GoKawiil
Tech News
Apple is distributing $250 million to settle claims that it advertised AI-enhanced Siri features that were never actually delivered. Owners of iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model purchased between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025 in the US can now file for a payout through the settlement website.
Apple has begun shipping the redesigned Mac Studio, keeping its 2022-era chassis but adding M5 Max and M5 Ultra chip options in place of last year's M4 Max and M3 Ultra. The top configuration reviewed—36-core CPU, 80-core GPU, 256GB RAM, 4TB storage—runs $12,299, while entry M5 Max and M5 Ultra models start at $2,499 and $5,499 respectively.
Apple has refreshed the Mac Mini with its new M6 chip, alongside an upgraded M5 Pro tier replacing the previous M4 Pro option. The base model now starts at $899, though comparing it to the last actually-available M4 Mini (which cost $799 after Apple discontinued the cheaper $599 configuration) shows the real increase is closer to $300. Despite the higher price, reviewers still consider it the best value in Apple's current Mac lineup given broader price increases across the industry.
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max ships with a battery-firmware lock that caps capacity below the 20Wh threshold that triggers international shipping restrictions on single-cell batteries. Once a customer activates the phone for the first time, the lock lifts automatically, restoring the battery to its full rated capacity of roughly 21-22Wh depending on the model. A 'Prepare to Ship' setting can reimpose the cap, limiting charging to 80 percent over 14 days, for anyone sending the device in for repair or resale.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is testing a smart home display, internally coded J490/J491, in employee homes ahead of a possible launch as soon as next month. The device reportedly combines elements of iOS, tvOS, and watchOS, with its own home screen, widgets, and clock faces, and leans heavily on an upgraded Siri to handle tasks across apps like Notes and Reminders.
A developer has released Kev, a family of small decision-making models (0.8B, 4B, and 9B parameters) built on Qwen3.5, inspired by the architecture behind Jev. The models handle yes/no, multiple-choice, and rating questions within a single request and are compatible with TypeSafe's System One API, meaning developers can run Kev locally instead of relying on that hosted service. Full training code, evaluation data, and a web playground are included, and the models run on both CUDA and Apple Silicon hardware.
Apple has built a 'Prepare to Ship' firmware feature into the iPhone 18 Pro Max that temporarily caps its battery below the 20Wh transport limit enforced in the US, EU and other regions. Once the device is activated by a customer, the cap lifts and the phone's full 5,391mAh capacity becomes available. The same toggle can be re-enabled manually when shipping a device for repair, trade-in or resale.
Apple introduced iPhone Handoff, a new iOS 27 capability that lets a single phone number and carrier account work across two iPhones simultaneously. Users simply unlock whichever iPhone they want to use, and calls, texts, saved payment cards and most apps sync automatically without needing separate accounts on each device.
Apple TV's drama series The Savant, starring Jessica Chastain, was pulled from its schedule last year following the assassination of activist Charlie Kirk, with no official explanation given. Variety now reports Apple has rescheduled the show for a spring 2027 debut, over a year after its original planned premiere.
Apple's overhauled Siri AI, rolling out as a beta through a waitlist in iOS 27, promises richer answers, personal context search through messages and notes, and onscreen awareness. Despite these upgrades, users on social media report recurring problems including network errors that produce a vague 'Sorry, something went wrong' message and failures to locate reminders, lists or alarms that the older Siri handled without issue.
A developer has demonstrated Laya, referred to as 'OS Jev', running fully offline on Apple's M4 chip using Apple's CoreML framework. The system reportedly processes 45 decisions per second locally, without needing a cloud connection or internet access.
Apple originally designed a smaller, hinge-mounted Apple Pencil exclusively for its foldable iPhone Duo, but according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the accessory hit unresolved technical problems before mass production and was scrapped. Apple instead opted to support the existing USB-C Apple Pencil, though that compatibility won't be ready at launch and is expected to arrive later in 2026 after further software development and testing.