Apple this week added a new selection of products to its online store, including the First Alert Onelink smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, a bike mount kit for the iPhone 11 Pro, and two Eve smart home accessories.
Available in battery powered or hardwired versions for $119.95, the Onelink is a HomeKit-compatible alarm that rings an 85 dB siren and pushes a notification to your iPhone or other device in the event smoke or carbon monoxide is detected in your home. You can also test the alarm or silence false alarms from your iPhone.
For cyclists, the Quad Lock Bike Mount Kit can be used to attach an iPhone 11 Pro to a bike's stem or handlebars. The kit is priced at $69.95.
Last, Apple is now carrying the HomeKit-enabled Eve Energy smart plug for $39.95 and the Eve Water Guard for $79.95. The latter can detect water leaks and alert you via push notification, a 100 dB siren, and a red flashing warning light.
Saturday February 8, 2025 3:51 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The end of an 18-year era is on the horizon for the iPhone.
Apple reportedly plans to announce a new iPhone SE as soon as next week, and the device is expected to feature a full-screen design with Face ID, instead of a Touch ID home button. That means Apple will no longer sell any new iPhone models with a home button, for the first time since the original iPhone launched.
The home button...
Monday February 10, 2025 3:05 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Oppo has confirmed a February 20 global launch for its Find N5, which the company claims is the world's thinnest device in the foldable phone category. The phone is expected to be re-branded as the OnePlus Open 2 in the US.
The Chinese vendor has been teasing the device in the last few weeks, touting its waterproofing and nearly invisible display crease, and highlighting its thinness by compa...
Monday February 10, 2025 10:56 am PST by Juli Clover
There continue to be signs of a new MacBook Air with an M4 chip, indicating that we could see the machine launch in the not too distant future. A private account on X today shared the identifiers that the MacBook Air will use, and those identifiers correspond to the M4 chip.
According to the source, both the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 15-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with Apple's...
Wednesday February 12, 2025 6:49 am PST by Joe Rossignol
As the wait continues for Apple's long-rumored, fourth-generation iPhone SE, French electronics retailer Boulanger has prematurely published a product listing for a "new" model of the iPhone SE. The placeholder page says the device is "coming soon," but it offers no further information, and the price shown is obviously not real.
The listing was spotted by a reader of the French technology...
Monday February 10, 2025 10:04 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released watchOS 11.3.1, a minor update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.3.1 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2.
watchOS 11.3.1 can be downloaded by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to...
Monday February 10, 2025 10:11 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, a minor update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that came out last September. macOS 15.3.1 comes a few weeks after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3.
Mac users can download the macOS Sequoia update through the Software Update section of System Settings. Apple has also released macOS 13.7.4 and macOS 14.7.4 for those who are...
Monday February 10, 2025 7:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's long-awaited Powerbeats Pro 2 are finally expected to be announced this Tuesday. Ahead of time, one lucky Walmart customer was able to get their hands on the earbuds early, according to a since-deleted Reddit post over the weekend.
A leaked image of the Powerbeats Pro 2 in Electric Orange
"My local Walmart had them in the cage," the Reddit user explained. "I asked if I can buy them...
Monday February 10, 2025 10:09 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1, minor updates for the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.3.1 comes two weeks after Apple released iOS 18.3.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iPadOS 17.7.5 for those still running...
Sunday February 9, 2025 3:53 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today increased its estimated trade-in values for select Mac models in the United States, with the full changes outlined below.
Apple says the extra trade-in credit for select Macs is available with the purchase of an eligible new Apple device through April 2.
The trade-in values increased by between $10 and $50.
Model
New Value
Old Value
MacBook Pro
Up to $925
...
The kit includes a bike mount and a case, which you can purchase separately. That's good because when you get a new phone, you only need a new case ($30), but not a new mount. I've used the same mount on my road bike with 4 different iPhones and well over 1500 miles of riding with an iPhone mounted. The mount is very secure, it's quick and easy to remove the phone from the mount if you want to stop and take a picture, then remount the phone and continue your ride. The case, by itself, is thin and fairly light but very protective (not Otterbox-level, though). I've dropped my phone in the quad lock case quite a few times and the phone has never been damaged (nor has the case).
All of this wouldn't mean anything if it wasn't useful to have the phone mounted. But it is, in my experience. I can open Google Maps and use the bike trail layer to find my way around. I can use one of the many GPS tracking apps, like Map My Ride, to track my ride and do all the things a dedicated GPS bike computer would do. And if I'm being stupid, I can read an incoming text while biking--but please don't be stupid like me.
Quad lock isn't cheap, but it's well-designed and well-made. If funds are tight, Amazon has cheaper no-name bike mounts, but take care to read the reviews first to get a sense of how secure they are. You don't want to risk losing your iPhone to save a few bucks by buying a cheap mount.
Before buying Quad Lock from the Apple Store, I'd look at Quad Lock's own website. Sometimes they have $10 off coupons if you sign up for their emails (which you can unsubscribe from after using the coupon, if you want).
I have the quad lock kit for my Xs Max. I use it on my mountain bike and it is very secure. I've been over very rough terrain and jumps with no issues on my hardtail.
I can also vouch for the Quadlock kit. I have tried a variety of bike mount options and this is by far my favorite. The case is slim but provides good protection, and I use a Quadlock mount on my mountain bike while riding single track and have never felt like the phone would come loose. Have even ridden in the rain and used the "poncho" and it kept the phone dry.
I own a quad lock ever since I got the iPhone 7 three and a half years ago and I wholeheartedly agree that it is a great mount. I am curious though, how well does Face ID work with a bike helmet and glasses when mounted on the quad lock?
I can't vouch for glasses but it works perfectly with a helmet on, when i look down it's the perfect angle. I'm so glad touch ID is gone in favour of face ID. it works so much better. My hands were always too dirty or sweaty for it to ever work on a bike.