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Bradley C

Bradley C

Bradley started his career in telecommunications, working for the original IP TV provider in the US, and also was part of their fiber-to-the-home rollout. From 2009-2021, Bradley worked for a private school, running the information technology department and technology integration in the classroom. He manages a network of 15 switches, 100+ access points, hundreds of Macs and iPads, and multiple phone systems across four separate campuses across the city. He’s well-versed in enterprise Wi-Fi, macOS and iOS system management, school technology, and SaaS tools. Currently, he works at Cribl, where he runs content marketing, helping companies understand how to manage observability data best. At 9to5Mac, Bradley covers HomeKit technology, enterprise software, enterprise hardware, and how Apple fits into the enterprise environment.

If you have any tips, feedback, corrections, or questions, they can be sent to Bradley@9to5mac.com.

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Apple @ Work: Meeting Owl 5 Pro brings 360-degree video and single-cable connectivity to the boardroom

Meeting Owl Pro 5

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

If you have walked into a conference room with a MacBook Air in the last five years, you know the struggle. You look for the cable, realize it does not fit your laptop because it’s HDMI, hunt for a USB-C dongle, find one that is broken or doesn’t do the handshake right, and eventually just join the Zoom call from your laptop screen. Owl Labs has been a staple in small conference rooms for a while with their 360-degree cameras. I really saw them take off during COVID and remote work. They look unique, but they solved the camera angle problem of getting everyone on the screen. Recently, they announced the Meeting Owl 5 Pro. While the camera specs are improved, the real upgrade story for Mac users is the connectivity that this new model brings.

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HomeKit Weekly: This Matter smart bulb brings lighting control to Apple Home for under $10

I have been a Philips Hue user for a number of years. They are rock solid, but they aren’t cheap. Recently, one of the bulbs in my hallway finally gave up the ghost. Instead of dropping $45 on a replacement, I decided to look at what the “Matter era” has brought to the table in terms of Wi-Fi only bulbs. I found a Matter-native option that costs less than $10 per bulb. It connects directly over Wi-Fi, requires no hub outside of a HomePod/Apple TV, and works with Apple Home right out of the box.

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Backed by Apple, Aliro 1.0 aims to do for enterprise access control what Matter did for the smart home

Aliro

Enterprise access control is what I would consider “legacy” technology. A lot of the systems are Windows-based and look like a fancy Access database. On top of that, you are still dealing with physical cards. It is a fragmented mess for users and an onboarding nightmare for IT departments as well. Today, the Connectivity Standards Alliance is stepping in to fix that with the official release of the Aliro 1.0 specification aiming to create a standard for how mobile devices unlock doors, badge in, etc.

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HomeKit Weekly: Hands on with Level Lock Pro and why it sets a new standard for HomeKit and Matter smart locks

Level Lock Pro


Level has been building smart locks that feel like they were made for Apple users since the very beginning, and the new Level Lock Pro (affiliate link) might be its most exciting upgrade yet. I have been testing it ahead of my full hands-on review, and it is clear that this is the direction smart locks need to go. Home key support is still the gold standard for Apple users, and Matter over Thread brings the speed and reliability that make it work extremely well with your daily schedule. The only thing it’s missing is UWB support.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: The rise of the autonomous AI SOC

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

In this episode of Apple @ Work, Monzy Merza from Crogl joins the show to talk about how AI is going to evolve the work that security analysts do.

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MagSafe Monday: TopMade Wallet review – Find My and massive storage

Find My is quietly one of the best things Apple has done in the last decade. It started with tracking your iPhone, expanded to the Mac and iPad, and eventually covered physical items with AirTags. Now that third-party accessories are adopting the standard, it is becoming a true platform that I think is highly underrated. The TopMade MagSafe Wallet integrates this technology directly with Find My. It removes the need for a separate AirTag bump while keeping your wallet trackable within the native Apple ecosystem.

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Apple @ Work: How the iPhone forced the entire printing industry to adopt AirPrint

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

If you worked in IT during the 2000s and the early 2010s, you know that printer driver management was the absolute worst part of the job and was a huge part of OS X upgrades. Manufacturers delayed support for the new OS X for months, and it was generally just an absolute nightmare. Then the iPhone and iPad arrived and changed everything… slowly.

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HomeKit Weekly: UWB is the secret weapon inside Aqara’s new U400 smart lock

Aqara Smart Lock U400 launches with Apple Wallet support for fully automatic unlocking | Image shows the lock detecting an Apple Watch as a woman approaches her home

I have tested dozens of smart locks over the years for HomeKit Weekly, from the August lock to the latest Level Lock Pro. They all solved the problem of having to fish your keys out, but they never quite solved the problem of “my hands are full.” Even with Home Key, you’d still have to either get your Apple Watch to your lock or pull out your iPhone. Yes, plenty of locks offer various flavors of auto-unlock, but none are perfect and work 100% of the time. That is the problem Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology aims to solve. This week, I am taking a deep look at the Aqara UWB Smart Lock U400.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: SaaS sprawl is a real problem for Apple IT admins

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

In this episode of Apple @ Work, I am joined by Justin Etkins from Tropic to talk about SaaS sprawl and how Apple IT admins should be thinking about it in the AI era.

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Apple @ Work: DDM OS Reminder 2.0 fixes the biggest flaw in Declarative Device Management software updates

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

Declarative Device Management is no longer the future of Apple device management for IT teams, it’s the present. There is no debate there. It moves the logic from the server to the device, making things faster, more autonomous, and more reliable. One of the best uses of DDM is managing software updates. You set a deadline, and the device enforces it. Coming from the legacy technology, DDM for software updates was a huge upgrade that really solved some major pain points.

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HomeKit Weekly: The Onvis CS2 turns a simple door sensor into multiple use cases for Apple Home

Onvis CS2

When automating your smart home, much of the attention centers on cameras and lights, but I believe HomeKit door sensors are arguably among the most critical devices to add to your setup. I’ve written about Onvis before, but the Smart Security Alarm Contact Sensor (CS2) takes the concept of a simple door sensor and turns it into a lot more. It supports Thread, but the really cool add-on here is a 120dB siren built right into the sensor. Let’s take a look at the Onvis CS2.

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JumpCloud launches venture arm to fund the next generation of IT and security startups

JumpCloud is expanding its footprint in the enterprise security landscape, but this time, it’s not with a new software feature. The company today announced the launch of JumpCloud Ventures, a new investment arm designed to support early-stage companies building solutions in identity, security, AI, and IT productivity. Along with the launch of the fund, JumpCloud has announced its first strategic investment in Tofu, a startup focused on combating identity fraud during the hiring process.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: Zero Trust is really a little trust

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

In this episode of Apple @ Work, Avery Pennarun joins the show to discuss zero trust in the age of AI, building for technologies that don’t yet exist, and more.

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MagSafe Monday: This battery can power everything from your iPhone to your Macbook Air

CUKTECH 15 Air Power Bank

Battery technology has somewhat finally caught up with our devices and mobility. For a long time, if you wanted enough power to charge a MacBook Air or fast charge an iPhone, you had to carry a really heavy brick. You accepted the bulk because we needed the power. The CUKTECH 15 Air aims to solve that problem. It offers 65-watt charging speeds and a surprisingly slim design, making it a perfect companion for your mobile office.

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Apple @ Work: Platform SSO is the single most important technology Apple has introduced for the enterprise

Platform SSO

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage and protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

For the last fifteen years, Mac admins have been chasing a ghost: the “Single Glass Pane” of identity. We spent years trying to bind Macs to Active Directory, only to realize it was a nightmare to manage. Then we moved to other tools to sync local passwords with the cloud. These were great tools, but they were band-aids. They were third-party software trying to connect two different worlds (local and cloud).

With Platform SSO, Apple has built that glue directly into the foundation of macOS. I will go on record: this is the most critical enterprise technology Apple has shipped since the foundation of device management. It marked the moment where the Mac became a direct extension of your cloud identity.

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HomeKit Weekly: Check in on the abode alarm system with Apple Home support

abode iota

Since early 2020, I’ve used abode as my primary security system and have done so across two separate homes. It is now 2026, and in the world of smart home tech, six years is usually an eternity. I continue to get emails asking if I am still using it, or if I’ve jumped ship to some thing. I wanted to take an opportunity to update my review for 2026, discuss how the hardware has held up, and frankly, warn you about which hub you should buy for HomeKit.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: The reality of macOS malware in the enterprise

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

In this episode of Apple @ Work, Jaron Bradley from Jamf joins the show to talk about macOS malware and what IT teams need to know in 2026.

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MagSafe Monday: LISEN’s new desk charger brings 25-watt MagSafe charging with a built-in cooling fan

One of the most significant limitations of MagSafe charging is heat management. As induction coils transfer energy, they generate waste heat, which causes your iPhone to throttle its charging speeds if it gets too hot to protect the battery. You especially see this in the outdoors during the summer. LISEN is attempting to fix the normal thermal bottleneck with its new 3-in-1 MagSafe station. By adding an active cooling fan and the Qi2.2, LISEN claims it can sustain 25-watt charging speeds that really does wired charging. This is my current daily driver on my desk, and I really like it thus far.

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Apple @ Work: Apple’s bet on local AI was right, but our management tools will need to evolve

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

For the last decade, the technology industry has been obsessed with the cloud. The assumption was that the future of AI will also rely on massive data centers, infinite GPUs, and an always-on internet connection. Apple, however, took a different path. With Apple Silicon, they bet that the most important processing would happen locally on the Neural Engine. I believe Apple made an incredibly important decision.

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HomeKit Weekly: SwitchBot Candle Warmer Lamp brings safe scents to Apple Home

Switchbot Candle Warmer

I love the smell of candles, but I hate the anxiety that comes with an open flame. There have been multiple times I’ve had to turn around after leaving to double-check that I’ve blown out a candle. That is why the SwitchBot Candle Warmer Lamp caught my eye. It promises all the ambiance and smells of a candle with zero risk of burning the house down. Best of all, it supports Matter right out of the box, making it a native citizen in your HomeKit/Apple Home environment.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: Vendor collaboration will be required in the AI era

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

In this episode of Apple @ Work, we finish up our 2-part series about AI and networking with Aruna Ravichandran, SVP & CMO – Collaboration, Enterprise Networking, at Cisco

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MagSafe Monday: Hands-on with the Defencase MagSafe wallet

Defencase MagSafe

Since Apple first introduced MagSafe, the accessory market has flooded with wallets that typically follow a very specific form factor. Most are sleeves designed to hold two or three cards at most. They rarely resemble the classic wallets many people have carried for decades. The Defencase MagSafe wallet attempts to bridge this gap by offering a design that leans closer to a traditional aesthetic.

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