Michael Burkhardt

Apple has long offered a refurbished store on its website, where it sells recent generation products at a pretty sizable discount. Unlike other refurbished offerings, Apple guarantees a replaced outer shell, battery, and glass – ensuring no wear and tear. You also get a 1 year Apple warranty and the ability to add AppleCare if you’d like.

That sounds great, but is it actually worth it? Well, it depends. We’ll be delving into Apple refurbished listings, and comparing it to other offerings on the market.

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Have you ever wanted a medicine tracker that keeps you motivated, is interactive, and fun to use? Pill Buddy is the answer for you. Designed by a former Duolingo Product Manager, Pill Buddy truly encapsulates everything engaging and applies it to yet another pesky chore: medicine.

In the Apple Silicon era, MacBooks have become more affordable than ever – with brand new models starting as low as $649. With looming tariffs on China, these great deals could potentially be coming to an end soon – so if you’re in the market for a new MacBook for any reason, now may be one of the best ever times to purchase.

Apple’s upcoming macOS 26 update is also rumored to drop support for some additional Intel Macs, so if you’d like to stay on the latest and greatest Apple software, nows a fitting time to upgrade.

Last week, we got reports that macOS 26 will drop support for a couple of the last generation Intel Macs, though not all of them. However, a reliable source is now reporting that one additional Intel Mac will no longer support macOS 26 – which is now rumored to be named after California’s Lake Tahoe.

In more recent years, Apple has introduced a number of interesting and privacy-preserving features for iCloud subscribers. It even rebranded its subscription to iCloud+ around the launch of these new features, highlighting the fact that iCloud is more than just a storage subscription.

If you’re a more privacy-conscious person, you should definitely make sure you’re taking full advantage of the three features mentioned below.

Back from 2005 to 2009, Apple used to have a neat little software feature called ‘Front Row’. It essentially allowed you to utilize an Apple TV remote with your Mac, and take advantage of a unique software interface for watching content. It didn’t last very long, but I think now could be a pretty unique time to reintroduce it.

Earlier this year, Apple launched the iPhone 16e. While in many ways it was an iPhone SE successor, the naming scheme changes things up a bit compared to the iPhone SE. Now that it’s part of the mainline iPhone lineup, many have wondered – will this be an annual refresh? Today, we’ll be recapping the rumors.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the name for the next version of macOS is set to be ‘Tahoe’, named after Lake Tahoe in California. This name will accompany Apple’s first macOS redesign since Big Sur in 2020.

Apple Intelligence has been off to a rocky start, especially when it comes to Siri. The assistant still has a lot to be desired, and that should definitely be at the forefront of Apple’s priorities.

Regardless, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans on expanding current Apple Intelligence capabilities to additional apps in iOS 26, and I figured I’d throw out some ideas I’d like to see.

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Focus is a unique pomodoro timer app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro that makes it easy to stay focused and develop productive working habits. If you have a procrastination problem, this could be an excellent tool for keeping you on pace.

It recently got a new update with a redesign, deeper customization, and additional data with new charts/graphs – making it even more useful.

There have been a plethora of varying rumors for Apple’s next generation spatial computer. Is Apple prioritizing a cheaper model, or going all out with a second generation Pro model? We’ll summarize all of the Vision headset rumors here today.

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It’s long been stated that Apple has had the strongest commitment to supporting its older devices. The latest version of iOS supports devices as far back as 2018’s iPhone XS and XR, which are coming up on 7 years old. While that in itself is impressive, there’s a second level beneath the surface.

Rumors suggest that Apple will be implementing Google Gemini support within Apple Intelligence Siri sometime in the near future, alongside the already-existing ChatGPT integration. A recent backend update even revealed that Apple is already prepared for a Google Gemini integration to debut.

Last week at Google I/O, Google announced a number of interesting Gemini upgrades that might make Siri integration a bigger deal than we might think. Let’s discuss.

9to5Mac is brought to you by Incogni: Protect your personal info from prying eyes. With Incogni, you can scrub your deeply sensitive information from data brokers across the web, including people search sites. Incogni limits your phone number, address, email, SSN, and more from circulating. Fight back against unwanted data brokers with a 30-day money back guarantee.

With the launch of iOS 14, Apple introduced a bold new privacy feature: App Tracking Transparency. This new feature would require third party apps to ask for user permission to track across apps before they’d gain access to your advertising ID (IDFA).

Apple begun enforcing this in April 2021 with the launch of iOS 14.5, which is when non-complying apps would no longer be able to submit updates to the App Store.

It goes without saying, Apple’s approach to developing its AI-infused version of Siri has gone very wrong in many ways. Most of the features intended to ship alongside iOS 18 haven’t yet arrived, despite being 11 months past the initial unveiling of iOS 18. Apple has even officially confirmed the delayed launch, stating that the features would launch “in the coming year.”

However, according to numerous reports – Apple has a strategy to bounce back with iOS 19. Here’s how.

In a world where year over year iPhone upgrades are getting smaller and smaller, it can sometimes seem like every recent iPhone looks and feels the same. With iPhone 17 Pro launching later this year though, there’ll be a couple of worthwhile upgrades that’ll make it both look and feel notably different from any iPhone that came before it.

Apple has long been rumored to be developing a product for the smart home. It’ll have a square 7-inch display, support Apple Intelligence, and essentially serve as a command center for all things Siri and HomeKit.

While this product was on track to launch this spring, numerous issues have pushed that timeline. Now, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman – it may finally launch later this year.

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Bandbreite is an excellent tool for Apple Watch enthusiasts. It offers deep insights on all 840+ Apple Watch bands launched over the 10+ year old lifespan of the Apple Watch, allowing users to learn more about Apple Watch bands and keep track of their collection.

At CES 2025, MacPaw unveiled Eney, an all new AI-powered companion that’ll complete tasks for you. It taps into the plethora of apps available on Setapp, and serves as an assistant of sorts. Eney is available in public beta starting today. I’ve had the opportunity to test it out early, and it’s certainly a strong offering.