There is still a lot of activity and chatter in the labs this week following last week’s iPhone announcement.
Below you’ll find the week’s new videos and podcasts, a few of the conversations happening in the member community, and what’s coming next week. Most of those links lead straight into the Labs community on Circle, so they’ll only open if you’re a member. If you’re a Labs member who hasn’t set up your Circle access yet, send me a note and I’ll get you in. For members, this is your week at a glance. If you’re not one yet, it’s a peek at what you’re missing.
The Week’s Releases
Labs September Meetup: iPhone Duo, Local AI, and AirPods
Meetup · Recording posted September 17 · Pathfinder + Insider
The After Dark session from September 10 is up now as a podcast episode. We opened on the iPhone Duo and Apple’s case for AI that stays local and private, then worked through photo provenance, the iPhone 18 Pro cameras, the M5 Mac Studio as a local AI machine, Apple Watch recording and privacy, my homemade MacSparky app, and the new AirPods.
Pathfinder Link | Insider Link
Moving Into a New iPhone (Updated for iOS 27)
Article · September 17 · all tiers
The checklist I run every year when moving to a new iPhone, cleaned up for iOS 27. What to handle before you open the box, what to choose during the transfer, and what to leave alone afterward, plus a few new settings worth a minute on setup day.
Pathfinder Link | Insider Link | Member Link
Moving Into a New Apple Watch (Updated for watchOS 27)
Article · September 18 · all tiers
The companion piece for the watch half of the upgrade. Order of operations when you are replacing both, what unpairing actually does, and the one Health setting people miss right before they wipe the old watch.
Pathfinder Link | Insider Link | Member Link
The Lab Report for September 18, 2026
Podcast · September 18 · all tiers
I’m fighting a cold this week, so the episode is a little shorter and my voice is a little rougher. The iOS 27.2 betas landed on every platform two days after iOS 27 shipped, bringing the rebuilt Health app and Siri AI in five more languages.
Pathfinder Link | Insider Link | Member Link
In the Community
Any recommendations for a reliable desktop mic for dictation? (Labs Discussion Board)
A member’s wireless lav mics stopped being dependable for desk dictation, so they asked what everyone else sits in front of. Nine replies in, there are real suggestions to work through.
Keyboard Maestro on Stream Deck – macOS Golden Gate (Labs Discussion Board)
The Stream Deck extension that fires Keyboard Maestro macros broke after the upgrade to macOS Golden Gate. One member asked what still works, and the replies turned into a small survey of the alternatives.
Calendar URL (Labs Discussion Board)
A member asked whether the Labs events calendar has a URL you can subscribe to. Answer: yes. Short thread, useful answer.
If you’re a Labs member and haven’t joined the Circle community yet, let me know and I’ll get you set up.
Coming Up
The calendar runs hot from next Wednesday through the middle of October.
September Deep Dive – The Mac Studio Home Server · September 23, 12:00 Pacific
Labs Jam Session – Browsers · September 24, 12:00 Pacific
Pathfinder Link | Insider Link | Member Link
Q4 Quarter Planning Meetup · October 1, 10:00 Pacific
Labs October Meetup · October 8, 14:00 Pacific
Pathfinder Link | Insider Link
October Deep Dive – Local and Private AI on a Mac · October 15, 12:00 Pacific
Links of Interest
- John Gruber on why version 27.1 is the Duo-exclusive iOS fork and the rest of us jump straight to 27.2.
- The 27.2 beta rebuilds the Health app, which is the first real change there in years.
- If Siri AI has not shown up on your phone yet, there is a waitlist and you are probably on it.
- Anyone planning to buy the foldable should read that the Duo could be hard to find at launch, with hinge production holding supply down.
Join the Labs
The videos, podcasts, and live sessions above are inside MacSparky Labs. Join at macsparky.com/join.
I write about getting more from your Apple gear. If this was useful, go deeper in the Labs or grab the weekly newsletter.