Jeff Benjamin

Apple’s new A15 Bionic chip found inside of the iPhone 13 Pro includes new video encoders and decoders. These major hardware updates make it possible for the iPhone to support capturing ProRes video for the very first time.

When Apple announced iCloud+ at WWDC 2021, it revealed that paid iCloud tiers would receive additional perks such as support for Private Relay, and Hide My Email. Another perk included with iCloud+ is the ability to set up an iCloud Mail custom email domain.

The new custom email feature, which is currently in beta, has been something that iCloud Mail users like myself have been wanting for years. In this hands-on walkthrough, I show you how to set it up.

Alongside new betas for macOS, watchOS, etc., Apple today released the latest developer betas for the iPhone and iPad in iOS and iPadOS 15 beta 4. The fourth developer beta includes quite a few new Safari tweaks, full support for Apple’s recently launched MagSafe Battery Pack, and several additional changes. Watch our hands-on iOS 15 beta 4 changes and features video for the latest details, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5mac on YouTube for more videos like this.

iOS 14.7.1 was released earlier today, and it’s important that everyone with eligible iPhones and iPads update due to the update’s contents. As noted in our initial post, iOS 14.7.1 includes an important security fix and is recommended for all users. The update also includes something that will be of particular interest to Apple Watch users paired to Touch ID-enabled iPhones. Watch our hands-on video as we take a look at the latest iOS 14.7.1 changes and features.

Now that the macOS 12 Monterey public beta is available, it’s a good time to consider whether or not you’ll make the jump to Apple’s latest beta update for Mac. Although I definitely don’t recommend running Monterey on a production machine used for work, you can install Monterey on a spare machine or a separate APFS volume. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as I step through over 100 macOS Monterey changes and features.

Telestream’s ScreenFlow, the highly capable screen capture app for Mac, was just updated to version 10. Over the years, ScreenFlow has grown into a powerful video capture, composition, and editing suite, and ScreenFlow 10 continues on this path. The update includes new lower thirds title options, multiple simultaneous recording streams, multi-app recording, automatic background remover, and big performance improvements, among other enhancements.

The initial iOS 15 developer beta has been available for two weeks, and I have a lot to share after some extended hands-on time with this massive release. iPhone users are in for a treat thanks to such features as tag support for the Notes app, Focus modes with customizable Home screens, and major updates to Accessibility. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we explore more than 300 of the top iOS 15 features, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for lots of additional iOS 15 coverage in the coming days and weeks.

The 2021 iPad Pro models have arrived, and while they aren’t a huge departure from their predecessors, they include several compelling new features that largely appeal to pro users. In this iPad Pro (2021) review, we’ll discuss how these new tablets are driven by the same M1 chip that powers today’s Macs, affording greater performance than the A12Z chips found in last year’s 2020 iPad Pro models.

VanMoof first came on my radar when Apple announced the first few products that were compatible with the Find My network. Of course, this announcement came a few weeks prior to Apple unveiling its long-awaited AirTag tracker, which also utilizes the Find My network. The VanMoof S3 and X3 joined the likes of Belkin’s SOUNDFORM Freedom True Wireless Earbuds and the Chipolo ONE Spot item finder as the first third-party with built-in Find My integration.

And while I was initially most excited to learn how Find My would work with a bike, the VanMoof S3, with its sleek black exterior, simple lines, and uber-clean weld seams, had me wanting one to call my own. Watch my hands-on video as I take the VanMoof S3 for a ride around the block, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5mac on YouTube for more.

As documented in its release notes, iOS 14.6 includes support for Apple Card Family and Podcasts subscriptions, two service enhancements that will go live once the release goes public. But iOS 14.6 includes several other noteworthy updates, including our first look at updated Music settings for the just-announced Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio and high-quality Lossless audio for Apple Music. The release also gives us our first look at the upcoming Beats Studio Buds, among other things. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we consider what’s new in iOS 14.6 RC.

Yesterday Apple released iOS 14.6 beta 3 to developers and public beta testers, and although there aren’t a ton of new features, there are several interesting points of note surrounding this release. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for a rundown of what’s new in iOS 14.6 beta 3, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more hands-on videos.

Last week Apple officially released its new purple colorway for the iPhone 12, and while nothing has changed internally about the device, it presents an ideal opportunity to revisit Apple’s current baseline iPhone while exploring an interesting new color.

If you’re an older iPhone user, should you consider upgrading to the iPhone 12 mid-cycle? Watch our purple iPhone 12 edition of The Rewind for more details, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videos.

Although M1 Macs lack support for traditional Boot Camp x86 Windows installations, it’s super-easy to install Windows for ARM on your M1 Mac. Parallels recently released Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac, and with it comes out-of-the-box support for M1 Macs.

Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for step-by-step instructions for installing Windows 10 for ARM on your M1 MacBook, Mac mini, or iMac, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple-centric guides and tutorials.

Yesterday Apple released the final version of iOS iOS 14.5 to the public. If you’ve been following 9to5Mac‘s beta coverage for the past few months, you know that iOS 14.5 is a huge release that’s jam-packed with lots of new features and changes. Be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videos, and watch our hands-on video as we discuss what’s new in our iOS 14.5 walkthrough.

New M1 iMacs will ship with a new screen saver in macOS 11.3 RC entitled Hello, a not-so-subtle homage to the original Macintosh, and to the original iMac. The new Hello screen saver is available in macOS 11.3 RC, and can run on any M1 Mac (or Intel Mac) with a little bit of finessing. Watch our hands-on video for more details.

macOS 11 Big Sur was a major update that not only brought tons of under-the-hood changes to the Mac, but also introduced the most obvious layer of iOS-ification that we’ve seen on the Mac thus far. How does macOS Big Sur hold up over the long term? Watch our hands-on macOS Big Sur features rewind review for the details, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Mac-centric coverage.

With iOS 15 quickly approaching, I wanted to take some time to revisit my favorite iOS 14 features and examine how they’ve held up over time. Are there obvious areas for improvement? Watch our iOS 14 rewind review, as we take another look at the software that drives the iPhone, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more coverage.

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.