500Hz for 1080p HD. Advances in the top-end M5 processors mean that a MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro or M5 Max chip can now respectively attach three or four external displays from the TS5 Plus. Standard M5, M4 Pro and M4 Max and lower are still restricted to two external displays. The TS5 Plus is the first dock with dual 10Gbps USB controllers, one controller for the front ports and one for the ports at the back of the dock for increased USB bandwidth. Each of the USB ports offers 7.5W of power except the front-facing 36W USB-C port. The two downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports also offer 36W. As it has the highest power supply of any dock tested here (330W), all can output at a maximum at the same time—something that’s not possible with most other docks. One upstream Thunderbolt 5 port (80Gbps, 140W) Two downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports (80Gbps, 36W) Five USB-A ports (10Gbps, 7.5W) Four USB-C ports (10Gbps, 7.5W) One USB-C port (10Gbps, 36W) One DisplayPort 2.1 Ethernet (10Gb) UHS-II SD card reader (312MBps) UHS-II microSD card reader (312MBps) 3.5mm combo audio jack (front) Two 3.5mm In/Out audio jacks (back) 330W power supply Who should buy the CalDigit TS5 Plus? The iVanky FusionDock Ultra has more ports (26!) and can directly handle more displays, but at $499 in the US (£469 in the UK) the CalDigit TS5 Plus is significantly cheaper although notably more expensive than the Sonnet Echo 13 ($369), OWC ($329) and Plugable Thunderbolt 5 ($299) docks. Power users who want the very premium end will pay top dollar for the best, and top-end Mac professionals must chose between the TS5 Plus and the Ultra. If you can cope with a little less, consider the 15-port CalDigit TS5 reviewed below. Read our full CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 5 Plus (TS5 Plus) review

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The stability of the first iOS 27 developer beta tells its own story
If there’s one thing which is usually a very bad idea even for the most enthusiastic of Apple fans, it’s installing a first developer beta on any of your daily driver devices. However, since my iPhone is the only iOS device I own recent enough to give access to the new Siri, and I’m extremely curious to try it, I made an exception in this case …

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Here we go again: Supply chain thinks iPhone Fold will ship in 2027, not 2026
The iPhone Fold has been on and off for years, but now the supply chain is suggesting that Apple will announce it as expected in September 2026, yet not actually ship it for several months.Render of a possible iPhone Fold - image credit: AppleInsiderThere are at last positive signs from Apple that it is preparing an iPhone Fold, but there have also been multiple reports that it is delayed. Now according to Economic Daily News, the CEO of Apple lens supplier Largan Precision has hinted at delays."Some new opportunities will be announced in the third quarter," Enping Lin said at a shareholders' meeting (in translation), "and some will be moved to the beginning of next year." Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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How macOS 27 is going to help Apple sell a ton more MacBook Neos
Macworld Apple spent most of WWDC 2026 talking about Siri AI, Apple Intelligence, and performance improvements across iOS 27 and macOS 27. But one of the smartest announcements may end up being the one that was its least flashy. Sandwiched between those two announcements was a section on Trust and Safety, where Apple previewed a huge expansion of its parental controls, including redesigned Screen Time tools, contact approval systems, website permission requests, safer communication features, and age-based protections that work across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It’s great for kids with iPads and iPhones, of course, but these features seemed designed to make the MacBook Neo significantly more interesting and appealing to parents looking to buy the first laptop for their children. Family-first ecosystem One of the biggest themes behind Apple’s new child safety system is control without complexity. With iOS 27 and macOS 27, parents can now quickly approve who their children communicate with across Messages, FaceTime, and Phone, with kids getting the option to request permission to add new contacts remotely. Parents can also approve websites before children visit them through a new “Ask to Browse” feature in Safari. Apple’s new Time Allowances feature helps parents regulate their kids’ device usage while still giving kids freedom to play and chat with friends.Apple Screen Time has also been redesigned with simpler management tools and category-based time allowances. Parents can choose which apps are available to their children at different times of the day. This means they can restrict certain apps during school hours, while allowing others, such as games and social media, outside of school hours. Apple is also expanding Communication Safety beyond nudity detection to intervene around graphic or violent content. Individually, none of these features sounds revolutionary. But together, they solve a major problem for parents. Modern devices can be exhausting to manage, especially when you’re not always around your children. Right now, giving a child unrestricted access to the internet feels risky. But overly restrictive parental control systems often become frustrating for both parents and kids, especially when the system for implementing them is overly complex. Apple seems to finally understand that balance matters. Instead of locking devices down completely, Apple is building systems that allow children to gradually gain more independence while still keeping parents involved. And that’s a much smarter approach. Apple’s new parental controls are easier and more flexible than before.Apple Smart and sensible When Apple launched the MacBook Neo, it highlighted how the device is designed to be many people’s first Mac. It’s a more affordable, lighter laptop that runs the full version of macOS. But after seeing Apple’s new child safety features in macOS 27, the strategy is becoming much clearer. The MacBook Neo isn’t just about making Macs more affordable. It was about making them more approachable for families. For years, Chromebooks dominated the education market because they were inexpensive and easy for parents and schools to manage. Traditional MacBooks, even the MacBook Air, still felt like premium computers primarily aimed at adults or professionals. The Neo changes that dynamic. And now, with better parental controls across the entire Apple ecosystem, the MacBook Neo seems like a much better choice for families. It’s not just a good laptop, but it’s also the one with the best platform for parents and kids. Of course, there are other existing features that add even more value to the experience. These include things like Find My, which lets you track your children’s location in real time, even when their device is offline. Not to mention that you can share your iCloud storage and create shared photo libraries with them. Safety as a platform feature What’s particularly interesting is how seamlessly these features are integrated across Apple’s entire ecosystem. For instance, they apply not only to the Mac, but also to the iPhone and iPad. As Apple explained, protections now begin automatically during device setup for younger users, with age-appropriate restrictions enabled from the start. Parents can approve app downloads, manage web access, and configure communication permissions without needing complicated third-party software. Of course, Apple’s macOS child safety features extend to all of its devices.Apple This is important because many parents give up on monitoring their children’s devices, as it usually requires downloading parental control software that is too complicated. Some are too restrictive, while others are confusing. Apple’s solution still isn’t perfect, but it feels far more thoughtful than most alternatives. That usability matters because parental controls only work if parents actually use them. Parents already trust Apple when it comes to privacy and security. Expanding that reputation into child safety feels like a natural evolution. And the MacBook Neo seems to be the perfect fit for all these new child safety features. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. Parents have a new, reliable laptop to consider, kids now have a better chance of owning a Mac, and Apple gains potential new users who will remain loyal to the brand in the future.

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Apple is right. Technology needs to disappear
Macworld What is an AI chatbot’s output? What does it make? Neither fun, nor art, nor connection, nor productivity. It’s certainly not a deeper understanding of the world, based on the hallucinated misinformation bots have firehosed into our lives. The answer, rather, is long-term dependence; or, to use the positive verbiage of social media companies, “engagement.” Use of AI is designed to beget more use of AI, and anything else is incidental. That, at least, is the nature of chatbots in general, but some companies would claim to be exceptions. Such as Apple, whose senior execs last week gave an interview with the tech podcast Mostly Human in which they contrasted their newly unveiled Siri AI with the engagement-thirsty approach taken by other AI services. “If you use many of the existing chatbots, they’re really focused on engagement to a large degree, and sycophancy, right?” said Craig Federighi. “They want to pull you in. They might encourage you to reveal things about yourself and then use that as a basis to establish a connection. And we view it quite the opposite.” The funny thing is that this bold rejection of a near-universal AI strategy wasn’t made in response to a broad question about the state of the industry. It was in response to the interviewer, Laurie Segall, asking if Siri AI can be used as a romantic partner. “We view it quite the opposite,” Federighi went on. “The way that we have designed Siri, Siri really wants to say, ‘Listen, that’s not what I’m here for. I’m here to help you. I can help you learn about the world.’ But if you try to engage Siri as a romantic partner, Siri’s not up for that.” So romance is off the table, but that’s not where the conversation ends. Apple’s approach to cyber-intimacy is part of a wider philosophy about the nature of technology, about the utility of things that aren’t “sexy,” as Segall puts it, and the danger of things that are. “I don’t think the sexy part belongs in your computer,” Federighi responds, conjuring up an alarming image. “It belongs in your life.” The fact is that technology, and AI in particular, risks forming too large a part of our existence and getting in the way of things that matter. AI chases engagement, but it’s scarcely alone in doing so. Smartphones are incredibly efficient machines for swallowing up human attention; social media algorithms are constantly iterating more and more sophisticated methods to turn lust, rage, and misinformation into engagement, and then into money. Many parents and some legislators find these developments troubling, particularly in regard to their effects on children, but the tech giants have the money and the lobbyists to resist most efforts at substantive change. And yet Apple remains apart. Whether or not we believe the spiel, it claims not to want engagement. Indeed, it may be the first tech company to actively discourage use of its tech. Back in 2018, at another WWDC in a very different time, Apple launched iOS 12. This included a new feature called Screen Time, which tracked usage of apps and app categories and enabled the user to impose time, purchase, and other usage limits. (“I’ve been using it, and I have to tell you, I thought I was fairly disciplined about this. And I was wrong,” Cook admitted at the time. “I was spending a lot more time than I should.”) The feature was explicitly designed to encourage Apple’s customers to spend less time looking at their iPhones. The iPhone’s Focus modes, too, have a peculiarly anti-engagement objective. They are designed to filter notifications and reduce distractions. They want you to focus on parts of your life which don’t revolve around a screen: working out, sleep, your personal life. If the modes work as designed, they lower the time you spend engaging with your device, or ensure that you engage with it in a more mindful, limited, task-oriented way. This, if you’re a tech billionaire, is breaking all the rules. But Apple can get away with it because its business model doesn’t depend on users looking at adverts or giving up their data. (The company is showing a growing and worrying interest in that side of things, but it’s not fundamental to how it does business.) It knows that building features to help its customers to live healthy and happy lives, rather than sucking them into a digital hellscape and refusing to let them leave, is the path to long-term success. And that technology’s job is to help our lives, not to rule them. “We like when technology disappears, right?” said Greg Joswiak later in the interview. “You just focus on what you want to do or you focus on the content.” The technology isn’t the point. The point is what the technology can do, and how best it can serve the user. And making users’ lives better may best be served by removing technology from the equation entirely. Foundry 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. Trending: Top stories Apple’s OS 27 releases are out of the ordinary–in a good way. The best thing about iOS 27 isn’t a feature. It’s that Apple finally figured out how to make old iPhones faster. Marvel at over 250 fixes and improvements coming to your Apple devices this fall. Apple’s Passwords app got one of the best new AI features at WWDC 2026. This could be revolutionary. Did Apple save the best parts of the OS 27 updates for September? Maybe. The market hates Siri AI, so it must be good, says the Macalope. Podcast of the week The WWDC26 keynote was filled with AI. What do we think about the new features in the xOS 27 software? That’s in the latest episode of the Macworld Podcast. You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site. Reviews corner macOS Golden Gate vs macOS Tahoe: What’s new and should you upgrade? iOS 27 vs iOS 26: What’s new, what’s improved? BenQ MA320UG: Bigger, smoother, and a lot cheaper than Studio Display. Alogic Aspekt 4K Touch: A flexible 32-inch docking display with a clever Mac mini twist. The rumor mill Report: Apple’s touchscreen MacBook is “100% confirmed.” Software updates, bugs, and problems Felipe Esposito’s favorite Android feature just landed on the iPhone and he’s in love. macOS 27 warning: Your Intel apps are nearly dead. Apple might finally start to clean up the junk clogging the App Store. 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.

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For $39.97, you can get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more for life
Macworld TL;DR: Get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more for life for only $39.97. Offer ends June 28. Microsoft 365 keeps charging your card year after year, and the apps stop working the moment you stop paying. A lifetime license for Microsoft Office Home and Business takes the opposite approach. You pay once, and the apps are yours for good. Right now, lifetime licenses for Microsoft Office are on sale for $39.97 (reg. $219), but that ends soon. This license gives you Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote, all installed as full desktop software on a single Mac. Everything runs offline, syncs back up when you reconnect, and never interrupts you for a renewal. Stack that against a 365 plan that bills you every single year, and the math gets lopsided fast. Office for Mac runs on the three most recent versions of macOS, including Sonoma, Sequoia, and Tahoe, with feature updates included along the way. Two quick notes before you commit: the license attaches to your Microsoft account rather than your hardware, and you’ll want to redeem the code within seven days. After that, it just works, with no invoice waiting next year. You have until June 28 at 11:59 p.m. PT to get a Microsoft Office Home and Business Lifetime License for $39.97. Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021: Lifetime LicenseSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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