September 16, 1985 and 1997: Twice on this day, Steve Jobs makes significant moves with regard to his career at Apple. In 1985, he quits the company he co-founded. 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.
The first reviews of Apple AirPods 4 are in to answer the question, how well does active noise cancellation work without foam ear tips? The consensus: pretty well.
Early reviewers of the new wireless earbuds also had plenty to say about fit, sound quality and more.
Apple TV+ scored 10 wins at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards Sunday, including the first for darkly comedic espionage thriller Slow Horses, plus a second for The Morning Show star Billy Crudup as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
In all, five Apple TV+ shows and one commercial won Primetime Emmys, on top of the eight wins that five shows garnered recently in the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Primetime-winning shows included Palm Royale, Lessons in Chemistry, Masters of the Air and Girls State.
Apple claims the new internal design of the iPhone 16 series makes battery replacement easier. Yet, the company charges more for the battery replacement of its latest iPhones.
After a price hike in March 2023, the Cupertino company charges $99 for an iPhone’s battery replacement. However, replacing the battery of the iPhone 16 Pro lineup costs $119, an increase of 20%.
iPhone 16 preorders might be about 12.7% YoY lower than the first weekend sales of iPhone 15 from 2023. However, a highly regarded analyst says there’s higher demand for the iPhone 16 and its Plus sibling.
The analyst blames the lower-than-expected demand on Apple Intelligence being unavailable at launch.
September 15, 2014: Responding to its disastrous U2 album giveaway, 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.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: We’re basking in the afterglow of Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event. Time to discuss what we like most (and least) about the new iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch Series 10, AirPods 4 and more.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
It’s already too late to preorder an iPhone 16 Pro Max and have it delivered on its September 20 launch day. Three hours after preorders began today, the delivery window for iPhone 16 Pro Max slipped to mid-October.
It’s not just customers putting in orders who care. Analysts watch these delivery times to judge demand for Apple handsets.
Update: A day after preorders began, the wait for iPhone 16 Pro Max still stretches to mid-October, while delivery for iPhone 16 Pro models now begins in early October.
September 14, 2010: Security workers reportedly stop Steve Jobs at Japan’s Kansai International Airport. The reason? The Apple CEO supposedly tried to bring ninja throwing stars onto his private plane while heading home from vacation. The “Steve Jobs ninja stars” story quickly becomes one of the most bizarre Jobs stories ever.
Apple, however, quickly spoils the internet’s fun. Cupertino issues a statement describing the reports as “pure fiction” (although Apple acknowledges that Jobs visited Japan over the summer).
You can now buy refurbished M2 iPad Pro and M1 iPad Air from Apple’s online store in the US. They are available with up to 20% discounts on their retail price.
Apple unveiled these iPads in 2022, with the M1 iPad Air launching in March 2022 and the M2 iPad Pro in October.
September 13, 1983: Osborne Computer Corporation, one of Apple’s early rivals, declares bankruptcy. Many considered the company’s Osborne 1 the world’s first truly portable, full-featured computer. It packed everything users needed to set up shop at home or on the road. Alas, it didn’t last!
Apple is now accepting preorders for the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The devices reach stores starting September 20, the same day preorders begin arriving.
In typical Apple fashion, the company took down its online store for about six hours before accepting preorders.
Apple Watch Series 10 can also be preordered, though Apple initially began taking those on Monday, September 9. The same goes for AirPods 4.
The iPhone 16 series goes up for preorder on Friday, and Apple’s latest and greatest handsets might sell out quickly. You need do some early prep work to be sure to get your hands on the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the other models as soon as possible.
Here’s how to be completely ready to put in a preorder.
Update: Go order your iPhone 16 now!
The gap between the “regular” iPhones and the Pro models seems smaller than ever this year, which makes an iPhone 16 Pro versus iPhone 16 comparison tougher than usual.
While the iPhone 16 Pro packs a superior build quality, a bigger display, longer battery life and the predictably better camera, the iPhone 16 stands on its own with some meaningful upgrades.
So, should you save your money and go for the iPhone 16? Or is the iPhone 16 Pro a better buy despite its higher price tag? Find out in this comparison.
Apple just got the approval it needs from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make the latest AirPods Pro into medical-grade hearing aids.
Once Apple releases a software update for the wireless earbuds, they’ll be able to help those with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Ultimate Ears’ new Miniroll is the smallest and most affordable entry in the company’s Bluetooth speaker lineup. The tiny new speaker with a “river rock-inspired design” isn’t quiet for its size, the Logitech-owned company said. But for more sound over a larger area, it easily connects to others. And it features a hook-able silicone strap to easily connect to almost anything and go where you go.
“Miniroll started with a consumer ask,” said Jonah Staw, general manager of Ultimate Ears. “We heard our fans loud and clear. They wanted a speaker that could strap in and go anywhere to keep up with their active lifestyles. This led our design and engineering teams to build our most portable speaker, showing how passionate consumers can drive innovation.”
Other World Computing’s Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 SSD is for professionals needing the fastest data transfer rate available. The external solid state drive can move files at up to 6000 MBps or more, making it up to twice as fast as Thunderbolt 4 and USB4.
Plus, the SSD is rugged and designed to be ready to go wherever needed.
September 12, 2012: The Lightning connector replaces Apple’s aging 30-pin interface, a proprietary data and power connector that debuted on the iPod Classic in 2003. The slender and capable new Lightning port debuts in the iPhone 5, bringing big improvements — and no small amount of controversy.
Apple soon will build the Lightning connector into many other products, including iPad, iPod and accessories. Lightning cables can charge the mobile devices as well as transfer data to a Mac or PC.
Early tests indicate the iPhone 16 Pro delivers up to 26% faster download speeds than the iPhone 15 Pro. This is thanks to its new Snapdragon X75 modem, which supports 5G Advanced and enhanced carrier aggregation.
Besides faster speeds, the new Qualcomm modem consumes less power, boosting battery life.
Apple’s 2024 iPhone 16 lineup supports 45W wired fast charging, according to a Chinese regulatory agency. This is a notable step up from the iPhone 15 series, which could only pull a peak power of just under 30W.
If this is borne out, it raises questions about why the company did not highlight the iPhone 16’s faster wired charging speeds during the “It’s Glowtime” event. Even the specs page only mentions support for 20W fast charging.
Apple’s switch from LCD to OLED in its MacBook line isn’t moving quickly. A pair of respected industry analysts agree that it won’t happen before 2026.
The change should improve the performance of the display, but might also drive up the price of macOS notebooks.
September 11, 2009: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer reportedly snatches an iPhone from an employee during a meeting and pretends to destroy it.
The iPhone freakout isn’t the first time Ballmer behaves in a wacky way and incurs negative publicity as a result. However, it’s an embarrassing moment for a man who ranks among the tech world’s most powerful people.
The new Glorious GMMK 3 keyboard is “1 billion keyboards in 1” because it supposedly packs more than a billion possible hardware configurations, giving gamers and typists alike “unparalleled” control over aesthetics, typing experience and performance, Glorious Gaming said Tuesday.
Tab groups, a feature of Google’s Chrome desktop browser for years, finally made its way to the iPhone and iPad version of the web browser.
The goal is to bring some order to the huge pile of tabs so many people keep open.
The Apple Watch Series 10 packs significant upgrades over its predecessor. However, Apple did not give the same love to the Apple Watch Ultra this year. Instead of a third-gen Ultra, Apple only unveiled a new black titanium finish for the Apple Watch Ultra 2. That makes an unusual comparison — Apple Watch Series 10 versus Apple Watch Ultra 2 — an intriguing proposition.
The “regular” Apple Watch Series 10 comes closer to its rugged Ultra sibling than ever before. But between the two, which is the right pick for you? Read our Apple Watch Series 10 versus Apple Watch Ultra comparison to find out.