Michael Burkhardt

Last week, Apple introduced the new M4 MacBook Air model. It brought a new sky blue finish, and introduced a higher-resolution 12MP camera with support for Center Stage. However, it also included a much more important upgrade: a lower starting price.

That’s right, the MacBook Air now starts at $999 again. That’s a big deal for two reasons. One, you no longer need to buy last-gen tech for that price point, and two, it means there’s now incredible clearance deals on older models.

On Friday, Apple officially delayed the release of its promised iOS 18 Siri features. Those features, including personal context, on-screen awareness, and in-app actions, will now release “in the coming year.” We had already received hints that these features would be delayed, but now we know for sure. This leaves the question, what went wrong?

While we aren’t getting a new Apple Vision Pro model in 2025 as some may have hoped, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is planning a ‘feature-packed release’ for visionOS 3 this year at WWDC.

Last week, Apple hit us with a little bit of a surprise, and introduced the new base-model iPad with an A16 chip. The new iPad wasn’t much of a surprise, but the A16 chip certainly was. Rumors had long suggested that we should expect an A17 Pro chip, but that never came to fruition.

However, the A16 chip might provide a special perk, one that assures the product can stay around at its $349 price tag in the short term.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is ‘actively developing’ a version of AirPods with integrated cameras. This tech is unlikely to make an appearance in AirPods Pro 3, which are expected to debut this year – but nonetheless, it’s in the pipeline. Apple wants your AirPods to better understand your environment, but why?

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s upcoming iOS 19 release will focus more on expanding existing Apple Intelligence capabilities, rather than introducing brand new ones.

According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Apple has opened up an internal testing program for the upcoming smart home product, which some refer to as HomePad. It was scheduled to debut in March, but has unfortunately become delayed while the company figures out how to build its promised new Siri capabilities.

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.

Rovelist is a simple habit tracker app with a clean design, home screen widgets, and an intuitive interface. It’s available on iPhone, and provides everything you’d need to stay motivated and on top of everything you need to get done regularly.

Apple has just wrapped up a number of its spring releases, including MacBook Air, iPad Air, Mac Studio, and iPhone 16e. For the most part, that’s probably the end of what the company plans to announce for a little while. However, there’s more in the pipeline for the middle of this year, including the long-rumored AirTag 2.

Here’s what we’re expecting with the next generation of Apple’s popular and affordable item tracker, AirTag, later this year. It may sound boring, but it’s meaningful.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, multiple Apple product launches are around the corner. This includes a new M4 MacBook Air model, as well as new iPad Air and entry-level iPad models. The MacBook Air announcement is ‘imminent’, while the iPad models are slightly later.

According to the latest edition of the Power On newsletter, Apple is facing multiple major hiccups in its AI rollout. While that isn’t a surprise, it does mean that many of its roadmapped features are being delayed, and technical challenges are resulting in certain features, including the ‘more conversational’ Siri update – shipping later.

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.

Fluro provides a delightful recap of everything you’d need to know in a day, all in a neat Mac interface with a special LED scroller. It delivers the weather, your calendar events, reminders, the news, and more – all with a pinch of nostalgia.

Apple’s recently announced iPhone 16e hit store shelves yesterday morning. It serves as a new entry point to the iPhone lineup, and replaces the iPhone SE family. While the iPhone 16e has a number of big upgrades over the iPhone SE 3 that it replaced, there are some smaller ones that might’ve slipped under the radar.

In late 2022, initial payments for the Small Developer Assistance Fund started going out, with each eligible US developer receiving at least $1000 – up to 4x the projected minimum payout. A second round of payouts begun toward the end of 2023, and now the third and final round of payments started going out this week.

In the latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans on integrating future modems within the main chipset of the device. This means that, in the future, there won’t be both an A18 chipset alongside a separate C1 modem, instead they’ll all be one. This development will take a few years, though.

According to the Power On newsletter from Mark Gurman, Apple plans to heavily focus on video recording improvements for the new iPhone 17 Pro models. The company has previously focused primarily on photography, so it’s nice to hear that video will be getting some much-needed love.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is “gearing up” to launch a new version of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air with the M4 chip. The company is preparing for a debut in March.