Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
68,701
39,619


With the calendar flipping over to July, public betas of iOS 18 and related operating system updates are right around the corner, so we're continuing to take a look at what changes and features users can expect to see.

top-stories-6jul2024.jpg

Other Apple news and rumors this week included several iconic devices being added to Apple's list of "vintage" products, a leak from Apple's servers pointing to work on a rumored "Home Accessory" separate from the Apple TV and HomePod, and a rumor about which other products may gain support for Apple Intelligence features, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

iOS 18: 10 New Home Screen and Lock Screen Features

iOS 18 features a more customizable Home Screen, with dark and tinted options for app icons, the ability to place app icons anywhere on the grid, and more. In addition, the Flashlight and Camera shortcuts at the bottom of the Lock Screen can now be assigned to other actions.

iOS-18-Home-Screen-Feature-2.jpg

To learn more, check out our list of 10 new Home Screen and Lock Screen features on iOS 18. The update is compatible with the iPhone XS and newer, and it is in developer beta now ahead of a public beta later this month and a full release likely in September.

Apple Says iPhone X, HomePod, and Original AirPods Now 'Vintage'

Apple added three more significant devices to its vintage products list this week, including the iPhone X, the first-generation HomePod, and the original AirPods.

iphone-x-gradient.jpg

Apple considers a product to be "vintage" once five years have passed since the company stopped distributing it for sale. Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers can continue to offer repairs for vintage products for up to two years, but only if the necessary parts remain available.

Leak Confirms Apple's Work On 'Home Accessory'

An unreleased device with the identifier "HomeAccessory17,1" has been spotted in code on Apple's servers, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.

HomePod-G4-Feature.jpg
MacRumors mockup of rumored HomePod with display on a robotic arm

This leak follows reports from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman that said Apple was developing a new version of the HomePod with a built-in display. Like existing HomePods, the new model is expected to run a variant of tvOS.

Gurman: Apple Intelligence Coming to Vision Pro, But Not HomePod

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week said that the Apple Intelligence suite of AI features will be available on the Vision Pro headset in the future, but unfortunately not on existing HomePod models.

Apple-Intelligence-General-Feature.jpg

It is believed that existing HomePods lack sufficient RAM to power Apple Intelligence features smoothly, but it is possible that the features will be available on the rumored HomePod with a display in the future.

The MacRumors Show: Luke Miani Talks Apple Watch X

YouTuber and podcaster Luke Miani joins us on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show to discuss the latest rumors about the upcoming Apple Watch "Series X."

The-MacRumors-Show-Apple-Watch-X-Thumb-2.jpg

The Apple Watch Series X, coming ten years after the Apple Watch was originally announced alongside the iPhone 6, was initially rumored to be a major overhaul of the device. Now, it looks like the upgrade will be more minor than expected, focusing on new casing and display sizes, but with a design that continues to be effectively the same, so Dan, Hartley, and Luke delve into the conflicting rumors.

Kuo: New AirPods to Feature Cameras for Enhanced Spatial Experiences

Apple plans to mass produce new AirPods with at least one built-in infrared camera by 2026, according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

airpods-vision-pro.jpg

Kuo said the infrared cameras could allow for future AirPods to feature in-air gesture controls, and enhanced compatibility with the Vision Pro headset. For example, he said when a user looks in a certain direction, spatial audio could be optimized accordingly.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Article Link: Top Stories: iOS 18 Beta Features, Apple Intelligence for Vision Pro, and More
 
No AI for HomePod? Wow, HomePod must be the worst Apple product I bought. The connection always gets lost, the 3 seconds delay before playing or pausing is inane, it always buffers and cuts the sound while Siri on it can't do anything besides playing "What's the weather" on Apple Music or setting up the timer "Cancel the timer" for 3 minutes. And no, it's not the $0.99 HomePod from Temu it's the $299 from Apple Store.
 
No AI for HomePod? Wow, HomePod must be the worst Apple product I bought. The connection always gets lost, the 3 seconds delay before playing or pausing is inane, it always buffers and cuts the sound while Siri on it can't do anything besides playing "What's the weather" on Apple Music or setting up the timer "Cancel the timer" for 3 minutes. And no, it's not the $0.99 HomePod from Temu it's the $299 from Apple Store.
It's one thing to utilize machine language for processing, used by Apple currently to add AI to some of the OS's features. But a home pod doesn't meet the hardware requirements required for Apple Intelligence to run locally for anything does it? Let's wait and see even without Apple Intelligence can Siri work better?
 
Apple Intelligence will be available in beta on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with M1 and later, with Siri and device language set to US English, as part of iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia this autumn. So, will we not be able to use it in the UK unless I change system language to US English? Me no hablo US English.
 
Apple Intelligence will be available in beta on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with M1 and later, with Siri and device language set to US English, as part of iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia this autumn. So, will we not be able to use it in the UK unless I change system language to US English? Me no hablo US English.
Correct.
 
  • Sad
Reactions: zombierunner
Now that M4 has been released on iPad, they really need to vintage anything running on M2 or below. That means the recently released Vision Pro needs to be vintaged asap along with most other releases. Apple need to update all devices to M4 pronto and tell customers to take it or leave it. Apple intelligence should require M4 or above. Ideal M6.

Really need to up sales. Best way to do that is to get the vintage wave nipping the back of current releases. No one wants to be vintaged.

That’s why when someone takes a vintage Mac computer to Apple event to show Apple history. It’s thrown into recycle pile. It’s like that’s old man, do you not want the M4??

😜😜
 
  • Like
Reactions: zombierunner
Not expecting much from iOS 18, except a slew of new bugs that Apple practically guarantees. I’ve turned off auto update and stocked up on snacks.🍿
Do you not want Apple intelligence.

High IQ features and if it all goes wrong you can go to Genius Bar, where someone with an even higher IQ can help fix your problem…. Trying to figure out how to do Pro stuff on your iPad Pro with new Magic Keyboard.

😀😜

I’ve never understood why they called it Genius Bar… it’s just technical support. It’s neither genius nor a bar, I’m disappointed on both fronts.

Maybe one day I’ll walk into an Apple Store and a hologram of Albert Einstein will pour me a cold beer and demonstrate some general relativity calculations using Apple Intelligence within Notes on iPad with M10 🤔
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.