July 8, 1997: Steve Jobs begins his path to becoming chief executive officer of Apple, after former CEO Gil Amelio departs the company following a massive quarterly loss. Also leaving Apple is Ellen Hancock, executive vice president of technology.

To run Apple’s day-to-day operations, CFO Fred Anderson takes over until a new CEO can be found. Jobs, meanwhile, moves from strategic adviser to take “a more expanded role with Apple’s board and executive management team,” according to CNN Money.

Cupertino’s turnaround has started!

PrimOn the fence about buying a pair of AirPods for your iPhone or Mac? Amazon Prime Day sales are the best time to buy Apple’s wireless earbuds, with prices dropping to record lows.

Amazon already frequently discounts AirPods. But for its flagship sale event for the year, it dropped them to new lifetime low prices.

Good news for anyone in the market for an iPad: Amazon Prime Day brings low prices on every tablet Apple makes. But that’s underselling it — there are amazing deals here!

The budget iPad 11 is down to a rock-bottom price, and so is the iPad mini. And Amazon significantly cut the Price of iPad Pro and iPad Air, too. We’re talking deals as good as 24% off. You can save hundreds of dollars.

Apple’s AI ambitions take a hit as a key executive leading its AI model efforts departs the company. Meta has successfully managed to poach Ruoming Pang, who managed Apple’s foundation models team.

Meta is forming a new superintelligence team and reportedly offering pay packages of up to $100 million to attract top AI talent.

This year’s Amazon Prime Day sale may be the best one yet to score a deeply discounted Apple Watch — if supplies last.

Last year, models like the Apple Watch SE and Series 9 hit their lowest ever prices on Prime Day. This year sees all the major Apple Watch models at record lows, including the latest Series 10, the already low-price SE and the refreshed Ultra 2.

However, there’s a strong possibility stock may sell out before the four-day sale ends.

The Translate app built into your iPhone is a hidden gem if you’re traveling abroad. It gives you the ability to download languages in advance, so you don’t have to worry about a dodgy cellular connection.

The camera lets you translate text in-line of a restaurant menu or parking meter — it could help you out of a sticky situation. The Translate app’s conversation view makes it easy having a back-and-forth with someone who doesn’t speak your native tongue.

Here’s how to make the most out of the built-in Translate app.

You want to cut cable, but can’t imagine giving up recording your favorite programs to watch later? That was me a few years ago, and a Tablo TV tuner was just what I was looking for. This digital video recorder from Nuvyyo captures up to two shows at once off free local airwaves, then streams them to your Apple TV, iPad or iPhone whenever you want.

Even better, you can now get one at 25% below the usual cost.

July 7, 2011: Three years after its launch, the App Store passes 15 billion downloads.

This represents a major milestone for Apple. The App Store offers more than 425,000 apps, which give the iPhone and iPad incredible capabilities and add to the devices’ wide appeal.

A new leak provides more details about the upcoming iPhone 17 family’s design changes, including possibly UI changes based on the Dynamic Island. While the base model will feature slight design tweaks, the Pro models will adopt a new “horizontal large matrix design.”

The entire lineup will also supposedly use narrow-bezel LIPO flat screens, a technology that enables even thinner bezels than current solutions.

July 6, 1997: Following a massive quarterly loss for Apple, board member Edgar S. Woolard Jr. calls CEO Gil Amelio and informs him that he needs to step down. “You’ve done a lot to help the company, but the sales haven’t rebounded,” Woolard says.

Steve Jobs, who recently returned to the company he co-founded, denies being responsible for Amelio’s ouster. However, the move results in Jobs becoming Apple CEO for the first time. Now it’s time for a real turnaround!

The Deeper Connect Mini decentralized VPN and firewall is an easy-to-use piece of hardware that can protect your identity online and shield you from threats. And for a limited time, it’s on sale for $179.99.

The sci-fi action comedy Murderbot exploded onto the ratings charts after it reached streaming in May, and continues to be popular even as the season finale approaches. Many weeks after a launch, the series from Apple TV+ still appears on the top 10 lists of a company that tracks ratings.

Plus, Owen Wilson‘s sport comedy Stick also pulls in plenty of viewers.

After a very modest refresh last year, rumors indicate the Apple Watch Ultra 3 — set to launch this September alongside the iPhone 17 series — will mark Apple’s most ambitious wearable update yet.

Here’s what we’re expecting in 2025’s major overhaul of Apple’s rugged smartwatch. Keep reading or check out our latest video. 

July 5, 2006: Apple discontinues its low-end eMac product line. After more than a quarter-century of using CRT monitors in its computers, the move represents the end of the cathode ray tube era for Macs.

After ending the eMac, Apple shifts to the superior LCD technology still used for Macs today. When it comes to screens, thin is definitely in!

Despite their sleek designs, Apple products boast impressive durability. And now, for the first time, the company has provided a look into one of its 200 durability labs, where it rigorously torture tests its products.

Apple conducts several types of trials on its devices, including environmental, liquid, drop and vibration stress tests.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple reportedly plans to release its cheapest MacBook ever next year. This low-cost laptop might run on an iPhone chip and help Apple convince more people to switch from Windows machines.

Could playful colors — and possibly a plastic case — make this low-end Apple laptop a hit?

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple might lean on Anthropic’s Claude or OpenAI’s ChatGPT to power the long-delayed smarter Siri.
• A new timeline lays out what to expect from the next three years of Apple Vision headsets and smart glasses.
• In the how-to segment, we discuss our picks for the best Apple Watch faces. We also talk about why you might want to change things up.
• In the new listener question segment, we explain what to do when you’re low on iCloud storage.
• And in an all-new Under Review, Leander describes the benefits of three inexpensive aftermarket CarPlay screens.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast 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, embedded below.

Airfare is getting more expensive, and those prices won’t improve during peak travel times. With one of the best AI flight scanners on the market, and exclusive prenegotiated travel deals, OneAir’s Elite plan stands apart from the pack. It’s an AI travel app that can help you save on flights, hotels and rental cars for life.

And thanks to a limited-time sale, you can get a lifetime membership to OneAir Elite for just $49.97 with discount code TRAVEL. That’s a massive discount off the regular price of $790.

iMessage effects can add much more meaning, emotion and fun to your texting. You can add bold, italics, underline and strikethrough text, just like a formatted document, and even choose from a bunch of cool, animated effects. Plus, you can use full-screen animated effects, including lasers, confetti and  fireworks — which seems perfectly appropriate on the Fourth of July.

With Apple’s text message effects, you 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.

July 4, 1985: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs visits Moscow for the first time, with the aim of selling Macs to the Russians. During his two-day trip to the Soviet Union, Jobs lectures computer science students, attends a Fourth of July party at the American embassy and discusses opening a Mac factory in Russia.

He also reportedly almost runs afoul of the KGB by praising assassinated Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky.

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Pro Max might pack the biggest battery ever in an iPhone. A leaker indicates the phone could sport a 5,000mAh cell.

If accurate, that would be noticeably bigger than the iPhone 16 Pro and rival the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

With a little know-how, you can photograph fireworks with an iPhone and achieve great results. But just pointing and shooting with no prior planning can lead to blurry, unexciting fireworks photos.

For instance, does this sound familiar? Last year’s fireworks made you say ooh and ahh, but when you look at your iPhone photos from that night, the sound you make is more of an ugh.

Don’t blame Siri or some engineer in Cupertino for previous photo fails. The iPhone camera, as mighty as it is, can’t do all the thinking for you — especially in challenging lighting conditions like a fireworks display. But with a little thought and preparation, you can make this holiday worth reliving on your iPhone camera roll.

Below are some simple tips to make your iPhone fireworks photos sizzle.

My go-to Apple Watch Ultra band sports an American flag and a Velcro-style fastener that makes it easy to take on and off. And thanks to a sizzlin’ summertime deal on Amazon, you can grab one for less than $10.

The manufacturer’s name is Hehighti. (Never heard of ’em before buying on Amazon.) And the product’s ridiculous full name is “Rugged Nylon Band for Apple Watch Ultra Band 49mm 45mm 44mm 42mm,Soft Sport Loop Adjustable Wristbands Replacement Strap for Apple Watch Band iWatch Ultra Series 9/8/7/SE/6/5/4/3/2/1,USA Flag Army Green.”

But don’t let that Amazon SEO garbage, or the fact that the band’s not made in America, keep you from jumping on this patriotic deal.

July 3, 2001: Apple suspends production of its Power Mac G4 Cube, one of the most notable busts in Apple history — and the first major flop following Steve Jobs’ glorious return to the company in 1997.

Although Apple leaves the door open to possibly reintroducing the remarkably clear G4 Cube at a later date, this never happens. The stylish computer is superseded by Apple’s upgrade to G5 processors and then to Intel Core-based Macs.

Suppose you want your office to have a retro look, but you can’t give up your modern computers (of course). You need the Qwerkywriter — it has the look of a classic typewriter, but includes an integrated iPad stand. Or it can wirelessly connect to your Mac.

Add a vintage-looking keyboard to your setup, without giving up functionality.

Out of the many dozens of options, which is the coolest Apple Watch face? Every time I see someone wearing an Apple Watch, I try to scope out which watch face they use. Nine times out of 10, they use either the Modular face or the Photo face (with a Sport band).

This is despite the Apple Watch offering dozens of watch faces, allowing for all kinds of customizability.

If you want to spice up and individualize your Apple Watch, here are the best and coolest faces. And in our video, I rank every watch face on a tier list.