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Apple has a surprise announcement for AirPods Max users today. The company says that a software update coming next month with iOS 18.4 will add lossless audio when using the included USB-C cable, as well as ultra-low latency audio.

A report earlier this month suggested that Apple is working on embedding cameras into AirPods, followed yesterday by another suggesting the inclusion of Apple Watch cameras too.

Apple has for many years been exploring the idea of adding a camera to the Apple Watch, but the latest report suggests a very specific usage …

An upcoming Philips Hue doorbell has been accidentally leaked by the company though an update to the Hue app. The company already offers a range of smart security cameras.

The app content reveals quite a lot about the device, which is not expected to launch until the fall, including a significant limitation …

A strange Apple Maps bug is showing point-of-interest pins for a smattering of airport baggage claim stations across the United States, while the map is zoomed far way enough that otherwise almost no landmarks, let alone airports, are marked.

The random baggage claim pins appear across Apple Maps on iPhone, iPad and Mac. This is obviously a glitch with the data being served by the Apple Maps backend, and should be fixable by Apple with a server update.

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.

Today, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman corroborated that Apple will launch a foldable iPhone in 2026. Many outlets had previously reported that Apple was working on such a launch. According to Gurman, the product will be similar in design to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, rather than a clamshell folding device.

In a move to position the Apple Watch as more of an AI wearable, Apple is working on multiple versions of future Apple Watch models that include cameras. This will help the device “see the outside world,” per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Rumors suggest that Apple has been working on a new generation of the HomePod mini, which is expected to be introduced later this year. Even so, the company didn’t want to wait and has now quietly updated the current HomePod mini. But instead of hardware improvements, Apple has changed the box of its smart speaker.

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.

I wrote last year about MagicMiles, a new app that helps users create entire travel itineraries using AI. With its latest update, MagicMiles is getting a much-requested feature: the ability to add transportation and lodging to the travel itinerary.

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.

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.

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If you’ve read any of my writing over the years, you know I love protocols and building on top of them. Launched in 2001, OpenVPN has been the go-to protocol for VPN connections across almost all services. But the problem with underlying protocols is they’re a bit harder to evolve as technology changes. As mobile devices became a key part of the VPN experience, so did the need for faster speeds, better security, and improved roaming abilities. That’s where ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol comes into play.

Apple-1 was the first computer built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, which marked the beginning of Apple. Unsurprisingly, finding an Apple-1 today is quite rare, especially one that still works. But someone has now bought an Apple-1 Computer for $375,000 at auction.

Apple’s last big software release, iOS 18.3, arrived in late January. So we’re very much due for another noteworthy update. iOS 18.4 has been in beta testing for some time now, and we’re getting close to the public launch. Here’s when Apple has said to expect the iOS 18.4 release date.

Anthropic announced this week a major update for Claude, its AI chatbot. The platform can now search for results on the web in real time to provide up-to-date information, making it even more useful for research.

Severance just aired its season 2 finale, and season 3 is officially on the way. In a new interview with Alan Sepinwall at Rolling Stone, the show’s creator Dan Erickson explains that big finale ending, teases plans for next season, talks about answering the show’s mysteries, and more. *Spoilers await* if you haven’t yet watched the Severance finale.

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Winter in the southern US is coming to a close, so it’s almost time to break out the sprinklers as warm weather arrives. Meross has been steadily expanding its lineup of HomeKit-compatible products, and its latest addition brings another option for smart outdoor watering to HomeKit.

At this point, pretty much all the rumors hint at Apple launching a new ultra-slim iPhone later this year, which is expected to be called the iPhone 17 Air. The idea is to create an iPhone with a brand new design to make it more appealing. But will the iPhone 17 Air really convince people to upgrade?

Apple made a lot of changes to the Photos app in iOS 18. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways users can customize the app to their liking, too. For example, there’s one change I immediately made that fixed my biggest problem with iOS 18’s big Photos redesign.

Apple doesn’t shy away from courting stars for its TV+ shows and movies, but the next show releasing—The Studio—takes the Hollywood showcase to a whole new level with its stacked cast and cameos. Here’s who you can expect to see pop up in Apple’s next big show when it arrives in mere days.