Zac Hall is a Senior Editor, covering Apple, AI, and the modern technology landscape.
He joined 9to5Mac in April 2013, originally as a writer and copy editor.
He later served as Lead Editor from May 2016 through December 2020, before shifting focus to creating the Space Explored website.
In 2015, Zac began co-hosting 9to5Mac Happy Hour, establishing the format of the site’s premier podcast, which he hosted for eight years.
In 2018, he created 9to5Mac Daily, providing audio recaps of Apple and technology news each weekday. He also created and hosted multiple seasons of the 9to5Mac Watch Time podcast, a health and fitness-focused interview series.
Zac currently focuses on writing for 9to5Mac. He is based in the lovely Gulf Coast town of Ocean Springs, MS, where he lives with his brilliant kids and Nova, his adventurous Cavachon rescue pup.
Rumors of Apple considering a Perplexity acquisition refuse to cease. Meanwhile, another AI firm continues to be part of the conversation. Both are mentioned in a new report that paints a picture of Eddy Cue as pro-acquisition despite pushback from other Apple executives.
Apple has released the eigth developer beta version of iOS 26. We expect the redesigned version of the iPhone software to officially launch in about one month.
Apple seems open to anything and everything when it comes to delivering the next generation of Siri. After reports that it could be powered by OpenAI or Anthropic, Google has entered the conversation.
Apple has released two software updates to iOS 18.6. Since the iPhone software update has shipped without issue, and one contained a major security patch, Apple has stopped signing the older iOS 18.6 software version.
AirPods aren’t just the best headphones. AirPods can also act like an AirTag, which happened to a North Carolina family traveling internationally when a pickpocketer stole the bag containing their passport and ID.
The Apple Watch’s health features have once again played a part in flagging a potential health problem. A 57-year-old woman from Brighton, East Sussex says her Apple Watch alerted her to an issue that ultimately led doctors to uncover a brain tumor.
A year after discontinuing the rather disastrous FineWoven iPhone case, Apple will reportedly take a second shot at an alternative premium to leather cases. The latest development is the alleged name, and a potentially new Apple accessory that may be sold separately.
Notion has introduced a long-awaited feature, adding offline mode to the AI-powered project hub. However, documents don’t just work offline by default.
Thunderbolt 5 is still fairly new, with the newest MacBook Pro bringing the cutting edge technology to the masses. Other World Computing just announced a new piece of hardware that takes advantage of Thunderbolt 5’s speed boost, offering external SSD performance that approaches built-in storage speeds.
A newly unsealed opinion shows why Apple had little patience for Fintiv’s long-running claims in Texas. As it turns out, after seven years of litigation, Fintiv still could not point to any evidence that Apple Pay or Apple Wallet ever used the kind of “widget” described in its patent. That finding explains the company’s abrupt retreat in Texas and bodes poorly for its latest attempt to profit off Apple Pay in Georgia.
Apple has released a new round of beta firmware for AirPods testers, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 are both receiving build 8A5343a, an update from the 8A5324b version that rolled out in July.
Apple Watch users in the United States are finally seeing Blood Oxygen readings return after nearly a year-long absence. Apple was forced to disable the feature on new Apple Watch hardware sold in the US following a patent dispute with medical technology company Masimo.
The fix, released across this week and last, is a practical solution that works well, especially in helping Apple Watch remain competitive with the health and fitness focused Whoop product.
It’s been a while since Apple dropped leather and replaced it with FineWoven — only to mostly drop FineWoven over customer feedback. Now leaker Majin Bu says Apple has yet another leather alternative ready to go for the iPhone 17 case lineup.
iOS 26 beta 7 is out now for iPhones on the developer beta release cycle. Below we’re collecting all of the iOS 26 beta 7 changes compared to the previous version.
Apple has released the seventh developer beta version of iOS 26. We expect the redesigned version of the iPhone software to officially launch in about one month.