GoKawiil
Tech News
With Apple's new Mac Mini M6 now available, retailers are discounting the previous-generation M4 Mac Mini's base configuration (256GB storage, 16GB memory) to $649, $150 off its $799 price. The M4 originally launched in 2024 at $599 before Apple raised prices across its lineup this year, citing chip and memory shortages; the new M6 starts at $899.
A solo developer has released ZacOS 9, a free and open-source Linux distribution that recreates the Mac OS 8/9 Platinum interface from scratch, including a custom window manager, file browser and menu bar. It runs standard Debian and Flathub apps within that retro look, includes a SheepShaver emulator for running classic Mac OS with a user-supplied ROM, and supports AppleTalk/AFP file sharing with old Macs. It can be tried live from USB or installed afterward.
Amazon is discounting several Apple products, including the new Apple TV 4K at $289 (down from $299) with release-day delivery, AirPods Pro 3 at $50 off, and the M6 Mac mini at nearly $150 off. The retailer is also offering an all-time low price on Apple's 2026 Magic Keyboard, alongside launch deals on Baseus's PicoGo Air power bank and the 2026 HyperDrive Next Thunderbolt 5 Dock.
A week ahead of its expected unveiling, the first touchscreen MacBook Pro is reportedly coming with an OLED display, possibly a Dynamic Island, and a lighter build. The source estimates the new model could cost $500 to $700 more than the current MacBook Pro, though Apple has not confirmed pricing.
Apple is holding a 'Pro and Tell' event on October 28, where reports suggest it will reveal the first MacBook Pro with a touchscreen. The redesigned laptop is expected to feature an OLED display, thinner bezels, a hole-punch camera with Dynamic Island, and come in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, but will reportedly retain M5 Pro and M5 Max chips rather than upgrading to M6.
Perplexity has introduced a local-first option for its Computer agent in the Mac app, allowing both the AI model and the task-directing agent to run entirely on-device, including offline. The feature lets Computer plan, reason and process files locally, working with apps like Notes, Messages, Mail and Numbers, and only sends data to the cloud with user approval.
Apple has expanded its Self Service Repair program to cover the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, the M5 Max/M5 Ultra Mac Studio, and the M6/M5 Pro Mac mini. Customers can now buy individual parts—such as displays, batteries, cameras, logic boards, and enclosures—along with the tools needed to install them, or rent the tools instead. The update coincided with Apple's announcement of new and expanded US supplier partnerships for iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo components.
A new alpha tool called Mac.apk enables Android applications to run directly on Apple Silicon Macs without an emulator, virtual machine, or underlying Linux kernel. Apps appear as native macOS windows in the Dock, use the Mac's GPU and CPU directly, and support light/dark mode switching. It requires macOS 26.4 or newer and is distributed as a signed, notarized disk image.
Amazon has reinstated a pre-order discount on Apple's newly launched Apple TV 4K, pricing it at $289.99 versus Apple's $299.99, and is reportedly shipping units faster than Apple in most cases. Separately, Amazon is offering AirPods Pro 3 for $199, a $50 cut from their $249 list price, alongside discounts on the new M6 Mac mini and leather iPhone Duo cases.
A Reddit user building a Mac temperature-monitoring app with Claude Code was alerted by the AI agent that xmrig, a crypto-mining program, was running unauthorized on their machine using roughly 1175% CPU across about 12 cores. Claude identified the malware had been added to startup around August 29 and offered to quarantine the files rather than deleting them outright.
Best Buy is selling the base M4 Mac Mini, with 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD, for $649 for the rest of the day, down from its usual $799 price. The newer M6 Mac Mini is currently available from Amazon for $779.99, making the discounted M4 model notably cheaper by comparison.
According to rumors compiled from reputable sources, Apple plans to announce its first touchscreen MacBook Pro around October 27, with a release following on or near November 6. The redesigned laptop is expected to feature a Tandem OLED display similar to the iPad Pro, a smaller Dynamic Island without Face ID support, and M5 Pro/M5 Max chips instead of the previously rumored M6 series.