Mark is an award-winning journalist who worked at 9to5Mac for over six years. He covers Apple and other topics related to the consumer technology industry.
Mark is regarded as one of the go-to reporters for all Apple-related matters, one of Wired‘s top 16 people to follow in technology, and one of TIME Magazine‘s top 25 bloggers of 2013. Mark has also been profiled by CNN Fortune multiple times, NPR, the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, the Huffington Post, Business Insider, Columbia Journalism Review, Marketplace, Haaretz, and USA Today. Mark was also recently named to the 2015 Forbes 30 under 30 List.
In 2012, Mark published the first photos of the iPhone 5, broke the news about Apple’s switch to an in-house Maps application, revealed the first 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, forecasted that Apple would update the iPad’s software with Siri support, and accurately revealed the iPad mini’s higher-than expected price point.
In 2013, Mark published the first photos of the original iPad Air, provided the first details about Jony Ive’s end-to-end iPhone and iPad software update called iOS 7, provided information about OS X Mavericks, and detailed Apple’s early work on the Apple Watch.
In 2014, Mark revealed Apple’s work on a new Health application for iOS 8 and the Apple Watch, Ive’s redesign of OS X called Yosemite, and details about the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Mark started out 2015 with a significant scoop detailing Apple’s yet-to-be-released 12-inch MacBook with a Retina display, thinner design, and more advanced trackpad and keyboard. He has continued the year by reporting on several details about iOS 9, including the new Proactive Assistant, redesigned Siri, upgraded Maps with transit functionality, new system font, split-screen iPad apps, Swift 2.0, as well as predicting a performance focus for both that software upgrade and OS X El Capitan. Mark finished the year by reporting the majority of the details about the new Apple TV, iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Apple Watch updates, the iPad Pro, the iPad mini 4, and iMacs.
Mark started out 2016 with exclusive reports on Apple’s work on a pair of completely wireless Beats headphones for the iPhone 7, details on the iPhone SE, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, Apple Watch updates, Apple’s March product event, new Apple retail initiatives, and Tim Cook’s Town Hall meeting with Apple employees.
Mark has also written long-form features on “Apple Anonymous,” a group of retail employees who discuss work over Twitter and the fascination of watches by Apple executives. Most significantly, in fall 2014, Mark published an extensive profile of Apple’s PR and Communications department that was compiled over two months into nine chapters. Mark also provides analysis on relevant technology industry topics, such as Apple’s recent executive shakeup. Mark kicked off his writing career at the end of 2009, and he had his first significant break in 2011 with a story detailing Siri and the iPhone 4S.
You can follow him on Twitter.
Apple’s upcoming release of iOS 6.1 will include a new feature for Siri: the ability to get movie tickets. The feature, according to developers who are beta testing the new iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch operating system, works via Fandango. To purchase movie tickets, a user simply needs to ask their iOS device to buy tickets for a certain movie.
Apple even describes the commands in the Siri information menu:
Following the release of iOS 6.0.1 to end users, Apple has released a beta version of iOS 6.1 to developers. This beta is for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. A beta version of the upcoming Xcode 4.6 is also available for developers.
Apple describes improved Map Kit searching in Maps for developers:
The Map Kit framework now lets you programmatically search for map-based addresses and points of interest. The
MKLocalSearchclass initiates a search for map-based content using a natural language string. In other words, you can enter placename information or portions of an address and have Map Kit return search results that match the information you provide. For example, searching for the string “coffee” would return the location of local coffee bars along with information about each one.
We will update when new information about iOS 6.1 appears.
Apple has released iOS 6.0.1 to iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch users. Apple says that this update includes various improvements and bug fixes.
The iPhone 5 apparently shipped with a bug that does not allow the device to receive over-the-air updates. For that reason, iPhone 5 users have to also download a patch in order to download iOS 6.0.1 through the settings app. A gallery of the process to install iOS 6.0.1 on the iPhone 5 is after the break:
Following Apple’s major executive-related news this afternoon, Apple CEO Tim Cook has emailed employees with information on the announced changes. Additionally, Cook has shed light on some new details not included in the public press release. First of all, Cook thanks Apple’s iOS Senior Vice President Scott Forstall “for all of his many contributions to Apple over his career.” As for Forstall’s replacement, Craig Federighi, Cook notes that Federighi led the successful release of OS X Mountain Lion earlier this year.
I am also announcing that Scott Forstall will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to me during the interim. I want to thank Scott for all of his many contributions to Apple over his career.
Perhaps in bigger news from this internal email, Cook says that Bob Mansfield, the new executive in charge of Apple’s new “Technologies” group will remain at Apple for two years. This is notable as Mansfield announced his retirement earlier this year. Mansfield came back to lead this new Technologies group, and Dan Riccio has filled the void of Mansfield’s former post as Senior VP of Hardware Engineering.
As part of this, I am thrilled to tell you that Bob will remain with Apple for an additional two years. Bob has led some of our most challenging engineering projects for many years.
As for John Browett’s departure, Cook is less thankful (as he was for Forstall). Cook adds an extra note regarding those in Apple’s retail division by saying, “this phenomenal team of talented and dedicated people works their hearts out making our customers happy. They have our respect, our admiration and our undying support.”
Cook also shares additional information on Jony Ive’s expanded role at Apple.
Cook ends his letter with a personal note, thanking everyone at Apple for working so hard:
Please join me in congratulating everyone on their new roles. I’d like to thank everyone for working so hard so that Apple can continue to make the world’s best products and delight our customers. I continue to believe that Apple has the most talented and most innovative people on the planet, and I feel privileged and inspired to be able to work with all of you.
The full message to employees is after the break:
Otterbox, the renowned creator of some of the best mobile device protective accessories on the market, recently released a version of its popular Defender Series case for the new iPhone 5. Like its Defender products for other mobile phones and devices, the number one priority of the iPhone 5 Defender case is top-notch protection all around the device. We’ve been using the case for a couple of weeks, and we think that it lives up to the Defender name…
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina is coming today and we’ve just received the processor speeds, RAM, and storage options:
These will be available to order soon after the event.
In line with our report from earlier this month, Apple Stores have started stocking cases for the iPhone 5. Choices are currently limited, but more brands are reportedly on the way. This is great news for those waiting to buy a case through Apple retail. Thanks @dominocollege.
Update: Screen protectors as well. Thanks Ryan Jones.
Apple’s entry price for its upcoming smaller iPad is between the base model of the new, fifth-generation iPod touch ($299) and the currently shipping WiFi-only 16GB iPad 2 ($399). According to our sources, the base model of the smaller iPad will likely be priced at a minimum of $329 in the United States. 
Two higher capacities of the smaller iPad will be available in the WiFi-only configuration. These will likely be priced at $100 premiums over each other at a minimum of $429 and $529.
It is possible that this base price for the smaller iPad could be higher, but our best guess is $329.
Apple’s smaller iPad will also come in a version that connects to cellular networks. Like the third-generation iPad, these models will come at a $130 premium over their corresponding storage capacity in the WiFi-only line. This comes out to likely minimum price points of $459, $559, and $659 for the WiFi + Cellular line…
Apple’s iTunes Store has leaked a mention of iBooks 3.0 ahead of Apple’s October 23rd media event. This media event will discuss a smaller iPad, which will likely be education oriented. French site iGen first discovered the listing, and The Next Web snapped the above screenshot in the French iTunes Store. The current version of iBooks is iBooks 2.0, which was announced earlier this year with digital textbook support.
Reader Pierre-Denis took some screenshots of the app in iBooks 2
In addition to your news I download the extract and found that the
file is not completely readable upon iBooks 2.0. It works for the
first few pages but, As you can see in the pictures bellow the last
page is not correctly rendered. (largo winch 18 and standard iBook 2.0
file).It seems that iBooks Author will be also updated in order to produce
the compatible files with the new reader.
Screenshots below:
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Apple will announce a refreshed version of its full-sized, 9.7-inch Retina display iPad at its media event October 23rd, according to our sources. These people say that the new version of the iPad will retain the same $499, $599, and $699 WiFi-only price points, and the LTE line will retain the current $629, $729, and $829 pricing. With no price changes or additional storage capacities, we believe that the storage options of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB will also be retained.
Launching roughly half a year after the current third-generation iPad, this new iPad is said to be a tweaked model and not a complete revamp. As iMore and iLounge previously reported, we expect this new iPad to gain the smaller Lightning connector from the iPhone 5, fifth-generation iPod touch, and seventh-generation iPod nano. Also likely in the mix for this tweaked iPad is global LTE support, just like in the iPhone 5, according to a recent report from The Guardian. Apple could also use this opportunity to upgrade other internals like the processor, screen, battery, etc. but we don’t yet have specifics on this.
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Out of the many new iPad models coming at this event, these new full-sized iPads make up half of the SKUs. The other half belong to the smaller ‘mini’ iPad.
Also coming at Apple’s October 23rd event are new Mac minis, new iMacs, and a 13-inch version of the MacBook Pro with Retina display.
Apple’s new Mac mini and iMac lines will feature price-points that are similar to those of their current models (depending on country). The three Mac mini models will likely be priced at the same $599, $799, and $999 for the two standard models and single server model, respectively.
The new iMacs will also feature similar or same pricing as the current iMacs, but the top 27-inch and 21.5-inch models may feature slightly cheaper pricing in some countries. The current iMacs come in at $1199, $1499, $1699, and $1999 U.S. price points.
With the iMac prices staying the same, or only changing slightly, we believe that it is unlikely that a Retina Display iMac will be introduced this fall. Our reasoning: The MacBook Pro 15-inch with Retina display is priced considerably higher than its non-Retina sibling, so it’s unlikely that Apple would be able to sell the much larger iMac display in Retina-form at the current non-Retina prices.
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Apple will double its current built-to-order RAM configurations for the upcoming Mac minis, and perhaps the new iMacs according to sources familiar with the upcoming product releases. The current version of the iMac includes four RAM slots, and Apple’s top RAM configuration is four 4GB chips for a total of 16GB of RAM. The new iMac, however, will be sold with an options for 16GB of RAM across two chips (2 X 8GB) of RAM. Assuming that the new iMac retains 4 slots, users will be able to buy up to 32GB of iMac RAM from Apple. However, if not, it is still notable that Apple will be selling iMac RAM in pieces of 8GB chips for the first time. Up until this point, you could buy and use 8GB RAM chips from third parties for both the Mac mini and iMac.
The new version of the Mac mini will also see upgrades in the RAM department…
According to AllThingsD, Apple has hired Amazon executive William Stasior to run its Siri division. 
Statsior’s placement comes approximately a year after Siri co-founder, and the executive formerly in charge of Siri at Apple, Dag Kittlaus left Apple. This news also comes nearly a month after another Siri co-founder, Adam Cheyer left Apple.
Notably, Stasior’s work at Amazon is in the field of search, something important to Apple as it grows Siri and moves away from Google-based services. According to his resume, Stasior held senior positions at Altavista and Oracle.
Alongside the smaller iPad, Apple plans to announce a new version of its Mac mini. Sources say that these Mac minis will come in two standard configurations, with different storage and processor options, and a third model that runs OS X Server.
These new Mac minis are said to begin shipping immediately after announcement. Apple last redesigned the Mac mini with a unibody aluminum enclosure in 2010, and last updated the computer with faster processors last summer. These current Mac minis are on last-generation chipsets and lack USB 3.0, so we should be seeing those components updated in these new models.
As we reported last night, Apple will also release a Retina Display version of its 13-inch MacBook Pro. Apple’s next event will be held in a little over a week on Tuesday, October 23rd.
[tweet https://twitter.com/brianstucki/status/257912951829299201]
Alongside the smaller iPad, Apple will debut a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, according to a consistently reliable source at a high-profile U.S. retailer.
This new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina Display is said to pick up the thinner and lighter enclosure of the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display that was released in June.
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro will be sold in two configurations, with differing processors and storage, and will be available for purchase soon after introduction.
Like with the 15-inch MacBook Pro lines, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display will be sold (at a higher price) in addition to the current non-Retina display model. That computer was updated with faster processors and USB 3.0 in June.
The current 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display is codenamed D2, and its smaller sibling is in fact, as predicted this morning, dubbed D1 internally.
Later this month, Apple will be seeding an updated version of its mobile point-of-sale (EasyPay) system software to Apple Store employees. This update, numbered version 12.3, will allow retail employees with EasyPays to capture Apple Store payment card codes from customer iPhones and iPod touches running Passbook.
While Apple’s EasyPay software should be ready for Passbook this month, some sources noted that the current EasyPay hardware, at least at some retail stores, may not be capable of scanning iOS device displays. Presumably, Apple has a solution for this in the works.
Also, Apple’s plans for rolling out the consumer-facing Apple Store app update to support Passbook-based Apple Store cards is currently unclear. But with Apple preparing to seed software to its stores that interacts with Passbook on customer iPhones and iPod touches, we believe that the feature is close to being a rolled out.
With the help of a lack of an Apple-manufactered iPhone 5 case, Apple’s retail stores have so far lacked any sort of iPhone 5 covers.
However, Apple Stores will begin stocking a slew of third-party cases for the iPhone 5 later this month, according to multiple sources.
Our sources say that Apple is currently scheduled to begin selling these cases the week of October 22nd, but this date could shift depending on supplies from Apple’s case partners.
“Good, now people can stop asking me about iPhone 5 cases,” said one Apple retail store employee who we briefed on the news.
The iPhone 5’s new aluminum enclosure has been known to scratch, so users have been looking for ways to prevent “normal” wear and tear to the product.
Many of Apple’s longtime partners have been selling iPhone 5 cases on their own via other retail channels. Apple is taking its time to properly test its cases of choice before putting them on store shelves.
It is unclear if Apple’s Online Store will stock iPhone 5 cases at the same time as the company’s physical stores.
Apple has published an iOS 6 and fifth-generation iPod touch version of its iPod touch user guide to iBooks. The user guide goes over the important software and hardware details of the new iPod touch and its new operating system. The new version of the iPod touch has begun preparing to ship to customers who have pre-ordered, but the new devices have yet to show up in retail stores. However, a recent report claimed that the new iPod touch would be made available on October 9th, the publishing date of the user guide. Thanks, Sam.
Separately, Macotakara has gotten its hands on some benchmarks from a new iPod touch. Since it has an A5 chip, its performance lines up with that of Apple’s iPhone 4S.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced in an email to employees that this year’s Thanksgiving vacation will be extended with pay. Cook also thanks all employees for an amazing 2012.
Team,
Apple is having another incredibly successful year, thanks to all of the hard work by you and your teams. Your focus and dedication to making the best products on earth is what makes Apple such an incredible place.
In a little over six months we’ve launched outstanding new products in each of our major categories, starting with the new iPad this spring. The response was incredible, and continued to show Apple’s unrivaled leadership in this post-PC era. Over the summer we introduced the radically thin and light 15″ MacBook Pro with Retina display, and shipped Mountain Lion, the fastest-selling update to OS X ever. Today, iPhone 5 is taking the world by storm. And in the next few weeks we’ll ship the new iPod touch and completely redesigned iPod nano with innovative designs that our customers are going to love this holiday season.
To recognize the efforts that made this amazing year possible, I’m happy to announce that we’re extending the Thanksgiving holiday once again this year. We will shut down with pay on November 19, 20 and 21 so our teams can spend the whole week with their loved ones.
Retail and some other teams will need to work that week so we can continue to serve our customers, but please check with your manager about taking time off at a later date. Our international teams will also get an extra three days off during this quarter, scheduled at a time that’s best for them. Details will be available on AppleWeb.
Thank you for everything you do for Apple and please enjoy this much deserved break.
Retail employees obviously won’t get the extended break during Thanksgiving, but they will have the opportunity for extra days off at another time. Cook announced a similar break extension last year. (Image: Wired)
Facebook has updated its Facebook Messenger application for iPhone with support for the iPhone 5, an improved design, a Favorites feature, and more. The new design is cleaner and the chat view looks more like the Twitter Direct Message interface. A new Favorites feature allows you to pin the people you talk to most to a menu accessible via a quick swipe. Speed improvements and various fixes are also present in the new 2.0 version.
The development of the feature leaked out earlier this year, and now it’s finally working at iCloud.com. These iOS-like notification banners work on the new iCloud website for emails, calendar alerts, Find my iPhone, and Reminders. Thanks iPhaze.
Just two days after releasing 10.8.2 build 12C50, Apple has released a new 12C53 build. The previous build included release notes, so we know that Apple is finishing up work on the update. 10.8.2 includes features like Facebook integration and phone number/Apple ID syncing for iMessage and FaceTime.
Following some fairly lengthy iCloud email downtime for some iCloud users, Apple has sent out apology emails. Apple says that all missed emails have been delivered and that service has been fully restored. Apple also says it is “working hard” to ensure customers have the best experience with iCloud. Thanks, James.
Earlier today, Apple’s initial allotment for iPhone 5 launch day pre-orders sold out. Now, Apple has told AllThingsD that it is “completely blown away” by customer response:
“Pre-orders for iPhone 5 have been incredible,” Apple spokeswoman Nat Kerris told AllThingsD. “We’ve been completely blown away by the customer response.”
The new iPhone 5 includes an all new design, taller display, A6 processor, an improved camera system, LTE, and more. The product goes on sale in stores and will begin being delivered next Friday, September 21st.