Apple News 24 Hours

Last updated: August 28, 2026, 9:51 AM ET

Apple Leadership Transition

Tim Cook will be stepping down as Apple's CEO in just five days, with hardware engineering chief John Ternus set to take the reins. Cook's 15-year tenure has been marked by a focus on privacy, supply chain mastery, and the company's push into services. In a tongue-in-cheek post on X, Cook shared a video showing Pikachu running around Apple Park during a visit from The Pokémon Company's CEO, giving a lighthearted look at his behind-the-scenes work as he prepares to hand over the top job. The Pokémon team visited Apple Park on their way to the Pokémon World Championship starting August 28 in San Francisco, and the visit offered a rare glimpse of Ternus meeting with the company's partners ahead of his ascension.

Flood Relief Efforts

Apple is once again stepping up to contribute to relief efforts following a deadly natural disaster, with Tim Cook announcing the company will pledge a donation to support victims of the overwhelming flooding in Nepal and Tibet. The announcement follows Apple's established pattern of responding to major humanitarian crises with financial support, though the company has not yet disclosed the specific amount of the donation. The flooding has caused widespread devastation across both regions, with relief organizations working to provide shelter, food, and medical assistance to those displaced by the rising waters. Apple's contribution comes as part of a broader corporate response to the disaster, with the company's pledge details expected to be finalized in the coming days.

New Mac Hardware

Apple surprised everyone this week with a new lineup of Mac mini and Mac Studio models, and the new hardware is now available for pre-order on Amazon alongside the new Mac Studio. The M6 Mac mini ships with the M5 Pro chip, and we've since learned three things about the product that Apple didn't highlight in its announcement, including details on the internal architecture and thermal design. Apple has added Genlock support to the new Mac Studio and the M5 Pro Mac mini, a feature that makes the machines a boon for professional video production by allowing precise synchronization across multiple cameras and recording devices. The new Mac mini and Mac Studio models are "slated to ship" with macOS Golden Gate, according to sources familiar with the matter. Apple also announced the M6 chip this week in the new Mac mini, with several more products expected to get M6 upgrades soon, including a rumored release schedule for M6 Macs and iPads covering the next several months.

Mac Buyer's Guide

Apple charges $3,800 to upgrade the new M5 Max Mac Studio from 512GB to 8TB, but there are better and more flexible choices that can save you money. Apple this week announced a new Mac Studio with the M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips, and a full comparison of the 2025 vs. 2026 models shows all the upgrades side by side, from the new chips to improved memory bandwidth and connectivity options. A staggering $1,400 discount is in effect on Apple's loaded 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Max 40-core GPU and 128GB of RAM, but supply is limited and the offer may sell out quickly. The 2026 MacBook Pro is also seeing up to $500 in discounts at Amazon and Best Buy, making it a good time to upgrade. A limited-time MacBook Air special is also in effect on Apple's latest M5 13-inch laptop, bringing the 32GB model down to $1,549, a savings of $150.

September Event Preview

Apple has announced September 9 as the date for its iPhone launch event, with a tagline: 'Surprise and shine.' The company is widely expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone Ultra, and more at the event, which will be held at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. Apple fans are arguing semantics over whether a Chinese event tagline contains a cheeky nod to the iPhone Ultra, but the viral tease has probably been lost in translation. The company is expected to announce six new products on September 9, including the new iPhones, a new Apple Watch, and possibly updated Air Pods. Apple is about to unveil its flagship new iPhones, and the iPhone 18 Pro will have four key advantages over the iPhone Ultra, including a more compact form factor and a lower price point. The event will be streamed live on Apple's website and the Apple TV app, and we've got the full guide on how to watch.

Apple Pay and App Store

Apple Pay is getting even better with four new features that make it more convenient for iPhone users when shopping in stores, online, and in apps, plus one more major addition: Walmart support. The new features include enhanced transaction tracking, improved loyalty card integration, and a streamlined checkout experience. Apple's Developer blog today announced tax and price updates for apps, In-App Purchases, and subscriptions in four countries, affecting developers and consumers in those regions. The price changes will take effect over the coming weeks, and Apple has provided a breakdown of the new price tiers for each affected market.

Legal and Security

Chang Liu, Tang Tan, OpenAI, and io Products filed a new petition asking the court to dismiss Apple's trade secret misappropriation complaint with prejudice, renewing the push to get the lawsuit tossed. Special Master Jose Linares has rejected the DOJ's request to reconsider his decision allowing Apple to seek documents from 14 separate government agencies in the antitrust case against the company, marking the second time Apple has been cleared to pursue these documents. If you get an unexpected iPhone shipped to you, using it is just giving hackers your bank accounts and passwords — here's what to look for, who to tell, and how to protect yourself from this increasingly common scam.

Software and Features

Among the many Apple Intelligence features coming in iOS, the Passwords app is getting an especially powerful one: the ability to automatically change your passwords for you. This feature can save you significant time when dealing with compromised credentials, automatically generating and applying new passwords across supported sites and apps. The August 27 partial lunar eclipse will place 96.3% of the moon inside Earth's shadow, and an iPhone Live Photo can give photographers several chances to capture the event. Apple has also announced what it describes as the sneakiest crossover of the summer in the form of Sneaky Sasquatch joining forces with Subway Surfers+ in Apple Arcade, complete with new stickers and in-game content.

Screen Savers and Accessories

A new project by Jeff Halter lets users run the original 68k After Dark screen savers on modern Macs, bringing back classics like Flying Toasters and the bouncing logo. The Afterglow project has been highlighted by Daring Fireball and is available for download, though it requires some technical know-how to set up. Apple's updated Polishing Cloth was tested against the original, and while it still cleans fine, there are still cheaper options available. The new cloth is slightly less expensive than the original but performs nearly as well, making it a reasonable choice for those who need a dedicated cleaning solution for their devices.

Deals and Discounts

Joining this week's Air Pods Pro 3 discount and best deals yet on Air Tag 2 from $20 each, today's deals are headlined by Anker's Mag Safe Nano Power Bank down at $49 in all colors. The iPhone 17 Pro is also seeing up to $285 off, making it a good time to pick up last year's flagship. LG is hosting a Labor Day sale on its website this week, with deals on monitors, TVs, and home appliances that have been automatically applied and discounted. The sale includes major discounts on OLED TVs and monitors, with some models seeing price cuts of several hundred dollars.

Product Pipeline

Apple has moved through 2026 in bursts, and has announced 11 new products so far this year, with more coming soon. First came a new Air Tag in January, followed by a packed March launch cycle and two major Mac updates in August. A new Apple TV 4K is long overdue and was originally expected to launch last fall, but now that Siri AI is ready, four features are launching soon, including a faster processor and improved HDMI support. The first episode of the new season of Dark Matter is now available to Apple TV subscribers, with the season premiere kicking off the sophomore run of the sci-fi series. Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day in the latest episode of 9to5Mac Daily, which covers Air Pods 5 rumors, Apple Maps ads, and more, available on iTunes and Apple's Podcasts app.