This digest compiles the latest from Apple Insider.
Today’s Apple Insider Roundup
ChatGPT wants a do-it-all super app, but Apple will probably stand in the way
OpenAI is working on a project to consolidate ChatGPT, coding tools, and a browser into one app. Apple’s iOS platform restrictions will prevent it from becoming a true all-in-one platform on the iPhone.
OpenAI wants to merge ChatGPT, Codex, and a browser into one desktop app centered on agentic AI. Naturally, the focus is on desktop platforms and the ChatGPT app on iPhone will stay the same as a result.
An app like that behaves very differently depending on where it runs. On iPhone and iPad, Apple tightly controls how software accesses the system and interacts with other apps.
AirPods Max, MacBook Neo, and Family Sharing on the AppleInsider Podcast
Apple unexpectedly launched yet another device, the very long-awaited AirPods Max, plus the MacBook Neo gets more real-world testing, and Family Sharing gets a great update, all on the AppleInsider Podcast.
Just when you thought Apple was done with product launches in March — and just when you thought it would never update the AirPods Max — it went and did it. The new AirPods Max brings everything users have been asking for over the last several years.
There’s reason to suspect the new AirPods Max is going to feel outdated in even just a few months, though. And also plenty of reasons to assume Apple won’t release a new version for a long time.
Apple just broke launch-week records for new Mac users
Tim Cook says Apple just had a record-breaking week for brand-new Mac users. While he won’t give details, it’s surely the low-cost MacBook Neo that’s leading the way.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is currently travelling the world as the company celebrates its anniversary, and so far seemingly hasn’t had enough time to post his usual photos on social media. But he has now taken to X to celebrate how well Apple’s recent Mac launches have gone.
Mac just had its best launch week ever for first-time Mac customers. We love seeing the enthusiasm!
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 20, 2026
Blackberry's ghost still haunts Apple in lawsuits that have nothing to do with them
Years after Blackberry phones died and the firms technology patents were sold off, Apple is in court trying to block details of its old deals from reaching iPhone rival Xiaomi.
Blackberry phones stopped working back in 2022, but the company sold off its patents and already been doing licensing deals. Now according to Courthouse News, patent law firms want details of those licenses.
Apple has gone to court to stop it.
MacBook Neo review: the new king of budget laptops
Don’t call it compromised. The MacBook Neo is an amazing new entry point in Apple’s lineup that easily eclipses the base iPad and will be a revolution in the education market.
Apple is no stranger to attempting new and interesting budget products like the entry iPhone 17e or base iPad. While it thrives in the premium market, Apple’s best sellers are at the bottom of the lineup, and that bottom just dropped again for the MacBook.
MacBook Neo is yet another move towards a more affordable Mac that echoes previous attempts, like the iBook. Though, even in 2006, the iBook was a closer relation to today’s MacBook Air than to the MacBook Neo.
GhostClaw turns GitHub habits into a macOS malware pipeline
GhostClaw, a macOS infostealer, is spreading through GitHub repositories and developer tools, and it works because routine install habits make running malware feel completely normal.
Jamf researchers tracked the campaign’s shift from npm packages to GitHub repositories and AI-assisted development environments. The payload, a macOS infostealer, blends into expected behavior rather than exploiting software.
Developers regularly pull code from GitHub, follow README instructions, and run install commands without much hesitation. Familiar patterns build trust, and GhostClaw slips directly into that routine.
Apple wasn't alone in 1976 — these companies helped define an era
1976 wasn’t just the year Apple got its start — it was a moment when experimentation, risk-taking, and small ideas briefly had room to make waves in US business. As Apple turns 50, we look back at other notable companies founded that year, that stood the test of time.
While Apple turns 50 this year, it wasn’t the only company founded in 1976 to push into uncharted territory. From biotechnology and personal computing to craft beer and music hardware, these five companies each helped shape their industries — even if they didn’t survive the test of time.
Behind on Siri, Apple makes a billion dollars from rival AI apps
Apple may just be one of the few firms actually profiting from AI, as its in-app purchase commission revenues through the App Store are expected to exceed $1 billion in 2026.
It’s still a fallacy that Apple is behind on AI, but it is certainly true that its Apple Intelligence-powered Siri has yet to materialize. But while it has no AI chatbot of its own, Apple is profiting handsomely from all of others.
According to the Wall Street Journal, in January 2025, Apple took $35 million in App Store fees from generative AI apps. By August 2025, it was $101 million, for an estimated $900 million over the year.
End of today’s Apple Insider roundup.
