Apple’s significant expansion of its smart home lineup in 2025 should include new HomePod and HomePod mini models. The company plans to introduce both a display-equipped HomePod and a refreshed HomePod mini amid a renewed focus on the smart home market.
As usual, you can expect Apple to emphasize quality audio as well as airtight security. Here’s what to expect from HomePod and HomePod mini in 2025.
It’s no longer possible to buy an iPhone 14 or iPhone SE 3 from Apple in the EU. And many of Apple’s older accessories also disappeared from the company’s shelves in the European Union, too.
It’s all a result of a EU law that, as of Saturday, banned the sale of handsets with proprietary charging ports. Apple was a primary focus of the legislation.
Looking for a powerhouse tablet without the premium price? This grade-A refurbished 12.9-inch iPad Pro delivers pro-level performance and versatility for just $519.97. Whether you’re a creative professional, a multitasking pro or a casual user who craves performance, you can get it with this fourth-gen iPad Pro model from 2020.
December 28, 2006: As the rest of the country enjoys a much-deserved holiday, Apple gets embroiled in a stock option “backdating” scandal.
The news, centered on the dubious awarding of stock options to CEO Steve Jobs, prompts Apple share prices to fall. Some people even suggest Jobs might need to step down as Apple’s leader. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen.
2025 should be an Ultra year for the Apple Watch. In an unusual move, Apple only launched the Apple Watch Series 10 this year. It kept the Ultra 2 around, only releasing a new black titanium colorway. If you’re curious about the latest Apple Watch rumors, there’s plenty of speculation about what’s coming next.
But next year won’t be all about Apple’s most expensive smartwatch. For more budget-conscious customers, the third-gen Apple Watch SE should arrive in 2025.
You unwrapped a shiny new iPad for Christmas or Hanukkah — congratulations! — and now you need a case for it. I’ve tested a bunch of these and have recommendations for the best iPad cases.
These protect your computer from life’s little mishaps. But you can also get an iPad case with a built-in keyboard and trackpad to upgrade your table to a ultralight laptop.
So, you’ve been using Safari’s Private Browsing mode on your iPhone or iPad, for whatever reason, but you forget to close out of the tab. The next time you open Safari, you’ll be thrown into whatever unscrupulous web page you had open last time — and the result can range from unfortunate to embarrassing, depending upon what you were looking at and where you are when you unexpectedly resume the Private Browsing session.
Luckily, iOS offers a foolproof way to avoid reopening a Private Browsing mode session. Let me show you how.
Today’s dual-display MacBook Pro setup sits on a desk up against a mirrored wall. In the photograph above, that let’s us see the nifty ring of colorful monitor RGB lighting built into the back of the LG UltraGear display — a decorative and functional touch included in an aging but still formidable external display for serious gamers.
December 27, 2010: Almost four months after the second-gen Apple TV’s debut, Cupertino says it has sold 1 million of the streaming video devices.
The news shows that Apple’s set-top box is gaining momentum. However, Apple’s PR move — which included a preemptive press release issued on December 21 that said Apple “expects sales of its new Apple TV to top one million units later this week” — is also a low-blow shot at competitor Roku, which recently said it planned to hit the 1 million unit mark by the end of 2010.
2025 will finally bring the much-anticipated 11th-generation iPad, a version of the budget tablet with a faster processor capable of accessing the latest Apple Intelligence features.
In addition, expect faster iPad Pro and iPad Air models in 2025 — one sooner than might be expected.
December 26, 1982: Time magazine names the personal computer its “Man of the Year.”
It’s the first time a nonhuman entity wins the award, which was created in 1927. And the award devastates Steve Jobs — because he thought the accolade would go to him.
Need online security you can take anywhere? The Deeper Connect Air is a VPN travel router that offers encrypted browsing to keep your info from prying eyes, along with a slew of other benefits. The device uses advanced, military-grade encryption to safeguard all data that passes through it, making your online interactions confidential.
Whether you’re handling sensitive business data at a cafe or browsing personal content in a hotel room, your information remains private and secure. You can get the extremely portable Deeper Connect Air for just $149.97 (regularly $219) with free shipping.
The 2025 iPhone lineup is going to see one of the biggest design shakeups in the product’s history. Not only will there be an entirely new model — the super-slim iPhone 17 Air — the Pro phones are getting the first all-new design in years, with a radical new camera array that’s sure to polarize opinion. Plus, the entry-level models and the iPhone SE are getting lots of worthy trickle-down upgrades. With these innovations, Apple iPhone 17 is set to redefine smartphone design and functionality. Discover how iPhone 17 Air will mark a new beginning for Apple.
It’s going to be a very exciting year. Here’s what 2025 has in store for the iPhone.
December 25, 1977: Steve Wozniak spends the holidays building a prototype of the Disk II, the Apple II computer’s revolutionary floppy disk drive.
“I worked all day, all night, through Christmas and New Year’s trying to get it done,” Wozniak would later recall in his autobiography, iWoz. “[Early Apple employee] Randy Wiggington, who was actually attending Homestead High, the school Steve and I had graduated from, helped me a lot on that project.”
Wiggington takes December 25 off. Woz does not.
If the ever-growing library of excellent documentaries on Apple TV+ leaves you wanting more, consider a discounted lifetime subscription to Curiosity Stream. Home to some of the best documentaries streaming online, the service offers a fun and educational alternative to the usual Netflix noise.
Plus, unlike other streaming services, you can lock in forever access to Curiosity Stream for just $159.97 (regularly $399.99). For that one low price, you’ll gain a lifetime of original and entertaining documentaries.
AirPods Pro 3 keep generating buzz as we approach the launch of Apple’s next-generation premium wireless earbuds. Here’s what to expect from AirPods Pro 3, which probably will arrive in early 2025.
While the current AirPods Pro 2 model dominates the market two years after launch, rumors say its successor will bring substantial improvements and new features. Unfortunately, you probably shouldn’t expect changes to the recently updated AirPods 4 and AirPods Max in 2025. We could see updated earbuds or headphones from Apple subsidiary Beats, though.
If you’re a super lucky duck, then Santa may have left you a pair of AirPods. They are truly one of the best products Apple ever made, because they really do offer a huge upgrade on all previous headphones. Here’s how to set up your new AirPods.
How do you set up a new Apple Watch? Whether you got the Series 10 with its thin design and advanced sensors or leapt for the rugged Apple Watch Ultra 2, you might be wondering how to get started. After all, the Watch is unlike any other Apple device, both in its dependence on an iPhone and in the way it works.
The good thing is, Apple has made it really, really easy to get things up and running. Let’s take a look.
The Apple AirTag is arguably among the company’s most useful product releases in recent years. Once you set up an AirTag, it gives you powerful options for locating it (and whatever you attach it to). Put one of Apple’s tracking tags on an item like a keychain or luggage, and you can easily track its location from your iPhone, Mac, or iPad. If you’re wondering, do AirTags make noise, the answer is yes, but only in specific circumstances.
Since AirTag’s launch, numerous reports have detailed how the tracking tag helped owners find lost items. If you recently acquired an AirTag, here’s how you can set it up the right way and use it properly.
It’s a great season to get a new Mac. Every Mac today is a great buy. If you’re one of the lucky people to get one this year, here’s how to set up your Mac like a pro.
So rip open that box, tear off that plastic and get to the good stuff.
Here is Cult of Mac’s guide to setting up your new Mac the right way.
Need more ports for your MacBook? This affordable docking station for MacBook Pro or MacBook Air packs a whole desktop’s worth of ports into a compact form that connects with a single USB-C cable.
Eliminate the mad search to find the proper dongle for the task at hand. Get the 13-in-1 Docking Station with Dual HDMI for just $44.97 (regularly $70) for a limited time.
Congratulations — you got a new iPad! Whether it’s the entry-level iPad that brings the essential features to an affordable price, the iPad Air with the powerful M2, the pocketable iPad mini or the top-of-the-line iPad Pro, you’ll want to set up your new device with the least amount of fuss.
We’re here to help you do just that with a ton of little tips and tweaks that will make sure you’re off and using that new iPad as quickly as possible. From backing up your old iPad (if you had one already) to getting up and running with a brand-new iPad from scratch, we’ve got you covered.
It’s Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus is on his way. You can find out exactly where he is with the help of the NORAD Santa tracker and your Mac or iPhone. You can even track Jolly Old Saint Nick’s progress in real time.
Here’s how to keep an eye on Kris Kringle‘s progress.
December 24, 2009: As rumors of a possible Apple tablet reach the boiling point, word spreads online that the new device will be called the iSlate.
The news is based on the fact that Apple quietly acquired the domain name iSlate.com a few years earlier. Since Apple did the same thing for the iPhone back in the late 1990s, years before the iPhone actually debuted, it makes total sense that the company would follow suit with the naming of its tablet.
Of course, that didn’t end up happening.
Watching the new Severance season two trailer, below — and the new sneak peek at the first eight minutes of episode one Apple TV+ dropped Monday — my excitement for the new episodes became one with my grim determination to watch the entire first season again before the undoubtedly bizarre new scenes of workplace hell start streaming on January 17, 2025.
Never before have I force-marched myself through a whole TV series season as a matter of preparation. But this funny-yet-unnerving workplace psycho-thriller deserves and demands it. If you’re preparing for season three and catching up on all things Apple, you might also want to check out how to activate Apple AirTag—and while you’re at it, read up on Apple TV+ renewing Severance for a third season.
Update: As a twisted sort of holiday gift, Apple TV+ posted a sneak peek at the first eight minutes of Severance season two on Monday, December 23. It’s safe to say the main character is very much on the run through Lumon Industries sterile yet deeply alienating hallways until he comes face to face with a team of direct reports he doesn’t recognize. And he ends up with more questions than answers in a one-on-one with Mr. Milchik. Watch the sneak peek at the link above and the trailer below.