Many in the Apple rumor community, tech media, and forums casually refer to the 7-inch squarish-screened HomePod / smart home hub) as “HomePad.”
Apple’s latest macOS beta has spilled some intriguing details about a long-rumored HomePod with a built-in display.
Buried in the code are references to customizable “faces,” widgets, Smart Stacks, privacy-aware features, and even a wall-mountable version—hints that the smart speaker we’ve known for years may finally be getting a major interactive upgrade.
The beta code from Apple makes clear references to a new “HomeAccessory” that is likely a HomePod (or maybe a HomePad?) with a screen… Like other HomePods, this new model with a display is likely to run a variant of tvOS. The interface will be quite different, though. The code reveals that its home screen will feature “Faces” and a “Face Gallery.” Think of them like Apple Watch faces, but bigger. These faces appear to be customizable with different widgets and even Smart Stacks, so you’ll see different widgets throughout the day.
The code also suggests that the new HomePod can detect when the user’s iPhone is nearby to decide whether or not to display personal information in the widgets. That’s a really nice touch for keeping sensitive data private. iPhone widgets can also be added to this HomePod. It should work much like placing iPhone app widgets on your Mac using Handoff. Support for Siri AI and App Intents is also expected based on what the code tells us.
MacDailyNews Take: We’re actually waiting to see this as we need a couple of HomePods currently, but, if they offer comparable sound quality to HomePod, they might as well be “HomePads.”
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Meta recently ran advertisements on its platforms for an AI tool that encouraged users to generate nonconsensual intimate images and videos of women, including deepfakes resembling female U.S.
Meta recently ran advertisements on its platforms for an AI tool that encouraged users to generate nonconsensual intimate images and videos of women, including deepfakes resembling female U.S. politicians, despite the company’s explicit bans on sexual content and “nudify” apps.
The app, called Kromix and marketed as an “AI image styler,” featured video ads that WIRED reviewed. One advertisement showed a woman closely resembling a prominent female U.S. politician standing in front of American flags with the caption “What if she moved?” She winked, then the ad cut to a pornographic video featuring a woman with the same face. A voice-over promoted the tool as having “no restrictions,” claimed “all the characters are real people,” and described it as “the AI that men actually use.”
According to Meta’s ad library, the campaign targeted male users exclusively under the tagline “Unleash Next-gen AI Magic.” The account behind the ads, created in early August with no followers, ran 32 advertisements that lasted between five and 46 hours. Most received fewer than 10 impressions. The ads were removed after WIRED inquired about them.
Kromix, previously available on Apple’s App Store, allowed paid users to upload photos and place them into scenarios including “bedroom rape” and “Disney love.” It also generated AI pornographic videos of women in Spider-Man costumes. Apple removed the app after WIRED’s request for comment, stating that the developer had added prohibited content after initial review. The company reiterated that apps designed to generate or distribute pornography, including “nudification” tools, violate its guidelines and that it works aggressively to remove them.
This incident marks the latest failure by Meta to keep ads for tools producing nonconsensual intimate imagery off Facebook and Instagram. Researchers and the company itself have previously documented thousands of similar ads. Between late last year and early this year, Meta said it removed more than 340,000 ads promoting nudify services and has pursued legal action against at least one developer.
Meta’s advertising standards prohibit sexual imagery, nudity, and the promotion of nudify or “AI kissing” apps. The company says its review system relies primarily on automated tools and that it continuously strengthens defenses against adversarial tactics, such as using benign cover images of beaches or mountains to hide pornographic content. Cindy Southworth, Meta’s head of women’s safety, called the promotion of such apps “horrific” and said the company shares information about removed apps with other tech firms while investigating how these particular ads bypassed detection.
Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, which discovered the ads, noted that the material exclusively sexualizes women and raises questions about Meta’s handling of content targeting female politicians. Experts point out that elected officials, overwhelmingly women, have long been targets of nonconsensual deepfakes, with official portraits and press footage increasingly used as raw material for low- and no-code AI tools.
MacDailyNews Take: The episode comes amid broader scrutiny of Meta’s ad moderation, including recent revelations that the company ran dozens of ads containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material. It seems that that heavy reliance on AI moderation, coupled with reduced human oversight, has left quality control lagging behind the rapid evolution of harmful deepfake technology.
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Apple TV on Wednesday revealed first-look images from the second season of its acclaimed comedy “Bad Monkey,” starring and executive produced by Vince Vaughn and hailing from award-winning creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence.
Apple TV’s “Bad Monkey” season two, starring Vince Vaughn, premieres Wednesday, December 2nd.
Apple TV on Wednesday revealed first-look images from the second season of its acclaimed comedy “Bad Monkey,” starring and executive produced by Vince Vaughn and hailing from award-winning creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence. Based on Carl Hiaasen’s bestselling novel and enduring cult favorite, the 10-episode sophomore season will revolve around an all-new original story and will make its global debut on Apple TV with one episode on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, followed by one new episode every Wednesday through February 3, 2027.
Vince Vaughn and Natalie Martinez in “Bad Monkey” season two, premiering Wednesday, December 2, 2026.
After Andrew Yancy (Vaughn) witnesses the murder of Florida’s finest fixer, an ambitious state attorney pairs him up with a strait-laced forensic accountant to solve the crime. Eager to regain his detective’s badge, Yancy finds himself embroiled in a turf war between rival criminal organizations as he navigates a variety of Florida oddballs, including an erudite mob boss, his unhinged son and a hard-edged young woman who needs Yancy’s protection. Meanwhile, Yancy contends with his aging father; unresolved romantic tension with Dr. Rosa Campensino (Natalie Martinez), who launches her own investigation into a mysterious rash; and a bombastic animal relocation specialist whose business threatens the local environment.
Dax Shepard and Vince Vaughn in “Bad Monkey” season two, premiering Wednesday, December 2, 2026.
Season two is led by returning stars Vaughn, Martinez, Charlotte Lawrence, and John Ortiz, alongside new additions John Malkovich, Yvonne Strahovski, and Zavior Phillips. Nate Jackson, Sofia Boutella, Brent Morin, Joey Avery, Dax Shepard, Sam Jaeger, Margarita Levieva, Peter Billingsley, and June Diane Raphael are guest stars.
John Malkovich in “Bad Monkey” season two, premiering Wednesday, December 2, 2026.
Yvonne Strahovski in “Bad Monkey” season two, premiering Wednesday, December 2, 2026.
Produced by Warner Bros. Television, “Bad Monkey” is developed by executive producer and showrunner Lawrence through his Doozer Productions and its overall deal with WBTV. Jeff Ingold, Matt Tarses, Vaughn, Liza Katzer, Adam Sztykiel, Chris Downey and Carl Hiaasen are also executive producers.
Charlotte Lawrence and Zavior Phillips in “Bad Monkey” season two, premiering Wednesday, December 2, 2026.
MacDailyNews Take: Yup, we’ll be there. Season one was great!
MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.
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