macOS 27 is still months away, but there are already a handful of rumors about the upcoming software update, as outlined below.


We expect the first beta of macOS 27 to be seeded to developers during WWDC 2026 in June, and a public beta to follow in July. Following beta testing, the update should be released to all users with a compatible Mac in September.

macOS 26 is known as macOS Tahoe, but the name of macOS 27 has yet to leak.

Siri Upgrades

macOS 27 will reportedly include a full-out Siri chatbot that you can have back-and-forth conversations with. This would make Siri more like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Due to delays, macOS 27 might also include at least some of the personalized Siri features that Apple previewed all the way back at WWDC 2024.

For example, Apple showed a user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation based on info retrieved from the Mail and Messages apps. This functionality was previewed on an iPhone, but it will extend to the iPad and Mac.

More Apple Intelligence Features

Last month, Apple and Google announced that Google Gemini will help power future Apple Intelligence features, and that will extend beyond the more personalized version of Siri. However, exactly which features arrive remains to be seen.

Touch Interface

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week reported that Apple is preparing a touch-optimized version of macOS for the rumored MacBook Pro with a touch screen.

For example, if a user touches a button or control on the screen, the report said a relevant set of commands will instantly appear in a menu surrounding their finger. And if a user taps on an item in the menu bar at the top of the screen, the report said the controls will enlarge so they are easier to select with a finger.

Gurman expects the MacBook Pro with a touch screen to be released in late 2026, so these touch optimizations will presumably arrive in macOS 27. However, the changes might be hidden until the touch-screen MacBook Pro launches.

Improved Stability

macOS 27 will reportedly be similar to 2009's Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is apparently very focused on improving "quality and underlying performance." Apple is expected to implement many bug fixes and stability improvements, and there may also be some much-needed Liquid Glass design enhancements.

No Intel Macs

Last year, Apple announced that macOS Tahoe would be the final major macOS release for Intel-based Macs, meaning that macOS 27 will be compatible with Apple silicon Macs with the M1 chip and newer only. However, Apple will likely continue to release security fixes for some Intel-based Macs for at least a few more years.
This article, "macOS 27: All the Rumors So Far" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple is expected to unveil its long-rumored lower-cost MacBook next week. Given it will be more affordable, this MacBook model will obviously have some reduced specs and compromises compared to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.


While we are still waiting for Apple to announce the new MacBook, a leaker has shared eight alleged limitations to expect, based on an internal version of Apple's Kernel Debug Kit for a macOS Tahoe beta, leaked online last year.

Here are the alleged limitations they outlined in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo and in an email to MacRumors:

• Lower max display brightness: The leaker said the lower-cost MacBook's maximum display brightness may fall below the MacBook Air's 500 nits.


• No True Tone: The lower-cost MacBook will apparently lack True Tone, a feature that can adjust the color and intensity of the display to match the ambient light.


• No 1TB or 2TB storage capacities: The leaker expects the lower-cost MacBook to be available in 256GB and 512GB storage capacities, and they mentioned a potential 128GB capacity for educational institutions. Unlike the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, the new MacBook would lack 1TB and higher storage options.


• Slower SSD speeds: The flash storage in the new MacBook base model will apparently have slower read and write speeds compared to the latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, potentially due to Apple using a single NAND chip.


• No fast charging: The new MacBook might not be "fast-charge capable."


• No backlit keyboard: The keyboard may lack backlit keys.


• No high-impedance headphones support: You can connect high-impedance headphones directly to compatible Mac computers introduced in 2021 or later, but the lower-cost MacBook will apparently not be one of them.


• No N1 chip: All of the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air models feature Apple's custom N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Apple says the chip also improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop. However, the lower-cost MacBook will not use the N1 chip, the leaker said. Instead, the laptop will likely have a MediaTek chip for wireless connectivity.

The information above comes from the same leaker who claimed that Apple's next Studio Display may have a 90Hz refresh rate, that the next iPad mini will have an A20 Pro chip, and more. Many of their claims are still untested, but we should get a better picture of this source's track record as the products in question are released over the coming months.

While the leaked files are real, this source currently lacks an established track record, so these claims should still be treated with some skepticism. Some of the information mentioned above is not explicitly mentioned in the files, but rather is based on the leaker's interpretations, so it is possible that not every claim will prove to be accurate.

The lower-cost MacBook is expected to be powered by the iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro chip, rather than an M-series chip, and it will reportedly have a smaller 12.9-inch display. Based on A18 Pro specs, this MacBook will likely have 8GB of RAM, and the laptop will likely have regular USB-C ports instead of faster Thunderbolt ports.

Like the iBook from the early 2000s, it has been rumored that this MacBook will come in fun color options, like yellow, green, blue, and/or pink.

The media will likely receive hands-on time with the lower-cost MacBook at the "Apple Experience" gatherings being held in New York, London, and Shanghai on Wednesday, March 4 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. There is no Apple Event live stream for this launch, with the new MacBook expected to be announced in a press release.

How much will this MacBook cost? There are no firm rumors, but estimates for a starting price have ranged from $599 to $799 in the United States.

After months and months of rumors, an announcement should be less than a week away.
This article, "Leaker Says Apple's Lower-Cost MacBook Will Have These 8 Limitations" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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In October 2025, Apple notified the European Commission that it would be acquiring invrs.io LLC's sole employee, and certain assets from the company. Following a four-month waiting period, the European Commission published this information this week.


That sole employee appears to be Martin Schubert, according to his LinkedIn profile. Schubert founded invrs.io in 2023 to advance AI-guided design, initially focusing on optical and photonics technologies for AR/VR, data centers, and more.

"Invrs develops open-source frameworks for photonics research, providing standardized simulation challenges and a public leaderboard for benchmarking and comparing design results," reads a notice on the European Commission's website.

Schubert's systems could be useful for future Apple Vision Pro development, but it is unclear exactly what he was hired to work on at this point. He previously worked at Alphabet's X, on AI-powered photonic design, and at Meta.

More details about invrs.io are available on GitHub.

Last month, Apple announced that it acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup working on AI technology for audio. That was reportedly Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, with the deal valued at nearly $2 billion. Apple's largest acquisition was the headphone brand Beats, which it bought for $3 billion in 2014. Apple Music launched a year later, and it was built on the foundation of the former Beats Music streaming service.
This article, "EU Reveals Apple Made a Tiny Acquisition Last Year" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple is expected to unveil up to five new products next week, including a lower-cost MacBook, and a few more details about the laptop surfaced today.


According to supply chain sources who spoke to DigiTimes, the entry-level MacBook will indeed be launching in March. The report said volume shipments of the laptop to Apple are projected to begin next month. Quanta Computer is expected to be the primary assembler of this new model, and Foxconn is expected to join in later.

Mass production was originally slated to begin in late 2025, but the timeframe was pushed back to the first quarter of 2026, the report said.

Due to rising component costs, including skyrocketing DRAM and NAND storage chip prices, DigiTimes believes that higher pricing may be unavoidable. Early estimates placed this MacBook's starting price as low as $599 in the U.S., but it is possible that the laptop will start at $699 or $799 instead. In any case, college students should receive $100 off the regular price through Apple's education store on the web.

The media will likely receive hands-on time with the lower-cost MacBook at the "Apple Experience" gatherings being held in New York, London, and Shanghai on Wednesday, March 4 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. There is no Apple Event live stream for this launch, with the new MacBook expected to be announced in a press release.

The lower-cost MacBook will likely look more or less like a MacBook Air, but it will have some reduced specs. The laptop is expected to be powered by the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone 16 Pro, rather than an M-series chip, and it will reportedly have a slightly smaller 12.9-inch display. Based on the A18 Pro chip's specs, this MacBook will likely have just 8GB of RAM, as well as regular USB-C ports instead of faster Thunderbolt ports.

Like the iBook from the early 2000s, it has been rumored that this MacBook will come in fun color options, like yellow, green, blue, and/or pink.

Apple previously used the "MacBook" name (without "Air" or "Pro" branding) from 2006 to 2012, and again from 2015 to 2019, but all of those models used Intel processors. This would be the first time that there is an entry-level "MacBook" with Apple silicon, and we should finally learn all about it in less than a week.
This article, "More Lower-Cost MacBook Details Surface Ahead of 'Apple Experience' Next Week" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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