We went through Apple CEO Tim Cook’s earnings call with investors on Thursday, and found some genuine surprises during the discussion of the financial results of the holiday 2024 quarter. We also turned up impressive figures showing just how well the company is doing.
Financial details don’t have to be boring. Here are the high points from the call as quickly and as interesting as we can make them.
For Apple users seeking a high-capacity portable power solution for all their gear, the new CukTech 30 Power Bank packs a massive 40,000mAh battery, combined charging power of up to 300 watts for up to five devices at once and some useful features, the company said Wednesday.
January 27, 2010: After months of rumors and speculation, Steve Jobs publicly shows off the iPad for the first time. Aside from the name, which some people joke sounds like a female sanitary product, the first-generation iPad immediately earns critical acclaim.
“The last time there was this much excitement over a tablet, it had some commandments written on it,” The Wall Street Journal quips.
When it goes on sale a few months later, the first-gen iPad quickly becomes Apple’s fastest-selling new product ever.
Apple unveiled its latest Black Unity Collection Monday to celebrate Black culture and community. It features an innovative Apple Watch Sport Loop and watch face that bring the Pan-African flag colors to life through groundbreaking design technology, the iPhone giant said.
And as usual, the annual release for Black History Month in February includes iPhone and iPad wallpapers in addition to the Apple Watch features.
Apple appears ready to start 2025 strong by launching a new low-price iPhone, a faster MacBook Air and a pair of revamped iPad models. These could come at a possible Apple winter event as early as February, though the wait might be longer.
An Apple winter event isn’t a given. The company could simply issue a series of press releases introducing the new products. No matter what, you don’t need to wait until the official announcements to know what’s in store. Here are the rumors available on all four upcoming devices.
An iPad Air with a speed boost is on the way, according to a report posted Friday by a generally reliable source. The tablet won’t have Apple’s latest processor, though.
And a cheaper alternative, the iPad 11th generation, also could launch soon. If you’re considering an upgrade, take a look at the iPad Pro M3, which brings even more power and features. Check out our M3 iPad Air review for more details. If you’re interested in how Apple’s premium tablets stack up, check out this iPad Pro review for insights into performance and features.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: First, Erfon recounts his recent, extremely lengthy trip to the Apple Store to check out the latest MacBook Pros. He put the nano-texture screen to the test — and came back with a surprising verdict. Then, we discuss some of the coolest — and some of the weirdest — new gear shown off at CES this week.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Apple is hard at work on iOS 18.3, iPhone SE 4 and iPad 11, but the company won’t launch the new devices alongside the operating system update, which should drop later this month or in early February.
Instead, the new budget iPhone and iPad reportedly will land in April.
2025 will finally bring the much-anticipated 11th-generation iPad, a version of the budget tablet with a faster processor capable of accessing the latest Apple Intelligence features.
In addition, expect faster iPad Pro and iPad Air models in 2025 — one sooner than might be expected.
Congratulations — you got a new iPad! Whether it’s the entry-level iPad that brings the essential features to an affordable price, the iPad Air with the powerful M2, the pocketable iPad mini or the top-of-the-line iPad Pro, you’ll want to set up your new device with the least amount of fuss.
We’re here to help you do just that with a ton of little tips and tweaks that will make sure you’re off and using that new iPad as quickly as possible. From backing up your old iPad (if you had one already) to getting up and running with a brand-new iPad from scratch, we’ve got you covered.
December 24, 2009: As rumors of a possible Apple tablet reach the boiling point, word spreads online that the new device will be called the iSlate.
The news is based on the fact that Apple quietly acquired the domain name iSlate.com a few years earlier. Since Apple did the same thing for the iPhone back in the late 1990s, years before the iPhone actually debuted, it makes total sense that the company would follow suit with the naming of its tablet.
Of course, that didn’t end up happening.
It’s a safe bet that the Apple M5 processor will start replacing the current M4 in 2025, and it might even happen in the first half of the year.
That’s according to a roadmap of when the various versions of the chip will go into production leaked Monday by a reliable source of insider Apple information.
Apple might not drop support for any of its older iPhones with iOS 19. The next big iOS update reportedly will support the same devices as iOS 18.
However, iPadOS 19 supposedly will not be compatible with the seventh-gen iPad.
One of Apple’s design goals for a much-rumored iPad with a 20-inch folding display is that the screen won’t develop a visible crease, according to a reliable source of insider information.
Whether the folding device will be a Mac or an iPad isn’t clear yet — but it’s possible it will be both!
Designer Basic Apple Guy started the last month of 2024 by releasing yet another fresh and interesting set of wallpapers for your Apple devices. They’re the “vibrant and minimal cubist-inspired” Liminal Spaces series, released December 2. They might be the best new wallpapers I’ve seen this month.
And they’re certainly an interesting alternative to holiday themes. For me, the light, colors and shapes composed in the wallpapers brought to mind not only cubist art, but abstract expressionist Richard Diebenkorn’s landscape paintings.
Looking for a device that’s small enough to carry anywhere but powerful enough to handle everything? This fifth-gen, grade-A refurbished iPad mini combines portability and performance, and it’s on sale for a limited time for just $279.99.
With Wi-Fi and cellular capabilities, a sleek 7.9-inch Retina display and the powerful A12 Bionic chip, it’s the perfect mix of productivity and entertainment.
December 3, 2012: News Corp pulls the plug on The Daily, the world’s first iPad-only newspaper, less than two years after launching the publication.
While the writing has been on the wall for some time, the closure is a blow for those who view the iPad as the savior of the traditional publishing industry.
Working in an office or in the city, you’re probably inundated with noise from people chattering, cars running and nearby music. Your iPhone has a built-in feature called Background Sounds for playing rain noises or white noise to tune it all out.
You don’t need to download any apps or pay a cent; it comes for free on your Mac and iPhone. Let me show you how it works.
We don’t recall seeing low prices on standard iPads any lower than a couple you can find right now on Amazon for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Those low price tags are on an iPad 10 (Wi-Fi only, 64GB) at $50 off as well as iPad 10 Wi-Fi + Cellular models for $50 off. Plus you can nab an iPad 9 model for up to a record $138 off, depending on which color you choose. Check the links below and gift yourself or someone else Apple’s entry-level tablet.
Update: Since we first called out the savings below on November 14, nearly every iPad Black Friday deal had gotten better. We also updated the post for Cyber Monday.
There are plenty of great Apple deals this Cyber Monday 2024—but not from Apple directly. As usual, Apple keeps its discounts minimal (Tim Cook loves his big fat profits!). This year, you can get up to a $200 gift card with select purchases, but the newest products, like the iPhone 16, M4 MacBook Pros, iMac, and Apple Watch Ultra 2, aren’t included.
That said, third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and B&H Photo are offering significant discounts on a ton of Apple gear. From AirPods to iPhones, Apple Watches, and iPads, you’ll find some fantastic deals. Here’s a roundup of the best offers we’ve come across.
Apple’s cheapest iPad just got cheaper. The iPad 10th-generation, the cheapest iPad in Apple’s lineup, is on sale for just $279.
This is a great deal for the best entry-level iPad Apple has made for years. It’s the iPad I recommend to most people. I just bought one myself. The price was just too good to pass up.
Apple named the finalists Monday for its annual App Store Awards. These awards honor “exceptional user experience, design, and innovation,” according to the Mac-maker. App awards come in a range of categories, like iPhone App of the Year, Mac Game of the Year, and many more.
The nominations aren’t just kudos for developers — they’re a great way for users to find high-quality software.
I always use Apple’s privacy-focused Sign in with Apple and Hide My Email services whenever I get the option.
The Sign in with Apple feature, which lets you log into third-party accounts using your Apple ID while keeping your personal info private, is so easy to use that I utilize it everywhere. But that also means my disguised logins pile up, accumulating in the digital junk drawer that is iCloud Settings. If you ever need to manage or transfer your Apple purchases history, Apple now offers an option to migrate digital purchases between accounts.
I’ll show you where you can find, manage or delete these accounts. Perhaps you’re jumping ship from iPhone to Android, and you want to make sure you still have another way of signing into your Chipotle account.
The Hide My Email service is similar. It creates a temporary email address that forwards to your real one — handy if you’re signing up for a shady website, or if you need a public contact email. I’ll show you where you can create new ones and delete the old ones.
Sick of apps constantly asking you to rate them? There is a way you can block App Store rating requests completely on iPhone, iPad and Mac so that the pesky popups no longer appear. We’ll show you how.
Trend alert: Folks are talking on social media sites and YouTube about using iPad as an external display for the new M4 Mac mini. Why? Well, as today’s setup user notes, the combination creates a credible mobile solution. And as others point out, it’s economical. Mac mini is a sensational value. And for a few hundred bucks more you can add an iPad (or you may already have one) and a few other inexpensive elements to make it work. But still, plenty of people see this and just say, “get a MacBook.”