Jeff Benjamin

The sixth developer beta for iOS 14.5 went live earlier today, and it comes bundled with noteworthy features: two brand-new realistic-sounding American Siri voices, and an updated battery tool for iPhone 11 users. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for the details, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more video content.

I’ve been using the Satechi Slim X1 Bluetooth keyboard full-time for the last three weeks, and it’s proven to be a solid companion for both my Macs and iPads. Should you consider purchasing it? Watch our hands-on Satechi Slim X1 review for the details, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more video reviews.

The Kensington StudioDock is a unique dock accessory for the iPad Pro (2018 and 2020 models) and the iPad Air (2020). It’s geared toward quickly providing users with a vast array of I/O options, while giving the iPad a more desktop-friendly form factor.

Starting at $379, the Kensington StudioDock is far from cheap, but it gets lots of points in my book for being willing to do something unique, and for providing a genuinely useful desktop setup for dedicated iPad users. Watch our hands-on video for the full unboxing, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videos.

It’s a big moment for 3D graphic artists who prefer Macs, as OTOY’s Octane X has publicly launched natively on the Mac, bringing unbiased rendering to all Macs that are capable of running macOS Big Sur. Octane X features full pixel parity with OctaneRender 2020, and later, bringing state of the art cinematic rendering natively to macOS for the very first time.

If you just got a new Mac or reinstalled macOS, these 30+ Mac tips for new setups can help increase productivity and better your workflow. Watch our detailed hands-on video walkthrough as we demonstrate and explain each of my favorite Mac tips step-by-step, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videos.

Apple released the third iOS 14.5 beta to developers Tuesday afternoon, and although the release didn’t go as smoothly as normal, all ended up well. This latest beta sees the return of the default music player requests via Siri that was available in the initial iOS 14.5 beta release, but was unavailable in beta 2.

The release also brings about a new Find My Splash Screen, the Item tab in the Find My app to track third-party accessories and Apple’s upcoming AirTags, Item Safety Alerts functionality, and more. Watch our iOS 14.5 beta 3 changes and features video walkthrough for the details, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5mac on YouTube for more videos.

In this look back at the M1 Mac mini, I discuss my experiences with Apple’s most affordable M1-enabled Mac. Is Apple’s compact desktop computer worth it? Watch my M1 Mac mini diary for more details.

Yesterday Apple released the second developer beta of macOS 11.3, and today it followed up with 11.3 public beta 2. As we step through the latest macOS 11.3 beta 2 changes and features, we showcase what’s new. Be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more video walkthroughs.

Yesterday, Apple released the second developer beta for iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5. Like the initial beta, this update comes with lots of new additions, including new emoji and several notable Music app updates. In this video, we go hands-on with new iOS 14.5 beta 2 changes and features. Be sure to subscribe to 9to5mac on YouTube for more videos.

In this latest edition of What’s on my iPhone, I take a look at some of the apps that I use on a regular basis. Some of these apps have been around for years, while others are relatively new to the first page of my iPhone’s home screen. Inside you’ll find details on my favorite Reddit client, my go-to app for securing cryptocurrency, an app that helps put the kibosh on annoying robocallers, and more. Watch our hands-on What’s on My iPhone episode, and subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videos like this.

Yesterday Apple released a huge new macOS Big Sur 11.3 developer beta to Mac users. The update brings some long-awaited new features to the table, such as the ability to set a HomePod stereo pair as the global default sound output option. In addition, the beta adds changes already implemented in the earlier release of iOS 14.5 beta for iOS devices, such as a new Made For You section in the Music app, and updates to sorting options in the Reminders app. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we showcase macOS 11.3 beta 1 changes and features.

Yesterday Apple released iOS 14.5 beta 1 to developers, and as you’ve no doubt heard, it’s quite the update. Headlined by the ability to unlock your iPhone with Apple Watch while wearing a face mask, iOS 14.5 beta 1 brings forth a number of practical improvements and overall enhancements to iPhone. Watch our hands-on commentary as we discuss the top iOS 14.5 beta 1 changes and features.

Today, third-party Apple hardware maker OWC announced the acquisition of LumaForge, best known for its Jellyfish lineup of shared storage solutions primarily aimed at video content houses. Notably, LumaForge will continue as a company, with team intact, as it seeks to further expand its hardware and software solutions.

As we noted in our previous hands-on looks at iOS 14.3, Apple has brought back the Set Wallpaper action to the Shortcuts app. With this handy action, users are able to create dynamic wallpaper that can be triggered using automations, such as when connecting an iPhone to power, or at certain times of the day. In addition, this tutorial shows you how to (temporarily) disable the annoying Shortcuts banner notification for that uber-clean look.

I recently went hands-on with the Level Touch smart lock, which is Level Home Inc.’s most recent foray into the connected home space. Level, whose newest smart lock is for sale in the Apple Store, and whose design team includes former Apple employees, prides itself on providing smart technology in an elegant and inconspicuous package. In fact, unless someone specifically told you, you might not even know that the Level Touch is a smart lock. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for the details.

Despite the unique circumstances presented by being in the midst of a global pandemic, Apple had one of its busiest, and arguably most productive years in recent memory. In this hands-on video, I take a look back at my favorite Apple hardware releases of 2020.

Parallels recently released a technical preview of Parallels 16 that’s compatible with M1 Macs, and it works surprisingly well. The Apple Silicon version of Parallels is specifically designed for ARM-based operating systems, so it won’t work with the x86 version of Windows 10, but instead requires the ARM version of Windows. In this video tutorial, we show you how to run Windows for ARM on M1 Macs using Parallels.

Apple Watch hardware has improved at a steady clip over the years, but the software has also received marked improvements with each new iteration of watchOS. The latest version, watchOS 7, brings big improvements in three key new areas: new watch faces features, fleshed-out fitness enhancements, and the Sleep app. After using watchOS 7 daily for the past few months, and with the recent launch of Apple Fitness+ capping off the release, here’s my final recap review of watchOS 7.

The initial iOS 14.4 beta includes a new feature that was first demonstrated during Apple’s iPhone 12 event. The new feature specifically relates to the HomePod mini and its U1 Ultra Wideband chip that allows for spatial awareness. An iPhone equipped with the U1 chip can interact with Apple’s diminutive smart speaker in new ways on iOS 14.4. Watch our hands-on walkthrough as we explore the updated Handoff experience and other iOS 14.4 beta changes and features.