Once daily, we poll our audience of passionate Apple customers and technology enthusiasts, collecting valuable data from iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac users.
Our polls offer insights into purchase intent, reactions to the latest news stories, top requested features, and much more.
Head below for the latest 9to5Mac polls and results:
Now that Apple’s HomeKit has matured and there is a growing ecosystem of Siri-controlled products that support the platform, it’s finally looking like a good time to seriously consider investing in home automation accessories. And now it’s an option for new home buyers too, with at least two homebuilders announcing plans to offer HomeKit upgrade packages that will see various accessories from lighting to security pre-installed in new homes. Would you pay more for a HomeKit-equipped home?
Imagine this possibility: Apple holds an iPhone event in September, unveils iterative iPhone 7s and 7s Plus upgrades shipping in 2-3 weeks, and a radically different iPhone 8 or iPhone Pro that won’t ship for another 4-6 weeks.
Even when the totally new iPhone does ship, supply is extremely constrained and only the very first pre-orders get stock before the end of the year. Would you be willing to wait it out for the dramatically different iPhone?
Over the past few days, we’ve heard two conflicting reports regarding what sort of connection the upcoming iPhone 8 will feature. First, The Wall Street Journal reported that the upcoming iPhone will feature USB-C, with Apple shifting away from Lightning.
Then, earlier today, KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo reported that the iPhone 8 will feature Lightning connectivity with internal changes to support a faster charging.
Who do you believe?
According to a leaked slide obtained by The Verge, Spotify is planning to introduce a more expensive price tier that offers higher quality lossless audio streaming. The tier is said to be priced at $10 more than Spotify’s standard offering, meaning it will come in at $20 per month.
Would you pay more for lossless support with Apple Music streaming?
I wrote an opinion piece last year speculating on whether Apple would switch from Lightning to USB-C, and when it might do so. A new report today suggests that the company is planning to do so this year, in the iPhone 8.
I argued then that there were compelling reasons for Apple to make the switch. While the Lightning port is a clever standard, USB-C is even smarter and more capable. Adopting a single port across both Mac and iOS devices would massively simplify the cable and connector ecosystem. And the high-speed data transfer capabilities provided by USB-C would allow Apple devices to work together better than ever.
I addressed the three possible objections before, but let’s quickly summarize them here …
Earlier today, Zac offered up a full roundup of everything that we could potentially see at Apple’s spring event this year. While the event is generally much smaller-scale than Apple’s other events every year, there are a few things that most usually interest most people.
What rumored announcement for Apple’s April event excites you the most?
Last night, we rounded up a handful of complaints from 2016 MacBook Pro users related to the device’s new keyboard. While there are a variety of complaints presented on Apple’s Support website and other websites, the comments on our post were interesting.
Some users reported that they hated the new butterfly keyboard, while others acted as if the keyboard was the best thing since sliced bread.
What do you think?
Today’s KGI report is just the latest piece of evidence that Apple has serious plans to somehow work with 3D space. Acquisitions, supply chain reports, patents and even comments by Tim Cook all add up to a definite interest in something in the 3D space. The question is: what?
There’s a lot of confusion surrounding terminology, so we thought it would be a good idea to start by distinguishing between the various terms being thrown around in this space – Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) – before discussing Apple’s interest in 3D …
Over the weekend, I broke down all of the details and differences between the new unlimited data plans being offered by the four major United States carriers. Of course, as I and many others were quick to point out, these plans aren’t technically unlimited as once you hit a certain amount of data, you may be throttled.
This made me wonder, how much data do you use on average per month?
Last night, a new report from reliable Apple analyst Ming Chi-Kuo claimed that the upcoming iPhone 8 would drop the Home button and Touch ID capabilities in favor of a new “function area.”
While ditching the Home button is something that has been rumored for a while, the notion that Apple may drop Touch ID is jarring. Kuo’s report, however, claimed that Apple would replace it with some sort of new biometric recognition.
Are you willing to give up Touch ID for new biometric tech and a function area on iPhone 8?
An opinion piece we ran earlier this week on the so-called fake news problem generated a lot of discussion among the community and a lot of differing opinions: Why fake news is a huge threat to democracy and both Apple and the rest of us need to respond.
Should Apple and other tech companies have a responsibility to play a more active role in filtering out fake news from their platforms? Or should it be solely left up to the reader?
Apple has big plans for original content this year and this week gave us a first look. It might have gotten its feet wet with the 808 documentary that it picked up for Apple Music, but new upcoming shows will be its first real step into original content with two series that should have much more mainstream appeal.
One of the long-running rumors for the iPhone 8 is wireless charging. Though there has been some back and forth as to what exact wireless technology the device will use, wireless charging has been one of the most consistent rumors.
Earlier today, however, a report claimed that Apple would sell the wireless charging accessory separately from the iPhone 8 itself.
If Apple does sell wireless charging technology separately, would you pay for it?
We reported this morning that vice president of Apple Pay Jennifer Bailey recently shared her thoughts on the battle going on between Apple and Australia’s big banks.
In the new interview, Bailey made optimistic statements about the future of Apple Pay in Australia with one of the more interesting ones being “customers will say they are happy to switch banks to use it.” We’re curious to know, is this true for you? Have you or would you switch banks for Apple’s payment service?
Earlier today, we reported on a new connector type Apple is working on through its Made-for-iPhone licensing program. Called the Ultra Accessory Connector, or UAC, it’s a smaller connector type that could (though likely won’t) come to products and/or accessories down the line.
Even if it doesn’t are you satisfied with Apple’s current “transition” environment with dongle add-ons everywhere?
Last December Ben wrote a thorough opinion piece on the topic of what port we may see in future iPhones and also asked for readers’ feedback. The majority of pollsters shared they believe Apple won’t incorporate USB-C in the iPhone this year, with 30% thinking 2018 could be the year, 19% saying ‘Never,’ and 18% ‘Later.’ However, there was still almost 30% of respondents who voted that the change will happen this year.
Whether Apple decides to stick with Lightning for this year’s devices or not, it will be interesting to see if they include more adapters in the box or expect customers to pay extra to retain compatibility with their computers and accessories. What do you think?
After what felt like an incredibly long wait, Apple refreshed its MacBook Pro lineup last fall, bringing a new design, improved specifications, and the new Touch Bar. The biggest change to some users, however, has been the switch to USB-C. Following suit from the 12-inch MacBook, the new MacBook Pros switched entirely to USB-C with the refresh.
While the switch to USB-C brings a handful of benefits, there are some users who are still longing for legacy ports.
If you could add one port back to the new MacBook Pro, what would it be?
While Apple yesterday announced record sales of three major products – iPhone, Mac, Watch – there was one notable omission from the celebrations: the iPad. Far from setting any records, the iPad continued its year-on-year decline, with a 19% fall in sales and 22% drop in revenue.
Marco Arment suggested that the prevailing wisdom that tablets are the future while computer sales dwindle might be wrong, and that iPads remain a largely additional device rather than a replacement for a Mac.
But either way, one factor more than any other is likely to be at play …
When Apple announces its sales and revenue figures for the holiday quarter – calendar Q4 2016, Apple’s fiscal Q1 2017 – it will answer one crucial question. Following three straight quarters of year-on-year decline in sales, will the iPhone 7/Plus have been enough to return the company to growth, or will the quarter make it a full 12 months of decline?
There have been a lot of reports for over a year now about wireless charging coming to the iPhone 8, but also still a lot of questions about what it will look like if it does indeed arrive on this year’s 10th anniversary iPhone update.
Will Apple have long-range wireless charging ready in time for its new iPhones this fall? And will you settle for an inductive charging solution like the competition if not?
Lots has been made about the new MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar, the integrated touch sensitive display that replaces the top row of the device’s keyboard. The Touch Bar is contextually sensitive, offering different functions depending on what app you are using, and support is growing as more apps add new functions and support in general. But has it become part of your daily workflow?
Apple is expected to overhaul its iPad lineup in 2017 with new screen sizes and software capabilities, as well as perhaps a new Apple Pencil. One lingering question, however, is what kind of connectivity the new iPads will use.
Since Apple put such as focus on the power of USB-C with the 12-inch MacBook and more recently the MacBook Pro, there’s been speculation as to whether or not the iPad (and iPhone) will ever adopt the standard.
What do you think? Should the next iPad use Lightning or USB-C connectivity?
Apple’s decision to go all-in on USB-C ports on the new MacBook Pro has of course generated a great deal of debate. In a poll we ran almost two months ago, a slim majority of you felt that the decision was a positive one, but the votes were very close.
Now that many of us have been using our shiny new machines for some time, and had the chance to adjust to working with the new ports, I thought it would be interesting to see how easy or difficult an adjustment it has been …
Staying up late or getting up early in the rush to get Apple’s latest devices can often be quite exciting. Unfortunately, finding out the product you wanted so much won’t ship until as far back as November…well not so much. Last night’s preorder fiasco saw orders quickly falling back into holiday shipping dates, and customers running into all sorts of issues with the iPhone Upgrade Program. Following our poll from yesterday, we wonder, did you end up getting what you wanted?