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Welcome to our Entertainment Holiday Gift Guide! Apple this year has breathed new life into its kick-back offerings with the new tvOS-powered fourth-gen Apple TV and the larger iPad Pro. Both offer new ways to relax with your Apple products and binge watch your favorite TV show, listen to the new Coldplay album, and more.

The new Apple TV is the first to feature support for Bluetooth peripherals, including headphones and speakers. The new device also features support for gaming with MFi controllers, opening up an entirely new market for Apple TV developers and users.

These are essentials accessories you need to get the most out of your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV to have the most fun and enjoyment.

Headphones and Earbuds

The new Apple TV offers a handful of enhancements over the previous generation models, including support for Bluetooth peripherals (just not keyboards yet). You can now listen to content from your Apple TV through your favorite set of Bluetooth headphones or wireless earbuds. Of course, Macs, iPhones, and iPads also support Bluetooth peripherals, so the need to finally bite the bullet and invest in a good pair of wireless headphones is higher now than ever before. Beats headphones have largely become a staple in the Apple fan’s tech haul since Apple acquired the company last year, but there are still a handful of options out there that outperform them.

For Bluetooth earbuds, my personal favorites are the Jaybird X2 Wireless Sport ($129.99). These earbuds are incredibly small in size but still pack a massive punch in terms of sound quality and comfort. I’m generally not a huge fan of in-ear headphones, but these are very comfortable. They’ll work for a variety of different use cases, as well. You can use them while you workout and exercise, as they are sweat-proof, as well as with your Apple TV or with any other Bluetooth compatible device.

Beats Studio Wireless (reviewed here)

As far as Bluetooth headphones go, my personal favorites remain the Beats Studio Wireless ($250). I’ve tried several other options recently, but always come back to my Beats thanks to their comfort, bass-heavy sound profile, and ease of use. The $250 price tag remains a tad on the high side, but for the sharp design and quality of sound, the premium is worth it in my opinion.

If you’re not set on having Bluetooth, another highly praised, albeit more expensive option, are the Bose QuietComfort 20 Noise Canceling Earbuds ($300). These have been widely praised as the best noise canceling headphones on the market right now and are perfect for listening in louder, more chaotic environments. They also feature an “active mode” that allows you to hear what’s going on around you, but only when you need to. $300 is steep for a pair of wired earbuds, especially with the prospect of Apple ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack next year being rumored, but the Bose QuietComfort 20 are arguably the best noise canceling offerings on the market.

Bluetooth/AirPlay Speakers

Seth is the resident Bluetooth speaker expert here at 9to5 and has already shared his “Best of 2015” roundup. I took his word for it at the time and invested in a Bose SoundLink Mini II Bluetooth speaker and I wasn’t disappointed. For $199, you get a sound that seems as loud as one provided by a speaker 3x its cost. I love speakers with deep, audible bass and the SoundLink II definitely provides that. It’s all packed in a portable, easy to carry around package, and charges via USB, has a microphone, and 10 hour battery life.

If you’re looking for slightly more compact option, the UE Mini Boom ($99) (center) continues to be one of my favorite offerings on the market. Mine has been through torture throughout the year and a half that I’ve used it, but it’s still chugging along and working perfectly. I love the slick black and red color combo that it comes in, as well. It too claims to offer 10 hours of battery life, but expect to get less than that if you’re bumping at full volume for any significant amount of time.

One thing I love to pair with my Bluetooth speakers is an Airport Express ($93). You can pick up a refurbished model on Amazon for $70.99. It allows you to plug in any speaker via a 3.5mm headphone jack and wirelessly play audio to it via AirPlay. AirPlay offers a more versatile experience than Bluetooth, allowing music to be played anywhere throughout your house as long as you’re connected to Wi-Fi. AirPlay also doesn’t carry the same distance parameters that plague Bluetooth, but it’s limited to your local wireless network.

Of course, you also have the option of buying a speaker with AirPlay already built-in, but those generally carry a bloated price tag that doesn’t represent a higher quality sound. If you’re set on AirPlay-enabled, however, one of the more popular options is the Wren V5AP speaker system ($239). One of my favorite qualities about this speaker is actually the design. It features a wood finish on the top with silver around the front and sides, making for a very classic meets modern design. Still though, I prefer the idea of buying an AirPort Express or Chromecast Audio and hooking it up to an existing speaker. It’s a much more versatile and in most cases less expensive option.

TVs & Monitors

While the new Apple TV doesn’t support 4K, if you’re in the market for a new TV, you should definitely invest in a model that supports the higher resolution standard. While people love to argue that 4K is pointless right now, there’s no denying it won’t be pointless sooner rather than later and when purchasing something you’ll likely keep for 3-5 years at minimum, it makes sense to buy with the future in mind, especially with prices falling dramatically.

When it comes to TVs, it’s best in my opinion to stick to LG and Samsung. They tend to offer the best combination of quality and affordability and are recognizable brand names. For Samsung, their top model with the best bang for your buck is the JS7000 55-inch. Coming in at $1,297, the JS7000 offers 4 HDMI ports, three USB ports, a resolution of 3840 x 2160, and a 120 hertz refresh rate.

Another more affordable option from Samsung is the 48-inch JU64000. At less than half the price of the 55-inch JS7000, this model offers a 120 hertz effective refresh date with 3 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, and the same 4K Ultra resolution. To get a 48-inch Samsung 4K TV at $597.99 is a heck of a deal, especially with the Smart features that it offers.

LG’s top offering right now is the 55-inch UF7600. This model comes in at $1,198, which is slightly less than the comparable Samsung 55-inch model. LG’s offering packs a 120 hertz effective refresh rate with 3 HDMI ports and 3 USB ports and a 4K resolution. It also includes a handful of smart features, including built-in Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu apps. A more affordable option from LG is the 43-inch UF6400. It comes in at $597.99 and is 4K with a 120 hertz effective refresh rate. The downside to this model is it only features 2 HDMI inputs, which is hard to live with in 2015.

One of the best tech decisions I’ve made is investing in a 4K monitor. Going from 1080p to 4k is essentially the same as going from non-Retina to Retina. It’s impossible to go back once you’ve made the switch. I personally use the Samsung U29D590D 4K monitor and it’s fantastic. Samsung has upped its offering this year, however, with the UE590. For just $498, you get 4K resolution with HDMI 2.0 support and 1ms response time. It’s arguably the best deal on the market when it comes to 4 Kmonitors. It’s also compatible with almost all recent Macs, making it the perfect addition to your everyday computing needs.

Jordan did a great job of rounding up some of the higher-end 4K monitors, as well. He took a hands-on look at Dell, LG, and Sharp’s 4K offerings and found the Dell 31.5-inch Up3214Q to offer the best price and quality combination. Dell has since released a successor to that model. The UP3216Q is available on Amazon for $1,499.

If you’re getting a new 4K monitor, you might as well invest in a new mouse and keyboard setup to go with it. To this day I’ve yet to find a combination that goes better than Logitech’s Performance MX Master Wireless Mouse ($82.98) and Apple’s Magic Keyboard ($94). As some one who uses a 12-inch MacBook daily, finally having the same feeling keyboard at my desk is huge, making Apple’s Magic Keyboard my ideal solution right now.

Odds and Ends 

If you’re shopping for a tech lover this holiday season, you’d be amazed at how excited they’ll get over a simple cable. Everyone can always use a spare Lightning cable ($7.99), MagSafe Charger ($35), USB-C cable ($9.99), and an extra pair of cheap earbuds ($6.48). HDMI cables (2 for $8.49) are also a popular gift, especially with the launch of the 4th-gen Apple TV (because, for whatever reason, Apple still doesn’t include an HDMI cable with the device itself).

For the gaming fan, an MFi approved controller is a great idea to allow more intense gaming on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Several options exist but the best one on the market right now is the SteelSeries Nimbus ($50) and has earned the approval of several of us here at 9to5Mac.

Another popular iPad accessory is the Osmo Gaming System ($79.99). This product combines apps with physical hardware to provide a fun and entertaining way to entertain people of all ages. The process is incredibly simple as well. Simply snap on the included Reflector to your device’s rear camera and play. For the artist in your life, the Pencil by FiftyThree ($39.99) remains one of the neatest iPad styluses for drawing.

Finally, this may seem a bit antiquated, but nothing beats the feeling of writing down your occasional strokes of genius into a physical notebook. A variety of options exist for this, but my personal favorite is the Dwell Fabric Bound Planner. These offer a simple and elegant design. They’re a tad pricy at $28, but you’re paying for the classic and professional design and it’s well worth it.

More Gift Guides

Now that you have some ideas for what to get to have some fun with your Apple products, you might need some more ideas for the more professional iPhone and Mac fans. Be sure to catch up on and share our 9to5Mac iPhone and Mac Holiday Gift Guides, as well as our iPad Holiday Gift Guide. Plus check out our HomeKit, photography, premium audio guides and stay tuned for even more! For some great budget gadgets, check out our Stocking Stuffer guide, too.

Filed under: Buying Guides Tagged: 9to5Mac Holiday Gift Guide, Apple, gift guide, Holiday Gift Guide 2015, roundup

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Although faster, cheaper solid state drives (SSDs) are winning marketshare and mindshare, makers of traditional hard disks are still working to squeeze more storage capacity inside standard 1-inch hard drive enclosures. HGST — known for its excellent G-Technology-branded G-Drives — today announced the Ultrastar He10, a 3.5-inch conventional hard drive with a staggering 10TB of storage space. But “conventional” might be the wrong word, as the drive manages to fit seven platters inside its hermitically-sealed enclosure, which is filled with helium rather than air, hence the “He” name. Measuring 1″ thick, it’s capable of fitting inside even the latest, thinnest Retina iMacs, as well as conventional external hard drive enclosures…

The Ultrastar He10 isn’t HGST’s first 10TB drive — that would be the Ultrastar Archive Ha10, introduced earlier this year — but the new model is faster for rewriting, and claimed to have a 25% longer lifespan. Ultrastar He10 is a 7200RPM drive with a 256MB data buffer, 5-year warranty, and a promised MTBF (mean time before failure) of 2.5 million hours — the type of extended longevity expected of HGST’s server-grade drives. It also promises an average latency of 4.16ms, with sustained transfer rates of 249MB/second (read) or 225MB/second (write), and 8ms seek times. HGST is offering it in 8TB or 10TB versions, as well as with SATA-III or SAS interfaces. HGST hasn’t announced pricing, but a report from Ars Technica suggests that the price will be approximately $800.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: 10TB, hard drive, Mac, Storage

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As you may know from my prior opinion piece on the iPad Pro, I was on the fence about keeping Apple’s new 12.9″ tablet. One of our editors has loved his Pro since day one, another returned his after a week of testing, and another effectively consigned his to Netflix duty. Up until the Pro came out, I was a very satisfied iPad Air 2 user, so I didn’t feel like I needed a bigger device.

But after three weeks with my iPad Pro, several things have changed my mind, and I’m officially a happy convert to the larger tablet. Moreover, I have no intention of going back to the smaller iPad Air or iPad mini form factors any time soon. Here are the five things that made a big difference to me…

1. Apple Pencil. Apple’s first iPad stylus, Apple Pencil, is very close to awesome — better overall than any of the dozens of styluses I’ve tested for earlier iPads, and a joy to use for writing notes, sketching, and drawing. Assisted by iOS Notes and third-party apps such as Procreate, the pressure- and orientation-sensitive stylus does a truly wonderful job of accurately representing the motions and imperfections of both handwriting and analog marking tools. While an accessory named “Pencil” could certainly stand to include an eraser, and its battery life isn’t fantastic, I otherwise love this stylus, and consider it essential to my iPad experience. Unfortunately, it’s still extremely hard to find, but available on eBay and through Amazon Marketplace sellers.

2. The Right Stand/Case. My first week with the iPad Pro was marked by daily struggles to prop up and hold the 12.9″ tablet for extended periods of time, and made more awkward because I was relying on the wrong stand and case combination (Logitech’s Create). I discovered that turning the iPad Pro into a bulky, cheap-feeling laptop killed the enthusiasm I had for its “tablet-plus” functionality. So I initially solved the stand problem by switching to Just Mobile’s Encore, which works with all iPads, then found a great combination iPad Pro stand and case in Urban Armor Gear’s Composite Case, which I’ve been using and loving. Being able to carry the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil together, with the benefit of an as-needed stand, makes the large tablet experience leagues better; pairing it whenever necessary with a Logitech K811 Keyboard is perfect for long-form typing.

3. Finding A Better Price. Apple’s $499/$599/$699 pricing strategy for the original iPad was smart, presenting a major new product with an affordable option from day one (while incentivizing upgrades); the same strategy helped the iPad mini and iPad Air roar out of the gate. By comparison, Apple’s iPad Pro pricing feels somewhat exclusive: the $799, $949 and $1,079 models are all outside “impulse buy” territory for casual users, and may seem a little expensive compared with Apple’s fuller-featured laptops or earlier tablets. But if you can get the Pro at a discount, it’s harder to pass up. I was able to score a rare Cyber Monday deal to lower my iPad Pro’s price, and though it’s expired, you can save some cash (particularly on sales tax) through a third-party vendor such as MacMall; coupon code MWBCJ9TO5MAC will help you save at least $25 off Apple’s standard prices.

4. Getting Updated Apps. It’s probably not surprising that there weren’t many iPad Pro apps ready on launch day, given that Apple released it with so little advance notice to developers. The initial selection of apps with either iPad Pro resolution support, or split-screen support, was seriously disappointing. But each time an app adds support for the iPad Pro, particularly split-screen functionality, the Pro becomes more useful, and I like it more. Some of Apple’s built-in iOS apps, including Messages, are absolutely essential to use in split-screen rather than full-screen mode. I’ve enjoyed using Reeder 3 and Tweetbot 4, both of which have been updated for the Pro. But other third-party apps really could benefit from Pro updates; I’m anxiously awaiting Facebook and YouTube updates, and other tweaks so that my most-used apps can share the big screen at once.

5. Discarding Some iPad Air/mini Conceptions. One of the things that changed was me. Like anybody who’s been using iPads and MacBooks for years, I had certain expectations as to how the iPad Pro might function — somewhere inbetween them, hopefully as a replacement for both of them. But for me, the iPad Pro turned out to just be a more capable iPad, solely a replacement for my iPad Air 2. Once I decided that I was going to stop using the iPad Air 2, I began to figure out workarounds for some of the challenges created by the larger Pro’s form factor. Knowing that I wanted to make it work for the long term, rather than as a temporary replacement for the iPad Air 2, really changed my enjoyment of the device.

I’m not going to tell you that the iPad Pro’s perfect — the overly large, poorly-designed virtual keyboards remain a sore point for me, and many other parts of iOS 9 feel either underpolished or downright ignored for the 12.9″ screen. But the more I use this tablet, the more I would feel comfortable recommending it as an alternative to a 9.7″ iPad; perhaps in time it will be worthy of recommending over a MacBook, as well.

More From This Author

Check out more of my reviews, How-To guides and editorials for 9to5Mac here! I’ve published a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users, as well as a great holiday gift guide for iPhone users, a detailed holiday gift guide for Mac users, and a separate holiday gift guide for Apple photographers.

Filed under: iOS Devices, Opinion Tagged: Apps, iPad, ipad air, iPad Air 2, iPad apps, iPad mini, iPad Pro, MacBook

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A couple of months ago we took an in-depth preview look at the Sonos Play:5 all-in-one wireless speaker ahead of its release as the company unveiled its new Trueplay speaker tuning feature. The new Sonos Play:5 (2nd gen, $499) has since launched in stores and Apple Music streaming will be supported from December 15th. I’ve spent a few weeks testing a pair of new Play:5 speakers to see how it performs. The short answer is that it delivers on its promise of providing premium sound, but here’s how it compares to the cheaper Sonos Play:1 ($199) and mid-sized Sonos Play:3 ($299):

At 14 pounds and 8.03 x 14.33 x 6.06 inches, the new Sonos Play:5 all-in-one speaker isn’t gigantic, but it’s certainly not as small as the cheaper Play:1 and Play:3 all-in-one units also in the lineup. Play:5 is still portable, though, and with the bigger build comes louder sound through six Class-D digital amplifiers.

Play:5 comes in two colors: traditional sound system full black or iPod HiFi-like white with a great black grill. Wired connections include one 3.5mm line-in port, a 10/100Mbps Ethernet port, and a power supply out of the back.

The setup process is fairly simple and will be familiar to current Sonos users. Connect Play:5 to power, launch the Sonos Controller app, and follow the prompts to add a new speaker. This requires pressing a couple of buttons on the unit, then you’re off to the races. Optionally, you can setup Trueplay with Play:5 to optimize the sound performance for the speaker’s placement in the room; naturally, you’ll want to repeat this process if you move the unit from its location during Trueplay setup.

From the Sonos Controller app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, and Windows, you can play audio directly to Play:5 from streaming services including Apple Music*, Spotify, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, Pandora Radio, Tidal, and more. You can also playback DRM-free tracks from your device as well as locally downloaded podcasts wirelessly.

Like other Sonos systems, Play:5 lacks Bluetooth and AirPlay support without connecting devices like Apple’s AirPort Express or Bluetooth receivers over line-in. For most Sonos users, however, Apple Music support through the Sonos Controller app will likely satisfy the ‘what to play?’ problem. Beta support is rolling out from December 15th, with wider support in early 2016.

Underneath Play:5’s grill you’ll find six Class-D amplifiers that amount to a whole lot of speaker. Specifically, three mid-woofers make up the lower half to push both mid-range and deep bass sounds forward; no back ventilation to throw low-range sounds back, but Trueplay effectively balances bass-heavy tracks even with tricky speaker placement. Play:5’s top half packs three tweeters for high-end tones, but unlike the mid-woofers each of these is angled in its own direction. An embedded microphone can be found along the top center, but at launch is not used for any shipping features just yet.

That compares to the original Play:5’s single woofer, two mid-woofers, and two tweeters. The old Play:5 from 2009, which has since been discontinued but can be found second-hand, was also slightly smaller at 8.5 x 14.4 x 4.8 inches and 9.15 pounds. While the first Play:5 stuck around for six years, current Sonos customers are likely considering adding the new Play:5 to a multi-room setup versus weighing replacing old Play:5 units since that’s much of the appeal of Sonos systems.

Sonically, Play:5 easily earns its title as a premium speaker and the best all-in-one unit you can buy from Sonos. You can pair two Play:5 units together for stereo sound at twice the volume (and price), but a single Play:5 unit pushes plenty of volume to cover a large room or small home and maxes out at top levels beyond healthy listening without any audio distortion.

Sound clarity across the spectrum is notable in Play:5. Deep bass sounds come through that aren’t delivered in smaller speakers without overpowering higher tones in tracks.  In testing, I found stereo channel separation noticeable but not dramatic, which is reasonable for a speaker of its size. Stereo separation is certainly present and accurate however. Tuning Play:5 with the new Trueplay feature typically cranked up treble tones in my testing, likely to address bass reflecting from nearby objects and overpowering overall sound.

Priced at $499, Play:5 packs Wi-Fi connectivity that talks to streaming services over the Internet to play music directly to it rather than streaming it from an iPhone or Mac. Instead, Play:5 relies on those devices as a controller, combining multiple services into a single interface. If you consider that wireless functionality at around a $100 value, Play:5 should be compared to standalone $400 speakers when measuring the boom for your buck.

Even at its $499 retail price, though, Play:5 delivers a level of clarity and fullness across a range of test genres that you can’t pick up from lesser speakers. Importantly, individual instruments can be picked out of busy tracks without competing ranges across the spectrum getting muddied together. Put simply, I found myself spoiled by Play:5 in testing when returning to less expensive portable speakers. Sonos customers looking to recreate quality audio performance will be satisfied with what Play:5 delivers.

Aside from audio performance, I found features like Trueplay tuning to deliver the best sound regardless of optimal speaker placement and programming alarms to wake you up to playlists or stations very impressive.

Besides the internal speaker shakeup and external redesign, the Play:5 (2nd gen) features sleeker playback controls that rely on touch and swipe gestures like smartphones rather than physical click buttons like hardware keyboards. I was impressed with the new controls in September during a short demo as the move from traditional buttons to nearly invisible ones has a more modern effect.

After spending a few weeks with the new style, however, I did find it tricky to develop the muscle memory for these touch controls. They’re intuitive, just not overly obvious. Tap play/pause to toggle playback, tap left or right to decrease or increase volume, and swipe left or right to jump between tracks. Visually, it’s a total grand slam over the old style controls still used by Play:1 and Play:3.

These controls also benefit from adapting naturally in three orientations. Play:5 can be used in landscape as a single unit, or in either portrait orientation where the controls adapt for either side. Tapping the top control becomes volume up and swiping up progresses to the next track without the exact buttons being mapped to these functions.

Pairing two Play:5’s is as easy as initial setup. The Sonos Controller app lets you assign a second Play:5 as a stereo addition putting both units in stereo mode, or you can easily add or break up stereo pairs later on. While a single Play:5 does provide noticeable stereo separation on its own, especially on tracks with dramatic stereo effects, pairing two Play:5 units together to have dedicated left and right channels creates the best stereo effect.

But at $499 for each Play:5 unit, spending $1,000 for a stereo setup in a single room likely won’t be as common as placing a unit in different rooms for a multi-room effect. Pairing two Play:5’s together also means you need to rethink volume levels as output is twice as loud. Still, the feature works very well.

The combination of Sonos Controller adding Apple Music, Play:5’s retail launch, and the holiday gift buying season will surely bring a lot of new customers to the Sonos ecosystem. The new Play:5 has a very modern look that a lot of Apple fans will appreciate, especially compared to the original Play:5, and it’s a very fine all-in-one wireless speaker with impressive premium sound.

If you’re looking for one monster speaker to add to your system or start with, the new Play:5 is easily the best speaker Sonos makes. But if your budget is at or under Play:5 territory, new Sonos customers may be better served by picking up a Play:3 and a Play:1 for the same price to get the multi-room experience.

Sonos also runs a holiday special that includes a two-pack of Play:1 units for $50 off the price of buying them individually. For casual music listening, both the Play:1 and Play:3 speakers are impressive for their sizes … and Trueplay only makes them better.

If you’re just starting out with Sonos, I recommend taking advantage of the $349 holiday Play:1 two-pack ($400 value). But if you’re looking for the absolute best single unit Sonos speaker, then you’ll be impressed with Play:5’s performance.

Filed under: Apple Music, Reviews Tagged: all-in-one speaker, Play:5, Sonos, Sonos Play:5, speaker, wireless speaker

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Recently, we’ve seen a good amount of iPhone 7 rumors with everything from USB-C support to Apple potentially removing the 3.5mm headphone jack. It all sounds a bit crazy, but today we’ll get to the bottom of the rumors and discuss what’s actually possible and what makes sense. Big thanks to Bushel for sponsoring this week’s episode. To find out what awesome cloud-based mobile device management can do for you, check out http://ift.tt/1j95I0c.

The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed.

New episodes of Happy Hour are available every Wednesday. As mentioned, you can download this podcast via iTunes or plug in our RSS feed link into your favorite podcasting app. Send an email to listenermail@9to5mac.com (or click here) and your question/comment may be featured in an upcoming episode of Happy Hour.

Note: iTunes (web interface and app) may still be propagating the new episode which could take up to 24 hours. Subscribing to the podcast feed will guarantee the latest episode is downloaded.

Hosts:

• Zac Hall
• Dom Esposito

Here’s what we discussed in this episode:

• Report: Apple plans to nix 3.5mm port on iPhone 7, require Lightning for wired headphones
• Report: Apple testing iPhone 7 models with USB-C, multi-touch 3D Touch, dual cameras, more
• Report: Apple to begin shifting iPhone displays from LCD to OLED in 2018
• New redesigned thinner MacBook Air rumored for mid-2016, perhaps including a 15 inch model
• PSA: Beats Music shuts down today, here’s what changes and how to move to Apple Music
• Apple Music streaming is coming to Sonos speakers on December 15th

If you missed our 42nd episode last week, you can subscribe and find every episode or start off from the previous episode here.

Remember: Subscribe on iTunes to catch all of the episodes as they go live and send in your questions/comments to listenermail@9to5mac.com.

Filed under: Happy Hour Tagged: 9to5Mac, Apple Music, Beats Music, Happy Hour, iPhone 7, MacBook Air, Sonos, tech news, Technology

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Software on Apple’s App Store may be reviewed by human editors and approved before distribution, but one business owner claims the iPhone maker is not doing enough to prevent copyright infringement. The Roanoke Times published a piece this week highlighting the issue of paid iOS apps scraping content from the web and packaging it in paid apps. While developer relations issues often get a lot of attention, the problem with the App Store according to Brian Raub is not a story heard often…

Raub runs a travel review site called Lakelubbers.com that employs 3 editors and 20 paid freelancers who review lake vacation spots across the country. The website’s content is original and earns revenue through web advertising, but Raub was recently tipped off to a handful of paid iOS apps that repackage and resell content from his website.

The company behind the pirating apps showed no interest in working with Raub to resolve the situation, so he says he involved Apple which originally wanted Raub and the other company to work things out. After some back and forth between the three parties, Apple eventually pulled the 11 piracy apps from the App Store.

Problem solved. Except the company behind the pirated apps responded by creating 20 more paid apps that simply repackaged content from Raub’s website, and Raub says Apple hasn’t been interested in fixing the problem this time.

Apple has App Store Review Guidelines to properly ban copyright infringement and scraping and repackaging web content, but those rules haven’t helped in Raub’s case obviously. Raub says he’s had to purchase the apps to even verify his content was used as it’s not searchable otherwise, and pursuing legal options wouldn’t be economical.

The bigger issue is that the problem clearly isn’t limited to Raub’s website. Search the App Store for ‘9to5mac’ and you’ll find our recently launched app plus a combination of both free and paid apps that present content pulled from our website.

For a business owner like Raub where there’s zero attribution or linking to his own website, the current App Store system seems to offer no clear solutions and legal options aren’t feasible.

In this case, the simple solution is probably banning developer accounts related to the pirating company in question, enforcing copyright protection tighter, and clearer communication to developers and impacted business owners alike. But no one wants to create a wild, wild west situation for anyone can cry foul and have a competitor removed from the market. Read the full piece here and let us know what you think.

Filed under: AAPL Company, Apps Tagged: App Store, Apps, copyright, Copyright infringement, iPad, iPhone

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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:

Monument Valley for iOS goes free for the first time (Reg. $4)

TextExpander 5 for Mac, award-winning productivity app now $22 (Orig. $45)

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Apple 12″ 256GB MacBook $1,100 (Reg. $1,299), 13″ 256GB Retina MacBook Pro (newest) $1,250 (Reg. $1,499), more

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• Games/Apps: The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt (all platforms) $25, Shovel Knight $20, more
• Home Recording: M-Audio 61-Key MIDI Keyboard $85 (Reg. $169), more
• Melissa & Doug Toys up to 50% off: 60-piece Building Blocks $35, more
• Daily Deals: VIZIO 29-inch 2.0 Channel Soundbar $50, more
• Free MP3 Christmas albums from Mariah Carey, Blake Shelton, Josh Groban

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Anker USB Power Deals: 4-port 36W Wall Charger $14 (Reg. $20), 12W Car Charger w/ Lightning Cable $10 (Reg. $14), more

Free PS Plus Games for December: Far Cry 3, Gaunlet Slayer Edition, more

Free Xbox Live Gold Games for December: Thief, Adventures of Van Helsing, Sacred 3, more

• Networking: HooToo 802.11n Travel Router $15 (Reg. $20), more
• Kindle First Books for December: Out of Sorts, A Death in Sweden, more
• OtterBox Commuter Series iPhone 6/6s Case for $19 shipped (Reg. $28+)
• Kindle tablets 25% off for Amazon cardholders: Paperwhite $90, more
• Audio-Technica Headphones + Amp $180 shipped ($258 value)
• Monoprice MHD Sport 2.0 Action Camera w/ Live View Remote $150 (Reg. $180)
• Blue Condenser Mics: Spark Digital Lightning from $128 (Reg. $200)
• Anker iPad Accessories: Bluetooth Folio Keyboards for iPad Air 2, mini 4, more from $20
• eBay Gift Card Roundup: Toys R Us $100 for $85, Lowe’s $200 for $175, much more
• These men’s luxury watches are on sale for Black Friday & Cyber Monday
• Grab extra MFi Apple-Certified Lightning Cables from Anker, Spigen & Mpow from $4
• GoPro HERO4 Cameras: Session $229 (Reg. $300), Black 4K $349 (Reg. $500)
• Yamaha 7.2-channel 4K Wi-Fi Network AV Receiver: $300 shipped (Reg. $400)
• Take 50% off any album purchase from Google Play
• Pixelmator for Mac gets a 50% discount today: $15 (Reg. $30)
• Apple AirPort Extreme 802.11ac Wireless Router (refurbished): $100 shipped (Orig. $199)
• iTunes HD Movies: Godfather Trilogy $10, Rocky Collection $30, more
• Panasonic Sound Rush Plus On-Ear Headphones $15 shipped (Reg. $60)
• Herman Miller takes rare 15% off world’s best office chairs + desks
• Implosion – Never Lose Hope for iOS goes free for the first time ($10 value)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

MiTagg slims down its NuDock Mini for iPhone & Apple Watch plus adds USB-C

Unboxing and Review: Star Wars Battlefront limited edition PS4 is out of this galaxy [Video]

• Mohu launches a “high-end” speaker with built-in Android display, save 10%
• Leica introduces a new low-cost M series camera, but don’t expect bargain pricing
• D-Link takes all the smart things and puts them together in one Komfy light switch
• Curate With Me, Win A Prize: 2015’s Most Coveted Holiday Tech Gifts List!
• The ultimate 4K set-top box battle [Video]
• GENII’s CAST streaming box skirts copyright rules to beam your content to friends

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon Prime, apple deals, Apple TV Mount, best Apple TV mounts, Black Friday, coupon codes, Cyber Monday, Daily Deals, eBay Daily Deals, free, free apps, free shipping, Freebies, iPad, MacBook, MacBook Pro, Monument Valley, new Apple TV mounts, TextExpander 5

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You can now add Starbucks, Wunderlist, and LinkedIn to the list of iOS apps with features utilizing Apple’s new 3D Touch feature on the latest generation iPhones.

For Starbucks, the latest update quietly added Apple’s 3D Touch quick actions feature, allowing users to deep press the app’s icon for quick access to Pay, Reload Card, Order, and Nearby Stores features (as pictured above).

And with version 9.0 of the LinkedIn app for iPhone and iPad, users will notice a number of enhancements to the app alongside 3D Touch, like LinkedIn, with quick access to commonly used app features from a deep press of the app’s Home screen icon.

The update also includes a new streamlined design that consolidates all features into 5 new tabs labeled Home, Me, Messaging, My Network, and Search. You’ll also notice support for finding connections directly from Apple’s new Spotlight feature in iOS 9.

Not to be left out, popular to-do list app Wunderlist also gets 3D Touch with an update today offering quick previews of to-do’s and more:

Want to take a quick Peek inside a to-do? Use 3D Touch to see a preview of a to-do. Now swipe up while you’re in the Peek screen and you’ll be able to quickly reschedule it without even opening the Detail View. Press harder on the Peek screen and you’ll Pop straight into the Detail View, which is looking mighty pretty, we’re sure you’ll agree.

Check out the updated Starbucks, LinkedIn, and Wunderlist apps on the App Store now. 

(Thanks Felipe!)

Filed under: Apps Tagged: 3D Touch, App Store, Apple, Apps, LinkedIn, peek and pop, preview, quick actions, Starbucks, Wunderlist

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Apple has consistently worked at making the iPhone ever slimmer, and has been willing to make compromises to achieve that, most notably in battery-life. But with the iPhone 6 and 6s, it is close to the limit on how slim an iPhone can be – and the reason for that is the oldest piece of tech in the phone. The iPhone 6/6s is not very much thicker than the diameter of the 3.5mm headphone jack.

The latest iPod touch shows that Apple has a little more room for manoeuvre (above photo Anandtech, below iFixit).

But really not much. If Apple wants to continue the iPhone’s diet, at some point very soon it’s going to have to ditch the 3.5mm headphone socket in favor of an alternative. There are four possible options open to it … 

First, it could replace the standard 3.5mm audio socket with a 2.5mm one. While 3.5mm has been the standard audio socket for mobile devices for a long time, it’s not the only option out there.

Audio kit originally used a quarter-inch socket (6.3mm) – and high-end home kit often still does. That size was too large for mobile devices, so the 3.5mm system was devised to solve the problem, but some manufacturers went further and opted for 2.5mm instead.

The 2.5mm system never really took off, as 3.5mm was small enough for all the mobile devices that existed at the time, but it’s still out there and Apple could adopt it, shaving off a millimeter by doing so.

There would be some advantages to doing this. You could snap a small 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter onto any set of headphones without any compatibility issues, and Apple wouldn’t need to make any changes to the electronics inside the iPhone. Adapters are cheap, so Apple could even throw one in with the iPhone, so no-one could grumble about being forced to lay out cash on a new adapter.

But I think we can pretty much rule out this option. It’s old tech. If Apple is going to do anything as radical as drop an industry-standard socket, it’s going to replace it with something hi-tech.

Which brings us to the second option: drop the audio socket altogether, and co-opt the Lightning socket into performing audio duties as well as power and data. A recent report claimed that Apple plans to do that for the iPhone 7.

That’s possible right now, of course. The Lightning socket can already deliver audio signals, and already does so with a range of audio docks. You can also already buy headphones with Lightning plugs instead of 3.5mm ones (though admittedly the selection available today is rather small).

There are both pros and cons to this approach. On the plus side, Lightning delivers a lossless digital audio signal. This means that headphone manufacturers can include their own digital-to-analog converters, some of which would be of a higher quality than the one built into the iPhone.

Apple’s Digital Audio Module standard also allows headphones to draw power from the iPhone, negating the need to charge the headphones – though at further cost to battery life. Conversely, though, the headphones could supply power to the iPhone, and the protocol supports pass-through power, allowing you to listen to music while the phone is charging.

The big downside, of course, is that you can’t use existing headphones. Because the signal provided by the Lightning port is digital, a simple converter won’t do the trick: the headphones need an on-board DAC to convert to analog sound.

This would normally be a killer argument against the change. Many of us have expensive headphones we love, and we wouldn’t be amused by a new iPhone effectively rendering them obsolete for mobile use.

But there is a potential get-out clause here. It should be technically possible for a DAC in the iPhone to handle the conversion to analog signals, at which point a simple snap-on 3.5mm to Lightning adapter would be all that would be needed. If Apple took that route, existing headphones would continue to work just as they do now.

The third option, and one a sketchy rumor suggests Apple is playing with, is to replace the Lightning socket with a USB-C one.

You could see an argument for this. The USB-C is an extremely powerful standard that could do everything an iOS device needs and more. Audio is just one of its many capabilities, and it wouldn’t be a problem for manufacturers to create USB-C headphones.

Apple has already adopted USB-C for the 12-inch MacBook, and will almost certainly do so for the complete MacBook range next year. There is something to be said for Apple standardizing on a single port across all devices.

But there are three reasons I think it won’t. First, there was enormous controversy when Apple abandoned the old 30-pin connector in favor of Lightning. Many people were vocal in their objection to Apple making old docks and audio kit effectively obsolete – or at least both fiddly and ugly by the time you added an adapter. It was a change that had to be made eventually, but Apple certainly won’t be in a hurry to make a second change so relatively soon after the first.

Second, while USB-C is incredibly powerful, an iPhone doesn’t need most of those capabilities. No-one is going to be hooking up an iPhone to a Thunderbolt display, and an iPhone doesn’t have the computing power to do half of it anyway.

But the third reason is the real convincer. If creating ever slimmer iPhones is Apple’s reason to abandon the 3.5mm socket, switching to USB-C wouldn’t help much. Product designer Josh Flowers helpfully created this graphic to show the problem: the USB-C socket is pretty much the same height as the 3.5mm socket.

So for all these reasons, I think we can rule this one out.

Which leaves one final possibility: simply remove the headphone socket and point people to wireless headphones as the future.

This would, of course, bring us right back to the ‘existing headphones’ objection. If someone has spent $400-500 and up on a pair of expensive headphones, they are not going to be impressed by Apple providing no means to connect them to an iPhone. You could continue to use them with a Bluetooth headphone adapter, but that’s a very clunky solution.

I’ve often observed that Apple has no problem making ruthless decisions when it comes to what it considers legacy technology. Floppy drives. Optical drives. Upgradable laptops. Most ports, in the case of the 12-inch MacBook. Apple consistently does this earlier than almost everyone else.

But while I’m sure wired headphones will, within a few years, seem as quaint as loading a DVD into a laptop to watch a movie, I don’t think we’re there yet – even for Apple.

So, what will Apple do? My money’s on the Lightning route, with an on-board DAC to maintain compatibility with existing headphones. I think that could realistically happen by the iPhone 7, and I’d put good money on it happening no later than the iPhone 8.

As ever, take our polls and share your thoughts in the comments.

Filed under: iOS Devices, Opinion Tagged: 2.5mm headphone socket, 3.5mm, 3.5mm headphone socket, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, Lightning, Lightning headphones, USB-C

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United Airlines announced today that it will deploy some 6,000 iPhone 6 Plus smartphones to its customer service representatives based in the United States. United, which is the largest airline in the world based on locations served, says the iPhone 6 Plus will mobilize important services and allow staff to print customer boarding passes and baggage tags throughout airports.

The airline also says the iPhone 6 Plus will enable staff to assist customers with changing flight plans from anywhere while dedicated customer service desks can be reserved for more complex issues.

United plans to begin distributing the iPhone 6 Plus to its 6000+ staff of customer service reps next year following a similar program a year ago where the same iPhone model was distributed to flight attendants and pilots to replace manuals and handle payments.

Of course the iPhone 6 Plus has since been replaced by the iPhone 6s Plus and a newer, redesigned iPhone is due out next fall, but the year old iPhone model is likely more cost-effective for its large staff and 3D Touch, Live Photos, and rose gold may not be worth the extra cost.

The airline says it plans to expand the capabilities of the iPhone 6 Plus in the field in the future with new features like full check-ins and providing traditional airport kiosk services expected.

Via setteB.IT

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: iphone 6 plus, United Airlines

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Apple is continuing to sign more banks and credit unions up every few weeks to support Apple Pay, and the latest expansion in the United States includes another 40 new partners to back the company’s mobile payment service. Check below to see the latest banks to go live:

American Heritage Federal Credit Union
Associated Credit Union
Bangor Savings Bank
Bank of Bourbonnais
Bank of Clovis
Bank of the Pacific
Baton Rouge Telco Federal Credit Union
BHCU
Cardinal Bank
Corning Credit Union
First Financial Credit Union (both IL & NM now)
First National Bank of Trenton
First Nations Bank
First Republic Bank
Flint Area School Employees Credit Union
Glass City Federal Credit Union
Guaranty Bank and Trust Company
Hawthorn Bank
Hills Bank and Trust Company
Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union
Leader Bank, N.A.
Michigan Tech Employees Federal Credit Union
Midcoast Federal Credit Union
Oatworth Capital Bank
Ohio Valley Bank
Partnership Financial Credit Union
Penn Liberty Bank
Police and Fire Federal Credit Union
Prime Merdian Bank
Reading Cooperative Bank
Republic Bank
Section 705 Federal Credit Union
Secured Advantage Federal Credit Union
Southern Bank
Southwest Missouri Bank
TowneBank
West Plains Bank and Trust Company
WesTex Federal Credit Union
Wilmington Savings Fund Society
WSFS Bank

You can find the full list of all issuing partners including this week’s additions here. Apple Pay on iPhones and Apple Watch lets you pay securely in stores that accept contactless payments using the iPhone 6 or later, or any Apple Watch paired with iPhone 5 or later. iPhones and iPads can also make payments within supported apps using Apple Pay and Touch ID on iPhone 6 or later, iPad mini 3 and 4, iPad Air 2, and iPad Pro.

In addition to more banks, retailer JCPenney recently started piloting store-issued card support for Apple Pay, following Kohl’s full support just before them. Apple Pay has also expanded beyond the US and UK with a deal through American Express in Canada and Australia. China is also on the radar in a big way for Apple Pay.

More retailers are also starting to accept Apple Pay with Dominos, Cinnabon, Starbucks, Chilis, and KFC all testing or planning future rollouts. Apple maintains a list of partners that accept Apple Pay here, although many more locations also accept contactless payments including Apple Pay.

Small businesses can also easily accept Apple Pay and other contactless payment methods with options like Square’s new reader which is rolling out or PayAnywhere’s Apple Pay-ready reader that’s sold in Apple Stores.

Apple Pay is also expected to add peer-to-peer payments between users, possibly using iMessage, sometime in 2016 according to recent reports.

Filed under: Apple Pay Tagged: Apple pay, Apple Pay banks, Apple watch, banks, contactless payments, iPad, iPhone, mobile payments, PayAnywhere, Square

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Apple has opened registrations for this year’s ‘Hour of Code’ workshops, providing kids aged six and up with a free one-hour introduction to the basics of computer programming. The workshops take place at Apple Stores around the world on December 10th, and this will be the third year running that the company has offered them.

Hour of Code is a fun one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anyone can learn the basics of programming.

Like last year, the company is also holding a number of special events in support of Computer Science Education Week and Code.org … 

CEO of Code.org Hadi Partovi will be speaking at New York’s SoHo Apple Store, codeSpark’s Grant Hosford will be hosting an interactive session for kids and parents in San Francisco and Lightbot founder Danny Yaroslavski will be sharing ways for kids of all ages to learn the fundamentals of programming in Chicago’s Lincoln Park store. Other events are being held in Brussels, Sydney and Tokyo.

Apple is also providing links to free resources designed to get people started with coding, including online courses from Code.org and apps, books, podcasts and iTunes U courses in a special Learn to Code section on iTunes.

Filed under: AAPL Company, Tech Industry Tagged: Code.org, Hour of Code, Learn to code

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Market intelligence company IDC predicts that the worldwide tablet market will continue to decline, with the category as a whole falling 8.1% over the course of this year, but sees potential good news for Apple in 2016. It says that the ‘detachables’ segment – tablets with detachable keyboards – will nearly double in size next year, and that Apple is likely to be a key beneficiary.

“The transition to detachable tablets also ushers in two other key trends: the growth of Windows and a turnaround for Apple’s iPad device line,” said Jitesh Ubrani , Senior Research Analyst, Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. “Though early reviews for the iPad Pro have been mixed, we believe the Pro to be the only reason for Apple to gain tablet market share in the coming years as they target select enterprise and prosumer audiences.”

However, it notes that Apple’s growth may be limited and temporary as Windows tablets and detachables experience dramatic growth … 

IDC’s forecast says that Apple will grow its market share from 24.5% this year to 25.8% next year, but then stagnate. Windows, in contrast, is predicted to grow from 8.5% this year to 17.8% by 2019. Android is predicted to be the loser, declining from 67% this year to just 56.5% by 2019.

Tim Cook has previously referred to the decline in iPad sales as “a speed bump,” and said that he “strongly predicts” that the iPad will return to growth.

iPad Pro photo: IGN

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: IDC, iPad, iPad Pro, iPad Pro sales, iPad Pro sales forecast, iPad Pro sales prediction

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A Chinese report (via GforGames) citing “Foxconn insiders” and other unnamed sources claims that the iPhone 6c, Apple’s rumored 4-inch entry-level phone to replace the 5c, is due to be announced by Apple in January and go on sale in February.

Apple may have used the term “unapologetically plastic” to describe the iPhone 5c, but the latest report about its 6c successor repeats earlier rumors that Apple will be switching to metal this time around. This seems likely now that even the entry-level iOS device, the iPod Touch, has an aluminum case.

There have been mixed rumors on the spec of the iPhone 6c … 

Unsurprisingly, it’s not expected that the device will support 3D Touch – a feature Apple will likely want to reserve for its flagship handsets for some time – but it has been suggested that the 6c will get Touch ID and an NFC chip to support Apple Pay.

The claimed release date would be unusual for Apple, but entirely possible given that the company didn’t launch it alongside its flagship phones. Back in the summer, there were sketchy reports of a November launch, though KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo had earlier said that was unlikely and that it would instead be the first half of 2016.

The thinking goes that the 6c would replace the iPhone 5s as the entry-level handset in Apple’s line-up. Perhaps Apple is winding down the 5s production now.

Filed under: iOS Devices

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