Scratchy Bottom

When I was a kid growing up in the Shropshire countryside, there was a picturesque village nearby with the charming name of Badger Dingle.

Britain is famous for odd and eccentric place names. Consider:

Scratchy Bottom (Dorset)
Brown Willy (Cornwall)
Jolly’s Bottom (also Cornwall)
Shitterton (Dorset)
Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter (Gloucestershire)

Apple has been using California place-names for its major macOS updates for a while now, and there’s some interesting speculation about what might be next.

I wonder if Apple would ever use British place-names? Undoubtedly not, since the company's always pushing the "designed by Apple in California" line.

Still, there are lots of amusing possibilities. (California has a few fun ones, too, like Rough and Ready, Zzyyx and the ever-popular Weed.)

However, odds are better than even that Apple will play it safe and use a sensible place-name for macOS 27. What do you think Apple should do? Sound off in the poll below.

Also in today’s newsletter:

Wait a second, split-screen multitasking on a tiny iPhone? But, yeah, it makes sense with the folding iPhone right around the corner.
Apple silicon finally faces some direct competition, thanks to new Nvidia chips designed to bring powerful local AI processing to Windows PCs.
Unsurprisingly, the low-cost MacBook Neo became a monster hit right out of the gate.
🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: This massive portable power station from Anker is a whopping 50% off! The huge discount also applies to the model with an included solar panel. #affiliate
This looks like a good deal for a robovac that self-empties and also mops.
Frogs in boiling water.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

What will Apple call macOS 27? Consider the top contenders.

The usual frenzied speculation ensues as people ponder the question, "What will Apple call macOS 27?" Clues point to "Big Bear" or "Emerald."

iOS 27 might finally bring split-screen multitasking to the iPhone

With iOS 27, designed to support the folding "iPhone Ultra," Apple might solve one of the biggest problems with foldable devices.

Nvidia finally gives Apple silicon a real competitor

Nvidia’s impressive new RTX Spark processor poses a challenge to Apple’s dominance in laptop silicon.

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team}

Pet owners, reclaim your floors with this robot vacuum and mop, on sale for just $170

The Yeedi Vac Station K781+ vacuums, mops, maps your home and self-empties. And it's on sale for $169.99 (MSRP $428.99).

4 reasons to get excited about iPadOS 27

From AI to multitasking, Apple plans major improvements for iPad users. Here's what to expect at WWDC26.

MacBook Neo sales blast past Apple's pricier laptops

Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo is already outselling the MacBook Air and Pro, with demand expected to surge even higher.

^{A message from}^{the Cult of Mac Deals team}

Turn idle screen time into a rewarding intellectual adventure

Transform 10 minutes a day into real learning with the Nibble app. You get bite-size lessons, audio, games and even AI chats with legends.

Apple brings its first European Developer Center to Berlin

Apple will open its first Developer Center in Europe in the heart of Germany’s startup scene.

Today in Apple history: iOS overtakes BlackBerry OS

On June 3, 2011, just four years after the iPhone launch, iOS market share inched past Research in Motion's BlackBerry OS for the first time.

Cult of Mac’s buyback program

We pay top dollar for used Apple gear

Sell your old iPhone, iPad, MacBook and more through Cult of Mac. Free shipping, fast payment!

Tweets of the day

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Wallpaper of the day

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One more thing ...

❝

I would rather compete with Sony than compete in another product category with Microsoft. That's because Sony has to rely on other companies to make its software. We're the only company that owns the whole widget — the hardware, the software and the operating system. We can take full responsibility for the user experience. We can do things that the other guy can't do.

— Steve Jobs, 2002.

Today’s poll

What would you like the next macOS to be called?

Results from yesterday’s poll:

Best reader comments

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