Following the WWDC 2017 keynote today in San Jose, Apple invited members of the media for some hands on time with HomePod, its new Siri-enabled smart speaker and hub for controlling HomeKit accessories.
CNET has shared a gallery of HomePod pictures that provides a close-up look at the speaker, which looks somewhat like a smaller Mac Pro covered in a seamless mesh fabric. It'll be available in White and Space Gray.
The top of the HomePod has a glossy finish with Siri colors glowing in the center. Since it's designed for home use, the HomePod doesn't have a battery, so it must be plugged into a wall outlet or other power source at all times.
Meanwhile, Engadget has shared a gallery of iMac Pro pictures that show the all-in-one desktop computer in its stealthy new Space Gray finish, accompanied by a color-matched Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad.
Apple said both the HomePod and iMac Pro will be available in December for $349 and $4,999 respectively.
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
It's been years, probably a decade since I was genuinely wowed by an Apple event. All those new Macs! Pro Macs coming.. with real GPUs.. It was like back when I was a youngling (sniff)
Awesome event, look forward to the iMac Pro and Mac Pro.
It's not a bad looking design. But I'm immediately turned off by the all-fabric enclosure. Regardless of whether you get black or white, this thing is going to be very hard to clean, and will definitely show dust, even with regular maintenance. I wonder if the enclosure can be completely removed to wash -- that would improve things considerably? I'd prefer something more like the Harman Kardon Aura, which Apple used to carry in their stores. Its amazing actually how similar those products are, from a straight-up sound perspective. The HK reminds me of an early 2000s-looking Apple design.
