The MacRumors Show: New AirTag, iPad, and Apple Watch Rumors

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through the latest rumors about the next-generation AirTag, iPad Air, iPad mini, Apple Watch, and Apple Watch Ultra.


Firstly, we react to the rumor that the second-generation ‌AirTag‌ is set to hit mass production in the fourth quarter of next year, taking a look at how we use AirTags and what a new model could offer. We also discuss the latest reports about the next-generation iPad Air and iPad mini.

We look at the new color options and features reportedly coming to the Apple Watch Series 9 and second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, Apple's plan to progressively reduce the bezels of the iPhone and ‌iPad‌, our first smartphones, and our feelings about watchOS 10 as we approach its official release.

Listen to The MacRumors Show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, Google Podcasts, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player. Watch a video version of the show on the MacRumors YouTube channel.


If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up with our discussion on how we would make changes to Apple's product lines in an attempt to make them simpler and more consumer-friendly.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for more episodes, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by exciting guests like Andru Edwards, Kevin Nether, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Mark Gurman, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Jon Prosser, Sam Kohl, Quinn Nelson, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Sara Dietschy, Luke Miani, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, iJustine, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, Jon Rettinger, and Rene Ritchie. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the show, and let us know what subjects you would like the podcast to cover in the future.

Popular Stories

iPhone Air

Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air

Wednesday October 22, 2025 3:22 am PDT by
Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports. The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of...
sam sung auction

Former Apple Employee Sam Sung Changed His Name to Avoid Attention

Wednesday October 22, 2025 4:44 pm PDT by
Back in 2012, an Apple retail employee named Sam Sung went viral because his name is similar to Samsung, one of Apple's main competitors. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he detailed that period in his life, how Apple responded, and he explained why he ultimately changed his name. Someone posted an image of Sung's Apple business card on Reddit in 2012, and it spread rapidly....
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:15 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. iOS 26.1 is currently in beta testing. The update will likely be released in the first half of November, and it is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, but some...
cadillac lyric infotainment

GM to Remove CarPlay from All Future Vehicles, Including Gas Cars

Wednesday October 22, 2025 11:34 am PDT by
General Motors began phasing out support for CarPlay in its electric vehicles back in 2023, leading to complaints from iPhone users, but the company has no plans to back down. In fact, GM is going further and plans to remove CarPlay from all future gas vehicles, too. In an interview with The Verge, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company opted to prioritize its platform for EVs, but the...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple's Plan to Launch Three New iPhone Designs Allegedly Revealed

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:24 am PDT by
Apple plans to launch a new type of iPhone every year for the foreseeable future, according to an Asia-based source. The detailed information was shared by the account "yeux1122" in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver, citing domestic trend and component research companies. Corroborating other reports, Apple will apparently launch its first foldable iPhone in 2026, featuring a...
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Report: Apple to Skip 'iPhone 19' Name for 'iPhone 20'

Thursday October 23, 2025 4:28 am PDT by
Apple's new iPhone lineup launched in the fall of 2027 will be called the "iPhone 20" models, rather than the "iPhone 19," according to research firm Omdia. Speaking at a conference in Seoul (via ETNews), Omdia Chief Researcher Heo Moo-yeol corroborated rumors that Apple plans to move the launch of its standard iPhone to the first half of the year and provided some additional clarity about...
maxresdefault

Apple's iPhone Air Experiment Fails as Supply Chain Cuts Production by 80%

Wednesday October 22, 2025 10:48 am PDT by
iPhone Air demand failed to meet Apple's expectations and the company's supply chain is scaling back shipments and production, reports Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Suppliers are expected to reduce capacity by more than 80 percent between now and the first quarter of 2026, and some components with longer lead times will be discontinued ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's License Feature in Apple Wallet App Launches in Another U.S. State

Thursday October 23, 2025 7:44 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting today, the feature is available to residents of West Virginia. To set it up, open the Wallet app and tap on the plus sign in...

Top Rated Comments

tagsaid Avatar
29 months ago
Real question. I have seen snippets of these videos, some good, some great, others just meh (to me).
I don't know how you decide what topics to discuss or guests to invite, but have you ever considered making a poll and dedicating one video a month, or whatever frequency you decide, to macrumors members' popular vote?

I would be much more enticed to watch it if it were a topic I was interested in vs. what seems to be random based on the latest rumors, and when rumors are slow, it's very random.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
crawfish963 Avatar
29 months ago
Product line is watered down. Consilidate. iPad mini with promotion, iPad Air, iPad Pro.

MacBook Air in 13”/15”, MacBook Pro in 14” and 16”

And the base watch is a no-buy 2nd year in a row. Might as well get a gen 7 still.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FrietVanPiet Avatar
29 months ago

AirTag live tracking would be great.
That would fundamentally change the nature product, since that would require an active cellular and gps connection. Both cannot function long on a tiny battery.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SoldOnApple Avatar
29 months ago
I always get the cheapest aluminium Apple Watch but am seriously considering the stainless steel after seeing how much better the stainless steel gold looks than the aluminium gold. You only live once, may as well get the nicer looking watch.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
29 months ago

Product line is watered down. Consilidate. iPad mini with promotion, iPad Air, iPad Pro.

MacBook Air in 13”/15”, MacBook Pro in 14” and 16”

And the base watch is a no-buy 2nd year in a row. Might as well get a gen 7 still.
Absolutely right. ProMotion across the board except for maybe a base model iPad to be as cheap as possible for education.

Still happily using an S7 and only tempted by the Ultra but it’s too big.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)