Technologies

Apple, I’m (Sky) Blue About Your iPhone 17 Air Color

Commentary: The rumored new hue of the iPhone 17 Air is more sky blah than sky blue.

I can’t help but feel blue about the latest rumor that Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 17 Air will take flight in a subtle, light-hued color called sky blue.

Sky blue isn’t a new color for Apple. It’s the featured shade of the current M4 MacBook Air, a shimmer of cerulean so subtle as to almost be missed. It’s silver left too close to an aquarium; silver that secretly likes to think it’s blue but doesn’t want everyone else to notice.

Do Apple employees get to go outside and see a real blue sky? It’s actually vivid, you can check for yourself. Perhaps the muted sky blue color reflects a Bay Area late winter/early spring frequent layer of clouds like we typically see here in Seattle.

«Who cares?» you might find yourself saying. «Everyone gets a case anyway.» I hear you and everyone else who’s told me that. But design-focused Apple is as obsessive about colors as they are about making their devices thinner. And I wonder if their heads are in the clouds about which hues adorn their pro products.

Making the case for a caseless color iPhone

I’m more invested in this conversation than most — I’m one of those freaks who doesn’t wrap my phone in a case. I find cases bulky and superfluous, and I like to be able to see Apple’s design work. Also, true story, I’ve broken my iPhone screen only twice: First when it was in a «bumper» that Apple sent free in response to the iPhone 4 you’re-holding-it-wrong Antennagate fiasco, and second when trying to take long exposure starry night photos using what I didn’t realize was a broken tripod mount. My one-week-old iPhone 13 Pro slipped sideways and landed screen-first on a pointy rock. A case wouldn’t have saved it.

My current model is an iPhone 16 Pro in black titanium — which I know seems like avoiding color entirely — but previously I’ve gone for colors like blue titanium and deep purple. I wanted to like deep purple the most but it came across as, in the words of Patrick Holland in his iPhone 14 Pro review, «a drab shade of gray or like Grimace purple,» depending on the light.

Pros can be bold, too

Maybe the issue is too many soft blues. Since the iPhone Pro age began with the iPhone 11 Pro, we’ve seen variations like blue titanium (iPhone 15 Pro), sierra blue (iPhone 13 Pro) and pacific blue (iPhone 12 Pro).

Pacific blue is the boldest of the bunch, if by bold you mean dark enough to discern from silver, but it’s also close enough to that year’s graphite color that seeing blue depends on the surrounding lighting. By comparison, the blue (just «blue») color of the iPhone 12 was unmistakably bright blue.

In fact, the non-Pro lines have embraced vibrant colors. It’s as if Apple is equating «pro» with «sophisticated,» as in «A real pro would never brandish something this garish.» I see this in the camera world all the time: If it’s not all-black, it’s not a «serious» camera.

And yet I know lots of pros who are not sophisticated — proudly so. People choose colors to express themselves, so forcing that idea of professionalism through color feels needlessly restrictive. A bright pink iPhone 16 might make you smile every time you pick it up but then frown because it doesn’t have a telephoto camera.

Color is also important because it can sway a purchase decision. «I would buy a sky blue iPhone yesterday,» my colleague Gael Cooper texted after the first rumor popped online. When each new generation of iPhones arrive, less technically different than the one before, a color you fall in love with can push you into trading in your perfectly-capable model for a new one.

And lest you think Apple should just stick with black and white for its professional phones: Do you mean black, jet black, space black, midnight black, black titanium, graphite or space gray? At least the lighter end of the spectrum has stuck to just white, white titanium and silver over the years.

Apple never got ahead by being beige

I’m sure Apple has reams of studies and customer feedback that support which colors make it to production each year. Like I said, Apple’s designers are obsessive (in a good way). And I must remind myself that a sky blue iPhone 17 Air is a rumored color on a rumored product so all the usual caveats apply.

But we’re talking about Apple here. The scrappy startup that spent more than any other company on business cards at the time because each one included the old six-color Apple logo. The company that not only shaped the first iMac like a tipped-over gumdrop, that not only made the case partially see-through but then made that cover brilliant Bondi blue.

Embrace the iPhone colors, Apple.

If that makes you nervous, don’t worry: Most people will put a case on it anyway.

Technologies

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Technologies

Siri’s Big AI Upgrade Is Coming, but Reportedly Not Until Spring 2026

Apple previously delayed a Siri update set to imbue the service with more artificial intelligence features and expand its capabilities.

Apple appears to be making progress on a major update to its Siri software that would expand its capabilities and incorporate more AI features. According to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the delayed update for Siri now has an internal release window of spring 2026.

The update, which could arrive with iOS version 26.4, would make good on features and updates Apple first introduced at 2024’s WWDC. Since then, the updates to Siri that were supposed to incorporate many of the company’s Apple Intelligence have failed to materialize, and the company’s AI efforts so far haven’t wowed tech enthusiasts.

New capabilities for Siri would allow it to have more controls over apps across different devices. But according to Bloomberg’s report, internal development of Siri has been chaotic and the possibility of releasing a big update in spring is not a sure thing. One scenario is that a preview version would be available at that time with a full release set for 2026’s iPhone rollout later in the year.

Fortunately for Apple, AI isn’t currently factoring heavily into people’s phone-buying decisions. A CNET survey published this week suggests just 11% of people are driven to upgrade due to AI features.

A representative from Apple did not immediately return a request for information on the update. Apple has been vague in statements about Siri’s next update, promising only that it would be available «in the coming year.»

Amazon has had similar struggles with Alexa, its personal assistant software available on devices from Amazon and other companies. Its Alexa products have lost money and the company is in the process of rolling out Alexa Plus, which also incorporates new AI-driven features and would require a fee for those who don’t have Amazon Prime. That rollout has also had delays.

Technologies

Apple’s Workout Buddy Is Friendly, but What if It Could Adopt Other Personalities?

Commentary: People respond to different types of encouragement when working out — some prefer a drill sergeant, others a caffeinated spin class instructor.

We all have different ways of motivating ourselves to exercise, so when Apple announced Workout Buddy for the Apple Watch at WWDC 2025, it made us think about what sorts of verbal encouragement would spur us to complete our workouts. We couldn’t help but imagine the different types of future Workout Buddies — and how they might help, cajole or even bargain with us to hit our fitness goals.

Workout Buddy in WatchOS 26 will be available at the outset in eight workouts (such as running and cycling) that you can activate when the workout begins. It exists as a voice through the watch and Bluetooth headphones or earbuds and is modeled on actual Apple Fitness Plus trainers. Workout Buddy can deliver progress indicators, stats and vocal encouragement as you push through an exercise routine.

Initially, Workout Buddy comes across as the type of friend who’s there to give you a pat on the back and a helpful rundown of what you just accomplished. But people respond to different types of encouragement. As we wait for WatchOS 26 to arrive (the software is currently available only to developers), here are some different types of workout buddies that could someday — or hopefully not, in some cases — echo in our heads while we’re sweating.

The cheerleader: «That light sheen of sweat makes your skin positively radiant! Good job hitting the half-mile mark! Wow — you have the resting heart rate of a 20-year-old!»

The drill sergeant (said in the sweetest voice possible): «Get off your ass and burn off those donuts! You’ve still got two miles to go before you reach the calories you consumed, champ!»

Your fittest friend who never seems to exercise: «Listen, brah, if you don’t push one more mile outta this run, you’re never gonna refine that six-pack and ever, like, find true love or succeed at anything in your life. Just straight-talkin’ ya, brah.»

Your friend who keeps stats at baseball games: «You’ve completed 1.39 miles of this run with a heart rate of 185 beats per second and burned approximately 140 calories, which is slightly below yesterday’s run, probably because you got only 6.4 hours of sleep last night and ate 50g more pasta for dinner than your usual serving…»

Your chill friend: «Hey, good set. I’m right here with you. Let’s do another one.»

The guilt-tripper: «Way to complete that 30-minute walk! Those donuts are still waiting at home!»

The buddy who knows you so well: «All right, you’re doing it. Look, if you can push through another half a mile, you can justify that bagel and a glass of wine tonight to celebrate.»

The caffeinated spin class instructor: «Let’s go babes, keep on keeping on! Yeah! One and two and… That’s right! You can do this!»

The zen dude: «Hello there. Good morning. Let’s thank our bodies for being here. And let’s be present in this workout. Only 15 gentle miles of uphill running to go. Namaste.»

The nihilist buddy: «Wow — is that really all you could muster? Fine, whatever, it doesn’t really matter anyway.»

Mom: «You got out there and did a workout. You did good, hon.»

Werner Herzog: «You have walked 20 miles. Can you feel the futility? I can tell you haven’t even left your house. Why do you make me a participant in your lies?»

Maybe the most important Workout Buddy: «Hey. Hi. I know it’s early, and you’re warm and comfortable, but you said you were going to wake up early and go for a ride. C’mon — you can do this. Just get out of bed. We’ll do it together. Your favorite coffee shop is right at the end of the route.»