Update: Anker renamed the Soundcore Work AI Voice Recorder reviewed below as Soundcore Work AI Note Taker to more directly reflect the main use of the product, the company said Tuesday. Its listings tend to put it down now as “note taker/voice recorder.” Soundcore also noted the problem I had with Find My functionality should be fixed now on production units. 

Original review: In an ecosystem where seamless integration matters most, the new Soundcore voice recorder and note taker arrives with a compelling proposition for Apple users. As this Soundcore Work AI Note Taker review finds, the coin-sized device promises to transform how iPhone and Mac users capture, transcribe and organize voice recordings.

After examining its features through an Apple-centric lens, here’s what you need to know about whether this $159.99 recorder deserves a spot in your productivity arsenal.

iPad users will soon have access to a version of the Pixelmator Pro image editing application that previously was a Mac exclusive.

Apple promised that the upcoming tablet version of the application will be a significant step up from the features available in the current basic Pixelmator app for iPad. Plus, it will improve on the Mac version thanks to support for Apple Pencil.

But there’s bad news for users of the current, basic Pixelmator version.

You can set up persistent notifications from specific apps so they stick to the top of your iPhone screen. With persistent notifications in iOS, when your phone is unlocked and an important alert comes in, the notification will stay visible at the top of the screen until you act upon it.

It’s an easy way to make sure you don’t miss (or forget about) critical notifications on your iPhone.

This proves super-handy for things like medication reminders. It also works wonders if you’re the sort of person who ignores notifications once they disappear from your iPhone screen. I’ll show you how to make your notifications sticky.

January 13, 2000: Steve Jobs’ longtime frenemy Bill Gates quits as Microsoft CEO, stepping down just a month after his company’s stock hit its all-time high.

The news coincides with a turning point in the long-running battle between the two tech powerhouses. Microsoft begins a long decline from its previous dominance, while Apple continues its rise to the top.

The Mac had a brilliant 2025, with shipments increasing 16.4% year over year. That’s a growth rate none of the computer’s top rivals could match.
It marks the third straight year of annual increases. And the rate could have been higher if Apple didn’t push back the launch of some much-anticipated products.

A new Apple Creator Studio subscription bundles six major professional creative apps into a single monthly or yearly plan. The new bundle, announced Tuesday by Apple, includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor and MainStage, plus premium artificial intelligence features in other Apple apps.

“There’s never been a more flexible and accessible way to get started with such a powerful collection of creative apps for professionals, emerging artists, entrepreneurs, students and educators to do their best work and explore their creative interests from start to finish,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, in a press release.

If you’re ready to dive into a new language, this discount on a full year of Super Duolingo removes ads, limits and friction so you can practice more, travel smarter and actually stick with learning a new language.

The Duolingo app gives you a fun way to learn a new language, right on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. And with this super discount on Super Duolingo, you get an upgraded experience for just $39.99 (MSRP $59.99).

OpenAI’s first consumer hardware device could be an AirPods replacement. The AI-powered earbuds, internally called “Sweetpea,” is reportedly the priority focus for former Apple design chief Jony Ive’s team.

OpenAI’s earbuds could debut as early as September, with the company estimating shipments to reach 40 million to 50 million units in the first year.

iPhone took the top spot in global smartphone sales in 2025. Apple outsold all its rivals, including arch-rival Samsung.

iPhone shipments grew 10% year over year, buoyed by strong demand for the new iPhone 17 series.

Not every Apple TV show gets merchandise like T-shirts and hats, but Vince Gilligan’s oddly original sci-fi head-scratcher Pluribus — the most-watched Apple TV show ever — just did. Too bad the merch is on the lame side.

One of the most weirdly refreshing sci-fi dramas in recent history deserves better than what Sony Pictures is peddling.

Mac Hot Corners are shortcuts for your mouse. Enable the Hot Corners feature, and you can throw your mouse cursor to the corner of the screen (the easiest place to hit) to perform quick actions. You can instantly lock the screen, start a screensaver, show the desktop, show all windows and more.

If you use your Mac with a standard two-button PC mouse instead of Apple’s Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse, Hot Corners can replace the multitouch gestures that you miss out on. The Mac’s built-in Hot Corners feature provides a quick and easy way to navigate your computer, and I recommend that you turn them on and use them.

Google’s Gemini AI is set to power the long-promised overhaul of Apple’s Siri voice assistant, turning months of speculation into confirmation after Apple made the partnership official in a statement released Monday.

Apple worked for years on its own large language models to provide Siri with a much-needed intelligence boost. But in the end, Cupertino had to outsource the AI technology to Google, another tech giant with which it both competes and cooperates.

January 12, 2005: Apple reports record earnings for the preceding three months, fueled by impressive iPod sales during the holiday period and demand for the latest iBook laptop. The hardware boom drives a fourfold increase in profits for the company.

Apple brags that it has sold a total of 10 million iPods so far — and rightly so. The massive popularity of the portable music player drives Apple to its highest earnings yet.

“We are thrilled to report the highest quarterly revenue and net income in Apple’s history,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a press release. “We’ve sold over 10 million iPods to date and are kicking off the new year with a slate of innovative new products including iPod shuffle, Mac mini and iLife ’05.”

Apple’s tiny yet powerful M4 Mac mini is an amazing deal at any time, and a sale on the desktop computer makes it an even better value. You can get the latest model with 16GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD for only $499. That’s 17% off the list price. Plus Amazon deals apply to a range of specs. And you can get the M4 Pro model for $129 off, or 9% ($1,399.99 $1,269.99). 

Mac mini is a great option for someone needing their first computer. Especially at this low, low price.

Apple Music and Apple TV just had their biggest month ever. That strong streaming performance added to a banner year for the collection of products that go under the heading of Apple services.

“2025 was a record-breaking year for Apple Services, marked by remarkable growth, global expansion, and continuous innovation,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, in a press release Monday.

Apple TV celebrated a successful night at the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, taking home three awards Sunday for its hit Hollywood-spoof comedy The Studio and its sci-fi phenom Pluribus. But some of the streamer’s other hit shows came up short in the awards ceremony.

January 11, 2005: Steve Jobs introduces the iPod shuffle, an entry-level music player that lacks a display. The device randomly shuffles the audio files it holds, but lets users easily skip songs they don’t like. 

The first iPod to use flash memory, the iPod shuffle plugs directly into a computer using USB 2.0 and comes in 512MB and 1GB configurations. It’s smaller and cheaper than ever, making Apple’s music player even more approachable to average consumers.

“iPod shuffle is smaller and lighter than a pack of gum and costs less than $100,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a press release. “With most flash-memory music players users must use tiny displays and complicated controls to find their music; with iPod shuffle you just relax and it serves up new combinations of your music every time you listen.”

A new iPhone 17e could be right around the corner, and rumors suggest Apple’s next budget model will be a sizable jump over last year’s. Expect it to dump the old screen notch as well as boast other enhancements that bring Apple’s budget handset closer to the more premium options.

In short, those looking for a bargain on a new iPhone should keep their eye out for the 17e.

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: Did the world just get its first glimpse at the folding iPhone’s screen? And how the heck does anybody bend glass?!?
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• Plastering the iPhone 17’s camera plateau with tiny stickers is a thing.
• A new auction lets you bid on some truly bizarre Steve Jobs artifacts, and we’re generally amazed. Will people pay for Jobs’ old 8-tracks and bow ties?
• Special guest (and frequent Cult of Mac contributor) Graham Bower explains how he vibe-coded his new strength-training app, Reps & Sets 26. It’s an inspirational tale!
• And finally, we pay tribute to the best Apple setups we saw last year.

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, embedded below.
And, as a reminder, you can still hear our friend and colleague Erfon Elijah on The CultCast.

January 10, 2006: Steve Jobs unveils the original 15-inch MacBook Pro, Apple’s thinnest, fastest and lightest laptop yet.

Building on the previous PowerBook G4 laptop, the new laptop adds dual-core Intel processors for the first time. The MacBook Pro immediately makes waves in the tech community. And did we mention its awesome MagSafe connector?

CES 2026 showcased how iPhone accessory makers can innovate while offering deep integration with Apple’s ecosystem. Think slimmer and safer iPhone power banks, smarter MagSafe add-ons, and even an accessory that makes your desk less cluttered.

Plus, Apple’s Find My tech is making its way into everyday carry items, while physical keyboards — typically considered a bulky and impractical iPhone accessory — have become more modular, wireless and easier to live with.

Check out the iPhone accessories from CES 2026 that stood out for all the right reasons.

A cool, colorful Apple Watch concept that borrows the design language of the original iMac is drawing raves on Instagram.

The instantly recognizable design features translucent plastic in the bright shades of the nonconformist computers that saved Apple’s bacon in the late 1990s.

You can adjust the background blur of a Portrait mode photo on iPhone and Mac — even after you’ve taken the picture.

Because the iPhone stores the depth data that it uses to create the blur effect along with the image itself, you can adjust how blurry or clear the background looks. It’s super-easy to get just the right amount of aesthetically pleasing background blur, aka bokeh, to make your images look perfect.

Why would you want to tweak the background blur on your iPhone photo? A blurrier background, under the right conditions, can make for a very dramatic picture. It can effectively emphasize the subject of your shot. Or, you might want to turn up the blur to intentionally hide details behind you. On the other hand, if you’re in a photogenic location, you might want to decrease the blur so you can see more of the gorgeous background scenery.

Either way, I’ll show you how to edit Portrait mode’s background blur in photos on iPhone and Mac.

Macxvideo AI video enhancer makes everything look better. Whether you’re editing iPhone footage, making a screencast, or digging up an old family video from a dusty hard drive, this Mac app gives you a seriously powerful upgrade — without bloated subscription fees or a steep learning curve. It’s an easy, affordable way to enhance video quality.

Right now, you can grab lifetime access to Macxvideo AI for one Mac for just $24.99 (regularly $69.95). You simply pay one flat price, with no recurring charges and no catches. Just lifelong access to Mac-compatible AI video enhancement tools to make all your projects look extra-professional.

You can soon express your true feelings by sending someone a pickle. A pickle emoji, anyway. It’s one of nine proposed new emoji that will likely come to iPhone in late 2026.

It’ll be joined by a squinting face, a new butterfly, a lighthouse and more.