Apple News 24 Hours

Last updated: September 28, 2026, 2:03 PM ET

Legal & Regulatory

Apple was ordered to pay $5.7 billion in damages to Taction Technology over haptic patent infringement, one of the largest patent verdicts against the company in recent years. Separately, a revived lawsuit in the UK accuses Apple and Amazon of colluding to limit product sales to third-party resellers, with claims now valued at $383 million.

MacBook Pro & Mac Lineup

A long-awaited MacBook Pro redesign is reportedly in the works, possibly branded as the "MacBook Ultra," featuring an OLED display, a touchscreen, and the removal of the notch — three features users have requested for years. In the meantime, Amazon's early fall Prime Day deals include the M5 Pro MacBook Pro at $500 off, the M5 MacBook Air at $150 off, and a $300 discount on the 2026 Studio Display, as detailed in the latest roundup. The M5 15-inch MacBook Air has separately dropped to $1,399 at Amazon, matching its lowest price yet.

iPhone 18 & iOS 27

The iPhone 18 Pro Max is being called the best iPhone for about a month, given that a major redesign is expected soon. The current iPhone 18 Pro may be the final iteration of the existing form factor before Apple shifts to a new design language. On the software side, iOS 27 introduces a redesigned Apple Pay checkout flow for apps and websites, making transactions faster with fewer taps. Apple Notes also gains new capabilities in iOS, including divider lines, enhanced Siri integration, and Markdown support, as outlined in the feature rundown. One quirk: iOS 27 can slow down even the new iPhone 18 Pro during the first hours after installation due to background indexing and neural engine recalibration.

iPhone Duo & Stand By

The upcoming iPhone Duo, expected to launch October 23, will include unannounced StandBy night mode features hidden in the firmware, according to a code leak. The new features reportedly include adaptive brightness curves and a dedicated "sleep focus" visual mode that dims the display gradually. More details on the iPhone Duo's StandBy enhancements were discussed on this week's Apple Insider podcast.

Apple TV & Home

tv OS 27 adds app restrictions for individual profiles on Apple TV 4K, giving parents and families a new reason to use profiles — each profile can now have its own allowed app list and content ratings. Meanwhile, leaks suggest new Home Pod and Apple TV hardware are on the way, as recapped in today's 9to5Mac Daily podcast episode.

October Product Pipeline

October will be an especially busy month, with Apple expected to announce up to 12 new products, including the A20 Pro iPad mini, new MacBook Pros, and the iPhone Duo, per the full October preview. The upcoming iPad mini refresh, powered by the A20 Pro chip, has a top feature request from users: split-screen multitasking and Picture-in-Picture support, as argued in this editorial.

Vision Pro & Wearables

Apple is exploring four different concepts for a "completely revamped" Vision Pro headset, with a potential launch targeted for 2028 or 2029, according to a new report on the design directions. The development history of the Vision Pro shows a pattern of ambitious ideas being cut, illustrating Apple's "1,000 no's to every yes" philosophy, as analyzed in this piece. On the wearable front, a screenless fitness tracker concept has sparked discussion about what Apple should prioritize — including accurate heart-rate tracking and seamless iPhone integration — as detailed in this wishlist. The Apple Watch continues to receive health updates, and rumors of a screen-free wearable persist, as covered in this week's Sunday Reboot.

Accessories & Audio

Anker's new 25W Mag Safe 3-in-1 charger features active cooling in a travel-sized design, making it a strong option for iPhone 16 and newer users, according to this hands-on review. For those choosing between Apple's latest earbuds, a detailed comparison of the Air Pods 5 versus Air Pods Pro 3 breaks down differences in sound quality, noise cancellation, and price to help decide which model to buy. OWC's best Mac accessories are on sale for Mac Rumors readers, offering deals on external SSDs, docks, and memory upgrades in a limited-time promotion.

Security & Privacy

The September Mac threat landscape review highlights a rise in adware and phishing campaigns targeting mac OS users, with a particular focus on fake system update prompts, as detailed in this month's Security Bite. Meanwhile, a warning has been issued about Meta's Muse app, which requests broad Mac access — including screen recording and file read permissions — raising concerns about data privacy. Security experts advise against granting the app those permissions until Meta clarifies its data-handling policies.

Smart Home

This week's Smart Home Insider podcast covers a slew of Apple smart home leaks, including details on the upcoming Home Pod with a display, as well as Anker's Eufy Edge 5.0 security system, as discussed in the episode.