Report: Apple held internal talks about acquiring AI search startup Perplexity

As Apple scrambles to play catch-up in the generative AI race, a new report says the company has considered making its biggest acquisition ever.
more…As Apple scrambles to play catch-up in the generative AI race, a new report says the company has considered making its biggest acquisition ever.
more…According to leaker Majin Bu, Apple is experimenting with two new colors for this year’s iPhone 17 base models, but only one might make it to launch. And if the current internal scuttlebutt is anything to go by, there seems to be a frontrunner.
more…Apple’s tight grip on local wireless sharing is finally loosening, even if rather reactively. With iOS 26, developers are getting a new API that allows third-party apps to discover and connect nearby devices over Wi-Fi, without needing an internet connection. Here’s how it’ll work.
more…Apple is continuing to face fallout from its Apple Intelligence rollout. As spotted by Reuters, Apple shareholders have sued Apple in a proposed class action securities fraud case for allegedly “downplaying how long it needed to integrate advanced artificial intelligence into its Siri voice assistant.”
The lawsuit alleges that this misrepresentation negatively impacted iPhone sales and Apple’s stock price.
more…Following last month’s Brazilian certification and a quickly-pulled teaser image leak, Logitech’s next-gen mouse has now appeared in a filing with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), giving us the clearest look yet at what’s changing and what’s not.
Here’s what the MX Master 4 looks like.
more…Last night, I had forgotten to take my upstairs off Eco mode, and I was shocked to see the difference in one of my son’s rooms based on my Nest Temperature Sensor. In my dream world, I’d have a variable system that could heat and cool rooms independently, but nevertheless, I didn’t buy bitcoin when it was $1, so I cannot afford that. With that being said, I do like having the knowledge of what’s happening in individual rooms and having that data in HomeKit. The new is a new way to do that with a built-in screen.
more…Vast is working on what might just be the first commercial space station in low Earth orbit. To get the public excited about the station’s launch as soon as one year from now, the company released a VR fly through, led by Vast’s Lead Astronaut, that is available on Meta, Steam, and yes, Apple’s platforms.
more…Apple is working on a major revision to AirPods Pro, which could be released as soon as this year. Plus, new AirPods Max are also in the pipeline. Here’s everything we know about when to expect Apple to release new AirPods…
more…The Lowfree Flow84 is the latest episode in my on-again, off-again love affair with mechanical keyboards. I describe it as the mechanical keyboard Apple would make for a mix of good and bad reasons, but we’ll get to that!
It’s one of a relatively new breed of low-profile mechanical keyboards, something that would have seemed a contradiction in terms just a few years earlier …
more…Almost exactly two years after abruptly pulling the plug on its Apple TV app, Vimeo is making a comeback on the platform with a brand-new experience built from the ground up. Here’s what’s new this time around.
more…Alongside an ongoing all-time low on the base model M4 Mac mini at $469 and a $150 price drop on the 24GB model, we are also now tracking the mid-range 512GB variant down at the $689 Amazon low. Over to the M4 Pro MacBook Pro lineup, we have this upgraded 48GB 14-inch model at $400 off the list price alongside ongoing deals on AirPods Pro 2, the Apple 25W MagSafe charger at $30, and Journey debuted its new leather VERSA MagSafe Money Clip Wallet with Apple Find My at 20% off. All of that and more awaits below in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break.
more…Meta’s smart glasses experiment is moving into its next phase. After scoring a surprise hit with its Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, the company is now teaming up with Oakley for a more rugged, sport-focused lineup and good tech upgrades. Here’s when to get them.
more…If you’ve recently been experiencing YouTube crashes on your smartphone, Google has a fix in store — though iOS users might need to do a little more than update.
more…Apple kicked off its annual Back to School promotion earlier this week, offering free AirPods and other accessories with the purchase of a new Mac or iPad.
Now, as Back to School season ramps up, Apple has shared a humorous new video telling college students “how to convince your parents to get you a Mac.”
more…In its continued “Best Phones Forever” series, Google pokes a bit of fun at how many iOS 26 features are “inspired” by Pixel, while also teasing the Pixel 10.
more…If you’ve been experimenting with custom GPTs inside ChatGPT, here’s a welcome upgrade: OpenAI now lets users pick from all available models when building or running a custom GPT, not just GPT-4o. Here’s how it works (and what’s missing).
more…Foxconn is taking another step in cementing its rolerole in Apple’s Indian manufacturing strategy. After years of focusing mainly on iPhone assembly, the Taiwanese contract manufacturing giant is now preparing to build iPhone casings locally for the first time. Here’s why that matters.
more…Earlier this week, Meta officially flipped the switch on in-app advertising for WhatsApp users worldwide, marking the first time ads have appeared inside the messaging platform. But if you’re in the European Union, there’s now an important update: the rollout won’t be happening for you… yet.
more…Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
Sponsored by 9to5Mac Daily Plus: Get ad-free versions of every episode by visiting 9to5mac.com/join.
Apple’s famous “Shot on iPhone” ad series has just earned one of the advertising industry’s highest honors: the Grand Prix in the Creative Effectiveness Lions category at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Not bad for a campaign that started a decade ago.
more…For photography enthusiasts, the prosumer camera app market has had no shortage of great options, with longtime favorites like Halide from Lux leading the pack. Now, Adobe has decided to enter the picture (get it?) with a free experimental app from the same team behind the original Google Pixel camera.
more…After years (and years, and years) of waiting and speculation, Spotify’s long-promised lossless audio feature appears to be inching closer to reality. The latest desktop app builds now show multiple references to “Lossless” streaming, giving users the loudest sign yet that higher-fidelity streaming could soon roll out. Here’s what to expect.
more…Benjamin and Chance catch up on all the stuff they didn’t get time to cover, still reeling in the haze of the WWDC hangover, discussing a bunch of cool new things across iOS, watchOS, and visionOS.
And in Happy Hour Plus, Benjamin and Chance go hands-on with all the new CarPlay changes in iOS 26. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.
If you were hoping Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro models would shake up their physical screen sizes, you can extra-officially temper your expectations. But that doesn’t mean the 2026 lineup won’t bring significant shifts in how the front of the iPhone looks. Here’s what may be coming.
more…Besides the new navigation drawer and 2.5 Pro going stable, the Gemini app is rolling out video upload and analysis. This lets you add a clip to your prompt.
more…If you’re still rocking a first-generation iPod or, like me, are holding on to an old FireWire external drive for dear life, this one might hit hard: the first developer beta of macOS 26 Tahoe appears to have dropped support for the FireWire 400 and 800 standards.
more…With the first big enforcement deadline under the EU’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA) just days away, the European Commission is signaling a more measured approach toward two of the law’s highest-profile targets: Apple and Meta. Here’s what today’s news means in context.
more…Alongside hundreds in savings on iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 units, today’s best deals are all about the Mac. Joining some relatively rare deals on the latest M4 Max Mac Studio models at $200 off, the most affordable M4 Mac mini has now hit a new all-time low at $469 shipped – that’s $130 off the going rate. We also have an even lower price on the base model 13-inch M4 MacBook Air at $829 shipped from the usual $999 list price, a series of charging gear, ecobee smart thermostats, portable SSDs, and more.
more…As more users start relying on AI for writing tasks like email drafts and document summaries, one common frustration remains: the output often sounds way too generic. Even when models like ChatGPT or Gemini are given detailed prompts, they rarely nail a user’s individual tone or voice without plenty of manual tweaking. Apple is now proposing a solution.
more…You know it’s a day that ends in “y” when there’s a new App Store lawsuit. This time, the issue isn’t antitrust or developer rejection complaints, but rather a class action accusing Apple of facilitating the spread of cryptocurrency scams by allowing a fake trading app onto the App Store. Here’s what happened.
more…This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column at 9to5Mac offering a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: Siri’s AI upgrade timing, iPhone Fold updates, AirPods Pro 3 delays, and more. Here are this week’s Apple rumors.
more…The privacy-focused web browser DuckDuckGo has boosted its anti-scam features. It can now detect and block fake ecommerce stores, crypto sites, virus alerts, and more.
The new security feature is completely free for all users on both Mac and iOS browsers, with no Privacy Pro subscription needed …
more…Anker and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have issued a product recall for a popular power bank due to a fire safety risk …
more…As spotted by Sigmund Judge, Apple is continuing its marketing blitz for F1: The Movie, which lands at the box office on June 27 and will stream on Apple TV+ later in the year.
Apple is certainly going out of its way to push awareness of the film. We’ve already seen Apple release a special haptic trailer, kickoff WWDC with a F1 sketch, Tim Cook and Brad Pitt made a surprise appearance at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store at the weekend, among many other media interviews. And today, it has expanded the pool of Apple Immersive content with a new Hot Lap Immersive instalment, available now in the TV app on Apple Vision Pro.
more…Security researchers have discovered what they describe as “one of the largest data breaches in history,” comprising a staggering 16 billion logins, which include Apple accounts (formerly known as Apple IDs).
The researchers said that the stolen data gives cybercriminals “unprecedented access to personal credentials that can be used for account takeover, identity theft, and highly targeted phishing” …
more…Jeff and Fernando share their 1-week impressions with new Apple software, with a special focus on iPadOS 26.
Sponsored by Bitwarden: Check out Bitwarden Password Manager, featuring an Apple Watch authenticator integration, secure autofill on Safari and iOS apps, and enterprise-grade security tools that help you manage credentials with confidence.
9to5Mac Overtime is a weekly video-first podcast exploring fun and interesting observations in the Apple ecosystem, featuring 9to5Mac’s Fernando Silva & Jeff Benjamin. Subscribe to Overtime via Apple Podcasts and our YouTube channel for more.
more…In its continued “Best Phones Forever” series, Google pokes a bit of fun at how many iOS 26 features are “inspired” by Pixel, while also teasing the Pixel 10.
more…Fortnite returned to the U.S. App Store last month after a five year hiatus over litigation between Epic Games and Apple. As of today, however, Fortnite is as good as gone on iPhones and iPads running the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 beta.
more…While more than 3.5 million people have spent the last couple of weeks glued to a brand-new Nintendo Switch 2, X user PatRyk (@Patrosi73) decided to invest their time elsewhere: trying to run iOS on the original Nintendo Switch. And they did it! Sort of.
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