Apple turns 50: How one company changed the way the world communicates  April 3, 2026

 

Hey, hey, happy Fri-yay, good Friday. I'm Coy Wire. Thanks for spending part of your day with us here on CNN 10.

 

I am headed to Indianapolis after the show for this weekend's final four of the NCAA basketball tournament. So if you see your boy, holler at me. All right, let's start this show with news of another proposal for social media bans for young teenagers.

 

holler [ˈhɑlɚ] v. 大声叫喊

 

France is now poised to be the first European nation to propose the law. It would require platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat to block access for younger users using strict age verification systems.

 

poised [pɒɪzd] adj. 泰然自若的

verification [ˌvɛrɪfɪˈkеʃǝn] n. 核实

 

Supporters say the move is about protecting kids from cyberbullying, harmful content, and addictive algorithms that can impact mental health and sleep.

 

cyberbullying [ˈsaɪbɚbʊlɪɪŋ] n. 网络霸凌

 

French President Emmanuel Macron has backed the plan, calling it a necessary step to protect children's development in an increasingly digital world. CNN visited an American expat school in Paris and asked a few 14 and 15 year olds what they think. Here you go.

 

expat school 外侨学校 (= International School)

 

A lot of times we can find ourselves in these little bubbles of where we live and who we're surrounded by. And social media kind of opens that up. It's also a great place for people to express themselves.

 

And yeah. It sounds like you're going to miss it. I am, of course, going to miss it.

 

I feel like I'll be able to go outside more and I'll be able to, like, be more motivated to do things because it really takes away some of your motivation.

 

There will always be ways to get around it because the nature of the internet is such that anybody can go anywhere as anyone and there will always be ways to get around.

 

get around 旅行, 各处旅行，广泛游历, 走动

 

Pop quiz. Hot shot. What did the I in front of Apple products originally stand for?

 

Internet, innovation, intelligence or independence?

 

If you said Internet, you are dialed in. Back when Apple introduced the iMac in 1998, the I was meant to highlight its focus on the Internet.

 

Later, Steve Jobs, one of Apple's founders, said the I came to mean more like individual, instruct, inform and inspire.

 

This week, Apple hit the big five. Oh, happy birthday, marking half a century of leveling up how we live, work and connect from early computers to pocket sized tech that we see today.

 

level up（在電腦游戏中）升级.

 

When I got my first iPhone that while the screen is so much bigger, this is super cool. It was probably the first time I'd had a mini computer in my hand.

 

At the Computer History Museum. Visitors are celebrating that legacy, tracing Apple's rise from a California garage startup to one of the world's most influential tech companies.

 

The company was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, with the mission to help develop and sell personal computers aiming to make technology accessible and user friendly.

 

So one of the reasons why Apple has such an impact on the industry is because they are willing to innovate on design and push new designs for how computers should be built.

 

And often the rest of the industry is content to just do what everybody else is doing or maybe then copy Apple when Apple comes up with something new.

 

Many of us around the world are seeing real worldconsequences of rising oil and fuel prices. We are very dependent on the natural resource in our everyday lives. Our Mike Valerio has a report on an alternative.

 

China set a new record in the clean energy sector, installing 37 gigawatts of new wind power in one month. That's more wind power than many countries produce in an entire year. Let's check out a wind farm and hear more about the thinking behind this huge investment.

 

As you hike through the mountains outside Beijing, dwarfed by none other than towering windmills, you can see and hear China's green energy revolution.

 

none other than 不是別的, 而正是

 

It's incredible standing this close to one of China's colossal wind turbines. In fact, China is installing roughly two of these every single hour.

 

And analysts say in one month alone last year, China added enough renewable energy to power a country the size of Poland.

 

For Chinese government, we have a long desire for a stable supply of energy for the whole country.

 

Long before the Iran war oil shock, Beijing has viewed reliance on Middle Eastern fossil fuels as a possible security risk.

 

shock [ʃɑk] n. 冲击

 

That in part has helped fuel China's green energy push for the past two decades.

 

And look at what's up ahead on this ridgeline. China now has the world's largest wind energy generation system.

 

ridgeline [ˈrɪdʒlaɪn] n. 山脊线; 陵线。

 

You could see it still even in the outskirts of Beijing, where we are right now. Wind and solar contribute to about 20 percent, about a fifth of China's energy generation. That's already ahead of the United States, where it stands at about 17 percent.

 

There's definitely going to be greater appeal of Chinese clean tech exports.

 

And those include electric vehicles, with China's BYD overtaking Tesla to become the world's top EV maker and now exporting more than one in five of its vehicles to over 100 countries.

 

These super big cars, at least in the West, that drink a lot of gas, they're not going to be very popular long term.

 

Maybe the red carpet is going to be rolled out in some countries for these more affordable Chinese electric vehicles.

 

But demand for China's green tech, experts note, could vary depending on geography. A potential complicating factor, the United States has warned nations for years not to let China build critical infrastructure, a dynamic that could impact Middle Eastern U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

 

They want technologies and investments from China's side in green energy industries because they want to be less dependent on oil export.

 

So certainly the scale of what China is building is leading the cost of renewable energy to plummet. But what remains to be seen is what scale China will export of its green energy technology in this new moment for global energy.

 

This weekend, about 2.5 billion people around the world will celebrate Easter, one of the most important holidays in the Christian faith, symbolizing hope, renewal and new life.

 

renewal [rɪˈnjuǝl] n. 更新；复原; 复活

 

Beyond deep religious meaning though, Easter is packed with fun extra special traditions like egg hunts and chocolate bunnies. Now, Belgium is known for its chocolate and the country's top chocolatiers have come together to showcase intricate masterpieces, all centered around an Easter egg theme.

 

chocolatier [ˌtʃɔkəlɪˈtɪr] n. 巧克力师;巧克力店

 

These edible artworks aren't just for show. They're for sale for 900 Euros, about a thousand bucks. That puts the ow incacao.

 

ow [aʊ] n.（表示突然疼痛时所发的声音）哦！哎唷！

cacao [kəˈkaʊ] n. 可可; 可可豆

 

But all proceeds are donated to a Belgian cancer research organization. Ain't that sweet?

 

Today's story, getting a 10 out of 10 definitely made the cut. Students at a barber school in Michigan are training for careers in a field where demand is growing, but schools are getting harder to find.

 

Our next objective is to blend this into the back.

 

Barber school owner and barber of 17 years, Ali Al Hashmi, says that becoming a licensed barber in Michigan takes 1800 hours of training. And at his school, it's a year of hard work and education before students ever take paying customers.

 

Every single student is excited to be here. And I think that we've built a great culture, atmosphere, learning environment.

 

Students here say barbering is about more than just style.

 

It's about building confidence, creativity and chasing their passion, even when there are some obstacles.

 

I've always found it so satisfying, the transformation and giving people the confidence.

 

satisfying [ˈsætɪsˌfaɪɪŋ] adj. 令人满意的，使人满足的; 满意的

 

Creating quite the buzz, they are not letting their dreams fade away. Safe to say the future of these barbers is looking sharp.

 

safe to say 可以有把握地说; 可以说

looking sharp 你看起来真有型

 

I have two shout outs today, but first, we're off next week for spring break like many of you. But if you miss us, check out our YouTube channel's special editions playlist where you will find exclusive content and some of our special in-depth episodes.

 

I will see you back here for our regularly scheduled program Monday, April 13th.

 

All right, what do you say we show some love today to Miss Jacobson crew at East Newton High School in Granby, Missouri. Thank you for making us a part of your day.

 

And big old shout out going to Miss Holland and Mrs. Scott at Johnson Middle School in Johnston, Iowa. Thank you for the kind letter and the sweet treats from my team. Xander, I hear you are a triple threat, football, basketball and baseball.

 

Keep shining, baby. Play that Friday music, Nadir. You are more powerful than you know.

 

You never know when or how, but you may be the light someone needs. I'm Coy Wire. It's been a blessing to spend this week with you.