September 26, 1997: In one of his first tasks after returning to Apple as interim CEO, Steve Jobs reveals the company’s massive quarterly loss of $161 million. It’s Apple’s biggest loss ever.
Giving investors the bad news is miserable, but things are about to change dramatically for Cupertino.
After upgrading your Mac to macOS 27 Golden Gate, you might easily overlook some of the new software’s useful additions, like recording your screen with audio, Liquid Glass customization and more.
While the new Mac software looks mostly the same as macOS 26 Tahoe, it adds plenty of new features and improvements that make it a worthy upgrade. Here are eight things you should do immediately after installing macOS Golden Gate.
For a four-year-old device, the iPhone 14 Pro has aged well. But the iPhone 18 Pro offers some compelling everyday improvements that make it a worthwhile upgrade.
If you use an iPhone 14 Pro, it may just be time to upgrade. Here’s our iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro comparison to help you decide.
September 25, 2006: Apple ships its second-generation iPod nano, offering a fancy redesign of the pocket-size original.
“iPod nano is the world’s most popular digital music player, and we’ve completely redesigned it to make it even better,” says Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a press release. “The all-new iPod nano gives music fans more of what they love in their iPods.”
Among the new iPod nano’s improvements are a slimmer, anodized aluminum casing; a brighter screen; longer battery life; and a wide range of colors. And, oh yes, it also includes gapless music playback for the first time.
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The KYY K1302R Portable Monitor stands out from its rivals with a rotating kickstand that makes switching between landscape and portrait modes a breeze.
The LCD is 1080P, but nevertheless looks bright and clear. And its modest resolution helps make this external display very affordable.
It also appears professional thanks to a slim chassis that’s all aluminum, not plastic. And connecting it to your Mac or iPad is as easy as plugging in a USB-C cable.
I’ve used the portable monitor for weeks as part of my mobile setup. Here’s why I like it.
September 24, 2009: After Eminem sues Apple, the company’s lawyers head to court to defend Cupertino against the rapper’s music publisher, Eight Mile Style. The lawsuit alleges that Apple unlawfully sold 93 of Eminem’s songs on the iTunes Music Store.
This marks the second time Apple finds itself on the opposite side of a courtroom from the Detroit rapper. (A previous lawsuit involved improper use of Eminem’s hit single “Lose Yourself” in an iTunes ad.)
If you want to monitor a website for changes, you can do it for free with Apple’s Safari web browser. The new Notify Me feature in iOS 27 and macOS 27 makes it easy to watch a webpage for updates — and receive an alert if and when the content is altered.
Let’s say you want to make sure you never miss an update to your favorite band’s tour schedule. Safari’s new capability lets you watch the group’s website so you don’t need to check it yourself every day. Same goes for a city council website you’re monitoring, a local group you want to keep in touch with, etc. Or you could use it to track price drops on a product you want to buy.
Don’t rely on other people to send you an email update. Here’s how to use Safari’s Notify Me feature to monitor the websites that matter to you.
September 23, 1981: Cupertino lays out its vision for success in “Apple Values,” a mission statement that will guide the company for years.
In the memo, management defines Apple Values as “the qualities, customs, standards and principles that the company as a whole regards as desirable. They are the basis for what we do and how we do it. Taken together, they identify Apple as a unique company.”
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Apple made some big promises for AirPods 5, particularly when it comes to active noise cancellation. After spending time with the new earbuds, I can say the company wasn’t exaggerating. ANC is dramatically better than it was on previous open-ear AirPods, making AirPods 5 much more useful in noisy environments. Which is great, because Apple put ANC in its most affordable AirPods, too.
And that’s not the only upgrade that makes a difference. Apple also added something I’ve wanted on my AirPods for years: volume controls right on the stems. That’s reserved for the slightly pricier AirPods 5 variant, though.
I’m a long-time AirPods user, and I could argue that there are enough improvements in AirPods 5 that you might want to replace your AirPods 4. Here’s why.
September 22, 2014: Apple notches a new sales record with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launch, selling an astonishing 10 million units in the first weekend the handsets go on sale.
The eagerly anticipated smartphones bring a redesigned form factor that will persist for years. The most obvious change? Larger 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays built to lure phablet fans. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus also boast an A8 chip, improved iSight and FaceTime cameras, and — significantly — Apple Pay for secure mobile payments.
“Sales for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus exceeded our expectations for the launch weekend, and we couldn’t be happier,” Apple CEO Tim Cook says in a press release. “We would like to thank all of our customers for making this our best launch ever, shattering all previous sell-through records by a large margin.”
September 21, 1999: A little startup called Google comes out of beta, with the launch of a website that will let the general public easily search the internet for information.
To Apple, which is embracing the internet with its colorful new iMac desktop computer and iBook laptop, Google seems like the perfect ally. Sadly, the relationship between the two companies won’t remain rosy for long.
iPadOS 27 is out, and maybe you’re looking for a reason to install it. Or you might have already installed it and want to know more about it. I’m here to help.
Apple hypes the AI capabilities, but the most popular iPad model doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. And maybe AI isn’t your thing.
Good news: iPadOS 27 brings a long list of non-AI changes that affect everyday iPad use. Some are visual refinements while others improve performance, stability, file transfers, Safari, Mail, Messages and more.
Here are the best new iPadOS 27 features that aren’t AI.
September 20, 1989: Apple releases the Macintosh Portable, the first battery-powered Mac you could take on the road.
At a time when Tim Burton’s Batman movie is flying high in theaters, and Madonna is shocking audiences at the MTV Video Music Awards, this ahead-of-its-time product lays the groundwork for Apple’s looming laptop revolution.
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max charge faster than any previous iPhone. This means a quick top-up will enable the phone to last a few additional hours.
However, to get the best speeds, you need to pick the right USB-C charger and cable for your iPhone. Here’s what you need for fast wired and wireless charging for the iPhone 18 Pro, and what to check before buying new accessories.
September 19, 2014: The iPhone undergoes its biggest upgrade — both figuratively and literally — since the original, with the release date of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets. The iPhone 6 design brings a new 4.7-inch form factor, while the iPhone 6 Plus expands to a massive 5.5 inches.
The previous-generation iPhone 5 measured only slightly taller than its 3.5-inch predecessors. But with the iPhone 6, Apple abandons the small smartphone form factor to take on big-screen Android “phablets.”
Although Apple is thrilled about the new Siri AI integrated into iOS 27, maybe artificial intelligence isn’t your thing. Fortunately, you can opt out of Apple’s new voice assistant.
iOS 27 lets you turn Siri off completely. Alternatively, you can switch from the new AI-powered Siri back to Siri Classic.
And if you absolutely do not want artificial intelligence in your iPhone, you can disable it … though that process is far more complex than is ideal.
September 18, 2013: iOS 7 launches with a radical redesign that divides the tech world. The biggest overhaul Apple’s mobile operating system has seen in years, iOS 7 ditches the skeuomorphic objects, dials and textures of previous iterations.
Instead, it boasts stark patches of white space, simpler icons and more abstract controls for settings. The Jony Ive era of software design is truly underway.
September 17, 2012: On the back of record iPhone 5 preorders of 2 million in 24 hours, Apple’s stock price hits a new all-time high. For the first time in history, AAPL breaks the $700 mark in after-hours trading. Passing the milestone cements Cupertino’s place as the world’s most valuable publicly traded company.
Amazingly, the new record is $270 a share higher than at the start of the year. Apple stock rose 65% in just nine months.
Three years is a long time in the tech world. And forever in the world of smartphones. If you got an iPhone 15 Pro in 2023, the iPhone 18 Pro will look mighty tempting.
Are the improved cameras, longer battery life and faster charging speeds enough to justify upgrading from the iPhone 15 Pro, especially with the higher starting price? Here’s how the two compare.
Every September, Apple pulls off a logistical magic trick that most people are completely unaware of. You preorder an iPhone, open the sealed box on launch day, and hit the ground running. But have you ever wondered how that’s possible? Apple only finalized the release version of iOS 27 last week after already assembling millions of new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max units.
Here is how Apple does its final-week iOS update at an astronomical scale.
September 16, 1985 and 1997: Twice on this day, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs makes significant moves with regard to his career at the company. In 1985, he leaves Apple after a failed boardroom coup. Then, a little more than a decade later, he officially returns to Apple as its new interim CEO.
In terms of the emotions associated with those historic occasions, it’s hard to think of two more polarizing days in Jobs’ life.
Apple Watch Ultra 4 arrives a year after the Ultra 3, building on its predecessor’s improvements. While the Ultra 4 looks the same, it features massive upgrades, including a new chip and new optical and electrical heart sensors.
There’s also Audio Intelligence, longer battery life and new recovery insights. But are these upgrades enough to justify upgrading from a year-old Ultra 3?
September 15, 2014: Responding to its disastrous U2 album giveaway during the iPhone 6 launch event, Apple provides iPhone owners with a tool for wiping all signs of Songs of Innocence from their phones.
It comes after one of the strangest PR debacles in Apple history. After putting a free copy of U2’s latest release on every iPhone owner’s handset as a special promotion, millions find themselves with an album they didn’t order in their iTunes library. Many weren’t happy about it.
Of two minds about upgrading to the iPhone 18 Pro from your current iPhone? While the newest iPhone packs some compelling upgrades, it might not be worth the higher price tag. Plus, wanting an upgrade and needing one are two different things.
With the 20th-anniversary iPhone rumored for next year, you might want to consider holding off on buying the iPhone 18 Pro this year. Here are some reasons you should not upgrade.
Apple just released new firmware for its latest AirPods models, bringing several new capabilities to the company’s wireless earbuds and headphones. Firmware version 9A348 is available for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 and AirPods Max 2.
The update arrived Monday alongside iOS 27, enabling support for one of the most-requested AirPods features: a built-in equalizer that lets users customize the sound produced by their headphones.
Last year, Apple finally explained exactly how to update your AirPods firmware. The process can happen automatically, in the background, but there is a way to speed things up. It’s a good idea to manually check that you’re running the latest version, which brings bug fixes and sometimes great new features.
Read on for more details, and to find all current AirPods firmware versions along with instructions for getting the AirPods update as quickly as possible.