Spotify is now rolling out the ability to block other users you don’t want to interact with anymore. Previously, you needed to contact customer service in order to block other users.

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The new M1 MacBook Pros are finally here. And while the fully specced M1 Max model may be dominating the headlines; I think it’s arguably a lot more important to see how the base level MacBook Pro performs. If you spend the least amount of money you can on a new MacBook Pro, what’s the experience going to be like?

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Apple is introducing a new business offering called Apple Business Essentials that combines device management, 24/7 phone support for IT and end-users, business iCloud storage, and an option for onsite repairs for businesses of up to 500 employees. The free beta period launches today with the full service coming in the spring of 2022.

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With the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips offering huge performance increases, a question occurred to me: Might MacBook Pro cryptocurrency mining be feasible? …

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The all-new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro brings back a range of I/O after years of featuring only USB-C/Thunderbolt connectivity. However, there are a few ports still missing and Satechi is offering them in a compact and convenient design with its new Pro Hub Mini.

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To celebrate 40 years “of innovation, creativity, and customer service across France,” Apple has announced it’s opening an Apple Music Radio studio in Paris, the first of its kind in continental Europe. Located on the Champs-Élysées, this studio is another initiative by Apple to support the French cultural scene.

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Apple’s new Polishing Cloth has taken the world by storm, and as usual, Samsung is following closely behind with its offering. While Apple is charging $19 for its Polishing Cloth, Samsung poked fun at Apple’s premium offering by giving away free polishing cloths to buyers…

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The CEO of third-party charger and accessory company Anker has said that phone charging times will fall to as little as 20 minutes thanks to new-generation Gallium nitride (GaN) chargers, which are already being adopted by Apple. The time cited is for a full charge from empty to full.

Steven Yang said that Apple’s decision to exclude chargers from iPhone boxes has been extremely good news for companies like his …

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The UK’s Supreme Court has thrown out a Google Safari workaround class action lawsuit in which iPhone owners could have received as much as £500 ($675) each.

The case alleged that Google breached the privacy of iPhone owners by secretly installing web cookies even after users had blocked them in Safari’s settings …

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Apple is putting more of a focus on mental health with watchOS 8, iOS 15, and macOS Monterey. And for Apple Watch, the Breathe app has been reworked with a new Reflect activity in addition to the updated Breathe experience. Here’s how the Mindfulness app works in watchOS 8.

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Microsoft has been investing in its own lineup of Surface computers and tablets, and this week the company announced the new Surface SE — a compact laptop that costs just $249. While Microsoft’s primary target is the Chromebook market, it’s not hard to imagine that the Sufarce SE could hurt iPad sales as well.

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The post Comment: Microsoft targets Chromebooks with new $249 Surface SE, but it may hurt iPad sales too appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Apple’s request for a stay in the Epic vs. Apple legal battle has been denied. The judge in the case, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, ruled on Tuesday that Apple must comply with her previous order by a December deadline that requires Apple allow developers to add buttons, external links, or other calls to action to direct users to third-party payment platforms.

Apple, meanwhile, has already said it plans to appeal this decision…

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The popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia recently updated its website with a small but great new feature for iOS and macOS users. Wikipedia is finally accepting Apple Pay as a payment method on its website, making it easier for users to send donations to the non-profit organization.

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A few months ago my original HomePod died. Its early death was likely an unfortunate side effect of a bad software update. And since Apple no longer sells the original HomePod after discontinuing it early this year, the only option is to buy a HomePod mini, buy a used HomePod, or look elsewhere entirely.

Though it doesn’t possess the amazing sound quality of the original HomePod, the HomePod mini is a good smart speaker, and is better than the original in other ways. With last week’s release of three additional HomePod mini colors, I thought it was a good time to revisit some of the best HomePod mini features.

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Apple announced on Tuesday that Alex Gorsky, CEO of multinational pharma company Johnson & Johnson, is joining the Cupertino-based company’s board of directors. Gorsky has decades of experience in the healthcare segment, and he’s expected to act as an advisor to Apple for health technologies.

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Update: iOS 15.2 beta 2 is now rolling out to public beta testers as well.

Apple continues to make changes to iOS 15.2 with this week’s release of the second beta. The update includes new child safety features in the Messages application, tweaks to the TV application, and more. Head below for our full roundup of the new features in iOS 15.2 beta 2.

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The post What’s new in iOS 15.2 beta 2: Legacy Contacts, Find My updates, more [U: Public beta too] appeared first on 9to5Mac.

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.

Sponsored by Direct Mail: Create and send great looking email newsletters with Direct Mail, an easy to use email marketing app for the Mac. Get started for free and save 10% when you sign up for any pricing plan.

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Apple today released the second beta of iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2 for developers, which comes with child communication safety features in iMessage and a Hide My Email option in Apple’s Mail app. Interestingly, today’s beta also brings a refreshed design to the Apple TV app on iPad with a new sidebar. In addition, there’s now a dedicated Store tab in the app.

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When the iPhone 13 was first released in September, repair shops quickly noticed that if you replaced the display, Face ID would stop working. Now, Apple is backtracking on this decision to limit iPhone 13 screen repairs, according to a new report from The Verge.

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Following the release of iOS 15.2 beta 2 to developers on Tuesday, Apple confirmed that the update enables child communication safety features in iMessage. However, the update also adds the “Hide My Email” option directly in the Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers.

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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.

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Following an Android launch last week, Netflix has now launched its new Games initiative on iOS. Netflix subscribers can now enjoy the following games on iPhone and iPad: Stranger Things 1984, Stranger Things 3, Shooting Hoops, Card Blast, and Teeter (Up!).

As video streaming market matures, Netflix is looking for new entertainment avenues to explore. Games is one of its first ventures. There’s nothing earth-shattering or groundbreaking in the initial set of available titles, but it’s the first step and analysts expect Netflix to expand aggressively over time.

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Apple is releasing the second developer beta of iOS 15.2, and it includes a notable new feature. Apple says that iOS 15.2 beta 2 adds support for the new communication safety feature in the Messages app. This is one of the features Apple first announced in August but ultimately delayed after pushback.

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The beta testing process is moving forward today. Apple is now rolling out iOS 15.2 beta 2 to registered developers, bringing new features such as the App Privacy Report, redesigned Notification Summary, and more. Head below for the details.

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After launching the first macOS Monterey 12.1 beta at the end of October, Apple has seeded developers with macOS 12.1 beta 2. It arrives as Apple has slated the launch of Universal Control and SharePlay as coming “later this fall” for Mac.

Update 11/10: The second macOS 12.1 beta is now available for public testers.

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Canonical, Ubuntu’s publisher, announced today “the quickest way” to run Linux cross-platforms on M1 Macs. With Multipass, users can launch a virtual machine image with one command and have Linux running on an M1 Mac in as little as 20 seconds.

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If you’ve ever used a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, you’re probably familiar with one common convenience. Love it or hate it for everything else, the Touch Bar is really good for two specific things. Now that it’s gone, there’s an opportunity for macOS to learn from the Touch Bar.

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After first launching in Europe, Withings is out today with its new ScanWatch in the US. The new hybrid smartwatch includes some impressive features like 30-day battery life, activity and sleep tracking, heart health monitoring, breathing disturbances tracking, and more.

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All of today’s best deals are up for the taking and headlined by an Apple Pencil 2 discount hitting $100. That’s alongside 20% off OtterBox’s collection of iPhone 13 MagSafe cases and VIZIO’s new MQ6 AirPlay 2 TVs at $152 off. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

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In addition to launching this year’s Holiday Gift Guide, Apple has also announced that The Grove Apple Retail Store in Los Angeles will get a new address on November 19.

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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.

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Update: After this story’s been published, Twitter announced Twitter Blue is now available in the US and New Zealand.

It’s been five months since Twitter launched Twitter Blue for Canada and Australia. Now, the subscription feature is finally available in the US, according to a lot of platform users.

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Apple is officially kickstarting the holiday shopping season today with the debut of its annual Holiday Gift Guide. This year, Apple is promoting the guide with the tagline, “Let the holidays be for everyone.” Head below for the full details.

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Back in late 2020, Elon Musk said he had reached out to Tim Cook to talk about Apple acquiring Tesla years back when the automaker was struggling. However, Cook said he had never spoken with Musk. Now in a new interview, while skipping a question about Apple Car, Cook shared more details on what happened with Musk.

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