macOS 26 Tahoe is a larger visual leap than any recent upgrade. Although we don’t yet recommend that everyone upgrade, we want to show you some of the user interface changes that will impact your everyday experience of using the Mac.

Liquid Glass Changes

Many of these changes stem from Apple’s new Liquid Glass design language, which we’ve previously covered in more detail. Familiar macOS interface elements with a new Liquid Glass appearance include:

• Rounded corners: You may be surprised by the more rounded corners in many interface elements, including windows. There’s no option to adjust the corner radius.
  
• Menu bar: Tahoe’s menu bar is now transparent, allowing app windows or desktop wallpapers to show through, which can make it less visually prominent at the top of the screen. To make it opaque, go to System Settings > Accessibility > Display > Reduce Transparency. This setting also affects many other transparent interface elements.
  
• Icon style: Many developers are updating their icons to conform to Apple’s Liquid Glass guidelines. A more notable change is that users can now switch to dark mode icons, clear icons, or tinted icons in any color. Make these changes in System Settings > Appearance > Icon & Widget Style.
  
• Widget style: Desktop widgets are now mostly transparent when any window is open on the desktop, and they become solid only when the last window is closed or hidden. You can adjust this setting in System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Dim widgets on desktop. Widgets also adopt the same clear or tinted style used by icons.
  
• Customized folders: Folders start out blank, but you can Control-click one, choose Customize Folder, and pick an icon (monochrome) or emoji (colored) to brand the folder.
  
• Sidebars: Although they’re less transparent than other items, sidebars become subtly tinted based on what’s under them. That occasionally results in some awkward overlays, such as in System Settings > Wallpaper, where the thumbnails can scroll underneath the sidebar.
  

Safari

With Safari, Apple’s Liquid Glass interface causes the toolbar controls and the tab bar at the top to float over the page content underneath. On some sites, this can be distracting or make tab titles hard to read (below, top). If that bothers you, turning on System Settings > Accessibility > Display > Reduce Transparency separates the controls from the content more clearly, but also gives them a gray background (below, bottom).

Control Center

In Tahoe, Control Center not only receives a Liquid Glass makeover but also gains notable new features. Similar to iOS and iPadOS, you can now fully customize the buttons, sliders, and other interface shortcuts in Control Center, removing those you don’t need and adding others. To get started with personalization, click Edit Controls at the bottom of Control Center.

The selection of commands is impressive enough on its own, but Apple also promises that independent developers will be able to offer controls for their apps. Clicking the + button in the menu bar provides the equivalent of additional Control Center pages from iOS: another menu bar icon that displays a different set of Control Center items. You can have as many of these extra Control Center pages as you want.

Lastly, note that you can add many items from Control Center directly to the menu bar, where they can function as toggles or quick access shortcuts.

Spotlight

Apple revamped Spotlight in Tahoe, adjusting its interface (yes, it’s transparent by default, too) and introducing clipboard history. When you activate Spotlight with Command-Space and move the pointer, four buttons appear to filter your search by apps, files, shortcut actions, and clipboard history—Command-1 through 4 serve the same purpose.

Previously, Spotlight separated different result types vertically; now you can click buttons just below the search box to filter results by category. Spotlight also remembers past searches, allowing you to use the arrow keys to browse backward and forward through your search history.

Spotlight’s new Apps view, which gets its own icon on the Dock, also replaces the longstanding but little-used Launchpad. If you want a full-screen grid of app icons, similar to Launchpad, consider Launchie, AppHub, or AppGrid Launcher.

Terminal

Although many people never open the Terminal app, which gives access to the Unix command line hidden in macOS, Apple has finally updated it to allow for more customization. Fortunately, Terminal still features completely opaque windows—transparency won’t make reading command-line output any easier. Each profile offers various customization options beyond appearance, so those who frequently use Terminal can tailor it to their preferences.

While we don’t want to downplay the impact these visual changes may have on your Mac experience, we’ve also found they’re easy to get used to or turn off. After using Tahoe for a few weeks, most of these changes will become the new normal. Apple will undoubtedly continue to polish Liquid Glass over the next year, refining its smoothness and eliminating awkward bits.

(Featured image by Apple)

Most AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Google’s Gemini, let you control whether your conversations will be used to train future models. While allowing this could improve the AI, it also means that sensitive business information and intellectual property could become part of the chatbot’s training data. Once data is incorporated into AI training, it likely can’t be removed. Even with training disabled, you should be cautious about sharing sensitive business details, trade secrets, or proprietary code with any AI system. To reduce risks, disable these training options:

• ChatGPT: Go to Settings > Data Controls and turn off “Improve the model for everyone.”
• Claude: Navigate to Settings > Privacy and disable “Help improve Claude.”
• Gemini: Visit the Your Gemini Apps Activity page and turn off Gemini Apps Activity.
• Meta AI: Avoid it entirely, as it doesn’t allow you to opt out of training.

(Featured image by iStock.com/wildpixel)

You’re in a meeting with colleagues, and after everyone else has trickled out, you talk about a sensitive topic with a trusted friend. That would typically be no problem with an in-person meeting, but with a modern virtual meeting, where an AI records a transcript, summarizes what was said, and automatically emails it to all participants, you might not want everyone to know about your coworker conflicts, job search, health issues, relationship troubles, or countless other confidential matters.

This issue affects all major videoconferencing platforms—Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and others. Many organizations also use standalone AI recording tools that can join meetings as participants, such as Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, and tl;dv.

No one should feel ashamed of using AI-generated meeting summaries, nor should these tools be categorically avoided. They’re undeniably helpful, allowing people to focus on the discussion instead of taking notes or worrying about forgetting action items. We know people who consider them life-changing.

However, the fact remains: unlike a person tasked with taking notes, these tools record everything, including pre-meeting chatter, small talk, and personal asides that a person would know not to include. Making matters worse, AI notetakers are often configured to distribute transcripts and summaries automatically to all attendees—including those who were invited but didn’t attend. While this helps people catch up on missed meetings, it can cause problems if the absent individuals were themselves the topics of discussion. And we won’t even get into the potential legal and HR implications of certain conversations being made public.

Practical Solutions

Given the utility of AI-generated meeting summaries, what can you do to reduce the chances of potentially embarrassing or problematic conversations being shared inappropriately?

• Warn attendees: Although most videoconferencing tools alert users that recording is happening, everyone is used to these notifications. For a more explicit warning, the meeting host can remind everyone that summaries will be shared with all attendees.
• Pause/resume recording: While not all videoconferencing and AI recording tools offer the option to pause and resume, it can be useful. The meeting host can wait to start recording until everyone has arrived and the pre-meeting chatter has died down, and then stop it once the last agenda item has been discussed. The challenge is that this requires the host to remember to start and stop at the right times, and any valuable conversation before or after these points will be lost.
• Restrict distribution: Another option is to configure the system so meeting summaries are sent only to the host, who can then review and edit them if needed before sharing with the rest of the attendees. The drawbacks here are the extra work for the host and the delay in participants receiving the notes, which can hold them back from starting on action items.
• Watch what you say: Just as with social media posts, it’s important to think before you say something you might regret. If you assume that everything you say could be shared with your entire organization—including HR and your boss—you’ll be much less likely to get into trouble. Of course, this requires everyone to be sufficiently self-aware to avoid problematic topics.
• Use private channels: If you anticipate needing to discuss sensitive information with a remote colleague—the kind of thing you’d shut your office door to keep passersby from overhearing—use a private channel like a personal meeting room, direct message, or phone call. And if someone starts to say something problematic in a group meeting, gently suggest moving it to a private channel.

Although having AI-generated summaries of conversations you thought were private circulated to others may feel like a modern problem, variants have been around for a long time: the romantic message misaddressed to the company-wide email list, the list of layoffs left in the copy machine, or even a conversation that continues across stalls in the bathroom without realizing someone else has come in. Ultimately, all we can do is be mindful of what we say and who might hear it.

(Featured image by iStock.com/ArnoMassee)

With Apple’s recent launch of AppleCare One, which covers multiple devices, and updates to its traditional AppleCare+ plans, you might be wondering what the best strategy is for post-warranty coverage of your Apple devices. Here’s what we suggest.

Your AppleCare Choices

First, to make sure we’re all on the same page, Apple now offers three AppleCare protection plans:

• AppleCare+: Apple’s traditional protection plan provides coverage for individual devices other than the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, paid monthly or annually.
• AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss: This plan extends AppleCare+ with up to two annual claims for theft and loss and applies exclusively to the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
• AppleCare One: Apple’s new consolidated plan covers up to three devices for $19.99 per month. Additional devices—even those you already own—cost an extra $5.99 per month each. It includes up to three annual claims for theft and loss for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

Both plans include unlimited accidental damage protection and battery replacements when capacity drops below 80%. Apple advertises its AppleCare+ and AppleCare One plans as including 24/7 priority support, but it’s worth noting that any customer can call Apple Support for help. Apple reserves the right to limit free phone-based assistance for the first 90 days after purchase to AppleCare subscribers, but in practice doesn’t limit support calls even after that.

Device-Specific Recommendations

As much as Apple would appreciate you paying extra for AppleCare+ or AppleCare One for every device you buy, it isn’t always the best financial choice. Here’s when AppleCare coverage is worth considering for different devices, roughly ordered by how important the coverage is:

• iPhones: You should strongly consider AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss or AppleCare One. Phones are constantly mobile, easily dropped or lost, and expensive to replace. With coverage, screen or back glass repairs cost just $29, other repairs are $99, and a replacement will set you back only $149. But a protective case is still a good idea.
• Mac laptops: We highly recommend coverage, especially for students. Laptops are frequently mobile, easily dropped or knocked off desks, and particularly vulnerable to damage when closing the screen. A single repair will almost certainly cost more than a year of coverage.
• iPads: Consider coverage based on your model and how you use it. For an inexpensive base-level iPad, coverage may be unnecessary unless it’s for a child or paying for a repair would stretch your budget. For an iPad Air or iPad Pro, think about coverage based on how often you use it in situations where it could be dropped or lost.
• Apple Watches: Coverage is typically unnecessary due to their exceptional durability and relatively low cost. Even with heavy use, a watch is difficult to damage and less likely to be lost than an iPhone since it’s attached to your wrist.
• Desktop Macs and displays: In most cases, you can skip coverage altogether. These devices seldom move and have low failure rates.
• AirPods: You can usually skip coverage. While you’ll probably drop them often, they’re pretty durable. More importantly, they’re relatively inexpensive to replace.
• Apple TV and HomePod: Don’t bother covering them—they’re inexpensive to replace, stay in one spot, and rarely experience hardware failures.
• Apple Vision Pro: Absolutely get AppleCare+ because the Vision Pro is so expensive, and you’ll be putting it on and taking it off regularly, making it easy to drop or knock off the couch.

When AppleCare One Makes Sense

If you own multiple devices, compare the cost of individual AppleCare+ plans against AppleCare One’s consolidated coverage. The $19.99 monthly fee for three devices could represent real savings, particularly if you have high-end devices. For example, individual AppleCare+ coverage for a 13-inch MacBook Pro ($9.99/month) and iPhone 16 Pro ($13.99/month) would total $23.98 per month, making AppleCare One’s $19.99 fee an attractive option, especially if you add a 13-inch iPad Air ($6.99/month) that you wouldn’t otherwise cover. In contrast, AppleCare One wouldn’t make sense if you had a 13-inch MacBook Air ($6.99/month) and an iPhone 16e ($9.99/month), which together would cost only $16.98 per month.

However, it’s not always straightforward. AppleCare One will cost $239.88 per year ($19.99 × 12). In the MacBook Pro and iPhone 16 Pro example, annual AppleCare+ plans would cost $239.98 ($99.99 + $139.99), essentially the same as AppleCare One. For the MacBook Air and iPhone 16e combination, annual payments would reduce the cost to $169.98 ($69.99 + $99.99) compared to the monthly total of $203.76 ($16.98 × 12), making AppleCare One’s $239.88 even less appealing.

Important AppleCare One Considerations

Before purchasing AppleCare coverage, keep these points in mind:

• AppleCare One is a per-user plan for devices signed in to your Apple Account. You can’t add devices purchased for family members if they use them with their own Apple Accounts.
• AppleCare One complains about Macs with multiple accounts; we hope Apple will address this problem soon.
• All plans include service fees for repairs and replacements.
• AppleCare One can cover devices up to 4 years old, although they may need to pass a diagnostic check. AppleCare+ plans can be added only within 60 days of the original purchase date.
• AppleCare One is currently available only in the US, while individual AppleCare+ plans are available more broadly in other countries.

Remember that extended warranties generally benefit the companies offering them more than the customers buying them. Apple wouldn’t offer AppleCare+ or AppleCare One if it weren’t going to make money in the process. Nonetheless, AppleCare can provide valuable peace of mind, especially for mobile devices that face daily risks.

(Featured image by Apple)

Apple has raised the monthly subscription fee for Apple TV+ to $12.99, marking the third price increase since the streaming service launched at $4.99 in 2019. While the monthly cost has increased, Apple kept the annual subscription priced at $99, making it a more economical choice for those who plan to maintain their subscription throughout the year. Apple doesn’t put the annual billing option front and center on the Apple TV+ website, as you can see below, but you can easily switch to it in Settings > Your Name > Subscriptions on your iPhone or iPad or in System Settings > Your Name > Media & Purchases > Subscriptions > Manage on a Mac.

(Featured image by Apple)

Recently, we’ve fielded a spate of questions from people who have used an AI chatbot to help with a technical issue and then asked us to confirm whether the information was accurate, helpful, or even safe.

First off, we’re not offended. If you can work through simple problems on your own with the help of an AI chatbot, that lets us focus on helping you with the bigger picture and issues that can be solved only by someone with awareness of your physical setup or broad knowledge of your workflow.

However, the mere fact that we’re getting these questions shows that people aren’t entirely comfortable with the AI answers, which is a good thing. Because chatbots work by giving you the most statistically likely words from their training models or extracted from search results, they can sometimes return incorrect information that could be harmful or even damaging. And, of course, they’ll do so in a breezy, confident tone that doesn’t suggest any concern.

For instance, we’ve seen chatbots confidently suggest deleting files or resetting permissions from the command line (be very afraid of anything that starts with sudo), disabling System Integrity Protection (almost never necessary), turning off Gatekeeper to install unsigned apps, resetting iCloud Keychain syncing, and more.

Here’s how to think about those responses. First, if you sense that following the chatbot’s instructions might cause problems, ask it to explain potential concerns and how to address them. Also, if you don’t understand what it’s telling you to do, say so and ask it to restate the instructions in simpler terms for someone less experienced. After pushing the chatbot for more details, use your critical thinking skills to ask yourself if its instructions could lead to irreversible changes or data loss.

If you still have any hesitation after going through that process, then it’s time to contact us. It’s helpful to share your chatbot conversation with us so we can assess what it suggested and explain why there was no need to worry or why you were justified in checking before taking action that you might regret.

Although this may seem like a modern problem, we’ve seen many similar situations over the years, where people get fired up about an article they read in an airline seatback magazine or hear something from their brilliant nephew who’s getting a degree in computers from a very good college. Although there’s no intent to deceive from any of these sources (chatbots don’t have intent at all, much less any to deceive), technical advice only makes sense in the context of your goals and resources.

In fact, having conversations about AI suggestions can be helpful because they help you develop better technical judgment. We can help you understand the principles behind different technical solutions, highlight what details matter when evaluating recommendations, and build your confidence in knowing when to trust (or distrust) technical advice from any source. Think of it as collaborative problem-solving that makes you better equipped to handle future technical challenges, whether you tackle them independently or with our professional help.

For the record, chatbots can help you understand basic settings, find features in common apps, and interpret standard error messages. But whenever a suggested solution involves system-level changes or seems risky, that’s when you should contact us.

(Featured image by iStock.com/Valerii Apetroaiei)

Many people prefer Apple’s default of sorting contacts by last name, so “Andy Anderson” appears near the start of the list and “Liliana Velasco” toward the end. But some would also prefer to display contacts with their last name first, such as “Anderson, Andy,” and “Velasco, Liliana.” That’s not the default, but if it’s what you want, here’s how to accomplish it. On the iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > Apps > Contacts > Display Order and select Last, First. On the Mac, open Contacts > Settings > General and from the Show First Name controls, select Following Last Name.

(Featured image by Adam Engst)

Are you considering getting one of the new iPhone 17 models? While it’s always tempting to unbox a new device and dive right in, taking a methodical approach to setup will save you from potential frustrations down the road. When you’re ready to transfer your data—and, for many people, that means much of your digital life—to the new iPhone, follow these step-by-step instructions. For visual learners, Apple provides helpful setup videos as well.

1. Before anything else, ensure that both your current iPhone and Apple Watch (if you have one) are running the latest versions of iOS and watchOS. Remember that these updates can take some time to install, so don’t leave them for the last minute.
2. Ensure you have your login details ready: you’ll need your iPhone and Apple Watch passcodes, along with your Apple Account credentials.
3. Back up your old iPhone to iCloud or your Mac. If you choose to back up to a Mac, make sure you encrypt the backup; otherwise, it won’t include passwords, Wi-Fi settings, browsing history, Health data, and call history. For safety, consider backing up to both. We recommend iCloud backups because they are more straightforward and avoid issues like unreliable USB cables. If you don’t typically back up to iCloud, Apple offers temporary iCloud storage for 21 days when transferring to a new iPhone. To start an iCloud backup, go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud > iCloud Backup and tap Back Up Now.
4. If you have an Apple Watch, you can transfer it to the new iPhone during the setup process. If the automatic transfer doesn’t work for some reason, you can unpair the Apple Watch manually from the old iPhone and pair it again to the new one. If you choose the manual route with a cellular Apple Watch, you’ll be prompted to keep or remove your cellular plan. Assuming that you intend to keep your Apple Watch and re-pair it with your new iPhone, be sure to keep the plan.
5. Your phone number should transfer automatically during activation if you ordered your new iPhone through Apple and linked it to your cellular carrier account during purchase. The same is true if you bought directly from your carrier. iPhones sold in the US rely exclusively on eSIM, and rumors suggest the iPhone 17 will also go eSIM-only in countries other than China, meaning that transferring the SIM card from the old iPhone to the new one should be a thing of the past for most people.
6. Transfer your data, settings, apps, and purchased content using one of these three methods. None of them will be quick, despite the first one’s name, so start the transfer only when you have plenty of time.
   • Quick Start: With the Quick Start feature, content from your old iPhone copies directly to your new one. We recommend this method because it’s more likely to preserve app logins, which is less certain when restoring from an iCloud backup. Make sure both iPhones are charged above 50% or plugged into power before starting. Put your iPhones next to each other, use the old iPhone to scan the animation on the new one, and then follow the remaining steps that appear.
   • iCloud: This method allows the new iPhone to download your content from the old iPhone’s iCloud backup, making it ideal if the old iPhone is not available. After connecting to a Wi-Fi network on the new iPhone and tapping the From iCloud Backup button, select the correct backup—probably the most recent one you just created. Keep your new iPhone plugged into power to ensure all your content syncs during this process.
   • Finder or iTunes: Use this method to restore your old iPhone’s data from a backup saved to your Mac. Connect your new iPhone to your Mac using an appropriate cable. Then, open a Finder window (or iTunes if your Mac is still running macOS 10.14 Mojave or earlier) and select your device in the sidebar on the left. Next, click Restore Backup and select the correct backup—likely the newest one.
7. Complete post-transfer tasks. Some app data needs to sync, so open the Mail, Contacts, and Calendar apps to check for your information; it may take a few minutes to populate. Verify you can make and receive calls. If necessary, pair your Apple Watch with the new iPhone. Also, pair your Bluetooth accessories—including AirPods—with your new device. Apps might ask for notification permissions again, and you might need to download content and in-app purchases.
8. If you use two-factor authentication with an app like 1Password, Authy, or Google Authenticator, confirm that your codes appear on the new iPhone. Many apps now sync codes automatically once you log in, but don’t assume—verify before wiping the old phone.

Although Apple works hard to make transferring from an old iPhone to a new one as smooth as possible, some things may not transfer perfectly. We strongly recommend keeping your old iPhone for a week or so to ensure the new one can do everything the old one did. During that time, thoroughly test the new iPhone, checking each app you need. I’m always here for you if you need help getting your new phone set up.

(Featured image by Adam Engst)

With the release of iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1, Apple restored blood oxygen monitoring capabilities to US Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 models that previously had this feature disabled due to a patent infringement suit by medical device maker Masimo. Apple’s redesign processes blood oxygen data on the paired iPhone rather than on the watch itself. After updating both devices, you can view your blood oxygen readings in the Health app under Browse > Respiratory > Blood Oxygen. If blood oxygen monitoring doesn’t activate immediately after updating, try opening the ECG app on your watch to trigger the necessary software asset download. Apple Watch units that predate the ban and those sold in other countries continue to work as they always have, with the Blood Oxygen app on the watch itself.

(Featured image by Adam Engst)

In the tech world, September brings the fruits of Apple’s harvest: new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. At its recent Awe Dropping event, Apple introduced the new iPhone 17 lineup, the ultra-thin iPhone Air, the Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and the AirPods Pro 3.

These are updates to mature product lines, so the changes from last year’s versions may not be enough to persuade you to upgrade. However, this year’s releases are attractive for anyone wanting to replace an old iPhone, Apple Watch, or set of AirPods that is showing its age or suffering from weak battery life. Pre-ordered products will be delivered and become available in stores on September 19.

After the announcement, Apple revealed on its website that all its next-generation operating systems—macOS 26 Tahoe, iOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26, and likely tvOS 26 and HomePod Software 26—will ship on September 15. Wait a week or two before upgrading essential devices to avoid any last-minute bugs, and hold off on Tahoe for a few months or until you’re confident your necessary Mac apps are compatible. Regardless of when you upgrade, make a backup right before, in case an unexpected problem forces you to erase and restore.

Let’s look at the new products.

iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Lineup

As with the last few years, the best bang for your iPhone buck comes from the new iPhone 17, which gains even more features previously exclusive to the Pro models and is available in black, white, mist blue, sage, and lavender. Apple replaced the Plus model with the ultra-thin iPhone Air, available in space black, cloud white, light gold, and sky blue. Lastly, the company enhanced the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max to make them even more compelling to professional photographers and videographers. These models come in three anodized aluminum colors: silver, deep blue, and cosmic orange.

Notable features shared by all the new models include:

• Center Stage front camera: Powered by a new square sensor, the new selfie camera automatically reframes shots to keep multiple people in view without rotating the phone. The 18-megapixel sensor also promises higher-resolution photos and stabilized video. You can even now record video using both the front and rear cameras at the same time.
• A19 and A19 Pro: The latest generation of Apple silicon boosts CPU and GPU performance, with the A19 Pro adding neural accelerators to each GPU core for faster AI processing. The A19 powers the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air; the iPhone 17 Pro models rely on the A19 Pro.
• Enhanced scratch and crack resistance: Apple made much of its new Ceramic Shield 2 coating, which reportedly provides three times better scratch resistance for the front glass. The iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models also feature Ceramic Shield 2 for the back glass, where Apple says it’s four times more resistant to cracks.
• Better battery life: All the iPhone 17 models have improved battery life compared to last year’s models, and although the iPhone Air has less internal space for the battery, it still offers the same battery life as last year’s iPhone 16 Plus.
• Brighter displays: All models now support 3000 nits of brightness outdoors, making them easier to read in sunlight.
• More storage: 256 GB has become the new standard in storage levels. You can upgrade to 512 GB on the iPhone 17, choose 512 GB or 1 TB on the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models, and go up to 2 TB on the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
• N1 wireless chip: All new models now rely on an Apple-designed N1 chip that provides Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread networking. You won’t notice this—wireless should just work.

More specifically, the iPhone 17 gains a new 6.3-inch display, up from the 6.1-inch screen in the iPhone 16. The display also supports ProMotion adaptive refresh rates up to 120 Hz and includes always-on functionality. Additionally, the display can scale its refresh rate down to 1 Hz to preserve battery life. The iPhone 17’s Dual Fusion camera system is also a significant upgrade from the previous generation, moving from a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera to a 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera that delivers more detail in landscapes and macro photos.

Thanks to a titanium frame, the iPhone Air measures just 5.6 mm thick, making it the thinnest iPhone ever. However, its 6.5-inch screen places it between the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro (6.3-inch) and the iPhone 17 Pro Max (6.9-inch) — it’s slim but not small. To make space for the internal components and battery, Apple replaced the traditional asymmetrical camera bump with a wider “plateau” that runs across the entire back of the iPhone Air. The biggest compromise in the iPhone Air, which may drive many potential buyers toward the iPhone 17 or 17 Pro, is the single 48-megapixel Fusion camera system, which lacks the Ultra Wide camera found in other models or the Telephoto camera in the iPhone 17 Pro. Its photos are likely fine, but they won’t match the quality of those taken with other iPhones if you want to zoom in or out. Lastly, the iPhone Air uses Apple’s new C1X cellular modem chip, which improves upon the C1 introduced in the iPhone 16e. We still don’t know how it compares to the Qualcomm chips in the iPhone 17 models.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max trade last year’s titanium frames for aluminum that provides better thermal conductivity with only a 7-gram weight gain. Heat dissipation was a focus this year, with Apple also adding a vapor chamber—that’s right, there’s water inside. All three of the iPhone 17 Pro’s Fusion cameras are now 48 megapixels, up from 12 megapixels for the Telephoto camera in last year’s models. You can now enjoy 4x optical-quality zoom with 48-megapixel shots and 8x optical-quality zoom with 12-megapixel images. Professionals will also appreciate ProRes RAW capture and Genlock synchronization support.

In terms of prices, the iPhone 17 starts at $799, the iPhone Air at $999, the iPhone 17 Pro at $1099, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max at $1199. If those prices are too steep for your budget, the iPhone 16e ($599), iPhone 16 ($699), and iPhone 16 Plus ($799) remain for sale.

Should you upgrade? Probably not from one of last year’s models or an iPhone 15 Pro, all of which support Apple Intelligence. With an older iPhone, the decision largely depends on whether you want a larger screen and a better camera (all three have the helpful Camera Control that debuted last year). Also consider how weak your current battery is—that’s often what prompts people to upgrade. You can’t go wrong with an iPhone 17, and even though the iPhone 17 Pro is pricey, you’ll get the best cameras and top performance. Even if it sacrifices some photo quality, the iPhone Air certainly makes a design statement.

Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3

Last year saw only the release of the Apple Watch Series 10, featuring a thinner case and larger screen, while this year brings new models across all three Apple Watch lines: the Apple Watch SE 3, the Apple Watch Series 11, and the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

• Apple Watch SE 3: The new entry-level model improves on its predecessor with a welcome always-on display. Its new S10 chip enables features like double-tap and wrist flick gestures, along with on-device Siri processing. It provides sleep apnea notifications, and the addition of temperature sensing allows cycle tracking. Fast charging and the ability to play media through the built-in speaker round out the major upgrades, along with 5G cellular capabilities for better connectivity. It’s available in midnight and starlight colors, starting at $249 (cellular adds $50). The Apple Watch SE 3 is a solid option with many fewer compromises than in the past, though it still lacks the ECG app, blood oxygen monitoring, and hypertension detection. It also has a smaller, less-bright display and a shorter battery life (18 versus 24 hours).
  
• Apple Watch Series 11: There are few changes from last year’s Series 10. A new ceramic coating improves scratch resistance, and 5G connectivity for cellular-enabled models may provide better wireless performance with less battery drain. The battery life is now rated at up to 24 hours. Apple also touted the new hypertension detection and sleep score, but both are features of watchOS 26 and will be available on some earlier models as well. The Apple Watch Series 11 is available in aluminum (jet black, silver, rose gold, and space gray) and titanium (natural, gold, and slate) finishes starting at $399 (cellular adds $100).
  
• Apple Watch Ultra 3: The most technologically impressive change is support for Messages, Find My, and Emergency SOS via satellite, much like the iPhone 14 and later. There are caveats—you’ll need a cellular plan for Messages and Find My via satellite to work, and sending and receiving SMS/MMS messages requires a powered-on iPhone connected to the Internet, though it doesn’t need to be nearby. It also supports 5G cellular. Another enhancement is a larger display that’s easier to see at off angles and can refresh once per second to show a ticking seconds hand. It also offers up to 42 hours of battery life and up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is available in natural or black titanium, starting at $799.
  

It’s difficult to recommend upgrading from an Apple Watch Series 9 or Series 10—the Series 11 is just too similar. However, the Apple Watch SE 3 offers real-world improvements over previous Apple Watch SE models and may also be sufficient for many users upgrading from an old Series 4 or similar. The main reason to upgrade to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is for satellite connectivity; if you frequently go off-grid, it might be worth trading in an older Apple Watch Ultra.

AirPods Pro 3

The smallest new product Apple announced might be one of the most popular: the upgraded AirPods Pro 3. Apple’s premium earbuds have gained many fans due to their excellent noise cancellation, which effectively blocks out sounds like airplane engines, construction machines, and more—they even let you enjoy loud concerts without worrying about your hearing.

The new AirPods Pro 3 feature an internal redesign and new foam-infused eartips to provide twice the noise cancellation of the AirPods Pro 2 and four times that of the original AirPods Pro. Apple also slightly reduced their size, improved stability, and now offers five sizes of eartips, all designed to make the AirPods Pro 3 more comfortable. Those who exercise with AirPods will appreciate the new IP57 sweat and water resistance, along with heart rate tracking during workouts. The AirPods Pro 3 can even detect your movements and automatically start up to 50 workout types in the Fitness app on your iPhone. Finally, Apple boosted battery life to 8 hours with noise cancellation active (up from 6 hours) and up to 10 hours in Transparency mode.

The most impressive AirPods demo during Apple’s event was Live Translation, which enables real-time translation of face-to-face conversations in English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish initially, with Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese coming later this year. If the other person isn’t wearing supported AirPods, you can use your iPhone as a horizontal display to show your speech in their language. Live Translation is powered by computational audio on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone running iOS 26, and it also works on the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with Noise Cancellation.

The AirPods Pro 3 remain priced at $249 with a wireless charging case. If noise cancellation is important to you, they’re an easy upgrade, especially if you’re coming from regular AirPods or the original AirPods Pro.

(Featured image by Apple)