Chance Miller

The 2026 F1 season begins next month, and it’s Apple’s first season with exclusive streaming rights in the United States on Apple TV.

In celebration of the kickoff, Apple has added a gorgeous new Apple Maps experience for the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix 2026 — with more to come.

Apple’s new low-cost MacBook is set to have a number of compromises to help bring the cost of the machine down. A new rumor today outlines at least some of those compromises in detail …

Carrot Weather is one of the most robust and versatile weather apps for iPhone, and it’s getting even better. With a new update today, Carrot Weather is adding support for The Weather Channel as a data source, plus new discussions from the National Weather Service and a new dynamic interface.

Apple is expected to make multiple product announcements next week, culminating in a special “Apple Experience” for the press on Wednesday. A new low-cost MacBook is rumored to be among the new products.

A new report today from Digitimes reaffirms Apple’s work on a more affordable MacBook, and how the company is battling increasing component costs.

Apple’s major MacBook Pro refresh is coming this year, and it’s shaping up to be exactly what I wanted. Here’s why I’m optimistic about the biggest changes coming later this year.

Earlier this year, Apple officially confirmed that JP Morgan Chase will take over Apple Card from Goldman Sachs.

The transition is expected to occur in January 2028. In new comments this week, Chase revealed why it thinks it will fare better at managing Apple Card than Goldman Sachs.

Apple is holding its annual shareholders meeting today, giving shareholders the opportunity to vote on various proposals. This year, shareholders rejected an outside proposal asking for an audit on Apple’s relationship with China and approved all other proposals.

One week after the release of the first beta, iOS 26.4 beta 2 is now available. The update continues to refine new features and changes for iPhone users. There are updates to RCS encryption, the Games app, and more.

iOS 26.4 beta 2 is now rolling out for developers, and it expands support for testing encrypted RCS messaging on iPhone.

The team behind Dark Sky is back with a new weather app for iPhone called “Acme Weather.” One of the primary goals of Acme Weather, according to the team, is to address “forecast uncertainty.”

Rather than simply giving you a “single best guess” like other weather apps, Acme Weather acknowledges that it the forecast it’s showing might be wrong … and offers up some alternatives.

New references uncovered in macOS 26.3 reveal multiple new Apple hardware products coming soon. Ahead of Apple’s March 4 special “experience,” there are new references to two new Studio Display models as well as the oft-rumored low-cost MacBook powered by the A18 Pro chip.

Benjamin and Chance discuss all the new features in iOS 26.4, which turned out to be a pretty packed release, even with the Siri features missing in action. Also, Apple confirms a product event for March 4, with rumors of new Macs and more in the air. Finally, Bloomberg reports Apple is advancing work on a suite of new AI devices, including glasses and a clip-on pendant. 

And in Happy Hour Plus, Benjamin plans his tech packing for his trip to Japan. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join. 

• Sponsored by Shopify: See less carts go abandoned and more sales. Sign up for a $1 per month trial at shopify.com/happyhour.
• Sponsored by Quince: Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Visit quince.com/happyhour for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.
• Sponsored by Framer: The only free design tool that brings your ideas to the web. Visit framer.com/HAPPYHOUR for 30% off a Framer Pro annual plan.

According to a report from The New York Times, survivors of the catastrophic avalanche near Lake Tahoe this week used Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone to stay in contact with first responders.

It’s the latest example of the life-saving impact of Apple’s Emergency SOS and satellite features on iPhone and Apple Watch.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified this week in what’s viewed as a landmark court case around the mental health impact of social media. As part of that testimony, Zuckerberg revealed that he reached out to Apple CEO Tim Cook to talk about the “wellbeing of teens and kids.”

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Apple was preparing to update CarPlay with support for voice-based interactions in AI apps like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. As of this week’s release of iOS 26.4 beta 1, that support has officially arrived.

Here’s how it works.

In new SEC disclosures filed this week, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway revealed that it has once again trimmed its stake in Apple. At the same time, the firm disclosed a new $350 million investment in the New York Times.

Yesterday, Apple announced a “special experience” for March 4 at 9 a.m. ET, inviting members of the press to New York, London, and Shanghai.

The question right now is what format this “special experience” and the associated product announcements will take.

Apple released iOS 26.4 beta 1 yesterday, and the update includes a variety of changes and new features. In addition to everything we’ve covered so far, there are two specific changes to the Health app: updates to the Vitals metric and sleep tracking.

According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple is “accelerating” its development of three new wearable products, including smart glasses, an AI pendant, and camera-equipped AirPods.

These products, the report says, are being “built around the Siri digital assistant.”