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Zac Hall

apollozac

Zac Hall is a Senior Editor, covering Apple, apps, and AI. His work is regularly featured by Techmeme.

He joined 9to5Mac in 2013. He later served as Lead Editor from 2016 through 2020, before creating the Space Explored website.

In 2015, Zac began co-hosting 9to5Mac Happy Hour, establishing the format of the site’s premier podcast, which he hosted for eight years.

In 2018, he created 9to5Mac Daily, providing audio recaps of Apple and technology news each weekday. He also hosted multiple seasons of the 9to5Mac Watch Time podcast, a health and fitness-focused interview series.

Zac is based in the lovely Gulf Coast town of Ocean Springs, MS, where he lives with his brilliant kids and Nova, his loyal Cavachon rescue.

Contact: zac@9to5mac.com

Connect with Zac Hall

BowFlex T6 review: Apple GymKit comes home at a normal treadmill price

If you use an Apple Watch with cardio equipment, GymKit should be on your radar. It’s the best way for Apple Watch and a fitness machine like a treadmill or elliptical to exchange workout data, producing more accurate measurements than either device can provide alone.

Apple introduced GymKit with watchOS 4 in 2017, but compatible equipment has remained surprisingly difficult to find. The good news is that, nearly a decade later, you no longer need to spend around $15,000 on a GymKit treadmill.

Instead, you can spend around $1,000 on an excellent home treadmill that works with Apple Watch. I’ve been testing the BowFlex T6 treadmill this summer, and its combination of GymKit support, approachable pricing, and dial controls makes it easy to recommend.

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SpaceXAI releases Grok 4.6, claiming GPT-5.6 Sol and Claude Fable 5-level intelligence

SpaceXAI seems to be in the process of repairing Grok’s reputation. From the recent Cursor acquisition to yesterday’s Grok Bot agent release, the company is getting more serious about its models. Today’s Grok 4.6 release builds on that effort with what SpaceXAI says is intelligence comparable to OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol and Anthropic’s Claude Fable 5.

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Apple Watch sleep score became more useful for me with these settings

Apple Watch includes a built-in sleep tracking feature. Just wear your Apple Watch to bed, and it works automatically. No need to install apps or enter a special mode.

watchOS 26 takes sleep tracking further with Apple’s sleep score feature. Sleep score is a great way to visualize the quality of your sleep from night to night. There’s one setting in particular that has made sleep score especially useful for me.

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iOS 27 public beta 3 is here with Siri AI, iPhone speed upgrades, and more

iOS 27 public beta

The third iOS 27 public beta is now available for iPhone. It gives users an early chance to try Apple’s biggest software update of the year.

Siri AI is the headline feature. The release also includes a redesigned Screen Time experience, Liquid Glass refinements, performance upgrades, and dozens of quality-of-life changes.

Here’s how to install the beta, what’s new, and which features you should try first.

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Here’s what’s new with iOS 27 beta 5

iOS 27

Apple released iOS 27 beta 5 today, giving developer beta testers the next preview update since iOS 27 debuted at WWDC. Developers can download the new beta now.

iOS 27 is a major iPhone update centered around Siri AI, Apple Intelligence, Liquid Glass refinements, and a long list of quality-of-life changes. Here’s what we’ve found so far in iOS 27 beta 5.

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iOS 27 basically turns your iPhone and AirPods into an Apple Watch at the gym

GymKit has been one of Apple Watch’s smartest fitness features since it launched in 2017. Tap your watch to compatible gym equipment, and Apple Watch shares your heart rate while the machine sends back metrics like distance, incline, pace, and calories.

With iOS 27, Apple is expanding that idea beyond Apple Watch. I tested the new GymKit on iPhone and AirPods Pro 3 experience with a GymKit-compatible treadmill. It basically gives you the Apple Watch GymKit workout tracking experience, just without the watch. This could be useful in a lot of scenarios.

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Apple prepares for iPhone 18 Pro and Ultra launch by expanding its reach

Apple is gearing up for a more focused and potentially much more expensive iPhone launch this fall. 

For starters, the cheaper base iPhone 18 is being saved for spring. That leaves the more expensive Pro models and Apple’s first foldable iPhone Ultra to carry September, with higher-than-usual starting prices expected.

Here’s how Apple is already preparing to make the sticker shock more palatable for new customers and upgraders.

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