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Today in Apple history: iPhone 6 is bigger and better than ever

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iPhone
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were massive upgrades for Apple.
Photo: Jim Merithew

September 19: Today in Apple history: iPhone 6 is bigger and better than ever September 19, 2014: The iPhone undergoes its biggest upgrade — both figuratively and literally — since the original, with the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets.

The iPhone 6 brings a new 4.7-inch form factor, while the iPhone 6 Plus boasts a massive 5.5-inch design. The previous-generation iPhone 5 measured only slightly taller than its 3.5-inch predecessors. But with the iPhone 6, Apple abandons that strategy for the first time to take on big-screen Android “phablets.”

Tim Cook stares down ‘Mother Nature’ as Apple touts first carbon-neutral products

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Tim Cook says
Even when facing off with a skeptical Mother Nature, Tim Cook never backs down!
Photo: Apple
Wonderlust 2023

Tim Cook and a surprisingly stone-cold Mother Nature had a staring contest at Apple Park during the Wonderlust event Tuesday. And in Apple’s telling, Tim Cook won.

He played himself in the keynote segment while Octavia Spencer, star of the canceled Truth Be Told on Apple TV+, played a feisty Mother Nature taking executives to task on environmental-initiative progress.

But in the end she chilled out, because Apple had some progress to show, including its first carbon-neutral products.

Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs resigns as Apple CEO

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Why Salesforce chief gave up AppStore.com for Apple
Steve Jobs' health wouldn't allow him to continue as CEO.
Photo: Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC

August 24: Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs resigns as Apple CEO August 24, 2011: With his health worsening, a cancer-stricken Steve Jobs steps down from his role leading Apple. Tim Cook assumes the role of Apple’s seventh CEO.

“I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know,” Jobs writes in his retirement letter to the Apple board. “Unfortunately that day has come.”

Tim Cook calls AI ‘absolutely critical’ to Apple products

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Apple's got AI inside.
Why doesn't Apple go on and on about the "AI revolution"? Because it's already baked-in to Apple products.
Image: Michael DziedzicUnsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac

Apple has been conspicuously quiet about its plans for artificial intelligence, even as rivals like Google and Microsoft made headlines touting the latest tech buzzword. But CEO Tim Cook leaped to his company’s defense Thursday, pointing out that AI is already used by many Apple products.

And he also listed upcoming software and services that wouldn’t be possible without machine learning and AI.

1 billion subscribers push Apple’s services revenue to all-time high [Updated]

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Apple logo with
Apple says more than a billion paid subscriptions pushed services revenues to an all-time high last quarter.
Photo: Goran Bogicevic/Free Stock photos by Vecteezy

The number of people subscribing to Apple services passed the 1 billion mark during the company’s most recent financial quarter, allowing that segment of the company to bring in record revenue.

But total revenue decreased slightly during the June quarter, the third time that’s happened in a row. And the money coming in from all Apple’s hardware groups is down.

Brush up on financial lingo for Apple’s quarterly earnings call

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Learn the financial lingo to get the most out of earnings call chatter.
Learn the financial lingo to get the most out of earnings call chatter.
Photo: Kevin Dooley/Flickr CC

During quarterly earnings calls, executives often deploy language designed to puff up, excuse or obfuscate their companies’ recent performance. The goal is to make investors pant with delight over implied future success. And ultimately to give the company more money. Always. More. Money.

But when you’re Apple — with a mind-blowing market cap and a seemingly never-ending supply of hit products — you typically don’t need to craft hopeful-yet-non-material statements or deflect questions designed to get at the bottom line.

Apple’s next earnings call takes place this afternoon. CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri will report on all the numbers. Analysts figure there will be a slight drop in revenue and earnings for the quarter ending in June (second quarter by the calendar but Apple’s Q3 because it starts its fiscal year in the holiday season).

Even Tim Cook’s Apple Card application got rejected

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Tim Cook has plenty of money, so that couldn't be the reason.
Tim Cook has plenty of money, so that couldn't be the reason.
Image: Canva

Not just anyone qualifies for a new Apple Card — including Apple CEO Tim Cook, according to a new report. The Goldman Sachs underwriting system apparently rejected his application a while back.

Amid reports lately that Goldman is losing money on its deal with Apple, and the two might part ways, it almost sounded like payback. But that’s not it.

Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs returns to work after liver transplant

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Why Salesforce chief gave up AppStore.com for Apple
Steve Jobs underwent a liver transplant earlier in the year.
Photo: Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC

June 22: Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs returns to work after liver transplant June 22, 2009: Steve Jobs returns to work at Apple, a couple of months after undergoing a liver transplant as part of his cancer treatment.

Although Jobs has been steadily getting back into work for the past several weeks, the news is made official when a quote from him appears on a June 22 press release about iPhone 3GS sales. An Apple employee also alerts the media after spotting Jobs on campus.

With his return confirmed, everyone wants to know how long Jobs will continue to lead Apple.

Will there be a Ted Lasso season 4? Yes, if Tim Cook gets his way.

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Brendan Hunt and Jason Sudeikis in
Brendan Hunt, aka Coach Beard, left, says we might not have seen the last of Ted Lasso (played by Jason Sudeikis).
Photo: Apple TV+

Ted Lasso, the comedy that became the first surprise Apple TV+ hit, earned rave reviews with its recent series finale — and now Apple CEO Tim cook wants more!

That’s according to Brendan Hunt, one of the creators and stars of Ted Lasso. Whether Cook will get it or not remains an open question, however.

Tim Cook congratulates grateful Fitness+ fan

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Nate Gorby wrote to Tim Cook and tweeted his tale of life-changing fitness and weight loss.
Nate Gorby wrote to Tim Cook and tweeted his tale of life-changing fitness and weight loss.
Photo: Nate Gorby

Apple CEO Tim Cook took a moment to congratulate a man who wrote to him and tweeted an inspiring story of using Apple Watch and Fitness+ to lose more than 100 pounds over several months.

Nate Gorby told his story in his tweet, below, saying Apple’s tools changed his life. Cook’s direct reply was just one of many responses.