Tim Cook doesn’t get enough credit for launching groundbreaking products as Apple CEO. He quietly oversaw launches that reshaped how people listen, make purchases and monitor their health. He even revitalized the Mac.
With Cook leaving the CEO spot to become chairman of Apple’s board of directors in September, it’s time for some perspective on his time in office. Here are five examples of Cook embedding Apple deeper into our lives than ever before.
Apple now allows developers to offer monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment. This means instead of paying the annual subscription fee upfront, users can pay it monthly.
This change makes it easier for users to subscribe to apps with high annual fees, lowering the barrier to entry.
Without an AI investing app, trading in today’s unpredictable market can feel like throwing darts blindfolded. (Pro tip: Don’t try that unless you’re Mike Tyson.) One day, stocks are up; the next, they’re crashing. Not to mention, every so-called expert has a different opinion.
Sterling Stock Picker changes the game. This AI-driven platform taps OpenAI to take the guesswork out of investing, using advanced technology to guide you toward smarter financial decisions.
Whether you’re looking for long-term growth, dividend stocks or high-risk/high-reward opportunities, this AI investing app helps you navigate the stock market with clarity. And speaking of good investments, you can lock in a lifetime subscription to Sterling Stock Picker for just $68.99. That’s a massive 85% off the original price of $486.
You can record a phone call on your iPhone for future reference using a built-in tool. This feature is a great way to refer back to a previous conversation. Who said what? What date did they say? What exactly did you agree to?
If your device supports Apple Intelligence, you’ll get transcriptions of the phone calls, too. They’ll go in a Call Recordings folder in the Notes app.
If you used a shady call recording app before, you can bid it adieu. There’s a convenient button built right into the Phone app. Here’s how it all works.
The M5 MacBook Air is the best mobile computer for most people, and a sweet deal drops both the 13-inch and 15-inch models to record-low prices. The sale slashes $150 off models with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSDs.
You can snag the 13-inch M5 MacBook Air for just $950 or the 15-incher for only $1,150, in a variety of colors.
OpenAI has been secretly developing a smartphone designed to compete directly with iPhone, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Sunday. It’s a significant reversal from the company’s previously stated hardware strategy, which included smartphone alternatives like AI companion devices.
Modern businesses cannot fully function, meet consumer needs, or remain competitive without digitalization. An advanced ERP system today is one of the elements of this digitalization.
There are many ERP systems on the market that are designed for different scales and needs of companies. For example, SAP solutions can completely take over any company’s business process. However, this beneficial journey can be risky without reliable support. That’s why companies around the world are increasingly turning to outsourcing developers and implementation partners.
In this article, we will discuss in detail the concept of SAP outsourcing services, its importance for modern companies, as well as the role of external experts in digital transformation.
Apple could deliver a significant performance upgrade to the base iPhone 18, with the smartphone potentially receiving a major increase in RAM — up to 12GB — according to a new analyst report.
This comes despite an ongoing RAM shortage that’s driving up prices of rival devices. But keeping up with AI probably doesn’t give Apple much choice.
April 27, 2008: Psystar’s first Mac clones ship to customers. The company’s new Open Computer means that, for the first time since the mid-1990s, there’s no need to assemble a “hackintosh” to run OS X on a non-Apple computer.
Unlike previous clone Macs, however, Psystar’s low-priced computers don’t come with Cupertino’s blessing. Naturally, a fight ensues.
★★★★☆
First announced at CES 2026 in January and released Monday, EarFun Clip 2 open-ear earbuds arrive with an unusually ambitious spec sheet for $79.99 (or less with launch discount). EarFun says Clip 2 is the world’s first Hi-Res comfort ear-clip earbuds with built-in AI translation priced under $80 — a claim that would sound like marketing bluster if the hardware didn’t largely back it up. After spending time with them, here’s my EarFun Clip 2 earbuds review with an honest verdict.
New EarFun Clip 2 open-ear wireless earbuds pack an unusual combination of features for their price point — real-time AI translation, hi-res audio certification, Bluetooth 6.0 — the company said Monday. And you get it all for $79.99 (or $59.99 at launch).
An fantastic AirPods Pro 3 deal drops Apple’s excellent noise-canceling earbuds back to a record-low price of just $199.99 at Amazon and Best Buy. That’s a substantial $50 discount.
We’ve seen this deal come and go in recent weeks, and it’s back on now for who knows how long. If you want Apple’s best earbuds at the best price, jump on this deal before it disappears again.
AirPods Pro 3 bring new features, including Live Translation, a heart rate monitor, revved-up audio quality and redesigned ear tips for better active noise cancellation. Plus, like the previous model, they can even function as clinical-grade hearing aids.
Make no mistake: These are the best wireless earbuds you can buy for your iPhone, Mac and other Apple gear. Nothing can match how seamlessly AirPods integrate with Apple devices.
You can eliminate Wi-Fi dead zones and boost your network’s coverage up to 2,500 square feet with a plug-in range booster like the Linksys RE7000.
At just $27.99, it’s an easy and inexpensive way to upgrade your home Wi-Fi setup.
April 26, 1996: Mac OS Copland, Apple’s eagerly anticipated but much-delayed operating system for the Macintosh, suffers a fatal blow when the senior VP in charge of the project leaves the company.
David C. Nagel, Apple’s chief technologist, previously promised Mac OS Copland would ship to users by mid-1996 at the latest. With meeting that deadline no longer possible, he leaves Apple for a job running AT&T Laboratories.
It’s yet another sign that Apple’s top-to-bottom Mac operating system upgrade is in major trouble.
Each morning I wake up and check my sleep score on my Apple Watch. And then I wonder if it’s doing me any good. It’s certainly adding stress and hassle to my day.
That’s why I’m thinking of turning it off. Maybe you should, too.
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: Holy mackerel, Tim Cook really is stepping down from his CEO role at Apple! And it’s happening sooner than most of us thought. His replacement, John Ternus, sounds like a solid pick — a hardware guy with a long history in Cupertino.
Cook himself says he wants the four-month transition to be “a textbook succession plan, the best in the world.” So the big question is, what will this transition look like for Apple? We’ve got some thoughts. (Lots of ’em, actually.)
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.
You can turn your iPhone, iPad or Mac into a piano teacher with Flowkey’s interactive lessons, real-time feedback and song-first approach to learning.
Flowkey is designed to meet you where you are, whether you’ve never touched a keyboard or you already know your way around one. And it costs just $69.99 for three years. A flesh-and-blood piano teacher might charge that much for a single lesson!
April 25, 1990: Steve Jobs shuts down Pixar’s hardware division (yes, it used to have one!), ending production of the pricey Pixar Image Computer immediately.
Jobs sells the company’s hardware unit to Fremont, California-based imaging company Vicom Systems for a paltry $2 million.
The daily games hiding inside the News app are my favorite puzzles to play. Some are digital versions of classic games like crossword puzzles and sudoku. Others are entirely new.
All five games are available to all Apple News+ and Apple One Premier subscribers. Here’s how to play each of the daily word games in Apple News+ on iPhone. Check them out in this quick video.
Ever been annoyed when someone sends you a PDF instead of a file you can edit? An all-in-one PDF editor like AcePDF Converter & Editor can help, and it doesn’t need to cost a fortune.
Lifetime licenses for the Mac PDF app are on sale for $29.99 (regularly $99.99).
iMessage effects can add extra meaning, emotion and fun to your texting. In Apple’s Messages app, you can add bold, italics, underline and strikethrough text, just like in a formatted document. You can even choose from a bunch of cool, animated effects, including full-screen blasts of lasers, confetti and fireworks.
Apple’s text message effects can make quite an impression. You can make congratulations more bombastic (to rejoice in someone’s finest moments). Or, you can use formatting and effects to convey sarcasm, stress and sorrow more clearly.
These text effects are fun and incredibly useful. Keep reading below or watch our video.
Apple rolled out version 1.8 of its Apple Invites app Thursday, bringing seven new features that make planning and sharing events easier than ever. The update, available on the App Store, is the second recent upgrade for the iCloud+-exclusive digital invitation service.
Apple TV picked up a pair of prestigious Peabody Awards Thursday for hit drama Pluribus and documentary Come See Me in the Good Light. People think of the awards as the Pulitzer Prizes of radio, TV and online media.
There’s a certain magic in watching someone squeeze maximum capability out of a beautifully spare workstation. While plenty of computer setups aspire to the look of a NASA mission control center — bristling with displays, peripherals and enough RGB to signal alien life — a different school of thought holds that the best setup is the leanest one. Fewer devices mean fewer cables, fewer distractions and more space to think. You can do a lot with a little.
April 24, 2015: The original Apple Watch launch means consumers, who endured a seven-month wait after the device’s unveiling at a keynote the previous September, can finally strap an Apple wearable onto their wrists.
Apple CEO Tim Cook describes the smartwatch as the “next chapter in Apple history.” Behind the scenes, however, the first Apple Watch launch is a moment long in the making.