Apple shuts down support community forums after 28 years, rumors of Siri acting as an intelligent agent next year, Siri chief Mike Rockwell may leave Apple, Apple sells AI usage packs for about $50, a vulnerability in iOS threatens cryptocurrency wallets without a fix, iPhone 18 Pro Max is the battery test champion, iPhone 18e may get a larger screen and Dynamic Island, the 2027 iPhone may lose the Action button, an Apple subsidiary turns Macs into an AI server, the Gemini app arrives on CarPlay, a scandal shakes the CEO of Nvidia, Anthropic prepares for its IPO, and other exciting news on the sidelines…
Apple to permanently close “Support Community” forums on November 20
Apple announced that the Apple Support Community forums will close permanently on November 20, 2026. Since November 10, they have been in read-only mode, meaning no new questions or replies can be posted; the last post was at 5:49 PM Pacific Time. Apple stated the decision was made “after careful evaluation of strategy and customer needs,” and did not announce a replacement, simply directing users to the official support website, while the login button now leads to an internal portal for Apple employees. The forums began in 1998 as Apple Tech Exchange, then became Apple Discussions, and finally Apple Support Communities in April 2011, containing posts dating back to at least 2005. It is expected that their results will disappear from Google search and users will migrate to platforms like Reddit.
Rumor: Siri to become an intelligent agent starting next year
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg said in his weekly newsletter on November 8 that Apple “ultimately wants to move in this direction” and could make Siri “closer to an agent” starting in 2027—an assistant that tracks goals, decides on next steps, and executes them without the user requesting every step, similar to competing agents like Dots, Muse, and Grok. Apple launched the long-delayed personal Siri with iOS 27, but it still does not initiate tasks. In the same report, Gurman said Apple changed its development method for iOS 28 and macOS 28; instead of phases including 4 weeks of coding and 4 weeks of integration, the first phase received 6 weeks of coding and exploration and only two weeks for integration. Employees are satisfied because it gives them more time to experiment with ideas, and iOS 28 is expected to arrive as a beta version in June 2027.
Is Siri chief Mike Rockwell leaving Apple?
Mark Gurman mentioned that Mike Rockwell, Apple’s VP of Siri Engineering, “is still seriously considering stepping down” and may leave the company entirely next year. He is the one who created the Vision Pro headset and then led the rescue of Siri after what Gurman described as an embarrassing two-year delay. Candidates to succeed him include Amar Subramanya from Google, and Sebastian Marino, one of Craig Federighi’s deputies responsible for integrating AI into iOS. The report added that new CEO John Ternus held a closed-door meeting with Federighi in recent weeks, pressing him to accelerate software plans beyond basic Siri improvements, as he is annoyed that Apple seems less urgent than its competitors in AI.
Apple sells additional AI usage packs
Apple has introduced “Intelligence Usage Packs” for Apple Creator Studio subscribers at $49.99 per pack, the first explicitly paid AI features from Apple. The pack is a one-time purchase, valid for 12 months, and is only used after the free monthly limit is exhausted, which is roughly equivalent to 50 images, 250 shapes, 50 presentations, or notes for 700 slides. Apple did not specify the amount of additional usage in the pack. It does not work with Family Sharing, is non-refundable, and is currently sold in 8 countries including the US, UK, India, and Brazil, appearing now only in Logic Pro for Mac. These features rely on Google’s Gemini models for generating images and shapes, and OpenAI for creating presentations in Keynote, even though Tim Cook said in 2024 that Apple had not discussed charging for its AI.
iOS vulnerability threatens cryptocurrency wallets and remains unpatched
Binance warned iPhone users on November 10 about a vulnerability called “worse_query” that allows a malicious app to escape the sandbox environment and read local files of other apps, which could expose recovery phrases, private keys, and login data. It stated that the problem is in the iOS system itself and not specific to its app, affecting versions including iOS 26.7.1, 27.0.1, and 27.2. Researchers 0xjohnny and forcequitOS published the vulnerability with a proof-of-concept on GitHub, and the latter said it was not fixed in iOS 27.2.1 nor in the first beta of iOS 27.3. Tools built on it have already appeared, such as a file manager that reads other apps’ data without a jailbreak. Binance advises deleting apps installed from outside the App Store, updating the system, and moving funds to a new wallet on a clean device if a breach is suspected. No thefts have been recorded yet.
iPhone 18 Pro Max leads battery test among 32 phones
The iPhone 18 Pro Max took first place in CNET’s battery life comparison among 32 phones. The tests included 3 hours of video streaming over Wi-Fi at maximum brightness, and 45 minutes of mixed usage between video, calls, games, and social media. In mixed usage, the iPhone 18 Pro Max tied with the iPhone Duo, the first foldable iPhone, with 99% battery remaining, compared to 97% for the Pixel 11 Pro XL, while the iPhone 18 Pro was the best in video streaming with 94% remaining after 3 hours. The site attributed the superiority to the larger battery, the efficiency of the A20 Pro processor, and iOS 27 improvements. The iPhone Duo, priced at $1,999, came in fourth place tied with the iPhone 17e, and Apple topped the company average for the second year in a row, followed by OnePlus.
Rumor: iPhone 18e with 6.3-inch screen and Dynamic Island
Leaker Fixed Focus Digital posted a schematic on Weibo indicating that the iPhone 18e will get the same 6.3-inch screen as the iPhone 18 instead of 6.1 inches, with the same 4430 mAh battery and motherboard design—a rumor not confirmed by Apple. The larger screen likely means the arrival of the Dynamic Island, which was absent from this category because Apple reuses iPhone 14 screens; a 120Hz refresh rate is unlikely. The phone’s codename is “Nevera” versus “Taycan” for the iPhone 18. The leak contradicts a previous claim by leaker Digital Chat Station regarding a 6.12-inch 60Hz screen, and the launch is expected in the spring of 2027.
Rumor: 2027 iPhone Pro without Action button
Leaker Instant Digital said on Weibo that Apple will remove the Action button from iPhone Pro models in 2027, the year of the iPhone’s 20th anniversary and the expected new design, and will keep the camera control button as seen on the iPhone Duo. According to the rumor, a normal press on the camera button opens the camera app, while a long press performs the Action button functions. 9to5Mac suggests that Apple might merge the two buttons in upcoming devices, including the next iPhone Duo. Other rumors point to curved screens on all four sides and larger sizes, noting that the absence of the Action button on the iPhone Duo disappointed some users.
Apple subsidiary Claris turns Macs into a private AI server
Claris, an Apple subsidiary known for FileMaker, is testing an app called “Harbor” that turns one or more Macs with Apple silicon into a private local server to run open-weight AI models, without cloud fees or per-token charges, while keeping data on user devices. The app can automatically link two or more Macs via Thunderbolt 5 to pool unified memory and run larger models, relying on RDMA technology that Apple added in macOS Tahoe 26.2, allowing users to browse and download models without manual setup. The app is in private preview, its page was removed from the App Store, and the registration form asks for company name, indicating it targets the business sector; its price has not been announced.
Teardown of PROLED MacBook Pro reveals secret of the glowing logo
iFixit disassembled the PROLED MacBook Pro with a touchscreen and found that the glowing Apple logo on the back works with four LEDs with a reflective layer, a light diffuser, and a mirror coating that hides it when turned off. Accessing it requires removing the screen, which caused damage to the OLED panel. The hinge is nearly identical to the M6 MacBook Pro but is stiffer to stabilize the screen when touched. Memory and storage are soldered, and the motherboard can be swapped between two devices without issues with touch or Touch ID after using the Repair Assistant tool. The bottom chassis weighs 364 grams compared to 456 in the M6 model, and the screen is 101 grams lighter. The device received a 5 out of 10 in repairability, and its price starts at $2,899 for the 14-inch and $3,399 for the 16-inch.
watchOS 27.3 brings three new features to Apple Watch
The watchOS 27.3 update, currently in beta, arrives for everyone next month with three features: first, new Siri AI actions within Calendar, Mail, Maps, Messages, Music, Notes, Photos, and Weather apps with 4 new languages including Turkish and Vietnamese. Second, “Live Rewind,” where a double-press on the Digital Crown displays text for the last 15 seconds of heard speech, with the ability to ask Siri about it or save it. Third, “Siri Recap,” which automatically records daily activity and conversations and deletes them after a week; it is disabled by default. The voice AI features require Apple Watch Series 12 or Ultra 4 paired with an iPhone 16 or later.
Accusations that Apple Stores sign customers up for subscriptions without consent
Consumer rights activist and repair technician Louis Rossmann posted YouTube videos accusing some US Apple Store employees of signing customers up for auto-renewing subscription trials like Apple One without informed consent, via the “Connect and Personalize” feature that works with a QR code and shows the employee the customer’s devices and subscriptions with accept and decline buttons. It was alleged that some employees pressed the accept button themselves or presented the trials as gifts. Some stores had a 40% target per employee for selling services, which Apple canceled last week, saying it was less important during the holiday season, then sent an internal memo about privacy and consent. Users can review their subscriptions from Settings and request a refund from reportaproblem.apple.com.
Gemini app finally arrives on CarPlay
Google began rolling out the Gemini app globally on Apple CarPlay on November 11 with Gemini Live voice conversations, arriving late after ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Meta AI, Claude, and Copilot, since Apple opened CarPlay to chatbots in iOS 26.4. The app allows most Gemini capabilities including access to Gmail and Calendar, and conversations sync with the iPhone app and web, but directions open Google Maps even if Apple Maps is the default. It cannot be triggered by voice or the steering wheel button because Apple reserves those for Siri; instead, it is accessed by touching its icon on the car screen. It requires the latest version of the app and using Gemini Live at least once on the iPhone.
Scandal puts Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang under investigation
Nvidia’s board of directors opened an investigation through a committee of independent members with the help of external legal counsel, following New York Times reports that CEO Jensen Huang was a “target of foreign intelligence efforts,” after Huang admitted on November 8 to an extramarital affair with a woman whom the newspaper said US authorities consider an agent for Chinese intelligence. The board said there is “no reason to believe that national security or Nvidia’s secrets were compromised” and that Huang is cooperating. The stock fell more than 4% on November 9. The company is valued at $4.3 trillion and controls about 90% of the AI data center processor market. The matter raised questions about the absence of a declared successor to Huang, who has led it for 33 years.
Anthropic launches Claude Fable 5.2 and Mythos 5.2 models
Anthropic announced on November 9 the Claude Fable 5.2 and Mythos 5.2 models, which are the same model, but Fable is available to everyone with stronger controls in cybersecurity and biology, while Mythos is intended for verified entities. Fable 5.2 outperforms Opus 5.5, GPT-6 Astra, and Gemini 4 Carbon in coding and agent benchmarks, including 89.3% in OSWorld 2.1 and 41.3% in the remote work index compared to 17.9% for version 5.1. The company said about 1,000 Fable 5.2 agents formally drafted a proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem in Lean in about 30 hours, and that more than 90% of the edits in its code are written by Claude. The price is $8 for inputs and $40 for outputs per million tokens, with outputs up to 30% faster.
OpenAI revenue reaches $10 billion in one quarter with larger losses
The Wall Street Journal reported, based on internal documents, that OpenAI’s revenue in the third quarter reached about $10 billion, an increase of nearly 50% from $6.7 billion in the second quarter, while the adjusted operating loss widened to $10.9 billion from $10.1 billion. However, the operating margin improved from negative 150% to negative 109%, meaning the company loses about $1.09 for every dollar of revenue after previously losing $1.5. Enterprises have become the largest source of revenue thanks to AI coding tools. OpenAI had secretly filed for an IPO in June, and its CFO Sarah Friar says it will become a public company in 2027.
Galaxy S27 leaks: iPhone-like design and disappointing cameras
Leaker Sonny Dickson posted a photo of Galaxy S27 Pro, S27 Ultra, and S27+ dummies, showing a camera island the width of the phone on the Pro and Ultra models resembling recent iPhones, with Samsung abandoning the vertical camera arrangement. The S27 Pro appeared clearly smaller than the Ultra and S27+, but leaker Ice Universe said the photo is incorrect. In another leak from SammyGuru, Samsung is considering a 50MP main camera for the S27 and S27+ with a 12MP wide lens that has been the same since the S23, while the Pro and Ultra get a 200MP camera and a 50MP wide lens with 3x zoom on the Pro and 5x on the Ultra. The austerity is attributed to rising memory prices, and all of this is rumor.
Europe prepares to ban 10 deceptive online design patterns
A leaked draft seen by Euronews revealed that the European Digital Fairness Act will ban 10 misleading design patterns, including making unsubscribing harder than signing up, false scarcity, pre-selected add-ons, fake notifications, and pressuring the user to change their decision. The draft requires a clear button to end a subscription, prevents free trials from turning into paid ones without consent, bans paid loot boxes and ads based on tracking minors, and allows any user to turn off auto-play, streaks, and chatbot features that simulate relationships. Fines reach up to 6% of global revenue, and the law applies in the 27 countries 12 months after it enters into force; Germany opposes this trend.
Miscellaneous News
◉ The iOS 27.3 beta adds a setting in Safari called “Use Global Privacy Control” that asks websites not to sell or share user data, which may help in the future to get rid of cookie windows. However, the feature is disabled by default, requires website support, and has legal force in only 5 US states.
◉ The iPadOS 27.3 beta adds an option in multitasking settings that allows maximizing a window to full screen by double-clicking its top, and returning it to its previous size with another double-click. The option only appears when enabling windowed app mode, and also works by double-clicking on the trackpad.
◉ iPadOS 27.3 moves the Siri mode in the Camera app to the iPad, where you can take a photo, select something in it with an Apple Pencil, and then ask Siri about it, similar to Google’s Circle to Search feature. The feature is supported by iPad Pro and iPad Air with M1 or later and iPad mini with A17 Pro or later; the official release is expected in December.
◉ iOS 27 brings AI features to home cameras, such as describing recorded clips, activity summaries, and searching recordings in natural language, but they require an iCloud+ plan with at least 2TB of storage at $9.99 per month for one camera. According to 9to5Mac, supported cameras increase to two in the 6TB plan and five in the 12TB plan, with a home hub required.
◉ Code researcher pdfu discovered in the iOS 27.3 beta an option called “TimeToPark” that measures the time a driver spends looking for a parking spot and walking after it, which may allow Apple Maps to add this time to the estimated arrival time. The feature is disabled in public versions and only works on internal Apple devices.
◉ Features rumored to arrive on the next iPad Air, most notably an OLED screen at 60Hz, an M5 processor, a design about 15% thinner and lighter, and IP67 water resistance. DigiTimes reports and Mark Gurman indicate a launch in the first half of 2027.
◉ The Washington Post and Reuters reported that Apple may face congressional investigations after Democrats took control of both houses in January, due to its removal of ICE immigration tracking apps last year under pressure from the Department of Justice. Senator Richard Blumenthal is also demanding documents from donors to the White House ballroom project; Apple and Nvidia had pledged $25 million each.
◉ If you notice your new iPhone 18 Pro Max battery draining quickly, the reason is usually temporary, because the intelligent Siri indexes messages, mail, notes, and photos on the device for about a week, and the battery is calibrated over days and weeks. Apple says the phone lasts up to 30 hours in normal use and 45 hours in video playback.
◉ Google unveiled two new eighth-generation AI processors: the TPU 8tx with up to half the latency, and the TPU 8i Max which doubles computing and memory, arriving in 2027 to compete with Nvidia. Google said clusters containing more than a million TPU 8t processors were used to train Gemini 4 Carbon.
◉ Xiaomi confirmed it will launch the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max globally in Paris on November 17 to compete with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, in four colors. Leaks indicate a price starting at 1,399 euros for the Pro model, with pre-order gifts varying by country.
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