Apple unexpectedly launched yet another device, the very long-awaited AirPods Max, plus the MacBook Neo gets more real-world testing, and Family Sharing gets a great update, all on the AppleInsider Podcast.
Just when you thought Apple was done with product launches in March — and just when you thought it would never update the AirPods Max — it went and did it. The new AirPods Max brings everything users have been asking for over the last several years.
There's reason to suspect the new AirPods Max is going to feel outdated in even just a few months, though. And also plenty of reasons to assume Apple won't release a new version for a long time.
But then while we wait to try out the improved AirPods Max in person, there's been time for much more in-depth, real-world work on the MacBook Neo and the iPhone 17e. Neither are right for everyone, but they are spectacularly right for so very many people.
Speaking of many people, though, if you have been using Family Sharing then you know that only one person's credit card is used. It's probably yours — but now the burden is lifted as Apple allows family members to pay for apps and services themselves.
BONUS: Subscribe via Patreon or Apple Podcasts to hear AppleInsider+, the extended edition. This time, with all the attention Apple CEO Tim Cook is getting as he tours the world like a superstar, maybe the real question is what a CEO really does — and whether they really matter.
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Links from the show:
- AirPods Max 2 vs AirPods Max: Premium personal audio compared
- AirPods Max 2 arrive with better ANC, Live Translation, and more
- iPhone 17e review: Welcome improvements
- iFixit MacBook Neo teardown confirms that it is Apple's most repairable laptop since 2012
- Tim Cook denies imminent retirement rumors, 'can't imagine life without Apple'
- Tim Cook dashes over to China for the latest Apple anniversary concert
- Apple scales up its partnership with Save the Music
- Tim Cook continues Apple's 50th anniversary victory lap in new interview
- Family Sharing no longer means sharing a credit card in iOS 26.4
- Staff departures do not mean Apple will abandon Liquid Glass
- Siri and refined Liquid Glass controls on the docket for WWDC 2026
- Liquid Glass is divisive now, but Apple knows where it's going
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