Apple today released a new firmware update for the Beats Studio Buds. The firmware, 1B211, addresses a Bluetooth vulnerability.


Apple's security support document for the update says it fixes a bug that could allow an attacker in Bluetooth range to listen through the microphone of the device.

The vulnerability would only be affected if someone was in Bluetooth range and the Studio Buds were not yet paired and seeking pair requests.

The bug was in open source code, and Apple Software was among the affected projects.

Updating the firmware of the Beats Studio Buds can be done by pairing them with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, putting them on a charger, and keeping them in Bluetooth range of the paired device.
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Apple has teamed up with accessory makers to offer chargers, stands, power banks, cables, and more in bright color options like blue, pink, and teal. The splash of color arrives in time for summer in the U.S. and many other countries.


The new color options are available exclusively from Apple, both online and for in-store pickup.

Notably, one of the accessories added to Apple's online store today is the PopSockets Low-Pro, which is the thinnest version of the popular accessory ever. Priced at $39.95 in the U.S., the MagSafe-compatible accessory continues to function as both an iPhone grip and a stand, except this version has a thickness of just 2.5mm.


Other participating brands include Belkin, Herschel, Mophie, Nimble, Scosche, and Twelve South.

Here are some examples:

• Mophie Knit Puck for AirTag


• Twelve South PowerClip Power Bank & Charger


• Herschel AirTag Charm


• Nimble SharePower Portable Battery Charger


• Scosche StrikeLine USB-C to USB-C Cable (1 m)


• Herschel Cloudform Burrard Organizer Tech


• Belkin UltraCharge Pro 20K Power Bank with Integrated Cable


• Twelve South AirFly Pro 2 Bluetooth Transmitter


• Herschel Cloud Sling for iPhone

Apple also began selling some other accessories through its online store that are not part of this seasonal color refresh, including Logitech's MX Master 4 mouse, Nimble's Podium 3-in-1 wireless charger, Twelve South's PowerBug charger (with Qi 2.2 support), and more, with all of the latest additions listed on Apple's New Product Arrivals page.
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Apple is celebrating International Day of Yoga with an Activity Challenge that takes place on Sunday, June 21. To earn the in-app award, Apple Watch owners must record a yoga workout of 10 minutes or more.


Any yoga workout will fulfill the requirement, as long as you select the yoga workout type from the Workout app on the Apple Watch or use an app that adds yoga workouts to the Health app.

Share your practice with the planet on the International Day of Yoga. Record a yoga workout of 10 minutes or more on June 21 to earn this award.

Apple Watch owners who complete the challenge will be rewarded with an award in the Fitness app and a set of animated yoga stickers that can be used in the Messages app.








Apple holds Activity Challenges for various holidays and events throughout the year. Apple previously celebrated Global Running Day on June 3, and will likely have another challenge to celebrate National Parks in August.
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Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Pro 2. The firmware has a version number of 8B41, up from 8B40 for the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ and 8B39 for the AirPods Pro 2.


There is no word on what's included in the new firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance improvements.

To get the updated firmware, make sure your AirPods Pro are in range of your iPhone, iPad, or Mac and are connected via Bluetooth.

From there, connect your Apple device to Wi-Fi, put your AirPods in the Charging Case, and connect the Charging Case to power. Keep the case closed and wait at least 30 minutes for the firmware update to install. After that, check the version number and repeat the process if the update hasn't been installed.

Apple also released new 1B211 firmware for the Beats Studio Buds, up from 1B204.
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Snap today unveiled Specs, a pair of augmented reality glasses that it describes as a wearable computer built into a pair of see-through glasses.


Specs are made from Swiss TR90 polymer that Snap suggests is "plastic titanium" because of its light weight and durability. The glasses are light enough to be "worn for hours" and two sizes are available. The 47mm frame weighs 132 grams (4.7 ounces), while the 52mm frame weighs 136 grams (4.8 ounces). Prescription lenses can be easily inserted and swapped out for sharing glasses with friends and family.

The AR glasses include cameras and sensors that feed data to AI with contextual understanding. There are two full-color high-resolution cameras, two infrared computer vision cameras, and 6-axis IMUs for inertial sensing. There are two Snapdragon chips inside, with one processor running the lenses, and the other handling computer vision.


Specs have a 51-degree field of view and a stereo waveguide display with automatic tinting for different lighting conditions. The device uses liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) miniature projectors to project images to the display. Snap compares the field-of-view to a 115-inch screen viewed from 10 feet.


Stereo speakers are included for spatial audio, and there's a microphone array for audio input. The glasses have hand tracking capabilities for gesture control, along with voice recognition and support for natural voice commands.

Specs last for up to four hours with mixed use, and there is a custom magnetic charging cable that can charge the glasses while they're being worn. They come with a charging case that supports 20 hours of use. Prior-generation Spectacles from Snap that were limited to developers only offered 45 minutes of battery.


Specs can be used for watching content like movies, videos, and TV shows, casting to a screen, writing on a whiteboard, and using the myriad existing Snapchat lenses. Specs can also connect to a computer, phone, or gaming system over USB-C to be used as a display.

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel introduced the Specs at AWE USA 2026 and showed some of the experiences developers have created with Snap's Lens Studio. Since Specs can use lenses developed for Snapchat, there are already options for placing virtual items, playing mini games, getting DIY help, and more.


Lens Studio is getting agentic development for lenses, and there are developer integrations for Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. Lenses are able to rely on APIs from OpenAI and Gemini for AI augmented reality experiences.

Specs are priced at $2,195 with a refundable $200 deposit, and they can be pre-ordered today. They're set to launch later this fall in the U.S., UK, and France.

Snap is beating multiple other tech companies to market with AR glasses, including Apple. Apple is developing augmented reality smart glasses with lenses, but the product won't launch for several more years. Apple's first glasses, which will be limited to AI capabilities and no built-in display, won't launch until late 2027.
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Schlage today announced that the Sense Pro smart deadbolt it unveiled at CES 2025 will finally be available for purchase in the U.S. and Canada beginning June 29, with U.S. pricing set at $399 and Canadian pricing set at $549. The smart deadbolt will be available at Amazon, The Home Depot, Lowe's, and select other retailers.


Sense Pro utilizes Ultra Wideband technology to allow for hands-free unlocking with a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch model. After adding a digital key to the Apple Wallet app, you can simply approach your door with your iPhone in your pocket or your Apple Watch on your wrist and the door will automatically unlock.

Schlage said the hands-free feature works by calculating speed, trajectory, and motion to unlock the door precisely as you reach your door.

The deadbolt has no keyhole, but it does have a keypad for keyless entry with an access code.

Sense Pro has built-in Wi-Fi, allowing it to be managed remotely through the Schlage Home app. You can lock and unlock the deadbolt from anywhere, manage up to 250 unique access codes, set timed auto-lock and daily locking schedules, and customize lock settings. The deadbolt can also be managed in Apple's Home app.

Hands-free unlocking is available with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later (excluding the Apple Watch SE) running watchOS 11.5 or later, and the iPhone 11 and later (excluding the iPhone SE 2, iPhone SE 3, iPhone 16e, and iPhone 17e) running iOS 18.5 or later.

Matter over Thread support allows the Sense Pro to pair with a Thread-enabled Apple Home hub, including the Apple TV 4K (2nd generation), Apple TV 4K (3rd generation), HomePod (2nd generation), and HomePod mini.

The lock is equipped with disposable batteries that offer up to six months of battery life. A built-in USB-C port can provide temporary power.

Samsung Wallet and Google Wallet support will arrive later this year, as part of the lock's compatibility with Aliro, according to Schlage.
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Apple today provided public beta testers with the second betas of iOS 26.6, iPadOS 26.6, macOS Tahoe 26.6, watchOS 26.6, and tvOS 26.6, with the software coming a day after Apple seeded the betas to developers and three weeks after the first public betas.


After signing up to beta test the software updates on Apple's beta site, public beta testers can download the new software using the Software Update section in the Settings app on each device.

iOS 26.6 has a feature that will let you know when you have blocked too many contacts, but the limit is in the thousands so most users may not ever see the messaging. There are also signs of a new iPhone anti-snatching feature that locks a stolen iPhone when it's grabbed from your hand.

No other major new features have been found in any of the software updates, with Apple likely focusing on bug fixes and security improvements. We're nearing the end of the "26" software cycle, with Apple planning to release iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, and more this fall.

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Apple will transition from 2-nanometer chips to 1.4-nanometer chips with the high-end 2028 iPhone models, reports Bloomberg. Chip supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) will make the majority of Apple's A22 Pro chips, but Apple is also considering having Intel make some of them.


The current iPhone 17 models use a third-generation N3P 3-nanometer process. The iPhone 18 Pro, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and foldable iPhone expected in September 2026 will be the first to have chips built on a next-generation 2nm process. 2027 chips will also use the 2nm process, and then Apple will upgrade some chips to 1.4nm in 2028.

TSMC has been working on 1.4nm chips for several years, and its A14 node will bring up to 15 percent better performance than chips built on its N2 2nm node. Alternatively, the chips will offer the same performance but with 30 percent power savings.

Every step down in node size comes with higher production costs and limited capacity due to the difficulty of manufacturing the most advanced chips. Powerful and efficient chips from TSMC are in high demand from AI server manufacturers like NVIDIA, leading to a more limited supply for consumer devices. During Apple's last earnings call, CEO Tim Cook said ‌iPhone 17‌ models had been constrained during the quarter because Apple couldn't get enough A19 and A19 Pro chips from TSMC.

Apple has been aiming to diversify its chip supply chain, and it is rumored to be working with Intel. While Apple previously used Intel-designed chips in Macs, with the new agreement, Intel would make Arm-based chips using Apple chip designs.

Current rumors suggest Intel will make lower-end chips for devices like the iPad and Mac, but Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan is aiming to revitalize Intel's chip manufacturing business by focusing on more advanced process nodes. Intel is developing its 14A node for 1.4nm chips, and it is expected to reach production in 2028. Prior rumors indicate Intel could make non-Pro iPhone chips in 2028.
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The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. The Univention team have published a new version of the project's Debian-based Univention Corporate Server. The latest release updates handling of group mailboxes and makes it easier to identify objects in the management interface. "The latest patch-level release of Univention Corporate Server bundles all new features and improvements....

Apple is "ramping up" work on the 20th anniversary iPhone that it plans to launch next year, reports Bloomberg. Multiple rumors have suggested the device will have an edge-to-edge display with curved glass at all sides for a nearly borderless visual effect.


There will be two anniversary models similar in size to the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max that are launching this September. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are expected to be the same size as current iPhone 17 Pro models, which suggests the anniversary iPhone could be available in 6.3 and 6.9 inch sizes.

Apple plans to release the 20th anniversary iPhones alongside a second-generation foldable iPhone. All three devices are going to adopt a 2-nanometer A21 chip. Apple has an iPhone 19 in the works too, and it is set to run a different A21 chip, likely a base chip instead of a Pro chip.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max coming this year will have an A20 Pro processor built on Apple's 2-nanometer process. The A20 will mark the first node upgrade in several years and will see Apple transitioning from 3-nanometer chips for its flagship iPhones.

The standard iPhone 18 is not coming this fall, with Apple instead planning to debut it in spring 2027. It will use a less powerful A20 chip that's also built on the 2nm process.
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Apple is working on camera-equipped AirPods that are expected to launch in late 2027 alongside the 20th anniversary iPhone and a next-generation foldable iPhone, reports Bloomberg.


The AirPods will be Apple's first wearable AI product. The cameras in the AirPods are not designed for taking photos and videos, and will instead send information about the wearer's surroundings to Siri. ‌Siri‌ will be able to answer questions about objects and whatever the wearer is looking at. Contextual reminders are a possibility, as are improved turn-by-turn directions when walking.

Apple already has a similar feature available through Visual Intelligence, which allows ‌Siri‌ to give details on photos that the user captures. In iOS 27, ‌Visual Intelligence‌ is accessible through the Camera app with a new ‌Siri‌ Mode.

The AirPods will look similar to the current AirPods Pro 3, but there will be cameras embedded in the stem. An included light will inform people around the wearer when the cameras are feeding data to ‌Siri‌.

Multiple rumors, including from Bloomberg, have previously suggested the AirPods with cameras could come in 2026. Apple apparently wanted to release the AirPods in 2026, but Apple's ongoing struggles with AI and a need to develop visual models capable of identifying objects around the user caused the AirPods to be delayed.

Bloomberg says all three devices are being tested with iOS 28, but timing "remains fluid and could change." Apple also has smart glasses in the works that could come as "early as the tail end of next year," which would presumably see the AirPods and the glasses launch at around the same time.
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Apple has redesigned its first-party app icons for the second year running, with iOS 27 addressing blurriness complaints about iOS 26 by integrating additional layers of Liquid Glass directly into the icon artwork itself.


When Apple introduced Liquid Glass with ‌iOS 26‌ last year, it redesigned its entire lineup of first-party app icons to give them a layered glass look with subtle depth. The approach drew criticism from some users who found the results blurry, and in some cases, a heavy specular sheen sat over the icon artwork, obscuring detail and giving icons a washed-out appearance.

The shimmering motion effect that animated icons dynamically as the device was tilted also caused a widely reported optical illusion, with asymmetric highlights in icon corners tricking the eye into reading icons as slanted. With ‌iOS 27‌, Apple is taking the icon design further rather than rolling it back.

The core change to how icons are constructed is the addition of multiple distinct Liquid Glass layers built into each icon's artwork, rather than the thick glass look applied uniformly over the top in ‌iOS 26‌. Apple says the new rendering pipeline adds more visual separation between layers, resulting in sharper edges and more defined refractions.



In practice, artwork is now considerably more visible and detailed with higher contrast and greater definition, with the glass look functioning as a refined finish rather than a dominant overlay. The refraction effects between layers are also selectively applied.

The motion-based shimmer has also been significantly reworked. The gyroscopic specular highlight effect introduced with ‌iOS 26‌ appears to have been removed entirely in the first ‌iOS 27‌ developer beta. Icons still feature highlights around their edges, now positioned at the top and bottom, but they no longer shift with device movement or produce the tilting illusion, and are much subtler overall.

Icon Composer, Apple's dedicated app icon design tool, has been updated to support building icons from multiple layers of Liquid Glass. New annotation features let developers add refraction effects or fine-tune content effects, while an interactive preview shows how a designed icon will render.

The updated icons are part of broader Liquid Glass refinements Apple announced at WWDC 2026, which also include a new system-wide transparency slider and improved material diffusion for better readability. For a full breakdown of all the Liquid Glass changes in ‌iOS 27‌, see our dedicated article.
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Starting with iOS 27, the Apple Wallet app will offer enhanced digital keys at participating hotels and resorts. Apple said you can view more details about your trips, receive updates about booked activities, access services available during your stay, and more.


Apple did not share a list of hotels and resorts that will be offering these upgraded keys, but TechRadar reported that Walt Disney World Resort plans to add support for the improved feature by the time iOS 27 is released in September.

You can already add your Disney World tickets to Apple Wallet through the My Disney Experience app, and then simply tap your iPhone or Apple Watch on the scanners located at the entrances to parks and Lightning Lane queues for rides. On iOS 27, though, the report said this MagicMobile experience will get better in several ways.

According to the report, tapping on your MagicMobile pass in the Wallet app will allow you to view more information, including your park reservations for the current day and future days, your Lightning Lane ride selections, special ticketed events (such as After Hours), dining reservations, and more. The enhanced passes are dynamic, meaning that the information shown is updated automatically throughout the day.

You will still need to use the My Disney Experience app to actually make your Lightning Lane selections, dining reservations, and so forth.

These enhancements will make Apple Wallet more useful for Disney World visits — especially if someone else in your group is managing your day.

Resorts World Las Vegas also plans to offer enhanced Apple Wallet keys on iOS 27, per the report. The property has three hotels operated by Hilton.
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The two most important elements in any AI solution are Intelligence + Trust. I first made this statement in November at our Ignite conference and my conviction is strengthened by every conversation I have with customers. Through my travels, three consistent topics are being raised when considering the adoption of AI solutions:

1. Will AI amplify the intelligence of my organization and the attributes that make my company unique within its industry to grow my business; or will it use my intelligence for its own benefit, learning from my most important business flows and leveraging my intellectual property?
2. Can I trust that the outcomes are providing durable return on investment and that these solutions are running within the confines of my governance and security standards?
3. How do I get the visibility, control, flexibility and business model innovation needed to manage the costs associated with AI and maximize value?

I consistently advise customers that they need to build their own IQ on a platform of intelligence that is model-diverse, open and heterogeneous at every layer of the stack. Models are commoditizing. No company should be dependent upon any one model or any one model’s harness. Over the weekend, Satya warned of a world where every company across every sector is ceding value to a few models that eat everything they see. AI that is intended for growth should amplify the intelligence of an organization so that it compounds from within.

Companies also need an observability platform that provides governance, management, security and Financial Operations (FinOps) to ensure the ROI with AI. This enables AI to be trusted within the environment over which it reasons and puts the business in control of the outcomes.

Intelligence + Trust is embedded across Microsoft 365 Copilot, GitHub Copilot and Copilot Studio, where model diversity aligns cost and performance to each task. Microsoft IQ optimizes workflows, so context is routed efficiently and reduces unnecessary compute. Agent 365 is the control plane to observe, govern, manage and secure agents. We have built a system to manage AI spend as a core enterprise capability, not an afterthought. It is delivered across clouds and model providers without locking customers into a single approach.

Managing costs at scale

As agent usage scales, organizations need a clear set of levers to manage cost:

Model diversity. Any given inferencing model, model harness or agentic loop on its own does not help build out an organization’s IQ in ways that compound its intelligence. Both Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot are model-diverse by design without locking customers into a single provider. Different models — like GPT-5.5 or Claude Opus 4.8 — serve distinct roles with different economics. Matching the right intelligence to each task optimizes performance and cost.

Your IQ. Agents struggle with raw data. Significant compute is spent interpreting structure and context before useful work begins. The Microsoft IQ platform empowers your IQ by turning raw data into usable intelligence, continuously building a semantic understanding of how your organization operates across Microsoft 365 and line-of-business systems. It provides agents with the context they need upfront rather than requiring them to reconstruct it. The result is measurable: faster execution, higher accuracy and lower token usage. This is how intelligence compounds within your organization.

Financial operations. FinOps became critical when companies moved to the cloud and requires even greater attention as AI shifts from fixed pricing to usage-driven models. With Foundry and Agent 365, we are providing tools to help our customers optimize their AI costs today.

Frontier business models

Business models are evolving as we use AI to drive business outcomes. The User Subscription License (USL) has become the foundation, providing a package of capabilities for a predictable per-user-per-month fee. Usage-based licensing has emerged for long-running, multi-tasking agents, where cost aligns directly to the work performed.

Microsoft gives customers a unique combination of business model flexibility and integrated product experiences that is unmatched in the market. Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot use both models — a USL offering with not only value and capabilities, but flexible consumption on top. Today we’re announcing the general availability of Copilot Cowork worldwide, which requires the Microsoft 365 Copilot USL and is then usage-based.

Our model-diverse strategy allows customers to purchase capacity with the flexibility to use the right model for the job based on model strengths, economics and the latest innovations. Microsoft Agent Factory provides a single consumption model spanning Microsoft 365 Copilot (including Cowork), GitHub Copilot and agents built in Fabric, Foundry and Copilot Studio.

Our integrated product experiences put AI in the flow of work for both knowledge workers and software developers and manage capacity fluidly across the two. Historically these personas have been distinct, but increasingly the line between them is blurring. Coding is becoming a mainstream knowledge worker skill and chat and Cowork are becoming modalities important for software development. With Microsoft 365 and GitHub, we offer market-leading tools for both roles and make it easy to seamlessly manage capacity based on availability and need.

Agent 365: The control plane

As organizations adopt agents from Microsoft, another provider or build their own, a control plane is essential. Agent 365 gives IT and security leaders a single place to observe, govern, manage and secure agents across the organization. It builds on the Microsoft stack that enterprises trust: Entra for identity, Defender for threat protection, Purview for data governance and Intune for endpoint management. We are extending Agent 365 to include cost management, so organizations can monitor and manage agent spend alongside security and compliance. As the Frontier Firm operating model takes hold, leaders will manage human and agentic work as a single system, with visibility into both performance and cost.

—

The two most essential elements in any AI solution are Intelligence + Trust. At Microsoft, this conviction shapes how we design every layer of our AI platform. Microsoft IQ enables organizations to harness their own unique IQ, bringing context to data and embedding AI directly into the flow of work to deliver faster, more accurate and more trusted outcomes while safeguarding assets and protecting intellectual property. Agent 365 provides that trust layer, ensuring every agent and AI artifact is observed across the environment so organizations can move decisively from experimentation to enterprise impact with confidence. As Jay Parikh put it at Build, AI alone will not change your business. The system running it will.

We have built this system for our customers and partners, where intelligence compounds from within and every agent operates with control, visibility and trust. Together, we can scale human ambition and define how AI delivers measurable business impact across every role, organization and industry.

Judson Althoff is the chief executive officer of the commercial business at Microsoft. He is responsible for the product strategy, sales, services, support, marketing, operations and revenue growth of the company’s commercial business, which operates in more than 120 regional and national subsidiaries globally.

The post Achieving success with AI appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog.

Amazon Prime Day is just one week away, and early deals are already available on charging accessories, monitors, and more. Prime Day 2026 is set to officially kick off on June 23, and this year it will run for four days and end on June 26.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Highlights of early Prime Day sales include a handful of monitor deals, like the 32-inch Samsung OLED M90SF Smart Monitor for $1,199.99, down from $1,599.99, which is a match of the best-ever price on this model. Below you'll also find great deals on monitors from Dell and LG.



These new deals join ongoing highlights of early Prime Day deals, including Anker's Prime 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station, available for $109.99 on Amazon this week, down from $149.99. This is one of Anker's newest accessories, and Amazon's sale today is a solid second-best price on the device.

We're also tracking big discounts from brands like Sony, Samsung, Sonos, and more in the lists below. Accessories on sale include USB-C wall chargers, MagSafe-compatible wireless chargers, portable batteries, headphones, and soundbars.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Amazon Prime Day requires you to have an Amazon Prime membership to take advantage of many of the discounts. Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month or $139.00 per year, and it comes with a 30-day free trial for new subscribers.

Special for 2026, Amazon is also offering 50% off Prime for Young Adults right now. Prime for Young Adults is a discounted Prime membership for anyone age 18-24 that offers all of the Prime benefits at $69.00 per year, half of the price of regular Prime.

Monitors

• 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G5 Monitor - $189.99, down from $329.99


• 27-inch Samsung Odyssey G5 Monitor - $218.99, down from $249.99


• 27-inch Dell Plus 4K Monitor - $279.99, down from $299.99


• 27-inch LG Ultragear Gaming Monitor - $319.99, down from $499.99


• 27-inch Samsung Odyssey OLED G5 Gaming Monitor - $419.49, down from $499.99


• 32-inch Samsung Smart Monitor M9 - $1,199.99, down from $1,599.99

UGREEN

• 2-Bay Desktop NASync - $199.99, down from $219.99


• 2-Bay Desktop NAS - $389.99, down from $439.99


• 4-Bay Desktop NAS - $619.99, down from $729.99


• 4-Bay Desktop NAS Pro - $702.88, down from $799.99

Docks

• iVANKY 23-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 FusionDock Max 2 - $399.99, down from $499.99

Wall Chargers

• Anker Nano USB-C Wall Charger - $29.99, down from $39.99


• UGREEN 100W GaN 4-Port Charger - $33.23, down from $54.99


• Anker 140W 4-Port GaN USB-C Charger - $79.99, down from $99.99


• Anker 3-Port Prime Charger - $115.99, down from $149.99

Wireless Chargers

• Anker 3-in-1 MagSafe-Compatible UFO Charger - $69.99, down from $89.99


• Anker 3-in-1 MagSafe-Compatible Foldable Charging Station - $79.99, down from $109.99


• Anker 3-in-1 MagSafe-Compatible Charging Cube - $86.99, down from $129.99


• Anker 3-in-1 Prime Wireless Charging Station - $109.99, down from $149.99


• Anker Prime MagSafe-Compatible 3-in-1 Charging Station - $159.99, down from $229.99

Portable Chargers

• Anker Prime Power Bank 20,100 mAh - $149.99, down from $179.99


• Anker SOLIX C300 Power Station with Lantern - $179.99, down from $249.00


• Anker Prime Power Bank 26,250 mAh - $279.99, down from $329.99


• Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station - $499.99, down from $799.00


• Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Portable Power Station - $429.00, down from $799.00


• Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station - $799.00, down from $1,499.00

Audio

• Sonos Beam Gen 2 - $369.00, down from $499.00


• Sony WH-1000XM6 Noise Canceling Wireless Headphones - $398.00, down from $459.00


• Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar - $899.00, down from $1,099.00

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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Code strings discovered in iOS 27 suggest that Apple may be planning to show users a break reminder after especially long Siri AI conversations.


Strings of code in the first developer beta of ‌iOS 27‌ refer to a "Take a Break Message" that would remind users they have been in a conversation for an extended period and that ‌Siri‌ is not a real person. Based on the shared code, the reminder appears to read: "You've been in this conversation for [n] hours - consider taking a break. ‌Siri‌ is not a person, but will be here when you're ready to continue."

Where screen time tools typically focus on usage duration, Apple appears to be specifically addressing the risk of parasocial attachment to AI, building in a prompt that explicitly reframes ‌Siri‌ as a tool rather than a companion. The concern is part of a broader conversation across the AI industry about unhealthy usage patterns. Both OpenAI and Google have moved to add guardrails to their chatbot products, and Anthropic has been spotted nudging Claude users toward healthier habits after long sessions.

Apple touched on several privacy and responsibility considerations for ‌Siri‌ AI during last week's WWDC keynote, but did not address the question of extended conversations. The existence of these code strings suggests the company is thinking about the issue behind the scenes.

It is not yet clear how Apple would trigger the reminder. The code does not appear to specify a fixed time threshold, suggesting the company may use conversation length in combination with other signals to determine when to display the message.
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Yesterday, we reported that Chase's Sapphire Preferred credit card ($95 annual fee) now offers a complimentary one-year Apple TV streaming subscription, or a $7.50/month discount on an active Apple One subscription instead.


It turns out that the Apple One discount now extends to Chase's premium Sapphire Reserve credit card too ($795 annual fee). The Sapphire Reserve has offered free subscriptions to both Apple TV and Apple Music since last year, but now cardholders can receive a combined $15/month discount on an Apple One subscription instead.

For example, a Reddit user showed that their Apple One Premier plan has been discounted to $21.95 per month, down from the regular price of $37.95 per month. This is actually a $16/month discount, which is slightly higher than advertised.

You can manage your Apple perks on Chase.com or in the Chase Mobile app. Make sure to read the fine print on Chase's Sapphire Reserve page.
This article, "New 'Apple One' Perk Extends to Chase's Sapphire Reserve Credit Card" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Back in March with the release of macOS Tahoe 26.4, Apple introduced a new security popup that warns Mac users when they paste a command into the Terminal app that could be harmful. Apple has now published a support document explaining why the popup warning appears.


The warning says the following when it appears:

Possible malware, Paste blocked

Your Mac has not been harmed.

Scammers often encourage pasting text into Terminal to try and harm your Mac or compromise your privacy.

These instructions are commonly offered via websites, chat agents, apps, files, or a phone call.

There is a "Paste Anyway" option for users to proceed if they wish.

In a document titled "If your Mac blocks a Terminal command paste or script," spotted by 9to5Mac, Apple explains that the alert appears if you don't regularly use Terminal and you copied the command from somewhere like a website, chat agent, or messaging or email app.

"Scammers use these channels to instruct people to paste malicious commands into Terminal to harm your Mac or compromise your privacy," says Apple. "This alert helps make sure that you aren't tricked into running a command that you didn't expect."

The document also mentions two other types of Terminal-related alerts that are more proactive. If a "Malware Detected, Paste Blocked" or "Malicious Script Blocked" alert appears, macOS has detected a command or script that contains known malware and has blocked it, according to Apple. In such cases, no "Paste Anyway" option is provided.

Apple says that if you believe the command or script was mistakenly blocked, it could be because a website that it tries to access was incorrectly reported as deceptive. In that case, users can report the error.
This article, "Apple Details Terminal Anti-Scam Warning in macOS" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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For more than 13 years, Surface has been shaped by the people who use it. Architects sketch buildings, developers train models, students build startups and field engineers solve problems that rarely make headlines. We didn't intend to design for one audience, but the people who’ve chosen Surface have defined it through their work. They build, shape, solve and ship, often before anyone else sees what’s coming. That pattern is now the platform: new devices, new features and a continued commitment to the makers who show us what Surface means by how they use it.

Expanding Surface for the work ahead

2026 has brought important updates for Surface. We delivered our broadest Surface for Business lineup to date, with new enterprise features including an integrated privacy screen. Later this year, we’ll deliver Surface Laptop Ultra, our most powerful Surface Laptop ever, built for developers and creative professionals pushing their work further. We’ll also deliver Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, an entirely new category of Surface hardware purpose-built for AI developers who need sustained local compute. Surface is investing everywhere: from entry points to ultra-premium performance, from the enterprise to the individual maker. Today, we’re introducing the next Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, powered by Snapdragon X2 processors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsles7xMMFA

New: Surface Pro and Surface Laptop with Snapdragon X2

The next Surface Pro and Surface Laptop ship with Snapdragon X2 processors, delivering more performance for the work people do every day. These new PCs are available starting June 16, with Surface for Business availability beginning July 14.

Surface Pro 13-inch: The most versatile 2-in-1 PC

Available in Platinum, Black and Dune [1], the new Surface Pro combines the flexibility of a tablet with the capability of full Windows, so you can move from sketching and notetaking to real desktop work on one device. Starting at $1,499 (MSRP), the new Surface Pro 13-inch with Snapdragon X2 delivers up to 53% faster graphic performance than the previous generation [2], up to 15.5 hours of battery life [3] and a 1440p Quad HD camera with ultrawide field of view for clear video and natural framing on screen. With a stunning optional OLED display, it delivers deeper blacks, higher contrast and greater color accuracy, so you can trust what you’re seeing without second guessing. Paired with the optional Surface Pro Flex Keyboard, now available in Dune, this is the 2-in-1 for the makers who want a lightweight tablet without stepping down from the power and flexibility of Windows. No tradeoffs required.

Surface Laptop 13.8-inch and 15-inch: All-day performance

Starting at $1,599 (MSRP), the Surface Laptop pairs the premium build quality Surface is known for with the power of Snapdragon X2 with up to 58% more graphics performance than the previous generation [4]. The new Laptop delivers up to 20 hours of battery life on the 13.8-inch and up to 19 hours on the 15-inch [5]. Whether you're running local models, collaborating across time zones or deep in a creative workflow, it keeps up when the work stacks up. That focus carries through to the display. Both models feature bright, color-accurate LCD screens, and the new Surface Laptop 15-inch display gets sharper, jumping from 201 PPI to 262 PPI for greater detail and clarity. In addition to Platinum, Black and Dune, the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop comes in a beautiful new color: Jade. Round it out with the No.1 ranked laptop camera by DXOMARK [6], and Surface Laptop holds its place as the everyday workhorse of the lineup.

Making AI work for real work

We don't believe AI should be confined to one place. Some workloads belong on device: processed locally, fast always available. Others need the scale of the cloud. Most real work moves between both, sometimes in the same session. Surface is built for that reality. With dedicated NPU silicon, optimized Windows integration and full cloud connectivity, every new Surface device is designed to run AI workloads wherever they make the most sense. On-device inference. Cloud-scale processing. Create hybrid workflows that can move seamlessly between both. Wherever the work moves, Surface is built to move with it.

Feedback you can feel

A good interface gives back more than you put in. Across the touchpad on the new Surface Laptop and Slim Pen with Surface Pro, feel subtle haptic feedback across Windows and the apps you use every day. Snap a window into place. Scrub through a video. Create in Affinity. Every move lands. This isn't a feature for the spec sheet. It's clarity, so actions feel certain. Inclusion, so feedback reaches past what you can see and hear. Delight, so the small moments feel made for you. Learn more at Microsoft Design about how advanced haptics in Windows 11 bring clarity, inclusion and delight to everyday interactions. Our partnership with Affinity runs deeper than a touchpad gesture. Surface Pro and Surface Laptop ship with Affinity pinned to the Start menu [7], ready the moment you sign in with professional-grade design, photo and publishing tools, tuned to take full advantage of Surface hardware for a smooth and responsive experience.

Designed with sustainability and repair in mind

Surface devices are built with sustainability in mind. Surface Laptop 13.8-inch and 15-inch and Surface Pro 13-inch are made with a durable 100% recycled aluminum enclosure, reducing reliance on virgin materials [8]. These devices are also built for high performance and energy efficiency. Each device is certified by ENERGY STAR, all outperforming the efficiency baseline by at least 50% [9]. The new Surface Repair Tool gives you guided repair workflows designed by Microsoft. From one screen, you can see your device’s model and key device information, run tests on supported components (including the battery, display, or camera) and walk through guided repairs for eligible parts like the battery, display, touchpad or motherboard.

Find your next Surface on Microsoft.com

Discover the new Surface lineup and find the one that’s right for you at Microsoft.com. For a limited time, customers in the U.S. can take advantage of our exclusive hero offer from June 16 through June 30, including a free Surface Pro 13-inch Keyboard when purchasing a Surface Pro 13-inch or a free Surface Arc Mouse when purchasing a Surface Laptop 13.8-inch or Surface Laptop 15-inch, plus 50% off Microsoft Complete for added protection. When you shop at Microsoft Store, you’ll also benefit from added value. Our trade-in plus-up offer can save you up to $900 when you trade in your old device. Our 60-day return policy provides additional peace of mind and a one-year manufacturer warranty included with every device makes it easier than ever to upgrade with confidence.

What you make next

Thirteen years in, we’re driven by the same goal we’ve always been: empowering people to realize their vision and create new worlds. We’ll keep building. The rest is yours. Visit Surface.com to explore the new lineup. [1] Colors available on selected models only. Available colors, sizes, finishes and processors may vary by store, market and configuration. [2] Tested by Microsoft April 2026 using 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark comparing Surface Pro, 13-inch (12th Edition) with Snapdragon X2 Elite to Surface Pro 13-inch (11th Edition) with Snapdragon X Elite devices. [3] Based on local video playback test. Battery life varies significantly based on usage, network and feature configuration, signal strength, settings and other factors. See aka.ms/SurfaceBatteryPerformance for details. [4] Tested by Microsoft April 2026 using 3DMark Steel Nomad Lite benchmark comparing Surface Laptop, 13.8 -inch and 15-inch (8^th Edition) with Snapdragon to Surface Laptop, 13.8-inch and 15-inch (7^th Edition) with Snapdragon. [5] Based on local video playback test. Battery life varies significantly based on usage, network and feature configuration, signal strength, settings and other factors. See aka.ms/SurfaceBatteryPerformance for details. [6] Based on commissioned testing by DXOMARK in April 2026 of Surface Laptop, 13.8-inch with Snapdragon X2 M10 16GB/256GB and the DXOMARK laptop camera ranking as ofJune 16. 2026. Claim applies only to devices with the same camera hardware, firmware and settings as tested. Rankings may change. More information: Laptop Ranking - DXOMARK [7] On Surface for Business devices, Affinity app requires installation. [8] Surface Pro, 13-inch enclosure includes bucket, kickstand. 86% recycled content in the enclosure, consisting of 100% recycled aluminum alloy in bucket, and 100% recycled rare earth metals in the magnets. Surface Laptop, 13.8-inch and 15-inch, enclosure includes A Cover and C Bucket. 64% recycled content in the enclosure, consisting of 100% recycled aluminum alloy in A Cover and C Bucket, and 100% recycled rare earth metals in the magnets. Based on validation performed by Underwriter Laboratories, Inc. using Environmental Claim Validation Procedure (ECVP) for Recycled Content, UL ECVP 2809-2, Second Edition, dated June 2024. [9] Comparison based on product energy consumption vs. ENERGY STAR certification limits for personal computers. Actual performance varies by configuration and usage.

In iOS 27, Siri now appears as a glowing pill-shaped orb that expands directly from the Dynamic Island, but may give way to a circle on next-generation iPhones.


Instead of the glowing light effect that previously traced the edges of the display, a swirling ‌Siri‌ orb expands from the ‌Dynamic Island‌ in ‌iOS 27‌, with the design hiding its true cutouts, just like other ‌Dynamic Island‌ animations.

Apple now represents ‌Siri‌ in most places with a circular orb, such as in the new dedicated Siri app icon, throughout promotional artwork for ‌iOS 27‌, and initially on the iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. At the very least, the pill-shape of ‌Siri‌ AI on the iPhone appears to be necessitated because the current ‌Dynamic Island‌ hardware demands it.

Amid rumors that the iPhone 18 Pro is set to move to a narrower ‌Dynamic Island‌, X user @MichalLangmajer connected those dots to suggest that ‌iOS 27‌'s ‌Siri‌ interface could become circular on upcoming iPhone models:



The post included a visual overlaying the ‌Dynamic Island‌ shapes of the iPhone 17 and a speculated iPhone 18 model, illustrating how a narrower cutout would allow the ‌Siri‌ orb to resolve into the true circle Apple already uses elsewhere.

A series of reports suggest that the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and Pro Max will feature a smaller ‌Dynamic Island‌, enabled by relocating Face ID components beneath the display. Leaker Ice Universe claimed the cutout will be approximately 35% narrower than on the iPhone 17 Pro, dropping from around 20.7mm to around 13.5mm in width. Prototype images and screen protector leaks that surfaced in March appeared to corroborate the change.

‌iOS 27‌, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are expected to be released this fall.
This article, "Siri Uses Pill Shape to Hide the Dynamic Island in iOS 27, But iPhone 18 Could Make It a Circle" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Italy's competition regulator said on Tuesday it had launched an investigation into Apple over its compliance with interoperability obligations as set out in the European Digital Markets Act (DMA).


Under the DMA, Apple must ensure that third-party providers of consumer cloud services can interoperate effectively and free of charge with Apple's iOS and iPadOS software platforms. The rules also mandate equal access to Apple's iCloud service.

The Italian Competition Authority said in a statement on its website that it had proof that other providers of consumer cloud services "may not be placed on an equal footing as Apple's iCloud," as they did not appear to have access to the same software features available to Apple's own service.

Specifically, the authority said that Apple does not allow alternative cloud storage services to use features in iOS and iPadOS that enable users to perform a full backup of their device's data.

The probe is the first of its kind opened ​by the Italian watchdog under ​the ⁠DMA, which allows national regulators to conduct preliminary investigations.

The authority said its findings will be shared with the European Commission "to support it in its role as sole DMA enforcer." Companies violating DMA rules can face fines up to 10% of worldwide annual revenue.
This article, "Apple Faces First Italian DMA Probe on iCloud Interoperability" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The next Ubuntu Touch major release is approaching rapidly, yesterday we reached a major step in the preparation of the upcoming Ubuntu Touch 24.04-2.0 release: The branching-off (see below on what that is).

Ubuntu Touch 24.04-2.0 Beta is Now Available

Part of this development release step is the publication of the 24.04-2.0 Beta release images, for more details and information see:
https://ubports.com/blog/ubports-news-1/ubuntu-touch-24-04-2-0-beta-is-n...

And additionally, find below some background information on how we maintain various Ubuntu Touch releases in parallel via Git(Lab). In fact, the release model of Ubuntu Touch has partially been adopted from how we in Debian maintains our various Debian versions in parallel, only that in Ubuntu Touch we use Git(Lab) for maintaining the different package versions and not, like in Debian, the APT archive itself.

What does 'Branching-Off' Mean?

Last Saturday, in the UBports Q&A, I explained Ubuntu Touch's "branching-off", an aspect of the Ubuntu Touch release workflow based on Git(Lab). To make this accessible to even more people, here it comes as a write-up:

We host many Git repositories on GitLab, and our primary work is done on the main branches, which contain the bleeding-edge code. When a merge request is deemed critical for stable versions of Ubuntu Touch, we cherry-pick it into a release series branch.

Currently, we land our changes in the main branches and then cherry-pick them to the ubports/24.04.1.x branches. The 'branching off' process for the upcoming 24.04-2.x release means that our current main branches will be copied over to create new branches for this release cycle, namely ubports/24.04-2.x.

This has two major implications. First, any item that hasn't been translated by the time of the branch-off will not receive any more translation updates during the 24.04-2.x cycle. This is why it is crucial that translation work is completed before the branching-off.

Warning of Breaking Changes arriving soon in 26.04-1.x Daily Development UT Images

Second, looking ahead to the release after 24.04-2.x, we will be approaching 26.04-1.x. The OS base will change to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, hopefully being ready for release to Ubuntu Touch users before the end of the year. We already have a list of features we want to land there. Because we plan to include various major changes, such as the switch from Mir 1 to Mir 2, new calendar and contacts backends, Qt6-based core apps and service components, etc., the likelihood of breaking changes at the beginning of the 26.04-1.x release cycle (which will become the next main branches' target) is very high.

The Ubuntu Touch 24.04-2.0 Release Schedule

The current release schedule is estimated to be:

25 May 2026 [done]
Platform stability freeze 24.04-2.x

25 May 2026 [done]
String freeze 24.04-2.x

15 June 2026 [done]
Branching-off (and unfreeze 26.04-1.x development), UT image release: 24.04-2.0 Beta

22 or 29 June 2026 [coming]
Final freeze for 24.04-2.x, UT image release: 24.04-2.0 RC

6 or 13 July 2026 [coming]
Release version 24.04-2.0

Next year's regular iPhone 18 will come with 12GB of RAM to support Apple's most powerful on-device AI model and related Siri features, according to South Korea's KB Securities (via DigiTimes).


In its Siri AI announcement during WWDC 2026, Apple confirmed that its most powerful model enables more expressive Siri voices and major accuracy improvements for systemwide dictation. Both features require 12GB of unified memory.

Among current iPhones, that limits the more powerful model to the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The iPhone 17 misses out because it only has 8GB of RAM, but the same limitation isn't expected for the iPhone 18. Apple will boost memory for the base model to 12GB while keeping the iPhone's price unchanged, according to today's report.

It's the second time we've heard that Apple is planning to ensure memory parity across its iPhone 18 lineup. Last October, Korea's The Bell said the iPhone 18 would have 50 percent more memory than its predecessor.

Apple has apparently asked its RAM suppliers to increase its supply of LPDDR5X chips for the next iPhone lineup. KB Securities also noted that Apple will continue buying mobile DRAM from the world's three largest memory makers – Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron – at prices above market levels, and suggested the company will absorb the costs rather than pass them on to the consumer. If so, the existing $799 starting price should remain in place.

The iPhone 18 Pro, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and foldable iPhone are expected to launch in the fall of 2026, with the ‌iPhone 18, iPhone Air 2,‌ and iPhone 18e following in the first half of 2027.
This article, "iPhone 18 to Pack 12GB of RAM for Smarter Siri Features, No Price Bump" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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In 2008, I landed my second job, in the network team at Orange Portails¹, the division behind the websites and search engine of the French telecom operator Orange. The place ran like clockwork: a comprehensive technical setup, a dedicated team for every part of the business, and room to focus on what I do best. A few years later, none of that mattered: thanks to an obsession with the numbers, we could no longer deliver new services on time.

The first years

During my first years, the department operated like a startup. Its cradle was the French company Echo. They built a search engine. France Télécom bought it and renamed it Voila. It was the most visited search engine in France in the early 2000s. France Télécom consolidated the portal activities into the Wanadoo Portails division, later renamed Orange Portails.

The technical environment was excellent. We had many internal tools:³ a ticket system, an RRD-based graphing tool, an IPAM, a reporting tool, and an SNMP-based alerting tool.⁴ We deployed our Linux servers with CFEngine. We installed systems and applications from internal Debian repositories. We documented everything in a private MediaWiki instance. Supervision was performed with an ancestor of Xymon. The network architecture was clean and scalable with little legacy. We onboarded new people in a day.

It was a nurturing environment for me. I developed several tools: lldpd, an 802.1AB implementation, Snimpy, a pythonic binding for Net-SNMP, Wiremaps, a layer-2 discovery tool with a time machine to know which device is connected where, Kitérő, a tool to simulate network conditions, QCSS-3, a controller for load-balancers, and ipoo, a service available through a Jabber chatbot and a Greasemonkey script to expose IP-related information. I added SNMP support for Keepalived and Quagga. I also started this blog, with articles like “Anycast DNS,” TLS-related articles like “TLS computational DoS mitigation,” SNMP-related articles like “Integration of Net-SNMP into an event loop,” Linux-related articles like “Tuning Linux IPv4 route cache,” and an article about VXLAN long before it was cool.

The collapse

When we needed new servers, the on-site team would take a set from the inventory, install our base Linux distribution on them, put them in the datacenter, and cable them to the top-of-the-rack switches. We opened a ticket describing the servers we needed, and one week later, our servers were available. 💫

Orange wanted to know if this team was performing well, so they asked for KPIs. They decided to use the number of tickets completed in a year. They asked to double this number. So instead of one ticket for a new service, we would open six tickets—one per server. By the end of the year, the KPIs had more than doubled.

Everybody saw it as a success for performance management. So, they asked to do the same for the next year. Now, we needed to open a ticket per server and per step. Again, the KPIs doubled. Behind the scenes, the tickets went to different people and were no longer handled in order. So, for the next year, it was decided to have meta-tickets and meetings to follow the progress of these tickets. Of course, all these extra steps pushed the KPI even higher.

This performance management method spread to the other teams.⁵ Everything became slower. Instead of a couple of weeks, a new service now took six months. We built a Soviet nail factory. But the KPIs were good, and we stopped caring.

Let me give you another example. We had to estimate the impact of each night operation. We weren’t half bad: we declared most operations “without any expected impact.” Most of the time, there was no impact. One time out of five, there was a 5-second impact. We were told to try harder to meet our expected impact. What did we do? We started declaring a 5-second expected impact. One day, we got a 30-second impact and were told we failed to match the expected impact. In the end, we declared most operations with a 10-minute expected impact, and we stopped caring: instead of carefully shifting traffic around, we allowed ourselves a 5-minute impact. And our KPIs were never better.

An artist's rendering of the evolution of impacts over the years.

---

KPIs are not bad, but they are easy to break. Use them carefully: let the people doing the work help choose the metrics, and tie those metrics to the quality of the service—for example, with service level objectives. Otherwise, even dedicated people stop caring, game the system, and eventually quit. 📊

Suggestions that Apple's rumored foldable iPhone will be delayed are wide of the mark, claimed a Chinese leaker today.


In a post on Weibo, the leaker known as Fixed Focus Digital said launch delay rumors are "false" and suggestions that the device's release has been pushed to next year are "far-fetched."

Multiple reports have suggested Apple's first foldable iPhone could be unveiled alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models this September, and the leaker believes that still stands. "The most likely scenario is that it will launch alongside the iPhone 18 series," said Fixed Focus Digital in another post earlier this month. "Even if there is a delay, it would probably only be postponed by about one month before going on sale," they added.

There have been sporadic reports that Apple's first foldable device has faced engineering challenges in late-stage development. In May, for example, Instant Digital claimed Apple's foldable iPhone continued to face durability-related issues with its hinge mechanism. Apple is believed to have largely overcome concerns surrounding display creasing, but the leaker said that long-term hinge reliability has yet to meet the company's standards.

Apple is known for imposing strict reliability standards on new product categories, but ongoing concerns about the hinge itself would be an unusual situation this close to an anticipated launch.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in March that the new foldable iPhone may not ship to customers in the same September time frame as the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max. Prior to Gurman's report, Barclays analyst Tim Long suggested that the foldable iPhone won't ship until December, opening up a roughly three-month delay between the completely new device and the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models.

Apple has done a split launch before, shipping one model later than another. When the iPhone X launched in 2017, it shipped out in November, while the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus introduced alongside it came out in September as usual. Even if Apple does plan to ship the ‌iPhone Fold‌ after September, expect to see it introduced during the annual iPhone event that will feature the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models. Apple will likely announce all three phones at once, and then bring them to customers when they're ready.

The foldable iPhone is expected to feature a 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch cover display, the A20 chip and C2 modem, a Touch ID power button instead of Face ID, and two rear cameras, with pricing rumored at around $2,000. Apple's book-style foldable could launch as the "iPhone Ultra," as suggested by reports.
This article, "Foldable iPhone Delay Rumors Are 'False,' Leaker Claims" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. Colin Percival has announced the release of FreeBSD 15.1, the second release in FreeBSD's latest stable branch: "The FreeBSD Release Engineering team is pleased to announce the availability of FreeBSD 15.1-RELEASE. This is the second release of the stable/15 branch. Some of the highlights: the iwlwifi(4) and other....

The biggest change in iOS 27 is Apple's total overhaul of Siri, with ‌Siri‌ turning into ‌Siri‌ AI. Apple delivered on the features originally promised at WWDC 2024 and added new capabilities that turn ‌Siri‌ into a viable competitor to chatbots like Claude and ChatGPT.


‌Siri‌ AI is available in the ‌iOS 27‌ beta, but everyone will get access this fall. Below, we walk through everything new you can expect from ‌Siri‌.

Siri AI

‌Siri‌ AI is more knowledgeable, more capable, and unlike other chatbots, able to tap into your personal data in apps like Mail, Messages, and Photos. Apple says ‌Siri‌ has understanding and reasoning that wasn't available before, with four main improvements that change how ‌Siri‌ works.


All of the different ‌Siri‌ functions come together to allow ‌Siri‌ to do far more than it could before. You can have full back-and-forth conversations with ‌Siri‌, and include multiple tasks in a single request.

Personal Context Understanding

Apple overhauled its search index, and ‌Siri‌ has access to emails, text messages, files, photos, notes, and more. ‌Siri‌ can find content from across your apps, but it also understands that content. You can ask ‌Siri‌ to surface photos, bring up information from emails or texts, or find files, and the Apple Intelligence semantic index behind the scenes finds what you need.

• What was that movie my brother told me to watch last week?


• Can you get me the directions to that place I was supposed to meet Eric tomorrow?


• What video games did John recommend to me last year?


• Find images with pancakes from 2024


• What was the name of that restaurant I ate at in February?


• What's the confirmation number for my upcoming flight?


• What do I need to do tomorrow?


• Show me my photos from the music festival last weekend


• What's the door code Sarah texted me?


• Find the lease my landlord emailed me last month


• Who did I have lunch with two Tuesdays ago?

Broad World Knowledge

Apple can search the web for up-to-date information to answer questions about anything, similar to other chatbots. ‌Siri‌ can analyze documents and get information from the web for additional context, help come up with recipes, do party prep, help with homework, give gardening tips, assist with DIY projects, and much more.

• When is the Suki Waterhouse show in SF?


• How can I get tickets?


• I'm planning a birthday party, can you find me some good cake recipes?


• What's the difference between pine warblers and goldfinches?


• What's the Hurricanes score?


• What are the hours for the closest Ace Hardware?


• What's a good substitute for buttermilk?


• What's a 15% tip on $84?


• Help me plan a 5-day trip to Lisbon

Onscreen Awareness

‌Siri‌ knows what's on your screen and can answer questions about it. ‌Siri‌ can tell what you're looking at, read text, and analyze images.

‌Siri‌ can tell you where a photo was taken if there's something recognizable in it, and you can ask questions about any app you're in without having to provide specifics.

• Where was this photo taken?


• Summarize this


• Can you give me directions here?


• What are the best native plant options for a shady spot near my house?


• Does this document look correct?


• What is this?


• Translate this menu


• Explain what this chart is showing

App Actions

App Actions allow ‌Siri‌ to use tools in apps to complete requests. ‌Siri‌ can use some apps on your behalf, including apps from Apple and third-party apps that have implemented App Actions support.

• Write a quick response to this email


• Send all the photos from today to Eric


• Add a 3pm Tuesday meeting with the neighbor to my calendar


• Add these photos to the cat album


• Get me directions to the post office, but add a stop at the coffee shop first


• Move my 2pm meeting to Thursday

Siri Design

On the iPhone, a new Search and Ask ‌Siri‌ interface replaces the former Spotlight search option, and it's available from the Dynamic Island. A swipe down from the middle of the iPhone's display brings up Search or Ask, where you can type or speak a question or request to ‌Siri‌.


An animation is displayed as ‌Siri‌ is thinking, and then the ‌Siri‌ bubble expands into a short response. If you swipe down on a response, it brings up a text bar where you can provide clarification or ask another question. A "+" button lets you add images or documents to the conversation.

Some responses use rich information cards pulled from apps. If you ask ‌Siri‌ about the weather, you'll see the current weather forecast. If you ask about upcoming calendar events, you'll see them listed in the Calendar app format.

You can also access ‌Siri‌ by pressing the side button or by using the "‌Siri‌" and "Hey ‌Siri‌" wake phrases.

Systemwide Context

‌Siri‌ works in any app. You can select text or images, then ask ‌Siri‌ about the selection. If you see an image in Safari you want to know more about, you can long press it to select and then ask ‌Siri‌ whatever you want about it.

Siri App

There is a dedicated ‌Siri‌ app where you can start new conversations or revisit past conversations you've had with ‌Siri‌.


The app has a card-style interface with details on your most recent conversations across all of your devices. You can also use the search button to find conversations, and there's a pin option for conversations that you revisit frequently.

Write with Siri

In ‌iOS 27‌, you can write with ‌Siri‌ anywhere you type with a systemwide Write with ‌Siri‌ feature. ‌Siri‌ can draft documents from scratch, and in Mail and Messages, it can use the same writing style that you normally use.

‌Siri‌ can give you feedback on your writing if you select your text and ask ‌Siri‌ how it sounds, and as you type in apps, there's automatic proofreading for misspellings and grammar. ‌Siri‌ can also edit, and you just need to describe the change that you want to make to something you've written, such as changing the tone to be more professional.

• Make this email sound more formal


• Turn these bullet points into a paragraph


• Shorten this to three sentences


• Draft a thank you note for a gift


• Rewrite this to be friendlier


• What do you think of this presentation?


• How can I improve this email?

Apple's AI Models

The Apple Foundation models used for ‌Siri‌ and other ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features in ‌iOS 27‌ are the result of Apple's collaboration with Google. Apple used the technologies behind the Gemini AI models to develop the next generation of Apple Foundation models.


Apple's AI models are integrated into iOS and coordinated with a system orchestrator that can use the Spotlight index and the app toolbox.

The Spotlight index surfaces data from any app that integrates with it, such as Mail, Calendar, and Messages. The app toolbox identifies which app tools might be useful to answer a request.

Siri Voice

Apple has a more powerful on-device model for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air, allowing for a customizable ‌Siri‌ voice. Apple says its on-device model can understand and generate speech, plus understand text and images. You can tweak expressivity and pace when customizing ‌Siri‌'s voice.


The on-device model also improves accuracy for system-wide dictation thanks to better natural language understanding. Dictation is better at capturing what you're saying, and it makes fewer mistakes with spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Privacy

Apple's ‌Siri‌ features run on-device and on cloud servers using Private Cloud Compute. Data is not accessible to Apple or third parties.

Private Cloud Compute servers have historically all been Apple servers in Apple data centers, but Apple is expanding Private Cloud Compute to run ‌Apple Intelligence‌ workloads on Google Cloud using NVIDIA hardware.

Cross-Platform Availability

‌Siri‌ AI is available in ‌iOS 27‌, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27, so you can start a ‌Siri‌ request on one device and revisit it on another device.


‌Siri‌ conversations sync across devices, and the ‌Siri‌ app is available on most of Apple's software platforms.

‌Siri‌ AI features are also available when using CarPlay and AirPods.

Device Requirements

‌Siri‌ AI requires a device that supports ‌Apple Intelligence‌, including the iPhone 15 Pro and later.

‌Siri‌ AI will not be available in the European Union at launch on iPhone or iPad, but it will be available on the Mac. It will not be available in China.

Language Support

‌Siri‌ AI works in English (Australia, Canada, Ireland, India, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, U.S.), and will expand to more languages in the future.
This article, "Siri AI in iOS 27: Features, Requirements, and How It Works" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple is planning to unify the email domains used by Sign in with Apple and iCloud+ Hide My Email under a single private.icloud.com domain.


Addresses generated for both features will be issued on the new domain, Apple says.

Sign in with Apple addresses currently use the privaterelay.appleid.com domain, while ‌iCloud‌+ uses icloud.com. Later this summer, both will use the same private.icloud.com domain.

Email addresses that use the legacy domains will continue to work and mail will be forwarded with no interruption.

Developers with apps or websites that use Sign in with Apple will need to make sure their account systems, email validation logic, and allowlists accept addresses on the private.icloud.com domain in addition to the existing domains. Email service providers may also need to update domain-based filtering, suppression lists, or routing rules to include the private.icloud.com domain.

Regular users won't need to do anything, and both features will continue to work as expected.
This article, "Apple to Unify Sign in With Apple and Hide My Email on One Domain" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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I have proposed the deletion of an obsolete script, but it makes me feel complicated feelings so I’m going to try and express those. This particular script was written in 2014, but the concept goes back much further – before git was invented.

When I started university in 2003, I seem to remember the computing society used to run tutorials for first-year students on how to use Apache Subversion for your group project – a vast upgrade on CVS (or worse, no version control at all). Back then, the idea of viewing your changesets in a web browser was relatively new – while it was possible to look at an SVN repository through a web UI, features were limited unless you installed something compicated like Trac.

Figure 1: Data flow when distributing commits via a mailing list

Perhaps because reading email on your desktop computer (I don’t think I could afford an IBM ThinkPad?) was the only vaguely real-time notification system available at the time (except I guess SMS, which cost 10p per text), a common pattern seemed to be to use a post-commit hook to send every single commit to a mailing list, named something like ‘foo-commits’. Indeed, for a long time Fedora had an scm-commits list which appears to be a topic of recent discussion.

I can’t really explain why people wanted to have every commit sent to a mailing list except as a way of getting notified of activity – I can’t believe people would import raw patches from those lists, ala LKML, rather than run actual version control commands to fetch the new source directly. Maybe you’d have to go back to NNTP for this.

I do like the vendor-neutrality of the “everything-as-text” approach, building on the open ecosystem of SMTP. But I doubt we’d see a widespread resurgence of commit lists now – most code hosting must allow anyone to subscribe to email notifications, I assume, and I don’t see a huge benefit in a mailing list archive of commit messages.

In the case of seL4, I’m even more confused about why this script was committed in 2014, shortly after the kernel was put on GitHub. I can only assume it was imported from previous infrastructure. I do know that the implementation is quite Python 2 heavy, with the conversion between unicode and bytes featuring heavily. So rather than risk breaking its logic with patching, I think it’s time to “thank it for its service” and let go.

Apple is teaming up with Nike for an Apple Card promotion that gives extra Daily Cash back.


For the next month, ‌Apple Card‌ users can get 6% Daily Cash back when making a purchase with ‌Apple Card‌ using Apple Pay at a Nike retail store, the Nike website or Swoosh website, or Nike's apps.

The ‌Apple Card‌ normally offers 3% cash back on Nike purchases, so the bonus is doubled during the promotion period (June 15 to July 15).

‌Apple Card‌ holders can get the 6% Daily Cash back on up to $500 in purchases, for a total of $30 back. The deal is available to ‌Apple Card‌ owners, co-owners, and participants, so multiple family members can take advantage of the bonus offer.

Most ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases provide 2% Daily Cash, but Apple has partnered with companies like Nike to increase that to 3%. Extra cash back is available when using ‌Apple Pay‌ and ‌Apple Card‌ for purchases at Ace Hardware, Apple retail stores, ChargePoint, Duane Reade, Hertz, Booking.com, Uber, and Walgreens.
This article, "Apple Card Promo Doubles Daily Cash Back on Nike Purchases" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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