Daniel Gross, a Director at Apple, is leaving the company to join venture capital firm Y Combinator as a partner, according to TechCrunch. Gross first joined Apple three years ago when Cue, an artificial intelligence startup he co-founded, was bought up by Apple.

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Filed under: Apple

Wireless earbuds and headphones have been the talk of the town since Apple’s iPhone 7 launched. For many audiophiles who need the best possible sound, you may still prefer to use your wired headphones. That normally means using the Lightning to 3.5mm headphone adapter, however there’s a better option to keep your wired functionality while improving your listening experience on the iPhone. Enter Nexum’s AQUA; the portable, battery-less, headphone amplifier looking to take your audio experience further.

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Filed under: Apple

LG’s UltraFine 5K Display is here, and while it tops the 4K model in virtually every statistic, there are some scenarios where you might consider buying two 21.5-inch 4K displays instead of a single 5K display.

Both UltraFine Displays are on sale for a limited time until March 31, 2017. The LG UltraFine 5K Display is on sale for $974 and the 4K version is on sale for $524.

That means that you can get two 4K models for $1048, or only $74 more than a single 5K display. Despite the 4K version’s noted shortcomings — lack of a camera, microphone, Thunderbolt 3, 10-bit color, etc. — this may be a viable option if it happens to meet your needs. more…

Filed under: Apple

Sonos CEO and co-founder John MacFarlane is stepping down from his role and giving up his board seat, The New York Times reports. Patrick Spence who previously worked under MacFarlane is taking the lead role at Sonos going forward. The outgoing Sonos CEO wrote about the shift on the company’s blog:

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Filed under: Apple

Well known for its line of popular Mac/iOS audio recording interfaces along with a slew of interesting apps to support them, IK Multimedia is introducing Fender Collection 2 for its Mac guitar processing suite/engine, AmpliTube 4. The new collection of guitar processors include a series of virtual guitar amps spanning the history of Fender’s “genre-defining” gear.

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Filed under: Apple

With the new 2016 MacBook Pro making the switch to all USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, users searching for a way to add back HDMI, USB-A, and other ports are looking to the HyperDrive ultimate USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 hub.

The product has now attracted over 15,000 owners of the new device and raised over $1.3 million in preorders ahead of the first units arriving to customers in February. This week is your last chance to take advantage of early bird pricing on the HyperDrive hub with just 7 days to go for pre-orders through the crowdfunding campaign.

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Filed under: Apple

Veteran Apple employee Chris Lattner shared publicly today that he is leaving the company after more than a decade. Lattner is widely known in the Apple development community as dev-friendly force within the company and the leading figure behind Apple’s Swift programming language.

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Filed under: Apple

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:

Anker iPhone 7 Accessories from $2 Prime shipped: variety of cases, screen protectors, car mounts, and more!

Smart 4K Ultra HDTV deals: Sharp 65-inch Curved w/ 4 HDMI inputs $1,249, Samsung 55-inch $500, more

Daily Deals: JBL Clip+ Bluetooth Speaker (recert.) $19, Two Stanley 24oz Stainless Steel Water Bottles $19, more

Apple’s latest gen 13-inch MacBook Pro in Space Grey and Silver for $200 off: $1,300 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi 32GB is on sale for $500 shipped in all colors at Best Buy (Reg. $599)

Spigen launches the first AirPods stand + charging dock

The TwistedWave Audio Editor for iOS goes free for the very first time on the App Store (Reg. $10)

• App Store Free App of the Week: Lifeline Whiteout for iOS goes free on the App Store for the very first time (Reg. $2)

9to5Toys Best of CES 2017 Awards

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Anker PowerHouse Compact 120,000mAh Portable Outlet-Generator is $100 off today at Amazon: $400 shipped (Reg. $500)

• Polk Wi-Fi Mini Home Theater System w/ Bluetooth: $220 (Reg. $300), more
• Mpow Flexible Tripod with Bluetooth Remote Shutter $12 Prime shipped (Reg. $15), more
• Games/Apps: Mega Man Legacy $14, iOS freebies, more
• Hoover FloorMate Deluxe Hard Floor Cleaner for just $70 shipped today (Reg. $120+)
• Finish Line’s 50% off End of Season Sale includes Nike, North Face, adidas, more
• Amazon offers 35% off loads of Vitamins and Supplements for today only

MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:

Never forget your wallet, iPhone or backpack again: Tile Slim Tracker returns to its Amazon all-time low at $25 Prime shipped

Logitech’s Multi-Device K380 Bluetooth Keyboard offers up to two-years of battery life for $25 

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Filed under: Apple

ESPN has a significant update to its iOS app today that includes new sports features plus easier ways to watch video on Apple’s platforms with SSO and Chromecast support.

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Filed under: Apple

After being the first MacBook Pro to not receive a recommendation from Consumer Reports, the company is now stating that the latest macOS Sierra beta addresses a potential issue with the system’s battery life.

Working in conjunction with Apple over the holiday, the two have worked together to better understand the battery test results as promised and new testing is taking place this week…

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Filed under: Apple