South Korea has fined Apple 20.8 billion won ($15.5 million) and ordered it to let developers link to external payment options from their apps, The Associated Press reports.
The Korea Media and Communications Commission found that Apple and Google effectively require developers to use their payment systems, violating a 2021 law intended to allow alternatives. Google was fined 42.9 billion won ($32 million).
Both companies allowed third-party payment services within apps, but charged developers a 26% commission and restricted some features. The regulator said these conditions pushed developers toward Apple and Google's payment systems, while rules against external payment links limited their other options.
The companies must also improve their app review processes. The commission found that some reviews were delayed without clear explanations or information about when they would resume. It separately found that Apple charged South Korean developers higher commissions than overseas developers between 2015 and January 2023.
Apple told The Associated Press that it disagrees with the ruling and is considering its legal options. The company says its policies comply with South Korean law and that its payment system helps protect customers against fraud.
Note: This discussion thread is located in our Political News forum with special rules.
Apple has added selfie-based age verification in iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2, allowing users in supported regions to demonstrate that they are adults without submitting a credit card or government-issued ID.
The feature estimates whether someone is an adult by analyzing their face, according to a new Apple support document. The capture process involves following onscreen prompts to turn and tilt the head, providing views of the face from four directions.
Apple says the verification process combines processing on the user's device with analysis through Private Cloud Compute. The results are brought together locally, and Apple says the images remain inaccessible to the company and anyone else during processing. After successful verification, the selfie is deleted.
Users who receive an age confirmation prompt may be offered the option, although availability varies by location. Regional requirements determine when adult verification is necessary.
Possible triggers include setting up an Apple Account, installing a software update, accessing apps rated 18+, and adjusting safety controls. Once a user has successfully established their adult status, Apple says further confirmation is unnecessary.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
You can get the Beats 360 in Black with Black Performance Knit Cushions for $329.00 this week on Amazon, down from $349.00. This is the first discount we've ever seen on the headphones, and deals on a few Cushion Kits are also still available on Amazon.
For the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, you can get this model for $99.00 on Woot, down from $149.00, which is a rare return of the record low price. These are in new condition and come with a 90 day Woot limited Warranty.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find as we head into the holidays? You can sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
Apple has raised the MacBook Neo's starting price from $599 to $649 on its online education store in the U.S., meaning it now offers college students and other eligible groups only a $50 discount on the laptop, down from $100. The change was made within the past week, with equivalent increases in local currencies in other countries.
In May, Apple expanded the UNiDAYS verification system that it already used in many European countries to the U.S. and Canada, meaning that customers who are not students, educational staff, or otherwise eligible are no longer be able to break the rules and take advantage of the lower prices available through the education store.
Apple reportedly plans to release a second-generation MacBook Neo with an A19 chip, 12GB of RAM, and new color options in the first half of 2027. The current model has an A18 Pro chip with 8GB of RAM, and it is available in Silver, Blush, Citrus, and Indigo.
If this theory proves to be accurate, then Apple would offer both a Mac Studio desktop computer and a MacBook Studio laptop, plus the Studio Display. Apple would likely position the MacBook Studio as being aimed at creators, and it would surely promote its recently-updated Apple Creator Studio suite of apps alongside the announcement today.
This is obviously all just some last-minute speculation for fun — we did the same with iPhone Duo. The new models could stick with MacBook Pro branding, and the long-rumored MacBook Ultra name still remains a possibility too.
Bonus theory: What if the teaser hints at the glowing Apple logo returning to the MacBook's lid? We truly might be getting ahead of ourselves now.
Here's the teaser in case you missed it:
https://t.co/2XsfEhVRJH
— John Ternus (@johnternus) October 28, 2026
In a post on X today, Apple CEO John Ternus shared a short video that shows an Apple logo being projected onto a MacBook lid against a nighttime city skyline. This teaser comes just a few hours before Apple is expected to announce new MacBook models with touch-enabled OLED displays, so it is very likely in reference to that.
Apple's upcoming touchscreen MacBook Pro will feature hinge improvements related to changes planned for future iPhone Duo models, according to a last-minute claim ahead of its expected announcement later today.
In a new Weibo post, the leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said that one of the new MacBook Pro's key upgrades is its hinge design. The improved design is apparently related to plans for the second- and third-generation iPhone Duo.
The MacBook hinge claim aligns with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman's reporting that Apple has redesigned the mechanism to keep the display steady during touch input, alongside cooling changes that improve airflow through the hinge area.
Gurman has separately said that Apple is considering a larger inner display for a future iPhone Duo, potentially measuring around 7.9 to 8.1 inches compared to the current model's 7.6 inches. It is unclear whether the hinge changes mentioned by Fixed Focus Digital relate to that potential redesign.
The leaker also reiterated that the new MacBook Pro will use a dual-layer OLED display and carry a substantial price increase. Gurman separately reported that Apple has discussed a $2,899 starting price for the 14-inch model with an M5 Pro chip, up from $2,499 for the existing equivalent.
Apple is expected to announce the redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models later today, alongside its "Pro and tell" media experience in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.
Ahead of Apple's expected debut of new touchscreen MacBook Pro models, five system assets have been discovered in macOS 27 that bear a strong resemblance to information displayed in the iPhone's pill-shaped Dynamic Island.
The new MacBook Pros are expected to feature a Dynamic Island-like cutout for the FaceTime camera, finally doing away with the notch that has been part of the machine's design since 2021.
Uncovered by code explorer pdfu and shared on X (Twitter), the assets cover AirPods connection, Focus activation, AirPods noise cancellation, low battery, and automatic audio switching.
The assets are linked to a new menu bar component called MenuBarAgent, which "paves the way for a touchscreen Mac and a Dynamic Island," according to pdfu. "Some system compact and minimal views already ship," he added.
He also claims Siri AI will eventually occupy what he calls the new "system aperture" in a droplet-like design. The views line up with our previous reporting on macOS 27's touchscreen Mac hints ahead of the touchscreen MacBook Pro models Apple is set to announce later today.
Some reports have suggested the new high-end MacBook Pro models that Apple is expected to announce today might not be called MacBook Pros at all. They could in fact be something altogether new and more exciting – "MacBook Ultra," perhaps – marketed as the company's top-tier laptop offering. The machines are expected to sit above the current M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros, rather than replace them, suggesting the latter will remain in Apple's lineup.
One thing to state up front is that Apple is expected to stick with the existing M5 Pro and M5 Max chips for its touchscreen MacBook models. Apple reportedly plans to skip what would have been the "M6 Pro" and "M6 Max" for more powerful "M7 Pro" and "M7 Max" chips. Apple announced the new entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M6 chip yesterday, ahead of pre-orders opening today, but the first "MacBook Ultra" models will use M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, after which second-generation models will come with M7 Pro and Max chips in late 2027.
Apple has already unveiled most of a second set of new products this week, as MacRumors' sources earlier indicated: the OLED iPad mini arrived on Monday, and the M6 iMac and M6 14-inch MacBook Pro followed yesterday. The new touchscreen models are expected to debut today at Apple's "Pro and tell" event in Los Angeles and become available for pre-order at 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time, with Bloomberg reporting that availability could begin as early as November 6. Recent reports have referred to the machines simply as new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, so the final name remains uncertain.
Below, we've listed the features and changes we are expecting for the new high-end MacBook Pro models.
OLED Display
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo say Apple is readying OLED technology for these models, and industry reports corroborate their claims. Samsung Display is said to be making the panels exclusively, and the supplier has invested heavily in an 8.6-generation OLED production line in South Korea. The line reached a key milestone for mass production in May.
OLED presents an overall upgrade over the current mini-LED display technology, bringing deeper colors and a higher contrast ratio with true blacks. In an OLED display, individual pixels turn off instead of dimming when not activated, so there's less light leakage and better power efficiency. OLED displays also tend to have better HDR output than mini-LED, but they don't always match mini-LED brightness levels.
Touchscreen
The new MacBook Pro is expected to become the first Mac to support touch input directly on the display. It's a notable shift from Apple's longstanding position against bringing touchscreen functionality to the Mac.
Apple previously experimented with touch controls through the OLED Touch Bar on earlier MacBook Pro models, but the feature was ultimately discontinued following a lukewarm reception. Rather than positioning the MacBook Pro as a touch-centric device like the iPad, Apple is reportedly planning to let users move seamlessly between touch and traditional trackpad or mouse input across the system.
There are features in macOS Golden Gate that hint at a future touchscreen Mac. Apple added direct touch input to Sidecar so users can tap and interact with macOS elements when using the iPad as a Mac display. macOS Golden Gate also supports an iPhone-style pull-to-refresh option, and it can be used across apps like Safari, Mail, News, Podcasts, and Calendar. A pull-to-refresh option makes the most sense on a touch display.
Reinforced Hinge
Apple has reportedly developed a reinforced hinge and screen hardware to prevent the display from bouncing back or moving when touched. Apple is apparently aware of the same issue that plagues existing touch PCs.
Lighter Design
Gurman has reported that Apple is working to make the OLED MacBook Pro thinner, as part of the company's plan to create "the thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry." (Think the latest iPad Pro and iPad Air – two of the thinnest devices the company has ever made.) Indeed, the reporter said there's a good chance that the next MacBook Pro model will represent a "true overhaul" for the laptop, thanks to the combination of the OLED display and thinner design.
In October 2025, Gurman reported that the OLED MacBook Pro models would have "thinner and lighter" frames. Then again in November 2025, he said the touchscreen models would have "a thinner chassis."
However, Gurman has walked back somewhat on his previous reporting that Apple's upcoming touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro will be thinner than current models. "I don't think it'll be significantly thinner in the end," he said in early October 2026.
In a last-minute detail, Gurman reports that Apple has also reworked the cooling system to improve airflow through the hinge while helping to reduce the laptop's weight.
Dynamic Island
The MacBook Ultra could ditch the current notch used in the MacBook Pro models for a display cutout potentially similar to the iPhone's Dynamic Island, according to Bloomberg. Such a move would mirror Apple's iPhone evolution, since the iPhone's notch became the current Dynamic Island starting with the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022.
As with the iPhone, the Mac Dynamic Island will be interactive and it will contextually expand based on the app or Mac feature in use. The change should address long-standing user complaints about the notch, which physically ingresses into the macOS menu bar.
Price Changes
There is no doubt that Apple will unveil the new MacBook Pro models as ultra-premium products carrying price tags that are higher than the current MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch models. Apple increased the prices of all its Macs in June 2026 – MacBook Pro pricing went up $300 – so the "MacBook Ultra" will likely be even more expensive than expected.
For what it's worth, the higher-end 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro chip starts at $2,499 after the price increase, while the 16-inch M5 Pro MacBook Pro starts at $2,999. More specifically, Bloomberg reported this week that Apple has discussed charging $2,899 for the new 14-inch model with an M5 Pro chip, which would mean a starting price of at least $3,399 for the 16-inch model. Hold onto your wallets!
Pre-orders for the iPad mini, iMac, and M6 MacBook Pro opened at 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, with availability beginning Friday, November 6. The iPad mini starts at $699, the iMac at $1,499, and the M6 MacBook Pro at $1,999. Pricing for the 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen starts at $2,899 for the 14-inch model and $3,399 for the 16-inch.
MacPaw has launched Eney, a proactive AI assistant for Mac and iPhone that the company says understands what is happening across a user's apps, files, and system, prepares the next step, and asks before it acts.
On Mac, Eney offers copy-triggered suggestions, bot-free meeting transcription with notes and follow-ups, and ready-made workflows such as Morning Brief and Plan My Day. An "Eney Wand" (Option-W) acts on whatever is dragged over to it, and can translate text, convert prices, turn dates into calendar events, and extract text from images.
The app also surfaces Mac care warnings for low disk space, memory pressure, and crashing apps, and connects to Apple Mail, Calendar, and Reminders out of the box, plus Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, Notion, Jira, and Linear.
MacPaw calls Eney "proactive, never autonomous", since by default it asks before sending a message, changing an event, or moving a file. Eney is also the first product powered by MacPaw's own AI stack, including a memory layer called Mnemos that MacPaw says manages only Eney's own memory and never reads or changes user files.
Eney for Mac is available to download from eney.ai and requires an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 15 or later. There's a free 14-day trial that includes 10,000 AI credits, after which an AI credits subscription is required. A Starter plan with 10,000 AI credits costs $14.99/month, a Boost plan with 25,000 credits costs $29.99/month, and a Power plan with 50,000 credits costs $49.99/month.
Signing in with a Setapp account is supported, but MacPaw says a Setapp membership is not required on the Mac. An iPhone companion app is also available on the App Store – although its listing describes the app as a companion for active Setapp members, so the eligibility terms on mobile are unclear. For more information, see the Eney website.
In the first video, Morgan tells the story of how her Apple Watch woke her up with high heart rate alerts. She ended up having a kidney infection and was going into septic shock.
The second video features a man named Josh, who used the Apple Watch to lose weight. He weighed 340 pounds until the Apple Watch motivated him to be more active.
Apple previously shared the story of a woman who was alerted to changes in her resting heart rate. When she went to the doctor, she was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, but was able to get treatment.
tvOS 27.2 was released on Monday for the Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) and newer, but the Apple TV does not show release notes for software updates in the Settings app. Instead, Apple periodically updates a support document outlining what is new in tvOS updates, and the release notes for tvOS 27.2 are now available.
Note that Apple never released a tvOS 27.1 version, so tvOS 27.2 is the first Apple TV software update since tvOS 27 was released in September.
Apple says tvOS 27.2 includes a few FaceTime enhancements, plus the ability to shuffle through different screen saver categories. In addition, the Find My app now supports the Siri Remote (2nd generation) and later, but Precision Finding is limited to the Siri Remote (4th generation). The update also contains bug fixes and security patches.
Here are Apple's full tvOS 27.2 release notes:
This update brings new ways to stay connected with FaceTime, personalize your screen saver, and locate your Siri Remote with Find My, along with bug fixes and security updates for your Apple TV 4K.
FaceTime
FaceTime links make it easier to join calls directly from your Apple TV.
Sign language interpreter and captioning support lets you add third-party services to your calls.
Screen Savers
Photo personalization lets you use your iPhone to choose specific photos for your screen saver without sharing your full library with Apple TV.
Shuffle option lets you enjoy different screen saver categories as your Apple TV cycles through them.
Find My
Find My support lets you locate your Siri Remote (2nd generation) or later using your iPhone.
Apple's 14-inch OLEDMacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chip could be $400 more expensive than the current model, reports Bloomberg. Apple has "discussed" charging $2,899 for the upcoming M5 Pro model. The current M5 Pro MacBook Pro starts at $2,499.
The 16-inch OLED MacBook Pro could start at $3,399 if it gets the same $400 price increase, though Bloomberg suggests the larger version might be even more expensive.
Apple is adding OLED touchscreens to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, but they will use the same M5 Pro and M5 Max chips as the current models. Other features include a Dynamic Island, a redesigned hinge that keeps the display steady when touched, thinner bezels, and a slimmer and lighter body. Apple updated the cooling system to cut weight and improve airflow through the hinge.
Apple is expected to continue selling the existing mini-LED MacBook Pro models alongside the more expensive OLED models, so customers who don't want to pay for touch will have a more affordable option.
The OLED MacBook Pro models will be unveiled tomorrow morning, with pre-orders set to begin at 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time. Apple also plans to accept pre-orders for the OLED iPad mini, the M6 iMac, and the entry-level M6 MacBook Pro.
The new M6 iMac models come in the same color options as the 2024 model, despite reports suggesting we could see new shades.
You can buy the M6 iMac in green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. Those are the seven colors that Apple used for the original 2021 iMac design. Apple tweaked the colors in 2024 to make the back of the iMac a more vibrant shade in those seven colors, but no further changes were made this year.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurmansaid back in August that "some new color options" would be available for the M6 iMac models, but unfortunately, we're stuck with the colors we've had for years.
The new iMac has the M6 chip that was previously added to the Mac mini. It also includes a faster SSD and an N1 networking chip with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Pricing starts at $1,499.
iMacs still ship with color-matched accessories and cables, so color choice matters more than with most Mac purchases.
Pre-orders for the M6 iMac start on October 28 at 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time, and it launches on Friday, November 6.
OpenAI today said it added iCloud Mail and Calendar plugins to ChatGPT.
With the iCloud Calendar integration, ChatGPT can read, schedule, and update events that show up on your iPhone's Calendar app or any third-party app that uses iCloud Calendar. The Mail integration lets ChatGPT search and read iCloud Mail, manage messages and drafts, send email, and look up iCloud contacts.
iCloud Mail uses an Apple-provided email address that ends in @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com. ChatGPT can only see your iCloud Mail, not other accounts that are in the iOS Mail app, like Gmail or Outlook. You will need to create an app-specific password for both iCloud Mail and iCloud Calendar.
iCloud plugins give ChatGPT some of the same access that Siri AI has to personal data, expanding what the chatbot can do. iCloud access can also be used for Dots, the proactive AI agent that OpenAI launched last month.
The iCloud plugins are available on all plans across the web, desktop, and iOS.
With Halloween just around the corner, Best Buy this week is detailing its sale plans for the holiday, as well as the rest of the year. This includes a special event on Friday, October 30, and the usual month-long discounts leading up to Black Friday on Friday, November 27.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Best Buy will kick off its holiday sales with "DoorBOOsters" on the day before Halloween, with additional doorbusters dropping on select tech products every week of the holiday season. My Best Buy Plus and Total members can expect to get added rewards for select doorbusters this season as well.
Afterwards, Best Buy's Black Friday sale will officially start on Thursday, November 19 and run through Saturday, November 28. Cyber Monday deals will then appear on Sunday, November 29 and run through Monday, November 30. There will also be a week of last-minute savings from December 18 through December 24.
Deals Available Now
Ahead of these events, there are also a few notable discounts happening at Best Buy this week, including great deals on TVs, Apple products, and more. This event is available to all customers and doesn't require a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership.
Apple - Save on iPad, AirTag, Apple Watch, and more
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find as we head into the holidays? You can sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today reported that Apple plans to release a second-generation MacBook Neo in the first half of 2027. He previously mentioned that the new model will feature an A19 Pro chip, 12GB of RAM, and new color options.
Released in March 2026, the current MacBook Neo has an A18 Pro chip with 8GB of RAM, and it is available in Silver, Blush, Citrus, and Indigo. In the U.S., the laptop initially started at $599, but Apple raised the price to $699 in June.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
