In November Apple refreshed the HomePod mini with three new fall colors. They’ve been particularly difficult to get recently – nearly unavailable in many retail stores and suffering from longer-than-usual shipping times. Despite this, the white and space gray models are widely available. With Apple’s March event now revealed, might we see a spring color refresh for the HomePod mini?

more…

The post Concept: Could HomePod mini see a colorful update at Apple’s March event? appeared first on 9to5Mac.

On Thursday, CNBC reported that fitness unicorn Peloton was in dire straits. The company saw its value plummet on the news that they were “temporarily halting production of its connected fitness products as consumer demand wanes.” As the pandemic starts to move to the back of many minds, there’s been a significant drop in the number of people looking to buy expensive home workout equipment. Because of this, the idea of Apple purchasing Peloton has come back up. It has lingered for awhile, but now the idea is gaining more traction in the press. I think everyone needs to cool their jets.

more…

The post Opinion: Apple should poach Peloton’s talent for Fitness+ without the bike business baggage appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Apple’s home strategy has been all over the place, but the company appears to finally have a hit with the HomePod mini. Rumors have been floated about Apple making a HomePod with a display, but word on the street is that the product being tested looks a lot like an iPad mounted to a speaker. Instead of making a Frankenstein product very similar to Google and Amazon’s products, Apple should take the blueprint it’s laid out with HomePod mini and use it as a basis for a unique ambient smart display.

more…

The post Concept: How Apple could turn HomePod mini into a delightful and adorable smart display appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Instagram is launching a new paid subscription feature for creators today within its iOS and Android apps. With this new functionality, Facebook is targeting potential competitors like OnlyFans that continue to see growth. Despite Facebook’s dissatisfaction with the App Store, they are using Apple’s in-app purchases system for these subscriptions. With that, Apple will gather 30% of all subscription fees. Facebook says that they are developing a way for creators to see “how much they pay to Apple.”

more…

The post Instagram testing paid subscriptions feature for creators using in-app purchases appeared first on 9to5Mac.

The iPhone’s lock screen has gone through a small handful of design changes over the years, but it’s never truly been supercharged. With iOS 5, Apple improved the way multiple notifications appear. In iOS 6, they introduced the persistent camera shortcut. In iOS 8, notifications gained quick reply. iOS 10 brought widgets with a quick swipe to the left. The last major change was with iOS 11, when Apple added two haptic shortcuts and merged the lock screen with the Notification Center giving way to the “cover sheet.” But here we are in 2022 and the Lock Screen still isn’t truly customizable. It’s also nowhere near as proactive as other areas of the operating system that have been upgraded over the years.

more…

The post Concept: It’s beyond time to supercharge the iPhone’s lock screen appeared first on 9to5Mac.

The Apple polishing cloth has become a legendary meme in the technology world, both because of its price tag and because it’s been virtually impossible to obtain – the $19 polishing cloth was previously backordered several months but now delivers within two days. If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on Apple’s polishing cloth, now is the time to jump on it.

more…

The post The nightmare is over: the Apple Polishing Cloth is back in-stock and ready to ship appeared first on 9to5Mac.

We’re excited to share a special limited-time promo code for readers to use on 9to5Mac and friends apparel on Cotton Bureau. Shop our latest designs and use promo code: HELLO22 at checkout for 15% off of your order.

more…

The post Celebrate 2022 with a limited-time discount on 9to5Mac and friends merch appeared first on 9to5Mac.

We can officially add Uber to the long list of major brands that have abandoned their Apple Watch apps. The ride-sharing company has quietly discontinued its watchOS app, displaying a brief message to users who try to launch it. Uber joins Twitter, Instagram, Target, Trello, Slack, Hulu, Evernote, and many other companies that have sunset their Apple Watch apps.

more…

The post Uber parks its Apple Watch app in the ever-growing junk yard appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Apple’s first fashion-forward gadget is making a comeback. The second generation iPod shuffle introduced a little over 15 years ago is seeing a resurgence in popularity on none other than TikTok. The second, third, and fourth generation iPod shuffles all had built-in clips and came in a wide variety of color options making them easily wearable. TikTok is known for being a launchpad for trends just like this so it doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise. As noted by The Information, the iPod shuffle isn’t alone in seeing such an uplift in popularity. Other retro gadgets are also making a comeback led by millennials.

more…

The post The iPod shuffle is making a comeback… as a TikTok fashion trend appeared first on 9to5Mac.

I’ve been waiting anxiously for years to get a glimpse at what the folks over at Humane have been working on. The company, founded by Apple inventors Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri, launched in 2019 and has kept its work completely under wraps. Humane’s website has said that the mission behind the company is to build “innovative technology that feels familiar, natural, and human.” They want to build “the best human experience, ever.” That’s a tall order, and it’s been unclear what that actually meant, until now.

more…

The post Comment: Why have some of Apple’s brightest inventors left to work with Android at Humane? appeared first on 9to5Mac.

We’re holding out hope that this will finally be the year when Apple decides to let users natively customize their Home Screen icons. While we wait for a sound solution, you can still use the Shortcuts app to create your own alternate app icons. We’ve been working on a new set of icons with lots of detail, depth, and vitality that you can use to make your iPhone more fun.

more…

The post Customize your iPhone Home Screen with this gorgeous new icon pack appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Apple hasn’t made an affordable high quality external display since 2016 when they retired the final iteration of the Thunderbolt Display. The company has a long history of offering the best possible mass market monitors for notebooks and desktops, dating back to the late 90s or the early days of the Studio Display. Apple’s made a lot of weird decisions over the past decade and this certainly falls under that category. Now that the company has started to reboot the Mac and meet the needs of clamoring customers, it’s time for them to step up and make the display we actually need.

more…

The post Comment: Apple, please don’t overthink your next external display appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Like they did to celebrate the Year of the Ox in 2021, Apple has released a new special edition pair of AirPods Pro exclusively available in select markets. 2022 is the Year of the Tiger and Apple has created an adorable tiger emoji that’s engraved on these AirPods Pro. The company has also debuted a special Apple logo to celebrate the new year, just as they did last year.

more…

The post Apple launches special edition Tiger AirPods Pro for Chinese New Year appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Apple has announced a new promotion to celebrate the Japanese New Year. The company will be offering special deals to customers in Japan on January 2 and 3. Apple will give customers a gift card with the purchase of select products, but the first 20,000 customers that buy an eligible iPhone will receive a limited edition AirTag.

more…

The post Apple debuts limited edition AirTag to celebrate Japanese New Year appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Our favorite flight tracking app, Flighty, is a must-have app for this time of the year and tomorrow the pro tier will be unlocked free-of-charge for all users. December 23rd is the busiest travel day of the year and all pro features will be available throughout the day for everyone, even users who don’t currently pay for the pro tier.

more…

The post PSA: Flighty Pro is free for all users of the iOS app tomorrow, the busiest travel day of the year appeared first on 9to5Mac.

AirPods Max are officially one year old. That means we’re probably getting close to the first revision, assuming Apple is planning to keep them around. There are lots of ways Apple could improve upon these excellent over-the-ear headphones. But, we wanted to think realistically. What might Apple actually do to upgrade AirPods Max?

more…

The post Concept: AirPods Max just turned one; here’s what we’d like to see in the next version appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Intrepid concept creator Ian Zelbo is back with a fantastically detailed rendering of Apple’s long-rumored mixed reality headset. The renderings are based on illustrations created with credible information published by The Information earlier this year. Zelbo calls the concept “Apple View”, but the real name is still completely unknown.

more…

The post New renders show off the design of Apple’s rumored mixed reality headset appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Apple has announced a new documentary called “The Sound of 007” focused on the “remarkable history of six decades of James Bond music.” The documentary is slated to be released in October 2022 to mark 60 years of James Bond. “The Sound of 007” will be exclusive to Apple TV+ and comes on the heels of their success in the documentary category.

more…

The post Apple partners with James Bond for new documentary: ‘The Sound of 007’ coming in 2022 appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Apple has just shared an adorable claymation holiday short for their hit show Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ and YouTube. The short is titled “Ted Lasso – The Missing Christmas Mustache” and is free for anyone to watch. It features voice work from the main cast including Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift, Phil Dunster, Brett Goldstein, Nick Mohammed, Juno Temple, and Brendan Hunt.

more…

The post Apple shares special claymation Ted Lasso holiday short on TV+ and YouTube appeared first on 9to5Mac.

There’s a new iPhone customization trend where users are using Apple’s new focus modes to put an icon of their choice in their status bar. One of the core features of focus is the ability to set a specific icon for identifying when you have a particular mode enabled. Focus modes can be complicated to set up, but if you just want to show a fun icon in your status bar, it’s fairly simple.

more…

The post How to use focus modes to put a heart, smiley face, fire symbol, and more in your iPhone’s status bar appeared first on 9to5Mac.

I was originally very frustrated with my iPhone Pro Max. It had been a while since I used a phone this size, but when the new phones were released in September, I figured I’d just go all out. I loved it at first, but carrying around a phone this big has started to irk me. The flat sides are uncomfortable to hold in one hand, and reaching things up top requires two hands most of the time. I wavered over the idea of switching to a smaller iPhone, but I don’t want to give up the real estate or ProMotion. So I found a ton of ways to make using an iPhone this size much easier.

more…

The post How to make your large iPhone more comfortable to use one handed appeared first on 9to5Mac.

A longtime Apple fan has posted a story on Reddit alleging that they received a call from Apple CEO Tim Cook’s office over some Apple Music app feedback that they emailed to him. The user goes by the name of heyyoudvd on the platform and their story is quite intriguing. Normally, we’d raise our eyebrows and not think much of any sort of post like this. But the user goes into so much detail and provides an overview of all of the feedback that they sent to Cook via email.

more…

The post Apple Music critic catches Tim Cook’s attention with email over app feedback appeared first on 9to5Mac.

macOS Monterey’s headline feature, Universal Control, was originally slated to launch nearly two months ago. Craig Federighi gave a mesmerizing demo of the feature at WWDC over the summer and to the viewer’s eye, it appeared nearly ready to go – it was seamless. But we quickly learned that behind the scenes, that wasn’t necessarily the case. Now here we are, six months after the formal introduction of macOS Monterey and Universal Control is still nowhere to be found. What’s going on?

more…

The post Comment: Will Universal Control meet the same fate as AirPower? appeared first on 9to5Mac.

The much-anticipated sixth entry in the mainline Halo series titled Halo Infinite on Xbox has finally landed, and you may be wondering if you can play it on your iPhone or iPad. Good news! You can, and it’s extremely easy to get set up. To play Halo Infinite on your iOS device, you’ll need an Xbox game pass subscription that costs $14.99/month and requires a decent internet connection.

more…

The post Here’s how to play Halo Infinite on your iPhone or iPad with Xbox Game Pass appeared first on 9to5Mac.

You might’ve heard that 9to5Mac recently launched a merch store. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should do so right now. We’ve got tons of really cool apparel designs, stickers, and yes a polishing cloth. Our polishing cloth is bright blue and features our iconic clock logo in the lower right corner. It also doesn’t break the bank and only costs $5, a quarter of Apple’s extremely hard to obtain cloth.

more…

The post 9to5Mac’s polishing cloth cleans your Apple devices for a quarter of the price of Apple’s appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Apple was recently granted a trademark extension for the name “Mammoth” in the computer operating system category, hinting at a possible name for next year’s release of macOS. The trademark extension was approved on November 16 according to filings. Apple’s “Mammoth” trademark is owned by the shell corporation Yosemite Research LLC.

more…

The post Apple renews ‘Mammoth’ trademark, hinting at potential name for macOS 13 appeared first on 9to5Mac.

One Apple app that’s been missing from the Apple Watch is Safari. It shouldn’t be too surprising that Apple has chosen to omit it from such a small device, but now that the displays are significantly larger, it’s time for them to reconsider. A few years ago, Apple added the ability for apps to show web views if a link was tapped. But there’s been little to no movement on expanding that functionality. µBrowser is a new app that attempts to change that.

more…

The post µBrowser is a new web browser for Apple Watch that’s surprisingly great appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Yes, you read that correctly. We’ve finally done it. 9to5Mac merch is here, just in time for the holidays. We’ve carefully curated a collection of items that will be available exclusively on Cotton Bureau starting today. These products will make wonderful gifts for the Apple fan in your life, and there’s no harm in also treating yourself. By buying 9to5Mac merch, you’re supporting the great work our team does every day.

more…

The post Introducing the 9to5Mac Merch Store: shirts, sweatshirts, polishing cloths, and stickers now available appeared first on 9to5Mac.

In October, Google announced that they were going to eventually move their iOS apps away from Material Design and introduce more native-looking user interfaces. While we still haven’t gotten a glimpse at what some of the most used apps on the planet may look like built with native UIKit components, I thought it’d be cool to draw up some concepts and imagine what they might entail.

more…

The post Concept: What might Google’s iOS apps look like with native UI components? appeared first on 9to5Mac.

There are plenty of folks out there authoring gift guides of the best Apple products to buy this holiday season. But no one is recommending these gems. We’ve compiled a list of some lesser known Apple products that will truly change the life of the loved one you give them to. Without further a due, let’s dive in.

more…

The post 9to5Mac Don’t-Gift Guide: Obscure Apple products sure to get a reaction from your loved ones appeared first on 9to5Mac.

One of the main draws of AirPods has always been their ability to essentially be invisible, both to the user and to people around them. When they were first introduced they had two features, the ability to play music and the ability to talk to Siri with a tap. But over the past five years, Apple has added new features both through hardware revisions and in software updates that have us wondering if AirPods deserve their own companion app on iPhone. Here’s what we think it should look like.

more…

The post Concept: AirPods have outgrown the Bluetooth menu, they deserve their own app appeared first on 9to5Mac.

When the Wall Street Journal published its post the other day declaring that wired EarPods were back in style, I wasn’t even remotely surprised. In fact, I’ve always thought it was inevitable that once AirPods were fully democratized, younger generations would find them to be uncool. We’ve seen it happen time and time again with other technologies, the most popular reference being to Facebook and its now much older demographic. So yes, wired earbuds are trendy again. But what does that mean for the industry and culture at large?

more…

The post Opinion: Why are wired EarPods making a seemingly bizarre comeback in an AirPods-filled world? appeared first on 9to5Mac.

In July of 1982, industry pioneer Alan Kay said “People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.” In January of 2007, Steve Jobs used this quote to define his vision for Apple and the iPhone in particular. Over the past decade, Tim Cook has reiterated this belief that Apple is at its best when it makes the hardware, software, and now the services. So why don’t they apply that philosophy to everything they do anymore? Let’s talk about it.

more…

The post Opinion: HomeKit is doomed to fail if Apple doesn’t make their own automation hardware appeared first on 9to5Mac.

The car experts over at Vanarama have created an impressive interactive 3D model of what they think the Apple Car could look like based on official Apple patents. The concept shows both the external design as well as the interior of the car. The model explains design decisions using helpful notes that detail the relevant Apple patent. It might be the best look at some of the ideas Apple could incorporate into its future car project.

more…

The post Auto experts use Apple patents to create interactive 3D model of what the Apple Car might look like appeared first on 9to5Mac.

About a half-hour ago, Jony Ive sat down with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour as part of the RE:WIRED conference to talk about his new design collective LoveFrom. The conversation delved into Jony’s relationship with Steve Jobs, reflections on the 20th anniversary of the iPod, and how LoveFrom works with Apple.

more…

The post Jony Ive still collaborating with team at Apple, ‘LoveFrom’ name inspired by Steve Jobs appeared first on 9to5Mac.

This morning Apple debuted their 2021 holiday gift guide, and as part of the announcement they’ve also revealed a new holiday-themed gift card. This is the second holiday-themed Apple gift card that the company has made, with last year’s being a twist on the six-color Apple logo. The new cards have a red Apple logo sticker with a gift wrapping design on top of it.

more…

The post Apple introduces special-edition holiday gift card, sticker, and at-home card templates appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Danish designer Michael Flarup has been working for nearly four years on a new book that celebrates the storied history of iOS app icons. The book, titled The iOS App Icon Book, is available to back as of 8 a.m. EST on Kickstarter. It features hundreds of designs from developers all over the world. There are nearly a decade’s worth of app icons to peruse.

more…

The post ‘The iOS App Icon Book’ by designer Michael Flarup debuts on Kickstarter appeared first on 9to5Mac.

The Twitter app for iOS was recently updated to include a new search button on every user profile. The button sits in the top right corner of the screen and tapping it lets you easily search for tweets from a specific user. It appears that the feature is now widely rolled out.

more…

The post How to use the new profile search button in Twitter for iOS appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Mark Gurman at Bloomberg has reported as part of his Power On newsletter that Netflix is planning to release its mobile games on iOS individually through the App Store. Developer Steve Moser shared the information with Bloomberg after discovering code in the Netflix app that points to an interesting solution to get around Apple’s rules.

more…

The post Bloomberg: Netflix games to be available on the App Store individually, require account sign in appeared first on 9to5Mac.

I’ve been using Google’s new flagship Pixel 6 phone for a little over a week now. It’s been quite a wild ride, if I do say so myself. Like I said in my first entry, I’ve owned a handful of Pixels and other Android devices over the years. But the Pixel 6 continues to surprise me in delightful ways that other devices running Google’s operating system haven’t. In this entry, I want to focus specifically on Material You, Google’s new design framework for allowing users to customize nearly every aspect of their Android experience.

more…

The post Pixel 6 diary: Material You should act as inspiration for the next version of iOS appeared first on 9to5Mac.

One of Apple’s best services is Apple Card. Sure, it might just be another credit card that happens to have a really great app in Wallet, but Apple Card could be much more than that. Currently, Apple Card offers excellent customer support, powerful security features, and one of the best physical cards you can get your hands on. Folks like Mark Gurman over at Bloomberg have been wondering, though, what could be next for Apple Card? We’ve been wondering the same thing, and here’s a dive into our ideas.

more…

The post Concept: How Apple Card+ could rival other premium cards with exclusive perks and rewards appeared first on 9to5Mac.

The Apple polishing cloth is this year’s big hit. Heck, it’s backordered up to 12 weeks. And yet it’s just a piece of gray cloth. So, what if Apple were to take the marketing success they’re seeing with this polishing cloth and make something a bit more fun? Remember iPod socks? Those are the right model for making something a bit more interesting and desirable.

more…

The post Concept: How Apple could turn the polishing cloth into the next iPod socks appeared first on 9to5Mac.