Commotion Of Links

Commotion of Apple Links for week ending February 17, 2026

February 19, 2026 • 9 min read

Apple is through with hosting Events. Now it wants to host…happenings?

Plus, a new iOS release that doesn't amount to much, a new iOS beta that looks to be something special, and many stories that reflect upon the perceived decline in fit-and-function of Apple software. It's a subjective thing, for sure, but I confess that it's been years since the metaphorical car door of an Apple OS closed with a satisfying, confident CLUNK instead of a click followed by some kind of rattle from deep behind the panel that you have to hope isn't anything important.

The Future, Soon

Apple special event announced for March 4 https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/16/apple-announces-special-nyc-event-for-march-4/ I’m less interested in the new hardware than I am in this event’s new format as a “special Apple Experience” rather than a conventional presentation followed by a mass-scrum in a demo room. It suggests that Apple’s going to walk attendees through a series of Disney-esque “storylands” (for better or for worse), in which they’re guided firmly through some talking points and stage-managed opportunities for photos and video.

[via Gurman] Apple Low-Cost MacBook Colors Tipped Ahead of Possible March Launch https://www.macobserver.com/news/apple-low-cost-macbook-colors-tipped-ahead-of-possible-march-launch/ As I’ve been hoping since this rumor started gaining credibility. It would be a shame if these unprecedented low-cost MacBooks didn’t come in a range of fun colors. One big question: will they call this line just plain MacBook? It’s too much to hope that Apple will revive the iBook name. But I’m going to go ahead and hope.

[via Fixed Focus Digital] iPhone 18 Pro: Apple's C2 Modem to Support 5G Satellite Connectivity https://www.macrumors.com/2026/02/11/iphone-18-pro-c2-modem-5g-satellite/ It’s fascinating that satellite connectivity has practically become table stakes for new phones. Even Google’s new $500 budget-grade Pixel 10a has emergency satellite SOS.

OSs

Apple releases iOS 26.3 with updates that mainly benefit non-Apple devices https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/02/apple-releases-ios-26-3-with-updates-that-mainly-benefit-non-apple-devices/ Not a titanic update. This will please those of you who thought the word “Titanic” was applicable to iOS 26 in more ways than one.

[Apple Support] About the security content of iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 https://support.apple.com/en-us/126346 As usual, the security updates are a Very Big Deal and make the update a no-brainer.

iOS 26.4 beta 1: Here are the new iPhone features https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/16/ios-26-4-beta-1-heres-everything-new/ But 26.4 is looking to be a protein-packed release. Those of you who want more AI in your stuff will be pleased. I’m pleased by the progress towards bringing end-to-end encryption to Messages between iPhones and Android.

macOS 26.4 brings battery Charge Limit to the Mac and Shortcuts https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/16/macos-26-4-brings-battery-charge-limit-to-the-mac-and-shortcuts/ This is that thing where the OS can cap the top of your MacBook’s charging cycle at something less than 100%, which is an existing feature on your iPhone. Does this actually extend the life of the battery? Unproven, as yet. But if you’re into that sort of thing, Apple is going to let you fly your freak flag.

More macOS 26.3 Finder column view silliness https://lapcatsoftware.com/articles/2026/2/4.html Apple got shamed for an embarrassing Finder UI bug, so they fixed it. But it’s still messed up. Jeff Johnson asks “Did nobody inside Apple test this configuration either? Or do they simply not care?” Those answers are likely to be Yes they did and yes they do. And yet this is the result. We might be at an apex point of collective frustration about the fit and finish – the panel gaps, so to speak – of Apple software.

AI (Also, AI)

Paywalled [Gurman] Apple’s Latest Attempt to Launch New Siri Runs Into Snags https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-11/apple-s-ios-26-4-siri-update-runs-into-snags-in-internal-testing-ios-26-5-27 On the one hand, let’s be fair: the story here is that Apple is in danger of not shipping a complete, AI-fortified Siri with iOS 26.4, which isn’t something that they explicitly, publicly promised. Nonetheless, at this point, the world is very ready to hear some good news about Apple Intelligence. It continues to seem like an institutional issue.

Apple plans M5-based Private Cloud Compute architecture for Apple Intelligence https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/17/apple-plans-m5-based-private-cloud-compute-architecture-for-apple-intelligence/ …But the hardware side of Apple Intelligence Private Cloud Compute appears to be on track. When Siri is finally ready to jump into the saddle, the horses will be there.

Company

Trump FTC wants Apple News to promote more Fox News and Breitbart stories https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/trump-ftc-denies-being-speech-police-but-says-apple-news-is-too-liberal/ Apple needs to make a clear public statement about how it operates Apple News, and how they intend to keep it honest despite any form of external pressure.

Re: Potential FTC Act Violations Related to Suppressing or Promoting Featured News Articles for Political Reasons https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/apple-news-warning-letter.pdf Read the full PDF that the FTC chair sent Tim. “As an American citizen, I abhor and condemn any attempt to censor content for ideological reasons. Such efforts, whether taken to appease overzealous activists, at the behest of foreign governments, or simply to advance the political views of Silicon Valley elites, stifle the free exchange of ideas, manipulate the public discourse, and are inconsistent with American values.” Well, then.

[Cato Institute] FTC Continues to Confuse Free Expression and Censorship as It Threatens Apple News https://www.cato.org/blog/ftc-continues-confuse-free-expression-censorship-it-threatens-apple-news The libertarian Cato Institute says, basically, that even IF Apple were deliberately snuffing right-leaning news publications, Apple has the legal right to do so.

FTC uses selective Apple News study to ask Apple to stop promoting 'leftist outlets' https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/02/12/ftc-uses-selective-apple-news-study-to-ask-apple-to-stop-promoting-leftist-outlets All of this happened because of an isolated study, which may have been flawed to begin with.

Apple’s stock has worst day since April as iPhone maker faces FTC scrutiny, reports of Siri delay https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/12/apple-stock-worst-day-ftc-siri.html The Siri thing and the FTC thing added up to a Bad Day for Apple’s stock price. No biggie. Apple stock will continue to rise and fall for silly and unpredictable reasons. Because humans are silly and unpredictable.

Raskin probes DOJ after Apple, Google blocked ICE tracking app https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/06/raskin-probes-doj-after-apple-google-blocked-ice-tracking-app-00767914 The House Judiciary Committee’s ranking member is pressuring the Justice Department for all information regarding how they pressured Apple and Google to remove the ICEBlock app from their App Stores.

Lawsuit alleges Apple and others were coerced to censor ICE monitoring tools https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/02/12/lawsuit-alleges-apple-and-others-were-coerced-to-censor-ice-monitoring-tools Like Raskin’s letter, this suit is against the DOJ, not Apple. But it all means that Apple might be forced to reveal more about its interactions with the government than they’d like (ie, anything).

Vision Pro

YouTube launches native app for Apple Vision Pro https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/12/youtube-launches-native-app-for-apple-vision-pro/ Why did it take so long? Who knows, but Apple wouldn’t have killed popular third-party YouTube apps for Vision Pro if they didn’t know that YouTube was working on this. In any event, I’m pleased by every little sign that Apple (et al) want to increase the Vision Pro’s value to its owners, instead of retroactively defining it as a developer-only platform.

What Makes Foveated Rendering Revolutionary For Vision? https://livinginvr.com/foveated-rendering-eye-tracking-benefits/ A good overview of a foundational tech for VR. The Vision Pro is getting a new FR framework in visionOS 26.4. It directs the limited computing power of a VR headset where it’s important: towards the part of the scene where the user is actually looking.

Disney+ Quietly Removed 3D From Apple Vision Pro In Europe https://www.uploadvr.com/disney-quietly-removes-3d-from-apple-vision-pro-in-europe/ Technically, Disney+ has lost access to Dolby Vision content. It appears to be the fallout from a patent suit.

Showbiz

Apple Acquires ‘Severance’ As It Grows In-House Studio; Series Eyes Summer S3 Start, 4-Season Run & Universe Expansion; Fifth Season To EP https://deadline.com/2026/02/apple-acquires-severance-more-seasons-1236695148/ Apple is a studio and also a streaming platform that licenses original content from other studios. It gets tricky when a studio delivering one of Apple’s biggest hits is on shaky financial ground. Apple would rather buy Severance’s studio than risk something catastrophic, like suddenly “Severance” is being produced by Tyler Perry to save money.

Paywalled Whatever Happened to Jessica Chastain’s Show on Domestic Terrorism? https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/jessica-chastain-the-savant-show-charlie-kirk-1235516311/ Another story that won’t go away and shouldn’t. Rolling Stone notes that the recent Apple TV+ showcase event ran through alllll the content premiering this year, but contained not a mention of “The Savant.” Did Apple decide to silently kill the series entirely, for political reasons? Or are they just delaying it until all of its principals are available for a full promotional press tour? Apple isn’t saying.

Misc

Paywalled [Gurman] Tesla CarPlay Held Back by Need for Wider Adoption of Apple’s iOS 26 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-02-15/tesla-carplay-delays-related-to-ios-26-and-fsd-apple-s-new-siri-delays-ios-27 Interesting: Tesla ran into a problem whereby Apple Maps’ location fix of the car didn’t match up with the location the driver sees when using self-driving mode. Apple provided a custom build of Maps to sync it up. CarPlay for Tesla is now ready to go. But Tesla won’t roll it out into its cars until they think its owners have finished upgrading their iPhones, according to Gurman.

[Apple Developer Support] iOS and iPadOS usage https://developer.apple.com/support/app-store/ A definitive followup to recent stories that a huge percentage of iPhone users were refusing to update to iOS 26. Apple’s routine report on adoption rates is out, and it shows a slight, but by no means alarming, downtick.

OpenClaw-fueled ordering frenzy creates Apple Mac shortage — delivery for high Unified Memory units now ranges from 6 days to 6 weeks https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/openclaw-fueled-ordering-frenzy-creates-apple-mac-shortage-delivery-for-high-unified-memory-units-now-ranges-from-6-days-to-6-weeks Reasons for the shortage are purely speculative, of course. But OpenClaw is, beyond any doubt, The New Shiny Thing and it’s not dumb to think that it’s one of the reasons that some configurations are in low supply all of a sudden. Running OpenClaw on your actual, main Mac, with access to your actual personal data and mail, messaging, etc. accounts, is just about the dumbest idea imaginable, however.

[Apple Newsroom] Apple introduces a new video podcast experience on Apple Podcasts https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/02/apple-introduces-a-new-video-podcast-experience-on-apple-podcasts/ Podcasting’s transition from being aggressively agnostic about your hardware or your software or your services to becoming Something That Needs To Compete Against YouTube And Spotify is now nearly complete. The new Apple Podcasts can use the HTTP Live Streaming protocol (HLS) alongside traditional RSS.

Apple Music pokes fun at latest Spotify price increase https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/13/apple-music-pokes-fun-at-latest-spotify-price-increase/ Social media’s collective reaction: “You’re a laugh riot. You’re so funny I almost forgot that the app is buggy and the design is full of nonsense and it’s been this way for way too long.” I personally prefer Spotify. Maybe if I used Apple Music more, I’d have strong opinions against it.