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We’re expecting Apple to debut a new Apple Watch SE model later this year, marking the first refresh in three years. The cheapest Apple Watch might not sound too exciting, but this year might be a little different.

Apple is getting close to launching a fresh slate of software updates, and today’s RC (release candidate) versions of visionOS 2.4, tvOS 18.4, and more get us closer to that big day.

Apple has just released new RC (release candidate) betas for its forthcoming software releases, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 is now available as part of this latest batch of updates—both developer and public beta RCs are available.

Apple is putting the final touches on the upcoming iOS 18.4 release. The release candidate version of the upcoming iPhone and iPad software update is now available for developer and public beta testers. iOS 18.4 brings a lot of new features to both devices.

The podcast market is increasingly becoming dominated by YouTube and Spotify, but beyond running Apple Podcasts, Apple has also recently started launching its own original podcast series under the Apple TV+ branding. Today, the latest such podcast—Big Time—has debuted as a true-crime series with Steve Buscemi as host.

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.

Vision Pro has been written off by many as a flop, and a recent report saying new hardware is “in flux” doesn’t help that narrative. But here’s why Apple’s approach to Vision Pro 2 hardware may not be such bad news after all.

China’s DeepSeek AI chatbot doesn’t exactly have the best of reputations. It has exposed chat history and other sensitive data; the iOS app has been shown to have multiple security flaws; is under investigation in both the US and Europe; and ARM’s CEO believes it will end up being banned in the US.

But none of this has stopped Apple CEO Tim Cook describing it as “excellent” during a visit to Beijing for the China Development Forum …

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.