The MacRumors Show

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."

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the unprecedented leak of Apple's M4 MacBook Pro models and the company's rumored move to more staggered hardware and software releases.

Multiple leaks surrounding Apple's unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip recently surfaced online. The leaks began with unboxing videos shared by several Russian YouTube channels, showcasing the new entry-level MacBook Pro ahead of its official announcement. These leaks were followed by a listing on a Russian classifieds site, where multiple units were allegedly being sold after what appears to be theft from a warehouse. This marks one of Apple's most significant leaks in recent memory, drawing comparisons to the 2010 iPhone 4 prototype incident.

The leaked MacBook Pro reveals several notable upgrades. The M4 chip with a 10-core CPU is 25% faster than the M3's 8-core CPU. As rumored, it also comes with 16GB of RAM as the new base configuration, doubling the previous standard of 8GB, and support for up to two external displays with the lid open. Another key improvement is the addition of a third Thunderbolt port, bringing the entry-level model up to parity with the higher-end configurations. It also looks like the entry-level MacBook Pro will be available in the Space Black color option for the first time. Despite these upgrades, the display, general design, and other features remain unchanged from the current MacBook Pro. These revelations come just weeks before Apple is expected to officially unveil its first M4-powered Macs, with a rumored release date of November 1.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple appears to be slowly moving away from its traditional annual release schedule for hardware and software, favoring a more staggered approach. This shift is evident with the introduction of iOS 18, where key features like Apple Intelligence are delayed and due to be rolled out in subsequent updates throughout 2025. As Apple's product lineup grows more complex, this strategy would allow for better quality control and innovation by releasing products and features when they are fully developed, rather than adhering to fixed timelines. While iPhones are expected to maintain their yearly updates, other products like the Apple Watch and Mac lineup may follow a multi-year or staggered release schedule to make the company's launches less predictable and more flexible. We discuss whether this is a good move for Apple and take stock of its product strategy as a whole in light of recent releases.

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On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through the latest rumors surrounding Apple's "Home Accessory" product, which could launch as soon as next year.

Apple's work on an iPad-like smart home display product has been reported for over a year. It is expected to serve as a smart home hub with features adopted from the ‌iPad‌, HomePod, and the Apple TV, such as video playback and AirPlay. Apple's backend code suggests it will feature the A18 chip and run a variant of tvOS like the ‌HomePod‌, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says it will support Apple Intelligence and run Apple apps like Calendar, Notes, and Home, with an interface "optimized for controlling home appliances and quickly seeing information."

The latest rumors suggest that it could have a "squarish display" to distinguish it from the ‌iPad‌, along with a built-in camera for FaceTime, detecting hand gestures, and determining different users for personalized requests. The new device could launch as soon as next year. The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips:

After some hands-on time with the iPhone 16 Pro, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4, on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through our first impressions of the new devices. We consider some of the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌'s most noticeable features and improvements, such as longer battery life, the 48-megapixel ultra wide camera, enhanced microphones, overhauled Photographic Styles, and the 5x telephoto camera. We also explore our mixed feelings about the all-new Camera Control button. We also discuss the revamped design of the Apple Watch Series 10, as well as the fit improvements and active noise cancellation capabilities of the ‌AirPods 4‌.

iOS 18 has now been officially released after months of beta testing. On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through our top features in Apple's latest major software update.

We go through some of ‌iOS 18‌'s significant system changes, including the redesigned Control Center and new Home Screen customization tools, as well as some of the smaller quality-of-life enhancements such as the Passwords app, RCS support, improvements to the Notes app, and emojis as tapbacks in Messages. We also touch on iPhone mirroring in macOS Sequoia, and some of the areas we'd like to see Apple work on for next year's updates. The next major version of ‌iOS 18‌ will be iOS 18.1, which will start to bring Apple Intelligence to ordinary users around the world.

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the major announcements from Apple's "It's Glowtime" event.

The long-awaited unveiling of the iPhone 16 lineup was the main announcement at the event, so we breakdown some of the major features coming to the new devices. For the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, this includes the A18 chip with support for Apple Intelligence, the Action button, faster charging, revamped Photographic Styles, and the all-new Camera Control button. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max take things further with larger display size options with slimmer bezels, a 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera, improved audio recording, and a significant battery life boost.

We discuss the Apple Watch Series 10 and new Satin Black color option for the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The Series 10 features redesigned casings and larger screen sizes, a new wide-angle OLED display with a faster refresh rate for an improved experience in always-on mode, sleep apnea detection, a water temperature sensor and depth gauge, a speaker with media playback, and faster charging.

We also take a look at the fourth-generation AirPods with Active Noise Cancellation and the new hearing protection, testing, and aid features for the AirPods Pro 2. Apple also brought a minor update to the AirPods Max that switches Lightning for USB-C and refreshes its selection of color options.

Finally, we weigh up the event as a whole and take a look forward at some of the early rumors for the iPhone 17 lineup to consider who should upgrade this year and who may be better off waiting until next year.