The iPhone’s Portrait mode uses computational photography to simulate the shallow depth of field of a digital SLR or mirrorless camera with a larger sensor. It’s evolved from a very crude tool into something which is now pretty convincing, but it’s still no substitute for the real thing.

There are some circumstances in which you can get genuine shallow-ish depth of field with an iPhone shot, but these are very limited as we’ll discuss. The Sandmarc 2x telephoto lens is a much more practical way to get true optical blurring when shooting portraits …

When AirPods Pro 3 initially debuted, I was a little bit hesitant about upgrading. I felt that AirPods Pro 2 were still excellent. On top of that, one of the key features of AirPods Pro 3, Live Translation, was also coming to AirPods Pro 2. However, now that I’ve actually given them a shot – I can genuinely say I was wrong about my pessimism.

Apple unveiled the new M5 iPad Pro last month, kicking off a new iPad lineup. While it didn’t bring any headlining upgrades, it does provide us some clues as to what’s coming next for the iPad lineup. Plus, there are many rumors to follow, which we’ll be diving into.

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage and protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

Managed Apple Accounts are quickly becoming the foundation of Apple devices at work, and if your organization has not rolled them out yet, it’s a project worthy of your team’s attention heading into 2026. Back in my long-retired K-12 tech-focused days in 2012, Fraser Speirs and I talked at length about how identity management was the problem to solve in a cloud and multi-device world. Apple’s managed identity system has quietly become one of the most important parts of its enterprise story. What started as a way to manage App Store accounts for students and employees has evolved into a secure, scalable identity layer that connects everything in the Apple ecosystem with the tools IT already uses.

The Financial Times reports that Apple has stepped up its preparations for the handover of the CEO role from Tim Cook. Here are the details.

A few weeks ago, Apple announced its holiday plans for Apple TV, which kick off tomorrow with a free weekend streaming event for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Here’s how to watch.

Last month, during Apple’s Q4 2025 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook mentioned that the company “couldn’t be more pleased” with the reception of the iPhone 17 lineup in China. Now, Counterpoint Research has a few numbers on that.

Last July, Apple announced that its longtime Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Williams, would retire “late in the year.” According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, he just clocked out for the last time.

Yesterday Apple announced that all MLS matches would start being included in an Apple TV subscription at no additional cost. Today, a new report outlines some other changes that are taking effect in Apple’s MLS deal, including a much earlier end date of 2029.

iOS 26.2 is now available for beta testing. The update brings more new features and changes for iPhone users. There are new Apple Podcasts upgrades, improvements to Reminders, and more.

Head below for our full guide on all the new iOS 26.2 features. This includes all the new additions from this week’s iOS 26.2 beta 2 release.

There’s a robust ecosystem of Find My accessories on the market nowadays. All of these accessories would make great additions to your life. After all, what’s a better investment than a way to keep track of their most important possessions?

Yesterday, Mozilla announced that Firefox will get an experimental feature aptly called AI Window, where the company intends to centralize the browser’s upcoming AI features. Here are the details.

iPhone 17 Pro has a bigger battery than ever, making charging speed an increasingly important feature. ChargerLAB published its findings after testing the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s charging speeds, and the results show big upgrades over last year.

macOS Tahoe introduced multiple productivity and continuity features. But after two months, only a few have actually stuck in my workflow.

SwitchBot continues to expand its smart home lineup, with the newest addition being a great new lighting series that works with Matter over Wi-Fi. That means you can connect lights directly to the HomeKit without needing a hub or bridge (outside of an Apple TV or HomePod). The new lineup from SwitchBot includes new RGBIC lights, a flexible neon rope light, and randomly, even a candle warmer lamp that can sync up with your existing HomeKit scenes and automation. SwitchBot has been a roll in 2025 with several new products that work great with HomeKit. Let’s dive in to what’s new.

Apple and Richard Plelper’s EDEN Productions are teaming up once again to turn investigative podcast Hot Money: The New Narcos into an Apple TV show. Here are the details.

Apple is a much larger company now than it was when Steve Jobs passed, and recently it’s been experimenting with diversifying the iPhone lineup to better serve a growing user base. We’re starting to see some growing pains, and more change is coming.

In August, Apple launched a “redesigned” version of the Apple Watch’s Blood Oxygen feature in the United States. This came 18 months after Apple started selling the Apple Watch without the Blood Oxygen feature in due to a patent dispute with health technology company Masimo.

The International Trade Commission (ITC) now says that it is holding a new proceeding to decide if this solution should also be banned due to the Masimo patent dispute.

Pluribus is Apple TV’s latest must-watch new series, and fans will appreciate that Apple Books just released a free chapter from lead character Carol’s hit romantasy book, Bloodsong of Wycaro.

The massive Walmart Event 1 Black Friday sale is now live, the Week 3 Best BuyBlack Friday Doorbusters hit this morning, and your 9to5Toys Lunch Break is here to highlight the best of them. Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 are seeing a major early Black Friday deal down at $139 shipped – one of the lowest prices they have ever been offered for – while Apple Watch Series 10 models have now dropped to new Amazon all-time lows from $249 (alongside the titanium model at $199 off). We also have AirTag down at the $18 Amazon low and a solid $250 price drop on the most affordable 13-inch M4 iPad Pro. All of that and more awaits below.

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Backblaze: Never lose a file again. Use code “9to5daily” at checkout for 20% off or try for free. 

Apple Card launched more than six years ago and has proven to be incredibly popular. The card offers an easy-to-use interface, robust perks like interest-free Apple financing, and more. Here’s everything you need to know about whether Apple Card is worth it for you.

iOS 26 and iOS 26.1 have brought a lot of new ways to customize your iPhone in the Settings app. Here are the new iOS 26 settings I changed on my iPhone right away.

The most exciting time of the year for Spotify fans is fast approaching. Spotify Wrapped is set to launch within the next several weeks, giving listeners a breakdown of their top songs, artists, albums, and more.