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Apple Brings On Google Shopping VP to Lead AI Marketing Push

2026-03-28 02:01:53

Apple has hired former Google VP Lilian Rincon as its vice president of product marketing for artificial intelligence, reports Axios. Before joining Apple, Rincon was vice president of product for Google Shopping.


At Apple, Rincon will be in charge of product marketing and product management for all of Apple's AI platforms, reporting to Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak.

Rincon led the global product organization that handled Google's consumer-facing shopping experiences, and before that, she was a director of product management in the Google Shopping division, and she worked on Google Assistant. Rincon first joined Google in 2017, and she also previously worked at Microsoft and Skype.

Apple's AI marketing efforts come at a critical time as it prepares to roll out the updated chatbot version of Siri in iOS 27, and Rincon has a lot of work ahead. Apple is seen as being far behind competitors when it comes to AI development, both because of its failure to deploy Apple Intelligence Siri features on time and because iOS, macOS, and iPadOS offer far fewer AI features compared to Android and Windows.

With ‌iOS 27‌, Apple is overhauling ‌Siri‌. We'll get the smarter ‌Siri‌ Apple first introduced at the June 2024 WWDC keynote, plus Apple is planning for a full chatbot version of ‌Siri‌ that will compete with chatbots like Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT.

We'll see our first glimpse of the new AI features Apple has planned at the 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference, which begins on Monday, June 8.


This article, "Apple Brings On Google Shopping VP to Lead AI Marketing Push" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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MacBook Neo Review: Can Apple's Cheapest Laptop Handle Real Work?

2026-03-28 01:11:57

It's been a little over two weeks since the MacBook Neo launched on March 11, and MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been using it daily to do a more thorough review.


At $599 (or $499 for students), the ‌MacBook Neo‌ is the cheapest laptop that Apple has come out with, and given the quality of the product, it's an impressive price. The A18 Pro chip isn't underpowered for a notebook machine, and the Neo is going to handle every day-to-day task that you might throw at it.

8GB RAM might sound like not enough because all of Apple's other Macs have 16GB or more, but Macs use RAM so efficiently that most people aren't going to miss having more RAM. If you're browsing the web, watching videos, managing documents, writing, scrolling through social media apps, sending emails, completing homework, and doing other light work, the ‌MacBook Neo‌ isn't going to struggle. 8GB RAM is also sufficient for all of the Apple Intelligence features that Apple has come out with so far.

The ‌MacBook Neo‌ works totally fine for editing photos and videos, but it's of course not as quick as Apple's MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with M-series chips. You're going to see slower export times, but the actual process of editing video on the ‌MacBook Neo‌ doesn't feel overly sluggish.

The ‌MacBook Neo‌ had no problems with 30 Chrome tabs open with YouTube, Google Docs, news sites, spreadsheets, Twitter, and more, even when other apps like Mail, Messages, and Spotify were running. Bumping up to 60 tabs used all of the available RAM, but everything running was usable with no freezing or beach balls. A Windows laptop probably wouldn't be able to operate like the Neo does on just 8GB RAM, but with Apple's SoC, it works.

There are some compromises with the ‌MacBook Neo‌ in addition to the RAM. You're not going to get Apple's best display, but it's not too far off the ‌MacBook Air‌ display. There's just no True Tone for adjusting the display white balance to the lighting in the room. You're limited to two USB-C ports (one limited to USB 2 speeds at 480Mb/s, which does impact how fast files transfer), and another that's USB 3 at 10Gb/s. There's no Thunderbolt, no MagSafe charger, no SD card slot, no HDMI port, and no backlighting for the keyboard. The trackpad is mechanical instead of Force Touch, but it works largely the same, and there's a 1080p camera.

Battery life is solid at up to 16 hours on a full charge, and the power draw is low enough that you can get some extra juice with a small power bank. The ‌MacBook Neo‌ only comes in 256GB and 512GB configurations, so storage is a bit limited, and we do recommend that 512GB upgrade for an extra $100 if you can swing it because it adds Touch ID to the keyboard. The ‌MacBook Neo‌ is slim and lightweight at 2.7 pounds, plus it comes in fun colors like blush, citrus, silver, and indigo.

The ‌MacBook Neo‌ is designed for students on a budget, parents buying a first laptop for a child, and people who just need a basic machine for everyday online tasks. It may be Apple's lowest tier Mac, but it is one of the best computers you can get in its price range.

Many competing Windows PCs and Chromebooks around the $600 mark are bulkier and uglier, with dimmer displays and less powerful chips. PC makers haven't had to try in the low-end market because Apple didn't compete there, but now that's changed.

There's a reason why ASUS CFO Nick Wu said that the ‌MacBook Neo‌ was a "shock" to the entire PC industry that's being taken "very seriously." PC makers are going to need to innovate to keep Apple from dominating the affordable and education market.
Related Roundup: MacBook Neo
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Neo (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Neo

This article, "MacBook Neo Review: Can Apple's Cheapest Laptop Handle Real Work?" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's 50th Anniversary Events Continue in Washington D.C., Shanghai, Tokyo, and Beyond

2026-03-28 01:01:41

Apple is into its final days of hosting 50th-anniversary celebrations around the world, making stops in Washington D.C., Mexico City, Shanghai, Tokyo, and beyond.


On Tuesday, March 24, actor Troy Kotsur and Gallaudet University president Roberta Cordano sat down for a discussion with Apple's accessibility chief Sarah Herrlinger about how accessible technology helps to foster creativity.

In 2022, Kotsur became the first deaf male actor to win an Academy Award for his performance in the Apple TV film CODA, while Cordano is the first deaf woman to be president of the Gallaudet University for the deaf and hard of hearing.


The discussion was part of a special Today at Apple session held at Apple's Carnegie Library store in Washington, D.C., and hundreds of other accessibility advocates also attended the event to reflect on what it means to have Apple products and technologies that work for everyone, including people with disabilities.

On Wednesday, March 25, Apple brought together "some of Mexico's most celebrated filmmakers, actors, and creators" for a conversation about creativity and storytelling at its Apple Antara store in Mexico City. This included some of the people behind the hit Apple TV productions Las Azules, Acapulco, and Midnight Family.

In front of its Jing'an store in Shanghai today, Apple set up a circular catwalk that models walked around as part of Shanghai Fashion Week.


And over in Tokyo today, a virtual YouTuber and singer known as Mori Calliope appeared live on a screen at Apple's Omotesando store.

Image Credit: @hamu_3nd

Today at Apple sessions were also held at Apple Pacific Centre in Vancouver, Canada and at Apple Champs-Élysées in Paris, France this week, and there will be another session at Apple BKC in Mumbai, India on Sunday, March 29.

Apple kicked off its 50th anniversary celebrations with a surprise Alicia Keys performance at its store inside New York's iconic Grand Central Terminal earlier this month, while Mumford & Sons performed in London earlier this week. Apple has also held events in Australia, South Korea, Thailand, and elsewhere over the past few weeks.

Apple turns 50 on April 1.
This article, "Apple's 50th Anniversary Events Continue in Washington D.C., Shanghai, Tokyo, and Beyond" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The MacRumors Show: Apple Announces WWDC 2026

2026-03-28 00:51:47

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's announcement of its 37th annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), where the company is expected to unveil a major Siri overhaul alongside iOS 27, macOS 27, and other next-generation operating systems.



Like last year, WWDC 2026 will be a primarily online event open to all developers at no cost, with an in-person component at Apple Park in Cupertino reserved for developers and students selected through a random lottery. Apple will notify accepted in-person attendees on April 2. The keynote and all sessions will be available on the Apple Developer app, Apple's website, and YouTube, with over 100 video sessions and interactive labs with Apple engineers and designers planned across the week.

Apple first unveiled Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024, promising a smarter Siri with personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper app integration, features that were delayed in March 2025, delayed again at WWDC 2025, and then missed a further internal target of iOS 26.4. Apple confirmed in its announcement that the conference will "spotlight incredible updates for Apple platforms, including AI advancements and exciting new software and developer tools," which points clearly to what is shaping up to be the most consequential ‌Siri‌ update ever.

The revamped ‌Siri‌ is said to be a sweeping redesign that turns Apple's long-struggling assistant into a full AI chatbot, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reporting that Apple is testing a standalone ‌Siri‌ app displaying prior conversations in a list or grid, with pinned and searchable chats and iMessage-style chat bubbles. ‌Siri‌ is also said to be gaining Dynamic Island integration, with a glowing icon and "searching" label while processing requests, an "Ask ‌Siri‌" button in third-party app menus, and a "Write with ‌Siri‌" keyboard option, while Spotlight is expected to be replaced by ‌Siri‌ as the primary search interface on iPhone.

The technology underpinning virtually all of this comes from Apple's multi-year partnership with Google, under which next-generation Apple Foundation Models are based on Gemini, with processing continuing to run on-device and in Private Cloud Compute. Separately, Apple plans to open Siri to third-party AI chatbots in ‌iOS 27‌ via an "Extensions" system in Settings, ending OpenAI's exclusive arrangement and allowing users to direct queries to Claude, Gemini, Grok, and others.

Beyond ‌Siri‌, iOS 27 is expected to be a relatively lean update, described as a "Snow Leopard" year, focused on performance improvements, bug fixes, and code cleanup rather than major new feature additions. Notable exceptions include optimizations for Apple's first foldable iPhone, which is expected to launch in the fall, and new satellite connectivity features.

macOS 27 will apparently share the same ‌Siri‌ upgrades and "Snow Leopard" stability focus. It will drop support for Intel-based Macs entirely. Apple will also unveil iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 at the keynote. The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.



You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or other podcast apps. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your player.



If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion about Apple's surprise AirPods Max 2 announcement.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kayci Lacob, Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also email us at [email protected] or head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.
Related Roundup: WWDC 2026

This article, "The MacRumors Show: Apple Announces WWDC 2026" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Says No iPhone in Lockdown Mode Has Ever Been Hacked

2026-03-28 00:33:48

Apple says it has no record of a successful spyware attack against any device running Lockdown Mode, the opt-in security feature it introduced in 2022.


"We are not aware of any successful mercenary spyware attacks against a Lockdown Mode-enabled Apple device," an Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Lockdown Mode is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and dramatically restricts certain system features that are commonly exploited by mercenary spyware. When enabled, it blocks most message attachment types, disables certain complex web technologies, and prevents devices from automatically joining non-secure Wi-Fi networks, among other restrictions. Apple designed the feature specifically to protect high-risk users such as journalists, activists, lawyers, and others who may be personally targeted by sophisticated nation-state-level attacks.



Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, head of the security lab at Amnesty International, said he and his colleagues "have not seen any evidence of an iPhone being successfully compromised by mercenary spyware where Lockdown Mode was enabled at the time of the attack." Digital rights organizations including Amnesty International and the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab have documented numerous successful spyware attacks on iPhone users over the years, but none have involved a bypass of Lockdown Mode.

Citizen Lab researchers have confirmed at least two cases where Lockdown Mode actively blocked spyware attacks, with one involving NSO Group's Pegasus and another involving Predator spyware, made by a company now part of Intellexa. Google researchers found that spyware was coded to abort its infection attempt if it detected Lockdown Mode was active, apparently to avoid leaving traces that could expose the attack.

Patrick Wardle, an Apple cybersecurity expert, told TechCrunch, "I think it's safe to say, Lockdown Mode is one of the most aggressive consumer-facing hardening features ever shipped."
This article, "Apple Says No iPhone in Lockdown Mode Has Ever Been Hacked" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Now Sending Critical Security Alerts to iPhones Running iOS 17 and Earlier

2026-03-27 22:21:51

Apple has begun pushing Lock Screen notifications to iPhones and iPads running older versions of iOS and iPadOS, warning users of active web-based attacks.


The alerts, which appear as a "Critical Software" notification from the Settings app, warn that Apple "is aware of attacks targeting out-of-date iOS software, including the version on your iPhone," and urge users to install a critical update to protect their device. The notifications are being seen on devices running a range of older iOS versions, including iOS 17.0, far beyond the iOS 13 and iOS 14 devices that Apple specifically flagged in its support documentation.

In the documentation, Apple highlighted recent reports about hacking tools that are effective against older versions of iOS. Hackers are using iOS exploit kits known as "Coruna" and "DarkSword," which can take advantage of vulnerabilities in iOS 13 through to iOS 17.2.1. Clicking a malicious link or visiting a compromised website on an unpatched device could result in data being stolen.

"If your iPhone doesn't have the latest software, update iOS to protect your data," Apple says. Users can update by going to Settings, General, and Software Update.

Apple released iOS 15.8.7 and iOS 16.7.15, along with corresponding iPadOS versions, on March 11 to address security vulnerabilities associated with the Coruna exploit kit. Devices running the latest updated versions of iOS 15 through iOS 26 are already protected, while devices on iOS 13 or iOS 14 must update to iOS 15 to receive these protections.

Apple has patched the vulnerabilities as they have come to light over the last several months, so users who have already upgraded to the newest version of iOS available for their iPhone are protected from the malicious websites and links that are circulating right now. Apple Safe Browsing in Safari is enabled by default and blocks the malicious URL domains identified in the attacks.

Users who are unable to update should consider enabling Lockdown Mode, if available, to protect against malicious web content. Lockdown Mode is available on iOS 16 and later.

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, iOS 15, iOS 16

This article, "Apple Now Sending Critical Security Alerts to iPhones Running iOS 17 and Earlier" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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