Apple News 8 Hours

Last updated: July 8, 2026, 5:30 PM ET

Apple Ecosystem & Software Updates

Apple is ceasing support for encrypted Mac OS Extended (HFS+) volumes with mac OS, a move that will require users to decrypt or reformat affected storage devices to maintain access dropping support. This change impacts users with older external drives, though HFS+ will still function for now encrypted drive support dies. In parallel, Apple is no longer signing older iOS versions for several iPhones and iPads, preventing users from restoring or downgrading to those specific builds stops signing iOS versions. The company is also preparing to expand its Wallet car key feature, with code in the iOS 27 beta pointing to support for Xiaomi and Lucid Motors vehicles hints at car key support.

Media & Entertainment

Apple TV has achieved a record-breaking 87 Emmy nominations for the 2026 awards season, marking its highest tally to date landed record 87 nominations. Shows like "Pluribus" and "Widow's Bay" led the charge, securing numerous nominations even without previous Emmy favorites "Severance" and "The Studio" airing new episodes during the eligibility period lead Apple's charge. Apple is also extending its complimentary 4K upgrade policy to select TV show purchases made through the Apple TV Store, enhancing a popular customer perk TV show purchases get upgrades.

Hardware & Pricing

The development of a key component for a lower-cost Apple Vision Pro has reportedly been scrapped, with a new report suggesting Apple may be deprioritizing this project to focus on AI initiatives cheaper Vision Pro development. In the PC market, Apple has emerged as a bright spot, with Mac shipments growing while the broader market experiences a decline for the first time in over two years only bright spot in market. This resilience comes as Apple tests DRAM chips from CXMT, a Chinese supplier black-listed by the U.S. government, a move aimed at mitigating RAM pricing issues though not a complete solution testing banned vendor RAMtesting DRAM chips. Several deals are currently available on Apple hardware, including discounts on the MacBook Neo, M5 Pro MacBook Pro, and M5 iPad Pro MacBook Neo $110 off512GB MacBook Neo deal$150 discount on M5.

AI & Mobile Gaming

OpenAI has introduced GPT-Live, a new generation of voice models designed to make interactions with Chat GPT feel more natural and conversational, even integrating with Car Play ChatGPT voice feel real. This development follows OpenAI's earlier unveiling of GPT-5.6, which had its public release delayed GPT-5.6 availability update. Meanwhile, Nintendo is shutting down its mobile game "Mario Kart Tour" in late 2026, marking the end of another chapter for Nintendo's presence on non-proprietary mobile platforms shutting down Mario Kart. Meta's new AI image generation tool will use public Instagram posts and reels by default to create content, a feature that is enabled automatically for users Meta's AI image tool.

Third-Party Apps & Developer Tools

The Halide photography app is set to receive an update with version 3.1, introducing perspective correction, a RAW-only capture mode, and a new "Scarlet" look for its iPhone camera application Halide 3.1 to add features. Qualcomm continues to supply a significant portion of cellular hardware for Apple's product lines, including the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, even as Apple develops its own in-house modems all Qualcomm parts used.