This is Rumor Replay, a new weekly column at 9to5Mac that provides a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with my analysis and commentary. Today: iOS 19 rumors point to a backloaded launch, plus iPhone 17 Pro and Air come into focus, the future of AirPods Max, and more.
Here are this week’s Apple rumors.
iOS 19 will be backloaded with upgrades
Believe it or not, we’re only about 6 months away from Apple unveiling its next big software updates, including iOS 19—time for rumors to begin.
Mark Gurman reported this week that “a larger-than-usual number of features scheduled for iOS 19 (beyond the new Siri) are already postponed until spring 2026 (when iOS 19.4 debuts).”
Beyond Siri, no other specifics are named. I wonder, though, if other platforms besides iOS 19 are getting prioritized for big upgrades this year—though no rumors have hinted that so far.
iOS 18 and its subsequent 18.1 and 18.2 updates have been especially huge releases. Perhaps next year we’ll see more significant updates to macOS and/or iPadOS. The former might finally lay the groundwork for a touch-based Mac, something that could be a big engineering effort.
iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Air differences come into focus
A report from The Information this week brought word on features coming to the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Air. The former will boast a larger, rectangular camera bump and ditch titanium for aluminum. The latter will require several compromises to achieve its ultra-thin form factor.
These new details help flesh out what’s going to be a very difficult buying decision next year.
While scaling back the iPhone 17 Air’s cameras to just one rear lens, Apple seems to be leaning hard the opposite direction with its Pro line. Assuming both devices have the same main camera—they should—a big part of buyers’ decision hinges on two nice-to-haves. You can either have the luxury of a thinner device, or that of a more diverse camera system.
LLM Siri muddies the ‘new era’ narrative
Apple is in the midst of a messy transition to its ‘new era for Siri,’ and a Mark Gurman report indicates things will get even messier in the next 18 months.
Despite the Siri upgrades being rolled out as part of iOS 18, Apple has an even bigger change coming in iOS 19.4: the first LLM-based Siri.
The potential for a more ChatGPT-like Siri is huge, especially as more voice-first devices (e.g., HomePad) start to roll out. In the meantime, Apple needs to prove that the current Siri can be good enough to truly merit its ‘new era’ billing.
No AirPods Max 2 any time soon
Finally, this fall’s disappointing AirPods Max update is apparently the last one the device will get for the foreseeable future. Gurman says Apple has ‘no concrete plans’ to update AirPods Max ‘in a meaningful way.’ Which seems to mean no H2 chip upgrade or the many features it would bring.
I think Apple’s making a mistake by letting AirPods Max languish. Maybe there’s a good reason the company can’t just throw the H2 chip into a successor and call it a day. I’m skeptical, though. It’s a shame that the significantly cheaper AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 boast advantages over the premium Max headphones.
Anecdotally, I keep seeing more and more AirPods Max out in the wild, so hopefully if sales really are improving, Apple will take note and show the product a little love.
Which rumors are most interesting or exciting to you? Let us know in the comments.
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