Top Stories: Apple's Smart Home Command Center, iOS 18.2 Details, and More

With the first set of M4 Macs having officially launched last week, Apple still wasn't quite done with news for 2024 as this week saw some software news with updates for Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro as well as new betas for iOS 18.2 and related updates with continued refinements ahead of an expected early December release.

top stories 16nov2024
Looking ahead to 2025, we also learned some new details about Apple's plans to increase its emphasis on smart home products, led by a "command center" hub that could be unveiled as soon as March, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

Apple to Launch AI-Powered Home 'Command Center' as Soon as March 2025

We've been hearing for quite a while about Apple's plans for smart home hub products, and this week we learned some fresh details about what we can expect from the first iteration: a thin device with a ~6-inch squarish display equipped with a camera and speakers with an interface that looks like a cross between the iPhone's StandBy mode and watchOS.

iPad iOS 16 WP Display Feature eric edit
The "command center" product will be able to display calendars, photos, smart home controls, and more, and it can be mounted on a wall or on a tabletop base. As part of Apple's push into smart home products, the company is also reportedly considering its own line of HomeKit cameras and other devices.

Here's Everything New in iOS 18.2 Beta 3

Apple this week released a fresh round of betas for iOS 18.2 and related updates, and there are a number of tweaks and other changes in iOS 18.2, including continued work on next-generation CarPlay and more.

iOS 18
Apple also officially announced that iOS 18.2 will support AirTag location sharing in partnership with over 15 airlines, aiming to help users get reunited with lost bags.

Based on upcoming changes to Wi-Fi calling on British carrier EE, it appears iOS 18.2 and other updates may arrive on Monday, December 9.

Apple Customers Sue Over Unfixed AirPods Pro Crackling Issue

A trio of customers this month filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, accusing the Cupertino company of violating California consumer protection laws and false advertising for continuing to sell first-generation AirPods Pro models that had ongoing issues with crackling or static sounds.

AirPods Crackling Feature
Apple has had a repair program that covers affected AirPods Pro earbuds for three years from the first date of sale, but customers are finding that the replacement earbuds suffer from the same issues.

Apple Releases Final Cut Pro 11 for Mac

After over a decade on version 10, Apple's professional video editing software, Final Cut Pro, has finally been updated to version 11 with a number of new features such as AI-generated captions, spatial video editing, and a Magnetic Mask tool.

General Final Cut Pro Feature
Apple's corresponding audio editing app, Logic Pro, also received an update to version 11.1 for Mac and 2.1 for iPad with several new features and improvements.

M4 Max MacBook Pro: Real-World Usage Tests

Following last Friday's launch of M4-based MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac models, we've taken a dive into the high-end M4 Max MacBook Pro to see how it performs in real-world testing.

M4 Max Benchmarks Thumb 3
For users looking to push the limits of their computers, the M4 Max delivers a solid upgrade over last year's M3 Max, and it will be a major leap for anyone running anything older than that.

The new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips also include support for Thunderbolt 5, and we took a look at what that means for users looking for maximum performance.

Apple Black Friday Deals for 2024

Deals are continuing to ramp up as we head toward Black Friday, and we're tracking all of the best ones in our Apple Black Friday roundup.

best early black friday deals
We've also got some dedicated coverage focused deals for specific Apple products, so make sure to check in for the latest and stay tuned because deals are coming and going quickly!

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Latest iPhone 17 Series CAD Images in Line With Redesign Rumors

Friday February 28, 2025 2:51 am PST by
Apple is expected to embrace a new camera system design for some models in its upcoming iPhone 17 series, and the latest purported CAD images don't deviate from what we have been hearing lately about Apple's new lineup. If you do not like the sound of an iPhone with a Google Pixel-style camera bar, look away now. Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson shared the following images in a post on X...
iphone 16e usb c feature

Apple Provides Reason for iPhone 16e's Lack of MagSafe

Friday February 28, 2025 4:39 am PST by
Apple has offered a reason why the iPhone 16e doesn't include MagSafe, one of the more notable omissions from its latest entry-level smartphone. According to Apple representatives who spoke to Daring Fireball's John Gruber, MagSafe is not included in the iPhone 16e because "most people in the iPhone 16e's target audience exclusively charge their phones by plugging them into a charging...
apple intelligence black

These New Apple Intelligence Features Are Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday February 28, 2025 3:17 pm PST by
iOS 18.4 was supposed to bring new Apple Intelligence Siri features, but Apple ended up needing to pull those capabilities from the update to continue testing. There are fewer new Apple Intelligence additions now, but there are still some new features that will make the update worth installing when it comes out in April. Priority Notifications Apple introduced Priority Notifications back at ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Rumored to Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Saturday March 1, 2025 11:00 am PST by
iOS 19 is still around three months away from being unveiled, but there are plenty of rumors about the upcoming update. Below, we recap iOS 19 rumors so far. Redesigned Camera App A leak earlier this year allegedly revealed a redesigned Camera app coming with iOS 19. On his YouTube channel Front Page Tech in January, Jon Prosser shared a video showing what the new Camera app will...
cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
apple c1

How Fast is Apple's First-Ever 5G Modem? The Results Are Surprising

Friday February 28, 2025 10:08 am PST by
iPhone 16e reviews are now out, and Apple's custom-designed C1 modem has been put to the test. The results so far are quite surprising, as the C1's speeds are not as slow compared to Qualcomm modems as originally expected. While the C1 does not support ultra-fast mmWave 5G in the U.S., it appears to offer comparable 5G performance to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X71 modem found in the iPhone 16,...

Top Rated Comments

deeddawg Avatar
15 weeks ago
They really chose a yoga butt as the image to go with?



Attachment Image
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
15 weeks ago

They really chose a yoga butt as the image to go with?


That is a bizarre wallpaper to highlight for an article. Is this from some past article that also got the same comments?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Olde Dave Avatar
15 weeks ago

The "command center" product will be able to display calendars, photos, smart home controls, and more, and it can be mounted on a wall or on a tabletop base.
Maybe I'm missing something, but couldn't I just do all these things with a repurposed old iPad? My wife is a teacher and sometimes her school district sells old base model iPads for around $50.00. I could get one of those, a custom iPad frame and essentially have the same thing.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ronno Avatar
15 weeks ago
I was about to write the same thing about the buttocks ?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)