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Apple today provided public beta testers with the first betas of iOS 26.6, iPadOS 26.6, macOS Tahoe 26.6, watchOS 26.6, and tvOS 26.6, with the software coming two days after Apple seeded the betas to developers. After signing up to beta test the software updates on Apple's beta site, public beta testers can download the new software using the Software Update section in the Settings app on each device. iOS 26.6 has a feature that will let you know when you have blocked too many contacts , but the limit is in the thousands so most users may not ever see the messaging. No other major new features have been found in any of the software updates, with Apple likely focusing on bug fixes and security improvements. We're nearing the end of the "26" software cycle, with Apple planning to unveil iOS 27 , iPadOS 27, macOS 27 , and more in 11 days. Related Roundups: iOS 26 , iPadOS 26 , macOS Tahoe Related Forums: iOS 26 , macOS Tahoe This article, " Apple Seeds First Public Betas of iOS 26.6, macOS Tahoe 26.6 and More " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Microsoft will be effectively bricking the standalone Office 2019 for Mac, iPad, and iPhone users on July 13, 2026. There's not much you can do about it, other than buy again, or subscribe to Office 365. How, when, and why to update from Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac In October, Microsoft officially ended support for Office 2019 for Mac, a standalone version of its ubiquitous productivity suite. While support was no longer provided, users could still use the software. Unfortunately, that's about to change no matter how old your hardware is, and regardless of what version of Apple's OSes you're running. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Apple reportedly plans to use next month's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to highlight its on-device AI capabilities as a competitive advantage, leaning on 15 years of custom silicon expertise to make the case for running AI models locally rather than in the cloud. People familiar with Apple's plans speaking to The Information say the company is expected to showcase how the chips designed for iPhones, Apple Watches, and Macs give it an edge in processing AI queries directly on devices. While cloud-based processing will remain necessary for complex queries, Apple will position local inference as a privacy-preserving, cost-saving alternative to the massive data center buildouts its rivals have pursued. As part of its agreement with Google , Apple is apparently set to use a large version of Google's Gemini model to train a smaller, distilled version capable of running locally on Apple hardware. Apple is also said to be scouting acquisitions to help advance its model-shrinking work, with one company it has reportedly considered being Liquid AI, a Massachusetts startup focused on running AI locally on devices. Some queries will still require cloud processing. Apple is believed to have approved the use of Nvidia's confidential compute technology within Google Cloud to handle processing of the larger Gemini-based model. The security feature encrypts data and AI models during processing, adding a modest performance cost but offering stronger privacy protections. The arrangement represents a noticeable departure from Apple's original Apple Intelligence announcement, in which the company said all cloud-bound queries would be handled exclusively by its own Private Cloud Compute infrastructure running on Apple silicon. Apple is likely to retain the Private Cloud Compute branding despite the change, people familiar with the partnership told The Information . There are also said to be material limits to how far Apple can push on-device processing. Google's full Gemini model runs into the trillions of parameters, and The Information claims that Apple has struggled to run it on its own Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, which uses the same Apple silicon chips found in Mac computers. ‌Apple Intelligence‌ was first announced at WWDC 2024 , but the rollout has been hampered by a tepid response to initial features and a protracted delay to the more personal version of Siri . Apple is now expected to use WWDC 2026 , which runs from June 8 to reframe the narrative, reintroduce the delayed features, and debut new ones. Related Roundup: WWDC 2026 Tags: Apple Intelligence , The Information , WWDC 2026 Related Forum: Apple, Inc and Tech Industry This article, " Report: Apple Plans to Make On-Device AI a Key WWDC Focus " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
There are nearly half a million Cherokee people around the world, but less than 0.5% of them speak their language natively, prompting educators to turn to iPad and Mac to help preserve the language. A Cherokee Immersion School student uses iMovie to add narration to a story in Keynote | Image credit: Apple Language is a living thing, and as such, it depends on speakers to not only keep it alive but also ensure its future survival. Some languages, especially those spoken by Indigenous Americans, are in danger of extinction. Today, there are fewer than 1,500 fluent Cherokee language speakers. Among the world's 480,000 Cherokee people, only 0.31% speak the language fluently. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
