
128: Apple’s Big Foldable and Smart Home Plans
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the rumored launch of Apple's first foldable in 2026 and the company's plans to move aggressively into the smart home market. Earlier this week, display analyst Ross Young reported that Apple is expected to "enter the foldable market" in the second half of 2026. Apple's "dominant position in flagship smartphones" could potentially lead to significant growth for the foldable market in 2026, ultimately leading to a record year for foldables. There have long been rumors suggesting that Apple is developing a foldable iPhone, and several analysts believe that Apple will finally debut a foldable iPhone around September of 2026. The first foldable iPhone could be between 7.9 and 8.3 inches in size, and it may have a "clamshell" design like Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip. A clamshell iPhone would fold in half vertically rather than horizontally, allowing for a full-size iPhone when unfolded, and a smaller, pocketable device when folded. Meanwhile, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple's long-rumored HomePod with a display has been delayed again and is now expected to launch after WWDC 2025, likely in the third quarter of the year. The new smart speaker is expected to feature Apple's A18 processor and a 6-7 inch display, with support for Apple Intelligence, says the analyst. According to Kuo, the delay is primarily attributed to software development challenges, rather than hardware issues. There have been a multitude of rumors about a HomePod with a display since 2021, and Apple actually seems to have several products in the works. Kuo's latest report harks back to previous predictions from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who suggested Apple was developing several HomePod variants with screens, including one with an iPad-like display and another featuring a screen mounted on a robotic arm. Gurman had indicated these devices were unlikely to launch before 2025. The new HomePod will reportedly emphasize smart home functionality more than current models, suggesting a strategic repositioning of the product line. The idea that Apple is targeting the smart home market follows a recent report by Gurman about Apple developing an all-in-one home management hub with a square-shaped display, thick bezels, and a hemispherical base similar to the iMac G4. We also discuss smart home ecosystems more broadly and the Sonos Ace over-ear headphones as rivals to the AirPods Max. Upgrade your wardrobe instantly and save 20% off with the code MAC at https://www.publicrec.com/MAC #publicrecpod
6 Des 202433min

127: iPhone 17 Designs Revealed!
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the recently leaked design of the iPhone 17 "Air" and iPhone 17 Pro. Earlier this week, a report from The Information's Wayne Ma revealed that the iPhone 17 Air will have a thickness of between 5mm and 6mm, which would make it the thinnest iPhone ever. In comparison, iPhone 16 models are 7.8mm thick and iPhone 16 Pro models are 8.25mm thick. Due to this ultra-thin design, some compromises are said to be necessary. The device currently lacks a physical SIM card tray, a speaker on the bottom edge, an ultra-wide camera, and ultra-fast mmWave 5G support. Unsurprisingly, the device will also have a "smaller battery" than current iPhones, but it remains to be seen how battery life ultimately compares. With just one camera, the unit is expected to be large and centered on the rear of the device for a dramatically different look compared to current models. The device should launch in September 2025 alongside the standard iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, with no iPhone 17 Plus expected. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are expected to offer some of the most significant design changes in years. Both models will drop titanium and return to an aluminum frame for a more lightweight design and feature a new part-aluminum, part-glass rear to enable continued support for wireless charging. The camera bump is also purportedly larger and rectangular, cut into the aluminum top half of the rear rather than 3D glass. We discuss the implications of these design changes and more. Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @shop.mando and get $5 off off your Starter Pack (that’s over 40% off) with promo code MAC at shopmando.com! #mandopod #ad
29 Nov 202437min

126: Our November Apple Tech Changes
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through some of the biggest changes in our personal Apple ecosystems this month. We discuss alterations in behavior motivated by the likes of AirPods malfunctions, better library management in music streaming services, the iPhone 16 Pro's improved battery life, and a desire for smaller devices. Have you made any changes to your setups recently? Let us know in the comments. Upgrade your wardrobe instantly and save 20% off with the code MAC at https://www.publicrec.com/MAC #publicrecpod This episode is sponsored by Notion. Try Notion for free by visiting https://www.notion.com/macrumors
22 Nov 202442min

125: Major Updates Coming to Apple’s Pro Apps ft. Kevin the Tech Ninja
YouTuber Kevin Nether joins us on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show to discuss Apple's latest updates to its array of Pro apps and the acquisition of Pixelmator. Apple this week released a series of updates for its Pro apps, including Logic Pro 11.1, Logic Pro for iPad 2.1, Final Cut Pro 11, Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1, and Final Cut Camera 1.1. Most notably, the latest version of Final Cut Pro for the Mac includes spatial video editing support and AI-driven features such as Magnetic Mask and Transcribe to Captions. Earlier this month, Apple announced that it has acquired Pixelmator, the company behind popular photo and image editing apps Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator. The apps are exclusive to Apple platforms with a focus on user experience and one-off purchasing, unlike many of its rivals. Pixelmator is designed to be a challenger to Adobe Photoshop, while Photomator is a Lightroom competitor. Both Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro were Apple acquisitions, so it's possible that Pixelmator and Photomator may become the next Apple Pro apps with a focus on image editing. It could also fold some of its features into the Photos app. While Apple used to offer a Lightroom competitor called Aperture, it discontinued the app just over a decade ago, and it has never made a Photoshop rival. What exactly Apple will do with the acquisition remains to be seen, but the company has teased "exciting updates to come." See more of Kevin's work over on his YouTube channel "Kevin The Tech Ninja." Visit https://www.selectquote.com/macrumors today for more info!
15 Nov 202449min

124: visionOS 2.2 and Where Vision Pro Goes Next
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss visionOS 2.2 and Apple's potential move into iPhone-connected glasses. visionOS 2.2 brings Wide and Ultrawide modes to the Vision Pro's Mac Virtual Display feature. Mac Virtual Display allows Apple's Vision Pro headset to be used as an external display for a Mac. The feature has been available since visionOS was first released earlier this year, but the wider options are new in the latest beta. Apple has previously said the ultrawide version of Mac Virtual Display is equivalent to having two physical 4K displays sitting side by side on a desk. We discuss the experience of using the new Mac Virtual Display modes and how far it makes the Vision Pro more useful. visionOS 2.2 will likely be released to the public in December alongside iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and other updates. We also talk through where Apple's Vision product line is headed next. There are now a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about a new, M5-powered Vision Pro headset with Apple Intelligence that is apparently set to launch in 2025 or 2026. Apple is also said to be "seriously considering" a new Vision device that offloads computing to a paired iPhone and serves as an accessory for watching movies, similar to Xreal. Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @shop.mando and get $5 off off your Starter Pack (that’s over 40% off) with promo code MAC at shopmando.com! #mandopod #ad
8 Nov 202442min

123: Apple’s New M4 Macs ft. Jon Prosser
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of Apple's major Mac announcements from this week. Over the first three days of the week, Apple unveiled the new iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro with the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips. The chips offer significantly better CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine performance, higher amounts of unified memory, and more. The new iMac features USB-C Magic accessories and a refreshed palette of color options. The new Mac mini has been completely redesigned for the first time in over a decade with a radically smaller enclosure and two front-facing USB-C ports. Finally, the new MacBook Pro has a bolstered base model and a brighter display. The new iMac and MacBook Pro gain a nano-texture display option and a 12-megapixel front-facing camera with Center Stage and Desk View for the first time. Models with the M4 Pro or M4 Max support Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, and almost all of the new Macs feature better external display support. All of Apple's Macs now start with 16GB of unified memory as standard, including the MacBook Air, with no increase in price. This episode is sponsored by Notion. Try Notion for free by visiting https://www.notion.com/macrumors
1 Nov 202447min

122: iOS 18.2 Ramps Up Apple Intelligence
On this week’s episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the first beta version of iOS 18.2 – a significant update that continues the rollout of Apple Intelligence. iOS 18.1 will bring the first Apple Intelligence features to Apple devices. The update includes Writing Tools, the ability for Siri to answer Apple product questions, smart replies to emails and messages, audio transcripts, the Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode, and a new Clean Up tool in Photos, as well as email, text, and notification summaries. iOS 18.1 is expected to be officially released on Monday, October 28. Ahead of this, Apple this week seeded the first beta version of iOS 18.2 to developers. The update further expands Apple Intelligence’s capabilities, with new Mail app categories, Image Playground to generate pictures, Image Wand in Notes, Genmoji to create custom emojis, ChatGPT integration in Siri, Visual Intelligence on iPhone 16 models, expanded Writing Tools, and support for regional versions of English outside the United States. Level up your game and get 10% off @TurtleBeach with code MAC at turtlebeach.com/MAC #turtlebeachpod
25 Okt 202441min

121: New iPad Mini Announced but No October Event?
On this week’s episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the new iPad mini 7, Apple Intelligence and Genmoji, and the chances of an October Apple event to introduce M4 Macs. Apple this week announced the seventh-generation iPad mini. Key upgrades include the A17 Pro chip, Smart HDR 4 and a new True Tone flash, a faster USB-C port, Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil hover support, a 512GB storage option, and support for Apple Intelligence. We discuss our initial thoughts on the product refresh, the significance of the upgrades, and who should consider buying the new device. With Apple Intelligence being a tentpole feature of the new iPad mini, we ponder on whether Genmoji will actually be a popular feature among users when it eventually debuts. Finally, with the first of Apple’s October product releases taking place via press release, we appraise whether the next expected products, which include new MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini models, will follow suite. Until now, reports suggested that there would be an October Apple event to unveil the new devices before their debut in early November.
18 Okt 202438min