September 22, 2014: Apple notches a new sales record with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launch, selling an astonishing 10 million units in the first weekend the handsets go on sale.

The eagerly anticipated smartphones bring a redesigned form factor that will persist for years. The most obvious change? Larger 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays built to lure phablet fans. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus also boast an A8 chip, improved iSight and FaceTime cameras, and — significantly — Apple Pay for secure mobile payments.

“Sales for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus exceeded our expectations for the launch weekend, and we couldn’t be happier,” Apple CEO Tim Cook says in a press release. “We would like to thank all of our customers for making this our best launch ever, shattering all previous sell-through records by a large margin.”

    In case it slipped your mind, Apple is about to launch a pair of new Mac desktops. Speed-boosted versions of the Mac mini and Mac Studio were announced weeks ago, but they are just now about to reach customers.

That means Tuesday marks the real-world launch of two significantly upgraded macOS models, with the Mac mini getting Apple’s new M6 processor or the M5 Pro, while the Mac Studio moves to M5 Max or M5 Ultra chips.

UPDATE: The wait is over! These Macs are available now from the Apple Store and other retailers. 

Both machines put a particular emphasis on AI performance, reflecting Apple’s growing push to make its desktop Macs powerful platforms for running AI models locally.

watchOS 27 removed the app switcher from the Apple Watch, making it harder to quickly jump back to the last app you were using. Thankfully, Apple will address this regression to an extent with watchOS 27.2 later this year.

September 21, 1999: A little startup called Google comes out of beta, with the launch of a website that will let the general public easily search the internet for information.

To Apple, which is embracing the internet with its colorful new iMac desktop computer and iBook laptop, Google seems like the perfect ally. Sadly, the relationship between the two companies won’t remain rosy for long.

The long-rumored Apple home hub is shaping up to be the brain of your house. The smart display will reportedly expand Siri AI beyond your phone, using facial recognition to identify who it’s talking to.

The iPhone already serves as your personal AI hub. Now, Apple seems to want a second one for the whole household. And that shift could redefine how Siri handles daily life at home.

iPadOS 27 is out, and maybe you’re looking for a reason to install it. Or you might have already installed it and want to know more about it. I’m here to help.

Apple hypes the AI capabilities, but the most popular iPad model doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. And maybe AI isn’t your thing.

Good news: iPadOS 27 brings a long list of non-AI changes that affect everyday iPad use. Some are visual refinements while others improve performance, stability, file transfers, Safari, Mail, Messages and more.

Here are the best new iPadOS 27 features that aren’t AI.

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With the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max now on store shelves, iFixit put Apple’s latest flagship phones under the knife. The teardown gives us an up-close look at the devices’ new variable-aperture camera, larger cooling systems and a possible repair challenge. 

It also reveals how Apple shrunk the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro without affecting Face ID’s functionality.

September 20, 1989: Apple releases the Macintosh Portable, the first battery-powered Mac you could take on the road.

At a time when Tim Burton’s Batman movie is flying high in theaters, and Madonna is shocking audiences at the MTV Video Music Awards, this ahead-of-its-time product lays the groundwork for Apple’s looming laptop revolution.

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max charge faster than any previous iPhone. This means a quick top-up will enable the phone to last a few additional hours.

However, to get the best speeds, you need to pick the right USB-C charger and cable for your iPhone. Here’s what you need for fast wired and wireless charging for the iPhone 18 Pro, and what to check before buying new accessories.

AdGuard VPN gives you safer, ad-free browsing on up to 10 devices simultaneously. The privacy-oriented VPN delivers a stable, secure connection while hiding your IP address from snoops.

It’s great for everyday use but comes in especially handy when you’re logging into public Wi-Fi networks wherever you roam. And now, you can get a five-year subscription to this easy-to-use VPN for only $34.97 (regularly $359).

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The iPhone 18 Pro is here, and the iPhone Duo is on the way, but Apple’s far from finished releasing new hardware this year.

There’s plenty of new stuff coming down the pike, and we’re especially excited about a pair of long-rumored additions to the Apple lineup.

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• We reveal our favorite iOS 27 features.
• There are several solid reasons to hang onto your iPhone 17 Pro rather than upgrading to iPhone 18 Pro. It’s kinda depressing, TBH.
• And finally, the prospect of a user-repairable iPhone Duo seems incredibly slim.

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.

September 19, 2014: The iPhone undergoes its biggest upgrade — both figuratively and literally — since the original, with the release date of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets. The iPhone 6 design brings a new 4.7-inch form factor, while the iPhone 6 Plus expands to a massive 5.5 inches.

The previous-generation iPhone 5 measured only slightly taller than its 3.5-inch predecessors. But with the iPhone 6, Apple abandons the small smartphone form factor to take on big-screen Android “phablets.”

Although Apple is thrilled about the new Siri AI integrated into iOS 27, maybe artificial intelligence isn’t your thing. Fortunately, you can opt out of Apple’s new voice assistant.

iOS 27 lets you turn Siri off completely. Alternatively, you can switch from the new AI-powered Siri back to Siri Classic.

And if you absolutely do not want artificial intelligence in your iPhone, you can disable it … though that process is far more complex than is ideal.

The wait for Apple’s latest gear is over. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max hit retail stores Friday alongside the Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5.

Crowds lined up outside Apple Stores around the world, even as a highly unusual launch cycle took place for the latest iPhones.

iPhone price hikes in 2027 could already be locked in. Apple reportedly accepted Samsung’s new memory prices, securing its supply for the first quarter of next year. And that extra supply chain cost could boost the price of next year’s iPhones as well as iPads and Macs.

September 18, 2013: iOS 7 launches with a radical redesign that divides the tech world. The biggest overhaul Apple’s mobile operating system has seen in years, iOS 7 ditches the skeuomorphic objects, dials and textures of previous iterations.

Instead, it boasts stark patches of white space, simpler icons and more abstract controls for settings. The Jony Ive era of software design is truly underway.

Apple quietly killed one of the Apple Watch’s oldest tricks. The Digital Crown double-click action no longer switches between apps in watchOS 27, and longtime users already miss it.

The change lands in watchOS 27, and is related to a new feature in the brand-new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, but it is not limited to those models. So the gesture disappears for all those who update, and the feature meant to replace it won’t even work on most people’s devices.

UPDATE: There’s a fix coming in watchOS 27.2… sort of. Learn more about it:

• watchOS 27.2 will restore a useful Apple Watch feature, but there’s a catch

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max appear to bring two upgrades you will appreciate in everyday use: faster charging and better cooling.

Apple hyped these improvements during its September 9 launch event. And early testing suggests the upgrades are real.

Apple’s new AirPods 5 aren’t even available in stores yet, but you can already save a few bucks on them. Amazon has knocked the preorder price of the new earbuds down to $124.99.

That’s not exactly a huge discount, but considering AirPods 5 were only announced last week and don’t officially arrive in stores until Friday, it’s a surprisingly quick start for discounts on Apple’s newest earbuds.

September 17, 2012: On the back of record iPhone 5 preorders of 2 million in 24 hours, Apple’s stock price hits a new all-time high. For the first time in history, AAPL breaks the $700 mark in after-hours trading. Passing the milestone cements Cupertino’s place as the world’s most valuable publicly traded company.

Amazingly, the new record is $270 a share higher than at the start of the year. Apple stock rose 65% in just nine months.

Three years is a long time in the tech world. And forever in the world of smartphones. If you got an iPhone 15 Pro in 2023, the iPhone 18 Pro will look mighty tempting. 

Are the improved cameras, longer battery life and faster charging speeds enough to justify upgrading from the iPhone 15 Pro, especially with the higher starting price? Here’s how the two compare.

Word of a new iOS 27 freeze bug is spreading fast across social media. It can lock up your iPhone’s home screen with nothing more than a few quick swipes.

The glitch has already turned into a prank between friends. It’s completely harmless, but can make your iPhone feel dead until you know the fix.

Your iPhone probably knows what you want for dinner — and recipe organizer and meal planner ReciBites Plus can help you find that perfect idea that’s lost in a folder somewhere on your device.

ReciBites Plus turns recipes from screenshots, social media, websites and even cookbook photos into organized meal plans and grocery lists. That means no more searching through saved TikToks, Instagram posts, Pinterest boards and your bookmarks to find whatever recipe you spotted three months ago and haven’t seen since. And you can get lifetime access for just $39.99 (regularly $360).

Apple seeded the first iOS 27.2 beta to developers on Wednesday, giving them the chance to test several notable changes and improvements. 

The company is skipping beta testing iOS 27.1, an unusual move but one with a good “Duo” reason behind it. Below is a rundown of all the new stuff in iOS 27.2 beta 1. (We will update the post as we discover more.)

Apple wasted no time moving beyond iOS 27 and macOS 27. Just two days after releasing its major new operating systems, the company began beta testing iOS 27.2 and macOS 27.2 with developers.

No, you didn’t somehow miss beta testing iOS 27.1 and macOS 27.1. Apple made the unusual move of not putting these through public beta testing, and for good reason.