Jeff is the head of video content production for 9to5. He joined 9to5Mac in 2016, producing videos, walkthroughs, how-tos, written tutorials, and reviews. He takes pride in explaining things simply, clearly, and concisely. Jeff’s videos have been watched hundreds of millions of times by people seeking to learn more about today’s tech. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube to catch Jeff’s latest videos.
iOS Decoded is Jeff’s flagship video series that breaks down what’s new in iOS betas, including behind-the-scenes deep dives into undiscovered features and exclusive details on the iOS roadmap.
Jeff also produces a weekly podcast, alongside co-host Fernando Silva, entitled 9to5Mac Overtime. A video-first podcast, 9to5Mac Overtime airs weekly on our YouTube channel, but can also be enjoyed in audio form via Apple Podcasts, or your podcast app of choice.
Have a tip or exclusive? Connect with Jeff!
Today Logitech takes the wraps off of its new ERGO M575 Wireless Trackball, an input device with a sculpted ergonomic shape that’s designed to keep your hand and arm relaxed. Available in both graphite and off-white colors, the M575’s design maximizes comfort for a wide range of hand sizes, while helping save space on your desktop.
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The yet-to-be-released iPad Air 4 was only given a head nod during today’s iPhone 12 event, with no mention of an official release date by Apple leadership. However, Jon Prosser, who has a pretty good track record when it comes to leaking Apple hardware release dates, indicates that he’s 100% sure that iPad Air preorders will begin on October 16th, launching a week later on the 23rd.
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Today Apple sells three Apple Watch models — the three-year-old Apple Watch Series 3 starting at $199, and the just-released Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 6 models, which start at $279 and $399 respectively.
With these options in mind, which Apple Watch should you buy? Should you go all out and spring for the Apple Watch Series 6, or should you take the more cost-conscious route with the Series 3 or SE? Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we explore Apple’s wearable lineup as it stands today.
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Besides popular features like widgets, default browser selection, and Picture in Picture support, iOS 14 features fundamental changes to the way the Home Screen works. In order to help you master iOS 14, we’ve put together a list of key Home Screen management tips and tricks for iPhone.
iOS 14 features some of the biggest changes to the way the Home Screen works since the iPhone’s inception. If you’re new to iOS 14, this guide will help you get up to speed with the fundamentals. But even if you’ve been using iOS 14 in beta since the summertime, there’s probably at least one or two new tips or tricks that you’ll learn from this tutorial. Watch the full video for the details.
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Yesterday Apple released the second iOS 14.2 beta to developers, and today it released iOS 14.2 beta 2 to public beta testers. Watch our brief hands-on video as we showcase new iOS 14.2 beta 2 changes and features.
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After spending two weeks with the final version watchOS 7, I’ve landed on my favorite new features for Apple Watch. Although obviously not as feature-dense as iOS 14, watchOS 7 — with new additions like Family Setup, watch face sharing, sleep mode, and multiple complications per app — brings more than enough new additions to the table. Watch our hands-on video as I explore the top 10 watchOS 7 features.
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With the ability to add custom widgets to iOS 14, a huge uptick in iPhone theming has taken place with such setups going viral on social media. I recently linked up with Thientam Bach, aka Surenix, a well-known graphic designer behind such jailbreak themes as Ayecon and Ayeris. He recently uploaded a version of Ayeris to his website specifically with iOS 14 theming in mind.
In this hands-on video, I show you how to emulate the Ayeris theme on your iPhone with the help of the Shortcuts app. It’s not nearly as clean as a real iOS jailbreak theme, but if you’re looking for a way to further customize the look of your Home screen, it’s an option.
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iOS 14 has been available for nearly a week, and as you’ve probably figured out by now, it’s jam-packed with tons of new features. While there are literally hundreds of new user-facing changes in iOS 14, a few of them stand out above the rest. In this hands-on video walkthrough I discuss my top 10 iOS 14 features for iPhone.
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The MX Anywhere series is a low-profile compact mouse that can be used on virtually any surface, making it ideal for work-from-home environments. Today Logitech takes the wraps off the latest iteration in the series, the MX Anywhere 3 for Mac Wireless Compact Mouse.
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Apple has been pushing out new software updates at a blistering rate, with the latest such update being a new iOS 14.2 developer beta. This beta update comes with several notable changes, including a redesigned now playing music interface in Control Center. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we explore new iOS 14.2 beta 1 changes and features.
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Yesterday Apple released the seventh iOS 14 beta, and it comes bundled with a couple of noteworthy updates. Watch our brief hands-on video walkthrough as we explore new iOS 14 beta 7 changes and features.
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Making a bootable macOS Big Sur USB drive is a quick and clean way to install a fresh copy of macOS on your Mac. This hands-on tutorial is valid for both the public and developer beta versions of macOS Big Sur, and will also work with the final version of Big Sur upon its release later this year. Simply follow our step-by-step guide for the full details.
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The original Keychron K2 was, and still is, one of my favorite third-party Mac accessories. Keychron K2 version 2 subtly builds on the original’s legacy. Watch our hands-on video for the details.
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This week, Apple released the sixth beta for iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, and like last week’s beta 5 release, beta 6 includes several new changes and features. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for a look at what’s new.
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After going hands-on with the base model 2020 iMac last week, today I finally got the chance to take the nano-texture glass display for a test drive. Should you consider this $500 option when configuring your 2020 iMac? Watch our brief hands-on video walkthrough for the details.
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Today Level takes the wraps off of its latest HomeKit-enabled smart lock, Level Touch. Similar to the Level Bolt, which we reviewed earlier this summer, Level Touch is designed to be inconspicuous thanks to a design that tries hard not to bring attention to itself.
As its name alludes, Level Touch is touch-enabled, allowing users to lock their doors upon leaving the house with just a touch. Level Touch is available to purchase now for $329, and except for a screwdriver, comes with all of the necessary installation hardware. Read on to learn more about the newest smart lock option to arrive on the scene.
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In the past when I’ve covered my experience with Synology NAS products, it’s usually been from the perspective of using one of Synology’s more powerful offerings as a media server for Final Cut Pro X libraries. Today, I’d like to flip the script and talk about Synology’s entry-level NAS, the compact DS220j. I’d also like to begin regular discussions of more common needs for the everyday Mac user, such as Time Machine backups, private cloud storage, etc.
Being an entry-level model, the DS220j is marketed as a personal cloud solution for data sharing and backup, and I find it to be a good fit for those applications. In this first hands-on video, I’ll walk you through what it takes to set up the DS220j as a Time Machine backup solution for your Macs.
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Yesterday Apple released the fifth developer beta for iOS 14. Included in this latest beta are several new user-facing features, including an enhancement to the ability to hide specific photos in the Photos app. Watch our brief hands-on video walkthrough for the details.
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Earlier this week I got my hands on what is will possibly be the last noteworthy iMac refresh before Apple transitions from Intel to its own silicon. If that ends up being the case, we can say that Apple’s all-in-one, with its Intel CPU and current design, went out with a bang. Watch my 2020 iMac review, and I cover my hands-on experience with the $1,799 base model.
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This past week Apple released what could be the swan song for the current design of the 27-inch iMac. With Apple Silicon-based Macs on the horizon, it’s possible that we’ve seen the last of the current iMac’s design, and with it the end of user-accessible memory that makes it easy to upgrade iMac (2020) RAM.
The current 5K iMac design is unique, because it’s the only Mac machine that Apple sells outside of the $6000 Mac Pro that features user-upgradable memory. Thanks to a special door just above the power socket on the rear of the 27-inch iMac, users can quickly gain access to the machine’s four SO-DIMM slots to upgrade the RAM.
Not even the iMac Pro provides users with such a cost-saving luxury, which makes the 5K iMac a value-packed machine. And with the 2020 iMac now officially supporting 128GB of RAM in build-to-order configurations, users can purchase third-party RAM and save lots of money, up to $2000. Watch our hands-on step-by-step tutorial for the details, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more iMac content.
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As we inch closer to iOS 14 GM release, we can expect less new features and changes in each beta release, and more focus on stability and refinement. That’s not to say that there won’t be any new changes found in this and forthcoming beta releases, however. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we explore a handful of iOS 14 beta 4 changes and features.
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Today, Apple announced updates to the iMac lineup. While there were small bumps to the 21.5 inch iMac and the iMac Pro, most of the love was saved for the 27-inch iMac, which starts at $1799.00. Although the new 10th-generation CPUs, 1080p webcam (finally), and nano-texture display options have stolen the headlines, the new 7 nm AMD Radeon Pro 5000 Series GPU options are a pretty big deal as well.
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The iOS 14 beta comes with no shortage of high profile changes and features, but there are also quite a few hidden elements that help make up our list of the top iOS 14 sleeper features.
Needless to day, iOS 14 is loaded with tons of big standout features like the compact call interface, App Library, and Widgets, but there are many hidden iOS 14 features that deserve recognition as well. In this hands-on video walkthrough, we’ll explore 10 of our favorite iOS 14 sleeper features.
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Sony just took the wraps off its highly-anticipated Alpha 7S III video-oriented mirrorless camera, and it’s safe to say that it’s taken the camera world by storm. Not only is this a worthy followup to the A7S II, but it looks like the best new camera in 2020. In addition to its vast feature set, Sony can add Apple’s ProRes RAW capture capability to the list of bullet points thanks to a partnership with Atomos.
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