Commotion Of Links

Your Commotion of Apple Links for the week ending March 10, 2026

March 11, 2026 • 14 min read

You guessed it: this week is heavy with the fallout from Ringmaster Tim's Cavalcade Of Hardware. Actually, it was Ringmaster Heir-Apparent John…a detail that didn't go unnoticed.

There's also a Robert DeNiro clip. This inclusion is 100% justified. Even if it weren't, it's top-tier DeNiro (amongst DeNiro's second-tier films) and well worth your time.

Longtime observers of this Commotion Of Links feature will note a new feature. I'm now topping the list with the best article/link of the lot. This was inspired by Jason Snell's awesome review/essay in The Wall Street Journal this week.

Read Me First

Paywalled ‘Apple’ Review: Reinvention Incorporated https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/apple-review-reinvention-incorporated-c171071b Jason Snell reviews David Pogue’s massive biography of Apple for The Wall Street Journal. I’m a fan of my pal Jason’s writing, and I think this is among the very best things he’s ever written. It’s a proper review and also a personal essay on the thirty years he’s spent observing, interacting with, and writing about Apple.

MacBook Neo

Say hello to MacBook Neo https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/03/say-hello-to-macbook-neo/ Apple’s press release. Amongst all of the reactions and takes, you should also get it straight from the dog’s and pony’s mouths. I’ve written so freaking much about the Neo in the past week. And it’s still one of Apple’s most interesting releases.

MacBook Neo https://www.apple.com/macbook-neo/specs/ Apple’s tech specs. Apple releases dozens of products but the Neo is one of a handful that feel like the author of Apple’s story is introducing a new, major, and impactful character. See: iPhone, iPod, iMac…

‘We're certainly not making any compromises on the design’ says Apple's head of design https://www.dezeen.com/2026/03/06/molly-anderson-interview-macbook-neo/ Down a shot every time Molly says “Aluminum.” One of my favorite hobbies is examining these interviews with top-tier Apple execs during a new product release. I might be guilty of reading tea leaves. But it’s interesting to spot the ones where Apple gave a proper interview. There are other interviews where the exec answers questions like the suspect in the police interrogation who’s lawyered up. They’ll give answers, but they don’t say anything of any real value to the investigation.

First MacBook Neo Benchmarks Are In: Here's How It Compares to the M1 MacBook Air https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/05/macbook-neo-first-benchmarks/ The overall consensus seems to be that the Neo is (to use an auto racing phrase that I love) not exactly fast, but it’s definitely quick. Meaning: it won’t beat anything in a straight-line drag race but when does anybody drive in a straight line?

MacBook Neo's AppleCare+ Repair Fees Are Lower Than All Other Macs https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/09/macbook-neo-applecare-fees/ I hadn’t even considered this question. We await iFixit’s verdict on the Neo’s repairability (and we aren’t expecting much). But it’s good to know that it makes economic sense to repair a broken or worn-out Neo instead of junking it.

The M5 Gang

Apple MacBook Pro 16 2026 Review - M5 Pro makes one of the best multimedia laptops even better https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Pro-16-2026-Review-M5-Pro-makes-one-of-the-best-multimedia-laptops-even-better.1245523.0.html The new MacBook Pro reviews aren’t as starry-eyed. The folks who buy these things instead of Apple’s cheaper—and now much cheaper—options just care about converting watts and CPU cycles into time and money. As usual, Notebookcheck offers a rigorous technical overview.

Apple M5 Pro & M5 Max CPU Analysis - M5 Max is not much faster than the M4 Max https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-M5-Pro-M5-Max-CPU-Analysis-M5-Max-is-not-much-faster-than-the-M4-Max.1246054.0.html And here’s their take on the new higher-end M5 silicon. I’ve seen lots of crazy takes about how, OMG, single-core performance is barely better than (insert CPU or SoC typically found in something cheap, such as a phone sold at Walgreens). But of course that’s not how to judge actual performance.

Apple M5 Pro & M5 Max GPU Analysis - M5 Max GPU on par with the GeForce RTX 5070 and faster than Strix Halo https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-M5-Pro-M5-Max-GPU-Analysis-M5-Max-GPU-on-par-with-the-GeForce-RTX-5070-and-faster-than-Strix-Halo.1246060.0.html Remember five or ten years ago, when we might read an analysis of GPU performance and then think “Of course, that’s only going to be a big deal for gamers”?

Testing Apple’s 2026 16-inch MacBook Pro, M5 Max, and its new ‘performance’ cores https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/testing-apples-2026-16-inch-macbook-pro-m5-max-and-its-new-performance-cores/ A good broad, “just technical enough” review.

M5 Max: Chiplets, Thermals, and Performance per Watt https://creativestrategies.com/research/m5-max-chiplets-thermals-and-performance-per-watt/ I definitely understood each and every section of this! I’m not going to summarize it because I want you to experience the journey of discovery! Why, to do otherwise would be like explaining the plot of The Usual Suspects! I would never do such a thing! No, you’re the one who sounds defensive!

Apple Does Fusion. https://om.co/2026/03/03/apple-does-fusion/ The big story about the new M5 silicon seems to be its packaging. Although the M5 Pro and Max aren’t a huge leap forward in performance, Fusion seems like a design tech that will minimize persnickety physical bottlenecks into the future.

Other Hardware

Apple Discontinued These 15 Products This Week https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/06/apple-discontinued-these-15-products-this-week/ The good Tim giveth, and the good Tim taketh.

Apple’s 512GB Mac Studio vanishes, a quiet acknowledgment of the RAM shortage https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/apples-512gb-mac-studio-vanishes-a-quiet-acknowledgement-of-the-ram-shortage/ Component shortages are a real and substantial issue. It’s hard to know whether this configuration has gone away because Apple needs to distribute those RAM modules to more popular and profitable configs, because Apple is in Hoarding mode, or simply because an M5 Mac Studio is just around the corner and Apple’s killing this one sooner rather than later.

Studio Display XDR review roundup: Pro display hardware, with a few caveats https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/03/09/studio-display-xdr-review-roundup-pro-display-hardware-with-a-few-caveats I’ve always been too much of a cheapskate to consider an Apple-brand display, when I can get one that’s just as good, and has wider compatibility with non-Apple hardware, for less money. Or one that’s plenty good enough for my needs for loads less money. Apple Studio Displays exist because the Apple Magic Mouse exists. Apple knows that their customers have endless options and therefore they’re 100% free to kind of go nuts with their design. Folks who Are Down With Apple’s Whole Vibe will snap them up, as will those customers who just want to visit the online Apple Store and fill a basket with a complete system, ready for pickup.

The Future, Soon

Paywalled Apple ‘Ultra’ Products Expansion Is Up Next After MacBook Neo Launch https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-03-08/apple-to-expand-ultra-lines-after-599-macbook-neo-3d-printed-aluminum-imacs-mmhpa12d The interesting part of this week’s Gurman newsletter is the signs that Apple wants to do more with 3D-printed al-yew-MIN-yee-um. Another data point in manufacturers’ ongoing frustration when competing with Apple. When it’s impossible for Apple to beat you by sourcing cheaper components (like now, when there’s a massive shortage), they’re still going to beat you by developing cheaper manufacturing processes without sacrificing their high-end build quality.

[via Gurman] New Apple TV 4K and HomePod Likely Won't Launch Until New Siri is Ready https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/09/apple-tv-4k-new-homepod-launch-timing/ I hope I live long enough to hear the whole story about Apple Intelligence’s journey. It’s hard to imagine Apple, of all companies, having a whole new product category ready to build and ship, with a somewhat locked-in launch date…and then having to put it on indefinite hold because nobody knows when the software will be right.

[via Gurman] Apple Still Has More New Macs Planned for 2026 https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/08/apple-still-has-more-new-macs-planned/ I’m probably due for a MacBook upgrade and I’m definitely due for a desktop upgrade. But the math is very, very complicated this year. I’m not even considering it until I see the new Mac Studio and Mac mini.

Apple’s First 50 Book

Apple: The First 50 Years https://www.applefirst50.com/ OK, bad luck that David’s launch date coincides with the Liza Minnelli memoir that’s been ten years in the making. It’s tough to compete with stories about Liza’s famous boyfriend confronting her on the sidewalk with her famous husband standing right there, and while that’s going on her famous fiancé still warming up in the on-deck circle. Seriously, this is a definitive, important book. I only got my press copy recently but what I’ve seen so far is enough to get me to postpone reading the Liza book until beach time.

Paywalled The Untold Story of the Birth of the iPhone https://www.wired.com/story/the-untold-story-of-the-birth-of-the-iphone-david-pogue-book-excerpt/ People got the exclusive excerpts of the Liza book. WIRED got the Apple book. It’s immediately clear that David Pogue brought something important to his Apple history that Walter Isaacson couldn’t bring to his Steve Jobs biography: he’s been watching this story closely for decades and has an instinctive understanding of context.

Apple: The first 50 years https://www.cbsnews.com/video/apple-the-first-50-years/ Pogue hosts a very thoughtful segment about Apple for CBS News Sunday Morning.

Extended interview: Tim Cook https://www.cbsnews.com/video/extended-interview-tim-cook/ CBS has posted an extended interview with Tim Cook from that segment. I think this is one of the most authentic interviews that Tim has given in quite some time. David’s built and earned a decades-long reputation as The Opposite Of A Bozo and as such, Apple’s willing to take risks with him that they wouldn’t take with damned-near any other journalist.

OS

Latest iOS 26.4 Beta Adds New Emoji Characters https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/09/latest-ios-26-4-beta-adds-new-emoji-characters/ In paneled boardrooms all across the world, appointed representatives of Gen-Z gather to debate, and ultimately to standardize, what kind of weird sex thing the new trombone emoji will designate in all public discourse. Nerds born in the 1900s await the announcement with a mixture of resignation and disappointment.

Unicode® Technical Standard #51 https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr51/tr51-29.html You want a good time? Read the deeply bureaucratic rules and infrastructure that must be navigated before a fun happy orca can appear inside your phone keyboard.

iOS 26.4’s new setting lets you disable another Liquid Glass effect https://9to5mac.com/2026/03/09/ios-26-4s-new-setting-lets-you-disable-another-liquid-glass-effect/ This is how Apple agrees “Yeah, y’all are right: in hindsight, that was a bad idea” without actually announcing it. Liquid Glass will never die; it will just sort of fade away until Apple lands in a place where its design goals are achieved, while not being so very disruptive.

Company

Apple's updated leadership page reveals renewed focus on design https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/03/09/apples-updated-leadership-page-reveals-renewed-focus-on-design Tea leaves. That said, Apple seems to have added “We Are A Design-Forward Company” to its vision board recently. They’ve always been a Design company. Now they want to remind everybody of it.

German publishers reject Apple's revised app tracking rules, urge antitrust fine https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/german-publishers-reject-apples-revised-app-tracking-rules-urge-antitrust-fine-2026-03-10/ Apple’s App Tracking is an important (perhaps even necessary) feature, and it’s a big win for iPhone users. But until Apple’s own ad business plays by the same rules as everyone else (whether you or I think they should), it’s going to be incompatible with antitrust laws. Apple has said that its ad revenue was one of the main reasons why it saw a 15% increase in Services revenue last quarter…jeez, that’s not going to help them win this argument in EU courtrooms.

Paywalled Apple Uses Low Prices to Attack Rivals During Memory-Chip Crunch https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-memory-chip-crunch-b0f6dc4a It’s particularly bad for the notebook industry. In a period where sales are way down and component costs are way up…Apple’s managed to introduce an almost suspiciously cheap premium-grade MacBook. In the bars and liquor stores closeby the executive offices of any company that competes with Apple, "top-shelf whiskey" is yet another crucial component in short supply.

Paywalled Apple Now Makes About 25% of iPhones in India After China Pivot https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-10/apple-now-makes-about-25-of-iphones-in-india-after-china-pivot This stuff is interesting, and it’s worth tracking. I imagine that if Apple were 100% in control of its decision-making, it’d be happy to make everything in Asia, as usual. But they aren’t, so they’re juggling China, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, and the USA for their manufacturing. Five-ball juggling is hard enough. And every financial quarter, some of the balls turn into sickles and torches.

Big Tech group tells Pentagon's Hegseth they are 'concerned' about Anthropic supply-chain risk designation https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/big-tech-group-tells-pentagons-hegseth-they-are-concerned-about-declaring-2026-03-04/ We’re well past the point where we might imagine that Apple would take a stand against the DoD’s attempts to chloroform Anthropic for the state crime of “impertinence.” But the Information Technology Industry Council, of which Apple is a member, did…something better than nothing. And apparently its wealthiest member didn’t stop that from happening. So, that’s nice.

Tim Cook isn't on the MacBook Neo talk-show circuit, but John Ternus is https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/03/05/tim-cook-isnt-on-the-macbook-neo-talk-show-circuit-but-john-ternus-is More tea leaves. I did notice that John Ternus, Apple observers’ designated Simba, was front-and-center in mainstream media appearances around the Neo. Maybe it’s just because he’s head of hardware. Maybe Apple just wants him to gain more media experience. Maybe he’s already locked in the CEO job and Apple wants him to become as recognizable as Tim. Any of these things is possible.

Apple on TikTok

Apple's Strange TikTok Videos Capturing Gen Z's Attention https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/07/apple-posting-strange-tiktok-videos/ These official videos are weird, weird, weird compared with anything that Apple’s ever done in marketing. I love it.

Apple’s adorable Finder guy has broken the internet https://www.macworld.com/article/3082576/apples-adorable-finder-guy-has-broken-the-internet.html I doubleplus love this new mascot. I have a couple of Android droid vinyl figures around the office. They’re silly, but I like them! I would be very happy if Apple decided to release a figure of this little…I don’t want to say “guy” because Apple certainly chose not to gender it. I’m surprised that Apple didn’t give it a name straight out of the gate. It’s hard to imagine Apple ceding that kind of control. People are calling it “the Finder guy,” which isn’t ideal.

Security

Feds take notice of iOS vulnerabilities exploited under mysterious circumstances https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/cisa-adds-3-ios-flaws-to-its-catalog-of-known-exploited-vulnerabilities/ This discovery speaks well of Apple. The underlying vulnerabilities have been fixed (we wouldn’t be hearing about these exploits unless they were already irrelevant), and it appears that this exploit kits bails out if it senses that the iPhone is in Lockdown Mode.

Coruna: The Mysterious Journey of a Powerful iOS Exploit Kit https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/coruna-powerful-ios-exploit-kit The Google Threat Intelligence report is worth reading/skimming. My favorite reports are the ones where the author is trying to remain professional, and explain the gravity of the threat, while at the same time trying to conceal their admiration for just how well that thing was designed. It’s like that scene from Backdraft where Robert DeNiro’s character (an arson investigator) explains fire to a trainee. “The only way to truly kill it is to love it a little.”

Backdraft (5/11) Movie CLIP - Fire Is a Living Thing (1991) HD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRnjswr1swo Okay, I can’t write that and not include the movie clip. This guy is Travis Bickle, after he mellowed out a little and took a reliable civil service job.

Misc

Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella praises Intel and even Apple as critical parts of its own huge success — “Without Mac, I wonder whether Office would have happened” https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/ceo-satya-nadella-praises-intel-and-apple He’s speaking about how the Mac’s GUI urged/inspired/forced Microsoft to create a version of Word with a GUI and develop a whole new spreadsheet (Excel). It’s interesting to think back and compare how the first Mac disrupted the PC industry with how the first iPhone disrupted the phone industry. The big difference is that the Mac’s innovations were about ideas, not hardware; Microsoft was able to expand its OS and app game plan and execute it better than Apple.

Apple and the Sydney Opera House collaborate to celebrate Australian creativity https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2026/03/apple-and-the-sydney-opera-house-collaborate-to-celebrate-australian-creativity/ This is the second time Apple has done a promo where iPad art is projected onto an architectural landmark. What US landmark will be the first?

Apple Music launches AI transparency tags — but only if labels and distributors declare them https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/apple-music-launches-ai-transparency-tags-but-only-if-labels-and-distributors-choose-to-declare-them/ Identifying AI-generated “creative” work is an important consumer protection move. Let’s hope that audiences actually care. I don’t know if an AI will ever write something as good as…I was going to say “Hey Jude,” but let’s settle for "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" or any of the other mid-tier tracks from the White Album. Anyway, what happens when you come across a song that you genuinely like, and later on you discover that it was spit out by a content farm that posts 100 songs a day based on trending styles and motifs?

I don’t know what is Apple’s endgame for the Fn/Globe key, and I’m not sure Apple knows either https://aresluna.org/fn/ I love, love, love that there’s someone out there who’s seriously examining a thing that damn-near-literally nobody else has even noticed. A good read!

How Apple Used to Design Its Laptops for Repairability https://www.ifixit.com/News/115995/how-apple-used-to-design-its-laptops-for-repairability Yeah, as a collector/sentimentalist/hoarder of old MacBooks and Powerbooks, it’s kind of insane how easy it is to bring one of these old laptops back into running order, using parts that are (reasonably) easy to acquire and tools you can find at any hardware store.