The real story behind the Apple/Intel chips deal? It reportedly started at the White House.
Before Apple agreed to work with Intel on chip manufacturing, the partnership reportedly took shape during White House talks over tariff exemptions. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Epic Games fights Apple’s request to pause App Store commission proceedings
Epic has submitted its opposition to Apple’s latest request to pause lower-court App Store commission proceedings while the Supreme Court reviews part of the case. Here are the details.

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Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI could derail the AI giant’s hardware ambitions to challenge the iPhone
Apple’s aggressive lawsuit accusing OpenAI of systematically stealing its intellectual property poses a significant threat to the AI… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Tap to Pay on iPhone finally replaces clunky card reader at Apple Stores
Apple is arming more retail staff with iPhone 16 to expand Tap to Pay on iPhone, phasing out the bulky Bluetooth card sleds it used for years. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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AAPL stock rallies 15% as investors favor AI caution and welcome price increases
Apple stock slid significantly downwards in the wake of the WWDC keynote, with some attributing that to disappointment in the company’s AI announcements. While we disagreed with that analysis, investors do now seem to be welcoming the company’s caution when it comes to AI spending, with the stock rallying 15% since that June low …

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Best Mac 2026: Every Apple Mac and MacBook compared
Macworld Which Mac is best for you? Whether you want everyday portability, professional creative power, desktop performance, or budget-friendly computing, Apple’s lineup has a Mac that fits. For $699 you can own a MacBook Neo, which is Apple’s most affordable laptop, for a little more, the MacBook Air (M5) excels at everyday work and battery life, while the MacBook Pro lineup delivers serious power for pros. On the other hand, desktops like the Mac Studio and iMac stand out for creators and home setups, while the Mac mini offers great value if you don’t need portability. Choosing the best Mac in 2026 isn’t just about buying the newest model, it’s about matching Apple’s vast lineup to what you actually need from a computer. From ultraportable MacBooks to powerful desktop Macs, each option excels at different tasks. So whether you are a creative, a professional, a student, or an everyday user, we will help you identify the Mac that suits your needs. In our Mac buying guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about the MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac Studio, with expert buying advice to help you choose the machine (and configuration) that’s right for you. With seven different types of Mac on offer: MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMac, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro, and variations in the size, specs, and features within each of those categories, things can get pretty complicated. That’s where this guide comes in, helping you make the right decision so you can find the Mac that matches your needs, whether its the best value for money, the most powerful, the most portable, or a combination of all those things. Best Mac 2026: Mac & MacBook Buyers Guide Our top choice of Mac in 2026 is the MacBook Air because it offers a great combination of value for money in a compact package that will appeal to the typical Mac user. However, that may not be the best Mac for you if you need the most powerful Mac, in which case we would recommend the MacBook Pro which brings you all the power you could need in a portable form. If it’s something cheaper you are after then Apple’s new MacBook Neo is sure to appeal, starting at $699/£699. If you don’t need a laptop Mac there are some excellent options in Apple’s desktop range, with the Mac Studio providing the best value for money and saving thousands compared to a similarly specced Mac laptop. If a low budget option is what you are looking for then look no further than the Mac mini, which is the cheapest Mac desktop at $799/£799. Below we’ll take you through each Mac currently available from Apple, to give you an overview of what’s on offer and what you’ve got to choose from, you’ll also find live prices so you can get the best price today for each of the Macs included below. We also have additional advice for choosing the best Mac laptop in our comparison of the MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro. Not every Mac is right for every user, so we’ve grouped Apple’s current Macs by who they’re best for – from everyday users to professionals. Price increases June 2026 In June 2026, Apple increased prices significantly across several product lines including Macs, iPads, the Apple TV 4K, and HomePod models, citing an unprecedented rise in component costs. The company stated it had “never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly” and that it had shielded customers from these increases for as long as possible before finally raising prices. For Macs, prices have increased from $100/£100 to $500/£500 depending on the model. MacBook Neo is $100 more MacBook Air is $200 more MacBook Pro is $300 to $500 more Mac mini is $200 more Mac Studio is $500 more Prices have been updated throughout this article. 13-inch MacBook Air (M5, 2026) – Best Mac for most people Price When Reviewed: From $1,299 (was $1,099) Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $1243 View Deal $1249 View Deal $1269 View Deal $1299 View Deal $1299 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket What is it? The 13-inch MacBook Air is Apple’s most affordable laptop, designed with portability in mind. What’s new? Apple introduced the M5 MacBook Air in March 2026, featuring the new M5 chip for faster CPU and GPU performance. The base configuration now starts with 512GB of storage (double the previous model), along with faster SSD speeds, more memory bandwidth, and support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Who’s it for? It’s perfect for students and everyday users who want a lightweight laptop that’s easy to carry, and powerful enough for working, studying, browsing, and doing light creative work. If you want a larger screen there is a 15-inch MacBook Air, which we discuss below. How much does the 13-inch MacBook Air cost? The entry-level 13-inch M5 MacBook Air costs from $1,299/£1,299, that’s up $200/£200 from the launch price of $1,099/£1,099. You can create build-to-order models with more memory (up to 32GB) or storage (up to 4TB). What are the specifications? The standard specs for the M5 MacBook Air offer an improvement on the previous generation. The MacBook Air now ships with 512GB SSD as standard. The actual screen measurements, measured diagonally are 13.6in Apple M5, 10-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16GB memory, 512GB SSD, two Thunderbolt 4 ports: $1,299/£1,299. Apple M5, 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB memory, 512GB SSD, two Thunderbolt 4 ports: $1,399/£1,399. Additional options: Up to 32GB memory, 4TB storage. What are display specifications? The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina on the M5 MacBook Air display has a native resolution of 2,560×1,664 and 500 nits brightness. The MacBook Air M5 can support two external displays. How do I connect stuff? The M5 MacBook Air models supports Thunderbolt 4, which means that they can support a dual monitor set up. If you want to connect USB-A devices, you need either a USB-C to USB adapter, like Apple’s $19 / £19 one, or a USB-C hub that has USB-A ports. In the U.K. and Europe Apple has stopped including a Power Adapter in the box, so you will need to buy one separately. See our round-up of the best USB-C hubs and adapters. The 2026 MacBook Air offers Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) for connecting to a network. It also provides built-in Bluetooth (6) for wirelessly connecting a mouse or other peripherals. If you want to connect to an ethernet network, you need an adapter. How fast is it? In our tests the M5 saw consistent gains over the M4 in the previous generation, as you can see in our Mac processor benchmarks. In some benchmarks the M3 even beats the M1 Ultra. If you are upgrading from an old Mac – especially if it is one with an Intel chip – you will see a huge difference. Any other considerations? The MacBook Air should be more than fast enough for general-purpose use. The only issue is that, because it doesn’t have an internal fan, it may slow down during long processing sessions to keep cool. So if you are likely to be video editing or compiling code the MacBook Pro with its fan is a better choice. Also note that (as with almost all Macs) it’s impossible to upgrade the storage or memory after purchase, so you should buy the model with the largest amount of storage and memory you can afford. Why we recommend the 13-inch MacBook Air: The MacBook Air is a great choice for someone who does general-purpose work and moves around a lot, such as a student or a self-employed person. We compare the MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro separately. Read our full Apple 13-inch MacBook Air (M5, 2026) review

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'CrashStealer' malware poses as an Apple tool to steal passwords & Mac data
CrashStealer, a newly documented Mac infostealer, used an Apple-notarized meeting app to reach victims before stealing passwords, browser data and cryptocurrency credentials behind a fake system prompt.CrashStealer fake password promptJamf Threat Labs first spotted a suspicious sample on VirusTotal in early May and began seeing matching detections on customer Macs in early July. Further analysis traced the malware to a signed and Apple-notarized first-stage application called Werkbit, giving researchers a clearer view of how the campaign reached victims.Werkbit carried a valid Developer ID associated with Emil Grigorov and passed Gatekeeper without an unidentified-developer warning. Apple has since revoked the signing credentials associated with the malicious application after Jamf shared its findings with the company's security team.Jamf found no zero-click stage in the samples it analyzed. A victim still had to download and launch Werkbit, allow the delivery chain to run and enter a valid Mac password before CrashStealer could reach its most valuable targets. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Should Apple get out of the ad business altogether? [Poll]
An open letter written by Tim Cook back in 2014 contrasted Apple with ad-funded services where customers are the product. That letter has been removed from the company’s website ahead of ads coming to Apple Maps for the first time. Apple commenter John Gruber has suggested that incoming CEO John Ternus should pull the plug on this and the rest of the company’s ad business …

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Time for change: 50 Apple Watch updates coming in watchOS 27
Owners of the Apple Watch can expect more than just Siri AI in watchOS 27. Here are 50 improvements for the wearable's operating system coming this fall.The Dynamic App Grid in watchOS 27Apple's main operating system updates, including iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 Golden Gate, are getting the bulk of the attention this cycle. That makes sense, as they're the ones most people will directly interact with every day.That's also true in a year where Apple focused mostly on sorting out its artificial intelligence features. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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The Futility of Banning Killer Robots
As autonomous weapons become increasingly practical, banning them may prove impossible. Building stronger AI defenses could offer a more realistic path to protecting civilians and maintaining military deterrence. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

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EU plans to ban under-13s from social media, with ‘phased access’ afterwards
The European Union is proposing to ban under 13 year olds from using social media apps, with a plan for “phased and gradual access” for teenagers. While most social media apps claim to have a minimum age of 13, this is extremely poorly enforced. The EU proposal would give this the force of law, as well as applying restrictions for older teens …

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SigLens acquired by Apple for debugging massive apps and services
Apple has bought SigScalr, the maker of SigLens, giving it a tool to monitor and debug the processes of large numbers of interrelated applications.SigLens lets developers set up continuous monitoring of apps to see how they are working over time - image credit: SigScalrInstead of needing multiple programs ranging from Xcode to Activity Monitor, an application monitoring app like SigLens is one tool that tracks and logs what happens inside several apps, or across many routines within the same one. With apps sometimes being written as very many related single-task ones, application monitors give a picture of the whole process.SigLens from SigScalr was one such application monitor, and its makers claimed it to be up to 100% more efficient than its rivals, DataDog and Splunk. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Free Mac app WhatCable tells you what each of your USB-C cables can really do
We’ve talked on a number of occasions about the problem with USB-C cables: namely, they all look alike but can have very different capabilities. Google addressed this issue in Chrome OS several years ago, and we suggested at the time that Apple should copy it. That hasn’t yet happened, but there’s now a free Mac app, WhatCable, to turn your Mac into a hardware cable tester …

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Anthropic expanding Claude Cowork to mobile and web, details here [U]
Update 7/13: Fable 5 access on all paid plans has been extended once more through Sunday, July 19. Anthropic announced today that it is expanding Claude Cowork capabilities from the desktop app to the web and mobile. Claude Cowork on mobile and the web will start as a beta feature with a gradual rollout on select paid plans. Additionally, Anthropic is extending Claude Fable 5 access to all paid plans for a few more days.

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Apple is beating Netflix the same way it beat everyone else: Quality
Macworld You won’t read this in many corporate mission statements, but subscription services thrive on laziness. The very moment that a customer signs on the dotted line, inertia enters the equation: it becomes a pain to cancel, and easier just to go with the flow. And from that point on, the customer is incentivised to do nothing, and the provider is incentivised to do the absolute bare minimum. Which is how they like it. This is why gyms and banks and cable networks do everything allowable under a generous interpretation of the law to increase the friction and inconvenience of breaking things off. So sorry, they inform us solemnly, but you can’t cancel online/over the phone/at the branch where you signed up. You’ll have to visit our special Cancellation Center in Nova Scotia. On a Thursday afternoon. In the early days, streaming services liked to present themselves as an antidote to the exploitative behaviour of cable companies, but this, it quickly turned out, was yet another example of the inertia strategy. Netflix and Disney and the rest were playing the long game: acting nice at the start, removing ads, letting us binge-watch entire seasons of shows, turning a blind eye to password sharing, and spending big on prestige projects. But once they’d secured a large audience of subscribers, they no longer needed to play nice, and all the old habits came rushing back. The problem is that this generates resentment among customers, not loyalty; a fickleness beneath the surface that is constantly on the verge of escalation. Customers treated in this way may need only a tiny bit of extra motivation to cancel and switch to another service. Or to something even more drastic, such as piracy. In an article last week, the A.V. Club discussed this phenomenon on a series level: Netflix shows are experiencing drastic drop-offs in ratings from their first to their second seasons, which the site puts down to multi-year hiatuses and unmemorable programming. That’s true, but I think there’s more to it. Many Netflix shows are neutrally lit, algorithm-driven “content” with no heart, and a tendency to decline in quality after the first few episodes. Simply put, Netflix is more interested in marketing than making. But this is only a microcosm of a bigger problem, and a more serious disillusionment. Netflix, like most other streamers, cares disproportionately about getting new customers on board and nowhere near enough about delivering a quality product to the customers it already has. Matthew Rhys in “Widow’s Bay,” which received 19 Emmy nominations.Apple Then there’s Apple, a company that, over the years, has showcased both the best and the worst of customer retention strategy. Apple fans, also known derisively as fanboys, or, if you’re a Twitter bore, iSheep, are notoriously loyal to and protective of the multi-trillion-dollar corporation that makes their favorite tech products. But the centrality of those products makes it, by late-capitalist standards, a comparatively healthy relationship. Apple makes great products, and we love it for doing that. That’s sort of how consumerism is supposed to work. The moment when Apple’s relationship with its customers became rather less healthy was when someone came up with the idea of the walled garden. iPhone apps had to be installed from the officially sanctioned App Store. If you wanted to repair an Apple product, you had to get it done by a licensed repair company. Apple accessories had to use a proprietary connection standard. And so on, and so on. In each case, Apple softened the policy only when forced to by regulation, because locking in the customer gives it a massive advantage and the ability to charge more money. When Apple launched a streaming service, therefore, things could have gone either way. Apple TV (or TV+, as it was initially called) could have showcased the company’s gigantic warchest and commitment to quality, or its love of a captive audience. In the event we’ve seen both. Yes, Apple has given its streaming service an advantage over rivals trying to access the iPhone-owning public: if you buy an Apple product, you get a three-month subscription thrown in. Yes, it isn’t above using product placement in Apple TV shows to market other items in the Cupertino ecosystem. Some walled-garden tricks are going on. But above all, Apple TV tries to win over customers by simply making the best shows and movies it can. Last week, the Emmy nominations for 2026 were announced, and several Apple properties were recognized in a big way. Pluribus, Slow Horses, and Your Friends & Neighbors got nods for best drama series; Shrinking, Widow’s Bay, and Margo’s Got Money Troubles for best comedy. (Netflix, by contrast, has one in each.) Apple TV shows earned 21 actor nominations, three for directing, and three for writing. And while this was Apple’s best year yet, it wasn’t a complete surprise. In 2025, the stand-out performers were Severance and The Studio, plus, inevitably, the perennially beloved Slow Horses. If we base our verdict on the contents of Apple’s award cabinet, it would appear that the product is good. I’m hesitant, nevertheless, to make too simplistic a connection between awards nominations and content quality. Apple may have outshone its streaming rivals in the Emmys’ prestige categories this year–-and famously beat them to the first streaming Oscar for Best Picture–-but Netflix still got more Emmy nominations overall this year, by a score of 111 to 87. You can put this down to a deeper catalogue (with entries in more categories) and a longer track record: Apple is still the upstart in this field, and it’s impressive that the company has made the progress and built up the momentum that it has. It’s not like other streamers are unable to make the kind of shows and movies that awards committees like. It’s more that they don’t know what to do with them when they come along. One of Netflix’s great successes of this year, Beef, got 16 nominations… but as the A.V. Club points out, it saw a 70 percent viewership decline from season 1 to season 2. Something has gone wrong there. What I like most of all about Apple TV, by contrast, is its commitment. Widow’s Bay is a deeply odd comedy as well as being very funny (and frequently scary). Pluribus and Severance feel almost arthouse, the sort of niche experimentation nobody could possibly imagine as a mainstream smash. But Apple is backing all three with deep funding and heavy promotion. It may follow the Netflix route at some point. For now, Apple is following its old tech hardware playbook: make good products, and everything else will follow naturally. 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 Skip the iPhone Ultra. Something better is coming. Watch out! Here are 10 safety features every iPhone user needs to turn on. Alex Blake thinks Apple hiked Mac prices at exactly the wrong time. We round up 10 clever uses for your iPhone’s USB-C port. Mahmoud Itani closed his rings for 500 days by cracking the Apple Watch code. watchOS 27’s new Siri finally fixed Jason Cross’s dumb timer problem. Reviews corner espresso Lite 15: Great-value portable monitor. Mophie StealthCharge: Wireless charging without the heat. Orico MiniLink: Dual SSD hub for Mac mini. Ugreen Mac mini SSD Dock: More storage, more ports. The rumor mill More iPhone Air 2 details emerge–and it’s looking like the upgrade of the year. The folding iPhone Ultra could follow the iPhone X’s path: Late and expensive. The iPhone 18 Pro probably won’t be as thick as the latest rumors say. Cheaper Vision Pro takes another hit as Apple reportedly scraps key component. Video of the week @macworld.com Infamous Apple leaker info-dumps almost every iPhone Air 2 detail #iphoneair2 #apple ♬ original sound – Macworld – Macworld The iPhone Air 2 is looking like a really nice improvement. For more videos, follow us on TikTok and Instagram. Software updates, bugs, and problems macOS 27 in depth: How AI upgrades Freeform, Notes, Weather, and more. Apple to end support for encrypted Mac OS Extended drives–here’s what it means. Some Apple Intelligence for Home features require a 2TB iCloud+ subscription. 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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Your favorite AI tools are getting expensive — this bundle puts them together for a flat $60
Macworld TL;DR: 1min.AI brings ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other AI models into one platform, with lifetime access available for $59.97 (MSRP $540) through July 19. Between ChatGPT, Claude, and the endless stream of new AI tools, keeping up can quickly turn into a pile of monthly charges. Instead of paying for each service separately, 1min.AI brings top AI models together in one place. Right now through July 19, you can lock in lifetime access to ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and more for an all-time low of $59.97 (MSRP $540). Instead of dumping everything into one generic chat box, 1min.AI organizes its tools into specific use cases. Choose what you want to do, like write a blog post, generate an image, or summarize a PDF, then pick which AI model to use. From there, enter your prompt and get results tailored to that exact task. Your lifetime subscription also comes with the highest monthly credit allowance 1min.AI offers, meaning you can run hundreds of requests every month without hitting a paywall. For most people, that’s far more than they’ll ever need. And because the credit system refreshes monthly, you’ll always have the power to tackle your next big project. Until July 19, get your 1min.AI lifetime subscription on sale for $59.97 with no coupon needed (MSRP $540). 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Amazon revives $199 AirPods Pro 3 deal after Prime Day
Amazon's post-Prime Day Apple deals are still delivering, with AirPods Pro 3 dropping to their best price since the mega shopping event concluded.Grab AirPods Pro 3 for just $199 at Amazon.Amazon has dropped AirPods Pro 3 back down to $199.99 this week, marking the best post-Prime Day price on Apple's flagship earbuds. While it's not as low as the record discount we saw leading up to Prime Day, the $50 savings beats Black Friday 2025 pricing by $20 and is the strongest deal to return since Prime Day ended last month.Buy AirPods Pro 3 for $199.99 Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple’s AI ambitions may kill the M6 Pro and M6 Max
Apple will jump straight to the M7 Pro and M7 Max chips in 2027—skipping the M6 Pro and Max chips—due to their superior AI performance. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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9to5Mac Overtime 072: Apple Watch and the new Siri
Jeff and Fernando discuss the new Siri experience on Apple Watch, new Siri features on iOS 27, our Apple Watch feature wish list, enhancements to Messages on iPhone, and the state of social media in 2026. Sponsored by Bitwarden: Check out Bitwarden Password Manager, featuring an Apple Watch authenticator integration, secure autofill on Safari and iOS apps, and enterprise-grade security tools that help you manage credentials with confidence.

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Beyond Streaming: Why and How to Download Videos from YouTube
Can’t stream a YouTube video on a plane? Worried that a rare concert recording will disappear? Need to edit a clip for a presentation? Here’s why TidBITS Talk readers download YouTube videos—and which apps they recommend.

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Sunday Reboot: No cell service for 250 years
In this week's Sunday Reboot, an iPhone 17 Pro Max goes underground for a very, very long time.America 250Sunday Reboot is a weekly column covering some of the lighter stories within the Apple reality distortion field from the past seven days. All to get the next week underway with a good first step. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple Watch Series 11 drops to $299 with Amazon deal, save $100
Amazon has brought the 42mm Apple Watch Series 11 back down to $299 for the weekend, offering $100 off its regular price. The sale also includes discounts on larger 46mm models and premium titanium styles.Save $100 on Apple Watch Series 11 styles.Weekend Apple Watch shoppers have plenty of reasons to take a look at Amazon, where Apple Watch Series 11 models are $100 off across multiple configurations. The standout offer drops the 42mm GPS model to $299, within $20 of the lowest price on record.Buy Apple Watch Series 11 for $299 Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Tinderbox 11.8
Note-taking assistant improves AI connectivity, prompting, and resources. ($289 new, free update, 37.6 MB, macOS 11+)

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Apple preps pair of redesigned Apple Pencils for iPad
Two new Apple Pencil models are reportedly in development, with refreshed designs expected to debut alongside the 2027 iPad Pro. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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M6 era will last just six months as Apple pushes for AI-focused M7
It takes years to tape out a chip and bring it to market, with overall industry seismic shifts taking much less time. Nothing will demonstrate that better than the rumored six-month gap between the M6 processor debut and the AI-focused M7.With no M6 Pro or M6 Max on the horizon, don't expect much from the Mac Studio. Apple's chip lines have gradually become more AI-centric, and that will be the same in the future too. However, rather than sticking to an established release format, Apple's intending to skip ahead to the bits it wants the public to use.In Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman revives a late June report that the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips won't exist. Instead, it is putting the work into the development of AI-first chips for the M7 generation. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Power of Apple's M7 & M8 chips was born from Apple Car research
We've been telling you this for years — Apple Car research wasn't lit on fire, and the fruits of Apple's labor on it will be seen in artificial intelligence performance in the M7 and M8 processor.16-inch MacBook Pro will be the first to get M7 Pro processorsBefore AI used to be called Apple's biggest failure, that title went to the Apple Car which was cancelled after ten years of development and ten billion dollars of investment. AppleInsider argued at the time that Apple Car research would pay off, but now both of these failures are being recast as positives, with Bloomberg saying this research is being used in designing future AI processors.The report claims that for the future M7 and M8 processors, Apple is concentrating more on AI support than on issues such as overall speed and power efficiency. This reportedly means that these chip designs for the Mac and Apple Intelligence servers are based on the company's efforts toward a self-driving car. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Felons, Fraudsters Flog Offensive Cybersecurity Startup
A cybersecurity startup dangling millions of dollars to acquire zero-day security vulnerabilities in popular software is run by a pair of far-right conspiracy theorists and convicted felons whose most recent ventures included fake intelligence companies and a now-defunct AI-based lobbying platform they operated under assumed names.

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FBI Seizes NetNut Proxy Platform, Popa Botnet
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said today it worked with industry partners to seize hundreds of domains associated with NetNut, a sprawling residential proxy service operated by the publicly-traded Israeli company Alarum Technologies [NASDAQ: ALAR]. The action comes roughly two weeks after KrebsOnSecurity published findings from multiple security firms connecting NetNut to the Popa botnet, a collection of at least two million devices that have been compromised by malicious software with little or no consent from victims.

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Scattered Spider Hackers Plead Guilty on Day 1 of Trial
Two men pleaded guilty in the United Kingdom this week to criminal charges stemming from an August 2024 cyberattack that crippled Transport for London, the entity responsible for the public transport network in the Greater London area. The duo were key members of a prolific cybercrime group known as Scattered Spider, and their guilty pleas came on the first day of what was expected to be a six-week trial.

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Vulnerability Summary for the Week of June 15, 2026
High Vulnerabilities PrimaryVendor -- Product Description Published CVSS Score Source Info 10Web--Form Maker by 10Web Unauthenticated SQL Injection in Form Maker by 10Web login() and establish an authenticated session as any user including admin. Attackers can obtain the Meet shared secret through path-traversal vulnerabilities or timing attacks against checkToken.json.php, then POST a crafted file to uploadRecordedVideo.json.php with a filename like '1-anything.mp4' to hijack admin sessions and gain full account takeover. 2026-06-20 8.1 CVE-2026-56345 AVideo--AVideo AVideo through version 26.0 contains multiple unauthenticated list.json.php endpoints in payment plugins lacking authorization checks, exposing PayPal tokens, Authorize.Net webhooks, and Bitcoin transaction records. Unauthenticated attackers can retrieve all payment transaction data including agreement IDs, user financial records, and API responses via direct GET requests to vulnerable endpoints. 2026-06-20 7.5 CVE-2026-56341 Awesomemotive--Contact Form by WPForms Unauthenticated Broken Access Control in Contact Form by WPForms

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‘Popa’ Botnet Linked to Publicly-Traded Israeli Firm
For the past four years, a sprawling Android-based botnet called Popa has forced millions of consumer TV boxes to relay Internet traffic linked to advertising fraud, account takeovers, and mass data-scraping efforts. This week, researchers from multiple security firms concluded that the Popa botnet is linked to NetNut, a "residential proxy" provider operated by the publicly-traded Israeli firm Alarum Technologies Ltd [NASDAQ: ALAR].

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Who Runs the Ransomware Group ‘The Gentlemen?’
A cybercrime group known as The Gentlemen has emerged as the second most active ransomware gang by victim count, rapidly attracting a talented pool of hackers through an aggressive recruitment strategy that promises affiliates 90 percent of any ransom paid by victims. This post examines clues pointing to a real life identity for the administrator of The Gentlemen ransomware group.

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A Record-Breaking Patch Tuesday for June 2026
Microsoft today released software updates to plug nearly 200 security holes across its Windows operating systems and supported software, a record number of fixes for the company's monthly Patch Tuesday cycle. Nearly three dozen of those bugs earned Microsoft's most dire "critical" rating, and exploit code for at least three of the weaknesses is now publicly available.

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Hackers Used Meta’s AI Support Bot to Seize Instagram Accounts
The Instagram accounts for the Obama White House and the Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force were briefly defaced with pro-Iranian images and messages over the weekend, after instructions began circulating on Telegram showing how to trick Meta's "AI support assistant" bot into resetting account passwords.

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Netherlands Seizes 800 Servers, Arrests 2 for Aiding Cyberattacks
Authorities in the Netherlands have arrested the co-owners of two related Internet hosting companies for operating IT infrastructure used by Russia to carry out cyberattacks, influence operations and disinformation campaigns inside the European Union. The two men were the focus of a 2025 KrebsOnSecurity story about how their hosting companies had assumed control over the technical infrastructure of Stark Industries Solutions, an Internet service provider sanctioned last year by the EU as a frequent staging ground for cyber mischief from Russia's intelligence agencies.

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Lawmakers Demand Answers as CISA Tries to Contain Data Leak
Lawmakers in both houses of Congress are demanding answers from the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) after KrebsOnSecurity reported this week that a CISA contractor intentionally published AWS GovCloud keys and a vast trove of other agency secrets on a public GitHub account. The inquiry comes as CISA is still struggling to contain the breach and invalidate the leaked credentials.

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Alleged Kimwolf Botmaster ‘Dort’ Arrested, Charged in U.S. and Canada
Canadian authorities on Wednesday arrested a 23-year-old Ottawa man on suspicion of building and operating Kimwolf, a fast spreading Internet-of-Things botnet that enslaved millions of devices for use in a series of massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks over the past six months. KrebsOnSecurity publicly named the suspect in February 2026 after the accused launched a volley of DDoS, doxing and swatting campaigns against this author and a security researcher. He now faces criminal hacking charges in both Canada and the United States.

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Amazon Cuts Up to $500 Off 16-Inch M5 Max MacBook Pro Models, Lowest Prices Since Apple’s MSRP Increase
Amazon is now offering substantial discounts on both standard 16-inch M5 Max MacBook Pro configurations. The 36GB/2TB model is currently $400 below Apple's MSRP, while the higher-end 48GB/2TB version is discounted by $500. What's particularly notable is that these deals arrive after Apple recently increased pricing. While Apple's MSRP has moved higher, Amazon inventory continues to be available at significantly lower prices, creating some of the best values we've seen on the 16-inch M5 Max lineup. The larger $500 discount applies to the flagship 48GB/2TB configuration, while the 36GB/2TB model is currently available at a $400 savings. Both discounts represent some of the lowest prices currently available on these professional-grade MacBook Pro configurations. Amazon is also offering fast shipping on available inventory, making this an attractive opportunity for buyers who have been waiting for lower pricing on Apple's most powerful notebook models. For the latest prices and availability, visit our 16" MacBook Pro Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Sunday Sale: $100 off Apple Watch Series 11 models
Amazon is offering a $100 discount on new Apple Watch Series 11 models right now. Shipping is free: - 42mm Apple Watch Series 11 GPS: $299, save $100 - 46mm Apple Watch Series 11 GPS: $329, save $100 - 42mm Apple Watch Series 11 GPS + 5G: $399, save $100 - 46mm Apple Watch Series 11 GPS + 5G: $429, save $100 These are the lowest prices available for Apple Watch Series 11 models. For the latest prices & sales, keep an eye on our Apple Watch Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Verizon’s New $30 Simplicity Plan Can Make an iPhone 17 Practically Free
Verizon's new Simplicity Plan starts at just $30/month for new customers, making it one of the carrier's most affordable unlimited plans in years. The plan includes unlimited data, Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network, hotspot data, and roaming in Canada and Mexico. Verizon is also pairing the plan with aggressive iPhone promotions that can dramatically reduce the cost of a new iPhone 17. View Verizon's Current iPhone Deals → Here's what the base iPhone 17 lineup costs when paired with Verizon's new Simplicity Plan. Depending on the model you choose and your eligibility for Verizon's latest promotions, some customers may pay little more than the cost of the plan itself. See Today's Verizon iPhone Deals and Pricing →

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Today’s AirPods Deals: AirPods Pro 3 $30 off, AirPods Max 2 $52 off at Amazon
Amazon's latest sale is delivering good AirPods prices, with discounts available across Apple's entire AirPods lineup. AirPods 4 are currently $99, AirPods 4 with ANC are $148.99, AirPods Pro 3 have dropped to $219, and AirPods Max 2 are now $497. Shop Amazon's Prime Day AirPods deals here. The biggest discounts are available on AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2, which are currently selling for approximately $30 and $52 below Apple's MSRP, respectively.Note that pricing can change quickly. For the latest sales and deals, see our AirPods Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Amazon Drops 512GB MacBook Neo to $689.99, First Major Discount Since Apple’s Price Increase
Amazon is now offering the first major discount we've seen on Apple's 512GB MacBook Neo since the company recently raised prices. The Indigo model is currently available for $689.99, which is about $110 below Apple's new MSRP and the lowest price we've found anywhere for a 512GB Neo. The timing makes this deal particularly interesting. While Apple increased pricing across the Neo lineup, some retailer inventory has yet to fully catch up. As a result, shoppers can still pick up a 512GB MacBook Neo at pricing that effectively undercuts Apple's current retail pricing by a significant margin. The 512GB model remains one of the most attractive configurations in the Neo lineup, offering double the storage of the base model while maintaining the same lightweight design, long battery life, and everyday performance that have made the MacBook Neo so popular. Amazon is also offering fast shipping on available inventory, making this one of the easiest ways to lock in the lower pricing while supplies last. For the latest MacBook Neo prices, availability, and deals, visit our MacBook Neo Price Tracker, updated daily.

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First Discount Since Apple’s Price Increase: 13″ M5 MacBook Air 16GB/1TB Now $150 Off at Amazon
Amazon is now offering the first discount we've seen on Apple's 13-inch M5 MacBook Air with a 10-Core CPU, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD since Apple recently increased pricing. The model is currently available for $150 below MSRP in Blue, Starlight, and Midnight. Shop the Blue model, Starlight model, or Midnight model at Amazon. What's notable here is that these configurations largely avoided discounts after Apple's pricing changes. This marks the first meaningful price drop we've tracked on the 16GB/1TB models since the increase, making it one of the better current MacBook Air deals available. Amazon also continues to offer fast shipping on available inventory. For the latest sales and deals, see our 13" MacBook Air Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Deal Alert! Get a 16″ M5 Pro or M5 Max MacBook Pro for up to $550 off Apple’s new pricing
Amazon continues to offer substantial discounts on several standard 16-inch M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro configurations. The 24GB/1TB M5 Pro model is available for $2649.99, while M5 Max models are discounted by as much as $550 compared to Apple's new MSRP. Shop the 24GB/1TB M5 Pro or browse the 36GB/2TB M5 Max at Amazon. The 48GB/2TB M5 Max configuration is not in stock at Amazon, but the remaining models continue to offer some of the best discounts currently available on Apple's highest-performance notebooks. Amazon also offers fast shipping while inventory lasts. For the latest sales and deals, see our 16" MacBook Pro Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Amazon Still Has Select 14″ M5 Pro MacBook Pros at Their Old Sale Prices
Apple recently increased pricing on several higher-end 14-inch M5 Pro MacBook Pro configurations, but Amazon still appears to have inventory available at the previous pricing. The 15-Core M5 Pro model with 24GB RAM and a 2TB SSD is currently available for $2549.99, while the 18-Core M5 Pro model with 24GB RAM and a 2TB SSD is selling for $2749.99. Shop the 15-Core model or browse the 18-Core model at Amazon. Rather than a traditional sale, these prices appear to reflect inventory that has not yet been repriced to match Apple's newer, higher MSRP. That creates an opportunity to save roughly $450 on either configuration while inventory remains available. For the latest sales and deals, see our 14" MacBook Pro Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Amazon Still Has the 15″ M5 MacBook Air (16GB/512GB Blue) at Its Old Sale Price of $1249
Apple recently increased pricing on several MacBook Air configurations, but Amazon still appears to have inventory of the 15-inch M5 MacBook Air with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD in Blue at its previous sale price of $1249.99. That's roughly $250 below Apple's current MSRP. Check current pricing at Amazon. What's notable about this deal is that it doesn't appear to be a traditional promotion. Instead, Amazon seems to still be selling through inventory that hasn't yet been repriced to match Apple's higher MSRP. Amazon also continues to offer fast shipping on available inventory. For the latest sales and deals, see our 15" MacBook Air Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Apple Watch Ultra 3 on sale again for $699 at Amazon — $100 off MSRP
Amazon is now offering the Apple Watch Ultra 3 for $699, a $100 discount from Apple’s $799 MSRP and the lowest price currently available among major Apple retailers. This is a solid opportunity for buyers who were waiting for a price drop. The Ultra line is designed for durability, long battery life, and advanced fitness and outdoor features, making it a strong option for more active users. View the deal here at Amazon, and compare all Apple Watch prices on our Apple Watch Price Tracker, updated daily.

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iPads now on sale starting at $349, $100 off Apple’s MSRP
In response to Apple's recent price increases, Amazon now has 11th-generation A16 WiFi iPads in stock on sale for $100 off MSRP, starting at $349. Shipping is free: - 11" 11th-generation 128GB WiFi iPads: $349 $100 off MSRP - 11" 11th-generation 256GB WiFi iPads: $449 $100 off MSRP - 11" 11th-generation 512GB WiFi iPads: $649 $100 off MSRP Amazon's prices are the lowest iPads prices currently available for 11th-generation models. For the latest prices & deals, keep an eye on our iPad Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Walmart Still Has MacBook Neo at Apple’s Original Pricing
Apple recently raised MacBook Neo pricing by $100 across the lineup, but Walmart continues to sell remaining inventory at Apple's original MSRP. That means buyers can still purchase the 256GB model for $599 and the 512GB model for $699 rather than paying Apple's new higher prices. Check current MacBook Neo pricing at Walmart. Just as importantly, Walmart continues to show broad availability across the MacBook Neo lineup while offering fast free shipping and free local store pickup where available. Once current inventory sells through, pricing will likely move closer to Apple's new MSRP. For the latest sales, pricing, and availability, see our MacBook Neo Price Tracker, updated daily.

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