177: Apple’s 2025 Year-in-Review

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit www.betterhelp.com/macrumors for 10% off your first month! On this week’s episode of The MacRumors Show, Frank McShan joins us to discuss Apple’s Yellow iPhone 14 and ‌iPhone 14‌ Plus, as well as the range of new Apple Watch bands and AirTag accessories. Frank is a MacRumors alumnus and Apple-focused content creator on TikTok with over two million followers. He had a first-hand look at the Yellow ‌iPhone 14‌ and ‌iPhone 14‌ Plus earlier this week. We talk through our thoughts on Apple’s current selection of color options across its devices and accessories in detail and discuss some of the latest news, including the official announcement of the Apple Music Classical app, as well as the redesigned HomePod with a 7-inch display that is rumored to arrive in the first half of next year. Visit Frank’s TikTok to see more of his work. Follow us on Twitter @danbarbera and @HartleyCharlton. Watch a video version of The MacRumors Show on our YouTube channel and subscribe to keep up with all of our Apple-focused videos.

10 Maalis 202357min

Apple is expected to unveil iOS 17 at WWDC in June this year, offering a range of enhancements and new features, such as a next-generation CarPlay experience, changes to Siri, support for sideloading and alternate app stores, support for Apple's mixed-reality headset, and more. In this episode, we talk through some of the areas where we feel Apple could bring meaningful changes and improvements to the iPhone, with particular attention to generative AI, Spotlight, Siri, Shortcuts, notifications, Apple Music, the Health app, Apple Fitness+, and Control Center. We also discuss some of the latest news, including the rumored "in-air" typing experience on Apple's mixed-reality headset, the two second-generation headset models that seem to be in the pipeline, and the gradual transition to under-display technologies on the ‌iPhone‌. Follow us on Twitter @danbarbera and @HartleyCharlton. Watch a video version of The MacRumors Show on our YouTube channel and subscribe to keep up with all of our Apple-focused videos.

3 Maalis 20231h 2min

This episode of the MacRumors Show is sponsored by Magic Spoon. Go to magicspoon.com/MAC to grab a variety pack and try it today! And be sure to use our promo code MAC at checkout to save five dollars off your order! On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we're joined by YouTuber and audio aficionado David Lewis to discuss the state of AirPods, HomePod, and Apple Music in 2023 and where they could be set to go in the next few years. David is a tech YouTuber and podcaster with a background in broadcast radio, jazz music, and voice-overs – giving him unique insights on Apple's audio products and services. See more of David's work over on his YouTube channel or follow him on Twitter @Dtalkingtech. Following a major update for the AirPods Pro and the reintroduction of the full-size ‌HomePod‌, as well as aqcuisitions of companies like Primephonic and AI Music, Apple seems to have doubled-down on its commitment to audio technology. Yet, amid the delay in launching Apple Classical, a long wait time before the second-generation AirPods Max are expected to be released in late 2025, and fierce competition from companies like Spotify, plenty of questions remain about the direction of Apple's audio products and services over the next few years. We also discuss some of the latest news, including Apple's breakthrough with non-invasive blood glucose technology designed for the Apple Watch, Apple suppliers making a start on a cheaper second-generation mixed-reality headset, and the sealed original iPhone that sold for over $63,000 at auction. Follow us on Twitter @danbarbera and @HartleyCharlton. Watch a video version of The MacRumors Show on our YouTube channel and subscribe to keep up with all of our Apple-focused videos.

24 Helmi 20231h 7min

This episode of the MacRumors Show is sponsored by Magic Spoon. Go to magicspoon.com/MAC to grab a variety pack and try it today! And be sure to use our promo code MAC at checkout to save five dollars off your order! On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's place in the ongoing race to develop generative AI tools. Earlier this week, Apple held its annual AI summit for employees at the Steve Jobs Theater, the first fully live in-person event at the company's Apple Park headquarters since the pre-COVID era. The latest AI summit comes at a time of great excitement surrounding the Microsoft-backed ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot and Google's recent announcement that it is releasing its own LaMDA-powered AI chatbot, called Bard. Google is adding the technology behind Bard to the Google search engine to enable complex queries to be distilled into digestible answers, and Microsoft is expected to follow a similar path by integrating ChatGPT into Bing Search. AI image generation tools such as DALL-E 2 have also captured public interest in recent months, alongside the technology's potential for music creation, video editing, and more. In February last year, Apple purchased an AI start-up focused on auto-generated music, but the company is publicly missing from the current race to innovate in the generative AI space. We look at where Apple may have advantages that it could leverage for AI, potential integrations in features like Siri and Spotlight search, and where we could see the first Apple generative AI tools emerge. We also talk through some of the week's biggest news, including the apparent delay of Apple's mixed-reality headset to June, the indefinite delay of the company's 27-inch mini-LED external display, iMac skipping the M2 chip, and the method Apple apparently has in store to authenticate iPhone 15 USB-C accessories. In addition, we look at the increasingly tangible 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip, which Apple could launch as soon as April. Follow us on Twitter @danbarbera and @HartleyCharlton. Watch a video version of The MacRumors Show on our YouTube channel and subscribe to keep up with all of our Apple-focused videos.

17 Helmi 20231h 2min

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit www.betterhelp.com/macrumors for 10% off your first month! YouTuber and podcaster Andru Edwards joins us on this week's episode of The MacRumors Showto discuss the rumored "iPhone Ultra" model that could emerge next year. We also take a look at some of the biggest news from the past week, including reports that Apple may not update the Mac Studio with the M2 Max and ‌M2‌ Ultra chips due to its similarity with the upcoming Apple silicon Mac Pro, ‌iPhone‌ reverse wireless charging for accessories like AirPods is still in the works, and the second-generation AirPods Max may not launch until the second half of 2024 at the earliest. Finally, we also discuss when Apple's next event could be and what it could entail, as devices like the company's mixed-reality headset and Apple silicon ‌Mac Pro‌ seemingly approach announcement. See Andru's work over on his YouTube channel and follow him on Twitter @AndruEdwards. Watch a video version of The MacRumors Show on our YouTube channel and subscribe to keep up with all of our Apple-focused videos.

10 Helmi 20231h 21min

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit www.betterhelp.com/macrumors for 10% off your first month! On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we focus on Samsung's newly announced Galaxy S23 lineup, reviews of the new HomePod, and the latest rumors around Apple's first foldable device. Following Samsung's announcement of the Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra, and Book3, we weigh up how some of the devices compare to the iPhone and MacBook Pro. We also look at the recent reactions to the new ‌HomePod‌'s audio quality, how it compares to the original, and the controversy around it continuing to leave white rings some wooden surfaces. Finally, we take a look at this week's rollercoaster of rumors about Apple's plans for foldables. On Monday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple is planning to launch a foldable iPad with a carbon fiber kickstand in 2024. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman then said that he had not heard of any such device in the pipeline for next year. Display analyst Ross Young reiterated Gurman's sentiments, but added that Apple was working on a notebook with a 20.5-inch foldable display for 2025. Amid these reports, we try to get to the bottom of what is really going on with Apple's first foldable device. Follow us on Twitter @danbarbera and @HartleyCharlton. Watch a video version of The MacRumors Show on our YouTube channel and subscribe to keep up with all of our Apple-focused videos.

3 Helmi 20231h 2min

YouTuber and podcaster Tyler Stalman joins us this week to discuss first impressions of the new Mac mini and MacBook Pro models, as well as iPhone 15 camera rumors. Tyler often discusses Apple in the context of professional photo and video production. After spending some time with Apple's latest Macs, he shares his thoughts on the new machines with particular attention to the $599 entry-level ‌Mac mini‌. We discuss their capabilities, pricing, the process of turning around tech reviews in a short time frame, and more. Apple is reportedly set to introduce its first periscope telephoto camera with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, offering up to six-times optical zoom, alongside new Sony image sensors on the other models. Tyler tells us how he feels about these early rumors and what he would like to see Apple address in terms of camera upgrades with the ‌iPhone 15‌ lineup. See Tyler's work on his website and YouTube channel, and follow him on Twitter @stalman. Follow us on Twitter @danbarbera and @HartleyCharlton. Watch a video version of The MacRumors Show on our YouTube channel and subscribe to keep up with all of our Apple-focused videos. Visit macrumors.com for all of the latest Apple news and rumors.

27 Tammi 20231h

Following Apple's announcements this week, we talk through the significance and timing of the MacBook Pro's hardware refresh, the excitement around the ‌Mac mini‌ with the M2 Pro chip as a rival to the Mac Studio and a tool for creators, and our thoughts on Apple's strategy for reviving the HomePod. Follow us on Twitter @danbarbera and @HartleyCharlton. Be sure to visit macrumors.com for all of the latest Apple news and rumors.

20 Tammi 202352min