29 September 2026

Apple considered replacing 5,000 tech support staff with AI agents

Apple recently considered laying off about 5,000 tech support employees, whose duties would have been taken over by AI agents serving customers by phone and online, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. The company has put those plans on hold indefinitely.

MacRumors ↗

From recent days

OpenAI unveils dots at DevDay, agents that work around the clock on their own cloud computer

On September 29, at its DevDay conference in San Francisco, OpenAI presented more than 20 new features, including dots - ChatGPT agents built on GPT-6 Astra that have their own computer and browser in the cloud, connect to more than 4,000 apps and work for the user around the clock. Dots are rolling out first to Pro and Business Premium subscribers. The company also released GPT-6.1 Sol, a model that according to OpenAI nearly matches GPT-6 Astra in coding and computer use at one fifth of the price.

OpenAI ↗ OpenAI ↗ 9to5Mac ↗

Honda developed a road that charges EVs while driving - tests on a Japanese expressway in fiscal 2027

Honda, together with construction companies Taisei and Taisei Rotec, developed a system for charging electric vehicles in motion: transmitter coils embedded in the road surface generate a magnetic field that a receiver in the vehicle converts into electricity. The coil and the inverter share one housing, so they can be installed in existing roads. From the end of 2026, the system will undergo durability testing (a million load cycles from a wheel pressing with about 5 tons), and in fiscal 2027 it is due to be installed on a 300-meter section of the E14 Tateyama Expressway in Chiba Prefecture. Trucks will benefit first, and charging power is expected to reach 150 kW.

Motor1 ↗ Reuters ↗

OLED MacBook Pro will be noticeably lighter - according to Bloomberg, Apple redesigned the laptop's internals

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple redesigned the internals of the MacBook Pro with an OLED screen: it miniaturized the components and arranged them differently, making the laptop "significantly lighter" than current models. Today's MacBook Pro weighs up to 2.1 kg (4.7 pounds). The new models with a touchscreen and M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are due to go on sale in October or November this year.

MacRumors ↗ Bloomberg ↗

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