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
Apple CEO Tim Cook is stepping down, and John Ternus is taking over. The CEO transition has quietly been underway for some time now. Starting today, the transition is happening publicly and will be complete this fall.
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Last week, OpenAI released an all-new version of Codex for Mac that includes the best example of AI-driven computer use yet.
Today, Codex for Mac is taking its recently gained memory feature further with a feature OpenAI calls Chronicle.
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Apple has released the third iOS 26.5 beta for developers. The previous beta introduced a new splash screen that signaled the upcoming arrival of ads in Apple Maps.
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Good news for sports fans: Apple has updated its Sports app for iPhone, adding new support for CarPlay alongside more F1 race-tracking features.
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Apple and Star Wars share a history of collaboration, and that continues with the newest film premiering in May. The Mandalorian & Grogu director Jon Favreau recently described how he used Apple Vision Pro to help bring Grogu to the biggest of big screens.
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Using the iPad Pro with the nano-texture display reaffirmed my preference for anti-glare displays. Naturally, this made me want to nano-texture all the things. While not all Apple products have nano-texture display options, you can get a lot of the way there with quality anti-glare matte screen protectors for any iPhone, iPad, and MacBook.
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After two previous design-related updates this week, Anthropic is out with a new product today: Claude Design. The new Claude Design joins an existing suite of Mac tools, including Claude Cowork and Claude Code.
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Starting with iOS 26.4, Apple supports using AI chatbot apps on the iPhone through CarPlay.
ChatGPT was the first AI app to arrive shortly after iOS 26.4’s release. Now a second AI chatbot has added support: Perplexity.
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After botching its Apple TV app with an inferior custom video player, Netflix is updating its iPhone app with a vertical video feed.
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Apple has sold through its MacBook Neo inventory for April. The earliest deliveries for new MacBook Neo orders from Apple now quote delivery dates in May.
MacBook Neo’s launch has resembled a flagship iPhone launch more than a typical Mac release. After more than a month since its release, customers continue to purchase the $599 laptop faster than Apple can produce them.
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OpenAI is releasing a new version of its Codex desktop app today. The latest Codex update adds three key features that expand its use beyond agentic coding.
Today’s release signals the start of a shift for Codex. The app is going from strictly developer-focused to having more general utility as an AI tool on the Mac.
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Last month, Perplexity announced Personal Computer, a Mac-based personal AI assistant. Today, the Mac-specific version of the company’s Perplexity Computer system, inspired by OpenClaw, is launching.
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Anthropic has announced its latest AI model with Claude Opus 4.7. The new version arrives two months after the previous model upgrade, matching Anthropic’s previous upgrade cadence.
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Spotify is releasing a new version of its mobile app that redesigns the experience for iPad users. The experience is improved for browsing, navigation, and more with four specific features.
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Apple is widely expected to release the first iPhone with a foldable display this year. What’s less certain is exactly when it will launch and what Apple will call it.
iPhone Fold, to me, is the clearest shorthand way to reference the foldable iPhone before it has an official name. It also feels like the least likely name to actually be used.
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Google’s Gemini AI app is a constant top three iPhone app in the App Store. Starting today, Gemini is available as a dedicated Mac app as well.
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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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