Google Maps has been given a fairly substantial update in time for the holidays, with the introduction of an in-app product search function to help users find specific items at nearby stores. The new feature allows shoppers to search for electronics, home goods, grocery items, and last-minute gifts directly within the Maps interface.
The update also brings navigation enhancements, with Google Maps now displaying real-time weather disruptions such as unplowed roads, flooded areas, and zones with low visibility. Public transit users can now also access crowdsourced delay reports and improved station information, including detailed subway entrance locations and alternative route suggestions.
Elsewhere, for electric vehicle owners, Maps has gained a synced route planning feature with charging stops, allowing users to send their planned routes directly to vehicles with built-in Google Maps. Meanwhile, a new trailer-friendly routing feature, currently available for select 2024 Chevrolet and GMC models, helps drivers avoid low bridges and tunnels by considering vehicle dimensions.
In an effort to reduce holiday stress, Maps has also enhanced its Popular Times feature with detailed traffic predictions and store crowd information. Google recommends avoiding peak travel times, particularly between 1.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. in the days leading up to Christmas.
The features are rolling out globally, although some functions like trailer-friendly routing are currently limited to specific vehicle models, with broader availability planned for the future.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects Apple to release new AirPods Pro this year, and he said the earbuds will have a key new feature: heart rate monitoring.
From his Power On newsletter today, with emphasis added:As for Apple's other devices, there's a lot in the fall pipeline — though many of the new products are only incremental upgrades.
There will be Apple Watch updates, faster Vision...
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max should be unveiled in a few more weeks, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices.
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman corroborated a rumor that iPhone 17 Pro models will be "available in an orange color."
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are...
Monday August 25, 2025 4:22 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple will offer the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in a new orange color, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Gurman made the claim in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, adding that the new iPhone 17 Air – replacing the iPhone 16 Plus – will come in a new light blue color.
We've heard multiple rumors about a new iPhone 17 Pro color being a shade of orange. The ...
Sunday August 24, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple has "considered" releasing a bumper case for the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Similar to the bumper case that Apple introduced for the iPhone 4 in 2010, Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air version of the case would cover the edges of the device, but not the back of it. Those bumper cases were made of rubber.
Given that the iPhone 17 Air is expected to have ...
Wednesday August 20, 2025 6:44 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
We're only weeks away from Apple's annual iPhone event – rumored to take place on September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023.
By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for enhancements,...
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through what to expect from the Apple Watch SE 3, Series 11, and Ultra 3, and whether it's worth holding off on an upgrade until next year.
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos
The third-generation Apple Watch SE is rumored to feature a larger display (perhaps like the Apple Watch Series 7), the S11 chip, and...
Who needs Maps, when Google is listening to your conversations anyway, and will suggest items to purchase through ads whenever you open your web browser. Thank goodness for Ghostery!
I was using Google voice a few months ago to text a friend, suddenly Google said my last text was against their terms etc and cut off the conversation. I have always hated the spying but that was the last straw as I didn't write anything of consequence. They know when my bills are due and how much they are for even those they come encrypted .
This drove me back to Apple and no Google shall touch my iphones or in the works MacMini.
Oh sure. I'm gonna use google maps to find me gifts when google maps gets so many people lost with driving directions. Sorry, I'll find my own gifts, thank you.
I was using Google voice a few months ago to text a friend, suddenly Google said my last text was against their terms etc and cut off the conversation. I have always hated the spying but that was the last straw as I didn't write anything of consequence. They know when my bills are due and how much they are for even those they come encrypted .
This drove me back to Apple and no Google shall touch my iphones or in the works MacMini.
I would have to see proof of this, that would be covered in forums or tech news if true. Unless you're a very naughty boy.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
