Yesterday, Apple announced the 2026 iPhone models, and it was a fascinating announcement. The iPhone 17 was replaced with … nothing. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max were replaced with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and the Pro Max is not only a larger size but also the only model with a brand-new variable aperture lens, a first for an iPhone. And not to bury the lede, but there is also the incredibly different iPhone Duo, a folding iPhone that is the most radical change in iPhone design since the original iPhone debuted in 2007.

The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max

If you want a better version of the more traditional iPhone design, the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are for you. And indeed, I think that this is the design for me.

In 2001, John Markoff of the New York Times wrote that then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs predicted that the Mac “can become the digital hub of our new digital lifestyle.” The idea was that the Mac and Apple software would be the center of everything that you would do with music, video, photos, and more. Yesterday, Apple CEO John Ternus updated that concept, saying that today, what we want is an intelligent personal hub. “It’s the intersection of broad new capabilities and a deep understanding of your personal context that makes this idea so powerful.” He said that you want something that is “always with you, deeply personal, and able to bring intelligence to the moments when it matters most.” And he said that the iPhone is the perfect intelligent personal hub because of its powerful on-device processor, the ability to take advantage of secure AI in the cloud, a large, beautiful display, the ability to work with the sights and sounds of the world around you, all-day battery life, an easy-to-use interface, and integration with other devices, apps, and services. It’s a compelling pitch, and one that the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are ready to deliver.

A20 Pro chip. The heart of the new iPhone is a new processor built on two-nanometer technology. Processor technology gets smaller and more efficient over time. At one point, people measured a transistor’s gate length (one of its key components) in nanometers, so a chip with fewer nanometers was smaller. Nowadays, chips are so sophisticated that no single dimension matters, so chip designers instead describe a smaller design as an X-nanometer process. It’s as much a marketing term as anything else, but it is a way to note advancements. Last year, Apple said that the iPhone 17 Pro used an upgraded 3-nanometer process.

This year, the A20 Pro chip is said to use a new 2-nanometer process. Here is how Apple describes it:

Built using the latest 2-nanometer process technology, A20 Pro sets a new bar for mobile computing. Featuring 50 percent more memory bandwidth than A19 Pro, the new 6-core CPU features integrated Neural Accelerators and is faster than the competition, while the new 7-core GPU design is up to 40 percent faster than A19 Pro — a significant upgrade for graphics rendering. A20 Pro also features a new Dual 16-core Neural Engine, which accelerates on-device AI models and computational photography, and includes 32 total cores for double the AI processing power of A19 Pro. With huge upgrades across the entire chip, A20 Pro is a powerhouse for everything from more advanced on-device AI workloads to demanding games, and is designed to deliver exceptional performance for years to come.

All that you really need to know is that it has better performance (so it can do more) and it is more efficient (so it uses less battery). Apple says that thanks to the A20 Pro, the new iPhone has 40% improved sustained performance over last year’s iPhone.

A faster and more efficient iPhone is always a better iPhone. But this year, I think that the new processor will be especially important. Returning to the idea of an intelligent digital hub, Apple AI is a key part of iOS 27, and the incredible A20 Pro processor is especially good at handling AI. These new iPhones are sure to give you the best AI performance of any smartphone.

Variable aperture (on the iPhone 18 Pro Max). Every year, Apple finds some way to improve the iPhone’s cameras. A year ago, in the iPhone 17 Pro, Apple kept the iPhone’s main lens (the 48MP Fusion Main) the same, but Apple improved the Ultra Wide lens and the Telephoto lens (with up to 8x zoom). This year, the other two lenses stay the same, and the main lens now supports variable aperture.

Aperture is simply the hole in a lens through which light passes to enter a camera. A smaller aperture lets less light reach the camera sensor, which is better in bright light. In low light, you want a wider aperture to capture more light. We all know how this works because we have seen our own eyes do it; in low light, our pupils expand to let in more light.

The aperture size in a camera is called an F-stop number. Technically, it is the ratio of the lens focal length (“f”) to the diameter of the pupil. Examples of F-stops are f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, and f/11. Becuase it is a fraction, a smaller F-stop number means a larger aperture, so more light comes in. Think of it as the difference between 1/2 and 1/4. One-half of an apple is twice as much as one-fourth of an apple; similarly, f/2.8 lets in more light than f/4, so f/2.8 is a larger aperture than f/4.

Because changing aperture alters an image’s exposure, it can make images brighter or darker. Aperture also matters because it controls depth of field. With a narrow depth of field, background elements look blurry, and only the foreground stays in focus—an effect called bokeh that we associate with professional photography. With a wide depth of field, everything stays in focus, which is great for landscape photography.

Until now, every iPhone had a fixed focal length. From the iPhone 14 Pro through last year’s iPhone 17 Pro, the main camera uses a fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture. This year, the iPhone 18 Pro Max—and only the Max model, not the smaller version—includes a mechanism that can make the main camera aperture smaller or larger. Apple says that this corresponds to f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, and f/4.0. Apple also says: “Combined with a new sensor that improves image quality, the result is better low-light photography, crisper detail in the back of group photos, and more unique shots.”

For most users, who just let their iPhone handle taking a picture, the result should be much better photos. For advanced users who want to manually adjust the aperture settings, they will have even more options for creating the perfect picture.

Apple Reference Image. As a lawyer, I often focus on the evidence to establish proof of what happened. But what is evidence in a world where anyone can use AI to very convincingly alter a photograph, changing the light from green to red? To address this, Apple is adding a feature called Apple Reference Image to the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. When you take a picture with the Main camera, the iPhone can “sign” every pixel that it captures. You can view reference images in the Photos app alongside the main image, and the reference image serves as a digital negative. Anyone can compare the reference image with another image to see what changed.

This is just a first step, but it is an important first step towards better tools for image authenticity. I wonder how long it will be before the first photography expert witness explains the concept of an Apple Reference Image to a judge or jury.

Smaller Dynamic Island. I love the useful information that Apple displays in the Dynamic Island area of an iPhone. Until now, the Dynamic Island could show information from either one or two apps. On the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, the Dynamic Island has a smaller footprint and can display up to three simultaneous Live Activities. This sounds very useful.

Battery life. Battery life seems to improve almost every year with the iPhone. Last year, Apple said that the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max could play video for up to 33 and 39 hours. This year’s iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max can play video for up to 36 and 45 hours.

Colors. I prefer using a black iPhone, but that wasn’t an option last year for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. This year, the color options are Burgundy, Glacier, Silver, and Black (yeah!). I prefer black because I want my iPhone’s hardware to fade into the background; my focus is on the screen. But since so many people loved last year’s Cosmic Orange, I know others disagree with me, and I hope they find a new color they like.

Etc. The new iPhone features a “next-generation vapor chamber” to keep the device cooler even when the processor is working hard. Instead of a Qualcomm modem, the 18 Pro Max uses Apple’s own C2 modem. Apple says that the C2 is much better than its previous C1X modem, but we’ll have to see how it compares to the tried-and-true Qualcomm modem. The 18 Pro (non-Max) still uses a Qualcomm modem.

Price. With technology getting more expensive because of the RAM shortages, I thought this year’s iPhone would cost $200 more. Instead, it is $100 more expensive than last year. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299.

The iPhone Duo

Apple’s long-anticipated folding iPhone is now here. I originally thought it would look like a normal iPhone when closed and like two side-by-side iPhones when opened. But as Ternus explained yesterday, that aspect ratio would be awkward for photos and videos. So instead, the iPhone is short and fat when closed, with dimensions similar to a passport (4.64" high, 3.31" wide). That means when it opens, the aspect ratio is similar to an iPad, just smaller (4.64" x 6.48"). This approach makes much more sense.

The hardware is intriguing. When closed, the 5.4" display delivers 90% of the screen area of an iPhone 18 Pro. But because it is short and wide, Apple moved the dock to the right side in a vertical orientation—a first for an iPhone—and put the status icons there, too.

When open, the 7.6" display approaches the size of the 8.3" display of the iPad mini. When opened, this is also the thinnest iPhone ever at just 5.2 mm. (The iPhone Air used to be the thinnest iPhone ever, but it is 5.64 mm.)

The only orientations that I expected were open and closed, portrait and landscape. But there is more. You can fold it partially to make it look like a tent, which puts the iPhone into StandBy mode and can also be used as an alarm clock.

You can also have it folded open like a book, making it easy to stand on a table. Apple also notes that this is a perfect, stable position for taking time-lapse photography. Or, it holds the iPhone stable so that you can be part of a group photo.

When the iPhone Duo is open, you can use it as a single large display, or you can run two apps side-by-side. Unlike an iPad, you cannot change the size of an app; it is either one-half of the screen or all of the screen. But you can pair two apps side-by-side, making it easy to switch between those two apps and another app (or another two apps).

The iPhone Duo will support the USB-C model of the Apple Pencil (although not until later this year).

When opened, there are screens on both sides of the device. Normally, the screen on the back of the device is black, but when you are taking a picture, you can have the back screen show another person what they look like, helping a person to pose in the picture. Better yet, if you are taking a picture of a child and trying to get the child to look at the camera, the back of the iPhone Duo can show an animated Snoopy cartoon, sure to get the child’s attention. Very clever.

There is a lot to be excited about here because it is so new. But I don’t think that this is the right iPhone for me, and it might not be for you, either. The iPad mini is a delightful device, but running apps made for a full-size iPad is sometimes frustrating because everything is too small. The iPhone Duo screen is even smaller. Will apps feel like iPhone apps with even more room to expand, or will they feel like iPad apps that are too small to use? I’m not sure.

Everything should be fast enough. The iPhone Duo uses the same A20 Pro chip as this year’s other new ihones.

The iPhone Duo is also missing some features on other iPhones. There is no Face ID, only a side button with Touch ID. There is no telephoto lens. There is a Main lens and an Ultra Wide lens, but they are not the more advanced versions used in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro (and certainly don’t have the variable aperture of the iPhone 18 Pro Max). When taking a selfie, the camera is undneath the screen. That’s neat, but we’ll have to see if it has an impact on quality. There is a Camera Control button, but there is no Action button.

With the iPhone Duo, you get some amazing new features. You also get a lot of compromises. And one of those compromises is price, with a starting price of $1999. That’s cheaper than I had expected, but it is still the most expensive iPhone ever.

Conclusion

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will be availble for pre-order this Saturday at 8am Eastern, and will be shipping on Friday, September 18. You cannot pre-order an iPhone Duo until October 16, and it ships on October 23.

I don’t expect Apple to sell nearly as many iPhone Duo models as it does other iPhones. But you cannot deny that this is a fascinating device, and I am thrilled to see Apple trying something new. For some, the iPhone Duo to be the perfect jack-of-all-trades.

If you just want a traditional iPhone that is better, the iPhone 18 Pro line is ready for our AI future thanks to its beefy processor, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max is sure to be the best iPhone camera ever. Plus, with other interesting features such as Apple Reference Image and the improved Dynamic Island, there is a lot to love in these new models.

Folks looking for a less expensive, more entry level, iPhone will have to wait. I presume that Apple will eventually release an iPhone 18 (without the “Pro”), but perhaps not until early 2027.

John Ternus is now Apple’s CEO, and his first big move will be leading Apple’s announcement of the new iPhone on September 9th. We begin this week’s episode of the podcast by discussing what might change at Apple with Ternus in charge, as well as what Apple may announce on September 9th. We also talk about the advantages and compromises of the iPhone Air and the iPad mini, and how they offer some insight into the (expected) upcoming folding iPhone—which may or may not be called the iPhone Ultra. We also talk about some new features coming in iOS 27, putting a driver’s license in an OK Apple Wallet, wearable devices, and more.

In our In the Vision segment, we discuss Apple’s immersive baseball games and surgeons using the Apple Vision Pro.

In our In the Show segment, we discuss old and new movies that just came to Apple TV. (By the way, my son and I watched the new movie Mayday last night, and we both enjoyed it.)

In our In the Know segment, Brett shares a tip for bringing your computer or iPad back to the early 1990s, and I discuss music videos in Apple Music.

Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just listen using your podcast player of choice. You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

About twenty years ago, when I was working in New York City, one of my clients invited me to a baseball game in a suite at the (old) Yankee Stadium right behind home plate. It was an incredible way to experience that historic venue. Last week, I had even better “seats” at the current Yankee Stadium because I used my Apple Vision Pro to watch the Yankees-Red Sox game in immersive video. Wow. For most of the game, Apple had me right next to the dugout for whichever team was batting, an amazing place to watch the game that you could never pay for in real life. I could look around and see the whole stadium, which looked even better as the sun set. I was right next to players as they headed out to bat. Sometimes, the camera would switch to another angle, such as one that approximated what it would be like to watch the game from a suite behind home plate. It very much felt like I was at the ballpark for a live game. As John Gruber of Daring Fireball remarked: “Hard to say why, but feeling like you’re at another place watching something happen live is magic.” As impressive as it was for Apple’s first time at bat (ahem) for live immersive baseball, there is room for improvement. I agree with Gruber and Michael Simon of Macworld that it would have been nice to have an option to occasionally mute the announcers and just take in the sounds of being there live. Or maybe an option to switch to the local radio broadcast, as Jason Snell of Six Colors suggested. The experience was amazing, and it seems like everyone else who saw it and wrote about it this week was equally impressed. Justin Ryan of Spatial Insider provides a picture and video to give you a sense, in 2D, of what it was like in 3D. I can’t wait to see more content like this in the future—not just live games, but live concerts, theater, etc.—especially as the technology improves and the hardware becomes less expensive. I enjoy all of the Apple products that I use, but the Vision Pro is the only one that routinely inspires awe. And now, the news of note from the past week:

• It will take you less than 30 seconds, and it will do so much good. Please click here and donate any amount to St. Jude now that it is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Thank you!
• John Ternus became Apple’s CEO this week. He wrote a letter to all Apple employees, and Myke Hurley of The Enthusiast notes three interesting details in that letter.
• Dan Barbera of MacRumors has been using the incredibly thin iPhone Air every day for a year. Here is what he thinks.
• Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac notes some of the big things that Apple is fixing in the Mail app in iOS 27. I’m especially looking forward to the more reliable search indexing.
• As John Gruber of Daring Fireball notes, iOS 27 will support two iPhones sharing the same phone number. You cannot use it unless your carrier supports it, but I presume that many will, and I can see this being useful. For example, you might want to purchase Apple’s rumored folding iPhone while also sometimes using an iPhone 17 Pro (because of the great camera) or an iPhone Air (because it is so light).
• Joe Rossignol of MacRumors reports that Oklahoma now supports the Apple Wallet digital driver’s license feature.
• Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels discusses the past and future of the iPad mini.
• Every day, I find it useful to have an Apple device on my wrist. Would it make sense to wear a device in a ring on my finger? Parker Ortolani has been trying out the Pebble Ring, and he wrote this interesting review.
• Chance Miller of 9to5Mac describes a doctor using an Apple Vision Pro to perform a hip surgery.
• A new movie premieres today on Apple TV: Mayday. It stars Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, and as Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac notes, the initial reviews have been positive. My son and I might watch this one this weekend.
• If you prefer a good, older movie, Christoffel notes that Apple TV added 15 of them this week, including School of Rock, Her, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and A League of Their Own. Is it just a coincidence, or does one of those have something to do with the new season of Ted Lasso?
• And finally, here is a short video from Apple in which a woman shares how her Apple Watch saved her life by helping her find out about her cancer early:

Please click this link and donate—any amount!—to help kids beat cancer. Your donation will make a big difference for others and, as a bonus, will surely make you feel good about yourself.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. For the fifth year, iPhone J.D. is proud to join the community that is working with the Relay podcast network to raise money for St. Jude. You know this community. You are part of it, too. This is the community of people with enough interest in technology to read tech-related websites and listen to tech-related podcasts. Over the last few years, this community has come together to raise over $4.8 million for this life-saving work.

As St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital says: “Childhood cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children under the age of 14. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.” And as the late entertainer Danny Thomas (founder of St. Jude) famously said: “No child should die in the dawn of life.”

Donating is simple. I just did it. Simply go to the page, click the big green Donate Now! button, choose whether you want to select a Reward (that part is optional), then check out and pay.

Some rewards are directly related to St. Jude. For example, a donation of $50 or more can help provide art supplies for St. Jude patients, so they can explore their creativity and have fun. Two rewards are specific to the Relay network, and you can get things like stickers and a digital screensaver.

Additionally, I am offering a special, limited-edition reward for iPhone J.D. readers: high-quality microfiber cloths featuring the iPhone J.D. logo, which I have previously given away on rare occasions. If you donate at least $100, you may select this as your reward. These cloths are excellent for cleaning iPhone or iPad screens, and I personally use one daily for my Apple devices and to clean my eyeglasses. This is a limited-time offer, as I don’t have many left and the manufacturer is no longer in business—which is a shame, because the quality is excellent. I have two sizes, and while supplies last, you can choose either one: a Classic 9" x 9" that’s great for your desk, or a Nano 4" x 4" that is nice to keep in your pocket. (After you make your donation, I’ll send you an email to ask which size you want.)

Whether you donate $5 or $500, your donation will make a meaningful difference. A special thanks to those of you who contributed in the past and will contribute again this year!

We have a date! On September 9th, Apple will announce brand new iPhones. And in light of the fact that Apple released new Macs this week, it seems like it has some other big announcements coming on the 9th as well. We begin this week’s episode of the In the News podcast discussing what Apple just announced, what Apple likely has coming soon, the cheapest Apple product that you can purchase at an Apple Store, and a purchase I made that was definitely not for Apple’s cheapest product. We also talk about the last few days of Tim Cook serving as Apple’s CEO, ads in Apple Maps, using Apple Pay at Walmart, a fun photo app, CarPlay for babies, and more.

In our In the Know segment, Brett shares a tip for using the + button in iMessage, and I share a tip for downloading Apple Card monthly statements.

Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just listen using your podcast player of choice. You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

September 9th is often a big day for Apple announcements. In 2014, Apple introduced the very first Apple Watch. In 2015, Apple introduced the very first iPad Pro. In 2024 and 2025, Apple introduced new iPhone models on September 9th. And as iPhone J.D. readers have known for over two years and Apple confirmed this week, Apple will announce new iPhones on September 9, 2026. This year could be particularly memorable because, if the rumors are true, Apple will introduce not only a new iPhone Pro but also a new folding iPhone. As Zac Hall of 9to5Mac noted, Apple’s announcement features the outline of the Apple logo around the sun with the tagline Surprise and shine. At least, that is the tagline in the United States. Juli Clover of MacRumors noticed that the tagline differs in other countries: Un rayo de wow (a ray of wow) in Spain; L’alba di nuove sorprese (dawn of new surprises) in Italy; Un jour nouveau. Bientôt. (a new day, soon) in France, 耀目驚喜，亮起新一章 (a dazzling surprise) in Hong Kong, etc. Meanwhile, Tim Hardwick of MacRumors shares speculation from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg about what might be hiding in the logo for the Apple event. It is exciting that we are now less than two weeks away from Apple’s biggest day of the year. And now, the news of note from the past week:

• Tim Cook’s last day as Apple’s CEO is Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Juli Clover of MacRumors reports that Apple had a retirement party for Tim Cook on August 23 at the Caffé Macs cafeteria on the Apple campus. OneRepublic (one of Cook’s favorite bands) performed, and there were tributes from people ranging from Steve Jobs’ wife Laurene Powell Jobs to Apple’s next CEO, John Ternus. A gold watch is a traditional retirement gift, and the Apple Watch was the first big new Apple product under Tim Cook, so maybe someone found one of those solid-gold versions of the original Apple Watch in the back of a closet to give to Cook.
• Marcus Mendes of 9to5Mac shares a cute video featuring Tim Cook, John Ternus, and Pikachu on the Apple campus.
• Joe Rossignol of MacRumors shares 15 years of Tim Cook quotes.
• Alexandra Bruell of The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is trying to strike deals with content publishers to pay them to use their existing news and information to improve Siri AI. Of course, other AI services traditionally scraped that kind of information without paying anything, so it is nice to see Apple open its wallet to make Siri AI as useful as possible for users.
• Siri AI will be a substantial, very different new feature in iOS 27. Based on reports from beta users, it seems quite good, but because so much is new, there’s a lot to figure out. If you want to gain a solid understanding of Siri AI, I can recommend an e-book: Take Control of Siri AI and Apple Intelligence by Glenn Fleishman and Joe Kissell. The book is available now and will be updated when iOS 27 is available. I received a free review copy, and I read it this week. Fleishman and Kissell explain things well, and the book has a lot of helpful information. The cost is $14.99, and if you purchase a bundle for multiple books, you pay less per title.
• Ads are now showing up in Apple Maps, at least for some people. (I’m not seeing them in my app yet.) Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac explains how they work.
• Wesley Hilliard of AppleInsider says that the ads in Apple Maps are tasteful, minimal, and may even be helpful. I hope he is right.
• John Gruber of Daring Fireball says the first ads he saw in Apple Maps were not all that helpful.
• As reported by Jason Snell of Six Colors, Apple announced new desktop Macs this week. The new Mac mini features an M6 or M5 Pro processor, and the new Mac Studio features an M5 Max or M5 Ultra processor. I’ve been waiting to upgrade the Mac mini at my house for a while now, and in light of this announcement, I think I’m going to get the Mac mini M5 Pro model. Apple is taking pre-orders now, and the new Macs will ship on September 22.
• If you are interested in a new iPhone instead of a new Mac, Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac writes that the new chips used in the Mac mini, such as the M6, may provide some insight into the new chip (presumably, an A20 Pro) that Apple will use with the next iPhone (presumably, an iPhone 18 Pro). For example, the M6 chip is only 2 nanometers, which Apple says allows greater performance and power efficiency. We could see the same thing in an A20. (The iPhone 17 Pro uses a 3-nanometer A19 processor.)
• Christoffel also speculates that Apple’s introduction of these Macs this week could mean that Apple has big announcements in store for September 9th. After all, these new Macs won’t ship until the end of next month anyway, so Apple certainly could have announced them on September 9th. By announcing them this week, Apple has saved some time on the 9th for other great announcements.
• If you want a brand new Apple product that is available today instead of next month, Andrew O’Hara of AppleInsider reviews Apple’s new Apple Polishing Cloth and compares it to all of Apple’s prior versions. At only $9.00, it costs half as much as the product it replaces, making it a rare Apple product that costs less now than it did a year ago. Good thing that Apple doesn’t need to put RAM in its polishing cloth.
• Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac reports that Walmart is—finally—going to start accepting Apple Pay.
• There are two different door smart locks that use UWB—a cool technology that lets your door sense when you are approaching the door from the outside of your house (but not from the inside) so it can unlock for you automatically. Jason Snell of Six Colors reviews the Schlage Sense Pro ($338.74 on Amazon) and compares it to the Aqara UWB Smart Lock ($269.99 on Amazon).
• John Gruber of Daring Fireball reviews a delightful app called BitCam. If you ever used the original Macintosh or just want to feel like you did, this fun app is worth checking out.
• If your car has both CarPlay and a baby seat, would you like to see what your baby is doing on your CarPlay screen? This week, I learned that there are products that let you do exactly that. The Ottocast Cabin Care Wireless CarPlay Adapter ($109.99 on Amazon) is one such product, and Nicole Kinning of Wired reviewed it a few months ago. The LAMTTO RC38 Baby Monitor Camera is a similar product, and here is a YouTube review by How-to and Reviews that shows how it works. My kids are now in college, but if something like this had been available 15 years ago, I would have been very interested.
• The first season of Dark Matter on Apple TV was excellent, and Marcus Mendes of 9to5Mac reports that the first episode of Season 2 is now available. This is a fantastic Sci-Fi show, and I look forward to watching the new episode tonight.
• And finally, here is a fun video Apple released this week to announce the new Mac mini. It uses a Claymation animation style, and after you watch the video below, watch this behind-the-scenes video on Instagram that shows how it was made. Painstakingly. One frame at a time. With a lot of clay.

The topic of this week’s very special episode of the podcast is “Our Favorite Things,” and I suspect that this will be a favorite episode for many of you. Brett Burney and I devote this episode to the iPhone/iPad accessories and apps that we love the most, the ones that we use all the time and love to recommend. There are some old favorites in here as well as a few more obscure ones that you may not know about. Check out the show notes for links to everything that we described.

Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just listen using your podcast player of choice. You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

Creating reminders in Apple’s Reminders app is easy: just tell Siri, something like “Hey Siri, remind me at 5pm on Tuesday to pick up my dry cleaning” or “Hey Siri, remind me to buy more milk.” But the Reminders app is not the best at actually reminding you. If you dismiss a notification by accident, it doesn’t return. And if a task has no date, the Reminders app will never bug you about it. The Reminders app also has limited options for postponing a reminder. Marco Arment, creator of other useful apps such as the Overcast app for playing podcasts, created a new app called Unforgetful. As he explains in this blog post, the app provides better reminders for the Reminders app. I’ve been trying out the app for this past week, and I really like it. I typically see the notifications on my Apple Watch, and it is nice to have clear options that I tap, such as done, remind me in an hour, remind me in four hours, etc. The cost is $20 a year, but you can try it free for a full month, which is more than enough time to decide if it is for you. If you use your iPhone to create reminders, you should check this one out. And now, the news of note from the past week.

• News is fairly light this week (other than an apparent leak from Apple, discussed next), so instead of recording a typical podcast, Burney and I are sharing our favorite accessories and apps in this week’s episode of the In the News podcast. There is something for everyone in this one, so look out for it later today.
• Juli Clover of MacRumors shares a video that appears to be from Apple showing AirPods that seem to have a camera. If real—and this one certainly looks like it could be—Apple could announce these new AirPods in just a few weeks. However, a follow-up article from Clover reports that, according to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, Apple won’t announce them until 2027. Clover also writes that references in beta software could indicate several other unreleased products. I think it is safe to say—and you can quote me on this—that Apple has plans to release new products. Of some kind. At some point.
• M.G. Siegler of Spyglass speculates on how AirPods with a camera could be very different from Meta’s smart glasses.
• If you place your iPhone on a hard surface, do you need to worry about scratching the camera lenses on the back? John Gruber of Daring Fireball explains why this is highly unlikely to be a problem.
• New York attorney Alexander Vasilescu reached out to me this week to say that he wrote a new app for the iPad and Mac called Case Linker. It takes a legal brief, then finds your exhibits, citations, and authorities, and then creates hyperlinks in the brief to the sources. I don’t have much experience adding hyperlinks to my briefs, but I know they can be useful in certain situations. For example, when appellate briefs are filed in the U.S. Fifth Circuit, the clerk’s office adds hyperlinks to the record and case citations to make it easier for judges and their law clerks to review the briefs. If this is an app that interests you, check it out here.
• Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac reports that Apple released iOS 26.6.1 this week to fix some bugs.
• Glenn Fleishman of Six Colors explains how the Create a Pass feature will work in iOS 27, letting you create an entry in the Wallet app yourself.
• Joe Rossignol of MacRumors notes that the Apple Card credit card turned seven years old this week.
• All of the exercise videos on Apple’s Fitness+ service are prerecorded. Will Apple also offer live classes? I saw several reports linking to a job listing on Apple’s website stating that Apple is looking to hire someone to join the Fitness+ team “with a strong foundation in live or live-to-tape multi-camera production.” That doesn’t necessarily mean that Apple itself wants to do live production, but you never know.
• I recently discussed the federal prosecution against a person who wiped his smartphone when border patrol agents tried to search it. Anna Stolley Persky of ABA Journal wrote a good article on the topic.
• Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac reports that North Carolina will soon add support for storing a driver’s license in the Apple Wallet app. A similar report from Chance Miller at 9to5Mac says that other states that appear to be working to add support include Kentucky, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, Connecticut, and Mississippi.
• Juli Clover of MacRumors discusses new features coming to CarPlay in iOS 27.
• Apple shares a video in which Connor explains how an Apple Watch’s ECG feature saved his life.
• Horace Dediu of Asymco explains why he believes that Apple is motivated to make TV shows and movies.
• Slow Horses is an excellent show on Apple TV. Rajat Saini of The Mac Observer reports that Season 6 debuts on September 16, 2016.
• And finally, whether you have never seen Slow Horses and want to get a sense of the show, or you are a big fan, I think that you will enjoy this short video in which the star, Gary Oldman, talks about what it is like to be a spy in this unique show:

It is always delightful to try a product and realize it is much better than you expected. That’s been my experience over the last few weeks as I have tried the Snap Grip Stand, a new $40 product from ohsnap! This small device attaches magnetically to the back of an iPhone and provides a grip so you can hold your iPhone more easily with one hand. PopSockets invented this category in 2014, and ohsnap! has been making these types of devices since 2019. But even if—like me—you have never wanted to use this type of device regularly, the Snap Grip Stand is different because it’s incredibly well engineered and useful. It is so thin that it adds no bulk or noticeable weight to your iPhone. Yet it is so strong that the MagSafe connection stays secure. It is easy to hold, with two different ways to hold it. It also contains a clever stand. You can use it while charging your iPhone via MagSafe, and it is also very easy to remove. As a result, I find myself keeping this product on my iPhone almost all the time. When I want to use any of its features, it’s right there. When I don’t, I barely notice that it is there.

The grip

The primary use of a product like this is to make it easy to hold an iPhone with one hand. The grip on this device works very well.

Lightly press one of the two small raised areas on the ring, and a series of very thin plastic strips in a diagonal design makes the circle pop out. This gives you two different ways to hold the grip.

First, you can place two fingers around the grip, which I suspect is the traditional way to use a device like this.

Second, you can slide a finger between the thin plastic strips. I prefer this second method, although I use both methods frequently. It is nice that you have a choice.

The device spins, so once you decide which method you want to use, you can place your iPhone in the perfect orientation.

Although the thin plastic strips are comfortable, they are also very durable. This is a design ohsnap! has used for many years in its products, and it is an engineering feat.

Thanks to the grip, I now find it much easier to hold an iPhone. Sometimes I hold the iPhone and use it with a single hand. Other times, I appreciate having my iPhone more secure in my left hand while I interact with it using the fingers on my right hand. If I don’t feel like using the grip at all, I just snap it back into place.

A thin design that improves the back of the iPhone

One of the most impressive things about this product is how incredibly thin it is. It sits nearly flush with the back of the iPhone. That means that when you are not using it, you barely notice that it is there. This is exactly why I have never been a fan of other products in this category. I don’t want something that adds obnoxious bulk to my iPhone. This product does not. I don’t know how they designed this product to be so thin while also working so well, but kudos to ohsnap! for doing so.

In fact, this product actually improves the back of the iPhone. I use an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and like many modern iPhones, it has a raised plateau at the top of the back to house the cameras. That means that when I place my iPhone on a table, the side with the cameras is slightly higher than the other side. But the Snap Grip Stand is the perfect width, so it makes the iPhone flatter and more stable when it sits on its back. It is such an improvemet that it sometimes makes me wonder if Apple itself should have created something like this to eliminate table wobble.

The stand

If that was all that this product did, I would like it. But wait; there’s more. You can also extend this device to turn it into a kickstand. This can be useful for watching videos on it, using FaceTime, etc.

This isn’t a feature that I use every day, but I do use it once or twice a week, and it is nice to have.

MagSafe

Perhaps the best part of this device is its MagSafe compatibility. It uses the MagSafe magnets to securely attach to the back of the iPhone. It is a very strong connection. I have never felt like the magnetic connection would fail in a way that would make the iPhone drop out of my hand. Yet it is also very easy to remove the device whenever you want.

Additionally, this is pass-through MagSafe. That means you can keep the Snap Grip Stand on the back of your iPhone and still attach it to a stand, such as the Anker Prime Wireless Charging Station (my review). This means that while I am in my office and not using my iPhone, I can still attach my iPhone to a MagSafe stand and take advantage of Stand By mode. This is fantastic.

Moreover, you don’t need to remove the Snap Grip Stand to charge an iPhone with MagSafe. The charge passes right through this product. However, it doesn’t charge nearly as well. First, it takes longer to charge the iPhone. Second, sometimes it stops charging completely. For example, when I keep the Snap Grip Stand on the back of my iPhone and charge it at night using the Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe (my review) that is on my nightstand, sometimes I will wake up in the morning with my iPhone 100% charged, and other times, it is not. Am I bumping into my nightstand at night and making the MagSafe connection slightly less secure? I don’t know.

If your goal in using MagSafe is to prop your iPhone on a stand and use Stand By mode, it works great. If your goal is to charge your iPhone as fast as possible, remove the Snap Grip Stand. In fact, if your goal is to charge an iPhone as fast as possible, you shouldn’t use MagSafe at all; plugging in a USB-C cable is faster.

Fidget Spinner

I’ll share one other thing I’ve noticed during the last few weeks. I often find myself just playing with the Snap Grip Stand as a way to keep my hands occupied, the same thing that one might do with a traditional fidget spinner. Sometimes I do so when it is attached to my iPhone. Other times, I remove the Snap Grip Stand and just fidget with it in my hands. If you are the type of person who appreciates having something to fidget with—and I guess that applies to me—it’s nice to have the Snap Grip Stand around.

Price

The MSRP is $49.99. It is not sold on Amazon, but if you buy it directly from ohsnap!, it is currently on sale for $39.99 for one or $71.98 for two. This device was sent to me for this review at no cost to me, but I think it is definitely worth $40.

Conclusion

The best thing that I can say about any product is that I want to keep using it even after I finish reviewing it. That is definitely true for the Snap Grip Stand. It adds lots of great features to my iPhone, and because of its clever design, it has no real downsides. Even if you have never felt compelled to try a PopSockets-type device, I recommend you consider this one. It is excellent.

Click here to get the Snap Grip Stand from the ohsnap! website ($39.99).

We are less than a month out from Apple’s September product announcements, so Brett and I start this week’s episode by talking about what could be announced. A foldable iPhone seems likely, and people are saying it will be called the iPhone Ultra. An iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max seem likely, but perhaps not an iPhone 18. New Apple Watch models? A new device for the home, like a HomePod with a screen or security cameras? There are lots of possibilities. We also discuss the upcoming changes to Apple’s Wallet app, which is becoming even more useful. We also talk about bands that can spruce up your Apple Watch.

In our In the Vision segment, we discuss immersive Friday Night Baseball.

In our In the Show segment, we discuss Ted Lasso.

In our In the Know segment, Brett shares a fun sight with a new puzzle each day called Poople.io, and I discuss tapping your fingers to display seconds on the Apple Watch and get other useful information.

Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just listen using your podcast player of choice. You can also watch the episode on YouTube: