As first noted by The Verge, a number of popular paid App Store apps have been discounted to free for the first time in their histories today.
While no specific announcement regarding the sales has been given, Wednesday marks the App Store's fifth anniversary and it is possible that Apple will be rolling out a special promotion in honor of the occasion. With no additional information available, it is currently unknown how long these sales will last.
Last week, Apple sent out commemorative posters to members of the media in celebration of the App Store's fifth anniversary, and less than two months ago Apple celebrated 50 billion downloads since the store's opening.
Update: Apple has now officially launched its "5 Years of the App Store" promotion [App Store link] featuring the above apps.
From the 500 apps available at launch in 2008 to the more than 900,000 at your fingertips today, it's been a remarkably prolific five years for the App Store. To celebrate, we're giving everyone five landmark games and five groundbreaking apps for a limited time. Plus, look back at the key moments that have made the App Store the world's most innovative destination for apps.
The feature also includes a timeline of milestones similar to that seen on the promotional posters sent to members of the media last week.
Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.
The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. iOS 26.2 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation iPhone SE.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station.
According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon.
Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week.
iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1.
Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings.
macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:09 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iPadOS 26.2, the second major update to the iPadOS 26 operating system released in September. iPadOS 26.2 comes a month after iPadOS 26.1.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
iPadOS 26.2 continues with the multitasking improvements that were added with iPadOS 26.1. You can now drag and...
Monday December 15, 2025 7:41 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...
Can't complain about free stuff. But I bet you someone will..
Oh my God, free stuff? First Apple screw us over by releasing new products, rendering my OLD 2005 PowerBook G4 COMPLETELY obsolete :mad: Then they discount products that I paid for ages ago because I enjoyed them, and made them free? :mad: They should keep everything expensive for everybody else so I don't feel bad about my purchases. :mad:
Honestly, Apple's completely gone downhill since Steve died. Steve would never have allowed this. Tim Cook is a rubbish CEO. Apple should start innovating rather than spending their time in courtrooms. iOS 7 looks like it was designed by a child with crayons, whilst wearing oven gloves. Android rocks, Apple are just copying. Apple are doomed. /s
I think that's pretty much covered everything guys ;)
Just in case people are not aware, you can purchase the free app(s) on your iDevice and delete the app(s) while they are still downloading. This way you can just purchase the app for future use and not have it installed right away. Also by deleting while it's still downloading, you don't have to wait until it finishes (which is useful for larger apps). You just delete them like you normally do with any other app.
As first noted by The Verge, a number of popular paid App Store apps have been discounted to free for the first time in their histories today.
