It’s no secret that 2017 was a huge year for Apple, with the introduction of 3 new iPhone models, new iPads, new Macs, a new Apple Watch, and much more. We covered it all right here at 9to5Mac, day in and day out, diving deep into various topics with news, reviews, how-tos, and more.
Every week we highlight the top stories of that week, but seeing that this is the last day of 2017, we’re going to outline the top stories of 2017…
First things first, there were a few things worth noting this week. For one, Apple issued a rare apology for how it handled the iPhone slowdown controversy. The company’s apology explained that in no way is it trying to purposefully shorten the lifespan of older iPhones, but rather it’s actually trying to extend the life cycle.
More on Apple’s apology:
- Apple temporarily drops price of iPhone battery replacement, promises iOS update to address battery health in new apology
- PSA: Apple is making its $29 battery replacement pricing effective immediately
- Do you think Apple’s apology for how it handled the iPhone slowdown controversy goes far enough? [Poll]
Furthermore, an SEC filing this week revealed that Tim Cook netted a whopping $102 million in 2017 thanks to AAPL’s strong performance against the S&P 500. Furthermore, that filing noted that Cook is now required to fly private, whether for personal or business travel. That decision was made by Apple’s board of directors due to security concerns.
The top stories of 2017:
Oddly enough, 9to5Mac’s top new story of 2017 was about enabling screen recording on iOS 11. The latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system is the first to include screen recording as a built-in feature, and judging by the popularity of this post, it was a feature that many users have been waiting for.
iOS 11: How to enable screen recording without a computer
One of the most exciting parts of 2017 was digging through a leaked version of the iOS 11 GM that included a slew of hints as to the iPhone X and new Apple Watch. The leaked GM is responsible for our next two of biggest posts of the year, the first offering downloads of the new iOS 11 wallpapers, and the second outlining features such as Portrait Lighting and the True Tone Display.
Leaked iOS 11 GM reveals several vibrant (and OLED black) new wallpapers and more Video
iPhone leaks were a dime a dozen this year, largely thanks to the fact that the iPhone X is the first major redesign that Apple’s smartphone has seen since the iPhone 6. All the way back in April, a set of leaked images emerged showing what we now know to be a pretty accurate dummy model of the iPhone X. Here we can see the new glass design, the elongated power button, and the new vertical camera array on the back.
iPhone 8 dummy model surfaces with edge-to-edge display, no rear Touch ID, elongated power button
The new iPhone X brought a handful of major changes to iOS, largely reinventing how users operate their device. Our next biggest post is one that outlines how to view your current battery percentage on the iPhone X.
How to view your current battery percentage on iPhone X
Continuing the iOS 11 trend, another video from Jeff Benjamin is next on the charts. This video, shared shortly after the release of the iOS 11 public beta, details the process of downgrading from iOS 11 to iOS 11. As always, betas are full of bugs and annoyances, and it seems many users were in over their heads this year and wanted to leave the beta lifestyle.
How to downgrade iOS 11 beta to iOS 10
Our next biggest story of 2017 was published just this week and offers up some information on Tim Cook’s 2017 payout and the fact that he’s now required to fly private at the request of Apple’s board of directors. This is an odd one, but I guess people are really entrenched by the idea of Tim Cook tooling around in a PJ.
Tim Cook now required to fly private as AAPL’s 2017 performance nets him $102M payout
Next on our charts is my story outlining 8 first impressions after a week with the iPhone X. Here, I outlined some of my thoughts on the notch design, the new gestures, and much more. The iPhone X is easily the biggest Apple release of the year, so it shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise that the device dominates our stats.
iPhone X: 8 first impressions after a week with Apple’s new flagship
Wallpapers are always popular, especially when we offer a way for users on older devices to download wallpapers from the latest and greatest iPhones. Zac offered up the 7 new dynamic and 6 new live wallpapers from the iPhone X for download, coming in at #9 on our top posts of the year.
iPhone X features 7 new Dynamic and 6 new Live wallpapers
Rounding out our top 10 posts of 2017 is a simple how-to on tracking your sleep using Apple Watch or iPhone. While Apple hasn’t yet added a built-in way to do this seemingly incredibly desired feature, a slew of third-party options are available.
How to track your sleep using Apple Watch or iPhone with these third-party apps
We obviously had a lot more than 10 stories this year that we loved, so here are some honorable mentions:
- How Apple Watch saved one man’s life — and how it’s empowering him after his heart attack
- Opinion: My end-of-year report card for Apple’s 2017 performance
- Zero-day iOS HomeKit vulnerability allowed remote access to smart accessories including locks, fix rolling out
- Year In Review: Everything Apple released across 2017
- Apple Watch, New Year’s resolutions, and losing 50 pounds
- Running my first half marathon — with Apple Watch Series 3 and AirPods
- YouTube Recap: My favorite 9to5Mac videos of 2017
2017 has been a huge year for not only Apple, but also for 9to5Mac. We’re incredibly grateful for our readers and are continually humbled that we get to write about one of the greatest companies in the world and call it a “job.” We have a lot in store for 2018 and we can’t wait to share it with you.
What has been your favorite 9to5Mac post of 2017? As always, share down in the comments and we’ll see you in 2018. Happy New Year!
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