November 6, 2003: After porting iTunes to Windows, Apple sets a new record for digital music sales: a massive 1.5 million downloads in one week.
Bringing the iTunes Music Store to PC users opens up a new, lucrative market for Apple. The record-breaking sales clock in at five times more than the 300,000 downloads that peer-to-peer file-sharing service Napster achieved in its debut week (remember it?). And 1.5 million is more than double the 600,000 iTunes downloads per week Apple reported selling to Mac users prior to the Windows release.

Apple might address one of the biggest criticisms of its ultra-thin iPhone Air by adding a second camera to the next-generation model, according to a new leak Thursday from a reliable source with knowledge of the company’s supply chain. Unfortunately, it looks like the new addition to the iPhone Air will be a wide-angle camera, not the popular telephoto found in iPhone Pro models.

However, if the dual-camera system materializes, it would make the iPhone Air a more compelling option for users seeking an ultra-thin device without sacrificing essential photography features.

Google Chrome is getting a dedicated AI Mode button on iOS and Android. AI Mode is an AI-powered search solution from Google; think of it like the company’s take on ChatGPT.

Google rolled out AI Mode in Chrome for Windows and Mac earlier this year. 

Google will integrate AI into Google Maps to make navigation even better. With Gemini integration in Google Maps, you’ll gain access to a smart co-passenger on your phone that can help you reach your destination easily.

Thanks to Gemini’s AI prowess, Google Maps can now proactively notify you of traffic disruptions. Or help find a fuel stop — all hands-free and through a natural conversation.

The brains behind the upcoming AI-enhanced version of Siri will reportedly be provided by Google, not Apple’s own tech. For a hefty price.
Google’s software will supposedly run on Apple servers, so user data isn’t being handed over to Google.

For millions of iPhone users, Apple’s CarPlay marries basic transportation with a satisfying technology experience for navigation, entertainment and more.

But an expert’s new report points to troubling reasons why CarPlay’s days may be numbered, thanks to a growing automotive industry profit motive. Yes, of course, it’s all about money. 

My favorite change in iOS 26.1 has nothing to do with Liquid Glass, though cosmetic tweaks to the glossy user interface have drawn the most attention in the latest OS update. To me, the biggest improvement is the option to disable the Lock Screen swipe to open the iPhone’s Camera app.

I frequently pull out my iPhone to find the Camera app has been running in my pocket, draining the battery. It’s that damn Lock Screen swipe at fault. If this happens to you, too, here’s how to disable it in iOS 26.1.

November 5, 2009: Fortune magazine names Steve Jobs “CEO of the decade.” The accolade comes just four months after Jobs returned to Apple after undergoing a liver transplant.

The business publication credits Jobs with transforming multiple industries, as well as continuing Apple’s meteoric rise. These achievements seem particularly noteworthy considering the tough economic conditions of the 2008 financial crash.

Nomad launched updated versions of its Stand One and Stand One Max wireless chargers Tuesday, bringing support for the new Qi2.2 standard. It enables 25W fast charging for compatible iPhones. The upgrade matches the charging speeds of Apple’s latest MagSafe chargers and represents a significant improvement over the 15W charging supported by previous Qi2 models.

This grade-A refurbished first-gen Apple Pencil comes with a USB-C adapter and costs just $44.99. It gives iPad owners powerful drawing, writing and productivity features, without the full retail cost of the latest models.
Check compatibility below to see if this stylus will work with your iPad. If it does, get ready to save!

Apple makes some of the best tech products in the world — beautifully designed, powerful and reliable. But even the best stumble sometimes.
Over the years, I’ve used plenty of Apple devices that looked great on paper but turned out to be frustrating in practice. Here are the ones that made me question Apple’s “it just works” mantra.

The M3 Ultra-equipped Mac Studio is among the most powerful Macs you can currently buy. Despite featuring faster cores, Apple indirectly confirmed it will not launch an M4 Ultra chip. 
This won’t be the case with the M5, as the company reportedly plans to launch an M5 Ultra-powered Mac Studio in 2026.

Apple’s nifty new feature that lets AirPods translate speech in real time will reportedly become available to EU residents while they’re in Europe next month.
That will put an end to an odd situation: Currently, non-Europeans can use the AirPods Live Translation feature while in Europe, and EU residents can use it when traveling outside the European Union but not within the EU.

Apple is working on its first low-cost laptop, a strategic departure from its traditional premium approach that could shake up the education and entry-level PC markets, according to a new report. And some responses on social media suggest the PC industry is, indeed, “freaking out” over it.

A decade after Apple Watch launched, WhatsApp finally launched a dedicated app for the smartwatch Tuesday — ending years of frustration for users who could only respond to notifications from their wrist. The messaging service brings full chat functionality to your wrist with support for messages, voice notes and calls, Meta said. 

November 4, 1997: Apple unveils its plan to open small “store within a store” areas inside CompUSA outlets around the United States. Apple-trained employees will staff these mini-stores and sing the praises of the Mac and other Apple products.
The move gives Cupertino more control over the way its products are displayed and demoed to consumers. While ultimately disappointing, Apple’s CompUSA experiment paves the way for the flagship Apple Stores that will launch four years later and become the world’s most profitable retail outlets.

The SanDisk Extreme Fit USB-C Flash Drive packs up to a terabyte of storage, but is tiny enough that you can leave it plugged into your MacBook. SanDisk touts it as “the world’s smallest 1TB USB-C flash drive.”
Outgrown the storage capacity of your older MacBook? This drive could be just the boost you’re looking for.
The mini SSD can even be used with an iPhone, as well as an iPad.

Can you put a price on online privacy and cloud storage? We can, and it’s a remarkably tiny one.
The 2026 Cloud Storage & Internet Privacy Lifetime Subscription Bundle gives you a lifetime of storage and security for a small one-time payment. It pairs 1TB of FolderFort cloud storage with OysterVPN — and you get it all for just $59.99 (MSRP $598.97).

Slide Over, one of the best iPad multitasking features, got rescued from the rubbish heap with the new iPadOS 26.1. It’s an ideal way to keep an application that you check frequently but not constantly within easy reach — it’s offscreen but accessible with just a flick of a finger.
Here’s how to use Slide Over, and why you shouldn’t ignore the option now that it’s back in iPadOS 26.1, which launched on Monday.

The older Apple Home architecture will live for a few more months. Apple previously planned on phasing out the architecture in late 2025. 
Instead, the HomeKit architecture will stop functioning on February 10, 2026.

iOS 26.1, which Apple released Monday, brings five features you should check out immediately after you install the update.

The biggest change gives you a way to customize the legibility of Liquid Glass, the major user interface overhaul Apple delivered to all its software platforms this year. But there’s plenty of other cool stuff you don’t want to miss.

Other key upgrades come to Apple Music and the iPhone’s alarm clock interface. Plus, there’s a setting that can keep your iPhone battery from draining in your pocket. And for iPad owners, there’s the celebrated return of Slide Over on iPad.

The iPhone App Store is now accessible on a Mac. And iPad users can research what macOS applications are available. Anyone can see what Apple Watch apps are available. All of these are possible now that Apple finally put the App Store on the web Monday.

It’s long overdue, and still missing a feature many users would like.

November 3, 2010: Apple prepares to launch the Mac App Store, publicly accepting app submissions from registered developers — and kicking off a gold rush among coders.

After witnessing the enormous sums of money raked in by early entrants in the iOS App Store, the easy-to-use digital storefront that revolutionized software distribution on the iPhone, developers flood Apple with new Mac apps.

Apple’s long-delayed Siri upgrade will reportedly “lean on Google’s Gemini” model to power many of its features. It will also include an AI-powered web search.

However, this Gemini integration will supposedly function differently from how Apple currently integrates ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence.

November 2, 2012: The first iPad mini goes on sale, shrinking both the size and the price tag of Apple’s groundbreaking tablet computer.

With a reduced screen size of 7.9 inches – instead of the then-standard 9.7 inches – the original iPad mini is the fifth iPad to be released by Apple. Critics hail Apple’s most affordable iPad ever, although some people complain about the tablet’s lack of a Retina display.