9to5Mac

Apple last redesigned the MacBook Air with the M2 model, and per a supply chain leaker, the new Air almost came in the sort of fun colors that are expected for the forthcoming ‘MacBook.’

The last year has been an exciting one for CarPlay, with CarPlay Ultra launching and iOS 26 bringing some of the biggest CarPlay changes in years. Now iOS 26.4 is set to continue this positive trend, showing that CarPlay’s best days may be ahead.

Episode 060: First impressions of iOS 26.4 beta 1, a preview of Apple’s upcoming March 4th event, and why the upcoming low-cost MacBook is by far its most interesting new product on the horizon.

9to5Mac Overtime is a weekly video-first podcast exploring fun and interesting observations in the Apple ecosystem, featuring 9to5Mac’s Fernando Silva & Jeff Benjamin. Subscribe to Overtime via Apple Podcasts and our YouTube channel for more.

9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

Earlier this week, Apple surprised users with the first iOS 26.4 beta for the iPhone. Many were disappointed (including me) when the update didn’t include the much-anticipated improvements to the estranged Siri assistant. However, this was nowhere near a featureless update. iOS 26.4 beta 1 introduced at least forty new features and changes, including notable upgrades to RCS and Stolen Device Protection.

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.

Apple TV offers exclusive original TV shows and movies in 4K HDR quality. You can watch across all of your screens and pick up where you left off on any device. Apple TV costs $12.99 per month. You can get a seven-day free trial for new accounts here. Here’s every Apple original television show and movie available now on Apple TV, as well as the latest trailers …

Expand
Expanding
Close

In a recent statement to Brazil’s competition watchdog, Apple leaned on an increasingly familiar argument as it pushed back against pressure to further open up the iPhone’s NFC access. Here are the details.

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 Stuff: Stuff helps you get everything out of your head and into a simple, elegant system—closing open loops and reducing mental stress. Use code 9TO5 at checkout for 50% off your first year.

In a joint status report with Michael Ramacciotti’s legal team, Apple also disclosed new details about its efforts to depose Jon Prosser as part of the iOS 26 leak case. Here are the details.

After adding image generation to Duck.ai late last year, DuckDuckGo is now rolling out image editing capabilities for its private AI chatbot. Here’s how it works.

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.

iOS 27 will reportedly come with changes to the iPhone’s interface. Those changes aren’t expected to be as major as iOS 26, but they could still reveal a lot about Apple’s priorities under new design leadership.

WhatsApp just announced that Group Message History is rolling out now, which Meta says is one of its “most requested features.” Here are the details.

Major League Soccer (MLS) kicks off a new season this Saturday, and for the first time, every single match will be included free with an Apple TV subscription. Here are the details.

Last summer, Perplexity launched one of the first AI-focused web browsers with Comet on the Mac. Soon, the long promised iOS counterpart to Comet will follow.

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.”

Apple TV has just added a new series to its March release calendar: delayed thriller The Hunt, which will premiere following a plagiarism investigation.

Apple has been sued by the state of West Virginia over what it says is a failure to prevent child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) across iCloud services such as iMessage and Photos. Here are the details.

Apple Glasses are expected to be unveiled in the coming year, and a recent report said they would serve as “an all-day AI companion.” Though I was once skeptical of smart glasses, here’s why I think they might be exactly what I want.

Just a few weeks after rolling out the Rivian Digital Key update, which helped tremendously with proximity-based features, Rivian has doubled down and is rolling out a new dedicated Apple Watch app. The Apple Watch update was designed as an extension of the Rivian iPhone app, giving you all the most used features right on your wrist. It has customizable quick controls, glanceable vehicle status, and support for digital key functionality (depending on your vehicle generation). I got some early access to the app, so here is what you should know.