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.
OpenAI is having a big week. Yesterday, the leading AI firm dropped not one, but two open-weight models, including one that can run well on Apple silicon Macs. Next? GPT-5 is coming to ChatGPT.
Two quick updates to a couple of stories from this morning involving Apple, the Trump administration, and increased India tariffs. First, CNBC reports that the $100 billion U.S. investment increase (over four years) announcement is currently scheduled for 4:30 ET today.
Meta is updating Instagram today with some familiar social network features from other services. For example, the photo- and video-sharing service is basically getting its own version of the classic retweet. Separately, Instagram continues to take inspiration from Snapchat with its own social map feature.
When Apple unveils the iPhone 17 lineup next month, it seems like we’ll also see a new version of Apple’s first-party protective cases as well. If the latest rumors are true, the iPhone 17 case lineup will take a design cue from the AirPods Pro 2 charging case.
Shifting final assembly of Apple products like iPhone from China to India has helped Apple avoid costly tariffs in the United States. But what happens when the US imposes similar tariffs in India to those seen in China?
The Hulu app isn’t long for this world, according to Disney. While the standalone app is being phased out, however, the brand that Disney now owns in full is set for international expansion.
ESPN is launching its long-awaited standalone streaming service later this month. The sports-focused subscription video service officially has a launch date, bundle pricing, and other details confirmed.
It’s been just over a week since Apple released iOS 18.6. Since the iPhone software update has shipped without issue, Apple has stopped signing the older iOS 18.5 software version.
A small but annoying change in iOS 26 beta has been driving Mail app users bananas since June. As of beta 5, however, Apple has reverted that change and avoided making even more people complain.
iOS 26 includes a redesigned Camera app that changes how you switch between shooting modes. As of iOS 26 beta 5, the redesign comes with a new toggle in Settings as well.
iOS 26 beta 5 is out now for iPhones on the developer beta release cycle. Below we’re collecting all of the iOS 26 beta 5 changes compared to the previous version.
Living up to its name, OpenAI has released not one but two new open-weight AI models after promising to deliver a new open-weight model earlier this year. The two models, gpt-oss-20b and gpt-oss-120b, are available to download for free now.
Apple has released the fifth developer beta version of iOS 26. We expect the redesigned version of the iPhone software to officially launch next month. Apple also launched the first public beta version of iOS 26 last week. The latest build is 23A5308g.
Earlier this year, we told you about plans for a standalone streaming service from FOX with a former Apple TV+ veteran at the helm. As of today, FOX has announced pricing and the launch date for its direct to consumers subscription video service.
In May, AI firm Anthropic introduced its Claude 4 family of models with a focus on improvements to coding, reasoning, and following instructions. Three months later, Anthropic is back with Claude Opus 4.1, which it says upgrades “agentic tasks, real-world coding, and reasoning.”
Looking for a way to step up your creative capture game? BOYA is out with a new modular microphone with AI-powered noise cancelation that works with a range of devices.
The BOYA Magic is being billed as the world’s first AI-powered, shape-shifting wireless microphone, and it’s now available after a successful Kickstarter campaign.
Apple may say that most iPhones sold in the U.S. are now assembled in India, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Apple has reduced its reliance on China. Patrick McGee, who literally wrote the book on Apple in China, explains.
OpenAI is updating how ChatGPT works to encourage healthier use and avoid unintended consequences. One change that OpenAI says ChatGPT users will see “starting today” is a technique used by other digital services.
Five years ago, Apple reportedly considered acquiring podcast studio Wondery for around $400 million. At the time, Spotify and other companies were spending millions on putting podcasts behind paywalls to boost their businesses and steal mindshare from Apple.
Microsoft has detailed a serious macOS vulnerability that could allow malicious apps to bypass system privacy protections. Dubbed “SploitLight,” the flaw exploited how Spotlight indexes plugin data to access sensitive files and Apple Intelligence metadata. Apple addressed the issue in macOS in March, but users on older versions could be at risk.