Subtitle: DC: Break Room Bananas

Episode 600 prompts us to revisit predictions from episode 500 and make some new ones for episode 700. We also cover new AirTags and Apple's plans to fix Apple Intelligence.

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Upgrade #539: 98 Yards with My Boys - Relay

Apple TV earns Best Picture nomination for 'F1: The Movie' in 2026 Oscars - 9to5Mac

Apple TV drops For All Mankind season 5 teaser and premiere date - 9to5Mac

Apple introduces new AirTag with expanded range and improved findability - Apple

Apple Hardware Chief John Ternus Now Overseeing Design; Tim Cook CEO Succession - Bloomberg

iOS 27: Apple to Revamp Siri as Built-In iPhone, Mac Chatbot - Bloomberg

Private AI Compute advances AI privacy – Google Blog

Daring Fireball: The Information: 'With Google Deal, Apple’s Craig Federighi Plots a Cautious Course in AI'

Inside Apple’s AI Shake-Up, AI Safari and Plans for New Siri in iOS 26.4, iOS 27 - Bloomberg

The Upgrade Episode 600 Draft of the Ages Scorecard

Upgrade #500: Core Face/Peripheral Face - Relay

This week we're following up on what the Apple-Google AI hookup means and reacting to Apple's announcement of an oddly shaped creative apps bundle.

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The Incomparable

How Apple is Using Gemini to Give ChatGPT-Like Answers — The Information

Apple to fine-tune Gemini independently, no Google branding on Siri, more - 9to5Mac

Connected #586: Dashboard Confessions - Relay

Pop-Tarts Bowl - Wikipedia

MIT Mystery Hunt

Daring Fireball: OpenAI Releases GPT-5.1, Along With Renamed and New Personalities

Apple will pay billions for Gemini after OpenAI declined – 9to5mac

Introducing Apple Creator Studio, an inspiring collection of creative apps - Apple

Apple’s pro bundle makes sense, but making iWork freemium doesn’t – Six Colors

Apple Creative Studio icons are 'unique' and not for all standalone purchase apps - 9to5Mac

Google and Apple join forces to corner the market on smartphone AI models, John Ternus gets a profile in the New York Times, live NBA basketball comes to the Vision Pro, and Apple inconsistently refuses to stop bad App Store behavior.

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20 Macs - Relay

Chase to become new issuer of Apple Card - Apple

Will the iPhone Fold be a phone you open, or an iPad you close? – Six Colors

Is this the folding iPhone’s creaseless display? | The Verge

Apple picks Google's Gemini to run AI-powered Siri coming this year

Joint statement from Google and Apple – Google Blog

Apple picks Google’s Gemini AI for its big Siri upgrade | The Verge

Apple’s John Ternus Could Be Tim Cook’s Successor as CEO - The New York Times

More reports about Apple succession planning – Six Colors

Apple announces annual shareholders meeting for next month - 9to5Mac

Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are cowards | The Verge

Tumblr removed from Apple app store over abuse images - BBC News

Uber tried to fool Apple and got caught | The Verge

Apple blocks Facebook from running its internal iOS apps | The Verge

Some first thoughts about live immersive basketball – Six Colors

Apple: You (Still) Don’t Understand the Vision Pro – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

Subtitle: The Room at the Airport Where You Can Get a Hug

Happy New Year! In this episode, we share some of the things we hope we'll see from Apple in 2026. Also, Jason attacks an emoji.

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Jason's Goodreads List

Happy Mac | Apple Wiki | Fandom

🫂 People Hugging Emoji | Emojipedia

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe | Alton Brown

GitHub - daveallie/crosspoint-reader

Apple announces sweeping App Store and iPhone changes in Japan - 9to5Mac

Daring Fireball: Apple Announces Changes to iOS in Japan for Compliance With the Mobile Software Competition Act

Apple settles Brazilian antitrust case with App Store policy overhaul - 9to5Mac

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup - MacRumors

Samsung Developing 'Wide Fold' With iPhone Fold-Like Design Ahead of Apple's 2026 Launch - MacRumors

Kuo: iPhone Fold Production Challenges Could Limit Supply Next Year - MacRumors

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year - MacRumors

Another AirPods Pro 3 model is coming, with one rumored upgrade - 9to5Mac

Wish List: A more flexible Apple display strategy – Six Colors

I Turned a $200 iMac Into a $1,600 Studio Display! - Snazzy Labs - YouTube

The App Store era must end, and the Mac is the model – Six Colors

It's time for the 12th Annual Upgradies! Myke and Jason discuss their favorites of 2025, take the input of many Upgradians, and hand out awards in numerous categories! Only the finest will walk away with the most coveted of titles: Upgradies Winner.

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List of Nominees (Spoilers Below)

Best Overall iOS App

• Final Cut Camera
  
• Mango Baby
  
• Carrot Weather
  
• Ivory
  
• Callsheet
  

Best Newcomer iOS App

• Tapestry
  
• Focus Friend
  
• Athlytic
  
• Cassette
  

Best Overall Mac App

• Numbers
• Mimestream
  
• ChatGPT
  
• Claude
  
• Ice
  
• ChatGPT
  
• Mimestream
  
• Obsidian
  
• Things
  

Best Newcomer Mac App

• Longplay
• Superwhisper
  
• Claude
  
• Ice
  
• ChatGPT
  
• Festivitas
  
• Affinity
  
• Hyperspace
  
• ChatGPT
  
• Ghostty
  
• Tapestry
  

Best Feature: Best Implementation of a ’26 OS Feature**

• iPad Multitasking
  
• Clipboard History for Mac
  
• Private Cloud Compute in Shortcuts
• Athlytic
  
• Liquid Glass
  
• iPad Multitasking
  
• Call Screening
  

Game of the Year

• Herdling
  
• Donkey Kong Bananza
  
• Balatro
  
• Clair Obscure Expedition 33
  

Favourite Movie

• Thunderbolts*
  
• Superman
  
• Flow
  
• My Old Ass
  
• Sinners
  
• F1
  
• One Battle After Another
  

Favourite TV Show

• The Pitt
  
• Ludwig
  
• Murderbot
  
• Pluribus
  
• Severance
  
• The Studio
  

Favourite Book

• Moonbound by Robin Sloan
  
• Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
  
• Apple in China, by Patrick McGee
  
• Ensh*ttification, by Cory Doctorow
  
• Everything is Tuberculosis, by John Green
  

Favourite Podcast

• Connected
  
• Crash Course Pods: The Universe
  
• Wavefrm
  
• The Town
  
• Kinda Funny Gamescast
  
• The Rest is History
  
• Connected
  
• Upgrade
  

Favourite Apple Product

• iPhone 17 Pro
  
• AirPods Pro 3 
  
• iPhone Air
  
• iPad Pro M5
  
• MacBook Air M4
  

Favourite Non-Apple Product

• RoboRock vacuum
  
• Combustion thermal probe
  
• Traeger pellet grill
  
• Nintendo Switch 2
  
• Bambu Labs P2S 3D Printer
  
• Trmnl E-Ink Display
  

Worst Gadget / Most Disappointing Tech

• “Sky Blue” MacBook Air
  
• XTEINK X4
  
• Cord Cutting Drama
  
• AI
  
• Liquid Glass
  
• Apple Intelligence
  

Most Life-Changing Hardware

• RoboRock vacuum
  
• Combustion thermal probe
  
• M4 MacBook Pro and Second Desk
• Lutron Shades
• Vtech RM7767HD
  
• iPad mini in the Nursery
  
• AirPods Pro 3
  
• Apple Watch
  
• Nintendo Switch 2
  

Favourite Tech Story

• “Larry Ellison’s big dumb gift to his large adult son” - Elizabeth Lopatto/The Verge
• “Memo to Bari Weiss Re: CBS News: You’re doomed” Elizabeth Lopatto/The Verge
• Something is Rotten in the State of Cupertino
• Apple Succession
• Alan Dye Leaves Apple
  
• AI Arms Race
  
• Announcement of the Steam Machine
  

Favourite Tech Screw Up

• Apple gives up on personalized Siri until “the coming year”
  
• Jony Ive and Sam Altman share a coffee in SF
  
• Apple, Epic, Judge Gonzalez Rogers — Apple losing ability to charge 30%, being held in contempt, etc
  
• Apple Intelligence
  
• AWS / Cloudflare Outages
  
• Liquid Glass
  

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Record of Previous Winners – Upgradies.com

Subtitle: The 2025 Upgrade Holiday Special

After whipping through a bunch of segments in order to play as many jingles as possible, Myke and Jason celebrate the festive season by aesthetically judging the new icons of macOS Tahoe. Happy holidays to all who celebrate!

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Lex's Games by Lex Friedman

Adam C. Thomas: Gaming Apple Podcasts - Mastodon

Is the iMac Pro coming back? – Six Colors

Apple Developing iMac Pro With M5 Max Chip - MacRumors

Inside Apple’s iPhone Road Map, From Foldable Screens to Curved Glass Cases — The Information

New report claims Apple's 2026-27 iPhone roadmap includes 7 new models | Macworld

Samsung Galaxy Z Tri Fold Impressions: NOW It Makes Sense! - MKBHD - YouTube

iOS 26.3 Makes It Easier to Switch From iPhone to Android - MacRumors

iOS 26.3 Adds Notification Forwarding Option for Third-Party Wearables - MacRumors

Apple is forcing iPhones to update to iOS 26 to patch security holes – Six Colors

The Twelfth Annual Upgradies Nomination Form

Upgrade #526: Journal and Learnal - Relay

The Icons We're Judging

Daring Fireball: MacOS 26 Tahoe’s Dead-Canary Utility App Icons

QuickTime turns 34! Yes, Apple's big bet on 'multimedia' still matters | Macworld

Our Final Tier List (Spoilers!)

Subtitle: Apple of the Year

We discuss what laptops Apple is expected to release in 2026, Apple's AI parsing of podcasts, that time Jason didn't really almost work for Apple, and weird snacks.

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Selena Gomez created this first-ever Oreo flavor | CNN Business

Curl - Jonathan Coulton - YouTube

Bowser & Blue - The Curling Song

Jeff Williams Nominated to The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors

Apple and Google team up to make iPhone and Android switching easier - 9to5Mac

EU says easier iPhone-Android switching is proof the DMA is working - 9to5Mac

Pluribus becomes Apple TV’s most watched show ever - 9to5Mac

The Twelfth Annual Upgradies Nomination Form

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID - MacRumors

Apple Studio Display 2 leak reveals ProMotion, HDR, A19 chip upgrades | Macworld

Apple’s next HomePod mini and AirTag upgrades surface in leaked internal code | Macworld

Here Are the Four MacBooks Apple Is Expected to Launch Next Year - MacRumors

Apple’s 26.2 betas boost iPad multitasking, AI processing – Six Colors

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More - MacRumors

10 NEW iOS 26.2 Features - Stephen Robles - YouTube

macOS Tahoe 26.2 Gets Edge Light Feature for Video Calls - MacRumors

Why is RAM so expensive right now? It's way more complicated than you think | TechRadar

Upgrade Podcast - YouTube

The week everybody left Apple.

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Broomgate: A Curling Scandal | CBC Podcasts

Men with Brooms - Wikipedia

After Apple refusal, India makes U-turn on mandatory iPhone app – 9to5mac

Apple May Have to Enable Always-On GPS in India - MacRumors

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone - MacRumors

Apple TV previews new F1 streaming deal, confirms driver onboard cams will be included - 9to5Mac

Apple TV on X: "The next chapter of Formula 1 in the US starts March 7. Watch every 2026 Grand Prix, only on Apple TV. https://t.co/qCruMOWoqa" / X

Apple Fitness+ expands to 28 new markets - Apple

Apple Podcasts names The Rest Is History the 2025 Show of the Year - Apple

The Twelth Annual Upgradies Nomination Form

Apple’s Top Designer Alan Dye Poached by Meta in Major Coup - Bloomberg

In a major coup for someone, Alan Dye leaves Apple – Six Colors

Daring Fireball: Bad Dye Job

John Giannandrea to retire from Apple - Apple

Apple announces executive transitions - Apple

Apple Rocked by Executive Departures, With Johny Srouji at Risk of Leaving Next - Bloomberg

Apple Chip Chief Tells Staff He’s Not Leaving ‘Anytime Soon’ - Bloomberg

Let it snow, let it snow, let it... Snow Leopard? We discuss Apple's '27 OS priorities, a decorative holiday app, how Apple might have approached engineering the folding iPhone, and a surprise return to Intel (sort of).

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Giving Thanks – The Enthusiast

The Twelth Annual Upgradies Nomination Form

Upgradies.com

Festivitas adds snow, Shortcuts, iPhone widgets to its holiday package – Six Colors

India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app | Reuters

India orders Apple to pre-instal a state security app on iPhones – 9to5mac

Apple iOS 27: Snow Leopard-Like Quality Focus, AI Features; Tim Cook Retirement - Bloomberg

Mac OS X Snow Leopard - Wikipedia

Athlytic

Crease-Free iPhone Fold on Track for 2026 Launch as Development Advances - MacRumors

Around 100 iPhone Folds made after crease 'breakthrough' – 9to5mac

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features - MacRumors

What is Liquidmetal, and why has Apple been interested in it for a decade? | AppleInsider

Apple might turn to Intel for its upcoming M-series chips, per report - 9to5Mac

Intel Is Seeking an Investment From Apple as Part of Its Comeback Bid - Bloomberg

macOS 26 Tahoe review: Power under glass – Six Colors

It's Thanksgiving week, and Myke and Jason are using the occasion to draft their favorite Apple TV shows. There's also some drama at the Rumor Roundup corral involving Apple's succession planning, and Google engineers AirDrop for Android.

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Draft picks (avert your eyes if you don't want to be spoiled!)

• Ted Lasso
• Severance
• Shrinking
• Murderbot
• For All Mankind
• Silo
• Slow Horses
• Pluribus
• Foundation
• Bad Monkey
• Mythic Quest
• The Studio
• Stick

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Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D | LEGO

This incredibly elaborate LEGO stadium has escalators, extended netting and bullpen carts | MLB.com

Seinfeld | LEGO

Apple's Corporate Governance Guidelines

Apple iOS 27: Snow Leopard-Like Quality Focus, AI Features; Tim Cook Retirement - Bloomberg

Apple and F1 already discussing more ways to partner - 9to5Mac

Amazon.com: Soundbot SB510 HD

Upgrade #122: The 2016 Upgradies - Relay

Amazon.com: REOKILY 2026 Upgraded Vacuum Magnetic Car Phone Holder

Widgetsmith - Jobs

The B in Bluetooth – Upgrade – YouTube

Android Quick Share can now work with iOS’s AirDrop – Google Blog

Google cracked Apple’s AirDrop and is adding it to Pixel phones | The Verge

HP and Dell disable HEVC support built into their laptops’ CPUs - Ars Technica

List of Apple TV original programming - Wikipedia

NASA Vending Machine - The Incomparable

Downstream - Relay

iPadOS 26 review: A computer? – Six Colors

Tim Cook's succession planning hits another gear, Tesla may be embracing CarPlay, Apple shifts its iPhone release plans, and Jason considers the place of the iPad Pro today after traveling with it for a week.

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🎁🚨 Get 20% off an annual Upgrade+ subscription 🚨🎁

Upgrade Merch – Available until the 19th

Major League Soccer is coming to Apple TV starting in 2026 - Apple

Report: Apple and MLS make all games available to Apple TV subscribers – Six Colors

Cue: “No plans” for Apple TV ad tier – Six Colors

Apple hit with $634 million verdict in Apple Watch patent fight with Masimo - 9to5Mac

Give the Gift of Relay

Apple intensifies succession planning for CEO Tim Cook – Financial Times

Tim Cook could step down as Apple CEO ‘as soon as next year’ - 9to5Mac

Daring Fireball: Financial Times: 'Apple Intensifies Succession Planning for CEO Tim Cook'

Tesla Is Working to Add Apple CarPlay in Bid to Boost Vehicle Sales (TSLA, AAPL) - Bloomberg

Bloomberg: Tesla working to add CarPlay – Six Colors

Electrek

Apple Delays Release of Next iPhone Air Amid Weak Sales — The Information

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version - MacRumors

Apple’s iPhone Road Map: iPhone Air 2, iPhone 18; Mac Pro Future; Tesla CarPlay - Bloomberg

Apple Explores Adding Second Camera to Next iPhone Air to Boost Sales — The Information

Report: Apple Considers Adding Second Camera to Delayed iPhone Air 2 - MacRumors

Leaker claims poor sales of iPhone 16e; iPhone Air production ends – 9to5mac

Traveling with the iPad Pro, 10 years on – Six Colors

The iPad Pro, 10 years later – Six Colors

iPad Pro Review: No Country for Old Macs – Six Colors

The iPad Pro has finally fulfilled its destiny, with a little help from the M5 | Macworld

The iPad Pro at 10: a decade of unrealized potential | The Verge

Connected #578: A Healthy Computing Lifestyle - Relay

Superagent

‎Hidden Bar

Vanilla

Steam Frame

Tribit XSound Go – Amazon