We’ve all been conditioned to look with envy at a set of Beats headphones. But that’s mostly marketing, and the allure of expensive toys. Turns out it’s possible to get comparable sound quality for a fraction the cost.

September 15, 1988: Apple releases the Apple IIc Plus, the sixth and final model in the Apple II computer series. It’s a great machine, with impressive capabilities, but suffers from poor marketing and support.

With the Mac around, Cupertino simply doesn’t seem interested in the Apple computer anymore.

Apple is the headline in two new studies. One seems alarming as it shows Apple’s share in the smartwatch market has declined by 14 percent.

But the second study shows Apple as the biggest money maker in the smartphone market by a long shot. Thanks to iPhone X, Apple held 62 percent of the market share in Q2. Its closest rival, Samsung, has suffered double-digit sales losses and is a distant second at 17 percent.

Purchased digital content has been around since before the launch of the iTunes Store back in 2003, but things were much different then. Devices weren’t constantly connected, and streaming wasn’t the primary way to access your “purchased” (or subscription) content, and most things came in the form of physical media (VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs, or 8-Tracks). Now that things are streamed, stored in the cloud, and available across all our devices, digital content ownership is much more complicated than simply buying a movie, book, or album and having it indefinitely.

Apple unleashed more new iPhones this fall than ever before which means there’s a ton of little details to learn. You could dive deep into our iPhone XS and iPhone XR comparison guide to figure out which one is best for you, but if you don’t have time for that, Apple has made a short video covering all the new features.

In under a minute you can know everything there is to know about dual SIMs, dual cameras, big displays, depth control, Face ID and more amazing features packed into the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

Prepare to be wowed:

Apple is on a mission to help save the world’s disappearing mangrove forests.

Mangrove forests suck up a huge amount of carbon dioxide from the air. Half of all mangrove forests on Earth have been lost since 1940, but Apple is making a big investment to help save one particular forest in Colombia in an effort to curb climate change.

You’ve just pre-ordered your new iPhone, and you’re wondering what to do with the old one. Selling it is a pain, and the trade-in prices on your two-year-old model are too low to bother with. So how about handing that old iPhone off to a family member, or a friend? But before you just switch it off and drop it into a bag, there are a few things you should prepare. Here’s how.

The iPhone XR won’t be available in stores until next month, but you can already grab the colorful new wallpapers for your old iPhone right now.

Unlike the oil wallpapers on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, some of the wallpapers for the iPhone XR come with multiple bubbles and match the color schemes of Apple’s new device. Just open this page on your iPhone, long press on each image and save them to your camera roll so you can turn them into a wallpaper.

Download all 12 right here:

The default wallpaper for the new iPhone XS models is undoubtedly beautiful. But that’s clearly not why Apple chose it. It can’t be a coincidence that the black region of the image is perfectly placed to hide the screen cutout.

Apple isn’t denying the existence of the notch in the two most expensive of the 2018 iPhones, but it’s certainly trying to de-emphasize it.

As the entire world is watching hurricane Florence approaching the Carolinas, Apple is already reaching into its wallet to help with the relief efforts.

A kitchenware company and an app for tracking shots on a basketball court couldn’t be more different. Yet, somehow the two wound up with nearly identical logos.

Such is the case for HomeCourt, whose shining moment Wednesday at the Steve Jobs Theatre got upstaged on social media after Australian company Hutch Kitchen pointed out the similarities.

President Trump reportedly ordered tariffs on $200 billion more Chinese goods yesterday. After these were first proposed several weeks ago, Apple warned that they’ll likely increase the cost of many of its products.

The list of affected devices includes some of Apple’s most popular offerings.

Let’s not beat around the bush — the new iPhone names are a mess. “iPhone XS Max” sounds like a body spray for teenagers and the “XR” in iPhone XR means … well, not very much at all.

Today’s iPhones are an explosion of confused branding.

But the 2018 iPhones definitely aren’t the first time Apple products bore baffling, awkward or just plain rubbish names. Brace yourself for a repulsive refresher as we recount the worst Apple product names of all time.

Apple Watch Series 4 is now available to preorder ahead of its official launch on September 21. It’s packed with new features, but considerably more expensive than its predecessors, with prices starting at $399.

Last year’s Apple Watch Series 3 is also still available. It’s not quite as impressive as the latest model, but it’s now more affordable at $279.

Which one should you buy? Find out right here in our 2018 Apple Watch comparison.

If a tablet computer is a window on the world, then live snakes recently crawled through that window in a mall in Germany thanks to the iPad magician Simon Pierro.

Pierro operates his iPad in a space that can not be explained with a chip, graphics card, app or even augmented reality. All that shoppers knew is that one second Pierro was showing them a picture of a snake and then guiding it out of the iPad to slither and wiggle the next.

This, as you can imagine, scared the bejesus out of people.

The reason why Apple’s lowest cost new iPhone, the iPhone XR, isn’t shipping for another month is due to challenges relating to both software and the device’s LCD display, a new report claims.

According to Ryan Reith, IDC’s vice president of research on mobile device, Apple has been struggling to secure enough of its completed LCD displays. In addition, it has had to make software-related changes to improve the visuals for its so-called “Liquid Retina” display.

If you’ve got an iPhone, you’ve got a great mobile camera. But like any camera, they can’t take great pictures unless you know how to make great pictures. So instead of aimlessly pointing and shooting, here’s a chance to learn from a master of mobile photography.

Apple has quietly increased the price of its AppleCare+ warranty plan for Apple Watch Series 4.

It will cost $79 to cover the company’s latest wearable — $30 more than AppleCare+ for an Apple Watch Series 3. However, buyers now have the option to pay for the service monthly.

This week on The CultCast: Hot off the heels of Apple’s keynote, it’s our unfiltered Gather Round event reactions! We’ll tell you what we think about iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and the new Apple Watch Series 4. Plus: Is it worth upgrading from iPhone X to iPhone XS? We discuss that and all the other products that were noticeably missing from the keynote.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first hosting plan or domain.

You can now preorder the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. If you’ve already claimed yours, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to make back the fat stack of cash you just dropped. It might be easier than you think.

Start by selling your old iPhone to Cult of Mac. It’s quick and easy, and we pay real cash. What’s more, we typically pay more than other buyback services. Get a quote now and you can hold onto your device until your upgrade arrives on September 21.

One feature that didn’t get mentioned during this week’s iPhone event is the fact that the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR models let users scan NFC tags without requiring an app running in the background.

This means that places such as museums, retail stores, and other locations which make use of NFC tags can utilize them more readily — or, at least, that iPhone users can access them more easily. Instead of having to launch an app that puts your iPhone in NFC Reader mode, just walk up and scan any compatible tag. Easy, right?

Did your alarm fail to go off? Were you on the fence about the new iPhones and Apple Watch Series 4, but now feel like you should place an order after all? Sorry to break it to you, but you might have left things too late.

According to frantic would-be customers, many of Apple’s new devices have already sold out. In fact, some models of the new iPhone and Apple Watch Series 4 sold out in less than a minute!

After being down for a few hours in preparation for the launch of the iPhone XS and Apple Watch Series 4, the Apple Store website is now back up, and ready to roll. For tips on how to make sure your pre-order goes smoothly, keep reading.

Conspicuously absent from the Apple event yesterday was the AirPods wireless charger that the company first showed off last year. Well, you don’t have to wait for Apple to get its act together because a third-party accessory maker called Hyper just announced its own solution.

HyperJuice is a snap-on adapter to the Apple AirPods Charging Case, allowing it to get power from any Qi wireless charger.

There is a lot for everyone to like in the 2018 iPhone models. But T-Mobile and Sprint customers have additional reasons to upgrade to the latest iOS devices: they’re the first to support some of these carriers’ wireless technologies.

This means the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and the iPhone XR will perform better on both networks than any of their predecessors.