This week’s top stories: M1X and M2 MacBook rumors, Apple Music upgrades, more

In this week’s top stories: M1X and M2 MacBook rumors, Apple’s forthcoming Beats Studio Buds headphones, Apple Music adds lossless and Spatial Audio support, and more. Read on for all of this week’s top stories and more.

Apple Music expansion

After several weeks of rumors, Apple this week officially announced that Apple Music is adding lossless music support as well as Spatial Audio. These features will roll out to Apple Music subscribers in June at no extra cost. Be sure to check out our full coverage for all of the latest details.

M1X and M2 MacBook rumors

A monster report from Bloomberg this week shed new light on what to expect from the Apple Silicon transition for the rest of Apple’s Mac lineup. First and foremost, the report indicated that Apple could announce its new M1X MacBook Pro lineup as soon as sometime this summer.

The report also indicated that Apple is developing a redesigned MacBook Air that will feature a “direct successor” to the M1 chip as soon as later this year. The company also continues work on a more powerful Mac mini, as well as an upgraded Mac Pro with Apple Silicon inside.

Beats Studio Buds

Apple this week released iOS 14.6 RC to developers and public beta users. In it, 9to5Mac was able to find references and images of new Beats Studio Buds earbuds coming soon from Apple. These are truly wireless Beats earbuds that will feature Noise Cancellation support, Hey Siri, and more.

Check out more in our full coverage here.

These and the rest of this week’s top stories below.

iOS |

• Apple expanding ‘Air Quality’ Weather app feature to more countries with iOS 14.7
• Apple releases first iOS 14.7 beta to developers, more
• Apple releases iOS 14.6 RC to developers with Apple Card Family and more, here are the full release notes
• Apple releases second iOS 14.6 and iPadOS 14.6 RC to developers
• Built-in Shazam music recognition is now an App Clip in iOS 14.6
• Apple reveals new Accessibility features: AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch, eye-tracking on iPad, more
• Do Apple’s new accessibility features hint at UI changes for iOS 15? It’s possible
• Apple seems to be finally fixing grayed-out App Tracking Transparency toggle in iOS 14
• iOS 14.7 beta lets you set timers on HomePod using the Home app

iPhone |

• Apple debuts humorous new ‘Tracked’ ad promoting iPhone privacy [Video]

Apple Watch |

• Rumor: Apple Watch Series 7 will feature flat-edged design, new green color option
• Apple unveils two new Apple Watch Pride bands and watch face

Apple TV |

• New Apple TV adds ARC support for universal TV audio passthrough to HomePod speakers
• Apple TV 4K reviews: New Siri Remote is a ‘must buy,’ but Apple TV price still prohibitive
• Apple VP talks Apple TV 4K price in new interview: ‘There’s a tremendous amount of value in this $179’
• Apple VP says company is committed to home audio products, ‘little need’ for Find My Remote feature

Mac and iPad |

• Claim that 2021 MacBook Pro models will have M1X chip; drop front logo
• Apple shares why 11-inch iPad Pro didn’t get the Liquid Retina XDR display and more in new interview
• Photographer Austin Mann puts the M1 12.9-inch iPad Pro to the test, compares it to Pro Display XDR
• Bloomberg: Redesigned MacBook Pro coming as soon as this summer, up to 64GB RAM and 10-core chip
• Bloomberg: 40-core Mac Pro with Apple Silicon, high-end Mac mini in development
• Apple launches new webpage with an elevator pitch on why you should buy a Mac
• Bloomberg: Apple paused development of larger Apple Silicon iMac to focus on 24-inch model
• Craig Federighi says the Mac has an ‘unacceptable’ malware problem
• M1 iPad Pro reviews: Stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, but iPadOS limitations persist
• Apple releases macOS 11.5 beta to developers ahead of 11.4 public release [U: Public beta]
• Video details compatibility between 2020 Magic Keyboard and 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro
• Redesigned iMac reviews: A beautiful and colorful design with stellar M1 performance

Apple Stores |

• iMac, iPad Pro, and Apple TV 4K arrive in stores with vibrant window displays
• Revisit the world’s first Apple Store as it appeared 20 years ago with augmented reality
• Piazza Liberty Apple Store amphitheater transforms into public art installation
• Before the Genius Bar: Behind the retail designs that paved the way for 20 years of Apple Stores
• Apple SignTime service will connect Apple Store and Apple Support customers with interpreters
• 20 years of Apple Stores in 20 quotes
• 20 years of Apple Stores: The enduring art of celebration
• COVID-19: Which Apple Stores have reopened?

Apps |

• Huge Eufy privacy breach shows live and recorded cam feeds to strangers
• Spotify HiFi launch could be imminent as user spots icon in iOS app

Apple Music |

• Apple Music adding lossless streaming to entire catalog at no extra cost, Spatial Audio support with Dolby Atmos
• Apple Music Lossless requires wired headphones, AirPods will only get Spatial Audio
• Comment: Will you be able to hear the difference with Apple Music Lossless Audio? [U]
• HomePod and HomePod mini to support Apple Music Lossless in a future software update

AAPL Company |

• Exclusive: These are Apple’s new truly wireless in-ear Beats Studio earbuds
• Phil Schiller reveals $50M cost for WWDC, App Store Small Business Program details, more
• Live blog: Apple CEO Tim Cook testifies in Epic legal battle

Subscribe to 9to5Mac’s YouTube channel for more videos.

This week’s top videos |

• What’s new in iOS 14.6 RC? A look at forthcoming Apple Music settings [Video]

9to5Mac Daily |

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Apple TV news, iPhone 18 expectations – 9to5Mac Daily

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Sponsored by Backblaze: Backup you can rely on. Save 20% with code 9to5daily.

1. Apple TV news, iPhone 18 expectations 07:35
2. MacBook Air shortages, iPhone Ultra launch rumors 07:12
3. Apple exec changes, more 07:37
4. iOS 27 beta 5, glass iPhone rumors 08:14
5. Apple Watch rumors, more 07:12

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Future Apple wearables, iOS 27 beta 5, iPhone 20 details – 9to5Mac Happy Hour

Benjamin and Chance talk about all the changes in iOS 27 beta 5, as Apple reportedly takes a fresh look at fitness wearables, details about the glassy iPhone 20, Friday Night Baseball on Vision Pro and more rumors about Apple TV sports rights — this time, golf. And in Happy Hour Plus, out of the blue, Apple TV launches another round of its free movie catalog collection promotion. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join. Sponsored by Bitwarden: Check out Bitwarden, featuring secure password management, passkey support, end-to-end encryption, and seamless autofill across all devices. Sponsored by Shopify: All you need is the idea. Shopify handles the rest. Start your free trial at shopify.com/happyhour. 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.

1. Future Apple wearables, iOS 27 beta 5, iPhone 20 details 53:40
2. Apple earnings, universal clipboard interoperability, iPhone event chatter 57:21
3. Apple Upgrade program launches, foldable iPhone hype, Apple smart glasses release date  56:37
4. iPhone leasing, Apple Music price increase, iOS 27 beta 4 52:49
5. iOS 27 public betas are out, Siri AI hands on, and Apple sues OpenAI 01:07:52

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Stacktrace has moved! – Stacktrace

As we've mentioned in the last episode, the Stacktrace podcast is no longer a part of the 9to5Mac network. If you're seeing this entry in your podcast player, then you probably need to unfollow Stacktrace and follow the podcast again. Start by unfollowing the show in your podcast player, then just search for "Stacktrace" and follow the show again. You'll notice that the updated show has a new artwork and that episode 179 has already been released there. To learn more about how to listen to Stacktrace, check out our new website. Thanks for listening!

1. Stacktrace has moved! 01:00
2. 178: “Let’s try something new” 01:03:25
3. 177: “The stand is included!” 01:09:24
4. 176: “Extra Keynote Poker” 01:19:00
5. 175: “A Bluetooth fanboy” 54:35

Apple @ Work Podcast |

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300 devices later – thoughts on ChromeOS vs macOS – Apple @ Work

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1. 300 devices later – thoughts on ChromeOS vs macOS 14:00
2. The state of digital signage on Apple TV in 2026 23:14
3. Remember Postini? 22:08
4. Forget 90 day patch windows 28:02
5. Breaking down the recent IDC PC shipment report 18:32

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