Apple has agreed to revise its App Tracking Transparency consent screens for apps distributed in Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and Romania, following antitrust scrutiny led by Germany's competition regulator. The changes include full-page prompts instead of pop-ups, removal of the word 'track,' relabeled buttons reading 'Allow' and 'Reject,' new colors and formatting, and an optional link to more detailed explanations from developers.
9to5Mac's daily podcast covered ongoing iOS 27.2 beta testing and other Apple news in its September 17, 2026 episode. The episode is available across major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, and Google Play.
A developer has released Vinix, an open-source operating system written in the V programming language, designed specifically for MacBooks as a leaner alternative to macOS. It runs in roughly 100 MB of RAM and 1 GB of storage, boots quickly, and includes no telemetry or online account requirements. The project is also working toward running Windows-only PC games on Apple Silicon hardware by combining Wine with an x86-to-ARM64 translation layer and an in-progress Apple GPU driver.
Apple has begun updating early iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max pre-orders to a 'Shipped' status in the Apple Store app and on its website, with devices set to reach customers this Friday, September 18. Buyers who opted into text alerts may also get a shipping notification directly from Apple.
Amazon has brought back a pre-order discount on the base M6 Mac mini (16GB/256GB), now priced at $879.99 ahead of next week's release, alongside a similar deal on the 24GB configuration. The retailer is also matching an all-time low of $330 off Apple's 2026 Studio Display XDR, part of a wider batch of discounts covering AirPods 5, AirPods Pro 3, the M5 MacBook Air, and a Thunderbolt 5 dock.
Apple will use 14 iPhone 18 Pro devices to film Friday's Giants-Dodgers game, the season's final Friday Night Baseball broadcast, placing units around Dodger Stadium including the pitch clock, backstop, foul pole and bullpens. Eight of the phones will stream footage live via a dedicated T-Mobile Private 5G Network, capturing batting practice, player introductions and dugout views alongside the main gameplay.
Apple is selling refurbished Apple TV 4K units at reduced prices amid broader hardware price increases in 2026. The 64GB third-generation model now costs $169, a $30 cut from its regular price, while the 128GB version with an Ethernet port is down to $209, a $40 savings. Both refurbished units carry the same one-year warranty as new devices.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has opened an official online store selling branded merchandise, including T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, mouse mats, and even a bottle of Chardonnay. He announced the launch himself on X, describing it as a way to share some of his personality and bring fans a bit of enjoyment.
Apple's Series 12 smartwatch introduces a single-tap hand gesture for navigating Smart Stack widgets alongside existing double-tap and wrist-flick controls. It also debuts a new Health Sensing System with 32 ECG electrodes, ring-arranged photodiodes, and larger LEDs, enabling heart rate readings every five seconds and HRV readings every five minutes, up from every five minutes and two hours respectively on Series 11. The new S11 chip also improves step-tracking accuracy and adds a real-time Steps complication to the watch face.
Apple's latest Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 keep familiar shapes but introduce a new underlying Health Sensing System aimed at improving health tracking accuracy. The Series 12 gets a roughly 2% smaller display area, a slightly wider case, Ceramic Shield 2 glass on aluminum models, and four new aluminum finishes including Dark Bronze and Light Gold. Ultra 4 retains its titanium build in Natural and Black finishes.
Apple's Series 12 keeps the same screen size and case dimensions as the Series 11 but adds a returning Ceramic case option in white or blue, Ceramic Shield 2 on aluminum models, and new color choices including dark bronze and radiant gold. The bigger change is an overhauled 'health sensing system' with a larger skin-contact area and more diodes, electrodes and sensors packed into the same footprint.
Reuters reports that SK Hynix, which supplies Apple with RAM and flash memory, is discussing a deal with Intel to produce chips at Intel's planned Ohio facility, potentially leasing part of the site. This would mark the first time the South Korean company manufactures memory chips on US soil, though sources say details remain unclear and nothing has been finalized.
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