Apple Watch for kids is something parents are embracing more and more. The New York Times ran a story in September 2022 about Apple Watch adoption among children as young as five. Parents are finding the Apple Watch more appropriate for kids wanting smartphones.

The Apple Watch gives kids a way to stay in touch with parents, share location, and build responsibility without the full cost and risk of a smartphone. With school out for the summer, it may be time to consider adding more connectivity without the complexity of a phone.

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Taking a break from 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display version in September 2021.

Available in four colors, the A15 chip-equipped iPad mini hardly feels dated with performance on par with that of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14. If anything, an updated iPad mini could satisfy a lot of fans wanting a more premium model that could be sold alongside the current iPad mini 6.

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Memorial Day has now arrived and with it has come a collection of deals from all of the top retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, B&H, and many others. Giving you a chance to score some of the best prices of the year on the latest Apple products, Google smart home gear, TVs, and more, there is sure to be something on tap for everyone on sale. Head below for all of the best Memorial Day deals.

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Back in 2020, Apple launched its handy intercom feature for HomePod and HomePod mini. Fast forward to 2023 and that feature isn’t yet native on Sonos speakers. Now Soro For Sonos has received an update that brings intercom capability and more.

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Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant – colloquially known as iPhone City – appears to be struggling to recruit and retain enough staff. The company is reported to have raised iPhone worker bonuses three times in one month as it preps for mass-production of the iPhone 15.

In particular, Foxconn is offering substantial incentives for remaining on the production line for at least three months, to see it through the busiest period, and avoid a repetition of last year’s major disruption …

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Apple offers color-coded MagSafe cables, to match its MacBook finishes, and also tested out color MagSafe chargers, likely to match iPhone colors.

However, while the company got as far as making at least one prototype, it appears that it decided against offering them for sale …

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Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman got to try out a prototype of the upcoming Meta Quest 3 mixed-reality headset, and likely the closest competition with Apple’s Reality Pro.

So far, most renders of Reality Pro have shown a rather bulky device, almost as thick as the Quest 2, but the fact that the Meta Quest 3 is notably slimmer could suggest that Apple’s headset may be sleeker than expected …

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Ahead of WWDC next week, I had the pleasure of joining David Sparks and Stephen Hackett on the Mac Power Users podcast to go in-depth on what we expect to see at this year’s event.

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Apple Card holders can earn up to $125 in Daily Cash rewards thanks to a limited-time promotion. The campaign is focused on Apple Card holders who have taken advantage of the Apple Card Family feature.

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The saying “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” apparently doesn’t apply to an iPad Pro left behind in a hotel room. Instead, when I left my iPad Pro in a Las Vegas hotel room last November, I used Apple’s Find My app to track it around the world to its final destination.

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We’re just a week away from WWDC 2023, where Apple will announce iOS 17, its new Reality Pro headset, and more. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is prepping a behind-the-scenes change that further hints at its plans to unveil new Macs at the event next week…

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There’s a new name to add to the list of recently departed corporate Apple employees. The executive in charge of managing Apple Pay partnerships with banks and credit unions in the Americas is leaving the company. The departing director has also overseen Apple’s year-old Tap to Pay feature.

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Following up on the popular Nintendo Switch companion app Switch Buddy, indie developer Filip Němeček has released his latest app to let you track video game releases for any platform. Game Buddy offers a nice experience to discover new titles plus three handy widgets in multiple sizes to keep track of upcoming video game launches.

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Andrew Zheng, an incoming Apple intern, found Apple’s alarm function to be missing critical features and found that most alternatives on the App Store were poorly designed, ad-ridden, and missing key features. Because of this, he created Midnight Alarm, a feature-packed and wonderfully designed alarm app.

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Back in January, Twitter made the decision to kill off third-party clients as part of changes to its API. In light of those changes, Texas Monthly this week published a new in-depth profile on Tapbots, the Texas-based company behind Tweetbot and now Ivory for Mastodon.

In the profile, Twitter’s former head of product for the developer platform, Amir Shevat, revealed a statistic that further highlights the potential short-sightedness of Twitter’s decision to cut off third-party apps like Tweetbot and Twitterrific…

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Do Wireless CarPlay adapters actually work? I bought two cars a few years ago. The Honda Civic came with wired Apple CarPlay. The Honda HR-V had a basic entertainment system that I upgraded with an . I really wanted Wireless CarPlay in the Civic, but replacing its entertainment system was too disruptive. Now there’s a solution for turning standard CarPlay into Wireless CarPlay…

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For the past few weeks, I’ve been testing the built-in, and it has led me down a rabbit hole of wondering why more companies aren’t focusing on VPN technology at the router level – particularly with a focus on work from home.

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When Bluesky was launched earlier this year, the developers said that the social network would primarily focus on letting users see content from the people they follow. While this remains true, Bluesky is now rolling out alternative feeds with custom algorithms to its users.

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Apple settled a class-action lawsuit related to its failed butterfly keyboard design back in November. That $50 million settlement has now been given the final go-ahead, and payouts of between $50 and $395 to MacBook users will begin soon.

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WWDC 2023 is just a day away, and it could be Apple’s biggest and most important event in a decade. At WWDC this year, Apple is expected to introduce a major update for iPhone users with iOS 17 and a redesigned interface for Apple Watch users with watchOS 10. Most notable of all, however, is the expected announcement of the Reality Pro headset with AR and VR features, plus a new xrOS software platform.

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WWDC 2023 is super close and Basic Apple Guy has delivered a wallpaper using Apple’s sharp new logo design for this year’s conference. Read on for more details and how to get the wallpaper for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

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Apple is widely expected to introduce its long rumored mixed reality headset as part of WWDC 2023. This comes as a surprise to few in part because Apple has been singing the praises of augmented reality since at least WWDC 2017. That’s when Apple began laying the groundwork for technology used in the headset through developer tools on the iPhone and iPad.

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It may be news to many that Apple’s “My Photo Stream” feature was still alive and kicking, but the real news today is that Apple is pulling the plug on the free iCloud feature this summer.

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Gentler Streak, a popular fitness and wellness app for iPhone and Apple Watch, is getting a major update today. As part of the celebrations for the International Day of Action for Women’s Health, which takes place on May 28, the team behind the app is introducing menstrual cycle tracking to its Wellbeing section.

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Matter is the new solution to all our smart home compatibility problems, right? That’s what we’ve been told, and that’s what we want to happen, right? Open stands on everything related to technology are preferable, but sometimes, new standards take years to mature. That’s what we’re seeing with Matter. We’re even seeing brands like back away from Matter support as well. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been testing a product called , and it’s one of the most interesting smart home concepts I’ve tried in some time.

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The post HomeKit Weekly: Is the Homey Bridge the product Apple should have released instead of supporting Matter? appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Last fall Astropad, the makers of Astropad Studio and Luna Display launched a handy tool for artists and creators using iPad called Darkboard. Now the ultra-lightweight ergonomic drawing surface has been enhanced with a foldable stand.

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Glancing at notifications has always been a big part of the , but there’s a new kind of notification that isn’t really on the Apple Watch. Live Activities, the new notification type designed for frequent updates, debuted on iOS 16 for all iPhone lock screens and iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island. Live Activity alerts are fantastic on the phone, but they amplify just how out of date data can be on the watch.

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This week we heard about a new way Apple plans to let us use the iPhone 14 Pro always-on display in iOS 17. If you’ve ever wanted your iPhone to present more info panels in landscape, well, you’re in luck.

I hope there are more updates to customizing the standard Lock Screen as well. Specifically, there’s one thing about the Photo Shuffle version of the Lock Screen in iOS 16 that I hope changes in iOS 17.

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The post iOS 17 feature request: Take me to this photo appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Last week, we saw the Apple TV+ adaptation of the popular  land as the second-most-watched streaming show/movie on Reelgood’s chart. A week later and Silo has become the most popular streaming show/movie with Apple’s Ted Lasso close behind.

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All of the best Memorial Day Apple deals are now live heading into the holiday weekend courtesy of 9to5Toys. On tap today, Apple’s 11-inch M2 iPad Pro starts off the savings from $850 to pair with one of the first chances to save this year on AirPods Max at $99 off. Not to mention all-time lows across Apple Watch Ultra styles from $702. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

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Benjamin and Chance talk about the released WWDC schedule, and how they expect the conference will play out in light of a new platform launch. Apple headset price expectations continue to be set with a supposed bill of materials analysis topping $1600 in component costs. Final Cut and Logic launch on iPad, and there’s rumors of brand new ‘smart display’-esque features coming in iOS 17.

Sponsored by Ladder: Go to Ladder.com/HappyHour today to see if you’re instantly approved.

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Every once and a while, a new product comes around, and I think, “How has this not been thought about before?” Since Apple introduced MagSafe in the iPhone 12 lineup, companies have been attempting to leverage that hardware to create unique and versatile accessories. We have seen everything from MagSafe batteries to chargers, car mounts, wallets, and so much more. But Rolling Square, with its new Edge Pro product, took modularity, function, and design to the next level.

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ChatGPT for iPhone launched in the US last week, with OpenAI promising that it would come to more countries “in the coming weeks.”

The next phase in the rollout has now happened earlier than expected, with 11 more countries added on Wednesday, and a further 35 today …

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Academics have been told to delete Twitter data used for research purposes, unless they sign up for API access costing $42,000 per month …

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Ever since generative AI like ChatGPT became popular, multiple platforms have been offering AI-based features to their users. Now TikTok has been working on its own AI chatbot named “Tako” that may or may not see the light of day.

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Twitter is known for being a text-focused social network, but the platform has expanded its capabilities in recent years with things like Spaces and longer videos. Interestingly, it seems that Twitter users can expect many more video-related features coming soon, as teased by the company’s senior product designer Andrea Conway.

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Two unique weather apps have received updates this week. Weather Strip which features a clever week-long timeline view has received minute-by-minute precipitation forecasts and more while Apollo Weather which is focused on athletes has gained Weather Groups and Route Analysis.

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Kaleidoscope is a powerful macOS app that lets users easily compare the differences between files and folders, which is quite useful for developers. This week, Kaleidoscope was updated to version 4.0, which comes with multiple new features such as syntax coloring, new merge options, and text filtering.

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Belkin today is out with the latest addition to its Apple accessory lineup. Shifting the focus from your at-home setup over to your everyday carry, the new BoostCharge Pro power bank bundles in 10,000mAh of internal juice to go alongside a 20W USB-C charger and Apple Watch fast charging support.

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Apple left it to third-party developers to create whiteboard apps on iPad for years. Then it made one out of the blue called Freeform in iPadOS 16. iPhone and Mac versions put the collaborative app on more devices.

Yet Figma has had enough success in the market of collaborative whiteboard tools that Adobe wants to buy the company for $20 billion. While that deal appears to be in jeopardy due to regulatory concerns abroad, Figma’s interest in the iPad as a tool is clear and certain.

The company just dropped a new tool for iPad called FigJam that puts a Figma spin on the Freeform idea. FigJam is Figma’s whiteboarding space, introduced in 2021. Now the online whiteboard for teams is directly on the iPad.

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Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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Apple’s WWDC event is just 10 days away, and Apple continues to roll out various different ways to follow along from home. Now, Apple has released an update to the Apple Developer app for iPhone and iPad with full support for WWDC videos, labs, announcements, and more.

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Apple TV+ will stream the season finale of Ted Lasso on May 31, and the episode could very well be the series finale as far as anyone knows. A special screening event and panel was planned for the day before the last episode dropped, but that event has now been canceled.

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All of Thursday’s best deals are now up for the taking, courtesy of our pals over at 9to5Toys. On tap today, AirPods 2 have returned with a $49 discount attached to land at the second-best price yet at $200. If you’re looking to upgrade your iPad now that Final Cut Pro has launched, an all-time low has returned on Apple Pencil 2 at $85. Then go shop all of the Apple accessories in Twelve South’s 20% off Memorial Day sale. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

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McClockface arrived back in 2021 as a sharp way to bring customizable clock widgets to iPhone. Recently the app arrived on Mac and I’ve been trying it out. The library of clock faces has grown to almost two dozen and along with all the detailed customization options for widgets, McClockface on Mac offers menu bar support. Follow along for a closer look at this lovely app.

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The post Hands-on: McClockface for Mac brings its delightful customizable timekeeping to your big screen appeared first on 9to5Mac.

A new rumor surfaced yesterday that claimed the iPhone 15 would open up fast wireless charging speeds to all 15W Qi chargers. Now a new report provides a likely explanation for how this will work.

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It’s a beautiful Fall Friday afternoon and the IT team is ready to end another week of work with a happy hour at a new brewery across the street from the office. The week was great. Some small challenges occurred, but this team could handle everything – no critical task will be carried over into the following week.

But at 4:32 p.m. a call from the company’s CFO changes everything. 

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Apple Pride celebrations, ahead of Pride Month in June, are continuing. The company kicked things off with a new Apple Watch band and watch face, and has today announced new workouts with music playlists of LGBTQIA+ “artists and allies.”

In the ally category is an Artist Spotlight on Madonna, who Apple describes as a longtime social activist …

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Web browsers that aren’t Safari have long offered the ability to customize their look with themes. For example, the frame and buttons from Chrome and Firefox can look different with custom colors and other ways of personalizing their windows. Now Arc from The Browser Company wants to bring that same level of customization to the web.

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ChatGPT for iPhone launched in the US last week, with OpenAI promising that it would come to more countries “in the coming weeks.”

The next phase in the rollout has now happened earlier than expected, with 11 more countries added on Wednesday, and a further 35 today …

more…

The post ChatGPT for iPhone now available in 46 countries and counting [U] appeared first on 9to5Mac.