Apple just got a proposed class-action lawsuit wiped off its plate — and it’s a big one. A federal judge on Monday dismissed a case that accused the company of failing to stop child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from spreading through iCloud, a lawsuit that sought as much as $32.8 billion in damages.

U.S. District Judge Noël Wise ruled that Apple would be shielded from the claims by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the 1996 law that protects online platforms from being sued over content their users upload. The judge tossed the case with prejudice, so it’s gone for good.

Nearly two years after launch, China’s regulator has given Apple the green light to launch Apple Intelligence in the country.

Apple will rely on AI models from Baidu and Alibaba to power Apple Intelligence features in China.

OpenAI’s probable first device will likely be a portable smart speaker with a winning personality and features that make it seem like a living creature. The company envisions a screenless device that will “serve as a humanlike AI companion that lives in the home,” according to a new report citing anonymous sources.

While previous rumors indicated OpenAI wants to build a device to challenge the iPhone, this sounds like more of a threat to Apple’s HomePod, Amazon’s Alexa devices and other smart speakers.

Oh, and the thing might actually move to make it seem more lifelike. (Let’s hope it doesn’t give off an Existenz game pod vibe.)

Brydge added three new models to its ProDock line of vertical MacBook docking stations on Tuesday. These bring fresh features, including Thunderbolt 5 support, to products that let users slide their Mac into a vertical cradle that takes a minimal amount of space.

Each of the three new models is intended for a different kind of user, with a range of features to match.

Word on the street is that the iPhone 20’s all-glass revamp recently moved from “maybe” to “the factories are literally getting ready for it.”

Seems like anyone ready for Apple to shake up iPhone design can look forward to 2027.

Apple seems to have gone to unusual lengths to keep one man out of its trade-secret lawsuit against OpenAI: Jony Ive.

However, the legal battle could end up with Apple’s former design chief taking the stand. And that could rattle Apple’s cordial relationship with Ive, who’s helping OpenAI build AI-powered gadgets that threaten the iPhone’s dominance.

July 14, 1995: The MP3 file format receives its official name as the new .bit file extension gets changed to .mp3. The technology allows the compression of a standard CD audio file to one-tenth its original size, courtesy of some smart algorithms. The format will revolutionize the music industry — and put Apple on the road to world dominance with the iPod.

The MP3 enables easy sharing of music tracks online and makes music more portable than ever. Within a few years, Apple’s iPod will become the world’s best-known MP3 player, quickly capitalizing on the new file format.

If you see a file called CrashReporter.dmg in your Mac’s Downloads folder, don’t open it. It’s not from Apple — it’s a new strain of malware called CrashStealer. It’s wearing Apple’s own clothing, right down to the icon, name and a fake password box designed to look like standard macOS.

The malware slips past Apple’s security checks and tricks victims into typing their Mac password before draining everything of value on the machine. Anyone who’s opened an unfamiliar app in the past few weeks should pay close attention.

WhatsApp currently uses iCloud as a cloud backup provider on iOS. Apple’s free 5GB of iCloud storage can fill up quickly, especially if you have years of WhatsApp chats and media. It also makes moving from an iPhone to an Android phone more complicated, as WhatsApp cannot restore iCloud backups on Android.

That may not be the case for much longer. WhatsApp appears to be working on its own cloud backup solution, which could solve both of these problems.

Apple released the first iOS 27 public beta Monday, giving everyday iPhone users a chance to experience the latest features.

By most accounts, it’s stable enough to download now and run without too much worry. The biggest bummer is that you’ll still need to get in line to experience the new, improved Siri AI.

Apple continued to gain ground in the global smartphone market during the second quarter of 2026, according to new data from a market-analysis firm. The iPhone posted another quarter of year-over-year growth, increasing total shipments by 3% while boosting Apple’s global market share to a quarterly record.

The iPhone 17 series continues to experience strong sales, according to the analysts. One main reason for the success might seem surprising, coming from Cupertino: small price tags! Apple maintained iPhone prices while rivals increased theirs due to sharply rising memory costs.

The Mac Studio, Apple’s top-of-the-line desktop, delivers extraordinary CPU and GPU performance in a surprisingly compact enclosure — but many users simply cannot add as much RAM as they need.

However, change is apparently on the way. Apple is reportedly developing an M5 Ultra chip that supports more unified memory than the current version. And the subsequent M7 Ultra chip will be even better — it will supposedly handle as much as three times more RAM. That’s a dramatic leap beyond the best of today’s Macs.

Apple just went shopping for a bug hunter. Cupertino scooped up SigScalr, a small startup behind SigLens, an app designed to detect exactly where the software goes wrong — even if the software is basically hundreds of smaller programs working as a single app.

Apple did not announce the acquisition via a press release. It surfaced through the European Union’s paperwork, the same way a lot of Apple’s smaller acquisitions did in the last few years.

But don’t let the quiet rollout fool you. SigLens tackles a problem that’s only getting worse as apps become more complex. And it looks like Apple clearly wants it fixed before it becomes Xcode’s problem too.

July 13, 2006: Apple releases its first activity tracker, the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, which combines Cupertino’s popular music player with a smart pedometer that fits in a shoe.

The product marks Apple’s first step toward the kind of mobile health-tracking initiatives it will pursue in the following decade — most notably through its iOS Health app and the Apple Watch.

Not a fan of monthly fees for software like Microsoft 365? This deal lands you a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 for Mac or PC.

It comes with all the Microsoft programs you know and love. And it’s on sale for a limited time. So instead of paying $249.99, you can get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 for $159.97. That’s a 36% discount off the usual price of $249.99.

Apple CEO Tim Cook didn’t fly to Washington last summer to talk about Intel. He went there to keep Apple from getting hit with a 100% tariff on every chip the company imports. But somewhere in those meetings, the conversation shifted to an unexpected topic — Intel.

Fast forward a year, and Apple and Intel now have a manufacturing arrangement in the works. And according to a new report, the origin story is less about “engineering roadmap” and more about “the White House brought it up while Apple was trying to survive a tariff fight.”

The next time an Apple Store employee rings you up, don’t be surprised if you don’t see the traditional plastic card sled. Apple is silently retiring the hardware its retail staff has strapped onto their iPhones for years. The company seems to be betting on the fact that the iPhone is finally good enough to close the sale.

Apple is now reportedly handing out iPhone 16s to its blue-shirted employees to expand Tap to Pay on iPhone. This software feature turns the device into a contactless payment terminal with nothing bolted on. It’s a small hardware swap, but Apple no longer thinks it needs a middleman to take your money.

Apple will supposedly skip launching the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips due to AI. Instead, it will launch an M6-powered MacBook Pro and then directly jump to the M7 Pro and Max chips in 2027.

This move would mark a notable shift from Apple’s long-established Apple silicon release strategy. Since the M1 debuted, every generation expanded from the base chip to Pro and Max variants.

Apple is reportedly working on two new styli models for launch alongside next year’s iPad Pro refresh. Both the Apple Pencil Pro and the entry-level Apple Pencil with USB-C are back on the drawing board, according to a reliable source of insider information.

One major reason for the redesign could be upcoming European Union rules that will require consumer electronics to use more easily replaceable batteries.

July 12, 2010: The iPhone 4 suffers a major blow when respected trade publication Consumer Reports says it can’t, in good faith, recommend the new Apple smartphone.

The reason the magazine refuses to give its vaunted “recommended” label to the previously top-ranked device in its devastating iPhone 4 review? A little Apple scandal called “Antennagate.”

Update: Apple released the first iOS 27 public beta on Monday.

The iOS 27 public beta is coming soon — if Apple’s previous release pattern holds up, it could hit your iPhone any day now. Developers have been having all the fun since early June, playing around with Siri AI and the new Liquid Glass slider while the rest of us waited. Now, that wait is almost over.

Once the public beta drops, which should be more stable than the initial developer betas, anyone can install iOS 27 for free. But your iPhone does need some prep first, and there are a few reasons you should think twice before hitting the Install button.

July 11, 2008: The iPhone 3G goes on sale. Expectations for the smartphone sequel run high, and Apple delivers with the addition of GPS, faster 3G data and a higher-quality build. The iPhone 3G launch also brings a new mobile operating system packed with features.

Apple’s second smartphone runs iPhone OS 2, which introduces a better Mail app, turn-by-turn navigation and a little something called the App Store.

Apple’s iPhone 18 event is only a couple of months away. Thanks to leaks, we already have a fair idea of what to expect. From redesigned hardware to upgraded cameras to even bigger batteries, many of the headline features seem all but confirmed.

Yet, important questions surrounding the new iPhones remain unanswered. And they are the ones that could determine whether the iPhone 18 Pro is worth upgrading to.

Apple sued OpenAI in federal court on Friday, accusing the ChatGPT maker of orchestrating a broad campaign to obtain Apple’s confidential hardware technology by hiring its former employees.

It relates to an effort by OpenAI to develop its own devices with AI built in — products that might someday replace the iPhone and other smartphones.

OpenAI hasn’t been subtle about its plans to compete with Apple hardware, especially after it began working closely with Jony Ive, Apple’s former design chief.

July 10, 2008: Apple launches the App Store, an online hub that lets iPhone owners browse and download apps made by third-party developers. Transforming the iPhone from a locked-down platform to a generative one, the App Store means that every iPhone user can have his or her own “killer app” depending on the software they want — from social networking to composing music to playing games.

One of the most significant launches in Apple history, the App Store opens up a whole new revenue stream for Cupertino. It’s hard to believe that Steve Jobs was originally dead-set against it!