Apple’s annual Swift Student Challenge coding competition showcases young talent whose apps never cease to inspire. This year is no different, as Apple profiles four coders working to preserve cultural heritage, improve disaster preparedness, connect astronomy enthusiasts and expand educational access. Meet Swift Student Challenge winners and their inspiring coding projects below.

These four are part of a group of 50 winners who will attend WWDC25 in person at Apple Park in Cupertino for a three-day program.

“We’re always inspired by the talent and perspective young developers bring to the Swift Student Challenge,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “This year’s winners show exceptional skill in transforming meaningful ideas into app playgrounds that are innovative, impactful, and thoughtfully built — and we’re excited to support their journey as they continue building apps that will help shape the future.”

Apple TV+ subscribers get an inside look at Hollywood’s streaming wars through Seth Rogen’s hit comedy series The Studio — complete with a surprising guest appearance Wednesday night from rival streaming executive Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix. Apple tried to prevent the Netflix CEO cameo with a Tim Cook substitution, according to a new report Wednesday.

The Arovia Splay Portable Foldable Monitor and Projector is a truly remarkable piece of kit. Not only does it promise a 25-inch, 1080p screen that can fold down to the size of a book, it actually delivers… with a surprisingly bright, clear image that doesn’t need a darkened room.

As the name indicates, it can also be used as a small portable projector.

I watched hours of TV shows on the Splay, and used it for work, too. I’m truly impressed with the performance. I’m less pleased about the price, though.

May 8, 1997: Apple launches the PowerBook 2400c laptop, a 4.4-pound “subnotebook” that’s the MacBook Air of its day.

The PowerBook 2400c predicts the rise of speedy, lightweight notebooks, while also paying tribute to Apple’s past. Its design echoes the original PowerBook 100. Even years later, it remains a cult favorite among many Mac users.

Finding a great pair of headphones usually means picking two out of three—good sound, good comfort or a good price. But once in a while, something comes along that checks every box. Case in point? The Sony Ult Wear over-ear noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones, now available as a grade-A refurbished deal for just $89.99 (regularly $199.99).

Apple charges a ton for storage upgrades on Macs. Worse, you cannot extend the built-in storage after buying the Mac. Thankfully, smarter solutions exist, as long as you don’t mind plugging an external disk into your Mac.

Here’s a breakdown of the best ways to expand your Mac’s storage, along with ideal solutions based on particular needs.

iPad users no longer have to depend on an iPhone application to access Google’s Gemini AI-powered chatbot. Software designed specifically for iPad users launched Wednesday.

This comes after Google recently introduced home screen widgets to give iPhone and iPad users easier access to Gemini.

Before too much longer, doing a search in the Safari web browser might bring up AI-powered results rather than the standard Google search engine, according to Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services.

Cue points out that this is Apple following a trend, as the company sees Safari users increasingly turning to AIs in place of traditional search engines.

The Apple Watch Translate app can help you quickly speak in a different language while you’re abroad, right from your wrist. Translate between 20 different languages by speaking out loud, play translations out of your Apple Watch speaker and build a list of favorite phrases you can play instantly.

Apple Translate doesn’t support as many languages as the more popular Google Translate — but Google doesn’t have an app for the Apple Watch. The fastest and most convenient way to speak another language from your wrist is with Apple’s app.

Keep reading or watch our video here.

May 7, 2014: Katie Cotton, the fearsome, much-admired head of Apple’s worldwide publicity machine, steps down from her vice president post after 18 years with the company.

During her stint at Apple, Cotton worked in lockstep with CEO Steve Jobs and proved instrumental in controlling the company’s portrayal in the press. Her departure provides one more reminder that the Jobs era is over at Apple.

The best desk cable management seems like magic because it makes things disappear. Today’s M4 Mac mini setup with dual 4K displays shows that off beautifully, hiding most of the workstation’s gear underneath an elegant desk.

“That cable management is art,” said one appreciative commenter.

In this case, the user made the cable-management parts using a 3D printer. But you can achieve the same effect using a few inexpensive products that aren’t difficult to install.

Seth Rogen’s hit Hollywood comedy The Studio will return to Apple TV+ for season 2. After the success of the freshman season, Apple TV+ committed Tuesday to making more episodes about the hapless executives of Continental Studios.

Beyond that, it’s a good week for fans of Apple TV+ comedies. The streaming service also announced that the fourth season of Acapulco premieres in July, and the fifth season of Trying is going into production.

By Alison Thobe

I remember the moment when I realized that storytelling wasn’t just a tool — it was the core way people communicate with the world. It’s how we connect, inspire and change it for the better.

It was a day when I sat at my Apple laptop, browsing through the essay writing service in search of inspiration and writing ideas for my new piece. A spark ignited me: What if I learned to write the way Apple co-founder Steve Jobs did to communicate his messages and inspire his audience?

This question has guided my writing journey ever since.

Newly updated Soundcore Liberty 5 noise-canceling wireless earbuds pack enhanced voice reduction, more-adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC) and improved Dolby immersive audio, the Anker Innovations brand said Wednesday.

And did we mention the price dropped by $20 since Liberty 4? So now they’re even less expensive than Apple’s various AirPods Pro 2, at $129.

You can now buy a refurbished iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro directly from Apple with big discounts. Depending on the model, you can save as much as 15%.

Apple began selling refurbished iPhone 15 models in Europe earlier this year. It is now expanding their availability to the U.S. and Canada.

Apple sent the iOS 18.5 release candidate out for testing Tuesday and revealed that the update will enable the iPhone 13 series to access carrier-provided satellite features. The new software also will bring other changes and bug fixes for models going back to the iPhone XR.

The release candidates for macOS Sequoia 15.5, iPadOS 18.5, watchOS 11.5, tvOS 18.5 and visionOS 2.5 also went out at the same time.

The Backbone Pro game controller that launched Tuesday wraps around your iPhone and connects via USB-C, but it can also connect to your Mac or iPad via cable or Bluetooth. Plus, it adds remappable rear buttons to the standard mix of sticks, triggers, D-pad and more.

Backbone already makes the best iPhone game controller, and my hands-on experience with this new premium version found that it takes mobile gaming to a whole new level.

The sleek new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds designed to stay on during workouts of any intensity only came out in February 2025. But you can already get a 20% discount. That brings down the list price from $249.99 to $199.99, a savings of $50. And that applies to all four color choices!

So maybe you buy these and that becomes your motivation to get back to the gym. Everybody wins.

May 6, 1998: Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils the original iMac, a brightly colored, translucent computer that will help save the company. Coming just 10 months after Jobs’ new management team takes over, the iMac G3 loudly announces that the days of Apple quietly fading into the background are over.

The colorful computer marks the start of a very successful run for Cupertino.

Statik’s TsumoCharge is a durable USB-C cable that’s built to stand up to rough use. Unlike other cables, it won’t fray, get tangled beyond recognition or suddenly stop working for no reason. And right now, this tough 100W silicone charging cable costs just $39.99 for a four-pack (regularly $59.99).

What makes these durable USB-C cables different? Let’s break it down.

EarFun looks set to make some waves in the premium headphones market with its new Tune Pro cans. They could make devotees of AirPods Max and other fancy headphones sit up and take notice. The wireless noise-canceling Tune Pro headphones, scheduled for official release May 20, launch Tuesday with an early-bird deal bringing the already-low list price of $70 down to a stunning $49 for a limited time.

My review of these new headphones is coming soon. I’m already testing them. And I’ll just say this for now: Getting these great cans for under $50 seems like a miracle deal.

You can save time — and make sure your messages always go out when they’re supposed to — when you schedule email from the Apple Mail app. You can set your mail to deliver at any date or time in the future, whether it’s next Monday at 9 a.m. sharp, in two weeks’ time or even years from now.

If you work with someone in a different time zone, you can schedule messages to arrive just when they start their workday, which is especially helpful if the allotted time is in the middle of the night for you. You can schedule a series of reminders for that one irritatingly forgetful client of yours. Or, if you work remotely, you can try (and risk) prewriting messages to your boss to maintain the illusion of regular work. You can even schedule emails to remind you of an important anniversary, years down the line.

It’s easy to set up. Keep reading or watch our short video.

Apple banned Epic Games’ developer account in 2020. Yet, the latter’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, confirmed last week that Fortnite will return to the U.S. App Store after a judge blasted Apple for not complying with the court’s order.

Wondering how? Sweeney revealed the secret, saying Epic Games will use their EU account.

The Supermusic AI app gives you two ways to make music. If you have a basic idea for a song, you can describe it to the AI music generator. Then just answer a few questions about the type of track you want to create, and Supermusic will craft an original song for you.

If you already have complete lyrics, even better. You can feed them into Supermusic AI to create a song around them. Keep in mind that this isn’t just a little tune. Supermusic AI generates lifelike vocals singing the lyrics you give it. Whichever way you create your songs, it only takes a moment before you can listen and share. And you can get a lifetime to Supermusic’s AI music-generating magic for just $39.97.

You use Domain Name System (DNS) servers many times every day, even if you don’t know what they are. You can’t avoid it, and whichever one you use can track where you go on the internet. That’s why you might consider switching to the free DNS servers Surfshark just launched that promise not to track you.

Here’s how to set your iPhone, iPad and Mac to use the Surfshark DNS server. It’s free!