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.
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.
As you’ll see in my hands-on video, home key is a great way to access your home with your iPhone or Apple Watch via just a tap. Let’s take a closer look at what the Schlage Encode Plus and Apple’s home key technology have to offer!
Apple yesterday shipped the final public versions of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4. The releases include many iOS 15.4 changes and features, along with several noteworthy updates. Included is the ability to unlock your iPhone while wearing a mask, support for Universal Control on the iPad for those running the macOS 12.3 beta, brand new emoji, a new Apple Wallet widget, and tons more.
In this hands-on video walkthrough, we take a look at over 40 new iOS 15.4 changes and features. Be sure to subscribe to 9to5mac on YouTube for more hands-on videos.
Apple’s new Studio Display is unsurprisingly proving to be very popular among Apple faithful, as evident from the slipping shipment times that are pushing orders back to April.
The Studio Display is compatible with a large swath of Mac computers, dating back to the 2016 MacBook Pro, alongside a few USB-C-enabled iPads as well. But conspicuously missing is support for the previous-generation iPad Air and the latest iPad mini, both of which sport USB-C ports. Why the lack of support for these devices?
During its Peek Performance event, Apple took a lot of time discussing how much better its new Apple Silicon-powered Mac Studio performs compared to the Mac Pro, but that hasn’t stopped it from working with AMD to usher in new MPX modules.
The Mac Studio doesn’t ship with a Thunderbolt cable in the box, but the Studio Display does. Apple includes a 1-meter cable with its new $1599 5K display, which is significantly shorter than the sold-separately cable option.
In addition, Apple has an upcoming Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable that’s nearly 10 feet long. That cable, which is marked as coming soon, will retail for $159.00.
Today during its Peek Performance event, Apple took the wraps off new green iPhone 13 color updates for both the standard version and iPhone 13 Pro. The updates — green for iPhone 13, and alpine green for iPhone 13 Pro — follows last year’s mid-cycle release of the iPhone 12 in a special purple version.
Last minute rumors suggested that we’d see an iPhone 13 with a special green colorway during today’s event, and now that rumor has proved true. Learn more about the green iPhone 13 and alpine green iPhone 13 Pro inside.
Four years ago, when I received the original CalDigit TS3 Plus dock, I called it the best Thunderbolt dock available for Mac users. Since its release, many docks have come and gone, but the TS3 Plus remained one of my favorite Thunderbolt accessories.
Today Level Home Inc., the creators of HomeKit-compatible smart home products, is introducing the Level Keypad — a complimentary $79 accessory to the Level Bolt, and Level Lock – Touch. Level Keypad provides homeowners and guests with a phone-free way to gain access to a home using handy key codes.
As noted previously, Apple is taking steps to help keep users alerted about potential AirTags stalking, and to warn would-be bad actors about possible criminal misuse of the Find My Network. Watch our hands-on video for the details, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more.
I’m a big fan of the M1 Mac mini. Like all Apple Silicon-powered Macs, it’s notably faster, runs quieter, and stays cooler than its Intel-powered predecessor. Although I use the 16-inch MacBook Pro day-to-day, the M1 Mac mini remains a desktop staple for me.
But the M1 Mac, like all M1-powered machines, leaves room for improvement in important areas like storage, memory, and physical I/O. Watch my latest Back to the Mac episode as I explore the state of the Mac mini from both an Intel and Apple Silicon perspective. In it, I share my wishlist of features I’d like to see in the rumored Mac mini refresh and explore some of the advantages that the Intel Mac mini currently has over the version donning Apple Silicon. I’ll also take a look at how current Intel Mac mini owners can breathe new life into their existing machines.
The initial iOS 15.4 beta brought about several significant new changes and updates, and the next release featured smaller tweaks to the update. Developer beta 3, the third release of the iOS 15.4 beta, follows this trend. Watch our brief hands-on video as we have a look at the iOS 15.4 beta 3 changes and features, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5mac on Youtube for more videos.
If you’re a Mac user who owns multiple Macs and/or iPads, then Universal Control, a handy utility that makes it easy to control multiple Apple devices from a single keyboard and mouse/trackpad, can greatly benefit your workspace. It’s one of the rare utilities that can both simplify and supercharge your desktop. Watch our hands-on video as we go in depth and discuss Universal Control tips and tricks, requirements, best practices, glitches, and more.
Headlined by new Face ID improvements while wearing masks and Universal Control on iPadOS, iOS 15.4 beta 1 is a noteworthy update that will surely catch the interest of even casual iPhone users. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we explore some of the best iOS 15.4 beta 1 changes and features.
If you’re looking to step up the production value of your videos shot on iPhone, then boosting the sound quality is an easy way to do so. While no shortage of hardwired external microphones are available, a truly wireless microphone setup, like what we find with the late-2021-announced DJI Mic, provides much greater flexibility.
The $329 DJI Mic, which is now available, is a wireless microphone system based around two transmitters and a receiver. The receiver comes with a Lightning and USB-C attachment for iPhone and iPad connectivity, enabling wireless audio for these portable devices over a fairly long distance.
What separates the DJI Mic from popular competitors like Rode’s Wireless Go II, is that DJI includes a handy AirPods-esque charging case for recharging both transmitters and the receiver. This is not only convenient for charging, but also helps to keep up with all of the components in one place.
Thanks to its internal 8GB of storage, the transmitters can operate as a standalone recorder — just clip it on your collar and press the record button. But the DJI Mic also connects to mirrorless cameras, Android devices, iOS devices, and even functions as a wireless microphone for your Mac. Watch our DJI Mic hands-on video for the details.
As I explained in my latest episode of Back to the Mac, the M1 Mac mini is my main desktop computer, but where necessary, I also use a 16-inch MacBook Pro in clamshell mode. In either case, I’ve found the OWC Thunderbolt Hub to be a great addition to my setup.
When using the M1 Mac mini, the hub expands the amount of Thunderbolt connections, which is a huge improvement since M1 Macs sport just two physical ports. For my M1 Max MacBook Pro, it allows me to maintain a connection to all of my Thunderbolt peripherals, including the Pro Display XDR, with just a single cable connection. Watch my hands-on video for the details.
In this first episode of Back to the Mac for 2022, I explore my latest Mac desktop workspace setup. Although some things remain the same, I’ve made some significant changes to increase the versatility of my workspace.
The Keychron Q2, a brand-new fully customizable mechanical keyboard in a super-compact 65% layout, makes for a pretty sweet Mac desktop companion. Not only does it feature the ability to fully customize every key, but it comes with a tactile programable knob that can be configured to control various functions on your Mac. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for the details.
Rumors have suggested that Apple’s mini iPhone, which first came on the scene with 2020’s iPhone 12 mini, won’t be long for this world. Although Apple released the iPhone 13 mini last summer, it’s possible that its release is the last “mini” iPhone that we’ll see. That’s unfortunate, because as I discuss in this episode of The Rewind, the iPhone 13 mini is my favorite smartphone of all time.
In this hands-on tutorial, we showcase some of the basics of iPad multitasking and also discuss some of the more advanced iPad multitasking tips and tricks to get the most out of your device. Whether you just received a new iPad or you’re a longtime iPadOS user, it’s likely that you’ll learn something. Be sure to watch the full video for an in-depth look at how to master multitasking on iPadOS.
Yesterday Apple released another feature-filled update for iPhone and iPads in the form of iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2. In beta since the later part of October, iOS 15.2 comes bundled with numerous enhancements, headlined by features like App Privacy Report, which first came on the radar back at WWDC 2021.
In addition to App Privacy Report, there and many more changes and features to be found in iOS 15.2. Users can look forward to an updated Mail app with integrated Hide My Email, the implementation of Digital Legacy Contacts, Apple Music Voice Plan, and a whole lot more. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough of iOS 15.2 for the details.
I’ve been using the super-popular Keychron K2 (review) as my primary mechanical keyboard for the last few years, but I recently decided to give the higher-end Keychron Q1 a try. After using the Hong Kong-based company’s Q1 for a couple of weeks, it’s quickly become my keyboard of choice for day-to-day typing.
Not only is the build quality on this Keychron Q1 several orders of magnitude better than the K2 model, but Keychron also made sure that its higher-end keyboard was customizable from top to bottom. The keycaps, switches, and even the aluminum plate sandwiched inside the housing can be customized to your liking. Personalization doesn’t end on the hardware side, as the QMK-based VIA utility lets users modify individual keys, build macros, and manage shortcuts for areas like media control and RGB.
The Tula Mic is a portable USB microphone with dual capsules and a built-in standalone recorder. It features a collapsable stand, noise cancellation, and 8GB of storage for up to 12 hours of continuous recording. Most importantly, it sounds good. Watch our Tula Mic review as I discuss why it’s a good portable microphone option that’s ideal for mobile recording workflows with iPad or Mac.
I’ve been using Apple’s dramatically redesigned iPad mini for about two months now, and my biggest takeaway is that it’s a great device for reading and note taking. But as you’ll see in my iPad mini 6 extended-use review, it’s not without compromise.
Although the 2021 iPad mini isn’t without its flaws, its strengths – namely, portability and pound-for-pound capability – have made it an integral part of my workflow. Should you consider making it a part of your technology stack? Is it worth the $100 price increase over the outgoing model? Watch my hands-on video as I discuss the merits of Apple’s pint-sized tablet after some extended usage.
