The Apple MacBook Air M4 laptop has long hovered at $799 at Amazon — a full $200 below its Apple Store price. But it just dropped down to $749, which is the lowest price we’ve seen since this model was introduced in March. This sale is for the model with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, across all four colorways, but the 512GB model is also down to $949 — another all-time low versus the Apple Store price of $1,199.
We ranked this as our favorite Apple laptop in our list of the best MacBook computers. Heck, it’s even our very favorite laptop. Full stop. The performance is exceptionally snappy, thanks to the M4 chip. We appreciated the upgraded battery life, which now lasts for around 18 hours per charge. That’s well beyond a full day of work.
Apple
The design is lightweight, but sturdy. This has become a hallmark for modern MacBook Air computers. The screen is both gorgeous and roomy, even though it’s technically just a 13-inch panel. There’s support for the P3 wide color gamut and it can reach up to 500 nits of brightness.
This is a near-perfect laptop, but there are a couple of nitpicks. There’s no USB-C port on the right side, limiting how users can arrange accessories on a desk. Also, the screen is capped with a 60Hz refresh rate. Another potential complication is the looming specter of the M5 chip. The company has already released the MacBook Pro M5, so a new MacBook Air is likely coming in the nearish future. (Read: sometime in early 2026).
If you need more screen space, you’ll find a similar discount on the 15-inch MacBook Air on Amazon, too. Most color options are $250 off and down to $949 for the base model (you guessed it — another all-time low).
The Apple Store will soon begin selling the PS VR2 Sense controllers for $250. (Cue spit take.) The $400 PS VR2 headset bundle was previously the only way to buy them new. Maybe when you can justify spending $3,499 on Apple’s reality machine, $250 for the controllers is reasonable.
The second-generation Vision Pro
(Apple)
Apple says Sony’s controllers open the door to more immersive gameplay on the Vision Pro. They support six degrees of freedom motion tracking (any direction you move or rotate), finger touch detection and rumble support.
Apple’s second-gen Vision Pro is more powerful with the new M5 chip. It also includes a Dual Knit Band, which adds a top strap for increased stability and comfort. You’ll be able to buy the PS VR2 Sense controllers from the Apple Store on November 11.
It goes without saying that Steve Jobs will always be known as the father of the iPhone. Eighteen years later, his introduction of what would become the most successful consumer product of all time is still—I would argue—the greatest tech keynote ever delivered. It is, after all, the only time I’ve seen a tech CEO prank call a Starbucks and order 4,000 lattes.
The iPhone transformed everything from how we communicate to how we work to how we capture the moments we care about. But, 14 years after Jobs passed away at age 56, you can make the case that the iPhone isn’t his most enduring idea. That distinction, I think, belongs to another of his revolutionary ideas: the Apple Store.
There are many reasons I say that, but the only one that matters is that the iPhone, as revolutionary as it was, would have never been possible without the Apple Store.
That might sound strange. One is a piece of technology, the other is a retail space. But the Apple Store is the reason people understood—and trusted—Apple enough to buy the iPhone in the first place. It’s the most powerful expression of Jobs’ obsession with controlling every part of the customer experience. And it’s the one part of Apple’s ecosystem that has only grown more important with time.
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When the first two Apple Stores opened in May 2001, most people thought Jobs was crazy. Gateway had just shut down its stores after losing millions. Dell’s direct-to-consumer model was thriving online. Why, critics asked, would anyone need a physical store to sell computers?
Jobs had a simple answer: because no one else could tell Apple’s story the way Apple could.
Before the Apple Store, buying a Mac meant walking into a store like CompUSA, where the computers were shoved in a corner next to fax machines and discount printers. No one was explaining why a Mac was different. No one was showing how it worked. Apple had great products, but no way to tell the story.
Selling Macs in its own retail stores changed that. The design was intentional: wide tables instead of shelves, clean glass and light wood instead of clutter and chaos. It felt more like a showroom than a computer shop—everything was meant to be touched. You could play with a Mac, edit a photo, make a video, and see what Apple meant when it said, “It just works.”
That experience did something no ad campaign ever could. It built trust. It made people feel like Apple wasn’t just selling them a computer—it was inviting them into a way of thinking about technology.
By the time the iPod came along later that year, the Apple Store was already doing exactly what Jobs envisioned. It was making complicated technology feel simple and accessible, and giving people a reason to believe that Apple could make something better.
And when the iPhone arrived in 2007, the world was ready.
The iPhone was radical, but what made it believable was everything that came before it. If you were going to ask people to pay $500 for a smartphone, you needed a space that made it make sense. The Apple Store did that. It was the place where you could pick up Apple’s vision of the future and hold it in your hand.
More importantly, it let Apple control how that future was introduced. Carriers might have sold the majority of iPhones, but the Apple Store was where people fell in love with them. It was where they learned to use them, where they came for help, and where they came back for their next one.
Even today, Apple Stores are still the company’s most effective marketing tool. They are, quite literally, the physical embodiment of the brand—every one of them a giant glowing billboard. You don’t walk past an Apple Store and wonder what the company stands for. You feel it.
That feeling has real financial weight. Before the pandemic, Apple Stores generated more revenue per square foot than any other retailer—about $5,500 per square foot, according to eMarketer data—more than Tiffany & Co., more than Lululemon, more than any luxury brand on the planet. The number has fluctuated over the years, but the point remains: no one has ever been more successful at physical retail on this scale.
In 2023, Apple’s direct-to-consumer business—its stores and website—accounted for roughly 37 percent of the company’s total sales, according to Apple’s SEC filings. That’s tens of billions of dollars sold directly, without a middleman. For iPhones, the carriers still dominate overall sales, but Apple Stores aren’t about volume; they’re about experience and control.
Jobs understood that better than anyone. He once said that Apple exists at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts. The Apple Store was the intersection of technology and theater. It gave the company a stage to perform its story—every day, in cities all over the world. It continues to be the perfect place to expose more people to Apple’s products, and—more importantly—its brand.
It’s also the part of his vision that’s aged the best. The iPhone is now in its 17th generation. Macs and iPads have gone through dozens of redesigns. The Apple Store has evolved, but it’s still very much the place Apple prefers to tell its story.
When you walk into an Apple Store today, you’re walking into the company’s ideal for how technology should feel, and that comes directly from Jobs. He believed the experience should be human, warm, and a little bit magical. Every clean line, every Genius Bar conversation, every moment you pick up a product and instantly get it—that’s Jobs’ philosophy in physical form.
That’s what makes it his most enduring legacy. Sure, the iPhone changed the world. But it was the Apple Store that made it possible. It taught people to expect beauty and simplicity from technology. It taught them to trust Apple. And it gave the company a direct connection to its customers that no competitor has ever matched.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
Apple’s September event put the spotlight on iPhones, but the Apple Watch Series 11 quietly picked up some big quality-of-life changes. The new watch looks the same as the Series 10, but there are meaningful upgrades: 24-hour battery life (up from 18 hours), 5G connectivity on cellular models and tougher Ion-X glass on aluminum versions.
The Series 11 also debuts a new health feature, hypertension notifications, which will alert you if your data shows consistent signs of high blood pressure. Importantly, Apple confirmed that this feature will also roll out to older watches, including the Series 10, Series 9 and Ultra 2 via watchOS 26.
The Apple Watch Series 11 starts at $399 and keeps the same 42mm and 46mm case sizes as its predecessor. It runs watchOS 26, uses the same S10 chip and supports the full health suite with ECG, blood oxygen monitoring, temperature sensing, sleep apnea alerts and sleep scoring.
As usual, the older your Apple Watch — especially Series 8 and earlier — the more tangible improvements and benefits you’ll see from jumping to the Series 11. But if you already have a Series 10, is it worth upgrading? For most people, the answer depends on how much you value endurance and connectivity. Let’s take a closer look at what’s new and what’s the same when it comes to the new Apple Watch Series 11 and last year’s Series 10.
Design and display
At first glance, these watches are nearly identical. Both use Apple’s familiar slim cases in aluminum or titanium, and feature the same Retina LTPO OLED display with always-on functionality and up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness. Physically, they are virtually indistinguishable. If you walked into an Apple Store and mixed them up on the table, you’d probably need to flip them over and check the spec sheet to tell which was which.
The change is under the surface, as the Series 11 aluminum models gain Ion-X glass with a ceramic coating that Apple says is twice as scratch-resistant as the Series 10. It’s not indestructible, but if you’re the type who regularly introduces your watch to door frames, it might save you a few scuffs.
Performance and connectivity
Performance remains steady between the two generations. Both use the S10 chip introduced in 2024, which means apps launch quickly and the overall experience should feel fluid. The one major change is in connectivity. The Series 11’s cellular models now support 5G, while the Series 10 remains limited to LTE. That won’t matter if you always keep your iPhone nearby, but if you’re the kind of person who likes to head out for a run or grab a coffee without a phone in your pocket, 5G gives you more breathing room.
Health and fitness features
Health and fitness tracking is robust on both models. ECG, blood oxygen, temperature sensing, sleep apnea alerts and sleep scoring are all supported on both the Series 10 and Series 11.
Hypertension notifications are debuting with the Series 11, but Apple has confirmed they will also be available on the Series 10 through a software update. So you don’t need to rush to upgrade if you’re only interested in blood pressure alerts — Apple’s giving your existing watch a boost, too.
Battery and charging
Battery life is where the Series 11 has the most practical differences. After years of quoting the same 18-hour figure, Apple now promises up to 24 hours of use on a single charge. It’s still not a full weekend away without a charger, but for the first time an Apple Watch can comfortably last through a full day and night without begging for the puck. Fast charging is still supported across both models, so even the Series 10 can be topped up quickly, but the Series 11 gives you more breathing room in everyday use.
Software experience
Both watches run watchOS 26 (Series 10 devices will get that in a software update), which introduces the redesigned Smart Stack, new workout modes and updated health dashboards. Apple has not tied any major new software features exclusively to the Series 11 apart from those that rely on its tougher glass or 5G hardware. In other words, the interface will feel the same whether you’re on the shiny new model or last year’s.
Price and availability
The Series 11 starts at $399, which is the same starting price the Series 10 had when it first launched. Apple typically phases out old flagship models once the latest has launched, but in the near future, you may be able to find a discounted Series 10 while retailers get rid of their stock. Both support the same case sizes and band compatibility, so existing accessories carry over. So if you’ve got a drawer full of straps, you don’t need to worry — they’ll still snap right on.
Should you upgrade?
If you’re wondering if now’s the time to step up to an Apple Watch Series 11, the decision will come down to how much you value endurance and connectivity. The Series 11 is the clear winner if you want 24-hour battery life, 5G support and tougher glass. Those changes may not sound dramatic at first, but they alter how you use the watch from day to night, especially if you rely on cellular data or wear it during workouts and sleep.
If you already have a Series 10, you’ll get the same health experience, the same software and the same performance. With hypertension notifications also arriving on Series 10 (and even the Series 9), the gap between them narrows even further.
The Apple Watch Series 11 doesn’t reinvent the formula, but its upgrades matter. The bump to 24 hours of battery life will make it more of an all-day and all-night companion, 5G makes it more reliable away from your phone and tougher glass adds peace of mind. Think of it this way: if you’re after durability and freedom from the charger, Series 11 is a safe bet. If you’d rather save money and still close your rings every day, stick with the Series 10 or grab one while there’s still discounted stock floating around on the internet.
Full specs comparison
Specs
Apple Watch Series 11
Apple Watch Series 10
Chip
S10
S10
Display
LTPO3 always-on
LTPO3 always-on
Sizes
42mm, 46mm
42mm, 46mm
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, optional cellular with 5G
Wi-Fi, optional cellular with LTE
Durability
IPX6, 50 meters water resistance, Io-X glass for 2x scratch resistance
IPX6, 50 meters water resistance
Heath features
Hypertension notifications, ECG, blood oxygen, temperature sensing, sleep apnea alerts and sleep scoring
Hypertension notifications (via software update), ECG, blood oxygen, temperature sensing, sleep apnea alerts and sleep scoring
On Friday, customers around the world flocked to Apple Stores locations to buy the iPhone 16 on its launch day. But customers in over a dozen cities were met by protests organized by current and former Apple employees.
The protesters—holding signs and banners saying that Apple is “profiting from genocide”—demanded that Apple stop sourcing its cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where mines are notorious for dangerous conditions, low wages, frequent use of child labor, and human rights violations.
Apple has said it does not source minerals from mines in which these conditions take place, though it has said that there are “challenges” in tracking its mineral supply chains. In 2022, this tracking led the company to remove 12 suppliers. Congo’s government recently questioned the company in relation to potential “blood minerals” in its supply chain.
The protesters also told Apple to break its silence on the ongoing war in Gaza, which has been called a genocide by some human rights experts.
The protests, which took place in 10 countries, were primarily organized by Apples Against Apartheid, a group of five current Apple employees and around a dozen former Apple employees. They have primarily held retail roles at Apple Stores.
The group, originally called Apples4Ceasefire, partnered with the organization Friends of the Congo and local activist groups in cities around the world. Posts on social media show protesters holding banners outside Apple stores in Bristol, Reading, London, Tokyo, Brussels, Cape Town, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Montreal, and Cardiff. In the United States, protests took place at Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue Manhattan store, as well as in Palo Alto and Berkeley.
Many of these protests had just a few participants, often waving big banners and large flags of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Palestine. Most of the in-person protesters were not themselves Apple workers.
The largest turnout was in Berlin, where more than three dozen people participated in the protest. They chanted from behind a barricade, which distanced them from the Apple Store. Footage shows police officers directing protesters farther away, and arresting a person wearing a keffiyeh. Tariq Ra’Ouf, a leading Apples Against Apartheid organizer, tells WIRED that five protesters were arrested.
Ra’Ouf worked at a Seattle Apple Store for 12 years before being fired in July. They say that they were fired for a “technicality” that they believe “should have been a misconduct warning.” They believe that their dismissal was likely retaliatory for challenging the company publicly on “anti-Palestinian bias and racism.” Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the protest or Ra’Ouf’s allegation.
“The idea is we want to bring this to them as consumers, and so we want to disrupt their biggest day of the year as much as we could,” Ra’Ouf tells WIRED. “We want [them] to assess how much money they make on launch day, and how many phones they’re able to sell, and really show them visibly that there’s a lot of support for these communities that they’re just ignoring.”
Talks between Apple and the union for the Apple Store in Oklahoma City have produced a tentative agreement that includes new benefits and protections for its staff. The Penn Square Mall Apple Store in Oklahoma City announced they’ve reached a “tentative labor agreement” with Apple and the Communication Workers of America (CWA), according to a released statement.
Terms are still being negotiated between both parties but the benefits for the store’s employees would be significant. The three-year agreement reached between the CWA and Apple would give employees a wage increase of up to 11.5 percent. An Apple spokesperson said by email that if the contract is ratified, employees would receive a 4 percent raise in the first year of employment and 3 percent in the second and third year each “based on employee performance.”
The agreement would also offer employees guaranteed paid time off and health and other benefits, allow employees to have a say in scheduling and the establishment of a “safer and more democratic workplace” through a grievance submission process with committees overseeing safety, health and working relations. An Apple spokesperson also noted the scheduling options “were provided to all other US stores in 2022.”
The Oklahoma City Apple Store had been working to form a union becoming the second Apple Store in the US to unionize. Employees passed a strike authorization vote in August that passed with unanimous support and started a picket in front of the store ahead of bargaining sessions in early September. Workers will vote to ratify the tentative agreement on September 22.
CWA District 6 Vice President Derrick Osobase called the agreement achievement “a historic day for our members who have now secured a contract at the world’s most profitable company.”
The Apple Store in the Towson Town Center in became the first location to unionize. Members approved the union in 2022 with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). A store in the Cumberland Mall in tried to form a union in 2022 with the CWA but workers called it off accusing Apple of committing “repeated violations of the National Labor Relations Act.”
CUPERTINO, CA—Muttering “Come on, come on” under his breath as he attempted to bind the two objects together, an unprepared Tim Cook was frantically taping a battery to a pair of sunglasses ahead of his keynote at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, sources confirmed Monday. “I’ll call them, uh, the all-new Apple Lookers—or no, how about the Apple Eye Mirrors?’ said the company’s CEO, who wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead and cried out ‘Just a minute!’ from behind stage as he struggled to tear off a piece of duct tape with his teeth. “Goddammit, why didn’t anyone tell me this thing was today? If they ask too many questions, I’ll tell them it’s a prototype. Too bad there’s not any time to paint them. I have some white-out in my desk that would have looked great. At press time, Cook was giving a demonstration of the device by putting the sunglasses on upside down and muttering ‘Beep boop’ out of the corner of his mouth.
Panasonic Recalls 2 Million Microwaves That Got Dirty
