Author

Avatar for Michael Burkhardt

Michael Burkhardt

mbrkhrdt

Michael is 9to5Mac’s Associate Editor, leading all of our Apple news coverage on Saturday and Sunday, and contributing to reporting from Monday to Wednesday. He got started in the world of Apple news during the pandemic, and it became a growing hobby. He’s also an indie iOS developer in his free time, and started the weekly Indie App Spotlight series, which has covered dozens of indie apps since it launched.

Connect with Michael

Connect with Michael Burkhardt

Apple reportedly has a ‘product renaissance’ planned for 2027, here’s what’s coming

Tim Cook WWDC

Apple has a number of exciting products in the pipeline for 2027, per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Despite recent Apple releases feeling somewhat stagnant, Apple has a plan to freshen things up. Gurman describes this product road map as a “product renaissance,” and it’s set to take place around two years from now.

Expand Expanding Close

Review: Anker’s compact 25,000mAh battery bank is top-notch for powering Apple devices

At CES 2025, Anker unveiled a rather interesting new battery bank. It’s extremely compact, offers up to 25,000mAh of capacity, and has multiple built in cables for ease of use.

I’ve utilized this battery bank for many months, and I can confidently say its an easy purchase if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution for all of your Apple devices, MacBooks included.

Expand Expanding Close

Indie App Spotlight: ‘CarStream’ provides distraction-free Twitch streams for CarPlay

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.


CarStream for Twitch lets you listen to audio versions of Twitch streams on CarPlay, without needing to fiddle with your phone while driving. Think radio stations, but with Twitch livestreams. It offers an intuitive CarPlay interface, and offers everything you’d need to listen to a Twitch stream.

Expand Expanding Close

Review: reMarkable Paper Pro could become your favorite device for note-taking and more

I’ve had the joy of getting to test out the reMarkable Paper Pro over the past few months. It’s certainly an impressive device, though it isn’t quite for everyone. That said, I do think it makes a lot of sense for a lot of people, and I’m certainly happy such a device exists on the market. It’s certainly made me re-think a few things.

Expand Expanding Close

Apple wants to take control of the chips used in your iPhone: Here’s whats on the roadmap

C1 Modem

In 2020, Apple announced the Mac transition to Apple Silicon. Replacing Intel was a large undertaking, but it proved successful. Apple was able to develop chips that were both faster and more efficient than the Intel processors they replaced, all in an under 3 year transition.

Now, Apple is trying to replace Qualcomm, starting off with the new C1 modem in the brand new iPhone 16e, it’s the first step in a much larger journey. In the end, Apple wants all networking to be handled in-house.

Expand Expanding Close

Indie App Spotlight: ‘Charged’ is your one stop shop for finding EV charging stations

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.


Finding a charging station for your electric vehicle can be a challenge sometimes. There’s a multitude of charging networks, varying charging connectors, and it can often be hard to find availability. Charged streamlines this whole process, making the entire thing a breeze.

Expand Expanding Close

Apple will soon launch its first foldable iPhone: Details, release date, and more

A small but crucial detail provides a clue on iPhone Fold pricing | Render shown

Rumors about foldable iPhones have circulated for many years, but recent reports have suggested that Apple is finally getting closer to announcing its new product. Apple is reportedly working on two foldable products, a foldable iPhone with an ~8-inch inner display, and a giant 20-inch foldable iPad. The foldable iPhone is on track to debut first.

Expand Expanding Close

Apple’s 20th anniversary iPhone redesign may be pretty expensive, here’s why

Apple is planning a ‘major shake-up’ for the iPhone in 2027, in celebration of the iPhone’s 20th anniversary. While we don’t know too many details about the redesign, we do know one thing: the company wants to utilize a lot more glass.

This special 20th anniversary iPhone model likely would’ve come with a price premium regardless. However, it may come with an even heftier one than usual.

Expand Expanding Close

Indie App Spotlight: ‘Pixel Paws’ is a joyful digital pets game for your Apple Watch

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.


Ever wanted a cute pets game on your Apple Watch? Pixel Paws is the answer for you. It’s a fun and simple game where you can take care of digital pets on your Apple Watch, with no hidden in app purchases, ads, or tracking.

Expand Expanding Close

New York City subway riders will soon be able to utilize transit cards on iPhone

Apple Wallet app icon

Apple introduced support for dedicated transit cards in Apple Wallet around six years ago, and since then – it’s slowly expanded. In the US, you’re able to utilize transit cards in Apple Wallet with San Francisco’s Clipper card, Washington DC’s SmarTrip card, and Los Angeles’ TAP card. Canada’s PRESTO card supports Apple Wallet as well.

In due time, New York City’s OMNY card will join in on the fun of Apple Wallet integration, per the MTA.

Expand Expanding Close

iPhone 17 Air will compromise in a few areas, but this key feature won’t be one of them

iPhone 17 Air

Later this year, Apple is going to debut its thinnest iPhone to date. At just 5.5mm thin, iPhone 17 Air will be record-setting.

You might anticipate that an ultra-thin phone comes with awful battery life. After all, iPhone battery life improved drastically over the past few years, as Apple has made increasingly thicker iPhones. However, at least according to current rumors, iPhone 17 Air won’t compromise on battery life. Here’s why.

Expand Expanding Close

Indie App Spotlight: ‘Ping Pong Club’ brings realistic table tennis to Apple Vision Pro

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.


Ping Pong Club is a realistic table tennis simulator for Apple Vision Pro. It supports spatial audio and offers dynamic lighting for an authentic gameplay experience. Despite relying solely on hand tracking, it actually works quite well.

Expand Expanding Close

‘Deco’ is a fun new app that lets you create custom wallpapers to your heart’s content

For the past couple years, Apple has put a large emphasis on lock screen customization. But, have you ever wondered: what if I could easily create my own custom wallpaper on my iPhone? This new app has the answer for you.

Deco makes personal wallpaper customization accessible and enjoyable for enthusiasts and everyday users, allowing you to express yourself in a big way that you couldn’t before.

Expand Expanding Close