In this week’s top stories: CES 2020 brings HomeKit, AirPlay 2, and more, Apple’s Breathe app on Apple Watch, a new “Shot on iPhone” competition, and more. Read on for all of this week’s biggest news.
This week marked the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. For 2020, the focus was on HomeKit, AirPlay 2, and more powerful charging accessories.
In the annual 9to5Mac Best of CES awards, we gave Linedock the Best Mac Accessory award. Linedock is an all-in-one USB-C dock, battery, and storage solution. The newest version for the 15-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro features 10 different ports, as well as a built-in battery and SSD storage of up to 2TB, that also happens to be user-upgradeable.
The Best HomeKit Technology award went to Abode, a popular do-it-yourself security company. At CES 2020, Abode unveiled a new indoor and outdoor smart camera that can either be used as standalone or as part of a full home security system, either with HomeKit.
We also went hands-on with the new Brydge Pro+ keyboard and trackpad case for the iPad Pro, which is now available for pre-order.
Outside of CES 2020, Zac Hall took a closer look at the Breathe app on Apple Watch, including details on how it works and why it has been confusing people for years. Read his full story here.
Apple announced this week that it set a new single day record for the App Store, with $386 million worth of sales on New Year’s Day. That’s an increase of 20 percent compared to last year. The App Store also set a new record for sales between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, bringing in $1.42 billion in revenue.
A new set of renders emerged this week claiming to offer our closest look yet at the so-called iPhone 9/iPhone SE 2. The renders today show a frosted glass back, similar to the iPhone 11 lineup. In all other respects, the renders show something identical in form factor to the iPhone 8. See the renders here.
Last but not least, Apple has announced its second annual Shot on iPhone competition. Apple is seeking the best iPhone Night mode photos shot by owners of any of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. The top five photos will each be used for Apple marketing campaigns, and Apple will pay licensing fees for that usage.
These and the rest of this week’s top stories below.
CES 2020 |
- 9to5Mac Best of CES 2020 Awards
- Belkin unveils new 3-in-1 wireless charger, ultra-small Wemo HomeKit smart plug, more
- Satechi launches Trio Wireless Charging Pad with room for iPhone, AirPods Pro, and versatile Apple Watch puck
- Samsung blatantly copied Apple’s Face ID icon for Samsung Pass presentation
- Harman Kardon returns to headphones after six years to take on Apple’s AirPods
- Alpine debuts giant iPad Pro-sized CarPlay receiver plus first weather-resistant 9-inch CarPlay option for Jeep Wrangler
- OtterBox launches first antimicrobial glass iPhone screen protector approved by the EPA
- Eve Cam indoor camera announced with support for HomeKit Secure Video
- Philips Hue expands outdoor options with wall-mounted bi-directional ‘Appear’ fixture and spot, path lights
- Nanoleaf unveils HomeKit lighting system that learns over time with motion, brightness sensing
iOS | macOS | tvOS |
- ‘Front and Center’ brings classic Mac window management to macOS Catalina
- macOS Catalina: How to master Dark Mode for Mac
- TiVo says its promised Apple TV app is ‘in limbo’ due to business and technical challenges
iPhone |
- iPhone 9 video renders again show iPhone 8 design with frosted glass back
- ’40 days of darkness’ photographer: Apple ‘lying by omission’ with Night mode
- ShiftCam cases give iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max up to four extra lenses
- Analyst: Apple to launch sub-6GHz 5G iPhones this year, but faster mmWave 5G iPhones delayed until 2021
- Apple Pay Express Transit users in NYC apparently being charged just for walking near terminals
- Covering a SpaceX rocket launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center with the iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Are you having problems charging with iPhone XS or XR Smart Battery Case? Apple opens replacement program for affected units
Apple Watch |
- Apple’s Breathe app on the Apple Watch has been confusing people for years
- Shift Keyboard introduces a new way to write messages on Apple Watch
- Apple Watch and iPhone health accessories to help with 2020 new year’s resolutions
- Apple Watch saves Brazilian man after heart alerts lead to life-threatening tachycardia diagnosis
iPad & Mac |
- Linedock for MacBook Pro brings 10 ports with an extra charge and user-upgradable SSD in a sleek package
- Samsung unveils T7 Touch portable SSD with faster speeds and built-in fingerprint scanner
- Video shows that gaming on the base model Mac Pro might not be a good idea
- Hands-on: Brydge’s Pro+ keyboard with trackpad for iPad Pro and standalone iPadOS Trackpad
- A decade of iPads in my life: from ‘movie Kindle’ to indispensable device
Top Apple stories, retail |
- Grand Apple Store opening this spring on Rome’s historic Via del Corso
- Apple TV+ iPad Poster Series bringing show illustrators to Apple Stores
Services |
- Comment: My iCloud wishlist for 2020 shows how far Apple has come with services
- Ricky Gervais praised ‘The Morning Show’ in front of Tim Cook … then roasted Apple’s ‘sweatshops in China’
- Apple announces new single-day record for App Store purchases: $386 million spent on New Year’s Day
- LG bringing Apple TV app to 2018 and newer TVs this year
- Oprah cancels Apple TV+ documentary on sexual assault in the music industry, only one month after Apple announced it
Top Apple stories, company |
- Defining the decade: ten years of Apple on one page
- Apple selling Sonos without Alexa or Assistant as speaker company says Google and Amazon stole patents
- Apple Card partner bank thinks AAPL will lose a third of its value this year
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This week’s top videos |
9to5Mac Daily |
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 Nanoleaf: Nanoleaf is ushering in a new era of beautifully personalized lighting experiences. Visit nanoleaf.me/9to5Mac for more info on exclusive deals for Nanoleaf’s Design Kits, Twin Packs and Starter Kits.
- 9to5Mac Daily: January 10, 2020 – CarPlay at CES, Apple Watch lawsuit
- 9to5Mac Daily: January 09, 2020 – Best of CES 2020 Awards, more
- 9to5Mac Daily: January 08, 2020 – App Store record, new ‘Shot on iPhone’ contest
- 9to5Mac Daily: January 07, 2020 – ‘iPhone 9’ speculation, CES 2020
- 9to5Mac Daily: January 06, 2020 – 5G iPhone details, Apple wins Christmas
9to5Mac Watch Time episode #12 |
Gregory McFadden from GregsGadgets and GadgetCast joins Zac to talk about his podcast debut, how his popular YouTube channel dates back to the first Apple Watch, and his experience losing 100 pounds and discovering a healthy lifestyle with Apple Watch.
9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how the Apple Watch is affecting their lives. 9to5Mac Watch Time is available on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and your favorite podcast player through RSS.
Happy Hour Podcast #259 |
Apple wins CES with AirPods emoji, Global Privacy Senior Director Jane Horvath talks privacy on behalf of Apple, PopSocket now works with wireless charging, HomeKit advances in 2020, Apple marks a new era of Services, iPhone 11 has a new Night mode photo contest this month, and much more.
9to5Mac Happy Hour is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play Music, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
Stacktrace Podcast #67 |
Special guest Myke Hurley joins John and Rambo for the grand season two finale of the show! A wrap-up of 2019’s trends, stories, products and services, and what those might mean for Apple and the tech industry in 2020.
Stacktrace by 9to5Mac is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
Apple @ Work |
Apple @ Work is a weekly series from Bradley Chambers covering Apple in education. Bradley has been managing Apple devices in an education environment since 2009. Through his experience deploying and managing hundreds of Macs and hundreds of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple’s products work at scale, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for students.
- Making the Grade: How to get AirPlay 2 in the classroom without the expense of an Apple TV
- Apple @ Work: Here’s how Apple TV has quietly become a robust digital signage solution
- Apple @ Work: Privileges for macOS is the open source tool that all Apple IT departments need
- Apple @ Work: When to deploy macOS Catalina, iOS 13, and iPadOS 13
- Apple @ Work: IoT devices face security problems that must be addressed
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