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Zac Hall

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Zac Hall is 9to5Mac Editor-at-Large with a focus on technology news, product reviews, and analysis. Zac previously served as 9to5Mac Editor-in-Chief, hosted over 400 weekly episodes of the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and has been a member of the 9to5Mac family since 2013. Zac has over a decade of experience in technology journalism, including as a tech columnist for the Clarion-Ledger newspaper, part of the USA Today network.

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Apple releases first betas for iOS 17.1, watchOS 10.1, tvOS 17.1, and macOS 14.1

iOS 17.

Update: One day later, Apple has released public beta versions as well. The new update brings changes to Apple Music, AirDrop, and more.


Now that iOS 17 is the latest shipping software, Apple is ready to move on to iOS 17.1 for developer beta testers. The first iOS 17.1 beta is now available for iPhones with developer beta updates enabled.

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Poll: Should Apple abandon FineWoven iPhone 15 cases?

We all know the deal by now. Apple replaced its leather accessories with a new material it calls FineWoven. The idea is that getting out of the leather game at Apple’s scale lowers the company’s carbon footprint. So far, so good. But FineWoven hasn’t been a clear winner. Do you think the initial reaction has been overblown, or is FineWoven really as bad as its critics say?

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Apple Watch Series 9 comes out Friday, but you still can’t buy the Magnetic Link band [U]

Update: Three days after Apple Watch Series 9 hit stores, Apple has opened up orders for Magnetic Link bands. They start shipping near the end of next month.


Here’s a bit of a mystery: it’s the eve of Apple Watch Series 9 launch day, and you still can’t order the new Magnetic Link band.

The product page has been live since the September 12 event ended, but it still shows up as unavailable. If you try to configure an Apple Watch Series 9 with the Magnetic Link when ordering, the checkout flow stops and says to “check back later for availability.”

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Resident Evil Village coming to iPhone 15 Pro and M1+ iPads next month

During the iPhone 15 Pro event, Apple used Resident Evil gameplay to show off the GPU power of the A17 Pro chip. Now Capcom has released pricing and availability details for the two Resident Evil titles that will run on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Both games will be free to demo and require an in-app purchase to fully unlock.

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Apple explains why only revised AirPods Pro 2 support lossless audio from Vision Pro

Apple Vision Pro with AirPods Pro 2

Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C charging arrive in stores today. The new hardware is more than just a revised charging case though. As we know, the updated AirPods Pro 2 will be capable of streaming lossless audio from the Vision Pro headset when it ships early next year. Apple credits the H2 chip, but it’s still been a bit of a mystery since both versions have this processor.

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Apple releases iOS 17.0.1/2 with iPhone 15 fix, new macOS Sonoma RC, watchOS 10.0.1, more

Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe

Apple has released what will likely be the shipping version of macOS Sonoma for developer and public beta testers. The new version comes just a few days before macOS 14 is set to officially debut for everyone.

In addition to the new macOS Sonoma RC, Apple has issued minor bug fix and security updates to iOS 17 and watchOS 10 and new shipping macOS releases.

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Poll: Has iOS 17 improved Apple’s autocorrect for you?

iOS 17 autocorrect

iOS 17 has only been out a few days, and people are already praising the new autocorrect. That’s great news to anyone who has fumbled with autocorrect over the last few years.

The last time Apple made a big deal about autocorrect, it was about using machine learning and the iPhone install base to make autocorrect smarter than ever. It turns out that might have made autocorrect learn all the wrong lessons.

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