Macintosh Repairs

10/07/2026

09/29/2026

https://sheets.works/data-viz/apple-in-colour

A celebration of every bright, brilliant, colourful thing Apple ever made.

09/29/2026

iOS 26.7.1 Fixes Vulnerability Used in Targeted Attacks

iOS 26.7.1, iPadOS 26.7.1, macOS Tahoe 26.7.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.8.1 address a major vulnerability that Apple believes was used against a small number of people.

apple lock security bug vulnerability fix privacy
Apple's security support pages say there was a CoreGraphics out-of-bounds write issue that could be exploited with a maliciously crafted file, allowing for arbitrary code ex*****on. It has been fixed with improved bounds checking.

Apple says the flaw was exploited in an "extremely sophisticated attack" on targeted individuals running older versions of iOS. Apple's latest operating systems don't appear to be affected, and the iOS 27.0.1, iPadOS 27.0.1, and macOS Golden Gate 27.0.1 updates that came out today have no published CVE entries.

While the attack wasn't widespread, if you're still running a version of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, or macOS Sequoia, you should install the new updates as soon as possible. Now that the vulnerability is public, it could be further exploited against users who aren't protected.

09/29/2026

macOS Golden Gate 27.0.1
macOS Tahoe 26.7.1
macOS Sequoia 15.8.1
Now available

09/16/2026

M5 Ultra Chip's Impressive Performance Boost Revealed in First Benchmark Result

The first unverified benchmark result for Apple's new M5 Ultra chip surfaced in the Geekbench 7 database today, offering a look at the chip's impressive performance gains. The new Mac Studio will be Apple's first device to be equipped with the M5 Ultra.

M5 Ultra Hero
Here is how the highest-end M5 Ultra chip with a 36-core CPU scored:

Single-core CPU score: 3,774
Multi-core CPU score: 52,516
Apple never released an M4 Ultra chip. Here are the average scores for the highest-end M3 Ultra chip with a 32-core CPU on Geekbench 7:

Single-core CPU score: 2,920
Multi-core CPU score: 39,059
Unsurprisingly, the M5 Ultra is Apple's fastest chip ever. If this Geekbench result is accurate, it has up to around 30% faster single-core CPU performance and up to around 35% faster multi-core performance compared to the M3 Ultra. But, it comes at a steep cost. In the U.S., the Mac Studio with a 36-core M5 Ultra starts at $6,799.

Apple said the M5 Ultra has up to 1.25× faster single-threaded CPU performance and up to 1.3× faster multi-threaded CPU performance compared to the M3 Ultra, so the benchmark result roughly aligns with or even beats those advertised claims. However, keep in mind that there wil be some variance in scores as additional results surface.

Here is where the M5 Ultra slots in for maximum multi-core CPU performance:

M5 Ultra: 52,516
M3 Ultra: 39,059
M5 Max: 35,119
M5 Pro: 33,593
M4 Max: 29,047
M2 Ultra: 28,789
M4 Pro: 24,894
M3 Max: 24,649
M1 Ultra: 23,328
M6: 22,783
M5: 17,948
M2 Max: 17,387
M3 Pro: 16,880
M2 Pro: 16,725
M4: 15,477
M1 Max: 14,299
M1 Pro: 13,914
M3: 11,650
M2: 9,809
M1: 8,582
Based on these scores, the M5 Ultra is up to 2.25× faster than Apple's original M1 Ultra chip and up to 6× faster compared to the regular M1 chip.

As always, real-world performance varies.

The new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips and the new Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro chips launch on Tuesday, September 22.

09/16/2026

M6 Chip Benchmark Surfaces Ahead of New Mac Mini Launch Next Week

The first unverified benchmark result for Apple's new M6 chip surfaced in the Geekbench 7 database today, offering a look at the chip's performance gains. The new Mac mini will be Apple's first device to be equipped with the M6 chip, which is 2nm.

Mac mini M6 chip
Here is how the M6 chip scored:

Single-core CPU score: 4,071
Multi-core CPU score: 22,783
Here are the average M5 chip scores for comparison:

Single-core CPU score: 3,641
Multi-core CPU score: 17,948
If this single Geekbench 7 result is accurate, the M6 chip has up to around 12% faster single-core CPU performance and up to around 27% faster multi-core CPU performance compared to the M5 chip. Note that the M6 chip is in the new Mac mini, while the M5 chip scores are based on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, but performance should be similar.

Apple said the M6 chip has the world's fastest single-threaded CPU performance, and its 4,071 single-core score indeed tops all other Macs and PCs in the Geekbench 7 database, including the M5 Max chip (3,731) and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (3,396). Up to 27% faster multi-core CPU performance is in line with Apple's claim of up to 1.2× faster multi-threaded performance, so all of Apple's advertised claims hold up.

Here is where the M6 chip slots in for maximum multi-core CPU performance:

M5 Ultra: 52,516
M3 Ultra: 39,059
M5 Max: 35,119
M5 Pro: 33,593
M4 Max: 29,047
M2 Ultra: 28,789
M4 Pro: 24,894
M3 Max: 24,649
M1 Ultra: 23,328
M6: 22,783
M5: 17,948
M2 Max: 17,387
M3 Pro: 16,880
M2 Pro: 16,725
M4: 15,477
M1 Max: 14,299
M1 Pro: 13,914
M3: 11,650
M2: 9,809
M1: 8,582
Based on these scores, the M6 chip is more than 2.5× faster than Apple's original M1 chip.

As always, real-world performance varies.

The new Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro chips and the new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips launch on Tuesday, September 22.

09/16/2026

Reminder: macOS 27 Ends Time Machine Backups to Time Capsule

If you're upgrading to macOS Golden Gate and you have an AirPort Time Capsule, Time Machine won't be able to back up to it. macOS 27 removes support for AFP, the legacy file-sharing protocol that Time Capsule relies on for Time Machine backups. Said backups now exclusively use the SMB protocol, which Apple's discontinued Time Capsule hardware does not support in the form required by macOS 27.

Apple warned users about the change back in June 2025 when macOS Tahoe began displaying a warning that Time Capsule backups would no longer work in the next macOS. Users still backing up to one will need an alternative, such as an external drive or a modern NAS.