Join MacRumors' Dan Barbera and Hartley Charlton for discussion about all of the latest news and rumors from the world of Apple. Whether you’re wondering what’s...
134: Apple Launch Set for February 19th! New Products on the Way?
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the imminent Apple product "launch" that is widely expected to be the fourth-generation iPhone SE. In a social media post on Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle.
We talk through the possibilities for the announcement and why it's most likely to be a new iPhone SE, with rumored features including the A18 chip, a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, a USB-C port, Apple Intelligence support, and more. The launch of other new devices, such as the M4 MacBook Air, also appear to be right around the corner.
We also discuss Apple's new Powerbeats Pro 2 earphones, touting Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) with Transparency mode, Personalized Spatial Audio, an H2 chip for improved power efficiency and Apple ecosystem integration, and Heart Rate Monitoring–a first time for an Apple audio product. We talk through the utility of the heart rate monitoring feature, fit, and how they compare to the AirPods Pro 2.
This episode is sponsored by Incogni. Use code THEMACRUMORS at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: https://incogni.com/themacrumors
(00:00) - Tim Cook Confirms Apple Launch for February 19th
(06:39) - Sponsor: Incogni
(08:04) - More iPhone SE/New Product Launch
(23:29) - M4 MacBook Air Coming Soon
(29:16) - Powerbeats Pro 2 with Heart Rate Sensor
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133: Apple's All-New 'Invites' App
Earlier this week, Apple announced "Invites," which is designed to help users plan group events like birthday parties, graduations, vacations, baby showers, and more. Users can choose a background image or generate one using Image Playground and customize the look of the invite with different fonts. Apple automatically adds in data from the Maps and Weather apps so that invitees have all of the information they need for an event. People who receive invites can RSVP and the sender can track who has responded. There are options to create a dedicated shared Photos album and a collaborative Apple Music playlist for the event.
Invites is an iCloud+ service, which means that it is available to iCloud+ subscribers only. iCloud+ is priced starting at $0.99 per month, and it provides users with additional iCloud storage over the free 5GB that comes with any device. While anyone is able to respond to an Invite that's sent out, creating invites is limited to iCloud+ subscribers.
We discuss Apple's iCloud website and accessing the company's services from non-Apple devices, since Invites is also available via icloud.com. In addition, we reflect on the other apps that Apple has introduced in recent years, including Clips, News, Journal, and Sports.
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132: iPhone SE 4 Latest Leaks & Rumors
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the latest rumors about the iPhone SE 4 as it nears launch. The fourth-generation iPhone SE is widely rumored to feature an iPhone 14-style all-screen design with a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, and USB-C. Images of dummy models showcasing the new design were recently shared online.
Recent reports suggest that the fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected to support Apple Intelligence thanks to the A18 chip and 8GB of memory. Both the main and front-facing cameras are expected to receive major upgrades to 48- and 12-megapixel sensors, respectively. Contrary to earlier rumors, the device is no longer expected to feature the Camera Control, Action Button, or Dynamic Island.
The fourth-generation iPhone SE is highly likely to be the first to feature Apple's custom 5G modem. While it won't feature mmWave connectivity and may be slower than the Qualcomm components currently used in iPhones, it is expected to offer lower power consumption, improved cellular network scanning, and satellite connectivity enhancements.
The iPhone SE 4 is due to be released before iOS 18.4, sometime around March or April. It is expected to be slightly more expensive than the current model with a price point of about $470.
We also look ahead to the Apple Watch SE 3, which is expected to debut later this year. With an all-new plastic casing that evokes the iPhone 5C, we reflect on the direction of Apple's entry-level devices
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131: Samsung's 2025 Challenge to Apple!
The MacRumors Show is back for 2025! On this week's episode, we look at how Samsung's latest announcements challenge Apple. Samsung this week announced the Galaxy S25, the Galaxy S25+, and the top-of-the-line Galaxy S25 Ultra. The new devices will directly compete with Apple's iPhone 16 and upcoming iPhone 17 lineup.
Similar to the iPhone 16, AI is a major focus for the S25 lineup, with Samsung touting a new "Personal Data Engine" with a Dynamic Island-like "Now Bar" with a "Now Brief" that guides users through their day, Circle to Search, generative photo editing, context-aware searches with suggested actions, improved natural language understanding, third-party integrations via Gemini, Portrait Studio, and more.
Samsung also previewed the all-new "Galaxy S25 Edge," a super-thin variant of the S25 set to launch in the first half of 2025. It appears to be positioned as a direct rival to Apple's upcoming "iPhone 17 Air," which is expected to be the thinnest iPhone ever at just 6mm and a radical departure from previous devices with a 6.6-inch display with ProMotion, a single speaker, a single rear camera, and Apple's custom 5G modem.
Finally, Samsung unveiled its upcoming "Project Moohan" AR/VR headset, which it has designed in collaboration with Google. It is designed to compete with Apple's Vision Pro bears a striking similarity to the it in terms of design.
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130: Every Apple Product Coming in 2025
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we take a look ahead to all of Apple's expected hardware announcements for 2025. Rumors and reports from a range of reliable sources suggest that Apple will release at least 22 new products in 2025, with a series of minor to major updates and refreshes planned for the iPhone, iPads, Mac, Apple TV, HomePod, Vision Pro, and Apple Watch, as well as one entirely new product.
What do you think of Apple's rumored plans for 2025? Let us know in the comments. We'll be back next year! Happy New Year everyone!
Join MacRumors' Dan Barbera and Hartley Charlton for discussion about all of the latest news and rumors from the world of Apple. Whether you’re wondering what’s next for the iPhone, looking for insights into the rumor mill, or just have an interest in the latest gadgets, we’ll be bringing you everything you need to know about the Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and more.