Apple News 24 Hours

Last updated: September 23, 2026, 6:04 AM ET

Mac Hardware: Mac Mini Loses Upgradeable Storage

Apple's new M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini has quietly dropped one of the M4 generation's most enthusiast-friendly features: the slotted, user-replaceable SSD. According to teardown analysis, the new Mac mini now ships with soldered storage across both configurations, ending a two-year run in which buyers could slot in aftermarket drives. The change brings the desktop in line with the rest of Apple's lineup but removes a rare point of repairability. A separate report notes that the Mac Studio still retains its slotted SSD, making it the last Mac desktop with expandable internal storage. Mac Rumors flagged a second downside beyond soldering, pointing to slower speeds on the base configuration's drive compared with the previous generation. For buyers weighing the jump, Apple Insider published a full specs comparison between the M5 Pro and M4 Pro models, covering silicon, ports, and pricing. Both the new Mac mini and Mac Studio are available today for same-day pickup at Apple Stores across 30 countries. The 9to5Mac Daily recap also touched on M6 Mac mini tidbits alongside Apple Fitness+ news.

Software: iOS 27.2 and mac OS Golden Gate Public Betas Arrive

Apple seeded the first public betas of its next point releases, giving non-developers their first hands-on time with iOS 27.2, iPad OS 27.2, and mac OS Golden Gate 27.2. The public beta round includes iPad OS and the company's other platforms, arriving roughly a week after the developer builds. Mac Rumors confirmed the iOS and macOS betas went out simultaneously. The headline feature in iOS 27.2 is a redesigned iPhone Health app, which Apple skipped past iOS 27.1 to deliver. On the Mac side, 9to5Mac has a separate writeup on Golden Gate public beta 1 following the second developer beta. Elsewhere in the release cycle, Apple rolled out second release candidates for macOS Tahoe 26.7.1 and mac OS Sequoia 15.8.1, with the corresponding public builds following. Among the more granular additions, mac OS 27 now gives users a Liquid Glass slider for tuning the translucency of the new design language. iOS 27 also adds a paste shortcut positioned above the keyboard, a small quality-of-life change users will hit constantly.

Photos and Camera: A Camera Roll at Last

The most requested Photos feature in years is finally landing. iOS 27 adds a "Captured By Me" view that functions as a true camera roll, separating shots taken on the device from images saved, synced, or received from other sources. It is a meaningful structural change to an app that has grown increasingly cluttered with screenshots and downloads. On the imaging pipeline side, Apple expanded its RAW support list to 11 additional digital cameras across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. Not every camera feature is reaching every device, however: Apple's new Texture and Grain controls for Photographic Styles are excluded from older iPhones, limiting the feature to newer hardware. On the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple has also added supplemental image data to the Face ID authentication stack, an extra layer of verification beyond the standard depth map.

iPhone 18 Pro and the Road to 2029 Displays

The iPhone 18 Pro's most useful Dynamic Island addition is one Apple barely promoted at launch, according to 9to5Mac's hands-on analysis. Looking further out, Apple's display roadmap is slipping. New research indicates the company will delay color-filter-on-encapsulation OLED panels — which promise brighter, lower-power screens — until 2029. When they do arrive, Mac Rumors reports that Apple plans to bring that COE OLED tech to Pro-branded iPhones first, following its debut on the iPhone Duo. Speaking of which, 9to5Mac published a size comparison between the upcoming iPhone Duo and the iPad mini, illustrating just how close the foldable's unfolded footprint comes to Apple's smallest tablet.

Apple Pay, Wallet, and Tap to Pay Expansion

Apple Pay picked up four new capabilities, most notably Walmart support — a notable holdout finally coming into the fold for in-store, online, and in-app payments. On the acceptance side, Apple expanded Tap to Pay on iPhone to eight Latin American countries, letting merchants use an iPhone as a contactless terminal without additional hardware. A parallel announcement covered the same eight Latin American markets with regional detail. Mac Rumors also confirmed the Tap to Pay expansion with Apple's official country list. Meanwhile, Apple Wallet driver's licenses are coming to three new states soon, following the recent launch in Virginia. And the Apple Card savings account got a rate bump, with the annual percentage yield rising to 3.5%.

Beats 360: Launch, Reviews, and Deals

Beats officially unveiled its new flagship over-ear headphones after months of teases. The Beats 360 bring a revamped design, improved active noise cancellation, and a heavy emphasis on customization. Apple Insider's review praises good all-around sound alongside sweat resistance and swappable components. 9to5Mac's hands-on calls them the closest Apple headphones to the Air Pods Max — with one caveat. Apple Insider also ran a direct Beats 360 vs AirPods Max 2 comparison for buyers deciding between the two premium options. Pre-orders are live at Amazon, where cushion kits are on sale alongside other Beats promotions. Those ear cushion kits are priced at $9.99 each through the end of October. Apple also shipped a firmware update for the headphones shortly after release.

AI Models: OpenAI's GPT-6 Sol and Luna, Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.5

OpenAI launched two new GPT-6 variants aimed at bringing its top-tier Astra capabilities to cheaper subscription tiers. The GPT-6 Sol and Luna models deliver improvements previously reserved for premium plans, according to Mac Rumors. 9to5Mac reports the same two models are being added to ChatGPT and Codex, expanding their reach across OpenAI's developer and consumer surfaces. Anthropic answered with Claude Opus 5.5, which the company says delivers Fable-level performance at a lower price point. 9to5Mac details a roughly 40% cost cut accompanying the new model. The back-to-back releases mark one of the more compressed competitive windows in the frontier-model race this year.

Wearables: AI Pendant Postponed, Screenless Fitness Band in Testing

Apple has reportedly shelved its camera-equipped AI pendant, an Air Tag-sized wearable that would have marked the company's first dedicated AI hardware beyond the Watch. Bloomberg's reporting, covered by 9to5Mac, says Apple postponed the pendant despite its broader AI push. Apple Insider characterizes the project as being on hold indefinitely, with no revised timeline. Mac Rumors describes the device as an AI pin put on pause after reaching an advanced stage of development. A different wearable is though: Apple is prototyping a screenless fitness tracker positioned against Whoop. Apple Insider reports the company is at the prototype stage on a band that would rely on sensors rather than a display. Mac Rumors confirms Apple is testing screenless band prototypes internally. 9to5Mac frames the effort as a Whoop-style tracker aimed at the subscription-fitness market. On the shipping side, the Apple Watch Series 12 is out, and 9to5Mac's reviewer highlighted three favorite new features after a week of use. Mac Rumors published a Series 10 vs. Series 12 buyer's guide for anyone weighing an upgrade.

Legal and Regulatory: Supreme Court, Brazil, and the EU

The U.S. government urged the Supreme Court to reverse the contempt ruling against Apple in its long-running App Store commission fight with Epic Games. The Solicitor General filed a brief supporting Apple's position, and 9to5Mac reports the Supreme Court has been urged to overturn the contempt finding. Apple Insider notes that a wave of amicus briefs has arrived ahead of the judgment, showing broad support for Apple's arguments. In Brazil, a court ordered Apple to add age checks for casino app purchases, tightening controls around gambling-adjacent software on the App Store. And in Europe, Tim Cook met with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen as the bloc pushes new child safety rules. 9to5Mac reports the meeting with von der Leyen centered on the Kids Act, consistent with Apple's pledge that Cook would remain involved in policy matters. Apple Insider adds that Cook discussed child safety at the UN General Assembly in his capacity as executive chairman.

China: Apple Maps Blurring Detention Centers

Apple Maps has begun blurring imagery of alleged detention centers in China, with the company's data provider citing local laws as the reason. Apple Insider reports the blurred locations appear in satellite and mapping data, raising fresh questions about how Apple navigates Chinese regulatory requirements while operating a global mapping product.

Services: Apple TV, Music Hall, Maps Guides, and More

Apple TV's new drama "Brothers," starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, premiered with its first two episodes now streaming. The series premiere marks one of the service's higher-profile star pairings this year. Apple TV also dropped a season 2 trailer for the animated "The Sisters Grimm" ahead of its October premiere. In London, Apple opened a new concert venue at Battersea Power Station, with the Apple Music Hall joining the company's UK headquarters. Apple Maps and Apple Podcasts teamed up on Hidden Histories, a set of guides and episodes pairing walking routes with audio storytelling. Shazam got a refresh, adding a new icon and iMessage stickers in its latest iOS update. Radar Scope, one of the most capable weather apps on iPhone, brought its radar to CarPlay in version 5.7. Apple also retired the AR experience at the Apple Park Visitor Center, and Mac Rumors confirmed the center lost the 3D model attraction that had been offered since 2017.

Security: Meta's Muse Agent Exploited via Zero-Day

The last 24 hours at Meta were, in 9to5Mac's phrasing, "not-a-musing." The Security Bite column reports that Meta's Muse AI agent was exploited through a zero-day vulnerability, a reminder of the expanding attack surface created by agentic AI systems with broad permissions.

Rumors and Roadmap: Home OS, Smart Glasses, October Event

Apple is developing an all-new operating system that blends elements of tv OS and other platforms, intended to power a smart home hub. Mac Rumors reports the company will soon announce HomeOS, a significant new software category for Apple. On the hardware side, Apple's first smart glasses could arrive in a rapidly growing market, with a target as late as 2027. Closer in, Mac Rumors expects an October event with seven new products on deck following a busy September. Apple's anti-snatching feature, which locks a stolen iPhone automatically, is still in development per references found in the iOS 27.2 beta.

Business: Record Valuation Under John Ternus

Three weeks into the John Ternus era, Apple crossed its highest valuation ever. Shares briefly touched $345.34 moments after the market opened, setting a new intraday record for the company.

Deals: MacBook Pros, MacBook Air, iPad Air, and Accessories

Amazon is running aggressive month-end discounts on Apple's pro laptops, with $600 off two M5 Max MacBook Pros in both 14-inch and 16-inch sizes. Mac Rumors is tracking the same promotion, noting 2026 MacBook Pro discounts of up to $600 on Amazon. On the consumer side, 9to5Mac rounded up deals including M5 MacBook Air discounts of up to $300, plus savings on the M4 iPad Air, Air Pods Pro, and Studio Display. PITAKA launched its iPhone 18 Pro cases starting at $59.99 across new colorways and protection tiers.

Accessories and Retail: IFA Berlin and Ron Johnson's Book

At IFA Berlin 2026, 9to5Mac's team scouted the show floor for the best Apple accessories on display, from charging gear to cases. Meanwhile, former Apple retail chief Ron Johnson released "Shop Different," a book co-written with a journalist that traces the origins of the Apple Store. Apple Insider's review calls it a tantalizing glimpse at how the retail strategy was built. 9to5Mac notes the book is now available, with Johnson sharing behind-the-scenes stories from his tenure.