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This week’s top stories: Next-gen MacBook design, M1 iPad Pro and iMac performance, more

In this weeks top stories: Benchmarks for the M1 iMac and iPad Pro emerge, rumors about the next-generation MacBook Air, iOS 14.6 beta 3 changes, and more. Read on for all of this week’s top stories and more.

Next-gen MacBook design

A new report from YouTuber Jon Prosser this week shed more light on what to expect from the next-generation MacBook lineup. The report explained that Apple will offer its next-generation MacBook or MacBook Air in seven different colors, similar to the new iMac. The design is also not tapered like the current MacBook Air.

Other rumored design changes include white bezels around the display, as well as a redesigned keyboard that is also white. Again, it’s unclear whether this new design would come to the MacBook Air or perhaps an adjective-less MacBook of some sort. You can check out renders right here.

M1 iPad Pro and iMac benchmarks

Ahead of the first orders arriving next week, early benchmarks for the M1 iPad Pro and M1 iMac have emerged. Here are the details.

Single-core results:

  • M1 iMac: 1,700
  • M1 iPad Pro: 1,700

Multi-core results:

  • M1 iMac: 7,400
  • M1 iPad Pro: 7,200

As you can see, the results between the two products are quite similar, which is to be expected given they share the same M1 chip inside. With the first orders arriving to customers on May 21, we expect embargoed press reviews to be published sometime next week.

AirPods 3 and Apple Music HiFi

A sketchy rumor this week suggested that Apple could announce AirPods 3 and Apple Music HiFi in a press release on May 18. This comes after a report earlier this month indicated the announcements were just “weeks” away.

The rumor comes from YouTuber Luke Miani. who says AirPods 3 are already ready to ship and Apple is expected to announce them via a press release on Tuesday. He also suggests that Apple could announce a new Apple Music HiFi plan on the same day.

Whether or not this comes to fruition remains to be seen, but we now have two reports indicating that AirPods 3 and Apple Music HiFi could be announced this month.

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

iOS |

iPhone |

Apple Watch |

Mac and iPad |

Top Apple stories, retail |

Apps |

AirTag |

AAPL Company |

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This week’s top videos |

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 tomtoc: Get 20% off the PadFolio for iPad + more and enter the iPad Pro giveaway

Walmart Apple Pay rollout, Apple layoffs 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. Walmart Apple Pay rollout, Apple layoffs
  2. August 21, 2026 – AirPods with cameras, more
  3. Apple RAM suppliers, iPhone Ultra rumors
  4. Apple TV 4K rumors, Apple Maps ads
  5. iOS 27 beta 6, AirPods leak

9to5Mac Happy Hour Podcast |

9to5Mac Happy Hour is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play Music, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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AirPods with camera leak, iOS 27 beta 6, iPhone 18 Pro cases 9to5Mac Happy Hour

Benjamin and Chance talk about the crazy leak by Apple depicting the new AirPods with cameras in a video demo, the changes in iOS 27 beta 6, their latest experiences with Siri AI, whether iPhone 18 Pro will fit iPhone 17 Pro cases, and perhaps some final resolution in the Apple vs EU App Store commission battle. And in Happy Hour Plus, Benjamin talks about some of the leaks for the upcoming HomePod with a screen. 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 Keeper: Get 60% off personal and family plans at keepersecurity.com/HAPPYHOUR. Sponsored by Copilot Money: Get two months free with code 9TO5MAC at copilot.money/9to5mac. 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. AirPods with camera leak, iOS 27 beta 6, iPhone 18 Pro cases
  2. Future Apple wearables, iOS 27 beta 5, iPhone 20 details
  3. Apple earnings, universal clipboard interoperability, iPhone event chatter
  4. Apple Upgrade program launches, foldable iPhone hype, Apple smart glasses release date 
  5. iPhone leasing, Apple Music price increase, iOS 27 beta 4

Stacktrace Podcast |

Stacktrace by 9to5Mac is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Kandji: A modern, cloud-based platform for centrally managing and securing your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices, saving IT teams countless hours of manual work with features like one-click compliance templates and 150+ pre-built automations, apps, and workflows. Request access.

Sponsored by Pillow: Pillow is an all-in-one sleep tracking solution to help you get a better night’s sleep. Download it from the App Store today.

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!
  2. 178: “Let’s try something new”
  3. 177: “The stand is included!”
  4. 176: “Extra Keynote Poker”
  5. 175: “A Bluetooth fanboy”

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Agentic networking actions Apple @ Work

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  3. The state of digital signage on Apple TV in 2026
  4. Remember Postini?
  5. Forget 90 day patch windows

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.