Apple is under fire for nagging iPhone users to activate Apple Pay.

Some users say its persistent notifications in iOS are “the most aggressive” push Apple has ever made to encourage users to adopt a new service. Analysts are even labeling it “antitrust behavior.”

Losing track of personal or sensitive data is getting easier, and riskier. Most of us worry about our online activity and information, so we sign on with VPNs, encrypt our web traffic, and take other measures. But the data on your machine itself is worth protecting too.

Apple only just got done introducing the new iPad at its recent education-themed event, and already the folks at iFixit have gotten hold of a unit and broken it open.

Their findings? That the device is virtually identical to last year’s iPad, albeit with a few cheaper touches like not laminating the screen. The most notable part is that, despite the new focus on the education market, the new iPad remains next to impossible to repair. Tsk, tsk!

Happy birthday to the iPad.

Apple’s revolutionary tablet first went on sale eight years ago today, two months after its big unveiling at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. It remains the best tablet money can buy, and recent rumors have claimed it’s going to get even better in 2018.

Apple is going all-in on MicroLED displays, a new report claims. The company is reportedly gearing up to use the next-gen displays in future Apple Watches, Macs and even an as-yet-unreleased wearable device, which could be Apple’s augmented reality glasses.

The first MicroLED displays may arrive sooner than expected, too.

Buyers just aren’t going for the latest iPhone models. An industry analyst says nearly half the handsets Apple shipped last quarter were older devices, not the company’s latest. 

Even worse, the Apple reportedly sold about 45 million devices, down about 13 percent from the same quarter a year ago. 

The date for Apple’s second financial earnings call of 2018 was revealed on its investors’ website today, setting Tuesday, May 1, as the big date.

Apple has reportedly been facing slumping iPhone sales amid waning demand for the iPhone X. Investors will find out just how bad (or good) the sales figures are when Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri go over all the numbers at 2 p.m. Pacific. Per usual, Cult of Mac will be here live-blogging the whole thing.

Apple Watch sells very well, but apparently not strongly enough for some companies. A deadline requiring developers to base their apps on newer versions of watchOS just passed, and some businesses choose to pull their software rather than update it.

Instagram garnered the most attention, but there are surely other examples. 

The iPhone X and iPhone 8 significantly outlast the Galaxy S9 on a single charge. Samsung once mocked the iPhone for its battery life, but the shoe is on the other foot now — benchmarks indicate that the the iPhone X goes more than an hour longer than the Galaxy S9.

The next Mac you buy may not have Intel inside.

Apple is pushing forward with plans to ditch Intel’s processors in favor of its own chips, according to a new report that claims the transition away from Intel CPUs will likely take multiple steps.

Developers received the first beta build of Apple’s new iOS 11.4 software update, bringing a ton of bug changes and performance improvements to go with a couple of new features.

iOS 11.4 beta 1 can be downloaded directly from Apple’s developer center. You can install it as an over-the-air update once you install the proper profile to your iOS device. The first beta builds of tvOS 11.4 and watchOS 4.3.1 were also released to developers this morning.

Jony Ive designs all iPhones, iPads, and Macs, and he says in a new interview that he’s a hands-on part of the creation process all the way through, not just a guy who makes sketches. Apple’s top designer also talks about his relationship with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Fortnite, the hottest game of 2018, is finally available on iOS for everyone to download, no invite code needed.

The game has been in beta on iOS the last few weeks and required a special invite code to get in on the battle royal action. Now anyone with an iPhone SE or later can get in on the action anywhere you have an internet connection.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken exception to Apple CEO Tim Cook’s comments that Facebook doesn’t care about its customers because it sells their data to advertisers.

Zuck went on the defensive in one of his first interviews since news broke that Cambridge Analytica leaked the personal data of 50 million users. The interview touched a number of topics, but when asked specifically about Cook’s comments Zuckerberg unleashed a tangent on why Tim Cook is wrong.

What’s next for Apple? We’ll find out in June, when the company hosts devs from around the world at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2018.

Every year, the event gives Cupertino execs a chance to show off Apple’s new software and hardware. It’s a chance for outsiders to get a direct look at what’s in the Apple product pipeline. In the video below, we round up all the latest WWDC 2018 rumors to give you a heads-up about what’s on the horizon.

Keyboards have come a long way, but not always in a better direction. Get your hands on a clackety old mechanical keyboard and you may wonder why soft keys became a thing. And the look of old keyboards, especially typewriters, are masterclasses in classy design.

A great music-making app recreating one of the all time great synthesizers on iOS is just one of our picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”

In addition, we’ve got a superb Twitter client app update, the world’s most popular battle royale game, and a gamebook RPG recreating some of the genre classics of the 1980s. Check out our selections below.

Anyone who works in design knows the value of a good library of assets and templates. That definitely applies for WordPress, where getting designing a page can quickly add up to hours.

Having reminders on our phones is super convenient. But no touchscreen can replace the satisfaction of slapping an actual snooze button on a good old alarm clock.

Apple wants to hire 142 people for Siri-related jobs, almost twice as many as this time last year. Clearly, the company is serious about turning around its troubled voice-driven digital assistant.

Apple is giving developers new tools that will allow iPhone and iPad users to download and delete any personal information being stored in iCloud.

Developers received word of the new tools today which were created in order to help developers comply with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation that goes into effect this May. The new laws mean developers will be forced to comply anytime a customer requests to access manage, restrict or delete personal data.

Bad drivers may soon get some crucial tips on the road from Apple, if the company’s latest patent ever becomes a reality.

While everyone in tech is working on driverless car systems, it appears that Apple is looking into ways to make it safer for humans to get behind the wheel too. Apple filed for a patent this week that envisions an augmented reality system for cars that shows drivers more of what’s ahead of them than they can see with their naked eyes. And it could totally change the way we drive.

Roli’s new Songmaker Kit is a kick-ass portable music-making setup that hooks up to your iPad, iPhone or Mac. It consists of a mini version of Roli’s amazing Seaboard keyboards, along with a couple of the company’s modular Blocks. Everything connect via Bluetooth, creating a custom music workstation that’s easy to use and extremely portable.

Let’s take a look at the Roli Songmaker Kit and see how you can use it to make music anywhere.

In today’s edition of Deals & Steals, we found a brand-new 12-inch rose gold MacBook for $400 off. We also have great deals on a Logitech universal remote bundle, a surprisingly stylish router and a cheap smartphone.

The wait to pick up Apple’s cheapest 9.7-inch iPad ever over.

You can now order the new 9.7-inch iPad online and pick it up the same day at Apple stores across the United States. Customers who already ordered the iPad after it was unveiled on Tuesday should also start receiving their shipments today.