Zac Hall is a Senior Editor, covering Apple, AI, and the modern technology landscape.
He joined 9to5Mac in April 2013, originally as a writer and copy editor.
He later served as Lead Editor from May 2016 through December 2020, before shifting focus to 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 created and hosted multiple seasons of the 9to5Mac Watch Time podcast, a health and fitness-focused interview series.
Zac currently focuses on writing for 9to5Mac. He is based in the lovely Gulf Coast town of Ocean Springs, MS, where he lives with his brilliant kids and Nova, his adventurous Cavachon rescue pup.
Contact: zac@9to5mac.com
Mastodon, unlike other social platforms with animal mascots, lets users edit posts without charging $100/year for the privilege. Starting today, Mastodon users with Ivory for iPhone and iPad can now access post editing using the app.
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Benjamin shares his hands-on thoughts with the new second-generation HomePod after about a week of testing. Apple changes up the executive ranks with a new Chief People Officer, and news that they won’t replace the industrial design position when Evans Hankey leaves. There is also a report that Apple isn’t planning on releasing a new Mac Studio for the M2 generation.
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Benjamin and Zac process some new Apple rumors including foldable iPads in 2024, the availability of the periscope zoom lens on iPhone 16 and beyond, and how Siri will maybe help users make content for the upcoming Reality Pro headset. Plus, we digest the official reviews for HomePod (second-generation).
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Benjamin and Zac discuss a change to Low Power Mode on the Apple Watch, Apple’s newest TV+ ad, and reviewers have gotten a chance to go hands-on with the new M2 MacBook Pro and Mac mini. Plus, there’s new rumors about the iPhone 15 Pro chassis redesign and insights into exactly how Apple’s upcoming AR headset will work from a software perspective.
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A decade-old iPhone recently caught on fire while charging in a family’s kitchen, and the combustion was caught on video. Fortunately, no one was injured and the fire burned out, but the footage is alarming as it occurred overnight while the family was sleeping.
The fire occurred with an iPhone 4, a model that was introduced 12 years ago, so no one should worry about modern iPhones catching fire. However, the incident highlights the importance of knowing what can cause a battery to combust.
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Benjamin and Zac discuss Apple’s hardware announcements this week including the new lineup of MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and the return of the original big HomePod. Plus, there’s more rumors about the AR headset roadmap and Apple TV+ presents its spring slate of shows.
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So what happened was… kind of unbelievable. Siri on an Apple Watch called emergency services from a gym in Australia, prompting 15 armed police officers to show up expecting an active shooter.
What has to be the most unlikely set of circumstances for a false alarm happened in Australia on Tuesday.
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For the first four versions, Apple Watch couldn’t always display the time like a basic watch could. That’s been solved since the Apple Watch Series 5, and now there’s even an Apple Watch that can tell time when turned off.
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Apple’s new M2 Mac mini is a good value for a desktop computer.
$500 gives students and educators access to Apple’s best consumer processor performance and a desktop operating system. That’s vastly more affordable than $1300 iMac even after you consider the cost of a mouse, keyboard, and monitor.
But it’s not 1995 anymore. Students use laptops, not desktops. Apple hasn’t had its M2 Mac mini moment with MacBooks, and I think the iPad is the reason.
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Apple has been reportedly developing a so-called iPhone SE fourth-gen, but a new report affirms that no such product will ship. iPhone SE 4 was said to resemble the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 physical design, but include 5G connectivity and other modern specs. Being canceled rather than delayed is said to predominantly benefit Qualcomm.
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You can’t deny that Apple makes the best iPads on earth, but does Apple make the best tablets? While also probably yes, Lenovo is teasing iPad Pro users with the tablet we want Apple to make — and they just might! Lenovo just made a 14.5-inch iPad Pro-like tablet with multiple USB-C ports and a more versatile take on the Magic Keyboard…
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Apple has been fined $8.5 million in France over how personalized advertising works on the iPhone. France’s CNIL data protection agency (National Commission on Informatics and Liberty) issued the €8 million penalty against Apple as the result of an investigation.
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Stand back, folks, this take is comin’ in hot. The Dynamic Island introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro is really clever. Apple turned boring sensors into an interactive element that’s very marketable and potentially useful. 3D Touch, on the other hand, was a flagship feature on iPhone 6s, but the very useful feature was hardly marketable and even less discoverable.
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It’s been 16 months since Apple purchased the three-year-old classical music streaming service Primephonic. Meanwhile, there are only a few days left for Apple Music to meet its plan of launching a stand-alone Apple Classical app that replaces the discontinued Primephonic app. (This seems unlikely.)
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Authorities in Tokyo are asking Apple to pay $98 million in back taxes after incorrectly exempting foreign tourists and resellers from a consumption tax. Nikkei reports that Apple stopped tax-free shopping in June after incorrectly exempting bulk orders of iPhones and other hardware.
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December 25 has arrived, and that means it’s time for a Steve Jobs Christmas story …
Steve Jobs had a knack for steamrolling over the road blocks and getting practical results. Regis McKenna is a tech veteran who helped Jobs put together the Apple I marketing campaign in 1976. McKenna briefly reclaimed the role of helping Jobs with publicity in 2010 when antenna-gate followed the iPhone 4 launch.
Yet it’s a favor from Jobs to McKenna that comes up around Christmas.
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Siri isn’t the worst voice assistant on phones today, according to MKBHD. In his latest video, Marques Brownlee conducts a four-way test between Siri and its competitors to see how voice assistants compare in 2022.
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If you have a new iPhone or iPad, Apple lets you create a customizable Animoji character called Memoji. A Memoji can look like you or have a totally different look. Want to add a Santa hat to your Memoji or create a Santa character of your own? Here’s how to make Memoji more festive for the holidays…
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I’ve seen my fair share of wear and tear on anodized aluminum, but this cosmetic misfortune on my M2 MacBook Air takes the cake. So here’s what happened…
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Apple is expected to release the first revision to the 2021 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2023. Here’s everything we expect to see with the M2 Pro chip and M2 Max chip MacBook Pro notebooks so far.
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Losing something with an AirTag attached is awesome. Ping the AirTag or locate it on a map and you’re well on your way to finding whatever thing you lost. Using an AirTag before you actually lose something? That’s another story.
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Setting up a new Mac, or just want yours to learn new tricks? These are my must-have Mac apps and Safari extensions that make my Mac feel like it’s mine.
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Apple recently proclaimed that iPhone production for holiday sales won’t come close to meeting demand. Citi analyst Jim Suva, however, doesn’t see this as a long-term problem for the company or investors.
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Disappointed that Tim Cook didn’t back the money truck up to the NFL for Sunday Ticket streaming rights? You can probably blame the rumored mixed reality Apple headset for the talks falling apart.
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