Tech

Tim Cook, the man who grew Apple by trillions of dollars

Published

1 month ago

19 May 2026

Tim Cook on stage at Apple Park- image credit: AppleTim Cook on stage at Apple Park- image credit: Apple

He was a businessman instead of a designer, but as Apple CEO, Tim Cook also had to become far more of a politician than any of his predecessors. Here’s how he started at Apple, ran the company, and will end his career.

Tim Cook was Apple’s seventh CEO, he was the longest-serving, and he was only the third who wasn’t fired. Then it’s true that like every Apple CEO before him, he was white, male, and a similar age, but in business terms, he was also the most transformative of them all.

That includes being more business and financially transforming than Steve Jobs. Where Cook will never be as much remembered for products as Jobs still is, he was more of a businessman and, latterly, vastly more of a politician.

It is because of Tim Cook that Apple became the most valuable company in the world. It is because of him that Apple’s valuation topped $4 trillion.

And it is also because of both his politics and his logistical skill that Apple weathered Trump’s tariffs.

Rehearsal for success

Arguably Mike Markkula effectively had the role and responsibilities of a chief executive officer while he was recruiting Michael Scott to be the first official CEO. Following that, Markkula became Apple’s second CEO, while he was recruiting John Sculley.

Two middleaged men stand close together indoors, conversing; one faces forward with arms crossed, the other in glasses and dark clothing holds a white mug, background slightly blurred

Tim Cook (left) with Steve Jobs- image credit: Apple

But Tim Cook was officially acting CEO twice before getting the role full time. That’s because he filled in for Steve Jobs on at least the two extended periods when Jobs was on sick leave.

Then once more with the arguable exceptions of Markkula and Jobs, Tim Cook was the first Apple CEO to be promoted from within the company. He came in hot, then, knowing the company, and having been a key part of its success in the Steve Jobs years.

What Cook brought to the CEO role

Just as with John Sculley before him, Tim Cook needed no persuading to meet with Steve Jobs. And just as with Sculley, Cook had no intention of actually joining Apple afterwards.

Both men were just interested to meet with the near-legend who was Jobs. Then just as Sculley hadn’t planned to leave Pepsi, this was now 1998 and Cook was too well established as vice president of corporate materials for Compaq, after years being with IBM.

Two middleaged men with short gray hair sit onstage against a dark blue background, one speaking while holding a cup, both wearing glasses and dark casual tops

Tim Cook (left) with Steve Jobs- image credit: Apple

Professionally and financially, Cook was heading to what looked like the top of his field. It sounds now as if the sole person telling him he should join Apple was Steve Jobs, and it’s certain that everyone else Cook asked advice from winced at the idea.

Yet once more there was the allure of Jobs’s powers of persuasion. Jobs presumably wouldn’t have been thinking ahead to his successor as CEO yet, but still he managed to make Chief Operating Officer sound irresistible.

Apparently, the key to that was how strongly Jobs was directing Apple and conveying the kind of company he was making it into.

“[So] I was never going to find my purpose working some place without a clear sense of purpose of its own,” Cook said in a commencement speech in 2017. “I tried meditation, I sought guidance and religion.”

“I read great philosophers and authors,” he continued. “In a moment of youthful indiscretion, I might even have experimented with a Windows PC, and, obviously, that didn’t work.”

It’s easy to say now in hindsight that he made the right choice because of what Apple did become, and what he became within Apple. But it didn’t take years for hindsight to kick in, as a suddenly struggling Compaq was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2002.

Perhaps if Cook had stayed, Compaq might have better managed the price war it got into with Dell. But whether he could have mitigated against Compaq’s dark days, he joined Apple when it was only just out of its own worst time.

Steve Jobs had got Apple into safer waters by cutting away at costly niche products. Then Cook cut away at what he considered to be unnecessary expense.

Three men sit on stools on a stage; the middle man gestures while holding a water bottle, and all wear casual clothes with jeans and microphones attached

L-R: Tim Cook, Steve Jobs, Phil Schiller- image credit: Apple

Most specifically, this is the point when Apple moved away from owning its own factories. That itself was a risky move because you’re only deferring costs by renting, and the new owners need to make a profit too.

But in Apple’s case, relying on third-party factories meant that it was no longer tied to its own expensive plants and facilities. It could change suppliers incredibly quickly, if necessary, and also order only what it needed, when it is needed.

This Just in Time manufacturing system puts the onus on these third-party firms to deliver components. That in turn meant that suddenly Apple no longer needed to hold stock, either of components or finished devices.

It was dependent on those suppliers, certainly, but before Apple, only Dell had seen the real benefits of this. “If I’ve got 11 days of inventory and my competitor has 80,” said Michael Dell in the late 90s, “and Intel comes out with a new 450 megahertz chip, that means I’m going to get to market 69 days sooner.”

Bold choices

Whether you rate Tim Cook or not, he doesn’t tend to come across as someone who makes wild decisions as CEO. But he did gamble as COO.

Specifically, when the iMac was being developed, it was Cook who booked an enormous amount of space on freight aircraft. He spent millions when conceivably the iMac might not have been finished in time.

Smiling man in glasses and dark turtleneck sits cross-legged on a table, holding a colorful translucent CRT desktop computer against a dark background

Steve Jobs (pictured) and Jony Ive are the nest-known reasons for the iMac’s success, but Cook was also integral – image credit: Apple

It was, and the iMac was also a hit, so even at first glance, it looks like Cook’s gamble paid off. Apple had a huge success and also had the ability to ship that device to people.

Yet there was more to it. Cook had gambled on securing all of that freight space, true, but he also did it early enough that he shut out rivals.

Consequently, even if a PC maker had created a true iMac rival, they would not have been able to get it to customers. This was specifically because of Cook’s grasp of what could sound like a dull and insignificant topic, his expertise in business.

Apple had previously had CEOs who technology visionaries such as Steve Jobs, and it had also had business CEOs like John Sculley. During the 2000s, it looked as if Apple would have the partnership of visionary CEO Jobs and businessman COO Cook forever.

But then by the time of WWDC 2008, Apple was having to reassure people that Steve Jobs had just been feeling a little under the weather.

Not a product person

Now, of course, we know that Jobs was succeeded by Cook, but at the time, there were years of speculation. It was also different to today in that this time Apple seems to have managed announcing the handover from Cook to incoming CEO John Ternus, very well.

Back in the late 2000s, the change from Jobs to Cook was much more startling. Or at least, it was for everyone outside of Apple.

Middleaged man with short gray hair and glasses speaks onstage, wearing a dark buttondown shirt, against a plain dark blue background.

Tim Cook presenting at WWDC- image credit: Apple

Jobs had continued to be visibly ill for some years, but accounts at the time were frustrated with how Apple appeared to have no plan. Of course it did, and that plan was surely always to have Tim Cook take over permanently.

It was only as he actually took over, though, that the plan was revealed, and later we learned of Steve Jobs’s assertion that Cook “can do everything.”

Yet that quote from Jobs was said to his biographer, who reports that it wasn’t all the Apple co-founder said about Cook. Most significantly, Jobs is said to have been concerned that Cook “is not a product person.”

Jobs meant this in the way that someone like himself or Jony Ive would obsess over the details of a product. By all accounts, Cook certainly wasn’t like that, and it may well be that John Ternus is.

Yet arguably, Ternus can now be like this — and towards the end Jobs could be too — because of Cook’s business acumen. Clearly he wasn’t alone, and a 2025 estimate put the number of people working on logistics and operations at 7,895.

But where Jobs had grown Apple enough to make it safe from bankruptcy, when Cook was Chief Operating Officer, he grew it still further. Then when he became CEO, Cook drove the company to the unimaginable size it is today.

It’s that size and that bank balance that means, for instance, that only Apple has been able to even briefly ride out the current shortages of memory and processors without raising prices.

The time will come when it has to, and Apple has already cut various configurations of Macs as a result of the shortages. But it has been weathering this storm, and right before it, Apple also weathered Trump’s illegal tariffs.

We may never know even a fraction of what Apple did to minimize the impact of those tariffs that were so steep, and so changeable. But we do know that in the first few months of the situation, Apple spent $900 million revamping its supply and delivery chains around the world.

That’s a staggeringly low sum for a global reorganization, especially when the situation was one that would change at Trump’s whims. But of course it is also a staggeringly huge sum that would and probably did mean the end for other firms.

Under Tim Cook, if Apple never sold another device, it would still run at full capacity with its 164,000 employees, for around five years.

But if it is Cook’s leadership and expertise that meant Apple has escaped a lot of costs, it’s Cook’s leadership that has left it with reputational damage.

Cook and Trump

When Tim Cook steps down in September 2026, he is officially going to become Apple Executive Chairman. But really the job title should be Executive in Charge of Trump.

Steve Jobs never supported politicians or gave them random trophies, but then he never needed to. We can only guess how Jobs would have worked with Trump, if he even would.

Several men in business suits tour a busy electronics factory, examining a large metallic device while workers and computer equipment appear in the background

Tim Cook (left) shows Trump the Mac Pro – image credit: Apple

Whereas we know that Tim Cook, in the main, has been willing to work with the administration more than some. He’s also been able to work with it more than most, to the extent that Trump has praised him for coming to “kiss my ass.”

Your opinion of how Cook works with Trump depends greatly on your opinion of both men. But if there’s any question over how differently things could have gone for Apple, there’s at least one clue.

In May 2025, Trump visited the Middle East, and reportedly told Cook to come with him. Because Cook didn’t, Trump announced a 25% tariff on every iPhone imported into the US.

Trump also took the unusual step of admitting that it would be Apple, a US company, that paid the tariff bill. Up to then he’d falsely claimed that it was foreign firms that would.

Two men in suits sit at a conference table, smiling and talking animatedly, with microphones, papers, and a glass of water in front of them and a U.S. flag behind.

Tim Cook (left) with Trump- image credit: Apple/White House

But then for all of the outcry and criticism over, for instance, Cook attending the controversial screening of the “Melania” documentary at the White House, Cook has resisted more pressures than some. Unlike very many US corporations, for instance, Apple has refused to drop its DEI program.

Cook’s products

Similarly, Cook may have accelerated or rearranged Apple’s investment in US manufacturing, but he’s refused direct orders to stop production in India. He has told Trump why the iPhone can’t be made in the US, and even convinced him of that.

Cook also showed Trump around a US factory that was assembling the Mac Pro. That isn’t an Apple product that has fared well during Cook’s time, but that’s chiefly because of something that did do spectacularly.

Under John Sculley’s time, Apple moved from Motorola processors to the PowerPC and saw a great performance boost. Under Steve Jobs’s time, Apple moved from PowerPC to Intel, and saw an even greater one.

Two men in blue sweaters stand talking inside a brightly lit textile factory, surrounded by fast-moving orange threads and large spools on complex weaving machinery

Tim Cook in Japan, visiting Inoue, which manufactures Apple Watch Ultra bands – image credit: Tim Cook

But it was under Tim Cook that Apple moved to its own Apple Silicon, and the result was dramatic. Suddenly the new Apple Silicon Mac mini, the lowest-cost Mac, was able to go up against the most costly Mac Pro, at least in certain circumstances.

But still Apple Silicon simultaneously boosted the performance of every Mac, and levelled the playing field for them all too. The Mac Pro’s true competitor, the device that ultimately caused its downfall, was the Mac Studio which Cook launched.

During his time, he also launched the Apple Watch, AirTags, and AirPods. He launched the iPhone X in 2017, which became the model for all smartphones, just as the original iPhone had ten years before.

He did also then launch the Apple Vision Pro which, for all its marvels, is not quite as visibly a ubiquitous global hit as the rest.

But then they may not appear to get as much attention as devices like the Apple Vision Pro, yet Apple’s services have grown into a gigantic part of the company’s business. Under Tim Cook, we got Apple Pay, Apple Card, Apple Music, and the superb Apple TV.

Smiling man with short gray hair in a black T-shirt sits relaxed at an outdoor cafe, surrounded by people at white tables under trees on a sunny day

Tim Cook around 2014 when he came out as gay- image credit: Apple

We did also get the reportedly struggling service of Apple Fitness+, and Apple News+ which is limited unless you’re in the US. And we also got Apple Arcade, which is fine, plus Apple Maps which ultimately became great.

For a man who isn’t into products, Tim Cook saw a lot of them launch during his time. He perhaps won’t be remembered for them as much as he will for how he worked with Trump.

But neither specific products nor particular administrations are what Cook himself believes his time will be remembered for. Describing Apple as a whole, rather than his own contribution in particular, Cook often said that it would be health that the firm will be known for.

“If you zoom out into the future, and you look back, and you ask the question, ‘What was Apple’s greatest contribution to mankind?’ it will be about health,” he said in 2019.

He said that at what would turn out to be just about the midpoint of his 15 years as Apple CEO. That’s one year longer than Steve Jobs, and Cook’s influence is not over.

Several of Apple’s previous CEOs stayed with the company after stepping down or being removed, but it was chiefly a contractual thing where they had no responsibilities. In Tim Cook’s case, the new CEO John Ternus is going to have him around as Apple Executive Chair to consult with.

Middle-aged man with short dark hair, light stubble, and a friendly smile, wearing a black crew-neck shirt against a plain light gray background

Apple’s next CEO, John Ternus- image credit: Apple

At least for the first two years of his time in that role, though, it now appears that Cook’s job will be handling Trump. He’s demonstrated that he can do it, and do it over the long term.

But then Cook has also demonstrated more altruism than might be expected from the CEO of the most profitable company in the world. He’s repeatedly donated to charities, for instance, and while his salary was far from the highest for a US CEO, he has at times asked for it to be cut.

Then while the focus of this piece has been on Cook’s role as Apple CEO, he has himself used that role for a wider purpose. In 2014, he came out as gay, saying that he did so in the hopes that it might help people struggling with their own sexuality.

“Being gay has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be in the minority and provided a window into the challenges that people in other minority groups deal with every day,” Cook wrote in an open letter. “It’s made me more empathetic, which has led to a richer life. It’s been tough and uncomfortable at times, but it has given me the confidence to be myself, to follow my own path, and to rise above adversity and bigotry.

“It’s also given me the skin of a rhinoceros, which comes in handy when you’re the CEO of Apple.”

Apple at 50: How each of its CEOs shaped the company

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Amazon Blames Piracy Apps With Malware For Killing New Fire Stick Sideloading

Published

24 seconds ago

1 July 2026

NewsAdmin

Amazon says it is ending sideloading on new Fire Sticks because “apps that facilitate piracy, and other apps, can carry malware,” adding that there is “a good amount of evidence” that sideloaded apps may contain unwanted code or behavior. However, the company did not provide specific examples of Fire Stick users being harmed. Ars Technica reports: Amazon has released two Fire Stick models that use its proprietary, Linux-based operating system, Vega OS. Previous Fire Sticks ran Fire OS, which is an Android fork based on the Android Open Source Project. One of the biggest differences between Vega OS and Fire OS is that the former doesn’t support sideloading. […] In a recent interview, Or Goren, editor-in-chief of Cord Busters, a UK-based streaming news outlet, noted the negative reaction to Vega being a closed OS. [Aidan Marcuss, VP of Fire TV, advertising, and Appstore] responded, per the publication, by saying that Vega OS was Amazon’s opportunity to “innovate and deliver more capabilities, even on the least expensive devices.”

He also said that making a platform around security and privacy was “sort of utmost in my mind.” The statement is somewhat ironic, considering Vega OS blocks custom launchers and other third-party apps that helped users avoid Amazon tracking and ads. Goren asked whether Amazon had evidence that sideloaded devices caused users harm. “Apps that facilitate piracy, and other apps, can carry malware,” Marcuss responded. Marcuss also said that there is “a good amount of evidence that apps can carry unwanted code and behavior on them when they’re sideloaded.”

Marcuss didn’t provide specific examples of Fire Stick users being hurt by sideloaded apps. There are some potential examples, though. In 2025, Amazon claimed to blacklist (which blocked the apps from being sideloaded to Fire Sticks) four video streaming apps for malicious behavior. At the time, AFTVnews reported that two of the apps served as residential proxy providers and were considered riskware, and that the other two had APK files that were flagged by virus-scanning tools. Safari and Chrome also flagged one of the apps’ official websites, the publication reported. And in 2018, a botnet that infected Android devices with cryptocurrency-mining malware appeared on some Fire Sticks, per discussion on XDA Forums. That said, Amazon also has a history of disabling apps that let users circumnavigate its home screen that Fire devices, including Fire Sticks and Fire TVs, have increasingly used for ads. Worth noting: developers can continue sideloading apps onto Vega OS devices if they register them with Amazon.

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5 Cars That Will Take Boomers Back To Their High School Days

Published

16 minutes ago

1 July 2026

NewsAdmin

Baby boomers, born between 1946 to 1964, grew up in relative prosperity thanks to the post-war economic boom that the U.S. experienced after it defeated Germany and Japan. Car companies expanded production as a response to increased consumer demand, with many of them releasing affordable models that allowed more families to buy a car or two.

Because of this, many baby boomers got their first car while they were in high school. This could be either a hand-me-down vehicle they received after their family upgraded to a newer model or a used vehicle their parents specifically bought for them. There were also some who took on part-time jobs so they could save up for the car they wanted, while a lucky few were given a brand-new set of wheels of their choosing by their rich parents.

This generation is now 62 to 80 years old in 2026, and their high school years are already 50 years behind them. However, these are also some of the most formative years for anyone, meaning they’re likely to remember and reminisce about the first car they drove during this period. So, these are a few models that will take boomers back to their high school days — they either drove one of these cars or at least know someone who does. And whenever they see one of these on the road, they will remember what it was like during their teenage years.

AMC Gremlin

The AMC Gremlin is a small hatchback produced from 1970 to 1978, meaning older boomers didn’t have the chance to own one during high school. Nevertheless, those born from 1954 onwards would have had the chance to receive it at 16. Its status as an economy car meant that it was quite a popular model, although it had a rather unique, quirky look.

It’s unfortunate that the Gremlin is often lumped among the worst-looking cars from the 1970s, although it might not have been a bad car after all. But whatever the case, many high schoolers (or their parents) probably chose this as their first car specifically because of its affordability. After all, the two seats and hatchback of the Gremlin should be more than enough to ferry a high schooler and their school bag (and the occasional girlfriend) between home and school.

High schoolers who loved working on cars would also appreciate the Gremlin. While it was primarily marketed as a compact economy car, its large engine bay meant that it could accommodate more powerful engines. AMC even released a 6.6-liter V8 engine for the diminutive hatchback, so those who dreamed of a faster car but didn’t have the extra cash for a proper muscle car could get this instead. Although the Gremlin did not have the iconic status of the Mustang and is even often the butt of jokes because of its rather quirky outline, it would likely bring a lot of memories when a boomer sees one on the road.

Chevrolet Impala

Milos Ruzicka/Getty

The Impala is a full-sized sedan produced by Chevrolet from 1957, and it quickly became one of the iconic cars of multiple generations. Given that it was Chevrolet’s flagship model, it’s unlikely that a lowly teenager with limited resources would be able to afford one from their savings or a part-time job. High schoolers who drove an Impala around that time would either have borrowed their parents’ car or be using it after the family upgraded to a station wagon for more flexibility.

Aside from being a family car, the Impala also had a sporty variant in the Impala SS, which was arguably Chevrolet’s first muscle car. This would’ve caught the attention of high schoolers who had a taste for speed and adventure. But whether they drove their family’s old Impala to school all the time, snuck it out occasionally after their parents left home, or were dropped off at school in one before they got their license, this full-sized sedan would have left a mark in their young minds.

Just as the baby boomer generation has reached 62 years of age and older, the cars of their youth have also now hit classic status. This is probably the reason why some of the oldest generations of the Impala are worth so much today — boomers who have hit retirement age and are cashing in their pensions could now afford to buy these classics to relive their younger years.

Dodge Dart

Kenmo/Getty

The Dart was one of the most successful Dodge models ever sold in the U.S., so it’s likely that a baby boomer’s family would own one. While it began life as a full-size sedan in 1960, it had become a slimmer, more practical compact sedan by 1967 and continued to be produced until 1976. This combination of popularity and practicality made the Dart as one of the obvious choices for young high schoolers getting their first car.

Aside from being a great daily driver, the Dodge Dart GTS was the ride of the protagonist in the detective show “Mannix,” making it a star in its own right and increasing it desirability among young people. The company also created the Dodge Dart Swinger, which paired the smaller body of the Dart with a 340-cu.-in. V8 that hit 275 horsepower and 340 lb.-ft. of torque. This powertrain allowed the vehicle to go from naught to sixty in around 6.3 seconds and could be had with either a four-speed manual or three-speed automatic.

This vehicle will certainly bring back memories of the baby boomer generation’s carefree high school days, and we can see this in the going rate of these vehicles in the used market. Although these cars are at least 50 years old now, they still go for a pretty penny, with prices hovering around $35,000. If you want the ultra-rare 1968 Dodge Dart with a Hemi engine, which only had 80 units, be prepared to shell out at least $125,000 to $165,000.

Ford Mustang

Heritage Images/Getty

Of course, if we’re talking about some of the most memorable cars from 1962 to 1980 (the years when baby boomers turned 16), we must include the iconic Ford Mustang. This pony car arrived in 1964, with the first generation being produced until 1973, while the controversial Mustang II was built from ’73 until ’79. Even though the Mustang is still being produced today, the models made in the ’60s and ’70s would likely be the ones that would catch the attention of baby boomers.

Although the Mustang looked good and offered some level of performance, the most important feature of the Mustang for high schoolers back then was that it was affordable. A base ’65 Mustang only cost $2,500, which is about $27,000 in today’s money. This makes it even cheaper than the base EcoBoost Fastback Mustang you can get today, which starts at $32,995. If their parents were rather generous or they secured a summer job that pays relatively well, baby boomers could potentially buy a Mustang of their own.

The fifth-generation Mustang, which arrived in 2005, introduced throwback styling to the beloved pony car, and the latest Mustangs still use design cues that originated in that era. While the retro look of these newer models would remind us of the ’60s, only the original first-generation Mustang could bring back the feelings and memories our parents and grandparents had in high school.

Volkswagen Beetle

While the Volkswagen Beetle might not be an American car, it still left a lasting impression on American culture, particularly among young people in the 1960s and 1970s. This little vehicle became a symbol for counterculture, especially as the baby boomers are coming into age and are “rebelling” against the conservative culture that their parents had. Aside from that, it was also cheap to buy, affordable to maintain, and sipped gasoline.

Even though the Beetle is a tiny car by American standards, it still sold well among young people. After all, most high schoolers typically only need a car to go from their house to school and back, carrying their school bags with them — they don’t need the extra cargo space that pickup trucks offer, or the large legroom found in full-sized sedans. The passenger seat beside the driver should be good enough to carry their girlfriend with them when they go on a date, while they could pack in the rest of their friends in the tight back seats for a quick drive to the neighborhood diner.

The Volkswagen Beetle is still a worthy buy today, allowing anyone — from baby boomers to even the younger generations — to experience what it was like to own and drive a cheap and affordable little car that’s easy to maintain. Those who are inclined towards resto-modding could even convert a gas-powered model into an EV.

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Upcoming iPhone 18 model leaked in Tata Electronics hack

Published

26 minutes ago

1 July 2026

NewsAdmin

Indian supplier Tata Electronics confirmed the breach on 22 June.

A ransomware group has posted stolen images of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models, alongside sensitive lists of components and suppliers, Reuters has reported.

The data was taken from the tech giant’s Indian supplier Tata Electronics, which confirmed the breach on 22 June.

The leak comes as Apple is reportedly gearing up to release its iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max this September. SiliconRepublic.com has reached out to Apple for comments.

Documents reviewed by Reuters showed files that map iPhone 18 Pro’s components across companies that supply them, including details of chips on its main circuit board, battery parts and camera components.

The company does not disclose detailed supplier information in its public databases, a source told the publication, adding that Apple considers the leaked information to be sensitive.

The leak also includes confidential images of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro – reportedly a conventional grey handset with a three-rear-camera set-up and the Apple logo.

The breach threatens the security of the tightly-held chain of suppliers Apple has in place, across more than 60 countries and using millions of workers, to manufacture its products.

It comes after the company raised iPad and MacBook prices last week due to soaring memory and storage chip costs. Analysts expect iPhone prices, especially the Pro models, to also be affected by the chip shortage.

Meanwhile, the 2020-founded Tata Electronics – a Tata Group venture – has taken the mantle as a key player in India’s efforts to improve its devices and chip manufacturing capacity.

The company manufactures electronics, assembles, tests and provides semiconductor foundry capabilities. It has deals with global companies, including the Dutch semiconductor company ASML, Qualcomm, Intel, Tesla and Merck, as manufacturers attempt to diversify supply chains outside of China.

Reuters previously reported that a cyber group called World Leaks posted more than 200,000 files pertaining to Tata customers Apple and Tesla on the dark web.

The files reportedly contained design papers of older iPhones, documents from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Qualcomm – both of whom supply Apple with components – as well as some data from Tesla.

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What That Leaf Symbol On Google Maps Actually Means

Published

39 minutes ago

1 July 2026

NewsAdmin

Adnan Ahmed/SlashGear

We find the most joy using our smartphones as social media machines, but our phones also handle mundane activities like communication and navigation. If you’re on Android, you most likely default to Google Maps to plan your commutes and explore new places. While Apple Maps’ many useful features make it a compelling alternative, Google Maps enjoys a huge user base, likely because it has had a head start of more than a decade in mapping out even the most rural corners of the world.

For those of us who aren’t passionate navigators, Google Maps offers a clean user interface with easy-to-understand controls. That said, there are several quality-of-life Google Maps features that are easy to miss. These are often hidden within menus or denoted by icons you might not have given much thought about. The green leaf symbol is one such example that shows up when you start picking a route to a destination. It essentially indicates that the route is the most eco-friendly option.

You can view more info about the eco-friendly route if you expand the navigation details from below. Google Maps will display how much gas you’ll be saving by picking this route and, if applicable, how much longer your trip will take compared to the fastest route. Google claims it determines which route is the most eco-friendly by taking into consideration factors such as real-time traffic and road conditions.

Customizing Google Maps just for you

Google Maps vehicle customization settings

Adnan Ahmed/SlashGear

Relying on eco-friendly routes is an effective way to save fuel in your car. You can customize your Google Maps experience to let it automatically select eco-friendly routes whenever available. To do this, open Google Maps, tap on your profile picture, head to Settings > Navigation, and turn the “Prefer fuel-efficient routes” toggle on. From now on, assuming your destination has more than one route, Google Maps will automatically put you on the one that saves the most gas.

Now is also a good time to enter more details about the vehicle you’re driving, since, by default, Google Maps calculates routes assuming you have a gas or petrol-powered car. Navigate to Settings > Your Vehicles and select an engine type. Options include petrol, diesel, hybrid, and electric. This is important because Google Maps estimates eco-friendly routes based on your vehicle’s engine type. You can also select a different avatar for your car and motorcycle. This replaces the default blue navigation arrow that shows where you are on the map.

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Better than Prime Day? Amazon drops the Fitbit Charge by 44%

Published

52 minutes ago

1 July 2026

NewsAdmin

Fitbit has spent years proving that you don’t need a screen the size of a phone strapped to your wrist to actually understand what your body is doing.

The Fitbit Charge 6 has dropped from £139.99 to just £79, a saving of 44% that puts genuine heart rate accuracy and built-in GPS at a frankly tempting price.

Fitbit on a yellow stone background