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.
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.
If you have an iPhone 15 and drive a BMW, it might be best to avoid charging the device with the vehicle's wireless charging pad for now. Over the past week, some BMW owners have complained that their iPhone 15's NFC chip no longer works after charging the device with their vehicle's wireless charging pad, according to comments shared on the MacRumors Forums and X, formerly known as Twitter. ...
All first-generation Apple Watch models released in 2015 were added to Apple's obsolete products list on September 30, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors. As a result, these outdated "Series 0" watches are no longer eligible for repairs or other service at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Provider locations. The list of obsolete models includes the first-generation...
Tuesday October 3, 2023 3:57 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released the second beta of an upcoming iOS 17.1 update, and the software further refines some of the new features that were added both in iOS 17 and the initial iOS 17.1 beta. This guide covers everything new in the second iOS 17.1 beta. StandBy Display Options Apple added a new "Display" section to the StandBy section of the Settings app, which houses some new customization ...
Tuesday October 3, 2023 11:42 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Three days after Apple said that it would release a software update with a fix for a bug contributing to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating, MacRumors can confirm that Apple is now internally testing iOS 17.0.3. It's unclear when iOS 17.0.3 will be released to the public, but the update will likely be available either later this week or next week. Apple did not provide...
Apple may be proceeding with plans to release a new Mac model this month, according to potentially related information obtained by MacRumors. Details pertaining to imminent changes to Mac trade-ins provided to MacRumors by a verified source suggest that Apple will likely begin accepting new models for trade-in this month. Similar changes in June coincided with WWDC, when Apple began accepting...
Wednesday October 4, 2023 10:03 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released an iOS 17.0.3 update for the iPhone, with the software coming a week after the launch of iOS 17.0.2. Apple has also released a new version of iPadOS, 17.0.3, for iPad users. The iOS 17.0.3 and iPadOS 17.0.3 updates can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. iOS 17.0.3, which is build 21A360, addresses ...
Saturday September 30, 2023 9:28 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to release an iOS 17 update to address a bug that may contribute to the reported iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating issue, according to a statement the company shared today with MacRumors and Forbes reporter David Phelan. Apple also says some recent updates to third-party apps have overloaded the system and contributed to the overheating issue. The report notes that...
Tuesday October 3, 2023 1:27 pm PDT by Juli Clover
The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are conducting a test of the U.S. emergency alert systems on Wednesday, October 4. Emergency text messages will be set out to cell phones across the United States. The Wireless Emergency Alert test will begin at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time/11:20 a.m. Pacific Time today, and iPhone owners...
Friday September 29, 2023 11:29 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
At WWDC 2022 last year, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, personalization options, and more. Apple said the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience would be announced in late 2023, but it has still not shared any additional...
Top Rated Comments
I have the Quad Lock kit and highly recommend it.
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 definitely recommend it for fellow cyclists.