September 1, 2010: Apple’s new music-focused social network, Ping, ships as part of iTunes 10. Apple says the service will let users discover new music and more easily follow their favorite artists.

“In iTunes 10, we’re announcing something really cool, and we call it Ping,” says Apple CEO Steve Jobs during his demo of the new service. “And what Ping is, is it’s a social network for music. It’s sort of like Facebook and Twitter meet iTunes. You know, it’s not Facebook, it’s not Twitter. It’s something else that we’ve come up with.”

Ping racks up 1 million signups in the first 48 hours. Nevertheless, Apple’s social network is doomed from the start.

Apple added three more MacBook models to its official obsolete device list. That means the laptops no longer qualify for standard hardware service, so owners hoping for an easy trip to the Genius Bar will mostly be out of luck.

The three laptops had spent the last few years on Apple’s vintage list, and now they’ve crossed into obsolete territory for good. Apple confirmed the change in an updated support document published on Monday.

The Orico MacData Vault puts five SATA drives and hardware RAID into a compact aluminum enclosure that looks right at home beside a Mac. It feels solid and runs quietly.

However, its screw-mounted drive trays and hardware-only RAID controls make the setup feel more dated than I expected from a premium direct-attached storage, aka DAS, device in 2026. There is also an important catch for Mac users. Find out more in my review.

Tim Cook isn’t the only high-level Apple executive changing roles: Phil Schiller, one of the most recognizable faces in Apple’s modern history, is reportedly stepping away from his remaining major responsibilities at the company.

The 66-year-old Apple veteran is giving up oversight of the App Store and Apple’s product events, according to a report published Monday.

But Schiller isn’t completely walking away from Apple. He will supposedly remain an Apple Fellow and work on unspecified projects.

August 31, 2004: Apple launches the iMac G5, a distinctive, white plastic computer that looks a little like the world’s biggest iPod.

Housed in a 2-inch-thick enclosure reminiscent of Apple’s Cinema Displays, the new all-in-one machine bridges the gap between the pleasing plasticity of the iconic original iMac and the minimalist form factor of the ultra-slim aluminum Macs that will follow.

“Just like the iPod redefined portable digital music players, the new iMac G5 redefines what users expect from a consumer desktop,” says Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, in a press release. “With the entire system, including a gorgeous 17- or 20-inch display, just two inches thin, a lot of people will be wondering ‘where did the computer go?’”

Apple Maps still calls it Lake Ontario, but perhaps not for much longer. President Donald Trump is trying to rename it “Lake America,” and reportedly asked Apple directly to make the change in Apple Maps.

The push to rename the lake is part of Trump’s pressure campaign against Canada as the two countries remain locked in a trade war.

Your iPhone has known for years that it’s about to rain. Your car’s dashboard, running Apple’s own CarPlay software, has had no idea — because Apple Weather never made the jump to CarPlay. But starting today, you won’t have to wait on Apple to fix that.

The Weather Channel’s Storm Radar app version 4.0.19 just rolled out. The centerpiece is a dedicated CarPlay experience that finally puts live weather where you’re already looking while driving. If your commute was ever ambushed by a storm your map app couldn’t see coming, this is the update you’ve wanted.

Apple’s OLED iPad mini is closing in on release. A fresh report says the redesigned tablet would reach store shelves by the end of October.

Expect a sharper, brighter screen as well as a faster chip built for Apple Intelligence. Apple is also said to be reworking the tablet’s shell for better water resistance.

Read on for everything to expect in the OLED iPad mini.

The Mac mini and Mac Studio are apparently a huge hit among AI companies. OpenAI reportedly purchased tens of thousands of Macs from Apple for reinforcement learning and “computer-use” AI agents.

Anthropic, which offers Claude AI, is renting Mac minis through Amazon Web Services (AWS) for similar reasons.

This heavy demand helps explain why Apple launched new versions of the Mac mini and Mac Studio last week, months before the usual fall release window.

The upcoming Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 might feature continuous heart rate monitoring for better health tracking. The two watches should also come with a speedy new S-series chip for better performance and longer battery life.

Unfortunately, Apple does not plan to introduce any design changes this year. But the Apple Watch Series 12 could come with a premium ceramic casing option, which Apple last offered on Series 5 models.

The folding iPhone expected in September will open to become what is essentially a small iPad. But that doesn’t mean that it will support Apple Pencil, the stylus designed for Apple tablets.

Apple tested a version of the stylus for its upcoming foldable phone, but nixed the idea for multiple reasons, according to an unconfirmed report published Sunday. The most notable reason for cancellation: danger that the stylus might damage the iPhone’s folding screen.

August 30, 2010: Just two years after opening its virtual doors, the iOS App Store passes a key milestone: one-quarter of a million apps for sale.

It’s a massive demonstration of success for a service Apple CEO Steve Jobs didn’t even initially want to offer.

Not every Cult of Mac reader is all Mac, all the time. We know many of you use PCs for various reasons — and here’s the big Windows 11 sale you’ve been waiting for.

For a limited time, you can get a lifetime license to Windows 11 Pro for just $7.97 from Cult of Mac Deals.

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: Apple sent out invites for its Surprise and Shine event this week, and the big question is, will there actually be any surprises on September 9?

The invite itself doesn’t reveal much, naturally. And a crazy deluge of rumors and leaks already painted a pretty thorough picture of what to expect from the iPhone 18 Pro, the first folding iPhone and more.

Still, it’ll be incoming Apple CEO John Ternus‘ first time running an event, and surely he’ll want to make it special. We discuss how he might make the event shine.

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• This week’s rollout of new Mac mini and Mac Studio models gets us wondering if it’s time to upgrade.
• Apple’s new M6 chip sounds pretty amazing, but what about the M5 Pro?
• And finally, Leander shares a tip that will make charging your AirPods easier.

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.

August 29, 2001: During a meeting, Apple’s board of directors awards CEO Steve Jobs new stock options that will become part of a stock-backdating scandal several years later.

When the matter eventually ends up in court, Apple’s former general counsel pays $2.2 million to settle charges that she backdated stock options for Jobs, herself and others — and created fake paperwork to hide this fact.

The iPhone 17 Pro is barely a year old, but its successor could bring some meaningful upgrades. Rumors point to camera, display and performance improvements for the iPhone 18 Pro, along with a potentially unwelcome price hike.

Here’s how Apple’s next flagship could compare with the iPhone 17 Pro.

While the price of Apple TV just keeps rising, Apple One bundles let users save money on the subscription offerings they have come to depend on and love.

The company offers three Apple One configurations, all of which offer discounts on Apple Music, Apple TV and iCloud+ storage. Check pricing on Apple One’s three tiers — Individual, Family and Premier — and find out what you get for your money (and, most importantly, how much you can save).

Apple raised the price of an Apple TV subscription to $12.99 a month in 2025, and hiked it again to $14.99 on Friday. That follows last month’s Apple Music price hikes due to rising licensing costs. The latest increases make Apple One bundles an even better value.

One data breach could be all it takes for someone to steal your identity. If you want to know how to protect yourself from identity theft, a handful of habits go a long way.

Identity theft strikes when someone steals your personal details to commit fraud in your name. Think Social Security numbers, credit card details, that kind of thing. The fallout can drain your bank accounts and wreck your credit. And you could spend months untangling the mess. 

This guide breaks down the practical steps that actually reduce your risk of identity theft.

Parents, convinced your child is a budding genius? Then be sure to save everything they make because maybe someday you’ll be able to auction it off for big bucks. As proof, a science project Apple co-founder Steve Jobs built as an eighth grader recently sold at auction for $34,375.

It was part of an auction with other Apple memorabilia, like an Apple-1 computer and an Apple Computer business card signed by Jobs.

Apple’s just-launched Mac mini looks exactly the same on the outside as the previous model. But an M6 Mac mini versus M4 Mac mini comparison reveals a very different machine inside.

The all-new M6 chip is one option for the tiny desktop, and it’s the one designed for students and casual users. The Mac can also be configured with an M5 Pro processor, but that is for professionals and was discussed in a separate article. This one focuses on the benefits the M6 brings to consumers. 

We love a good PDF editor that works on Mac, and Systweak PDF Editor Pro handles editing, converting, signing and locking down PDFs without touching the cloud.

It also works on iOS, Android and Windows. And right now, you can grab a lifetime subscription at a steep discount — just $39.99 (regularly $99.99).

Continue reading

August 28, 1991: Astronauts send the first email from space using a Macintosh Portable and AppleLink software.

Sent by the crew of the Atlantis space shuttle, the message reads, “Hello Earth! Greetings from the STS-43 Crew. This is the first AppleLink from space. Having a GREAT time, wish you were here,…send cryo and RCS! Hasta la vista, baby,…we’ll be back!”

If Apple Translate doesn’t offer the languages you need, you can set Google Translate as your iPhone or iPad’s default translation app. Google’s translation app supports 249 languages, whereas Apple Translate currently can handle only 19.

Google’s broad scope comes in handy if you regularly read materials written in languages that Apple Translate doesn’t cover. And Google Translate is not the only alternative translation app for iPhone.

With the latest Mac mini, Apple launched its first 2nm chip: the M6. It stands out for several reasons, including enhanced single-core performance and dual Neural Engines for better AI performance.

But that does not automatically make it better than the M5 Pro, which trumps the M6 in some key areas.

Both are available in the new Mac mini, so it’s up to buyers to choose which is the better option for them. To help with the decision, here’s how the two stack up.

The best wall chargers include a display so you don’t have to guess about how much power is flowing. The BMX GaNsta Pixel has one too… and it’s both cool-looking and really easy to read.

More than that, the charger goes up to 140 watts — plenty to power your MacBook. Plus, there are three USB-C charging ports and a USB-A one, too.

I put the Mac/iPhone accessory through real-world testing and came away impressed. And I love its large display.