512 Pixels

Will the Home Hub know whose head is biggest? What will September 9th bring? Can anyone afford new Macs? Who knows Tim Cook best?

All of these questions will be answered on this week’s episode.

I am thrilled to announce Relay’s 8th annual fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Since 2019, the Relay community has given over $4.8 million to this life-saving work.

That number astounds me. When we started this, I expected to raise $75,000 in the first year. We cleared $315,000 that year, and it’s been more and more amazing every year since.

If you have followed along for any given amount of time, you know that in 2008, my wife Merri and I welcomed our first son into the world, and that just six months later, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He underwent a year and a half of treatment at St. Jude, which included chemotherapy, several surgeries, and an untold number of MRIs, appointments, and sleepless nights.

Through it all — and throughout the next 16 years of checkups and scans — St. Jude has never charged my family a dime, true to its word:

Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food. Because of your support, we can provide children cutting-edge treatments not covered by insurance. If a family has insurance, we will bill the insurance company, but no family ever receives a bill from St. Jude for care and no family is asked to pay St. Jude for co-pays or deductibles.

In the most stressful time of our lives, having to worry about paying for the care Josiah was receiving would have crushed us. Instead, we could focus on our son and his care.

This fall, Josiah turns 18 and is no longer the child he was when undergoing treatment. However, St. Jude continues to be part of our lives through programs like the St. Jude LIFE Study, which aims to understand the needs of long-term childhood cancer survivors. Even now, seventeen and a half years later, St. Jude continues to care for him and our family, and it’s that love we aim to reflect back through this campaign.

Go check it out. You can sign up to lead your own fundraiser. You can donate directly or give through a donor-advised fund. Your company likely has an employee-matching gift program; we have details about that on the campaign page as well.

I cannot wait to see what we can do together this year. Please join us.

The Trump EPA has made a proposal that would lift requirements that force states to provide public notice or solicit comments on air pollution permits for data center construction projects.

Maxine Joselow has more at The New York Times:

The move could prevent residents from raising concerns about — or even learning about — data centers before permits are approved and construction starts.

Nearly 200 advocacy groups and more than a dozen states have voiced opposition to the change, making it the latest flashpoint in the national debate over the data centers powering the artificial intelligence boom.

“People need to have a chance to have a say before they see bulldozers,” said Keri Powell, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit legal advocacy group.

That’s not all, as Joselow continues:

The E.P.A. has also proposed another sweeping change that would let developers start building data centers before their permits are approved. And it has exempted the gas plants that fuel many data centers from limits on pollutants that cause acid rain.

Apple’s iPhone event is scheduled for September 9. Prepare thy wallet.

Apple’s Polishing Cloth is now just $9. It is unclear if this cloth is in any way different from what debuted five years ago for $19.

According to Apple, it is compatible with these products:

iPhones:

• iPhone Air
• iPhone 17 Pro
• iPhone 17 Pro Max
• iPhone 17
• iPhone 17e
• iPhone 16 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro Max
• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 15
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13
• iPhone SE (3rd generation)
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 11
• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 6s
• iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone SE (1st generation)
• iPhone 5s
• iPhone 5c
• iPhone 5

iPads:

• iPad Pro 13-inch (M5)
• iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (M5)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (M4)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation)
• iPad Pro 10.5-inch
• iPad Pro 9.7-inch
• iPad Air 13-inch (M4)
• iPad Air 11-inch (M4)
• iPad Air 13-inch (M3)
• iPad Air 11-inch (M3)
• iPad Air 13-inch (M2)
• iPad Air 11-inch (M2)
• iPad Air (5th generation)
• iPad Air (4th generation)
• iPad Air (3rd generation)
• iPad Air 2
• iPad Air (1st generation)
• iPad (A16)
• iPad (10th generation)
• iPad (9th generation)
• iPad (8th generation)
• iPad (7th generation)
• iPad (6th generation)
• iPad (5th generation)
• iPad mini (A17 Pro)
• iPad mini (6th generation)
• iPad mini (5th generation)
• iPad mini 4
• iPad mini 3
• iPad mini 2
• iPad mini (1st generation)

Macs:

• MacBook Neo
• MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)
• MacBook Air (15-inch, M5)
• MacBook Air (13‑inch, M4)
• MacBook Air (15‑inch, M4)
• MacBook Air (13-inch, M3)
• MacBook Air (15-inch, M3)
• MacBook Air (15-inch, M2)
• MacBook Air (13-inch, M2)
• MacBook Air (M1)
• MacBook Air (Retina, 13‑inch, 2020)
• MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018–2019)
• MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015 – 2017)
• MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max)
• MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max)
• MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5)
• MacBook Pro (14‑inch, 2024)
• MacBook Pro (16‑inch, 2024)
• MacBook Pro (14‑inch, 2023)
• MacBook Pro (16‑inch, 2023)
• MacBook Pro (13‑inch, M2, 2022)
• MacBook Pro (14‑inch, 2021)
• MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021)
• MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020)
• iMac (24‑inch, M4, 2024)
• iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023)
• iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)
• iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5‑inch, 2019)
• iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019–2020)
• iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014 - 2015)
• iMac Pro (2017)

Apple Watches:

• Apple Watch Ultra 3
• Apple Watch Ultra 2
• Apple Watch Ultra
• Apple Watch SE 3
• Apple Watch SE 2
• Apple Watch SE
• Apple Watch Series 11
• Apple Watch Series 10
• Apple Watch Series 9
• Apple Watch Series 8
• Apple Watch Series 7
• Apple Watch Series 6
• Apple Watch Series 5
• Apple Watch Series 4
• Apple Watch Series 3
• Apple Watch Series 2
• Apple Watch Series 1
• Apple Watch 1st generation

Displays:

• Studio Display (2026)
• Studio Display XDR
• Studio Display (2022)
• Pro Display XDR

There’s big news in the land of small desktops. Jason Snell at Six Colors:

In a bit of a late-August surprise while the world awaits word on the next generation of iPhones, on Tuesday Apple announced two new processors, the M5 Ultra and M6, which help power new iterations of its Mac Studio and Mac mini desktop computers.

Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro

The M6 is built with a new 2-nanometer process and comes with 12 CPU cores, up from the 10 found in the base M4 and M5. It packs six efficiency cores, four performance cores, and two super cores. Snell explains:

According to Apple, each core design is focused on a different primary task: efficiency cores are meant to sip power (useful when running simple background tasks); performance cores are optimized for complex, multi-threaded jobs; and super cores were created to offer the highest possible single-threaded performance.

The higher-end Mac mini is now powered by the M5 Pro. Both Mac mini models include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, 2.5Gb Ethernet (10Gb is an option), and both top out at 64 GB of unified memory. If you need 8 TB of storage, the M5 Pro is required.

Mac Studio with M5 Max & M5 Ultra

Since March of last year, the Mac Studio has been available with either an M4 Max or an M3 Ultra SoC, with RAM upgrade options dwindling over time.

No more! Now users can choose between the M5 Max previously seen in the MacBook Pro, or an all-new M5 Ultra. The former is available with an 18-core CPU and 32-core GPU or an 18-core CPU and 40-core GPU. The Ultra also comes in two variants: one with a 30-core CPU and 64-core GPU, and one with 36 CPU cores paired to 80 GPU cores. RAM tops out at 256 GB for the Max, with a 512 GB option coming in October for the Ultra.

The Ultra is something special, according to Apple:

M5 Ultra, the ultimate powerhouse for pro and AI workloads, uses next-generation UltraFusion technology to form a quad-die architecture for the first time in an M-series system on a chip (SoC).

You can get 16 TB of storage for a cool $7,500, but it requires the M5 Ultra.

Pricing & Avaibility

Because we’re in 2026, these new machines come with new starting prices:

• M6 Mac mini: $899 (+$100)
• M5 Pro Mac mini: $1,699 (+$100)
• M5 Max Mac Studio: $2,499 (unchanged)
• M5 Ultra Mac Studio: $5,499 (+$200)

These new prices are on top of Apple’s recently announced price increases. For comparison, the M4 Mac mini started at $499, while the M4 Max Mac Studio was initially sold for $1,999.

The new Mac mini and Mac Studio ship on September 22 and will both require macOS Golden Gate.

As is our annual tradition, Myke and I have published a Q&A to mark Relay’s anniversary. We took on listener questions about podcasting in general, changes at Relay over time, and whatever happened to B-Sides.

Colleen McClain and Eugenie Park at the Pew Research Center:

Today, 52% of Americans say they are more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life – up from 37% in 2021. Another 9% are more excited than concerned and 37% say they’re equally excited and concerned, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted June 22-28, 2026.

Concern about AI for Americans over the age of 30 has been relatively stable, but not for people in their 20s and teens:

For the first time, a majority of adults under 30 (55%) now say they’re more concerned than excited about AI. About one-in-ten say they’re more excited than concerned, and roughly a third feel both equally. Their concern is now on par with those in their 30s and 40s, and those 65 and up.

Across age groups, about half or more say they’re more concerned than excited about AI. Excitement, in turn, has dropped off since 2021 among all age groups.

It’s incredible how badly AI companies have blown it from a PR perspective.

This week on the podcast:

A bunch of future Apple hardware has leaked in a beta of macOS Tahoe. The guys go through the list and then consider the iPad mini’s place in the world and the UI changes coming with Golden Gate.

RR Auction has something amazing for sale at the moment: an Apple I built for the Byte Shop.

The auction page has more details:

Well-preserved and fully functional ‘Byte Shop’–style Apple-1 computer (also commonly known as the Apple I, or Apple Computer 1), complete with all components and accessories required for operation, housed in a unique Smith-Corona typewriter case modified to fit the Apple-1.

This remarkable Apple-1, marked “01-0066” on the reverse side in security marker, is a highly original 8K system from the second batch of 50 Apple-1 computers produced and sold. While the marking alone does not establish that the computer was originally sold directly by The Byte Shop, the system displays several important Byte Shop–style characteristics, including its stock-number marking, its 8K configuration, and its original Datanetics Rev D keyboard with custom wired Apple-1 cable—the same keyboard-and-cable arrangement seen on known Byte Shop Apple-1 systems.

The set includes:

• original Apple-1 board, marked with Byte Shop stock number “01-0066”
• original Apple Cassette Interface (ACI) board
• Smith-Corona Electra 120 Typewriter case (modified for Apple-1)
• Apple-1 Power supply (Stancor P8380, Radio Shack 273-1512)
• Datanetics Rev D keyboard with cable
• Pixe-Verter TV Video Modulator and cables
• Realistic CTR-34 shoebox style cassette player/recorder with cables
• Miscellaneous Apple-1 Cassette tapes
• Original Apple-1 Operation Manual, Early Release
• Original Apple-1 Operation Manual, Later Release
• Original Apple Cassette Interface Manual
• Original Apple-1 Preliminary Apple BASIC User’s Manual, Early Release
• Original Apple-1 Preliminary Apple BASIC User’s Manual, Later Release
• Correspondence from Apple Computer, signed by Applications Software Engineer Dana Reddington, dated October 1977
• Period Xerox copy of excerpt from WozPack related to floating point math functions
• Owner’s notes on Apple-1 operation

I am also in love with this iPod prototype:

Kenneth Chang has the bad news at The New York Times (Gift Link):

NASA’s high-risk, high-reward attempt to save one of its space telescopes before it falls out of orbit has failed.

On Wednesday, NASA announced that a rescue spacecraft that was meant to grab onto the space agency’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and push it into a higher altitude will not proceed. With the rescue mission called off, Swift, which has observed distant, powerful explosions in the cosmos since 2004, is expected to burn up in the atmosphere later this year.

“This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting,” Jared Isaacman, the NASA administrator, said in a news release.

That rescue attempt was an uncrewed spacecraft built by Arizona-based Katalyst Space Technologies that would have pushed the telescope 100 miles further into space, giving it another decade of service.