Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a company-wide memo out to all employees this morning, thanking them for their hard work during the month of September, which saw the release of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iOS 8 and the announcement of the Apple Watch. Cook also announced that Apple employees will be receiving additional vacation time during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, as they have in past years.
"Each of these introductions represents years of innovation and hard work by teams all across Apple," wrote Cook in the letter, which was first shared by 9to5Mac. "Many of you have put the best work of your lives into these amazing new products, which bring together world-class hardware, software, and services in the way only Apple can."
Without you, none of these accomplishments would have been possible. Our people are the soul of our company, and we all need time to refresh and renew. To provide that time, and to recognize all of these achievements -- as well as your boundless talent and dedication -- I'm happy to announce that we're extending the Thanksgiving holiday this year. We will shut down with pay on November 24, 25 and 26 so our teams can enjoy the whole week off.
Apple will be shutting down during the week of Thanksgiving, giving employees November 24, 25, and 26 off in addition to the actual holiday on November 27 and 28. While stores will remain open, retail employees will be given the same amount of time off, but at varying dates. International teams will also receive extra vacation.
Apple routinely closes up shop for multiple days around Thanksgiving and Christmas, giving employees time off to spend the holidays with family. While iTunes Connect shuts down during the Christmas holidays, it has, in the past, remained functional over Thanksgiving leading to little end impact on customers.
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
Google gives employees phones and tablets. Apple gives employees cheap swag.
I just left Apple after three years in AppleCare. This is truly insulting considering the amount of work we put in, the time we're expected to be away from our families, the lack of upward advancement opportunities, and low wage compared to similar jobs elsewhere.
This would be worth about $200 to me based on what my pay was when I left. Diddly freaking squat. Richest company in the world is also the cheapest. The only rewards we get our cheap Apple pens and mugs ordered from the same promotional company over and over again. I have four water bottles, three pens, a mousepad, a hat, one jacket (2 sizes too large, thanks manager for paying attention to the size I sent you) and a keychain with a light on it that was broken when I received it.
Apple is a great tech company -- the best -- but they have a lot to learn about how to treat their employees.
I just left Apple after three years in AppleCare. This is truly insulting considering the amount of work we put in, the time we're expected to be away from our families, the lack of upward advancement opportunities, and low wage compared to similar jobs elsewhere.
This would be worth about $200 to me based on what my pay was when I left. Diddly freaking squat. Richest company in the world is also the cheapest. The only rewards we get our cheap Apple pens and mugs ordered from the same promotional company over and over again. I have four water bottles, three pens, a mousepad, a hat, one jacket (2 sizes too large, thanks manager for paying attention to the size I sent you) and a keychain with a light on it that was broken when I received it.
Apple is a great tech company -- the best -- but they have a lot to learn about how to treat their employees.
I guess that's why you left right? It wasn't working out for you, but that doesn't mean it doesn't workout for other people. I want to see you start a large company and try to please everyone, get back to us.
Did Tim also thank them for their oversight of not checking out the strength of the iPhone 6 Plus? There are enough complaints about the phone bending that its become an embarrassment to the company. How can these so-called engineers overlook this?:o
Most people in the US only get 10 days a year. In some jobs, that includes holidays :(
You're joking right?
But saw a sign with 8$'s pay an hour at Mc Donalds. Here they get 21$'s an hour plus extras for working late hours and/ or weekends. So I guess if they are paid so poorly, they also cheat with vacations in the us.
By the way. Vacations are PAID time of in Denmark.
In Denmark the holidays does NOT count for your 6 weeks vacation
Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a company-wide memo out to all employees this morning, thanking them for their hard work during the month of September, which saw the release of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iOS 8 and the announcement of the Apple Watch. Cook also announced that Apple employees will be receiving additional vacation time during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, as they have in past years.
