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Jeff Benjamin

Jeff Benjamin

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!

Connect with Jeff Benjamin

KGI: Dual-lens camera to remain exclusive to high-end new iPhone models in 2017, small upgrades expected

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optical-zoom-iphone-7-plus

KGI Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, citing investor reaction to Apple’s new dual camera feature, is predicting that the module will remain exclusive to high-end iPhone models for next year’s anniversary release. Further, he expects high end iPhone Plus models to represent 30-40% of the total iPhone sales.

The investor note, which makes reference to a general belief that all the new iPhone models will come with a dual-camera module in 2017 as a trickle-down effect, places doubt on the possibility of the dual camera being adopted in non-Plus iPhones.


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Comment: The iPhone 7 Plus camera system has an impressive shallow depth of field effect, but it comes with limits

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If you’re looking forward to utilizing the upcoming depth of field effect on the iPhone 7 Plus, you should be aware of its potential limitations. Although it appears to be a great tool to have in the bag, it’s not going to have your DSLR collecting dust, depending on the type of photographer you are.
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How-To: Create animated charts for Final Cut Pro X using Keynote [Video]

Keynote charts in FCP X

In our recent video about the upcoming dual camera feature on the new iPhone 7 Plus, we featured an animated graph charting iPhone camera improvements over the years. Instead of relying on Motion or a third party plugin to pull off the animation in Final Cut Pro X, we tapped into Keynote instead.

While it’s true that Keynote is primarily a presentation app in the same vein as Microsoft’s PowerPoint, it can also work as a handy Final Cut Pro X companion for producing quick animated graphs and charts. Watch our video walkthrough to see how it’s done.
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Comment: There isn’t much of a difference (yet) between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus

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iPhone 7 Jet Black

The iPhone 7 was pretty much everything we expected it to be. It has no headphone jack, it has a much-improved camera, and it features a solid state home button.

It also comes in two new colors, a matte Black color and a glossy Jet Black color, along with a 32 GB base SKU. So which iPhone am I considering? The decision isn’t as straightforward as I initially thought it might be.
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Apple updates App Store review guidelines for auto-renewable subscriptions, SiriKit, and iMessage apps

App Store

Apple today posted an update to its App Store review guidelines document for developers. The updated information pertains directly to App Store subscriptions, SiriKit, and iMessage apps including Sticker Packs.

Previously, clarification about what developers could and could not do with regard to the new subscription enhancements announced just prior to WWDC 2016 was a bit ambiguous, but with today’s document update, guidelines become a lot more black and white.
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Instagram 9.2 update brings pinch-to-zoom to photos and videos, better low light performance for Stories

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Instagram Stories Low Light

On the heels of its recent Stories update, Facebook-owned Instagram has added low light improvements for photos and videos captured within the Stories interface. But even more notable is the fact that you can now use pinch-to-zoom on photos and videos in the feed, on profiles, and in the Explore tab.
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Comment: iPhone killed the point-and-shoot, now the iPhone 7 is coming after DSLRs

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One of the many iPhone 7 Plus renders (Jermaine Smit)

The new iPhones might look strikingly similar to outgoing models, but just because the casing looks familiar doesn’t mean that it should be dismissed as more of the same. Why? Because at least one of the new iPhone 7 models will likely feature major camera improvements that make the iPhone much more competitive with standalone shooters.

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Apple’s macOS Sierra beta hints at faster 10 Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 for upcoming Macs

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Minix Neo C USB-C MacBook Adapter loose cable

Apple has supported USB 3.1 since 2015’s single-port MacBook release, but both it and the updated 2016 model feature the Gen 1 flavor of USB 3.1. Despite its name, USB 3.1 Gen 1 is basically rebranded USB 3.0, also known as SuperSpeed USB. That means that like USB 3.0, transfer speeds max out at 5 Gbps.

With the upcoming release of macOS Sierra, however, there are strong indications that rumored new Mac hardware will support faster USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds.
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New ‘AnsweringMachine’ Cydia release adds enhanced voicemail to iOS [Video]

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AnsweringMachine YouTube

As someone who used to be heavily into jailbreaking, I’ve seen quite a few interesting and noteworthy tweaks come across my desk over the years.

Needless to say, after seven or eight years of jailbreaking, it takes a lot to impress me, but that’s exactly what developer Elias Limneos was able to do. In fact, his new tweak, entitled AnsweringMachine, looked so intriguing that it convinced me to jailbreak my iPhone just to take it for a test drive.

One feature of the tweak allows users to receive transcribed voicemails, similar to the Voicemail transcription feature in iOS 10. Have a look at our hands-on video to see it in action.
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Hands-on: Uplift adjustable-height standing desk features real wood desktop options [Video]

Uplift Desk 3

When the folks over at The Human Solution saw my prior standing desk and standing desk treadmill review, they asked me if I’d like to take one of their Uplift adjustable-height desks for a spin. Since I was already in the midst of researching a new dedicated unboxing/review desk for videos, I agreed to take a look. Have a look at our hands-on build video for the details.


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Review: The Raumfeld One M is a wireless streaming speaker with incredible sound [Video]

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Raumfeld One M Speaker

When it comes to multi-room audio solutions, Sonos is about as ubiquitous as it gets, but German audio manufacturer Raumfeld is looking to get into the action with its own set of wireless speakers.

Its 120-watt One M Wireless Speaker (Amazon) has been sitting on my desk for the last few weeks, and like Sonos, it brings easy-to-configure wireless audio streaming to any room in the house. Raumfeld sent me two speaker setups to test, the aforementioned single speaker One M, and the Stereo Cubes — an option that delivers a wider sound stage.

I’m still putting the Stereo Cubes to the test, but have used the One M for long enough that I feel comfortable speaking about its pluses and minuses. If you subscribe to one of the unit’s supported streaming services, and are aware of its shortcomings, then the One M can be an excellent pick.
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How-To: Add Snapchat snaps to Instagram Stories [Video]

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Snapchat snaps on Instagram

As brought out in our recent walkthrough video, Snapchat Stories and Instagram Stories share a lot of similar features. Yet, there are a few differences between the two social services when it comes to posting ephemeral story content.

Snapchat, for example, features the ability to use stickers and lenses, while Instagram Stories is a little more basic in its offerings. But did you know that it’s fairly easy to upload snaps created in Snapchat directly to Instagram? In the following video tutorial, we’ll show you how.
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Om Malik on Apple’s upcoming Planet of the Apps: ‘Apple should be building better products, not stupid TV shows around those products”

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Om Malik

On a recent episode of TWiT’s This Week in Tech, GigaOM founder, Om Malik, had some harsh words for Apple’s upcoming Planet of the Apps reality TV show, attributing it to what he sees as disturbing lack of focus for the Cupertino-based company. Malik didn’t mince words when it came to discussing Apple’s perceived lack of focus, its Hollywood connections, and entertainment aspirations.

“You were asking me what is the problem with Apple? Not the lightning port — this kind of stupidity of building a TV show around apps. It’s like, what? Somebody needs to make friends in Hollywood and so we should do a show like this? This is just such nonsense. They should be building better products and not stupid TV shows around those products.
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Review: Razer Mechanical Keyboard Case for 12.9″ iPad Pro – a great typing experience with a few compromises [Video]

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Razer Keyboard Case for iPad Pro

When Razer first announced its Mechanical Keyboard Case for the 12.9″ iPad Pro, I had mixed feelings about the idea. On one hand, the thought of using a true mechanical keyboard with decent key travel, real actuation, and reset points sounded glorious. On the other hand, just how good could a mechanical keyboard case for an iPad possibly be? 
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