Apple launched the original Mac mini 20 years ago today, kickstarting a trend of small but powerful computers.


The ‌Mac mini‌ was originally designed as a gateway for users to enter the Apple ecosystem without the expense associated with the company's higher-end offerings of the time, such as the Power Mac G5 and iMac G5, and costly peripherals. Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs described the ‌Mac mini‌ as "the most affordable Mac ever" during its unveiling at Macworld Expo 2005, noting that its $499 starting price was intended to appeal to PC users looking to switch to the Mac platform. Today's base model ‌Mac mini‌ with the M4 chip costs just $599.

The original ‌Mac mini‌ featured a PowerPC G4 processor available in 1.25 GHz and 1.42 GHz configurations, an ATI Radeon 9200 GPU, 256MB of DDR SDRAM (expandable to 1GB), and 40GB or 80GB of HDD storage. Connectivity included two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 400 port, and DVI output. It shipped with Mac OS X Panther and iLife '05. The ‌Mac mini‌'s aluminum and polycarbonate casing measured just 6.5 x 6.5 x 2 inches—far smaller than the bulky tower PCs and even many contemporary Macs of the time.

Today's ‌Mac mini‌ has evolved considerably from the model introduced in 2005, featuring an even smaller casing, recycled aluminum, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, and Apple's custom silicon for a massive leap in performance and efficiency. While the first-generation ‌Mac mini‌ was powered by the PowerPC architecture, Apple transitioned to Intel processors in 2006 and its own custom silicon in 2020. Today's high-end version can be equipped with the M4 Pro chip and up to 64GB of memory, offering a super-compact workstation that rivals even the Mac Studio.
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Apple's iconic "1984" commercial, which introduced the Macintosh computer to the world, aired 41 years ago today during Super Bowl XVIII.


Directed by Ridley Scott, the advertisement was designed to highlight the Macintosh as a groundbreaking computer that offers freedom and individuality in a market dominated by corporate conformity. It drew inspiration from George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, with Apple positioning itself as a liberator from the homogenized control represented by the fictional "Big Brother," a veiled allegory for IBM.

The ad concludes with the voiceover stating, "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like '1984.'"



Despite its eventual acclaim, the commercial faced skepticism within Apple. The board of directors expressed concerns about its unconventional approach, and John Sculley, Apple's CEO at the time, even attempted to sell the purchased Super Bowl ad slots.

While the commercial aired nationally only once, the Macintosh reportedly achieved $3.5 million in sales within months of its launch.
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Apple has experienced a significant decline in iPhone sales in China, dropping from the leading position to third place in the country's smartphone market during the fourth quarter of 2024.


According to a new report from Counterpoint Research, ‌iPhone‌ shipments in China fell by 18.2% year-on-year in the final quarter of 2024. This decline resulted in a 17.1% market share for the company, placing it behind Huawei and Xiaomi, which captured 18.1% and 17.2% of the market, respectively. The fall comes just a year after Apple held the top position in the market with a 19% share. This is apparently the first time since the U.S. ban on Huawei that Apple has been displaced by its Chinese competitor.

Apple's reduced performance in China has been attributed to several factors, including heightened competition from domestic brands and its inability to bring Apple Intelligence to the region. While Apple Intelligence was introduced alongside the iPhone 16 lineup in September 2024 in the United States, it has not been made available in China due to regulatory constraints. The company is believed to be partnering with Chinese companies to deliver the features at a later date. Huawei's strong growth in the fourth quarter—up 15.5% year-on-year—has been largely credited to AI features in its flagship Mate 70 devices and the mid-range Nova 13 series.

It is also of note that China's smartphone market experienced a 3.2% year-on-year decline in the fourth quarter of 2024, marking the only quarter of the year with negative growth. Despite these obstacles, Apple maintained its position as the third-largest smartphone brand in China for the quarter, and its sales were closely matched with Xiaomi, which recorded a 17.2% market share.
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Instagram has unveiled a new video editing app called Edits, which aims to fill the void left by CapCut's removal from U.S. app stores following federal restrictions on ByteDance-owned applications.


The announcement came from head Adam Mosseri, explaining that Edits as a "full suite of creative tools" for mobile video creators. According to Mosseri, Edits is aimed at creators who produce short-form videos on mobile devices:

Edits will have a much broader range of creative tools and probably a smaller addressable audience. Think a place to track all your ideas instead of templates. Think AI video editing tools on a per clip or per video basis. Think new insights on why your videos are succeeding or struggling.

The app includes AI-powered animation for images, green screen effects, video overlays, automatic captions with customization options, and tools for reducing background noise. It also allows users to save drafts, share projects with collaborators, and leverage a dedicated tab for inspiration and trending audio. Videos created with Edits and shared on Instagram Reels will benefit from advanced performance analytics, allowing creators to monitor engagement metrics such as follower interaction, video skips, and overall reach.

The app arrives in the wake of CapCut's recent delisting from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store due to U.S. law. Mosseri said that Edits will "end up pretty different than CapCut," noting that it is designed to cater to creators who want a more comprehensive toolset rather than casual video makers or users of desktop editing software. The app also stands out by offering export options without watermarks, a feature that has recently become a limitation in CapCut's free version.

Edits launches in February on iOS, and Android at a later date. It is available to pre-order on the App Store now.
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Apple has launched its dedicated Apple Store app in India, marking another increase in the company's presence in the country (via TechCrunch).


The app builds upon Apple's existing retail infrastructure in India, which includes its online store, which launched in September 2020, and its first physical retail locations that opened in Mumbai and New Delhi in 2023.

The ‌Apple Store‌ app is available in most major markets across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America, but there are still some notable exceptions such as South Korea.

Apple has confirmed plans to open four additional retail stores in Bengaluru, Pune, and other parts of Delhi and Mumbai by 2025. The company has also steadily increased its manufacturing footprint in India, starting with iPhone assembly in 2017 and expanding to include the production of "Pro" ‌iPhone‌ models in 2024.
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The iPhone 17 lineup will feature a vapor chamber heatsink to improve thermal performance, according to a new report.


The news comes from Chinese tech news site MyDrivers, which claims that the entire ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup, consisting of the ‌iPhone 17‌, ‌iPhone 17‌ Air, ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro, and ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro Max, will adopt the improved thermal heat spreader.

Vapor chamber technology is already used in many high-end Android devices. Vapor chambers work by spreading heat evenly across a larger surface area, preventing thermal throttling and maintaining consistent performance, which is particularly beneficial in slim devices.

While the notorious thermal issues of the iPhone 15 Pro were seemingly resolved thanks to the iPhone 16 Pro's new aluminum thermal substructure, graphene sheet, and back glass, the report claims that the device still struggles under intense thermal load. A vapor chamber heatsink would apparently resolve this and allow for better sustained performance.

Last year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the ‌‌iPhone 17‌‌ Pro Max will also have an exclusive cooling system that combines vapor chamber technology with graphene sheets. Contrary to the latest report, Kuo said that the other new iPhone models launching in 2025 will continue to rely solely on graphene sheets.
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The supply chain for Apple's upcoming HomePod or smart home "Command Center" with an LCD display is increasingly visible as launch approaches, DigiTimes reports.


The paywalled report claims that the device's 7-inch LCD panel will be exclusively supplied by Tianma Microelectronics in China, corroborating other reports dating back to early 2023.

The display panels are believed to cost just $10 each, undercutting other suppliers. Tianma doesn't currently make any displays for existing Apple products, with the company usually opting for the likes of Samsung Display, LG Display, and BOE.

DigiTimes adds that Taiwan's Radiant Optoelectronics will handle backlight module production, while China's BYD will be the sole assembly partner.

The device was originally rumored launch in early 2024, but faced repeated delays, initially to late 2024. Supply chain sources claim that Apple issued a shipment schedule targeting a launch in March 2025, but this timeline may have now slipped to the second half of 2025.
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Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the MacBook Air 17 years ago today at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, captivating audiences with a groundbreaking design that set new industry standards.


Jobs famously revealed the ‌MacBook Air‌ by pulling it out of an interoffice envelope to emphasize its unprecedentedly slim profile. The original model featured a 13.3-inch display, Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and an optional 64GB solid-state drive, which was a rarity for consumer laptops in 2008, in a sleek aluminum unibody design. It lacked features considered standard at the time, such as an optical drive and Ethernet port. The single headphone, USB, and Micro-DVI ports popped out of a small door on the right of the machine. Jobs said:

We've built the world's thinnest notebook — without sacrificing a full-size keyboard or a full-size 13-inch display. When you first see MacBook Air, it's hard to believe it's a high-performance notebook with a full-size keyboard and display. But it is.

Seventeen years later, the ‌MacBook Air‌ remains a cornerstone of the Mac lineup, providing the entry-level point for customers who want an Apple laptop. In 2020, Apple brought its own custom silicon processor to the ‌MacBook Air‌ in the form of the M1 chip, enabling a massive leap in performance and energy efficiency. It completely redesigned the machine in 2022, and added a 15-inch model in 2024. In the first half of this year, Apple is expected to bring its latest-generation M-series chips to the device.
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Apple is nearing the start of mass production for its first U.S.-made A-series chips at TSMC's Arizona plant, Nikkei Asia reports.


The report suggests that test production of the chips at the new TSMC plant near Phoenix has already been completed, and Apple is now in the final stages of verifying their quality and performance. The first batch of commercially viable chips could be ready for mass production as early as this quarter, pending the completion of quality assurance processes.

The factory is expected to produce A-series chips used in Apple devices, primarily for older iPhone models. A recent report suggested the facility would make the A16 Bionic chip for the iPhone 15 and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus, and the S9 chip for the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The commencement of mass production at the Arizona plant will mark the first time Apple silicon chips are manufactured in the United States.
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