9to5Mac

Since the unveiling of iPhone Duo, the idea of all major interface navigation elements being accessible from your thumb has been really interesting. Apple re-invented the idea of smartphone navigation with the outer display on iPhone Duo, and now it feels quite wrong that every smartphone puts things at the top.

AirPods are one of Apple’s most interesting products. The demand for them was largely invented by the fact that the company removed the headphone jack 10 years ago, and now most of us carry this almost magical pair of earbuds that do so much more than just play audio. AirPods offer best-in-class noise cancellation, and also serve as a hearing aid. They get better and better almost every year.

Despite everything that AirPods do so well, I have one annoyance with them, and it’s particularly annoying because it could be such an easy software fix.

Update 10/4:

• Amazon just dropped AirPods Pro 3 down to $179, delivering one of the lowest prices ever. 
• Amazon is also now delivering almost all M5 MacBook Air models at $200 off the list price.
• You’ll find the very first cash discounts a wide range of Apple’s brand new TechWoven, Silicone, and Clear cases for iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max from $41.50.
• We’re also tracking the first discount on the latest refresh of Apple’s Magic Keyboard, down to $79.99 shipped.
• Over at Best Buy, Powerbeats Pro 2 have dropped to match their all-time low at $179.99.

While we are still awaiting some of the big fall Prime Day deals on some Apple products, there are already notable discounts up for grabs right now like the $500 price drop on this 2TB M5 Pro MacBook Pro, the new Beats 360 with 80% off the Cushion Kits, and Amazon low pricing on AirTag 2. 

We are also already tracking the official fall Prime Day price drops on some of our favorite HomeKit smart home brands like ecobee and a sizable collection of Eve smart plugs, outlets, switches and more, not to mention new all-time lows on many of the latest Belkin 25W MagSafe charging stations. Just be sure to check out the popular new Twelve South Airfly Drive wireless CarPlay adapter at $40 on your way down.

Since Jony Ive’s departure from Apple in 2019, the company hasn’t had much of a true design lead. For a while, former COO Jeff Williams was in charge of design, until his departure last year. Since then, CEO John Ternus has taken a significant interest in both of Apple’s design teams: industrial design and human interface, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Apple’s major MacBook Pro overhaul is just around the corner, and should debut within a month or so. It’ll be the first touchscreen MacBook, as well as the first with Tandem OLED. Beyond that, though, the new MacBooks should be ‘significantly’ lighter than their predecessors, according to the latest issue of the Power On newsletter.

We are touching down to let folks know the Amazon fall Prime Day sale is getting a head start today – AirPods Pro 3 have now dropped down to one of the lowest prices to date at $179 shipped. 

The Bahrain Grand Prix is streaming for free on Apple TV this weekend, subscription not required. Rather amusingly, the location of the Bahrain Grand Prix is actually in Sepang, Malaysia.

Usually, F1 on Apple TV requires a paid subscription. But this weekend, it’s free for everyone to tune in. You can catch up on qualifying in preparation to stream the live race tonight, which kicks off at 3 AM Eastern Time.

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Everyone has issues with iPhone storage. Even if you use iCloud, Apple has a large gap between tiers, with it immediately jumping from 200GB at $3 to 2TB at $10. If you just want a little bit more than 200GB, it can be hard to justify that upgrade. HEVCut aims to fix this by optimizing your photo library, without needing to delete anything.

Apple TV offers exclusive original TV shows and movies in 4K HDR quality. You can watch across all of your screens and pick up where you left off on any device. Apple TV costs $14s.99 per month. You can get a seven-day free trial for new accounts here. Here’s every Apple original television show and movie available now on Apple TV, as well as the latest trailers …

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I’m someone who doesn’t often upgrade my Apple Watch right when a new one comes out. The Apple Watch Series 10 I owned prior was only purchased this January, despite initially coming out in September 2024. That said, Apple Watch Series 12 was a highly compelling purchase, despite the fact that the two largely share the same design language. Here’s why I took the leap.

Apple’s current iPad, the A16 model, has gone untouched for well over a year. It remains the only device in Apple’s core product lineup without support for Apple Intelligence. Rumors had swirled for quite some time about an A18 model coming this year. Now, it’s sounding like Apple has an even bigger plan.

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MacPaw spent nearly two decades building consumer software for Mac users. CleanMyMac is one of the Mac utilities on the market, and it’s my go-to when I need to free up hard drive space, uninstall apps, etc. The company is making a different kind of bet with Leebry, a Work AI platform aimed at helping IT teams.

Apple TV today released the second season of its animated fantasy adventure series “The Sisters Grimm,” with all six new episodes now available to stream. Here are the details.

Apple has confirmed an issue causing a “small number” of iPhone 18 Pro Max devices on AT&T to lose cellular service.

Apple released software and carrier updates to prevent the issue from affecting additional users, but the company tells 9to5Mac that devices that have already lost service will require a hardware replacement.

With Apple reportedly planning to unveil new products on October 13, here’s when the company could announce an event, based on the timing of its previous October announcements.

Jeff and Fernando share their excitement about the iPhone 18 Pro’s camera capabilities and explore whether it could truly replace a mirrorless camera for both photography and videography. Plus, they weigh in on whether you should buy the iPhone 18 Pro now or hold out for the iPhone Duo.

9to5Mac Overtime is a weekly video-first podcast exploring fun and interesting observations in the Apple ecosystem, featuring 9to5Mac’s Fernando Silva & Jeff Benjamin. Subscribe to Overtime via Apple Podcasts and our YouTube channel for more.

Siri AI is a major upgrade to Apple’s assistant that’s now available in iOS 27. And there’s one standout area I’ve noticed where it differs greatly from other AI assistants—for the better.

iPhone Duo has the largest display ever in an iPhone, bigger even than iPhone 18 Pro Max. But how do the two models truly compare in size? A side-by-side video offers a great look.

Amid the rapid rise in AI agents requesting “Full Disk Access” to your Mac, Apple says it is making changes to macOS to protect user privacy.

While the company hasn’t shared specifics, Apple says users should understand what it means to give an app such “extraordinary” access to their Mac.

The Home app is a great place to configure your smart home, but it can be slow to control. The tab structure and room hierarchy make sense when you’re setting things up, but they add steps to everything you want to do fifty times a day. Home Widget builds the control panel that Apple didn’t.

Update, October 2: Many of you have asked for a full vehicle compatibility list for the Twelve South Airfly Drive. Our friends over at 9to5Toys have just published exactly that. Take a look!

• Complete vehicle compatibility list for new Twelve South Airfly Drive CarPlay and Android Auto adapter

Twelve South, the company behind a range of premium Apple accessories, has launched a notable expansion of its Airfly brand. The company today unveiled Airfly Drive, a dongle that turns wired CarPlay into wireless CarPlay. It’s available to order starting today for $39.99. Here’s how it works.

Apple reportedly plans to launch new Home products on October 13 alongside an all-new operating system rumored to be called ‘homeOS.’ Here are the details.

This week Apple refreshed its third-party accessories lineup to include eight additional products. This includes the Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 and more.