Apple’s global 50th anniversary celebration is building to what might be its most memorable moment yet — and if the clues are right, it involves a Beatle performing at Apple Park this week. Or somebody else from the British Invasion that Steve Jobs loved.
Update: The rumor proved true: Paul McCartney played Apple Park on Tuesday night.
Hackers and malicious viruses are very much a concern when you’re on the web, but the biggest threats to your productivity and your privacy come from everyday internet hazards. AdGuard — an ad blocker for iOS, Mac, Android and Windows — helps protect your privacy by shielding you from the hidden bots that track your every online move and turn your data into currency for advertisers and bad actors both big and small.
When it comes to these threats, regular antivirus software won’t cut it. AdGuard, on the other hand, is specifically designed to deal with both annoying ads and the data crawlers hidden inside them. For a limited time, you can get a lifetime subscription to AdGuard’s family plan for just $15.97.
March 30, 2006: A court case begins that once again pits Apple Computer against Apple Corps, The Beatles’ record label and holding company.
The lawsuit caps a long-running legal battle between the two wealthy companies. It’s the final fight in an epic legal battle over music, technology and money.
The Brydge Max 11.0 is a premium iPad keyboard case with the potential to dethrone Apple’s own. The two products have much in common, including a cantilever design, but the Brydge version stands out with much wider viewing angles and a gorgeous aluminum exterior.
It fits recent 11-inch iPad Pro models. A version for earlier 11-inch iPads is also available, and one for 13-inch iPads comes out soon.
UPDATE: Brydge Max 11.0 was announced in February and is now shipping.
Apple’s history is often distilled into the “Jobs and Woz” garage origin story and the slick modern era of design legend Jony Ive and current CEO Tim Cook. But a group of critical, often overlooked contributors actually forged the company’s 50-year arc. Here are 16 unsung heroes from Apple’s first 50 years — some of the most important “geniuses” and original thinkers behind Apple’s success.
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do,” Steve Jobs once said. “We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
The Headway app serves up daily 15-minute book summaries that deliver a wealth of insights from nonfiction bestsellers. It’s a fast, easy and fun way to learn from thought leaders.
And now, you can save on this excellent service that will turbocharge your brain. Get a lifetime subscription to the premium version of the Headway app for just $51 with discount code MARCH15. You can also use that same discount code to save 15% off a wide range of items throughout the Cult of Mac Deals store through March 29. (Just enter code MARCH15 at checkout to see if the discount applies.)
March 29, 2012: A settlement ends the “Antennagate” controversy, as Apple gives affected iPhone 4 owners the chance to claim a whopping $15 payout. The settlement covers customers whose phones dropped calls due to its cutting-edge design, but were unable to return their handsets (or didn’t want a free bumper case from Apple to mitigate against the problem).
While it’s arguable whether a $15 payout was worth filing all the paperwork necessary to claim the cash, the Antennagate story — and the resulting class-action lawsuit — generated big headlines at the time.
Apple’s latest M5 Pro and M5 Max chips will serve as the company’s flagship SoCs until the M5 Ultra lands on the Mac Studio in a few months.
Power-hungry Mac fans want to know: Compared to the M4 Pro and M4 Max, what improvements do the M5 Pro and its Max sibling bring? Our comparison shows exactly how these Apple processors stack up.
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: New details emerge about a major upgrade that would transform Siri from a laughingstock to a legitimate AI assistant.
Unfortunately, these plans sound mighty familiar. Still, we’re guardedly optimistic that Apple can pull it off this time.
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:
Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast 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 version, embedded below.
The Shark TurboBlade is a sleek and highly customizable bladeless fan that cools efficiently without the noise. It’s a modern take on home cooling that’s just right for anyone who cares about both performance and how things look.
With this deal, you can grab one at more than 50% off and be ready to beat the heat this summer. Grab a grade-A refurbished Shark TurboBlade fan for just $119.99 (MSRP $249.99).
March 28, 1996: In a dire message to Wall Street, Apple warns that it will report a $700 million after-tax loss for its most recent quarter.
Apple’s biggest quarterly loss in history, the shocking news reveals a company in far more financial trouble than previously thought. More than half the loss comes from $1 billion of unsold products.
Looking back over Apple’s first 50 years, it’s clear what the company’s greatest talent is: turning rivals’ niche products into mainstream hits.
Apple proves adept at releasing new products in categories that looked like failures because customers simply lacked interest. But then Apple figured out what its competitors were doing wrong and released its own versions that quickly became iconic.
Here are five examples of Apple turning other companies’ fiascos into triumphs.
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While most Thunderbolt docks focus on either an expansive port selection or providing great value for money, the Ugreen Maxidok 17-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 dock offers the best of both worlds — especially with launch discounts that slash 22% off the price.
Plus, it packs a hidden port that solves a common complaint among heavy-duty Mac users. After using it as the centerpiece of my work desk, here’s how it holds up.
The $599 MacBook Neo arrived with a hard limit: 8GB of RAM. Some of you probably don’t understand the hoopla… more RAM can simply be added, right? Nope. The design of Apple’s processor makes it fast and efficient, at the cost of RAM upgrades.
Here’s what’s going on.
Accessories brand ESR just unveiled a comprehensive range of cases, keyboard covers, screen protectors and styluses designed specifically for Apple’s M4 iPad Air. And all new ESR M4 iPad Air accessories get a 33% off discount for launch. As a proud owner of a new M4 iPad Air, I’m tempted.
March 27, 1995: The Radius System 100, the first official Macintosh clone, launches.
A high-end computer made by a company founded by several notable Macintosh alumni, this marvelous machine kicks off the era of clone Macs in grand fashion. However, it won’t be long until things take a turn for the worse.
Apple released new firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 this week. The new version, 8B39, offers bug fixes for these in-ear headphones.
Last year, Apple finally explained exactly how to update your AirPods firmware. The process can happen automatically, in the background, but there is a way to speed things up. It’s a good idea to manually check that you’re running the latest version, which brings bug fixes and sometimes great new features.
Read on for more details, and find all current AirPods firmware versions, along with instructions for getting the AirPods update as quickly as possible.
QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2024 for Mac helps small businesses track expenses, send invoices and manage finances more easily. And for a limited time, you can get a one-year license for just $85 with code MARCH15.
The Windows version of this popular accounting software costs even less. And you can use that same discount code to save 15% off a wide range of items throughout the Cult of Mac Deals store through March 29. (Just enter code MARCH15 at checkout to see if the discount applies.)
Apple officially pulled the plug on the Mac Pro on Thursday, scrubbing its most expensive desktop computer from its website. Links that used to go to the top-end machine now redirect to the overall Mac page.
Quietly killing the machine brings an ignominious end to the $6,999 computer that Apple had not updated in years.
Apple is planning a major shift for Siri in iOS 27, opening the voice assistant up to multiple third-party AI services, not just ChatGPT, according to a report published Thursday.
If true, this means iPhone users will be able to route Siri requests to different AI models, such as Google’s Gemini or Anthropic’s Claude, depending on their preference.
Apple’s newly announced AirPods Max 2 are already seeing their first price cut, with some colors of the premium headphones selling for $20 off their $549 retail price just a day after preorders opened.
The modest discount comes as retailers begin competing for early adopters, a familiar pattern for high-end Apple accessories following launch. While the savings are relatively small, there’s no reason to pay more than necessary.
All over the world, Apple enjoys spending its milestone 50th anniversary month in the company of the artists and fans who have made the last five decades extraordinary, the company said recently of its worldwide birthday parties.
The festivities began on March 13 when Grammy Award-winning artist Alicia Keys took to the iconic steps of Apple Grand Central in New York City. Celebrations also rolled in China and South Korea, then London and Sydney, Australia. We’ve added new photos, below.
March 26, 2010: Apple pays up to settle a trademark dispute with Japanese multinational Fujitsu over the name “iPad” in the United States.
It comes two months after Apple CEO Steve Jobs first showed off the iPad, and around a week before the tablet will land in stores. As it happens, it’s not the first time Apple battled over the name for one of its new products.
Four new companies will join Apple’s American Manufacturing Program (AMP), the iPhone giant said Thursday. It adds them to a growing roster of U.S.-based manufacturing partners as part of its $600 billion, four-year commitment to U.S. manufacturing.
“At Apple, we believe in the power of American innovation and manufacturing, and we’re proud to partner with even more companies to produce critical components and cutting-edge materials for our products right here in the U.S.,” said CEO Tim Cook.
Samsung has been using a 200MP primary camera on its flagship Galaxy phones for a while now. Apple may supposedly join the list in 2027, as it is reportedly evaluating such a sensor for future use.
Several upcoming flagship Android phones from Chinese brands due to launch this year will adopt a 200MP primary camera.