August 22, 2001: Apple takes home a technical Emmy Award for developing FireWire, the high-speed serial port that allows users to transfer data quickly between a Macintosh and another device, such as a digital camera.

“Apple enabled the desktop video revolution with its invention of FireWire,” says Jon Rubinstein, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, in a press release about the Emmy win.

FireWire plays a key role in Apple CEO Steve Jobs‘ “digital hub” strategy for the company. However, the technology’s origins go back much further than that.

The Games app is a new all-in-one destination for gaming on your Apple devices. You can create a custom profile, track your achievements, and add friends (and set challenges for them). It’s also a quick way to launch games you’re playing and discover new ones.

It doesn’t entirely replace Game Center, a few vestiges of which reamin in the Settings app. But if you care at all about iPhone gaming, you should check out the new Games app. It’ll help you find new games to play and let you know about exciting events in your old favorites.

Here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s new Games app.

A new leak shows off the alleged TechWoven cases that Apple will supposedly launch for the iPhone 17 Pro lineup.

Based on the image, Apple’s TechWoven iPhone 17 cases will come in at least five colors.

The Twelve South PlugBug wall charger includes a feature that every travel accessory should have: Apple Find My support. So not only can it power two devices at up to 50W, you can be sure you won’t accidentally leave it in your hotel room.

To make the accessory even more enticing, a deal knocks 30% off the usual cost, dropping it below $50.

The Kuxiu M30 Magnetic Smart Connector Charger for iPad Pro/Air helps solve the irritating problem of limited iPad ports. It clings to the back of Apple tablets and charges them without taking up the computer’s sole USB-C port. It also reduces wear on the port.

I put the 35W charger through testing in my home office and came away quite satisfied.

And it’s on sale: 20% off!

The price for streaming Ted Lasso season 4 and other hits from Apple TV+ took a considerable jump on Thursday. The U.S. monthly fee went to $12.99, up from $9.99.

While that’s a 30% increase, it’s also the first to the streaming service in two years.

These affordable smart sunglasses come with a camera that lets you snap photos and record video. They also let you listen to music and podcasts, take phone calls, and even conjure up the AI wiles of ChatGPT via a simple voice command. And they cost less than a pair of earbuds!

Normally, these smart sunglasses would set you back $99.99. But right now, they’re on sale for just $69.99.

Continue reading

August 21, 2008: Microsoft recruits comedian Jerry Seinfeld for a series of ads. It’s a naked attempt to shake the company’s reputation as a stodgy oldster (as opposed to Apple’s trendsetting hipster image).

Microsoft pays Seinfeld a reported $10 million for the ads. However, thanks to the Mac’s appearance in virtually every episode of Seinfeld over the years, the comedian remains the world’s most famous Apple fanboy.

Apple wants to bring Touch ID to the Apple Watch. Leaked internal code indicates the company is exploring bringing biometric authentication to its smartwatch.

The idea is likely still in internal evaluation, with no clarity on if or when Apple will move forward with it.

A new sale on the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro drops its price to just $1,299 — the lowest price we’ve seen for this model.

Apple’s workhorse professional laptop is a great get for anyone when it goes on sale. And with the M5 models reportedly delayed until 2026, now’s the time to upgrade. If you want a model with a bigger screen and/or beefed-up specs, you can browse a bunch of great MacBook Pro deals in the sale links below, many with nice new price cuts.

Entry-level pro laptop

14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 chip (2024)

$1,599.00

Apple's latest base-model MacBook Pro features an M4 chip with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. It also boasts a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 16GB unified memory, 512GB SSD storage and silver or space black colors.

Pros:

• Great performance and "built for Apple Intelligence"
• Outstanding 24-hour battery life
• Beautiful Liquid Retina display

Cons:

• More expensive than MacBook Air

Buy from Amazon

Buy from Best Buy

01/29/2026 01:16 am GMT

The newly announced Google Pixel 10 includes Pixelsnap, a system that lets wireless chargers and other accessories cling magnetically to the back of the phone. If that sounds familiar, that’s because Pixelsnap is another name for Apple’s MagSafe system for iPhones.

But this is not yet another example of Google stealing a good idea from Apple. Instead, Apple helped make MagSafe into the Qi2 standard so other companies would build it into their handsets. And that’s what Google did, though it felt the need to rebrand Qi2 as Pixelsnap. Whatever the name, the more handsets with Qi2, the more iPhone users benefit.

Apple released iOS 18.6.2, macOS Sequoia 15.6.2 and iPadOS 18.6.2 on Wednesday, warning that the updates close security vulnerabilities already exploited by hackers.

While the patches include no new features, they are nevertheless highly recommended for iPhone, Mac and iPad users.

AI language learning app MosaLingua can speed up your mastery of nearly a dozen languages. It’s designed for busy people who want to make steady progress without carving out hours each day.

MosaLingua’s lessons are short and to the point, with most taking just 10 minutes to complete. Its advanced tools make learning a new language fun. And instead of sitting down for a whole language session, you can brush up whenever you have time.

Sound bueno? Right now, you can secure a lifetime subscription to MosaLingua for just $85.97 (regularly $4,085).

There’s an unexpected benefit to Action mode in the iPhone camera. A feature intended for taking exciting video also benefits those who can’t hold the camera still because of Parkinson’s.

A video Apple released Tuesday demonstrates the benefits, and a follow-up video explains how those with hand tremors can take advantage of Action mode.

Apple will replace its much-maligned (and quickly abandoned) FineWoven material for iPhone cases with a new synthetic fabric for the iPhone 17 lineup, according to a new leak Tuesday. And on Wednesday a new name — “TechWoven” — and images of Apple packaging came to light. The new MagSafe cases might feature a cross-body strap and lanyard support, too

The new material appears to be Apple’s next attempt to create a leather alternative for iPhone cases, following the company’s 2023 decision to eliminate leather products from its lineup for environmental reasons. The resulting FineWoven came under heavy fire from users for poor durability and its tendency to show wear quickly.

The leaker Majin Bu followed up on his Tuesday post with a post Wednesday indicating the name “TechWoven” and showing images of Apple product boxes for the MagSafe cases.. See below.

August 20, 2019: The Apple Card launch brings the titanium credit card to U.S. consumers for the first time. It gives them a new option for payments when Apple Pay isn’t available.

The iPhone’s Wallet app handles statements and payments. And the innovative card is “designed to help customers lead a healthier financial life,” according to Apple. Surveys show the card soon becomes beloved.

“We’re thrilled with the overwhelming interest in Apple Card and its positive reception,” says Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay, in a press release. “Customers have told us they love Apple Card’s simplicity and how it gives them a better view of their spending.”

Some people take an orthodox view of external computer displays and opt for just one with proper windows management. For the rest of us, the best dual-monitor setup we can afford is the best way to go for plenty of screen real estate without going overboard. Check out some of the greatest two-display rigs from setups coverage over the past few years below.

This affordable personal alarm combines personal security with smart tracking — and it’s small enough to fit on your keychain. You can activate its powerful siren and bright LED light if you find yourself in any type of emergency. It can alert nearby people or maybe even scare off whatever is threatening you.

Plus, the Two-in-One Safety Alarm works with Apple’s Find My network, so you can quickly locate it if you happen to misplace whatever you attach it to. And with this deal, this tiny safety gadget costs less than a single AirTag!

Normally $39.99, this little piece of EDC emergency gear is now on sale for just $23.99. And you can save even more if you buy a two-pack.

iPadOS 26 brings the most profound changes to the iPad ever, making the tablet far more Mac-like. And you can go ahead and install the massive upgrade, even though it’s still in beta testing.

I’ve thoroughly tested the most recent beta version, and I find it quite stable. It’s not perfect, but if you don’t need your tablet in life-or-death situations, you could dive in and try the revamped iPad multitasking system, Liquid Glass and other enhancements.

In a first for its India operations, Apple reportedly will assemble all four iPhone 17 models in the country before their September debut.

Typically, Apple starts assembling new iPhone models in India weeks after their global launch.

Montana became the eleventh U.S. state or territory to support digital driver’s licenses and IDs stored in the Wallet app on iPhone or Apple Watch on Tuesday.

The major advantage is speeding up the process of moving through security checkpoints at airports, though there are other uses, too.

Professionals who need an SSD with terabytes of storage and crazy-fast data transfers have a new option: the OWC Express 1M2 80G. The drive offers up to 8TB of capacity, and because it uses Thunderbolt 5, the SSD offers 48GBps real-world data transfers.

It’s available in a range of storage capacities, or users can insert their own NVMe M.2 SSD.

August 19, 2004: Google floats its initial public offering on the stock market. The Google IPO cements the company’s status as a tech giant, as founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin turn into instant billionaires.

Relations between Google and Apple are good at the time, with Apple CEO Steve Jobs serving as a mentor to the search company’s two young founders. Google’s Eric Schmidt soon will join Apple’s board of directors. However, the peace won’t last long.

Rolling Square claims, “Supertiny is the smallest 65W GaN Charger ever.” It’s definitely very small, but can still quickly power up a MacBook or other full-size computer.

I put the claims to the test and came away impressed. I do have one caution, though.

The United Kingdom government gave up its demand for a backdoor into encrypted Apple iCloud accounts.

Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. director of national intelligence, announced the change late Monday. The DNI had been fighting the attempt to violate the privacy of Americans since word of the U.K.’s plan first came to light.