UPDATE: Fortnite returned to the U.S. App Store on May 20.

Epic Games’ hope to get Fortnite reinstated on the U.S. iPhone App Store crashed and burned.  Apple used a letter from one of its lawyers to deny the attempt to let iPhone users in the United States install and play the popular game. This is the latest clash in a long-running dispute between the two companies.

Epic claimed Friday that Apple had also blocked Fortnite in Europe, which Apple denies.

May 17, 1983: John Sculley takes the helm as Apple’s third president and CEO. The former Pepsi-Cola boss is short on tech experience but long on marketing, which will become increasingly important as the personal computer revolution ramps up.

Steve Jobs personally lured Sculley to Apple using one of the most famous lines in the history of business. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water,” Jobs asked Sculley, “or do you want a chance to change the world?”

May 17, 1978: Steve Jobs’ first child, a daughter named Lisa Brennan-Jobs, is born. The child of the 23-year-old Apple co-founder and his high school girlfriend Chris-Ann Brennan, Lisa’s parents are no longer a couple when she comes into the world.

Several shameful years follow in which Jobs denies paternity of his daughter, before they eventually reconcile.

The sci-fi action comedy Murderbot season 1 is the hottest show premiering this weekend. Apple TV+ turned an award-winning collection of novels into a series that’s fun to watch, with an enjoyable mix of laughs and fight sequences… with some suspense mixed in.

Here’s why you should tune in this weekend, whether you’ve read Martha Wells’ books or not.

It’s easy to get addicted to using Touch ID whenever you need to gain password-restricted access to anything. But not everyone is a big fan of Magic Keyboard with Touch ID (not the function, the keeb itself). Today’s MacBook Pro setup user found an odd but practical solution. They use a Keychron Q1 mechanical keyboard as a daily driver and Velcro a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID to the edge of the desk so they can reach the Touch ID button.

Sony’s newest flagship over-ear headphones, WH-1000XM6, promise the “best noise cancellation” in the industry and seamless wireless connectivity, the company said Thursday. The $450 cans — not cheap but less than AirPods Max’s $549 list price — should appeal to discerning Apple fans.

And Sony enlisted Post Malone as a pitchman for the new headphones, for what that’s worth. Hardly seems necessary, as this series of cans typically sits at or near the top of many best-headphones lists every year.

If you rely on your MacBook to handle serious workloads — think 3D renders, Xcode builds or 200-tab research sessions — you know the right machine doesn’t come cheap. Luckily, you can finance MacBooks with Upgraded, a convenient upgrade program that makes it easy to get the exact laptop you need, when you need it … without paying thousands upfront. 

With 0% interest financing over 36 months and the option to upgrade every 24 months, the subscription-based service is an ideal option for power users who want the latest Apple silicon without paying a fortune upfront.

With the StarTech.com USB-C Power Tester, you can easily look for charging problems in your setup. It’s a quick and easy way to ensure your devices are getting all the power they’re supposed to.

I tested the inexpensive little multimeter out. Here’s what I found.

You no longer need to hunt down an OG Game Boy Color on eBay to relive the good stuff. With this retro handheld game console, you can emulate 20 classic systems, including the Game Boy, the Sega Genesis and the Nintendo Entertainment System.

With a sharp 3.5-inch IPS display and a rechargeable battery, this pocket-size classic gaming console gives you a way to revisit your favorite retro titles anytime, anywhere, without having to bid against any other nostalgic gamers. Order one now for just $79.99 with free shipping (regularly $129).

May 16, 1994: Apple launches the PowerBook 540c, one of the best laptops in the company’s history.

Part of the innovative 500 series of PowerBooks, the 540c is the laptop to own in 1994. Blisteringly fast, packed with innovative features, and offering the best notebook display on the market, it’s a triumph on every level. Although for $5,539 (over $11,900 in today’s money), it had better be…

Xfinity customers can enjoy the action of Sunday Night Soccer for no extra charge starting this week. The show brings a weekly, featured Major League Soccer game throughout the season.

The same games are also available for Apple TV+ subscribers, as well as those with an MLS Season Pass from Apple.

Two stylish new Seenda keyboard and mouse combos offer seamless compatibility with Mac, iPad and iOS devices, the company said Thursday. The premium SKM64-3 Bluetooth combo and budget-friendly Creative SK73-3 wireless combo both deliver style and functionality for Apple users seeking alternatives to Apple’s peripherals.

By E.U. law, Apple must let iPhone applications include payment systems other than Apple’s own. But in a move that seems calculated to convince customers and developers to avoid these alternatives, there’s now a “scare screen” on applications that do not offer Apple’s payment system in the European Union version of the App Store.

May 15, 2001: Apple CEO Steve Jobs flips the script on the dreadful experience of computer shopping, unveiling an ambitious plan to open 25 innovative Apple stores across the United States. The first ones, located at Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia, and the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California, are set to open later that week.

However, this new Apple initiative is about much more than just a couple of retail outlets. It’s a radical reinvention of tech retail that will change the way computers get sold.

After a five-month delay from its original timeline, Apple’s next-generation CarPlay experience is finally hitting the road. Dubbed “CarPlay Ultra,” the deeply integrated system that Apple first previewed in 2022 has begun rolling out to Aston Martin vehicles in the United States and Canada, with more automakers soon to follow.

You don’t need to be a seasoned entrepreneur or own a warehouse to start selling on Amazon. You just need a decent internet connection, some curiosity and the courses in the Ultimate 2025 Amazon FBA Bundle.

This Amazon course bundle teaches you everything you need to know about running a Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) business. And right now, it’s on sale for just $19.99 for a limited time.

What does the orange dot on your iPhone mean — and while we’re at it, how about the green dot? These mysterious dots can appear in the Dynamic Island of newer iPhones, or in the upper right corner of older models, near the battery icon.

The dots are part of Apple’s vast system of privacy and security features built into the iPhone. Of course, these privacy features only work if you know what they mean and how to use them — so keep reading for the answer below.

President Donald Trump made it clear Wednesday he doesn’t want Apple to manufacture its products in India.

“I don’t want you building in India,” Trump reportedly told Apple CEO Tim Cook during a phone call Wednesday.

A new tool from Apple will make it easier to import your playlists and library from Spotify to Apple Music. As part of a limited rollout, the company currently offers this feature in Australia and New Zealand.

Apple joined forces with SongShift, a popular playlist transfer tool, to bring this feature to life.

The Mac mini is already a great deal, but this grade-A refurbished model drops the price of a 2023 model to just $359.99 with free shipping. Apple’s M2 chip powers the small desktop computer, delivering excellent performance in a sleek, compact design.

This deal offers exceptional value for both professionals and casual home users. But if you want one, act fast — stock is limited.

The listings in Apple Maps for restaurants, hotels, golf courses and more got rankings and reviews from expert sources starting on Wednesday. This includes information from Michelin Guide, Golf Digest and others.

These join the reviews already in the app that were submitted by regular users, and the ones brought over from Yelp.

The next major update to visionOS could include eye scrolling, for navigating long lists and webpages entirely hands-free. The Vision Pro already uses eye- and hand-tracking for navigating its interface; if true, this would take it to the next level.

Scrolling is one of the most fundamental interactions with a smartphone. But it hasn’t translated as well to the Vision Pro, where you need to pinch two fingers together and move your hand.

If visionOS 3 lets you scroll simply by looking at the bottom of a window, that could be a powerful new feature of the headset.

Apple reportedly plans to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the iPhone with a new model that introduces some of the most significant design changes to the handset since the iPhone X. That includes saying goodbye to the Dynamic Island.

The upcoming model should break the iPhone design out of the rut it’s been in for too many years.

May 14, 1992: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs‘ company NeXT runs into trouble as it loses a crucial deal with Businessland after the computer retailer closes its stores.

It comes at a time when NeXT’s luck is going from bad to worse. The Businessland closure marks one of the lowest points in Jobs’ career — before everything starts to turn around again.

After four solid generations before them, Soundcore Liberty 5 wireless noise-canceling earbuds are compact audio powerhouses. My Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds review finds they challenge premium noise-canceling earbuds like AirPods Pro 2 for about half the price. In fact, Liberty 5’s price ($130) went down from Liberty 4’s starting price by $20.

While Apple, Sony and Bose dominate the high-end market, Soundcore steadily refined their Liberty series to deliver impressive sound quality without the premium price tag. During my testing, the earbuds demonstrated remarkable performance in a variety of ways, along with a limitation or two.