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Zac Hall

apollozac

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.

Contact: zac@9to5mac.com

Connect with Zac Hall

She should be the future of AI at Apple – and her company, Apple’s next acquisition

Apple has a major artificial intelligence opportunity before it that the company could potentially address in one multibillion-dollar transaction. If this startup founder is able to productize AI, finally fix Siri, and unlock a wealth of new revenue streams for Apple, I would argue that she might also be a future Apple CEO candidate someday.

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Runtime 006: That time AI officially went off the rails.

Sophia and Zac basically discuss some stuff about AI that goes off the rails, some stuff about autonomous vehicles that goes off the deep end, some stuff about Nintendo and the Switch 2 that manages to stay on track, and a special message at the end about love and kindness.

Note: recorded 3/14/2025 and released 3/25/2025 because… reasons. Thanks for viewing!

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Siri has become an unmitigated disaster, and AI won’t save it

I know, I know. I’m late to the Siri Sucks party. In my defense, Siri’s degree of suck has increased. Siri never used to trip when asked what month it is. Apple’s designers nailed the glow effect though.

It’s not just that Siri has steadily fallen apart over the years. The floor for what’s expected of a system like Siri is quickly rising.

Meanwhile, Siri is waiting for someone to decide if maintenance can feasibly repair the elevator while we all take the stairs to the top of the world’s tallest building.

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Apple globally censoring this iPhone communication feature deserves renewed scrutiny

Apple to restrict ‘Everyone’ option in AirDrop to 10 minutes in China with iOS 16.1.1

Two years ago, Apple effectively censored a core iPhone communication feature. The change was reportedly initially made at the request of the Chinese government. However, Apple quickly implemented the change to all iPhones globally a few months later.

Apple essentially endorsed China’s censorship demands by voluntarily enforcing the limit on all iPhone users, including the United States and every other democratic nation. Despite being controversial at the time, Apple’s decision has not faceted sustained public scrutiny. Instead, user control and a decentralized communication method were lost under the guise of safety.

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Every Apple silicon M-series chip, product, and release date

Apple Silicon chip arm iPhone iPad Mac

M-series Apple silicon chips tout impressive performance but unpredictable release cadence. That makes it hard to keep up with which chips are in which devices. Apple currently has four generations of M-series chips, up to four variations of each generation, and three product categories that use M-series chips. Here’s the data to make sense of it all.

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Don’t buy these MacBook Air models in 2025

Here's why a 15-inch MacBook Air would be a good addition to the Mac lineup

Apple brought the MacBook Air starting price back to the magic $999 number with the introduction of the M4 MacBook Air. In recent years, Apple relied on selling an older version of the MacBook Air to stay below the $1,000 price tag.

Having newer technology for a lower price is a double win for customers. It also means customers should expect even lower prices on previous generation MacBook Air models still being sold.

Considering an M2 or M3 MacBook Air purchase now that the M4 MacBook Air has arrived? Keep these things in mind before making a buying decision.

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