April 18, 1996: Apple unveils a massive $15 million promotional tie-in for the Mission: Impossible movie starring Tom Cruise.

Designed to promote the PowerBook, which Cruise uses in the spy flick, the marketing campaign comes at a particularly bad time. Attempting to climb back into the black after reporting its largest quarterly loss ever, Apple is in the middle of trying to perform its very own impossible mission. And that’s just the start of the problems.

Apple’s struggles in China continue. In Q1 2025, the company fell to fifth place, despite the overall smartphone market growing by 3.3%.

Huawei and Oppo made the most of Apple’s fall, registering double-digit growth.

Getting just the right shot is exciting, but any professional photographer will tell you that post-production work separates decent vacation snapshots from magazine-worthy images. That requires powerful photo editing software. And photo apps don’t come much more highly recommended than Luminar Neo, which lets you utilize AI to make your images look amazing.

Now there’s a great opportunity for new users to get this versatile software (for Mac or PC), along with hundreds of dollars worth of add-ons and training. You can get the Award-Winning Luminar Neo Lifetime Bundle for just $89.99. That’s a tremendous discount off the retail price of $682.)

Apple Music vs. Spotify: While Apple Music still lags behind Spotify when it comes to paying subscribers, in my opinion, Apple Music is the better service. It offers more advanced features like live lyrics, karaoke, lossless and spatial audio.

And for music aficionados, you can upload your own ripped recordings and MP3s. You have full control over your music library. Plus the Apple Music Classical app gives you a first-class experience learning and discovering classical music.

Here are the nine things keeping me on Apple Music — and why you should switch away from Spotify. You can also watch the video right here.

Into a market filled with standard iPhone cases, Apple accessories designer Sodi brings a sensory innovation — or maybe overload — that promises to transform how iPhone users interact with their devices. The Sodi Aroma Scent Phone Case, designed exclusively for iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models, launched Thursday on Kickstarter. It infuses fragrance technology with everyday smartphone use.

In other words, the cases make your iPhone smell … in a nice way, and very much on purpose.

Apple may soon release a lighter, thinner version of its Vision Pro headset that may go by the name of “Vision Air,” according to multiple leaks Wednesday and Thursday from a semi-reliable source. The new device would represent a significant redesign focused on weight reduction while potentially offering a more affordable alternative to the $3,500 Vision Pro. And it might come in a bluish-black color rather than Vision Pro’s silver.

April 17, 1977: The Apple II launch at the West Coast Computer Faire positions Apple at the forefront of the looming personal computer revolution.

The company’s first mass-market computer, the Apple II boasts an attractively machined case designed by Jerry Manock (who will later design the first Macintosh). It also packs a keyboard, BASIC compatibility and, most importantly, color graphics.

Fueled by some marketing savvy from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, the Apple II launch makes quite a splash at the San Francisco Bay Area’s first personal computer convention.

Statik’s MagStack magnetic charging cables put an end to unsightly desk spaghetti. They’ll also keep your desk drawer from looking like a horrifying snake pit.

Reinforced nylon makes these 6-foot USB-A to USB-C cables tough as nails. And whether they’re plugged in or stowed in a drawer, their magnetic construction keeps them neatly coiled and tangle-free.

You can grab a pair of MagStack cables for just $34.99 (a 23% discount). Or you can snag a four-pack and save even more.

ESR bills its new MagMouse Wireless Mouse, unveiled at CES 2025 in January, as the world’s first magnetic mouse with built-in charging cable. The mouse attaches via adhesive base to a laptop or tablet so you can take it with you. And a handy little USB-C charging cable stows under the mouse. I put it through some paces for my ESR MagMouse review.

You can preorder the mouse now but it’s officially available Monday, April 28, via Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. I happily tested it partly to see who it serves best. Not me, as it turns out — but plenty of others could find its unusual features quite useful.

You can now set DeepL Translate as the default translation application on iPhones and iPads, replacing Apple’s own app. Powered by artificial neural networks, the machine-translation service supports a wider range of languages than Apple’s Translate app. And in our testing, it delivered slightly better translation as well.

DeepL Translate is the first third-party app that can serve as the iPhone’s default translation app … it beat Google Translate to the punch. The option works for iPhone users in the United States and the European Union.

Here’s how to set DeepL as the default on your iPhone or iPad.

Despite its flaws, Apple Intelligence packs some useful features. Among them, Writing Tools lets you rewrite, summarize, and proofread text using AI.

Sadly, you cannot use Writing Tools to draft your Facebook posts or WhatsApp chats, as Meta blocks the use of this feature in its apps.

As the sun sets and darkness creeps in, our vision becomes limited, making it difficult to see objects clearly (especially at a distance). But what if you could see in the dark — and even record what you see? With these digital night-vision binoculars, you’ll be able to see things in low-light conditions with incredible detail and clarity.

This top-rated tech doesn’t have to break the bank, either. Right now, you can score a 50% discount on these night-vision binoculars and grab them for only $79.97 (regularly $159.99).

British actor David Oyelowo stars in the new “surrealist family comedy” Government Cheese, coming to Apple TV+ in spring 2025.

Oyelowo is always good — he also features in Apple’s very popular sci-fi series Silo — so it may be worth checking this one out.

Update: The comedy series is now streaming on Apple TV+. The review-aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes says, “Peculiar and peppy, Government Cheese has some holes but gets by on the strength of its nutty writing and a collection of tangy performances.”

Wednesday brought system software patches to an array of Apple devices, all intended to fix bugs. This includes the release of iOS 18.4.1 to remove a bug that prevented some iPhone users from accessing CarPlay over a wireless connection. There are two important security fixes, too.

Plus, Apple also made macOS Sequoia 15.4.1, iPadOS 18.4.1, tvOS 18.4.1 and visionOS 2.4.1 available at the same time. But no equivalent watchOS update appeared.

Apple reduced its global greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60% compared to 2015 levels, the company said Wednesday. It marks substantial progress toward the company’s Apple 2030 initiative goal of carbon neutrality.

And, as part of its Earth Day run-up, the company also confirmed rumors of an Apple in-store recycling deal that offers 10% off accessories when you turn in an Apple device through May 16.

“We’re incredibly proud of the progress we’re making toward Apple 2030, which touches every part of our business,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, in a press release. “Today, we’re using more clean energy and recycled materials to make our products than ever before, we’re preserving water and preventing waste around the world, and we’re investing big in nature.”

This Mac mini and iPad Pro setup shows off a great cable management effort, complete with “before” and “after” photos. And yet all commenters wanted to know about — and I don’t blame them — are the cool knick-knacks. Mostly mood-lighting-related, they’re functional decor. And maybe everyone should have these three items in their setup!

Four talented Indian filmmakers push creative boundaries, showing how iPhone 16 Pro Max does movies right and demonstrating how Apple’s latest technology democratizes high-quality filmmaking, Apple said Tuesday in a feature story. The emerging auteurs’ work is part of the 2025 MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone program.

April 16, 2009: Apple hits back at Microsoft following an advertisement that criticizes Cupertino for failing to sell decent laptops for less than $1,000.

“A PC is no bargain when it doesn’t do what you want,” Mac PR director Bill Evans tells Bloomberg. “The one thing that both Apple and Microsoft can agree on is that everyone thinks the Mac is cool. With its great designs and advanced software, nothing matches it at any price.”

Aduro’s PowerUp Trinity 3-in-1 Charging Station is a folding wireless charger that can power up an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time. It looks a bit like Apple’s discontinued MagSafe Duo, but can do more — at a fraction of the price.

It can lie flat or fold into a triangle so you can look at your iPhone while it charges. It also packs up small, so it’s great for when you hit the road. And right now, it’s on sale for just $24.99.

Lost your water bottle again? Journey Reevus Insulated Stainless Steel Bottle could fix that, permanently — if you’re willing to pay for it. It’s pricey because it’s not just another insulated stainless steel bottle, but the first one that integrates with Apple Find My tracking and functions as a MagSafe iPhone stand. So at $90 (or $76.50 with launch discount), it’s kind crazy steep. But this Reevus smart bottle review finds it might actually be worth it, especially if you’re one of those people who carries around water bottles all the time and tends to lose them.

If you ever lose access to your Apple Account or iPhone, you’ll be happy you set up a recovery contact in advance. Once you do, a trusted person can remotely unlock your iPhone for you if you can’t recall your password.

It only takes a few moments to set up — and could be a huge weight off your shoulders if you’re desperate, frustrated and just want to unlock your Apple account. Once you designate a recovery contact (and they accept), you can easily ask them for help.

Here’s how it works.

The 2018 Intel-based Mac mini has officially entered Apple’s vintage list. Alongside this, the 2015 iPhone 6s also joins the list.

This means that these products will only receive limited repair support from Apple.

With Tuesday’s Beats Cables launch, Apple subsidiary Beats officially entered the charging accessories market with its first-ever collection of reinforced charging cables. They bring the brand’s signature style to an often overlooked but essential product category. Available at apple.com, new Beats Cables feature a tangle-free woven design specifically engineered to prevent fraying and increase durability.

Unlike rival item trackers, the Chipolo Pop doesn’t force you to choose between iPhone and Android. You can find your misplaced keys or cat with either Apple’s Find My network or Google’s Find My Device.

Plus, the Bluetooth tracker tag comes in a range of colors.

April 15, 1981: Apple CEO Mike Markkula defends the struggling Apple III computer with a surprisingly straightforward admission. The comment comes even as the company pushes an unorthodox “fix” for the Apple III motherboard, which tends to overheat due to a questionable design.

“It would be dishonest for me to sit here and say that it’s perfect,” Markkula tells The Wall Street Journal, after critics blast the new computer for its overheating motherboard. Apple’s official solution to the problem? Ask users to drop their Apple III from a height of 6 inches to reseat the chips.