In the News

Although I purchased a new iPhone and the AirPods Pro 3 this month, I did not purchase a new Apple Watch because my Apple Watch Series 10 (my review) is still doing everything that I want. For folks who are a fan of the biggest and most feature-packed Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Ultra, the new third-generation model is getting great reviews. For example, Vanessa Hand Orellana of CNet calls it “a Land Rover for your wrist” and says that it “straddles that line between rugged and refined,” even though she also says that she prefers the thinner design of the Series 11 (which is the same, excellent design as the Series 10). What amazes me is that it wasn’t that long ago that the Apple Watch was an innovative but underpowered and slow device; today, it is so much better. And now, the news of note from the past week:

• Before talking about tech, please remember that there are only a few days left to show your support for kids with cancer by making a donation, no matter how big or small, to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a part of this year’s fundraising campaign. Your donation will make good things happen, so I won’t be the only one who greatly appreciates your generosity.
• I’ve really enjoyed using the new AirPods Pro 3 for the reasons I noted in my review. And the reviews from others have been quite positive. Tammy Rogers of Tom’s Guide calls them “the best pair of AirPods that Apple has ever released, with massive and tangible upgrades to one of the best sets of buds from the last five years.”
• Jürgen Kraus of Audio Reviews said that he has tested “hundreds” of in-ear headphones and that his audio quality tests the AirPods Pro 3 “blow me away.”
• Gareth Beavis of Digital Trends is an avid runner, and while he has long been a fan of AirPods, he wore the Jabra Elite Active 8 while running because of the more secure fit . But the AirPods Pro 3 fit so much better that he remarked: “These are the first set of Apple’s earphones ever that I feel confident using over a long run, and that’s, by far, the feature I wanted above all else.”
• Hartley Charlton of MacRumors compares the AirPods Pro 3 ($249 on Amazon) to the AirPods 4 ($169 on Amazon).
• I’ve also really enjoyed using the iPhone 17 Pro Max this week (my review). Julian Chokkattu of Wired is also a fan, praising the heat management, battery life, and improved cameras.
• In an article for Macworld, Mahmoud Itani shows off what the telephoto lens on the iPhone 17 Pro can do. “Not only does the optical zoom perform better than last year’s model, but the digital zoom has also eliminated noticeable pixelation—even when hitting the 40x limit.”
• Jason Snell of Six Colors looks at how the A19 Pro processor in the iPhone 17 Pro compares to Apple’s previous processors. The most significant improvement comes from the GPU, which is used for video rendering and AI.
• I enjoyed looking at the portion of iFixit’s teardown video and pictures that showed the Vapor Chamber of the iPhone 17 Pro. The technology itself is almost beautiful to see, and iFixit’s heat tests show that it works to prevent the processor from overheating, which caused the iPhone 16 Pro to throttle back the processor to compensate.
• I’ve heard many people say that they opted for a “pro” model instead of the iPhone Air because they want the extra cameras. But for those who were okay with a single camera, the iPhone Air reviews have been quite positive. Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac says that he “can’t imagine going back to a thicker, heavier iPhone” now that the thin iPhone Air “feels like the new normal.”
• Riley Hill of Slate Pad says that the iPhone Air is the best model for him because it “does the things most people use their phones for in an attractive, futuristic form factor.” I think that a lot of people are going to agree with that.
• One of the initial fears about the thin iPhone Air was that it might be too easy to bend. As Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac notes, there is nothing to be worried about.
• Hartley Charlton of MacRumors identifies the key new features introduced in new Apple Watch models, all the way back to the Series 2 in 2016. You can also read all of my reviews, back to the original Apple Watch in 2015, using this link.
• In Settings -> Battery -> Charging, you have the option to set the charge limit at something less than 100% (as low as 80%), which in theory can extend the life of a battery. But Juli Clover of MacRumors tried it for a full year and concluded that it didn’t make a significant difference on her battery’s health and was more inconvenient.
• Juli Clover of MacRumors notes useful but less obvious features in iOS 26.
• If you have a HomePod that has stopped working, Jason Snell of Six Colors explains how you can get it fixed and refurbished for $90 or less.
• Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac says that a reason to purchase Apple’s products for the home over those from competitors is to avoid obnoxious ads. For example, a recent software update to Samsung’s smart refrigerators shows you ads. In your kitchen. A big NO THANK YOU from me to that.
• As noted by Jason Snell of Six Colors, Apple released a new immersive video for the Apple Vision Pro—Tour De Force from CANAL+ and MotoGP—and announced many more immersive videos coming out soon. These are videos produced by people outside of Apple, made possible thanks to the new URSA Cine camera from Blackmagic. I hope that the floodgate is finally opened and that we are about to see a big increase in the number of excellent immersive films. And by the way, that MotoGP video is excellent, on par with anything that Apple has released.
• Today was supposed to be the day that Apple TV+ aired the first episode of the new limited series The Savant starring Jessica Chastain. In the show, Chastain’s character infiltrates online hate groups to prevent public attacks. But Apple changed its mind this week, presumably as a result of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. As noted by Denise Petski and Nellie Andreeva of Deadline, Chastain disagrees with Apple’s decision. Chastain makes a good point. If we wait until violence by extremists ends before a show like this can air, it may never air.
• Season 5 of Slow Horses on Apple TV+ starts today. The first four seasons were fantastic. My sense of the early reviews for Season 5 is that this is not the best season, but the show remains good. Chris Bennion of The Independent says: “The performances remain superb, the script is as sharp as they come, and the comedy/action balance is handled beautifully.”
• And finally, in this YouTube video, D. Griffin Jones of Cult of Mac and Niléane of MacStories provide a demonstration of how the new Live Translation feature works for an English/French conversation. As you can see, this first version of the technology is certainly not perfect, but it absolutely works to let you overcome the language barrier.