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HomeKit Weekly: Combat dry winter air with the SwitchBot Smart Evaporative Humidifier

As the colder months settle in, maintaining the humidity level becomes extremely important for me, as I have natural gas heat. Dry air can wreak havoc on my sinuses, so I am always hyper-aware of this during the coldest part of winter. That’s where the comes in. It delivers efficient, mist-free humidification while easily fitting into your HomeKit setup via Matter support from SwitchBot Hub 2.

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Deals: M3 MacBook Air up to $450 off original prices, USB-C AirPods Max best deal ever, iPhone 15 Pro $469 off, more

Holiday-worthy iPad mini 7 deals roll on, but today we are focused on AirPods and MacBooks. First and foremost, the latest USB-C AirPods Max are now down at the best price ever with $99 in savings on all color options. That offer was ushered in by a notable new 4-day Best Buy sale event, but we have also spotted some of the lowest prices ever on the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air configs – they are now $250 off the new regular prices and $450 off the sticker price before the RAM upgrade. Those deals join iPhone 15 Pro, some Find My gear, and charging accessories too. Check it all out below. 

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9to5Mac Daily: January 17, 2025 – Apple Intelligence changes in iOS 18.3

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

Sponsored by CardPointers: The best way to maximize your credit card rewards. 9to5Mac Daily listeners can exclusively save 30% and get a $100 Savings Card.

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TikTok ban set to go into effect on Sunday as Supreme Court upholds law

TikTok’s last-ditch effort to avoid its impending ban in the United States has failed. On Friday, the US Supreme Court unanimously upheld the law that forces ByteDance to sell TikTok or else face a ban in the United States.

Perhaps the largest unknown right now is how the impending transition from the Biden administration to the Trump administration will impact the ban.


Updated January 17, 2025 at 10:51 am ET with new statements from the Biden administration and Trump below.


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FTC bans General Motors from selling driving data without permission, adding to case for CarPlay 2

The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against General Motors and OnStar for selling location and driving data from millions of GM car owners, allegedly without informed consent. This data was collected as frequently as every three seconds.

Both companies have been banned from selling location and driving behavior data for a period of five years, and will need to ensure they disclose any future sharing plans, and obtain proper consent for it …

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Apple to stream FireAid Benefit Concert in support of LA wildfire relief

Later this month, a FireAid Benefit Concert is being held in support of the victims of the Los Angeles wildfires. Headlined by the likes of Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Dave Matthews, and Katy Perry, the concert aims to raise donations for wildfire relief efforts.

Bloomberg now reports that the FireAid Benefit Concert will be streamed on all major streaming services, including Apple TV+.

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Apple denies App Store profit margin is 75% – claims to have no clue

Apple’s incoming CFO didn’t get much time to settle in before he found himself in court defending the company against a class action lawsuit. Kevan Parekh yesterday claimed that the company that it has no clue about its App Store profit margin.

This is a stance the company has taken before. Indeed, Apple Fellow Phil Schiller even went as far as to claim he didn’t even know whether the App Store made a profit at all …

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Security Bite: Put these books and security resources on your 2025 reading list

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Between the rapid news cycle around the TikTok ban, the vulnerability found in the iPhone’s USB-C port controller, and the overruling of net neutrality protections (again), it’s felt like a rollercoaster of a month so far. But this week, I want to step back and share what’s on my growing reading list for this year, as well as some other resources that I recommend for those just starting their Apple security journey in 2025.

Security Bite is a weekly security-focused column on 9to5Mac. Each week, I share insights on data privacy, discuss the latest vulnerabilities, and shed light on emerging threats within Apple’s vast ecosystem of over 2 billion active devices.

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iOS 18.3 beta 3 changes and features – the Notification Summary update [Video]

Yesterday Apple dropped iOS 18.3 beta 3, two days after similar betas for watchOS and tvOS were released. We now have a likely explanation for the delay. Apple has been working to refine the Notification Summary feature, on platforms like iOS, which support Apple Intelligence. This update comes after more than one high-profile botched AI-generated summary, which resulted in what appeared to be false and/or misleading headlines from organizations like BBC News.

In a testament to how egregious these notifications were, Apple has made some significant changes to the way that these summaries work and how they are presented to the user. Watch our full explainer video, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more.

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After almost three year wait, Severance season two starts streaming on Apple TV+ today

Severance premiered in February 2022, almost three years ago. With the season ending on an all-time cliffhanger, fans of the show have been eagerly waiting for more. However, the effect of Hollywood strikes and other factors delayed production significantly.

But today, Apple is finally ready to launch the second season of Severance on Apple TV+, with the first episode kicking off directly after the events of the finale, from the innie perspective at least.

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