Today
Last summer we got a sneak peek at the new high-end speakers that Sonos has in the works. Now it’s surfaced that the upcoming premium products will be called the Era 100 and 300, set to compete with Apple’s HomePod 2. Further, a second-gen portable Sonos Move is in the pipeline and another release is coming that will be in a “brand new category.”
As I wrote last month, AirTags are an indispensable travel accessory, especially for your checked luggage. Now, a couple in Canada is crediting an AirTag with helping them locate their lost luggage, but not before they watched it travel through Quebec and Ontario and sit at a mysterious storage facility for months, without any help from Air Canada.
Twitter earlier this year rolled out an update that forced the algorithm timeline onto the homepage of its mobile app. After several complaints, the platform decided to reverse its decision and users can once again set the “Following” timeline as their default.
Expectations are growing for Apple to debut a titanium iPhone as well as a new Ultra tier for its smartphone in the next couple of years. While there’s no certainty of how that will manifest, a new rendering visualizes what it would look like if the Apple Watch Ultra design was directly translated to iPhone.
A new website has popped up that’s focused on sharing your macOS dock and getting inspiration from others. Called Dockhunt, it’s basically a social network, but for showing off the apps that you keep in your Mac’s dock. The goal is to help you discover new apps and also “see who else has docked the apps you use.”
Google begins effort to run Chrome’s Blink engine on iOS in place of Apple’s WebKit
A new experimental effort in Chrome aims to run the proper Blink engine on iOS instead of Apple’s required WebKit engine.
A new firmware update is rolling out for Apple TV and HomePod users. Following the release of tvOS 16.3 last month, Apple is now rolling out tvOS 16.3.1 to HomePod and Apple TV users with “general performance and stability improvements.”
Apple is continuing its work on full reverse wireless charging support for the iPhone, despite engineering delays. 9to5Mac has heard from sources familiar with the matter that Apple had hoped to debut the feature with the iPhone 14 Pro lineup, but failed to meet that deadline.
Nonetheless, our sources indicate that Apple engineers are pressing ahead with the development of bilateral wireless charging alongside software optimizations for it.
Carrot Weather gets refreshed map styles, state and province labels, more
After getting a major update in December and another release in January, Carrot Weather has received its latest update today with updated map style sheets, US state and Canadian province labels, lots of bug fixes, and more.
Monday’s best deals: AirPods Pro 2 $199, Apple Pencil 2 $90, 10.9-inch iPad $50 off, more
It’s Monday and a brand new work week means a fresh batch of the latest Apple discounts. Leading the way today, we have a new all-time low on Apple’s just-refreshed AirPods Pro 2 at $199. That’s then joined by the Apple Pencil 2, which is an even bigger must-have at its second-best price ever of $90. Not to mention, a rare chance to save on the latest 10.9-inch iPad at $50 off. Hit the jump for all of the best deals and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.
Curious how to use your iPhone more intentionally so it’s not making it difficult for you to get to sleep at night? While blue light has gotten a lot of focus as something to avoid, there’s also recent research that shows more than just blue light can have a negative effect on falling asleep. Read on for several tips to block blue light on iPhone and other ways to improve sleep.
The folks at Funn Media, creators of popular apps like Calory and WaterMinder, have released a new app dubbed ReplyCube that taps into support for extensions in Apple Mail. The app aims to speed up email management by letting you create reusable messages, commonly referred to as “canned” messages, then access those messages right from the compose window in the Mail app.
Could Apple be planning a new iPhone Ultra, costing even more than the Pro Max? That’s the suggestion of a report over the weekend, and it may be backed by a hint dropped by CEO Tim Cook in last week’s earnings call.
Asked about the company’s continued push to drive up the average selling price (ASP), Cook said:
The iPhone has become so integral into people’s lives. It contains their contacts and their health information and their banking information and their smart home and so many different parts of their lives, their payment vehicle and – for many people. And so I think people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category …
9to5Mac Daily: February 6, 2023 – Mac Studio, iPhone Ultra rumors
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Having been a user of the original HomePod ever since it launched, I was so happy to see Apple announce its return last month.
I just got my new Midnight HomePods on Friday, replacing my existing stereo pair of Space Gray models. Here’s some hands-on impressions of what’s changed compared to the original …
Yesterday saw a Twitter API U-turn by the company’s owner Elon Musk, after he had said that the code powering both third-party twitter clients and automated posting bots would no longer be freely available.
Separately, a new report says that even the most common and easily-detected Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) remains on the platform after Musk vowed that removing it was his #1 priority …
Pegasus spyware journalists Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud were the first to discover an extensive list of specific people being targeted by NSO’s clients. In working on the story, they said they had to take extreme privacy precautions to avoid their own devices being compromised.
One of the major uses of Pegasus has been to silence journalists working on revealing abuses by tyrannical governments, so the risk of their own devices being hacked without their knowledge was very real …
Two of China’s biggest smartphone retailers are offering iPhone 14 discounts equivalent to well over $100 – a level of price cut usually restricted to older handsets.
One analyst estimates that sales of the four iPhone 14 models were some 28% lower than those of the iPhone 13 line-up at the same point …
Yesterday
The 2023 Grammy Awards are taking place tonight, live from Los Angeles. Touted as “Music’s Biggest Night,” you can expect performances from the likes of Harry Styles, Stevie Wonder, Lizzo, and more. Head below for details on how to watch and stream the Grammys for free on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac.
While the Mac Studio has been well-received since its launch last spring, Apple may not launch an upgraded model in the foreseeable future. Bloomberg reports that the upcoming Mac Pro with Apple Silicon is “similar in functionality to the Mac Studio,” and it could be redundant for Apple to sell both the Mac Pro and the Mac Studio.
Apple is reportedly considering ways to push the price of the high-end iPhone even higher. Rather than simply re-branding Pro Max to Ultra, Apple is discussing adding an “Ultra” high-end model above the Pro Max as soon as 2024, or the iPhone 16 lineup.
That’s according to Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. The new model would help increase iPhone average selling price even higher, with Tim Cook hinting on this week’s earnings call that consumers are willing to pay more for the best phone.
Want to find a way to use iMac as a monitor? While Apple’s target display mode is limited to 2009 to 2014 iMacs, fortunately, there are several other options to make use of that nice big screen on your iMac as a monitor.
Best iPhone 14 cases available for purchase: New CASETiFY collections, golf case, more
Our annual collection of the best iPhone 14 cases has arrived and has now been updated with new designs, brands, and more. You’ll find all of the best iPhone 14 cases available anywhere from wallet models and eco-conscious treatments to protective sheaths, logo-free clear options, artistic designs, handcrafted wooden covers, and more. Apple’s official silicone, leather, and clear MagSafe iPhone 14 cases are present as well as all of the latest collections from our favorite brands, with everything organized for you down below alongside some hands-on reviews (be sure to check back regularly for more). Head below for a closer look at the best iPhone 14 cases, including the base model, iPhone 14 Plus, Pro, and Pro Max options, now available for purchase.
February 4
Back in December, Telegram released a major update for its iOS app with options to hide media, auto remove cached files, and more. Now, the popular messaging platform is getting its first major update of 2023. The new version lets users translate full chats and also introduces a new annual subscription option for Telegram Premium.
