Chance Miller

Federal prosecutors this week indicted three men after a delivery truck with more than $1 million of Apple products was hijacked earlier this year.

Apple is rolling out two changes to the Education Store in the United States and other countries. First, Apple now requires verification for all purchases made via the Education Store in the US … so it’s no longer on the “honor system.”

Meanwhile, Apple has added Apple Watch to the Education Store for the first time …

Benjamin and Chance give their opinions on the new Pride wallpaper and watch band lineup for 2026, as well as talk about a new watch face supposedly coming with watchOS 27. Also, in our seemingly-recurring segment on Mac desktop supply constraints, Apple stopped selling the $599 Mac mini altogether this week. Also, the company shares some curious tidbits about its future strategy in its first quarterly earnings call to feature incoming CEO John Ternus. 

And in Happy Hour Plus, Apple loves to talk about the customer satisfaction numbers for its products, but we give our personal takes on how the product lines stack up. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

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Apple just reached a major milestone in its development of AirPods with cameras, a new report says.

Bloomberg reports today that Apple’s work on AirPods with built-in cameras has “entered a phase where prototypes feature a near-final design and capabilities.”

Apple is rolling out a big change to the Education Store today. For the first time, the Apple Watch is now available with a discount for students and teachers in select markets.

Apple is also expanding verification requirements to use the Education Store to new markets …

Last March, Apple was hit with a class action lawsuit after delaying the launch of the “more personalized Siri” that was first announced at WWDC 2024.

Apple agreed to settle the case in December, and the full settlement terms are now available.

Apple is set to pay $250 million to settle the lawsuit, equating to an estimated $25 per device. That number could reach up to $95 per device, depending on how many users submit claims.

iOS 27 will give users a new way to integrate with third-party AI platforms, according to a new report. This will let iPhone users choose from multiple third-party models from companies like Google and Anthropic, including the ability to set custom voices in Siri depending on which external model is responding.

Alongside iOS 26.5, Apple also released the watchOS 26.5 RC yesterday. The update includes a new Pride Luminance watch face with a ton of customization options, as Zac covered earlier today. There are also two key bug fixes that Apple Watch users will appreciate.

iOS 27 is again rumored to include a useful new feature for the Wallet app. A new report today says iOS 27 will add a “Create a Pass” feature to the Wallet app, allowing users to convert physical passes to digital ones. Here’s how it will work.

Apple continued the tradition today and unveiled a new Apple Watch band in celebration of Pride Month. The new Apple Watch Pride Edition Sport Loop is “woven from a rainbow of 11 colors of nylon yarns.”

It’s available to order today for $49. Apple says it is “proud to financially support organizations that serve LGBTQ+ communities.”

Last year, Apple officially announced CarPlay Ultra, the next-generation version of CarPlay that it first teased way back at WWDC 2022.

CarPlay Ultra began rolling out in May to Aston Martin owners in the United States and Canada. What about other automakers? Here’s what we know.

Last week, the base model $599 Mac mini with 256GB went completely out of stock at the Apple Store. After extended delays, Apple updated the shipping estimates to simply say “currently unavailable.”

Now, Apple has taken the next step: the base model $599 Mac mini is no longer listed on its website at all. It has effectively been discontinued.

The Apple Hearing Study, run in collaboration with the University of Michigan, is out with new findings this week that highlight the importance of the Apple’s hearing health features for AirPods.

Benjamin and Chance discuss whether bringing visual intelligence inside the Camera app is a good idea, as rumored for iOS 27 by Bloomberg. Also, Tim Cook shares his personal highs and lows across his career, Mayo’s iPhone refuses to turn on after running out of battery, and the App Store launches a new monthly payments subscription option.

And in Happy Hour Plus, Chance kits out his whole house with HomeKit lights … so now here’s what we want next from Apple Home. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

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MagSafe is a fan-favorite iPhone feature, but a bizarre rumor this week says Apple is apparently debating whether to remove it from future iPhone models.

iOS 27 will include multiple new AI-powered photo editing features, according to a new report. These features will let you quickly improve, expand, and reframe your images.

Benjamin and Chance react to the biggest news of the week, and probably this year, with Tim Cook officially announcing his plans to hand over the CEO job to John Ternus. The calm and orchestrated transition falls directly into Cook’s playbook. Also, we have new leaks about iOS 27 and iPhone 18 Pro colors to discuss.

And in Happy Hour Plus, Netflix drops support for the system video player on tvOS, much to the frustration of everyone who actually cares about the Apple TV box. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

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The first F1 Grand Prix in the United States of the this season takes place May 3 in Miami. Ahead of that, Apple is rolling out a detailed Apple Maps experience with immersive 3D landmarks, racetrack details, navigation information, and more.

Apple announced its major leadership transition yesterday, with John Ternus officially set to take over as CEO from Tim Cook later this year.

Following that announcement, tech leaders (and others) have taken to social media to congratulate Cook on the news.

Apple’s Tim Cook and John Ternus held an all-hands meeting with employees today in Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park, according to Bloomberg. The meeting comes one day after the announcement that Ternus will take over as Apple CEO later this year.

During the meeting, Cook offered more insight into why he decided to begin the transition now — and what his plans are for his role as Apple’s executive chairman.