Jeff Benjamin

The first iOS 11.2 beta went out to developers earlier today and with it comes several new updates and changes. As you might expect that are quite a few small tweaks and enhancements scattered throughout the release, but 11.2 beta 1 also lends us a first look at the new AirPlay 2 multi-room control features that Apple announced back at WWDC 2017.

Have a look at our hands-on video walkthrough for more details…
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Today was the first day of the third-annual Final Cut Pro X Creative Summit in Cupertino, CA. The event is geared towards professional video editors using Final Cut Pro X. Talks, demonstrations, along with a visit to the Apple campus is involved. There’s also communication with the product team behind the popular NLE.

The first day of the event started off with quite a bang, as Apple took the wraps off of the next big edition of Final Cut Pro X, version 10.4. Although there is no designated date for release, the update will be pushed sometime before year’s end and includes enhanced color tools, support for VR and HDR workflows, custom LUTs, HEVC, and lots more.
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All of the buzz is surrounding the launch of the iPhone X, but Apple has quietly launched a new leather sleeve accessory for the 12-inch MacBook. The Leather Sleeve for 12‑inch MacBook, which looks very similar to the Leather Sleeve for iPad Pro, is available in either Saddle Brown or Midnight Blue.
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CalDigit is no stranger when it comes to producing peripherals for the Mac. In particular, the California-based company has concentrated on Apple’s laptops with USB-C and Thunderbolt. The CalDigit AV Pro 2 is its latest such product: an external storage solution wrapped in a high-grade aluminum enclosure.

CalDigit has merged external storage with a USB 3.0 hub to create a product capable of providing three things of interest to MacBook owners — access to more storage, additional USB ports, and charging up to 30W. Have a look at our video walkthrough as we unbox and go hands-on with the CalDigit AV Pro 2.
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If the upcoming iMac Pro or refreshed Mac Pro aren’t in your sights, then perhaps you might consider a Hackintosh build? We’ve covered several builds over the years, and found that they provide, by a large margin, the best bang for the buck when it comes to performance.

Today, UniBeast, one of the most popular automated tools for putting together a Hackintosh machine, was updated to version 8.0 for macOS High Sierra. That means that you can, with relative ease, build a super-fast machine running the latest version of macOS.
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Industry players, such as Microsoft, have arrived in Hong Kong this week for Qualcomm’s 4G/5G Summit, an annual event to strategize and discuss trends and technology developments.

One of the topics of surefire interest revolves around Microsoft’s upcoming ARM-powered Windows 10 laptop. In a glimpse into its battery life potential, Microsoft’s Principal Group Program Manager for Connectivity Partners, Pete Bernard, told Trusted Reviews that he only needs to “charge it every couple of days or so.”

Having multi-day battery life on a real, full-featured laptop would indeed, as Bernard puts it, be a game-changing innovation. Yet, when you consider how much better Apple’s custom-designed silicon is compared to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, the possibilities for an ARM-powered Mac become all the more desirable.
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If you’re a Mac user who needs quick and fast access to a Windows installation, then in many cases it’s a good idea to go with a Virtual Machine. Parallels is one of the most popular virtualization options for Mac users wishing to run Windows, and the latest version, Parallels 13, makes it ridiculously easy to get up and running.

Via what essentially amounts to an unattended installation of Windows 10, Parallels 13 can have you up and running, from download to usage, in just a few minutes. Watch our brief video walkthrough for a demonstration.
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The iPhone has long been well-regarded for its photographic capabilities, but as of late it’s becoming quite the outstanding tool for videographers as well. For example, with the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X, Apple has stepped up the device’s video feature set, adding both 24 and 60 frames per second options for 4K video capture.

But when it comes to capturing rich and dynamic video content, the iPhone hardware is only half of the equation. Apple devices, and smartphones in general, are benefited by a wide variety of add-on hardware, such as lenses, tripod mounts, filters and more. These tools can help iPhone videographers take their productions to the next level.

With this in mind, Seattle, WA-based Rhino Camera Gear, creators of the popular Rhino Slider for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, have built the ROV — a compact slider specifically with the iPhone in mind. Slider movement produces a cinematic feel in videos, and now that same feeling can be easily captured by iPhone videographers.

Like it’s done for previous products that it has brought to market, Rhino is introducing the ROV Camera Slider via a Kickstarter campaign that officially launches today.
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Apple ushered in the third iOS 11.1 beta earlier today, and we’ve taken some time to discuss some of the new features and changes found in this latest developer beta release. Watch our video walkthrough for a brief look at a few of the noticeable differences between iOS 11.1 beta 2 and iOS 11.1 beta 3.
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Apple’s Lightning Dock is a handy iPhone accessory in a post headphone jack world. The Lightning Dock, which incorporates its own 3.5mm port, is designed to allow you to charge your iPhone and listen to music via headphones simultaneously.

The latest-generation Lightning Dock is a not a new product, but the new gold color option is. Supplanting the previous yellow gold and rose gold colors, the updated metallic hue is specifically matched against the refined gold color of the iPhone 8. Watch our brief hands-on video to see how the new color looks.
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With the launch of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, for the very first time, Apple’s flagship smartphones now supports Qi wireless charging. Apple sells a couple of Qi chargers in its store, including Belkin’s Boost Up Wireless Charging Pad, and Mophie’s Wireless Charging Base, but we also purchased several cheaper Qi-certified chargers from Amazon to compare.

Which wireless charger might be right for you? Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for more details.
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With the release of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, Apple made some changes to the methods used to force restart its flagship device. These changes come just a year after Apple made similar changes to the iPhone 7 — the first iOS device to don a solid state Home button.

These changes not only affect force restarts, but also alter the process for entering recovery-mode and DFU mode. Have a look at our brief video walkthrough inside for a look at the changes in action.
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The initial watchOS 4.1 beta brought some notable changes and features to the Apple Watch. A brand new Radio app appeared for the first time, allowing Beats 1 and other radio stations to be streamed right from your wrist. Most notably, however, was a fundamental change to the Music app, allowing for streaming of the entire Apple Music library on the Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE.

Apple has just released the second developer beta for watchOS 4.1, and although it isn’t a big as the initial release, there are a few noteworthy changes to be documented. Watch our hands-on walkthrough for more details.
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iOS 11.1 beta 2 was released earlier today, and we’ve taken some time to talk about the new features and changes found in the beta release. The biggest new feature, one alluded to ahead of time by Apple, is the inclusion of new Unicode 10 emoji characters. Have a look at our hands-on video walkthrough for the details.
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The Apple Watch Series 3 launched alongside the new iPhones two weeks ago, and it’s arguably a more exciting hardware update than the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. With the release of the Series 3, Apple removed the Series 2 from the lineup, leaving customers with a choice between the Apple Watch Series 1 and the Apple Watch Series 3.

With the Series 1 starting at just $249 (or less), it’s an attractive offer that many will consider, but after going hands-on with Series 3 ($329+) over the last few weeks, I think that would be a mistake.

In the past, this was a more nuanced decision, as the Apple Watch Series 1 and the Apple Watch Series 2 were basically the same device, minus a few differences with things like water resistance, GPS, and the like. With the Series 1 vs Series 3, however, there’s a significantly larger gap between these two devices from both a price and feature perspective.

For those in the market for a new Apple Watch, which model should you consider? Have a look at our hands-on video walkthrough for the details.
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Update: Separate tests by software engineer Dan Loewenherz show that a 10w charger is the sweet-spot if you’re looking to balance charging time against cost and portability. 

The iPhone 8 and the upcoming iPhone X both support fast charging via Apple’s 29W USB-C adapter and USB-C to Lightning Cable. Apple says that by using fast charging, your iPhone can charge up to 50% in as little as 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, the official first party charging accessories — its 29W USB-C Power Adapter ($49), and its 1-meter USB-C to Lightning Cable ($25) — cost nearly $75 combined. That’s a lot of money to spend on a fast charging solution, especially for one that isn’t exceedingly faster than Apple’s own 12W adapter + a regular USB to Lightning cable.

The good news is that earlier this week Apple noted that third-party power adapters that meet the proper USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) spec would work as well. That means that acceptable third-party power adapters, like Anker’s 30W PowerPort or Aukey’s 29W Amp Duo USB Wall Charger can save you money. In fact, you can buy two of these adapters for less than the price of a single Apple 29W USB-C Power Adapter.

But how do these third-party chargers really stack up to Apple’s own solution? Is it worth going-third party to save $25 or so? The answer, after many hours of testing, is yes. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for more details.
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My hands-on look at the Apple Watch Series 3 is still forthcoming, but I have to say that I’ve been extremely impressed by the potential and speed of this device. The Series 3 is, in my opinion, what the original Apple Watch aspired to be. The hardware has not only increased in efficiency and speed, but the connectivity — with LTE finally in tow — provides it with a measure of independence that seemed like science fiction just a few years ago.

The addition of watchOS 4, an operating system update that brings several fundamental changes and enhancements to the Apple Watch as a whole, is just icing on the cake. In this week’s Friday 5 we take a look at several apps that work great on the Apple Watch Series 3. One such app even works solely on LTE, independent of a paired iPhone or Wi-Fi.
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Apple Pay Cash, Apple’s upcoming person-to-person payment product that debuted at its WWDC developer conference this past June, is scheduled to be released in late October. This according to a footnote at the bottom of its Apple Watch Series 1 website.
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Earlier today, Apple released the first developer beta for iOS 11.1. Unlike the watchOS 4.1 beta for the Apple Watch, there aren’t any huge user-facing new features included in this release. However, there are quite a few subtle changes. Have a look at our hands-on video walkthrough for more details.
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