Apple this week added a new selection of products to its online store, including the First Alert Onelink smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, a bike mount kit for the iPhone 11 Pro, and two Eve smart home accessories.
Available in battery powered or hardwired versions for $119.95, the Onelink is a HomeKit-compatible alarm that rings an 85 dB siren and pushes a notification to your iPhone or other device in the event smoke or carbon monoxide is detected in your home. You can also test the alarm or silence false alarms from your iPhone.
For cyclists, the Quad Lock Bike Mount Kit can be used to attach an iPhone 11 Pro to a bike's stem or handlebars. The kit is priced at $69.95.
Last, Apple is now carrying the HomeKit-enabled Eve Energy smart plug for $39.95 and the Eve Water Guard for $79.95. The latter can detect water leaks and alert you via push notification, a 100 dB siren, and a red flashing warning light.
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. At the time,...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Monday January 26, 2026 1:55 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today introduced its first two physical products of 2026: a second-generation AirTag and the Black Unity Connection Braided Solo Loop for the Apple Watch.
Read our coverage of each announcement to learn more:Apple Unveils New AirTag With Longer Range, Louder Speaker, and More
Apple Introduces New Black Unity Apple Watch BandBoth the new AirTag and the Black Unity Connection Braided...
A newly surfaced resale operation is seemingly offering Apple Store–exclusive display accessories to the public for the first time, potentially giving consumers access to Apple-designed hardware that the company has historically kept confined to its retail environments.
Apple designs a range of premium MagSafe charging stands, display trays, and hardware systems exclusively for displays in ...
The kit includes a bike mount and a case, which you can purchase separately. That's good because when you get a new phone, you only need a new case ($30), but not a new mount. I've used the same mount on my road bike with 4 different iPhones and well over 1500 miles of riding with an iPhone mounted. The mount is very secure, it's quick and easy to remove the phone from the mount if you want to stop and take a picture, then remount the phone and continue your ride. The case, by itself, is thin and fairly light but very protective (not Otterbox-level, though). I've dropped my phone in the quad lock case quite a few times and the phone has never been damaged (nor has the case).
All of this wouldn't mean anything if it wasn't useful to have the phone mounted. But it is, in my experience. I can open Google Maps and use the bike trail layer to find my way around. I can use one of the many GPS tracking apps, like Map My Ride, to track my ride and do all the things a dedicated GPS bike computer would do. And if I'm being stupid, I can read an incoming text while biking--but please don't be stupid like me.
Quad lock isn't cheap, but it's well-designed and well-made. If funds are tight, Amazon has cheaper no-name bike mounts, but take care to read the reviews first to get a sense of how secure they are. You don't want to risk losing your iPhone to save a few bucks by buying a cheap mount.
Before buying Quad Lock from the Apple Store, I'd look at Quad Lock's own website. Sometimes they have $10 off coupons if you sign up for their emails (which you can unsubscribe from after using the coupon, if you want).
I have the quad lock kit for my Xs Max. I use it on my mountain bike and it is very secure. I've been over very rough terrain and jumps with no issues on my hardtail.
I can also vouch for the Quadlock kit. I have tried a variety of bike mount options and this is by far my favorite. The case is slim but provides good protection, and I use a Quadlock mount on my mountain bike while riding single track and have never felt like the phone would come loose. Have even ridden in the rain and used the "poncho" and it kept the phone dry.
I own a quad lock ever since I got the iPhone 7 three and a half years ago and I wholeheartedly agree that it is a great mount. I am curious though, how well does Face ID work with a bike helmet and glasses when mounted on the quad lock?
I can't vouch for glasses but it works perfectly with a helmet on, when i look down it's the perfect angle. I'm so glad touch ID is gone in favour of face ID. it works so much better. My hands were always too dirty or sweaty for it to ever work on a bike.
