Commotion of Apple links for week ending on June 24, 2025
We're finally deep enough into June that we can maybe possibly imagine a week in the near future which we don't need to think about new Apple operating systems at all. Bonus: a company I don't think I've ever heard about is causing a lot of trouble for a couple of billionaires. I'm having trouble masking my happiness because it's literally a hundred degrees in New England right now and I don't care.
OS (-es, plural)
Apple releases new beta builds of all its flashy new Liquid Glass-ified OS updates
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/apple-releases-new-beta-builds-of-all-its-flashy-new-liquid-glass-ified-os-updates/That was quick! It’s a substantial update. Likely it’s a collection of things that weren’t quite ready for WWDC. It also contains plenty of adjustments and rollbacks to the changes Apple made to the iPhone (iPad, Mac) UI. It must be exciting to be an Apple engineer and finally see how all of these UI ideas plays before a real audience.
Everything new in iOS 26 beta 2
https://9to5mac.com/2025/06/23/ios-26-beta-2-changes/Yes, it is indeed Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 2. I really can’t improve upon that headline.
Apple’s classy new iPhone ringtone is available to try right now
https://www.macworld.com/article/2825679/apples-classy-new-iphone-ringtone-is-available-to-try-right-now.htmlWe’ve certainly seen the stature of Signature Ringtones wax and wane, haven’t we? Nokia’s was such a signature that it became a meme (and even a piece of orchestral music). I don’t know if people really care any more. Apple sure does. This is totally their bag. Also: how else is somebody going to be able to communicate to a thousand people “Not only am I the type of person who doesn’t switch off their phone during a live theatrical performance, but I also can afford a swanky new iPhone” unless Apple rolls out new ones for phones that run the latest OS?
FireWire may finally be dead in macOS 26 & Apple isn't looking back
https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/06/19/firewire-may-finally-be-dead-in-macos-26-apple-isnt-looking-backAnd of course before I read this, I wasn't even sure if MacOS still supported FireWire. FireWire was, back in the day, really hot. Like, Tara Reid-hot (back when Tara Reid's career was, itself, hot). FireWire was one of many things that made the iMac stand out. You could plug a camcorder into your new Bondi Blue iMac and edit movies in iMovie…which (out of the box) no other PC could do. It seemed like magic. I’ve some especially-fond memories of FireWire. When the FCC transitioned the US to digital broadcasting, they required cable companies to provide a way for customers to continue to record live broadcasts. My cable box had a FireWire port on the back. The port was totally undocumented. Capturing digital video through it was only possible thanks to a super-sketchy open-source FireWire app I found. But this little port is why I have some very high-quality (albeit standard-def) as-broadcast seasons of “Mythbusters” and “Dirty Jobs” on my home media server today.
RIP Mickey Mouse glove: macOS Tahoe has a new set of cursors
https://www.macworld.com/article/2814388/rip-mickey-mouse-glove-macos-tahoe-has-a-new-set-of-cursors.htmlScene: the UI design department inside Apple. “Look! A surviving crumb of Whimsy! Let’s crush it, before it can provoke any more joy for our users!”
A few notes on iPadOS 26 audio and video capture
https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/06/a-few-notes-on-ipados-26-audio-and-video-capture/From Jason Snell. It’s supposed to be an article about the streaming/podcast recording capabilities of iPadOS 26. But it turns out to be a good explainer of some of the foundational limitations of iPadOS that prevent it from being a for-real productivity computer. The problem runs deeper than just a lack of overlapping windows.
I updated My Hackintosh to macOS Tahoe, Here’s How It Went
https://www.macobserver.com/tips/round-ups/i-updated-my-hackintosh-to-macos-tahoe-heres-how-it-went/I am so freaking happy that the Hackintosh community survives!!! I built a Hackintosh way back when the only way to have an ultraportable that ran Mac apps was to source a Dell netbook that whose subcomponents used the same device drivers as their Mac counterparts. Now we have iPads and MacBook(s) Air. And now that Apple’s got its act together, people who want a super-powerful Mac desktop no longer need to start with “literally any computer not made by Apple.” Today, Hackintoshing is more of a culture and a community than a necessity. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy watching somebody convert a dowdy antique car from a former Soviet-bloc country into a high-performance EV.
Bad news: iPhone Mirroring will not arrive in France with iOS 26
https://www.numerama.com/tech/1988271-mauvaise-nouvelle-iphone-mirroring-narrivera-pas-en-france-avec-ios-26.html
iPhone Mirroring debuted last year, but this and certain other features still aren’t available in the EU. Apple blamed “regulatory uncertainties” for the omissions. They claim that iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing, and Apple Intelligence might not comply with Digital Markets Act rules that require interoperability between platforms. Is Apple telling the truth here? I dunno. Maybe it’s the safest move, given that these features aren’t critical and the EU is rarely crystal-clear on what constitutes DMA compliance. Also, blocking those features in the EU empowers Apple’s public stance that “The DMA is forcing us to give EU customers dumber, worserer products.” Anyhoo, EU users had hoped that maybe they'd finally get these features in 2025. Alas, nothin’ doing.
AI (Also, AI)
Apple Research just unearthed a forgotten AI technique and is using it to generate images
https://9to5mac.com/2025/06/23/apple-ai-image-model-research-tarflow-starflow/I don't have anything to say about the contents of this research paper. It’s interesting to me because here’s yet another easy-to-summarize paper from Apple’s AI researchers. I wonder if Apple's public perception as an AI laggard has encouraged the company to publish and publicize their AI research as frequently as possible.
Apple Considers Using Generative AI for Faster Apple Silicon Design
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/19/apple-considers-using-ai-silicon-design/
Using AI to design the AI chips that will bring about a new and even more powerful new generation of AI to design the next generation after that? How very interesting! (Furiously throws bottled water, toilet paper, and guns into the car, peels off into the wilderness)
The Future, Soon
New leak hints at vapor chamber cooling coming to iPhone 17 Pro
https://9to5mac.com/2025/06/23/new-leak-hints-at-vapor-chamber-cooling-coming-to-iphone-17-pro/I saw this and I immediately wondered if this new cooling system for Apple’s top-tier phone is actually meant to make it an even better video camera. Even “real” cameras are notorious for overheating while capturing 4K video, especially at high framerates. And all of the computational stuff the iPhone performs during capture can’t be helping the thermal situation, either.
iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/22/iphone-all-screen-design-two-stages/
I’ve handled plenty of Android phones with edge-to-edge “all screen” designs. I think my Pixel 6 Pro counts, too. I don’t understand the fetish for “all glass” design. A phone needs to contain the user experience without giving the impression that part of the UI is about to drip onto your hardwood floors…and then there goes your security deposit. Apple’s Dynamic Island makes that stuff unnecessary, anyway. It takes a perceived design problem and turns it into a signature feature. It’s one of the single most genius things Apple’s ever done.
Company
Apple wins appeal to overturn $300 mln US patent verdict
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/apple-wins-appeal-overturn-300-mln-us-patent-verdict-2025-06-17/Freakin’ patent trolls.
Tech giants Apple and Meta to escape sanctions for failing to meet EU digital rules
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/06/19/tech-giants-apple-and-meta-to-escape-sanctions-for-failing-to-meet-eu-digital-rulesApple’s due to be hit with a nigh half-billion-euro fine this week. It’s mostly about the anti-steering provisions of the DMA, aka the “They’ve Got You Dead To Rights, Apple, Now Fix Your Stupid Policy” provision). This compromise won’t let Apple off the hook, but it will give them some more time to work with the EU on an acceptable solution.
Apple sued by shareholders for allegedly overstating AI progress
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/apple-sued-by-shareholders-over-ai-disclosures-2025-06-20/I’m keen to see how this plays out. Civil suits against Apple are often eye-rollingly-speculative, but this one could have some teeth. The participants in the suit are saying that they made investment decisions based in part on Apple’s grandiouse claims about what the company was about to achieve in AI, despite the fact (the suit alleges) that Apple themselves knew that those features were barely past the “10 PRINT ‘HELLO I AM A WORKING AI LANGUAGE MODEL’ 20 GOTO 10” stage. Depositions and records subpoenas aren’t automatically part of the public record when it’s a civil case. But if this suit moves forward, we still might learn some information that wouldn't have escaped the Spaceship any other way.
Apple joins China’s subsidy scheme to boost sales amid heated domestic competition
https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3315680/apple-joins-chinas-subsidy-scheme-boost-sales-amid-heated-domestic-competitionBy itself, it’s another sign of how seriously (not "desperately") Apple is trying to improve the iPhone’s sales performance in one of its most important markets, after many months of downsliding behind Chinese brands. I wonder why they didn’t begin to participate in this program (which gives consumers a substantial 15% subsidy on phones and tablets and smartwatches) when it was first launched in China, early this year?
Foxconn growing India iPhone manufacturing footprint with chassis factory
https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/06/20/foxconn-growing-india-iphone-manufacturing-footprint-with-chassis-factory
It’s interesting to watch Apple’s relationship with India (via Foxconn) transforming. It’s steadily progressing from a relationship of convenience to one of necessity. More components manufactured in-country, rather than just shipped in for assembly.
Showbiz
F1 the Movie review: A shameless Apple ad that will blow your socks off
https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/f1-the-movie-review-a-shameless-apple-ad-that-will-blow-your-socks-off-144808364.htmlLede: “The first thing in F1 the Movie, before a single word of dialog is uttered, is a pair of AirPods Max…” Well, I can’t wait to see what kind of earbuds the baddies are wearing in this flick.
Apple pushed Wallet notifications with F1 offer, sparking backlash
https://9to5mac.com/2025/06/24/apple-pushed-wallet-notifications-with-f1-offer-sparking-backlash/Seriously, Apple? Was the U2 “Songs of Innocence” kerfuffle really so very long ago? (Checking…) Oh, ok, arguably yes: that happened in 2014. Still, sticking a coupon for an F1 movie ticket in my wallet while I'm not looking is hardly the gesture of a trusted friend.
Apple shares original casting tape for ‘Severance’ fan-favorite Ms. Casey
https://9to5mac.com/2025/06/20/apple-shares-original-casting-tape-for-severance-fan-favorite-ms-casey/
You think Apple Studios is like a guy with two or three girlfriends/boyfriends, and it has to make sure that none of them becomes jealous of the time and attention the others are getting? With F1 coverage everywhere, Apple needs to start showing some splashy love for “Severance” again so that the show doesn't leave to find another throuple that's more sensitive to their emotional needs. And, whoops, “Ted Lasso” is about to re-enter the group chat…
Misc
Apple Pulls Ad Campaign Fronted by SNL Star Just One Day After Its Debut
https://latenighter.com/news/apple-pulls-ad-campaign-fronted-by-snl-star-just-one-day-after-its-debut/I don’t get this one at all. It’s a lame, cringey, and thinking-too-hard campaign to sell MacBooks to high school graduates. A three-trillion-dollar company encouraging teens to manipulate their parents into buying them a high-end laptop is Really Not Right. And it doesn’t help that many of the talking points the campaign made about MacBooks vs. Windows laptops were borderline incorrect.
The Parent Presentation (Google Slides)
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fnB7HrN6fRFM9hNtnhbXdVepRxuJxZ84_aTTu4VECwg/template/previewApple pulled the videos. But the campaign included (seriously) templates for PowerPoint, Keynote, and Google Slides presentations that kids were expected to customize and present to their parents. Apple tried to pull this content as well. But it turns out that Apple’s power to rescind something they distributed on the most distribution-friendly office suite in existence was…limited.
Paywall How People Decided It’s OK to Wear AirPods Anywhere, Anytime
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/workplace/how-people-decided-its-ok-to-wear-airpods-anywhere-anytime-34823672I was hoping to find a savage amount of finger-wagging here. But (dammit) the article makes some solid points. People wear AirPods for many reasons. All the same, it’s a fascinating cultural shift, isn’t it? Longstanding sections of the social contract are being rewritten in real time. I make a little show of taking out my earbuds when I speak with someone, out of politeness and also to communicate "You now have my attention; our conversation/transaction may now begin." Maybe in the near future, common etiquette will hold that my insistence that you remove your earbuds is an arrogant and aggressive display: "I consider myself to be so important that I demand 100% of your focus and attention; I also choose to place you at a disadvantage by eliminating your access to all of the features, including hearing aids, that help you during a conversation"
Shocking security breach of 16 billion logins includes Apple IDs
https://www.macworld.com/article/2820280/shocking-security-breach-of-16-billion-logins-includes-apple-ids.htmlI hate to say it, but it’s hard for me to get super-worked-up about these mass-dumps of login data any more. Even when the breach is as serious as this one. The overall threat is like microplastics. I have to live on a planet where this stuff is impossible to avoid. I just keep using strong, unique passwords, and secure my accounts with biometrics, passcodes, and other superior mechanisms whenever I can.
OpenAI pulls promotional materials around Jony Ive deal due to court order
https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/22/openai-pulls-promotional-materials-around-jony-ive-deal/A pre-existing company called “iyO” (a maker of AI-powered earbuds) won a temporary trademark injunction against “io” and forced them to stop using that name while a judge sorts this all out. Sam Altman says that iyO actions are just sour grapes; they approached Altman in hopes of an investment or an acquisition and he passed. I can’t help but recall how, when Steve Jobs was informed that there was already a phone called “the iPhone,” and therefore Apple’s forthcoming phone couldn’t possibly be called “the iPhone,” he replied that the obvious solution was to name Apple’s forthcoming phone “the iPhone.” It all worked out. So what we’ve learned here is that when it comes to CEO Jedi mind powers and trademark infringement, Jony Ive + Sam Altman < Steve Jobs.
Court filings reveal OpenAI and io’s early work on an AI device
https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/23/court-filings-reveal-openai-and-ios-early-work-on-an-ai-device/But once again: “Per litem, veritas.” The legal action has had the lovely effect of knocking loose some info about what io – whoops due to the trademark suit maybe let’s call it “Sam And Jony’s Funky-Fresh Jam” – has been developing in secret. Sam And Jony’s Funky-Fresh Jam’s CTO told the judge that the device “is not an in-ear device, nor a wearable device.” That’s a lot more detail than we had a week ago. I’ve seen lots of reactions, mostly of the “See? I was right!” variety. I’m taking this with a grain of salt. Consider the context: the CTO is trying to convince a court that Sam And Jony’s Funky-Fresh Jam should be able to call itself “io” because Sam And Jony’s Funky-Fresh Jam’s device is going to be substantially different from iyO’s proposed AI earbuds.
Apple devices in EU getting repair scores & battery life labels
https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/06/20/apple-devices-in-eu-getting-repair-scores-battery-life-labelsThe EU’s new Energy Labelling regulation has gone into effect. Apple is required to display a “nutrition label” on its product pages to show the energy efficiency, repairability, and durability of iPhones and iPads. You’re only going to see ‘em on the EU Apple site, though. This is good stuff. I don’t think Apple is hostile about this regulation (they've everything to boast about), but I also don’t think they’d have taken this step on their own.
EU Energy Label for iPhone and iPad: An Explanation of Apple’s Methodology
https://regulatoryinfo.apple.com/cwt/api/ext/file?fileId=whitePaperEnergyLabels/EU_Energy_Label_for_iPhone_and_iPad_EN_1749628569689.pdfApple also published a paper explaining their methodology in determining the data they put on those labels. It’s an interesting and helpful document. Apple starts off by basically saying “Your early testing requirements are unclear, so we wanted to hedge our bets by explaining our methodologies in detail.” But overall, they seem to be sincerely trying to give the EU a roadmap on how to collect good data on those “energy efficiency, repairability, and durability” metrics for consumers.
Somebody turned a Nintendo Switch into the world's slowest iPhone, and the results were a disaster — boasts 20-minute boot times, kernel panics, and no working apps
https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/nintendo/somebody-turned-a-nintendo-switch-into-the-worlds-slowest-iphone-and-the-results-were-a-disaster-boasts-20-minute-boot-times-kernel-panics-and-no-working-appsI love these projects. The journey was tortuous and frustrating and it probably moved the “Best If Used By” date stamped on his brain up a few years. But the result is an iPhone! …that works just fine, so long as you don’t interact with it in any way. WHo cares? The mere fact that he pursued his curiosity through to the end and proved it could be done is enough to make me want to send him a gift card to a nearby indoor mini monster golf or something.
Malware on Google Play, Apple App Store stole your photos—and crypto
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/malware-on-google-play-app-store-stole-your-photos-and-crypto/Just something that bears repeating: the App Store has “fewer” malicious apps. Not “no” malicious apps. This needs to be part of the conversation every time Apple tries to paint the App Store as a walled Garden of Eden whose absolute purity whilst operating under Apple's care and management must be defended from antitrust regulators who Just Don't Understand What's At Stake Here.
Intel to Apple Silicon Transition for Mac Was Announced Five Years Ago
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/23/apple-silicon-announced-five-years-ago/This transition was one of Apple’s biggest triumphs. They liberated the Mac roadmap from Intel’s floundering inability to ship next-gen chips on the schedule they promised. They turned a long-languid and increasingly less-distinguished desktop line into an exciting powerhouse. And they did it without putting any of the Mac’s users through any hardship.