This tracks Apple’s major movement and announcements in 2024. To view Apple’s movements in 2023, click here.

April

  • Apple has announced at event on May 7th, 7am Pacific Time. It will be available on apple.com or the Apple TV app. It is expected to introduce updated iPads.
  • Apple allowed reuse of iPhone parts for repairs, but with a caveat: it only applies for “select iPhone models” and as long the repair does not involve a new logic board - Arstechnica
  • Apple laid off 600 people that is connected with the car project - MacRumours
  • A major earthquake hit Taiwan. The country has the most advanced chip-making facilities on the planet. Some of Apple’s production line is halted because of the earthquake - MacRumours
  • visionOS 1.1 is out in public. One of the features that is useful is Mobile Device Management, Apple’s fleet management software usually used by enterprise clients. Another one is for other Personas can control can manipulate some windows in your Vision Pro.

March

  • Apple Developer account in Youtube has been dropping a lot of WWDC 2023 videos. Check them out if you interested in the inner workings of Apple ecosystem. - Youtube
  • Apple has announced that WWDC 2024 will be held from June 10 to 14. Apple SVP of Marketing Greg Joswiak said that the conference will be “Absolutely Incredible”, making people to think that Apple is going to show AI features at WWDC - Apple
  • Apple has been sued by the Department of Justice, USA for illegal monopoly over smartphones. Apple is accused to driving up prices for consumers and developers to make users more reliant on the iPhone - The Verge / DoJ, USA
  • It is reported that Apple is in talks with Alphabet to bring Googe’s Gemini, an AI large language model into Apple iPhone - Bloomberg
  • Tim Cook made an unexpected appearance in Porsche Taycan Turbo GT unveiling event. Here in the Youtube video, the Apple Vision Pro is prominently shown at the 8:33 mark and Tim Cook made an appearance at 8:33 mark and Tim Cook at 9:30 mark.
  • Apple has reinstate Epic Games iOS developers account days after declaring Epic Games of “egregious breach of its contractual obligations to Apple”. Epic Games in response proclaim that they will move ahead with their plan to launch their own Epic Store in iOS, backed by EU Digital Markets Act - arstechnica
  • Apple updates their most popular laptop. The MacBook Air now is equipped with M3 processor. No word on the Mac Mini upgrade yet. - Apple
    • Some of the features is the new M3 in body, ability to support two displays BUT with the lid closed.
    • MacBook Air M1 which was introduced in 2020 is now discontinued
    • MacBook Air M2 retains takes the $999 price. The M2 15" model is discontinued.
    • MacBook Air M3 starts at $1099 for the 13" model and $1299 for the 15" model.
  • The European Commission has fined Apple 1.8 billion euros for abusing its dominant position in distribution music streaming apps through its App Store. The EU founds Apple did not inform users about alternative choices in their App Store about music streaming services. - European Commission

February

  • Apple, in an internal message, has officially pull out from the car project after spending over a decade and billions of dollars in developing it. More effort will be concentrated on generative AI and mixed reality. - MacRumours
  • Arstechnica reported that all the top 7 best-selling smartphones globally are iPhones. Every iPhones that Apple currently sells, except for the iPhone SE, made it to the top 7 list - Arstechnica
  • Apple begins to capture live events like NBA’s Slam Bunk content using 3D camera. Most likely for Vision Pro content.
  • Apple longest serving industrial designer leaves Apple
  • The Superbowl 2024 Half-time is provided by Apple Music
  • iTunes (which was long discontinued in macOS) will have some it’s functions in Windows shifted to dedicated apps. iCloud, Music, TV and devices are now introduced through the Windows Store. iTunes still manages podcasts and audiobooks. - Arstechnica
  • Apple Q1 2024 financial result is out. Apple made $119.6 billion in revenue and made a net income of $33.9 billion. iPhone and Services sales is up while other categories are pretty much flat - Apple
  • Tim Cook spent some time at Apple Store Fifth Avenue in New York City to launch the Vision Pro

January

  • Apple appears in Vanity Fair discussing Vision Pro. This is the first known photograph of Tim Cook wearing Vision Pro. - Vanity Fair

    • This [the Vision Pro] was as far from a VR headset as a kid’s Schwinn bicycle is from a Gulfstream G800 private jet - Vanity Fair

  • Vision Pro reviews are trickling in
    • Joanna Stern - WSJ
    • The Verge
    • MKBHD - unboxing
    • iJustine - unboxing and review
  • As the Vision Pro is nearing market release, Apple drops new ad spots for the headset entitled “Hello Vision Pro”. And just like the iMac, the Vision Pro is use in the kitchen.
  • Apple scores a record 13 Academy Award nomination with Killers of the Flower Moon earning 10 nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director. Napoleon earns 3 nominations for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Visual Effects - Apple
  • Apple announced that there will be future changes on the iOS, Safari & App Store to comply with European Union Digital Markets Act (DMA). Changes includes new options for processing payments & app download. Apple caution that such moves opens new vectors for fraud, scams, privacy and security threats. - Apple Press release / Apple Developer
  • On 24th January 1984, Apple shipped the first Macintosh. We celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Macintosh, arguably the computer that defines Apple.
  • Ming-Chi Kuo, supply chain analyst, estimated that Apple sold 160k to 180k Vision Pro for the US launch. Although the number is impressive for a $3,500 product, he cautioned that the demand for the product has not risen unlike the iPhone. With an estimate user base of 1.2 billion, 0.007% of users can sold out the product at launch but the Vision Pro remains a niche product. - Medium
  • Two Apple Store will be permanently closed. One of them is at the former Apple’s headquarters at One Infinity Loop. It used to be call the Company Store - MacRumours
  • Pre-orders for the Vision Pro has been open and Apple drops some new info on the device
    • Storage capacity is available in 256GB, 512GB or 1TB
    • The display has a refresh rate of 90Hz, 96Hz or 100Hz. AirPlay is supported.
    • The M2 chip has 16GB of memory which isn’t customizable nor upgradable.
    • The R1 chip has 256GB/s of memory bandwidth and 12ms of photo-to-photo latency.
    • Optic ID is the new FaceID.
    • The box has the Vision Pro, a cover, light seal cushion, dual loop band, battery, $20 polishing cloth, 30W USB-C power adapter and a 1.5m USB-c charging cable. Which is quite a lot of stuff for an Apple product.
    • Apple released a guided tour to get you aquintained with spatial computing in general and Vision Pro in particular. - Apple
  • Other accessories of Vision Pro is also available
    • Travel Case ($199)
    • Battery ($199)
    • Light Seal ($199)
    • Cushion ($29)
    • Solo Knit Band ($99)
    • Dual Loop Band ($99)
    • ZEISS Optical Inserts ($99+)
    • Belkin Battery Holder ($49.95) - Secure your battery to your belt or pants
  • Apple begin selling Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 without the oxygen blood sensor because of a patent dispute with Masimo Inc. - arstechnica
  • Apple installed new cabinets in their stores to help demo the Vision Pro.
  • Apple shared a video on the Vision Pro manufacturing. Say what you say about Vision Pro, the manufacturing process is mesmerizing.
  • As the Vision Pro launch is imminent, there are news about app developers snubbing the platform. Spotify, Youtube and Netflix are not allowing the iPadOS version run in visionOS. And the 46 most popular apps in the App Store, none of them have visionOS native app - The Verge
  • Apple Vision Pro reviews are trickling in
    • Jonna Stern of WSJ
    • The Verge: To double “tap”, you need to do the action quickly instead of holding it long, like how you would do on a mouse. The headset weight will be an issue, long term. - link
    • Engadget: The headset weight feels substantial. Immersion demo was impressive. Keyboard to be desired, making a bluetooth keyboard a necessity. - link
  • Apple ships more smartphones than Samsung for the first time ever - MacRumours
  • Al Gore and James Bell to leave Apple board, Wanda Austin joining - Bloomberg
  • Saori Casey, one of top executives of Apple’s finance division is leaving Apple to become CFO of Sonos. - Mark Gurman
  • Apple announced that Vision Pro is available in US on February 2nd.
    • Pre-orders are available on January 19 5am PT.
    • Zeiss Optical inserts are available with readers set at $99 and prescriptions at $149.
  • On 5 January 2024, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was leaving Portland International Airport, Oregon for Ontario International Airport, California. 6 minutes into the flight, the aircraft, which is a Boeing 737 MAX 9 suffered a uncontrolled decompression event when one of the emergency door blew off from the plane. In that moment, an iPhone belonging to one of the passengers fly off from the aircraft at an altitude of 16,000 feet. It was found 2 days later at the side of the road with half battery left perfectly intact. - Arstechnica