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.
Apple has officially released macOS 14 Sonoma for the Mac. The new operating system introduces a lock screen screensavers, a new desktop widget experience, Game Mode, the ability to turn websites into desktop apps, and much more.
Threads is working on a new feature that will let you delete your account without nuking your Instagram account, but it won’t be ready anytime soon. Meanwhile, new data forecasts where Meta’s competitor to X (formerly Twitter) will be by year’s end.
iPhone 15 Pro just launched with the all-new Action button replacing the legacy mute switch. Now a new rumor claims Apple has plans to continue adding buttons to new iPhones.
Update: Three days after Apple Watch Series 9 hit stores, Apple has opened up orders for Magnetic Link bands. They start shipping near the end of next month.
Here’s a bit of a mystery: it’s the eve of Apple Watch Series 9 launch day, and you still can’t order the new Magnetic Link band.
The product page has been live since the September 12 event ended, but it still shows up as unavailable. If you try to configure an Apple Watch Series 9 with the Magnetic Link when ordering, the checkout flow stops and says to “check back later for availability.”
Apple Watch makes checking the weather as easy as glancing at your wrist, but a bug in watchOS 10 is complicating things. Experiencing this issue yourself? You’re not alone.
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus crank up the limit on how bright Apple’s non-Pro phone displays can go. Pixelmator will soon take advantage of the new displays, which reach peak brightness at 1600 nits, with an update to Photomator on iPhone 15.
During the iPhone 15 Pro event, Apple used Resident Evil gameplay to show off the GPU power of the A17 Pro chip. Now Capcom has released pricing and availability details for the two Resident Evil titles that will run on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Both games will be free to demo and require an in-app purchase to fully unlock.
Ming-Chi Kuo is out with some iPhone 15 launch day analysis based on supply chain sources. As the new iPhones reach customers around the world, Kuo shares four conclusions about how each model is performing and Apple’s fall quarter will go.
It’s Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 launch day, and Apple Stores across the world have been refreshed with new product displays. X user @_DynamicIsland_ shared some of the first shots of the new Series 9 display, and it’s kind of incredible.
Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C charging arrive in stores today. The new hardware is more than just a revised charging case though. As we know, the updated AirPods Pro 2 will be capable of streaming lossless audio from the Vision Pro headset when it ships early next year. Apple credits the H2 chip, but it’s still been a bit of a mystery since both versions have this processor.
Apple says that the aluminum Apple Watch Series 9 is its first carbon neutral product. You need to pair it with the new Sport Loop for it to be fully carbon neutral though. That makes it interesting that Apple didn’t add one new band option this year: no band at all.
Apple has released what will likely be the shipping version of macOS Sonoma for developer and public beta testers. The new version comes just a few days before macOS 14 is set to officially debut for everyone.
In addition to the new macOS Sonoma RC, Apple has issued minor bug fix and security updates to iOS 17 and watchOS 10 and new shipping macOS releases.
There was a moment during Apple’s Wonderlust event last week where I wondered if maybe the iPhone 15 Plus was enough for me. Then the iPhone 15 Pro Max segment began and the lust set in. I have to give the standard iPhone 15 line kudos for being extremely compelling, all the same.
iOS 17 has only been out a few days, and people are already praising the new autocorrect. That’s great news to anyone who has fumbled with autocorrect over the last few years.
The last time Apple made a big deal about autocorrect, it was about using machine learning and the iPhone install base to make autocorrect smarter than ever. It turns out that might have made autocorrect learn all the wrong lessons.
Do your friends and family keep asking you why your notifications are silenced? If you’re not actually using a Focus mode like Do Not Disturb, this is probably a head-scratcher for you.
One of the wonderful things about relying on indie developers to make great apps is the fact that they almost always adopt new features on day one. Take Tempo 5 for example. Apple just released iOS 17 and watchOS 10 with a new custom workout feature for developers, and Tempo has already baked in support for planning and add custom run, walk, and hike workouts.
September has been an odd month for Apple in France. First there’s the whole iPhone 12 radiation kerfuffle. Now it appears that Apple Store employees in France will strike for the first 48 hours of the iPhone 15 launch.
Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 come out on Friday, and the first round of reviews are in.
To recap, Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are almost entirely about the new S9 chip. This enables on-device Siri processing for some commands, and health queries will be supported later this year. Apple is also adding a new “Double Tap” gesture that lets you select buttons on the screen by pinching your fingers.
Both watches have 1000 nit brighter displays, bringing the Series 9 to 2000 nits and Ultra 2 to 3000 nits. The original Apple Watch peaked at 500 nits before doubling a year later. Speaking of doubling, Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 double the 32GB storage capacity to 64GB for the first time. Oh, and there’s an upgraded ultrawideband chip inside.
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max hit stores on Friday, and one added feature is the new Action button. Now that we know what all the Action button can do, we’re curious how you think you’ll use the customizable launcher.
Apple is releasing the iPhone 15 Pro on Friday, and with it comes new pro-grade video capture features. Ahead of the launch, Apple has released updates to Final Cut Pro on the Mac and iPad that ensure compatibility with the new phones.
watchOS 10 includes a new Snoopy face for Apple Watch, and the comic strip-inspired clock is full of surprises. In a new interview this week, the team behind the Snoopy face discusses the process behind making such a fun addition to Apple Watch.