Looking for the most versatile stand option for your iPhone or other device? Spigen’s new $10 Universal Metal Kickstand gives you a super-solid, always-there stand that will let you prop up your phone for a perfect viewing angle wherever you are.
We would like to thank Digiarty, makers of the new MacX MediaTrans, for sponsoring 9to5Mac today and offering all of you both a free trial of MacX MediaTrans as well as a 50% discount off the purchase price.
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There are a ton of deals on tech and more right now in the lead up to Father’s Day. Together with 9to5Toys & Canary, we’re keeping track of all the best deals and we’ve collected all the handy links in the hub below.
Bookmark this page and keep checking back for more as we add the latest from 9to5Toys ahead of Father’s Day on June 19.
We take Canary’s all-in-one security system with home air quality and temperature sensors for a test drive, including a walkthrough of its super slick iPhone and Apple Watch apps.
While cases from Speck Products are known for their military-grade protection and helpful features, the aesthetics are just as important. Speck’s cases have long used high-quality materials, inks, and shades, and for 2016, the company is taking it to the next level. Since your smartphone’s case should compliment you well, Speck’s in-house design team has designed a series of new cases optimized for the latest spring and summer fashion trends this year. Below, we take a look at Speck’s latest cases with designs that will truly fit your seasonal wardrobe.
Speck Products has unleashed a series of new, high-quality accessories for Apple’s latest line of mobile devices. For the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro and 4-inch iPhone SE, Speck has created new designs in addition to some of their most popular iPad and iPhone case designs. All of the new cases are great choices to protect your new Apple device because of their high-quality materials, snug fit, reliable engineering, cool colors, and low prices. Three of Speck’s latest offerings stand out: StyleFolio Pencil for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, CandyShell Grip for the iPhone SE, and CandyShell Clear for the iPhone SE.
We’d like to thank VMware AirWatch for sponsoring 9to5Mac today. Running a nimble and efficient business means that your users are going to be mobile, sometimes not making it into the office for days or weeks at a time. Even when your users aren’t present you still need to make sure their devices are running the latest versions of the software they use, are up-to-date with any network configurations and, most of all, remain secure.
Managing all that when you have your hands on every device can be daunting, doing it without being able to regularly touch those devices can feel impossible. AirWatch not only makes it possible, AirWatch makes it simple…
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Over the last year, Spigen has introduced two of the world’s best iPhone car accessories: the Magnetic Air Vent Mount and Style Ring, which you might not have heard of. While the Magnetic Air Vent Mount is solely a car mount, Style Ring does triple duty as a video stand, finger grip, and car mount.
Style Ring adds a sturdy metallic ring to the back of your iPhone, iPad mini, or favorite case, including reusable 3M gel pads and a low-profile hook mount to attach to your car’s dashboard. Each of the parts is beautiful, and the normally $19.99 kit is currently on sale for $5.99 with coupon code 3VUMW6RR. That’s not a typo: yes, it’s only $5.99!
Apple’s Q1 2016 earnings results were historic in more ways than one. While Apple’s revenue during the holiday quarter was an all-time record for the company, Apple did indicate that iPhone unit sales would drop year-over-year for the first time next quarter. “We do think that iPhone units will decline in the quarter,” Cook told investors on this week’s call, though observers are quick to point out that this may not be a negative outcome. This simply raises the question: why?
Perhaps users are holding out for the iPhone 7 after the comparatively minor iPhone 6s launch was Apple’s sole-iPhone debut in 2015. Another possibility, however, is that people are holding on to their older devices longer because protective case accessories allow iPhones to last longer.
Indeed, Cook did tell investors on the call that the existing iPhone 5s “continues to do quite well” and that 60% of active iPhone users are using models older than the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which were launched in the fall of 2014. That means that only 40% of iPhone users are working with the latest form-factor found with the 6 and 6s lines.
With all that in mind, cases such as its the CandyShell Clear from Speck Products contribute to older models lasting longer, giving consumers a way to stretch their dollars until their next upgrade. Speck created a case packed with protective features and a slim design to help consumers get the most out of their iPhone. The following are the features of the CandyShell Clear that help it stand out from the competition:
At CES 2016, Hyper is showing off both new and updated product lines, all of which are specifically designed with iPhone, iPad, and Mac users in mind. The highlights are a new USB-C hub for 12″ MacBook users, a USB 3.0 Lightning thumb drive, and a pair of slick Apple Watch accessories.
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Hyper’s new iShowFast Lightning drive adds a few features not available from competitors: USB 3.0 for faster performance, support for files over 4GB in size, and new low power consumption features that mean you’ll never have to charge it.
Lightning thumb drives have become more popular in recent years. With a standard USB connector on one side and Apple’s Lightning connector on the other, the product allows iPhone and iPad users to quickly and easily transfer files between devices (iOS and desktops) or stream content directly from the drive to their device.
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This is one of the best deals yet on our favorite all-in-one, iPhone-controlled home security system and air quality detector.
Just in time for the holidays, get $20 off Canary. That brings the price down to $179 from the regular $199. Better yet, you can save a total of $50 off regular price when purchasing the Canary Two-Pack.
This Wi-Fi, smartphone-connected security system does a whole lot more than the webcam style security cameras gaining popularity recently, and it does it all with gorgeous, Apple-like industrial design and slick companion apps for iPhone and Apple Watch…
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We’d like to thank Digiarty for sponsoring 9to5Mac today with a great giveaway of MacX DVD Ripper Pro. This popular software normally sells for up to $59.95 but this week you can get it for free via this special link. Digiarty are limiting this to 1,000 copies/day but it’s a full version of the software, though it won’t receive free future upgrades.
Why do you need MacX DVD Ripper Pro? Everyone has some optical media laying around but before we know it, we won’t own any optical drives to play it back. Apple hasn’t made a new computer with an optical drive in years (already without? LG USB DVD-R is $20 on Amazon or Epartsdom’s 2X BD-ROM reader for $43.50 if you’ve got Blu-Rays). It makes sense to pull all of your DVD and Blu-Ray movies, software, videos and music onto your Mac or network attached storage (NAS) before optical drives are gone.
MacX Video Converter Pro is a video converter for Mac which lets you convert MKV, M2TS, MTS, 1080P, 4K UHD Videos, AVI, WMV to over 180 video formats and 14 popular audio formats on Mac OS X El Captain and earlier. The preloaded 350+ profiles have parameters such as frame rate, bit rate, video size, and aspect ratio helping to resolve all video incompatibility issues for Apple, Android, Google and Microsoft devices, media players or editors. The built-in online video downloader, slideshow maker, video editor and recorder are helpful add-ons.
With the support of multi-core (up to 8) CPU and hyper-threading, version 4.6.0 delivers 36X faster speed to rip DVD (depending on your reader) while keep original quality.
Take this opportunity to pull all of your optical media onto your hard drives and SSDs, before it’s too late.
Human curation matters. We trust recommendations from friends and experts more than suggestions by the best computers. That’s why millions of people come to 9to5Mac each month to discover our product recommendations!
Product reviews are great if you know the exact product you want to buy, but they rarely cover all the best products in one place. That’s why Curate With Me is here — to connect you with curated lists of great products recommended by friends and experts.
Curate With Me helps you canvas categories of products, apps, and dining experiences that other people are recommending, combining the power of Reddit-style upvotes with Pinterest-like visuals. Lots of experts, including the 9to5Mac team, are already creating Curate With Me guides. It’s a place where Apple fans, beauty mavens, foodies, gamers, home decorators and everyone with product knowledge can come together to spotlight the best of everything!
Want a shot at winning this year’s best Apple gift? Sign up for Curate With Me at this link and contribute ideas to our 2015 Ultimate Apple Holiday Gift Guide. After one week, the person who contributed the most upvoted item in the Guide will get to pick one or more items from the list (worth up to $200), courtesy of Curate With Me! So get curating right away to maximize your votes! More details are below…. (Update: Congrats, Aaron P!)
Spigen’s first round of affordable new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus cases were ready to order even before Apple’s September 9 special event. Now that the iPhones are about to hit stores, Spigen has a new collection of slim protective cases ready, and you’re going to love them.
The lineup starts with a minimalist sub-$10 case that can magnetically attach to your car’s dashboard. Next, for under $15, you can get a shock-absorbing clear case that shows your new iPhone’s “S” badge or rose gold color. Or if you want to add wireless charging and a drop-proof case to your iPhone for under $30, you can. Below, you’ll see how Spigen has covered all of those bases, and more…
If you don’t want to spend $50 for a case every time Apple announces a new device, you still have great options: cases with comparable quality are available for much less money if you do your research. One of the best brands for that is Poetic, maker of an Apple Watch stand we loved, and today the company has released brand new, sub-$20 iPhone 6s and 6s Plus cases called Revolution and Affinity.
They are both available to order now in anticipation of the new iPhone launch later this month. Here’s the rundown…
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With the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus debuting next week, it’s important to start thinking about how to make sure your new phone is protected as soon as you get it. At some point, you’ll probably want to resell your phone for top dollar to upgrade to the iPhone 7s, and getting the best price will require your device to be in like-new condition. The smartest way to protect your iPhone is with the updated Speck CandyShell series or new MightyShell line. “Designed for Impact” and available in all-new styles, Speck’s CandyShell cases have a perfect combination of great looks, protection, and accessory compatibility for your new iPhone.
We’ve checked out Speck’s all-new CandyShell series for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and the cases are certainly impressive. Each one-piece case is made with two bonded layers — one soft, one hard — together creating a snug fit and incredibly easy installation. But unlike competitors, the CandyShell cases have almost no bulk, keeping your iPhone nearly as thin as they’d be without cases. And the latest clear CandyShell lets you see your iPhone 6s/6s Plus’s colors through an all-new design, available for the first time for both 4.7″ and 5.5″ iPhone sizes. Below, you’ll get a first look at some brand new CandyShell and MightyShell versions at great prices, available to order today…
Most iPhone owners use cases. They’re the easiest way to keep your device looking and feeling new, even if you accidentally drop your iPhone, or keep it in a pocket or bag with other items. But when Apple releases new iPhones, it can be hard to find a case on day one (or even week one) that’s guaranteed to fit, especially if Apple makes subtle changes to the iPhone’s body.
That’s why Spigen’s new lineup of iPhone 6s cases is so appealing. Each of the 5 designs has been custom-molded with the little bit of extra space Apple’s slightly thicker iPhone 6s will need, so you can have protection ready as soon as your iPhone arrives. Starting at under $11 and topping out at $28, they’re also surprisingly slim and super-affordable, with a lot of cool color and texture options. Our top pick? The impressively slim, brand new design Perfect Armor…
iHome has spent years building a reputation for thoughtfully designed, value-packed Apple audio accessories. Beyond its annual releases of ever-improving speaker systems, it was the very first company to release an iPod alarm clock, and a day-one supporter of Apple’s AirPlay speaker standard. No audio company has focused as much on the practical needs of iPod, iPhone, and iPad users as iHome. And when it innovates, it always comes up with something cool.
Kineta K1 ($150) and Kineta K2 ($100) are iHome’s latest innovations: Bluetooth speakers with beautiful built-in battery charging docks and detachable USB battery packs. K2 is a nightstand- or desktop-friendly alarm clock radio with a large screen, stereo speakers, and speakerphone support for the iPhone. K1 is a completely portable stereo speaker with 13 hours of play time and speakerphone support. Each comes with iHome’s new K-CELL, a tube-shaped 2,600mAh battery that locks in place until you’re ready to go, then easily hides in your pocket or bag to refuel your iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Apple Watch anywhere.
Both Kinetas efficiently address two simple facts: Apple’s devices sound better through speakers and need extra power on-the-go. Read on for details on how they each combine two useful accessories into a single great package; you’ll also find a special discount inside!…
Update: Our winner has been announced! Congrats!
Congratulations to Jaime Marin—the winner of the Bushel Challenge! Jaime manages Apple devices for a mid-sized produce company that specializes in providing quality fruits and vegetables for their customers, 365 days of the year. They’ve been able to utilize features from Bushel such as Wi-Fi configuration, app deployment, password policies, and more to streamline work processes for the team.
Thanks to all who participated in the Bushel Challenge—we hope you had a little fun along the way! While there’s only one lucky winner, everyone who participated can still manage up to three devices for free, for life. If you missed the Challenge, head on over to Bushel to learn more and get started for free today.
If you need to deploy iOS or OS X devices to your employees or organization, having cloud access to setup, deploy, and manage your fleet these days seems like a no-brainer. That’s why our go-to recommendation is Bushel, a super easy-to-use and slick web-based app that offers cloud access to deploying and managing Apple devices. The perfect supplement to Apple in the workspace, Bushel — created by JAMF Software — is a few steps ahead of the game. In this article, we walk you through how to use Bushel (which is free for up to 3 devices) to manage your fleet of Apple devices.
In special collaboration with 9to5Mac, Bushel is also offering a challenge to businesses: Try out Bushel and get entered to win free Bushel for life, as well as a free iOS device for your company.
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4K and 5K displays are relatively new, but with more and more users upgrading, there is some catching up to do with apps to support the higher resolution screens. That’s why we were pleased when Screenium, one of our favorite screen recording suites, updated earlier this month with some pretty notable new features for Retina, 4K and 5K display users, as well as everyone looking for a solid screen capture solution.
After months of trying different screen casting software and running into issues on 4K and Retina displays, Screenium 3 has finally delivered what we’ve been waiting for. The company has been hard at work on a custom video codec that makes continuous screen recording at 60fps on Retina, 4K, and 5K displays possible, which competitors have thus far failed to match. So if you’ve been asking yourself how to go about screen recording in full resolution at 60fps, here’s how to do it:
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Update: Giveaway winners!! Shoot me an email (jordan@9to5mac.com) with your shipping info using the same email you used to enter. Congrats!
Reform Backpack bundle – Keith Jones
Reform Action Camera Pack bundle – Randy Fang
Reform Sling bundle – Robert a Stine III
Incase has always been one of our favorite brands selling bags for Apple and camera gear. You’ve likely seen their bags in Apple stores and on Apple’s online store. But for the new REFORM collection launching next month, 9to5Mac readers get access before anyone else.
Starting today, 9to5Mac readers only can purchase the bag before they’ve launched to the public and have their order ship before the launch date next month. All orders of the new Incase bags during our exclusive presale event using promo code “9to5Mac” will also get a free Portable Power 2500 battery pack worth $50.
In addition, you’ll also be automatically entered into a giveaway to win an Incase bag full of accessories for your Apple devices (details below).
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As lucky early adopters get their hands on the world’s first Apple Watches, Spigen has unveiled a collection of accessories designed to hold and protect them. The lineup includes the most aggressively-priced metal stand we’ve seen from any company, as well as affordable protectors that can keep an Apple Watch looking new — important if you want to guard against the bumps and scratches of everyday life, maximizing its trade-in value.
Spigen’s lineup starts with the S330 Watch Stand, an aluminum frame that resembles Apple’s classic iMac and Thunderbolt Display stands, and continues with five different cases and two anti-scratch screen protectors. They’re all currently available for pre-order, shipping in May…