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
OpenAI has announced a new AI model called GPT-5.4-Cyber. Similar to Anthropic’s Claude Mythos, this new “cyber-permissive” variant of its GPT-5.4 is built for defensive cybersecurity and not public use.
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Last month, Apple announced plans to unify its enterprise tools into a free suite called Apple Business. The unified Apple Business platform officially arrives today, and it includes a revamped Business app.
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Anthropic’s Claude Code has a new repeatable routines feature that works even when your Mac is offline. Claude Code, part of the Claude app for Mac, has also been redesigned with new features.
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Apple has released the second iOS 26.5 public beta. The release follows iOS 26.5 beta 2 for developers, which added an Apple Maps ads explainer.
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Apple has released the second iOS 26.5 beta for developers. iOS 26.5 beta 2 follows two versions of the first beta. The second version became the first iOS 26.5 public beta.
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OpenAI is asking users of its Mac software to update to the latest releases from today “out of an abundance of caution.” This is due to a security issue with a third-party developer tool, Axios, that was used by OpenAI.
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There’s a section on Apple’s macOS 26 Tahoe site that reads “Calm in the brainstorm.” The tagline introduces the revamped version of Spotlight, but there’s another Mac experience that it’s even more applicable to for me.
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OpenAI is launching a revamped $100/month ChatGPT subscription aimed at Codex users. Here’s how it compares to OpenAI’s existing plans and what it includes.
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Apple has released new versions of Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, and more apps included in the Creator Studio app suite. There are also updates to Final Cut Camera, Photomator, and more.
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Claude Cowork, available on macOS, is losing the “research preview” label today as Anthropic introduces enterprise capabilities. Separately, Anthropic is reclaiming the AI agent narrative with Claude Managed Agents.
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Spotify has introduced a new universal switch for making the app all about audio. No, it’s not a toggle for hiding podcasts and audiobooks, but it does turn off almost all videos.
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Update April 8: Amazon has brought back new inventory of the 512GB model 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro in space black for $1,399.97. This is a great deal if you want a brand new machine and not a refurbished laptop.
Apple has added the plain M5 MacBook Pro to its refurbished store for a discounted price. However, the base storage change from last month means the value compared to new discounted hardware might not be as competitive as usual.
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ChatGPT’s apps feature continues its search for a purpose. Along the way, it found a streaming partner in search of an audience. Now what?
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Journaling app Day One has reconfigured its subscription to include a more premium “Gold” plan with AI summaries and a Daily Chat feature.
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Llama is out; Muse Spark is in. Meta has unveiled its rebooted AI efforts with a new model it calls Muse Spark.
Unlike Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview announcement yesterday, Muse Spark is actually available publicly today.
Meta is also taking on the top Gemini and ChatGPT models with a new Contemplating mode that it says will roll out gradually.
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Astropad, makers of the excellent Rock Paper Pencil iPad screen protectors, has unveiled a new Mac utility called Workbench. The macOS app enables “remote desktop made for the AI era.”
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Apple redesigned the Workout app in watchOS 26, but not everyone has loved the new Apple Watch exercise tracking experience. It turns out Apple has been listening, because watchOS 26.4 addresses a major complaint about the new design.
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I love Apple Arcade. The game catalog really clicks with my son, and a single subscription unlocks hundreds of premium games. The best part is that the games have no ads or in-app purchases.
This makes for a much better gaming experience on his iPad. There’s just one feature I’d love to see Apple add.
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AI is now being used to make software more secure.
Anthropic announced a new initiative called Project Glasswing that includes Apple as a partner. As part of Glasswing, Anthropic is sharing a preview of its newly unveiled Claude Mythos model with select partners, including Apple.
Anthropic says Mythos has found “thousands of high-severity vulnerabilities” in “every major operating system and web browser.”
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Netflix has released a new iPhone and iPad app called Netflix Playground. Similar to Apple Arcade, the new Netflix Playground app includes ad-free games with no in-app purchase content.
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It’s no surprise that the iPhone is behind the iconic shot of Earth from NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby mission. It turns out the iPhone isn’t the only Apple product being used by astronauts in space.
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Does your Mac automatically open a bunch of apps each time you reboot? A lot of apps want to auto-launch when you start up your computer.
The problem is it can make your Mac feel slower, especially if you’re not using these apps. Fortunately, Apple makes it easy to disable auto-launch apps in macOS 26 Tahoe.
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Apple doesn’t typically sell you a product four to five months before delivery. There’s nothing typical about the global memory shortage, though. AI servers need a lot of RAM, and that’s seriously affecting Apple’s top Mac RAM inventory.
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Apple has released the first iOS 26.5 public beta. The update follows the first developer beta release on Monday and a new revision earlier today.
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