9to5 Mac

• SpaceXAI releases Grok 4.6, claiming GPT-5.6 Sol and Claude Fable 5-level intelligence
  August 12, 2026 by Zac Hall
  SpaceXAI seems to be in the process of repairing Grok’s reputation. From the recent Cursor acquisition to yesterday’s Grok Bot agent release, the company is getting more serious about its models. Today’s Grok 4.6 release builds on that effort with what SpaceXAI says is intelligence comparable to OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol and Anthropic’s Claude Fable 5.
• Deals: M5 Pro MacBook Pro up to $540 off, M5 MacBook Air from $1,099, Apple Watch Ultra 3, MagSafe chargers, more
  August 12, 2026 by Justin Kahn
  Amazon is still offering one of the best prices ever on AirPods Pro 3 down at nearly 25% off the list, and likely not for much longer. But today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is headlined by some big-time offers on the (nearly 35% off) and the ongoing 2026 Best Buy Back to School sale loaded with […]
• iOS 27 gives Apple Calendar my favorite new Home Screen upgrade
  August 12, 2026 by Ryan Christoffel
  iOS 27 introduces a variety of new Home Screen widgets for apps, and Apple Calendar gets my standout favorite. Here are the details.
• MacBook Air shortages are getting worse, here’s where to buy one
  August 12, 2026 by Chance Miller
  As Apple battles ongoing supply constraints, availability of the MacBook Air is dwindling quickly. Here are the latest details on MacBook Air shortages across Apple and third-party retail partners.
• Everything announced at Made by Google 2026: Pixel 11, Pixel Watch 5, Pixel Tag, & more
  August 12, 2026 by 9to5Google
  While the actual Made by Google 2026 event isn’t happening for another eight hours, Google has fully detailed the Pixel 11, Pixel Watch 5, and Pixel Tag.

Macworld

• ‘Everyone’ at Apple is already calling the folding iPhone ‘Ultra’
  August 12, 2026
  Macworld Apple is set to launch several new products this fall, including the iPhone 18 Pro and Apple Watch Series 12, but there’s no doubt what its biggest release will be: the company’s first-ever folding smartphone. But there’s still a question about what it will be called. Until the official branding is announced, these things […]
• How Apple trade in works and saves you money
  August 12, 2026
  Macworld Buying a new iPhone, iPad or Mac can be an expensive business, and is getting more expensive with today’s component shortages. But if you don’t mind trading in your previous device then you can make a decent saving on the cost of its replacement. We explain how Apple trade in works and why it’s […]
• Apple’s iPhone event will be packed with intrigue
  August 12, 2026
  Macworld Apple always introduces its new iPhones and Apple Watches at a special event in September, and this year is no different. Except this year, everything is different. The iPhones are different. The CEO is different. The event may be different. Here’s what we expect from Apple’s big September event. Time and Date Apple always […]
• Lifetime access to Visual Studio Pro 2026 is only $30
  August 12, 2026
  Macworld TL;DR: Get Visual Studio Pro for life on sale for $29.97 (reg. $499.99) through August 23. Visual Studio Pro is an extremely popular IDE, but it’s also expensive to license. If you don’t want to pay recurring fees, you can buy Visual Studio Pro outright as a lifetime license for $29.97 (reg. $499.99). Once you have it up […]
• Apple extends Back to School Deal gift card offer through September
  August 11, 2026
  Macworld Apple runs a higher education promotion every year that has traditionally been known as its “Back to School” sale. The company now refers to it as the “College Student Offer” or “Higher Education Offer” because it is only available to students in higher education and eligible education staff – not school-age children. The promotion […]

Technology

• The Surprising Truth About Instagram’s VHS Dates Videos
  August 12, 2026 by Sopan Deb and Maggie Shannon
  The Instagram account advertises itself as resurfacing lost dating service videotapes from the 1980s. Social media users have been genuinely touched.
• Thrive Holdings, A.I.-Focused Buyer of Service Firms, Raises $2 Billion
  August 12, 2026 by Michael J. de la Merced
  The company, Thrive Holdings, acquires businesses to infuse them with artificial intelligence and drew interest from backers like SoftBank.
• Flock Cameras Can Track Every Car in America. Police Love Them. Citizens Don’t.
  August 11, 2026 by Fernando Alfonso III and Kashmir Hill
  In Texas, there’s one thing liberals and conservatives agree on: They don’t want cameras trained on their cars.
• Brad Lightcap, a Top OpenAI Executive, Steps Down
  August 11, 2026 by Emmy Martin
  Brad Lightcap, a longtime leader, said he was starting a new venture. His exit from the artificial intelligence company is the latest in a series there.
• Spotify Will Label A.I. Artists and Avoid Promoting Them
  August 11, 2026 by Malia Mendez
  The new label, which will begin to be applied next month, is an effort by the streaming service to be more transparent about A.I.-generated music on its app.

Personal Tech

• Follow the Markets and Track Stocks With These Free Apps
  August 6, 2026 by J. D. Biersdorfer
  Google Finance and Apple’s Stocks app have added new features over the years to make them more useful for tracking the markets and your investments.
• A U.S. Citizen Deleted His Phone’s Data. Now He Faces a Felony Charge.
  July 30, 2026 by Adeel Hassan
  Federal prosecutors charged a man returning to the United States with obstruction because he gave them a passcode that erased his smartphone during a customs search.
• Apple’s Siri Got an A.I. Brain Transplant. Try These 5 Prompts to Get Acclimated.
  July 30, 2026 by Brian X. Chen
  An upgrade transformed the beleaguered virtual assistant into a modern chatbot. It’s imperfect but worth trying.
• Why TikTok’s Algorithm Keeps You Trapped in a Breakup Loop
  July 26, 2026 by Jonathan Wolfe
  As social media companies face scrutiny over addictive design features, mental health experts cite a stream of breakup content as an example of the failure to protect users.
• Meta Launches New Facebook Marketplace App Called Seller
  July 24, 2026 by Eli Tan
  Seller is part of the Silicon Valley company’s strategy to innovate on its original social network.