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Learn about the latest news for iOS, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV apps

Apps for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS power our modern world. 9to5Mac will update you on the latest news, review, and updates for all types of apps. “There’s an App for that”.

The term came became part of our vocabulary when Steve Jobs announced The App Store as part of the iPhone 2.0 software update in 2008.

Over the years, the term has become as common as kleenex for describing applications on all of our devices. Apple’s platforms have apps for just about anything from finance, banking, sports, social media, podcasting, music, and more. We have a guide for helping you discover the best ones as well. Apps are now on everything from our TV, to our smartphones, on our laptops, and all the way down to our wrists.

As new ones are released or existing ones have major updates, the team here at 9to5Mac will bring you the latest news and reviews. If you want to follow along with video footage, be sure to follow 9to5Mac on YouTube. Scroll down below our latest updates on all things relating to applications on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

9to5Toys Last Call: iPad mini 4 $299, 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro $1,600, Huawei Smartwatch $250, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

One of our favorite Bluetooth speakers, UE’s Roll, is down to $50 shipped (Orig. $100)

Best Buy’s latest Apple sale takes $100 off iPad mini 4, up to $100 off Apple Watch & $25 off Apple TV

Apple 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro (Newest Version) 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB: $1,600 shipped (Reg. $1,999)

Save up to $150 on Huawei Watch for iOS/Android, prices start at $250 shipped: Mesh Band $300 (Reg. $400), more

Amazon Gold Box – Anker SoundCore Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker: $30 Prime shipped (Reg. $40)

Anker’s new 60W USB-C/A 5-port charger can quickly refuel your MacBook, more

App Store Free App of the Week: Dragon Hills goes free for the very first time ($2 value)

Mos Speedrun 2 for iOS goes free for the first time (Reg. $2)

Star Wars Pinball for iOS goes free for the first time in nearly a year (Reg. $2)

Star Wars KOTOR for iOS now matching its lowest price ever: $3 (Reg. $10)

Air Display 3 for iOS gets its first price drop to $10 (Reg. $15)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Amazon’s already insanely low-priced 7-inch Fire tablet gets a fresh 20% discount, now just $40 Prime shipped

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

iOttie’s latest Easy One Touch Mini Car Mounts for iPhone/Android: $13 Prime shipped (Reg. $20)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Leica’s latest $6,000 digital camera drops the built-in display for a throwback look

New MagicMount battery attaches magnetically to your iPhone or Android smartphone

Comment: Atari co-founder’s ‘easy to learn, difficult to master’ approach may just be the missing link in mobile gaming

Breakout – the Atari game created by Steve Wozniak & Steve Jobs

I’m not much of a gamer, but I think Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell may have put his finger on what is often missing from mobile games – a lesson he last week told the Guardian many have yet to learn from the early arcade games.

“When you look at mobile and arcade gaming, they’re identical,” Bushnell says. “Mobile has some of the same game constraints for the player, and that ‘easy to learn, and difficult to master’ metric.” This common phrase is, as it happens, known as ‘Bushnell’s law’ – he first uttered it in 1971 while making his preliminary steps into the arcade business with seminal coin-op Computer Space.com

That lesson – dating back to the days when Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created Breakout for Atari – was something arcade games designers had to learn if they wanted to get people first to try a game and then to keep feeding in the coins …


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Developer hacks Apple Watch to boot and run Windows 95

Developer Nick Lee has managed to hack a working version of Windows 95 onto his Apple Watch. The utility of this is close to zero — but it is hilarious to watch. It highlights how smart wristwatches like Apple Watch are now as powerful as (if not more than) desktop computers from the turn of the century. Watch the full video of the ‘microsoftOS’ Apple Watch in action after the jump …


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9to5Toys Last Call: 11” MacBook Air 256GB $850, Mini DisplayPort/HDMI adapter $5, iOttie Car Mount $13, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

Mos Speedrun 2 for iOS goes free for the first time (Reg. $2)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/726144794582347776 align=’center’]

Apple 11-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB from $850 shipped w/ .edu (Reg. $1,099), more

Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,200 or $1,150 w/ .edu (Reg. $1,499), more

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/726060991306432512 align=’center’]

Sabrent DA-MDHA Mini DisplayPort/Thunderbolt to HDMI Adapter w/4K Support): $5 shipped

iOttie’s latest Easy One Touch Mini Car Mounts for iPhone/Android: $13 Prime shipped (Reg. $20)

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular in all colors for $820 shipped (Reg. $1,079)

Apple 27-inch Retina 5K iMac 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB: from $1,450 (Reg. $1,799)

Apple 21-inch Retina 4K iMac 3.1GHz/8GB/1TB (newest version): from $1,150 shipped w/ .edu (Reg. $1,499)

Anker’s new 60W USB-C/A 5-port charger can quickly refuel your MacBook, more

App Store Free App of the Week: Dragon Hills goes free for the very first time ($2 value)

Star Wars Pinball for iOS goes free for the first time in nearly a year (Reg. $2)

Star Wars KOTOR for iOS now matching its lowest price ever: $3 (Reg. $10)

Alto’s Adventure for iOS now matching its lowest price ever: $1 (Reg. $3)

Air Display 3 for iOS gets its first price drop to $10 (Reg. $15)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Toshiba Canvio 3TB Desktop External Hard Drive $80 shipped (Reg. $100)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Treat your Apple Watch with Nomad accessories: Nomad Pod portable battery pack $34 (Orig. $60, CA Tax only), more

Networking: D-Link 802.11ac Wireless Router $25 (Reg. $30+), PowerLine Kit w/ Wi-Fi Extender $80, more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Triby is the first non-Amazon portable Bluetooth speaker with built-in support for Alexa

The SteelSeries Apex M500 is a lean mechanical gaming keyboard w/ Cherry MX Red switches

9to5Toys Last Call: Beats Studio Headphones $140, Apple Watch Portable Charger $34, JBL Bluetooth Speaker $50, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

App Store Free App of the Week: Dragon Hills goes free for the very first time ($2 value)

Headphones: Beats Studio Over-Ear in four colors $140 (Reg. $200+), Bose SoundTrue Around-Ear $80, more

Treat your Apple Watch with Nomad accessories: Nomad Pod portable battery pack $34 (Orig. $60, CA Tax only), more

Daily Deals: JBL Charge Portable Bluetooth Speaker (refurb) $50, Amazon Fire TV Stick $35, more

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular in all colors for $820 shipped (Reg. $1,079)

Apple 27-inch Retina 5K iMac 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB: from $1,450 (Reg. $1,799)

Apple 21-inch Retina 4K iMac 3.1GHz/8GB/1TB (newest version): from $1,150 shipped w/ .edu (Reg. $1,499)

Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,200 or $1,150 w/ .edu (Reg. $1,499), more

Apple 13-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (early 2015) from $700 shipped w/ .edu (Orig. $999)

Star Wars Pinball for iOS goes free for the first time in nearly a year (Reg. $2)

Star Wars KOTOR for iOS now matching its lowest price ever: $3 (Reg. $10)

App Store Free App of the Week: Readdle’s Calendars 5 for iOS goes free for the first time in years (Reg. up to $7)

Air Display 3 for iOS gets its first price drop to $10 (Reg. $15)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Networking: D-Link 802.11ac Wireless Router $25 (Reg. $30+), PowerLine Kit w/ Wi-Fi Extender $80, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Add Apple CarPlay integration to your vehicle w/ this Pioneer Receiver: $350 (Orig. $600)

iHome SmartPlug with HomeKit, Alexa and Nest support: $25 w/ in-store pickup (Reg. $40)

Transcend storage upgrades for your Mac: 512GB Portable Thunderbolt SSD $284, 256GB Expansion Card $170, more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Dyson’s new Supersonic hair dryer will leave your hair healthy and wallet empty

This LEGO Imperial Star Destroyer custom build is nearly 5-feet long

Apple’s CareKit has launched, four apps available today, more will follow

Following on from HealthKit and ResearchKit, Apple has today launched its third medical framework, CareKit. First announced last month, CareKit allows users to collect medical data that can be shared with physicians and other carers to provide an accurate log of symptoms and signs to assist with diagnosis and treatment.

The more you know about your health, the better you can look after it. With the right tools, you can play an active role in managing your own health. That’s why we created CareKit — an open source software framework enabling developers to build apps that help you manage your medical conditions. Rather than relying solely on doctor visits, you’ll be able to regularly track your symptoms and medications, and even share the information with your care team for a bigger — and better — picture of your health.

Four CareKit apps are available as of today …


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Philips releases dramatically improved Hue mobile app to control connected lights

I’ve been using Philips Hue white and color ambience lights around my house since they gained HomeKit support last fall, but the mobile apps that control the lights have never felt top notch. Earlier this week, Philips moved its Hue mobile apps to legacy status with a name change and icon tweak, and today Hue users are finally getting their hands on the latest and greatest Philips Hue apps for iOS and Android. The design improvements alone are dramatic and worth the wait, but Philips packs in some new features and tricks as well.


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9to5Toys Last Call: Apple 27-inch iMac from $1,450, Audio-Technica Headphones $99, Star Wars Pinball free, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular in all colors for $820 shipped (Reg. $1,079)

Apple 27-inch Retina 5K iMac 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB: from $1,450 (Reg. $1,799)

Apple 21-inch Retina 4K iMac 3.1GHz/8GB/1TB (newest version): from $1,150 shipped w/ .edu (Reg. $1,499)

Audio-Technica’s best selling ATH-M50x Pro Headphones + $30 VUDU Credit & more: $99 shipped ($160+ value)

Star Wars Pinball for iOS goes free for the first time in nearly a year (Reg. $2)

Star Wars KOTOR for iOS now matching its lowest price ever: $3 (Reg. $10)

Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,200 or $1,150 w/ .edu (Reg. $1,499), more

Apple 13-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (early 2015) from $700 shipped w/ .edu (Orig. $999)

App Store Free App of the Week: Readdle’s Calendars 5 for iOS goes free for the first time in years (Reg. up to $7)

Air Display 3 for iOS gets its first price drop to $10 (Reg. $15)

The best accessories for Apple’s 12-inch MacBook: USB-C cables, hubs, flash storage, more

Apple drops the price on refurbished 12-inch MacBooks, now start at $929 shipped

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Daily Deals: APC Back-UPS 450VA Network UPS $35, more

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/725355115666923521 align=’center’]

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Transcend storage upgrades for your Mac: 512GB Portable Thunderbolt SSD $284, 256GB Expansion Card $170, more

Review: Are these third-party $11 Apple Watch Sport bands any good? Turns out, they aren’t too bad.

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

The Hover drone uses a unique foldable carbon fiber design to keep its wings safe

The new LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS is everything we could’ve hoped for

CloudMagic’s Sender Profile helps you discover more about your contacts

Email apps are a dime a dozen at this point, and each one is continuously attempting to compete with others in any way they can. Today, CloudMagic takes their app one step further in a small, but significant way. With Sender Profile, CloudMagic will now be able to quickly show you more information on the contact emailing you using various social media sources.


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Add 30 artsy filters to OS X Photos with this free Macphun extension

Photos on OS X includes eight photo filters as standard to jazz up images with some creative and nostalgic effects. Macphun is today releasing a free Photos Extension app that adds an additional 30 photo filters. It’s a really simple app that can be launched standalone or as an extension natively integrated in the Photos app Edit panels.


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Nintendo teases more iPhone games coming later this year, including Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem

Having already released its first iPhone game Miitomo, a bespoke social networking game, Nintendo is now teasing the next round of games headed to the iPhone and iOS devices. Notably, unlike Miitomo, these are going to be versions of existing successful Nintendo franchises: Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem.

Although Animal Crossing is not quite on the same podium as Super Mario, it is still major first-party intellectual property for Nintendo to release on non-Nintendo consoles for the first time. The new smartphone and tablet titles are expected to be released later this year, around October.


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Instagram is quietly testing a major visual overhaul of its iOS app

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Instagram, following the controversial announcement that it would change the order in which images appear in user feeds, now appears to be testing a complete redesign of its app. Instagram has long stuck to the same classic design, but if this redesign rolls out to everyone, the app could finally move forward and fall into line with the design trends being adopted by many other apps.


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9to5Toys Last Call: Retina MacBook Pro from $1,150, 4K iMac $1,150, 512GB Thunderbolt SSD $284, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

Audio-Technica’s best selling ATH-M50x Pro Headphones + $30 VUDU Credit & more: $99 shipped ($160+ value)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/725049864405573634 align=’center’]

Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,200 or $1,150 w/ .edu (Reg. $1,499), more

Apple 13-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (early 2015) from $700 shipped w/ .edu (Orig. $999)

Apple 21-inch Retina 4K iMac 3.1GHz/8GB/1TB (newest version): from $1,150 shipped w/ .edu (Reg. $1,499)

Transcend storage upgrades for your Mac: 512GB Portable Thunderbolt SSD $284, 256GB Expansion Card $170, more

App Store Free App of the Week: Readdle’s Calendars 5 for iOS goes free for the first time in years (Reg. up to $7)

Air Display 3 for iOS gets its first price drop to $10 (Reg. $15)

Star Wars KOTOR for iOS now matching its lowest price ever: $3 (Reg. $10)

Upgrade Your Mac with 3 Great Apps: Scapple $9 (Orig. $15), STAMP Premium $5 (Orig. $10), Ghostnote $7 (Orig. $10)

Apple offers Day One 2 iOS journal app for free ($10 value)

The best accessories for Apple’s 12-inch MacBook: USB-C cables, hubs, flash storage, more

Apple drops the price on refurbished 12-inch MacBooks, now start at $929 shipped

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Best Buy offers $1 iPhone 6s (16GB) on Sprint (Reg. $199), or $100 gift card w/ installment plan

Home Theater: Yamaha 7.2-Ch. A/V Receiver w/ AirPlay + Bluetooth $479 shipped (Reg. $700), more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Twelve South HiRise Deluxe Stand for iPhone & iPad w/ Lightning + microUSB cables:$40 Prime shipped (Reg. $60)

Dock your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch with this Rosewood Desk Stand for $20 Prime shipped

Review: Are these third-party $11 Apple Watch Sport bands any good? Turns out, they aren’t too bad.

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

PICTAR’s vintage-inspired SLR camera accessory for iPhone looks to add affordable functionality

Microsoft introducing Skype for Business Mac Preview w/ Outlook calendar integration

Microsoft is getting serious with the Mac today with its new Skype for Business preview for OS X. The new business-focused version of Skype for Mac runs on OS X El Capitan and focuses on creating an enterprise-friendly experience. IT professionals can request access to the new Skype for Business Mac Preview starting today.


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Nokia is buying healthcare iPhone accessory maker Withings

Nokia announced today plans to purchase Withings, maker of many popular healthcare related accessories and companion apps for iPhones and other mobile devices.

The company said the 170 million Euro purchase would see Withings become part of its Nokia Technologies business and help jump-start its new efforts at Digital Health products.


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Dropbox Project Infinite will show all your cloud files in the Finder … without taking up any local space

Dropbox is today announcing a new upcoming feature of its platform, codenamed Project Infinite. When Infinite rolls out, you’ll be able to see all your files and folders stored on Dropbox in the Finder, but they won’t take up any space until they are needed. The company is currently targeting the feature at business users.

This means your Dropbox storage can be far larger in total size than your local disk (as is common with modern setups of 1 TB Dropbox tiers and small SSDs) with on-demand instantaneous access to any file at any time over the Internet …


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Facebook reportedly developing standalone camera app w/ live streaming features

The Wall Street Journal reports Facebook is working on a new camera app separate from its main offerings that the company hopes will encourage increased sharing of photos and videos. The still in-development app in its current form opens immediately to a camera mode and there are plans to offer live streaming video functionality as well, according to the report:


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9to5Toys Last Call: 13” MacBook Air from $700, Beats Pill+ $166, Onkyo 4K 5.1-Ch. Receiver/Speaker Bundle $300, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

PICTAR’s vintage-inspired SLR camera accessory for iPhone looks to add affordable functionality

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/724672091438592001 align=’center’]

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/724673746540331010 align=’center’]

Apple 13-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (early 2015) from $700 shipped w/ .edu (Orig. $999)

Beats Pill+ Portable Bluetooth Speaker w/ Lightning charging: $166 shipped (Reg. $230)

Onkyo 5.1-Channel 4K Home Theater Receiver/Speaker Package w/ Bluetooth $300 shipped (Reg. $400)

Best Buy 4-Day sale: Apple Watch w/ Stainless Steel casing $200 off, deals from $349 shipped

MacBook Air: 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB $800 (Orig. $999), 11-inch 256GB from $875 (Reg. $1,099), more

App Store Free App of the Week: Readdle’s Calendars 5 for iOS goes free for the first time in years (Reg. up to $7)

Upgrade Your Mac with 3 Great Apps: Scapple $9 (Orig. $15), STAMP Premium $5 (Orig. $10), Ghostnote $7 (Orig. $10)

Apple offers Day One 2 iOS journal app for free ($10 value)

The best accessories for Apple’s 12-inch MacBook: USB-C cables, hubs, flash storage, more

Apple drops the price on refurbished 12-inch MacBooks, now start at $929 shipped

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

UE Roll Bluetooth Speaker in Black or Blue: $55-$59 shipped ($70 new)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Best Buy 4-day sale: Beats Studio Over-Ears $150 or Wireless $250, Powerbeats2 Active Collection $130, Roku HDTVs from $170, more

Dock your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch with this Rosewood Desk Stand for $20 Prime shipped

Review: Are these third-party $11 Apple Watch Sport bands any good? Turns out, they aren’t too bad.

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Ilumi extends its line of Bluetooth-connected smart lightbulbs to outdoor spaces

Home, one of the best HomeKit apps for iOS, gains 3D Touch shortcuts + design tweaks

Apple doesn’t include a Home app for HomeKit like it does a Health app for HealthKit, but Matthias Hochgatterer’s Home app is a worthy solution for anyone diving into Apple’s Siri-controlled home automation platform. In testing various HomeKit-compatible smart accessories, Home for iOS has been a critical piece of the puzzle in making everything work correctly and reliably.

Siri controls HomeKit, but third-party apps from various accessory makers are needed for creating scenes and triggers that really make home automation come to life. Eve does the best job of making one app for all HomeKit accessories, but a dedicated HomeKit app with excellent support for all accessories is ideal. Home, which costs $14.99 but is available for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, is a rather essential purchase for having a good experience with Apple’s HomeKit.

Last week we shared the latest HomeKit app on the market, Hesperus, which features an approachable design and customization options at no cost but lacks iPad and Apple Watch apps and Notification Center widgets for now. I mentioned Home for iOS, which is obviously pricier up front, and noted how its Settings-like design can feel cold in comparison. Over the weekend, however, Home for iOS reached version 1.6, which includes tweaks to how accessories are organized plus some nice iconography that I think really enhances the overall design.


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Sketchy rumor suggests iPhone 7 could feature flush touch-sensitive Home button, waterproof and dustproof casing

The iPhone 7, expected to debut later this year, is not believed to be a major design overhaul from the iPhone 6s, but that doesn’t mean it won’t include some substantial exterior changes, at least according to one sketchy Chinese rumor site. The reports indicate that the iPhone 7 could feature a digital touch-sensitive Home button, essentially making the iPhone front completely flush, replacing the current physical clicky hardware button. This would help make the iPhone 7 completely waterproof and dustproof, via Storm …


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