Commotion Of Links

Your Commotion of Apple News Links for the week ending June 2, 2026

June 4, 2026 • 9 min read

It's the week of calm before WWDC. If I had a wicker chair in need of recaning, this would be a good time to tackle that project. Actually, I do. But I don't know how to recane a chair. I checked out a couple of YouTube videos on the subject just now. It seems like a lot of work.

WWDC

Apple’s official WWDC wallpaper https://developer.apple.com/wwdc26/wallpaper/ Putting the official WWDC wallpapers on your devices during WWDC feels a little bit like buying a tee shirt from a tourist stall outside the Eiffel Tower and wearing it for the rest of your vacation. But it’s swell swag.

Norman Lewis - Ritual https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2019/contemporary-art-evening-n10149/lot.14.html Of course, the finest source of wallpapers will always be the works of the titans of 1940s-1970s abstract expressionism. I’m sure that Norman Lewis would be pleased that his most acclaimed masterwork is the foundation layer behind my own work-in-progress, a collage piece entitled “Screenshot 2026-06-02 at 9.43.51 AM to Screenshot 2025-11-17 at 11.33.27 PM”.

Apple’s official WWDC26 Apple Music playlist -Hello https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/wwdc26-hello/pl.c2b332d45b194756aeb66a44329a2a08 I’m not proud of the fact that I only recognize six of these artists. I’m even less proud that one of those names is Justin Bieber.

All systems glow https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=q7tgn1rr “All Systems Glow”? So, *.OS is receiving a glowup? Or maybe the new Siri signals its activation by putting a glow effect around UI elements? The Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling is the latest addition to the Apple TV sports portfolio?

Apple Invites WWDC 2026 Attendees to 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' Screening at Apple Park https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/01/apple-the-mandalorian-screening/ Nice. This sort of thing restores the convention-style vibe that WWDC used to have.

The Future, Soon

[via Gurman] Apple AI glasses launch pushed back to late 2027, Vision Air to arrive by 2029: report https://9to5mac.com/2026/05/31/apple-glasses-launching-late-2027-with-vision-air-to-follow-by-2029/ Rumors are usually fun, but rumors concerning things that are supposedly years away are weird, aren’t they? But hey, Stick This On Your Face And See How You Like It computing platforms are weird, too. It’s less a case of “skate to where the puck is going to be” and more like picking a spot and hoping that in a year or three, enough cats wander over to you that it’s possible to define and claim a victory.

Paywalled Apple Seeks to Disrupt the Glasses Market the Way It Did With Watches https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-05-31/apple-glasses-late-2027-release-watch-comparison-ios-28-apple-tv-homepod He’s referring to the way that the success of the Watch transcended tech and actually changed the marketplace for all wristwatches in that price range. I don’t see a close equivalence. For one, people are going to be much, much more fussy about the appearance of a pair of glasses. This thing is right on your face. If the range of styles is limited to “The Bill Maher,” “The Jiminy Glick,” and “The Guy Fieri,” it’s going to be a hard no from me no matter what kinds of miracles it can deliver.

[via Ming-Chi Kuo] iPhone 18 Pro's Camera Upgrade Will Cost Apple 50% More https://www.macrumors.com/2026/05/29/iphone-18-pros-camera-upgrade-will-cost-more/ More details about the rumored variable aperture lens. Apple should go for broke when it comes to the iPhone Pro, even if the majority of phone buyers would go broke trying to pay for it. The top-of-the-line should be a big leap, and there’s still work to be done in improving the optical features of high-end smartphones. Also, those features will eventually make their way to the phones that we of the Huddled Masses can afford.

Apple Finalizes A Liquidmetal Hinge For The iPhone Ultra, Replete With A 5,000mAh+ Battery And A Titanium Frame https://wccftech.com/apple-finalizes-a-liquidmetal-hinge-for-the-iphone-ultra-replete-with-a-5000mah-battery-and-a-titanium-frame/ Just a reminder of how much stock one should put into rumors. Not a week after the latest in an accumulation of rumors that the iPholde is facing manufacturing problems, here comes another source that claims “research and development are proceeding rapidly” and working samples are in the hands of carriers for testing. If true, well, Apple wouldn’t be letting these things out of their hands if they weren’t confident about an upcoming launch date.

[via Ming-Chi Kuo] iPhone 21 Could Get a Huge Camera Upgrade With 200MP Photos and 8K Video https://www.macobserver.com/news/iphone-21-could-get-a-huge-camera-upgrade-with-200mp-photos-and-8k-video/ The one thing that would get me to switch back to the iPhone for sure would be if Apple pulled off a significant leap over Samsung or Google’s camera.

Upcoming Beats headphones teased by Lamine Yamal: New design, pink colorway https://9to5mac.com/2026/05/30/upcoming-beats-overear-headphones-teased-in-instagram-post/ I continue to ponder the public perception partition perpetrated by Apple’s promotion of AirPods and Beats brands. Can you even imagine Apple teasing an upcoming release of an as-yet unconfirmed product? It’s common enough with other brands.

OSs

macOS Emerald to macOS Big Bear: What Will Apple Name macOS 27? https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/02/macos-27-name-possibilities/ “Does Big Bear sit in the woods? If Siri’s disappointing performance in the latest beta is any indication, then…” the jokey headlines write themselves. Just in case the code name really is Big Bear, I’m commencing a program of daily calisthenics to build up my capacity for self-control.

[via Gurman] Apple Cash in iOS 27 Will Help You Split Bills With Just a Photo https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/01/apple-cash-ios-27-bill-split/ Nerds and pundits are intensely focused on AI agents, advanced foundation models, and goal-oriented scaffolding. But actual users are going to appreciate simple, practical AI features like this one. As always, the most important goal for any tech or feature is “create opportunities or solve problems for the user.”

AI (Also, AI)

Apple working to cram massive Gemini model into iPhone to power new Siri https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/05/apple-reportedly-trying-to-distill-googles-multi-trillion-parameter-gemini-ai-to-run-on-iphone/ I’m sincerely excited about Apple creating some clarity about Gemini’s role in Apple Intelligence. Is Google merely helping Apple build a stopgap that can be unplugged, lifted out, and replaced once Apple gets its own foundation model on its feet? Or will it be like the HP-branded iPod? If Apple Intelligence were to have the same roadmap of features and capabilities as Gemini…that’d be just awesome.

Paywalled Apple to Renew Push for AI That Runs on Devices, Instead of the Cloud https://www.theinformation.com/articles/apple-renew-push-ai-runs-devices-instead-cloud A more traffic-savvy publisher than I (or The Information) would go with a headline and lede that mischaracterizes this as Apple’s scurrilous attempt to force their own users to bear the expenses of the electricity and compute resources required to run AI. Apple’s a four-trillion-dollar company! They should be paying for this stuff, not us!!! Et cetera.

Company

Amazon to Take Over Apple's 20% Stake in Globalstar as Part of Acquisition https://www.pcmag.com/news/amazon-to-take-over-apples-20-stake-in-globalstar-as-part-of-acquisition Yeah, that makes sense. Globalstar probably didn’t want one of its customers to have such a strong position in the company’s future, but they didn’t have the power to do anything about it.

40 members of Congress take Towson union's side in letter to Apple's CEO https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/06/02/40-members-of-congress-take-towson-unions-side-in-letter-to-apples-ceo I don’t know if we can ever be sure about this (did Apple choose to close Towson because it’s unionized? Or because it’s in a failing mall and it was on the chopping block either way?). But I’m glad that when there’s room for doubt, the company is pressured to defend itself. It puts Management on its toes (and not just Apple’s).

Security

Apple working on iPhone anti-snatching feature that locks the device automatically https://9to5mac.com/2026/05/26/apple-working-on-iphone-anti-snatching-feature-that-locks-the-device-automatically/ This is according to Code Seen By 9to5Mac. Google implemented a similar scheme on Android, called Theft Detection Lock. It recognizes sensor data patterns that suggest a grab-and-run. It’s pretty effective.

Paywalled Their Phones Were Stolen in London. Then the Threats Started. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/23/world/europe/phone-theft-threats-london.html Device lock is so effective at killing the resale value of a stolen iPhone that crime rings have added “harass and threaten any identifiable person associated with this phone’s owner relentlessly until the owner removes the device lock” to the recycling process. The NYT has some stories about what that’s like. They’re harrowing enough to make Apple want to figure out how to prevent emergency contact info from being revealed after a likely theft.

Misc

Apple added a second ad to App Store search results. My downloads stayed flat, my costs doubled https://blog.nihongo-app.com/apple-added-a-second-ad-to-app-store-search-results-my-downloads-stayed-flat-my-costs-doubled/ iOS developer laments that Apple’s change means that a user who does an App Store search is more likely to click on the link surfaced by the developer’s ad than on the organic search result. He has to pay extra for the ad clicks, and he says the change hasn’t led to any increase in downloads…so there’s nothing but downside.

Dell XPS 13 targets MacBook Neo with Intel's Wildcat Lake — $699 starting price, $599 for students https://www.tomshardware.com/laptops/dell-xps-13-targets-macbook-neo-with-intels-wildcat-lake-usd699-starting-price-usd599-for-students Is this a reaction to the MacBook Neo? I think this model was announced well before, but maybe the pricing or configurations were tweaked once Dell learned it would be competing against something better than the usual scrum of midrange Windows notebooks. Whatever, the Neo was never going to present an existential threat to Dell or HP or the rest; this market is way too diverse and agile. The Neo definitely sets a new standard for comparison, however. Water-soluble build quality and the processing power of a prepaid-plan smartphone are no longer going to cut it at this sort of price.

Apple Music could soon get different subscription tiers https://9to5mac.com/2026/05/29/apple-music-could-soon-get-different-subscription-tiers/ According to text strings found after a teardown of the Android app. Apple Music isn’t a hobby; Apple knows that it still has plenty of unrealized potential as an earner. It’s drawn awfully close to Spotify’s market share (just under a third, versus just over a third for Spotify). Maybe adding a free tier can close that gap entirely.