Meta Releases Muse Spark Open, an Over 800 Billion Parameter Model That Can Run Locally on Multiple M5 Ultra Mac Studios

By John Voorhees

Meta just released the weights for Muse Spark Open, a multimodal large language model with a mixture-of-experts architecture. It has over 800 billion parameters in total, with 40 billion active per token, and it can run on the latest Mac Studios.

Meta worked closely with Apple to make that happen specifically on the M5 Ultra Mac Studio with the support of MLX, the Apple-led, open-source machine-learning framework. The result is a frontier-class model that can be run locally on desktop hardware.

Apple’s Machine Learning Research blog put the M5 Ultra through its paces standalone and connected with other M5 Ultra Studios, and the results are impressive. If you’re at all interested in running LLMs locally, it’s worth checking out all the details, but a few things jumped out at me:

The M5 Ultra’s time to first token exceeds the M3 Ultra by 4.6x thanks to the M5 Ultra’s Neural Accelerators.
Tokens generated by the M5 Ultra beat the M4 Ultra by 1.6x.

However, thanks to MLX’s support of RDMA over Thunderbolt 5, big models like Muse Spark Open can be split across multiple M5 Ultra Mac Studios accelerating tasks further. For very large contexts that means a time to first token that’s up to 1.8x faster, but it’s also what lets the model fit onto desktop hardware because even the 4-bit version of Muse Spark Open requires 493GB of memory.

Some of Apple’s testing was done with the 512GB model of the M5 Ultra Mac Studio, which is slated for release at the end of the year. Apple hasn’t said how much the new model will cost, but for context, the 256GB model with 2TB of storage will set you back over $11,000. So the 512GB model isn’t your typical consumer purchase, even more so since running Muse Spark Open requires at least two of them.

However, that doesn’t make this any less of an accomplishment. Muse Spark Open is at the bleeding edge of models that can be run locally on computers that can sit on your desk and don’t need more power than can be delivered from a wall outlet. That’s made possible by the unique combination of Apple silicon and updates to MLX. Plus, with the pace of advancements in AI and Apple silicon hardware, what may only meet enterprise budgets today could become accessible to more consumers faster than most of us might expect.

Why Aren’t AI Labs’ Apps Better?→

Linked By Federico Viticci

Ben Davis (co-host of one of my favorite new podcasts this year, Nerd Snipe) has a fascinating take on a question I’ve seen many in the Apple community ponder as well: if these frontier models are so good, why do most AI apps from the big labs still kind of suck?

Davis wrote about this in relation to the ChatGPT/Codex desktop app, which has turned into a bit of a kitchen-sink design phenomenon with all kinds of features crammed into a UI that has two left sidebars, multiple modalities, and all sorts of disjointed menus.

To me the most interesting thing here is the implied question of “if the Codex team has unlimited tokens on really powerful unreleased models, why is the product getting worse?”

The lazy answer is “it’s just vibe coded slop, real artisanal code wouldn’t be like this”. Anyone who still says this is a moron and you can ignore them.

“Vibe coding” is not the problem. Frankly, these models are better at writing code than pretty much anyone at this point. You tell the model to make something and it’ll make that thing quite well. And also to be clear, Jira was horrid before LLMs existed. Good and bad products have always existed, and I actually think you can make infinitely better products now when using the agents properly (see T3 Code and Grok Bot).

I’ve been reviewing apps for over 17 years. Without a doubt, the most basic “vibe-coded” app created with Opus 5.5 today is infinitely more stable and nicer than any first app from an amateur developer in 2009. So if we agree that these models can write good code now, why is it that so many apps are still bad?

As we argued in our interview with OpenAI’s own Andrew Ambrosino (the irony is not lost on me), it comes down to human discernment, taste, and other qualities that can’t be turned into “metrics” for a model…at least not yet.

Davis continues:

To put a more precise definition on it, I think this “taste” is the ability to make good decisions in places where there isn’t a programmatic verification function.

For example: “make this function really fast” isn’t a “taste” task it’s a hill climbing task (make changes => test changes => repeat until goal met) which the models excel at right now (I think that any problem which can be expressed in this shape can be solved now by Opus 5.5)

“Which of these color palettes do you prefer?” is a “taste” question. You can’t really put a verifier on it other than your own opinion AKA your own taste. It’s a simple little example, but everything from codebase structure to dashboard layout to how features in chatgpt fit together all fit under here. Their implementations are “correct”, the tests pass, I just hate the choices they made.

“The tests pass, I just hate the choices” sums up my experience with coding agents perfectly. We’re working on our first two apps for MacStories (more in the near future), and while I’m not writing the code, I have to spend so much time thinking about usability decisions, onboarding flows, iOS best practices, and “it just doesn’t feel right” issues that models haven’t been able to abstract yet. I have to wonder if, in a rush to maximize infinite token usage and build everything “because why not?”, perhaps the big labs may have ignored these other aspects of good software design. I strongly believe that there’s more to a great app experience than elegant code that passes tests.

Knowing how these things can change so quickly in this scene, I’m sure this post will be obsolete in a few months. Maybe even weeks. But at this moment in time, Davis’ article is spot-on and human decisions still make a dent in software coded by agents.

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HomeView Points to Siri AI as the Next Developer Platform

By John Voorhees

Source: Apple.

Yesterday, Wired reported that third-party apps with CarPlay functionality would be available on Apple’s new HomeView device. That struck me as odd. I was expecting, and I think many others were at least hoping, that the HomeView would be a new platform for building apps. And while strictly speaking that doesn’t seem to be the case, in an entirely different way it is. Here’s what’s going on.

Apple’s original press release caused some confusion because it doesn’t spell out the CarPlay angle. Instead, it simply says that the HomeView supports “compatible third-party audio and video apps,” and “[s]elect apps require a paired and compatible iPhone nearby,” which is also a CarPlay requirement. That press release also mentioned the HomeView’s ability to use widgets and access personal context without ever mentioning whether that applies to third-party apps.

Well, now we have some answers to most of these questions. First of all, Apple documents out-of-the-box support for audio and video apps, rather than the full range of CarPlay categories. That’s further supported by Katarina Mogus’ interview with Apple’s Cecilia Dantas, which draws a straight line between third-party video apps and CarPlay support.

Second, the Human Interface Guidelines have been updated to address which widgets can be used with the HomeView:

On Apple HomeView, people can place widgets on the Modular face and the Home Screen. Widgets on HomeView are from the small system family, and share the appearance of iPhone widgets. A person chooses widgets from among those already installed on HomeView, like Weather or World Clock, or from their individually connected iPad or iPhone.

As for whether Siri can access third-party data and actions, I suspect the answer is yes. Apple’s press release called out personal context specifically, which was confirmed by Apple’s Kaiann Drance and Lilian Rincon in an interview with Reuters. So, for example, you can presumably use the HomeView to retrieve an old message from the Messages app on your iPhone. The Q&A section on the HomeView product page also mentions taking action across apps with Siri. That strongly suggests that the HomeView’s functionality will be the same as the new HomePod mini 2’s when it gains Siri AI capabilities, even though I haven’t seen anything from Apple that addresses whether that sort of Siri integration extends to third-party apps directly.

So, as of today, Apple has documented support for CarPlay audio and video apps and small widgets. I suspect Siri AI will provide another route, too. That limited app model may disappoint some, but I think it points to where personal assistants are heading. Apps aren’t going away, but the need for a separate app on every device is.

Siri, with apps integrated through App Intents, is emerging as a new UI. Developers who have adopted that technology already give users ways to interact with their apps beyond the apps themselves. I expect HomeView will extend that opportunity even further without requiring developers to build for an entirely new device. If it does, that’s a win for developers and users alike, and perhaps just the tip of the iceberg in a world where computing extends beyond apps.

Apple Teams Up with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric to Offer the Apple Home Collection

By John Voorhees

Source: Apple.

Apple revealed today that it has partnered with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric on the Apple Home Collection, a range of smart home products including sensors, thermostats, cameras, and a smart lock that will be available beginning in December and into 2027.

Source: Apple.

LG has developed a video doorbell, a floodlight camera, outdoor and indoor cameras, a thermostat, and a temperature sensor, along with a smart lock that supports Ultra Wideband for hands-free door unlocking. Schneider Electric will offer a smart thermostat and temperature and humidity sensors. Device installation will also be available through a partnership between ADT and Apple Retail in the U.S. for an additional fee.

Source: Apple.

Standout features include:

the ability of the cameras to pick out faces, animals, vehicles, and packages,
iCloud+ support for HomeKit Secure Video,
the ability for the indoor cameras to tilt down when a household member returns home,
adaptive temperature on the thermostat that adjusts heating and cooling according to whether someone is home, and
the ability to shift heating and cooling use (U.S. only) to when available energy sources are cleaner.

Source: Apple.

Pricing for the devices is as follows:

LG Video Doorbell Wired: $249.95
LG Floodlight Cam: $399.95
LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In: $299.95
LG Indoor Cam Plug-In: $199.95
LG Smart Deadbolt Lock: $349.95
LG Smart Thermostat: $199.95
LG Temperature Sensor: $39.95
Schneider Home Smart Thermostat: $199.95
Schneider Home Room Sensor: $39.95

The cameras will be available in the U.S., Canada, and the UK, with other devices limited to the U.S. and Canada.

The Apple TV 4K Gets Siri AI, an A19 Chip, and a $299 Price Tag

By John Voorhees

Source: Apple.

Apple also updated the Apple TV 4K today. Last updated in 2022, the Apple TV 4K’s fourth-generation update is focused on bringing an improved surround sound experience to the Apple TV, along with Siri AI. From the outside, the new Apple TV 4K looks like the old one: a nondescript black box that sits under your TV, but on the inside, the components have been upgraded. The Siri Remote has been updated too.

Source: Apple.

The updated Apple TV features Apple’s A19 chip with an AV1 decoder and three far-field microphones. The A19 chip has a faster CPU (a claimed 50% boost) and GPU (a claimed 2x improvement), which may come in handy when playing games. The microphones allow a user’s voice to be picked up by the Apple TV despite background noise, and Apple says Siri AI will enable new ways to discover what to watch on the device. It’s worth noting that Siri AI is available on the second- and third-generation Apple TV 4K, too. Other upgraded specs that are notable include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.

Source: Apple.

Apple has also expanded the surround sound capabilities of the Apple TV. It can now be paired with four Apple HomePod mini 2s or second-generation HomePods or two pairs of each HomePod type. As for the Siri Remote, it now supports Precision Finding and can play a sound when used with the Find My app.

The new Apple TV 4K is a steep $299, which is disappointing but understandable given the update and 128GB of storage and can be preordered now in the U.S. and 29 other countries, with delivery and in-store availability on November 13.

Apple Reveals HomePod mini 2 with New Colors, Richer Sound, and Siri AI

By Federico Viticci

As part of today’s announcements related to Home (including the brand new HomeView, which we’ve covered here), Apple also announced HomePod mini 2, an update to its popular line of diminutive speakers for the home first launched in 2020. The new HomePod mini comes in new colors, will support Siri AI in select markets with a future software update, has a new ‘Sound Glow’ top panel that intelligently adapts colors shown to match what is playing, and offers more integrations with the Apple TV 4K and Mac – all while delivering improved and richer sound compared to the first-generation model.

Apple Unveils HomeView: A Smart Home Display Powered by Siri AI

By John Voorhees

Source: Apple.

Today, Apple announced the highly anticipated HomeView, a Siri AI-powered device for controlling your HomeKit devices and accessing other apps and services like Apple Music, your calendar, Reminders, Apple Podcasts, and more.

The table top HomeView’s screen tilts. Source: Apple.

HomeView comes in two configurations, each of which is $299 and will launch on November 13 and can be preordered today. The first sits on a flat surface and has a domed aluminum base and a 7-inch Liquid Retina True Tone display that tilts. The base houses a downward-firing woofer and two force-cancelling passive radiators and the display has two drivers that support Spatial Audio.

The Wall Mounted HomeView. Source: Apple.

The second HomeView model is meant to be hung on a wall, but the functionality of both is roughly the same. The main difference being that the wall-mounted version lacks the other model’s base and its woofer.

HomeView faces. Source: Apple.

The HomeView features a series of customizable faces that are navigated by swipe gestures. There are faces for photos, weather, a clock, for example, which are reminiscent of Apple Watch faces. There are also tiles for controlling HomeKit devices and widgets for things like the weather and your calendar, which are similar to the iPhone’s StandBy Mode widgets.

As for apps, Apple includes a selection of their own apps like FaceTime, Music, Podcasts, TV, News, and Messages along with select video and audio apps from third parties. As a smart home hub, HomeView allows users to watch HomeKit camera feeds and control locks, thermostats, lights, blinds, and other compatible devices. Of course, Siri AI is a big part of the HomeView story, too, serving as a means for navigating the device’s UI, interacting with apps, and requesting information conversationally.

Source: Apple.

Under the hood, the HomeView is powered by an A18 chip with Secure Exclaves for processing audio and video data. According to Apple, Messages and Calendar content are only available when a user is recognized and their paired iPhone or iPad is present and recently unlocked.

Overall, I love the look of the HomeView and have been thinking about where I’d place it in my home as I write this. I also like the blend of concepts that draw from the Apple Watch, StandBy Mode, and widgets. My hope, though, is that the third-party developer story expands beyond the limited audio and video apps mentioned in Apple’s press release.

Preorders are live now in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the UK, and the U.S. and will begin on Thursday, October 15, at 9 a.m. SGT in Singapore. The HomeView is not available in the EU because Siri AI is not available there.

For the wall-mounted version, Apple is offering a $59.95 USB-C Wall Connector and a $79.95 AC Wired option, both of which are available for preorder now in the U.S. A Power Mount PoE option will be available in early 2027 for $129.95 in the U.S., too.

Apple Kicks Off Indie Games Week with Six New iPhone and iPad Games, Plus No Man’s Sky Preorders

By John Voorhees

Source: Apple.

Today, Apple announced Indie Games Week, a celebration of some of the best games from independent game studios. To kick things off, the company announced seven big titles that are making their iPhone and iPad debut today or are coming soon.

Apple’s Carson Oliver, the head of App Store Worldwide, had this to say in the company’s press release:

Indie games are constantly pushing the boundaries of creativity to deliver unique gameplay experiences to Apple users, and we wanted to take a moment to celebrate these games and the teams that take creative risks to push gaming forward.

Sifu.

The games available today include:

Sifu ($7.99), a stylish martial arts fighting game where you play as a kung fu student out for revenge.
Vampire Crawlers ($9.99), a deck-building spin-off of Vampire Survivors where the dungeon battles are playable at your own pace.
Little Kitty, Big City (Free with $9.99 full-game unlock), an open world game where you explore a cityscape as a cat.
Dome Keeper ($9.99), a mining and defense game where you must mine for resources while keeping an eye out for enemy attacks on the surface.
Yes, Your Grace 2: Snowfall (Free with $4.99 full-game unlock), a kingdom-management game that poses moral dilemmas as you are forced to make choices to save your empire.
9 Kings (Free with $8.99 full-game unlock), a card-based strategy game where you assemble your army for battle with rivals, managing troops and resources.

Coming Oct. 28: No Man’s Sky.

Also announced today is that No Man’s Sky is making its debut on the iPhone and iPad on October 28th with preorders available today. Originally announced as a 2022 release for the Mac and iPad, the game has clearly taken longer than expected to adapt to Apple’s platforms.

For those who have been patiently waiting, though, the news is very good. The iPhone and iPad versions support all of the past updates to No Man’s Sky and will work on every iPhone from the iPhone 11 forward and the iPad Air (3rd generation) and later. The game will also feature touch controls, and both mouse and keyboard and controller support. However, similar to the game’s Switch debut, it will not include multiplayer, Settlements, cross-save, or cross-play at launch. No Man’s Sky will be free to download and try with a full-game unlock offered as a $19.99 In-App Purchase.

Dome Keeper.

I’ve had a chance to play each of the games available today on my iPhone and iPad and it’s a great collection. What sets them apart from previous releases on other platforms is the attention each has paid to the unique features of Apple’s platforms. Many, including Dome Keeper, Sifu, and Vampire Crawlers, support Game Center and Family Sharing. By and large, the touch controls are well done, too, but I appreciate the games that offer controller support the most since that’s my preferred way to play.

I’ve had a lot of fun trying the betas of each of these games and am looking forward to No Man’s Sky later this month. There’s something great here for anyone who loves iPhone and iPad gaming, but be sure to check out the other gems Apple is highlighting in this App Store editorial feature, too.

Crickets: Bring Your Family’s Morning Alarms Together [Sponsor]

By MacStories Team

Getting your whole family up and pointed in the right direction every morning isn’t simple. Everyone’s on a different schedule, and schedules change day to day. It’s a mess that’s solvable with the help of Crickets, the first alarm built for the realities of everyday family life.

Crickets lets everyone in your family see the alarms others choose to share and, with permission, change them. So instead of asking everyone when they need to be up the next day, you already know. If you’re the first one up, that’s a superpower. Whether it’s a flight that got delayed in the dead of night or a 5:00 AM message from your kids’ school about a schedule change, you can adjust alarms without waking a soul. And it works both ways: when a practice is canceled or a trip departs later, anyone you’ve granted edit access can push your alarm back while you sleep in.

Crickets even gives you tomorrow’s weather as you head off to bed. That way, you’ll know things like whether you should get up a little early to deal with the snow that’s forecast overnight.

Everyone in your circle is right there on your Home Screen and Lock Screen, too. Plus, with widget and Live Activities support, you can keep track of who’s already awake and who’s been hitting the snooze button. You’ll see your morning coming together without even opening the app.

Each person in your circle stays in control. They decide which alarms to share and which to keep private, and they can grant or revoke editing access whenever they want. People can belong to more than one circle without those circles merging, too. That way, parents can be in a circle with their kids, but their kids’ friends circle remains theirs alone.

A single subscription covers every member of your Apple Family Sharing group, allowing you to coordinate everyone’s alarms at once, while keeping each person’s sharing choices their own.

For a closer look at Crickets and a more coordinated start to the day, visit cricketsalarm.app. And, for a limited time, MacStories readers and AppStories listeners can get 50% off for six months with code MACSTORIES2026. Select Redeem on the paywall and enter the code.

Our thanks to Crickets for their support of MacStories this week.

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