Apple Music Just Got More Expensive, and It Was Only a Matter of Time

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Music,

If you pay for Apple Music, your next bill is going up. Apple bumped the price of its music service today, and it's the first time the company has touched that number in almost four years. The last increase landed back in October 2022, so if you felt like you'd been paying the same amount forever, you basically had been.

Here's the damage. Apple Music Individual moves from $10.99 to $11.99 a month. The Family plan takes the biggest hit, jumping from $16.99 all the way to $19.99. And the student plan, the one plenty of people stretch out for as many years as they can get away with, ticks up from $5.99 to $6.99. All of it takes effect today, July 17, in the US and a handful of other countries.

Click to continue reading Apple Music Just Got More Expensive, and It Was Only a Matter of Time

You Won’t Look At Apple’s Siri AI The Same Way After Watching This (Video)

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Google, Software, Videos,

Here's the story you probably heard: Apple fell behind on AI, panicked, and quietly handed Siri over to Google. So when a much smarter Siri showed up at WWDC, the case seemed closed. Siri was just Gemini wearing an Apple logo. It was a tidy narrative, repeated everywhere, and it turns out to be wrong.

During WWDC, I was invited to a closed-door media briefing with Craig Federighi and his team. Craig took the Google question head-on, first walking us through how a typical chatbot app like ChatGPT or Gemini works, then explaining what Apple built instead. His conclusion was blunt: "The amount of Google Assistant we use is none." No Gemini client code in iOS, none of the models Google deploys to its own customers, and not even Google Search as the foundation of Siri's world knowledge.

Click to continue reading You Won’t Look At Apple’s Siri AI The Same Way After Watching This (Video)

Apple’s visionOS 27 Update is Actually Insane (Video)

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Wearables, Software, Videos,

You can probably recite the joke by now: Vision Pro is a very expensive iPad strapped to your face. I've heard it for two years. However, after going hands-on with the visionOS 27 developer beta, I think that joke is finally running out of road.

Start with Siri, because Apple basically started over. On visionOS 27, the assistant lives in your room as a small 3D orb you can park anywhere - next to your monitor, above the couch, wherever - and it stays anchored there. There's no wake word anymore, either. A new interaction called Look and Speak means you just glance at the orb and start talking. That sounds small. In practice, it removes the most awkward thing about talking to a headset.

Click to continue reading Apple’s visionOS 27 Update is Actually Insane (Video)

Apple’s Long-Promised New Siri Is Finally Here, If You’re Willing to Beta Test iOS 27

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Software,

Apple has been promising a smarter, more personal Siri for so long that it started to feel like a running joke. The assistant that was supposed to understand your life, dig through your apps, and actually get things done kept slipping - announced, delayed, quietly pushed to “next year.” Well, next year is here. The new Siri just made its public debut in the iOS 27 beta, and for the first time you can actually try the thing Apple has been talking about for what feels like forever.

There’s a catch, though. A few of them, actually. This isn’t a switch that flips on your iPhone tomorrow. You have to opt into a public beta, join a waitlist, own a fairly recent iPhone, and live in the right part of the world. The upside, though, is that once you get in, the new Siri is...actually really good. For Apple, that would be a first.

Click to continue reading Apple’s Long-Promised New Siri Is Finally Here, If You’re Willing to Beta Test iOS 27

Apple’s Master Plan: Why the MacBook Neo’s Flaws Are Actually Its Features

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, PC / Laptop, Product Reviews, Videos,

There is a question nobody in the tech space seems to want to answer right now. What if the best computer for most people isn't the most powerful one?

Apple just announced the new MacBook Neo for $599. It features an A18 Pro chip, comes in four fun colors, and has the tech crowd losing their minds over what it lacks. We need to talk about why those missing features are actually a brilliant move.

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Why the iPhone 17e is Genius (Video!)

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Product Reviews, Videos,

The iPhone 17e is the affordable iPhone Apple should have made from the start. At the same $599 price, it fixes nearly every major complaint people had about the last model with the A19 chip, 256GB of base storage, MagSafe, the new C1X modem, Ceramic Shield 2, and smarter camera features. In this video, I break down the six upgrades that make the 17e feel less like a budget compromise and more like a real member of the iPhone 17 lineup.

What makes this phone so interesting is not just the spec sheet, but how much better the everyday experience looks this time around. Faster wireless charging, more storage at no extra cost, better durability, and a more capable camera all add up to a phone that feels much easier to recommend. If you skipped the previous model because it felt like Apple was holding back, this breakdown shows why the iPhone 17e may be the value pick in the lineup.

Get the iPhone 17e now

You Won’t Believe What’s Inside Your Apple Watch (It’s Insane!)

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Wearables, Videos,

The Apple Watch should not work as well as it does. It's a metal box strapped to a salty bag of water, stuffed with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, cellular, and now even satellite radios - and somehow it still gets a signal when you really need it. So Apple took me underneath Apple Park, into the quietest, strangest rooms in the building, to show how they bend physics so that little square on your wrist can actually save you when things go wrong.

In this video I take you inside Apple's RF labs. There is a silent blue spike chamber where the team tunes antennas down to the level of screws, a human test rig that spins real people around to see how different bodies kill the signal, and an underground GNSS dome that fakes the sky so they can test satellite SOS and dual frequency GPS without leaving the building. This is the engineering work that makes your Apple Watch Ultra 3, Series 11, or SE 3 feel boring in the best possible way when you are lost on a trail or stuck on the side of the road.

If you have ever wondered what is actually happening inside that small piece of teach on your wrist when it says connecting to satellite, or why your watch can hold a call at the gym where your phone used to drop, this is the tour that explains it.

Apple’s M5 Chip Made the MacBook Pro Unstoppable!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, PC / Laptop, Product Reviews, Videos,

At first glance, the new 14-inch MacBook Pro feels strikingly familiar: same sleek design, same versatile ports, and yes, that unmistakable Space Black finish. But look closer—much closer—and you'll see Apple has quietly revolutionized what their laptop can do, especially if you're a creator, power user, or gamer who's been waiting for Mac performance to truly level up.

The heart of this upgrade is the powerful new M5 chip, built to handle the kind of demanding workflows that used to make even last year's models sweat. Think blazing-fast AI tasks running locally, effortless editing of 8K footage, and graphics powerful enough to finally make gaming feel native to the Mac. This is not just about faster speeds and quicker renders; it's about fundamentally changing what's possible on your laptop.

In this video, I'll show you exactly why the M5 MacBook Pro is a subtle yet transformative leap forward. From on-device language models and rapid local image generation to dramatically faster storage and GPU capabilities, this MacBook Pro is ready to redefine your daily workflow. Curious how big a difference the M5 chip actually makes? Stick around—I’ve got the real-world examples to prove it.

Get the M5 MacBook Pro now!

3 New Shows Prove Apple TV+ is Just Getting Started…

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Home Entertainment, Videos,

If you're anything like me, finishing a show like Severance leaves a void. It’s unsettling, thought-provoking, and so visually distinctive that it’s hard to imagine anything else filling that slot. But what if I told you Apple TV+ quietly launched three series that might not only fill that gap but stretch your viewing appetite in entirely new directions? They’re not front-page banner material (yet), but they’re packed with big names, sharp scripts, and a clear sense of ambition.

Click to continue reading 3 New Shows Prove Apple TV+ is Just Getting Started…

Apple’s HUGE Siri Apple Intelligence Fumble w/ John Gruber - Geared Up 205

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Software, Videos,

Tech legend John Gruber joins Andru Edwards and Jon Rettinger to unravel the story behind Apple Intelligence and its delayed features in this episode of Geared Up. From early WWDC promises to today's reality, they dissect how Apple got comfortable showcasing features it didn't hav eready, and what that says about their internal culture, marketing strategy, and the future of Siri.

Required reading for this episode: Something is Rotten in the State of Cupertino

Gruber shares rare behind-the-scenes insights, including his personal evolution in covering Apple and the moment he realized the company had broken a decades-long precedent. The trio also explores the rocky launch of Vision Pro, Apple's approach to foldables, and why Apple Maps is a cautionary tale for Apple Intelligence.

Head to the Geared Up YouTube channel to subscribe so you don't miss an episode.