Chance Miller

When Apple first released the iPhone Air last month, it was missing from a key market: China. This was because the iPhone Air is eSIM-only due to its ultra-thin design, and China has strict regulations about eSIM technology.

Today, however, the iPhone Air officially went up for pre-order in China — and indications are it’s a big hit.

Apple’s deal to acquire F1 streaming rights in the United States is imminent and could be announced as soon as today, according to a new report from Puck’s John Ourand.

The report also details that F1 is “relinquishing control of F1 TV in the U.S.” as part of the deal, a key tidbit that was reportedly a sticking point throughout the negotiations between Apple and F1 parent company Liberty Media.

Apple may have just released its first M5 MacBook Pro earlier this week, but there’s already a lot of anticipation about what’s next. In a new report today, Bloomberg says that Apple is planning a new MacBook Pro for late 2026 or early 2027 with major changes, headlined by an OLED touchscreen.

Benjamin and Chance react to the new M5 iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, and Vision Pro launches. Apple also kills off Clips app and teases live immersive NBA content, and announces a controversial name change for the Apple TV streaming service. 

And in Happy Hour Plus, Benjamin gets more excited about the upcoming Apple smart display based off some details from Mark Gurman. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

• Sponsored by Shopify: Grow your business no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a $1 per month trial at shopify.com/happyhour.
• Sponsored by Material Security: Material Security is transforming how companies protect their most critical cloud assets. Learn more and see how it works at material.security.

Apple today updated a support document with details on why iMessages might show a “Not Delivered” alert, appear as SMS/RCS messages in green bubbles, or come from your email address instead of your phone number.

Apple has officially announced the new 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by the M5 chip. The company touts that this delivers the “next big leap in AI for the Mac,” with up to 3.5x faster AI performance than M4.

Here’s everything you need to know…

We’re all eagerly awaiting new Apple products this week, including an iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and MacBook Pro. In a new post on X today, Apple’s marketing VP Greg Joswiak teases that “something powerful is coming,” accompanied by a graphic clearly showing the side profile of a MacBook Pro.

Back at CES in January, LG caught the attention of Mac users by teasing a new UltraFine 6K Display with Thunderbolt 5. The company, however, was ultra tight-lipped on details about the display, including pricing and availability.

Now, however, the LG UltraFine 6K is available from LG’s website for $1,999.99, with the first orders shipping on October 20. Here’s everything you need to know…

Apple has announced that Apple TV+ is no more. The company says that Apple TV+ is being renamed simply “Apple TV” with a “vibrant new identity.”

Apple’s first foldable iPhone is rumored to launch next year, with expectations that it will be Apple’s most expensive iPhone ever. A new report from Ming-Chi Kuo doesn’t dispute that, but it does say that the unit price for the hinge is “significantly lower than expected.”

Apple has announced what it describes as a “major evolution” of its Apple Security Bounty program. The company says the program has paid out more than $35 million to more than 800 security researchers so far.

Today’s announcement touts the “next major chapter” for the program, including doubling the top award to $2 million for “exploit chains that can achieve similar goals as sophisticated mercenary spyware attacks.”

Benjamin and Chance cover all the new changes in beta 2 of iOS 26.1, as Apple tidies up some loose ends in the new Liquid Glass design, and (kinda) brings back Slide Over on iPad. Also, Meta’s launch of smart glasses with displays apparently prompted a change to the Vision Pro roadmap, and the F1 streaming deal is apparently nearly done.

And in Happy Hour Plus, the duo compares MagSafe power banks for the iPhone Air. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

• Sponsored by Private Internet Access: The world’s most transparent VPN provider. Go to piavpn.com/9to5Mac to get 83% off with 4 months free.
• Sponsored by NordStellar: Don’t wait until your company’s data is already for sale on the dark web. Protect your business today at nordstellar.com/happyhour.

Apple kicked off last month’s iPhone keynote with a video dedicated to design, leading with this famous quote from Steve Jobs: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

Apple has now uploaded this video separately to its YouTube channel.

As the adoption of electric vehicles has grown, so has the availability of EV-specific apps for CarPlay. There are a number of excellent CarPlay apps that help take your EV experience to the next level, including planning trips, finding chargers, and more. Read on for the growing list of CarPlay apps that every EV owner should check out.

Apple has announced a significant expansion of its Emergency SOS via satellite feature for iPhone and Apple Watch Ultra. The company says the feature will launch to users in Mexico later this year, joining existing availability of Find My via satellite and Messages via satellite in the country.

A new report today from analyst Jeff Pu has details on what to expect from next year’s highly-anticipated iPhone 18 Fold. According to Pu, Apple will use a combination of titanium and aluminum for the device.

Bloomberg previously described the device as resembling “two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side.”

According to Aaron Perris, Apple has now rolled out a server-side fix for iPhone 17 and iPhone Air that were unable to download Apple Intelligence models.

This update comes after some iPhone 17 users were completely unable to use Apple Intelligence features since the devices were released almost three weeks ago.

Apple has released iOS 26.1 beta 2 for developers. The update comes two weeks after the first beta was released.

Since iOS 26 was released last month, some iPhone users have had problems using iMessage with their phone numbers. Apple has now published a new support document on its website addressing the problem and providing a potential fix.

Benjamin and Chance talk about the week’s Apple news, including the bonkers leak of the so-far-unannounced M5 iPad Pro, and then the FCC chipped in with showing off the new MacBook Pro and Vision Pro too. Also, Benjamin’s robot vacuum got a dramatically better Matter update, Apple uses iPhone cameras to shoot Friday Night Baseball, and Beats unveils the Powerbeats Fit. 

And in Happy Hour Plus, we have some new iPhone follow-up as Chance samples the Max life, and Benjamin’s Air is accruing dust. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

• Sponsored by OpenCase: A better iPhone case for MagSafe accessories. Use promo code “happyhour” for 10% off at TheOpenCase.com.
• Sponsored by Square: Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/happyhour.
• Sponsored by Caldera Lab: High performance men’s skincare. Get 20% off your first order at CalderaLab.com/HAPPYHOUR