Author

Avatar for Michael Burkhardt

Michael Burkhardt

mbrkhrdt

Michael is 9to5Mac’s Associate Editor, leading all of our Apple news coverage on Saturday and Sunday, and contributing to reporting from Monday to Wednesday. He got started in the world of Apple news during the pandemic, and it became a growing hobby. He’s also an indie iOS developer in his free time, and started the weekly Indie App Spotlight series, which has covered dozens of indie apps since it launched.

Connect with Michael

Connect with Michael Burkhardt

Apple just reintroduced a missing AirPods Max feature

AirPods Max (Lightning) colors

This morning, Apple announced a new feature for USB-C AirPods Max. Starting with iOS 18.4, they’ll now be capable of lossless audio playback, enabling ultra-low latency listening over a wired connection.

AirPods Max with USB-C are now going to be capable of wired audio playback for the first time, a feature that was initially missing when the headphones debuted last September.

Expand Expanding Close

Apple’s recent executive shake-up has me optimistic about the future of Siri

On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook had “lost confidence” in SVP of AI John Giannandrea. In turn, he’ll no longer be in charge of Siri product development, and now Vision Pro head Mike Rockwell will be taking the lead.

While pretty much any news for Siri would be good news at this point, I’m optimistic in Mike Rockwell’s ability to turn Siri around. I’ll explain.

Expand Expanding Close

Indie App Spotlight: ‘Queue’ is a great podcast app with an incredibly simple design

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.


Queue aims to be the simplest podcasts app out there. It offers a clean interface, and all of your podcasts are kept in one neat vertical list. From that list, you can play, archive, and reorder from all of your subscribed podcasts. Despite the simple design, Queue is also rich in features.

Expand Expanding Close

Apple to adopt 2nm chip technology with next year’s iPhones, per report

Apple reportedly agrees with TSMC chip price increase after saying it wouldn't

According to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple’s A20 chip should adopt TSMC’s 2nm process for the very first time. This means that next year’s iPhone 18 models should all take the leap to a next-generation chip architecture. Previously, it was unclear whether or not all iPhone 18 models would adopt 2nm tech.

Expand Expanding Close

Apple One is a great subscription bundle, but it neglects one key audience

Poll: Did you ever notice any burn-in issues on your iPhone 14 Pro's display?

Apple introduced Apple One in 2020, providing an easy way for avid Apple users to subscribe to multiple services at once, and get a nice bundle discount for doing so. It offers three tiers, and its remained that way since it launched. However, I think Apple would benefit greatly from offering a fourth tier, capturing a key demographic.

Expand Expanding Close

Apple executives believe users will ‘love’ upcoming iOS 19 overhaul, per report

Last week, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple was planning “one of the most dramatic software overhauls” in its history. The company is currently planning a redesign for iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 – all in the name of consistency. Gurman even said that this would be the “biggest revamp since iOS 7” for iPhone and iPad, and the “most significant upgrade to the Mac since macOS Big Sur.

Now, Bloomberg reports that Apple executives are “confident” that users will love this visionOS-inspired design.

Expand Expanding Close

Report: Apple considered removing USB-C port from iPhone 17 Air, more

iPhone 17 Air display

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, iPhone 17 Air will feature a number of features from the iPhone 16 Pro, including Camera Control and ProMotion. Rumors have long suggested that the entire iPhone 17 lineup would feature ProMotion, but it wasn’t quite clear whether or not iPhone 17 Air would feature Camera Control. Despite the thinness though, it now seems likely the phone will feature Camera Control.

Apple had also considered making the iPhone 17 Air its first “port-free” iPhone, and going all in on wireless charging. The company ultimately decided against this.

Expand Expanding Close

Gurman: Apple working on multiple versions of second generation Studio Display

Studio Display

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is potentially working on a third generation Studio Display, codenamed J527. This would be a version ahead of the already rumored second generation Studio Display, which is codenamed J427 – but feature advantages of the third generation display are unknown. It’s also plausible that this isn’t a third-generation monitor at all. Let’s discuss.

Expand Expanding Close

Indie App Spotlight: ‘Remind Me Faster’ is an ultimate companion app for Apple Reminders

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.


Remind Me Faster is a nice companion app for Apple Reminders, helping you transcribe your thoughts into reminders as quickly as possible. It doesn’t replace Reminders, but instead makes it more intuitive to use.

Expand Expanding Close

Apple’s new M4 MacBook Air has a sneaky new perk: Incredible deals on older models

Last week, Apple introduced the new M4 MacBook Air model. It brought a new sky blue finish, and introduced a higher-resolution 12MP camera with support for Center Stage. However, it also included a much more important upgrade: a lower starting price.

That’s right, the MacBook Air now starts at $999 again. That’s a big deal for two reasons. One, you no longer need to buy last-gen tech for that price point, and two, it means there’s now incredible clearance deals on older models.

Expand Expanding Close

What went wrong with Apple Intelligence Siri development?

On Friday, Apple officially delayed the release of its promised iOS 18 Siri features. Those features, including personal context, on-screen awareness, and in-app actions, will now release “in the coming year.” We had already received hints that these features would be delayed, but now we know for sure. This leaves the question, what went wrong?

Expand Expanding Close

Apple’s new A16 iPad may have a special trick up its sleeve

Last week, Apple hit us with a little bit of a surprise, and introduced the new base-model iPad with an A16 chip. The new iPad wasn’t much of a surprise, but the A16 chip certainly was. Rumors had long suggested that we should expect an A17 Pro chip, but that never came to fruition.

However, the A16 chip might provide a special perk, one that assures the product can stay around at its $349 price tag in the short term.

Expand Expanding Close

Indie App Spotlight: ‘Rovelist’ is a habit tracker with streaks, reminders, and more

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.


Rovelist is a simple habit tracker app with a clean design, home screen widgets, and an intuitive interface. It’s available on iPhone, and provides everything you’d need to stay motivated and on top of everything you need to get done regularly.

Expand Expanding Close