Mitchel Broussard

Third-party Apple Watch bands have been around since Apple debuted the original Apple Watch back in 2015, typically offering customers a low-priced alternative to styling their watch, as opposed to Apple's bands, which start at $50. From left to right: Rosé, Orchid, High Tide, and Denim Braxley Bands A new option for shoppers is now offered by an Austin, Texas-based company called Braxley...

Amazon this week has discounted the all-new 11-inch iPad Pro by as much as $70 for select configurations. Both Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + Cellular models are available in the sale, with the lowest priced iPad starting at $759.00 for the 64GB Wi-Fi model, down from $799.00. These are currently the lowest prices available online for the configurations listed below, although they are being matched at...

One year ago, Apple awarded the meditation app "Calm" as the iPhone app of the year, and since then the company has dethroned the previous #1 meditation app on the iOS App Store, "Headspace." In a new report by The Wall Street Journal out today, the two companies talk about how they are in a "mindful competition" with one another, and about the merits of Apple's best of the year awards system. ...

Senior Tesla designer Andrew Kim has left his role at the automotive company to join Apple (via The Verge). Kim is the the latest in a long line of Tesla employees who have left the company for Apple, including Tesla lead engineer Doug Field's return to Apple this past August. Kim's work history includes user interface design at Microsoft, contributions to HoloLens and Xbox One S, and...

Two and a half months after Apple announced the completion of its Shazam acquisition, the music recognition iOS app is now completely ad-free [Direct Link]. Previously, Shazam would present users with various border advertisements throughout the app, similar to most other ad-supported iOS apps, but as long as you are on version 12.5.1 you will no longer see any ads in Shazam. The app still...

In one of the bigger deals for Apple's upcoming streaming TV service, Variety reports today that the Cupertino company has made a deal with DHX Media to produce all-new "Peanuts" content that will be exclusive to Apple. Image via Variety/Peanuts Worldwide LLC Under the deal, DHX and its subsidiary Peanuts Worldwide will develop and produce the original series, specials, and shorts, while...

Best Buy today kicked off a new three-day sale that will last all weekend and end on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. CT. The sale is full of great last-minute gift ideas for the holidays, and Best Buy still promises free shipping on everything all season. Orders for most items placed before 10:30 a.m. CT on December 20 will arrive before Christmas Eve. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these...

SplashData published its annual list of the worst passwords of the year this week, sourced from more than five million passwords leaked on the internet this year. Like previous years, 2018 saw numerous high-profile data leaks, but many people have continued to use easily guessable passwords for their online accounts. The new password autofill feature in iOS 12 For the fifth consecutive year, ...

Apple still doesn't offer a full online web player for Apple Music, but this week software engineer Naveed Golafshani shared a new project on Reddit, allowing Apple Music subscribers to get access to their full library and other Apple Music features on the web. The web player can be found at playapplemusic.com, and to see your Apple Music library you can click "log in" in the bottom left corner...

Signify updated the Philips Hue iOS app to version 3.11.0 this week, introducing the ability for users to select a customized bulb status after a power outage (via Reddit). Previously for Philips Hue owners, when the power would go out and then come back on, all of their connected Hue bulbs and fixtures would immediately turn back on, even if they were off before the power outage. Now,...

Ubiquiti Networks' consumer technology brand, Ubiquiti Labs, began making a name for itself in late 2016 with the launch of the AmpliFi HD Wi-Fi Mesh Router. Similar to other mesh systems, the AmpliFi HD comes with a centralized router and two "MeshPoints" that provide blanket Wi-Fi coverage throughout a home, but Ubiquiti Labs' device is unique thanks to its circular, full-color touchscreen on...

B&H Photo has kicked off a new holiday sale on numerous Apple devices, including iMacs, iPads, HomePod, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and more. Many of the sales represent the lowest-ever prices for these models, so be sure to visit B&H Photo and check out the sale before it ends. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may...

Popular to-do list iOS app Things today has been updated to version 3.8, which introduces full support for a new Dark Mode. Specifically, users will be able to chose between three appearances for Things 3 on iPhone and iPad: Light, Dark, and Black. These appearances can be set manually in settings, or users can choose to automatically switch between them based on the brightness of their iOS...

Giphy today announced an update for its iOS app, bringing its GIF-sharing keyboard extension to any app that supports multimedia, including Mail, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram, and more. The update also introduces a "Sticker Maker" feature exclusive to iPhone X, XS, XS Max, and XR devices that have Apple's TrueDepth Camera system (via Engadget). Sticker Maker allows iPhone X owners to turn...

In October, a report by Bloomberg claimed that spies working for the Chinese government had inserted microchips on Supermicro server motherboards to spy on customers, which Bloomberg reported as affecting Apple and nearly 30 companies in total. Today, the outside investigations firm hired by Supermicro reported its findings, confirming that there is no evidence of any malicious hardware in...

Google today announced that it is expediting the closure of its Google+ social platform, which was previously set to end in August 2019 and will now be shut down in April 2019. The company explained that it's doing this because of a discovery that 52.5 million users were impacted by a software update in November that contained a bug affecting Google+ API. The bug appears to be connected to ...

Today is Green Monday, an online shopping event that is similar to Cyber Monday, allowing customers another chance to buy gifts for the holidays at Black Friday prices and get their items shipped before Christmas. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. ...

Last year, accessory company Elago launched the W3 Charging Stand for Apple Watch, which turned Apple's modern wearable into a classic Macintosh. This week, Elago announced the latest iteration of its classic stand lineup, this one called the Elago W5 Stand, modeled after the original Nintendo Game Boy. The stand works with all Apple Watch models, is compatible with Nightstand Mode, and...

Apple is reportedly in negotiations to purchase the rights to Israeli drama series "Nevelot" (or, "Bastards"), which is described as a violent and mature drama series (via CNBC). Richard Gere could star in the adaptation, which is being written and created by "Homeland" creator Howard Gordon and "Law and Order: SVU" showrunner Warren Leight. Image via Variety / Rex Features Apple is said to...

Following a demo earlier this year at WWDC, LEGO today launched the LEGO AR Playgrounds app for iPhone and iPad [Direct Link]. The app uses ARKit to place digital LEGO characters and blocks into real-world environments, and the digital creations can also interact with existing physical LEGO sets. There are various "playgrounds" within the app that users will be able to explore, the first...