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Amazon today has expanded its sale on the M4 iPad Air with new all-time low prices on a handful of models. This includes both 11-inch and 13-inch models of the brand new 2026 M4 iPad Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Specifically, the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch M4 iPad Air has dropped to $519.99, down from $599.00, beating the previous low price by about $40. You'll also find new low prices on the 256GB Wi-Fi 11-inch model and 256GB Wi-Fi 13-inch model, both of which we're only tracking on Amazon. $79 OFF11-inch M4 iPad Air (128GB Wi-Fi) for $519.99 $89 OFF11-inch M4 iPad Air (256GB Wi-Fi) for $609.99 $109 OFF13-inch M4 iPad Air (256GB Wi-Fi) for $789.99 The new iPad Air features the M4 chip, C1X modem, and N1 networking chip, which brings support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. In terms of design, the 2026 models are identical to the 2025 iPad Air tablets, with an edge-to-edge display, slim bezels, and aluminum chassis. 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 in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple Deals This article, "M4 iPad Air Hits New Low Prices on Amazon, Available From $519.99" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple today introduced its 2026 Pride Collection, including a new Apple Watch band, watch face, and a matching wallpaper for the iPhone and iPad. Apple said its Pride Collection celebrates LGBTQ+ communities around the world during Pride Month in June and beyond. In addition, the company noted that it is proud to financially support organizations that serve LGBTQ+ communities. The new Pride Edition Sport Loop is available to order now on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 40mm, 42mm, and 46mm sizes, and it will be available at Apple Store locations starting later this week. In the U.S., the band costs $49. The band is woven from a rainbow of 11 colors of nylon yarns. "The intricate weaving blends one color into the next, creating depth and movement across the band," said Apple. "The resulting design is joyful and vibrant, showcasing a full spectrum of colors that reflect the unique identities that shape LGBTQ+ communities worldwide." There is also a new Pride Luminance watch face for the Apple Watch, and a matching Pride Luminance wallpaper for the iPhone and iPad. The watch face and wallpaper will be available on watchOS 26.5, iOS 26.5, and iPadOS 26.5, which are currently in beta and expected to be released to all users this month. Apple said the Pride Luminance watch face is designed in two geometric patterns: radial, featuring rays of color that align with the hour marks, and vertical, reflecting the colorful linear stripes of the new Pride Edition Sport Loop. Both the Pride Luminance watch face and wallpaper feature customizable colors.Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11Tag: PrideBuyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral) This article, "Apple Announces 2026 Pride Band, Watch Face, and iPhone Wallpaper" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

For watchOS 27, Apple is testing new Apple Watch faces, and one of them is a simpler version of an existing Apple Watch Ultra watch face that could be coming to standard Series models. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple is testing multiple new faces for watchOS 27, code-named "Orchid." One of them is said to be a "simplified take" on the Modular Ultra design. From the report:It has the same large clock as the Ultra face but removes the option for a big complication in the center, the row of three smaller complications above the time and information placed around the bezel. The result is a large clock that fills the top two-thirds of the display, with a row of three smaller complications beneath it.Gurman believes the new face is an attempt to bring the Ultra look to the standard Series watches in a way that dials down the density while still offering more at-a-glance information. In its current form, the Modular Ultra offers seven complications and six options for the size and layout of the time. With the training bezels providing Vitals and training load, it's arguably the most info-dense face there is. Separately, Gurman reported last week that watchOS 26.5 will include a new Pride Luminance watch face, with the update expected to drop this month. iOS 26.5 and watchOS 26.5 will have a new Pride Luminance wallpaper and watch face when it is released in the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/lBeDcuQFEj — Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 24, 2026 Related Roundups: Apple Watch 11, watchOS 26Tags: Bloomberg, Mark GurmanBuyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)Related Forum: Apple Watch This article, "watchOS 27 to Offer New Watch Faces, Including 'Modular Ultra' Variant" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Introduction The transition from traditional IT spending to cloud consumption has fundamentally changed how organizations manage their finances. The Certified FinOps Architect is a senior-level credential designed for those who bridge the gap between engineering, finance, and business leadership. This guide is curated for professionals navigating the complexities of cloud-native environments where cost efficiency is as critical as system performance. By focusing on the intersection of DevOps and financial accountability, this program ensures that platform engineering remains sustainable and profitable. Choosing the right path at finopsschool allows engineers to transition from technical execution to strategic cloud value management. What is the Certified FinOps Architect? The Certified FinOps Architect represents the pinnacle of cloud financial management expertise, focusing on the architectural decisions that drive long-term cost efficiency. Unlike entry-level certifications that focus on terminology, this program emphasizes production-focused strategies for building and scaling cloud infrastructure. It exists to solve the “bill shock” problem by embedding financial awareness directly into the engineering workflow and architectural design. By aligning modern engineering practices like CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code with financial guardrails, it enables enterprises to maintain agility without sacrificing their margins. Who Should Pursue Certified FinOps Architect? This certification is specifically designed for senior engineers, cloud architects, and SREs who have a direct impact on infrastructure spend. Engineering managers and technical leaders who need to justify cloud budgets to stakeholders will find immense value in the strategic frameworks provided here. In the Indian market and global tech hubs, companies are increasingly looking for professionals who can optimize multi-cloud environments across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Even data and security professionals are finding this certification relevant as they manage high-scale, resource-intensive workloads that require precise financial governance. Why Certified FinOps Architect is Valuable in Beyond In the current era of enterprise cloud adoption, the demand for professionals who understand the unit economics of the cloud is reaching an all-time high. This certification provides longevity because it focuses on principles and cultural shifts rather than just specific tool features that may change over time. It helps professionals stay relevant by teaching them how to communicate technical debt and architectural choices in the language of business value. The return on career investment is significant, as organizations prioritize candidates who can demonstrate a direct contribution to the company’s bottom line. Certified FinOps Architect Certification Overview The program is delivered via the official platform and is formally hosted on the official website. It follows a rigorous assessment approach that evaluates a candidate’s ability to apply FinOps principles to complex, real-world architectural scenarios. The ownership of the program lies with industry experts who ensure the content stays updated with the latest trends in cloud governance and automated cost optimization. Structurally, the certification moves beyond theoretical exams into practical application, ensuring that an architect can actually lead a FinOps transformation within a large enterprise. Certified FinOps Architect Certification Tracks & Levels The certification hierarchy begins with a foundation level that introduces core concepts and the lifecycle of Inform, Optimize, and Operate. The professional level deepens this knowledge by focusing on policy automation and advanced reporting for multi-cloud and containerized environments. Finally, the advanced architect level challenges candidates to design organizational-wide frameworks for cloud financial management. This progression ensures that a professional can grow their skills alongside their career responsibilities, moving from individual contributor roles to leadership positions. Complete Certified FinOps Architect Certification Table TrackLevelWho it’s forPrerequisitesSkills CoveredRecommended OrderCore FinOpsFoundationBeginners and Non-Technical StaffBasic Cloud LiteracyFinOps Principles, Lifecycle, PersonasFirstEngineeringProfessionalSREs, DevOps, Platform EngineersFoundation CertificationTagging, Automation, RightsizingSecondArchitectureAdvancedSolutions Architects, CTOs, LeadsProfessional CertificationUnit Economics, Governance, Multi-cloudThirdSpecializedExpertFinOps Practice Leads5+ Years ExperienceChange Management, Executive ReportingFinal Detailed Guide for Each Certified FinOps Architect Certification Certified FinOps Architect – Foundation What it is This certification validates a candidate’s understanding of the basic terminology and the cultural shifts required to implement FinOps. It serves as the baseline for all subsequent specialized training. Who should take it Entry-level cloud engineers, finance professionals, and procurement teams who interact with cloud billing and resource management daily. Skills you’ll gain Understanding the three phases of the FinOps lifecycle. Identifying the different personas involved in cloud financial management. Learning the basic metrics for cloud cost reporting. Real-world projects you should be able to do Create a basic cloud cost visibility dashboard. Perform a simple audit of unused cloud resources. Preparation plan 7-14 Days: Review the official glossary and attend introductory webinars. 30 Days: Complete the self-paced foundation course and practice mock exams. 60 Days: Engage in community forums to understand common implementation challenges. Common mistakes Focusing only on cost cutting rather than value realization. Ignoring the cultural aspect of cross-departmental collaboration. Best next certification after this Same-track option: Certified FinOps Professional Cross-track option: Cloud Practitioner (AWS/Azure/GCP) Leadership option: FinOps Certified Professional Certified FinOps Architect – Professional What it is This certification validates the ability to implement technical solutions for cost optimization and automated governance. It focuses on the “how” of engineering financial accountability. Who should take it Cloud engineers and DevOps practitioners who are responsible for infrastructure deployment and resource scaling. Skills you’ll gain Developing automated scripts for resource rightsizing. Implementing advanced tagging and labeling strategies. Managing costs in Kubernetes and containerized environments. Real-world projects you should be able to do Build an automated “stop-start” schedule for non-production environments. Implement a showback/chargeback system for different engineering teams. Preparation plan 7-14 Days: Focus on technical documentation for cloud pricing APIs. 30 Days: Set up a sandbox environment to test cost-optimization scripts. 60 Days: Deep dive into case studies involving large-scale cloud migrations. Common mistakes Over-automating without setting proper safety guardrails. Failing to account for the performance impact of rightsizing. Best next certification after this Same-track option: Certified FinOps Architect Cross-track option: SRE Professional Leadership option: IT Financial Management Professional Certified FinOps Architect – Advanced Architect What it is This is the highest level of certification, focusing on the strategic design of a cloud financial management office. It validates leadership in architectural governance. Who should take it Principal architects, lead engineers, and technology executives who define the cloud strategy for their entire organization. Skills you’ll gain Designing a multi-cloud financial governance framework. Calculating unit economics for complex microservices architectures. Leading organizational change management for FinOps adoption. Real-world projects you should be able to do Create a 3-year cloud financial roadmap for an enterprise. Design a centralized governance policy that balances speed and cost. Preparation plan 7-14 Days: Study executive-level reporting and business financial metrics. 30 Days: Review complex architectural patterns for cost-efficient cloud designs. 60 Days: Conduct a mock organizational audit and gap analysis. Common mistakes Getting lost in technical details while ignoring business objectives. Failing to secure executive buy-in for FinOps initiatives. Best next certification after this Same-track option: Master FinOps Practitioner Cross-track option: CTO/Engineering Leadership Certification Leadership option: MBA or Business Strategy certificates Choose Your Learning Path DevOps Path The DevOps path focuses on integrating financial feedback loops directly into the CI/CD pipeline. Professionals here learn to treat cost as a first-class metric alongside performance and reliability. By mastering FinOps, DevOps engineers can ensure that every code deployment is evaluated for its financial impact before it hits production. This path leads to a more mature “You Build It, You Run It, You Pay For It” culture. DevSecOps Path The DevSecOps path emphasizes the intersection of security, compliance, and cost management. Security tools and logging can often become significant cost drivers, and this path teaches how to optimize those resources. Professionals learn to balance the cost of data retention with regulatory requirements and security posture. It ensures that being secure does not mean being financially inefficient or over-provisioned. SRE Path The SRE path focuses on the relationship between reliability, error budgets, and cloud spending. Site Reliability Engineers use FinOps to determine the point of diminishing returns when investing in high availability. This path teaches how to manage the trade-offs between system uptime and the cost of redundancy. SREs gain the skills to justify infrastructure investments based on service level objectives and financial data. AIOps Path The AIOps path explores how machine learning can be used to predict cloud spending and automate anomalies detection. Professionals in this track learn to use AI-driven tools to identify patterns in resource usage that humans might miss. This path is essential for organizations dealing with massive scales where manual intervention is impossible. It bridges the gap between proactive maintenance and predictive financial modeling. MLOps Path The MLOps path specifically addresses the high costs associated with training and deploying machine learning models. Professionals learn to optimize GPU usage and manage the expensive storage requirements of large datasets. This track ensures that data science projects remain economically viable from research to production. It focuses on the specific unit economics of compute-heavy artificial intelligence workloads. DataOps Path The DataOps path concentrates on the financial management of data pipelines, warehouses, and analytical platforms. Data engineers learn how to optimize query performance to reduce costs in platforms like Snowflake or BigQuery. This path teaches how to manage data lifecycle policies to ensure that storage costs do not grow exponentially. It is vital for organizations that treat data as a core product and need to manage its overhead. FinOps Path The dedicated FinOps path is for those moving into specialized Cloud Financial Management roles. This path covers the full spectrum of the discipline, from technical implementation to procurement and executive reporting. It is ideal for individuals who want to lead a FinOps Center of Excellence. This track provides a comprehensive view of how to drive cloud value across the entire enterprise ecosystem. Role → Recommended Certified FinOps Architect Certifications RoleRecommended CertificationsDevOps EngineerFinOps Foundation, FinOps ProfessionalSREFinOps Professional, FinOps ArchitectPlatform EngineerFinOps Foundation, FinOps ProfessionalCloud EngineerFinOps Foundation, FinOps ProfessionalSecurity EngineerFinOps Foundation, DevSecOps SpecialistData EngineerFinOps Foundation, DataOps SpecialistFinOps PractitionerFinOps Foundation, Professional, and ArchitectEngineering ManagerFinOps Foundation, FinOps Architect Next Certifications to Take After Certified FinOps Architect Same Track Progression For those looking to go even deeper into the financial domain, pursuing specialized courses in cloud procurement and vendor management is the logical next step. Deep specialization allows a professional to become a subject matter expert in niche areas like Reserved Instance (RI) and Savings Plan (SP) portfolio management. This path is suitable for those who want to be the primary authority on cloud economics within their organization. Cross-Track Expansion Expanding into SRE or Platform Engineering certifications helps a FinOps professional understand the technical constraints that lead to certain cost profiles. By broadening your skills, you can better empathize with engineering teams and provide more practical optimization advice. This cross-pollination of skills makes you a more versatile leader who can bridge the gap between finance and engineering effectively. Leadership & Management Track Transitioning into leadership requires a shift from technical execution to organizational strategy and people management. Certifications in ITIL, PMP, or general engineering leadership complement the Certified FinOps Architect by providing the soft skills needed for large-scale transformation. This track is designed for those aiming for roles like Director of Infrastructure, VP of Cloud, or Chief Technology Officer. Training & Certification Support Providers for Certified FinOps Architect DevOpsSchool DevOpsSchool provides a robust ecosystem for professionals looking to master the intricacies of cloud financial management through hands-on labs and instructor-led training. Their curriculum is designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, ensuring that students can handle real-world infrastructure challenges. With a focus on the latest industry trends, they offer comprehensive support for various cloud platforms and automation tools. The platform is well-regarded for its community-driven approach and its commitment to helping engineers advance their careers through continuous learning and expert mentorship. Cotocus Cotocus stands out as a specialized provider that focuses on high-end technical training for modern engineering roles. They offer deep dives into FinOps and SRE practices, providing participants with the tools needed to optimize complex cloud environments effectively. Their training modules are crafted by industry veterans who bring years of experience into the classroom setting. By emphasizing a results-oriented learning path, Cotocus ensures that their graduates are ready to contribute to enterprise-level projects immediately. Their focus on emerging technologies makes them a preferred choice for professionals looking to stay ahead of the curve. Scmgalaxy Scmgalaxy is a well-established platform that serves as a central hub for configuration management and DevOps resources. They offer a wide range of training programs that include specialized tracks for cloud financial management and governance. The platform is known for its extensive library of tutorials, webinars, and practical guides that support self-paced learning. Scmgalaxy emphasizes the importance of community interaction, allowing learners to connect with experts and peers from around the world. Their certifications are designed to validate a professional’s ability to manage software delivery pipelines with a focus on efficiency and cost-effectiveness. BestDevOps BestDevOps focuses on providing streamlined and efficient training paths for busy professionals who need to acquire new skills quickly. Their courses are structured to deliver maximum value in a concise format, focusing on the most critical aspects of cloud operations and FinOps. They provide a balance of video content, practical assignments, and assessment tools to ensure a well-rounded learning experience. The platform is particularly popular among those looking for certification preparation that is both rigorous and accessible. BestDevOps prides itself on its high success rate and its ability to help engineers transition into more senior roles. devsecopsschool.com This provider specializes in the intersection of security and operations, offering a unique perspective on how FinOps integrates with a secure development lifecycle. Their training programs emphasize the financial impact of security decisions and provide strategies for building cost-efficient, secure infrastructure. With a global reach, they cater to a diverse audience of engineers and security professionals. The curriculum is updated regularly to reflect the evolving landscape of cloud security and compliance. Students benefit from expert guidance and a wealth of practical resources that help them implement DevSecOps principles in a financially responsible manner. sreschool.com Sreschool.com is dedicated to the discipline of Site Reliability Engineering and its fundamental connection to cloud financial management. Their courses teach engineers how to manage reliability and cost as twin objectives, using data-driven approaches to optimize system performance. The platform offers a variety of learning formats, including interactive workshops and detailed case studies. By focusing on the practical challenges faced by SREs in large-scale environments, they prepare their students for leadership roles in platform engineering. Their commitment to excellence has made them a trusted partner for organizations looking to upskill their engineering teams. aiopsschool.com Aiopsschool.com provides cutting-edge training on the application of artificial intelligence to IT operations and financial management. Their programs explore how machine learning can be leveraged to automate cost optimization and detect spending anomalies in real-time. This specialized focus is ideal for professionals working in high-scale environments where traditional management methods are no longer sufficient. The curriculum covers a range of AI and ML tools, providing students with the technical skills needed to build intelligent infrastructure. Aiopsschool.com is at the forefront of the industry, helping engineers navigate the future of automated cloud governance. dataopsschool.com This provider focuses on the specific challenges of managing data pipelines and analytical platforms with a FinOps mindset. Their training programs are designed for data engineers and architects who need to optimize the cost and performance of their data infrastructure. The curriculum covers everything from data lifecycle management to the financial governance of cloud-native data warehouses. By providing practical tools and frameworks, they help professionals ensure that their data initiatives are both scalable and economically sustainable. Dataopsschool.com is a vital resource for any organization that relies on data-driven decision-making. finopsschool.com As the primary host for the Certified FinOps Architect program, finopsschool.com offers a specialized and authoritative learning environment. Their focus is entirely on the discipline of cloud financial management, providing a comprehensive range of certifications for all experience levels. The platform is backed by a network of experts who define the standards for FinOps across the industry. With a focus on real-world application and architectural governance, they provide the most direct path to becoming a certified expert in the field. Finopsschool.com is the go-to destination for anyone serious about a career in FinOps. Frequently Asked Questions (General) What is the typical difficulty level of the Architect certification? The Architect certification is considered advanced and requires a deep understanding of both technical infrastructure and business finance. How long does it take to prepare for the exam? Most professionals spend between 30 to 60 days preparing, depending on their existing experience with cloud billing and architecture. Are there any mandatory prerequisites? While not always strictly enforced, having a Foundation or Professional level certification is highly recommended before attempting the Architect level. What is the career ROI for this certification? Professionals often see increased salary potential and opportunities for leadership roles as organizations prioritize cloud cost efficiency. Is the exam proctored or open-book?The assessment approach typically involves a proctored environment to ensure the integrity and value of the credential. Does this certification cover multiple cloud providers? Yes, the principles taught are cloud-agnostic and applicable to AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and even hybrid environments. How often do I need to recertify? Certifications generally require renewal every two to three years to ensure you are up to date with the latest industry practices. Can a non-technical manager pass this exam? It is possible, but the Architect level requires a significant amount of technical knowledge regarding cloud infrastructure and automation. What resources are provided for exam preparation? Candidates usually receive access to official study guides, practice exams, and community forums. Is there a focus on containerization and Kubernetes? Yes, modern FinOps practices heavily emphasize managing costs within dynamic containerized environments. How does this differ from a standard Cloud Architect certification? A standard architect certification focuses on performance and availability, while the FinOps Architect adds a critical layer of financial accountability. Is this certification recognized globally? Yes, it is a standard credential recognized by major enterprises and consulting firms worldwide. FAQs on Certified FinOps Architect What specific architectural patterns are covered? The program focuses on patterns like multi-cloud governance, serverless cost optimization, and tiered storage strategies. Does it include hands-on lab work? Yes, practical labs are often included to simulate real-world cost optimization scenarios in a safe environment. How does it address unit economics? It teaches how to map cloud costs to business metrics, such as cost per transaction or cost per customer. Is there a focus on automated governance? Yes, learning to implement policy-as-code to prevent cost overruns is a core component of the program. Does the curriculum include change management? The Architect level places a strong emphasis on the cultural shifts needed to drive FinOps adoption across an organization. What role does tagging play in the curriculum? Advanced tagging and resource allocation strategies are treated as the foundation for all financial reporting and accountability. How are multi-cloud environments managed? The program provides frameworks for normalizing cost data across different providers to create a unified financial view. Are real-world case studies used in the training? Yes, candidates analyze successful (and unsuccessful) FinOps implementations at large-scale enterprises. Final Thoughts: Is Certified FinOps Architect Worth It? The transition to cloud-native operations is no longer just about speed; it is about sustainability. The Certified FinOps Architect is one of the few credentials that directly addresses the economic reality of modern engineering. If you are an engineer looking to move into a high-impact leadership role, or a manager trying to bring order to your cloud spend, this certification is a highly practical investment. It moves you away from “guessing” about costs toward a disciplined, data-driven approach to architectural value. In a competitive market, being the person who can balance high-performance engineering with financial health makes you indispensable. This is not about saving money; it is about making sure every dollar spent on the cloud is driving maximum business value. View the full article

Apple's new AirPods Max 2 launched last month, and Amazon is still one of the only retailers offering a discount on the headphones. You can get the Midnight, Purple, and Starlight color options for $509.99 on Amazon, down from $549.00. 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. This represents a new all-time low price on the brand new AirPods Max 2 headphones. Free delivery has the AirPods Max 2 arriving around May 4-5, which is a guaranteed delivery date in time for Mother's Day if you're shopping for that holiday. $39 OFFAirPods Max 2 for $509.99 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 in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple Deals This article, "AirPods Max 2 Drop to New Low Price of $509.99 on Amazon" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple is expected to unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, and there are already many rumored features and changes for iPhones. The first developer beta of iOS 27 will likely be available immediately following the keynote, and a public beta typically follows in July. Following beta testing, the software update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Below, we outline some of the new features that are rumored to be coming with iOS 27, as reported by sources such as Bloomberg and The Information. Siri App Apple reportedly plans to debut an all-new, dedicated Siri app with a so-called "Extensions" feature across iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. With the Siri app, iPhone, iPad, and Mac users will reportedly be able to interact with Apple's assistant in both text and voice modes. The app will also provide users with access to their past conversations with Siri. Overall, the Siri app would function similarly to chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. It has been rumored that iOS 27 will include a new Siri interface in the Dynamic Island. When you trigger Siri, the Dynamic Island will reportedly show a "Search or Ask" prompt, and this will apparently be accompanied by a "glowing cursor" that looks similar to how the "26" is highlighted in the WWDC 2026 graphic. iOS 27 should also include Apple's delayed personalized Siri features from 2024. For example, Apple showed a user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation based on info retrieved from the Mail and Messages apps. "We look forward to bringing a more personalized Siri to users coming this year," said Apple's CEO Tim Cook, on an earnings call this week. New Satellite Features iOS 27 will reportedly support 5G satellite internet connectivity, although this functionality might be limited to the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Ultra models with Apple's next-generation C2 modem. Four additional satellite features have been rumored:Apple Maps via satellite Photos support for Messages via satellite Third-party apps in the App Store will be able to integrate Apple's satellite features The ability to connect an iPhone to a satellite without pointing the device toward the skyAmazon last month announced plans to acquire Globalstar, the satellite company that powers Apple's satellite features on the iPhone 14 and newer and the Apple Watch Ultra 3. In turn, Amazon announced that it has signed an agreement with Apple to provide satellite connectivity for current and future iPhone and Apple Watch features. Apple's current satellite features:Emergency SOS via satellite Find My via satellite Roadside Assistance via satellite Messages via satellite All of the features are currently free to use in supported areas without Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity. Availability varies by country. "Mac OS X Snow Leopard" Approach to Bug Fixes iOS 27 may be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is apparently focused on improving "quality and underlying performance." Apple is expected to focus on bug fixes, improved stability, and Liquid Glass design enhancements. More Rumored Features Apple has reportedly tested an updated iPhone keyboard with enhanced autocorrect. The features should debut on iOS 27 if Apple moves forward with it. Similar to Grammarly, the keyboard "expands autocorrect by offering alternative words." iOS 27 is not expected to include any major Liquid Glass design changes, but the update may add a system-wide Liquid Glass slider for precisely adjusting the opacity of the interface. A similar slider already exists for the Lock Screen's clock. The update may include four new Apple Intelligence features for the iPhone 15 Pro and newer, based on code on Apple's servers discovered by Nicolás Alvarez:Visual Intelligence will let you scan nutrition labels on food packaging, for tracking calories and macronutrients in the Health app. Visual Intelligence will let you scan phone numbers and addresses printed on paper or a business card and add them to the Contacts app. In the Wallet app, you will likely be able to scan physical event tickets, gym membership cards, and so forth and generate digital versions. In the Safari app, you will be able to automatically name Tab Groups for users based on the contents of the tabs within the group.A subsequent report provided more details about the new Visual Intelligence features. iOS 27 may also have three new Apple Intelligence photo editing tools in the Photos app. Apple reportedly plans to add "Undo" and "Redo" options to the iPhone's Home Screen customization menu on iOS 27.Compatible iPhone Models iOS 27 will be compatible with the iPhone 12 series and newer, according to Instant Digital, a known Apple leaker on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. If this rumor is accurate, iOS 27 will drop support for the following iPhone models:iPhone 11 iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max iPhone SE (2nd generation)However, these devices will continue to receive iOS 26 security updates for at least a few years. iOS 27 will be compatible with the following iPhone models, according to the leaker:iPhone 17e iPhone 17 iPhone 17 Pro iPhone 17 Pro Max iPhone Air iPhone 16e iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhone 14 Plus iPhone 14 Pro iPhone 14 Pro Max iPhone 13 iPhone 13 mini iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro Max iPhone 12 iPhone 12 mini iPhone 12 Pro iPhone 12 Pro Max iPhone SE (3rd generation)Any new Apple Intelligence features introduced in iOS 27 will require an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. Instant Digital has accurately leaked Apple information before, such as the yellow color for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2's Titanium Milanese Loop. However, the account does not have a perfect track record.Related Roundup: iOS 27 This article, "iOS 27 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Amazon is offering a few all-time low prices on Apple's M5 Pro/M5 Max MacBook Pro, with up to $216 off select models. These deals join Amazon's discounts on the M5 MacBook Air from last week, which are seeing $150 in savings on multiple models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Starting with the 14-inch models, you can get the 24GB/1TB M5 Pro MacBook Pro for $1,983.94, down from $2,199.00. This deal, along with all of the others we're tracking in this article, represent best-ever prices on the new M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro. $216 OFF14-inch M5 Pro MacBook Pro (24GB/1TB) for $1,983.94 $205 OFF14-inch M5 Pro MacBook Pro (24GB/2TB) for $2,394.50 $150 OFF14-inch M5 Max MacBook Pro (36GB/2TB) for $3,449.00 You can get up to $200 off the 16-inch MacBook Pro right now on Amazon, with the 24GB RAM/1TB M5 Pro model hitting a new all-time low price of $2,549.00, down from $2,699.00. Most of the MacBook Pro devices in this sale have an estimated delivery date of May 7 with free shipping. $150 OFF16-inch M5 Pro MacBook Pro (24GB/1TB) for $2,549.00 $200 OFF16-inch M5 Pro MacBook Pro (48GB/1TB) for $2,899.00 $200 OFF16-inch M5 Max MacBook Pro (36GB/2TB) for $3,699.00 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 in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple Deals This article, "Apple's 2026 MacBook Pro Hits New Record Low Prices on Amazon" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple refreshed the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max models in March 2026, but depending on your needs and interests, you might want to skip this generation because there's something better in the works. The M5 Pro and M5 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ models have faster chips, but the same design that Apple has used since 2021. An updated design with new display technology and faster performance is coming in late 2026 or early 2027. OLED Touchscreen Display The next ‌MacBook Pro‌ that comes out will be the first with an OLED display, according to rumors. iPhones have used OLED for years, and Apple launched a larger-screened OLED device with the M4 iPad Pro in 2024. OLED has benefits over the mini-LED display in current ‌MacBook Pro‌ models. Pixels can be lit individually for deeper blacks, brighter colors, and no bloom from surrounding pixels. There can be power savings when compared to mini-LED displays, response times are quicker, and viewing angles are better. OLED brightness can be an issue compared to LEDs, but as OLED technology has improved, so has brightness. The combination of true black and vivid color is ideal for HDR content. Along with OLED, the next ‌MacBook Pro‌ is expected to have touchscreen capabilities. Apple said repeatedly that the Mac wouldn't get a touchscreen, but Apple's position has shifted. Multiple rumors suggest that touch capabilities are coming, making the Mac more like an iPad. Touch-based controls will be available alongside traditional mouse and keyboard input options. Design Update Some rumors suggest the OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌ will be thinner, and since Apple hasn't updated the ‌MacBook Pro‌ design since 2021 and this is a major technology shift, some kind of design refresh is likely. Sizes will stay the same, and Apple isn't removing the keyboard or trackpad. Instead of a notch, the OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌ is expected to have a Dynamic Island that takes up less screen space. The Dynamic Island will be interactive, and it will contextually expand based on the app or Mac feature in use. 2nm Chip The OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌ models will be the first to use Apple's 2-nanometer chip technology that's supposed to be coming in the M6-series chips. The change in node size is expected to bring faster speeds with reduced power consumption and higher transistor density. Performance per watt will improve, and the 2nm chips will use GAA nanosheet transistors instead of FinFET. TSMC says the new transistor technology will bring improved performance and lower power consumption. Cellular Connectivity There have been rumors that 5G could come to Macs, and if that's Apple's plan, it would make a lot of sense to offer it in the OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌. Ultra Branding OLED touch displays will be limited to the highest-end 14-inch and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models because of the cost, and Apple might even use new "Ultra" branding. It's possible the OLED M6 model will be sold alongside the existing M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max models rather than replacing them, and if that's the case, we're likely looking at a serious price increase. Apple could also refresh the entire line with M6 chip variants, reserving the OLED display for the most expensive models. If you don't care about OLED display technology or a touchscreen and want something lower-cost, you're probably not going to want to hold off on purchasing. First-Generation Tech Some of Apple's first-generation Macs can have more problems than expected, which was the case with the 2016 transition to the butterfly keyboard. If you don't want to get AppleCare+ and are concerned about first-generation problems, the M5 Pro and M5 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ models are a safer bet. Launch Date The OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌ could come as soon as late 2026, but it's looking more like Apple will hold it until early 2027. Apple is facing chip shortages that will require it to hold the ‌MacBook Pro‌ for longer to build up stock.Related Roundup: MacBook ProBuyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)Related Forum: MacBook Pro This article, "Why You Might Want to Wait to Buy a MacBook Pro" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple is facing over 30 lawsuits from people who claim to have been stalked using Apple AirTags. The filings come after an AirTag lawsuit from 2022 (Hughes v. Apple) failed to get class certification. In each filing, Apple is accused of releasing the ‌AirTag‌ while being aware that it could be "purchased and used by abusive, dangerous individuals, to track, coerce, control, and otherwise endanger and abuse innocent victims." Further, the lawsuits say that Apple knew adequate safeguards were not in place when the ‌AirTag‌ launched in 2021, and Apple is aware that "AirTags remain a profound risk" to people like the plaintiffs. Apple reportedly received more than 40,000 stalking reports between April 2021 and April 2024, and Apple internal documents sourced from the original lawsuit show the company knew its safeguards would only "deter as opposed to prevent malicious use." The company also acknowledged that it "should have consulted domestic abuse organizations on the unwanted tracking policy before shipping." Multiple news reports of AirTags being used for stalking are referenced, including cases that ended in murder. The lawsuits claim that AirTags "revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking." While there are other tracking options on the market, the ‌AirTag‌ uses the Find My network that leverages any nearby device to relay the ‌AirTag‌'s location back to its owner. Apple has put multiple anti-stalking measures in place, including cross-platform notifications that let potential stalking victims know that an unknown ‌AirTag‌ is following them, but the plaintiffs don't feel that Apple's protections are adequate. The lawsuit cites the 4-to-8-hour delay before a notification is received, and notes that originally, AirTags didn't send a notification to potential stalking victims until 72 hours had passed. One of the ways an ‌AirTag‌ alerts users to its presence is by playing a sound, but the speaker can be removed. Sellers on sites like eBay even offer modified silent AirTags. Each lawsuit includes the personal story of the plaintiff involved and all of whom claim to have been stalked using an ‌AirTag‌. Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney's fees, and an order preventing Apple from engaging in the unlawful business practices alleged in the filings. The judge overseeing the 2022 ‌AirTag‌ lawsuit denied class certification because of the difference in state laws and the individual nature of each stalking incident. The plaintiffs were advised to file individual lawsuits within 28 days of the class certification denial.Related Roundup: AirTagTag: Apple LawsuitsBuyer's Guide: AirTag (Buy Now) This article, "Apple Faces Dozens of Lawsuits Over AirTag Stalking After Class Action Denied" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple will unveil its latest software platforms during its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, June 8, and one of them will be macOS 27 for the Mac. The first developer beta of macOS 27 will likely be available immediately following the keynote, and a public beta typically follows in July. Following beta testing, the software update should be released to all users in September. macOS 26 is known as macOS Tahoe, but the name of macOS 27 has yet to leak. Below, we recap what to expect from macOS 27. Siri Upgrades macOS 27 will reportedly include a dedicated Siri app with conversation history. This would make Siri more like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. macOS 27 should also include the personalized Siri features that Apple previewed all the way back at WWDC 2024. For example, Apple showed a user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation based on info retrieved from the Mail and Messages apps. This functionality was previewed on an iPhone, but it will extend to the iPad and Mac. "We look forward to bringing a more personalized Siri to users coming this year," said Apple's CEO Tim Cook, on an earnings call this week. More Apple Intelligence Features Earlier this year, Apple and Google announced that Google Gemini will help power future Apple Intelligence features, and that will extend beyond the more personalized version of Siri. However, exactly which features arrive remains to be seen. Touch Interface Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple is preparing a touch-optimized version of macOS for the rumored MacBook Pro or "MacBook Ultra" with a touchscreen. For example, if a user touches a button or control on the screen, the report said a relevant set of commands will instantly appear in a menu surrounding their finger. And if a user taps on an item in the menu bar at the top of the screen, the report said the controls will enlarge so they are easier to select with a finger. Gurman expects a MacBook Pro or MacBook Ultra with a touchscreen to be released by early 2027, so these touch optimizations will presumably arrive in macOS 27. However, the changes might be hidden until the laptop launches. Improved Stability macOS 27 will reportedly be similar to 2009's Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is apparently very focused on improving "quality and underlying performance." Apple is expected to implement many bug fixes and stability improvements, and there may also be some much-needed Liquid Glass design enhancements. No Intel Macs Last year, Apple announced that macOS Tahoe would be the final major macOS release for Intel-based Macs, meaning that macOS 27 will be compatible with Apple silicon Macs with the M1 chip and newer only. However, Apple will likely continue to release security fixes for some Intel-based Macs for at least a few more years. No AirPort Time Capsule Support Starting with macOS 27, Macs will not support the AirPort Time Capsule or any other storage drives that use the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP), according to a warning shown by Apple on macOS Tahoe. Time Capsule backups will require a storage drive that supports more current file-sharing protocols like SMBv2 and SMBv3.Related Roundup: macOS 27 This article, "Apple to Unveil macOS 27 Next Month With These New Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple this week stopped offering a 256GB storage option for the Mac mini worldwide. As a result, the desktop computer now has a higher starting price. In the U.S., for example, the Mac mini now starts at $799 with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, whereas it previously started at $599 with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. Mac mini models with the M4 Pro chip already had a minimum of 512GB of storage, so there are no pricing changes for those configurations. The base Mac mini with 256GB of storage had already been unavailable to order since last week, but it has now been removed from Apple's configurator entirely. We have reached out to Apple for comment and will update this story if we hear back. On an earnings call this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that Mac mini and Mac Studio supply is constrained, and he said it may take "several months" for Apple to achieve supply-demand balance. He said both of these Macs are "amazing platforms for AI and agentic tools," resulting in higher-than-expected demand. In March, Apple stopped offering the Mac Studio with 512GB of RAM. These changes to Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations are occurring amid a global memory chip shortage, driven by companies building out AI server facilities. Cook said Apple is expecting "significantly higher memory costs" in the current quarter, and tight availability of RAM is likely forcing Apple to make tough business decisions. Thanks, Spencer!Related Roundup: Mac miniBuyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Caution)Related Forum: Mac mini This article, "Apple Stops Offering Mac Mini With 256GB of Storage, Starting Price Rises to $799" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

It was another jam-packed week of Apple news this week, with fresh rumors on the touchscreen "MacBook Ultra" and the foldable "iPhone Ultra," as well as Apple's 20th-anniversary iPhone coming next year. This week also saw more word that Apple is shifting focus away from the Vision Pro, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! Top Stories Apple to Launch 'MacBook Ultra' With These Six New Features While the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro were just updated with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips last month, bigger changes are reportedly around the corner. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the higher-end MacBook Pro models will be receiving a major redesign by early 2027, and he said that Apple might use "MacBook Ultra" branding for them. If so, the MacBook Ultra would likely be a higher-priced model at the top of the MacBook lineup, sitting above the MacBook Pro entirely. Up to six new features have been rumored so far, including an OLED display, touch capabilities, a Dynamic Island, M6 Pro and M6 Max chips manufactured with TSMC's advanced 2nm process, a thinner design, and built-in cellular connectivity. Apple Has Given Up on the Vision Pro After M5 Refresh Flop Apple has all but given up on the Vision Pro after the M5 model failed to revitalize interest in the device, MacRumors has learned. Apple updated the Vision Pro with a faster M5 chip and a more comfortable band in October 2025, but there were no other hardware changes, and consumers still weren't interested. Apple has apparently stopped work on the Vision Pro and the Vision Pro team has been redistributed to other teams within Apple. Some former Vision Pro team members are working on Siri, which is not a surprise as Vision Pro chief Mike Rockwell has been leading the Siri team since March 2025. Foldable 'iPhone Ultra' Could Be Missing These 5 Key Features Despite $2,000 Price Tag Apple's first foldable iPhone, dubbed the "iPhone Ultra," could be missing at least five key features present on the iPhone 18 Pro models despite its $2,000 price point. Image via Vadim Yuryev Recent images of dummy models shared by Sonny Dickson and Vadim Yuryev seem to reveal two previously undiscussed missing features of the ‌iPhone Ultra‌: MagSafe and the Action Button. That's in addition to several other features like Face ID and a Telephoto camera lens that have already been rumored for some time to be lacking on the foldable iPhone. Apple Introduces App Store Monthly Subscriptions With 12-Month Commitment Apple this week announced the launch of a new subscription option for App Store developers: monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment. The new option allows developers to offer subscribers discounted pricing typically associated with an annual subscription but paid on a monthly basis to keep payments more affordable. This new payment option allows you to offer subscribers more affordable options. People can cancel their subscription at any time, which will prevent the subscription from renewing after they've completed their agreed-to payments to fulfill their commitment. Notably, the new subscription type will be worldwide except for the United States and Singapore, at least for now. 20th Anniversary iPhone to Feature Custom 'Micro-Curved' OLED Panel For its 20th-anniversary iPhone, Apple is tapping Samsung to produce a custom micro-curved OLED display that is brighter and thinner than existing panels, according to new supply chain information out of China. Apple is reportedly considering a radical redesign for the 20th-anniversary iPhone that could feature a completely bezel-less display that curves around all four edges of the device. To that end, Apple is said to be seeking from Samsung an equal-depth quad-curved panel design that uses "micro-curves" to keep the curve very shallow, as opposed to the aggressively curved "waterfall" edges of some existing Samsung panels. Apple Shares 'Ted Lasso' Season Four Streaming Date and Teaser Trailer Apple this week announced that its hit comedy-drama series "Ted Lasso" is returning for a fourth season with a first episode on Wednesday, August 5. One new episode will follow every Wednesday thereafter through October 7. "Ted Lasso" is one of the most popular shows ever released on the Apple TV streaming service. The eponymous character Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, starts off as a small-time football coach from Kansas who is hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer. MacRumors Newsletter Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view. So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!Tag: Top Stories This article, "Top Stories: MacBook Ultra, Vision Pro, and iPhone Ultra Rumors" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Astropad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Mac mini to use with Astropad's new Workbench app. For those unfamiliar with Astropad, it is the company behind Astropad Studio and Luna Display. Astropad Studio lets you use an iPad as a drawing tablet connected to a Mac and Luna Display turns an ‌iPad‌ into a secondary display for a Mac, so Workbench is a natural evolution of Astropad's existing products. The ‌Mac mini‌ has become the must-have platform for local agentic AI, and Astropad Workbench is the perfect companion app. Workbench is a remote desktop app for the Mac, and Astropad built it for use with AI. Workbench uses the LIQUID engine that Astropad designed for Luna Display and Astropad Studio. Using Workbench, you can control your AI agents remotely on an iPhone, making it ideal for people who have set up a ‌Mac mini‌ as a personal server for OpenClaw and other agentic AI platforms. Workbench can be used to check logs and verify agent work, restart failed tasks, or reconnect to long-running jobs. Workbench is more full-featured than options like Remote Control for Claude Code, because Anthropic's tool only provides terminal access, while Workbench offers access to your full desktop. Workbench lets you monitor your AI agents from anywhere with no need to be tied to a desk. Astropad has native apps for Mac, iPhone, and ‌iPad‌, so you can interface with your Mac desktop from an iPhone or ‌iPad‌ no matter where you are. There are even tools for quickly switching between multiple Macs connected to a Workbench account. The app supports high-fidelity streaming with a unified virtual display for multiple monitors, low latency, voice dictation, and multiple control options, including gestures, keyboard input, mouse, and Apple Pencil. For large desktops, there's a mini-map that helps with navigation. Setup is simple thanks to a global relay network across 11 regions, with no network configuration required. End-to-end encryption protects your data, and no display recordings are captured and saved. Workbench requires macOS 15 or later, iPadOS 26 or later, and iOS 26 or later. It will work best on Apple silicon Macs, with limited support on Intel Macs. Workbench is free to use for 20 minutes each day, with an unlimited paid plan available for $10 per month or $50 per year. Astropad is giving away a 16GB ‌Mac mini‌ with a 512GB SSD. To enter to win, use the widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner(s) and send the prize(s). You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, following us on Threads, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page. Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected. Astropad Workbench Giveaway The contest will run from today (May 1) at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time on May 8. The winner will be chosen randomly on or shortly after May 8 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.Related Roundup: Mac miniTags: Astropad, GiveawayBuyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Caution)Related Forum: Mac mini This article, "MacRumors Giveaway: Win a Mac Mini to Run AI Agents With Astropad's 'Workbench' App" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

You'll find great deals on Apple's M5 MacBook Air, Apple Watch Series 11, and a few AirPods models this week. The highlight is the 46mm cellular Apple Watch Series 11 at the new all-time low price of $399.00, a $130 discount that can be found on Amazon. 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. M5 MacBook Air What's the deal? Take $149 off M5 MacBook Air Where can I get it? Amazon Where can I find the original deal? Right here $149 OFF13-inch M5 MacBook Air (512GB) for $949.99 $149 OFF15-inch M5 MacBook Air (512GB) for $1,149.99 Amazon has a few record low prices on the new M5 MacBook Air this week, with $149 off select models of the brand new notebook. You can get the 512GB 13-inch M5 MacBook Air for $949.99, down from $1,099.00, available in all colors. Apple Watch Series 11 What's the deal? Take up to $130 off Apple Watch Series 11 Where can I get it? Amazon Where can I find the original deal? Right here $100 OFFApple Watch Series 11 (42mm GPS) for $299.00 $100 OFFApple Watch Series 11 (46mm GPS) for $329.00 $100 OFFApple Watch Series 11 (42mm Cell) for $399.00 $130 OFFApple Watch Series 11 (46mm Cell) for $399.00 Amazon this week has all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with up to $130 off numerous models of the smartwatch. This sale includes nearly every aluminum model of the Series 11 on sale at a record low price, plus new steep markdowns on cellular models. AirPods What's the deal? Take $49 off AirPods Pro 3 Where can I get it? Amazon Where can I find the original deal? Right here $49 OFFAirPods Pro 3 for $199.99 $29 OFFAirPods 4 for $99.99 Amazon this week has the AirPods Pro 3 available for $199.99, down from $249.00. This is a match of the all-time low price on the AirPods Pro 3, and it's accompanied by a solid deal on the AirPods 4. 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 in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple Deals This article, "Best Apple Deals of the Week: Rare $130 Discounts on Apple Watch Series 11, Plus AirPods and MacBook Sales" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we answer your listener questions about the future of Apple's product lineup, the software and services shaping the ecosystem, and our own personal histories with the company and its devices. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Some questions center on the iPhone Air and its future direction, including whether Apple might adopt silicon-carbon battery technology for a second-generation model, or prioritize adding a second camera lens instead. There is also interest in how ‌iPhone Air‌ might evolve with features like a vibrating surface speaker. The foldable iPhone generates a lot of discussion, with questions touching on whether listeners would choose it over an ‌iPhone Air‌, whether it could replace both an iPhone and iPad mini, and whether its arrival signals the end of the dedicated compact tablet. Broader hardware questions include when the 11th-generation iPad will be updated, when Apple plans to complete the OLED with ProMotion rollout across its entire laptop lineup, whether the MacBook Neo risks cannibalizing ‌iPad‌ sales, and what the future holds for Apple Vision Pro given its underwhelming reception. On the software side, questions cover what visionOS might look like several years down the line, Photomator's future and whether Apple intends to develop it into a proper Lightroom alternative, and whether Apple is falling behind competitors like Alexa on basic smart home automation, pointing out that HomePod still relies on Shortcuts for many routines that Alexa handles natively. The general tech questions are the most varied, asking which Apple device would cause the biggest bottleneck if swapped for an entry-level version, whether we would attempt an Apple Watch-only week without an iPhone, and what device combinations we actually rely on day to day. There is also curiosity about Nothing as a brand and whether it is worth taking seriously, as well as concerns about the escalating cost of MacBook Pro models and where the ceiling might be. A number of questions are more personal, asking about our first Apple products, what originally drew us to the ecosystem, our favorite and oldest devices, and whether family members using non-Apple products causes any friction. ‌The MacRumors Show‌ has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel! You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or other podcast apps. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your player. If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion about Apple's bombshell announcement that Tim Cook will step down as CEO on September 1, 2026, with hardware engineering chief John Ternus set to succeed him. Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kayci Lacob, Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie. ‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also email us at [email protected] or head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.Tag: The MacRumors Show This article, "The MacRumors Show: Your Tech Questions Answered" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple's most affordable MacBook ever appears to be a resounding hit with customers, based on comments shared by CEO Tim Cook this week. On an earnings call on Thursday, Cook said that customer response to the MacBook Neo has been "off the charts" since the laptop was unveiled in March. "We could not be happier with how things are going at the moment," he said. Apple was very optimistic about the MacBook Neo before announcing it, but the company still "undercalled" the level of enthusiasm that the laptop would generate, according to Cook. He said that MacBook Neo demand has exceeded Apple's expectations and helped to drive a record number of first-time Mac buyers last quarter. "We're very focused on customers new to the Mac and customers that have been holding on to their Mac a very long period of time," said Cook. As a result of high demand, Cook added that the MacBook Neo is currently "supply constrained." For orders placed today, Apple's online store in the U.S. currently shows a 2-3 week delivery estimate for all configurations of the laptop. Apple released the MacBook Neo on March 11, following a week of pre-orders. In the U.S., pricing starts at just $599 for the general public and an even lower $499 for college students and qualifying educational staff. Powered by a version of the iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro chip, the laptop is available in Citrus, Blush, Indigo, and Silver finishes.Related Roundup: MacBook NeoTag: Tim CookBuyer's Guide: MacBook Neo (Buy Now)Related Forum: MacBook Neo This article, "Apple Was Caught Off Guard by MacBook Neo's 'Off the Charts' Demand" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

A new entry-level iPad 12 with Apple Intelligence support likely remains months away, based on a comment shared by an Apple executive this week. On an earnings call on Thursday, Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh said that the company's iPad revenue in the March-June quarter will face a "difficult compare" due to the the launch of the entry-level iPad 11 with the A16 chip in March 2025. Parekh is essentially saying that Apple's year-over-year iPad revenue growth might be impacted in the current quarter, as a result of the company having no plans to update the entry-level iPad this quarter like it did in the year-ago quarter. If an iPad 12 were to be coming this quarter, this "difficult compare" remark would have been unlikely. In short, do not expect an iPad 12 to be released during Apple's current fiscal quarter, which runs through June 27. That seemingly rules out a product announcement at the WWDC 2026 conference taking place from June 8 through June 12. Here is Parekh's full comment:We expect our June quarter total company revenue to grow by 14 to 17 percent year-over-year, which comprehends our best view of constrained supply. On iPad, keep in mind, we face a difficult compare driven by the launch of the A16-powered iPad in the prior year. While it appears that an iPad 12 will not be released through June, a launch later this year is still possible. In March, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said an entry-level iPad with an A18 chip was "ready to go" and "still coming this year." An earlier report from Macworld's Filipe Espósito claimed that the iPad 12 will actually have an A19 chip, so we will have to see which report turns out to be accurate. In any case, both the A18 and A19 chips are compatible with Apple Intelligence, which is something that the current iPad base model with an A16 chip lacks. Apple Intelligence is already available on all other current-generation iPad models, including the iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. No other major changes have been rumored so far for the iPad 12, so we expect the device to have the same overall design as the current model. In the U.S., the device currently starts at $349 and is available in pink, yellow, blue, and silver.Related Roundup: iPadTag: Apple IntelligenceBuyer's Guide: iPad (Don't Buy)Related Forum: iPad This article, "Here's When to Expect an iPad 12 With Apple Intelligence" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

A Weibo leaker today suggested that Apple's iPhone Air 2 may be the only next-generation ultra-thin flagship smartphone from a major brand, after the original model's poor sales performance appears to have led competing manufacturers to abandon plans for their own follow-up products. The leaker known as "Digital Chat Station" today posted on Weibo, claiming that the ‌iPhone Air‌ barely surpassed 700,000 unit activations even after multiple rounds of price reductions. The post also noted that an unspecified domestic Chinese ultra-thin device managed only 50,000 activations, and that the rival's planned follow-up now looks "highly precarious" and is in all likelihood going to be scrapped. The leaker concluded that the ‌iPhone Air‌ 2 may end up as the sole ultra-thin flagship of the next generation. The ‌iPhone Air‌ has struggled commercially since its September 2025 launch. A KeyBanc Capital Markets survey found "virtually no demand" for the device, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that suppliers had been asked to cut capacity by more than 80% between launch and early 2026, and the ‌iPhone Air‌ is now widely believed to be entirely out of production. The device's poor reception has reverberated across the industry. Xiaomi reportedly planned a "true Air model" to rival Apple's offering, while Vivo targeted thinness within its mid-range S series. Both companies are said to have halted related projects. Samsung similarly cancelled the Galaxy S26 Edge after the Galaxy S25 Edge sold poorly. Despite all of this, a separate leaker claimed last month that Apple will push ahead with at least two generations of the device regardless of sales performance. Reports are now aligned around a spring 2027 launch, with the delay attributed both to poor sales of the original and to Apple's new split launch strategy, which moves the standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and ‌iPhone Air‌ 2 to a spring window while reserving fall 2026 for the iPhone 18 Pro, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and foldable iPhone. Reports from Nikkei Asia, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, and The Information all point to an early 2027 release. Apple is said to be significantly revising the ‌iPhone Air‌ 2 to address the main criticisms of the original. The Information reported that Apple is considering adding a second rear camera, likely an Ultra Wide lens to complement the existing 48-megapixel Fusion camera, along with lower pricing. Other rumored changes include reduced weight, vapor chamber cooling, and increased battery capacity. Apple is believed to have requested an ultra-thin Face ID module from suppliers to free up internal space for the additional camera. According to The Elec, Apple also plans to bring a thinner, brighter Samsung OLED technology called CoE (Color Filter on Encapsulation) to the ‌iPhone Air‌ 2, after debuting it first on the foldable iPhone.Related Roundup: iPhone AirTag: Digital Chat StationBuyer's Guide: iPhone Air (Buy Now) This article, "iPhone Air's Poor Sales Spook Rivals Into Ditching Ultra-Thin Phone Plans" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

MacRumors is pleased to announce our Seventeenth Annual MacRumors Blood Drive, throughout the month of May 2026. Let's save lives together by encouraging donations of blood, platelets, and plasma, and signing up as bone marrow and organ donors. While most blood drives are specific to a geographic location, our blood drive is online and worldwide. Anyone can participate. Over the past 16 years, MacRumors Blood Drives have recorded donations of 1,795 units of blood, platelets, and plasma, cheered for donors, and celebrated new signups for the bone marrow and organ donor registries. We've heard from hundreds of forum members who donate or whose lives were saved by the donations of strangers. This year's featured donor is user m53rd. Not only is he a blood donor, registered as an organ donor, and registered as a bone marrow donor, but he's already been an organ donor, having donated a kidney and then 60% of his liver to people in need. It's a magnificent example how a single person can save many lives. Whether you're a regular donor or someone overcoming apprehension to donate for the very first time, we welcome and congratulate you. How to participate in the MacRumors Blood Drive If you are an eligible donor, schedule a blood, platelet, or plasma donation (FAQ) at any donation center near you. Post in the MacRumors 2026 Blood Drive! thread to tell us about it. Also post if you sign up for the bone marrow registry (FAQ) or register as an organ donor. We'll add all registrants to our Honor Roll. Not everyone is eligible to donate blood, due to their health status or based on risk factors that result in deferrals (see LGBTQ+ donor information). If you aren't eligible to donate blood, please encourage a friend or relative to make a donation, and let us know. If they donate, you'll both be added to our Honor Roll. Share our #MacRumorsBloodDrive message with friends, relatives, and followers. Help us thank the forum members who post in the MacRumors 2026 Blood Drive! thread. After the MacRumors Blood Drive ends on May 31, continue recording your blood, platelet, and plasma donations, from June 2026 through next April 2027, on our Team MacRumors 2026-2027 page (instructions). We'll tally your donations and count them for the MacRumors 2027 Blood Drive next May.Tag: MacRumors Blood Drive This article, "MacRumors 2026 Blood Drive" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

I work on Coding Agent Sandboxes, aka “sbx” at Docker. The project provides secure, microVM-based isolation for running AI coding agents like Claude Code, Gemini, Codex, Docker Agent and Kiro. Agents get full autonomy inside a sandbox (their own Docker daemon, network, filesystem) without touching your host system. Over the past couple of weeks, we built something on top of it: a virtual team of seven AI agent roles that test the product, triage issues, post release notes, and even fix bugs, all running autonomously in CI. We call it the Fleet. The Fleet is built on Claude Code skills: markdown files that give an agent a persona, a set of responsibilities, and the tools it’s allowed to use. Think of a skill not as a script that says “run these steps,” but as a role description that says “you are the build engineer, here’s what you know and how you make decisions.” That distinction matters because agents need judgment, not just instructions. When a test fails unexpectedly, a script stops. A role investigates. The same skill file, the same behavior, whether it runs on a developer’s laptop or in CI. Local First, CI Second Coding Agent Sandboxes is a CLI tool (sbx) that manages sandbox lifecycles: create, start, stop, remove, configure networking, mount workspaces, and more. It runs on MacOS, Linux and Windows. Every release needs testing across both platforms, across upgrade paths between versions, and under sustained load to catch resource leaks. The team also needs daily visibility into what shipped, and a way to triage the growing issue backlog without it becoming a full-time job. We could have written traditional test scripts and reporting tools. Instead, we built agent roles that handle these tasks autonomously, both on our laptops and in CI. The design principle behind the Fleet is simple: every skill runs on your machine first. When we built the /cli-tester skill (the Fleet’s exploratory tester, more on that below), we didn’t start by writing a GitHub workflow. We started by invoking it locally. We watched it build the binaries, exercise the CLI commands, find issues, and report them. We tweaked the skill until it did the right thing in our terminal. Only then did we wire it into a workflow. This matters because the alternative is painful. If you build CI-only agents, you debug them through commit-push-wait-read-logs cycles. Every iteration takes minutes. When the skill runs locally first, the iteration takes seconds. You see the agent think. You see where it gets confused. You fix the skill file, re-invoke, and try again. CI is just another runtime for the same skill. The /cli-tester that runs nightly on MacOS, Linux and Windows runners is the exact same skill we invoke from our terminals. The workflow sets up the environment, checks out the code, and calls the skill. That’s it. No separate “CI version.” No translation layer. One skill, two runtimes. This is what makes the Fleet practical. You’re not maintaining two systems. You’re maintaining one set of skills and a set of workflows that invoke them. The Roster The skills directory has 20 skills in total. Most are foundational knowledge (architecture, code style, Go conventions, security, testing patterns). Seven of them are the Fleet: the roles that run autonomously on CI. Each one is a SKILL.md file that describes a persona, not a procedure. /build-engineer is the foundation that other skills stand on. It references topic files for building binaries, container templates, and local installs. It knows the Taskfile.yml, the docker-bake.hcl, and the platform-specific build flags. It doesn’t run on CI by itself. Other skills load it when they need to compile anything. /project-manager is the team’s memory. It deduplicates findings against existing issues and PRs before creating new ones, manages the GitHub Projects board (setting status, priority, and labels), and handles interactive triage when running locally. On CI, it switches to fully automatic mode: no questions asked, just deduplicate and create. It uses GraphQL pagination to scan the entire project board, not just the first page. Every other skill that discovers something calls the project-manager before opening an issue. /product-owner translates commit-speak into human language. It collects merged PRs from a date range, categorizes them (New Features, Bug Fixes, Improvements, Documentation, Maintenance), and rewrites each one in plain English. “feat(cli): add TZ env passthrough” becomes “Docker Sandboxes now automatically use your local timezone.” On CI, it outputs Slack Block Kit JSON. Locally, it renders a markdown table. It filters out noise from bots (Dependabot bumps, workflow-only changes) and skips posting when there’s nothing meaningful to report. /cli-tester is the exploratory tester of the Fleet, and it’s the largest skill by far. Unlike traditional test scripts that assert expected output and fail on any deviation, the cli-tester investigates what it finds. When output doesn’t match expectations, it asks why before filing a bug. It defines 52+ test scenarios organized into 14 tiers: Core Lifecycle, Agent Smoke, Workspace, Network Policy, Sandbox Features, Blueprint, CLI UX, Environment, Code Tasks, Agent Network, Reliability, Collaboration, Error Recovery, and Human-Only (skipped in CI). It builds the binaries through the build-engineer, triages findings through the project-manager, and loads product scenarios defined by the actual Product Manager on the team. It monitors disk space during testing, posts an executive summary to Slack when it finishes, and runs nightly on CI across MacOS, Linux and Windows. It also powers a slash command on GitHub. When someone comments /cli-tester-review on a pull request, CI spins up three runners (MacOS, Linux and Windows), each loading the skill to exercise the PR’s changes on that platform. The agents explore the code, run the scenarios, and post their findings as comments directly on the pull request. /performance-tester runs in two modes. Lifecycle Endurance repeatedly cycles create/stop/rm to detect reliability issues and resource leaks, producing xUnit JSON output. Code Exploration Benchmark clones a real Git repository and compares host-vs-sandbox I/O performance and Claude Code session behavior. Both modes measure disk usage over time and flag regressions. The goal is catching the slow degradation that no single test run would notice. /upgrade-tester runs a four-phase test plan. Phase A creates pre-upgrade state (sandboxes, configurations). Phase B installs the new version. Phase C verifies everything still works after the upgrade. Phase D optionally downgrades and verifies again. It takes two version tags as input, builds the binaries for each, creates VMs, and produces an executive summary with pass/fail per phase. Upgrade regressions are the kind of bug that’s invisible in a single-version test suite. /software-engineer operates in two modes. Reactive: when someone adds the agent-fix label to a GitHub issue, a MacOS runner picks it up and runs a ralph-loop to work the issue, contributing a PR with minimal, focused changes. Proactive: weekly, it runs in architect mode, scanning the codebase for quality issues, producing up to five findings, triaging them through the project-manager, then spawning three MacOS runners in parallel to fix three of them. Each runner delivers a PR targeting a specific simplification or tech-debt reduction. Skills That Compose Individual skills are useful. Skills that load other skills are a team. The seven Fleet roles sit on top of thirteen foundational skills: architecture, code style, Go conventions, software design, security, testing patterns, development workflow, git worktrees, and others. The foundational skills encode project knowledge. The Fleet roles encode behavior. A Fleet role loads the foundational skills it needs, the same way a new team member reads the project’s contributing guide before writing code. The /cli-tester doesn’t know how to build binaries. It loads the /build-engineer for that. It doesn’t know whether the bug it found is a duplicate. It loads the /project-manager to check. The tester focuses on testing. The builder focuses on building. The manager focuses on triaging. Each role stays in its lane, and the composition creates something none of them could do alone. The /software-engineer follows the same pattern. It loads the /build-engineer so it can compile the project, and it loads coding best practices and software design conventions so its output meets the team’s standards. The skill doesn’t try to encode everything. It delegates to the foundational skills. The /performance-tester loads the /cli-tester, extending it with duration and metrics. Instead of duplicating the testing logic, it reuses it and adds a measurement layer on top. This is the skills-as-roles principle in practice. When you design skills as personas with clear responsibilities (instead of step-by-step commands), they compose naturally. A tester that loads a builder and a manager is doing the same thing a human tester does: asking a colleague to compile the project and checking with the PM before filing a bug. The difference is that the “asking” happens through skill composition instead of a Slack message. The Ralph-Loop Is the Engine The Ralph Wiggum loop is a pattern popularized by Geoffrey Huntley in 2025: a Bash loop that keeps feeding an AI coding agent the same task until the work is done. At its simplest, it’s while :; do cat PROMPT.md | claude-code ; done. Each iteration spawns a fresh agent with a clean context window. The agent reads the task, implements one piece, runs the tests, commits if they pass, and exits. The loop restarts, and the next iteration picks up where the previous one left off. Instead of hoping for first-try perfection, you design for iteration. Our implementation of this pattern is called a Ralph-loop. The Fleet skills define what each agent role knows. The Ralph-loop defines how the iteration runs. Our Ralph-loop is a composite GitHub Action backed by a shell script that adds a layer on top of the basic pattern: a separate worker and reviewer. It fetches the issue context, creates a working branch, and iterates: the worker implements changes and writes a summary, the reviewer evaluates the diff and decides SHIP or REVISE. If REVISE, the feedback goes back to the worker for another pass. Up to five iterations by default. If the reviewer says SHIP, the loop pushes the branch, creates a PR, and comments on the original issue. The worker and reviewer run as separate Claude invocations with different models. The worker uses Opus for implementation. The reviewer uses Opus with 1M context to evaluate the full diff against the task requirements. Each one loads the /software-engineer skill (which in turn loads the build-engineer and coding best practices), so they share the same project knowledge but apply it from different perspectives. Separating generation from evaluation is deliberate. The same agent that wrote the code shouldn’t evaluate whether the code is good. It’s the oldest principle in quality assurance: the person who built the thing shouldn’t be the only person who tests it. The worker’s job is to solve the problem. The reviewer’s job is to decide whether the problem is actually solved. The Ralph-loop works locally too. The same ralph-loop.sh script that CI calls can be invoked from your terminal with --issue-number 42. Locally, it parses CLI arguments instead of reading environment variables, and outputs plain text instead of streaming JSON. Same loop, same prompts, same iteration pattern. We debugged the worker and reviewer prompts on our laptops before they ever ran in CI. The workflows handle scheduling and triggering: nightly cron for the testers, label events for the software-engineer, weekly cron for the architect mode. The Ralph-loop handles the iteration pattern. The skills handle the domain knowledge. Three layers, each with a clear job. This separation is what made the Fleet possible to build in a couple of weeks. We didn’t have to reinvent the automation loop for every role. The Ralph-loop already knew how to iterate. We just needed to give each role its own skill file and wire the triggers. What the Fleet Ships The Fleet has been running for a couple of weeks. Here’s what it delivers. Automated issue resolution. A team member labels an issue with agent-fix. The CI grabs a MacOS runner, reads the issue, and starts working. The result is a pull request that addresses the issue. Not every PR lands without changes, but the first draft is there for review, often within the hour. Daily release notes. The product-owner traverses the git log every day and posts a Slack summary for stakeholders. No one has to manually compile “what shipped this week.” The stakeholders see progress in real time, at the speed the team actually moves. Nightly exploratory testing. The cli-tester runs every night on MacOS and Windows. It loads the product scenarios that the Product Manager has defined, exercises the CLI, and opens issues for anything it finds. Before opening an issue, it checks for duplicates through the project-manager. When it finishes, it posts a Slack message with the results. Performance and upgrade testing. The performance-tester and upgrade-tester run on CI across both platforms. Disk usage regressions, behavioral differences between sandbox and non-sandbox modes, and version compatibility issues get caught before they reach a human reporter. Weekly tech-debt reduction. Every week, the software-engineer runs in architect mode. It reviews the codebase, identifies three spots where code can be simplified or legacy patterns can be cleaned up, spawns three parallel runners, and delivers three PRs. Each one is a small, focused improvement. Over time, they compound. What We Don’t Automate The Fleet creates pull requests. It does not merge them. That’s the trust boundary, and it’s deliberate. Merge decisions stay with humans. So do architectural choices, scope decisions, and prioritization. The agents do the work. The team decides what work matters and whether the output meets the bar. The supervision model scales the same way it works on a developer’s laptop. When we run multiple agents locally in parallel worktrees, we review their output before merging. With the Fleet, the team supervises seven agent roles running on CI. The shape of the oversight is the same: review the output, approve or adjust, move on. The difference is that the agents don’t need anyone’s laptop to start working. The Fleet is not replacing the team. It’s extending it. Seven roles that handle repetitive, well-defined work so humans can focus on work that requires judgment, context, and taste. The Fleet has many arms, but the team still steers the ship. What We Learnt Building the Fleet Start with the foundation, not the flashiest skill. We started with the /cli-tester because testing the CLI felt like the highest-value target. But it needed to build binaries, triage issues, and load product scenarios, all things that depended on other skills we hadn’t written yet. We should have started with the /build-engineer, the skill everything else stands on. The second skill was better because of what we learned from the first. Don’t design the full fleet upfront. Build locally first, deploy to CI second. The commit-push-wait-read-logs cycle is where velocity goes to die. If you can’t debug a skill in your terminal, it’s not ready for a workflow. Some behaviors only surface on CI runners (different OS, permissions, network constraints), and those iterations cost hours of wall-clock time. Minimize what can only be tested in CI. Write skills as roles, not scripts. Ask yourself: “If a new team member joined tomorrow with this exact role, what would I tell them?” What do they need to know? What tools can they use? How should they handle ambiguity? That conversation is your SKILL.md. “You are the build engineer, here’s what you know” produces better judgment than “run these five steps.” When something unexpected happens, a role investigates. A script stops. Compose skills like you compose teams. The /cli-tester doesn’t know how to build binaries or triage bugs. It loads the /build-engineer and /project-manager for that. Each role stays in its lane. The composition creates what none of them could do alone. Separate generation from evaluation. The agent that wrote the code shouldn’t be the only one that reviews it. Our Ralph-loop uses a worker and a reviewer for a reason: the oldest principle in quality assurance applies to agents too. Triage matters more than detection. The /cli-tester initially filed issues for every unexpected output. Transient failures, timing-dependent behavior, environment quirks: everything became an issue. The signal-to-noise ratio got bad enough that the team started ignoring findings. Getting the triage right (deduplication, confirming before filing) took longer than building the tester itself.And one more thing. All Fleet agents, even on ephemeral CI runners, run inside Coding Agent Sandboxes. We test with what our users use. View the full article

It’s been six long years since Japanese heavyweights Crystal Lake last tore through Australia – and in that time, they haven’t just maintained momentum… they’ve levelled up into a full-blown global force. Now, they’re finally heading back Down Under this month alongside Of Mice & Men, armed with a new era, a sharpened live show, and a wildcard addition that’s about to send things into overdrive. CRYSTAL LAKE – ‘The Weight Of Sound’ Enter PK – frontman of rising Japanese/Korean outfit PROMPTS – who’ll be joining Crystal Lake on this run, bringing a whole new dimension to the band’s already explosive live presence. And according to guitarist YD, this isn’t just a lineup tweak, it’s a whole-ass energy shift. “Music isn’t just about performance… it’s about the energy created between people,” he tells us. “PK’s energy and passion will turn our shows into something chaotic and joyful.” That word – energy – comes up a lot when you talk to YD. Because for Crystal Lake, that’s always been the core of it. Not just technicality, not just heaviness – but connection. “First and foremost, it’s our love for music… Being able to connect with people from different countries and share that wild, chaotic space through music is something I always feel grateful for.” It’s that philosophy that’s helped Crystal Lake transcend borders, building a fanbase that stretches far beyond Japan and into places like Australia, where heavy music crowds are famously unhinged in the best way. And yeah, they remember. “There are too many memories… we partied a lot… but honestly, holding a koala is still something I remember very clearly,” YD laughs. (Important cultural exchange: metalcore chaos x koalas.) A New Chapter, Same Relentless DNA Despite the lineup evolution and years off Aussie soil, YD is quick to shut down any idea that Crystal Lake have mellowed out. “Nothing has changed. We’ll be bringing full energy and passion to the stage like always,” he promises. If anything, the addition of PK looks set to intensify what the band already does best, AKA blending crushing metalcore, hardcore grit and soaring melody into something that feels both precise and completely unhinged. “His style fits perfectly… it really pushes the emotional side of our songs even further,” YD explains. And that emotional edge matters. Because Crystal Lake have never just been about breakdowns. They’ve always been about that cathartic release, that shared chaos between band and crowd. Built For The Stage And Built For Australia With a stacked lineup that includes Of Mice & Men (aka masters of emotional weight and arena-ready heaviness), Crystal Lake are making sure their Aussie return hits. “We’re building the setlist for the Australian fans… songs longtime fans will love, and songs that connect with people who discovered us more recently.” And after six years away, there’s a clear sense this isn’t just another tour stop, it’s a return that means something. “Australia and its people are a special place for us… being able to tour, play shows, and meet people through music means everything.” No Gimmicks + No Holding Back If you’ve ever seen Crystal Lake live, you already know the deal… it’s relentless, physical, and borderline spiritual in its intensity. And YD? He’s still approaching every show like it could be his last. “My philosophy is to perform like I have no regrets… like I could die at any moment, and to always push past my limits.” So yeah, safe to say this isn’t going to be a polite little comeback tour. “Let’s Make It Wild” For Aussie fans who’ve been waiting years for this moment, YD keeps it simple: “Thank you so much for supporting us… beyond nationality, age, gender or religion, we’re excited to share a wild, unforgettable experience together through music.” And honestly? That’s exactly what this feels like. A band that’s grown bigger than ever. A new voice adding fuel to the fire. And a crowd that’s been waiting six years to explode. Crystal Lake are back, and it’s about to get very, very loud. Grab your tickets down below. Crystal Lake 2026 Australian Tour Dates Supporting Of Mice & Men Tuesday 5th May – PERTH, Magnet House Thursday 7th May – ADELAIDE, Lion Arts Factory Friday 8th May – MELBOURNE, 170 Russell Saturday 9th May – SYDNEY, Manning Bar Sunday 10th May – BRISBANE, The Triffid Tickets on sale now via: https://thephoenix.au/of-mice-and-men-2026-2/ Further Reading Of Mice & Men Lock In 2026 Australian Tour With Crystal Lake “We Owe Them Everything”: Of Mice & Men On Their 2026 Australian Tour “We’re Not Taking This For Granted”: Blessthefall’s Beau Bokan On Their Long-Awaited Aussie Return The post Crystal Lake On Their Explosive Aussie Return And Wild New Live Vocalist appeared first on Music Feeds. View the full article

Alright pop gremlins, assemble – Slayyyter is officially bringing the chaos Down Under. Fresh off tearing up the Mojave Stage at Coachella, the self-proclaimed pop disruptor has announced her long-awaited return to Australia with the gloriously unhinged WOR$T GIRL IN THE WORLD TOUR, set to hit the east coast this August. Slayyyter – ‘BROKE BITCH FREE$TYLE’ It’ll mark her first Aussie shows in three years, and she’s not exactly easing back into it – we’re talking five headline dates, including a double-up in both Sydney and Melbourne. The run kicks off with back-to-back nights at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on August 9 and 10, before heading to Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall on August 14, and wrapping with two shows at Melbourne’s Forum on August 17 and 18. “I’m so excited to finally return to Australia… it means so much to perform WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA with all my fans down under,” she said. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know Slayyyter’s been deep in her villain era. Her latest album WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA sees her fully lean into the chaos – blending trashy electro-pop, punk attitude and bratty rap into what she’s dubbed “iPod music” for the chronically online. It’s messy, it’s loud, it’s intentionally a bit cooked… and fans are eating it up. The record debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Dance Albums chart, with singles like ‘BEAT UP CHANEL$’, ‘CANNIBALISM!’ and ‘CRANK’ helping build a cult-level hype train = not to mention the freshly dropped ‘BROKE BITCH FREE$TYLE’ keeping the momentum rolling. Since her early viral days (“Daddy AF” gang rise up), Slayyyter’s carved out a lane that’s equal parts hyperpop, throwback club trash and high-gloss grit – and this tour feels like the fully realised version of that energy. Tickets go on sale Friday May 8 at 10am local time, with presales kicking off earlier that week. Peep all the dates and details down below. SLAYYYTER ‘WOR$T GIRL IN THE WORLD’ AUSTRALIA 2026 Sunday 9 August – Enmore Theatre | Sydney, NSW (Lic. All Ages) – ticketek.com.au Monday 10 August – Enmore Theatre | Sydney, NSW (Lic. All Ages) – ticketek.com.au Friday 14 August – Fortitude Music Hall | Brisbane, QLD (Lic. All Ages) – ticketmaster.com.au Monday 17 August – Forum | Melbourne, VIC (18+) – ticketek.com.au Tuesday 18 August – Forum | Melbourne, VIC (18+) – ticketek.com.au TICKETS ON SALE from Friday 8 May (10am local time) FRONTIER MEMBER PRESALE ​via frontiertouring.com/slayyyter ​Runs 24 hours from: Wednesday 6 May (12pm local) ​or until presale allocation exhausted MG LIVE MEMBER PRESALE ​via mg.live/slayyyter ​Runs 24 hours from: Wednesday 6 May (12pm local) ​or until presale allocation exhausted Further Reading Love Letter to a Record: Slayyyter on ‘The Fame’ by Lady Gaga Slayyyter Announces Album, Shares ‘Miss Belladonna’ Tones And I Reportedly Sued By ATO Over $400K Debt The post Slayyyter Is Bringing The ‘WOR$T GIRL’ Era To Australia This August appeared first on Music Feeds. View the full article

Metallica diehards… this one’s for the collectors, the crate diggers, and the “yes I do need 15 CDs of demos” crowd. The thrash titans have announced a monster reissue of their 1997 album Reload, landing June 26 via their own Blackened Recordings – and it’s about as stacked as you’d expect from a band that treats the archive like sacred scripture. The headline grab is a super-deluxe box set that goes full “leave no riff behind”: we’re talking 15 CDs, 4 DVDs and nearly 29 hours of material, spanning demos, riff tapes, remixes, and a metric shit-ton of previously unreleased live recordings. If you’ve ever wanted to sit inside the Reload era and hear it evolve in real time… congrats, this is your new personality. Remastered by Reuben Cohen with longtime collaborator Greg Fidelman overseeing, the set also comes loaded with physical goodies – including a “Gimme Fuel” poster, a Pushead “Fixxxer” print, tour laminates, guitar picks, a 128-page book, and even Rorschach test cards (because of course Metallica made this a whole experience). On the audio side, highlights include: 70 demo and riff tracks charting the album’s creation Multiple unreleased live sets across Europe, North America and AUSTRALIA (!!) Rare acoustic performances featuring guests like Les Claypool and Jerry Cantrell The previously unreleased Banned in Philly live footage Plus a remastered “The Memory Remains” – now out with fresh live visuals And yep – if you pre-order, you’ll instantly cop multiple versions of “The Memory Remains”, including demo takes and live cuts, because Metallica know exactly how to bait the completionists. When Reload landed in 1997, it wasn’t just another Metallica record – it was a full-blown identity shift. The band had already rattled purists with Load a year earlier, ditching thrash for a groovier, hard rock lean and (gasp) cutting their hair, sparking one of the most infamous fan meltdowns in metal history. Reload doubled down on that era: bluesy swagger, alt-rock textures, and a willingness to experiment that split the fanbase right down the middle. But time’s been kind to it. Tracks like Fuel and The Memory Remains have become live staples, and what once felt controversial now reads as a bold, transitional chapter that proved Metallica weren’t afraid to evolve, even if it meant dragging their audience along kicking and screaming. The band are also launching a fan comp dubbed #GetTheReLoudOut, inviting fans to submit covers, performances and art inspired by the album – with signed box sets up for grabs. If Reload was the era where Metallica doubled down on groove, swagger and left turns, this reissue is the full autopsy – every layer, every experiment, every late-night studio rabbit hole. Short version: it’s big, it’s loud, it’s wildly excessive, it’s… very on brand for Metallica. Peep the full tracklist down below. Metallica – ReLoad (Super Deluxe Box Set) Tracklist ReLoad (Remastered) – LPs 1-2 / CD 1 Fuel The Memory Remains Devil’s Dance The Unforgiven II Better Than You Slither Carpe Diem Baby Bad Seed Where the Wild Things Are Prince Charming Low Man’s Lyric Attitude Fixxxer “The Memory Remains” 7” (LP 3) The Memory Remains For Whom the Bell Tolls (Haven’t Heard It Yet Mix) Live at Ministry of Sound ’97 (LPs 4-6) Intro Jam → Damage, Inc. (17-track full live set incl. Master of Puppets, Fuel, King Nothing, Am I Evil?) Shadowcast (CDs 2–5) – Riffs, Demos & Studio Sessions 70+ tracks of riffs, demos, vocal ideas and rough mixes Early versions of Fuel, The Memory Remains, Fixxxer, The Unforgiven II + more Studio takes spanning 1995–1997 recording sessions Escape from the Studio ’97 + Remixes (CDs 6-7) Full live set incl. One, Enter Sandman, Master of Puppets Encore tracks + rare remixes (Fuel, The Unforgiven, Enter Sandman) Poor Acoustic Me (CDs 8-9) Acoustic and stripped-back performances Includes Fade to Black, Nothing Else Matters, Tuesday’s Gone KSJO radio session + rehearsals and live cuts Poor Australian Me ’98 (CDs 10-11) Live recordings from Australian tour dates Includes Fuel, One, Enter Sandman + acoustic set moments Poor North American Me ’98 (CDs 12-13) US live recordings incl. Breadfan Fight Fire with Fire Creeping Death Enter Sandman Poor Re-Touring Me ’97-’98 (CDs 14–15) 28-track global live compilation Recordings from Japan, Australia, US + Europe No repeat tracks across the set DVD 1 – Studio + Videos + TV Studio footage (“Studio Shit”) Music videos: Fuel, The Memory Remains, The Unforgiven II MTV + TV performances DVD 2 – Banned in Philly Full live show incl. Master of Puppets Damage, Inc. The Memory Remains DVD 3 – Poor East Asian Me ’98 Full live concert (Asia tour) DVD 4 – Poor Californian Me ’98 Full live US show incl. The Ecstasy of Gold Enter Sandman Creeping Death At a Glance 15 CDs + 4 DVDs ~29 hours of material Demos, riffs, unreleased shows, acoustic sets + full remaster Further Reading James Hetfield Just Proposed To His GF While Swimming With Giant Sharks In Defence Of: Metallica’s ‘St. Anger’ James Hetfield Did WHAT With Lemmy Kilmister’s Ashes?! The post Metallica Announce 29-Hour ‘Reload’ Box Set (Yes, Really) appeared first on Music Feeds. View the full article

This one’s a bit of a heartbreaker for the ‘90s kids. US alt-rock staples Spin Doctors have officially pulled the plug on their long-awaited Australian return, cancelling their upcoming Pocket Full Of Kryptonite anniversary tour just weeks before it was set to kick off. Spin Doctors – ‘Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong’ In a message to ticketholders, promoters Destroy All Lines confirmed the May run has been scrapped due to “unexpected logistical shifts & circumstances.” The band added they’re incredibly grateful for the support from fans across Australia and New Zealand, and are working to find a way to come back as soon as possible. The tour – originally announced back in November – would’ve marked Spin Doctors’ first Aussie shows since 1993, with plans to perform their breakout 1991 album Pocket Full Of Kryptonite in full. That record, of course, went on to become a monster, spawning hits like ‘Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong’ and ‘Two Princes’, topping the Aussie charts and eventually going 5x Platinum. It also carried a bit of personal weight for frontman Chris Barron, who spent part of his childhood living in Australia – something he’s spoken about fondly in recent interviews, recalling everything from Vegemite sandwiches to wandering around Sydney Harbour like core memory fuel. At this stage, there’s no word yet on rescheduled dates… but it sounds like the band are keen to make it happen when they can. For now, Aussie fans will just have to keep those Two Princes singalongs on ice a little longer. Spin Doctors 2026 Australian Tour Dates Tuesday 12th May 2026: Metropolis, Fremantle, Perth – CANCELLED Wednesday 13th May 2026: The Gov, Adelaide – CANCELLED Friday 15th May 2026: The Story House, Geelong – CANCELLED Saturday 16th May 2026: Forum, Melbourne – CANCELLED Monday 18th May 2026: King Street, Newcastle – CANCELLED Tuesday 19th May 2026: Port Macquarie Race Club – CANCELLED Thursday 21st May 2026: Enmore Theatre, Sydney – CANCELLED Friday 22nd May 2026: The Warehouse, Townsville – CANCELLED Sunday 24th May 2026: Tivoli, Brisbane – CANCELLED Monday 25th May 2026: Kings Beach, Sunshine Coast – CANCELLED Further Reading Spin Doctors Announce 10-Date Australian Tour Celebrating 35 Years of ‘Pocket Full of Kryptonite’ 374 Bagpipers Just Smashed a World Record in Melbourne by Honking Out AC/DC AC/DC Rocked Melbourne So Hard, They Literally Showed Up On the Richter Scale The post Spin Doctors Cancel Australian Tour Weeks Before Kickoff appeared first on Music Feeds. View the full article

Apple held its earnings call for the second fiscal quarter (first calendar quarter) of 2026 today after announcing its best March quarter ever. Apple saw revenue of $111.2 billion with double-digit growth across every geographic segment and across every product category. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Apple CFO Kevan Parekh provided insight into iPhone sales, Mac sales, RAM supply issues, and more. We've rounded up the most interesting takeaways from the call. iPhone 17 Sales Apple attributed its success to the new iPhone models. Cook said "demand was off the charts," but Apple was facing supply constraints that impacted revenue. Had there not been supply issues, Apple would have seen higher revenue. The A19 and A19 Pro chips from TSMC proved to be a bottleneck because TSMC uses the same 3nm process for AI chips that are in high demand. Cook said iPhone constraints were "primarily driven" by the availability of the advanced nodes Apple's SoCs are produced on. According to Parekh, the iPhone 17 family is Apple's best-selling iPhone lineup to date. "The ‌iPhone 17‌ family is now the most popular lineup in our history... we believe we gained market share during the quarter," he said. iPhone revenue was $57 billion, up 22 percent year-over-year, which is a new March quarter record. Apple saw strong demand from upgraders and customers choosing an iPhone for the first time. Cook said Apple is "enormously pleased" with how the ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup has been received. Memory Costs Apple had higher memory costs during the March quarter, and the impact is expected to get worse as the year goes on. Apple CEO ‌Tim Cook‌ said that Apple is expecting "significantly higher memory costs" in the June quarter, and beyond June, memory costs will "drive an increasing impact" on Apple's business. Mac Sales Mac revenue was $8.4 billion, up six percent year-over-year. Cook said sales were impacted by supply constraints "driven by higher than expected levels of demand." The MacBook Neo that was introduced during the quarter was a hit, and Apple sold out. Shipping times for new machines reached several weeks. Apple also saw high demand for the Mac mini and the Mac Studio from people buying the machines for use with AI. Apple set March quarter records for upgraders and customers new to the Mac, leading to a new all-time record for the overall Mac install base. Apple is focused on customers new to the Mac and customers who have been holding onto their Mac for a long period of time, and the Neo is selling well to those customers. Apple expects Macs to face supply constraints in the June quarter due to continued high demand and "less flexibility in the supply chain." Mac Studio and Mac mini Supplies Apple expects it to take months to reach supply/demand balance on the ‌Mac Studio‌ and ‌Mac mini‌, suggesting they are going to be hard to get for months to come. Apple underestimated demand for the ‌Mac mini‌ and the ‌Mac Studio‌. "Both of these are amazing platforms for AI and agentic tools and the customer recognition of that is happening faster than what we had predicted, and so we saw higher than expected demand," Cook said. John Ternus Cook addressed John Ternus, who will take over as Apple's CEO on September 1, 2026. As I have said, there is no one on this planet I trust more to lead Apple into the future than John Ternus. John is a brilliant engineer, a deep thinker, a person of remarkable character, and a born leader. I know he will push us to go further than we think is possible in order to deliver the greatest products and services for our users. I have been so proud to call him a colleague and a friend, and I will be even more proud to call him Apple's CEO. Ternus also spoke on the call, where he teased Apple's upcoming product lineup. As Tim mentioned, we have an incredible roadmap ahead. And while you're not going to get me to talk about the details of that roadmap, suffice it to say this is the most exciting time in my 25-year career at Apple to be building products and services. There are so many opportunities before us, and I couldn't be more optimistic about what's to come. For now, let me simply say I am deeply grateful to Tim, to the executive team and to everyone at Apple, and I look forward to all of the important work ahead with that. Wearables Wearables revenue was $7.9 billion, an increase of five percent year-over-year. Apple's wearables install base hit a new all-time high, and more than half of customers who purchased an Apple Watch during the quarter were new to the product. Services Apple's services revenue reached $31 billion, a new all-time revenue record. Apple has an install base of over 2.5 billion active devices, a new all-time high across all major product categories. Both transacting and paid accounts hit new all-time highs in the quarter. Retail Apple had a March quarter revenue record for retail, with "very high levels of store traffic throughout the quarter." AI Parekh said that AI is a "really important investment area" for Apple, and the company plans to continue to invest in AI "incrementally on top of" what it normally invests in its product roadmap. Apple's R&D spending accelerated during the quarter, and Cook said that Apple is investing in products and services. "We see opportunities in both of those," he said. "We could not be more excited about how the future is playing out." On the collaboration with Google, Cook said things are going well. "We're happy with where things are, and we're happy with the work that we're doing independently as well," he said. Tariffs From Q1 to Q2, Apple saw less impact from tariffs due to the reduction in IEEPA tariff rates, and the reduced global tariff rate under Section 122. Cook said Apple is following the established processes of applying for a refund of tariffs paid, and any amount received will be invested back into U.S. innovation and advanced manufacturing. Any investment of refunded tariff fees will be in addition to Apple's prior commitments in the U.S. Next Quarter Parekh said June quarter total revenue is expected to grow 14 to 17 percent year-over-year. Services revenue is expected to grow at a similar rate to what was reported in the March quarter. Parekh warned investors about iPad revenue because last year, Apple released the A16 ‌iPad‌. "Keep in mind, we face a difficult compare driven by the launch of the A16-powered ‌iPad‌ in the prior year," Parekh said. Apple's guidance for the June quarter relies on global tariff rates and policies remaining as they are today. This article, "Apple's Q2 2026 Earnings Call: 11 Key Takeaways" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article