It's been a week of finding out just how much there is in the new iOS 26.4 beta, for learning about Apple's video podcast plans, and also for so many rumors of a new low-cost MacBook coming at a March unveiling, all on the AppleInsider Podcast.
We didn't get an updated Siri in the developer beta of iOS 26.4, but it turned out that there is a lot else in there. From improvements to Stolen Device Protection and a whole new Apple Intelligence-based twist on Apple Music, there is much to explore in iOS 26.4.
Just don't explore it until it's been officially released. Neither of your hosts recommend installing any beta software, neither of them intended to install iOS 26.4, and only one of them did accidentally.
Also this week, all eyes are on the announced March 4 Apple Experience — and all eyes are probably wrong. We know this isn't a launch, we know it won't be live-streamed, we know it'll be some kind of briefing for a very limited invited audience.
Nonetheless, if expectations of everything imaginable being launched there are probably wrong, there are separate rumors of what's coming next. Certainly the iPhone 17e is expected, but now also the long-rumored low-cost MacBook is claimed to be coming very soon.
Also coming, for certain this time, is video podcasts from Apple, plus the ability to watch Apple TV through CarPlay. When AI agents aren't using it, that is.
BONUS: Subscribe via Patreon or Apple Podcasts to hear AppleInsider+, the extended edition. This time, it's startling just how many apps we think of as Apple's, were really started elsewhere. Apple can afford to keep on acquiring apps and companies, but money isn't the only issue here.
Contact your hosts:
- @WGallagher on Twitter
- William's 58keys on YouTube
- William Gallagher on email
- Wes on Bluesky
- Wes Hilliard on emaill
- Wes's blog Hillitech
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Links from the show:
- Apple is having an event on March 4, maybe for iPhone 17e & M5 MacBook Pro
- March madness: What Apple is getting ready to launch
- March 4 international Apple Experiences may follow week of online launches
- Out of the park: The March 4 event may not be all that special
- Siri pendant & AirPods with cameras getting renewed focus
- Apple eyes 2027 for AI smart glasses built around context, not screens
- Colorful MacBook & iPhone 17e launching as soon as March
- Apple's Playgrounds approach to AI is a sign of its larger strategy
- Apple Music Playlist Playground among first new AI features in iOS 26.4
- Apple's upgraded Siri is late but not lost — the real story is timing
- iOS 26.4 has iPhone Stolen Device Protection on by default
- Siri & Apple Intelligence upgrades still coming in 2026 in spite of rumors
- Video won't kill the Apple Podcasts star, but will make them more engaging
- A code snippet in iOS 26.4 shows Apple TV is coming to CarPlay
- AI agents are coming to CarPlay, but they're not getting the keys
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