Are These Apple’s Next Products?

Summary of Are These Apple’s Next Products?

by MKBHD

1h 37m•May 1, 2026
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Overview of Are These Apple’s Next Products?

This episode of Waveform is a mix of Apple rumor roundup, AI product speculation, and a few platform updates from Google, Samsung, Spotify, Threads, and YouTube. The main theme is clear: big tech is racing to add AI-powered, context-aware features everywhere, but the hosts are skeptical about whether consumers actually want always-on capture devices or if these ideas mostly serve as a way to gather more data and keep people locked into ecosystems.

Apple: Foldables, AI Photos, and a Bigger Hardware Vision

John Ternus and the next iPhone event

  • The hosts discuss reports that John Ternus may headline Apple’s September event.
  • The reason: he reportedly led the team behind Apple’s foldable iPhone, which may be called the iPhone Ultra.
  • They debate whether “Ultra” makes sense for a foldable, since Apple’s Ultra branding usually implies maximum features and durability.

Price speculation on the foldable iPhone

  • They guess the foldable iPhone will be very expensive, with estimates ranging from about $2,000 to $2,700.
  • The overall expectation is that Apple will use it as a premium halo product, not a mass-market device.

AI photo tools coming to iOS 27

The episode also covers rumored AI photo editing features Apple may add:

  • Extend: generative image expansion, similar to Photoshop.
  • Enhance: automatic image improvements for color, lighting, and other adjustments.
  • Reframe: a more ambitious feature for spatial photos, letting you change perspective after capture.

The hosts spend a lot of time on the philosophy behind this:

  • Apple has traditionally drawn a line between editing a photo and changing what happened.
  • They see these features as Apple trying to stay consistent with its “capture a real moment” approach, while still adding useful AI functionality.

Apple’s rumored new product categories

The episode also runs through a list of reported Apple projects:

  • AI AirPods
  • Smart glasses
  • A smart display / “HomePad”
  • A tabletop robot
  • A wearable pendant
  • A security camera

Their reaction is mixed:

  • Some ideas feel inevitable, like a HomePod with a screen or a camera-powered home security device.
  • Others, like camera-equipped AirPods or a context-collecting pendant, raise privacy and social concerns.
  • The tabletop robot is especially mysterious, but they note Apple has done research on expressive robot motion, which suggests they may be exploring something more animated and personality-driven.

Samsung Smart Glasses Leak

  • Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy smart glasses reportedly have:
    • Dual cameras
    • Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1
    • 12MP Sony sensors
    • Bone-conduction speakers
    • ~50g weight
    • 155mAh battery
    • Price range: $379–$499
  • The hosts think dual cameras may be used for depth/surround capture or eventually spatial video.
  • They also note the broader ecosystem advantage:
    • Google, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, and others could all release smart glasses under Android XR.
    • That could create a much bigger hardware wave than a single-company strategy.

OpenAI’s Rumored AI Smartphone

One of the biggest discussion points is the report that OpenAI is working on a smartphone to compete with the iPhone.

Why the hosts are skeptical

  • They question what OpenAI could do better than Apple or Google on a phone.
  • The obvious answer seems to be: an always-on AI-first device with deeper context and fewer restrictions.
  • But they point out major problems:
    • Phones need reliable apps, maps, camera quality, and predictable behavior
    • Consumers may not accept a phone that only works 70–80% of the time
    • The current public mood around AI is negative enough that a dedicated AI phone may be a tough sell

Their broader take

  • OpenAI seems to be chasing the scale of the iPhone because AI alone may not generate enough revenue.
  • The hosts view the idea as a huge bet on a future where people want to offload more of their cognition to AI.
  • They’re not convinced that future is close enough for a phone like this to work.

Google Photos AI Try-On Feature

A surprise breaking story in the episode: Google Photos is adding an AI clothing try-on feature.

What it does

  • It uses photos of clothes you already own and photos of yourself to generate outfit previews.
  • You can:
    • Mix and match clothing items
    • Save outfits
    • Share looks with others

Host reaction

  • They’re split at first, but eventually warm to it.
  • One host says it feels like a modern version of the Clueless wardrobe idea.
  • The main concern is that clothing fit and drape are hard to simulate perfectly, especially across different materials and tailoring.
  • Still, they agree it could be very useful for people who are bad at outfit planning or shopping.

Spotify Premium Adds Peloton Classes

  • Spotify Premium now includes access to select Peloton classes:
    • Yoga
    • Strength
    • Pilates
    • Running
  • No bike or treadmill classes, just app-based workouts.

Why this matters

  • The hosts see it as part of a broader trend: streaming apps trying to become full ecosystems instead of single-purpose services.
  • Spotify wants to keep users inside its app longer, just like Netflix, YouTube, and others.
  • Peloton benefits by getting exposure to non-bike users and potentially converting some of them into paying subscribers later.

Threads Launches Live Chats

  • Threads is introducing live chats for big events like sports games and tech launches.
  • The feature lets a limited number of people contribute, while others can react and vote in polls.
  • The hosts think this could be great for:
    • Live podcast coverage
    • Event commentary
    • Community-based watch parties
  • They compare it to a mix of Slack, Discord, and live blogs.

Google’s New Gradient Icon Redesign

  • Google is updating many of its app icons with a Gemini-inspired gradient style.
  • The hosts like the change because older Google icons were too similar and visually hard to distinguish.
  • They also note that apps like Google Keep surviving the redesign is a small victory for a product many assumed might be shut down.

YouTube TV Multi-View

  • YouTube TV is getting a multi-view layout feature.
  • The hosts immediately want the same thing for standard YouTube:
    • Multiple videos on one screen
    • Easier second-screen control
  • They also note that live sports and bar-style viewing are obvious use cases for multi-view.

Main Themes and Takeaways

1. AI is moving from software into physical objects

The episode is full of products that blur the line between:

  • assistants
  • cameras
  • wearables
  • home devices
  • context collectors

2. Privacy vs usefulness is still the biggest tension

The hosts repeatedly ask:

  • How much data do these products need?
  • Who sees it?
  • How much context is too much?

3. Ecosystems are becoming the product

Apple, Google, Samsung, Spotify, and OpenAI are all trying to make users stay inside their own systems for as many tasks as possible.

4. The killer AI hardware product still hasn’t been proven

Smart glasses, AI phones, pendants, and home devices all sound exciting, but the show is skeptical that any of them have a truly universal reason to exist yet.

Trivia and Closing Bits

The episode also includes the show’s usual trivia segment and a playful ending, but the major content is the hardware and AI rumors. The overall vibe is energetic, skeptical, and very focused on how these speculative products fit into the real-world habits of users rather than the hype cycle.