Long-time 9to5Mac readers will remember that the native Shortcuts app started as an indie project called Workflow, a clever, approachable tool that made automation fun and accessible to less technical users.
Today, Shortcuts remains a powerful utility, particularly on the Mac. However, compared to how agentic AI tools have reshaped how we think about automation, it’s feeling a bit stagnant. That may be about to change.
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I was lucky enough to get an early look and hands-on experience with Satechi’s new OntheGo line at CES this year, and I was immediately impressed. Satechi managed to bridge the gap between tech enthusiasts like myself, who appreciate cutting-edge features like Qi2 and MagSafe charging, and everyday users, thanks to their thoughtful material choices and versatile color palette. Here’s everything you need to know!
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According to Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, Apple insiders “believe that the conference may be a letdown from an AI standpoint,” highlighting how far behind Apple still is. Still, Apple has a few AI-related announcements slated for June 9.
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According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the name for the next version of macOS is set to be ‘Tahoe’, named after Lake Tahoe in California. This name will accompany Apple’s first macOS redesign since Big Sur in 2020.
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Apple Intelligence has been off to a rocky start, especially when it comes to Siri. The assistant still has a lot to be desired, and that should definitely be at the forefront of Apple’s priorities.
Regardless, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans on expanding current Apple Intelligence capabilities to additional apps in iOS 26, and I figured I’d throw out some ideas I’d like to see.
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Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.
Focus is a unique pomodoro timer app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro that makes it easy to stay focused and develop productive working habits. If you have a procrastination problem, this could be an excellent tool for keeping you on pace.
It recently got a new update with a redesign, deeper customization, and additional data with new charts/graphs – making it even more useful.
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Things have been quiet on the Apple Watch front lately. Too quiet. In fact, sales are down for the second year in a row, and just last quarter, Xiaomi overtook Apple to become the top wearable brand worldwide.
The good news is that the Apple Watch line is due for a refresh. Here’s what’s coming.
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9to5Mac is brought to you by Incogni: Protect your personal info from prying eyes. With Incogni, you can scrub your deeply sensitive information from data brokers across the web, including people search sites. Incogni limits your phone number, address, email, SSN, and more from circulating. Fight back against unwanted data brokers with a 30-day money back guarantee.
It’s long been stated that Apple has had the strongest commitment to supporting its older devices. The latest version of iOS supports devices as far back as 2018’s iPhone XS and XR, which are coming up on 7 years old. While that in itself is impressive, there’s a second level beneath the surface.
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Rumors suggest that Apple will be implementing Google Gemini support within Apple Intelligence Siri sometime in the near future, alongside the already-existing ChatGPT integration. A recent backend update even revealed that Apple is already prepared for a Google Gemini integration to debut.
Last week at Google I/O, Google announced a number of interesting Gemini upgrades that might make Siri integration a bigger deal than we might think. Let’s discuss.
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The 2025 Parallels Cloud Survey recently went live, and buried in the data is a trend Apple should be paying attention to. According to the survey, 58% of enterprises are actively looking Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) options for their employees. Half of them plan to roll something out within the next six months. What’s driving this adoption? Companies want a secure, scalable way to give employees access to apps and data from anywhere. This is exactly the kind of enterprise shift that Apple could quietly build around.
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Heads up if you or someone you know is still rocking an older iPhone: WhatsApp is officially dropping support for several legacy smartphones starting this Sunday, June 1st.
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Logitech hasn’t officially launched the successor to the MX Master 3S, a.k.a. my favorite mouse ever, but it might be close.
The company recently submitted documentation for Bluetooth certification in Brazil, just as an (accidental?) teaser appeared on its official Instagram.
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With just days to go before WWDC, the consensus is that Apple will unveil a big, visionOS-inspired redesign across its operating systems. And while some might be dreading a repeat of the iOS 7 announcement from a decade ago, it’s been long enough that many readers might not remember (or may have never even seen) what that overhaul actually looked like.
So here’s a quick refresher on what happened, and why this year will likely (I mean, hopefully?) be different.
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9to5Mac readers can sign up for CardPointers at a 50% discount for a limited time only, in celebration of the app being crowned Apple’s App of the Day in the App Store. There’s also a lifetime option for 9to5Mac readers, also at a 50% discount. Plus, you can unlock a $100 Savings Card as a signup bonus with the Lifetime plan!
As someone who loves playing the “credit card points game,” CardPointers is one of my all-time favorite iPhone and iPad apps. CardPointers makes it incredibly easy to know which card to use to maximize your rewards on each purchase.
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According to a recent investor note from GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu, Apple might have a pair of surprises in store for the iPhone 17 lineup this fall. Most notably, Pu has seemingly changed his prediction that the entire iPhone 17 lineup will use a version of the A19 chip. Instead, he now believes the base model iPhone 17 will use the same A18 chip that’s used in the iPhone 16.
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If there’s one thing I’ve learned living in a house with pets and the pollen in the southern US, it’s that indoor air quality matters more than we think. Air purifiers help lessen the problem, but when you can automate them, even better. SwitchBot recently updated the SwitchBot air purifier, and it now supports Matter and works natively with HomeKit without needing an extra hub.
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If you thought the “iPhones are getting solid-state, haptic buttons” rumors were dead, well… so did it. But according to Chinese leaker Instant Digital, Apple is back at it not just for future iPhones, but potentially for other products as well.
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In 2019, Apple launched the U.S.-exclusive Research app. It was designed to let its users enroll in health studies that would help shape new health-related features for its devices, as well as contribute to medical investigations with impact far beyond Apple’s ecosystem.
Six years later, the app is still going strong. And if you live in the U.S. and would like to participate, here’s how to enroll.
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Apple has for years been fighting antitrust battles all around the world, most of them concerning the App Store, and most of them coming down to a single issue: having monopoly control over the sale of iPhone apps.
Opinions on both sides of the debate are strongly held, and there’s little sign of that changing anytime soon – but it seems to me that there is one thing we could perhaps all agree on …
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Apple’s newest original film, Bono: Stories of Surrender, is now streaming on Apple TV+. And if you happen to own a Vision Pro, there’s also an immersive version that puts you right on stage with the U2 frontman himself. Well, sort of.
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Apple Notes is easily one of the most powerful apps pre-installed on the iPhone, and recently, Notes added a key shortcut that unlocks two hidden powers in the app: instant conversions and equations.
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Coming out of a 50% plunge in March, new data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) shows that non-Chinese phone makers saw a small, but welcome rebound in April.
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Almost two months after Donald Trump first announced his… creative tariffs plan, the stock market has more or less moved on. The biggest tech stocks have bounced back, helped by AI hype, strong earnings, and a growing sense that most of the plan won’t come to pass anyway. Apple, however, remains in the red.
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We’re officially just over a week away from WWDC 2025. While we expect big design enhancements and much-needed Apple Intelligence improvements to iOS, Apple has the opportunity to do something it’s quite good at: flexing its privacy prowess.
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