Amazon Makes Last Minute Offer for TikTok as Ban Looms
Retail giant Amazon today made an offer to acquire TikTok just days ahead of when TikTok must be sold off or face a ban, reports The New York Times. Unspecified participants involved in the TikTok talks "do not appear to be taking Amazon's bid seriously," and multiple interested parties are scrambling to plead their cases for a TikTok purchase.
As of January 19, the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act that bans TikTok from operating in the U.S. under Chinese control has been in effect, but U.S. President Donald Trump gave TikTok a reprieve by ordering the Department of Justice to not enforce the law for a 75-day period. That window is set to expire on Saturday, April 5, and a sale of TikTok's U.S. operations must be arranged by that time or the app will be shut down again.
The Trump administration has been considering offers from companies like Oracle and Perplexity, along with individuals like Jimmy Donaldson (also known as MrBeast), Shark Tank host Kevin O'Leary, Employer.com founder Jesse Tinsley, and billionaire Frank McCourt. Trump plans to meet with White House officials on Wednesday to discuss what will happen with TikTok, and he has maintained that he will make the final decision on the app's future.
It is possible that Trump will decide on a deal that includes bringing on multiple U.S. investors, including Oracle and private equity firm Blackstone. Such a deal would not be a formal sale, and may not meet the requirements of the law.
TikTok parent company ByteDance has said that it will not sell TikTok, but it is not clear if that is still the case with a ban on the horizon. While the law is set to go back into effect on April 5, Trump could opt for another deadline extension.
Popular Stories
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below.
Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important.
Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped.
The new ...
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more.
Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1.
Release Date
Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year.
Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors.
...
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out.
Processor and Performance
Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be available in new rich and warm color option, according to a known leaker.
The Weibo user known as "Instant Digital" today suggested that next-year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be available in at least one of the following color options: Coffee, purple, and burgundy.
The iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro were all available in ...
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas.
The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
