BLUETTI – a leader in portable off-grid power station solutions – has a launched a new loyalty rewards program delivering a way for customers to score deep deals and free credits towards future purchases. The brand has become well known for its portable battery systems to light up your camp site, provide much needed outlets during emergency situations, and otherwise power your off-grid adventures. And while its gear isn’t always the most affordable solutions out there, the feature-rich and rugged designs are about to get less expensive by way of the new BLUETTI Plus membership program. Free to join, the rewards system brings free credits, deeper sale prices, and plenty of bonus gifts to members on every purchase and referral (among other things). Take a deeper dive down below. 

I’ve been working on formulating my Mac Studio review for a couple of weeks, and I’ve finally been able to spend enough time with the machine to share my thoughts about Apple’s most powerful desktop offering.

I’ve had the opportunity to test both the high-end Mac Studio with M1 Ultra system on a chip, along with the entry-level M1 Max base model. Is the Mac Studio a worthwhile purchase for those looking for a desktop solution? Should you splurge for the M1 Ultra? Watch my hands-on video walkthrough as I share my observations and findings, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Mac Studio-related videos.

May the 4th is coming, and as you may know, it’s an important date for Star Wars fans. This is why Apple is teasing a new Behind the Mac video with the artists from the Skywalker Sound company, which is set to be released a few days from now.

For the first time, streaming services like Apple TV+, Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime could be regulated as linear broadcasters under the United Kingdom government’s new plans due to a “White Paper” policy document.

As WhatsApp is readying the new Reactions feature for its users in a future update, the app is also working on the ability to bring an Instagram Stories–like feature to its Status tab by adding quick reactions to users’ posts.

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I am not sure when password management services went from a prosumer concept to enterprise tools, but I am glad it’s happened. For years, IT departments have told users to use complex passwords that aren’t repeated. That advice didn’t come with any solutions to help people properly manage them, though. Today, tools that were previously aimed at consumers now have strong enterprise offerings. For IT departments looking to ensure password security, both 1Password and LastPass have strong solutions.

As a response to recent coverage of software being purged from the App Store, Apple is sharing its criteria for how it chooses to remove abandoned apps. The company is also reiterating that the practice is not new but instead part of an initiative that started six years ago. Developers will also have more time to comply after being notified.

20 years ago, on April 29, 2002, Apple unveiled the eMac – a desktop computer that was based on the iMac but with less premium design and hardware, so that it could be more affordable for the education segment. Although Apple has an education discount program, there’s no longer a Mac built specifically for that market. But what if Apple introduced a new entry-level Mac in 2022?

Apple this week released a new AirTag firmware to users, but details about the update were unknown. However, the company has now confirmed that the latest AirTag firmware (version 1.0.301) enhances the unwanted tracking alert.

When Apple’s new Studio Display was released last month, many people were quick to point out that panel is nearly identical to the one that Apple used in the 27-inch iMac starting in 2014. Because of the similarities between the two, YouTuber Luke Miani decided to see if he could convert an old iMac into a Studio Display.

Apple’s MacBook lineup offers impressive performance and at first glance, the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro seem quite similar. They have the same CPU/GPU, same ports, same FaceTime camera, and more. However, the more powerful 2021 14-inch MacBook Pro may complicate your decision. Let’s take a closer look at the MacBook Air vs Pro to see what differentiates these MacBooks and help you decide which to buy.

Update: With the arrival of the M2 chip, we have a new comparison of the 2022 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro:

• Difference between MacBook Air and Pro: How the redesigned lightweight MacBook stacks up

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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Earlier this month, Apple had employees return to work at the corporate office in a hybrid format. The process has been gradual. They’re currently in the office one day per week, but according to company policy, by May 23 employees will need to be in office at least three days per week.

The long-awaited Studio Display firmware update is out to fix all the problems with the webcam — or so some would believe — and Apple debuted the new Self Service Repair Store. Benjamin and Zac also discuss the newest developments with Apple Pay Cash, the App Store old app purge, and more.

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New details have landed about several Apple TV+ shows today. The international epic drama series Pachinko has been renewed for a second season, The Afterparty cast for season two has been revealed along with a teaser of the new plot, and a new Charlie Brown special is coming next week.

It’s been one year since Apple released its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature – which is a way to improve consumer privacy where users can choose to opt-out of third-party app tracking. A new article from Recode takes a look back at the first year of Apple’s privacy feature. 

A new study digging into how Amazon uses Alexa voice recordings from its customers has concluded that the company and third parties leverage the audio to deliver targeted ads directly on Echo smart speakers as well as the web. That’s in contrast to Apple not using Siri recordings for ads and sharing voice data being turned off by default on devices like HomePod and iPhone since 2019. However, Amazon contends the new research is based on “inaccurate inferences or speculation.”

Cellebrite iPhone cracking kit allows the company’s clients to access virtually all of the private data stored on a phone – in some cases, even if the phone is locked.

But the exact capabilities depend on both the model of the iPhone and the version of iOS it is running. We managed to get access to the user documentation for a recent version of the kit to see what it can do …

Analysts – and investors, of course – wanted to hear yesterday’s Q2 earnings, but they were even more eager to get any clues to how AAPL Q3 2022 numbers might look.

The company reported record revenue for fiscal Q2, despite component shortages, but the company warned that things could get tougher in the current quarter …

Strong iPhone growth saw Apple as the only smartphone brand to increase shipments during the first quarter of the year, according to a new market intelligence report. All other major brands saw their shipments shrink – by anywhere from 4% to 30%.

The independent estimate follows Apple’s earnings report yesterday, when the company revealed that iPhone revenue was up 5.5% year-on-year …