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Avatar for Bradley C

Bradley C

Bradley has worked at K-12 independent schools for much of the last 20 years, serving as the head of the information technology department and leading classroom technology integration. He’s well-versed in enterprise Wi-Fi, macOS and iOS system management, school technology, and SaaS tools.

Hands-on: How Apple’s new iPhone 12 MagSafe Battery Pack compares to Anker’s for on-the-go charging

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article where I called MagSafe the defining feature of the iPhone 12 line. Little did I know that Apple was about to release its own official MagSafe battery pack. So, of course, I bought it immediately because I wanted to see how it compared in day-to-day use with the Anker Magnetic Battery Pack. Let’s dive into my comparison of the Apple MagSafe Battery vs. Anker Magnetic Battery Pack.

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Apple @ Work: iPadOS 15 gives the iPad a brighter future in the workplace

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I’ve been using iPads in the workplace since the release of the very first one. I managed iPads when the iPhone Configuration Utility was the only way to set them up for schools and businesses. I’ve used every major version of Apple Configurator to deploy iPads. I am very aware of where the iPad falls apart as a daily driver and where it falls apart. After spending a long weekend with just an iPad running iPadOS 15, my hopes are renewed for the device and multitasking.

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HomeKit Weekly: Aqara launches HomeKit e-ink air quality monitor, new Apple Store partnership in Europe

Aqara TVOC Air Quality Monitor

Aqara has been a great option for people starting out with HomeKit, as their starter kits provide a low-cost way to add a number of HomeKit-compatible products all at once. Once you add a hub, you can add start adding water sensors, motions sensors, etc. Today, Aqara is unveiling a brand-new TVOC Air Quality Monitor with an e-ink design.

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Apple @ Work: Prevent employees from upgrading to the iOS 15 and macOS Monterey public betas through your MDM

macOS Monterey Apple Silicon Mac

Apple’s public betas for iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey have been available for the past few weeks. While there is a lot of excitement around them for business and personal reasons alike, there is also a lot to consider for IT departments when employees want to upgrade before they’ve had time to verify and rectify any compatibility issues. So let’s look at how IT departments can limit employees upgrading to the beta versions of Apple’s next-generation operations system.

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HomeKit Weekly: Meross smart LED light strips can brighten up any space on a budget

Meross LED lightstrip

Meross has become one of the top Homekit manufacturers due to its expanding product portfolio and affordable price points. I’ve got a number of their previous products in my house including its smart strip, table lamp, outdoor plug, and dual smart plug. This week, I am looking at the new HomeKit compatible Meross LED light strips.

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Comment: It’s 2021, and Apple Podcasts still can’t stay in sync across devices

Apple Podcasts

Apple has long been the dominant player in the podcast market. However, while Apple Podcasts has evolved quite a bit since the “tape player” 1.0 version, it’s not perfect. Today, I want to look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of Apple Podcasts with a particular focus on how the app still struggles to sync across multiple devices.

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Comment: After nearly a year of use, MagSafe is the defining feature of the iPhone 12

In recent years, there have been two “takes” I’ve made on a quick judgment. They were that the AirPods wouldn’t be a product hit and that MagSafe was a solution in search of a problem. I couldn’t have been more wrong on both of them. AirPods have gone to become a massive hit, and MagSafe has become the key feature that I think we will remember from the iPhone 12 release cycle. Let’s dive into what has made MagSafe the future of charging for Apple devices.

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Apple @ Work: Streamline remote support with the free SupportApp from Root3

SupportApp

macOS is a fantastic operating system for remote workers. It’s easy to maintain, very secure, and easy to use. There are times when things go wrong, though. When calling into your company’s IT department, getting them the information they need to diagnose the problem is crucial. I recently came across an app that needs to become a standard for macOS in every enterprise called SupportApp.

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Spike adds video and audio calls to its macOS and iOS email apps

There’s been a lot of focus on email apps in recent years. Even with the rise of chat services like Slack and Teams, apps like Spike, Hey, and Big Mail have shown that there is a lot of life left in email. Spike is an app that focuses on turning email messages into chats by removing intros, salutations, and signatures so it looks and feels like iMessages or WhatsApp. Today, Spike is adding video and audio calls to its app so users can have meetings without using Zoom or Hangouts.

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Controller for iOS supercharges your HomeKit experience, now with new backup features, code storage, more

Controller for HomeKit

Controller for HomeKit is an app we’ve written about previously on 9to5Mac, and it’s become a popular third-party tool for enhancing your HomeKit experience. Today, Controller for HomeKit 5.4 adds a number of new tools to make it even better and more useful for taking your HomeKit database to the next level. Read on to see what’s new.

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Apple @ Work: Camo uses your iPhone to transform your Mac’s low-quality webcam

Camo for Mac

One of the most glaring faults of Apple’s laptop line is the built-in webcams. Apple looks to finally be moving to 1080 with the newest iMac and its FaceTime HD camera, but that doesn’t help anyone with a current Mac. We’ve all spent way too much time over the past 14 months in Zoom meetings, so in hindsight, it would have been great to see Apple upgrade the built-in FaceTime cameras years ago, but they didn’t. In its absence, many people have taken to upgrading to an external option like the Logitech StreamCam and Papalook PA930. What if there was another option that you likely already own? Let’s look at Camo, an app to use your iPhone as your Mac webcam.

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HomeKit Weekly: HomeKit Secure Router with eero 6 Pro — is it worth the upgrade?

Eero Pro 6

HomeKit Secure Routers have had an interesting lifespan. The technology was first introduced at WWDC in 2019, but it was another year before any manufacturers started rolling out support. Even into 2021, there are still just a handful of Wi-Fi solutions that support HomeKit Secure Routers. One of the most recent additions is eero Pro 6 and eero 6. I recently decided I was ready to implement HomeKit Secure Router, so I purchased the Pro edition and went to work upgrading my network.

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Claris 19.3

Apple subsidiary Claris adds Apple Silicon support, Microsoft Edge integration, and significant server enhancements to FileMaker

FileMaker has had an amazing history seeing its first release back in April of 1985. Apple formed Claris in the late 1980s, and it eventually purchased the company that owned FileMaker. Today, FileMaker continues its history of strong releases with FileMaker 19.3 with Apple Silicon support, Microsoft Edge integration, and significant server enhancements.

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Apple publishes new user guide detailing how sideloading and third-party app stores would undermine iPhone security

App Store

Apple has just published a new user guide that details what life would be like for iOS users if Apple were forced to allow the sideloading of third-party apps. The report, which was published this morning, is called Building a Trusted Ecosystem for Millions of Apps and describes Apple’s view on the importance of having a curated and managed App Store be the only way that iOS devices can download new apps.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: VMware Workspace ONE streamlines macOS management in multi-platform organizations

Apple At Work

In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Naveen Pitchandi from VMware to talk about the latest trends in macOS management in larger organizations.

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