reference for a story i'm writing?

It depends.

You are allowed casual pop culture type references (e.g. your character could consider buying, or own, a "Macbook 500"). You wouldn't be allowed to start discussing its features and so on...especially if a plot point was problems it has.

Just do it. If it turns out to be a grey area and the publisher isn't happy, it should be a trivial copy-paste job to change the company name to an invented one. If the whole story depends on it being the real, current Apple, then it's not legal anyway.

Yes. If you use anything that is trademarked or copyrighted or a real person, you need permission to use it. This permission often comes at a cost.

Unless you're talking about something that no longer exists. Like, you can talk about Winston Churchill because he's dead, and you can talk about the Commodore 64 because the company is long gone.

Look up the word Apple on a website. If you see a © or a ® or a 'tm' you can NOT use it.

Peace.

P.S. In this case - no way.

I think there is copyright on company names, so you'd have to seek permission.