As we continue to live through an avalanche of Apple news, Apple is releasing five new products today. As Tim Hardwick of MacRumors noted, those products are the new iPad mini, the new iMac with an M6 chip, and three new laptops. A week from today, we will see the new Apple HomeView and an updated Apple TV. We will get a short break for Thanksgiving, and then Apple will release iOS 27.3 in December, which looks like a substantial update based on the beta version released this week. Don’t blink or you’ll miss out on something! And now, the news of note from the past week:
- Harry McCracken of Fast Company—who has long been an iPad power user—reviewed the new iPad mini. He says that it “is a delight for tasks where more display real estate than a (non-folding) phone is desirable, but 11 or 13 inches may be overkill.”
- Jason Snell of Six Colors is also impressed by the new iPad mini. He likes that it is small but just as powerful as larger iPads with a beautiful OLED screen.
- Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac reviews the new HomePod mini 2. He says that the audio quality is improved from the original HomePod mini, but notes that the big new feature—Siri AI—is not yet available for that device.
- If you don’t want to wait for an iPhone Duo, David Sparks of MacSparky recommends paying $10 to sign up for Store Stock Checker’s alerts.
- Tyler Lacoma of CNet agrees that it sounds better: “The new Mini 2 had significantly greater range and louder, clearer audio than the first HomePod Mini. It wasn’t just noticeable: It was a big enough difference to completely change my mind about a speaker that didn’t seem worth it on paper. If you want sound that can actually fill a room without losing quality, the HomePod Mini 2 is by far the preferable pick.”
- John Voorhees of MacStoris reports on software updates coming soon for Apple’s Creator Studio apps, such as Logic Pro and Keynote.
- Snell also interviewed two Apple executives, Tom Boger and Dave Pakula, to discuss the new iPad mini.
- In December, Apple will release iOS 27.3. For folks with a new Apple Watch, one of the new features is Siri Recap and Live Rewind—features that use Apple’s new Audio Intelligence to let you access summaries of what you and others you were talking to have said. It’s a fascinating technology that has the potential to be very useful, but others will consider it a privacy invasion. Jason Snell of Six Colors shares some new details on how these features work.
- The beta version of iOS 27.3 is now available, and it includes these Audio Intelligence features. Wesley Hilliard of AppleInsider tried it for 24 hours and concluded that these features are unnecessary. I’ll be curious to try it myself and see what I think.
- Another feature coming in iOS 27.3, for those who have Fitness+, is a new Gym Strength program. It lets you create personalized four-week programs that work with the equipment you will find in most gyms, though you can also use just dumbbells for some workouts. Jane McGuire of Tom’s Guide has tried it out and explains how it works.
- iOS 27.3 will also improve Siri in various ways in Apple’s apps, including Photos, Messages, Music, Safari, and Calendar, as noted by Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac.
- The new form factor of the iPhone Duo has led some app developers to come up with some zany, creative apps. John Voorhees of MacStories identifies some weird and wonderful iPhone Duo apps.
- Hartley Charlton of MacRumors asks whether it is worth spending extra money for the titanium version of an Apple Watch. It was worth it for me. I appreciate the more durable screen (sapphire crystal) because I can be a klutz sometimes, but most of all, I love the polished metal look.
- And finally, here is a teaser video on the new shows coming to Apple TV in November: