This one's huge

Next week is going to be very busy week for us Apple fans.

Cupertino has already teased a “week” — yes, a whole week — of Mac announcements, starting Monday.

Does that mean a new Mac every day?

There are currently six models in the lineup: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac Studio, Mac Pro and Mac mini.

Apple could release a new Mac every day from Monday through Saturday, and still have Sunday leftover for a “one more thing” surprise.

I don’t think that’s going to happen, but we might see something like this:

• Monday

  • M4 MacBook Pro (Plus details of M4 Pro and Max chips)

• Tuesday

  • iMac (A new 30- or 32-inch model would be dandy, but unlikley. The form-factor is rumored to stay the same)

  • Magic accessories with USB-C (Magic Mouse/Keyboard/Trackpad)

• Wednesday

  • Mac mini (Now mini-er than ever)

Here’s what to expect from next week’s week of annoucements.

And on top of all that, there’s going to be a raft of major software releases, including:

• iOS 18.1

• iPadOS 18.1

• macOS Sequoia 15.1

• watchOS 11.1

• tvOS 18.1

• HomePod Software 18.1

• visionOS 2.1

The big one is iOS 18.1, of course, and it contains a lot of big new features, including the first highly-anticipated Apple Intelligence features.

The update, expected on Monday, will bring AirPods as hearing aids (fantastic so far in my early tests), phone call recording, sleep apnea detection for Apple Watch, Clean Up in Photos, Writing Tools, Ai-powered text and notification summaries, AI smart replies to messages and emails, and a lot more. Phew!

Here’s our rundown of all the fantastic goodies coming on Monday in iOS 18.1.

Also in this edition of The Weekender:

• But listen, don’t wait until Monday. There’s one very good reason why you shouldn’t wait for the official launch of iOS 18.1. Here’s why you should install the 18.1 beta now.

• Bring your filthy potty mouth to iPhone and stop the ducking thing from autocorrecting your poetic, expressive swear words.

• I’ll bet you’ve never seen an iPhone case like this before.

• I have an earwax camera like this and I’ve never used anything as horrifying/fascinating. It’s very satisfying to use, after you get over the ick.

• We hands-on review a vegan leather iPhone case from Mujjo, and find it gets right what Apple FineWoven got wrong.

• One of this week’s featured setups contains a very handy cable-management tip for a no-cables look.

• The Cult of Mac website makes a portion of its revenue from display ads, and as the site’s owner, I can’t honestly make a full-throated endorsement of online ad-blockers. But this lifetime family plan subscription to AdGuard for less than $20 looks like a killer deal to me. Please don’t buy it!

Enjoy your weekend!

— Leander Kahney, EIC

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