Free software updates are one of those genius Apple ideas the company doesn’t get enough credit for.
While Apple was far from the first company to offer free security and bug fixes, it was one of the first (AFAIK) to offer major new features with regular operating system upgrades.
Historically, Apple charged for the upgrades. Mac OS X updates, for instance, cost up to $129 until Apple shifted to free with OS X Mavericks in 2013.
Since then, Apple has given away major OS upgrades across all its platforms, and the software often includes dozens of major new features.
The result is that your sad, old, boring device gets a new lease on life every year. It’s like Christmas for nerds every fall. I recently got a very visceral reminder of what life would be like without these updates. I was forced to use an old Intel Mac stuck on macOS Monterey for several days — and it sucked!
Like this year’s other operating system upgrades from Apple, iPadOS 27 is mostly about new Siri AI features. But it’s not all AI. Several other tweaks under the hood give the iPad a boost. Here are the best new features of iPadOS 27 that aren’t AI.
Also in today’s newsletter:
Of all the upcoming Apple devices, the rumored smart home hub is perhaps the one I’m most excited about (mostly because it’s a brand-new category). Here are some details about what we might see as soon as next month.
I’m a huge fan of iFixit, both the company and its mission of promoting DIY repairs. But dinging the repairability of the iPhone 18 Pro’s tiny and incredibly intricate variable-aperture camera — come on!
🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: This cute portable charger features a customizable 16×16 LED matrix that can be programmed with your own animations. Looks like tons of fun, and it costs just $28 ($5 off). #affiliate
Tomorrow’s a big day: The crazy-powerful new Mac Studios and Mac minis are coming.
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
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One more thing ...
As soon as we can lower prices, we do. It’s true that our computers are less expensive today than they were a few years ago, or even last year. But that’s also true of the IBM PC. Our goal is to get computers out to tens of millions of people, and the cheaper we can make them, the easier it’s going to be to do that. I’d love it if Macintosh cost $1,000.
Today’s poll
Any enthusiasm for the Siri AI-powered home hub?
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