439 - Marty Bought How Many Macs?

The latest In Touch With iOS with Dave Ginsburg. Apple’s September 9 event is official, Jeff Gamet, Marty Jencius, Chuck Joiner, Eric Bolden, and Guy Serle break down what they expect from the iPhone 18, Apple Watch, AirPods, and more. The panel also dives into the new Mac mini and Mac Studio, including Marty’s latest purchases, plus iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, and visionOS 27 betas. Jeff explains his skepticism about general AI and shares an update on his TextExpander privacy concern. Plus, Virginia gets driver’s licenses in Apple Wallet, Apple has a cheaper polishing cloth, Rock Paper Pencil gets new tips, AppleCare gets an AI assistant, and the crew shares their latest Things We Found.

The show notes are at InTouchwithiOS.com

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Summary

Apple has announced its September 9 event, and the panel looks ahead to what could be coming, including the iPhone 18 lineup, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, AirPods, and what might be saved for another event.

In Touch With Vision Pro covers visionOS 27 Beta 7, improvements to Mac Virtual Display, spatial environments created from panoramic photos, and Apple’s upcoming live Friday Night Baseball immersive experience.

Beta this week includes iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 Beta 7, watchOS 27, tvOS, and macOS 27 Golden Gate. Apple also surprised everyone with new Mac mini and Mac Studio models, leading to a lively discussion about M6, M5 Pro and M5 Ultra configurations, memory, displays, pricing, and exactly how much Mac is too much Mac.

Jeff discusses why he remains skeptical about claims that general artificial intelligence is just around the corner. He also shares a privacy concern involving TextExpander and the company’s response.

Plus, Virginia gets driver’s licenses in Apple Wallet, Apple has a new polishing cloth, Rock Paper Pencil gets new graphite-style Apple Pencil tips, AppleCare phone support gets an AI assistant, and everyone shares some interesting Things We Found.

Topics and Links

Apple announces September 9 “Surprise and Shine” event

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/26/apple-event-announced-six-new-products/

In Touch With Vision Pro this week. 

visionOS 27 reaches developer beta 7

Apple released visionOS 27 developer beta 7, build 24M5359a, on August 24.

The release puts visionOS 27 deeper into its stabilization phase ahead of Apple’s fall software releases.

Apple Developer:

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/visionos-release-notes

MacRumors:

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/24/apple-seeds-visionos-27-beta-7/

Apple is getting ready for its first live **Friday Night Baseball in Apple Immersive** on Vision Pro.

The first game is **Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees on Friday, August 28 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT**.

Unlike simply watching a traditional broadcast on a giant virtual screen, Apple says the production uses **3D video recorded in 8K with a 180-degree field of view**, cameras positioned around the dugouts and outfield wall, Spatial Audio, immersive replays, and floating lineups and statistics.

Four Apple Immersive games are currently scheduled:

* August 28 — Red Sox at Yankees

* September 4 — Angels at Pirates

* September 11 — Padres at Giants

* September 18 — Giants at Dodgers

Live viewing requires an Apple TV subscription and either the **M2 or M5 Apple Vision Pro**.

Beta this week. 

Here’s a streamlined Beta this week replacement for the Episode 439 show notes. I’ve kept macOS and visionOS out of this section per your placement rules and paired MacRumors announcement coverage with Apple Developer release information wherever available.

2. Beta this week

Apple released another round of betas on August 24 as testing moves closer to the fall releases.

iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 Beta 7

Apple released iOS 27 developer beta 7 and iPadOS 27 developer beta 7, both build 24A5424a. Apple also released public beta 5 of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 later the same day. No major new features were identified in this round, suggesting Apple is increasingly focused on stability and bug fixes. (MacRumors)

MacRumors:
iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 Developer Beta 7
iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 Public Beta 5

watchOS 27 Beta 7

Apple released watchOS 27 developer beta 7, build 24R5358a. (MacRumors)

MacRumors:
watchOS 27 Developer Beta 7

tvOS 27 Beta 7

Apple released tvOS 27 developer beta 7, build 24J5358a. tvOS 27 public beta 5 was also released later that day. (MacRumors)

MacRumors:
tvOS 27 Developer Beta 7
tvOS 27 Public Beta 5

In Touch With Mac this week

Apple introduces the M6 Mac mini

Apple announced a new Mac mini featuring M6 or M5 Pro.

Apple describes M6 as its first 2-nanometer chip and is heavily positioning the new Mac mini around powerful local and agentic AI workloads.

Preorders began August 25, with availability beginning September 22.

Apple Announces New Mac Mini With M6 and M5 Pro Chips and More — August 25, 2026. This is the best primary MacRumors article for the announcement and covers specs, connectivity, pricing, and September 22 availability. (MacRumors)
MacRumors — New Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro

• New Mac Mini and Mac Studio: 13 Things You Might Have Missed — useful for extra discussion points including pricing increases, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and other details. (MacRumors)
  MacRumors — 13 Mac mini and Mac Studio details

• Apple Reveals M6 as First-Ever 2nm Chip — good supporting link if you want to discuss the M6 architecture itself. (MacRumors)
  MacRumors — Apple M6 chip details

• Mac mini Roundup — MacRumors’ continuously updated reference page for the M6 and M5 Pro models. (MacRumors)
  MacRumors — Mac mini roundup

• https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/26/new-mac-mini-and-mac-studio-add-genlock/

• https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/26/apple-free-mac-mini-upgrade-email/

• https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/26/new-mac-mini-bumps-display-refresh-rates/

M5 Ultra configurations support up to 512GB of unified memory, creating some remarkable possibilities for running extremely large AI models and professional datasets locally.

M5 Max configurations start at $2,499, while M5 Ultra starts at $5,499. Regular availability begins September 22, with the 512GB configuration expected later.

macOS 27 Golden Gate developer beta 7

Apple released macOS 27 Golden Gate developer beta 7, build 26A5421a, on August 24. The corresponding public beta 5 was also released.

MacRumors:

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/24/apple-releases-macos-golden-gate-beta-7/

Apple also published information this week explaining why Spotlight indexing may continue for days after a macOS update—useful context when troubleshooting temporary battery, heat, or performance complaints after installing new system software.

MacRumors:

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/26/apple-explains-spotlight-indexing/

Other Topics

In touch with Jeff Gamet’s  Blog https://jeffgamet.com/will-ai-ever-attain-agi-level-nope/ and discusses a discovedTextexpander privacy  issue. 

News

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/26/apple-wallet-id-feature-launches-in-15th-state/

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/25/apple-releases-new-polishing-cloth/

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/26/astropad-rock-paper-pencil-4/

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/26/1-800-apl-care-ai-assistant/

This weeks “Things we found”

Dave: 8-in-1 Retractable Charger for Apple USB C Gan Multiple Devices https://amzn.to/4gEynZH

Eric: gaffers tape, because sometimes you just need to cover up the annoying status light  https://amzn.to/3SV1ek

Jeff: DJI Mic Mini lav mic https://amzn.to/3SV1ekF

Marty: www.Twitter.now   
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/new-twitter-launches-says-musks-x-gave-up-the-name/ 

Chuck: OWC USB-C Quad HDMI 4K Display Adapter with DisplayLink
https://amzn.to/4qKJWTS

Guy - Murder City on Amazon Prime - https://amzn.to/4gIMugI

Announcements

Macstock X wrapped up for 2026 what a great event! Stay tuned for the Digital pass coming soon Digital Pass | Macstock Conference & Expo

Our Host

Dave Ginsburg is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users and shares his wealth of knowledge of iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and related technologies. Visit the YouTube channel https://youtube.com/intouchwithios follow him on Mastodon @daveginsburg, , BlueSky @daveginsburg and the show @intouchwithios

 

Our Co-Hosts

Jeff Gamet is a podcaster, technology blogger, artist, and author. Previously, he was The Mac Observer’s managing editor, and Smile’s TextExpander Evangelist. You can find him on his blog Jeff Gamet - Mastadon @jgamet Pixelfed @[e-mail] and Bluesky @jgamet.bsky.social Podcasts The Context Machine Podcast  Retro Rewatch Retro Rewatch His YouTube channel https://youtube.com/jgamet Buy his art! Jeff Gamet Art

Marty Jencius, Ph.D., is a professor of counselor education at Kent State University, where he researches, writes, and trains about using technology in teaching and mental health practice. His podcasts include Vision Pro Files, The Tech Savvy Professor and Circular Firing Squad Podcast. Find him at [e-mail]  https://thepodtalk.net 

Eric Bolden is into macOS, plants, sci-fi, food, and is a rural internet supporter. You can connect with him by email at [e-mail], on Mastodon at @[e-mail], on his blog, Trending At Work, and as co-host on The Vision ProFiles podcast.

 

Jill McKinley works in enterprise software, server administration, and IT. A lifelong tech enthusiast, she started her career with Windows but is now an avid Apple fan. Beyond technology, she shares her insights on ai, nature, faith, and personal growth through her podcasts. Her content on YouTube at @smallstepswithai and follow her on X @NorthwoodsJill. Find all her work at http://jillfromthenorthwoods.com 

Chuck Joiner is the host of MacVoices and hosts video podcasts with influential members of the Apple community. Make sure to visit macvoices.com and subscribe to his podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @chuckjoiner and join his MacVoices Facebook group.

Guy Serle is one of the hosts of the new The Gmen Show along with GazMaz and email [e-mail]  @MacParrot and @VertShark on X  Vertshark on YouTube, Google Voice +1 Area code  703-828-4677. Also Warp Speed Weirdos with Jeff Gamit.