Apple

MacBooks have hard, pointy edges. But would you take a hand file or sanding block to your laptop? Software engineer Max Bretschneider did just that, and the results look pretty good. The more heavily filed MacBook Pro he cites for inspiration from designer Kent Walters? Less so. (Yikes!)

The EU is excluding wearable devices, including smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart glasses, from an incoming rule that will require a wide range of electronics to have user-replaceable batteries. The Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t exempt, though, and will come with a replaceable battery in the EU by the time the law goes into effect in February 2027.

Apple’s on-device generative AI service has officially been registered with China’s cyberspace regulator, clearing a major hurdle for device rollout. To navigate local regulations, Apple is tapping domestic tech giants, integrating Alibaba’s Qwen and Baidu’s AI models to power the experience for Chinese users, as reported last year.

Apple’s lawsuit said that OpenAI “never responded” to outreach in February. But NBC News reports OpenAI did respond, though communication stopped after one of Apple’s lawyers apparently mixed up OpenAI staffers with the last names Wang and Chang.

Here it is, given to Bloomberg:

If you wouldn’t dream of wearing socks with sandals or using accessories that clash with your laptop, Satechi announced two new USB hubs and new versions of its Slim EX Wireless Mouse that match the silver, blush, citrus, and indigo color options of the MacBook Neo. They’re available now for $29.99 to $44.99.

As the World Cup nears its end, Apple Arcade is getting the surprise addition of Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition, which hits the service on August 6th. It’s part of a big sports-themed update for Arcade which will also include NFL Retro Bowl ’27 and Retro Bowl College+.

Don’t get too excited, but Mark Gurman says the styluses are being updated alongside new iPad Pros next year. In February, new EU rules go into effect that require batteries to be user-replaceable with basic tools. So maybe the next-gen Apple Pencil will be less of a nightmare to fix.

As spotted by MacRumors, to get the new AI-powered camera features — text descriptions, searchable camera clips, and noteworthy clips — you’ll need Apple’s 2TB plan or higher.

Apple is suspending work on a display made in partnership with Samsung Display for an entry-level XR device, according to a machine translation of a report by The Elec (which we saw thanks to MacRumors). Seems like Apple is moving away from headsets in favor of glasses.

Apple added a bit more insight into that Broadcom deal announced a few days ago. It’s expected to “exceed $30 billion” and “lead to the production of more than 15 billion US-made chips” and “hundreds of American jobs.” The announcement comes with a line of obligatory flattery from CEO Tim Cook:

Pete Holmes has a lot of good tech takes in this Wired interview. He also, against all odds, made me want the iPhone Air:

Filings spotted by leaker Digital Chat Station claim that the iPhone 18 Pro’s battery will be 4,288 mAh, while the Pro Max’s will be 5,567 mAh, as MacRumors reports. Both would be a modest boost over the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max’s batteries, especially the 479 mAh bump for the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

It’s been missing from the first two versions of the beta, but you can now continue conversations from your phone on your wrist, and vice versa. I’m playing around with it now, but I’m curious to hear from fellow smartwatch nerds. (You’ll need a Series 9, Ultra 3, or SE 3 and later to run the dev beta.)

Jason Snell, long-time writer of all-things-Apple for Macworld, recently announced his tenure is coming to an end after nearly 30 years at the publication. (Snell also contributed some great pieces to The Verge; you can read his work here.) What a run! You can read his farewell letter here:

As Bloomberg reports, the new Broadcom chips will be in “multiple generations of Apple products.” It’s an expansion of Apple’s existing partnership with Broadcom, which is also collaborating with Apple on AI server chips and has long been making 5G and wireless components for Apple devices.

I’ve uploaded the response to DocumentCloud, if you want to take a look. I’m planning to write more about this soon, but in the meantime, you should also check out my big story about this case from earlier this year.

Tyler Murphy, the co-founder of EasyOptOuts, tells 404 Media that he notified Apple about a bug in its Hide My Email feature more than a year ago, but it’s reportedly still not fixed. The vulnerability allows someone to obtain a person’s real email through the fake one generated by Apple’s tool, 404 Media reports.

Apple is teasing its upcoming Neuromancer adaptation, which means we might be getting a trailer for the cyberpunk series — or maybe even a premiere date — in the near future.

According to an unnamed spokesperson speaking to the FT, Tim Cook and EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen had a “constructive exchange on topics of common interest” on Tuesday over the current impasse that will leave roughly 450 million people without access to Apple Intelligence that actually works:

Google is rolling out its frighteningly good AI agent to the Gemini macOS app, meaning Spark can access and work with files on your computer.

The Court will hear Apple’s arguments about a lower court decision upholding a ruling that Apple “willfully” violated a 2021 injunction forcing the company to let developers point to alternative payment methods, Bloomberg reports.

Yesterday we reported that images showing an iPhone 18 Pro drop test had leaked online following a data breach at one of Apple’s manufacturing partners — and now some video footage has appeared too. These clips, originally shared by an X account imitating the well known leaker EvLeaks, could be an early look at the upcoming iPhone flagship.