MacRumors

Poland's antitrust regulator is investigating whether Apple is restricting competition in the mobile ads market through its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework, reports Reuters.

Introduced in April 2021 with the release of iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, Apple's ATT framework requires that all apps on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ ask for the user's consent before tracking their activity across other apps. Apps that wish to track a user based on their device's unique advertising identifier can only do so if the user allows it when prompted.

Apple said the feature was designed to protect users and not to advantage the company. It has been unsurprisingly unpopular with advertisers and data brokers.

Poland's anti-monopoly office, UOKiK, suspects that Apple's ATT framework could be favoring the company's own ads service by limiting the ability of third-party apps to collect user data for personalized ads.

"We suspect that the ATT policy may have misled users about the level of privacy protection while simultaneously increasing Apple’s competitive advantage over independent publishers," UOKiK President Tomasz Chrostny was quoted as saying in a statement. "Such practices may constitute an abuse of dominant position."

If the regulator finds its suspicions to be warranted, Apple could face a fine of up to 10% of its annual turnover in Poland.

In an emailed statement to Reuters, Apple said:

"It is no surprise that the data tracking industry continues to oppose our efforts to give users back control over their data, and now intense pressure could force us to withdraw this feature, to the detriment of European consumers."

"We will work with the Polish competition authority to ensure Apple can continue to offer users this valuable privacy tool."

Regulators in Germany, Italy, and Romania have opened similar probes to examine whether the privacy feature violates competition rules by impeding access to essential data for advertising while reinforcing Apple's own position in the digital ad market.

In March, Apple was fined €150 million ($162 million) by France's Competition Authority over the framework's implementation.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Encrypted messaging platform Signal now offers secure backups on iPhone, letting users save and restore messages if they lose access to their device.

There are free and paid versions of Signal's secure backups. The free version lets users store up to 100MB of text messages, including photos, videos, and files from the last 45 days.

The paid version costs $1.99 per month and can back up all text messages, along with up to 100GB of media which can be older than 45 days.

The end-to-end encrypted backups can be accessed using a 64-character recovery key generated by the user's device, but keeping the key safe is crucial – if it's lost, Signal can't help users recover their backups.

Enabling secure backups in the Signal app is straightforward: Open the Settings menu and select Backups, then tap Setup ➝ Enable Backups. After a recovery key is generated, users can choose a free or paid plan.

Secure backups first came to Android in September. Signal says it plans to bring secure backups to its desktop app, and its longer term goal is to allow users to transfer message history between Android, iPhone, and desktop apps.

Amazon has dropped the price of the AirPods 4 to $69.00 for Black Friday, from $129.00. This is now a new all-time low price on the earbuds, beating the previous low price on Amazon by about $10.

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 is the AirPods 4 model without Active Noise Cancellation, but if you're looking for the device with ANC you can find it on Amazon for $99.99, down from $179.00, another record low price.

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.

---

Apple's foldable iPhone could be priced at $2,399, according to an estimate shared by analyst Arthur Liao at Fubon Research. There have been a range of price estimates, from as low as $1,800 to as high as $2,500, and the latest estimate falls on the higher side.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said he expects the ‌iPhone‌ Fold to cost between $2,000 and $2,500, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects it to be somewhere around $2,000.

The foldable ‌iPhone‌ will be expensive because of the premium components that Apple plans to use. The display panel and hinge will push pricing toward the upper end of market expectations, Fubon Research suggests.

Demand for the device will depend on the price that Apple sets, but Fubon believes that Apple could sell around 5.4 million units in 2026. Global smartphone demand could fall during the year, and foldables will be the "only spotlight" in the 2026 smartphone market.

The report says that Apple is also working on camera upgrades for 2026, with the first variable aperture lens planned for the iPhone 18 Pro models. It doesn't sound like the ‌iPhone‌ Fold will get the variable aperture lens that Apple is developing, but rumors indicate it will have a dual-lens rear camera setup with Wide and Ultra Wide lenses along with two front cameras.

Anthropic today announced the launch of Claude Opus 4.5, which it says is the "best model in the world for coding, agents, and computer use." It's improved over prior models for everyday tasks like deep research, and it is a "step forward in what AI systems can do."

According to feedback Anthropic received from early testers, Claude Opus 4.5 can complete tasks that were impossible for Sonnet 4.5, and that it is able to handle ambiguity and reason about tradeoffs without hand-holding. The Opus 4.5 model offers better vision, reasoning, mathematics skills, and coding than prior versions of Claude.

Along with the Opus update, Anthropic is updating its apps, the Claude Developer Platform, and Claude Code. There are tools for longer-running agents, and options to use Claude in Excel, Chrome, and on the desktop.

In the Claude apps, users will no longer run into limits during a long conversation. Claude is able to automatically summarize earlier context, which means the conversation can keep going endlessly. Claude for Chrome is available to all Max users, and Claude for Excel beta access is now available to all Max, Team, and Enterprise users.

Claude Code is now available in the desktop app, and with Opus 4.5, it is able to build more precise plans and execute them more thoroughly. Claude is able to ask clarifying questions upfront and then build a user-editable plan before executing.

Claude Opus 4.5 is available today across Anthropic's apps and its API. Opus-specific caps have been removed for Claude and Claude Code users with access to Opus 4.5, and for Max and Team Premium members, overall usage limits have increased.

OpenAI today added a new shopping research feature to ChatGPT, which is meant to help you find the right products for everything from simple household products to gifts.

You can tell ChatGPT what you're looking for, and shopping research will build a guide to help you make decisions on what to purchase. OpenAI says that it will ask smart clarifying questions, research deeply across the internet, review quality sources, and use context from prior conversations to build a personalized buyer's guide that's up-to-date.

It is built to perform particularly well in detail-heavy categories like electronics, beauty, home and garden, kitchen and appliances, and sports and outdoor. The research feature includes comparisons, constraints, tradeoffs, and more for product selections.

ChatGPT will suggest shopping research automatically when you ask it a shopping-related question, but you can also select "shopping research" from the "+" menu. When a research session has begun, ChatGPT will open a visual interface where you can share feedback to guide the research, providing feedback on what you're interested in.

You'll need to click through to a retailer's site to make a purchase, but eventually, ChatGPT will be able to make automatic purchases through ChatGPT when shopping from merchants that are part of Instant Checkout.

Shopping research is rolling out for logged-in ChatGPT users on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans, and to simplify holiday shopping, OpenAI is making "nearly unlimited usage" available.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and io Products creator Jony Ive forged a friendship that led to OpenAI's acquisition of io, and subsequently, an AI-based hardware product that both Altman and Ive believe is a reimagination of what it means to use a computer.

The duo recently did an interview with Emerson Collective founder Laurene Powell Jobs, providing insight into what they're working on. There's now an established hardware prototype, and while Altman and Ive didn't explain what it is in plain language, the interview has hints of its design and functionality.

Here are several ways that Altman and Ive described their AI hardware device:

• It breaks the constraints of the "same kind of computer that we've been using for a long time."
• Research started with a question about what it means that the device "is going to be able to know everything you've ever thought about, read, said?"
• It will be a "sort of active participant" that's proactive in "a not annoying way."
• Current devices and apps are like "walking through Times Square in New York" with flashing lights, crowds of people, noises, etc. It "doesn't make our lives peaceful and calm" or let us "focus on other stuff," which is what Ive and Altman wanted to address.
• If you have an AI that you trust to do things for you and filter things out with "incredible contextual awareness of your whole life," then you can go for a vibe that's not walking through Times Square.
• Ive and Altman's device aims to bring some of the spirit of "sitting in the most beautiful cabin by a lake and in the mountains and just sort of enjoying the peace and calm."
• Ive said he prefers solutions that "teeter on appearing almost naive in their simplicity and their feel."
• He also likes "incredibly intelligent, sophisticated products that you want to touch" and use "almost carelessly."
• Ive told Altman that the design is right when you "want to lick it or take a bite out of it," and with the current prototype, Altman got that feeling.
• "The degree to which Jony chipped away at every little thing that this doesn't need to do or that doesn't need to be there is remarkable."
• "There's something about when a design gets like so simple and beautiful. And playful, for lack of a better word." There aren't a lot of products with "humor" in "this area" and there is a desire "not to take ourselves quite so seriously even though these are serious times."
• Altman said that early on, Jony said "we are going to make people smile. We're going to make people feel joy. Whatever the product does, it has to do that." Altman said it's "lovely" to "have some whimsy back."
• The prototypes are "jaw-droppingly good" and "exciting."

Rumors have described the device that io is working on as an AI phone without a screen, a "third core device" after a MacBook and an iPhone that's unobtrusive and able to sit in a pocket or on a desk, an iPod Shuffle-sized device that's neck worn, and a pocket-sized gadget that's screen-free but contextually aware of your life with microphones and cameras. It is not any kind of wearable like glasses, a watch, or earbuds.

Ive and Altman expect to have a device ready to hit the market in less than two years from now. The full interview with Altman and Ive is worth watching to see the commentary in context.

Apple is making cuts and has laid off dozens of people in sales roles, reports Bloomberg. Apple is aiming to simplify the way that it sells products to businesses, schools, and governments.

Affected employees received notice over the past couple of weeks, and positions eliminated include account managers for large businesses, schools, and government agencies, plus staff at Apple's briefing centers for major customers. Employees were reportedly surprised by the layoffs, but they are able to apply for other positions within Apple.

Apple told Bloomberg that it is making changes in its sales team to better connect with customers.

To connect with even more customers, we are making some changes in our sales team that affect a small number of roles. We are continuing to hire and those employees can apply for new roles.

While Apple says it is restructuring some of the sales team, affected employees apparently believe that Apple wants to move more sales to third-party retailers. Pushing sales through retailers allows Apple to save money by cutting salary costs.

Apple is giving employees over a month to find a new role. Those who haven't gotten another position in the company by January 20 will receive a severance package.

Apple is making progress on the development of the book-style foldable iPhone expected in 2026, according to a report from Chinese site UDN. The device has reportedly entered the engineering validation stage, and Apple is gearing up for mass production.

Citing supply chain sources, UDN says that Apple has solved "the crease problem" that has plagued most foldable smartphones, and the foldable ‌iPhone‌ will be the first crease-free foldable smartphone on the market. We've heard multiple prior rumors about Apple's intensive work on the hinge and display to minimize creasing, so this isn't the first time the foldable ‌iPhone‌ has been rumored to have a seamless screen.

Apple is using an inner screen designed by Samsung, but the panel structure, lamination method, and material process was designed by Apple. Apple worked with its suppliers to come up with a hinge design that prevents a permanent crease, and the hinge will adopt Liquid Metal components. By using Liquid Metal, Apple was able to design an ‌iPhone‌ that has a durable hinge that still has a slim design.

Apple will allegedly call the device the "‌iPhone‌ Fold," which is the name sites have already adopted when sharing rumors about the product.

There have been rumors suggesting that Apple could delay the foldable iPhone beyond 2026, but if Apple is ready for the engineering validation stage of ‌iPhone‌ development, a September 2026 launch timeline as planned is entirely plausible.

Best Buy today is discounting the previous generation 13-inch M2 MacBook Air (256GB) to $649.00, down from $799.00. This sale is available in Starlight and Midnight, and Best Buy provides free two-day shipping or local pickup if your local Best Buy has stock.

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.

The Silver option displays an even steeper discount, but we haven't seen this model in stock in weeks, so the current $150 discount offered for the other colors is your best bet. This is still a great low price on the M2 MacBook Air, which should be a perfect laptop for anyone looking to accomplish day-to-day tasks like checking email and streaming video.

Mac deals are in abundance for Black Friday 2025, and the newer M4 MacBook Air is one of the best all-around discounts during this year's event. On Amazon, you can get the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air for $749.00 and the 15-inch model for $949.00, but be sure to check our Best Black Friday deals post for even more Apple-related deals.

For everything else, we're keeping track of the season's best deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.

---

American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports.

CNN quietly removed its stories from ‌Apple News‌ over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's content could return if a new deal is reached.

CNN recently launched a paid subscription service and began placing more of its reporting behind a paywall. The network now offers a $29.99-per-year articles-only tier and a $69.99-per-year "All Access" plan that combines written stories with its streaming service.

Major news firms including People and Condé Nast brands have leaned into ‌Apple News‌, but other media companies have been cautious about adopting the platform since its debut. CNN was present from the launch of the app in 2015.

Amazon this week is discounting Apple Watch Series 11 GPS and cellular models, with $50 off select devices. These deals join the abundance of early Black Friday deals on Apple Watches, also including great discounts on Apple Watch SE 2 and SE 3.

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.

You can get the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 11 for $349.00, down from $399.00, and the 46mm GPS model for $379.00, down from $429.00. You'll find three of the 42mm GPS models on sale at this all-time low price, and four of the 46mm GPS models discounted by $50 in this sale.

If you're shopping for cellular models, you can also find new record low prices on multiple models this week on Amazon. The 42mm cellular Apple Watch Series 11 has hit $449.00, down from $499.00, and the 46mm cellular model has hit $479.00, down from $529.00.

In addition to Series 11 deals, Amazon has big deals on multiple Apple Watch models this week. This includes $89 off Apple Watch SE 2 and $49 off Apple Watch SE 3.

Apple Watch SE 2

• Apple Watch SE 2 (40mm GPS) - $159.99 ($89 off)
• Apple Watch SE 2 (44mm GPS) - $177.08 ($102 off)

Apple Watch SE 3

• Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm GPS) - $199.99 ($49 off)
• Apple Watch SE 3 (44mm GPS) - $229.99 ($49 off)

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.

---

While Apple is moving toward a multi-model AI strategy for Siri, Samsung appears to be following a similar path by integrating Perplexity's AI into its Bixby assistant for the upcoming Galaxy S26.

According to the well-regarded tipster @chunvn8888 on X (Twitter), the arrangement would see Samsung's Bixby continuing to handle basic on-device requests such as toggling settings and activating system features, while Perplexity's models would take on queries that involve complex reasoning and generative tasks.

Currently, Apple Intelligence blends on-device models for relatively simple tasks with OpenAI's ChatGPT for more complex reasoning and generation. A Samsung-Perplexity pairing would replicate this split. However, Samsung already maintains a deep AI partnership with Google, and newer Galaxy devices ship with Gemini-powered features embedded directly into its custom One UI interface. Choosing Perplexity suggests Samsung is widening its model pool rather than consolidating around Google's ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Apple is preparing a broader expansion of its own multi-model strategy. A recent Bloomberg report claims the more capable version of Siri under development will rely on Google's Gemini for advanced tasks such as summarisation and multi-step planning, with Apple's own models continuing to power select features.

The more advanced Siri was originally meant to arrive with iOS 18, but Apple is said to have recognized the need to rework the assistant's core architecture, which has pushed the release to a software update expected early next year.

Despite Apple's reliance on external partners, Apple is said to be continuing to invest heavily in its internal LLM roadmap. Apple is reportedly developing a cloud-based complex reasoning model that could be ready as soon as 2026.

As a result of the update, ‌Siri‌ will be able to answer more complex queries and complete more complicated tasks in and between apps. It will be closer in function to Claude and ChatGPT, however Apple is not planning a dedicated chatbot app.

Apple's online store has sold out of the limited-edition Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand accessibility accessory it debuted late last week. However, two new color options in production are set to be released in early December and can be pre-ordered directly from Hikawa's website.

Hikawa is offering the MagSafe-compatible Grip and Stand in Cobalt and Blurple Swirl, following the rapid sellout of its Chartreuse and Crater colors. The accessories cost £55 each (about $72 USD) and international shipping is available – but stock is extremely limited, so move quickly if you're interested.

Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Hikawa says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing angles, in both vertical and horizontal orientations.

Inspired by modern sculpture, the Hikawa's design process involved direct input from individuals with disabilities affecting muscle strength, dexterity, and hand control.

The Hikawa website also sells a range of unconventional high-end iPhone cases, as well as a selection of eye-catching toilet seats.

Apple has published a new ad for the iPhone 17 Pro on its YouTube channel, highlighting the device's vapor chamber cooling and A19 Pro chip.

Titled "Peak Performance," the minute-long ad opens with a man running through an arid desert landscape when storm clouds coalesce above him. A drop of water falls from the sky and evaporates on his forehead, providing him with super-human performance and multitasking ability. A voiceover says:

The Apple A19 Pro chip is vapor cooled. Because when you run cool, you can push your limits. And juggle over 35 trillion complex tasks a second. Just imagine if we were that powerful...

As the man continues to run, he plays the keys on an elongated piano while solving a Rubik's cube with one hand, then breaks through a wall and dashes through a room of singers, before smashing through another wall and eclipsing the camera view.

Apple overhauled the thermal design of the iPhone 17 Pro models, adopting a vapor chamber cooling system. With the vapor chamber system, a small amount of deionized water moves heat away from the A19 Pro chip and distributes it throughout the iPhone's aluminum unibody frame. Apple says the design allows for 40 percent better sustained performance for demanding tasks.

Starting at $1,099 for the Pro and $1,199 for the Pro Max, the iPhone 17 Pro models are more expensive than the $999 iPhone Air and the $799 iPhone 17, but they have the most advanced feature set available in the iPhone line.

Amazon this week is taking $70 off Wi-Fi models of Apple's 11th generation iPad. Prices start at $279.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $349.00, matching the all-time low price on this model.

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.

Additionally, Amazon has the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad for $379.00 ($70 off) and the 512GB Wi-Fi iPad for $579.00 ($70 off). Free delivery estimates are placed around November 29 for most of these iPad models, but Prime members should be able to get same-day delivery in many locations.

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.

---

iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features.

In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features.

Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects there to be new AI features. He said that iOS 27 will extend artificial intelligence to additional Apple apps, and he reiterated that there will be an Apple Health+ subscription service that offers personalized health recommendations and more.

He said this focus on improved quality over new features also applies to macOS 27.

The first betas of iOS 27, macOS 27, and other corresponding updates should be released shortly after Apple's annual developers conference WWDC next June.

Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year."

While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to explain that an announcement early in the year would allow for a smooth leadership transition, ahead of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC in June and iPhone event in September.

However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said he would be "shocked" if Cook steps down between late January and June next year.

"Based on everything I've learned in recent weeks, I don't believe a departure by the middle of next year is likely," said Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. "In fact, I would be shocked if Cook steps down in the time frame outlined by the FT."

There have been "few signs internally" that Cook is about to step down, he added.

Gurman described the Financial Times report as "premature" and "simply false."

Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, is widely viewed as Cook's most likely successor whenever the time comes.

Cook, who turned 65 this year, has been Apple's CEO since August 2011.