Mitchel Broussard

It's been three years since Apple first debuted the $99 Smart Battery Case for iPhone 6, 6s, and eventually 7, which included a rear-facing protrusion that held a 1,877 mAh battery. Apple may be working on a similar accessory for newer iPhone models, according to a discovery made by 9to5Mac in the second beta of watchOS 5.1.2. In previous versions of watchOS, Apple Watch had an icon that...

Google this week announced that it is shutting down its messaging app Google Allo [iOS Direct Link], and incorporating many of its features into the Messages app on Android smartphones. Google Allo is an expanded messaging app that lets users send GIFs, text from their desktops, and use Smart Reply. Now, Google says to continue Messages' momentum it has decided to "stop supporting Allo to...

Best Buy today launched a new Apple savings event, marking down iPhones, MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros, iMacs, iPads, iPad Pros, and some HomeKit devices. There are numerous notable discounts in the sale that include all-time-low prices, so be sure to check out all of the savings in the list below and head to Best Buy before the event ends on December 8 at 11:59 p.m. CT. Note: MacRumors is an...

Apple today began the latest promotion for Apple Pay, this one themed around holiday shopping. During the event, you can gain access to special offers from 12 different online stores from December 6 through December 19. Below we've listed every website and app and their special offers. Of course, to get the offers you'll need to checkout using Apple Pay and a compatible debit or credit card, ...

Anker is keeping up the holiday sales today with an all-new Amazon Deal of the Day event that has discounts on the company's popular PowerPort and USB-C products. There are a few other Anker discounts that kicked off today as well that won't expire until the middle of December, and you can find more details about both sales in the lists below. December 5 Gold Box Flash Sale Note: MacRumors...

Apple today updated its websites for China and Hong Kong, confirming that the HomePod will be launching in both territories sometime early next year. Apple added support for Mainland China and Hong Kong in the HomePod software update released as part of iOS 12.1.1 today. Like other countries, users in China and Hong Kong will be able to buy HomePod in White and Space Gray. In China the...

Actor Toby Kebbell has been hired as the lead character in Apple's upcoming psychological thriller series being created by M. Night Shyamalan and Tony Basgallop (via Deadline). Kebbell will star opposite Lauren Ambrose, who was cast in Apple's show back in August. Toby Kebbell via Wikimedia Commons M. Night Shyamalan's series is said to follow a young couple, Dorothy (Ambrose) and Sean Turner ...

In a new flash sale that began today, B&H Photo is offering the 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (3.1 GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $1,599.00, down from $1,999.00. This is a custom configuration of the older MacBook Pro, and a solid discount for anyone willing purchase a previous generation model and not the latest 2018 MacBook Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these...

Streaming TV services offered by companies like Hulu and AT&T are testing the waters for a new type of advertising called "pause ads" (via Variety). The idea behind pause ads is that instead of facing forced commercial breaks at specified interludes, users would be more accepting of ads that play when they choose to pause a show for a bit while they do something else. Hulu says it plans to...

This week, Apple shared a new press release that highlighted the best music, movies, television shows, podcasts, and books of 2018. With the announcement, Apple has now rolled out new sections in each service that highlight these pieces of media under an all-new "Best of 2018" category. Throughout 2018 we’ve been celebrating the creativity of app developers, musicians, writers and ...

Microsoft this week shared a new ad on its Microsoft Surface YouTube channel, this one aimed at promoting the Surface Go. As the ad begins, a little girl stares into the window of a Microsoft Store and begins singing about her preference for the Surface Go over Apple's iPad, to the tune of the song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." She sings, "Grandma don't run out and buy an iPad, it was...

This afternoon, Anker kicked off its latest Amazon sale, discounting a wide variety of its best portable chargers, Bluetooth audio accessories, wireless chargers, and more. Included in the sale are Anker's limited-time holiday bundles that offer its Soundcore audio devices at a discount, along with a few extras like a PowerCore 5,000 mAh portable battery or a travel case for the SoundCore Flare. ...

Apple is now beta testing a version of the Apple Music app for Android smartphones that works with larger-screen Android tablets (via Pixel Spot). Found in the 2.7.0 update of Apple Music on Android, when opened on an Android tablet the app now adapts to the increased display area. With the added room, it shows additional playlists, albums, featured artists, songs, and more of what is presented...

Although HomePod is available in Apple's Home app, the company's smart home speaker as of yet can't be integrated into HomeKit scenes and automations. With such a feature, users would be able to activate their favorite HomeKit scenes, alongside a specific Apple Music playlist, album, or song from their HomePod. Reddit user Running_In_Space on r/HomeKit explained recently that this is...

Apple and Amazon today announced that Apple Music will launch on Echo devices beginning the week of December 17. In a blog post, Amazon explains that Apple Music subscribers will be able to ask Alexa to play their favorite songs, artist, playlists, Beats1 radio stations, and albums, all through an Echo speaker. One example they give is the command, "Alexa, play Bebe Rexha on Apple Music." ...

Despite the lack of a big design refresh in iOS 12 this year, Apple recently updated Apple Music with new features like revamped artist pages, coming soon albums, and UI fixes to the way albums and singles are displayed. One of the features that remains unavailable to Apple Music subscribers, however, is a way to view a history of your listening statistics on the streaming music service....

Insurance company John Hancock and behavior change platform Vitality today released information on a study by RAND Europe of over 400,000 people in the United States, United Kingdom, and South Africa. The study concluded that those who wore an Apple Watch and participated in the Vitality Active Rewards program averaged a 34 percent sustained increase in physical activity, compared to those...

YouTube today launched cheaper monthly plans for students who are interested in both its video streaming service and music streaming service, YouTube Music. For the music service, YouTube is knocking down the price of YouTube Music Premium to $4.99/month from $9.99/month, only for verified students (via TechCrunch). This pricing strategy aligns with similar student offers from rivals like...

As most Black Friday sales wrapped up over the weekend, today marks the start of Cyber Monday shopping. This year, the distinction between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is even less clear than in years past, as many of the same discounts and offers from Friday have simple rolled over into Monday. This means that if you missed your chance to buy Apple products or Apple-related accessories at...

As it does every holiday season, Apple this week refreshed its iTunes Movies storefront with a selection of notable discounts, and the new sales are expected to stick around through Black Friday and Cyber Monday before the iTunes Movies store is updated again next Tuesday. There are a number of great movies to watch with your family over the holiday weekend, so check out some of the films in the...