eXtensions - Tuesday 24 June 2025
By Graham K. Rogers
A couple of weeks after WWDC, more news arrives on Apple systems, while beta releases show more features. Apple has backed down on the new Finder icon. How many times must Craig Federighi confirm that the iPad is not a Mac. Tim Cook is used to criticism, but this week one publication surpassed its usual Cook negativity. Ethernet can be used on the Mac, but it is also available on the iPhone and iPad.
It is not unusual to see news of beta releases of its operating systems as Apple continues development of its software. The full release of each OS can be expected around September starting when the new iPhones are announced. iOS and the other operating systems are released around the same time. For now, as each beta is sent out to developers, more information becomes available about what may be in the final releases: features, apps, and other relevant information. One interesting revelation with the beta 2 release of macOS is news about the Finder icon. The color switch was roundly criticized when it was first shown, but as Zac Hall (9to5Mac) reports, the colors have been switched back. Normal service has been resumed. As Anna Washenko (Engadget) notes, Apple does read those comments on social media and there are now changes to Liquid Glass as well as to that Finder icon.
As we expect, after WWDC (or any product release) close examination by others reveals some interesting features that had not been announced at the event. William Gallagher (AppleInsider) reports on a discovery from John Voorhees on MacStories about the new AI transcription feature that is available in the macOS 26 beta. With his son, it took a few minutes to come up with a tool that made use of the new Speech framework that is available to all developers and this is faster than the OpenAI Whisper. As Jason Snell (6 Colors) comments, "It's great to see that Apple is in this game, and even better, that it's handing the power of this model to app developers so they can built speech-to-text transcription features directly into their apps." The tool is available on Github and a link is in the Gallagher article and of course the MacStories item (kudos to Finn Voorhees).
Any new release from Apple will have features that were not announced at WWDC, and Rajesh Pandey (Cult of Mac) has a list of some 21 of these for iOS 26. One that I like and which has been mentioned by others is the Clean Lens reminder. I am not sure, however, when the warning would appear. It may not be helpful if the reminder comes just when you have the perfect shot lined up. With the iOS 26 beta release, Taimur Assad (Redmond Pie) has a list of changes (11) that have been made. Ryan Christoffel (9to5Mac) also mentions a new Apple Music widget.
I mentioned last time that I was most excited about the way the iPad is to be beefed up but is not, despite much insistence from a few in the tech press, ever going to have macOS installed. Craig Federighi has said this several times and in several reports, for example only last year when post-WWDC he and Greg Joswiak were on stage with John Gruber. Now he has said it again. Firmly.
Federico Viticci who has worked for a long time on Apple's tablet device interviewed Craig Federighi recently and focused on the iPad: there were some excellent insights from both. Federighi was forced by ill health to shift his work to the iPad (from the Mac) and it swiftly became his main working device. This is what I have found too in the last few years, particularly (in my case) since the arrival of the 11" iPad Pro. This was not only better for me in terms of weight, but I have moved almost all of my work to the tablet device. There are a couple of feature omissions and I still use the Mac for these specific tasks (e.g. flatbed scanner), but overall, the iPad Pro is my main working computer these days.
iPad Pro running ipadOS 26 - Not a Mac - Image courtesy of Apple
The article is fairly long (Federico works like that) but the ideas from both him and Craig Federighi are worth taking the time to read in their entirety. But don't take my word for it. Jason Snell (6 Colors) also likes this, noting that it is pretty much two articles in one: the interview and comments, along with Federico's "post-WWDC brain dump"; and Stephen Hacket on 512 Pixels, writes, "This entire thing is gold. Take some time and enjoy it."
Among some of the stories in the past week that more or less concern Apple, there was one that shows a new made-in-USA mobile phone, that is far cheaper than the iPhone. It looks as if Tim Cook is the next in line to fall out of favor, after Musk, Tucker Carlson and several others.
As Mike Wuerthele (AppleInsider) writes, "The problem is, the [Trump] phone was made in China." There is more. Wuerthele adds that it is actually a cheap Chinese Android device, and that they are tripling the Amazon price of it, while slapping on new plastic. Silicon snake oil. I am sure this will fly off the shelves. Best of luck with any warranty claims.
It seems that Cook has also fallen out of favour - or even more out of favour than usual - with the editor/writer at MacDaily News. Ever since Cook became CEO at Apple, this publication has kept up a continuous barrage of articles suggesting that Cook is not suitable for the CEO position, despite him being Steve Jobs' specific choice, with which all members of the Board agreed.
When some activist shareholders were pushing for another person to replace him, MDN was to the fore; and on several occasions when there have been setbacks or problems, out come the sour comments on the "caretaker" CEO, who has built Apple into a trillion dollar corporation. MDN insists however that this was all on the back of decisions made by Steve Jobs: the iPhone, iPad, the Apple Watch, and even [MDN claims] Vision Pro. With the latter Jobs is given credit for the initial concept, while Cook is blamed for the pricing and limited sales. This week, MDN put out another tiring comment on this old theme. I also think Cook is boring as a public speaker - that is his style - but he has a set of skills that have done Apple well. Maybe a new editor at MDN is called for.
World WiFi day was held last week. Ed Hardy looked at this as a day to celebrate the continued existence of Ethernet which is still widely available. Look at the back of the WiFi router and there may well be ports that accept the RJ 45 Ethernet connector (the telephone uses RJ11). The one that the internet service provides me has 4 Ethernet ports and I normally connect my Apple Airport wifi router to that rather than use the internet provider's wifi. I also use another port for Ethernet as Hardy suggests. In the article Hardy featured a USB-C to Ethernet adapter from Plugable. I use an Ethernet adapter from Kanex, although the one I have has been superseded.
Ethernet is not a Mac-only solution. It works on other devices as well. I have tried this on my iPhone 15 Pro and the iPad Pro. Like most Mac devices, the technology is built into the devices, but usually remains invisible. Once the Ethernet adapter is connected to the USB-C port, look in Settings and a new Ethernet option appears.
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On my iPhone this is between WiFi and Bluetooth. When I access the panels for the Ethernet, the WiFi signal icon at the top of the screen is no longer shown (5G signal only), although the WiFi panel shows it is still on. It may be an idea to turn off the WiFi while using Ethernet, particularly if the reason for the switch is to enhance security.
Screenshot from iPad Settings with Ethernet connected
With the iPad Pro, the effect of connecting the Ethernet adapter is almost identical. A new Ethernet icon appears and the settings for the connection are shown within that panel. The MacBook Pro (macOS 15.5) is slightly different. The first time the adapter is attached, a user needs to confirm that the USB-C connection can be accepted. Details of the Ethernet connection are shown in the Network settings panel. I turned off the WiFi when I connected the adapter and the Kanex device information was displayed. When I removed that and turned WiFi on again, that service was shown. When Wifi and Ethernet were used, both were shown as active in the Network panel. I am unable to say how this might work, my preference being to turn off WiFi if I connected the Ethernet option to avoid any conflict.
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If I were using this regularly, I would also buy a longer cable. The CAT 8 cable I am using is only 1 meter in length and my work area is a couple of meters away, so the current setup can only be used on a short-term or emergency basis. Nonetheless, it is there, it is available. And Ethernet is still viable.
Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs. After 3 years writing a column in the Life supplement, he is now no longer associated with the Bangkok Post. He can be followed on X (@extensions_th). The RSS feed for the articles is http://www.extensions.in.th/ext_link.xml - copy and paste into your feed reader.
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