Jeff is the head of video content production for 9to5. He joined 9to5Mac in 2016, producing videos, walkthroughs, how-tos, written tutorials, and reviews. He takes pride in explaining things simply, clearly, and concisely. Jeff’s videos have been watched hundreds of millions of times by people seeking to learn more about today’s tech. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube to catch Jeff’s latest videos.
iOS Decoded is Jeff’s flagship video series that breaks down what’s new in iOS betas, including behind-the-scenes deep dives into undiscovered features and exclusive details on the iOS roadmap.
Jeff also produces a weekly podcast, alongside co-host Fernando Silva, entitled 9to5Mac Overtime. A video-first podcast, 9to5Mac Overtime airs weekly on our YouTube channel, but can also be enjoyed in audio form via Apple Podcasts, or your podcast app of choice.
Two of the headlining changes involving Photos in iOS 13 were missing in action in the initial beta, but today’s second beta release makes the new features available to beta testers. A new High-Key Mono effect in the Camera app’s Portrait Mode panel is now available, along with the ability to edit and control Portrait Lightning via a new Portrait Lighting Control section in the Photos app editing interface. Expand Expanding Close
One of the big new additions to the Files app in iOS 13 is the ability to connect to a server via SMB. In the initial iOS 13 beta, attempting such a connection resulted in an error, but in iOS 13 beta 2, you can now successfully connect to a server wirelessly. Expand Expanding Close
In this iPadOS 13 video walkthrough, we go hands-on with lots of new iPad features. Items covered include new Home screen enhancements, huge multitasking updates, Apple Pencil improvements, and much more. Watch our full video inside for the details, and don’t forget to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more video walkthroughs like this. Expand Expanding Close
In this video walkthrough, we go hands-on with tons of new iOS 13 beta 1 changes and features. Items covered include Dark Mode, amazing new iOS photo and video editing features, a hugely-improved Files app, and much, much more. Watch our full video inside for the details, and don’t forget to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube to get future videos. Expand Expanding Close
Today Serif, creator of Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo, has released version 1.7 of its popular illustration and photo editing apps on Mac. The updates are headlined by enhanced GPU compute acceleration, HDR monitor support, and a new memory management system. Both Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer 1.7 are available for download on the Mac App Store today. Expand Expanding Close
Today Apple launched a brand new high-end reference-grade LCD HDR display alongside the newly redesigned Mac Pro. The new monitor, which Apple is calling the Pro Display XDR is a 32-inch LCD display with a 6016 x 3384 6K native resolution and over 20 million pixels. Expand Expanding Close
Yesterday I received a special package in the mail all the way from Shenzhen, China. Inside were three prototype cases for Apple’s upcoming 2019 iPhone lineup.
These new iPhones, possibly to be called the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Max, and iPhone 11R, will feature a new camera array on the rear according to reports from multiple sources.
How do the new iPhone 11 cases compare to current-generation iPhone models like the iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR? Watch our brief hands-on video walkthrough for the details. Expand Expanding Close
Earlier this week the iPod touch received a modest upgrade, arriving with little fanfare via an Apple press release. The new 7th-generation iPod touch has little in the way of new features, but it does receive a CPU spec-bump that takes it from an iPhone 6-era Apple A8 to an iPhone 7-era A10 Fusion chip, not to mention double the RAM of the previous generation.
The new hardware upgrades make it so that iPod touch users can enjoy Augmented Reality (AR) apps along with Group FaceTime capability for the first time. There’s also a new 256 GB flash storage tier, another first for the iPod lineup. It means that in 2019, there’s finally an iPod that bests the 160GB iPod Classic in terms of storage space.
While the iPod touch isn’t the mass market item that earlier members of the product line once were, Apple believes that there continues to be a viable audience for such a device. Not only is it ideal for storing large music libraries locally, but with the upcoming launch of the new Apple Arcade subscription gaming service, Apple continues to position the iPod touch as a handheld gaming option.
All of that said, should you consider buying this new iPod touch? Watch our hands-on video review for the details. Expand Expanding Close
In light of the ongoing keyboard issues, it would be all too easy to criticize Apple for releasing yet another MacBook with a slightly-modified butterfly key switch design. The criticism is well-deserved given the history of the keyboard issues, but I also think it’s worth looking at the positive aspects of this release.
Just because its brand new fully-redesigned MacBook Pro hardware with a rethought keyboard isn’t ready, doesn’t mean that Apple has left the existing MacBook Pro lineup to stagnate — something it would have had no problem allowing to happen in the past. Instead, Apple continues to issue updates as they become available from key partners.
After discontinuing the smaller 21.5-inch UltraFine Display, LG has released a new larger 24-inch UltraFine-labeled monitor in its place at the same $699 price point. If the launch of the new display flew under your radar, that’s probably because much of the spotlight was centered on Apple’s new 2019 MacBook Pro models, which launched alongside LG’s new display.
This new UltraFine Display is like a combination of the UltraFine 5K and the older UltraFine 4K Display, and for the most part that’s an okay thing. The biggest feature is the inclusion of not just one, but two Thunderbolt 3 ports. That’s an improvement over LG’s previous Apple-centric displays, as you’ll see in our hands-on video review. Expand Expanding Close
This was around the same time that consumer mesh networks were really beginning to gain in popularity, but unfortunately, Synology didn’t offer a mesh networking solution at the time. The good news is that Synology now has a mesh router in its repertoire in the MR2200ac. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for more details. Expand Expanding Close
Today Samsung introduced two all-new designer finishes for the T5 SSD — Rose Gold and Metallic Red. The new colors join the existing Deep Black and Alluring Blue finishes to round out the lineup. Expand Expanding Close
Recently Apple provided long-awaited updates to its iMac lineup, and although there are no cosmetic changes to be found in the 2019 iMac, these machines feature noteworthy CPU and GPU improvements under the hood. In fact, CPU options now start at 6-core processors for the base 27-inch model, a notable boost over the strict 4-core configurations from the previous refresh. If you desire more processing power, then the new iMacs, with their updated Intel CPUs and AMD GPUs provide a substantial performance upgrade.
Given the new upgraded processor options, it’s no wonder why people are quick to compare the 8-core model to the entry-level iMac Pro. But as you’ll see in this video, there’s more than just processor performance that makes the iMac Pro the beast that it is. On this latest episode of the Back to the Mac, we discuss five takeaways from Apple’s 2019 iMac refresh. Expand Expanding Close
I went into this review of the $249 Powerbeats Pro with high expectations. Even prior to reading Zac’s review, I was pretty much convinced that these would be the best wireless earbuds ever made, and, despite not beating the AirPods in every area, I wasn’t disappointed.
To be clear, the Powerbeats Pro aren’t perfect, but they’re better than the AirPods if you’re using them for workouts. The Apple AirPods set the groundwork for Beats’ first truly wire-free earbuds, and the team at Beats took the baton and ran with it.
Watch our hands-on Powerbeats Pro video review for more details. Expand Expanding Close
In this walkthrough, we show you how to easily store Final Cut Pro X libraries on a Synology NAS with just a few configuration steps. We’ve posted a prior solution before that utilized the NFS protocol, but this solution uses SMB. Watch our hands-on video tutorial for the details. Expand Expanding Close
Arlo Technologies recently re-launched its Arlo Ultra 4K wireless security camera after experiencing issues during its initial availability. The widely reported issues, which caused the company to pull back on the launch, involved bugs and connectivity issues.
With several firmware updates under its belt that addressed the reported problems, Arlo feels that their 4K security camera is now ready for prime time. How does it stack up to the Arlo Pro 2? Should you consider upgrading? Watch our hands-on video impressions for the details. Expand Expanding Close
Today we went hands-on with Razer’s new $399 Core X Chroma eGPU enclosure. The Chroma is based closely on the original Razer Core X, but there are several new enhancements, such as RGB lighting, Gigabit Ethernet, and USB ports. Watch our full video walkthrough for the details. Expand Expanding Close
In this week’s edition of Final Cut Friday, I explain why it’s advantageous to switch to the Checkerboard Player Background from the standard black background when editing video. Watch our brief hands-on video explainer for the details. Expand Expanding Close
Along with its recently launched AirPods 2, Apple also released a standalone Wireless Charging Case for the AirPods. The Wireless Charging Case is an $80 accessory that works with both the first and second-generation versions of Apple’s wireless earbuds.
If you own a set of first-gen AirPods, should you consider forking over more money for the privilege of wireless charging? Watch our brief hands-on video review for the details. Expand Expanding Close
The Logitech Slim Folio Pro for the 2018 iPad Pro is a product designed for iPad users whose workflow is primarily focused on typing. It features an excellent keyboard, along with key features like highly-tactile keys and backlighting to enhance the typing experience.
Is Logitech’s latest iPad Pro accessory right for you? Learn more in our hands-on Logitech Slim Folio Pro video review. Expand Expanding Close
One of the biggest complaints about recent Mac laptops is their lack of ports. Elgato’s Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock, like other docks we’ve seen over the years, seeks to solve that issue by making it possible to connect to a wide variety of accessories via a single Thunderbolt 3 cable. Expand Expanding Close
From the outside, the new iPad mini is virtually a carbon copy of the iPad mini 4, but it’s sporting some serious upgrades under the hood. As you’ve probably heard, the 5th-generation iPad mini is basically an iPad Air 3, just in a much more compact form-factor.
Indeed, the iPad mini 5 is a powerful tablet that can almost fit in your pocket, but the size, or lack thereof, can be both a gift and a curse depending on your needs. Watch our hands-on iPad mini 5 review video for the details. Expand Expanding Close
