For a period of time, 30‑hour fuel queues dominated the Russian news cycle. Recently, however, public discussion about

Here are the top Apple-related articles at Apple World Today for the week of August 3-7.

° Fitness+ and fitness tracking could come to a future version of Apple’s smart glasses.

° We’ll get new AirPods Pros this year, but they may (or may not) have built-in cameras.

° There’s purportedly a shortage of MacBook Airs due to the ongoing memory crisis.

° Apple faces class-action litigation for allegedly collecting users’ biometric data.

° India has proposed extending tax exemptions until 2041 for foreign companies such as Apple.

° Apple has agreed to acquire certain assets and hire employees from PlasmaSolve, a company with tech for optimizing scratch-resistant device coatings.

° In yet another example of a government overstepping its duties, the UK government is again trying to get unwarranted (and what should be illegal) access to private user data. And Apple is, again, fighting back.

° Incoming Apple CEO John Ternus is bringing back Laura Legros, a former vice president of hardware engineering who retired from Apple in 2022.

° A public civil action in Brazil calls on Apple to protect children from casino games on the iPhone.

° Apple exceeded $10 billion in annual sales in India for the first time in its last fiscal year.

° Apple is holding an Event Support Experience Program lottery for U.S. retail employees who want to travel to its Apple Park campus to staff its next  in-person media gathering.

° Global foldable smartphone sales are expected to rise 20% thanks in part to the “iPhone Fold.”

° Apple’s premium segment share declined to 65% in the first half of 2026 from 74% in the first half of 2022.

° Apple TV has the highest average IMDb score for its streaming library.

° Apple’s plans to buy memory from Chinese companies backfires.

° Apple’s iPad remains the best selling tablet worldwide, though sales dipped 8% year-on-year as of the second quarter.

° Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay” and “Pluribus” win, respectively, three and two, Critics Choice Super Awards.

° Apple has released macOS Tahoe 26.6.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.9, and macOS Sequoia 15.7.9.

The post Top Apple-related stories for the week of August 3-7 appeared first on MacTech.com.

Veleonis and co/efficient released “Building Faster Than Trust”, a survey of 1,566 registered voters on eight major technology and AI companies and America’s AI buildout.

In the race for scale and national competitiveness, the AI industry made its case to investors and policymakers, but in a game dominated by county and local chokepoints, the industry left a gaping hole – convincing voters to back their cause.

Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft, brands rooted in commerce, devices, search and productivity, are viewed positively by an average 20-point margin. Anthropic, Meta, OpenAI and X/xAI, rooted in AI, social media or both, are viewed negatively by 20 to 42 points. One group has reputation to protect; the other has trust to earn.

Voters readily name trust leaders in established categories: 54% choose Google for online search, 34%Apple for phone privacy, and 30% Microsoft for productivity software. On responsible AI, most name no company at all. Key findings from the report:

• Fifty-nine percent choose none of the eight companies or are unsure which one they trust most to develop AI responsibly; Google leads at 10%.
• Seventy-five percent choose none or are unsure which of the companies they trust most to operate data centers responsibly; 33% would oppose a nearby project regardless of details; half name electricity, water or other environmental costs.
• Thirty-four percent cite job loss and 32% misinformation when describing how AI could help or harm them.
• All eight executives are viewed negatively; Satya Nadella is 3 points below even, Dario Amodei -33, Sam Altman -51, and Mark Zuckerberg -66.

The AI industry lacks a broad public constituency: Sixty-eight percent are more concerned than excited about AI, and 60% use AI tools rarely or never. Although 58% favor more federal regulation, with cross-partisan support, 83% distrust Congress to regulate it responsibly. That tension shifts pressure to states deciding data center incentives, siting and utility costs.

That exposure reaches data center developers, investors, utilities, construction firms and public officials. “Trust is becoming a deployment constraint for the AI industry,” said Mark Drapeau, founding partner of Veleonis. “Capital can finance a data center and technology can power it, but neither secures public permission. Companies must answer who benefits, who pays and who is accountable.”

“The industry is selling productivity. Voters are asking about jobs, misinformation, water and electricity,” said Ryan Munce, president of co/efficient. “That mismatch becomes political at a statehouse, utility commission or county board, where leaders will be judged on the questions voters are actually asking.

(Veleonis is a company that “advises leaders where technology, markets, politics and public opinion collide.” co/efficient provides polling, analytics and messaging for political and public affairs leaders.)

I hope you’ll help support Apple World Today by becoming a patron. Almost all our income is from Patreon support and sponsored posts. Patreon pricing ranges from $2 to $10 a month. Thanks in advance for your support. 

The post America’s AI Leaders (including Apple) Built the Case for Scale Before Earning Public Trust appeared first on MacTech.com.

Here are some of the latest hardware and accessory announcements:

° OmniCore from Digiera is an all-flash AI NAS built entirely on M.2 NVMe SSDs, with a complete on-device AI engine that runs without a cloud connection, a companion app, or any external hardware. Here are a few specifics worth noting:

• Full AI suite operational at first power-on: AI Chat, AI Album with OCR, AI Knowledge Base, AI File Assistant, and AI Creative Assistant — all processed by the on-device NPU
• Three configurations: Entry (6 TOPS, 56 TB), Mid (87 TOPS, 120 TB), Pro (180 TOPS, 176 TB)
• Thunderbolt 4 and dual 10GbE on Mid and Pro; RAID 0/1/5/6 included
• No certified drive requirement — compatible with any third-party M.2 NVMe SSD

Pricing starts at US$699.

° Pioneer has launched its first-ever collection of Car Accessories. The new products include: 

• Magnetic Smartphone Cradles (starting at $29.99): Three models ranging from a mount-only solution to a premium wireless charging cradle with an integrated cooling fan, so you can keep your directions in view and your phone secure through every morning commute. 
• Dual-Port Car Charger ($25.99): Two models delivering up to 63W of total output for fast charging of two devices simultaneously, ensuring you pull into the lot fully powered up. 

USB-C Cables (starting at $19.99): Available in both silicone or braided finishes, they support wired CarPlay, Android Auto, and up to 60W fast charging with durable, tangle-resistant finishes. The Premium Illuminated cords add a blue LED indicator at the connector for easy location when driving back after a late night in the office.

° The new MOVAS-E Coffee Collection from MOFT “explores how the tech accessories we interact with every day can offer something beyond function.” Built around a new bio-based material made with recycled coffee grounds, the collection combines sustainability with sensory design. The material debuts in two of MOFT’s signature products: the Carry Sleeve and Snap Phone Tripod.

° UGREEN has introduced its new Nexode and MagFlow Air Editions, a collection of ultra-portable charging solutions tailored for Apple users. The company says the Air Editions “combine compact design, powerful performance, and dependable safety, delivering truly pocket-sized fast charging for life on the go.” The UGREEN Nexode and MagFlow Air Editions are now available in Amazon KSA, Amazon UAE, noon KSA, and noon UAE.

° Crest and Balise Pontoons, MasterCraft Boat Holdings’ premier pontoon brands, have announced a partnership with Savvy Navvy, the leading all-in-one marine navigation app. Mirroring an automotive infotainment experience already familiar to consumers, Crest and Balise boaters now have access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto featuring Savvy Navvy’s industry-leading, on-water navigation.

The post Hardware/accessory announcements for the week of August 3-7 appeared first on MacTech.com.

Here are some of the latest software announcements.

° Offline Files is a new US$9.99 Mac app for photographers, filmmakers, editors, and anyone whose work has outgrown a single drive. It indexes the files on external, network, and selected cloud volumes so users can search the archive even when an external drive is disconnected.

° Forma has launched Vibe Editing for PDFs. It means users can edit files using simple natural-language prompts instead of manually correcting the document and changing data, words, numbers, or punctuation. 

Vibe editing is used to correct images and videos, but Forma is purportedly the first service to offer the same approach for PDFs. Users get updated documents identical in appearance to the originals in seconds. In addition, on iOS, users can also enter voice prompts. The Forma app is available on the Web, iOS, and Android worldwide. To use the feature, users should tap the Vibe edit button on the app’s main screen or visit formadoc.com. 

° ArtDeck is a new app that lets people collect images, videos, links, notes, PDFs, and GIFs on flexible visual boards. A board might hold research for a creative project, saved bookmarks, design inspiration, or simply ideas for a room or a future haircut.

For artists, designers, animators, photographers, and students, built-in tools help examine value, color, composition, proportion, and motion. Everything works offline, with optional iCloud sync. Available in the App Store page, it’s a one-time purchase with no subscription, in-app purchases, or account.

° The latest update to the Google Health app for iOS allows Google Health data to sync to Apple Health. Google’s app is used to collect data from wearables like Fitbit trackers and the Pixel Watch. Version 5.05 of the Google Health app is available from the App Store for free. 

° Minty, an  AI shopping companion, has announced the launch of its Minty Shopify app. The free app gives Shopify merchants a new way to turn browsers into buyers, connecting any Shopify store to Minty’s network of hundreds of millions of shoppers at the moment they’re making purchase decisions, including on ChatGPT.

The post Software announcements for the week of August 3-7 appeared first on MacTech.com.

In a joint status report filing, Apple said it hadn’t heard from Jon Prosser’s lawyer in a month, which his counsel attributed to Prosser caring for his newborn child, reports 9to5Mac.

From the filing: Apple and Mr. Prosser have worked to advance this case through limited discovery. Mr. Prosser provided documents and communications to Apple, and sat for a deposition on June 16, 2026. Unfortunately, Apple last heard from Mr. Prosser’s counsel on July 6th, 2026, despite repeated attempts to communicate and follow up on outstanding discovery issues. There still appear to be deficiencies in Mr. Prosser’s productions, and Apple has notified Mr. Prosser’s counsel of those issues.

Shortly before this joint status update was to be filed, Mr. Prosser’s counsel explained that this delay in response may be due to the fact that Mr. Prosser just had a second child and is attending to the care of a newborn. Mr. Prosser’s counsel indicated that he will find dates when additional discovery may be provided to Apple.

In July 2025 it was announced that Apple was suing Prosser for the alleged theft of trade secrets related to iOS 26. As reported by The Verge, Prosser is accused of tasking another man, Michael Ramacciotti, with secretly accessing an Apple employee’s development iPhone and using that information to report on Apple’s planned changes in the then-unannounced iOS 26.

From the lawsuit: Apple’s subsequent investigation revealed that Defendant Jon Prosser—working with Defendant Michael Ramacciottiimproperly accessed and disclosed Apple’s highly confidential, unreleased software designs, including details regarding the unreleased iOS 19 operating system (which is now known as iOS 26) for Apple mobile devices.

Both Defendants knew that Apple goes to great lengths to protect its trade secret information, including the highly sensitive information contained on devices used for the express purpose of developing new products. Defendants also explicitly acknowledged they were not authorized to access those devices, much less steal Apple’s trade secrets from them.

Defendants’ misconduct was brazen and egregious. After Mr. Prosser learned that Mr. Ramacciotti needed money, and that his friend Ethan Lipnik worked at Apple on unreleased software designs, Defendants jointly planned to access Apple’s confidential and trade secret information through Mr. Lipnik’s Apple-owned development iPhone (the “Development iPhone”). Apple learned the details of the scheme in Mr. Ramacciotti’s own words—through an audio message to Mr. Lipnik, which Mr. Lipnik provided to Apple.

Apple is asking for both damages and a court order preventing Prosser from disclosing Apple’s trade secrets again. 

According to court documents, while Ramacciotti cooperated with the lawsuit from the start, Prosser missed several deadlines to respond to Apple’s complaint. Prosser contested this information. 

Prosser formally responded to the lawsuit on July 3, according to a court document obtained by MacRumors. Prosser admitted that he participated in a FaceTime video call with Ramacciotti, wherein Prosser was shown certain “iOS 19” features and apps running on the development iPhone. However, he denied that any of the information he viewed contained trade secrets, and he denied knowing that the development iPhone belonged to Lipnik.

I hope you’ll help support Apple World Today by becoming a patron. Almost all our income is from Patreon support and sponsored posts. Patreon pricing ranges from $2 to $10 a month. Thanks in advance for your support. 

The post Apple says there’s little progress it in its legal battle with Jon Prosser appeared first on MacTech.com.

Apple TV is developing “Bad News Dads”, a half-hour comedy starring and executive produced by James Marsden, reports Deadline. 

It comes from “You’re the Worst” creator Stephen Falk, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television where Greg Berlanti is under an overall deal.

Based on the upcoming novel by Adam Frost, “Bad News Dads” is about an inept men’s baseball rec league team where one of the players’ wives dies in a suspicious accident, and the friendship-starved Ben (Marsden) leads two of his teammates in an impromptu and often misguided investigation into what they increasingly come to think was murder.

Frost’s “Bad News Dads” will be published April 6, 2027 by Simon Schuster/Atria/Emily Bestler Books.

About Apple TV

Apple TV is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku an Amazon Fire TV devices, with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. 

For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free. For more information, visit apple.com/tvpr and see the full list of supported devices.

I hope you’ll help support Apple World Today by becoming a patron. Almost all our income is from Patreon support and sponsored posts. Patreon pricing ranges from $2 to $10 a month. Thanks in advance for your support. 

The post James Marsden Will Star In Apple TV’s ‘Bad News Dads’ Comedy  appeared first on MacTech.com.

In April it was announced that Tom Wolfe’s novel, “The Bonfire of the Vanities,” was  being turned into an Apple TV series, reports Deadline. Well, that’s not going to happen. 

The high-profile series adaptation of the 1987 novel from David E. Kelley and “Batman” director Matt Reeves, which had been set up at Apple’s steaming service for development, is no longer going forward there, Deadline reports. The studio behind it, Warner Bros. Television, along with the team at David E. Kelley Productions, will be shopping it to other buyers shortly, the article adds.

Here’s how the book is described: The tale unfolds as a Wall Street bond trader named Sherman McCoy, the quintessential master of the universe, lives a charmed life until he takes a wrong turn, ends up in the Bronx, and his frightened mistress takes the wheel and runs over a Black man who approached the couple.

The novel was adapted into a 1990 film by director Brian DePalma. Despite a cast that included Tom Hands and Bruce Willis, it was a critical and commercial bomb.

I hope you’ll help support Apple World Today by becoming a patron. Almost all our income is from Patreon support and sponsored posts. Patreon pricing ranges from $2 to $10 a month. Thanks in advance for your support. 

The post Apple TV won’t feature the adaptation of ‘The Bonfire of the Vanities’ after all appeared first on MacTech.com.

The post A Good Laugh Could Improve Your Ability to Read Positive Emotions appeared first on MacTech.com.

Since I can’t cover everything, here are some recommended articles from some other neat sites:

° From AppleInsider: Apple has significantly increased how much it pays you to trade in most devices, but you should compare carrier offerings, other trade-in vendors, and private sale values to get the most for your hardware.

° From MacRumors: Apple has expanded support for the Apple Account Card in the Wallet app to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Malta.

° From 9to5Mac: iPhone 18 Pro is only weeks away from launching, and a new report from Culpium indicates it could have limited availability due to a DRAM shortage holding up production.

° From Macworld: Apple killed the Mac Pro this year after two decades. Where does that leave Apple’s professional users?

° From The MacObserver: Meta launches Muse Code for Mac and Linux with pricing up to 20 times cheaper when developers allow AI training on prompts and completions.

° From MacVoices Live!: On the new episode, the MacVoices Panel tests a new live-production platform while discussing Apple’s reported $5 trillion valuation, and the end of Tim Cook’s earnings-call era.

The post News items you should check out: August 7 appeared first on MacTech.com.

EA SPORTS Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition is now available at Apple Arcade.

Designed specifically for Apples game service, this all-new release in the massively popular franchise “lets fans live out their gridiron dreams, offering an immersive season-based experience featuring current NFL teams and realistic simulation gameplay,” says lex Rofman, Apple’s senior director of Apple Arcade. 

The Arcade also welcomes NFL Retro Bowl ’27 and Retro Bowl College+, adding to the blockbuster catalog of hit sports games on the service including Football Manager 26 Touch, Mini Football Legends, NBA 2K26 Arcade Edition, NFL Retro Bowl ’26, PGA TOUR Pro Golf, Skate City: New York, and more.

Pricing and Availability

• Apple Arcade is available for US$6.99 per month with a one-month free trial. Customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV receive three months of Apple Arcade for free.
• Apple Arcade is part of Apple One’s Individual ($19.95), Family ($25.95), and Premier ($37.95) plans, with a one-month free trial.
• Arcade Originals are playable across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. App Store Greats are available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro.
• An Apple Arcade subscription gives a family of up to six unlimited access to all the games in its catalog.
• Availability for the 200+ games across devices varies based on hardware and software compatibility. Some content may not be available in all areas.

I hope you’ll help support Apple World Today by becoming a patron. Almost all our income is from Patreon support and sponsored posts. Patreon pricing ranges from $2 to $10 a month. Thanks in advance for your support. 

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