Apple today announced that it is celebrating America's national parks in August ahead of the 103rd anniversary of the US National Park Service, introducing new parks-related content to encourage park attendance.
"The beauty in our parks is obvious to all observers but their most profound contribution is to our spirit," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We are proud to support them."
As announced over the weekend, from August 17 to August 25, Apple is making a $10 donation to the National Park Foundation for each purchase made with Apple Pay at an Apple Store, Apple.com, or the Apple Store app in the United States.
Apple says that its donations will help support programs across the United States designed to help connect young people who wouldn't otherwise have the means with "transformative park experiences" ranging from classroom field trips to immersive multi-day experiences and multi-week service corps for young adults.
During August, Apple is also encouraging people to explore their national parks through several special collections coming to Apple's services.
In the Apple TV app, there's a collection of park-related content such as "Free Solo," and the Smithsonian's "National Parks Exploration Series," while Apple Music has a new "Nature Awaits" playlist inspired by the "extraordinary beauty of the country's parks."
Apple Podcasts will feature a collection of shows focused on national parks, and Apple Books will feature an "Our National Parks" themed collection guiding readers through notable parks in the United States. The App Store will also highlight essential apps to help users plan for their next national park visit.
Apple on August 25 will challenge Apple Watch owners to participate in a walk, run, hike, or wheelchair workout of at least three miles to earn an activity award and animated stickers inspired by Grand Canyon National Park's 100th anniversary.
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...
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...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
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...
I visited Arches National Park this summer to do some hiking and photography. I went there once as a kid and hadn't been back in 20 years. I'm glad to see that it has been preserved well so that my own children were able to witness the beauty. This is why we fund our National Parks system.
This is one of my favorite places in the world, climbed up inside Double Arch late in the evening. It was so peaceful.
I visited Arches National Park this summer to do some hiking and photography. I went there once as a kid and hadn't been back in 20 years. I'm glad to see that it has been preserved well so that my own children were able to witness the beauty. This is why we fund our National Parks system.
This is one of my favorite places in the world, climbed up inside Double Arch late in the evening. It was so peaceful.
I think this is one of many facets of Apple that people tend to overlook when comparing to the competition. Does Google, Amazon and Samsung directly participate in connecting people with our world in the same way that Apple does? Genuine question. Apple is the only company that I regularly see demonstrating their efforts to better the environment. They have the largest solar installation in the US, and include an environmental report in every product release. I never see this from the other guys.
If you have the choice of going to a national park or to Disneyland, go to a park. Nothing Disney fabricates can equal the majesty and awe of these spaces. My first park was the Grand Canyon. I assumed I would take a few pics and be back on the road in half an hour. Instead, I stared at that canyon until sundown with everyone else.
If you have the choice of going to a national park or to Disneyland, go to a park. Nothing Disney fabricates can equal the majesty and awe of these spaces. My first park was the Grand Canyon. I assumed I would take a few pics and be back on the road in half an hour. Instead, I stared at that canyon until sundown with everyone else.
The Grand Canyon is beautiful but I don’t think anything can beat the majesty of Yosemite.
My breath is always taken away coming out of the tunnel.
