Star Wars

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Star Wars:

Take on Darth Vader in Star Wars update to Zen Pinball Party on Apple Arcade

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Take on Darth Vader in 'Star Wars' update to 'Zen Pinball Party' on Apple Arcade
Play pinball with Luke, Han, Leia, Anakin and Ahsoka.
Photo: Zen Studios

Play pinball in a galaxy far, far away as an update to Zen Pinball Party adds two new tables based on Star Wars. Enjoy characters and music from some of the bast of the Skywalker saga.

The pinball game launched on Apple Arcade in 2021, and already lets players have a go at tables with a Kung Fu Panda theme, or Trolls, or How to Train Your Dragon.

Apple shows off sound artists’ use of Macs for Star Wars Day

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At Skywalker Ranch, Skywalker Sound’s world-class artists create the world’s most recognizable sounds for films like the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.
At Skywalker Ranch, Skywalker Sound’s world-class artists create the world’s most recognizable sounds for films like the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" franchises.
Photo: Apple

Happy Star Wars Day — even if you didn’t know that was a thing. Apple is celebrating the nerdy holiday by showcasing the widespread use of Macs and iOS devices at Skywalker Sound.

Festivities include the release of a “Behind the Mac” YouTube video and feature article about the audio artists at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, along with a special online “Today at Apple” session about creating Star Wars sound effects.

Display your fandom with 3 new Lego Star Wars diorama sets

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The Death Star Trash Compactor diorama lets you move the walls to simulate the crushing action.
The Death Star Trash Compactor diorama lets you move the walls to simulate the crushing action.
Photo: Lego

Lego is bringing three new Star Wars diorama sets to a galaxy not at all far away in April, with preorders available now. Aimed at adult fans of the beloved franchise, all three cost under $100 — which is a lot cheaper than some Lego creations.

Lego has done plenty of dioramas, but these Star Wars vignettes are on a smaller, more affordable scale than usual.

Head for a galaxy far, far away in Lego Star Wars: Castaways on Apple Arcade

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‘Lego Star Wars: Castaways‘ will debut on Apple Arcade in November, 2021.
You and your friends can each design a minifig and join the fun in Lego Star Wars: Castaways.
Photo: Gameloft/Apple Arcade

Explore a mysterious new planet with friends in Lego Star Wars: Castaways. It will be the first social, action-adventure Lego Star Wars game, so it’ll offer chances to relive great moments from the movies or have dance parties.

The upcoming Gameloft title will be available only on Apple Arcade.

Lego Star Wars Battles explodes onto Apple Arcade

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Grab your blaster: ‘Lego Star Wars Battles‘ shoots toward Apple Arcade
“Lego Star Wars Battles” lets Chewbacca fight Boba Fett. Or have an Ewok take on a Tusken Raider.

The newest addition to Apple Arcade really puts the “war” in Star Wars. Look for a mix of one-on-one real-time combat and tower defense with classic characters in Lego Star Wars Battles.

The game debuted Friday, and is playable on a wide variety of Apple devices.

Mandalorian selfies, 21st century biz cards and more [Awesome Apps of the Week]

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What kind of lunatic wants to show up in Din Djarin's holopuck?1? Awesome Apps of the Week include Star Wars, HomePage, OmniFocus and SpotHero.
What kind of lunatic wants to show up in Din Djarin's holopuck?!?
Image: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
Awesome Apps

You can make like an intergalactic outlaw or keep in touch like a pro with two of the new apps and updates featured in the week’s roundup. And the other two featured apps show off the growing versatility of macOS Big Sur and CarPlay, two Apple platforms that deserve a little extra love.

Get the scoop in this week’s edition of Awesome Apps of the Week.

Star Wars, Marvel and other Disney movies get free 4K upgrade in iTunes

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Stormtroopers-Fortnite
"These are the 4K upgrades you're looking for."
Photo: Epic Games

An assortment of Disney movies are now available in 4K HDR quality on iTunes. If you’ve not bought them already, the movies can be purchased for the same price as their previous HD counterparts. If you previously purchased the HD version, it will be automatically upgraded to 4K for free.

This includes the Star Wars movies, much of the Marvel catalog, and various Pixar and Disney films — with more being added all the time.

Disney+ racks up 5 million downloads on launch day in Europe

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disney.plus.uk.2
Disney+ has finally landed in the UK.
Photo: Apple

The Disney+ mobile app is off to a roaring start in Europe and the UK just days after it launched earlier this week.

Third-party app analytics firm App Annie revealed that the Disney+ app has been downloaded over 5 million times on launch day, possibly thanks to millions of residents having to shelter-in-place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Disney Magic Kingdoms adds Star Wars content

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Disney Magic Kingdoms gets added Star Wars content
May the Force Touch be with you.
Photo: Gameloft/Disney

A quirky little indie movie you probably haven’t heard of is coming to theaters this Friday and — oh, who am I kidding, it’s freaking Star Wars!

In an effort to ramp up excitement about The Rise of Skywalker, Disney just added new Star Wars content to its Disney Magic Kingdoms game. Check out a trailer below:

Steal Samsung’s sweet Star Wars wallpapers for your iPhone

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Star-Wars-wallpaper-iPhone
They look great on OLED screens.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Samsung just dropped its new Galaxy Note 10+ Star Wars Edition, and it looks awesome. But if you’re not ready to ditch your iPhone and spend $1,300 on something else, just steal its sweet wallpapers instead.

There are eight in total, and they’re ideal for any Star Wars fan. They also look terrific on iPhone.

Stormtroopers invade Fortnite in new Star Wars crossover

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Stormtroopers-Fortnite
Pick up the new outfit today.
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite’s latest crossover sees Star Wars stormtroopers invading the game for the first time. Players will also see a Star Destroyer hovering above the Battle Royale map.

The event celebrates today’s release of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the newest title from EA Games. And if you plan to pick that up, you could get Fortnite’s new stormtrooper outfit free.

Join the dark side with OtterBox’s Star Wars iPhone cases

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OtterBox Star Wars iPhone cases
What would the Star Wars saga be without droids and Kylo Renn?
Photo: OtterBox

An addition to OtterBox’s Star Wars iPhone cases celebrates Kylo Ren wearing his helmet again, while a second salutes the droids that are so important to these films.

These two join cases with more than a dozen other designs from Lucasfilm’s ongoing sci-fi saga.

Disney CEO reveals why he left Apple’s board

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With Apple TV+ ready to compete against Disney+, Bob Iger resigns from the Apple board.
With Apple TV+ ready to compete against Disney+, Bob Iger resigned from the Apple board.
Photo: Josh Hallett/Flickr CC

Disney CEO Bob Iger finally spoke about his recent resignation from Apple’s board of directors in an interview with Mad Money host Jim Cramer.

Iger resigned from Apple’s board earlier this month. As many people speculated, Iger says he felt it was time for him to step aside because of Apple TV+.

Brand new Lego Star Wars Battles hits iOS next year

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Lego-Star-Wars-Battles
Unlike any other Lego Star Wars game.
Photo: Warner Bros.

In a galaxy not so far away (our galaxy, actually) a brand new Star Wars game is on its way to iOS.

Lego Star Wars Battles is a brand new deck-building strategy game that will feature content from all nine of the Star Wars movies — including all your favorite characters and locations.

Apple will rake in cash from Disney+ too

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The Mandalorian on Disney+
Watching The Mandalorian on Disney+ will probably make Apple money.
Photo: Disney/Cult of Mac

Apple and Disney are launching streaming video services this fall. Despite these being rivals, Apple will make money off both. There will be Disney+ apps for iOS and Apple TV, and consumers will be able to subscribe with in-app purchases, which means Apple gets a hefty cut of the revenue.

Plus, Star Wars fans can be assured they’ll be able to watch The Mandalorian when it debuts Nov. 12 with their iPad or other Apple computer.

Foundation show runner steps down from Apple’s TV adaptation

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Foundation was a major influence on Star Wars, and now it's coming to Apple TV.
Foundation was a major influence on Star Wars, and now it's coming to Apple TV+.
Photo: Bantam Spectra Books

Apple’s TV series adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s epic sci-fi novel Foundation has already experienced its first major shakeup.

Josh Friedman, who was originally tapped to lead the show alongside David S. Goyer, has reportedly decided to step down from the project.

Star Wars drones will blow your nerdy mind [Deals]

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Live out your Star Wars flights of fancy with these high performance, feature-rich drones.
Live out your sci-fi flights of fancy with these high-performance drones.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Any Star Wars fan can relate to the dream of taking off in an X-wing. The best we could do in the old days was to play video games or mouth engine noises while running around the living room a toy starfighter. But it’s the future now, so anyone can live out their own Star Wars dogfights and chase scenes.

Lightsaber battles get personal in Jedi Challenges

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It's not your father's lightsaber, but Jedi Challenges lets you battle your megalomaniac dad or whiny son. Virtually, of course.
It's not your father's lightsaber, but Jedi Challenges lets you battle your megalomaniac dad or whiny son. Virtually, of course.
Photo: Lenovo

Just in time for May the Fourth-be-with-you, Star Wars: Jedi Challenges added multiplayer lightsaber battles so you can take on your friends in virtual reality combat. 

Of course, doing so requires a couple of $150 AR helmets and lightsabers. But still. 

Get your Star Wars fix with these Solo iPhone cases

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otterbox
Just in time for Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Photo: Otterbox

The most anticipated Star Wars movie of 2018 is nearly here and OtterBox has got the official cases to get you ready for the premiere.

OtterBox’s new Solo: A Star Wars Story Symmetry Series cases are out in advance of the film, providing fans with three awesome artworks to choose from that pay tribute to some of the most classic characters in a galaxy far far away.