Incoming Apple CEO John Ternus is rehiring Laura Legros, a former vice president of hardware engineering who retired from Apple in 2022, reports Bloomberg.


Legros previously managed product delivery, development schedules, and coordination across engineering teams. Under Ternus, she will work across different parts of the company, and report directly to him.

According to Bloomberg, Legros was one of Ternus' most trusted deputies before she retired. She has presented at past Apple events, introducing the 2018 MacBook Air and the 2020 iPad Air.

As he prepares to take over, Ternus has been shadowing current CEO Tim Cook and leading executive meetings. He has met with company leaders to work on product plans, and has been spending time with Apple's design teams.

Ternus will take over as Apple CEO on September 1. Cook will remain at Apple as executive chairman to engage with policymakers around the world.
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Today I stumbled over some behavior that I found quite surprising:

$ ipython3 -c 'import httpx;print(httpx.URL("https://example.com/foo/bar/../../baz"))'
https://example.com/baz

Even more surprising that behavior is actually standards-compliant, even mandated by RFC 3986.

The underlying motivation is relative reverences. If some resource reachable by "https://example.com/foo/bar" references another resource relatively as "../../baz" then this is of course the intended result.

Getting from this problem to what RFC 3986 suggests might be surprising in the result, but somewhat understandable if you look at the consequences of that problem:

Giving the path components ".." (and ".") special meaning at the start of the relative reference means that if you allowed them in absolute URLs those would be impossible (or at least very convoluted) to address as relative URLs.

So RFC 3986 describes a way to handle them everywhere: Just join the path of the base URL and the path of the relative reference and normalize the result. Or normalize the absolute on either side if only that is to be taken. This makes things very convenient: Multiple reference URLs can just be joined without special handling for relative references starting with dots, making writing applications handling them easier. Programmers don't have to care how to handle relative references and can just join everything in whatever way they want.

For maximum elegance there is still some corner case left: What happens if an absolute URL has a path starting with double-dot components? Or an relative path starting with more of them then the base URL's path has components. You just ignore them:

$ ipython3 -c 'import httpx;print(httpx.URL("https://example.com/../../baz"))'
https://example.com/baz

With that last point every URL is valid and has well-defined meaning. Handling relative references and relative paths is very easy and convenient.

So this shows a high regard for simplicity, elegance and convenience. And a total and uncompromising disregard of security.

After all the most convenient it is for an attacker; If they are allowed to supply a path component for a request a system does in their behalf, then they can easily escape anything they were supposed to be limited to. The ignoring of dots at the start means they don't even have to know exactly how deep their request is:

$ python3 -c 'import httpx;print(httpx.URL("https://example.com/public/api/public/resources/harmless/../../../../../../../../../internal/data"))'
https://example.com/internal/data

So even if the resource server securely handles request (unless you consider not having any way to lower your permissions for one request to a specific subset), your fully RFC conforming client library will already request the permission they should not have permission for. Even worse dots are usually not characters you can easily forbid so once slashes are to be allowed things get complicated.

There also would have been a simple, elegant and secure way: Consider every path element ".." or "." in an (absolute) URL an error. Define a reference resolution that allows the relative reference to only start with "./" or one or multiple "../" and consider every appearance of a dot or two dots as path components after than an error.

Everything joining two paths has to either use an implementation of that path joining algorithm, but only if they want to joins paths in the potentially dangerous way allowing leading "../". Otherwise they can just use the normal join and even if an attacker gets those dots that will just cause the generated URL to be rejected as invalid.

Of course using a secure implementation is now even more inconvenient thanks to RFC 3986 being around: If you have no control over the generator of relative references, it is always possible that they generate relative references with ".." components after non-dot components.

And if you check all code to properly filter out "/../", keep in mind that convienence does not stop there. After all it is not unheared of for server implementations to helpfully normalize unicode characters, too, or translate them to their nearest ASCII equivalents. Or translate percent escaped characters back before doing path splitting. Or you might think there was some unicode codepoints between those two dots, but they that those were some meaningless control characters that can be omitted. So you need some really restrictive allow lists...

The latest update to the Google Health app for iOS allows Google Health data to sync to Apple Health. Google's app is used to collect data from wearables like Fitbit trackers and the Pixel Watch.

Sync to Apple Health. Share your data like your exercise records, sleep, vitals, steps, and more from Google Health to Apple Health.

Google Health (previously the Fitbit app) collects fitness, sleep, and wellness data from a connected wearable device. Steps, distance traveled, heart rate, sleep, and more can now be added to Apple Health. As noted on Reddit, some data such as HRV doesn't transfer over.

Syncing can be enabled after downloading the update by selecting Connections, choosing Apps and services, and then adding Apple Health.

Apple Health data already synced to Google Health, so the new update adds two-way sync between the platforms. Fitbit devices have never had native sync to Apple Health, and users previously had to use a third-party syncing utility or a workaround to transfer data.

Version 5.05 of the Google Health app is available from the App Store for free. The update also adds Smart Health Links for sharing medical records with providers or family members.
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Apple Pay expanded to the Philippines today, which means iPhone and Apple Watch owners in the country can add supported debit and credit cards to the Wallet app for contactless payments.


Credit and debit cards can be added by opening the Wallet app and tapping on the "+" button. According to users on Reddit, supported banks include UnionBank, GoTyme, Metrobank, and Chinabank. Cards are verified using SMS or phone call.

Once an eligible card is added to the Wallet app, it can be used at retail locations that support ‌Apple Pay‌. Reddit users have been able to add their cards to Apple Wallet and make ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases at stores like Starbucks and 7-Eleven.

‌Apple Pay‌ is available in a long list of countries around the world, with details on supported banks. The Philippines hasn't been added to Apple's site yet, but Apple should soon have a full list of participating banks.
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The way Apple combines work and personal iCloud accounts left some employees able to access confidential documents after departing the company, reports The Information. The site spoke to more than half a dozen former Apple employees who were unknowingly left with access to sensitive content.

The former employees said many Apple files they had been shared on over their careers at the company—including planning documents for product launch events—continued to sync to their personal devices through the iCloud storage service after they left Apple. In some cases, they even received notifications about fresh updates to the documents. Some former employees said they were petrified to delete the files for fear that doing so would attract Apple's attention.

Apple files get mixed in with employees' accounts because the company encourages them to use their personal Apple Accounts with their work ‌iCloud‌ account. Employees are given a 2TB ‌iCloud‌ plan and are able to merge the storage with their existing Apple Account or create a new account. Since only one primary account can be signed in at a time, most opt to use their existing account to avoid having to carry two iPhones.

Apple has a managed folder for workplace files that it revokes access to when an employee leaves, but some internal documents aren't saved there automatically and shared files end up mixed in with personal content. Employees can also retain access to iMessage chats and files shared via the Messages app.

Lingering access to Apple systems is central to Apple's lawsuit against OpenAI. In its filing, Apple alleged that former employee Chang Liu breached Apple's systems using a "rare, previously unknown authentication bug" to download files while he was working at OpenAI.

Apple told The Information that the OpenAI lawsuit is unrelated to any files left available on ‌iCloud‌ and that it does not pursue legal claims against former employees who accidentally have Apple documents in their personal ‌iCloud‌ accounts.

This case is about OpenAI employees wrongfully taking Apple's secret and confidential information regarding our unreleased technologies, processes, and products. Nothing in the filing relates to documents shared by, or stored in, iCloud.

Former employees say Apple does not do a thorough enough job going through personal devices to remove sensitive files that have been stored in ‌iCloud‌. In a now-settled legal dispute, chip company Rivos claimed Apple intentionally lets former employees retain access to files "as part of a planned effort to generate a pretextual basis to sue the employees and their new employer for 'stealing' Apple material." In the Rivos case, an employee was targeted for keeping work files in his personal ‌iCloud‌ account.

Another former Apple employee sued by Apple, Gerard Williams, countersued and accused the company of using intimidation tactics to scare people thinking of leaving. Apple sued Williams for breach of contract after he started processor company Nuvia, presenting extensive phone and text records of his communications. The court rejected Williams' claim, and Apple dropped the case in 2023.

In 2025, Apple also accused former Vision Pro engineer Di Liu of downloading thousands of corporate documents to his personal cloud storage shortly before leaving the company for Snap.

The Information does not outright suggest Apple is purposefully allowing former employees to retain access to ‌iCloud‌ files, but points out that Apple's use of ‌iCloud‌ for file sharing and its incomplete wiping of employee accounts are at odds with its heavy focus on privacy and security.
This article, "Apple's iCloud File Sharing Left Ex-Employees With Access to Secret Documents" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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India has proposed extending tax breaks until 2041 for foreign companies that supply machinery to their contract manufacturers, handing a win to Apple as it expands iPhone production in the country, Reuters reports.

Introduced in February, the exemption previously ran only until 2031, and Apple had long since lobbied against being taxed on the high-end iPhone machinery it owns in India. The draft bill still has to be passed by both houses of parliament.
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1981 was a different time for computing. It was expensive (both hardware and software), and it was far from a given that machines from one vendor would be able to talk to those from another. In fact, Columbia University had just such a problem, so in 1981, Frank da Cruz and Bill Catchings designed a serial protocol they called Kermit. Because of the many quirks of the DEC-20 and IBM mainframes, the Kermit protocol was highly adaptable from the start: able to handle systems that had trouble processing more than 96 bytes of data at once, able to transfer 8-bit files over 7-bit links, able to translate between character sets (ASCII and EBCDIC then; now also various Unicodes), and of course, handling of error-prone serial links.

Kermit spread rapidly; by 1982, Kermit had been ported to MS-DOS and Unix. Eventually, C-Kermit (an implementation of Kermit in C) became the flagship Kermit. It gained TCP support, an interactive CLI, a powerful scripting language (with features from the shell, Lisp, and expect), and optimizations for today’s high-speed links, such as jumbo packets, sliding windows, and streaming modes. Along the way, Kermit flew on the International Space Station, ran data collection from sensors during hurricanes, and many other uses including postal systems, Boeing 787 manufacturing, and more.

Today, I use it as a powerful ssh wrapper (letting me easily transfer files through multiple nested ssh, sudo, su, etc. commands), a BBS client, to exchange data with me HP 48GX calculator, and so on. It’s also used today to transmit firmware updates to embedded devices. And, of course, anyone that works with vintage systems is likely to use Kermit at some point.

It wouldn’t be until the late 1990s that the TCP/IP stack was finally adopted by most OS vendors, establishing something of a common basis for communication. Of course, we assume this today. Though transferring large files between OSs (say, Linux, Windows, MacOS, Android, iPad, etc.) is still a challenge, even though they all speak TCP/IP! I find that the easiest way to get large files from two computers is to spin up Kermit (see ckwin for a Windows fork of C-Kermit) and just set up a TCP connection over the LAN. In fact, I added a new show interfaces command in C-Kermit 11, making it easy to see your system’s local IPs.

For most of its history, Columbia’s Kermit project was self-funded. Columbia charged for commercial use, which limited its inclusion in Linux distributions. In 2011, 30 years after its founding, Columbia canceled the Kermit Project and released C-Kermit as Open Source under a BSD license. Frank da Cruz, who had still been working with the Kermit project all those years, volunteered to continue maintaining Kermit outside Columbia, and continued development with alpha and beta releases through his retirement from the project in 2025.

I dive into this C codebase

As Debian maintainer of Kermit, I noticed some areas where it wasn’t matching modern expectations. One area was, not surprising for a project of its age, security. Another area was that its character set or line-ending conversions are usually not desired now; we are used to byte-identical binary transfers, and the defaults caused confusion and even some rare instances of data corruption. So I started making a few patches last year.

I’ve worked with old C codebases before, such as Varnish. I’ve generally hated it. You usually find a mix of bad and terrible practices, unclear memory management, and so forth.

But I’ve been living in the C-Kermit codebase for a few months now, and I enjoy it. Yes, this thing is still designed to build on VMS, OS/2, and with compilers that haven’t heard of ANSI — and those that require modern practices. (That em-dash was mine; I knew how to use them before LLMs existed and I’m not going to stop just because LLMs have copied people like me! No AI was used for this post.)

The there is an elegance in all of that. As I worked, I fixed a bunch more potential security issues, both with memory safety and with protecting against a malicious remote in roughly the same manner that some patches to scp did a few years back. I added IPv6 support, of course conditionally compiled because some systems C-Kermit builds on have never heard of IPv6 and never will. (And, of course, with fallback algorithms at runtime for systems that have IPv6 support but not IPv6 connectivity.)

I added unit tests and Python-based end-to-end tests, running nearly 2000 test cases in total. Along the way, I found and fixed a number of bugs going back decades. I learned about FIONREAD being broken on macOS, about NetBSD’s bugs in the pty driver, and fixed bugs in the Kermit protocol implementation itself. I added compatibility tests with the gkermit and ekermit (embedded) implementations, as well as the last full release, C-Kermit 9.0.302 from 2011 (which was difficult to get compiled on a modern system).

There is an extensive changelog describing all the improvements in C-Kermit 11.

C-Kermit development had never really used a VCS at any point, though Kermit veteran Jeffrey Altman imported historical releases into a Git repo, along with some patches that hadn’t made it into a release (which I also pulled in.) There was a lot of disabled code behind #ifdef COMMENT, along with commentary describing why it was no longer used. With Git, we would now generally just remove the old code and explain why in a commit message. I went through and did so with a lot of it, meaning that, at last check, C-Kermit actually has fewer lines of code now than it used to.

Towards a new release

It became apparent pretty quickly that I was making more changes than would make sense as a Debian patch series. Not only that, but they would be more widely applicable to more than just Debian and Ubuntu users. As Linux and BSD distributions were running everything from the last non-beta release (2011’s 9.0.302) to the last beta release (about 1.5 years ago), depending on their different policies about running betas, even sharing patches in a useful fashion was going to be quite difficult.

So, I spun up a project at Open Kermit to coordinate future development in the open and keep Kermit going.

With modern CI, I run that test suite on Linux (x86_64 and arm64), macOS, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD. It builds binary releases on all those platforms, plus a statically-linked Linux binary built with musl libc.

You can download the latest C-Kermit release, and of course contribute to C-Kermit and its website.

Dedication

Frank da Cruz was directly involved with Kermit for 44 years. I’m not aware of any other Open Source project founder being involved for so long. Richard Stallman started working on GNU Emacs in 1984, 3 years after Frank started working on Kermit, but Richard hasn’t been in that role since around 2008.

Accordingly, C-Kermit 11 bears this dedication:

I dedicate this release of C-Kermit to Frank da Cruz.

Frank was directly involved with Kermit for 44 years, from its initial design in 1981 all the way through 2025. He maintained Kermit as an Open Source project after Columbia University ended its sponsorship. I know of no other Open Source project where the founder remains so personally involved for so long.

When Kermit was begun, transfers between different hardware and operating systems were difficult or impossible. Frank helped build a bridge. Kermit glued systems together, from the International Space Station to pocket calculators, and set a new standard for interoperability. It continues to do so.

Kermit is still one of the quietly-working pillars of computing today, enabling everything from firmware upgrades to radios. And, yes, it still reliably transfers files over serial lines.

As we start to spend a lot of time in the Kermit codebase, we do so standing on the shoulders of a giant. Thanks, Frank, for your decades of work on Kermit.

John Goerzen, July 2026

Apple last month filed a new legal complaint with the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) over the British government's demand for access to encrypted iCloud backups belonging to UK users, according to an order issued by the court and reported by the Financial Times.


The Home Office previously agreed to drop its original demand for a backdoor covering UK and U.S. customers alike, after a diplomatic row with Washington. The British government subsequently issued a new technical capability notice (TCN) to Apple last year, limited to users in the UK.

Technical capability notices are issued under the UK's Investigatory Powers Act, which the government says is necessary to investigate terrorism and child sexual abuse. They can force companies to hand UK security services access to customer data, even when that data is encrypted.

The court notified Privacy International of Apple's new complaint. The group, along with Liberty, had already brought a separate complaint against such notices at the IPT, with that case due to be heard in December.

Apple has long argued that any such backdoor would weaken security for all its customers. Apple and the Home Office are both legally barred from discussing TCNs.
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Apple today highlighted tomorrow's start for the Leagues Cup, an annual competition among teams from Major League Soccer and Liga MX, with all 62 matches available for Apple TV subscribers to watch at no additional charge in over 100 countries and regions.


The tournament features 18 of the 30 MLS teams and all 18 Liga MX teams, with the top three finishing teams receiving spots in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup. The Leagues Cup champion will receive a direct berth into the Round of 16 at the Champions Cup as teams vie for qualification to the FIFA Club World Cup and other international tournaments.

Phase One of the Leagues Cup runs from tomorrow through August 13, with the Quarterfinals scheduled for August 25–27 and the Semifinals to be played September 1–2. The final and third-place matches are scheduled for September 6.

In addition to ‌Apple TV‌ coverage, Apple is featuring the Leagues Cup across a number of its other services, including real-time scores and stats in the Apple Sports app, curated warm-up playlists on Apple Music, Maps Guides to every MLS stadium in Apple Maps, and a dedicated Leagues Cup hub in Apple News.
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The Concacaf-sanctioned competition featuring 18 clubs from Major League Soccer and 18 clubs from Liga MX — kicks off tomorrow, August 4, on Apple TV.

Apple wants its future glasses and headsets to double as health and fitness devices, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.


In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said the ambition traces back to Vision Pro's early development, when Apple weighed a number of ambitious health and fitness features for the headset. Among the ideas Apple explored was a Vision Pro-native take on Fitness+, designed to have wearers work out and follow along with classes while the headset's body-tracking sensors monitored their form. That project stalled and was ultimately scrapped, according to Gurman, both because of technical limitations and because the headset was simply too heavy to wear comfortably during a workout.

Apple has apparently carried that ambition into its smart glasses project once the company shifted its spatial computing focus away from Vision Pro. He draws a parallel to AirPods, which Apple transformed from simple earbuds into a functioning hearing aid system. Sensors embedded in the glasses, he suggested, could eventually let Apple capture movement data in a similar way, opening the door to fitness-tracking functionality later down the line.

Gurman noted that this won't be part of the glasses when they debut next year; he expects the health capabilities to arrive gradually, over a period of years rather than at launch.

He pointed out that the Vision Products Group, Apple's team responsible for glasses and future headsets, is looking to hire a "strategic product design leader" tasked with helping "define the future of health, well-being and fitness experiences across vision products." Whoever fills the role will need to "translate ambiguous opportunities at the intersection of spatial computing, wearables, consumer health and human behavior" into an actual product direction.

The listing also calls for a candidate with "experience developing and validating digital health or fitness products" and "familiarity with sensor-driven experiences." Put together, Gurman argues, the posting confirms Apple's intent to eventually place its glasses alongside AirPods and Apple Watch as health platforms.

Apple's first smart glasses are expected to launch late next year, following a potential unveiling at WWDC.
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Apple's first camera-equipped AirPods could launch as soon as next month, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Apple has reportedly spent years working on camera-equipped AirPods under the code name "B798," as part of a broader AI wearables push that also encompasses smart glasses and a wearable AI pendant. That model had been on track for a 2026 release before slipping to 2027.

In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that a separate camera AirPods project, code named "B790," has been progressing alongside B798. He noted this isn't unusual for Apple, saying the company "famously creates competing versions of the same product internally." He added that the B790 hardware is closer to production. Pieces of it have turned up in iOS 27's code, and it is reportedly listed internally as a candidate to ship before the year is out.

It is not the first sign of B790's existence. Developer Sam Henri Gold found traces of the same codename buried in the second iOS 27 developer beta last month. Gurman did not mention what separates the B790 hardware from the more advanced B798 model, and it's still an open question whether Apple will ultimately ship both.

Rather than taking photos or video, the sensors in Apple's camera AirPods are expected to hand Siri a live view of a wearer's surroundings, tying into existing Visual Intelligence tools. Because a camera-equipped model is expected to cost more than the current $249 AirPods Pro 3, Gurman previously said Apple is weighing "AirPods Ultra" branding rather than calling them "AirPods Pro 4."

If the B790 model does arrive this year, a September debut alongside new iPhones is the most likely scenario, while the fuller featured B798 version remains slated for late 2027.
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Towards the end of July, we began tracking major discounts on the 2026 MacBook Pro, with up to $500 off select models on Amazon. These sales are still available this week, and Amazon has even sweetened the pot for select devices with sales that are better than we saw during the July event.

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

14-Inch MacBook Pro

Prices start at $2,259.99 for the 24GB/1TB 14-inch M5 Pro MacBook Pro, down from $2,499.00. Amazon is also providing $500 off both the 15-Core/24GB/2TB model, as well as the M5 Max 26GB/2TB model, both of which are new low prices in the wake of the price hikes.

16-Inch MacBook Pro

In terms of the larger display models, we're tracking discounts on all four models on Amazon. These start at $2,759.99 for the 24GB/1TB M5 Pro configuration ($239 off), and reach up to $4,499.00 for the 48GB/2TB M5 Max device ($500 off).






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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Earlier this year, Apple informed the European Union that it had agreed to acquire certain assets and hire employees from PlasmaSolve, according to a notice published today on the European Commission's website.

Apple Inc. ("Apple"), through a subsidiary, will acquire the entire issued share capital of PlasmaSolve s.r.o. ("PlasmaSolve") and offer employment to and hire certain PlasmaSolve employees. PlasmaSolve develops solutions, including a plasma simulation software, to design and optimize plasma-based manufacturing processes.

PlasmaSolve is a Czech materials science firm founded in 2016 that has focused on creating simulation software to assist manufacturers with various plasma-related technologies. The company's website remains active, and it outlines some of the grant funding it has received over the years related to its work.

PlasmaSolve's primary product was MatSight, a suite of apps intended to help manufacturers simulate the results of various vapor deposition processes for metals. Apple has used the technology for many years on a number of products, including on various iPhone models to create a durable thin film on the casing to minimize scratching and other damage.
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The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. The NetHydra project has published a new update of the Debian-based distribution. The latest version includes a handful of new tools and enables running as the root user by default. "In this update we decide to make MATE as the default desktop for NetHydra (for SONAR it would....

Despite receiving a price increase in June, the MacBook Air is currently experiencing a "major" shortage, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


"Retail store sources say Apple is struggling to keep the laptop in stock and that shipments of new units are more constrained than they can ever recall," he said.

In the U.S., the MacBook Air is facing a 2-6 week delivery estimate on Apple's online store, with configurations with higher amounts of RAM delayed the longest.

MacBook Air supply is constrained due to the ongoing memory chip shortage, resulting from companies building out data centers with powerful AI servers. This has led to skyrocketing prices for RAM and SSD storage chips used in a wide range of Apple products, and the MacBook Air is now affected alongside the Mac Studio and Mac mini.

In June, Apple raised prices on 14 products, including the MacBook Air. In the U.S., the laptop now starts at $1,299, up from $1,099. Despite this price increase, it appears that Apple is unable to keep up with demand right now.
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The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. This week in DistroWatch Weekly:
Review: Mageia 10
News: FreeBSD to get Dockerbox, Haiku can redistribute Firefox port, Garuda revamps FireDragon, Ubuntu plans virtualization upgrades
Questions and answers: Multiple questions from Linux beginners
Released last week: Emmabuntüs DE6-1.02, ZimaOS 1.7.0, MakuluLinux 2026-07-28, NethSecurity 8.8.0, 4MLinux 52.0, Archcraft 2026.08.01, NetBSD 11.0, AerynOS....

The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. The AerynOS team have published an update to the experimental distribution. Snapshot 2026.08 includes improved filesystem support, including providing OpenZFS for data pools: "From a development story arc perspective, AerynOS has been deliberately kept under a very tight leash over the last year, as we have focused on....

Yesterday, I uploaded Term::ANSIColor v6.0.0-TRIAL to CPAN for early testing. This release will raise the minimum required Perl version to 5.12, dropping support for Perl 5.8 and 5.10. When I did the same with podlators a couple of years ago, it upset a few people and one of them asked me to make this sort of test release in the future. Hopefully this will help.

I have not run the normal release machinery and haven't archived this release in the normal places, since I intend it to be transient. It's only on CPAN, where people can retrieve it for testing. Once v6.0.0 is released, few traces of this TRIAL release will be left. This doesn't appear to be how other people use the TRIAL mechanism, but it felt more comfortable to me. If I have to make substantial changes, I'll consider changing my approach.

I plan on turning this into the v6.0.0 release in about a month or two, hopefully with only documentation changes.

Term::ANSIColor is a "very upstream" core module with a lot of dependencies, and CPAN (unlike some of the archives that followed it, such as PyPI) doesn't support conditionally retrieving packages based on the current Perl version. This release may therefore be disruptive for people who are still trying to support Perl 5.8 and 5.10, since CPAN installation tools may attempt to install an incompatible Term::ANSIColor version. I'm sad that this will be the result, since I know some people still care about those versions.

I'm pressing forward with updating my Perl modules anyway, though. I realized that honoring other people's desire for stability to such a degree that I was unable to use Perl features added more than 15 years ago was destroying my motivation to work on these Perl modules at all. So I've decided on a very slow and gradual approach where I'm going to keep pushing the minimum supported version forward but try to give people a lot of warning.

Personally, I think it's time to let ancient versions of Perl go and follow the Lyon Amendment about supported Perl versions. When we're talking installing new modules for software released more than 15 years ago, we're talking about special limited environments and retrocomputing more than what I would consider routine software maintenance. Those tasks should expect to need different tools and a different workflow so that they can pin historical versions. Since this isn't something I'm personally interested in, my willingness to expend time and energy to assist is limited.

As you can probably tell, I still feel nervous about pressing forward in this way, but I think this is the approach that lets me continue to enjoy maintaining these Perl modules. It's been 29 years for Term::ANSIColor, but I still enjoy fixing bugs in it and putting out a new release from time to time, particularly if I can clean up the code a bit each time I touch it.

• Debian packages:
  • apt:
    • Bugs:
      • replied to #1078608: apt update silently leaves old index data
  • firmware-nonfree:
    • Merge requests:
      • opened and merged !151: Update to 20260622
    • Uploads:
      • uploaded version 20260622-1 to unstable
      • uploaded version 20260622-1~bpo13+1 to trixie-backports
  • hexagon-dsp-binaries:
    • Bugs:
      • opened #1141904: Missing new DSP binaries for shikra
  • initramfs-tools:
    • Bugs:
      • replied to #1142780: initramfs-tools: ip=dhcp lease is not renewed while initramfs remains active
  • kernel-handbook:
    • Merge requests:
      • opened and merged !15: Update “Building a development version of the Debian kernel package”
  • linux:
    • Bugs:
      • closed #851695: replacing base package with -unsigned removes module files
      • replied to #1126671: linux-image-6.17.13+deb13-amd64: Disconnect root (path=/) during heavy load on NvME, partial corruption on NTFS.crash soon but not yet
      • closed #1130365: linux-image-6.18.15+deb14-amd64: kernel panic during startup
      • closed #1140892: thunderbolt: Intel Goshen Ridge CL state regression breaks dock tunneling since 6.12.94
      • closed #1141185: linux-image-6.12.94+deb13-amd64: Occasional read problems in RAID/LVM/ext4 stack when under stress.
      • replied to #1141355: linux-image-6.1.0-49-amd64: procfs deadlock triggered by drop_caches on 6.1.0-49-amd64 (regression from 6.1.0-37) (LTS)
      • replied to #1141448: MT7921 intermittently disappears after reboot on ASUS TUF Gaming F17 FX706HF
      • replied to #1141541: linux: i915 kernel BUG in i915_drm_client_remove_object from Xorg causing hard lock on 6.12.94+deb13-amd64
      • replied to #1141866: linux-image-7.1.3+deb14-amd64: no display on AMD Kaveri/CIK APU VGA output (amdgpu DC regression)
    • Merge requests:
      • closed !1936: [sparc64] Add nvme module to scsi-modules udeb
      • reviewed and merged !1968: [bookworm] net: mana: refresh driver from 6.12.94 (LTS)
      • merged !1984: udeb: Ensure that aead and macsec modules are in the right packages
      • reviewed and closed !2003: 6.1 backport: eventpoll: fix ep_remove struct eventpoll / struct file UAF (CVE-2026-46242) (LTS)
      • merged !2004: [sparc64] udeb: scsi-modules: Use the default module list
      • opened !2010: [x86] Backport security fixes for KVM (LTS)
      • merged !2012: Update to 6.1.177 (LTS)
      • merged !2017: Enable NTFS_FS (and replace NTFS3_FS)
      • opened and closed !2019: Fix rtmutex security issues (LTS)
      • opened !2027: Include rsync in Build-Depends-Arch for any build including tools
      • merged !2038: [loong64] drivers/mmc/host: Enable MMC_LOONGSON2 as module
      • reviewed !2041: Update to 5.10.262 (LTS)
    • Uploads:
      • uploaded version 5.10.259-1 to bullseye-security (LTS)
      • uploaded version 6.1.176-1 to bookworm-security (LTS)
      • uploaded version 6.1.177-1 to bookworm-security (LTS)
      • uploaded version 6.12.95-1~bpo12+1 to bookworm-backports (LTS)
      • uploaded version 7.0.13-1~bpo13+1 to trixie-backports
      • uploaded version 7.1.3-1~bpo13+1 to trixie-backports
  • linux-6.1 (LTS):
    • Uploads:
      • uploaded version 6.1.176-1~deb11u1 to bullseye-security
      • uploaded version 6.1.177-1~deb11u1 to bullseye-security
  • linux-6.12 (LTS):
    • Uploads:
      • uploaded version 6.12.96-1~deb12u1 to bookworm-security (not yet accepted)
  • linux-base:
    • Merge requests:
      • reviewed !21: Draft: Add hooks to copy vmlinuz file to /boot
  • localechooser:
    • Bugs:
      • replied to #1141886: localechooser: Turkey is inconsistently classified under Asia in regionmap
  • wireless-regdb:
    • Uploads:
      • uploaded version 2026.05.30-1~deb11u1 to bullseye-security (LTS)
• Mailing lists:
  • debian-kernel:
    • posted Agenda items for kernel-team meeting on 2026-07-01
    • posted Agenda items for kernel-team meeting on 2026-07-22
  • debian-lts-announce:
    • posted [SECURITY] [DLA 4664-1] linux security update
    • posted [SECURITY] [DLA 4665-1] linux security update
    • posted [SECURITY] [DLA 4671-1] linux-6.1 security update
    • posted [SECURITY] [DLA 4676-1] wireless-regdb new upstream version
    • posted [SECURITY] [DLA 4688-1] linux security update
    • posted [SECURITY] [DLA 4700-1] linux-6.1 security update
  • linux-kernel:
    • posted [PATCH] irqchip/irq-imgpdc: Remove unused driver
  • stable (mostly LTS):
    • posted [7.1] drm/amd/display: Add dp_skip_rbr flag for NUTMEG
    • replied to [PATCH 5.10 01/96] net/sched: act_pedit: use NLA_POLICY for parsing ex keys
    • replied to [PATCH 5.10 11/96] slimbus: qcom-ngd-ctrl: Register callbacks after creating the ngd
    • replied to [PATCH 5.10 81/96] nfsd: check get_user() return when reading princhashlen
    • replied to [PATCH 5.10 89/96] misc: fastrpc: Fix NULL pointer dereference in rpmsg callback
    • replied to [PATCH 5.10 94/96] mmc: renesas_sdhi: Add OF entry for RZ/G2H SoC

Amazon today has the AirPods Pro 3 available for $199.99, down from $249.00. This is the best price we've seen on the AirPods Pro 3 since Prime Day in June, coming in around $20 higher when compared to that all-time low price, and it's accompanied by a solid deal on the AirPods 4 and AirPods Max 2.

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.

This model of the AirPods Pro launched in September 2025 and has 2x better Active Noise Cancellation than the previous generation, better audio quality, a revised fit that's meant to improve comfort and stability, Live Translation for in-person conversations, and heart rate sensing for workouts.



The AirPods Max 2 is available for $449.00 in all colors this week, down from $549.00. This one is a solid second-best price, and Amazon provides an estimated delivery date of August 7 for free shipping, with faster delivery options for Prime members.



You can also get the AirPods 4 for $99.00, down from $129.00. This is a second-best price on the AirPods 4, which is the base model without Active Noise Cancellation.



Additionally, you can get the AirPods 4 with ANC on sale for $144.99 right now on Amazon, down from $179.00. Similar to the base model, we haven't tracked a record low price on the AirPods 4 with ANC in months, making today's deal a solid second-best option for anyone shopping for AirPods this summer.




Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

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This article, "AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2 Discounted in Latest Amazon Deals" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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There’s yet another Linux kernel exploit based on container functions, here’s the result when run as user_t on a SE Linux system:

$ ./packet_edit_meme 
[*] target /bin/su as uid 1000; entry at file offset 0x4340; shellcode 48 bytes
unshare: Permission denied
[-] page-cache corruption failed

Here is the audit log entry for this failure:

type=AVC msg=audit(1785640621.498:1843): avc:  denied  { create } for  pid=1770 comm="packet_edit_mem" scontext=user_u:user_r:user_t:s0 tcontext=user_u:user_r:user_t:s0 tclass=user_namespace permissive=0

Here’s the result of running it from the unconfined_t domain:

$ ./packet_edit_meme 
[*] target /bin/su as uid 1001; entry at file offset 0x4340; shellcode 48 bytes
[+] su entry overwritten; exec'ing su -> interactive root shell
# id
uid=0(root) gid=0(root) groups=0(root),1001(test2) context=unconfined_u:unconfined_r:unconfined_t:s0-s0:c0.c1023
# 

Daniel Baumann wrote a blog post describing how this is fixed for Debian systems without SE Linux.

Rumors about Apple's 2028 iPhone are already starting to circulate, offering an early look at how the company plans to evolve the iPhone's design, display, and cameras.


The 2028 device will follow the 20th anniversary iPhone, which is set to introduce a display that curves down around all four edges for a near borderless effect. Reports suggest the first version of that design will launch with some visible compromises, and that the 2028 model is where Apple intends to resolve them. As with all rumors this far out, the details remain subject to change.

Because the 2028 iPhone is expected to refine the anniversary design rather than replace it, it should carry over much of what defines the 2027 model. That includes the curved all-glass body with a display that wraps around all four edges, a crater-shaped light diffusion layer that keeps brightness uniform across the curved screen, and a potential shift to solid-state haptic buttons integrated into the frame.

Apple's goal of moving the Face ID system and front camera beneath the display for a front free of cutouts remains, and the 2028 model may stand a better chance of achieving an uninterrupted display if the technology is not ready in time for 2027. Here are the six key rumors about the 2028 iPhone:

• Refined curved-glass display: The 2028 iPhone is expected to use a more advanced version of the four-edge curved display debuting on the 2027 model. Where the anniversary iPhone is said to use a magnesium-silver alloy in its cathode layer, which can introduce image distortion and brightness loss in the curved areas, the 2028 model is reported to switch to more transparent indium zinc oxide cathodes. According to Korea's ETNews, the change should deliver less distortion, more even brightness, and fewer heat issues at the curved edges.


• Hole-Punch Dynamic Island: DSCC's Ross Young has said under-display ‌Face ID‌ is unlikely to be ready in time for 2027, meaning the 20th anniversary model may retain a Dynamic Island similar to the one on the iPhone 18 Pro. That would leave the 2028 iPhone as the more likely candidate to take the next step toward a cutout-free front, whether through an even smaller hole-punch or a move to place the ‌Face ID‌ system and front camera under the display.


• Narrower bezels: The move to indium zinc oxide cathodes is also expected to let Apple narrow the bezel further than on the 2027 anniversary model, bringing the design closer to a true all-screen front. It is one of several improvements ETNews attributes to the more transparent cathode material.


• Tandem OLED: Apple is reported to be weighing tandem OLED technology for the iPhone as early as 2028, having already adopted it on the M4 iPad Pro. The structure stacks two organic light-emitting layers for improved brightness, a longer lifespan, and better power efficiency than the single-layer panels used in current iPhones. LG Display is said to be promoting a "simplified tandem" approach that stacks two layers for the blue sub-pixel only, though the final decision rests with Apple.


• 'A22 Pro' chip: The high-end 2028 models are expected to move from the 2-nanometer process used in 2027 to a 1.4-nanometer "A22 Pro" chip. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that the chip will be built on TSMC's A14 node, which is said to offer up to 15% better performance than a 2nm chip, or the same performance with 30% lower power draw. TSMC is expected to make the majority of the chips, though Apple is also apparently considering Intel for some of them.


• 200-megapixel telephoto camera: Apple is reported to have tested a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto sensor in prototypes, but the technology is unlikely to reach the iPhone before 2028, according to the leaker known as "Digital Chat Station." Morgan Stanley similarly reported that Apple is working to bring a 200-megapixel camera to the iPhone as soon as 2028. The higher resolution would capture greater detail and allow photos to be cropped further or reproduced at larger sizes without a loss of quality.

With the 2028 iPhone still around 26 months away, none of this is settled, and the further out a rumor sits, the more room there is for Apple's plans to change before the device reaches production. Still, rumors about the device are more relevant than they might first appear.

Anyone buying an iPhone 18 Pro this September on a common two-year upgrade cycle will be due their next iPhone in 2028, meaning this is the model many of this year's buyers will actually upgrade to. The picture forming now is an early look at what that upgrade could hold, and part of a longer redesign arc that begins with the 2027 anniversary model before reaching its more polished form the following year.
This article, "6 Things We Already Know About the 2028 iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. The NetBSD project has announced the release of NetBSD 11.0, the 19th major release of the highly portable operating system. The new version includes a port to the RISC-V architecture, better Linux compatibility, and a virt68k port. "New port to the RISC-V processor architecture. NetBSD 11.0 is the....

The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. Aditya Shakya has announced the release of Archcraft 2026.08.01, the latest stable release of the project's Arch-based lightweight and fast Linux distribution. This release adds the Sway Wayland compositor as the new desktop choice in live mode (beside the Openbox and bspwm window managers): "August 2026 ISO image....

Amazon this weekend has low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with $99 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. This sale includes a handful of 42mm and 46mm GPS aluminum models, but cellular devices are a bit more rare this time around.

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

You can get the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 11 for $299.99, down from $399.00, and the 46mm GPS model for $329.99, down from $429.00. On Amazon, you'll find three of the 42mm GPS models and two of the 46mm GPS models on sale at these all-time low prices.




Compared to past sales, these are both solid second-best prices on the Apple Watch Series 11 and come within $20-$30 of those previous all-time low prices. Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

---

This article, "Apple Watch Series 11 GPS Models Available From $299.99 on Amazon" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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We're a little more than a month away from the September iPhone debut season, but there's still lots to talk about in the Apple universe, led this week by the launch of the new Apple Upgrade program in the United States.


This week also saw the release of iOS 26.6 and other updates, fresh rumors about Apple's upcoming home hub and new Apple TV and HomePod mini models, and a MacRumors interview with Ed Zitron to discuss the state of the AI industry and where Apple may end up if it turns out there's an AI bubble which bursts at some point, so read on below for all of the details on these stories and more!

Top Stories

Apple Upgrade: Apple Retires iPhone Upgrade Program for Klarna-Backed Leases

As rumored, Apple this week launched Apple Upgrade, a new U.S. leasing program for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. Apple partnered with Klarna for Apple Upgrade, and it replaces the current iPhone Upgrade Program and iPhone Payments.


Apple Upgrade lets you lease a variety of Apple devices, with iPhone and Apple Watch available in 12-month and 24-month term options and iPad and Mac offered in 24-month and 36-month term options. At the conclusion of the lease period, you can simply return the device, start a new lease, or convert the lease to an outright purchase by making a final payment covering the difference between the total lease payments made and the original retail price.

Be sure to check out our list of 20 things to know about the program before you take the plunge, and see our comparison example to help you decide whether Apple Upgrade is worth it to you.

Apple Will 'Watch Everything Burn' When AI Bubble Bursts - Ed Zitron

Memory prices have doubled, Macs and iPads have gone up, and iPhones are expected to follow. Ed Zitron – who writes the Where's Your Ed At newsletter, hosts the Better Offline podcast, and has been described by Politico as the AI boom's most "acerbic gadfly" – has spent years arguing the buildout driving those costs will never pay for itself.


We asked him what happens to Apple if he's right.

Apple Releases iOS 26.6 and iPadOS 26.6 With iOS 27 Optimizations

Apple this week released iOS 26.6 and related updates to the public, marking what should be one of the final updates before iOS 27 sees its official launch in September.


The updates patch hundreds of security flaws across Apple's operating systems, and Apple says they also prepare the Spotlight search index for the upcoming cycle of OS 27 releases.

All-New Apple Home Hub Reportedly Launching as Soon as October

Apple plans to release an all-new smart home hub at some point between October and early next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Siri AI is expected to be a core feature of the hub, which is designed to be placed in rooms throughout your house, such as a kitchen, living room, or bedroom. The report said the device will be available in tabletop and wall-mounted versions, with Apple apparently believing that many customers will buy more than one.

Apple has also had updated Apple TV and HomePod mini models ready to go for quite some time, but they too have been waiting for Siri AI to be ready and thus should be launching in the fall once Siri AI is available to everyone.

iOS 27: All the New iCloud Features

Over the course of the iOS 27 beta testing cycle, we've been highlighting various changes and additions across apps and services, and this week we took a look at changes to iCloud and the Phone and FaceTime apps.


iCloud includes a number of improvements to syncing and sharing features, as well as new premium benefits for iCloud+ subscribers, while the Phone app gets a Call Context feature to show you relevant information from across your apps while you're on a phone call and FaceTime gets a number of improvements including a Dual Capture feature to let you stream video from both front and rear cameras simultaneously.

Apple Planning to Unveil Privacy-Focused Smart Glasses at WWDC 2027

Apple currently plans to unveil its first smart glasses at WWDC 2027 next June, and privacy will be a focus, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


For the glasses, Apple is prototyping "a slew of new hardware and software-related privacy features" that are not available on current products, he said. He did not mention any specific features, but he noted that Apple's marketing will likely emphasize the privacy measures of its glasses compared to rival products like the Meta Ray-Bans.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!
This article, "Top Stories: 'Apple Upgrade' Launches, iOS 26.6 Released, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Review: How to Steal a Galaxy, by Beth Revis

Series:	Chaotic Orbits #2
Publisher:	DAW Books
Copyright:	December 2024
ISBN:	0-7564-1949-2
Format:	Kindle
Pages:	143

How to Steal a Galaxy is a far-future science fiction caper short novel (maybe a novella?) and the sequel to Full Speed to a Crash Landing. You don't have to remember the details of the previous book to enjoy this one. There's an excellent inline summary at the start of this installment.

After an annoying negotiation with people who keep trying to preach at her about causes, Ada Lamarr has a new contract. She is going undercover, after a fashion, at a charity gala and auction on Rigel-Earth. While she's there, she's going to steal something. What, precisely, she keeps a mystery from both the other characters and from the reader until the end of the story.

Government agent Rian White is working security at this charity gala. Due to its link with the plot of Full Speed to a Crash Landing, he was fairly certain Ada would be there, as indeed she is. What she is planning, however, is maddeningly unclear. Also maddening is how good Ada looks in a dress.

As with the previous book, How to Steal a Galaxy is told by Ada in the first person using the same teasing tone and constant misdirection that she uses when verbally fencing with Rian and the other characters. I found this novella even more entertaining and satisfying than the previous one. The charity gala is supposedly intended to benefit the poor people of Earth, and is run with exactly the sort of condescension and disguised capitalist looting typical of such exercises in elite charity. Ada's narration is scathing in a deeply relatable way.

Also, there is a trillionaire tech-bro fake philanthropist who is smug and condescending and accustomed to getting exactly what he wants.

"I don't think anyone should have enough personal wealth to decimate a large country's income just because he's going through a midlife crisis."

Ada's interactions with Strom Fetor are an absolute delight. He is so sure of himself that he is incapable of registering her as a threat, and she effortlessly deceives him by hiding in plain sight.

"You really shouldn't be talking about this," Rian starts.

Fetor waves aside his concerns. "We're all friends here."

"Not me," I say. "I hate you. Remember?"

Fetor laughs in a tone I'm sure he thinks is charming.

Fetor's complete inability to realize that a beautiful woman might both sincerely not like him and not be flirting with him is perfect. I was cackling through half of this book.

Like any good heist story, there are twists and turns, surprises, double agents, unexpected complications, and a delightful amount of verbal fencing. I adore the narrative tone Revis uses for these stories. Ada has just the right mix of idealism, cynicism, professionalism, and irreverence to carry off the feeling that she's a step ahead of everyone else. Underneath the bones of a delightful plot is a character who cares deeply but is very aware of her limitations, and therefore has taught herself to laugh at and be ruthless with her own emotions. I am finding it an incredibly compelling type of competence porn.

I enjoyed the first book of this series, but this one was so much better. These stories are exactly the right length to keep the reader engrossed throughout and satisfied but wanting more at the end. How to Steal a Galaxy ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, to be resolved in the next and final book. I can hardly wait to start it.

Highly recommended.

Followed by Last Chance to Save the World.

Rating: 9 out of 10

The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. The 4MLinux minimal distribution has published a new release, version 52.0. The new version includes several key package updates, simplified wireless network configuration, better support for legacy graphics cards, and a new game. The release announcement states: "The status of the 4MLinux 52.0 series has been changed to....

The iPad Air has looked the same since 2020, making it the longest-running design in Apple's tablet lineup. There is a reasonable case that 2027 could be when that comes to an end.


Apple last gave the ‌iPad Air‌ a new enclosure in 2020, when the fourth-generation model introduced flat sides, an all-screen front, and Touch ID in the top button. The subsequent M1, M2, M3, and M4 updates were all internal with no design changes.

That could change next year. Apple is expected to move the iPad Air to OLED in early 2027, with Samsung Display supplying single-stack LTPS panels that sit below the tandem OLED in the iPad Pro on cost and brightness. The M5 chip is also rumored. That will form the largest change the product has had in years, and it comes as part of a wider OLED rollout that will eventually reach products like the iMac and MacBook Air.

The substantial upgrade would be a suitable candidate for a complete redesign. When the ‌iPad Pro‌ moved to ‌OLED‌ in 2024, Apple completely redesigned the device for the first time since 2018, introducing a substantially thinner chassis.

More strikingly, the iPad mini 8 is expected by October with a new design, an OLED display, a vibration-based speaker system that eliminates speaker holes, and a water-resistant casing that would be an iPad first.

The ‌iPad Air‌ and ‌iPad mini‌ have shared their design language since their introduction, with the mini most recently adopting the Air's look in 2021 and holding it through to the iPad mini 7. If the mini receives a new enclosure this year, the Air is the obvious candidate to bring over the same one next. It could be much like how the original ‌iPad mini‌ from 2012 set the design standard for the ‌iPad Air‌ just a year later.

There have been no specific rumors about an ‌iPad Air‌ redesign for next year, but if it does mirror the ‌iPad mini‌, the device could gain the same vibration-based speaker system, water-resistance, and more.
This article, "iPad Air Could Finally Be Redesigned Next Year" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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