Email: Chance@9to5mac.com
Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.
Yesterday
Panic reveals ‘Playdate’ handheld game system w/ a unique design, launching in 2020 for $149
Panic, the company behind a handful of popular developer applications and the hit indie game Firewatch, has announced its foray into hardware. The company today unveiled the Playdate, a handheld gaming device that’s barely bigger than the iPhone.
Over a year after the initial issue, Apple is still facing pushback over its decision to slow down older iPhones in conjunction with aging batteries. Today, a consumer watchdog group in the UK announced that Apple has agreed to notify customers if future iOS updates will affect an iPhone’s performance.
Independent developer Casey Liss has today released an incredibly useful new Contacts utility for iOS. Dubbed Vignette, the app allows you to easily update contact images in one batch. To find images, it scans various social networks and matches that information to your contacts.
Apple releases macOS 10.14.5 update to resolve MacBook Pro T2 security chip firmware issue
Following last week’s release of macOS 10.14.5, Apple today has released a supplemental update for certain MacBook Pro users. Apple says today’s update resolves certain issues with the T2 Security Chip.
May 21
David Sparks publishes helpful Field Guide for mastering Keyboard Maestro on Mac
Over the years, David Sparks has published a wide collection of “Field Guides” for various apps and platforms, including OmniFocus, Siri Shortcuts, and much more. Today, Sparks is out with his latest Field Guide, this time covering Keyboard Maestro.
Facebook is facing criticism from yet another one of its former executives. As detailed by CNBC, former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos questioned the amount of power Mark Zuckerberg has accumulated while speaking at the Collision Conference in Toronto.
Starting this week, transit users in the Portland-Vancouver region can now use iPhone and Apple Watch for transit rides. Customers can add their Hop transit cards to Apple Wallet, allowing them to ditch physical cards and tickets.
Apple has announced today that it is upgrading the MacBook Pro with faster 8th- and 9th-generation Intel Core processors. This revision marks the first time that the MacBook Pro has been available in an 8-core configuration. The new MacBook Pro models also feature a revised keyboard design.
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity today awarded Apple the title of 2019’s Creative Marketer of the Year. Despite having won other awards for its marketing efforts, this is the first time Apple has one the Creative Marketer of the Year prize.
May 20
Apple Pay continues its international expansion today, going live in Hungary and Luxembourg. This means that iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac users in those countries can now take full advantage of Apple’s mobile payment platform.
Last month, Apple overhauled the web interface for Apple Podcasts with a modern design and support for web playback. Today, Apple has made another slight change to the webpage, dropping the ‘Listen in iTunes’ branding.
One of the major Apple Pay holdouts in Australia is finally coming on board to support Apple’s mobile payments platform. National Australia Bank today announced that its customers can now add NAB cards to Apple Pay, becoming the third of the “big four” banks in Australia to do so.
While Instagram has largely mastered the Stories format of Snapchat, its IGTV platform hasn’t yet seen the same mainstream success. A new report today from TechCrunch highlights how Instagram is revamping IGTV to be much more like a Snapchat and TikTok hybrid.
Microsoft Outlook for iOS updated with revamped Apple Watch notifications
Earlier this month, Microsoft released a useful update to its Outlook app for iOS with new Apple Watch Series 4 complications. Now, the company is back with another Apple Watch-focused update, bringing redesigned notifications for calendar events, emails, and reminders.
The lighting experts at Lutron have announced a useful new accessory for Philips Hue smart light users — solving a common problem for Hue customers. Lutron has unveiled its new Aurora dimmer, designed to integrate with existing Philips Hue lights, with Lutron joining the “Friends of Hue” program.
May 19
This week, an image appeared on the HomeKit subreddit claiming to show a first-generation August Doorbell Cam within Apple’s Home app on iOS. In a statement to 9to5Mac, however, August has confirmed that its smart doorbell cameras still do not support HomeKit.
Tim Cook yesterday delivered a commencement address at Tulane University, and he followed up that speech by making an appearance at the Ellis Marsalis Music Center in New Orleans. Cook spent nearly two hours at the center, announcing that Apple is donating equipment for music production.
May 18
As announced back in February, Tim Cook today delivered the commencement address for Tulane University at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. During his speech, Cook told the story of his journey to Apple, talked about climate change, and encouraged the Tulane graduates to make a difference in the world
In this week’s top stories: New 2019 iPhone molds, iOS 12.3 and tvOS 12.3 release, a closer look at Apple Card, and more. Read on for all of this week’s biggest news.
While Apple, aside from some accessories, has escaped the effects of the ongoing trade tensions between the United States and China, customers in China are growing increasingly anti-Apple. A new report from BuzzFeed News explores an increase in the “Boycott Apple” in China.
