There are less than two weeks left in the holiday shopping season, and time is running out to buy online. If you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for a tech fan in your life without breaking the bank, read on as we highlight some must-have technology gifts under $50 that will arrive before Christmas.
It can be easy to pick up tech products and accessories that end up serving a single purpose or don’t end up being used as much as you imagined. That’s even truer during the holidays when discounts and deals abound. In the spirit of high functionality and usefulness, let’s take a look at some of the best travel tech out there that you or your loved ones will also find valuable for everyday use at home or the office.
It’s no coincidence that I’m again choosing to put together an audio gift guide this year. There are few greater gifts you can offer someone than that of great sound.
It probably wasn’t actually Plato who said it, but I’m very much of this view:
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.
To me, great music deserves to be heard properly, whether that’s through headphones or speakers…
With the growing adoption of smart speakers like Apple’s HomePod and Amazon’s Echo family, plus continued refinement of HomeKit, smart home products are becoming more and more popular. With that in mind, smart home accessories like lighting, sensors, smart locks, plugs, and more are bound to be popular gifts this holiday season.
For the Apple user in your life looking to turn their home into a smart home, here are some of 9to5Mac’s top picks in each category of accessories.
How do you shop for a tech-savvy person who buys the latest of everything before the holidays arrive? I am totally that person for my family when it comes to the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods.
There are some Apple products that I can never have enough of like App Store gift cards and another HomePod, but stocking stuffers and expensive smart speakers aren’t always the right gift.
That’s why I’m approaching my gift recommendations this year a bit different. Last year I covered an area of great interest and expertise with smart home products, and most of those picks are still applicable.
But there’s also a lot of new technology out this year as well as gadgets I’ve received for testing — new technology that I’m super glad to see exist. Read on to see my favorite picks for new tech that I’m grateful for this year.
Smart home products make great gifts. Shiny new toys to play with over the holidays, and utility that lasts all year long. Products that work with Apple HomeKit are a big part of modern smart home setups. HomeKit accessories from a variety of brands work with Apple’s Home app and with voice control through Siri.
Apple’s smart home framework doesn’t cover the full range of what you might need for a smart home, however, which is where Amazon Alexa can help. There are also things to consider when buying for smart home enthusiasts like upgraded network options, network-attached storage for serving media and storing backups, and ways to integrate charging stations throughout the house.
The modern world of life is simple. People that use technology spend a lot of time at their desks. As both a developer and writer, I am in front of my MacBook Pro for tens of hours a week.
Here’s some tech picks that can complement your own desk life, and they make great gifts for others too.
Read on for a breakdown of my picks: HomePod, the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock, LIFX Z Light Strip, Fermata headphone stand and the JOBY iPhone Tripod Mount. Treat yourself (or a friend) …
Apple announced its latest generation iPad Pro just under a month ago now. And with it came some important changes such as the addition of USB-C and moving the Smart Connector to the back of the device.
Many users, including myself, have picked up or are looking to pickup an iPad (Pro, or not) this holiday season. I’ve gone through a ton of different accessories and here are my recommendations for iPad accessories to pick up this holiday season…
This year we are once again offering our Holiday Deal Hub including a curated list of exclusive deals for our readers.
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Big ticket items can often grab the spotlight when it comes to anticipated tech gifts, but stocking stuffers present the opportunity to expand, enhance, power, and protect both new and old devices. Read on for our look at the best tech stocking stuffers including cases, screen protectors, touchscreen gloves, power banks, smart trackers and more from $10-$30.
The Christmas season is upon us, and everyone that I know is out trying to cross people off their gift buying list. Being an IT Director in my day job, there are always IT related items that I like to ask for every year. From extra dongles, new network testing tools, to the latest training manuals, here are gifts for IT professionals that I can recommend.
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The Apple Watch has become an incredibly popular product since its introduction in 2015. It’s gone from a niche watch for Apple fans to a mainstream fitness tracker, and the latest Apple Watch Series 4 takes things a step farther with a new design. The Apple Watch and its various bands, chargers, docks, and more are bound to be some of the most popular gifts this holiday season. These are some of our favorite ideas for Apple Watch gifts.
Music is, to me, one of the greatest things in life. Whether it’s sitting down to actively listen to an album, with nothing else competing for your attention … dancing … having music help the time whizz by on a flight or other journey … or simply adding to the ambience when having friends round to dinner, music brings a huge amount of joy.
It’s never been easier or cheaper to play the music of your choice. A tenner a month on an Apple Music subscription gets you access to around 40 million songs on demand. You can access that music through any of your iDevices, but if you want to enjoy the experience to the full, a good pair of headphones or speakers make the world of difference.
After Zac shared his smart home gift guide, I’ve pulled together some personal recommendations for audio kit that will really enable your family and friends to get the most from their music – together with a few other miscellaneous suggestions at the end …
Whether you’re thinking of your own wish list or looking for gifts for others, picking up some gear to make traveling easier and more fun are sure to be appreciated. Follow along for options from $10 that are useful for traveling near or far.
After being leapfrogged by other popular streaming set-top boxes, Apple this year officially released the Apple TV 4K. With support for 4K HDR, the new Apple TV is now the perfect device for the center of any home theater setup, especially for those who are deep in the Apple ecosystem.
As the company has done now for several years, Apple has posted some gift suggestions for Mother’s Day, which takes place on May 14, with prices starting from $49 …
So far I’ve offered up my personal picks for this holiday season, as well as picks targeted at college kids and teens. Now, however, as we head into the home stretch of holiday shopping, you’re might be realizing that your budget is running a bit low…
Earlier this week I shared by personal gift guide for the Apple fans in your life, suggesting products like iPhone cases, drones, HomeKit accessories, and much more. This time around, I’m sharing apps and products that will be greatly appreciated by the Apple-loving students in your life this holiday season…
Every year I discover new Apple products and accessories that become integral to my day-to-day lifestyle. It’s been an eventful year for Apple technology, with the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, new MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar, and the Apple Watch Series 2, and with the new products come a variety of new offerings from other companies.
I’m excited to share my top picks for useful, minimal wallet cases for iPhone as you think about gift ideas or maybe something for yourself. I’ve included choices that not only check the boxes for what I consider great form, but also provide multiple useful functions. After the break are three solid options that will fit a variety of tastes and budgets from $14-$50.
Apple products span all sorts of demographics with all sorts of products, from wearable Watches to iPhones to post-PC tablets to desktop Macs. There’s a lot out there in the Apple ecosystem to buy this holiday season as a gift for someone you know (or for yourself) who loves Apple products.
My iPhone, iPad and Mac picks include the Fermata wireless headphone stand, Osmo game system, RockJaw earbuds, and Apple Pencil. See the products in the full list after the jump with context …
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Some gifts are used for a while and then discarded. But if you want to buy a gift that someone will take pleasure from for years to come, there’s no better choice for a music lover than some high quality audio kit.
Price-wise, these are special gifts for the special people in your life, but I’ve kept things below the stratospheric levels you could reach with some full-on audiophile kit. Prices range from $200 to an admittedly eye-watering $1500 at the very top end of the speakers.
So here are four headphones and three speakers that are likely to be greatly appreciated by any music lover …
Yep, that time is approaching again, and I’ve rounded up some of my recommendations for the technology lovers in your life. There’s of course a strong Apple focus, but much of the kit can be used with other ecosystems or, indeed, on its own. And if you’re wondering about the absence of any audio kit, I’ll be pulling together a separate premium audio guide later this week.
I’ve aimed to include both a variety of tech – from the purely fun to the more functional – as well as a range of price points, from primary gift for a partner or someone else close to you down to stocking-fillers. It encompasses everything from drones down to USB-C cables …
Now is a good time to buy the Apple Watch. A new version with GPS called Series 2 came out in September, and the original model was updated with a speed boost and a new name: Series 1. Both models fix issues that made the original Apple Watch fine for early adopters but harder to recommend to the masses. There’s also an ecosystem of Apple Watch accessories that we’ve tested and can recommend. Read on for my hand-picked Apple Watch gift guide choices including some out-of-the-box suggestions.